Maxioms by Ambrose Bierce
OBSESSED, p.p. Vexed by an evil spirit, like the Gadarene swine and other critics. Obsession was once more common than read more
OBSESSED, p.p. Vexed by an evil spirit, like the Gadarene swine and other critics. Obsession was once more common than it is now. Arasthus tells of a peasant who was occupied by a different devil for every day in the week, and on Sundays by two. They were frequently seen, always walking in his shadow, when he had one, but were finally driven away by the village notary, a holy man; but they took the peasant with them, for he vanished utterly. A devil thrown out of a woman by the Archbishop of Rheims ran through the trees, pursued by a hundred persons, until the open country was reached, where by a leap higher than a church spire he escaped into a bird. A chaplain in Cromwell's army exorcised a soldier's obsessing devil by throwing the soldier into the water, when the devil came to the surface. The soldier, unfortunately, did not.
HIPPOGRIFF, n. An animal (now extinct) which was half horse and half griffin. The griffin was a compound creature, half read more
HIPPOGRIFF, n. An animal (now extinct) which was half horse and half griffin. The griffin was a compound creature, half lion and half eagle. The hippogriff was, therefore, only one quarter eagle, which is $2.50 in gold. Zoology is full of surprises.
ECCENTRICITY, n. A method of distinction so cheap that fools employ it to accentuate their incapacity.
ECCENTRICITY, n. A method of distinction so cheap that fools employ it to accentuate their incapacity.
Electricity is the power that causes all natural phenomena not known to be caused by something else.
Electricity is the power that causes all natural phenomena not known to be caused by something else.
Ocean: A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man - who has no gills.
Ocean: A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man - who has no gills.
