Vulgar words in History of English Humour, Vol. 2 (Page 1)
This book at a glance
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~ ~ ~ Sentence 134 ~ ~ ~
He says that "like the Turk he would bear no brother near the throne," but that he would "View him with scornful, yet with jealous eyes, And hate for arts that caused himself to rise, Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, And with our sneering teach the rest to sneer; Willing to wound and yet afraid to strike, Just hint a fault and hesitate dislike, Alike reserved to blame or to commend, A tim'rous foe, and a suspicious friend, Dreading e'en fools, by flatterers besieged, And so obleeging that he ne'er obleeged."
~ ~ ~ Sentence 202 ~ ~ ~
There are numerous songs, such as that of Mrs. Peachum beginning-- "Our Polly is a sad slut!
~ ~ ~ Sentence 313 ~ ~ ~
"A Slut?
~ ~ ~ Sentence 378 ~ ~ ~
"The night was spent in another tavern in harmony, the songs being such as:-- "Musicks a crotchet the sober think vain, The fiddle's a wooden projection, Tunes are but flirts of a whimsical brain, Which the bottle brings best to perfection: Musicians are half-witted, merry and mad, The same are all those that admire 'em, They're fools if they play unless they're well paid, And the others are blockheads to hire 'em."
~ ~ ~ Sentence 932 ~ ~ ~
If they were not able to skin a flint, they knew well what was meant by "skinning a flayed dog," and "shearing an ass."
~ ~ ~ Sentence 933 ~ ~ ~
These and similar sayings, being of a simple character, may have been due to the same thought occurring to different minds, and this may be the case even where there is more point; thus, "an ass laden with gold will get into the strongest fortress," has been attributed to Frederick the Great and to Napoleon, and may have been due to both.
~ ~ ~ Sentence 938 ~ ~ ~
We have read of two eminent comic writers in classical times dying of laughter at seeing an ass eat figs.
~ ~ ~ Sentence 1,250 ~ ~ ~
Damn my limbs!
~ ~ ~ Sentence 1,252 ~ ~ ~
Damn ye, if in case I have given offence, can't you speak above board, and I shall make you amends."
~ ~ ~ Sentence 1,258 ~ ~ ~
The Commodore, who was in infinite distress, eyeing him askance, as he passed replied with a faltering voice, 'O damn ye!
~ ~ ~ Sentence 1,332 ~ ~ ~
He regards the latter as most contemptible, and says the mob should be permitted to halloo after them; boys might play tricks on them with impunity; every well-bred company should laugh at them, and if one of them, when turned sixty, offered to make love, his mistress might spit in his face, or what would be a greater punishment should fairly accept him.
~ ~ ~ Sentence 1,723 ~ ~ ~
"He would have eaten squab pie in Devonshire, and the pie which is squabber than squab in Cornwall; sheep's-head with the hair on in Scotland, and potatoes roasted on the hearth in Ireland, frogs with the French, pickled-herrings with the Dutch, sour-krout with the Germans, maccaroni with the Italians, aniseed with the Spaniards, garlic with anybody, horse-flesh with the Tartars, ass-flesh with the Persians, dogs with the North-Western American Indians, curry with the Asiatic East Indians, bird's-nests with the Chinese, mutton roasted with honey with the Turks, pismire cakes on the Orinoco, and turtle and venison with the Lord Mayor, and the turtle and venison he would have preferred to all the other dishes, because his taste, though Catholic, was not undiscriminating."
~ ~ ~ Sentence 2,405 ~ ~ ~
With Dickens the poor man was not a mere clown or blockhead; but beneath his "hodden gray" often carried good feeling, intelligence, and wit.
~ ~ ~ Sentence 2,684 ~ ~ ~
We consider that to call a man an ass is a reproach, but in the East in bewailing a lost friend they frequently exclaim, "Alas, my jackass!" for they do not associate the animal with stupidity, but with patience and usefulness.
~ ~ ~ Sentence 3,088 ~ ~ ~
Thus, also, to call a man an ass would not win a smile from most of us, but we relax a little when the writers in a high church periodical, addicted to attacking Mr. Spurgeon, upon being accused of being actuated by envy, retort that they know the commandment--"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's ass."
~ ~ ~ Sentence 3,363 ~ ~ ~
A lady told me last autumn that when she was walking in a country town with her Italian greyhound, which was dressed in a red coat to protect it from cold, the tradespeople and most others passed it without notice, or merely with a passing word of commendation; but, on meeting a country bumpkin, he pointed to it, burst out laughing, and said, "Look at that daug, why, it's all the world like a littl' oss."
~ ~ ~ Sentence 3,535 ~ ~ ~
If David, when his toils were ended Had heard these blockheads sing before him, To us his psalms had ne'er descended; In furious mood, he would have tore 'em."