687. An Irishman having lost an eye, a friend of his recommended him to
one of our famous oculists, with whom he agreed to give ten guineas for
a very beautiful one shown him among the rest. He actually called the
next day to abuse him for having sold him an eye with which he could not
see.
688. An Irish soldier pretending dumbness, and the surgeon of the
regiment, after several attempts to restore him, declaring him
incurable, was discharged. He, a short time afterwards enlisted in
another corps, and being recognized by an old comrade, and questioned
how he learned to speak? By the powers, replied Terence, ten guineas
would make any man speak.
689. A singer once complaining to Mr. Jeffery, that himself and his
brother (both of whom were deemed simpletons), had been ordered to take
ass’s milk, but that on account of its expensiveness, he hardly knew
what they should do. Do! cried Mr. Jeffery, why suck one another, to be
sure.
690. A Cantab, one day observing a ragamuffin-looking boy scratching his
head at the door of Stevenson, the bookseller, in Cambridge, where he
was begging, and thinking to pass a joke upon him, said, So, Jack, you
are picking them out, are you? Nah, sar, retorted the urchin, I takes
’em as they come!
691. An Irish gardener seeing a boy stealing some fruit, swore, if he
caught him there again, he’d lock him up in the ice-house, and warm his
jacket.
692. Swift’s Stella, who was an Irish lady, being extremely ill, her
physician said, Madam, you are certainly near the bottom of the hill,
but we shall endeavour to get you up again. She replied, Doctor, I am
afraid I shall be out of breath before I get to the top again.
693. A lady observing in company, how glorious and useful a body the sun
was,―Why, yes, madam, said an Irish gentleman present, the sun is a
very fine body, to be sure; but, in my opinion, the moon is much more
useful; for the moon affords us light in the night-time, when we really
want it; whereas we have the sun with us in the day-time, when we have
no occasion for it.
694. Doctor Lucas, the celebrated Irish patriot, having, after a very
sharp contest, carried the election as a representative in parliament
for the city of Dublin, was met, a few days after, by a lady whose whole
family were very warm in the interest of the unsuccessful candidate;
Well, doctor, said she, I find you have gained the election. Yes, madam.
No wonder, sir: all the blackguards voted for you. No, madam, your two
sons did not, returned the doctor.
695. Anthony Pasquin one day leaning over the Margate Pier, after a
tremendous storm on the preceding night, You have had a blustering night
of it, said he, to an Irish sailor, who stood near him, but after a
storm comes a calm. By my sowl, and so it ought, said Pat, for the winds
and the waves had a hard night’s bout of it, and it’s time for them to
rest themselves.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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