Anecdote: Meeting someone in hell [Was: You shall either die upon the gallows or of a social disease]
Joel S. Berson
Berson at ATT.NET
Mon Oct 29 15:28:08 UTC 2012
The source I had is exactly the same "Description of Kingston" that
Garson found for 1815. Why I have the date as 1846, not only in my
message but in my monograph, is a mystery. (Perhaps I was using a
reprint, and didn't pick up the original date.) It is now corrected.
Thanks, Garson. I should hire you as my proofreader.
Joel
At 10/28/2012 11:39 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:
>The anecdote was printed in 1815 in a book from the Massachusetts
>Historical Society. The book was reviewed in "The North American
>Review" in November 1815 and the anecdote was reprinted. These cites
>are still rather late.
>
>Book Title: Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society
>Volume: 3 of the Second Series
>Year: 1815
>Article: A Description of Kingston, in the County of Plymouth
>Start Page: 204
>Quote Page: 211
>Publisher: Printed for John Eliot, Boston, Massachusetts
>(Google Books full view)
>http://books.google.com/books?id=t6syAQAAMAAJ&q=%22in+hell%22#v=snippet&
>
>[Begin excerpt]
>In a company of gentlemen, where Father Flynt, who was a preacher, and
>many years a tutor at Cambridge, was present, Mr. Whitfield said: "It
>is my opinion, that Dr. Tillotson is now in hell for his heresy."
>Father Flynt replied, "It is my opinion, that you will not meet him
>there."
>[End excerpt]
>
>
>Journal: The North American review and miscellaneous journal
>Date: 1815 November
>Article: Review of Collections of the Massachusetts
> Historical Society, Volume 3 of the second series,
> Boston, John Eliot.
>Start Page: 109
>Quote Pages: 123 and 124
>Publisher: Wells and Lilly, Boston, Massachusetts.
>(Google Books full view)
>http://books.google.com/books?id=d6dKAAAAcAAJ&q=%22in+hell%22#v=snippet&
>
>[Begin excerpt]
>In the description of Kingston, which follows that of Plymouth, there
>is a repartee to an illiberal remark of the famous Whitfield, that is
>worth transcribing.
>
>In a company of gentlemen, where Father Flynt, who was a preacher, and
>many years a tutor at Cambridge, was present, Mr. Whitfield said: "It
>is my opinion, that Dr. Tillotson is now in hell for his heresy."
>Father Flynt replied, "It is my opinion, that you will not meet him
>there."
>[End excerpt]
>
>Garson
>
>On Sun, Oct 28, 2012 at 2:47 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster: "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject: Re: Anecdote: Meeting someone in hell [Was: You
> shall either die
> > upon the gallows or of a social disease]
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > At 10/28/2012 01:27 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:
> >>A: You, sir, will certainly either die upon the gallows or of a
> >>social disease.
> >>B: That depends, sir, upon whether I embrace your principles or
> your mistress.
> >
> > I am reminded by this of an anecdote told of Harvard Tutor Henry
> > Flynt. When George Whitefield was in Boston in 1740, he criticized
> > the Harvard tutors "who read 'bad books' such as the works of
> > Tillotson and Clarke". When he met Flynt, Whitefield remarked, "It
> > is my opinion, that Dr. Tillotson is in hell for his heresy." Flynt
> > replied, "It is my opinion, that you will not meet him there."
> >
> > The earliest I have for this tale is 1846, and it was repeated in
> > 1946 by Samuel Eliiot Morison. The Harvard Archives have nothing
> > earlier. I invite additional investigation. :-)
> >
> > Joel
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
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