The Greeley tribune., 1908-06-11
NOT SO NEW
Observ ations by Mr.. Satiricus

The Queens En9hSh' III seehS W w
a conceded fact that when any lot
eiguer learns our language through
actual contact with our people instead
of through the text book and tne
school. he first assimilates our vulgari-
ty and our profanity 1t is a matter OF
recorded history that Joan of Arc al
vays referred to her English capotrs
as God Damns" and that because in
her contact with them she heard these
words oftener than any others. In
dians are known to become first pro-
ncient in the vocabulary OF profanity
before attaining other proficiency In
the use Of our tongue. and 1t became
settled axiom during our late "un'
pleasantness" that NO army mule on
either side in the service could be
successfully driven by a soldier too
pious. to swear with unmeasured volu-
bility. ! am unable to say withany
degree OF probability during what
reign OF English soverigns, or through
what critical authority the often used
expression The Queens English"
originated. But as perhaps throwing
some light upon it, or II not that. then
at least illustrating the propositions
named above. can perhaps do no bet
ter than TO quote the late Samuel
Pepys. The paragraph relates to
Queen Catherine, wife of Charles H.
The queen was a daughter of Duke
John of Braganza, of Portugal, and
being only recently married into the
English rayol family and household
could not speak its language: but we
will let Mr.. Pepys tell his story:
The king and queen were very mer-
ry; and he would have made the
queen mother believe his young queen
~"ss. and that she said SO. And the
young queen answered You lie"
which was the first English word that
I ever heard her say"
Drunk Before Dinner. This term Of
reproach quite often applied even in
our day to one who drinks both early
and late, evidently comes down to US
from time when TO get drunk in the
afternoon and to remain so until sob
cred of by the sleep of the night or
early morning was the usual we'll or
dered state of convivial society; but
that on the other hand to get drunk
before dinner was considered q pub
lie scandal. Again quoting from Mr..
Pepys celebrated diary, l find that in
the entry for November 1S. 1861. he
mentions:
Here l dined-with Mr.. 0attersby.
the minister and had a good dinner.
and his wife a good. pretty woman
There was a young parson at the table
and he had got himself drunk before
dinner which troubled me to see."
But more than a half century earl
Ter Shakespeare in the Merchant of
Venice" makes Portia answer Nerissa
her waiting maid, who has asked her
how she liked the Duke of Sazony's
nephew:
Very vilely in the morning. when
he is sober, and most vilely In the
afternoon. when he is drunk; when he
is best. he is little morse than a
man. and when he is worst, he is lit.
tie better than beast
But some fifteen hundred years, or
such a matter, before Shakespeare,
Horace in his ode to Augustus closes
with the following language:
May you. excellent chiefton, be-
stow lasting festivity upon Italy!
This is our language. when we are
sober at the early day; this is our
language when we have well drunk,
at the time the sun is beneath the
ocean"
"Gaddin0 About" This phrase still
in every day use in our time, and e..
pecially among the women when
criticizing their neighbors or their
children. and sometimes by husbands
in finding fault with their wives when
supper is not ready to the minute on
the arrival of the Lord of the Manor,
makes no pretention whatever of be.
ing new. Indeed on its very features