The Wise and Ingenious Companion, French and English; or, A Collection of the Wit of the Illustrious Persons, Both Ancient and Modern — Abel Boyer
The Wise and Ingenious Companion, French and English: or, A Collection of the Wit, of the Illustrious Persons, both Ancient and Modern: Containing Their wise Sayings, noble Sentiments, Witty Repartees, Jests and pleasant Stories. Calculated For the Improvement and Pleasure of the English and Foreigners. by Abel Boyer; A Project Gutenberg eBook You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org . If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title : The Wise and Ingenious Companion, French and English; Author : Abel Boyer Release date : April 7, 2017 [eBook #54498] Most recently updated: October 23, 2024 Language : English, French Other information and formats : www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54498 Credits : Produced by Turgut Dincer, RichardW, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) Transcriber’s Note The Wise and Ingenious Companion, French and English: or, A Collection of the Wit, of the Illustrious Persons, both Ancient and Modern: Containing Their wise Sayings, noble Sentiments, Witty Repartees, Jests and pleasant Stories. Calculated For the Improvement and Pleasure of the English and Foreigners. by Abel Boyer; A Project Gutenberg eBook The Wise and Ingenious COMPANION, FRENCH and ENGLISH : OR, A COLLECTION OF THE WIT, OF THE Illustrious PERSONS, BOTH Ancient and Modern: CONTAINING Their wise Sayings, noble Sentiments, witty Repartees, Jests and pleasant Stories. CALCULATED For the Improvement and Pleasure of the English and Foreigners . By Mr. Boyer , Author of the Royal Dictionary. Omne tulit Punctum qui miscuit utile Dulci. Horat. London. Printed by G.C. for Tho. Newborough , at the Golden-ball in St. Paul ’s Church-yard, and J. Nicholson at the Kings Armes in Little Britain . 1700. LE COMPAGNON Sage & Ingenieux, ANGLOIS & FRANÇOIS . OU Recueil de L’ESPRIT, DES PERSONNES Illustres, TANT Anciennes que Modernes: CONTENANT Leurs Sentences, Pensées nobles, genereux Sentimens, Reparties fines, Bons Mots & Contes plaisans. COMPOSE Pour l’Utilité & le Plaisir des Anglois & des Etrangers . Par Mr. Boyer , Autheur du Dictionnaire Royal Anglois & François . Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci. Horat. A Londres . Chez Tho. Newborough à la boule d’Or, au Cimetiere de S. Paul ; Et John Nicholson aux Armes du Roy, dans la petite Bretagne , 1700. The Wise and Ingenious Companion, French and English: or, A Collection of the Wit, of the Illustrious Persons, both Ancient and Modern: Containing Their wise Sayings, noble Sentiments, Witty Repartees, Jests and pleasant Stories. Calculated For the Improvement and Pleasure of the English and Foreigners. by Abel Boyer; A Project Gutenberg eBook A Prefatory INTRODUCTION; CONCERNING The Excellency, Nature and Use of wise Sayings witty Repartees, Jests, and pleasant Stories. S Entences, witty Repartees and Jests, have ever been esteem’d by all civilized Nations: The ancient Greeks and Romans have shewn what account they made of them, by their care of Collecting and Quoting them. Julius Cesar made a Collection of the Jests of his Contemporaries; the famous Historian Plutarch is very exact in recording all those of the illustrious Men of whom he writes the Lives: Wherein he has been imitated by Diogenes Laertius , in his lives of the Philosophers; and among the Moderns, my Lord Bacon , Guichardin , and several others have enrich’d their Writings with them. These Testimonies carry so much weight with them, that we cannot but join our Approbation with that of so many illustrious Persons: The only Question is how to make a good Choice, and not confound true Wit and Sense with abundance of low Thoughts, and dull, and vulgar Jests which are imposed upon the World; and this I have proposed to do in the following Collection. INTRODUCTION En forme de PREFACE, TOUCHANT L’Excellence, la Nature, & l’Usage des Sentences, Reparties fines, Bons Mots, & Contes Plaisans. L ES Sentences, les Reparties fines, & les Bons Mots ont toujours été estimez de toutes les Nations policées: Les anciens Grecs & Romains ont fait voir le cas qu’ils en faisoient, par le soin qu’ils ont eu de les recueillir & de les citer. Jules Cesar fit un Recueil des Bons Monts de ses Contemporains; le celebre Historien Plutarque est fort exact à rapporter tous ceux des Hommes illustres dont il écrit les Vies; en quoi il a été imité par Diogene Laërce dans les Vies des Philosophes; & parmi les Modernes mylord Bacon , Guicharchin , & plusieurs autres en ont enrichi leurs Ecrits. Ces Témoignages sont d’un si grand Poids, que nous ne saurions nous dispenser de joindre nôtre approbation à celle de tant d’illustres Personnes: Il s’agit seulement de faire un bon choix, & de ne pas confondre l’Esprit & le bon Sens avec quantité de Pensées basses, & de Plaisanteries froides & vulgaires qui se debitent dans le monde, & c’est ce que je me suis proposé de faire dans ce Recueil. The Wise and Ingenious Companion, French and English: or, A Collection of the Wit, of the Illustrious Persons, both Ancient and Modern: Containing Their wise Sayings, noble Sentiments, Witty Repartees, Jests and pleasant Stories. Calculated For the Improvement and Pleasure of the English and Foreigners. by Abel Boyer; A Project Gutenberg eBook The Ancients under the names of Apophthegms , comprehended what we call wise Sayings, generous and noble Sentiments, Jests and witty Repartees: However, according to our Notions, the Apophthegm thus differs from a Jest or Repartee, that the first is generally Grave and Instructive; whereas Jests and Repartees instruct us and make us merry at once; nay, sometimes these are meerly diverting, and sometimes sharp and Satirical. The French call Bons Mots all those witty Sayings and ingenious Replie