Original artwork, not a still
Absalom and Achitophel · 1681
For every inch that is not fool is rogue.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The speaker offers a sweeping satirical judgment: every part of a person that isn't foolish is roguish. There is no middle ground of ordinary decency in this view, only silliness or knavery. The line is a sharp, compressed put-down rather than a balanced assessment.
Context reviewed
