Book-bot.com - read famous books online for free

A Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift
page 6 of 157 (03%)
side. They swore to me that they had ransacked whatever could be
found in the characters of Socrates, Aristides, Epaminondas, Cato,
Tully, Atticus, and other hard names which I cannot now recollect.
However, I have reason to believe they imposed upon my ignorance,
because when I came to read over their collections, there was not a
syllable there but what I and everybody else knew as well as
themselves: therefore I grievously suspect a cheat; and that these
Authors of mine stole and transcribed every word from the universal
report of mankind. So that I took upon myself as fifty shillings
out of pocket to no manner of purpose.

If by altering the title I could make the same materials serve for
another dedication (as my betters have done), it would help to make
up my loss; but I have made several persons dip here and there in
those papers, and before they read three lines they have all assured
me plainly that they cannot possibly be applied to any person
besides your Lordship.

I expected, indeed, to have heard of your Lordship's bravery at the
head of an army; of your undaunted courage in mounting a breach or
scaling a wall; or to have had your pedigree traced in a lineal
descent from the House of Austria; or of your wonderful talent at
dress and dancing; or your profound knowledge in algebra,
metaphysics, and the Oriental tongues: but to ply the world with an
old beaten story of your wit, and eloquence, and learning, and
wisdom, and justice, and politeness, and candour, and evenness of
temper in all scenes of life; of that great discernment in
discovering and readiness in favouring deserving men; with forty
other common topics; I confess I have neither conscience nor
countenance to do it. Because there is no virtue either of a public
DigitalOcean Referral Badge