Th' oppressive, sturdy, man-destroying villains,
Who ravag'd kingdoms, and laid empires waste,
And in a cruel wantonness read more

Th' oppressive, sturdy, man-destroying villains,
Who ravag'd kingdoms, and laid empires waste,
And in a cruel wantonness of power,
Thinn'd states of half their people, and gave up
To want the rest.

Wit is cultured insolence.

Wit is cultured insolence.

You can pretend to be serious; you can't pretend to be witty.

You can pretend to be serious; you can't pretend to be witty.

This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector.

This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector.

It is by such encounters that wits come to know each other.
[Ger., Les beaux esprits lernen einander durch read more

It is by such encounters that wits come to know each other.
[Ger., Les beaux esprits lernen einander durch dergleichen
recontre erkennen.]

An ounce of wit is worth a pound of sorrow.

An ounce of wit is worth a pound of sorrow.

It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.

It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.

Wit is the salt of conversation, not the food.

Wit is the salt of conversation, not the food.

Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit.

Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit.