The Russellville Democrat., 1880-03-11
FAMILIAR EXPRESSIONS.


 FAMILIAR EXPRESSIONS.
 A List of 0uecr sa wings, and Who Firs
 Said Them.
 Fraser's Magazine.
 Many of our common savings, so tritt and pithy, are used without the leas idea from whose mouth or pen they fisi originated. Probably the works ot Shakespeare furnish us with more oi these familiar maxims than any other writer, for to whom we owe, All is not gold that glitters." Make virtue oi necessity" Screw your courage to the sticking place." (not point They laugh that win," This is the short and long oi i it." Comparisons are odious," As mer- " as the day is long" "A Daniel come to judgment" "Frailty, thy name is woman," and bost of others. Washington Irving gave us "The al- mighty dollar" Thomas Morton quer- 1 jed long ago, What will Mrs. Grunday say?' while Goldsmith answers, "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no tibs." Charles c. Pinckney gives Mil lions for defense, but not one cent for tribute." First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his fel!ow-citi- zens" (not countrymen), appeared in the resolutions presented to the House of Representatives Ill December, 17S0, prepared by Gen. Henry Lee.
 Make assurance doubly sure, y l "Chrstmas comes but once a year," Count their chickens ere they are hatched," and Hook before you leap" Thomas Tasser, writer of the six l teenth century, gives us Its an ill wind turns no good" Better late than never" Look ere thou lelp," and 'sThc stone that is rolling gathers no moss" "All cry and no wool" is found Tn Buffers "Hudibrasn
 Dryden says, "None but the brave de- serve the fair," "Men are children of a growth" and Through thick and thin" "No pent-up Utica contracts our power," declared Jonathan Sewell.
 "When Greek join Greek, then comes the tug of war" Nathanlal Lee, 1892.
 "Of two evils have chosen the least" and '"rhe end must justify the means" are from Matthew Prior. We are in- debted to Golfer Cibber for the agree able intelligence that Richard is him. self again." Johnson tells us of "A good phrase otten attributed to John Ran
 
 ''Variety's 5 tho very spice of lie" and Not much the worse for wear, " Cowper; Man proposes, but God dispeses," ," Thomas Kempis.
 Christopher Marlowe gave forth the invitation so often repeated by his brother in less public way. "Loye me little, love me long," Edward Cook was of the opinion that "A mana house was his castle" To Milton we owe "A para disc of fools, "A wilderness of sweets" and "Moping melancholy and moon- struck madness"
 Edward Young tells us, Death loves q shining mark" "A fool at forty is fool indeed;" but, alas for his knowl- edge of human nature, when he tells us "Alan wants but little, and 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" Campbell found that Coming events cast their shadows before," and "'Tis distance lends entertainment to the view." "A thing of beauty is joy forever" is from Keats. Franklin said, God helps them who helps themselves" and Lawrence Sterne comforts us with the thought God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb."
 Even some of the "slapg" phrases of the day have legitimate origin. Put ting your foot ill it'' is certainly not d very elegant mode of expression; but according to the "Asiatic Researches" 1t is quite a,line point of law. When the title to land is disputed in Hindostan, two holes are dug in the ground and used to encase limb of each lawyer (0, and the one who tires first loses his clients case. Fancy, if you can, some of our famous "limbs of the law" plead- ing in such a mannerl It is generally the client who 'puts his foot init"
 When things are in disorder they are ofteh said to be turned "topsy -turvy." This expression 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 topside turfway.
 Plutarch, in his life of Argesiueus, King of Sparta, gives us the origin of a quaint and familiar expression. On a certain occasion an Ambassador from Epirus, on a diplomatic mission, was shown by the King over his capital. The Ambassadors knew of the mon- arch's fame-knew that though only nominally King of Sparta, he was yet ruler of Greece-and he had looked to see massive wall rearing aloit their em- 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, have visited most of the prin- cipal towns, and find no walls reared for defense. Why is this?"
 Indeed, Sir Ambassador" replied Agresilueus, "thou canst not have looked carefully. Come with me tomorrow and l will show you the walls of Sparta"
 Accordingly, on the following morn ing the King led his guest out upon the plains where his army was drawn up-in Hull battle array, and, pointing to the serried host, he said:
 "There thou beholdest the walls of Sparta-ten thousand men, and every man briekl"
 washburne on Paine.
 Ex-Minister Washburne (says the New York 7ribunc), when in Paris, im- proved the fine opportunity he had for studying in the national archives the relations of Thomas Paine to the French Revolution, and the fruit oi his inyesti- 4 I...l.s .4