[Ads-l] Origin of Deathbed Quote: This Is No Time for Making New Enemies (Update)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

In February 2012 and August 2013 there was a discussion on this list
about a famous humorous deathbed anecdote in which Voltaire (or
Niccolo Machiavelli) was asked to renounce the devil. A Quote
Investigator article was posted in 2013 with pertinent citations
beginning in 1856. Recently, I was sent a great new 1816 citation by
correspondent Simon Koppel. This inspired me to search further.

The earliest instance of this joke I found appeared in England in 1795
within a tale about Newgate Prison in London. The person facing death
was not famous. The word "Devil" was written as "D---l".

[ref] 1795 June 13, Staffordshire Advertiser, Postscript: London,
Quote Page 3, Column 5, Staffordshire, England. (British Newspaper
Archive) [/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
One of the criminals lately under sentence of death in Newgate, was
visited by the Ordinary, who gravely urged him to acknowledge the
justice of his sentence, &c. to which the culprit answering--the
Divine demanded to know whether he renounced the D---l and all his
works?--to which the poor fellow shrugging his shoulders,
replied--that he begged to be excused, for, as he was going to a
strange country, he did not wish to make himself any enemies.
[End excerpt]

The update of the QI article should be visible within 24 hours.
http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/08/13/no-enemies/

Feedback welcome
Garson O’Toole

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