Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1892-01-19

Mch ~ NNAc w A0m@ NtA&N0ttA ~ bN"& 10
Use Emphatte Language OF Ens-
lands Ruler but Queen vtctori. Used
Profsns Figures or Impressson."
1t is astonishing how often tie SO
called accomplishment Of ingenious ano
graceful profanity" interests aud is
valued evea by eeatlem "a of culture,
in boon companion and by sovel~iges
themselves. Delhi Aid lla, Captain
Pasll;t. and afterNward grand vizier of the
hate intelligent and sttoag minded Sultan
Mafmoud III. was rough, common
boatnun on the BoPhorus when he
strangely attracted tle notice of tiiat
Sultan. while rowing IN ms barge, ly
the unusual and Vulgar oatiis Which he
sN ora and his peculiar manner of shout
ing them out. For this reason solely,
at the time (although SO illiterate that he
could not write his own namc) he was
placed at the head of the Ottoman navy,
and afterward, as | have said. raised
high in the favor Of the Sublime Porte,
who. as devout Mohammedan, was
himself prohibited by the Koran from
swearing at all. Some one may say. il
such are the benefits of blasphemy. it
might be worth while TO cultivate the
habit OF "exclaiming profanely," as
gentle Charles Lamb expresses it.
Many of the old English kings and all
OF the queens except Victoria, who, al
though her language is, when not angry,
decorous, still practices some of the
Shortcomings of the unsavory -Four
Georges') had their peculiar profane
Figures Of impression, as Addison calls
them, by which they were known, as y
knight by his device A catalogue or
roster Of old royal and distinguished
swearers, from the sublime bIasphemy Of
the Conquerer to the "oath reverential or
sentimental" (see Leigh Hunt OF George
w, would contain some historically fam
Gus names Right Hon. George Canning.
in his young days, talked OF writing a
book on this subject, and it would have
been received with pleasure by readers
in search for the "curiosities of litera-
ture, " if he had found time TO carry out
his early intentions even in cursory
manner.
The Conqueror, who, as Hume says.
"was great even in his blasphemies, :"
swore commonly by "the splendor of
God, and on great state occasions by
"the resurrection and the throne of tho
Almighty" Rufus the Red (William
III, contented himself with swearing by
"the foot of st. Luke" and the first
Richard, taking counsel from his indoni-
liable will, always swore by his great
prototype in that particular, "the Apos-
tie Paul Lord Clarendon says: "Qucen
Mary often interlarded lTer conversation
with strange oaths," and DR.. Lingard
reluctantly admits that "she frequently
used very profane expressions. THE
Queen of the Lion Port" Gt is singular,
by the bye, that Faith Ali, Shah of Per-
sia, first applied this royal name to Queen
Elizabeth, in an interview with Sir Hart
ford Jones) was in the habit of invoking
profanely the different persons of the
Holy Trinity. Cherbury being presented
to her, says that whenever she spoke
she would swear by her usual oaths.
Dickens adds that, although well edu-
Gated, she was coarse talker and hard
| swearer," which Macaulay asserts to be
| true.
The ridiculous profanity of King James
minced the vulgar practice down into
what D'Israeli calls harmless exple-
tives." of which numerous examples
may be found in "rare Ben Jonson.
Marlowe, and other contemporary writ
ers. An analysis of the transformations
of the supreme name from the "udsn of
James to the "egad" of Dryden would
be at least amusing. Jonson makes il
cause for praise in his "Fastidious that
@he swears tersely and with great vari-
ety." Scarcely an anecdote of Lord High
Chancellor Thuriow has come down to
US that has not strange oath in it, and
[ suppose he resorted to them on the
principle of Fuseli (himself no new crafts
man in the art), who advised his wife,
when she was vexed, ito try swearing.
because she had no idea what a relief it
then was" In the Yakkum Nsttan-
nawa, a Cingalese internal hymn. the
devil Oddly is described as dwelling in
desoIate temples and solitary houses and
constantly swearing terrible oaths.
could cite many other instances in
the olden times showing the universally
Of this contemplate practice, but con-
clude at present by saying it gratifying
TO know that the number who indulge
sin swearing like the army in Flanders
has within the last half of the 10Th CEN
tury become "smalI by degrees and beau
| tifully less, and that il is now every
] where among gentlemen and ladies re-
garded as a practice "much more hon
! ored in the breach than the observance, >
for which reformation let US all be thank.
uI.-Indianapolis News.