"A Quaker hates a parrot"

[Laurence Horn]

At 10:03 PM -0400 10/12/10, Laurence Horn wrote:
>At 9:49 PM -0400 10/12/10, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>>A correspondent asks:
>>
>>>In Way of the World, Witwould says that Lady Wishfort "hates
>>>Mirabell  worse than a Quaker hates a parrot or than a fishmonger
>>>hates a hard frost."
>>>I can see where a fishmonger would hate a hard frost, but why would
>>>a Quaker hate a parrot?
>>>The only reasons that occur to me are that Quakers value silence and
>>>parrots are said to be noisy, or that a parrot who spoke might
>>>repeat  words no Quaker should know.
>>
>>Any thoughts?
>>
>>Joel
>>
>Apparently the latter suggestion is on the right track, at least
>according to E. K. Maxfield (1930):
>
>"One naturally recalls that parrots are notorious swearers, and so
>would of course shock a sect with 'conscientious objections' :-) to
>oaths."
>

The source in question is Maxfield's paper in the Proceedings of the
Modern Language Association  45 (1930): 256-73, and the quote is "The
Quakers in English stage plays before 1800".  On p. 261, Maxfield
explains:

'Quakers...were supposed to hate parrots.  [Reference to Congreve
follows, and then the line quoted above--LH.] This idea would in
itself be food for popular humor at the expense of the Quaker. More
may be implied, however, in view of the Quaker's antipathy for
pulpit-parrots; this is, the paid "priesthood" which recited its
litany and its prayer by rote.'

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