The Wise and Ingenious Companion, French and English;: or, A Collection of the Wit of the Illustrious Persons, Both Ancient and ModernBoyer, Abel
General
The Wise and Ingenious Companion, French and English;: or, A Collection of the Wit of the Illustrious Persons, Both Ancient and Modern
Boyer, Abel
Anecdotes; Wit and humor
Un Riche _Athenien_ pria le Philosophe _Aristippe_ de lui dire ce
qu’il desiroit pour instruire son Fils: _Aristippe_ lui demanda
mille Drachmes. Comment, dit l’_Athenien_, j’acheterois un Esclave
de cét Argent là; _Achetes en un_, lui répondit _Aristippe_, _&
tu en auras deux_; lui faisant entendre que son Fils auroit les
defauts d’un Esclave, s’il ne faisoit pas la depense nécessaire
pour le bien élever.
2
The famous Philosopher _Anacharsis_ was a _Scythian_ by Birth
and a _Grecian_ who had no other Merit than that of being born
in _Greece_, looking upon him with Envy, reproached him with the
Barbarousness of his Country; _I confess_, reply’d _Anacharsis_,
_that my Country is a Shame to me; but thou art the Shame of thy
Country._ This Saying may be very well applied to those shallow
Wits who despise Strangers, meerly because they are Strangers; not
considering that Learning, Wit and Merit, are of all Countries.
2
Le fameux Philosophe _Anacharsis_ ètoit _Scythe_, & un _Grec_ qui
n’avoit d’autre Merite que d’être né en _Grece_, le regardant avec
envie, lui reprochoit la barbarie de son Païs: _J’avouë_, lui
repliqua _Anacharsis_, _que mon Pays me fait honte, mais tu fais
honte à ton Pays._ Ce mot peut être fort bien appliqué à ces petits
Esprits qui méprisent les Etrangers seulement parce qu’ils sont
Etrangers, sans considerer que le Sçavoir, l’Esprit & le Merite
sont de tout Pays.
3
When _Theopompus_ was King of _Sparta_, one was saying in his
Presence, that it now went well with their City, because their
King had learn’d how to Govern: To which the King very prudently
Replied, _That it rather came to pass, because their People had
learn’d to Obey_; intimating that Popular Cities are most injurious
to themselves, by their factious Disobedience; which while they
are addicted to, they are not easily well governed by the best of
Magistrates.
3
Lors que _Theopompus_ ètoit Roy de _Sparte_, quelqu’un dit en sa
presence, que leurs Ville ètoit florissante, parce que leurs Rois
avoient appris à gouverner, à quoi le Roy repondit fort sagement,
_Que cela venoit plûtôt de ce que le Peuple avoit appris à obeïr_;
donnant à entendre que les Villes où la Populace a du credit, se
font beaucoup de tort par leurs Factions & leur desobeïssance, &
qu’alors il est difficile, même aux meilleurs Magistrats de les
bien gouverner.
4
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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