Of all the griefs that harass the distress'd,
Sure the most bitter is a scornful jest;
Fate never wounds more deep the generous heart,
Than when a blockhead's insult points the dart.
La moquerie est souvent une indigence d'esprit.
Jesting, often, only proves a want of intellect.
Joking decides great things,
Stronger and better oft than earnest can.
That's a good joke but we do it much better in England.
Diseur de bon mots, mauvais caractere.
A jester, a bad character.
Pascal—Pensies. Art. VI. 22.
Si quid dictum est per jocum,
Non sequum est id te serio prsevortier.
If anything is spoken in jest, it is not fair
to turn it to earnest.
Plautus—Amphitruo. III. 2. 39.
Omissis jocis.
Joking set aside.
Pliny the Younger—Epistles. L. 21.
Der Spass verliert Alles, wenn der Spassmacher selber lacht.
A jest loses its point when the jester laughs
himself.
Schiller—Fiesco. I. 7.
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a
fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.
Hamlet—Act V. Sc. 1. L. 203.
Jesters do often prove prophets.
King Lear. Act V. Sc. 3. L. 71.
li
A jest's prosperity lies in the ear
Of him that hears it, never in the tongue
Of him that makes it.
Love's Labour's Lost. Act V. Sc. 2. L. 871.
A dry jest, sir. ... I have them at my
fingers' end.
Twelfth Night. Act I. Sc. 3. L. 80.
A college joke to cure the dumps.
Swot—Cassinus and Peter.
Asperse facetiae, ubi nimis ex vero traxere,
Acram sui memoriam relinquUnt.
A bitter jest, when it comes too near the
truth, leaves a sharp sting behind it.
Taoitus—Annates. XV. 68.
JEWELS; JEWELRY
is January
By her who in this month is born,
No gems save Garnets should be worn;
They will insure her constancy,
True friendship and fidelity.
February
The February born will find
Sincerity and peace of mind;
Freedom from passion and from care,
If they the Pearl (also green amethyst) will wear.
March
Who in this world of ours their eyes
In March first open shall be wise;
In days of peril firm and brave,
And wear a Bloodstone to their grave.
April
She who from April dates her years,
Diamonds should wear, lest bitter tears
For vain repentance flow; this stone,
Emblem of innocence is known.
May
Who first beholds the light of day
In Spring's Sweet flowery month of May
And wears an Emerald all her life,
Shall be a loved and happy wife.
June
Who comes with Summer to this earth
And owes to June her day of birth,
With ring of Agate on her hand,
Can 'health, wealth, and long life command.
July
The glowing Ruby should adorn
Those who m warm July are born,
Then will they be exempt and free
From love's doubt and anxiety.
Wear a Sardonyx or for thee
No conjugal felicity.
The August-born without this stone
'Tis said must live unloved and lone.
September
A maiden born when Autumn leaves
Are rustling in September's breeze,
A Sapphire on her brow should bind,
'Twill cure diseases of the mind.
October
October's child is born for woe,
And life's vicissitudes must know;
But lay an Opal on her breast,
And hope will lull those woes to rest.
November
Who first comes to this world below
With drear November's fog and snow
Should prize the Topaz' amber hue—
Emblem of friends and lovers true.
December
If cold December gave you birth,
The month of snow and ice and mirth,
Place on yqur hand a Turquoise blue,
Success will bless whate'er you do.
In Notes and Queries, May 11, 1889. P. 371.
If that a pearl may in a toad's head dwell,
And may be found too in an oyster shell.
Buntan—Apology for his Book. L. 89.
{{Hoyt quote
| num = | text = <poem>Black is a pearl in a woman's eye.
George Chapman—An Humorous Day's Mirth. "
