The Works of Jonathan Swift: Tale of a tub. Battle of the books. Polite conversation

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A. Constable, 1814

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Page 231 - The avenues to his castle were guarded with turnpikes and palisadoes, all after the modern way of fortification. After you had passed several courts you came to the centre, wherein you might behold the constable himself in his own lodgings, which had windows fronting to each avenue, and ports to sally out upon all occasions of prey or defence.
Page 77 - On their first appearance, our three adventurers met with a very bad reception ; and soon, with great sagacity, guessing out the reason, they quickly began to improve in the good qualities of the town : they writ, and rallied, and rhymed, and sung, and said, and said nothing: they drank, and fought, and whored, and slept, and swore, and took snuff...
Page 220 - SATIRE is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind reception it meets with in the world, and that so very few are offended with it.
Page 233 - Not to disparage myself/ said he, 'by the comparison with such a rascal, what art thou but a vagabond without house or home, without stock or inheritance, born to no possession of your own, but a pair of wings and a dronepipe ? Your livelihood is...
Page 162 - For the brain, in its natural position and state of serenity, disposeth its owner to pass his life in the common forms, without any thought of subduing multitudes to his own power, his reasons, or his visions; and the more he shapes his understanding by the pattern of human learning, the less he is inclined to form parties after his particular notions, because that instructs him in his private infirmities, as well as in the stubborn ignorance of the people.
Page 236 - As for us the Ancients, we are content with the bee to pretend to nothing of our own, beyond our wings and our voice; that is to say, our flights and our language. For the rest, whatever we have got, has been by infinite labour and search, and ranging through every corner of nature.
Page 316 - ... had all the speeches been printed without the very names of the persons, I believe one might have applied them with certainty to every speaker.
Page 169 - I myself, the author of these momentous truths, am a person, whose imaginations are hard-mouthed, and exceedingly disposed to run away with his reason, which I have observed, from long experience, to be a very light rider, and easily shook off; upon which account, my friends will never trust me alone, without a solemn promise to vent my speculations in this, or the like manner, for the universal benefit of human kind...
Page 147 - At other times were to be seen several hundred linked together in a circular chain, with every man a pair of bellows applied to his neighbour's breech, by which they blew up each other to the shape and size of a tun ; and for that reason, jvith great propriety of speech, did. usually call their bodies, their vessels.
Page 404 - And the best doctors in the world are doctor Diet, doctor Quiet, and doctor Merryman.

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