Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-11-13
Origin of some Popular Sayings.

4 vi UItIc dDDOSlUc SCAtChCOS, uCAhS3 UhOAA
daily, but having nc. knowledge OF theil
authorship; and as men are apt to be
Icurious concerning the habits and laws
they follow or are governed by, tracing
their origin back into the dimness OF
| long-slumbering centuries, so they are
often possessed with desire to know
who first framed these words into the
sentences so familiar to them. AS they
have not all the time to devote to such a
labor, the following have been strung
together by one whose nature leads him
to ramble among the books for his souls
| best amusement. Tf.l. w.
| 1t was Thomas Ke1npis, who in the
| fifteenth century, gave ''Man proposes,
but God disposes" and the equally we'll
known saying, "Oftwo evils the less is to
be chosen, the original of 'tOf two evils
choose the least" Thomas Tusser, a
writer of the sixteenth century, gave,
"Better late than never" and the key
| for four other common phrases in "For
Christmas comes but once year." Its
an ill wind that turns none to good"
"The stone that is rolling can gather no
moss, ""LOOk ere thou leap, see ere thou
go" 1t was Francis Rabelais, a French
wit OF the same century. who said that
by "Robbing Peter he paid Paul. and
told that when
"The devil was sick, the devil monk would
be; So. fre r II. q
The devil was well, the devil monk was he.o.
1t was also in the sixteenth century
that SirEdward Coke, celebrated Eng
lish lawyer, said "For mans house
is his CASTLE" and Lord Brooke sung,
"And out of mind as soon as out of
sight" 1t was Christopher Marlowe,
the forerunner of Shakespeare, and faith
er of the grand old English drama, who
sang to the ladies, "Love me little, love
me long" and told of Infinite riches
in a little ROOM"
We owe to the prolific genius of Shak.
speare, ''This is the short and long Ofit,"'
''The worlds mine OYSTER" "Compari-
sons are odious," " "As merry as the day
is long," A Daniel come to judgment"
sit is wise father that knows his own
child, :" 'And thereby hangs tale,"
"He needs must go the devil drives"
"Why this is very midsummer mad
ness" 1.-THE smallest worm will turn
when trodden on" "Smooth runs the
water where the brook is deep" $50
wise so young they say do ne'er live
long," "The weakest goes to the wall, /"
'We have seen better days, "This was
the most unkindest cut of all, !" "Stand
not upon the order of your going," ""A
deed without name," "Frailty, thy
name is woman" 81 am a man more
sinned against than sinning," "They
laugh that win" and thousand more
as good. though not as we'll known.
Francis Bacon. the ''wisest, greatest,
meanest of mankind" said knowledge
is power" and Beaumont and Fletcher
pronounced that "What's one mans
poison. signor is another's meat or
drink" Milton tells of a "Moping
melancholy and moonstruck Madness"
and also of GA wilderness of Sweets"
"All hell broke loose" and 1.-THE para
disc of FOOLS" El..t
Samuel Butler, author of "Hudibras,"
dubbed a religious creed thus: 'Twas
Presbyterian true blue" Dryden says,
"None but the brave deserve the fair"
and "sweet is pleasure after pain" He
also warns thus Beware the fury of a
patient man." "All delays are danger
Gus in war;" and thinks that "Men are
but children of larger growth" The
Earl of Roscommon has it that one must
Choose an author as you choose a
friend" and says that "The multitude
are always in the wrong II John Bun
yam wisely reminds US that ''He that is
down needs fear no fall, and Thomas
Southerne ''That PHYS akin to love"
1t was crazy Nathaniel Lee who averred
that "When Greeks Joined Greeks, then
was the tug of war.''
Matthew Prior thought ''The end must
justify the means"; and Dean Swift said
''Bread is the staff of life" George
Farquhar called Necessity the mother
of invention" Edward Young, very
sombre fellow, said "Death loves ashin-
ing mark"; he also thought that "Afan
wants but little, nor wants that little
long" and that "a fool at forty is a fool
indeed"; he also told of 'sTired natures
sweet restorer, balmy sleep"; Pope says
'"To err is human, to forgive divine,"
and Thompson tells of "Cruel as death,
and hungry as the grave" 1t was John
Gay who said while there's life, there's
hope" and sang of "Over the hills and
far away"; Lawrence Sterne thought
that "God tempers the wind to the shorn
lamb" and Benjamin Franklin that
"Ged helps those who help them
selves" Cowper said that "Variety's
the very spice of life"; Thomas Camp
bell said "'Tis distance lends enchant-
ment to the view"; he also said, Sand
coming events cast their shadow beforeh;
Daniel Webster told of "a ''Sea of up
Curneu races, ana washington irving
thought our idol was 'The mighty dol
lar"; Byron says that war presents
Battles magnificent stern array" and
Keats that "a thing of beauty is a joy
forever; and last, it was Bishop Berke-
ley, an English prelate, who in the sew
enteenth century said, westward the
course of Empire takes its way"
: "A BRUTAL OUTRAGE.-A negro NAM
ed Cephas Jones was brought before the
Police Court this morning, charged
with an outrage: upon, Miss Florence 2.
Smith. white lady, seventeen years of
age. Miss Smith, Will, passing along
the street on Capitol Hill, near Tenth
street. soon after six O'clock last even,