John Selden
John Selden
John Seldenwas an English jurist and a scholar of England's ancient laws and constitution and scholar of Jewish law. He was known as a polymath showing true intellectual depth and breadth; John Milton hailed Selden in 1644 as "the chief of learned men reputed in this land."...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionStatesman
Date of Birth16 December 1584
air wind may
Take a straw and throw it up into the air, you may see by that which way the wind is.
glasses water pennies
Ceremony keeps up things: 'tis like a penny glass to a rich spirit, or some excellent water; without it the water were spilt, and the spirit lost.
law feet long
Equity is a roguish thing. For Law we have a measure, know what to trust to; Equity is according to the conscience of him that is Chancellor, and as that is larger or narrower, so is Equity. 'T is all one as if they should make the standard for the measure we call a "foot" a Chancellor's foot; what an uncertain measure would this be! One Chancellor has a long foot, another a short foot, a third an indifferent foot. 'T is the same thing in the Chancellor's conscience.
two world scripture
Scrutamini scripturas (Let us look at the scriptures). These two words have undone the world.
two religion church
A glorious Church is like a magnificent feast; there is all the variety that may be, but every one chooses out a dish or two that he likes, and lets the rest alone: how glorious soever the Church is, every one chooses out of it his own religion, by which he governs himself, and lets the rest alone.
pain pleasure intermission
Pleasure is nothing else but the intermission of pain.
men thinking born
Wit and wisdom are born with a man.
ballads libel wells
More solid things do not show the complexion of the times so well as Ballads and Libels.
ignorance men law
Ignorance of the law excuses no man.
kings law people
Every law is a contract between the king and the people and therefore to be kept.
noise
Those that govern most make least noise.
bible book men
You will want a book which contains not man's thoughts, but God's - not a book that may amuse you, but a book that can save you - not even a book that can instruct you, but a book on which you can venture an eternity - not only a book which can give relief to your spirit, but redemption to your soul - a book which contains salvation, and conveys it to you, one which shall at once be the Saviour's book and the sinner's.
horse bird wells
He that hath a scrupulous conscience is like a horse that is not well weighed; he starts at every bird that flies out of the hedge.
devil casting firsts
Casting out devils is mere juggling; they never cast out any but what they first cast in.