John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
10440 Appendix John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 10440 |
| AUTHOR: | Appendix |
| QUOTATION: | Intolerable in Almighty God to a black beetle. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Lord Coleridge remarked that Maule told him what he said in the “black beetle” matter: “Creswell, who had been his pupil was on the other side in a case where he was counsel, and was very lofty in his manner. Maule appealed to the court: ‘My lords, we are vertebrate animals, we are mammalia! My learned friend’s manner would he intolerable in Almighty God to a black beetle.’” (Repeated to a member of the legal profession in the United States.) |