The Letter of Marque Quotes

“[Babbington] "What did [the Doctor, Stephen] do to you, sir?"

[Captain Aubrey] "Well, I am ashamed to say he took a pistol-ball out of the small of my back. It must have been when I turned to hail for more hands- thank God I did not. At the time I thought it was one of those vile horses that were capering about abaft the wheel."

"Oh, sir, surely a horse would never have fired off a pistol?”
― Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque

“Mr Mowett,' called Stephen in the pause while the table was clearing to make room for the pudding, and pudding-wine—in this case Frontignan and Canary—was handing about, 'you were telling me about your publishers.'

   'Yes, sir: I was about to say that they were the most hellish procrastinators—'

   'Oh how dreadful,' cried Fanny. 'Do they go to—to special houses, or do they ...'

   'He means they delay,' said Babbington.

   'Oh.”
― Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque

“The sea has receded!’ cried Stephen. ‘I am amazed.’ ‘They tell me it does so twice a day in these parts,’ said Jack. ‘It is technically known as the tide.”
― Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque

“I slept as the person in Plutarch that ran from Marathon to Athens without a pause would have slept if he had not fallen dead, the creature.”
― Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque

“West was the only officer on the quarterdeck, and it so happened that the party of hands making dolphins and paunch-mats on the forecastle were all Shelmerstonians. West was gaping rather vacantly over the taffrail when he saw an extraordinarily handsome woman ride along the quay, followed by a groom. She dismounted at the height of the ship, gave the groom her reins, and darted straight across the brow and so below.

   'Hey there,' he cried, hurrying after her, 'this is Dr Maturin's cabin. Who are you, ma'am?'

   'I am his wife, sir,' she said, 'and I beg you will desire the carpenter to sling a cot for me here.' She pointed, and then bending and peering out of the scuttle she cried 'Here they are. Pray let people stand by to help him aboard: he will be lying on a door.' She urged West out of the cabin and on deck, and there he and the amazed foremast hands saw a blue and gold coach and four, escorted by a troop of cavalry in mauve coats with silver facings, driving slowly along the quay with their captain and a Swedish officer on the box, their surgeon and his mate leaning out of the windows, and all of them, now joined by the lady on deck, singing Ah tutti contenti saremo cosí, ah tutti contenti saremo, saremo cosí with surprisingly melodious full-throated happiness.”
― Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque

“I have often observed that extremely violent noise and activity go with good-fellowship and heightened spirits.”
― Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque

“Well, if he calls that trifling,' said Babbington, nodding at the slung arm and the heavily bandaged leg and the waxen face, 'God help us if ever he tells us we are seriously hurt.'
'Amen,' said Jack. 'William, have you considered the Diane?'
'Yes, sir, and a very pretty ship she is - a fine narrow entry and the most elegant lines, though she is so low in the water she don't appear to advantage.'
'Why, she has twelve or even eighteen months stores aboard: she was going foreign, far foreign. But what I meant was, all those young women walking about her deck. Have you considered them?'
'Oh yes, sir,' said Babbington, a lubricious creature who had been considering them through a telescope at close range ever since they began to appear. 'There is a particularly handsome one in green just abaft the hances.”
― Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque

“slept as the person in Plutarch that ran from Marathon to Athens without a pause would have slept if he had not fallen dead, the creature.”
― Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque

“Yes, sir: I was about to say that they were the most hellish procrastinators – ’ ‘Oh how dreadful,’ cried Fanny. ‘Do they go to – to special houses, or do they…’ ‘He means they delay,’ said Babbington. ‘Oh.”
― Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque

“the saint told her that more tears were shed over prayers that were granted than ever were shed over prayers that were refused.”
― Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque