He was a bold man that first ate an oyster. - Jonathan Swift

When a great office is vacant, either by death or disgrace (which often happens,) five or six of those candidates petition the emperor to entertain his majesty and the court with a dance on the rope; and whoever jumps the highest, without falling, succeeds in the office.

So weak thou art, that fools thy power despise;
And yet so strong, thou triumph'st o'er the wise.

They look upon fraud as a greater crime than theft, and therefore seldom fail to punish it with death; for