The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-07-20
orirIn ofrnmlIlnr Phrnses.

The Last Feather mich Breaks The
Horses Back. This phrase was bret writ
ten by Bramhall In 1915, in consequence OF
conversation between Hobbs and HIM
self, but was not published until 1855.
. The paragraph In which IL appears lAbp.
Bramhalls FiDdicalion OF True Liberty
Against Mr.. Hobbes'') is as follows. "The
last dictate of the judgment concerning the
good or bad that may follow on any action
Is not properly the whole cause, but the
last part OF 1t, and yet may be said TO pro-
duce the effect necessarily in sue. manner
as the last feather may be said 10 break a
horses back, when there were so many laid
on before as there wanted but that TO do IL"
Durdnce Yile.-This literary will O'-the-
wisp has been traced TO Burnsand Smollett.
1t originally appeared, however, In Johne's
Z" FrOissart." Describing the capture OF ST.
| Vensut, IN 1888, by the troops under the
command OF the Bishop OF Norwich, Frois-
+ sart says that Sir William de Melle, who de-
! Tended the place, was permitted by his cap
/ tor TO return TO France as prisoner on
parole, accordingly TO the manner in
which all French and English gentlemen
behave TO one another in similar cases; but
not so the Germans, who, whenever they
take a prisoner, throw him into durdnce
Uiie, loaded with irons. In order 10 gain a
more considerable ransom."
Mason and Di1On's Line On the 4th OF
| August, 1868. Thomas aud Richard Penn
and Lord Baltimore, being together IN Lon
don, agreed with Charles Mason ana Jere-
miah Dixon, two surveyors. TO mark, run,
and settle and fix the boundary line between
Mary land on one hand and Delaware and
/ PENNSYLVANIA on The other. They accom-
N1aa0a ~ - ~
miles. six chains and hfty links, when they
were told by their Indian escorts that 1t was
the will Of the Sioux nation lhat the sur
veyS should cease, and they terminated ae'
cOrdingly. Mason died i'm Pennsylvania in
1887; Dixon died at Durham, England, In
1777.
Emerald E!e.-The epithet, As applied to
Ireland, was first used by DR.. William
brennan, author OF GleDdall0ch," and
other poems. who was born at Belfast May
%, 1854. The phrase occurs in his beautl-
ful poem entitled "Erin,' from which q
stauzl is quoted below:
Arm Of Erin prove strong: but be gentle as brave,
and. uplifted 10 strike, siill be ready To save
Nor one feeling of vengeance presume TO dehle
The cause. or the men, OF the Emerald Isle
Gone to POt.-Tbe phrase comes from a
tailo in Samarcand, who, living near ceme-
Z
into which he cast a pebble whenever q
corpse was carried past, aud thus kept
count Of the daily interments At last, bis
own time came. and bis ueighbOrs on in
quiry after him answered, " lie has gone to
pot, also"
TO 90 the Whole Hog.-GeneralIy set
down as an AmerIcanism, out undoubtedly
OF Irish origin. Previous TO the year 1925,
when the Irish metallic currency was COM
petely aSsmilated to the English, the silver
shilling circulated IN Ireland was equivalent
/ TO thirteen copper pennies, whereas sill
yer shilling OF England was Of the value OF
wclve pence. Ia Ireland the shilling was
sometimes called ga thlrteen," from the
number of pence it contained, and was
sometimes called ga hog" When a man
/ had a conyviaI idea OF spending an entire
shilling on a friend, which 6guTalively
meant That he would not be chary OF eX'
pense, he was said to "go the whole hog"
/ True Biue.-The first assumption OF this
phrase was led by the COyenauters, IN OPP
/ position TO the scarlet badge OF Charles L.,
/ and hence il was taken up by the troops OF
/ Leslie and MOntrOse in 1889. The adoption
/ OF the color was one OF those religious Pc
! dintries into which the COyenanters, in a
bharsaical observance OF the scriptural let
ter and the usage Of the Hebrews, distin-
guisbed themselves. And thus they named
/ their children Habakkuk and Zerubbabei,
and their chapels Zion and Ebenezcr. They
decorated their persons with ribbons, be-
cause the following sumptuary precept was
given in the law Of Moses: "SpeIk TO the
children OF Israel, and tell them to make TO
! themselves frnges on the borders OF their
garments, putting In them ribbons OF blue"
! Numbers, XV.. 80.