sovereign quotes

Men in great place are thrice servants: servants of the sovereign or state, servants of fame, and servants of business.

- Francis,Viscount St Albans Bacon
  Essays, no.11,'Of Great Place'.

That sovereign of insufferables.

- Ambrose Gwinett Bierce
  Wasp, alluding to Oscar  Wilde.

Whoso has sixpence is sovereign (to the length of sixpence) over all men; commands cooks to feed him, philosophers to teach him, kings to mount guard over him,to the length of sixpence.

-Thomas Carlyle
^4  Sartor Resartus, bk.1, ch.5.

If the individual isno longer to be sovereign, if the police can pick him up whenever they do not like the cut of his jib†we enter a new regime.

- (George) Norman Douglas
  Dissenting opinion in ruling to uphold the police right 'to stop and frisk',10  Jun.

For who can be secure of private right, If sovereign sway may be dissolved by might? Nor is the people's judgement always true: The most may err as grossly as the few. 290

-John Dryden
Absalom and  Achitophel, pt.1, l.779^82.

   London, thou art of townes A per se. Soveraign of cities, someliest in sight, Of high renoun, riches, and royaltie; Of lordis, barons, and many goodly knyght; Of most delectable lusty ladies bright; Of famous prelatis in habitis clericall; Of merchauntis full of sybstaunce and myght; London, thou art the flour of Cities all.

- Alexandre, pe'  re Dumas
c.1501  'To the City of London', attributed to'A Rhymer of Scotland'. Dunbar was a member of the Scots party negotiating the marriage of  James I V to Margaret Tudor, and is popularly credited with the verse.

The services of a menial servant, taking him as an example of unproductive labour,'generally perish in the very instant of their performance'and forthwith into this galley, along with the menial servant, goes the sovereign, accompanied by all the army, the navy, and the civil service, followed by churchmen, lawyers, buffoons and opera dancers. All theseand it is a hard sayingrender services which perish in the very instant of their performance. 368

- Alexander Gray
The Development of Economic Doctrine.

It was not for me to bandy civilities with my sovereign.

- Samuel known as Dr Johnson Johnson
  Remark, Feb. Quoted in  James Boswell The Life of Samuel Johnson (1791), vol.2.

I was called by my sovereign and by the voice of the peopletoassist the State when othershad abdicated the service of it.That being so, no one can be surprisedthat I will go on no longer, since my advice is not taken. Being responsible, I will directand will be responsible for nothing that I do not direct.

-William, 1st Earl of Chatham known as  the Elder Pitt
  On informing Cabinet of his resignation, 3 Oct.

The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect the countryand do good service to his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.

-SunTzu
c.500^320   BC  TheArt ofWar, ch.10,'Terrain', section 24 (translated byJames Clavell,1981).

The hand that signed the paper felled a city; Five sovereign fingers taxed the breath, Doubled the globe of dead and halved a country; These five kings did a king to death.

- Dylan Marlais Thomas
  'The HandThat Signed the Paper Felled a City'.