Her mouth is a honey-blossom, No doubt, as the poet sings; But within her lips, the petals, Lurks read more

Her mouth is a honey-blossom, No doubt, as the poet sings; But within her lips, the petals, Lurks a cruel bee that stings.

The mind conscious of innocence despises false reports: but we
are a set always ready to believe a scandal.
read more

The mind conscious of innocence despises false reports: but we
are a set always ready to believe a scandal.
[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit:
Sed nos in vitium credula turba sumus.]

And though you duck them ne'er so long,
Not one salt drop e'er wets their tongue;
On read more

And though you duck them ne'er so long,
Not one salt drop e'er wets their tongue;
On eagles' wings immortal scandals fly,
While virtuous actions are but borne to die.

Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality

Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality

There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that read more

There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it hardly becomes any one of us to talk about the rest of us.

And there's a lust in man no charm can tame
Of loudly publishing our neighbour's shame;
On read more

And there's a lust in man no charm can tame
Of loudly publishing our neighbour's shame;
On eagles' wings immortal scandals fly,
While virtuous actions are but borne to die.

Scandal is the press agent of old age

Scandal is the press agent of old age

The mightier man, the mightier is the thing
That makes him honored or begets him hate;
For read more

The mightier man, the mightier is the thing
That makes him honored or begets him hate;
For greatest scandal waits on greatest state.

Assail'd by scandal and the tongue of strife,
His only answer was a blameless life;
And he read more

Assail'd by scandal and the tongue of strife,
His only answer was a blameless life;
And he that forged, and he that threw the dart,
Had each a brother's interest in his heart.