Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-06-15
SAYINGS AND WHO SAID THEM.
a miliar Nnxims that are Used With
out knowledge OF their Authorship.

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 Shaks-
peare furnish us with more of these FAM
iliar maxims than any other writer, for to
him we owe-"All is not gold that gilt
ters," "NIake virtue Of necessity" )"
"Screw your courage to the sticking
place" (not point), "They laugh that
win, " "rhis is the short and long of it,"
"Comparisons are odious," Gas merry
as the day is long," "a Daniel come to
Judgment" "Frailty, thy name is wo-
man," "Nlake assurance doubly sure"
and host of others. Washington Irving
gives "The Almighty Dollar" Thomas
Morton queried long ago, "What will
Mrs. Grundy say?' while Goldsmith an
swers, "Ask me no questions and I'll tell
you no fibs." Charles Pinckney gives
millions for defence, but not one cent
for tribute" "First in war, first in peace,
and first i'll the hearts of his fellow-citi-
zens" not countrymen), appeared in the
resolutions presented to the House Of
Representatives in December, 1890, pre-
pared by Gen. Henry Lee. From the
same we Gull "Christmas comes but once
n year" "Count their chickens ere they
are Matched, and "Look before you leap. y
Thomas Tasser, writer of the sixteenth
century, gives us "It's an i'll wind turns
no good" "Better late than never,
'Look ere thou leap" and "The stone
that is rolling can gather no moss" "Al
cry and no WOOL" is found III Buffers
"Hudibras. Dryden says: "None bu
the brave deserve the fair" "NIen ART
but children of larger growth" and
, Through thick and thin. ""When Greeks
, Join Greeks then was the tug of war,
5 Nathaniel Lee, 1892. "Of two evils
have chosen the least" and "The enc
c must justify the MEANS" are from Mat
thew Prior. We are indebted to Cole.
:, : Cibber for the agreeable intelligence tina
Orchard is himself again." johnson
!, q tells us of "a good hater," and Macin
tosh in 1871, the phrase often attribute
: to John Randolph, "Wise and masterl
G inactivity" "Variety's the very spice o
i life" and "Not much the worse for wear,
It Cowper. "Man proposes, but God dis
e poses, Thomas Kempis. Christophe
re Marlowe gave forth the invitation so ofte
Is repeated by his brothers in n less publ
D. way, "Love me little, love me long.
L. Edward Coke was OF the opinion thi
n. "a mans house is his castle" To Mi
Il! ton we owe 'The paradise OF FOOLS, g.
st wilderness of sweets" and "Moping me-
TX ancholy and moonstruck madness" EC
70 ward Young tells us "Death loves n shil
70 ing mark" "Afool at 40 is fool indeed
u, u, From Bacon comes knowledge is po,
" y er," and Thomas Southerne reminds l
m that "Pity's akin to love-" Dean Swi
A.. thought that "Bread is the staff of life
n. Campbell found that Coming events ca
ed their shadows before" and "Tis distan
ito lends enchantmont to the view." 6
N, thing of beauty is Joy forever" is fro
IN Keats. Franklin said, ''God helps tho
who helps themselves :" and Lawren
rs- Sterne comforts us with the thougl
ere "God tempers the wind to the sho
)rk lamb"