“Though Ben had barrelled up a great deal of knowledge, yet it seems he had not read the Ethics, which, among other Precepts of Morality, forbid Self-commendation.”

A tactful private rebuke of Jonson's self-praise, blending admiration with moral candour · Whispered remark at a supper given by Ben Jonson, recorded in a letter by James Howell, 1636

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