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
AN opulent farmer applied to an attorney about a lawsuit, but was told
he could not undertake it, being already engaged on the other side; at
the same time he gave him a letter of recommendation to a professional
friend. The farmer, out of curiosity, opened it, and read as follows:--
"Here are two fat wethers fallen out together,
If you'll fleece one, I'll fleece the other,
And make 'em agree like brother and brother."
The perusal of this epistle cured both parties, and terminated the
dispute.
CXCVIII.--A WIFE AT FORTY.
"MY notion of a wife at forty," said Jerrold, "is, that a man should be
able to change her, like a bank-note, for two twenties."
CXCIX.--DISAPPROBATION.
AN actor played a season at Richmond theatre for the privilege only of
having a benefit. When his night came, and having to sustain a principal
part in the piece, the whole of his audience (thirty in number), hissed
him whenever he appeared. When the piece ended, he came forward and
said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I return you my sincere thanks for your
kindness, but when you mean to hiss me again on my benefit night, I hope
you will be at least _six times_ as many as are here to-night."
CC.--NOVEL OFFENCE.
COOKE and Dibdin went, at a tolerably steady quick-step, as far as the
middle of Greek Street, when Cooke, who had passed his hand along all
the palisades and shutters as he marched, came in contact with the
recently-painted new front of a coachmaker's shop, from which he
obtained a complete handful of wet color. Without any explanation as to
the cause of his anger, he rushed suddenly into the middle of the
street, and raised a stone to hurl against the unoffending windows; but
Dibdin was in time to save them from destruction, and him from the
watch-house. On being asked the cause of his hostility to the premises
of a man who could not have offended him, he replied, with a hiccup,
"what! not offend? A ---- ignorant coachmaker, to leave his _house out_,
new-painted, at this time of night!"
CCI.--MEASURING HIS DISTANCE.
A BROWBEATING counsel asked a witness how far he had been from a certain
place. "Just four yards, two feet, and six inches," was the reply. "How
came you to be so exact, my friend?"--"Because I expected _some fool_ or
other would ask me, and so I measured it."
CCII.--VERY CLEAR.
"WHAT is light?" asked a schoolmaster of the booby of a class. "A
sovereign that isn't full weight is light," was the prompt reply.
CCIII.--BROTHERLY LOVE.
"AH!" said a conceited young parson, "I have this afternoon been
preaching to a congregation of asses."--"Then that was the reason why
you always called them _beloved brethren_," replied a strong-minded
lady.
CCIV.--EPIGRAM.
BY a friend of Sir Turncoat 'twas lately averr'd,
The electors would find him as good as his word!
"_As good as his word_," did you say, "gracious me!
_What a terrible scamp little Turncoat must be_!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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