John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
2028 Sir Henry Wotton 1568-1639 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 2028 |
| AUTHOR: | Sir Henry Wotton (1568–1639) |
| QUOTATION: | An ambassador is an honest man sent to lie abroad for the commonwealth. 1 |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Reliquiæ Wottonianæ |
| Note 1. In a letter to Velserus, 1612, Wotton says, “This merry definition of an ambassador I had chanced to set down at my friend’s, Mr. Christopher Fleckamore, in his Album.” [back] |