To speak of atrocious crime in mild language is treason to virtue." - Meaning and context.">
Attributed in Captain William Kidd: And Others of the Pirates Or Buccaneers who Ravaged the Seas, the Islands, and the Continents of America Two Hundred Years Ago (1876) by John Stevens Cabot Abbott, p. 179

To speak of atrocious crime in mild language is treason to virtue.

— Edmund Burke

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "To speak of atrocious crime in mild language is treason to virtue." in the context of "Attributed in Captain William Kidd: And Others of the Pirates Or Buccaneers who Ravaged the Seas, the Islands, and the Continents of America Two Hundred Years Ago (1876) by John Stevens Cabot Abbott, p. 179" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Edmund Burke" (Quotes, Undated) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Edmund Burke

About Edmund Burke

Edmund Burke (12 January 1729 – 9 July 1797) was a British and Irish statesman and philosopher. Born in Dublin, Burke served as a member of parliament (MP) between 1766 and 1794 in the House of Commons of Great Britain with the Whig Party after moving to London in 1750.