The Royal Toast Master? Supporters of U.S. President George Washington? William Makepeace Thackeray? Francis Bacon? Randall Munroe? An Anonymous Wit?
- Champagne to our real friends, and real pain to our sham friends.
- Pain to our sham friends, and Champagne to our real friends.
Would you please explore the provenance of this expression?
Dear Quote investigator: The earliest match known to QI appeared in a 1791 collection titled “The Royal Toast Master: Containing Many Thousands of the Best Toasts Old and New” published in London. The following four examples occurred on the same page. Emphasis added to excerpts by QI:[ref] 1791, The Royal Toast Master: Containing Many Thousands of the Best Toasts Old and New, Second Edition Improved, Quote Page 25, Printed for J. Roach, London. (Gale Eighteenth Century Collections Online) [/ref]
- Mirth, wine, and love.
- Beauty without affectation, and merit without conceit.
- Champaign to our real friends, and real pain to our sham ones.
- From discord may harmony rise.
QI believes that it was unlikely that the compiler of “The Royal Toast Master” crafted the statement under examination; hence, it was probably already in circulation in 1791. The compilation was a second edition, so the toast may have appeared in the first edition which QI has not yet seen. In addition, it was retained in the third edition.[ref] 1793, The Royal Toast Master: Containing Many Thousands of the Best Toasts Old and New, Third Edition Improved, Quote Page 26, Printed for J. Roach, London. (Google Books Full View) link [/ref]
Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.
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