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Authority intoxicates, And makes mere sots of magistrates; The fumes of it invade the brain, And make men giddy, proud, and vain; By this the fool commands the wise, The noble with the base complies, The sot assumes the rule of wit, And cowards make the base submit.

Authority intoxicates, And makes mere sots of magistrates; The fumes of it invade the brain, And make men giddy, proud, and vain; By this the fool commands the wise, The noble with the base complies, The sot assumes the rule of wit, And cowards make the base submit.
Unresolved attribution · printed label: Butler

In print by 1893 AD · industrial

Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.

Meaning not yet available

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Attribution & collection notes
Author or tradition
Unresolved attribution · printed label: Butler
Attribution: unknown
Country attributed
Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.
Historical period
In print by 1893 AD · industrial
In print by 1893: recorded in Book of Wise Sayings (1893). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken.
Recorded source
Book of Wise Sayings (1893) (1893 AD)

Saying 151 · printed source label: Butler · entry translator not specified

A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.