Yes, I am a Jew, and when the ancestors of the right honourable gentleman were brutal savages in an unknown island, mine were priests in the temple of Solomon.

Reply to a taunt by Daniel O'Connell . This is probably apocryphal, despite its wide circulation. See the discussion in the comments by scholars who have searched carefully for a source, in "No, Benjamin Disraeli did not write that," by Sue Brewton,Sue Brewton's Blog On Quotes and Misquotes(April 30, 2016) . Early appearance in