Anecdotes, Bons-mots, and Characteristic Traits of the Greatest Princes, Politicians, Philosophers, Orators, and Wits of Modern Times ...: Calculated to Inspire the Minds of Youth with Noble, Virtuous, Generous, and Liberal Sentiments |
Common terms and phrases
afked againſt almoſt amuſe ANECDOTE anſwer aſked battle of Ivry becauſe beſt BON MOT buſineſs Catharine cauſe character circumftance confequence confiderable converfation court cuſtom Czar defign defired dinner Duke Emperor Empreſs Engliſh eſtabliſhed faid fame feemed feen fent ferved feven feveral fhall fhew fhould filk firft firſt fituation fmall fome foon France French ftill fubject fuch fuperior fure genius gentleman greateſt herſelf himſelf hiſtory honour houfe houſe Johnſon juſt King of Pruffia lady laft laſt leaſt lefs Linnæus Lord Majefty maſter ment minifters moft moſt muſt myſelf never obferved occafion paffed paffion perfon Peter pleaſe pleaſure prefent Prince Prince Potemkin queſtion Quin reaſon refidence refpect refuſed replied Ruffian ſaid ſay ſee Shakeſpeare ſhall ſhe ſmall ſome ſpeak ſtate ſtill ſuch taſte thefe themſelves theſe thing thofe thoſe thouſand tion underſtanding uſe uſually vifit Voltaire whofe young
Popular passages
Page 130 - Why, Sir, when they come to me with a dead stay-maker and a dying parson, what can a man do?" He said, however, that "he hated to give away literary performances, or even to sell them too cheaply: the next generation shall not accuse me...
Page 162 - That tongue which set the table on a roar, And charm'd the public ear, is heard no more ! Clos'd are those eyes, the harbingers of wit Which spoke, before the tongue, what Shakespeare writ; Cold are those hands, which, living, were stretched forth At friendship's call to succour modest worth.
Page 150 - Under thefe limitations, in the midft of a great city, one would imagine it almoft impoffible that a duel could ever end in blood ; however, this is not the cafe: — A crofs is always painted on the wall oppofite to the fpot where a knight has been killed, in commemoration of his fall. — We counted about twenty of thefe crofles.
Page 242 - I had fixed a resolution, in the beginning of my life, always to leave the public to judge between my adversaries and me, without making any reply, I must adhere inviolably to this resolution...
Page 78 - In these two princely boys! They are as gentle As zephyrs, blowing below the violet, Not wagging his sweet head: and yet as rough, Their royal blood enchafd, as the rud'st wind, That by the top doth take the mountain pine, And make him stoop to the vale.
Page 124 - With a contempt not inferior he received the praises of a pretty lady's face and behaviour: "She says nothing Sir (answers Johnson) ; a talking blackamoor were better than a white creature who adds nothing to life, and by sitting down before one thus desperately silent, takes away the confidence one should have in the company of her chair if she were once out of it.
Page 124 - that you could not stand five minutes with that man beneath a shed while it rained, but you must be convinced you had been standing with the greatest man you had ever yet seen.
Page 154 - ... at one end of the room, took off his cloak, folded it very carefully, laid it upon the floor, and fat down upon it ; in all which he was imitated by his followers. In this...
Page 129 - Johnson made him a comical answer one day, when seeming to repine at the success of Beattie's Essay on Truth — "Here's such a stir (said he) about a fellow that has written one book, and I have written many.
Page 241 - I formerly used the freedom to complain, when you favoured me with a sight of the manuscript, are either removed or explained away, or atoned for by civilities, which are far beyond what I have any title to pretend to. It will be natural for you to imagine, that I will fall upon...