Meaning & Analysis
It is considered proper etiquette to explicitly exclude the Lord Mayor of London from any general statement, particularly a critical or comparative one, acknowledging his high status as an exception to the rule.
Insights
Deference to Authority
The proverb serves as a broader metaphor for showing deference to authority. The 'Lord Mayor' symbolizes any person of high rank or power who, for reasons of respect or prudence, should be exempted from general criticism.
Acknowledging Exceptions
It illustrates the principle that all general rules have their exceptions, especially when it comes to individuals of extraordinary status or influence. It is a formula for acknowledging that sweeping statements rarely apply to everyone.
Social and Political Caution
The phrase functions as a form of social self-preservation. By explicitly excluding a powerful figure, one avoids the risk of giving offense and inviting retribution, thus navigating social interactions cautiously.
Reinforcing Hierarchy
The act of 'excepting' a high-status individual reinforces the legitimacy of the existing social hierarchy. It is a verbal performance that signals acceptance of a stratified social order where some are beyond reproach.
Historical Power Dynamics
The proverb reflects the historical and symbolic power of the Lord Mayor of London, a figure of immense civic and financial authority. By excepting him, a speaker acknowledges the rigid social hierarchy and the Mayor's unique status, which places him above common comparison or critique. The quotation from Fuller, substituting Cardinal Wolsey, demonstrates the proverb's adaptability to any figure of supreme power.
Rhetorical Prudence
This phrase serves as a rhetorical tool for social navigation. It allows a speaker to make a broad or critical statement about a group while strategically disarming potential offense from those in power, thereby demonstrating social awareness and deference to the established order.
Psychology of Hierarchy
The proverb reveals a psychological tendency to create exceptions for the powerful, insulating them from general rules. This reflects a cognitive bias where authority figures are perceived as fundamentally different, operating outside the norms that apply to ordinary people.
Ironic Subtext
While on the surface a sign of respect, the proverb can be wielded with subtle irony. By formally 'excepting' a powerful individual from a negative generalization, a speaker can cleverly imply that the person is, in fact, a prime example of the fault being described.
Rhetorical Devices
Social Formula
The phrase functions as a social formula or a set piece of polite speech, used to navigate potentially sensitive conversational territory involving status and power.
Irony
The proverb can be used with ironic intent, where the act of excepting someone from criticism subtly implies they are a notable example of it.
Symbolism
The Lord Mayor of London serves as a symbol for the pinnacle of civic authority and power, making the specific reference a powerful and widely understood shorthand.
Transcription
Quotations
The richest and proudest (always good manners to except cardinal Wolsey) of that place.
*This is a corrective for such, whose expressions are of the largest size, and too general in their extent, parallel to the Logick maxime, Primum in unoquoque genere est excipiendum, as too high to come under the roof of comparison. In some cases, it is not civil to fill up all the room in our speeches of our selves, but to leave an upper place voyd, as a blank reserved for our betters.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.