An Attic Jest
SHERIDAN inquiring of his son what side of politics he should espouse on
his inauguration to St. Stephen's, the son replied, that he intended to
vote for those who offered best, and that he should wear on his forehead
a label, To let.--I suppose, Tom, you mean to add, unfurnished,
rejoined the father.
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An Act Of Justice
DR. BARTON, being in company with Dr. Nash, who had just printed two heavy folios on the antiquities of Worcestershire, remarked that the publication was deficient in several respects, adding, Pray, doctor, are you not a justice of the peace?--I am,... An Advantageous Tithe
A'BECKETT once said, It seems that anything likely to have an annual increase is liable to be tithed. Could not Lord S----, by virtue of this liability, contrive to get rid of a part of his stupidity? ... An Affectionate Hint
A NAMESAKE of Charles Fox having been hung at Tyburn, the latter inquired of George Selwyn whether he had attended the execution? No, was his reply, I make a point of never attending rehearsals! ... An Affirmative Epigram
WHEN Julia was asked, if to church she would go, The fair one replied to me, No, Richard, no. At her meaning I ventured a pretty good guess, For from grammar I learned No and No stood for Yes. ... An Agreeable Practice
DR. GARTH (so he is called in the manuscript), who was one of the Kit-Kat Club, coming there one night, declared he must soon be gone, having many patients to attend; but some good wine being produced he forgot them. When Sir Richard Steele reminded... An Ample Apology
A CLERGYMAN at Cambridge preached a sermon which one of his auditors commended. Yes, said the gentleman to whom it was mentioned, it was a good sermon, but he stole it. This was repeated to the preacher, who resented it, and called on the gentleman ... An Anecdote
E--D--N was asked by one of note, Why merit he did not promote; For this good reason, answered he, 'Cause merit ne'er promoted me. ... An Anticipated Calamity
ON the departure of Bishop Selwyn for his diocese, New Zealand, Sydney Smith, when taking his leave of him, said: Good by, my dear Selwyn; I hope you will not disagree with the man who eats you! ... An Apish Resemblance
CHARLES LAMB used to say, that he had a great dislike to monkeys, on the principle that it was not pleasant to look upon one's poor relations. ... An Apt Reproof
MR. WESLEY, during his voyage to America, hearing an unusual noise in the cabin of General Oglethorpe (the Governor of Georgia, with whom he sailed), stepped in to inquire the cause of it, on which the General immediately addressed him: Mr. Wesley, ... An Arcadian
A LAZY fellow lying down on the grass said, O, how I do wish that this was called work, and well paid! ... An Architectural Pun
On the Statue of George I. being placed on the top of Bloomsbury Church. The King of Great Britain was reckoned before The head of the Church by all Protestant people; His Bloomsbury subjects have made him still more, For wit... An Argument
SAYS P--l--s, Why the Bishops are By nature meant the soil to share, I'll quickly make you understand; For can we not deduct with ease, That nature has designed the seas Expressly to divide the land? ... An Artistic Touch
WHEN Moore was getting his portrait painted by Newton, Sydney Smith, who accompanied the poet, said to the artist, Couldn't you contrive to throw into his face somewhat of a stronger expression of hostility to the Church Establishment? ... An Attic Jest
SHERIDAN inquiring of his son what side of politics he should espouse on his inauguration to St. Stephen's, the son replied, that he intended to vote for those who offered best, and that he should wear on his forehead a label, To let.--I suppose, To... An East Indian Chaplaincy
THE best history of a serpent we ever remember to have read, was of one killed near one of our settlements in the East Indies; in whose body they found the chaplain of the garrison, all in black, the Rev. Mr. ----, and who, after having been missing... An Easy Way
A PERSON deeply in debt, was walking through the streets in a melancholy way, when a friend asked him the cause of his sadness. I owe money and cannot pay it, said the man, in a tone of extreme dejection. Can't you leave all the uneasiness to your c... An Effort Of Memory
WOULD you think it? said A. to B. Mr. Roscius has taken a week to study a Prologue which I wrote in a day.--His memory is evidently not so good as yours, replied B. ... An Empty Head
OF a light, frivolous, flighty girl, whom Jerrold met frequently, he said, That girl has no more head than a periwinkle. ... An Endless Task
WHO seeks to please all men each way, And not himself offend, He may begin his work to-day, But who knows when he'll end? ... An Entertaining Proposition
A POMPOUS fellow made a very inadequate offer for a valuable property; and, calling the next day for an answer, inquired of the gentleman if he had entertained his proposition. No, replied the other, your proposition entertained me. ... An Equivocal Preference
A GENTLEMAN was describing to Douglas Jerrold the story of his courtship and marriage,--how his wife had been brought up in a convent, and was on the point of taking the veil, when his presence burst upon her enraptured sight, and she accepted him a... An Equivocation
A DIMINUTIVE attorney, named Else, once asked Jekyll: Sir, I hear you have called me a pettifogging scoundrel. Have you done so, sir?--No, sir, said Jekyll, with a look of contempt. I never said you were a pettifogger, or a scoundrel; but I did say ... An Error Corrected
JERROLD was seriously disappointed with a certain book written by one of his friends. This friend heard that Jerrold had expressed his disappointment. ... An Evasion
A WELL-DRESSED fellow walked into a room where they were talking politics, and, stretching himself up to his full height, exclaimed, in a loud voice, Where is a radical? Show me a radical, gentlemen, and I'll show you a liar! In an instant a man exc... An Expensive Job
A GENTLEMAN passing a country church while under repair, observed to one of the workmen, that he thought it would be an expensive job. Why, yes, replied he; but in my opinion we shall accomplish what our reverend divine has endeavored to do, for the... An Expensive Trip
IRISH Johnstone, the comedian, was known to be rather parsimonious. On one of his professional visits to Dublin, he billeted himself (as was his wont) upon all his acquaintances in town. Meeting Curran afterwards in London, and talking of his great ... An Explanation
YOUNG, the author of Night Thoughts, paid a visit to Potter, son of Archbishop Potter, who lived in a deep and dirty part of Kent, through which Young had scrambled with some difficulty and danger. Whose field was that I crossed? asked Young, on rea...