John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
3125 Jonathan Swift 1667-1745 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 3125 |
| AUTHOR: | Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) |
| QUOTATION: | So geographers, in Afric maps, With savage pictures fill their gaps, And o’er unhabitable downs Place elephants for want of towns. 1 |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Poetry, a Rhapsody. |
| Note 1. As geographers, Sosius, crowd into the edges of their maps parts of the world which they do not know about, adding notes in the margin to the effect that beyond this lies nothing but sandy deserts full of wild beasts, and unapproachable bogs.—Plutarch: Theseus. [back] |