The Letter H
IN a dispute, whether the letter H was really a letter or a simple
aspiration, Rowland Hill contended that it was the former; adding that,
if it were not a letter, it must have been a very serious affair to him,
by making him ill (Hill without H) all the days of his life.
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The Honest Man's Litany
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LORD CHESTERFIELD placed among the portraits of his ancestors two old heads, inscribed Adam de Stanhope, and Eve de Stanhope: the ridicule is admirable. Old Peter Leneve, the herald, who thought ridicule consisted in not being of an old family, m... The Lame Beggar
I AM unable, yonder beggar cries, To stand or move. If he says true, he lies. ... The Last War
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CURIOUS coincidences respecting the letter C, as connected with the Princess Charlotte, daughter of George IV.:--Her mother's name was Caroline, her own name was Charlotte; that of her consort Cobourg; she was married at Carlton House; her town resi... The Letter H
SIR JAMES SCARLETT, when at the Bar, had to cross-examine a witness whose evidence it was thought would be very damaging, unless he could be bothered a little, and his only vulnerable point was said to be his self-esteem. The witness presented himse... The Letter H
IN a dispute, whether the letter H was really a letter or a simple aspiration, Rowland Hill contended that it was the former; adding that, if it were not a letter, it must have been a very serious affair to him, by making him ill (Hill without H) al... The Light Subject
THE government, having threatened to proceed rigorously against those who refused to pay the assessed taxes, offered to them a remission of one fourth. This at least, said a sufferer, may be called, giving them some quarter. ... The Majesty Of Mud
DURING the rage of republican principles in England, and whilst the Corresponding Society was in full vigor, Mr. Selwyn one May-day met a troop of chimney-sweepers, dressed out in all their gaudy trappings; and observed to Mr. Fox, who was walking w... The Measure Of A Brain
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SARAH, Duchess of Marlborough, once pressing the duke to take a medicine, with her usual warmth said, I'll be hanged if it do not prove serviceable. Dr. Garth, who was present, exclaimed, Do take it, then, my lord duke, for it must be of service one... The Mixture As Before
A GENTLEMAN who had an Irish servant, having stopped at an inn for several days, desired to have a bill, and found a large quantity of port placed to his servant's account, and questioned him about it. Please your honor, cried Pat, do read how many ... The Money-borrower Deceived
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IN a small party, the subject turning on matrimony, a lady said to her sister, I wonder, my dear, you have never made a match; I think you want the brimstone;--she replied, No, not the brimstone, only the spark. ... The One-spur Horseman
A STUDENT riding being jeered on the way for wearing but one spur, said that if one side of his horse went on, it was not likely that the other would stay behind. [This is, no doubt, the original of the well-known passage in Hudibras,-- Fo... The Orators
TO wonder now at Balaam's ass, is weak; Is there a day that asses do not speak? ... The Philanthropist
JERROLD hated the cant of philanthropy, and writhed whenever he was called a philanthropist in print. On one occasion, when he found himself so described, he exclaimed, Zounds, it tempts a man to kill a child, to get rid of the reputation. ... The Pigs And The Silver Spoon
THE Earl of P---- kept a number of swine at his seat in Wiltshire, and crossing the yard one day he was surprised to see the pigs gathered round one trough, and making a great noise. Curiosity prompted him to see what was the cause, and on looking i... The Pink Of Politeness
LORD BERKELEY was once dining with Lord Chesterfield (the pink of politeness) and a large party, when it was usual to drink wine until they were mellow. Berkeley had by accident shot one of his gamekeepers, and Chesterfield, under the warmth of wine...