...taste for luxury and ease, so that one of the wittiest of his courtiers suggested as his epitaph : Here lies our sovereign Lord the King, Whose word...never said a foolish thing, And never did a wise one. * I am indebted to The Autobiography of Sir Robert Sibbald, Edinburgh, 1833, for the facts regarding...

...altogether public affairs, and I lay down my burden. King Edward VIII (1894-1972) abdication speech Here lies our Sovereign Lord, the King Whose word no man relies on: He never says a foolish thing Nor ever does a wise one. John Wilmot. Earl of Rochester (1647-1680)...

...composed at the King's request, who nevertheless resented its poignancy. The lines are well known : — ' Here lies our sovereign lord the King, Whose word...never said a foolish thing, And never did a wise one.' ' The epitaph ! ' exclaimed Tom ; ' why, I was by when it was made; and it passed for an excellent...

...defence of Charles II. against this implied 1 The Earl of Rochester wrote on Charles' bedroom door: "Here lies our sovereign lord the king,/ Whose word no man relies on;/ He never says a foolish thing,/ Nor ever does a wise one." comparison. He has no difficulty in showing...

...my jealous heart would break Should we live one day asunder. VERSES ATTACHED TO CHARLES H'S CHAMBER Here lies our Sovereign Lord the King, Whose word no man relies on; Who never said a foolish thing, Nor ever did a wise one. UPON DRINKING IN A BOWL Vulcan contrive me such a cup As Nestor us'd of old:...

...something of a paradox. His character was well summed up in a contemporary epigram: We have a pritty King Whose word no man relies on, Who never said a foolish thing Nor ever did a wise one. JAMES II (1633-1701, ABDICATED 1688) Although, as we have seen, the childhood...

...simple to express: Err and err and err again but less and less and less. PIET HEIN Epitaph to Charles II Here lies our Sovereign Lord, the King, Whose word no man relies on, Who never said a foolish thing, Nor ever did a wise one. JOHN WILMOT As a man grows older and wiser, he talks less and says more. Caution...

...displeasing to God." The Earl of Rochester's epigram on his friend Charles II belongs in a class of its own: Here lies our sovereign lord the king, Whose word no man relies on: Who never said a foolish thing, Nor ever did a wise one. To which Charles replied, "My sayings are my own, my actions are my ministers."...

...Wilmot, Earl of Rochester wrote the following famous lines in honour of the king: We have a pretty witty king, Whose word no man relies on; Who never said a foolish thing Nor ever did a wise one. 3. GEORGE III (1738-1820) Much of the American Declaration of Independence...