John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
4422 Edmund Burke 1729-1797 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 4422 |
| AUTHOR: | Edmund Burke (1729–1797) |
| QUOTATION: | Learning will be cast into the mire and trodden down under the hoofs of a swinish multitude. 1 |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Reflections on the Revolution in France. Vol. iii. p. 335. |
| Note 1. This expression was tortured to mean that he actually thought the people no better than swine; and the phrase “the swinish multitude” was bruited about in every form of speech and writing, in order to excite popular indignation. [back] |