The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-12-02
SAYINGS, AND WHO FIRST SAID THEM.


pithy, are used without the least idea from whose
mouth or pen they first originated. Probably the
works of Shakespeare furnish us with more OF
these familiar maXims than any other writer, for
to him owe: "AIl is not gold that glitters,
make a virtue of necessity" "Screw your cour-
age to the sticking place. mot point, They
laugh that win" "ComparisOns are odlous" "As
merry as the day is long" ga Daniel come to
Judgment" "Frailty, thy name is Woman"
''This is the short and long of it," and host OF
others.
Washington Irving gives us ''The Almighty
Dollar" Thomas Morton queried long ago
'What will Mrs. Grundy say" while Goldsmith
answers, "Ask me questions and I'll tell you
no fbs" Charles c. Pickney gives millions for
Defense but not one cent for tributep
"First in war, first in peace, and first in the
hearts of his fellOw-citZens" mot cOuntrymen)J
appeared in the resolutions presented to the
House of Representatives in December, 1890, pre-
pared by Gen. Henry Lee. From the same we
GULL "Alake assurance dOubly sure" christmas
comes but once a year." Count their chickens
ere they hatched," and "Look before you
leap"
Thomas Tasser, a writer of the sixteenth CEN
tury gives us, ''Its i'll will turns no good"
"Better late than never" "LOOk ere thou leap"
and ''the stone that is rolling can gather no
mOssu
Dryden says, "None but the brave deserve the
/ fair" ''Men are but children of larger growth"
| and Through thick and thin"
! mo pent-up Utica contracts our power" de-
clared Jonathan Sewell.
"When Greeks join Greeks, then comes the tug
/ of war;" Nathaniel Lee, 1892.
"Of two evils I have chosen the least and
/ ''Ihe end must justify the MEANS" are from Mat
/ thew Pryor.
We are Indebted to CoIley Cibber for the agree
| able intelligence that 'Richard is himself again"
Johnson tells us of "a good hater," and Mackin-
tosh, in 1871, used the phase often attributed to
John Randolph, "Wise and mastery inactivity"
"Nariety's the very spice of life" and "NOt
much the worse for wear,n Cowper.
"Man proposes, but God dispOses," Thomas
Kempis
Christopher Marlowe gave forth the invitation
often so repeated by his brothers in less public
way, Love me little, love me long" Edward
| Coke was Of the opinion that "a mans house is
his castle.n
To Milton we owe '"The paradise Of fools" "a
/ wilderness of Sweetsn and 'MOping melancholy
and moOnstruck Madness"
Edward Young tells us death loves a shining
mark "a fool at forty is fool indeed but,
alas for his knowledge Of human nature when
he tells us "Man wants but little, nor that little
! long"
From Bacon comes ''Knowledge is power"
and Thomas Southerne reminds Us that 'Pitys
akin to love- Dean Swift thought that Bread
is the staff of lfe.r
Campbell found that Coming events cast their
chantment TO the view"
"A thing of beauty is JOY forever" is from
/ Keats. Franklin said, "GOd helps them who
help themselves" and Lawrence Sterne comforts
/ Us with the thought 'Ciod tempers the wind to
the shorn lamb"
Even some of the slang phrases of the day
have legitimate origin. Putting your foot in
it, Is certainly not very elegant mode of eX-
preston, but, according 10 the ASIatic Researches,
II Is quite q fine point OF law; when the title to
land is disputed in HindOOstan, two holes are dug
in the ground and used to incase a limb of each
lawyer l2l, and the who tires first loses his
clients case Fancy, if you can some of our
famous climbs of the law pleading in such a
manner 1t is generally the client who 'puts his
foot in it,
When things are in disorder they are often said
to be turned tOpsytury; this expression i derived
from the way in which turf used for fuel Is placed
TO dry, the turf being turned downward and the
expression then means tOpSide turfway.
n of \ of
Sparta, gives the origin of quaint and IA
mliar expression. On a certain occasion am
bassador from Epirus, a diplomatic mission,
was shown by the king over his capital. The
ambassador knew of the mOnaTch's fame-knew
that though only nomnaly king of Sparta he
was yet ruler of GreeCe-and he had looked to
massive walls rearing alOft their emhattled towers
for the defense of the town but he found nothing
of the kind. He marveled much at this, and
! spoke of it to the king.
Sire he said, II have visited most of the
principal towns, and find no walls reared for de-
fense. Why is this?'
"Indecd, Sir Ambassador" replied Argesileus-
''thOU canst not have looked carefully. Come
with me tomorrow morning and will show you
1 the walls of Sparta"
Accordingly, on the following morning the
: king led his guest out upon the plains where his
army drawn up in full battle array, and
! pointing proudly to the serried host he said:
''Thcre, thou behOldest the walls of SPARTA
/ ten thousand men, and every man a brick" !"