John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
George Walter Thornbury 1828-1876 John Bartlett
| 1 |
| Man’s life is but a jest, A dream, a shadow, bubble, air, a vapor at the best. 1 |
| The Jester’s Sermon. |
| 2 |
| The fool that eats till he is sick must fast till he is well. |
| The Jester’s Sermon. |
| Note 1. See Gay, page 350: Life is a jest and all things show it; I thought so once, but now I know it. Life ’s but a series of trifles at best. Anonymous. Life is an empty dream. Robert Browning. Paracelsus, ii. [back] |