tneir pleasure sadly,' says Froissart, after their fashion.' We need not ask of what nation Froissart was speaking."—(Friends in Council.) The mill that is always grinding grinds coarse and fine together. 66 -Irish. The pot that boils too much loses flavour" (Portuguese).1 Play's gude while it is play. - Scotch. Beware of pushing it to that point at which it ceases to be play. "Leave off the play (or jest) when it is merriest" (Spanish). Never let it degenerate into horse play. "Manual play is clowns' play" (French). A man may make his own dog bite him. It is not wise to overstrain authority, or to drive even the weakest or most submissive to desperation. A baited cat may grow as fierce as a lion. Put a coward on his mettle and he'll fight the devil. Extremes meet. A proverb of universal well as the moral world. application in the physical as Every one knows the saying of Napoleon, "From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step." Too far east is west. No feast to a miser's. 1 Panella que muito ferve, o sabor perde. 2 A la burla, dejarla quando mas agrada. Jeu de mains, jeu de vilains. THOROUGHGOING. THE WHOLE HOG. In for a penny, in for a pound. As good be hanged for a sheep as a lamb. Ne'er go to the deil wi' a dishclout in your hand.-Scotch. "There is nothing like being bespattered for making one defy the slough" (French). These proverbs are as true in their physical as in their moral application. Persons who have ventured a little way will venture further. Persons whose characters are already sullied will not be very careful to preserve them from further discredit. When Madame de Cornuel remonstrated with a court lady on certain improprieties of conduct, the latter exclaimed, "Eh! madame, laissez-moi jouir de ma mauvaise reputation" ("Do let me enjoy the benefit of my bad reputation "). "It is the first shower that wets (Italian). "It is all the same whether a man has both legs in the stocks or one (German).3 Honest Launce "would have one that would be a dog 2 Il n'est que d'être crotté pour affronter le bonrbier. 2 La primiera pioggia è quel che bagna. Mit beiden Beinen im Stock, oder mit Einem, ist gleichviel. indeed, to be as it were a dog in all things." The author of The Romany Rye learned a practical illustration of this whole-hog doctrine from an old ostler who had served in his youth at a small inn at Hounslow, much patronised by highwaymen. 66 He said that when a person had once made up his mind to become a highwayman his best policy was to go the whole hog, fearing nothing, but making everybody afraid of him; that people never thought of resisting a savage-faced, foul-mouthed highwayman, and if he were taken were afraid to bear witness against him, lest he should get off and cut their throats some time or other upon the roads; whereas people would resist being robbed by a sneaking, pale-visaged rascal, and would swear bodily against him on the first opportunity; adding that Abershaw and Ferguson, two most awful fellows, had enjoyed a long career, whereas two disbanded officers of the army, who wished to rob a coach like gentlemen, had begged the passengers' pardon, and talked of hard necessity, had been set upon by the passengers themselves, amongst whom were three women, pulled from their horses, conducted to Maidstone, and hanged with as little pity as such contemptible fellows deserved." Neck or nothing, for the king loves no cripples. Either break your neck or come off safe: broken limbs will make you a less profitable subject. Either a man or a mouse. Either succeed or fail outright. Aut Cæsar, aut nullus. Either win the horse or lose the saddle. Either make a spoon or spoil a horn. He that takes the devil into his boat must carry him over the sound. He that is embarked with the devil must make the passage along with him. "He that is at sea must either sail or sink " (Danish). "He that is at sea has not the wind in his hands " (Dutch).1 Such things must be if we sell ale. This was the good woman's reply to her husband when he complained of the exciseman's too demonstrative gallantry. If you would have the hen's egg you must bear with her cackling. The cat loves fish, but she is loath to wet her feet. It is to this proverb that Lady Macbeth alludes when she upbraids her husband for his irresolution : : 66 'Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,' "There's no catching trouts with dry breeches" (Portuguese).2 Almost and hardly save many a lie. "Perhaps hinders folk from lying" (French). 1 Die op de zee is heeft de wind niet in zijn handen. 2 Nao se tomao trutas a bragas enxutas. Peut-être empêche les gens de mentir. Almost was never hanged. 66 "All but saves many a man" (Danish).1 Almost 'Almost never killed a fly" kills no man" (Danish)." 66 An inch of a miss is as good as a mile. good as a mile.” The French say, 66 This is the original reading of the proverb, and better than that which is now more current: "A miss is as For a point Martin lost his ass,' ,"4 and thereby hangs a tale. An ecclesiastic named Martin, Abbot of Asello, in Italy, wished to have this Latin line inscribed over the gate of the abbey : PORTA PATENS ESTO. NULLI CLAUDARIS HONESTO. "Gate be open. Never be closed against an honest man." It was just the time when the long-forgotten art of punctuation was beginning to be brought into use again. Abbot Martin was not skilled in this art, and unfortunately he employed a copyist to whom it was equally unknown. The consequence was, that the point which ought to have followed the word esto was placed after nulli, completely changing the meaning of the line, thus : PORTA PATENS ESTO NULLI. CLAUDARIS HONESTO. "Gate be open never. Be closed against an honest man." 1 Nær hielper mangen Mand. |