John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
3856 James Bramston d 1744 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 3856 |
| AUTHOR: | James Bramston (d. 1744) |
| QUOTATION: | But Titus said, with his uncommon sense, When the Exclusion Bill was in suspense: “I hear a lion in the lobby roar; Say, Mr. Speaker, shall we shut the door And keep him there, or shall we let him in To try if we can turn him out again?” 1 |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Art of Politics. |
| Note 1. I hope, said Colonel Titus, we shall not be wise as the frogs to whom Jupiter gave a stork for their king. To trust expedients with such a king on the throne would be just as wise as if there were a lion in the lobby, and we should vote to let him in and chain him, instead of fastening the door to keep him out.—On the Exclusion Bill, Jan. 7, 1681. [back] |