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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Morton's Fork
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A device of Tudor taxation which has lodged in the public mind for its memorable name and its fiscal elegance. The phrase was in use from at least the early 17C to describe a two-pronged argument supposedly offered to potential taxpayers by Henry VII's lord chancellor and archbishop of Canterbury, John Morton (c.1420–1500): an extravagant lifestyle proves that you have enough to pay, and a parsimonious one that you have set aside enough to pay.
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