On the record
When they did not beget they ADOPTED; they solemnly made believe that new persons were descended from the old stock, though everybody knew that in flesh and blood they were not.
Said by
Walter Bagehot
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gutenberg.orgWalter Bagehot: “When they did not beget they ADOPTED; they solemnly made believe that new persons were descended from the old stock…”
Editor's note · Context
Bagehot illustrates the practice of adoption in ancient societies as a means of creating lineage despite biological differences.
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