John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
2571 John Milton 1608-1674 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 2571 |
| AUTHOR: | John Milton (1608–1674) |
| QUOTATION: | And with necessity, The tyrant’s plea, 1 excus’d his devilish deeds. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Paradise Lost. Book iv. Line 393. |
| Note 1. Necessity is the argument of tyrants, it is the creed of slaves.—William Pitt, Earl of Chatham: Speech on the India Bill, November, 1783. [back] |