The Jest Book: The Choicest Anecdotes and SayingsLemon, Mark
General
The Jest Book: The Choicest Anecdotes and Sayings
Lemon, Mark
Anecdotes -- Great Britain; English wit and humor
MR. JUSTICE P----, a well-meaning but particularly prosing judge, on one
of his country circuits had to try a man for stealing a quantity of
copper. In his charge he had frequent occasion to mention the "copper,"
which he uniformly called "lead," adding, "I beg your pardon,
gentlemen,--_copper_; but _I can't get the lead out of my head_!" At
this candid confession the whole court shouted with laughter.
CCLIII.--BURIED WORTH.
SIR THOMAS OVERBURY says, that the man who has not anything to boast of
but his illustrious ancestors, is like a potato,--the only good
belonging to him is _underground_.
CCLIV.--A JUST DEBTOR.
ON one occasion Lord Alvanley had promised a person 100l. as a bribe,
to conceal something which would have involved the reputation of a lady.
On that person's application for the money, his lordship wrote a check
for 25l. and presented it to him. "But, my lord, you promised me
100l."--"True," said his lordship, "I did so; but you know, Mr. ----,
that I am now making arrangements with all my creditors _at 5s. in the
pound_. Now you must see, Mr. ----, that if I were to pay you at a
higher rate than I pay them, I should be doing my creditors an
injustice!"
CCLV.--A SOUND CONCLUSION.
SIR WILLIAM CURTIS sat near a gentleman at a civic dinner, who alluded
to the excellence of the knives, adding, that "articles manufactured
from _cast steel_ were of a very superior quality, such as razors,
forks, &c."--"Ay," replied the facetious baronet, "and soap too--there's
no soap like _Castile_ soap."
CCLVI.--CUTTING HIS COAT.
WHEN Brummell was the great oracle on coats, the Duke of Leinster was
very anxious to bespeak the approbation of the "Emperor of the Dandies"
for a "cut" which he had just patronized. The Duke, in the course of his
eulogy on his Schneider, had frequent occasion to use the words "my
coat."--"Your coat, my dear fellow," said Brummell: "what coat?"--"Why,
_this_ coat," said Leinster; "this coat that I have on." Brummell, after
regarding the vestment with an air of infinite scorn, walked up to the
Duke, and taking the collar between his finger and thumb, as if fearful
of contamination,--"What, Duke, do you call _that thing_ a coat?"
CCLVII.--NON SEQUITUR.
ONE of Sir Boyle Roche's children asked him one day, "Who was the father
of George III.?"--"My darling," he answered, "it was Frederick, Prince
of Wales, who would have been George III. if he had lived."
CCLVIII.--ANY PORT IN A STORM.
A VERY worthy, though not particularly erudite, under-writer at Lloyd's
was conversing one day with a friend on the subject of a ship they had
mutually insured. His friend observed, "Do you know that I suspect our
ship is in _jeopardy_?"--"Well, I am glad that she has got _into some
port at last_," replied the other.
CCLIX.--INGRATITUDE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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