Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1876-02-03

BITING observation-disclosures
habit If writing notes to his works
might be advantageously initiated by
the poets Of the present day-says that
to bite the glove or the thumb was a
border pledge of mortal revenge; and
In illustration relates how a young Te-
viotdale laird, upon discovering on the
morrow Of hard drinking bout that
his glove had been bitten, insisted upon
knowing with whom he had 9uarreled,
as be must have satisfaction, although
lie remembered nothing at all about
the matter. His curiosity was graft
fed, and be fell as he deserved to do,
in the duel. In England thumb-biting
was practiced TO goad an adversary into
fighting. Decker tells us that st.
Pauls walk was notable for shoulder
ings, ieerings. and biting of thumbs to
beget quarrels; and Shakespeare im-
ports the fashion into Verona. When
Gregory and Sampson espy two Mon
tague men, out fly their swords; but
prudent Sampson, to compel the others
to take the initiative, bites his thumb
at them, (which is a disgrace If they
bear it," Challenged with the ques-
tion. "Did you bite your thumb at me,
sir!" be replies, mo sir, l do not bite
my thumb at you, sir; but bite my
thumb !" aud in few minutes the fray
begins. II was not absolutely necessa-
ry to put the thumb to the mouth. In
1921 rude fellow was sent to prison
for casting vile contempt upon the
clerk of the Sheriff of London, by rails
ing his thumb and saying, "Iphurt, lp-
hurt - ''in manifest contempt of our
lord the King" If one Neapolitan
wishes to anger another, he places the
palm Of the right hand OH the back of
the left aud shakes the crossed thumbs.
symbolical of donkeys ears, at him; a
pleasant bit of paptomime answering
to the taking sight" popular else
where-a sign Of contcmptuous def
ancc, said to be at least as old as an
cient Assyria. At any rate it is as old
as R.,beiais. who thus describes Pan
urge receiving Thaumaste: "Panurge
suddenly lifted up i'll the air his right
hand and put the thumb thereof into
the nostril Of the same side, holding
his four fingers straight out and closed
orderly in parallel line to the point of
his nose. shutting the left eye wholly,
and aking the other wink with pro-
found depression of the eyebrows and
eyelids. Then lifted he up his left
hand, with hard wringing and stretch
ing forth of his four fingers. and eleva-
ting his thumb, which he held in line
directly correspondent to the situation
Of his right hand, with the distance Of
q cubit and half between them. This
done, in the same form he abascd to-
ward the ground both the one and the
other hand. Lastly. he held them in
the midst, rs aiming at the English
mans nose" Bon Gaulter's line, ''Cof.
fee-milling. care. and sorrow, with n
nose adapted thumb" is explained by
"Jabez," in Notes and Queries. as hav-
ing reference to another way of taking
a sight, on which the closed right hand
was made to revolve round the little
finger Of the left He laments that the
degenerate school. boy of our day only
takes modified sight, consisting of the
right hand locked, with the first finger
applied to the nose and tue thumb to
the chin. The change is to he deplor-
cd. bG. the new method is as effectual-
" provocative of row as the old. ard
what more does boy want.-AH the
Year RoEnd.