THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY Ambrose Bierce - Sunny Hills High School

The loafing herd winds slowly o'er the lea;
The wise man homeward plods; I only stay
To fiddle‐faddle in a minor key.
Ambrose Bierce The Devil’s Dictionary
ELOQUENCE, n. The art of orally persuading fools that white is the
color that it appears to be. It includes the gift of making any color
appear white.
ELYSIUM, n. An imaginary delightful country which the ancients
foolishly believed to be inhabited by the spirits of the good. This
ridiculous and mischievous fable was swept off the face of the earth
by the early Christians‐‐may their souls be happy in Heaven!
EMANCIPATION, n. A bondman's change from the tyranny of another to
the despotism of himself.
He was a slave: at word he went and came;
His iron collar cut him to the bone.
Then Liberty erased his owner's name,
G.J.
Tightened the rivets and inscribed his own.
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