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The Accusing Spirit which flew up to heaven's chancery with the oath, blush'd as he gave it in; and the Recording Angel as he wrote it down, dropp'd a tear upon the word, and blotted it out forever.

— Laurence Sterne The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1760)

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Source: Book VI (1761-1762), Ch. 8. Compare: "But sad as angels for the good man’s sin, Weep to record, and blush to give it in", Thomas Campbell, Pleasures of Hope, part ii, line 357.
Work: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, 1760
Source quality: Precise citation Points to a specific work with a page, chapter, date or similar locator, so you can look it up.

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