Tom Brown. 1663-1704. John Bartlett, comp. 1919. Familiar Quotations, 10th ed.

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John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.

Tom Brown. (1663–1704)

I do not love thee, Doctor Fell,
The reason why I cannot tell;
But this alone I know full well,
I do not love thee, Doctor Fell. 1

Laconics.

To treat a poor wretch with a bottle of Burgundy, and fill his snuff-box, is like giving a pair of laced ruffles to a man that has never a shirt on his back. 2

Laconics.

In the reign of Charles II. a certain worthy divine at Whitehall thus addressed himself to the auditory at the conclusion of his sermon: “In short, if you don’t live up to the precepts of the Gospel, but abandon yourselves to your irregular appetites, you must expect to receive your reward in a certain place which ’t is not good manners to mention here.” 3

Laconics.

Note 1.
A slightly different version is found in Brown’s Works collected and published after his death:—

Non amo te, Sabidi, nec possum dicere quare;
Hoc tantum possum dicere, non amo te
(I do not love thee, Sabidius, nor can I say why; this only I can say, I do not love thee).—Martial: Epigram i. 33.

Je ne vous aime pas, Hylas;
Je n’en saurois dire la cause,
Je sais seulement une chose;
C’est que je ne vous aime pas.
Bussy: Comte de Rabutin. (1618–1693.) [back]

Note 2.
Like sending them ruffles, when wanting a shirt.—Sorbienne (1610–1670).

Oliver Goldsmith: The Haunch of Venison. [back]

Note 3.
Who never mentions hell to ears polite.—Alexander Pope: Moral Essays, epistle iv. line 149. [back]

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