another quote

[David A. Daniel]

Thanks all.
DAD

Poster:       "Baker, John" <JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM>
Subject:      Re: another quote
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Well, accurately quoted except for the missing "very."


John Baker

Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 10:48 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



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

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

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