necessity hath no law
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Feigned necessities, imagin- ary necessities, are the greatest cozenage men can put upon the Providence of God, and make pretences to break known rules by.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “necessity hath no law” mean?
Feigned necessities, imagin- ary necessities, are the greatest cozenage men can put upon the Providence of God, and make pretences to break known rules by.
Is “necessity hath no law” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.