The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-03-04
COMMON SAYINGS.
And Who First Said Them.
London World.I

MANY OF our comm 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 gilt
ters," snake virtue of necessity"
"Screw your courage to the stick
ing place. not point), "They laugh
that win," "ThIs is the short and
long of it," "Comparisons are
odious," GAS merry as the day is
long," "a Daniel come to judg-
ment," "Frailty, thy name is wo-
man." and host of others.
Washington Irving gives us "The
almighty dollar" 4 homas Morton
queried, 'fWhat will Mrs. Grundy
say?' while Goldsmith answers
"Ask me no questions and I'll tell
you no fibs." Charles G. Pinckney
gives millions for defense, but not
one cent for tribute" First in
war, first in peace, and first in she
hearts of his fellow-citizens" mot
countrymen) appeared in The reso-
lutions presented to the house of
representatives in December, 1870,
prepared by Gen. Henry Lee.
From the same we Gull, MAKE
assurance doubly sure," christmas
comes but once a year," "Count
their chickens ere they are hatched,"
and "Look before you leap"
Thomas Tasser, a writer of the
sixteenth century, gives us "It's an
i'll will turns no good" "Better late
than never" "Look ere thou leap"
and "The stone that Is rolling can
gather no moss" Gall cry and no
wool" is found in Buffers "Hudi
bras"
brave deserve the fair" 'Men are
but children of larger growth"
and Through thick and thin"
"No pent up Utica contracts our
power" declared Jonathan Sewell.
when Greeks join Greeks then
comes the tug of war;" Nathaniel
Lee, 1892.
"Of two evils l have chosen the
least" and "The end must justify
the means," are from Matthew Pry-
or. We are indebted TO Colley Glib
Der for the agreeable intelligence
that Richard is himself again"
Johnson tells us of ga good hater,"
and Macintosh, in 1871, the phrase
often attributed to John Randolph,
"Wise and mastery inactivity"
"Variety's the very spice of life,"
and mot much the worse for wear"
COwper. "Man proposes, but God
Thomas Kempis.
Christopher NARROW gave forth
the invitation SO often repeated by
his brothers in less public way
"Love me little, love me long"
Coke was of the opinion
that "a mans house is his CASTLE
To Milton we owe "The paradise
of FOOLS" ga wildness of sweets"
and "Moping melancholy and moon
struck 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 "Pity's akin to
love-" Dean Swift thought that
"Bread is the staff of life" Camp
bell found that Coming events
cast their shadows before" and
." '1'is distance lends enchantment
10 the view" GA thing of beauty
is joy forever" is from Keats.
Franklin said, "sGod helps them who
help themselves" and Lawrence
Sterne comforts us with the thought,
''God tempers the wind to the shorn
lamb"
Even some Of the "slang" phra
ses of the day have legitimate or
igin. Putting your foot in it, is
certainly not very elegant mode of
but, according to the
Asiatic Researches, it is quite q fine
point of law; when the title to land |
is disputed in Hindostan, two holes
are dug in the ground and used
to iucase a limb of each law
yer {? p, and the one who tired first
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 turned topsy-tur-
Wy; this expression is derived from
the way in which turf used for fuel
is placed to dry, the turf being
turned downward; and the expires
sion then means topside turfway.
Plutarch, in his life of Argesileus,
king of Sparta, gives US the origin
of a quaint and familiar expression.
On a certain occasion an ambas-
sador from Epir us, on a diplomatic |
mission, was shown by the king
over his capital. The ambassador
knew of the monarch's fame-knew
that though only nominally king of
of Sparta, he was yet ruler of
Greece-and he had looked to see
massive walls rearing aloft their en-
battled 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, 81 have visited
most of the principal towns, and
find no walls reared for defense.
How is this?"
Indeed, sir ambassador" replied
Argesileus, "thou canst not have
looked carefully. Come with me
to morrow morning and l 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
host, he said:
There, thou beholdest the walls
of Sparta-ten Thousand men, and
every man q brisk r'
Colonel Solcn's Reoollections Of the
Weather.
Oil City Derrick.
Col. Solon e-;ered the Derrick
office yesterday in an irascible state