John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
936 William Shakespeare 1564-1616 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 936 |
| AUTHOR: | William Shakespeare (1564–1616) |
| QUOTATION: | And telling me, the sovereign’st thing on earth Was parmaceti for an inward bruise; And that it was great pity, so it was, This villanous saltpetre should be digg’d Out of the bowels of the harmless earth, Which many a good tall fellow had destroy’d So cowardly; and but for these vile guns, He would himself have been a soldier. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | King Henry IV. Part I. Act i. Sc. 3. [text] |
| WORKS: | William Shakespeare Collection. |