John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
Tom Brown 1663-1704 John Bartlett
| 1 |
| I do not love thee, Doctor Fell, The reason why I cannot tell; But this alone I know full well, I do not love thee, Doctor Fell. 1 |
| Laconics. |
| 2 |
| To treat a poor wretch with a bottle of Burgundy, and fill his snuff-box, is like giving a pair of laced ruffles to a man that has never a shirt on his back. 2 |
| Laconics. |
| 3 |
| In the reign of Charles II. a certain worthy divine at Whitehall thus addressed himself to the auditory at the conclusion of his sermon: “In short, if you don’t live up to the precepts of the Gospel, but abandon yourselves to your irregular appetites, you must expect to receive your reward in a certain place which ’t is not good manners to mention here.” 3 |
| Laconics. |
| Note 1. A slightly different version is found in Brown’s Works collected and published after his death:— Non amo te, Sabidi, nec possum dicere quare; Hoc tantum possum dicere, non amo te (I do not love thee, Sabidius, nor can I say why; this only I can say, I do not love thee).—Martial: Epigram i. 33. Je ne vous aime pas, Hylas; Je n’en saurois dire la cause, Je sais seulement une chose; C’est que je ne vous aime pas. Bussy: Comte de Rabutin. (1618–1693.) [back] |
| Note 2. Like sending them ruffles, when wanting a shirt.—Sorbienne (1610–1670). Oliver Goldsmith: The Haunch of Venison. [back] |
| Note 3. Who never mentions hell to ears polite.—Alexander Pope: Moral Essays, epistle iv. line 149. [back] |