--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: England a fortune-telling host, As…" description: "\"England a fortune-telling host, As num'rous as the stars, could boast; Matrons, who toss the cup, and see The grounds of Fate in grounds of tea…\" — Cha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d3/charles-churchill-7400_boast_england-a-fortune-telling-host-as-num-ro_774460.png" --- # England a fortune-telling host, As num'rous as the stars… ![“England a fortune-telling host, As num'rous as the stars, could boast; Matrons, who toss the cup, and see The grounds of Fate in grounds of tea…” quote by Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d3/charles-churchill-7400_boast_england-a-fortune-telling-host-as-num-ro_774460.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d3/charles-churchill-7400_boast_england-a-fortune-telling-host-as-num-ro_774460.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d3/charles-churchill-7400_boast_england-a-fortune-telling-host-as-num-ro_774460.png) > “England a fortune-telling host, As num'rous as the stars, could boast; Matrons, who toss the cup, and see The grounds of Fate in grounds of tea…” [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The verse likens a fortune‑teller to the stars, suggesting that tea‑leaf reading mirrors celestial divination, highlighting humanity’s desire to find meaning in random patterns. **In simple terms:** Tea reading mirrors star gazing, both seek fate. Key Takeaway Recognize patterns but question their validity. Themes mysticism interpretation human nature Mood contemplative curious Type literary metaphorical When to use this quote - daily rituals - decision making - spiritual practice - creative writing Key Concepts symbolism probability theory Questions to Reflect On - What patterns do you see in everyday life? - How reliable are such divinations? A Different Perspective May overstate randomness as destiny. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/) [Boast Matrons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast-matrons-5979415/) [Cups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cups/) [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [England Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england-fortune-4249970/) [Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fate/) [Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune/) [Fortune telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune-telling/) [Grounds Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grounds-fate-5979417/) [Host](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/host/) [Matrons Toss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matrons-toss-5979416/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tea/) [Toss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toss/) ## Related quotes > [ in that small \[time\] most greatly lived this star of England: Fortune made his sword, By which the world's best garden he achiev'd And… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/in-that-small-time-most-greatly-lived-this-star-of-england-fortune/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“That’s what a bitch feng shui and fortune-telling can be. Not only do you have to follow it, you have to fucking enjoy it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-lui/that-s-what-a-bitch-feng-shui-and-fortune-telling-can-be-not-only-do/) [Elaine Lui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-lui/) > [“The person with a good heart and leading a virtuous life will envelop himself in a flourished countenance, creating a favorable condition for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quyen-quang-tran/the-person-with-a-good-heart-and-leading-a-virtuous-life-will-envelop/) [Quyen Quang Tran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quyen-quang-tran/) > [You make films to give people something, to transport them somewhere else, and it doesn't matter if you transport them to a world of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krzysztof-kieslowski/you-make-films-to-give-people-something-to-transport-them-somewhere/) [Krzysztof Kieslowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krzysztof-kieslowski/) > [“the goals are the same: to see the future as multiple possibilities rather than one predetermined outcome; to identify what you do and don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/the-goals-are-the-same-to-see-the-future-as-multiple-possibilities/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Astrology isn't fortune-telling, nor do astrologers speak of life being fated. As agents of free will, we always have a choice. We need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-miller/astrology-isn-t-fortune-telling-nor-do-astrologers-speak-of-life/) [Susan Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-miller/) > [“She shrugged. Everybody makes the same mistake. Fortune-telling doesn't reveal the future; it mirrors the present. It resonates against what your subconscious already knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/she-shrugged-everybody-makes-the-same-mistake-fortune-telling-doesn-t/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [“Uniquely, people who made suicide attempts were found to be especially prone to so-called "fortune telling," through which they predict and firmly believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/uniquely-people-who-made-suicide-attempts-were-found-to-be-especially/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You see, astrology is like fortune-telling. If you can't get it right, you say, "Well, if Venus was doing something peculiar in the background,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/you-see-astrology-is-like-fortune-telling-if-you-can-t-get-it-right/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [“So, apart from casting runes, what other hobbies do you have? Forbidden rituals, human sacrifices, torturing? –”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simona-panova/so-apart-from-casting-runes-what-other-hobbies-do-you-have-forbidden/) [Simona Panova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simona-panova/) > [“So he was a sweet-talking, cross-dressing, fortune-telling...surfer?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-hayes/so-he-was-a-sweet-talking-cross-dressing-fortune-telling-surfer/) [Gwen Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-hayes/) > [Granny knew all about bad fortune-telling. It was harder than the real thing. You needed a good imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/granny-knew-all-about-bad-fortune-telling-it-was-harder-than-the-real/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Are you anxious that a fortune teller might disclose things you'd rather not know? I assure you that if you already practice the valuable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mastroleo/are-you-anxious-that-a-fortune-teller-might-disclose-things-you-d/) [Alice Mastroleo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mastroleo/) > [Fortune-telling doesn't reveal the future; it mirrors the present. It resonates against what your subconscious already knows and hauls it up out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/fortune-telling-doesn-t-reveal-the-future-it-mirrors-the-present-it/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [It will be thought that I am acting strangely in concerning myself at this day with what appears at first sight and simply a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-waite/it-will-be-thought-that-i-am-acting-strangely-in-concerning-myself-at/) [A. E. Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-waite/) ## More by Charles Churchill > [What is this world?--A term which men have got, To signify not one in ten knows what; A term, which with no more precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/what-is-this-world-a-term-which-men-have-got-to-signify-not-one-in/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [Enough of self, that darling luscious theme, O'er which philosophers in raptures dream; Of which with seeming disregard they write Then prizing most when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/enough-of-self-that-darling-luscious-theme-o-er-which-philosophers-in/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [Patience is sorrow's salve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/patience-is-sorrow-s-salve/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [Gipsies, who every ill can cure, Except the ill of being poor Who charms 'gainst love and agues sell, Who can in hen-roost set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/gipsies-who-every-ill-can-cure-except-the-ill-of-being-poor-who/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [The stage I chose--a subject fair and free-- 'Tis yours--'tis mine--'tis public property. All common exhibitions open lie, For praise or censure, to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/the-stage-i-chose-a-subject-fair-and-free-tis-yours-tis-mine-tis/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [Ourselves are to ourselves the cause of ill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/ourselves-are-to-ourselves-the-cause-of-ill/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [Who shall dispute what the Reviewers say? Their word's sufficient; and to ask a reason, In such a state as theirs, is downright treason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/who-shall-dispute-what-the-reviewers-say-their-word-s-sufficient-and/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [The rigid saint, by whom no mercy's shown To saints whose lives are better than his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/the-rigid-saint-by-whom-no-mercy-s-shown-to-saints-whose-lives-are/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [To copy beauty forfeits all pretense to fame; to copy faults is want of sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/to-copy-beauty-forfeits-all-pretense-to-fame-to-copy-faults-is-want/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [Little do such men know the toil, the pains, the daily, nightly racking of the brains, to range the thoughts, the matter to digest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/little-do-such-men-know-the-toil-the-pains-the-daily-nightly-racking/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [Fashion--a word which knaves and fools may use, Their knavery and folly to excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/fashion-a-word-which-knaves-and-fools-may-use-their-knavery-and-folly/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [The danger chiefly lies in acting well; no crime's so great as daring to excel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/the-danger-chiefly-lies-in-acting-well-no-crime-s-so-great-as-daring/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [When satire flies abroad on falsehood's wing, Short is her life, and impotent her sting; But when to truth allied, the wound she gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/when-satire-flies-abroad-on-falsehood-s-wing-short-is-her-life-and/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [Statesman all over, in plots famous grown, He mouths a sentence, as curs mouth a bone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/statesman-all-over-in-plots-famous-grown-he-mouths-a-sentence-as-curs/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [There's a strange something, which without a brain Fools feel, and which e'en wise men can't explain, Planted in man, to bind him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/there-s-a-strange-something-which-without-a-brain-fools-feel-and/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) [Explore all 91 Charles Churchill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) ## More Boast quotes > [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [Win without boasting. Lose without excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-payson-terhune/win-without-boasting-lose-without-excuse/) [Albert Payson Terhune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-payson-terhune/) > [Further conceive, I beg, that a stone, while continuing in motion, should be capable of thinking and knowing, that it is endeavoring, as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/further-conceive-i-beg-that-a-stone-while-continuing-in-motion-should/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [“In general, poor is polite and rich is rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-general-poor-is-polite-and-rich-is-rude/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“in other words, his story was part boast, part confession.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mezrich/in-other-words-his-story-was-part-boast-part-confession/) [Ben Mezrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mezrich/) > [We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment. How many people can boast as much?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/we-are-not-saints-but-we-have-kept-our-appointment-how-many-people/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [Boast is always a cry of despair, except in the young it is a cry of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-berenson/boast-is-always-a-cry-of-despair-except-in-the-young-it-is-a-cry-of/) [Bernard Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-berenson/) > [“A classic is read not to enjoy but only to be boast about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aman-jassal/a-classic-is-read-not-to-enjoy-but-only-to-be-boast-about-it/) [Aman Jassal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aman-jassal/) > [Buonaparte has often made his boast that our fleet would be worn out by keeping the sea and that his was kept in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-nelson/buonaparte-has-often-made-his-boast-that-our-fleet-would-be-worn-out/) [Horatio Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatio-nelson/) > [Wisdom can boast no higher attainment than happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/wisdom-can-boast-no-higher-attainment-than-happiness/) [Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/) > [But thou art fair, and at thy birth, dear boy, Nature and Fortune join'd to make thee great: Of Nature's gifts thou mayst with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-thou-art-fair-and-at-thy-birth-dear-boy-nature-and-fortune-join-d/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Science appears but what in truth she is, Not as our glory and our absolute boast, But as a succedaneum, and a prop To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/science-appears-but-what-in-truth-she-is-not-as-our-glory-and-our/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [It has, therefore, been a favorite boast of the people of Wales and Cornwall, that the original British stock flourishes in its unmixed purity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bulfinch/it-has-therefore-been-a-favorite-boast-of-the-people-of-wales-and/) [Thomas Bulfinch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bulfinch/) > [Boasting is only a masked shame; it does not truly believe in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/boasting-is-only-a-masked-shame-it-does-not-truly-believe-in-itself/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) [Browse all 567 Boast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "England a fortune-telling host, As num'rous as the stars, could boast; Matrons, who toss the cup, and see The grounds of Fate in grounds of tea…", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Churchill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/england-a-fortune-telling-host-as-num-rous-as-the-stars-could-boast/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boast" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/england-a-fortune-telling-host-as-num-rous-as-the-stars-could-boast/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d3/charles-churchill-7400_boast_england-a-fortune-telling-host-as-num-ro_774460.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d3/charles-churchill-7400_boast_england-a-fortune-telling-host-as-num-ro_774460.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d3/charles-churchill-7400_boast_england-a-fortune-telling-host-as-num-ro_774460.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“England a fortune-telling host, As num'rous as the stars, could boast; Matrons, who toss the cup, and see…” — Charles Churchill", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charles Churchill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "England a fortune-telling host, As num'rous...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/england-a-fortune-telling-host-as-num-rous-as-the-stars-could-boast/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/england-a-fortune-telling-host-as-num-rous-as-the-stars-could-boast/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```