A paradox is a fantastic thing that is said once: a fashion is a more fantastic thing that is said a sufficient number of times.

I could give numberless examples in Cobbett's case, but I will give only one.

Anyone who finds himself full in the central path of Cobbett's fury sometimes has something like a physical shock.

No one who has read "The History of the Reformation" will ever forget the passage (I forget the precise words) in which he says the mere thought of such a person as Cranmer makes the brain reel, and, for an instant, doubt the goodness of God; but that peace and faith flow back into the soul when we remember that he was burned alive.

Now this is extravagant.