Anecdote recorded by John Aubrey in Brief Lives (1693).
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This Earl of Oxford, making of his low obeisance to Queen Elizabeth, happened to let a Fart, at which he was so abashed and ashamed that he went to Travel [for] 7 years. On his return the Queen welcomed him home, and said, 'My Lord, I had forgot the Fart'.

— Anecdote recorded by John Aubrey

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "This Earl of Oxford, making of his low obeisance to Queen Elizabeth, happened to let a Fart, at which he was so abashed and ashamed that he went to Travel [for] 7 years. On his return the Queen welcomed him home, and said, 'My Lord, I had forgot the Fart'." in the context of "Anecdote recorded by John Aubrey in Brief Lives (1693)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford" (About the Earl of Oxford) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

About Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford (12 April 1550 – 24 June 1604) was an Elizabethan courtier, poet and patron of numerous writers.