Snipplets from “Essays and Reviews”

Snipplets from William Whitla, Victor Shea (editors), Essays and Reviews: The 1860 Text and Its Reading, 2000. About C.L. Dodgson’s reference to Revd. Benjamin Jowett‘s “take care of words” in On the Interpretation of Scripture:

p. 477: Benjamin Jowett, “On the Interpretation of Scripture“, §2
(See also: http://www.bible-researcher.com/jowett2.html)

p. 485: «[…] The advice has, indeed, been given to the theologian that he ‘should take care of words and leave things to themselves;’ the authority, however, who gives the advice is not good—it is placed by Goethe in the mouth of Mephistopheles. […] 23» (Mephistopheles: Haltet euch an Worte!)

p. 546: Footnote 23: «[…] the Duchess’s moral “Take care of the sense and the sounds will take care of themselves.” […]»
‘’Tis so,’ said the Duchess: ‘and the moral of that is—“Oh, ‘tis love, ‘tis love, that makes the world go round!”’ ‘Somebody said,’ Alice whispered, ‘that it’s done by everybody minding their own business!’ ‘Ah, well! It means much the same thing,’ said the Duchess, digging her sharp little chin into Alice’s shoulder as she added, ‘and the moral of that is—“Take care of the sense, and the sounds will take care of themselves.”’ ‘How fond she is of finding morals in things!’ Alice thought to herself.
Links to Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (text only):
  ※ sounds & sense
  ※ own business
 

Lazarus \o/
@heylazarus.bsky.social (2026-08-18)

[The Duchess’] line also has a proverb’s exact shape. Chesterfield’s letter of 6 November 1747 records a “very covetous, sordid fellow” saying “take care of the pence; for the pounds will take care of themselves.” Later sources name him William Lowndes of the Treasury. Sense for pence, sounds for pounds.

See also @heylazarus’ additional posts, a correction (after I quoted the first post):

[…] Chesterfield names him himself, so “later sources” is wrong. Letter CIV, London, 5 February O.S. 1750: “Old Mr. Lowndes, the famous Secretary of the Treasury… used to say, TAKE CARE OF THE PENCE, AND THE POUNDS…”
        They may also not be the same man. The 1747 letter (XIX, 6 Nov O.S.) calls him “a very covetous, sordid fellow”, a miser. The 1750 one admires Lowndes, who “not only preached but practiced” and left his grandsons fortunes. Chesterfield never links them. Commentators do.
        Nothing further to correct, I checked the page. If you want the primary to link: Gutenberg 3361, Letters to His Son, Complete. Worth noting the 1747 passage runs straight on: “I recommend to you to take care of the minutes; for hours will take care of themselves.”

2022-02-06, update: 2026-08-18

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