Coleridge the Know-It-All

English poet, philosopher, and literary critic Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834).

One day, when dining with some lawyers, he [Samuel Taylor Coleridge] had been more than usually eloquent and full of talk. His perpetual interruptions were resented by one of the guests, who said to his neighbour, ‘I’ll stop this fellow’; and thereupon addressed the master of the house with ‘G–––, I’ve not forgotten my promise to give you the extract from “The Pandects” [a digest of Roman law]. It was the ninth chapter that you were alluding to. It begins: “Ac veteres quidam philosophi”.’ ‘Pardon me; sir,’ interposed Coleridge, ‘there I think, you are in error. The ninth chapter begins in this way, “Incident saepe causae,” etc.’ It was in vain to refer to anything on the supposition that the poet was ignorant, for he really had some acquaintance with every subject.

—Bryan Procter, An Autobiographical Fragment (1877)