(1776) 42 : [ The Duke of Brunswic ] was generally looked upon as the most ungraceful and unwieldy man , even in Holland , where clumsiness and corpulency are not uncommon ; - en Harris 15 Februari 1785 : The Gordian knot may be untied as well as cut , and , if we have not an Alexander , we may find a Fabius .It is for this reason that I have signed the lease of my house for five years , that I am making up my mind to dullness and gravity ; my eyes to black teeth and white lips ; my nose to the stench of tobacco and unwashed toes ; and my stomach to cheese , butter and herrings .The experiment will cost me a few moral as well as physical indigestions , but in five or six mouths I hope to become as square and solid , mentally and corporally , as the most massive burgomaster in the Republic .