Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1893-01-05
Familiar Quotations.
Philadelphia Ledger. I

So much interest Is taken In the origin
| Of phrases that the literary editors of most
of our large dailies are kept on the alert
to answer the inquiries put to them. There
is just as much interest taken in the coin
cidence of the ideas and the similarity in
expressing them. Not a few OF such in
stances have been attributed to direct ap-
preparation, and sometimes justly so. but
more frequently without taking into con-
sideration that the same ideas, compari-
sons and illustrations may occur TO differ
ent writers. 1t must not be forgotten,
either, that there is a "nebrlous" condi-
tion Of the brain that may lead to uncon-
scious reproduction. In this article pro-
! pose to explain the origin Of some famil-
lar expressions and to mention others In
which similarity is especially evident.
| We frequently meet with the expression !:
the Potentially of Growing Rich" 1t is
very properly attributed TO Samuel John
son, and it is supposed to have been in
corporated In some Of his writings. On
the contrary, 1t was simply remark Of
his in connection with very soIdid trans
action. He was one of the executors Of
The will OF Mr.. Thrale. owner Of NAM
moth brewery. Boswell tells us that John
son fitted around the premises like an ex-
else man, with an inkhorn 10 his hand and
pen In his button hole. When asked
about the value of the property, he evil
IDENTIFY had one eye upon the possibilities
of the future. We are not here to sell
| parcel of boilers aud watts" he said. but
the potentality Of growing rich beyond
the dreams Of avarice." Subsequent events
proved the correctness Of his Judgment.
The brewery is still in existence. covers q
much larger area. and during recent years
has.
| of the government.
The precise words of Coming events
| cast their shadows before" occurred to
Campbell in a dream. He awoke and
found himself repeating them aloud. and
after"ard used them in 'Lochiel's Warn
Ing, minor poem OF much merit. Con
spcnous by his absence, an expression of
considerable force. came into prominence
after having been used by Lord John Rus
sell in an address TO the electors of Lon
don. He was afterwards candid enough
to admit that 1t was not an original ex-
preston with him, but taken from one Of
the historians of antiquity His confess
sion led TO classified research, and the ex-
preston was found in the Annals" OF
Tacitus. From this author we also have
God always favors the heaviest bat
talions, an expression afterwards used by
Terence, o!tAire and Seyigne.
A bee In his bonnet" is no doubt Of
Scotch origin. There Is q maggot in his
head Is an equivalent expression in Eng
land. writer claims that the poet Her
rick originated the expression in one Of
his lyrics. After a careful examination OF
the latter nothing can be found TO sub
stantiatc the claim, unless it may be the
very slight allusion In one OF the verses Of
his Mad Maids Song"
''Ah, woe Is me. All. woe Is me!
Alack. and well-a-day
For pity, sir, nnd out that bee
W hich bore my love away.
III seek him 10 your bonnet brave,
Ill seek him In your eyes
Nay. now ! think, they've made his grave
In 4 bed OF straw berries"
The phrase, Castles in the air." has
been attributed TO Sir Philip Sydney, Swift,
Fielding, Churchill and Shenstone. twas
nrst used more than 250 years ago by Rob
ert Burton, In his Anatomy Of Melan-
choly."
What will Mrs. Grundy say1" is an ex-
preston covering the feverish desire to
know what other people may think or say
| about US. especially in connection with the
propretles Of life. There are some who
suppose that such dame as Mrs. Grundy
really existed. whereas she was mere
myth Ike Dominic Sampson, Pickwick
Micawb ber and Becky Sharp The express
| sion occurs in Morton's comedy Of Speed
| the Plough" written in 1898. In the play
| Farmer Ashteld suddenly turns upon his
good dame, after being vexed at her fire.
| qnent aliusions TO Mrs. Grundy. with the
| exclamation: BE quiet. wool YEP Al
ways dngdonging Dame Grundy into my
| ears. What Will Mrs Grundy say? What
will Mrs Grundy think? Canst thee be
| quiet, let US alone, and behave thysel'
| pratty.' The constant repetition OF the
| one odd phrase caught the ear Of the pub
| lie and has held 1t ever since. TO Lord
| Mansfield. the celebrated English judge,
| Is attributed the expression Let justice
be done though the heavens should fall"
| 1t really first appeared in Luther's Table
| Talk" while Luther, in turn, found 1t in
| one Of the Latin authors.
| The comparison blind as Beetle" is a
familiar one, and it is as false as it IS IA
miiar This insect, in its rapid flight dur
| Ing the evening, often strikes the faces OF
those walking abroad, and hence it was
| enormously inferred TO be blind. Col
| lns refers to the flight of the beetle dur
| Ing twilight in his ''Ode to Evening"
Now the air is hu-hed, save where
| The beetle winds his small but sulen horn,
| A oft be rises midst the twi Hight path,
| Against the pilgrim borne in needless hum"
The poet, however. avoids quoting the
| popular error that the insect is blind The
expression, IAN the worlds a stage,
though attributed to Shakespeare, is found
10 the Latin Of Juvenal. An old Grecian
author says: Greece Is a theatre where
all are players" Not few frequently
quoted expressions are inaccurate and have
lost their epigrammatic force. For in
| stance:
"A man convinced against bis will
Is Of the same opinion still
is attributed to Butler. That author new
er penned such a laundering couplet, for
| how can we convince man against his
will9 What Butler really wrote was:
He that complies against bis viii
| Is OF his own opinion still"
Walpole. the Prime Minister of the
Georges, is misquoted in the expression
IAN men have their price" He never said
SO, and entertained no such narrow views
of mankind. He was referring to certain
persons, and said: "All these men nave
their price" Money is the root of all
evil" is another misquoted quotation, and
wide deviation from the truth. 1.-THE
love of money is the root Of all evil" is
the correct quotation. Love me little,
love me long" is household phrase some
times supposed to have originated with
Charles Reade. because he wrote a novel
by that name. Those who are familiar
with the poets know that the expression
originated with Christopher Marlowe, and
is found 10 his jew Of Malta" 1t was
afterwards given new impetus by Rober,
Herrick.
Consistency is jewell" is one of a
number of expressiOns "like eYpress