The story behind this rhyme is one of the funniest in
British literary history. Circa
1680, future
satirist Thomas Brown (
1663-
1704) was a student at
Oxford when he got into some trouble and was brought before the dean, Dr.
John Fell (
1625-
1686). Fell decided to waive Brown's pending expulsion if Brown could
translate an
epigram by
Martial from
Latin into
English on the spot.
Brown chose this one, substituting Dr. Fell for the person disliked my Martial:
Non amo te, Sabidi, nec possum dicere quare;
Hoc tantum posso dicere, non amo te.
The resulting rhyme immortalized them both and overshadows their literary and academic accomplishments. Brown was not expelled, but eventually left Oxford without graduating.