Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-07-28
Origin of Popular Phrases.

"A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss"
This quotation appears in Gosson's
Ephemerides of Philao," rs "a rowl-
ing stone gathers no moss" Thomas
Tusser, in GOOD Husbandry Lessons"
has The stone that is rolling can gath
er no moss.''
"Better Late Than Never. This
proverbialism originated with Thomas
Tusser, author of Five Hundred Points
of Good Husbandry," who put it into
his "An Habitation Enforced" Tus-
ser's writings are prolific of expressions
which have long since become proven
bial.
"No Royal Road to Geometry
Euclid, who opened school of mathe
matics at Alexandria, in the reign of
the First Ptolemy, was once asked by
that sovereign whether he could not eX-
plain his art to him in more compen-
dious way, to which Euclid made the
celebrated answer that there was no
royal road to geometry.
"The Nine Worthless. ."-The historic
al pcrsonages designated 1.-The Nine
Worthless" were three Gentiles --Hec-
tor, son of Priam; Alexander the Great
and Julius Cesar; three Jews, Joshua,
conqueror of Canaan; David, King of
Israel, and Judas Maccabaus; and
three Christians, Arthur, King of Brit
ain, Charlemagne and Godfrey of Bouil-
Ion.
"The Bed of Procrustes. ."--Procrus-
ties, called by Parusanias Polypemon,
was, in mythology, robber of ancient
Greece, wlo.placed on an iron bed the
travellers who fell into his hands, which
their stature was made to fit by cutting
off the projecting limbs. or by stretch
ing them to suit its dimensions; whence
the metaphorical expression of "The
Bed of Procrustes."
"City of Magnificent Distances. -
A popular name given to the City OF
Washington, the capital of the United
States, from the fact of its being laid
out on very large scale. The entire
site is traversed BY two sets of streets,
from seventy to 100 feet wide, at right
angles to one another, the whole again
intersected obliquely by fifteen avenues
from 130 to 160 feet wide.
Sleeveless Errand. This phrase oc-
ours in Heywood's Proverbs, 1916. The
origin of the word sleeveless, in the sense
of Improbable, has defied the most care
full research at the hands of Sharmar
and other noted philologists. 1t is fre
quently found, says the former, allieC
to other substantives. Bishop Hal
speaks of the "sleeveless tale of tran
substantiation, and Milton writes of /,
"sleeveless reason" Chauoer uses it il
the Testament of Love-"
"Drawn and Chartered" In tn,
statutes of Great Britain the punish
ment for treason still is that tn,
offender be drawn to the place of exc
cution on O hurdle; that he be hanged
by the neck until he be dead that hi
head be severed from his body, an
that body be divided into four parts, O
quartered. The sovereign may, an
now certainly would, by u warran
under the sign-manual, countersgne
by principal Secretary of State, chang
the sentence into beheading. In tn
case of females, the auartering is dis
pensed with. From this statute ros
the expression drawn and auartered.
1--WE Recognize Hercules from til
Size of the Foot. ."-Pythagora ingen
ously calculated the great stature Z
Hercules by comparing the lenpth {
various stadia in Greece. All thes
courses were nominally 600 feet 1
measured ont the stadium at Olvmni
: with his own feet while tbe others fo
lowed standard Of later davs ri
nhilosonber araned that hv how mna
he Olymnic course exceeded ali otbe,
in lenoth bv the said nronortion di
, the fool of HercnIes exceed that of ms
of n snbseonent ace. and again hv II
same sronortion must tbe stot,,re -
!. Uercuies have heen nre.em;nent
' Prairie schooner i"NAn America
/, ism for a large two mr. four horse INN,