another quote

[Shapiro, Fred]

Note that the original query omitted the word "very" from "very wisely."

Fred



________________________________________
From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Baker, John [JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM]
Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 10:47 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: another quote

Yes, it's from a letter to the Rev. Dr. Taylor, Aug. 18, 1763, and accurately quoted, see http://books.google.com/books?id=KYJAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA104.  Apparently Dr. Taylor's wife had left him.  Johnson wrote:

"You enquire what the fugitive Lady has in her power.  She has, I think, nothing in her power but to return home and mend her behaviour.  To obtain a separate maintenance she must prove either cruelty to her person or infidelity to her bed, and I suppose neither charge can be supported.  Nature has given women so much power that the law has very wisely given them little."


John Baker



-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of David A. Daniel
Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 9:03 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: another quote

"Nature has given women so much power that the law has wisely given them
little"
Can the quote sleuths tell me if this is actually a Samuel Johnson quote?
I'm about to post it for my wife's benefit and I certainly don't want to be
in trouble for misattributing anything (aside from the other stuff I'm about
to get in trouble for).
DAD

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org