History of English Humour, Vol. 2L'Estrange, A. G. K. (Alfred Guy Kingan)
History
History of English Humour, Vol. 2
L'Estrange, A. G. K. (Alfred Guy Kingan)
English wit and humor -- History and criticism; Wit and humor -- History and criticism
"Courtiers," he says, "may be divided into two sorts, very
essentially different from each other; into those who never intend
to pay for their clothes, and those who do intend to pay for them,
but are never able. Of the latter sort are many of those young
gentlemen whom we equip out for the army, and who are, unhappily
for us, cast off before they arrive at preferment. This is the
reason why tailors in time of war are mistaken for politicians by
their inquisitiveness into the event of battles, one campaign very
often proving the ruin of half-a-dozen of us."
Julian also gives his experience during his life as a beggar, showing
that his life was not so very miserable.
"I married a charming young woman for love; she was the daughter of
a neighbouring beggar, who with an improvidence too often seen,
spent a very large income, which he procured from his profession,
so that he was able to give her no fortune down. However, at his
death he left her a very well-accustomed begging hut situated on
the side of a steep hill, where travellers could not immediately
escape from us; and a garden adjoining, being the twenty-eighth
part of an acre well-planted. She made the best of wives, bore me
nineteen children, and never failed to get my supper ready against
my return home--this being my favourite meal, and at which I, as
well as my whole family, greatly enjoyed ourselves."
"No profession," he observes, "requires a deeper insight into human
nature than a beggar's. Their knowledge of the passions of men is
so extensive, that I have often thought it would be of no little
service to a politician to have his education among them. Nay,
there is a much greater analogy between these two characters than
is imagined: for both concur in their first and grand principle, it
being equally their business to delude and impose on mankind. It
must be admitted that they differ widely in the degree of
advantage, which they make of their deceit; for whereas the beggar
is contented with a little, the politician leaves but a little
behind."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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