Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-03-04
Sayings, and Who First Said Them,

Many OF our common sayings, so trite and
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 we owe: "All
is not gold that glitters," Make virtue
Of necessity" Screw your courage to Il
sticking place." (not point, They laugh
that win,' "This is the short and long Of
it" Companions are odious," "As merry
as the day is long" "A Daniel come to judg-
ment," ''Frailty, thy name is woman and
hosts of others.
Washington Irving gives us 1.-THE AL
mighty Dollar" Thomas Norton aueried
long ago what will Mrs. Grundy say ?"
while Goldsmith answers, ASK me no ques-
tons and I'll tell you no fbs." Charles c.
Pinckpey millions for defence, but not one
cent for tribute" First in war, first in
peace. and first in the hearts Of his fellow
citizens mot countrymen.) appeared in the
resolutions presented to the House of Rep
resentatives in December. 1890, prepared BY
Gen. Henry Lee.
From the same We Gull, Make assurance
doubly sure" christmas comes but once
year Count their chickens ere they are
hatched," and Look before you leap"
Thomas Tasser, writer of the sixteenth
good" Better late than never" Look ere
thou leap" and 1.-The stone that is rolling
can gather no moss" "All cry and no WOOL
is found in Buffers "Hudibras."
Dryden saws: None but the brave de-
serve the fair" "Men are but children of a
larger growth" Through thick and thin"
NO pent-up Utica contracts our power"
declared Jonathan Sewell.
When Greeks join Greeks then was the
tug of war Nathaniel Lee. 1892
"Of two evils have chosen the least"
and The end must justify the means are
from Matthew Prior. We are indebted to
Colley CIbber for the agreeable intelligence
that Richard is himself again" Johnson
tells us of "A good hater," and Macintosh
in 1871, the phrase often attributed to John
Randolph, Wise and mastery inactivity"
"Nariety's the very spice of life" and
Not much the worse for wear" Cowper.
Man proposes, but God disposes," Thomas
a kempis.
Christopher NARROW gave forth the invita-
ton so often repeated BY his brothers in
less public way. love me little. love me
long Edward Cooke was of the opinion
that "A mans house is his castle" To
Milton We owe 1.-The paradise of fools A
wilderness of sweets" and ''Moping melan-
choly and moonstruck madness
Edward Young tells US death loves a
shining mark. "A fool at forty is a fool in
deed 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 pow
er," and Thomas Southerne reminds us that
PHYS akin to love" Dean Swift thought
that Bread is the staff of life" Campbell
found that Coming events cast their shad
ows before" and IT'S distance lends en-
" is a JOY forever" is from Keats Frank
lin said, God helps them who help them
selves" and Lawrence Sterne comforts us
with the thought. God tempers the wind
to the shou lamb"
Even some of the slang" phrases of the
day have a legitimate origin. Putting
your foot in it" is certainly not a very ele-
giant mode of expression. but, according to
the ''AsIatic Researches" it is quite a fine
point of law; when the title to land is dis
puted in Hindostan two holes are dug in the
ground and used to encase limb of each
lawyer (9) and the one who tired first lost
his clients case. Fancy, if YOU can, some of
our famous limbs oNthe law" pleading in
such manner 1t is generally the Glen,
who puts his foot in it."
When things are in disorder they are often
said to be turned topsy turvy; this express
sion is derived from the way in which turf
used for fuel is placed to dry, the turf being
turned downward and the expression then
means top-side turfway.
Plutarch, in his life of Arcesilaus, King of
Sparta, gives us the origin of quaint and
familiar expression.
On certain occasion an ambassador from
Epirus. on diplomatic mission, was shown
by the king over his capital. The ambassa-
dor knew of the monarch's fame-knew that
though only nominally king of Sparta. he
was yet ruler Of Greece-and he had looked
to see massive walls rearing aloft their en-
battled towers for the defence of the town;
but he found nothing Of the kind He mar
veled much at this, and spoke Of it to the
king.
Sire" he said, IL have visited most of
the principal towns, and | find no walls
reared for defence. Why is this2"
Indeed, Sir Ambassador" replied Arces-
ilaus, 'thou canst not have looked CAREFUL.
Come with me tomorrow morning, and |
will show you the walls of Sparta"
Accordingly on the following morning the
king led his guest out upon the plains where
his army was drawn up in full battle array,
and pointing proudly to the serried hosts, he
said:
There, thou beholdest the walls of Sparta
ten thousand men, and every man
brick"