The Republican journal., 1909-08-26
COMMON SAYINGS.
And Who First Said Them.

And Who First Said Them.
Many of our common sayings, SO trite
and pithy, are used without the least idea
from whose mouth or pen they first orr
ginated. Probably the works of Shake
speare furnish us with more of these
familiar maxims than any other writer,
for to him we owe: Cali is not gold that
glitters, - 'Make virtue of necessity"
"Screw your courage to the sticking
place" not point, "They laugh that
win, /" This 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 wom-
an" and host of others.
Washington Irving gives us 1.-THE AL
mighty Dollar, Thomas Morton queried
long ago, "What will Mrs. Grundy say?"
while Goldsmith answers, "Ask me no
questions and III tell you no dbs. :"
Charles C. Pinckney gives ''Millions for
defense, but not one cent for tribute. :"
First in war, first in peace, and first in
the hearts Of his fellow-citizens, (not
countrymen), appeared in the resolu-
lions presented to the House of Repre-
sentatives in December, 1890, prepared
by Gen. Henry Lee.
From the same we Gull, "Make assur-
ance doubly sure, ""Christmas comes but
once year, +" "Count their chickens ere
they are hatched,' and ''Look before
you leap"
Thomas Tasser, writer of the six
teenth century, gives US ''1t's an i'll will
turns no good,'' Better late than
never" "Look ere thou leap and ''The
stone that is rolling can gather no moss. ;"
"All cry and no wool' is found in But
ler's ''Hudibras.
Dryden says: 'None but the brave de-
serve the fair, ''Men are but children
Of larger growth, " and Through thick
and thin. !" ''No pent-up Utica contracts
your powers, declared Jonathan Sewen
sWhen Greeks join Greeks then comes
the tug of war;" Nathaniel Lee, 1892.
''Of two evils have chosen the least, :"
and 1.-THE end must justify the means, !"
are from Matthew Pryor. We are in
debted to Colley Cibber for the agreeable
intelligence that Orchard is himself
again. johnson tells US of ga good
hater," and Macintosh, in 1891, the
phrase often attributed to John Ran
dolph: "Wise and mastery inactivity. y
''Variety's the very spice of life, and
''Not much the worse for wear" Cow
per. "Man proposes, but God disposes, y
lnOmaS "A. hemplS.
Christopher NARROW gave forth the in
vitation so often repeated by his brothers
in less public way: Love me little,
love me long, Edward Coke was of
the opinion that "a mans house is his
CASTLE To Milton we owe 1.-The para
disc o. fools, GA wilderness of sweets, !"
and ''Moping melancholy and moon
struck madness.
Edward Young tells US death loves a
shining mark, :" "a fool at forty is a
fool indeed" but, alas for his knowledge
of human nature when he tells US MAN
wants but little, nor that little long,"
From Bacon comes knowledge is
power" and Thomas southerne reminds
US that ''Pity's akin to love-" Dean
life Campbell found that Coming
'"Tis distance lends enchantment to the
VIEW "a thing of beauty is ioy for
ever" is from Keats. Franklin said,
God helps them who help themselves,
and Lawrence Sterne comforts US with
the thought, God tempers the wind to
the shorn lamb.
Even some of the 'slang" phrases of
the day have a legitimate origin. ''Put-
ting your foot in it, is certainly not a
very elegant mode of expression, but,
according to the Asiatic Researches, it
is quite a fine point of law; when the
title to land is disputed in Hindostan,
two holes are dug in the ground and used
to incase limb of each lawyer (?), and
the one who tired first lost his client s
case. Fancy, if you can, some of our
famous climbs of the law pleading in
such manner! 1t is generally the client
who puts his foot in it.
When things are in disorder they are
often said to.be turned topsy- turvy; this
expression is derived from the way in
which turf used for fuel is placed to dry,
the turf being turned downward; and the
expression then means top-side turfway.
Plutarch, in his life Of Argesileus,
king OF Sparta, gives us the origin of a
quaint and familiar expression.
On certain occasion an ambassador
from Epirus, on a diplomatic mission,
was shown by the king over his capital.
The ambassador knew of the monarch S
fame-knew that though only nominally
king of Sparta, he was yet ruler of Greece
and he had looked to see massive walls
rearing aloft their embattled towers for
the defense of the town; but he found
nothing of the kind. He marveled much
at this, and spoke of it to the king.
''Sire, - he said, Il have visited most
of the principal towns, and find no walls
reared for defense. How is this?"
Indeed, sir ambassador" replied
Argesileus, thou canst not have looked
carefully. Come with me tomorrow morn
ing, and will show you the walls of
Sparta"
Accordingly, on the following morning
the king led his guest out upon the plains
where his army was drawn up in full
battle array, and, pointing proudly to the
serried host, he said:
''There, thou beholdest the walls of
Sparta-ten thousand men, and every
man brick''
KGg90I For Indigestion.
L. 90 ~ @'H W a Relieves sour stomach