The Jest Book: The Choicest Anecdotes and SayingsLemon, Mark
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The Jest Book: The Choicest Anecdotes and Sayings
Lemon, Mark
Anecdotes -- Great Britain; English wit and humor
A CHEMIST asserted that all bitter things were hot. "No," said a
gentleman present, "there is a _bitter_ cold day."
MCDLXXI.--PLAYER, OR LORD.
ONE day, at a party in Bath, Quin said something which caused a general
murmur of delighted merriment. A nobleman present, who was not
distinguished for the brilliancy of his ideas, exclaimed: "What a pity
'tis, Quin, my boy, that a clever fellow like you should _be a player_!"
Quin, fixing and flashing his eyes upon the speaker, replied: "Why! what
would your lordship have me be?--a lord?"
MCDLXXII.--IN MEMORIAM.
SOYER is gone! Then be it said,
At last, indeed, great PAN is dead.
MCDLXXIII.--PRIME'S PRESERVATIVE.
SERGEANT PRIME had a remarkably long nose, and being one day out riding,
was flung from his horse, and fell upon his face in the middle of the
road. A countryman, who saw the occurrence, ran hastily up, raised the
sergeant from the mire, and asked him if he was much hurt. The sergeant
replied in the negative. "I zee, zur," said the rustic, grinning, "yer
_ploughshare_ saved ye!"
MCDLXXIV.--A SHARP BRUSH.
SHERIDAN was down at Brighton one summer, when Fox, the manager,
desirous of showing him some civility, took him all over the theatre,
and, exhibited its beauties. "There, Mr. Sheridan," said Fox, who
combined twenty occupations, without being clever in any, "I built and
painted all these boxes, and I painted all these scenes."--"Did you?"
said Sheridan, surveying them rapidly; "well, I should not, I am sure,
have known you were a Fox by your _brush_."
MCDLXXV.--NOT SO "DAFT" AS REPUTED.
THERE was a certain "Daft Will," who was a privileged haunter of
Eglington Castle and grounds. He was discovered by the noble owner one
day taking a near cut, and crossing a fence in the demesne. The earl
called out, "Come back, sir, that's not the road."--"Do ye ken," said
Will, "whaur I'm gaun?"--"No," replied his lordship. "Weel, hoo the deil
do ye ken _whether this be the road or no_?"
MCDLXXVI.--PICKING POCKETS.
"THESE beer-shops," quoth Barnabas, speaking in alt,
"Are ruinous,--down with the growers of malt!"
"Too true," answers Ben, with a shake of the head,
"Wherever they congregate, honesty's dead.
That beer breeds dishonesty causes no wonder,
'Tis nurtured in crime,--'tis concocted in plunder;
In Kent while surrounded by flourishing crops,
I saw a rogue _picking a pocket_ of hops."
MCDLXXVII.--HUSBANDING HIS RESOURCES.
A WAG, reading in one of Brigham Young's manifestoes, "that the great
resources of Utah are her women," exclaimed, "It is very evident that
the prophet is disposed to _husband his resources_."
MCDLXXVIII.--SMOOTHING IT DOWN.
A CLIENT remarked to his solicitor, "You are writing my bill on very
rough paper, sir."--"Never mind," was the reply of the latter, "it has
to be _filed_ before it comes into court."
MCDLXXIX.--MAKING FREE WITH THE WAIST.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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