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Their accents firm and loud in conversation,
Their eyes and gestures eager, sharp and quick
Showed them prepared on proper provocation
To give the lie, pull noses, stab and kick!
And for that very reason it is said
They were so very courteous and well-bred.

— John Hookham Frere

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More quotes by John Hookham Frere

And don’t confound the language of the nation
With long-tailed words in osity and ation.

A sudden thought strikes me,—let us swear an eternal friendship.

Then came a shoal in quest of posts and charges,
Much like our ancient courtiers with their barges

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: John Hookham Frere (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.