John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
2142 Robert Burton 1577-1640 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 2142 |
| AUTHOR: | Robert Burton (1577–1640) |
| QUOTATION: | Hinc quam sic calamus sævior ense, patet. The pen worse than the sword. 1 |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Anatomy of Melancholy. Part i. Sect. 2, Memb. 4, Subsect. 4. |
| Note 1. Tant la plume a eu sous le roi d’avantage sur l’épée (So far had the pen under the king the superiority over the sword).—Saint Simon: Mémoires, vol. iii. p. 517 (1702), ed. 1856. The pen is mightier than the sword.—Edward Bulwer Lytton: Richelieu, act ii. sc. 2. [back] |