Among the nugæ of Dean Swift are his celebrated Latin puns, some of which are well known, having been frequently copied, and having never been excelled. The following selections will serve as specimens. They consist entirely of Latin words; but, by allowing for false spelling, and running the words into each other, the sentences make good sense in English:—
| Mollis abuti, | (Moll is a beauty, |
| Has an acuti, | Has an acute eye, |
| No lasso finis, | No lass so fine is, |
| Molli divinis. | Molly divine is. |
| Omi de armis tres, | O my dear mistress, |
| Imi na dis tres, | I’m in a distress, |
| Cantu disco ver | Can’t you discover |
| Meas alo ver? | Me as a lover?) |
In a subsequent epistolary allusion to this, he says:—
I ritu a verse o na molli o mi ne,
Asta lassa me pole, a lædis o fine;
I ne ver neu a niso ne at in mi ni is;
A manat a glans ora sito fer diis.
De armo lis abuti hos face an hos nos is,
As fer a sal illi, as reddas aro sis;
Ac is o mi molli is almi de lite;