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IN MEMOMAM Mary J. L. Mc Donald
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NEW
DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS
FROM THE
GREEK, LATIN, AND MODERN LANGUAGES.
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AND
OCCASIONALLY ACCOMPANIED WITH ILLUSTRATIONS, HISTORICAL, POETICAL, AND ANECDOTICAL.
REFERRING TO EVERY IMPORTANT WORD., J I '
BY THI AUTHOR OP
"LITE AND LEARN," "THE NEWSPAPER AND GENERAL READER'! POCKET COMPANION," ETC.
JFrom Cfcc Hast Pontoon Edition.
PHILADELPHIA:
J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.
1860.
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PREFACE.
The advantages of Books of Eeference are now so uni- versally acknowledged that it would be wholly superfluous to endeavor to recommend the present work by dwelling on its peculiar merits.
To give a more copious amount of information than has hitherto appeared in any work of the kind has been the design of the present publication ; and, unless its author be greatly deceived as to its execution, it can hardly fail to bo useful to individuals of all ranks and conditions, — to the man of business and the man of pleasure, the student and the superficial reader, the busy and the idle. Every one who takes any share in conversation, or who dips, however cur- sorily, into any newspaper or other publication, will every now and then find the advantage of having access to the "New Dictionary of Quotations."
The author has not restricted himself to purely Classical Quotations, but, as his object is to supply the need of the unlearned as well as to refresh the memory of the scholar, isolated words, expressions in frequent use but imperfectly understood, and terms which have wandered far from their original import, have been freely incorporated in the work.
984886
4 PREFACE.
The value of this Dictionary is greatly enhanced by the complete and voluminous Index which is appended, by the aid of which a passage may be readily found where only two or three words of a quotation have been caught by the ear or remain upon the memory. "Without this addition the utility of such a work is limited to the occasions on which an entire quotation is sought for.
The abbreviations Gr. Lot. Fr. Ital. Ger. Span. Port, and Prov. stand respectively for Greek, Latin, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Proverb.
NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS,
&c.
A barbe de fou, on apprend a raire. Fr. — "Men learn to shave on the chin of a fool." — They like to make experiments at the expense of others.
"By trimming fools about the gill, A barber's 'prentice learns his skill."
Abas. Fr. — "Down, down with." "With audacious and fearful sincerity do these hungry hordes inscribe on their banners two watchwords, destructive alike of domestic and political society, SA has la famille, Down with family! and La propria est un vol, Property is robbery!"
A beau jour beau retour. Fr. — " One good turn deserves another." N.B. This must be understood ironically in English, as the French proverb is said when one has, has had, or is likely to have, an opportunity of resenting an injury.
A beau mentir qui vient de loin. Fr. prov. — "Travelers have the privilege of lying." " It would be difficult to find a more striking proof of the truth of this proverb, SA beau mentir qui vient de loin: that is to say, He who comes from afar may lie with impunity, without fear of contra- diction, as he is sure of being listened to with the utmost attention. Travelers, they say, often draw the long bow [indulge in exaggeration]."
A bis et a blanc. Fr. prov. — "By fits and starts."
A bolza vazia, e a casa acabada, faz o home sesudo, mas tarde. Port. prov. — "An empty purse, and a new house, make a man wise, but too late."
A bon appetit il ne faut point de sauce. Fr. prov. — "A good appetite needs no sauce; hunger, or a good stomach, is the best sauce."
A bon chat bon rat. Fr. — "To a good cat a good rat; tit for tat; set a thief to catch a thief." The parties are well matched, well met.
A bon chien il ne vient jamais un bon os. Fr. prov. — "A good bone does not always come to a good dog." Merit seldom meets with its reward.
1* K
6 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
A bon demandeur bon refuseur. Fr. prov. — " Shameless craving must have shameful nay."
A bon entendeur il ne faut que demie parole. Fr. prov. — "A word is enough to the wise;" literally, "To one of quick apprehension half a word is sufficient." The Italians say, "A buon intenditor poche parole," which has about the same meaning.
A bon entendeur peu de paroles, or, A bon entendeur salut. Fr. prov. — " To a good, an attentive, hearer, but few words are necessary." A word to the wise.
A bon vin il ne faut point de bouchon. Fr. prov. — "Good wine needs no bush."
.-A brebis tondue, Dieu mesure le vent. Fr. — "God tempers the wind' to the shorn'lam.b."
A cade va, chi troppo alto sale. Ital. prov. — "Hasty climbers -have.' sudden faK^"
" ' A* capite "ad '.calcdm Lit. — "From head to foot." Thoroughly, completely. From the beginning to the end.
A causa persa parole assai. Ital. prov. — "When the cause, law- suit, is lost, there has been enough of words, enough has been said." Do not discuss what has already been decided — settled.
A chaque oiseau 1 Fr _
Son nid est beau, j ' v "Every bird thinks its own nest, finds its own nest, beautiful." See "Ad ogni uccello," &c.
A chi consiglia, non duole il capo. Ital. prov. — "He who gives advice is not often troubled with a headache."
A cceur jeun. Fr. — " Fasting."
A cceur ouvert. Fr. — "Openly; open-heartedly ; with the most perfect candor, or unreservedness."
A contre cceur. Fr. — "Against the grain; against one's will; with a bad grace."
A cuspide corona. Lat. — "A crown from the spear." Honor! earned by military exploits : in other words, by legally blowing one's fel- low-creatures' brains out, or running them through. "If Christian nations," said Soame Jentns, " were nations of Christians, there would be no wars."
"War is a game, which, were their subjects wise, Kings could not play at." — Cowper. " The worse the man, the better the soldier; if soldiers be not corrupt, they ought to be made so." — Bonaparte.
"I abominate war as unchristian. I hold it the greatest of human crimes. I deem it to involve all others — violence, blood, rapine, fraud; every thing that can deform the character, alter the nature, and defease the name of man." — Lord Brougham.
On the subject of Honor there is more philosophy in Falstaff's solilo- quy, than many casual readers have discovered :
"Well, 'tis no matter; Honor pricks me on. Yea, but how if Honor prick me off, when I come on? how then? Can Honor set a leg? No. Or an arm? No. Or take away the grief of a wound? No. Honor hath
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 7
no skill in surgery, then ? No. What is Honor ? A word. What in that word Honor? Air. A trim reckoning! Who hath it? He that died o' Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. Is it insensible, then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it — therefore, I'll none of it! Honor is a mere scutcheon; and so ends my catechism/' — First Part of Henry IV.
A facto ad jus non datur consequentia. Lat. Law maxim. — " The inference from the fact to the law is not allowed." A general law is not to be trammeled by a specific or particular precedent.
A fome he boa mostarda. Port. prov. — "Hunger is the best sauce." Literally, " Hunger is capital, good, mustard."
A fortiori. Lat. — "With stronger or greater reason." If a weak man be dangerous, it follows, a fortiori, that a weak and bad man must be more dangerous.
A fronte praecipitium, a tergo lupi. Lat. prov. — " A precipice in front of you, and wolves behind you, in your rear." Go forward, and fall: go backward, and mar all.
A gorge deployee. Fr. — "Immoderately, to or in an immoderate degree." " A poor pleasantry, by the help of some ludicrous turn, or ex- pression, or association of ideas, may provoke cachinnation [roars of laughter] d gorge de'ploye'e" that is, sufficient to split the sides.
A goupil endormi rien ne tombe en la gueule. Old Fr. prov. — " A close mouth catcheth no flies."
A grands frais. Fr. — " At great expense ; very expensively." Sumptuously.
A grand seigneur peu de paroles. Fr. prov. — " In addressing a man of distinguished rank, express yourself in few words, as briefly as possible."
A gusto. Ital. — " To one's heart's content."
A haute voix. Fr. — " Loudly, openly."
A l'abri. Fr. — " Sheltered, under cover."
A l'aise marche a pied qui mene son cheval par la bride. Fr. prov. — " 'Tis good to go on foot when a man hath a horse in his hand."
A 1' antique. Fr. — " After or according to the old way or fashion."
A 1'impossible nul n'est tenu. Fr. prov. — "There is no flying without wings ; there is no doing impossibilities."
A l'improviste. Fr. — " Unawares ; on a sudden ; unexpectedly."
A l'ongle on connait le lion. Fr. — " The lion is known by his paw."
A la barba de pazzi, il barbier impara a radere. Ital. prov. — " A barber learns to shave by shaving fools."
A la belle 6toile. Fr. — " In the street, in the open air."
A la bonne heure ! Fr. — "Well and good; very well; so be it; be it so !"
A la derobee. Fr. — "By stealth; stealthily; on the sly; secretly; privately."
A la faim il n'y a point de mauvais pain. Fr. prov. — "With hunger no bread is nasty." Hungry dogs will eat dirty puddings.
A la francaise. Fr. — " After or according to the French fashion."
8 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
A la immortalidad el alma aslda. Span. Lope de Vega. — " The soul aspires to immortality."
A la lettre. Fr.— " Word for word, literally."
A loisir. Fr. — " At leisure ; leisurely ; at one's own convenience."
A la mode. Fr. — " In fashion ; in the fashion ; fashionably."
A longue corde tire qui d'autrui mort d6sire. Fr. prov. — " He who is anxious for the death of another has a long rope to pull." He that waits for dead men's shoes may go long enough barefoot.
A los osados ayuda la fortuna. Span. prov. — "Fortune helps, assists, the daring." Faint heart never won fair lady.
A main armee. Fr. — "Armed ; in arms ; with open force ; by force of arms."
A mensa et thoro. Lat. — "From table and bed, or, as we say in English, from bed and board." A sentence of divorce, or separation of man and wife, issuing from the Consistorial Court, on account of acts of adultery which may have been substantiated against either party.
A merveille. Fr. — " Admirably well ; wonderfully well ; wondrous well." He executed his part d merveille.
A mon avis. Fr. — "In my opinion."
A multo fortiori. Lat. — "On much stronger grounds; with much stronger or greater reason."
A numine salus. Lat. — " Salvation, health of body or mind, pro- tection, is from the Deity, from on high." Lord Mansfield, being told of the above motto on the carriage of a very noted quack, thus translated it: " GOD help the patient!"
A outrance. Fr. — " To the utmost; with tooth and nail; with might and main ; out and out; with desperation." "A champion has started up, not only to avouch the purity of her general morals, but also to maintain d outrance her innocence of the great offense :" that is to say, to the utmost, in the strongest terms, the most decided terms or manner, her innocence, &c. N.B. Instead of d outrance, as above, or, d toute outrance, which is a stronger form, the incorrect form d V outrance is nearly always used by English writers.
A pas de geant. Fr. — "With a giant's stride." This is a phrase of exaggeration not uncommon with our continental neighbors. They will say, for instance, " We have hitherto advanced with a slow pace, but slowly; but now we shall proceed d pas de ge'ant [with gigantic steps], and come sturdily and fairly to the purpose."
A peu pres. Fr. — "Very nearly; almost; thereabouts." "The produce is d peu pres a seventh less."
A pied. Fr.—" On foot."
A la portee de tout le monde. Fr. — "Within reach of every one, attainable by everybody." "We may be laughed at for our passion for these old etiquettes, but, like Milton, we cannot separate the monarchy from its trappings; the hoop was, it is true, a mere court ceremony, — use- less, expensive, inconvenient, as an ordinary dress, — but is it not the essence of a ceremony to be all that? If a thing be useful, economical, and convenient, it is for every-day wear, — ceremonies ought not to be quite d la porte'e de tout le monde : if hoops are abolished for the ladies, why are
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 9
men obliged to wear bags, and laced coats, and swords — all much more useless, if there can be degrees in inutility — than the prohibited hoops ? But it is idle to dwell on such trifles : we observe them merely as tokens and harbingers ; the leaves fall before the tree dies V*
N.B. The phrase is often used to signify, comprehensible; under' standable by everybody, every one ; intelligible to every one.
A posteriori. Lat. — " From the latter."
A priori. Lat. — "From the former, in the first instance." "I have demonstrably proved that the argument a priori and the argument a posteriori are one and the same process of ratiocination [reasoning] ." "A priori" means, from the former, from the cause to the effect: "A posteriori" means, from the latter, from the effect to the cause. These are phrases, which are used in logical argument, to denote a reference to its different modes. The schoolmen distinguished them into the propter quod [on account of which], wherein an effect is proved from the next cause — as when it is proved that the moon is eclipsed, because the earth is then between the sun and the moon. The second is the quia [because], wherein the cause is proved from a remote effect — as that plants do not breathe because they are not animals ; or, that there is a GOD from the works of the creation. The former of these is called demonstration a priori — the latter, demonstration a posteriori.
Apropos. Fr. — "To the purpose; opportunely; seasonably; perti- nently."
A propos de bottes. Fr.— "Without reason, for nothing." A phrase used proverbially, when, in the course of conversation, one passes from one subject to another that has no reference to it. It is then equiva- lent to our liBy-the-bye; now I think on't; now you put me in mind of it." v A propos de bottes, comment seporie monsieur voire p&re? By-the-bye, how is your father?
A quelque chose malheur est bon. Fr. prov. — "Misfortune is good for something, is not always an evil, is not always thrown away." 'Tis an ill wind that blows nobody luck.
A qui chapon mange, chapon lui vient. Fr. prov. — "Capon comes to him who eats capon." — Spend, and GOD will send.
A quoi bon tant barguigner, et tant tourner autour du pot? Fr. — " To what purpose is, of what use is, so much humming and haw- ing, and beating about the bush ?"
A tavola rotonda non si contende del luogo. Ital. prov. — "At a round table there's no dispute about place."
A tergo. Lat. — " Behind ; at one's back ; in the rear."
A tort et a droit. Fr. — " Right or wrong."
A tort et a travers. Fr. — "At random ; without discretion; with- out due consideration ; making a mull of a thing."
A tort ou a droit. Fr.— ;" Reason or none."
A tort ou a raison. Fr. — " Reason or none."
A tous oiseaux leurs nids sont beaux. Fr. prov. — "All birds like their own nests."
A tout propos. Fr. — " At every turn, ever and anon."
A toutes jambes. Fr. — " As fast as one's legs can carry one."
10 A NEW DICTIONARY OP QUOTATIONS.
A tutiori. Lat. — " The safer side to take."
A vieux comptes nouvelles disputes. Fr. prov. — " Old reckon- ings cause new disputes, fresh strife." The English proverb is, " Short reckonings make long friends. Even reckoning keeps long friends."
A verbis legis non est recedendum. Lat. Law maxim. — "There is no departing from the words of the law." The judges are not to make any interpretation contrary to the express words of the statute.
A vinculo matrimonii. Lat. — "From the chain, bond, bonds, or tie of marriage, matrimony."
Aad jold, aad hae, aad brae, stiel ien wol to stae. Frisian.— "Old gold, old bread, and fine old hay Are well indeed by one to stay."
Ab actu ad posse valet consecutio. Lat. — " The induction is good, from what has been to what may be." By this logical maxim it is meant to state that when a thing has once happened it is but just to infer that such a matter may again occur.
Ab alio expectes alteri quod feceris. Lat. Laberius. — "You may expect from one person that which you have done to another." — Your conduct to others will form the measure of your own expectations.
Ab ante. Lat. — " Beforehand."
Ab asino lanam. Lat. prov.— " Wool from an ass." An impossi- bility.
Ab equinis pedibus procul recede. Lat. prov. — "Keep at a good distance from horses' feet." Trust not a horse's heel, nor a dog's tooth.
Ab equis ad asinos. Lat. prov. — " From horses to asses." To come from little good to stark naught.
Ab extra. Lat. — " From without."
Ab inconvenient!. Lat. phrase. — " From the inconvenience." Ar~ gumentum ab inconvenienti, An argument to show that the result of a pro- posed measure will prove inconvenient or unsuited to circumstances.
Ab incunabulis. Lat. — " From the very cradle."
Ab initio. Lat. phrase. — " From the beginning ; from the very be- ginning ; the very first." "His proceedings were ill founded ab initio."
Ab integro. Lat. — "Afresh, anew." N.B. We may also say " de integro," to express the same idea.
Ab irato. Lat. — "From an angry man." "A measure ab irato," that is, a measure proceeding from, or taken by, an angry man. " It is not safe in private life, and still less amongst nations, to accustom unrea- sonable and hot-tempered people to feel that they can obtain whatever they happen to wish for, by flying into a passion. England has shown — we trust, to the satisfaction of Europe — assuredly to the approbation of her own conscience — how well we can keep our temper, under severe provocation ; but for the future quiet of our lives, we must endeavor to convince our irascible neighbors that wanton provocations and appeals 'ab irato,' as M. de Valmy calls them, are not the modes by which any thing can be obtained from us ; and that honor as well as policy will be best consulted by civiler manners and a more friendly spirit."
Ab officio et beneficio. Lat. — " From his office [the discharge of his
A NEW DICTIONARY OP QUOTATIONS. 11
clerical functions] and his benefice." " The Bishop suspended him for five years ab officio et benefcio."
Ab origine. Lat. — " From the very first."
Ab ovo usque ad mala. Lat. Horace. — N.B. "Ab ovo," which is often used to signify "at or from the beginning" is the former portion of the expression "ab ovo usque ad mala" which literally means,, From the egg to the apples, in allusion to the custom among the Romans of begin- ning their dinner or supper with eggs, and finishing with apples. WE use the expression to signify, From the beginning to the end of any thing.
Ab uno disce omnes. Lat. Virgil. — " From this, or a single in- stance, you may learn the nature of the whole, may form an estimate of the whole."
Ab urbe condita. Lat. — " From the building of the city." — la general thus abridged : A. U. C, in the chronology of the Romans.
Abad. Hindostanee. — " Built by." In the names of Indian towns, the concluding syllable usually affords some clew to their past history: thus, "Abad" signifies "built by" as, Ahmed-abad, a city built by Ahmed Shah ; Aurung-abad, Hyder-abad, &c.
Abbe. Fr. — "An abbot, a ruler of an abbey." N.B. The word "Abb6" properly means Father; it is the title or designation of every French clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church.
Aberrare a scopo, or, non attingere scopum. Lat. prov. " To miss one's mark."
Abietibus juvenes patriis et montibus aequi. Lat. Virgil. — " Youths, of height and size Like firs, that on their mother-mountain rise." May be applied to the Life-guards and Grenadiers.
Abnormis sapiens. Lat. Horace. — "A person whose wisdom is not derived either from instruction or merely from books ; one who is in- tuitively knowing." Horace uses the expression to denote one who was a follower of no sect, and derived his doctrines and precepts from no rules of philosophizing, as laid down by others ; but who drew them all from his own breast, and was guided by his own convictions respecting the fitness or unfitness of things.
Aborigines. Lat. — The original inhabitants of a country, equivalent to the Greek Autochthones.
Absens heres non erit. Lat. prov. — " The absent one has little chance of being the heir." Out of sight, out of mind.
Absentem laedit, cum ebrio qui litigat. Lat. Publius Svrus. "He who quarrels with a drunken man hurts, injures, the absent." You should consider your adversary as absent, when his senses have left him.
Absit invidia. Lat. — " All envy apart." Without being supposed to speak invidiously, enviously. N.B. The full expression, which occurs in Livy, is, "Absit verbo invidia," that is, Take it not ill, amiss. Without iisparagement to anybody, any one.
Abstineas igitur damnandis ; hujus enim vel
Una potens ratio est, ne crimina nostra sequantur
Ex nobis geniti, quoniam dociles imitandis
Turpibus ac pravis omnes sumus. Lat. Juvenal.—
12 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
" Refrain from all that merits reprobation. One powerful motive, at least, there is to this, lest our children copy our crimes. For we are all of us too quick at learning to imitate base and depraved examples." "0 fatal guides! this reason should suffice To win you from the slippery route of vice, This powerful reason ; lest your sons pursue ' The guilty track, thus plainly marked by you ! For youth is facile, and its yielding will Receives, with fatal ease, the imprint of ill."
Abundans cautela non nocet. Lat. pro v. — " Plenty of caution can do no hurt, harm." We cannot be too cautious. " Take heed is a good reed." " Sure bind, sure find."
Abuudat dulcibus vitiis. Lat. Quintilian. — " He abounds with luscious faults." Spoken of an author even in whose errors something pleasing is to be found. "Modern ears are absolutely debauched by such poetry as Darwin's, which marks the decline of simplicity and true taste in this country. It is to England what Seneca's prose was to Rome, Abundat dulcibus vitiis."
Ac etiam. Law Lat. — "And also." A clause added by recent cus- tom to a complaint of trespass, in the Court of King's Bench, which adds " and also" a plea of debt. The plea of trespass, by fiction, gives cogni- zance to the court, and the plea of debt authorizes the arrest.
Ac veluti magno in populo quum saepe coorta est Seditio, saevitque animis ignobile vulgus, Jamque faces et saxa volant, furor arma ministrat ; Turn pietate gravem ac meritis si forte virum quem Conspexere, silent, arrectisque auribus adstant, Ille regit dictis animos, et pectora mulcet. Lat. Virgil. — "And as when a sedition has perchance arisen among a mighty mul- titude, and the minds of the ignoble vulgar rage, now firebrands, now stones fly, fury supplies them with arms ; if then, by chance, they espy a man revered in piety and worth, they are hushed, and stand with ears erect ; he, by eloquence, rules their passions, and calms their breasts." "As when sedition fires the ignoble crowd, And the wild rabble storms, and thirsts for blood, Of stones and brands a mingled tempest flies, And all those arms that sudden rage supplies ; If some grave sire appears amid the strife, In morals strict and sanctity of life, All stand attentive, while the sage controls Their wrath, and calms the tumult of their souls."
Accedas ad curiam. Law Lat. — "You may approach the court." This name is given to a writ by which proceedings may be removed from an inferior to a superior court.
Acceptissima semper munera sunt, auctor quae pretiosa facit. Lat. Ovid. — "Those gifts are ever the most acceptable which the giver has made precious." They frequently derive their value from our estimation of the donor. It may also allude to the manner of giving, as in Shakspeare —
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 13
"You gave, with words of so sweet breath composed, As made the things more rich." Accipe, per longos tibi qui deserviat annos :
Accipe, qui pura norit amare fide. Est nulli cessura fides : sine crimine mores : Nudaque simplicitas, purpureusque pudor. Non mini mille placent : non sum desultor amoris :
Tu mihi si qua fides cura perennis eris. Lat. Ovid. —
"Scorn me not, Chloe: me, whose faith well tried, Long years approve, and honest passions guide : My hopeless soul no foul affections move, But chaste simplicity and modest love : Nor I, like shallow fops, from fair to fair Roving at random, faithless passion swear, But thou alone shalt be my constant care." Accusare nemo se debet nisi coram Deo. Lat. Law maxim. — "No man is bound to accuse himself, unless it be before God." No oath is to be administered, whereby any person may be compelled to confess a crime, or accuse himself. The law will not force any man to say or show that which is against him.
Acerrima proximorum odia. Lat. Tacitus. — "The hatred of those who are near to us is most violent." A contest between relatives is generally conducted with more acrimony than a dispute between strangers. The phrase may also be applied to that violence of rage which generally belongs to a civil war.
Acme. Gr. — "The highest point, the highest degree." "His fame was now supposed to have reached its acme."
Acquerir mechamment et d6penser sottement. Fr. prov. — " To acquire wickedly and spend foolishly." Ill got, ill spent.
Acribus initiis, incurioso fine. Lat. Tacitus. — "Alert in the be- ginning, but negligent in the end." Applied to a business vigorously con- ducted in the first instance, but where the exertion falls off as the affair draws nearer to a conclusion.
Acta exteriora indicant interiora secreta. Lat. Law maxim. — "By the outward acts we are to judge of the inward secrets." We can only decide on men's intentions from their conduct.
Actio personalis moritur cum persona. Lat. Law maxim. — "A personal action dies with the person." In case of a trespass or battery, the death of one or other of the parties puts an end to the action.
Actis aevum implet, non segnibus annis. Lat. Ovid. — "He fills his space with deeds, and not with lingering years." Applied to a character distinguished for a number of brilliant actions accomplished in the course of a short life.
Actum est de Republica. Lat. — "It is all over with the Republic." A phrase used to intimate that the constitution is in extreme danger.
Actum ne agas. Lat. Terence. — "Do not overdo what has been already done." The work which is finished may be endangered by the touches of a superfluous anxiety.
Actus Dei nemini facit injuriam. Lat. Law maxim. — "No one
2
14 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
shall be injured through the act of God." As, if a house be set on fire by lightning, the tenant shall not be responsible for the damage.
Actus legls nulli facit injuriam. Lat. Law maxim. — "The act of the law does injury to no man." If land, for instance, out of which a rent-charge is granted, be recovered by elder title, the grantee shall have a writ of annuity, because the rent-charge is made void by course of law.
Actus me invito factus, non est meus actus. Lat. Law maxim. — "An act done against my will is not my act." If a person be compelled, for instance, through fear or duress [imprisonment], to give a bond, or other writing, the deed is rendered void by the compulsion.
Actus non facit reum, nisi mens sit rea. Lat. Law maxim. — "The act does not make a man guilty, unless the mind be also guilty." Unless the intent be criminal, the deed cannot be attainted of criminality.
Acumen. Lat. — "The point or edge of any thing:" but metaphori- cally used to signify "sharpness, shrewdness, smartness, subtilty, cunning, sharpness of intellect, skill, accuracy of discrimination."
Ad absurdum. Lat. — "To an absurdity." "This is certainly re- ducing Protestantism ad absurdum."
Ad aperturam libri. Lat. — "At the opening of the book, or open- ing the book at random."
Ad calamitatem quilibet rumor valet. Lat. — "Any rumor is sufficient against calamity." When a man is distressed, a breath may complete his ruin.
Ad area aperta il giusto pecca. Ital. prov. — "The just man may sin with an open chest of gold before him." Opportunity makes the thief.
Ad captandum vulgus. Lat. — " To insnare the vulgar, to capti- vate the masses." — A lure thrown out to captivate the mobility.
N.B. Often used in an abridged form, thus, Ad captandum.
Ad eundem. Lat. — " To the same." In passing from one university or law society to another, it is said that he was admitted ad eundem, to the same precise rank which he held in the association or corporation of which he was previously a member.
Ad finem. Lat. — "At, or towards the end, conclusion." "See the 3d chapter, ad Jinem."
Ad Graecas Kalendas. Lat. — "At the Greek Kalends." The Kalends formed a division of the Roman month which had no place in the Greek reckoning of time. The phrase was therefore used by the former to denote that the thing could never happen.
Ad humum moerore gravi deducit et angit. Lat. Horace. — " Nature oft sinks us under a load of woe."
" Deep grief dejects, and wrings the tortured soul." Or: —
[She] "wrings the sad soul, and bends it down to earth."
Ad hoc. Lat. — " For this purpose, thing, matter, object."
Ad infinitum. Lat. — "Without end." "Errors in reasoning on morals and on mind go on multiplying each other ad infinitum."
Ad interim. Lat. — "For the mean time." " They hold their own opinions as ad interim truths."
Ad internecionem. Lat. — " To universal slaughter — e'en to the
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 15
death." " The Ministers proposed to tax Cape wine ad internecionem," that is, to an extent amounting to an absolute prohibition.
Ad invidiam. Lat. — "Invidiously; enviously; spitefully; mali- ciously."
Ad libitum. Lat. — "At one's pleasure, at pleasure." In music it is used to signify those ornamental graces which are left to the taste of the performer.
Ad nauseam. Lat. — "Enough to make one sick." — "The same ideas re-appear ad nauseam" that is, till they are absolutely sickening or nauseating.
Ad ogni cosa e rimedio fuora ch'alla morte. Ital. prov. — "For every thing there's a remedy but death." There's a salve for every sore.
Ad ogni uccello il suo nido e bello. Ital. prov. — " With every bird its own nest is charming." This may mean either " the natural affection for home," or the preference bestowed on "the place of our nativity."
Ad omnia alia aetate sapimus rectius:
Solum unum hoc vitium senectus adfert hominibus — Attentiores sumus ad rem omnes, quam sat est.
Lat. Terence. — "In every thing else we are made wiser by age: but this one vice is in- separable from it, that we are all apt to be more worldly, more fond of money-making, more close-fisted, more grasping, than is either needful or becoming."
Ad perditam securim manubrium adjicere. Lat. prov. — " To throw the helve after the hatchet." Over shoes, over boots. To be in despair.
Ad populum phaleras. Ego te intus et in cute novi. Lat. Persius. — "Away with those trappings to the vulgar; I know thee both inwardly and outwardly." I know the man too well to be deceived by appearances.
" Away ! these trappings to the rabble show: Me they deceive not ; for thy soul I know, Within, without."
Ad poenitendum properat, cito qui judicat. Lat. — " He who comes too speedily to a decision [and acts on the impulse of the moment] is not long ere he repents of it."
Ad quaestionem juris respondeant judices, ad quaestionem facti respondeant juratores. Lat. Law maxim. — " Let the judges answer to the question of law, and the jurors to the matter of fact."
Ad quod damnum. Lat. — " To what damage." A writ, which ought to be issued before the king grants certain liberties, such as a fair or market, ordering the sheriff to inquire what damage the county is liable to suffer by such grant. The same writ is also issued for a similar inquiry with respect to lands granted to religious houses or corporations, for turning highways, &c.
Ad referendum. Lat. — " To be left for future consideration, to be further considered." " The French and English Ministers took notice of the request, ad referendum." N.B. "Ad referendum" is a phrase that
16 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
was introduced into diplomacy by the Dutch, and is now become proverbial, to express slowness in deliberation, and a want of promptitude in decision.
Ad rem. Lat. — "To the purpose." "The arguments were not ad rem."
Ad summara. Lat. Horace. — "In short; in a word; in conclusion ; to sum up the matter."
Ad tristem partem strenua est suspicio. Lat. Publius Syrus. — " Suspicion is ever strong on the suffering side." When we play a losing game, we are apt to suspect all those who are around us of treachery.
Ad unguem. Lat. Horace. — "With perfect accuracy; literally, to the [pared] nail." " He did not think it necessary to write ad unguem." Horace describes one of his characters as "ad unguem f actus homo" that is to say, as "a man of the most polished manners." A metaphor, taken from workers in marble, who try the smoothness of the marble, and the exactness of the joinings, by drawing the nail over them. We should say, in our own idiom, "a perfect gentleman."
Ad usum fidelium. Lat. — "For the use of the faithful, of the Ro- man Catholics." N.B. The Church of England as well as the Church of Rome designates her sons and daughters as " The faithful." See the Church Catechism.
Ad valorem. Lat. — "According to the value."
Ad vivum. Lat. — "To the life." "We have a picture of him ad vivum, by a master."
Adawlut. Hindostanee. "Justice; equity; a court of justice in India."
Adde parum parVo magnus acervus erit. Lat. prov. — "Add, keep adding, little to little, and soon will you have a good hoard." A good motto for the Savings' Banks. /
Addenda. Lat. — " Additions ; things to be added ; additional matter appended to the body of a work [literary composition, book] ."
Addictus, or, addict! jurare in verba magistri. Lat. Horace. — "A person, or persons, blindly addicted to the tenets, opinions, of his or their master, teacher [literally, bound or compelled to swear to the opinions of a teacher] ."
"Sworn to no master, of no sect, am I; As drives the storm, at any door I knock, And house with Montaigne now, and now with Locke." N.B. " Addicti" were properly those debtors whom the Praetor [a legal officer of ancient Rome] adjudged to their creditors, to be committed to prison, or otherwise secured, until satisfaction was made. Soldiers, how- ever, were also called " addicti," 'in allusion to the military oath, which they took when enrolled. We have a pleasant use of the word in Shakspeare: Leave off all thin potations, says Falstaff, and addict thyself unto sack.
Adeo in teneris consuescere multum est. Lat. Virgil. — "Of so much value, of such avail, is custom [the practice of good habits, the ini- tiation into good habits] in the tender years of childhood; of such importance is it to be accustomed to what is right and proper from the very dawn of existence." "Train up a child," says Solomon, "in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Compare Pope: — "Just as the twig is bent, the tree's inclined."
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 17
Adeem' homines immutari ex amore, ut non cognoscas eun- dem esse? Lat. Terence. — " Is it possible that man should be so per- fectly changed by love, that you cannot know him to be the same indi- vidual?"
Adhuc sub judice lis est. Lat. Horace. — " The contest is still be- fore the judge." The matter in question, the point, is even yet, as yet, undecided.
Adieu. Fr. — "Good-bye, farewell." " There is something beauti- fully pious and tender in that word of sad import, 'Adieu!'" that is to say, maij GOD guard you! to GOD I commit you: literally, "to GOD," SA DIEU.
Adieu pour toujours. Fr. — "Farewell forever."
Adieu jusqu'au re voir. Fr. — "Farewell, good-bye, till I see you again, till we meet again."
Adieu paniers, vendanges sont faites. Fr. — "Farewell bas- ket, the grapes are gathered; 'tis all over, there's an end of it." A pro- verbial phrase, applicable to means or implements which have become useless through failure, or from our having been anticipated or dis- appointed in our views.
Adjutant. " One who assists the major of a regiment, and hence formerly called aid-major."
Admiranda tibi levium spectacula rerum. Lat. Virgil. — "A mighty pomp, though made of little things."
Adolescentem verecundum esse decet. Lat. Plautus. — " It becomes a young man to be modest." Reserve and modesty are the flowers with which youth should be decorated.
Adulandi gens prudentissima laudat
Sermonem indocti, faciem deformis amici. Lat. Juvenal. — " A certain class of individuals, most deeply versed in flattery, the arts of flattery, praise the discourse, conversation, of an ignorant friend, and the face, countenance, of a hideously ugly one." They attack each man on his weak side.
"For lo! where versed in every soothing art, The sycophant assails his patron's heart — Finds in each dull harangue an air, a grace, And all Adonis in a gorgon face."
Advenae. Lat. — "Settlers in a country," literally, strangers, foreigners, comers to a place or country.
Aedepol, nae nos aeque suirius omnes invisae viris,
Propter paucas, quae omnes faciunt dignae ut videamur malo. Lat. Terence. —
"In troth, we wives are all equally obnoxious to, slighted by, our hus- bands, and very unjustly, because of the faults of a few, on account of the faults of some few, of our sex, who make the world judge hardly, harshly, of us all, who make us all appear undeserving of their esteem." The ordinary complaint of wives.
Aegritudinem laudare, unam rem maxime detestabilem, quorum est tandem philosophorum ? Lat. Cicero. — "What kind of philosophy is it to extol melancholy, the most detestable thing in nature?" B 2*
18 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
Aequalem uxorem quaere. Lat. — "Look out for a wife in your own sphere, in a position similar to your own." Like blood, like good, and like age, make the happiest marriage.
Aere ciere viros, Martemque accendere cantu. Lat. Virgil. — " [A man, who has the power of] rousing, stirring up, men by the sound of the trumpet, and thereby inflaming their martial or warlike spirit, of rousing fools and making slaughter." The character of Misenus, the companion and trumpeter of Aeneas, the Trojan hero. " Virgil's trumpeter never wants a successor, who is equally fortunate in his trade, Aere ciere viros, <Scc."
AEpofiarov. Gr. — " One who affects to raise himself above the vulgar." Literally, "One who travels in the air." "The worthy Doctor loved neither high nor aerial standards in morals or in religion. Visionaries, who encouraged such notions, he viewed [to express it by a learned word] as aepofiarowrec [the plural form], and as fit subjects for the chas- tisement of the secular arm."
Aesopi ingenio statuam posuere Attici, Certumque collocarunt aeterna in basi, Patere honor! scirent ut cuncti viam,
Nee generi tribui, sed virtuti gloriam. Lat. Phaedrus. —
" The Athenians raised, erected, a statue in honor of iEsop's genius, and placed him, though a slave, on a lasting, ever-during pedestal, to show that the way to honor lay open indifferently to all, and that glory, fame, renown, was due to, was to be the reward, not of mere family, not of high birth, not of mere ancestry, but of unsullied virtue, but of a thoroughly virtuous career."
Aesthetics. "The philosophy of taste." "JEsthetic philosophy," that is, "Perceptive philosophy," signifies, in the creative and somewhat fanciful language of the Germans, "the philosophy of the sublime and beautiful, the theory of the fine arts and of poetry.'" N.B. "^Esthetics" comes from the Greek word aicdr/riKoc, "sensitive, possessing the faculty of, or aptitude for, perception," and this from aicdavo/nat, " to feel, perceive, comprehend." The word " ^Esthetics" was introduced by Baumgarten, above a century ago, to express generally the Science of the Fine Arts, and is now in universal use among the Germans. Perhaps we also might as well adopt it; at least if any such science should ever arise among us.
■ Aestuat ingens
Imo in corde pudor, mixtoque insania luctu, Et furiis agitatus amor, et conscia virtus. Lat. Virgil. — "Rage boiling from the bottom of his breast, And sorrow mixed with shame, his soul oppressed; And conscious worth lay laboring in his thought, And love by jealousy to madness wrought." A description of the rise and sorrow of jealousy. Aethiopem lavare, or, dealbare. Lat. — "To wash a blackamoor white." Labor in vain.
Africa semper aliquid novi offert. Lat. — " Africa always offers to our notice something new ; of the interior we are in almost perfect igno- rance." "Africa may be said to possess a stronger attraction than most other
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 19
regions of the globe, from its having been less explored ; and consequently affording a more fertile and extensive source of novelty for the gratification of curiosity and adventure. It was said of old, and the saying holds good at the present day, 'Africa semper aliquid novi offert;' and this very cir- cumstance is a sufficient spur to a daring and inquisitive mind. Great as the progress has been in our day in the development of geographical in- formation relative to this great continent, consequent on the exertions and zeal of Hornemann, Park, Oudney, Denham, Clapperton, Laing, and many other travelers, not forgetting the last, and by no means the least, the modest, unpretending, and straightforward Lander, much still remains to be done to complete the geography even of Northern Africa; and as to the southern part of this continent, it continues to exhibit almost a blank on our maps."
Afflatus. Lat. — "Inspiration." "The divine afflatus failing him, he ascended from poetry to politics."
Afflavit Deus, et dissipantur ! Lat. — "GOD sent forth his breath, and they are [were] at once dispersed." N.B. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, a medal was struck, bearing the above inscription, for the pur- pose of recording the dispersion and destruction of the Spanish Armada. The same quotation is sometimes used to express the divine interference in overthrowing a hostile army by disease, or otherwise in defeating their designs. "Elizabeth of England had warmly espoused the cause of the revolted Netherlands, and her admiral, Sir Francis Drake, had taken some of the Spanish settlements in America. To avenge these injuries, the Invincible Armada of 150 ships of war, 27,000 men, and 3000 pieces of cannon, was equipped by Philip for the invasion of England. The English fleet of 108 ships attacked them in the night, and burnt and destroyed a great part of the squadron. A storm, which drove them on the rocks and sands of Zealand, completed their discomfiture, and only 50 shattered vessels, with 6000 men, returned to Spain, 1588." — Tytler's General History.
Aga. Turkish and Persian. — Equivalent to "gentleman" in English, and used when the person addressed is not noble, neither khan, bey, nor meerza [which see], neither in the civil nor military service of the court.
Age, libertate Decembri,
Quando ita majores voluerunt, utere. Lat. Horace. —
"Well, then, since our ancestors would have it so, take the liberty, make use of the customary liberty, of the month of December." "Ccme, let us, like our jovial sires of old, With gambols and mince-pies our Christmas hold." N.B. The reference in the above passage is to the festival of the Saturnalia, [which see].
Agent de change. Fr. — "A stockbroker."
Ayevoroi kcl7Juctov mi yovi/iurarov Xoyuv va/uaroc, ttjv eXevdepiav /Ifryw, ovSev on fiif KoXaKtg ZK^aivofiev neyakofyveic. Gr. Longinus. — "Never tasting of that most fair and genial fountain of all eloquence, I speak of liberty, we can become no other than splendid sycophants." "Horace lived in a servile age; and though he cheated himself with an imaginary indepen- dence, his life was servile, his tongue was servile. Nobly and well is it said by Longinus, Ajsvotoi, &c."
20 A NEW DICTIONARY CT QUOTATIONS.
Agiotage. Fr. — "Gambling in commercial shares, stocks, and government securities."
Ayuvtat, Sot-cu, filon/uai, vofioi,
'Airavra ravf eni&ETa tt) tyvoei /ca/ca. Gr. Menander. —
"Our contentions, disputes, our opinions, our feelings of ambition, ambi- tious promptings, our laws, are all evils, which we ourselves have super- added to Nature."
Ai 6' elmdes fiociiovoi <pvyadag, ug loyog
Ka?io)£ pieirovciv dfifiaoi, fieXkovoiv 6e. Gr. Euripides. — "Exiles, the proverb says, subsist on hope, Delusive hope still points to distant good, To good, that mocks approach." Ai ricchi non mancano parentl. Ital. prov. — " The rich have never relations to seek, to hunt after." Land was never lost for want of an heir.
Aide toi, et le ciel t'aidera. Fr. La Fontaine. — "Help thyself, and Heaven will help thee." Depend rather on your own exertions than your prayers. The allusion is to the wagoner in iEsop, who, when his wagon was overturned in a ditch, prayed stoutly for the aid of Hercules. Aide-de-camp. Fr. — "An officer who attends a general to carry orders."
Actio? tov m?2ovg nat aperTjg izolig. Gr. Demades. — "Modesty is the citadel of beauty and virtue."
Aut. nohoiog npoq ko?lOlov l^avei. Gr. prov. — "A jackdaw always gets alongside of another jackdaw." Birds of a feather flock together.
Aiec uev mKodatfiova avayna tov kcikov, aire exoi vkav [kcikuq re yap aura
Xpeetai] acre crravi^oi. Gr. Archytas [a philosopher of the Pythagorean school] .—" The bad man must needs be at all times miserable, whether he have, or whether he want, the materials of external fortune; for if he have them, he will employ them ill."
Atev apicreveiv. Gr. — "Always, ever, to excel, in any manner; to be of surpassing excellence."
Aiuv 6* ac^akrjg
Ova eyever', ovf Ataiuda irapa U^TiSi, Owe Trap' avTi&eC]) KaSfMj) leyovTai ye fiav j3porov OlfSov vivepraTov ol
S^ew. Gr. Pindar. —
" For not the brave, or wise, or great, E'er yet had happiness complete: Nor Peleus, grandson of the sky, Nor Cadmus, 'scaped the shafts of Spain, Though favored by the powers on high _^^ With every bliss that man could gain." From the above lines we learn that Happiness is not complete in any State, position of life. See "Nihil est ab omni, &c."
Air de f§te. Fr. — "A festive or joyous appearance." Air distingu6. Fr. — "A distinguished appearance, the appearance of a person of distinction."
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 21
Air distrait. Fr. — "An absent look, a look expressive of abstrac- tion, or expressive of absence of mind."
Air noble. Fr. — " A noble, distinguished, patrician air [a distin- guished position in society]."
Al amico cura gli il fico, al inimico il persico. Ital. prov. — 11 Pull a fig for your friend, and a peach for your enemy."
Al canto si conosce l'uccello ;
Ed al parlar, il cervello. Ital. prov. — "We know a bird by its song, and the man by his words, speech [whether he be a wise man or a fool]."
Al confessor, medico, ed avocato, non side tener il vero celato. Ital. prov. — "Hide nothing from thy minister, physician, and lawyer."
Al finir del gioco, si vede che ha guadagnato. Ital. prov. — "At the end of the game one may see who hath won."
Alfresco. Ital. — "In the open air." "An alfresco ball."
Al molino, ed alia sposa
Sempre manca qualche cosa. Ital. prov. — "A mill and a woman are always in want of something:" the former from the complexity of its machinery, and the latter from the influences of her caprice.
Al pobre no es provechoso,
Acompanarse con el poderoso. Span. prov. — "The poor man gains naught by allying himself with, by forming an alliance with, a powerful man." See " Nunquam estjidelis, <$cc"
Al Rey, en viendolo ; a DIOS, en oyendolo. Span. prov. — "External homage is due to the king upon seeing him; and to God [that is, the host, preceded by its never-failing appendage, the bell] the very moment you hear him." GOD and the king are so coupled in the lan- guage of Spain, that the same title of Majesty is applied to both ; you hear, from the pulpit, the duties that men owe to both Majesties; and a foreigner is often surprised at the hopes expressed by the people that his Majesty will be pleased to grant them life and health for some years more.
Alba ligustra cadunt, vaccinia nigra leguntur. Lat. Virgil. — "Privets, prime-prints, though white, are suffered to lie untouched, while hyacinths, though black, of a dark hue, are speedily gathered." " Snow is white, and lies in the dike, And every man lets.it lie: Pepper is black, and hath a good smack, And every man doth it buy."
Albumen, and, Alburnum. Lat. — " On the contact of corrosive sub- limate with any vegetable juice containing albumen, a new combination, a tertium quid, results:" that is to say, a third something results. Struck out by the collision [knocking together] of two opposite forces or principles. N.B. "Albumen," in animal and in vegetable substances, is the main ele- ment of physical vitality, and consequently of fermentation and putrefac- tion. Every tiro [novice, beginner of any particular study] who walks an hospital knows that "albumen" [the white of an egg] is the simplest anti- dote [counter-poison, thing given to counteract poison] to corrosive sub-
22 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
limate ; and, in like manner, when a solution of sublimate is applied to timber, it at once penetrates the "alburnum" [outer wood, sappy part of trees on the outside next the bark, subject to rot and be worm-eaten], and then flies to the heart-wood, combining with the "albumen" whether in an active or a dormant [sleeping, inactive] state, and killing it.
Alcinoo poma dare. Lat. prov. — " To give tree-fruit [such as apples, pears, oranges, &c] to Alcinous." To carry coals to Newcastle. Alci- nous was king of the island Corcyra [now Corfu], much commended for his strict justice by the poet Orpheus. His orchard was so famed for choice fruit of all kinds, that it gave occasion to the above proverb. Alea sequa vorax species certissima furti
Non contenta bonis, animum quoque perfida mergit; Furca, furax — infamis, iners, furiosa, ruina.
Lat. Petronius. — "Gaming, that direst felon of the breast,
Steals more than fortune from its wretched thrall, Spreads o'er the soul the inert devouring pest, And gnaws, and rots, and taints, and ruins all." Aleator quantum in arte melior tanto est nequior. Lat. Pub- lius Syrus. — "The gambler, dice-player, gamester, is more wicked according as he is a greater proficient in his art." His demerits keep pace with his acquirements.
Alere flammam. Lat. — "To feed, cherish, nourish, the flame, ardor, love [of learning]." N.B. A motto sometimes printed on the title-pages of literary works.
Alia res sceptrum, alia plectrum. Lat. prov. — "A scepter is one thing, a quill [with which to play upon the strings of musical instru- ments] another." A scepter is one thing, a ladle another.
[Alia] tentanda via est. Lat. Altered from Virgil. — "Another way must be tried." We must diversify our means, change our plans if need be, to attain our end. The original passage runs thus : —
Tentanda via est, qua me quoque possim,
Tollere humo. "I too [I, the poet Virgil] must attempt a way, must strike out into a path, method, by which I may raise myself from the ground, by which I may rise into celebrity [as other poets have done], by which I may soar aloft."
Alias. Lat. — "Otherwise, at another time." A law term used when one changes his name, or assumes a different one; as, Jackson alias Johnson. The plural is aliases, "different names." An alias is also a name given to a second writ issuing from the courts of Westminster, after a first writ has been sued out without effect.
Alibi. Lat. — "Elsewhere, in another place." A law term used when one, charged with an offense, alleges that he was elsewhere when it was committed.
Aliena negotia centum
Per caput, et circa saliunt latus. Lat. Horace. —
"A hundred affairs of other people leap through my head and around my side," that is, "beset me on every side." Compare the form which the
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 23
same idea would assume in our vulgar idiom, "lam over head and ears in the affairs of others." The above quotation may be applied to the situation of a Minister of state.
"A hundred men's affairs confound My senses, and besiege me round."
Aliena negotia euro, excussus propriis. Lat. Horace. — " I at- tend to other men's business, having none of my own to occupy me." Publius Syrus. — The quotation is used to mark an idle obtruder.
Aliena nobis, nostra plus aliis placent. Lat. Publius Syrus.—- " The things which belong to others please us more, and that which is our own is more pleasing to others." This maxim is applicable in a variety of cases.
Aliena optimum frui insania. Lat. — "It is of the highest ad- vantage to be able to derive instruction from the madness of another." It is true practical wisdom to make the faults of others serve as so many beacons to warn us from the rocks and shoals on which they have been wrecked.
Alieni appetens, sui profusus. Lat. Sallust. — "Coveting the property of others, and lavish or profuse in the expenditure of his own." This, which was the historian's description of Catiline [a conspirator of Rome], has since been justly applied to other political adventurers.
Alieno in loco haud stabile regnum est. Lat. Seneca. — "The sovereignty which is held over strange or remote territories is precarious."
Alii sementem faciunt, alii metentem. Lat. prov. — " Some do the sowing, and others the reaping or mowing." One beats the bush, and another catcheth the bird. The Italian proverb is — I picciol cani tro- vano, ma i grandi Tianno la lepre. "The little dogs find, hunt out, but the great ones seize the hare."
Aliis, quia defit quod amant, aegre'st: tibi, quia superest dolet. Lat. Terence. — "Some persons grieve, take it to heart, because they cannot have what they love: you, on the contrary, complain, because you have too much."
Alio sub sole. Lat. — "Under another sun ;" in another climate, region. " Those who have seen earth and ocean alio sub sole, know how much larger an element color is in the landscape there than in middle or northern Europe. Nature in those countries has a brighter com- plexion, though men and women have not."
Aliorum medicus ipse ulceribus scates. Lat. prov. — " Though the physician of others, yet thou thyself art full of sores." Physician, heal thyself.
Aliquando praestat morte jungi, quam vita distrahi. Lat. Valerius Maximus. — " It is sometimes, under certain circumstances, better to be joined, united, in death, than to be separated in or during life."
Aliquis de gente hircosa centurionum
Dicat: 'Quod sapio, satis est mini; non ego euro Esse quod Arcesilas, aerumnosique Solones.'
Lat. Persiu?.-
24: A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
"And now, some captain of the land or fleet, Stout of his hands, but of a soldier's wit, Cries, ' I have sense to serve my turn in store, And he's a humbug who pretends to more : Care I whate'er those book-learned blockheads say ? Solon's the veriest fool— can one say nay?'"
Aliquis malo sit usus ab illo. Lat. — " Some use or benefit may possibly be derived from that evil." There are some mischiefs which have a tendency not only to rectify themselves, but also to produce an opposite result.
Aliquis non debet esse judex in propria causa. Lat. Law maxim. — " No man should be a judge in his own cause." A lord of the manor, though having cognizance of all kinds of pleas, cannot hold plea where he himself is a party.
Aliquid inane. Lat. — "An indescribable, unaccountable, kind or degree of silliness ; trifling ; folly."
Alitur vitium, vivitque tegendo. Lat. Virgil. — "Vice thrives and lives by concealment." It is in the nature of foul deeds to delight in darkness. The above translation, however, does not convey the meaning of the passage in the original, which has reference to the disease in sheep, called the scab: "This distemper is nourished, and continues to live, con- tinues in a state of vitality, by being covered [instead of being brought to a head by the lancet, according to the suggestion of Virgil]."
Aliud et idem. Lat. — "One and the same thing, though under dif- ferent aspects." "We never have returned from abroad after having feasted a month or two on the bread and water called 'potage/ and the exhausted rags denominated lbouilli,y and all the aliud et idem hash and trash of the common French cuisine, without enjoying, as a great luxury, the natural flavor of beef, mutton, and pork, peas, beans, and potatoes, tasting of themselves, and not of one general clammy stock-pot."
Alium silere quod valeas, primus sile. Lat. Seneca. — " To make another person hold his tongue, be you first silent, do you first hold your peace." Do not irritate an idle dispute by fruitless perseverance.
Aliunde. Lat. — " From some other quarter, person."
All the Russias. — The expression of "All the Russias" is founded on the ancient division of Russia, which comprehended the provinces of Great or Black Russia, Little or Red Russia, and White Russia. St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia, took its name from having been built by Peter the Great.
Allah. The name given by the Mohammedans of all classes, to the Almighty.
Allevato nella bambagia. Ital. — " Brought up very tenderly." To be nursed in cotton.
Alluv tarpog, avrog tlneai fipvuv. Gr. Plutarch. — " The physician of others, whilst he himself teems with ulcers." Applied to a man who pre- tends to cure the faults of others, whilst he has abundance of his own.
ALMA MATER. Lat.— "A mild, gentle, benign mother." A term used by students to designate the University in which they were educated.
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 25
It is also applied to nature, and to the earth, which affords us every thing we enjoy.
Almans frioun Is almans gick. Frisian pro v. — "All men's friend is all men's fool."
Alter ego. Lat. Cicero. — " The duplicate, double, second impersona- tion, counterpart, deputy, representative [should be representee]." "The alter ego of the Sovereign," a phrase applied by Lord Campbell to Prince Albert.
Alter in obsequium plus aequo pronus : Alter rixatur de lana saepe caprlna, Propugnat nugis armatus. Lat. Horace. — >
"One man carries his obsequious complaisance to excess [the toad-eater]: another wrangles eternally about trifles, things of no consequence what- ever, and, armed with jargon, combats every thing you say [the man of rude and blunt manners]." The application of "Alter rixatur, <$oc." is to those who are always contending for objects, things, of no moment. "He strives for trifles, and for toys contends, And then, in earnest, what he says defends." N.B. The expression "de lana caprina rixari" is a proverbial one, and is well explained by the scholiast [commentator]: "To dispute about goat's wool," that is, about nothing, since a goat is covered with hair, and not with wool. On the subject of the man of rude and blunt man- ners, compare Shakspeare: —
"This is some fellow
"Who, having been praised for bluntness, doth affect A saucy roughness ; and constrains the garb, Quite from his nature : He cannot flatter, he ! — An honest mind and plain, — he must speak truth : An they will take it, so ; if not, he's plain."
King Lear, Act 2, sc. 2. Alter remus aquas, alter mini radat arenas. Lat. Propertius. — " Let me strike the water with one oar, and with the other scrape the sands." Let me never hazard my safety by getting out of my depth.
Alterius [sic]
Altera poscit opem res, et conjurat amice. Lat. Horace. — " Each [Art and Genius] demands the aid of the other, and conspires amicably to the same end." This is applied by the poet to the alliance which should exist between Art and Genius. It is sometimes used, how- ever, to describe combinations of a different nature.
Alterum lumen Angliae. Lat. — "The other light, luminary, of England." A phrase at one time applied to the University of Oxford. "We do not go farther back into times when Oxford was recognized by all as the ' alterum lumen Anglice,' and the glory of the Church; times, in which all her goodness might be traced to herself; and whenever studies declined or corruptions crept in, it was through some external interference."
Alvroc cnropicu. Gr. — "Difficulties of hard solution, inexplicable diffi- culties, problematical questions of hard solution." " The lovers of wisdom [philosophers] , in the best ages of Athens and of Rome, always discoursed with reverence and submission to the Author and Governor of the world.
26 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
They considered of whom they spoke. If they turned to the origin of evil, or to any dark and unfathomable question, they Jirst called upon man to consider the limits of his understanding. They warned him, with most peculiar emphasis, to beware of those alvroi anoptai, which are but increased by defenses or arguments ill constructed. They implored him affectionately to avoid all that tends to overthrow, to trouble or disturb, those principles which conduct to peace and to right action. Their ad- vice was to strengthen the intellect, and to compose the passions, not by braving and insulting the all-powerful, all-wise, and all-merciful Creator, but by an humble, patient inquiry into his works, and by submission to his dispensations. They seemed to be well aware that, to him who un- derstood all the bearings and relations of the word, Resignation to the will of GOD was the whole of piety."
Alum, si sit stalum, non est malum, Beerum, si sit clearum, est sincerum.
Dog Latin of the Hudibrastic cast. — "If ale be stale, old, it is not bad. If beer be clear, it is pure, unadulterated."
Alumnus. Lat. — " Pupil, one who receives literary food, mental nourishment, food for the mind." An alumnus of University College, King's College.
Amabilis insania. Lat. Horace. — "A fond enthusiasm, an amiable madness, a pleasing frenzy, illusion, infatuation, delirium, a delightful insanity."
Afia&ia uev ftpaooq, "koyiafiog 6" okvov <pepec. Gr. prov. — "Ignorance, stupidity, want of education, begets boldness, audacity of speech ; but reflection [the result of good training], diffidence, hesitation in giving one's opinion." Who so bold as blind Bayard?
Amantium irae. Lat. Terence. — " Lovers' quarrels."
Amantium irae amoris integratio 'st. Lat. Terence. — "The quarrels, falling-out, of lovers, is the renewal, renewing, revival, revivifi- cation, resuscitation, of love." The disputes of lovers generally end in a warm reconciliation.
Amanuensis. Lat. — "A secretary, scribe, clerk, a person who writes what another dictates."
Amarae mulieres sunt, non facile ferunt. Lat. Terence. — "Women resent strongly, and do not easily put up with affronts." Com- pare Menander: $voei ywrj Svcrjvtov tan nat iriKpov: "Woman is naturally difficult to rein in, unrestrainable, unguidable, intractable, undrawable, unleadable, and harsh, bitter, sour, austere, implacable."
Amaranth. From the Gr. word afiapavrog [amarantos], "unfading." A flower incorruptible. The "Celosia cristata." "Amaranth," says Cleland, " is a name given to the flower-gentle, from its never withering: it is currently derived from a, signifying not, and papaivu [maraino], to fade, wither; a derivation so agreeable to sense seems to fix it there: but there occurs to me a still more plausible one ; the termination anth is so obviously the Gr. av&oq [anthos], flower, that I rather suspect the etymology to stand thus: —
a, privative [that is, signifying not],
fiap [mar], the Celtic word for death;
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 27
whence /napacvu, a Jading, or tending to death, av&og, flower : un-dying-flower, a-mar-anth : — That the one was taken from the other, there can be no doubt.
Amateur. Fr. — "A lover of any particular pursuit or system." "It must always be, to those who are the greatest amateurs or even professors of revolutions, a matter very hard to prove, that the late French govern- ment was so bad, that nothing worse, in the infinite devices of men, could come in its place." — Burke.
Ambigendi locus. " Reason for doubt, doubting/'
Ambiguum pactum contra venditorem interpretandum est. Lat. Law maxim. — "An ambiguous deed or contract is to be expounded against the seller or grantor." Thus if a man has a warren in his lands, and grants the same land for life, without mentioning the warren, the grantee will have it with the land.
Ambizione di primeggiare. Ital. — "Personal ambition; desire to attain a position of eminence, a distinguished position."
Ambulances. Fr. — "Itinerant or movable military hospitals."
Ame damn§e. Fr. — "A tool, drudge, one who will do any dirty work." "The [late] Duke of Wellington is not the man to compromise the interests of his glory to the paltry ends of any; nor will he allow him- self, we are assured, to be played as their puppet, their dune damn^e, by such a body as the Oxford Heads."
Ame de bouc. Fr. — "A soul of mud." A debased, degraded, creature.
Ameer [or EmirJ. "A nobleman." The term is Asiatic and African. Its origin is Moslem.
Ami du peuple. Fr. — "A friend to the people [at large] ; the peo- ple's friend."
Amici vitium ni eras, prodis tuum. Lat. Publius Syrus. — "Un- less you bear with the faults of a friend, you betray your own." If you do not concede a little, }rou disclose your want of temper or of friendship.
Amicitia semper prodest, amor et nocet. Lat. Laberius. — "Friendship is always profitable, and love is [frequently] injurious."
Amicum ita habeas posse ut fieri nunc inimicum scias. Lat. Laberius. — " Be on such terms with your friend as if you knew that he might one day become your enemy."
Amicum perdere est damnorum maximum. Lat. Publius Syrus. — " To lose a friend is the greatest of all losses."
Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur. Lat. Ennius. — "A sure friend is discovered, discerned, in a doubtful matter, when you are on your beam-ends ; or, to use a Londonism, when you are hard up." It is only in situations of hazard that we can prove the sincerity of friendship.
Amicus curiae. Lat. — "A friend of the court." This appellation is given in Courts of Law to the person who gives his advice, or opinion, when not immediately concerned in the cause.
Amicus humani generis. Lat. — "The friend of the human race." The most glorious title that man can obtain, and which but few Howards and Franklins are found to claim.
Amicus Plato, amicus Socrates, sed magis arnica Veritas.
28 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS-
Lat. — " Plato is my friend, Socrates is my friend, but Truth is more my friend." By this quotation the speaker or writer intimates that he is not without his personal feelings and attachments, but that nothing can make him swerve from the sacred interests of truth.
Amicus usque ad aras. Lat. — "A friend even to the altar." One who will sustain his friendship even to the last extremity.
Amittit merito proprium qui alienum adpetit. Lat. Phaedrus. — "He deservedly loses his own property who covets, keenly endeavors to get for himself, that of another."
Amme brea is swieter az memme koeke. Frisian prov. — " Nurses' bread is sweetef than mothers' cake." A warning to mothers who do not nurse their children, that the affections of the infant will be transferred to those who have the care of them.
Amoebaean. From anoifiaioc. Gr. — "Alternately responsive." "Amoebaean verses."
Amor a nullo amato amar perdona. Ital. Dante. — " True love permits no loved one not to love."
Amor al cor gentil ratto s' apprende. Ital. Dante. — " True love in gentle heart is quickly learnt, or, True love the gentle, noble, high-souled heart soon apprehends."
Amor e signoria non vogliono compagnia. Ital. prov. — " Love and lordship like no fellowship." The French proverb is, "Amour et seigneurie ?ie se tinrent jamais compagnie," which has the same meaning.
Amor et deliciae. Lat. Cicero. — "The loved one and the darling favorite." "Anacreon was the favorite, the amor et deliciae, of his own age, and he has had the singular fortune to preserve to our days, not only his fame, but even his popularity, in the verses of imitators whose very- names are long since lost."
Amor gignit amorem. Lat. — "Love begets, or gives rise to, love."
Amor nummi. Lat. Juvenal. — " The love of money."
Amor omnibus idem. Lat. Virgil. — "Love is lord of all, and is in all the same."
Amor patriae. Lat. — "The love of our country, native soil, native land, the land of our birth."
Amor soli. Lat. — The meaning the same as "amor patriae."
Amor tussisque non celantur. Lat. — " Love and a cough cannot be hidden, concealed."
Amoto quaeramus seria ludo. Lat. Horace. — " Setting raillery aside, let us now attend to serious matters. Laying aside mirth, let us reason seriously."
Amour fait beaucoup, mais argent fait tout. Fr. prov. — "Love does much, but money does every thing." Beauty is potent, but money is OMNIPOTENT. Talk is but 'talk; but 'tis money that buys land.
Amour fait rage, mais argent fait mariage. Fr. prov. — "Love causes raging, but money marriaging."
Amour-propre. Fr. — " Self-love." The true meaning, however, of the term is "a modification of pride.'1
Amphibious. — "Having two modes of existence, living:" applied, though not, strictly speaking, correctly, to animals that can live both on
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 29
land and in water. The true meaning of a/z^/ftof, amphibious, is "par- taking of both sexes."
-Amphora coepit
Institui; currente rota cur urceus exit? Lat. Horace. —
"A large jar was begun to be formed: why, as the wheel goes round, does it turn out to be an insignificant, paltry pitcher or water-pot?" The meta- phor [an implied comparison, the use of a word in a sense different from its ordinary import, meaning] is taken from the potter's wheel. The quotation is applied to those who, having promised a magnificent work, produced in the end something inadequate, an4 perhaps contemptible.
Ampliat aetatis spatium sibi vir bonus. Hoc est
Vivere bis, vita posse priori frui. Lat. Martial. —
"A good man enlarges the term of his own existence. It is living twice to be enabled to enjoy one's former life." He lives the preceding years over again in pleasing recollection.
—A/LKpt 6' av&po-
ttuv (ppaaiv a/j.7rXaKiai avapf&jX7]Toi Kpsfiavrai,
tovto 6' afiaxavov evpetv, 6 Ti vw ev Kai Tefevra (peprarov avdpc Tv%eiv. Gr. Pindar. — "Deep wrapt in error is the human mind, And human bliss is ever insecure: Know we what fortune yet remains behind ? Know we how long the present will endure?"
Afi&oTepot K?M7zeg, kcu 6 det-afievoi; nat 6 Kfaipag. Gr. prov. — Phocylides. " Both are thieves, the receiver and the thief." The receiver is as bad as the thief.
An haec animos aerugo et cura peculi
Quum semel imbuerit, speramus carmina fingi Posse liuenda cedro, et levi servanda cupresso ?
Lat. Horace. — "When once this rust and love of gain has taken hold of the soul, got possession of the soul, can we imagine it capable of noble thoughts, or of poems worthy to be kept in cases of cypress and cedar V' — " But when the rust of wealth pollutes the soul, And moneyed cares the genius thus control, How shall we dare to hope that distant times With honor should preserve our lifeless rhymes ?" N.B. The ancients, for the better preservation of their manuscripts, rubbed them with oil of cedar and kept them in cases of cypress.
An nescis longas regibus esse manus? Lat. Ovid. — "Do you not know that kings have lung hands?" "It were to be wished," says Swift, "that they had as long ears."
An praeter esse reale actualis essentiae sit aliud esse neces- sarium, quo res actualiter existat ? Martinus Scriblerus. — " Whe- ther, besides the real being of actual being, there be any other being necessary to cause a thing to be?" A question humorously put to ridicule the absurdity of metaphysics run mad.
3*
SO A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
An quisquam est alius liber, nisi ducere vitam
Cui licet, ut voluit ? Lat. Persius. —
" Is any man free, a freeman, but he that may live as he pleases?"
Anachronism. "A transposition of dates." " Major R. was once riding near a building which presented to his admiring gaze a fine speci- men of antique Saxon architecture. Desirous of learning something re- specting it, he made some inquiries of a man, who, as it turned out, was the cobbler of the village. This learned wight informed the inquisitive stranger that the building in question was reckoned a noble specimen of Gothic architecture, and was built by the Romans, who came over with Julius Cjssar. 'Friend/ said the Major, 'you make anachronisms.' 'No, no, sir/ replied the man, 'indeed I don't make anachronisms, for I never made any thing but shoes in all my life.' "
Anagrammatism, or, Metagrammatism. The latter is the correct term. Anagrammatism means, literally, the art of writing backwards — in which sense Amor [Love] is an anagram of Roma [Rome], and evil of live: but metagrammatism implies a transposition of letters, which has become the popular sense of anagrammatism. A metagram, then, is the transposition of the letters in one or more words to form a new word, or new words. "Father Finardi, with great felicity, said of Magliabecchi, the celebrated librarian of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Is unus bibli- otheca magna, that being the metagram [transposition of letters] of his Latinized name, Antonius Magliabbechius :" that is to say, He alone, or in himself, is a great library, that being, &c. There seems to be a secret meaning in the very letters of a name, which only require to be decom- pounded and newly arranged, to reveal the life and character of the wearer. Let those who may be disposed to laugh at this theory, as fanciful, remem- ber that they might in this manner have read the history of the battle of the Nile at the christening of Horatio N elson:" Honor est a Nilo" [a sen- tence composed of the letters of Lord Nelson's Christian name and sur- name— a metagram] : " Honor est a Nilo" means Honor is from the Nile. The metagram is said to have been made by a school-boy.
Anakim. Hebrew. — "Giants."
Ancien regime. Fr. — "The former, old, government, old form of government, former administration."
Ancienne noblesse. Fr. — The "old nobility" [of France], nobility prior to the Revolution of the last century.
Andare stretto. Ital. — "To go about a business in a miserly man- ner." To lose a sheep for a halfpenny-worth of tar.
AvSpog ditcaiov Kapirog ovk a7ro?2vrai. Gr. — "The good deeds \literally, fruit] of a righteous, just, upright, man perish not."
Avdpog KdKog Ttpaaoovrog enirodov <pi?M. Gr. prov. — " When a man is in difficulties, is ill to do in the world, his friends stand aloof, keep out of the way." A friend is never known till one have need. See "I)onec eris felix, &c."
Avdpcov r'jpuuv reava TZTj/uara. Gr. prov. — "The children of brave men are often a disgrace to them." Many a good cow hath but a bad calf.
Avrjp arvxuv antral raig eXicutt. Gr. prov. — "The man who is in ad-
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 31
versity is supported, sustained, buoyed up, by hope." If it were not for hope, the heart would break.
Avrjp dinaioc eariv, ovx o fii? adinuv,
A7JJ Sorts adineiv dwa/nevoc, ov flovherai. Gr. — "Just, upright, righteous, is the man, not merely he who abstains from acting iniquitously, unjustly, but he who, having it in his power, having full scope, to indulge in every kind of wickedness, has no wish whatever to do so."
Anglice. Lat. — "In English, according to the English fashion."
Anguillam cauda tenes. Lat. prov. — "You hold an eel by the tail." You are engaged with an active and slippery opponent.
Anguis in herba. Lat. Virgil. — "A snake in the grass." "A lurking danger, or one not actually foreseen."
Angulus terrae. Lat. Horace. — "A corner of the earth, some snug spot in the land." "When I leave the Temple, hopeless to find another spot consecrated by so much valor and so much wisdom, it should be for some angulus terrae, some wood-girt corner, which the foot of soldier or of lawyer has never yet been known to press."
Aniles fabulae. Lat. Quintilian. — " Old wives' stories, humdrum prosings."
Aniliana. Lat. The same meaning as the preceding example.
Animal implume, bipes. Lat. — "An animal without feathers, and walking on two legs." This is Plato's imperfect definition of a man, which was so successfully ridiculed by Diogenes, who brought a plucked cock into the school, and scornfully asked "if that was Plato's man?"
Animal propter convivia natum. Lat. Juvenal. — "An animal created, called into existence, to feast a whole company."^ Applied to the porcine, piggish or hoggish family. "Of all the delicacies in the whole mundus edibilis [eatable world, world of things good to eat], says Charles Lamb, I will maintain roast pig to be the most delicate, princeps obsoniorum [the very prince of dishes, articles of food]. I speak not of your grown porkers, things between pig and pork, those hobbydehoys, but a young and tender suckling, under a moon old, guiltless as yet of the sty, with no original speck of the amor immunditiae [love of nastiness, unclean- ness, filthiness], the hereditary failing of the first parent, yet manifest; his voice as yet not broken, but something between a childish treble and a grumble, the mild forerunner or praeludium [essay, proof, trial before- hand, preamble] of a grunt."
Animal risibile. Lat. — "An animal which can laugh." One of the definitions of man, given or suggested by the philosophers of the schools.
Animalcula. Lat. — "Very small, minute animals, living creatures." Usually, though incorrectly, written " Animalculce," as there is no such word. " Animalculum," the singular of "Animalcida" is a word not sanctioned by the ancient Latin writers.
Animi cultus quasi quidam humanitatis cibus. Lat. Cicero. — "Cultivation is as necessary to the mind, as food is to the body."
Animo et facto. Lat, — "Verily and indeed, really and truly."
Animo vidit; ingenio complexus est; eloquentia illumina- vit. Lat. Velleius Paterculus concerning Cicero. — "These subjects he
32 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
saw by the power of his mind; he comprehended them by his under- standing; and by his eloquence he enlightened them, cast a brightness upon them." This quotation has been applied to Burke.
Animoque supersunt
Jam prope post animam. Lat. Sidonius Apollinaris. —
"Their spirit seems even to survive their breath." Compare the exquisitely beautiful lines of Gray: —
"On some fond breast the parting soul relies, Some pious drops the closing eye requires; E'en from the tomb the voice of nature cries, E'en in our ashes live their icontedjires." Animula, vagula, blandula, Hospes, comesque corporis ! Quae nunc abibis in loca, Pallidula, frigida, nudula, Nee, ut soles, dabis joca ? The celebrated verses of the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, addressed to his soul. "Alas! my soul! thou pleasing companion of this body, thou fleet- ing thing, that art now deserting it? whither art thou flying? To what unknown region ? Thou art all trembling, fearful, and pensive. Now, what is become of thy former wit and humor? Thou shalt jest and be gay no more."
Animum nunc hue celerem, nunc dividit llluc. Lat. Virgil. — "This way and that he turns his anxious mind." A picture of an active mind, always bent on exertion.
Animum pictura pascit inani. Lat. Virgil. — "He fills his mind with a vain or idle picture; or, He feeds his mind with empty represen- tations." He dwells with eagerness upon the painted semblance. This is sometimes applied in ridicule to dilettanti, or picture-fanciers.
Animum rege, qui, nisi paret, imperat. Lat. Horace. — " Sub- due your passion, or it will subdue you." Study to acquire that self- control which will prevent your being hurried away by the force of your passions.
Animus. Lat. — "The feeling, disposition." "The animus of his charges," that is, the feeling that prompted him to make his charges.
Animus furandi. Lat. Law. — "The intention of stealing." He took the goods animo furandi, with a felonious design.
Animus in pedes decidit. Lat. — " His heart fell down to his hose, his heels."
Animus lucis contemtor. Lat. Virgil. — "A mind regardless of life [if sacrificed in a good cause]."
Animus, quod perdidit, optat
Atque in praeterita se totus imagine versat.
Lat. Petroxius Arbiter. —
"Oft does the mind wish for, desiderate, what it has missed, and loses
itself in the retrospective contemplation." Most men have occasion to
look back with regret on their lost opportunities. Compare Shakspeare :
" There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 33
Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries."
Anno aetatis. Lat. — "In the year of his, or her, age."
Anno di neve, anno di bene. Ital. prov. — " A snow year, a rich year."
Anno Domini. Lat. — "In the year of our Lord."
Annonce. Fr. — "Notice; intimation; advertisement."
Annosa vulpes non capitur laqueo. Lat. prov. — "An old fox is not caught in a snare, trap." You can't catch old birds with chaff.
Annus mirabilis. Lat. — "A wonderful year, year of wonders." N.B. A poem of Dryden's was so called in commemoration of the great fire of London.
Ante barbam doces senes. Lat. prov. — "You teach old persons before you yourself have a beard, while you are but a boy." Jack Sprat would teach his grandame, his granny.
Ante litem motam. Lat. — "Before the case is mooted; before the mooting of the case; before the commencement of the action, or trial."
Ante lucem. Lat. — "Before daybreak."
Ante omnia. Lat. — "Before every thing else; first and foremost; in the first place."
Ante tubam trepidat. Lat. — " He trembles, quakes for fear, before the trumpet or charge is sounded." His fears anticipate the danger.
Ante victoriam ne canas triumphum. Lat. prov. — "Do not triumph, exult, before you have gained the victory." Count not your chickens before they be hatched.
Av&puTzog ecrt 7rvev/Lia kcu OKia uovov. Gr. Euripides. — "Man is but a breath and a shadow." Compare Horace: — Pulvis et umbra sumus.
Quis scit an adjiciant hodiernae crastina summae Tempora Di superi ? "We are naught but shade and dust. Who knows whether the gods above will add, intend to add, to-morrow to the days already passed ?" Compare also this passage from the General Epistle of James: — Arjutg Tcpog oliyov ^aivofievrj, Kai eireiTa a<pavi^ojj.£V7j. — [Your life is even] "a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."
Antipodes. Gr. — "People on the opposite sides of the globe:" literally, "those who have their feet opposite to the feet of others."
Antiquarian. — "Relative to antiquities." "We must venerate Leland's undigested researches, as the first-fruits of antiquarian science among us." Gough.
. N.B. Gough is one of the few authors who uniformly use this word as an adjective, which it is; and never as a substantive, which it is not. Antiquarian for antiquary is a downright confusion of speech, though Shenstone, Blackstone, Walpole, Burke, Professor Reid, and even [that avower of his own studied correctness] Lord Chesterfield, are guilty of it. No such blemish defaces the purer styles of Lytteltox, Robertson, or Bryant.
Antiseptic. From the Greek. — "Good against putrefaction."
Antithesis. Gr. — "Opposition, contrast." "The wicked flee when C
34 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
no man pursueth; but the righteous are bold as a lion." "We are not more ingenious in searching out bad motives for good actions, when per- formed by others, than good motives for bad actions, when performed by ourselves/'
Awizev-dwoi. Gr. — "Men who render no account, exempt from ren- dering an account of their conduct in the exercise of public functions, irre- sponsible, absolute, uncircumscribed individuals, men not to be called to account. " "There is no autocrat [uncontrolled ruler, emperor, one who possesses independent sovereignty] so complete, not even the Czar of all the Russias, as the captain of a king's ship, and the head master of a grammar-school. Both of them are avvrrevdwoi in the utmost degree."
Att' ovpac ttjv eyx&w e^«c- Gr. prov. — "You hold the eel by the tail." There is as much hold of his word as of a wet eel by the tail. He is a slippery fellow.
Apathy. From the Greek. — "Without feeling, inertness, sluggish insensibility, avoidance of passion, folding of the hands to sleep."
Aperto mala cum est mulier, turn demum est bona. Lat. prov. — "When a woman is openly bad, she is then at the best." Her avowal is preferable to her hypocrisy.
Aperto vivere voto. Lat. Persius. — "To live with undisguised prayers, to offer no prayer that you would fear to divulge." Compare Pythagoras: Mera fuvqc evxeo, " Pray with your voice," that is, " aloud," so that men may judge whether you "ask amiss," or not. Compare also Seneca: Sic vive cum hominibus tanquam Deus videat: sic loquere cum Deo tanquam homines audiant, that is, " So live with men as though GOD saw you : and so commune with the Deity as though men heard you, heard all you uttered."
Apocryphal. From the Greek. — Properly " concealed, surrepti- tious," but often used in reference to something of uncertain credit. "This is apocryphal ; I may choose whether I believe it or not."
AlTO?iOlTO TtpUTUC aVTOC
'0 tov apyvpov tyCkqaac' Aia tovtov ovk ade?jj)o<;,
Aid TOVTOV OV TOKTjEq'
Ho/.euoi, <povoc 6C avrov. Gr. AxACREON. — "Accurst be he who first of yore Discovered the pernicious ore [gold] ! This sets a brother's heart on fire, And arms the son against the sire." Anopia i[>aXTov fat-. Gr. prov. — "A cough sometimes indicates the embarrassment of a harper, musician, sometimes shows that he is at a loss how to go on, that he is in a fix."
"When a musician hath forgot his note, He makes as though a crumb stuck in his throat." Apparent rari nantes in gurgite vasto. Lat. Virgil. — "They appear thinly scattered and swimming in the vast deep." This phrase, originally used to describe the mariners surviving a shipwreck, is now critically applied to a literary work in which the few thoughts of value are nearly overwhelmed in a mass of baser matter.
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 35
Appartement. Fr. — " Two or more rooms." The French word for a "single room" is chambre.
Appetito non vuol salse. Ital. prov. — "Hunger is the best sauce."
Appetitus ration! pareat. Lat. — "Let the appetite or desire be obedient to reason."
Apple of the eye. "According to our method," says Lemon, "of writing this word [apple], any person would suppose that, by the apple of the eye, we meant the ball of the eye: but, notwithstanding the apparent connection between these two ideas, the apple of the eye means quite an- other thing ; at least, the derivation points out a different meaning ; for the Gr. and Lat. words, from which we have taken our expression, do really signify quite a different thing from the ball of the eye; the Gr. words are irap&evoq [parthenos], Koprj [kore], and irate [pais], and the Lat. word is pupilla; all which signify what is commonly called the bird of the eye: that little opening, or round hole, that admits the rays of light, and through which is reflected from the bottom of the eye, that little image, that little boy or girl, that puppet [pupilla], which is discerned by every person who looks attentively into the eye."
Apres la mort le medecin. Fr. prov. — "After death the doctor."
Apres la pluie vient le beau temps. Fr. prov. — "After rain comes fine weather." After a storm comes a calm.
Apres moi le deluge. Fr. prov. — "After me will come the deluge." This proverb is used when we wish to intimate that we give ourselves no trouble or concern about what will happen after our decease.
Apres perdre perd on bien. Fr. prov. — "After losing we often continue to lose." Misfortunes seldom come alone.
A-rrpoaiKTuv eporuv ogvrepat fiaviai. Gr. Pindar. — " The rage after de- sires hard to be attained, inaccessible, unattainable, is increased by the difficulty."
Apud crepidam. Lat. — "At or near the [shoemaker's] last." "An apud crepidam discussion on Painting," that is, A discussion on Painting by one who is incompetent to speak on the subject. See "Ne sutor ultra crepidam."
Aqua fortls. Lat. — "Strong water." "Aqua regia," "Royal water." Two chemical preparations well known for their solution of metals. The latter is so called because it will dissolve gold, which has been termed a royal metal.
Aquam plorat, cum lavat, fundere. Lat. prov. Plautus. — "He bewails the loss of the water, when he washes himself." He'll not lose the paring of his nails.
Aquellos son ricos, que tienen amlgos. Span. prov. — "Rich are those who have [true] friends."
Aquila non capit muscas. Lat. prov. — "An eagle does not trouble himself to catch flies." A goss-hawk beateth not a bunting.
Aquila non mangia mosche. Ital. prov. — "An eagle does not feed upon flies." A great mind does not stoop to low or trifling pursuits.
Aquilam volare, delphinum natare doce. Lat. prov. — "Teach an eagle to fly, or a dolphin to swim." Teach your grandame, your granny, to suck eggs, to sup sour milk.
36 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
Aranearum telas texere. Lat. — "To weave spiders' webs." Me- taphorically taken, to maintain sophistical arguments.
Arbiter elegantiarum. Lat. — "The arbitrator of the elegances, or elegancies, the master of the ceremonies." The person whose judgment decides on matters of taste and form. N.B. The classic term, used by Tacitus, is "elegantiae arbiter"
Arbore dejecta quivis ligna colligit. Lat. — "When the tree is thrown down, any person may gather the wood." It is in the power of the meanest to triumph over fallen greatness.
Arcades ambo :
Et cantare pares, et respondere parati. Lat. Virgil. — " Both Arcadians [natives of a country of ancient Greece, of Arcadia, the Switzerland of Greece; men who were passionately fond of music, and who cultivated it with success] ; and both equally skilled in the opening song and in the response." The poet speaks of two contending shep- herds. The quotation is applied, however, to disputants of another de- scription, either to intimate that they are closely matched, or that they are playing, as the phrase is, into each other's hands.
Arcana imperii. Lat. — " State secrets." The mysteries of govern- ment.
Arcanum. Lat. — "A secret." The grand arcanum, the philoso- pher's stone.
Arcanum demens detegit ebrietas. Lat. — " Mad drunkenness discloses every secret." All reserve is laid aside in moments of intoxi- cation.
Arcanum neque tu scrutaberis ullius unquam ; Commissumque teges, et vino tortus et ira.
Lat. Horace. — "Never inquire into another man's secret; but conceal that which is in- trusted to you, though tortured both by wine and by passion to reveal it."
Arcem ex cloaca facere, ex elephanto muscam. Lat. prov. Cicero. — "To make a castle, fort, stronghold, out of a common sewer, or an elephant from a fly," that is, to make a mountain of a mole-hill.
Apxv v/uov rravTog. Gr. Hesiod. — "The beginning is the half of the whole." Of the tendency of this ancient saying, the best illustration is to be found in our own saying, "What's well begun is half done." See "Dimidium jacti," &c.
Apxifa>X0V KarelQ. Gr. — " Thou tramplest upon, insultest, Archilo- chus, treatest Archilochus contumeliously — Thou, thoughtless mortal, presumest to trample upon, insult, Archilochus, treat Archilochus with contumely [and thou wilt repent of it, wilt rue thine egregious folly] ." "Archilochus is a famous name in the old world, and must surely have been deserving of it, for good or for evil of uncommon quality, there being scarcely half a dozen, amongst all the ancient classics, in whose works we may not trace some instance or record of his universal invention or exqui- site skill, of his vigor of genius, or bitterness of spirit. Besides writing a man and his daughter who should have married him, into hanging them- selves, he founded a colony, and then lampooned it; struck out a score of new metres, and, if we may judge by the diversity of the numerous but
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 37
slender fragments of his poems still existing, was Grand master of Olympic odes, Bacchic hymns, warlike, moral, and consolatory elegies, bird-and-beast fables, love-songs, and libelous epigrams, throughout Greece and all her islands. ' Touch me who dare' — Apxt^X0V ^arelg — was his motto : which, nevertheless, he appears to have said once too often ; for it is certainly not greatly improbable that the man who is said to have assassinated him, Calondas the Crow, had previously been hitched by him into the gripe of some fierce iambics, or exposed to ridicule in some tale of a fox and a crow."
Archipelago. — "An assemblage of islands." The Eastern Archi- pelago comprises the largest assemblage of islands on the globe.
Arcum intensio frangit, animum remlssio. Lat. Publius Syrus. — "Straining breaks the bow, and relaxation the mind." Our proverb has it that the bow, which is always bent, must break. This maxim properly adds that the mind will in time lose its powers, unless they are called into due activity.
Arcus nimis intensus rumpitur. Lat. prov. — "A bow too much bent, kept on the stretch, is soon broken." A bow long bent at last wax- eth weak. See "Cito rumpes arcum, &c."
Ardentia verba. Lat. — "Glowing words." Expressions of uncom- mon force and energy. One of our poets has carried the idea still further. He speaks of "thoughts that breathe, and words that burn."
Arena. Lat. — " Sand, grit." " The arena of battle," that is, the field of battle, or the b^itlQ-field. The clear open space in the center of the amphitheatre [a place in ancient Rome for the exhibition of public shows of combatants, wild beasts, and naval engagements] was called the arena, because it was covered with sand, or sawdust, to prevent the gladiators [men who fought with swords in the amphitheatre and other places, for the amusement of the Roman people] from slipping, and to absorb the blood.
Argent comptant. Fr. — " Ready money." For immediate pay^ ment, for cash. N.B. Instead of "argent comptant" we may use "comp- tant" alone, just as some persons speak of "the ready." We may also use "argent sec" [literally, dry money], hard cash, in the same sense as "argent comptant," or "comptant."
Argent recu le bras rompu. Fr. prov. — "Borrowed money that you cannot repay, but must work out, is wellnigh having an arm broken." To work for a dead horse, or goose.
Argilla quidvis imitaberis uda. Lat. Horace. — "You may mould the youth into any shape you please, at pleasure, like soft clay." This is one of the numerous apophthegms which insist on the advantage of early impressions.
Argumentum a particulari ad universale. Lat. — "An argument that attempts to show from a single instance that all other instances are the same, similar, alike." The practice of generalizing from individual instances.
Argumentum ad absurdum. Lat. — "An argument to prove the absurdity of any thing."
Argumentum ad hominem. Lat. — "An argument to the man." An argument which derives its strength from its personal application. An appeal to the practices, or professed principles, of one's adversary.
4
38 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
Argumentum ad ignorantiam. Lat. — An argument founded on the ignorance of facts, or circumstances, shown by your adversary.
Argumentum ad judicium. Lat. — "An argument to the judg- ment." An appeal made, according to Locke, to proofs drawn from any of the foundations of knowledge.
Argumentum ad verecundiam. Lat. — "An argument to the modesty/' An appeal to the decency of your opponent.
Argumentum baculinum. Lat. — " The argument of the staff." Club law. Conviction per force, conviction enforced by drubbing.
Aria di finestra colpo di balestra. Ital. prov. — " The air of a window is as the stroke of a cross-bow."
Apicrov [itrpov. Gr. — "A mean, a middle course, is best in every thing." This was the saying of Cleobulus, one of the seven wise men of Greece. On most occasions in common life it is most prudent to steer a middle course.
Arma tenenti omnia dat, qui justa negat. Lat. Lucan. — " He who denies what is just grants every thing to those who have arms in their hands." A successful combatant will not be content with his naked right, but will insist on something more.
Armati terram exercent, semperque recentes
Convectare juvat praedas et vivere rapto. Lat. Virgil. — "In arms they ravage the earth, and it is ever their delight to collect tho recent spoil, and live on plunder."
Armes blanches. Fr. — "Hand-weapons, cold steel."
Arriere-garde. Fr. — The "rearguard."
Arriere-pensee. Fr. — "Mental reservation, thought kept in reserve, kept to one's self."
Ars est celare artem. Lat. — "The art, the perfection of art, is to conceal art." In every practical science, as in painting or in acting, for instance, the great effort of the artist is to conceal from the spectator the means by which the effect is produced.
Ars est sine arte, cujus principium est mentiri, medium labo- rare, et finis mendicare. Lat. — This is a most happy definition of the business of alchemy, or the vain search after the philosopher's stone: — "It is an art without art, which has its beginning in falsehood, its middle in toil, and its end in poverty."
Arte perire sua. Lat. Ovid. — "To perish, or fall, by their own machinations, to fall into the trap that they had prepared for others." "It is gratifying to man, and it seems the peculiar dispensation of GOD, that the malignant authors of mischief should themselves be the victims of their own contrivances."
Arts d'agrement. Fr. — "Accomplishments [in ladies' schools]."
Asinum tondes. Lat. prov. — "You are shearing an ass." "Here's a great cry, and but little wool," as the fellow said when he was shear- ing his hogs.
Asinus asino, sus sui pulcer, et suum cuique pulchrum. Lat. prov. — " To the ass, the sow, and every animal, their own offspring appears the fairest in the whole creation." The crow thinks her own bird fairen.
Asperae facetiae, ubi nimis ex vero traxere, acrem sui me-
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 39
moriam relinquunt. Lat. Tacitus. — "A bitter jest, when the satire comes too near the truth, leaves a sharp sting behind it." This experi- ment is always dangerous; but particularly when the shaft is leveled against high authorities.
Asperius nihil est humili cum surgit in altum. Lat. Claudian. — " Nothing is more harsh than a low man, when raised to a certain height.'* Aspettare, e non venire,
Stare in letto, e non dormire, Servire, e non gradire, Son tre cose da far morire. Ital. prov. — "To expect one who does not come, to lie in bed and not to sleep, to serve and not to be advanced, are three things enough to kill a man."
Assai ben balla a chi Fortuna suona. Ital. prov. — " He dances well, to whom Fortune pipes."
Assez y a, si trop n' y a. Old Fr. prov. — " There is enough, if there be not too much." Too much of one thing is good for nothing. Enough is as good as a feast.
Assidua stilla saxum excavat. Lat. prov. — "A eontinual drop- ping of water hollows out a stone." Compare Ovid: —
Quid magis est durum saxo? Quid mollius unda? Dura tamen molli saxa cavantur aqua. That is, "What is harder than stone? what softer than water? and yet hard stones, stones hard though they are, are, in process of time, made hollow by the falling of water on them."
Assiduo labuntur tempora motu
Non secus ac flumen. Neque enim consistere flumen, Nee levis hora potest : sed ut unda impellitur unda, Urgeturque prior venienti, urgetque priorem, Tempora sic fugiunt pariter, pariterque sequuntur ; Et nova sunt semper. Nam quod fuit ante, relictum est ; Fitque quod haud fuerat : momentaque cuncta novantur.
Lat. Ovid. — "With constant motion as the moments glide, Behold in running life the rolling tide! For none can stem by art, or stop by power, The flowing ocean, or the fleeting hour; But wave by wave pursued arrives on shore, And each impelled behind impels before: So time on time revolving we descry, So minutes follow, and so minutes fly." Assignat. Fr. — The paper money of France after the Revolution of the last century. " Is there a debt which presses them, issue assignats." Burke.
Assistance obligee. Fr.— "Legal relief," to the poor.
Assisto divinis. Lat. Horace. — "I stop [in the course of my morn- ing walk] to observe the fortune-tellers in the pursuit of their craft, or, I stop to consult the itinerant diviners [who kept a kind of shop for the sale of oracles]." The Roman Catholics make use of an expression somewhat similar to the "assisto divinis" of Horace: they say that they
40 A NEW DICTIONARY Or QUOTATIONS.
"assist at mass," that is, they "stand by and look on at mass," when they attend the service of the Romish Church. Creech, from whom better things might have been expected, most absurdly translated the expression, "I go to Church and pray:" thus raising ideas in the mind of the reader to which there was nothing correspondent in the religious services of Rome.
, Assumpsit. Lat. Law term. — "He assumed, he took upon him to pay." An action on a verbal promise.
Astra regunt homines, sed regit astra Deus. Lat. — "The stars govern men, but GOD governs the stars." This forms a proper answer to the self-dubbed professors of judicial astrology.
A&v/iia. Gr. — "Dejection, sadness, despondency, melancholy, the ex- haustion of all energy [in-ivorking, mental activity] , of all vitality of the soul ; the exhaustion of the heart." "This feeling is melancholy, despondency, or, in the much more powerful expression of the Greek, it is a&vfua."
Attach6. Fr. — "One of the higher class of subordinates of an em- bassy, or representative mission." The plural is attache's.
Au contraire. Fr. — "On the contrary, on the other hand."
Au courant. Fr. — "Aware of, acquainted with, familiar with." "It is his office to keep the King au courant of all that appears in modern literature."
Au d6sespoir. Fr. — " Driven to despair, in a state of despondency."
Au fait. Fr. — "Up to the mark." "On these points he is quite au fait." "He is aufait in the whole matter."
Au fond. Fr. — "To the bottom." "I know the man au fond." I thoroughly understand his character.
Au jour la journee. Fr. — "From hand to mouth."
Au pied de la lettre. Fr. — "Literally."
Au pis aller. Fr. — "At the worst." Let the worst come to the worst.
Au plus debile la chandelle a la main. Fr. prov. — "He that is worst may still hold the candle."
Au regnard endormi rien ne cheut en la gueule. Old Fr. prov. — "When the fox is asleep, nothing falls into his mouth."
Au s6rieux. Fr. — " Seriously, in a serious manner."
Au naturel. Fr. — "In its, or their, natural state."
Au reste. Fr. — "In addition to this, besides, moreover."
Au revoir. Fr. — "Good-bye, farewell."
Au royaume des aveugles les borgnes sont rois. Fr. prov. — "In blindmen's land those who are blessed with one eye are kings." N.B. This French proverb is very often quoted incorrectly, thus, Dans le pays, &c, instead of as above.
Auch weiber wussten zu schweigen. German. — "Even the women knew how to be silent, to keep their tongues to themselves." "There is no instance upon record of any Tyrolian being induced to turn traitor for a bribe; and, says Bartholdy, 'Auch weiber, &c."'
Auctor pretiosa facit. Lat. Ovid.— "The giver makes the gift more precious."
Aucune institution humaine ne peut subsister, si elle n'est
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 41
bas6e sur un sentiment, une vertu. Fr. — " No human institution can stand, unless grounded on some one feeling or virtue of our nature."
Audaces fortuna juvat, timidosque repellit. Lat. — "Fortune favors, or assists, the bold, but abandons, repels, the timid, the coward.'' Intrepidity will often succeed under circumstances in which timidity may produce a failure.
Audax omnia perpeti
Gens humana ruit per vetitum et nefas. Lat. Horace. —
"Daring to every extent of guilt, the human race rush onward in their mad career, setting at defiance all laws both human and divine." This often forms a motto to some discourse or invective against the wickedness of the age.
Aude aliquid brevibus Gyaris et carcere dignum Si vis esse aliquis. Frobitas laudatur et alget.
Lat. Juvenal. — " Dare to do something worthy of transportation and imprisonment, if you mean to be of consequence. Honesty is praised, but starves." This is applied to the success of intrepid villainy, whilst virtue finds only a cold approbation.
" Dare nobly, man ! if greatness be thy aim, And practice what may chains and exile claim: On Guilt's broad base thy towering fortunes raise, For Virtue starves on universal praise ! [While crimes, in scorn of niggard fate, afford The ivory couches, and the citron board, The goblet, high-embossed, the antique plate, The lordly mansion, and the fair estate.]" The plain sober prose of these four lines is, "It is to their crimes that these great men [!] are indebted for their gardens, their palaces, their tables, their fine old plate, &c." — A sentence peculiarly pregnant with meaning at the present time [1857]. A pamphlet was published some time ago with the title, " Whom shall we hang?" A very appropriate one might now be written with a slight change in the title, " Whom shall we trust?" Audendo magnus tegitur timor. Lat. Lucan. — "Fear is often concealed by a show of daring." The coward blusters to disguise his terrors. Audentes fortuna juvat. Lat. Virgil. — "Fortune assists the bold." Intrepidity will generally insure success.
Audi alteram partem. Lat. — "Hear the other party, hear the other side of the question, hear what the other disputant has to say for himself." Listen to what is said on both sides, and then j udge impartially. Audita querela. Law phrase. — "The complaint being heard." A writ, which lies where a person has any thing to plead, without having a day in court to make his plea.
Auditoria. Lat. — " Schools, professors' lecture-rooms, auditories, or assemblies of those that hear." N.B. "Auditorium" is the singular of " Auditoria"
Auferre, trucidare, rapere, falsis nominibus imperium ; atque ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant. Lat. Tacitus. — "To ravage, to murder, and to plunder is speciously called reigning, bearing kingly or imperial sway: and when monarchy through their blood-
4*
42 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
thirsty commanders desolate, lay waste, a country, they dignify their atrocity by calling it Making Peace." See "A cuspide corona." "There are crimes," says the Duke De la Rociiefoucault, "which be- come innocent, and even glorious, through their splendor, number, and excess: hence it is that public theft is called address; and to seize un- justly on provinces is to make conquests."
Aufgeschoben ist nicht aufgehoben. Ger. prov. — "Delayed, deferred, put off [for a time], is not lost, rejected, denied." Putting one off does not necessarily imply refusal.
Augusta Trinobantum. Lat. — The designation of "London" by the ancient Romans.
Aujourd'hui roi, demain rien. Fr. prov. — Literally, "To-day a king, to-morrow nothing." To-day me, to-morrow thee.
Aula regia. Lat. — "The Court; the Monarch's court; Court of the Sovereign."
Aula regis. Lat. — " The king's court." A court which in former times accompanied the king, wherever he traveled. This was the origi- nal of the present Court of King's Bench.
Aumonier du roi. Fr. — The "king's almoner [distributor of his charities, charitable gifts]."
Aunque seas prudente y viejo,
No desdenes el consejo. Span. prov. —
"Old or young, wise or foolish, it matters not; disdain not [to take] advice."
Aunque vistays a la moua de seda, mona se queday. Span, prov. —
"An ape is an ape, a varlet's a varlet, Though clothed in silk or clothed in scarlet."
Aurea mediocritas. Lat. Horace. — " The golden mean." The happy intermediate state between pomp and poverty. See "Apiorov /xc- rpov." "Give me," says Agur, "neither poverty, nor riches:" Proverbs xxx. 8. Compare also Hesiod: Kaipoc etu naoiv aptaTog: "Moderation is, under all circumstances, the best thing imaginable."
" Agur's prayer," says Colton, "will ever be the prayer of the wise. Our incomes should be like our shoes: if too small, they will gall and pinch us, but, if too large, they will cause us to stumble and to trip. But wealth, after all, is a relative thing: since he that has little, and wants less, is richer than he that has much, but wants more. True con- tentment depends not upon what we have, but upon what we would have; a tub was large enough for Diogenes [the celebrated Cynic philosopher]," "but a world was too little for Alexander [the Great]."
Auream quisquis mediocritatem Diligit, tutus caret obsoleti Sordibus tecti, caret invidenda
Sobrius aula. Lat. Horace. — "Whoever makes choice of the golden mean, safe from all the ills of poverty, is not compelled to dwell amid the wretchedness of some mise- rable abode: while, on the other hand, moderate in his desires, he needs not the splendid palace, the object of envy."
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 43
"The man, within the golden mean Who can his boldest wish restrain, Securely views the ruined cell "Where sordid want and sorrow dwell, And, in himself serenely great, Declines an envied room of state." Aureo hamo piscarl. Lat. prov. — " To fish, angle, with a golden hook." With money one may do almost every thing.
Aureola. Lat. — " A halo [circle] of glory, rays of glory." " Around thine ample brow, oft as thy sweet countenance rises upon the darkness. I fancy a tiara [a hat with a large high crown, turban, diadem, crown] of light or a gleaming aureola in token of thy premature intellectual grandeur [greatness, gorgeousness] ." De Quincey. Aureole. Fr. — The same meaning as "Aureola." Auri sacra fames. Lat. Virgil. — "The accursed thirst for, or after, gold." See " Quid non mortalia, &c"
Auribus tenemus lupum. Lat. — "We hold a wolf by the ears." "It is something beyond the ordinary necessity imposed on conquest which now impels us onward. Auribus tenemus lupum. We have got a powerful and ferocious beast in our clutches ; which we have vainly tried to tame, and which we can neither conveniently hold nor safely let go." If we quit our hold, he will destroy us, yet we shall not be able long to retain him. Aurora arnica musarum. Lat. prov. — "The morning, early morn- ing, is friendly to, favorable to, study, the cultivation of the intellect, of learning."
Aurora Borealis. Lat. — "The Northern lights." So called from being peculiar to the more northern latitudes. The appearances of the Au- rora come under four different descriptions. 1st, A horizontal light, like the break of day. 2dly, Fine, slender, luminous beams of dense light. 3dly, Flashes pointing upward, or in the same direction with the beams, which they always succeed. 4thly, Arches, nearly in the form of a rain- bow.
"The north pole is the holy mountain of the Eastern nations, the fabu- lous Meru of the Hindoos, the Kaf of the Arabian mythologists, and perhaps the real prototype of the Grecian Olympus."
Aurum e stercore. Lat. — "Gold from dung." Valuable know- ledge extracted from literary rubbish.
Aurum omnes, victa pietate, colunt. Lat. Propertius. — "All men now worship gold, all other reverence being done away." So venal is the age become, that nothing is respected but wealth and its possessors. Aurum per medios ire satellites,
Et perrumpere amat saxa potentius Ictu fulmineo. Lat. Horace. —
"Gold loves to make its way through the midst of guards and attendants, and, more powerful than thunder, it forces a passage through the strongest barriers, through the hardest rocks, through stone walls." " Stronger than thunder's winged force All-powerful gold can speed its course, Through watchful guards its passage make, And loves through solid walls to break."
14 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
Aurum potabile. Lat. — "Liquid or drinkable gold." Some quacks in ancient times pretended that they could form by a solution of this metal a panacea, or medicine which would cure all diseases. The phrase is now applied to draughts of a different kind, such as are generally pre- scribed by orthodox ministers for the cure of political heresies.
Auro pulsa fides, auro venalia jura,
Aurum lex sequitur, mox sine lege pudor.
Lat. Propertius. — " By gold all good faith has been banished ; by gold our rights are abused ; the law itself follows gold, and soon will there be an end of every modest restraint." The spirit of venality appears to have loosened all the bonds of society.
Auspicium melioris aevi. Lat. — "A pledge of better times."
Aussitot meurt veau comme vache. Fr. prov. — "A calf dies as soon as a cow." As soon goes the young lamb's skin to the market as the old ewe's.
Ausum eum, quae nemo auderet bonus : perfecisse quae a nullo nisi fortissimo perfici possent. Lat. Livy. — It was said of Cinna, the famous leader of the popular party during the absence of Sulla, the Roman dictator [an extraordinary magistrate of ancient Rome] in the East, "that he attempted those things which no good man durst have ventured on, and achieved those in which none but a valiant and great man could have succeeded." The same remark has been made in reference to the great Napoleon.
Aut amat, aut odit mulier; nil est tertium. Lat. Publius Syrus. — "A woman either loves or hates; there is no intermediate course with her, no medium." Her passions are ever in extremes.
Aut Caesar, aut nullus. Lat. — "He will be a Caesar, or a no- body, either cock of the walk, or nothing, or a mere cipher." N.B. " Aut Caesar, aut nidlus" may also be translated, "I will attain the highest station, or position, or perish in the attempt."
Aut disce, aut discede ; manet sors tertia, caedi. Lat. — "Either learn, or depart; a third course is open to you, and that is, submit to be flogged." The motto of the school-room of Winchester College.
Aut Erasmi aut Diaboli Lat. — [The work] "either of Erasmus or of the Devil." "Never, indeed, could the old formula [form, rule, maxim] of conviction, 'Aut Erasmi aut Diaboli,' be better applied; the book is indubitably the production of that lady or the Devil."
Aut insanit homo, aut versus facit. Lat. Horace. — "The man is either mad, or he is making verses." The man has either lost his reason, or he is impressed with the idea that Nature designed him for a Poet; and he is now, in consequence, trying his hand at making verses.
Aut navis, aut galerus. Lat. prov. — "Either a ship or a fur cap, hat, beaver." Something, if you could but tell what. 'Tis either a hare or a brake-bush.
Aut nunquam tentes aut perfice [better, perficias]. Lat. — "Either never attempt any thing, or accomplish it, bring it to bear, deter- mine to bring it to a successful issue."
A NEW DICTIONARY OP QUOTATIONS. 45
Aut virtus nomen inane est,
Aut decus et pretium recte petit experiens vir.
Lat. Horace. — "Either virtue is an empty name, or honor and recompense are due to the man who nobly enterprises."
"If virtue's aught beyond an empty name, Rewards the daring may with justice claim."
Autant de t§tes autant d' opinions. Fr. prov. — "So many men so many minds."
Autant en emporte le vent. Fr. — " So much does the wind carry away." This is all idle talk.
Autobiographia literaria. Lat. — "The literary account of one's own life, literary self-life writing."
Auto-da-fe\ Spanish. — "An act of faith," in other words, burning at the stake. The name given in Spain and Portugal to the burning of Jews and heretics for the love of GOD! "If Cromwell had not braved death for Mr. Hallam and all the rest of us, Mr. Hallam's reason and philosophy might be skulking under a cassock, or naming in an auto-da- fe*." N.B. An " auto-da-fe*" was a judicial act of the Inquisition, or the judgment it gave in order to condemn those whom it thought worthy of punishment for having infringed religious laws. And also, "the execution of such judgments, or sentences, and particularly of those which condemned its victims to the flames."
Automaton. From a Greek word, signifying self-moved, self impelled. Any piece of art that seems to move of itself, as a clock, jack, &c.
Avrovofita. Gr. — "Self-government, the condition or privilege of being governed by one's own laws."
Autrefois acquit. Fr. — " Formerly acquitted." A plea, by which the culprit states that he has been tried for the same offense, and found not guilty.
Auxilia humilia firma consensus facit. Lat. Laberius. — "Union gives firmness and solidity to the humblest aids." When small states coalesce with unanimity, they are strong in their means. The most powerful coalitions will, on the contrary, moulder away from disunion.
Avalanche. Fr. — The large and increasing ball of snow, which fre- quently rolls destruction down the sides of the Alps and other high mountains.
Avant-coureur. Fr. — A "harbinger, forerunner." Avant-cour- riere has the same meaning.
Avant-garde. Fr. — The "van-guard."
Avant-propos. Fr. — The "preface, or introduction, to a book."
Avaritia senilis quid sibi velit, non intelligo ; potest enim quidquam esse absurdius quam quo minus vitae restat, eo plus viatici quaerere ? Lat. Cicero. — "What the avarice of old men means I certainly cannot comprehend ; for can any thing, indeed, be more absurd than to be adding more and more to one's hoard, according as one's days are drawing nearer and nearer to their close V
Avarus, nisi cum moritur, nil recte facit. Lat. prov. — "The miser does nothing right, except when he dies, gives up the ghost."
Avec de bon sens, le reste vient. Fr. prov. — "With good sense
46 A NEW DICTIONARY OP QUOTATIONS.
other things come as matters of course." Good sense will generally lead to a successful result.
Avec de la vertu, de la capacity et une bonne conduite, on peut itre insupportable ; les manieres, que Ton neglige comme de petites choses, sont souvent ce qui fait que les hommes d6cident de vous en bien ou en mal. Fr. — "With virtue, capacity, and good conduct, a man may yet be insupportable; the manners, which one neglects as trifles, are often precisely that by which men decide on you favorably or the reverse; certain modes of behavior, which are often neglected as beneath notice, are frequently what make the world judge well or ill of you."
Avec nantissement. Fr. — " With security," " The sum is guaran- teed avec nantissement."
Aventurier. Fr. — An "adventurer," one who has every thing to win, and nothing to lose.
Aver la pera mondo. Ital. prov. — "To have one's pear ready pared." To be born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
Avere su la punta della lingua. Ital.—" To have a thing at one's tongue's end, or at the tip of one's tongue."
Avertissement. Fr. — An "admonition, caution, warning."
Avidos vicinum funus ut aegros
Exanimat, mortisque metu sibi parcere cogit ; Sic teneros animos aliena opprobria saepe Absterrent vitiis. Lat. Horace. —
"As the funeral of a neighbor, the death of an acquaintance, terrifies, almost frightens to death, the sick when eager after food, for food, and compels them, through fear of death, of the grim foe, to observe temper- ance and caution, to spare themselves, to curb their unruly appetites, and have a care for their health; in like manner do the miseries, which other men bring upon themselves by debauchery, often beget, in tender minds, a horror of vice."
"For, as when neighboring funerals affright The patient, who indulged his appetite, And bid him spare himself, we often find Another's shame alarms a tender mind."
Aviendo pregonado vino, venden vinagre. Span. prov. — " After having cried up, vaunted, boasted of, their wine, they sell us vinegar." This proverb is strongly applicable to those who, having pre-excited attention, are the more ridiculous from their falling off in performance.
Avito viret honore. Lat. — "He flourishes with hereditary honors, with honors transmitted from his ancestors."
Avise la fin. Fr. — " Consider the end."
Avocat. Fr. — "A barrister." N.B. "Avocat" is sometimes con- founded with uavou4" a very different word, meaning an attorney.
Avoir de la peine a joindre les deux bouts de l'an. Fr. — "To have some difficulty in making the two ends of the year to meet."
Avoir Taller pour le venir. Fr. prov.— "To have one's going for one's coming," have one's journey in vain. To have nothing but one's labor for one's pains.
A NEW DICTIONARY OP QUOTATIONS. 47
Avoir le coeur haut et la fortune basse. Fr. — "To have more spirit than fortune."
A£ia fj kvuv rov ^pufxaroc. Gr. prov. — "The dog is worth his food, victuals." 'Tis an ill dog that deserves not a crust.
Axiomata. Gr. — "Admitted propositions, established principles [in logic], axioms; general rules, or maxims."
Ayah. A lady's maid in India. The Ayah has no innate taste for dressing, but can usually plait hair well, and contrives to fasten a hook, and to stick in a pin so that it shall soon come out again. She is often the wife of one of the khedmutgars [domestics, whose business in a full establishment is solely to lay the table, bring up the dinner, and wait during the meal], and then the double wages make the service valuable to the worthy couple. Frequently she is an Indo-Portuguese woman, and, though a sad and ugly drab, is in most respects superior to the Mussulman woman.
Ayn wera macket Hera. Frisian prov. — A proverb of great antiquity, which may be rendered, "Own land makes grand," betoken- ing that family honor is represented by being lords of the soil.
Az dy bergen kealje, dan douset It wetter. Frisian prov. — "When the mountains bring forth, the waters dance," that is, One great event is followed by another.
Az ick wist dat myn himbd it wist, dan off ere ick it oon't fjoer op. Frisian prov. — " If I knew that my shirt knew it, I would offer it to the fire," that is, If my secret were known even to my own shirt, I would burn it.
B.
Baba Logne. Hindostanee. — Literally, The "children people." It is the name by which the offspring of Europeans of the higher classes are called by the domestics.
Baboo. — " Master, Sir." A Hindoo title of respect paid to gentlemen. Merchants, head clerks, &c, in Bengal, are invariably called Baboos.
Bacchantes. Gr. in Roman letters. — Priestesses of Bacchus [the heathen god of wine], who, by wine and other exciting causes, worked themselves up to frenzy at the festivals of Bacchus: used also in French fur tei^magants, froward women.
Badaud. Fr. — " Cockney." The badauds of Paris.
Badauderie. Fr. — " Silliness, doltishness, boobyism, a foolish admi- ration of any thing and every thing."
Badinage. Fr. — "Jocularity, mirth, gayety. merriment, pleasantry."
Bagatelle. Fr. — "Vive la bagatelle!" that is, "Long live trifling, or trifles!" "There is a pleasure arising from the perusal of the very bagatelles [literary trifles, light compositions] of men renowned for their knowledge and genius."
Bagne. Fr. — A place where galley-slaves or convicts are kept in chains, where galley-slaves or convicts are shut up after labor.
Bahadoor. — " A great person, a pompous fellow."
48 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
Bam fitv, a?2a poda. Gr. — "Short [poems] in troth, but [all of them] roses;" compositions of the most exquisite character, of the very highest grade of excellence.
Bal abonne\ Fr. — A "subscription ball."
Bal champgtre. Fr. — A "country ball."
Baliverne. Fr. — " Stuff, humbug, nonsense of any kind."
Ban. Slavonic. — "The Ban of Croatia is the third person of the realm of Hungary." that is to say, The Viceroy, or Lord-Lieutenant of, &c. N.B. Pan, or Ban, in the Slavonic dialect, means Lord. The ruler of Croatia, in the days of Constantine Porphyrogenitus, was styled Pan.
Bande noire. Fr. — "The beaux-esprits of royalism now betook themselves to defending cathedrals, donjons, ruined towers, and feudal castles against the bande noire:7' that is to say, The toits, men of wit, geniuses, men of quick parts and ready at repartee [reply], of royalism
against [those, whom they had the particularly good taste! to
designate] the black gang, black set of fellows, the bad lot [an association of speculators, who bought large estates to sell them in lots, built villages with the materials of deserted mansions, and planted potatoes for human beings in the ancient domain of hares and foxes] . N.B. "Donjon" means the principal tower of a castle, which was usually raised on a natural or artificial mound, and situated in the innermost court. Its lower part was commonly used as a prison. It was sometimes called the donjon-keep, or tower.
Bandito. Ital. — An "outlaw, outlawed criminal, criminal who ban- ishes himself from society at large." The plural is banditi, with only one t.
Barba bagnata mezza rasa. Ital. prov. — "A washed beard is half shaved." Well begun is half done. See Mr. Sheriff Mechi's " Observations on Shaving."
Barbara, celarent, darii, ferio, baralipton. Lat. — This line, which should close with the words queprioris, instead of baralipton, is a hexameter, consisting of words whose vowels indicate the moods in the First Figure of Logicians. Words full of sound, but quite devoid of sense. Applied to bombast.
Barbare loqui. Lat. — "To speak barbarously." "He insists on the distinction between barbare loqui and incondite loque:" that is to say, between speaking barbarously and speaking confusedly, or in a disorderly, immethodical manner. N.B. A man who writes in a piebald, hybrid [mongrel] diction, or style, made up of German, French, and Latin, for instance, may be said to write barbare, while he who writes without composition or digestion, without due regard to composition or digestion of his subject, may be said to write incondite.
Barbouillage. Fr. — "Scrawl; bad writing; rigmarole; confused dis- course." " On ?ie comprend rien d son barbouillage:" "One can make nothing, neither head nor tail, of his rigmarole."
Bas bleu. Fr. — A "blue-stocking, literary lady." The plural is bas bleus.
Basis. Gr. — "Foundation, base." That on which any thing rests. "Now, so long as this work is made the basis [foundation] of any new edition, so long will it go on to be rudis indigestaque moles," that is to say, a chaotic and undigested mass, a rude and unarranged mass [a chaos
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 49
of undigested matter] ; a mazy labyrinth of valuable matter without system or arrangement.
Basis virtutum constantla. Lat. — " Steadiness is the foundation of all virtues."
Bassa. — A Turkish title of honor bestowed on governors of provinces and privy-councillors of the Grand Signor, the Sultan, or Sultaun, the sovereign of the Turkish empire, the acknowledged head of the Mo- hammedan religion.
Bastardus nullfus est filius, aut filius populi. Lat. Law maxim. — "A bastard is the son of no man, or the son of the people." A bastard being born out of marriage, his father is not known by the law. He is, therefore, in law as no man's issue, it being regarded as uncertain from whom he is descended.
Baste pour cela. Fr. — "Well and good; well, so be it; mum for that."
Bastille. Fr. — The name of the castle, fort, citadel, stronghold, fortress, in which state-prisoners used to be confined at Paris, something like the Tower of London.
Bathos. Gr. in Roman letters. — " Profundity, depth." " Philosophy, that sounds all depths, has seldom approached a deeper bathos than the lines we have just quoted."
Batta. Hindostanee. — "Deficiency; discount; allowance." Also, allowance to troops in the field. "In the garrison, troops are allowed half-batta."
Battue. Fr. — "Slaughtering game on a large, gigantic scale." "The preserving of hares and pheasants in large numbers for battues is particularly injurious both to agriculture and to rural morality."
Bavarde. Fr. — A "chatterbox, silly woman, who talks at random, without discretion."
Beati possessores ! Lat. — "Happy, lucky, fortunate, blessed, are the possessors, they who are in actual possession [of any thing, right, pro- perty, privilege, as possession is nine-tenths of the law]." "Henry VIII. silenced the professors of the Canon Law at the Universities, forbade the granting of degrees in it, and nominated a commission for its reform. But beati possessores ! is a maxim of the law. Its masters of the science of defense have always been excellent in their own behalf."
Beau d6sordre. Fr. Boileau. — "Beautiful disorder," — that sort of lawless disorder in verse-composition which has received the name of " dithyrambic," that is to say, "pertaining to, or resembling, hymns sung in honor of Bacchus [see " Bacchantes"] : wildly enthusiastic, in- flated, exaggerated."
Beau id6al. Fr. — The "very pink, or flower; true realization." "The beau id£al of a statesman."
Beau monde. Fr. — The "fashionable world, world of fashion."
Beaute" et folie vont souvent de compagnie. Fr. prov. — "Beauty and folly often join company." Fair and sluttish [foolish], black and proud, long and lazy, short and loud.
Bed of justice. — This expression is a pure barbarism, into which we have been misled by the French, whose ancient language [the Gaulish, or
50 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
Celtic] being lost to them, the sense of this expression, "un lit de justice," among others, is now out of memory; hence that barbarous pleonasm [redundancy, the use of more words to express ideas than are necessary], tenir une lit de justice [as if the lit here were derived from lectus, a bed, instead of loi, loit, lit, law] : to hold a law of justice, or a court of justicey that is, a court leet: not a bed of justice, unless for her taking a nap on it. The ambiguity of the derivation is evident: the deception took its rise from the double construction of the Greek verb "Xeyu, and the Latin word lectus; 7xyu, I say, gives origin to lego, I read, legere; whence we have lex, law, because the law is accustomed to be read and studied: the 6upines of lego are ledum, lectu, and the participle passive lectus: but lectus also signifies a bed, from leyo, I lie down, whence we have 'Ae^og , lectus, a bed, or couch: hence the barbarous pleonasm, and hideous ambiguity, are sufficiently manifest and plain.
Bedouins. — Arabs, who constantly live in tents. They wander over the whole of Turkey, Persia, Arabia, Egypt, and Syria. They recognize no government but that of their own sheikh or superior. See "Sheikh."
Beef-eaters. — Can any word have degenerated more from the ori- ginal idea than this now before us? the Queen's beefeaters! and why not her mutton-eaters too? did our kings at first appoint them only to eat beef at their public entertainments merely for the diversion and amusement of their queens and their courtiers? History informs us that when the jealousies between the houses of York and Lancaster had scarcely subsided at the union of the two Roses under Henry the Seventh, that suspicious monarch instituted this company of beefeaters, as his own body-guard, to attend him both abroad and at board, like the ancient dapifers [which see], that is, to go with him abroad, whenever he went from the palace ; and to deck his table, and adorn his board, whenever he stayed at home: and even to this day, in their warrants, they are called table-deckers, that is, they were to place all the vessels belonging to the king's board, or were to be his buffetiers [degenerated into beefeaters], the French term for "side-board attendants, attendants at the side-board."
Begum. — A Hindoo lady, princess, woman of high rank.
Bel paese. Ital. — A "beautiful country, sunny land or clime."
Bella femina, che ride, vuol dlr borsa, che piange. Ital. prov. — "The smiles of a pretty woman are the tears of the purse." The latter must be drained to insure the continuance of the former.
Bella gerant alii : tu, felix Austria, nube :
Nam quae Mars aliis, dat tibi regna Venus. Lat. — "Let others, other nations, peoples, wage wars: do thou, 0 happy Austria, wed, think mainly of wedlock, be it thy care to form matri- monial alliances : for, inasmuch as, the kingdoms which Mars gives to others Venus gives to thee."
" Archdeacon Coxe, in the preface to his 'Memoirs of the House of Aus- tria/ compares that House to the Danube of its native mountains, 'at first an inconsiderable rill, obscurely wandering amidst rocks and precipices, then swelling its volume by the accumulation of tributary streams, carrying plenty and fertility to numerous nations, and finally pouring its mighty waters by a hundred mouths into the Euxine Sea/ The peculiar policy to
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 51
which it is principally indebted for its aggrandizement is indicated in the well-known lines —
'Bella gerant alii: tu, felix Austria, nube: Nam quae Mars aliis, dat tibi regna Venus.' "But it is beside our purpose to state by what alliances, conquests, or treaties the descendants of Rhodolph of Hapsburg contrived to mount the throne of the Caesars, and became possessed of two ancient independent kingdoms, besides archduchies, principalities, countships, and lordships without end. It is enough that the present emperor rules over more than thirty-five millions of subjects of all degrees of civilization and all modes of faith."
Bella, horrida bella. Lat. Virgil. — "Wars, horrid wars."
Bella matribus detestata. Lat. Horace. — "Wars detested by mothers," by orphans, widows, &c, by all, in short, but ambitious ministers, commissaries, contractors, &c,
"Whose chief delight is blood, and bloody deeds."
Belle. Fr. — A "handsome, stylish, fashionably dressed lady." The plural is belles. N.B. " The word 'belle,' (says Lemon,) has unluckily given our countrymen an opportunity of inventing one of the most nonsensical hieroglyphics that has ever yet appeared: the French have very properly applied their words ' belle sauvage' to a beautiful wild African woman, and have as properly represented her as having been found in an African wood [if ever found] : but when an English painter would represent this incident, he draws us a beautiful black woman standing near a bell! and to this day there is a noted inn, called the bell savage inn, on Ludgate Hill, which for- merly bore that enigmatical sign ; but of late the savage has disappeared ; and nothing now remains but a large gilded bell in the yard, to amuse us with that significant emblem of beauty: such poor conceits are fit only for a book of heraldry, or a new edition of 'Quarles's Emblems.'"
Belle parole non pascon i gatti. Ital. prov. — " Fine words don't feed cats." Good words fill not a sack.
Belles conversations a la derob6e. Fr. — "Pleasant, interesting, agreeable, conversations by stealth, stealthily, on the sly."
Belles-lettres. Fr. — " Polite literature, learning."
Bellum internecinum. Lat. — "A war of extermination, of mutual destruction." A war to be continued until one or other of the contend- ing parties be ruined or exterminated.
Bellum lethale. Lat. — " A deadly war." The meaning is nearly similar to that of the preceding phrase.
Bellum nee timendum, nee provocandum. Lat. Pliny. — "War is neither to be timidly shunned, nor is it to be unjustly provoked."
Bellum, pax rursum. Lat. Terence and Horace. — "War, and again peace." Alternate warfare and reconciliation: applied by the authors to the contests between lovers.
Bellum plus quam civile. Lat. — "A war rather more, something more, than a merely civil one."
Bellum punitivum. Lat. — "A penal war, a war having for its object pain and punishment."
Bern sabe o gato cujas barbas lambe. Port. prov. — "The cat well knows whose lips she licks."
52 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
Ben' ti voglio. Ital. — "I wish thee well." "I wonder whether any one has ever adopted for a seal the beautiful head of Cardinal Ben- tivoglio, with the name for a motto, 'Ben' ti voglio;' the conceit seems too obvious to have escaped notice."
Ben trovato. Ital. — "Well feigned, or invented." "When we are willing to be deceived, there is but small difference between the vero and the ben trovato."
Ben vengas, si vengas solo. Span. prov. — "Thou comest well, if thou comest alone." Spoken of a misfortune.
Bene colligitur haec pueris et nrulierculis et servis et servo- rum simillimis liberis esse grata : gravi vero homini et ea quae fiunt judicio certo ponderanti probari posse nullo modo. Lat. Cicero. — " It is rightly inferred that these things [frivolities] are pleasing to children, women, and slaves, and even to such freemen as greatly re- semble slaves: but can by no means be approved by a man of figure, consideration, and character, and who forms a right judgment, estimate, of things."
Bene est cui Deus obtulit parca, quod satis est, manu. Lat. Horace. — "Happy is the man, on whom the Deity has bestowed with a sparing hand what is sufficient for his wants."
" Oh ! happy he whom Heaven hath fed With frugal, but sufficient, bread." See " Auream quisquis, &c." and "Aurea mediocritas."
Bene est tentare. Lat. — "It is well, as well, to try," any thing that may turn out advantageously, to one's advantage.
Bene exeat. Lat. — "He may depart, take his departure, let him depart, creditably, without any fault attaching to him." "He brought a bene exeat from his last bishop."
Bene facit, qui ex aliorum erroribus sibi exemplum sumat. Lat. Publius Syrus. — "Wisely does he act, who, from the errors, mis- takes, of others, derives an instructive example for his own peculiar benefit, advantage."
Bene nummatum decorat Suadela, Venusque. Lat. Horace. — " The goddesses of Beauty and Persuasion favor the suit of the rich man: Persuasion and Venus adorn the well-moneyed man." The rich man easily finds flatterers, to style him an eloquent and persuasive speaker, and a pleasing and agreeable companion: —
"The goddess of Persuasion forms his train, And Venus decks the well-bemoneyed swain."
Bene qui latuit, bene vixit. Lat. Ovid. — "Well has he lived, who has passed all his days in the bosom of obscurity: — "
"He lives not ill, who lives and dies unknown." Compare Epicurus [the Athenian philosopher], Aa&e j3iuaac, "Pass thy days in a state of [comparative] obscurity."
Bene si amico feceris, ne pigeat fecisse,
Ut potius pudeat, si non feceris. Lat. Plautus. — "If you have acted kindly to your friend, do not regret that you have done so, as you should rather be ashamed of having acted otherwise."
Beneficia dare qui nescit, injuste petit. Lat. prov. — "He who knows not how to confer a kindness, must ask for one unjustly."
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 53
Beneficia usque eo laeta sunt, dum videntur exsolvi posse ; ubi multum antevenere, pro gratia odium redditur. Lat. Tacitus. — "Benefits are so far acceptable, as the receiver thinks he may make an adequate return ; but, once exceeding that, hatred is returned instead of thanks." A man hates to be indebted for a favor which he knows he cannot repay.
BenSficiaire. Fr. — "One who has a benefit at a theater."
Beneficium accipere libertateni vendere est. Lat. Laberius. — "To receive a benefit is to sell your liberty." This is a phrase very often used; it is, however, but partially and circumstantially just. The sense of obligation is, however, not rarely a painful tie on the feeling mind.
Benigno numine. Lat. — "By the favor of Providence."
Benignus etiam dandi causam cogitat. Lat. prov. — "Even the benevolent man reflects on the cause of giving." There is but little merit in inconsiderate bounty.
Bgte. Fr. — A "silly, foolish, stupid creature, a dolt, blockhead."
Bete noire. Fr. — Literally, "black beast," but often used to signify a person who is one's aversion. "He was long their idol, but is now their bete noire." N.B. "BUes noires" means black game, or wild beasts of a dark color.
BStise. Fr. — A "piece of nonsense, nonsense.';
Bey. — A Turkish title of nobility.
Bibliomania. From the Greek. — "A rage for possessing books, book-madness."
Bibliomaniacs. From the Greek. — "Persons who are book-mad, mad for the possession of books."
Bien-aime\ Fr. — The "Beloved, well-loved." An epithet applied at one period of his life to Lewis the Fifteenth of France.
Bien attaqu6, bien defendu. Fr. prov. — "Set a thief to catch a thief; they are well matched."
Bien perdu, bien connu. Fr. prov. — "Once lost, then prized."
The worth of a thing is best known by the want. Compare Shakspeare : —
"That which we have we prize not to the worth
While we enjoy it; but being lacked and lost,
Why then we rack the value; then we find
The virtue that possession would not give us."
Bien vengas, mal, si vienes solo. Span. prov. — "Welcome, mis- chief, if thou comest alone."
Biendar sin cuyo freno el hombre se queda a solas con su naturaleza. Sp. Solis.— [The curb of moral and religious discipline] " those reins, without whose restraint man is left all alone with his nature."
Bienseances. Fr. — The "decencies, proprieties, of life."
Bigarrer ses ouvrages de citations. Fr. — "To belard, interlard, one's work with quotations."
Billet-doux. Fr. — A "love-letter."
Billet d'etat. Fr. — "Government paper, bank-notes."
Bis dat, qui cito dat. Lat. prov. — "He gives twice who gives soon." He who gives at once, and without any fuss, in a great measure
5*
54 A NEW DICTIONARY Or QUOTATIONS.
doubles his gift. A promptitude in giving heightens a favor, which may he depreciated by delay.
Bis est gratum, quod opus est, si ultro offeras. Lat. prov. — "That which is necessary is doubly grateful if you offer it of your own accord. " Spontaneous bounty is ever most acceptable.
Bis peccare in bello non licet. Lat. prov. — " It is not permitted to err twice in war." In hostile operations an error is to be prevented by as much caution as if it were irretrievable.
Bis vincit, qui se vincit in victoria. Lat. Publius Syrus. — "He conquers twice who conquers himself in victory." He conquers his enemy by his valor, and subdues himself by his moderation.
Bismillah! Persian. — "In the name of GOD!" An exclamation constantly in the mouths of Mohammedans, who pronounce it on all occasions before commencing even the most common operations of life: it is prayer, invocation, blessing.
Bisogna fa trottar la vecchia. Ital. prov. — "Need makes the old wife trot." The French say, " Besoin fait vieille trotter" which has the same meaning.
Bissextile. From the Latin. — The name given to leap-year, because in that year two successive days were both denominated the sixth before the Calends of March. The Calends were the first day of the Roman month, on which day the people used anciently to be called together for particular purposes.
Bizarre. Fr. — "Whimsical, fantastical."
Bizarrerie. Fr. — " Whimsicalness, strangeness of fancy."
Boca de mel, coragon de fel. Port. prov. — "A honey tongue, a heart of gall."
Bocado comido no gana amigo. Span. prov. — " A morsel eaten gains no friend."
Bocca truciata mosca non ci entra. Ital. prov. — "A close mouth catcheth no flies."
Boeotum in crasso jurares aere natum. Lat. Horace. — "Thou wouldst swear that he had been born in the thick air of the Boeotians," that is, "was as stupid as any Boeotian." Boeotian dullness was pro- verbial, but how justly, the names of Pindar, Epaminondas, Plutarch, and other natives of this country, will sufficiently prove. Much of this sarcasm on the national character of the Boeotians is no doubt to be ascribed to the malignant wit of their Attic neighbors. " The genius," says Dr. Patrick, "depends much on the climate where a man is born. The people of Boeotia were the most gross and clownish of all Greece, because of the thickness and fogginess of the air there. Cicero, in his book De Fato, says, ' Athenis tenue coelum, ex quo acutiores etiam putan- tur Attici ; crassum Thebis, itaque pingues Thebani et valentes ;' that is, ' The climate of Athens is pure, and the air serene ; whence the inhabit- ants have quicker parts, and a more piercing apprehension, than the rest of the Greeks. The heaven, on the contrary, at Thebes, is thick and foggy, its inhabitants dull and of slow capacities.' But experience shows that this remark does not hold good in all cases, and that sometimes the worst climates produce the finest geniuses: witness Pindar, who breathed 'the
A NEW DICTIONARY OP QUOTATIONS. 55
unpromising air of Thebes, and yet rose to be the prince of Lyrick Poets."
Bois ont oreilles et champs oeillets. Fr. prov. — " Fields have eyes, and woods have ears."
Bombalio, clangor, stridor, taratantara, murmur.
Lat. Farn. Rhet. — " Rend with tremendous sounds your ears asunder, "With gun, drum, trumpet, blunderbuss, and thunder." Applied to any noisy assemblage.
Bon avocat, mauvais voisin. Fr. prov. — "A good lawyer is a bad neighbor." One of the popular satires on the professors of the law.
Bon bourgeois. Fr. — A " substantial, rich, citizen."
Bon diable. Fr. — A " good, jolly, fellow."
Bon fait avoir ami en cour, car le proces en est plus court. Fr. prov. — "'Tis a good thing to have a friend in court, as it shortens the process." A friend in court is worth a penny in a man's purse.
Bon gre\ mal gre\ Fr. — "With a good or ill grace." Whether the individual wills it or not.
Bon guet chasse mal aventure. Fr. prov. — "A good watch, good watching, keeps off ugly customers [thieves, &c.]." Sure bind, sure find. See "Abundajis cautela, &c"
Bon jour, bonne oeuvre. Fr. prov. — "A good day, a good work." This corresponds with the English proverb, " The better day, the better deed."
Bon marche tire 1' argent hors de la bourse. Fr. prov.— "A good bargain draws the money from the purse." A good bargain is a pick-purse.
Bon naturel. Fr. — "Good temper, naturally good disposition."
Bon pays, mauvais chemin. Fr. prov. — "A good country, a bad road, way." The worse for the rider, the better for the bider.
Bon poete, mauvais homme. Fr. prov. — "A good poet, a bad man." The better workman, the worse husband.
Bon soir. Fr. — "Good evening."
Bon vivant. Fr. — A "high feeder, liver; one who can play a good knife and fork, a good trencher-man." The plural is "bons vivants."
Bon voyage. Fr. — "A pleasant journey [if by land]:" a "pleasant voyage [if by water]."
Bona fide. Lat. — " In good faith." Actually, in reality.
Bona fides. Lat. — "Good faith, integrity."
Bona malis paria non sunt, etiam pari numero ; nee laetitia ulla minimo moerore pensanda. Lat. Pliny. — " The enjoyments of this life are not equal to its evils, even in number ; and no joy can be weighed against the smallest degree of grief or pain." This is the senti- ment of a melancholy man. It must, however, be generally admitted that the "compunctious visitings" of human life are such as to outweigh its most valued enjoyments.
Bonarum rerum consuetudo pessima est. Lat. Publius Syrus. — "The too constant use even of good things is a very bad thing, a dis-
56 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
advantage, is hurtful, injurious/' We should restrain ourselves so as to use, but not to abuse, our enjoyments.
Bonhommie. Fr. — "Good nature, easy humor, simplicity, credulity."
Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere. Lat. The Human emperor Tiberius. — "It is the part, duty, of a good shepherd to shear his flock, but not to flay them."
Boni principil finis bonus. Lat. prov. — "A good beginning makes a good ending."
Bonis nocet, quisquis pepercerit malis. Lat. Publius Syrus. — "He who spares the bad, hurts, injures, the good."
Bonis quod benefit, haud perit. Lat. Plautcs. — "The kindness which is bestowed on the good is never lost."
Bonne. Fr. — A "nurse-maid, nursery-maid."
Bonne bete. Fr. — A "silly, foolish, stupid creature, good-natured fool."
Bonne bete s'echauffe en mangeant. Fr. prov. — "A good beast gets heated in eating." Quick at meat, quick at work.
Bonne-bouche. Fr. — A "dainty dish, morsel, delicate bit." Some- thing reserved as a special gratification.
Bonne-chere. Fr. — "Good cheer, entertainment, fare."
Bonne foi. Fr. — "Good faith, sincerity, honesty, plain-dealing."
Bonne fortune. Fr. — "Good fortune."
Bonne la maille qui sauve le denier. Fr. prov. — "Well spent is the halfpenny that saves a penny." That penny is well spent that saves a groat. A penny saved is a penny got.
Bonne renommee vaut mieux que ceinture doree. Fr. prov. — "A good name is above wealth, better than riches, better than a girdle of gold."
Bonne table. Fr. — A "good table, good dinners, good spreads."
Bonnes gens. Fr. — "Civilized beings, men of the right sort, stamp, good sort of persons."
Bonnet de nuit. Fr. — A " nightcap."
Bonnet rouge. Fr. — The "cap of liberty," literally, the "red cap."
Bons esprits. Fr. — " Sensible minds."
Bons-mots. Fr. — "Witticisms, jests, jokes." The singular is "bon- mot."
Bonum est fugienda aspicere in alieno malo. Lat. Publius Syrus. — "It is well for those who can see, in the misfortunes of others, the things which they themselves should especially avoid, shun." In this case, without suffering adversity, a reverse of fortune, they acquire that prudence which it inculcates. See "Benefacit, qui, &c."
Bonum magis carendo quam fruendo cernitur. Lat. prov. — "That which is good is descried more strongly in its absence than in its enjoyment." Compare Shakspeare: —
"'.That which we have we prize not to the worth, But being lacked and lost, why, then we rate its value."
Bonum summum, quo tendimus omnes. Lat. Lucretius. — "That supreme good, to which we all aspire."
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 57
Bonus. Lat. — "The portion of surplus capital distributed at certain periodical intervals among the assurers is usually called a bonus, a term which is well understood, from the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the broker of 'Change Alley, to mean a good thing, so very good, we suppose, that, setting at utter defiance the time-honored rule of grammar, it has been thought entitled to the honor of appearing in 'the most worthy gender:'" that is to say, of capital over and above what may be necessary to satisfy forthcoming claims, expenses of management, &c. N.B. "Surplus" is a word compounded of two Latin words, super, over, or above, and plus, more, and means what remains over after accomplishing a purpose or object. " Bonus" means a good man: the right word for a good thing is Bonum.
Bonus atque fidus judex per ob3tantes catervas explicat sua victor arma. Lat. Horace. — "A good and faithful judge, armed with an upright mind, triumphs over the crowd of enemies, who are al- ways opposed to virtue."
"Perpetual magistrate is he, Who keeps strict justice full in sight ; "Who bids the crowd at awful distance gaze, And virtue's arms victoriously displays."
Bonus dux bonum reddit comitem. Lat. prov. — "A good leader makes a good follower." A good Jack makes a good Jill.
Boreas. Gr. in Roman letters. — " The north or northwest wind, the north."
Bos alienus subinde prospectat foras. Lat. prov. — "A strange ox often, ever and anon, looks out for his former quarters, — for the home he has left." Home is home, though it be never so homely.
Bos lassus fortius figit pedem. Lat. prov. — "The ox when weariest treads heaviest."
Bostandgis. — The body-guard of the Sultan. They superintend his gardens and palaces, and attend him on his aquatic excursions. They are expert in the use of the oar, and invariably row the Sultan's caique [a light bark, much used on the Bosphorus].
Bourbons. Fr. — The legitimate Royal Family of France.
Bourgeois. Fr. — A "citizen." N.B. Our English word "burgess" is derived from "bourgeois."
Bourgeoisie. Fr. — "The body of citizens, civic body, citizens, bur- gesses."
Bourse. Fr. — The "Exchange."- N.B. The term "Bourse" takes its origin from a Mr. Vander Burse, whose house at Bruges was near the place where the merchants assembled for the transaction of business.
BovG'po(f>7]dov. Gr. — Turning like plowing oxen ; writing after the manner so called, namely, from the left to the right, and continuing the writing from the right to the left uninterruptedly, resembling furrows traced by a plow.
Boutade. Fr. — A "sally, invective."
Boute-feu. Fr. — An " incendiary, fire-brand."
Brahm. — According to the Hindoos, "the almighty, infinite, eternal, incomprehensible, self-existent being ; he who sees every thing, though never seen ; he who is beyond the limits of human conception ; he from
58 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
whom the universal world proceeds ; whose name is too sacred to be pro- nounced, and whose power is too infinite to be imagined."
Brahma. — At the present day the least important deity of the Hindoo Triad. He is termed the creator, or the grandfather of gods and men.
Brahmuns [commonly written Brahmins]. — The Brahmuns are the first and most distinguished race of the Hindoos, mythologically [fabulously] described to have sprung from the head of Brahma.
Brevets. Fr. — " Patented."
Brevi manu. Lat. — Literally, "With a short hand." "He released the man from duress brevi manu," that is, in double quick time, without the slightest delay. " He witnessed the brevi manu execution of a robber," that is, the summary execution, &c.
Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio. Lat. Horace. — "I labor, strive, to be short, brief, concise [in my style], but I become obscure." An expression applied to authors who, aiming at too great brevity, leave so much unexplained as to become obscure to their readers. Quintilian tells us that Nimium corripientes omnia sequitur obscuritas, that is, Ob- scurity of expression, or want of perspicuity, follows [is the necessary consequence, result, to] those writers who aim at too great conciseness in their compositions.
Bpiapeug <j>aiverac uv layuc. Gr. prov. — "Though a hare, he would forsooth wish to be considered a Briareus," that is, "a giant." "Bria- reus" was a huge and powerful giant, whom the poets represent to have had a hundred arms and fifty heads.
Bride-cake. — This word takes its origin from the ancient Roman custom of Confarreation, a marriage ceremony in token of the most firm alliance between man and wife, in the common participation of a cake of wheat or barley: "this ceremony," says Blount, "is still retained in part with us by that which we call the bride-cake, used at many wed- dings:" but whatever were the ingredients of the ancient bride-cakes, the modern are made of such costly articles, that the wealthy now-a-days seem to vie with each other more in the extravagance of the composition than in a knowledge of the institution.
Brochure. Fr. — A " pamphlet."
Brogues. — "This," says Lemon, "is another instance how strangely the sense of words will alter in course of time : thus, all our dictionaries tell us that brogues signify Irish wooden shoes: but Shering tells us that there was a Danish king who acquired the surname of Loth-brocus, ita Regnerus, a vestibus hirsutis, quibus indutus, duos inusitatao magni- tudinis serpentes occidit, ut Saxo refert, agnominatus est ; nominis vero rationem ita explicat Stephanius ; ab hirsutis Braccis dictus est Lod- brog, quasi Loden-brog [that is, he was surnamed Loth-brocus, on account of the leather breeches his Majesty wore] ; brog enim braccas, sive femor- alia, nostra lingua denotat:" and Sammes calls them his fur-leather breeches; because perhaps dressed with the fur or hair on: brog, there- fore, signifying femoralia, seems to have been contracted from bracca, quasi brog-ga; but now, brog, and brogue, appear so very much alike, that they seem to be one and the same.
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 59
Brusquerie. Fr. — "Bluntness, abruptness, sharpness, gruffness, roughness."
Brusquerie r^publicaine. Fr. — A "republican display of blunt- ness, roughness, republican rough procedure."
Brutum fulmen. Lat. — "A harmless, insignificant, thunderbolt, a mere bugbear." A loud but ineffectual menace, threat. A law which is neither respected nor obeyed. " His discourse was a mere brutum fulmen ; it was 'full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.'"
Buccae noscenda est mensura tuae, spectandaque rebus in summis, minimis. Lat. Juvenal. — "One must know one's own mea- sure, and keep it in view, in the greatest and in the most trifling matters." "Yes, know thyself, in great concerns, in small, Be this thy care ; for this, my friend, is all."
Budha. — The founder of the religion of the Singhalese, Burmese, &c.
Buey viejo sulco derecho. Span. prov. — "An old ox makes a straight furrow."
Bukshish, or Buxis. — A term used to denote presents of money. The practice of making presents, either as a matter of compliment or in requital of service, is so very common in India and the East generally, that the natives lose no opportunity of asking for bukshisli. In Egypt, perhaps more than anywhere else, the usage is a perfect nuisance. Half- naked Arabs, donkey-boys, boatmen, &c, if left alone with an English- man, or getting near enough to him not to be heard by his fellows, will invariably whisper "bukshish!" whether he has or has not rendered any service. The word " boxes," as applied to our Christmas gifts, has pro- bably taken its origin in the Oriental term.
Bulbul. — The nightingale of the East, often alluded to in the poems of Hafiz. The Oriental bulbul has prettier plumage than the Philomel of European groves, but does not boast so sweet a melody.
Bungalows. — Indian houses or villas of a single floor. They are either thatched or tiled.
Bureau. Fr. — An "office, public office." The plural is bureaux.
Bureau de conciliation. Fr. — The "Conciliation committee, or committee for making up matters, or settling disputes."
Bureau de la guerre. Fr. — The "War office, office of war."
Bureaucratic Fr. — "Bureaucracy, clerkocracy, clerk-section, cleri- cal section of the people, or community." N.B. This new word is seldom employed except in conversation, in order to express the undue influence of the clerks in the administration.
Burnoose. — Part of a Turk's or Arab's clothing, a cloak.
0.
Caaba. — The temple or mosque [place of religious adoration among the Mohammedans] at Mecca, towards which all good Mussulmans turn their faces at the time of prayer.
Cabala, or rather Cabbala. — A mysterious doctrine among the Jews, received by oral tradition from their fathers, and not committed to
60 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
writing, but at last compiled into a body, called their Talmud: these two words are of Hebrew origin.
Caballero. Span. — A "gentleman."
Cacoethes. Lat. from the Gr. — Literally, an evil habit, custom. It is never quoted alone, but always in combination with some other word, as in the two following instances.
Cacoethes loquendi. Lat. — " A rage, itch, propensity, for speak- ing." An anxiety to speak in public.
Cacoethes scribendl. Lat. — From Juvenal, whose expression is, " Scribcndi cacoethes." "A rage, itch, propensity, for writing." "He has the Cacoethes scribendi." He is an arrant scribbler.
Cada gallo canta en su muladar. Span. prov. — "Every cock is proud on his own dunghill." The French proverb is, Chien sur son fumier est hardi. "A dog is bold on his own dunghill."
Cada hum em sua casa e rey. Port. prov. — "Every one is a king in his own house." A man's house is his castle.
Cada hum folga com o seu igual. Port. prov. — "Every Jack must have his Jill."
Cada ovelha com sua parelha. Port. prov. — "Like will to like," as the scabbed squire said to the mangy knight, when they both met over a dish of buttered fish. The French proverb is, Chacun cherche son semblable.
Cada uno en su casa, y Dios en la de todas. Span. prov. — "Every one in his own house, and GOD in all of them." Every man for himself, and GOD for us all.
Cada uno sabe adonde la aprieta el capito. Span. prov. — " The wearer best knows where the shoe wTrings, pinches, him."
Cader dalla padella nelle bragie. Ital. prov. — "Out of the fry- ing-pan into the fire."
Cadit quaestio. Lat. — " The question, case, matter, falls, drops, to the ground." "If matters be as stated, cadet quaestio ; the point at issue will not admit of further discussion."
Caeca invidia est, nee quidquam aliud scit quam detrectare virtutes. Lat. Livy. — "Envy is blind, and she has no other quality than that of detracting from virtue."
Caftan. — A quilted or thick outer cloak, worn by the Turks, Persians, and Arab Sheikhs.
Cahier des charges. Fr. — A schedule of the clauses and con- ditions on which any public work is to be contracted for.
Caisse d'amortissement. Fr. — The " sinking fund."
Calamitosus est animus futuri anxius. Lat. Seneca. — "Dread- ful is the state of that mind which is deeply concerned for the future." "Incessant fears the anxious mind molest."
Callida junctura. Lat. Horace. — " Skillful or judicious arrange- ment [of wrords in literary compositions]." "Junctura ," observes Hurd, "as employed by Horace, is a word of large and general import, and the same in expression as order or disposition in a subject. The poet would say: Instead of framing new words, I recommend to you any kind of artful management, by which you may be able to give a new air and cast to old ones."
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 61
Calumniare fortiter, et aliquid adhaerebit. Lat.prov. — "Slander stoutly, and some injur}', damage, to the slandered is sure to result." Throw plenty of mud, and some of it will be sure to stick. Slandei leaves a score behind it.
Calumniari si quis voluerit,
Quod arbores loquantur, non tantum ferae, Fictis jocari nos meminerlt fabulis. Lat. Phaedrus. —
"Let those, whom folly prompts to sneer, Be told we sport with fable here ; Be told that brutes can morals teach, And trees like soundest casuists preach."
Cambridge. — From the common appearance of this word, it seems to be derived from a bridge built over the Cam, as is currently believed ; but, if we attend to the derivation of Cleland, we shall find an etymology far more consonant to the institution of that place of learning as a University ; he says then that " Cambridge is only a contraction of Cantal- bureich; *cant signifies head; al, a school, or college; and bureich, or reich, a borough, or bury ; the head 'precinct of a college, or principal college-borough: there are many reasons," adds he, "to believe that Cantalbury, Cambray, or Cambridge, existed in the state of a head colle- giate borough for ages before the Roman invasion."
Camerlingue. Fr. — " Camerlingo," Ital. One of the highest offi- cers of the Roman Court, who is always a cardinal: he is perpetual president of the Apostolic chambers, and administers the civil govern- ment when the see [of Rome, the Papacy] is vacant.
Can scottato d'acqua calda ha paura, poi della fredda. Ital. prov. — "The scalded dog fears hot water, and afterwards cold." The burnt child dreads the fire.
Canada. — "The name of Canada has been long a matter of dis- pute among the etymologists. It has been supposed to have arisen from an exclamation of some of the early Portuguese navigators, who, observ- ing the desolation of the country, either cried out, or wrote on their maps, Aca-Nada, aca-Nada, l there is nothing here:' [nothing ivorth mentioning']. It has also been supposed to have taken its name from the Spanish Canada, a canal, from the shape of the country, forming the blank banks of the St. Lawrence ; but the more received explanation is the Indian one, Canata, a collection of huts."
Canaille. Fr. — " Rabble, mob, mobility, rascality, scum of the earth, snobocracy." "Mr. G. Dundas defended the conduct of the police in driving back the canaille from the carriage-way, and suggested the use of a six-pounder on the next occasion of a similar demonstration." While on this subject of "canaille" [a word so often in the mouths of those who ought to know better], the following anecdote may not be un- interesting: "Frangois de Clermont Tonnerre, Bishop of Noyon, under Lewis the Fourteenth, a prelate so often mentioned by Madame de Se- vign6, La Bruyere, and other contemporary writers, carried the vanity of birth to such an excess as to become the object of universal ridicule and sarcasm, even in that age. An epigram describes this meek and lowly successor of the apostles as disdaining to associate with the ignoble inmates of heaven ; it ends thus : —
6
62 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
1 On dit qu' entrant en paradis
II fut rec,u vaille que vaille, Et qu'il en sortit par mepris, N'y trouvant que de la canaille.' " Candida pax homines, trux decet ira feras. Lat. Ovid. — " Fair, honorable, peace becomes men, ferocious anger should belong to beasts." Candida perpetuo reside, Concordia, lecto,
Tamque pari semper sit Venus aequa jugo. Diligat ilia senem quondam, sed et ipsa marito, Tunc quoque cum fuerit, non videatur, anus.
Lat. Martial. — "Perpetual harmony their bed attend, And Venus still the well-matched pair befriend! May she, when time has sunk him into years, Love her old man, and cherish his white hairs: Nor he perceive her charms through age decay, But think each happy sun his bridal day!" Candor dat viribus alas. Lat. — "Truth gives wings to strength." Cane, che abbaia, non morde. Ital. prov. — "The dog that barks does not bite." The greatest barkers bite not sorest. Dogs that bark at a distance bite not at hand.
Cane vecchio non baia indarno. Ital. prov. — "If the old dog barks, he gives counsel."
Canes timidi vehementius latrant. Lat. prov. — "Timid dogs bark the loudest."
Canis in praesepi. Lat. prov. — "The dog in the manger." To play the dog in the manger, — not eat yourself, nor let any one else. N.B. " Manger" is a French word, signifying "to eat;" hence, that part of a stable from which horses feed.
Cantabile. Ital. — "Something to be sung." A term applied to movements intended to be performed in a graceful, elegant, and melodious style.
Cantabit vacuus coram latrone viator. Lat. Juvenal. — " The empty traveler will sing before the robber." The traveler with empty pockets will sing e'en in the robber's face: —
"Now, void of care, the beggar trips along, And, in the spoiler's presence, trolls his song." If poverty has its inconveniences, it has also its independence and security. Compare Ovid: —
" Sic timet insidias qui scit se ferre viator Cur timeat: tutum carpit inanis iter:" that is, "Thus does the rich traveler fear a surprise, an attack, while the one with empty pockets, the one who has naught to lose, pursues his journey in perfect safety." Compare also Seneca: "Nudum latro transmittit," that is, "The robber passes by the man whose appearance bespeaks poverty."
Cantaro que muchas vezes va a la fuente alguna vez se ha de quebrar. Span. prov. — "The pitcher doth not go so often to the water but it comes home broken at last."
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 63
Capias. Law Lat. — "You may take." A writ to authorize the cap- ture or taking of the defendant. It is divided into two sorts, namely: —
Capias ad respondendum. — "You take to answer." A writ issuing to take the defendant for the purpose of making him answer- able to the plaintiff; and
Capias ad satisfaciendum. — "You take to satisfy." A writ of execution after judgment, empowering the officer to take and detain the body of the defendant until satisfaction be made to the plaintiff. "To act honorably is for an imprisoned and impoverished debtor out of the ques- tion ; dishonesty is forced on him. He is compelled, when he should work, to remain utterly supine and inert, and to consume uselessly in prison the time and money which are the property of his creditors. By the Roman law a debtor was brought to his creditor bound in chains to work like a slave: by the wise English law he is entombed alive and debarred all power of exertion. The writ directs * capias ad satisfaciendum,' or, in the bailiff's very sensible translation, 'take him for your satisfaction-/ and this being done, no other satisfaction is by law required or expected. In colloquial phrase, he may ' snap his fingers' at all pecuniary demands, except those incurred within his prison-walls, and for the rest of his life sit with his arms crossed. As to professional income, he may have been in receipt of £500 or £5000 per annum, and the proceedings of any one exasperated or malevolent creditor will cut it off irretrievably, for it is not by petitioning the Insolvency Court that he can be restored to his former station. With regard to estates and resources, beyond mere goods, chattels, and equipages, the present law, as we have seen, affords no power whatever. The conduct of those debtors, who possess means of payment, is quite optional. [Written in 1837.]"
Capiat, qui capere possit. Lat. — "Let him take it [the property] who can."
Capidgi. Persian and Turkish. — A porter or door-keeper; a cham- berlain. The Capidgi- Bashee are a higher class of officers, and are ex- clusively employed to use the bowstring.
Capitan Pasha. — The Turkish High Admiral.
Captum te nidore suae putat ille culinae. Lat. Juvenal. — "He thinks that you are taken with the smell of his kitchen ; he looks upon you as one caught by the savor, savory smell, of his kitchen." He is inclined to regard you as a parasite [one who flatters another in order to live at his expense].
Caput mortuum. Lat. — "The dead head." In chemistry, "the ashes remaining in the crucible." Figuratively, "the worthless remains, rubbish, useless details."
Caput scabere. Lat. Horace. — "To scratch one's head." A sportive mode of conveying the idea that one intends to bestow the great- est care and attention on one's literary compositions.
Car tel est notre plaisir. Fr. — " For such is our pleasure." This was anciently the form of a regal ordinance, under the Norman line. It is now happily used only in an ironical sense to mark some act of despotic authority.
64 A NEW DICTIONARY OP QUOTATIONS.
Caravan. Persian. — Merchants traveling together in companies, by troops.
Carbonaro. Ital. — Literally, a "charcoal-burner." A member of a secret society of Italy ; it is applied by analogy to the extreme parti- sans of pure democracy, an ultra-democrat. The plural is carbonari. N.B. In the wooded districts of the Abruzzi, a secluded and romantic region of Italy, the manufacture of charcoal goes on ; and from the name of the charcoal-burners, the noted sect of the Carbonari took their appellation, originating here and in Calabria.
Carebant quia vate sacro. Lat. Horace. — " [The names of these illustrious men are unknown to posterity] because they were without — they were not blessed with — a sacred or divine poet to hand them down to posterity; in other words, because they had no poet to perpetuate them, or because
'No bard had they to make all time their own/ 11 The public mind is sometimes highly sensible of philological pro- priety, and has, therefore, endeavored to designate the Psewdo-gentleman [the Gent] by some other title than gentleman; which latter it saw was an abuse of terms ; hence the words dandy, Corinthian, sviell, exquisite, &c. But some high literary authority was wanted to record the change in lasting print; and, in the absence of such authority, no one of these words has been universally adopted, carebant quia vate sacro." N.B. A gentleman may be defined as a man of unimpeachable honor and gallantry, of dignified carriage, spotless reputation, a high mind, liberal views, and a goodly education.
Caret periculo, qui etiam tutus cavet. Lat. Publius Syrus. — "He who, even when safe, is on his guard, is most free from danger." A proverb which well illustrates the advantages arising from vigilance, watchfulness, being "wide awake."
Caricature. From the Ital. Caricalura. A portrait made uglier than the natural figure.
Carior est illis homo quam sibi. Lat. Juvenal. — " Man is dearer to them [the gods] than to himself." "To talk of the omnipotence of prayer, and of mocking or being mocked, unless we expect an answer to our prayers, is changing places, and putting GOD into the hands of man, instead of leaving ourselves, with pious confidence, in the hands of GOD. It might be expected of the Christian that he should feel at least as solemnly as the Roman satirist, Carior est illis homo quam sibi."
Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero. Lat. Horace. — "Enjoy the present day, as distrusting that which is to follow." This is one of the maxims of the Epicurean school, which recommended, but no doubt unwisely, the immediate enjoyment of pleasure in preference to remote speculation. N.B. Addressed by the poet to a woman, which ac- counts for "credula." "Enjoy the present, whatsoever it be, and be not solicitous for the future; for if you take your foot from the present stand- ing, and thrust it forward towards to-morrow's event, you are in a restless condition: it is like refusing to quench your present thirst by fearing you shall want drink the next day. If it be well to-day, it is madness to make the present miserable by fearing it may be ill to-morrow : when your belly
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 65
is fall of to-day's dinner, to fear you shall want the next day's supper; for it may be you shall not, and then to what purpose was this day's affliction ? But if to-morrow you shall want, your sorrow will come time enough, though you do not hasten it : let your trouble tarry till its own day comes. But if it chance to be ill to-day, do not increase it by the care of to-morrow. Enjoy the blessings of this day, if God send them, and the evils of it bear patiently and sweetly ; for this day is only ours : we are dead to yesterday, and we are not yet born to the morrow. He, therefore, that enjoys the present if it be good, enjoys as much as possi- ble; and if only that day's trouble leans upon him, it is singular and finite. 'Sufficient to the day (said Christ) is the evil thereof:' sufficient but not intolerable. But if we look abroad, and bring into one day's thought the evil of many, certain and uncertain, what will be and what will never be, our load will be as intolerable as it is unreasonable." — Jeremy Taylor.
"Let to-morrow take care of to-morrow, Leave the things of the future to fate: What's the use to anticipate sorrow? Life's troubles come never too late. If to hope overmuch be an error,
'Tis one that the wise have preferred; And how often have hearts been in terror Of evils— that never occurred !
"Have faith, and thy faith shall sustain thee —
Permit not suspicion and care With invisible bonds to enchain thee,
But bear what God gives thee to bear; By His Spirit supported and gladdened,
Be ne'er by ' forebodings' deterred ; But think how oft hearts have been saddened
By fear of — what never occurred!
"Let to-morrow take care of to-morrow; Short and dark as our life may appear, We may make it still darker by sorrow —
Still shorter by folly and fear ! Half our troubles are half our invention,
And often from blessings conferred Have we shrunk in the wild apprehension Of evils — that never occurred !" C. Swain.
Carte. Fr.— The "bill of fare."
Carte blanche. Fr. — "Every department of the Government had a carte blanche for every thing that might be thought necessary for the apprehended war:" that is to say, had power to act according to their own discretion, unlimited power for every thing, &c. N.B. " Carte blanche" means a blank sheet of paper, paper unwritten on. Carte du pays. Fr. — The "map of the country." Cartel. Fr. — A "cartel" is a writing, or agreement, between states at war, for the exchange of prisoners, or for some mutual advantage; also, a vessel employed to convey the messenger on such occasions. E 6*
66 A NEW DICTIONARY OP QUOTATIONS.
Cartesian. — A follower of the philosopher Des Cartes: also, re- lating to Des Cartes, as, "The Cartesian system has a tendency to spiritualize body and its qualities."
Casa de pupilos. Span. — A "boarding-house."
Cashier. — From the Fr. "casser," to render void. Hence cashier, to discard, dismiss from an office. This word must not be confounded with cashier, one who has charge of cash. From the same root John- son derives quash, when it signifies to annul.
Casta ad virum matrona parendo imperat. Lat. Publius Syrus. —
"How gently glides the marriage life away, When she who rules still seems but to obey !" Or — "Obey your husband at whatever cost,
And he will ne'er suspect you rule the roast."
Caste. — Tribe, breed, from the Portuguese word casta, a breed. The Hindoo religion divides the people into castes.
Castrant alios, ut libros suos, per se graciles, alieno adipe suffarciant. Lat. Jovius. — "They castrate the books of other men, in order that with the fat of their works they may lard their own lean volumes." Applied to plagiarists, in whose works whatever is good is found to be stolen.
Casus belli. Lat. — "A plea for going to war."
Casus foederis. Lat. — "A case of conspiracy."
Casus interventionis. Lat. — "A case calling for intervention [coming between parties], plea for interference."
Casus necessitatis. Lat. — "A case of necessity, desperate ex- tremity."
Casus provisus. Lat. — "A case for which provision has been made, — case that has been foreseen, anticipated."
Casus, quern saepe transit, aliquando invenit. Lat. prov. — "Him whom chance frequently passes over, it at some time finds." The continuance of good fortune forms no ground for ultimate security.
Catalogue raisonn6. Fr. — A catalogue with proofs, illustrations, or literary notices. N.B. " Raisonn4,> is nearly always spelt with two e's instead of one by English persons who use the above expression ; this is incorrect, as the French word " catalogue" is of the masculine gender.
Catamaran. — A small boat, or rather a log of wood, on which some of the natives of the Coromandel coast traverse the sea. There is much communication between the shipping and the shore at Madras by means of these small craft.
Cattiva e quella lana, che non si puo tingere, Ital. prov. — "'Tis a bad cloth, indeed, that will take no color."
Caucus. — An American slang term, signifying an assembly of some of the members of Congress.
Caudae pilos equinae paulatim vellere. Lat. prov. — "To pluck out the hairs of a horse's tail by little and little, by degrees." "Pull hair and hair, and you'll make the carle bald."
Causa causans. Lat. — "The Great First Cause: the Supreme Being." "Whether we look to our own consciousness, or to our ac- quaintance with the opinions of others, we feel and witness nc revolt
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 67
against the possible existence of a superior power, the causa causans, by whose extraordinary interposition the old laws of nature may be either temporarily suspended, or permanently changed."
Causa et origo est materia negotii. Lat. Law maxim. — "The cause and beginning is the matter of the business." Every man has a right to enter into a tavern, and every lord to distrain his tenants' beasts ; but if in the former case a riot ensues, or if in the latter the landlord kills the distress, the law will infer that they entered for these purposes, and deem them trespassers from the beginning.
Causa latet, vis est notissima. Lat. Ovid. — " The cause is secret, but the effect is known."
Causam hanc justam esse animum inducite,
Ut aliqua pars laboris minuatur mihi. Lat. Terence. — "Write, correspondents, write, whene'er you will; 'Twill save me trouble, and my paper fill." A suggestion to correspondents of newspapers, and contributors to periodicals.
Cause celebre. Fr. — "A celebrated or remarkable trial in a Court of Justice."
Causeries. Fr. — "Familiar conversations, chat, chit-chat."
Cautus enim metuit foveam lupus, accipiterque Suspectos laqueos, et opertum milvius hamum.
Lat. Horace. — "The wolf once cautioned by experience dreads the pitfall, the hawk suspects the snare, and the kite the covered hook." Even animals learn to avoid that by which they retain a sense of having been injured. N.B. In using the word "milvius" [a kite] in this passage, the poet alludes to a species of fish, living on prey, and sometimes, for the sake of obtaining food, darting up from the water like the flying-fish when pursued by its foe.
Caval non morire, che erba de venire. Ital. prov. — "While the grass grows, the steed starves."
Cavallo corriente sepoltura aperta. Ital. prov. — "A running horse is an open sepulcher."
Cavallo que bueta, no quiere espuela. Span. prov. — "Do not spur a free horse."
Cavar un chiodo e piantar una cavicchia. Ital. prov.— "To dig up a nail, and plant a pin." To cut down an oak, and set up a strawberry.
Cave tibi cane muto et aqua silente. Lat. prov. — "Be on your guard against a silent dog and still water."
Caveat actor. Lat. Law maxim. — "Let the actor or doer beware." Let him look to the consequences of his own conduct. If a landlord gives an acquittance to his tenant for the rent which is last due, the presump- tion is that all rent in arrear has been duly discharged.
Caveat creditor. Lat. — " Let the creditor beware, be on his guard."
Caveat emtor. Lat. — "Let the buyer, purchaser, beware, be on his guard."
Cavendo tutus. Lat. — "Safe by taking heed, proper care, safe by caution." The motto of the House of Cavendish.
Cavendum est ne major poena, quam culpa, sit; et ne iisdem
68 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
de causis alii plectantur, alii ne appellentur quidem. Lat. Cicero. — "Care should in all cases be taken that the punishment do not exceed the guilt; and also that some men may not suffer for offenses which, when committed by others, are allowed to pass with impunity."
Caxa de cdnsolidacion. Span. — "The sinking fund."
C'e da fare pur tutto, diceva colui, che ferrava l'occa. Ital. prov. — "That's doing something, as the man said who was shoeing a goose." He that will meddle with all things, may go shoe the goslings.
C'est a dire. Fr. — "That is to say, — namely,"
C'est bonnet blanc et blanc bonnet. Fr. — "'Tis six of one and half a dozen of the other."
C'est de 1' argent en barre. Fr. — "'Tis as good as ready money."
C'est du bl6 en grenier. Fr. — "'Tis as good as money in one's pocket."
C'est du neuf, du tout neuf, qu'il faut creer. Fr. — "'Tis from what is altogether new that we must originate something new."
C'est 6gal. Fr. — "No matter, 'tis all the same."
C'est folie de beer contre un four. Fr. prov. — "Tis folly to be gaping near an oven." He that gapeth until he be fed, well may he gape until he be dead.
C'est le chemin des passions, qui m'a conduit a la philoso- phic. Fr. Rousseau. — "It is the path of the passions, which has con- ducted me to philosophy."
C'est le crime qui fait la honte, et non pas l'echafaud. Fr. Corxeille. — "It is the guilt, not the scaffold, which constitutes the shame." These were the last words of the heroine Corday, when, by de- priving the miscreant Marat of life, she had rid the earth of a monster.
C'est le fils de la poule blanche. Fr. prov. — "He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth."
C'est le mot de l'enigme. Fr. — "It is the meaning of the riddle [the key to the mystery]."
C'est le pere aux ecus. Fr. — "He is the father of the crowns." He is the moneyed man.
C'est le refrain de la ballade. Fr. — "The old story over again."
C'est le ton qui fait la musique. Fr. — "It is the tone that makes the music." By this it is intimated that as much depends on the tone and manner in which words are employed, on certain occasions, as on the words themselves.
C'est la plus belle rose de son chapeau. Fr. — "It is the best feather in his cap, the best spoke in his wheel, the best gem in his crown."
C'est la prosperity qui donne les amis, mais c'est 1' adversity qui les epreuve. Fr. — "It is prosperity that gives us friends, but it is adversity that tries them, that shows us the worth of their professions."
C'est la source des combats des philosophes, dont les uns ont pris a tache d'elever l'homme en decouvrant ses grandeurs, et les autres de l'abaisser en representant ses miseres. Fr. Pas- cal.— "The origin of the disputes between philosophers is, that one class
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 69
of them have undertaken to raise man by displaying his greatness, and the other to debase him by showing his miseries."
C'est pour l'achever de peindre. Fr. — "This is to finish his picture." This is to complete his character.
C'est renouvele" des Grecs. Fr. — "The old thing over again!"
C'est son cheval de bataille. Fr. — " That is his forte" that is, "his ability, in which he shines most, in which his powers come out the strongest,' his strong point."
C'est un balai neuf, il fait balai neuf. Fr. — "A new broom sweeps clean." Applied to servants, who discharge their duties wrell on entering on new situations.
C'est un beau venez-y voir. Fr. — "A fine thing, a very pretty thing indeed [sneeringly, meaning that the thing talked of is undeserving of notice, beneath our notice]."
C'est un homme qui biaise. Fr. — "He is a shuffler, plays fast and loose."
C'est un sot a vingt-quatre carats. Fr. — "He is a fool of twenty-four carats." His folly is absolutely without any alloy.
C'est un vrai bilboquet. Fr. — "He is a harum-scarum fellow, giddy-headed fellow."
C'est un vrai bleche. Fr. — "He is a regular milksop, spooney, a weak, poor, irresolute creature, one who has no resolution, no self- reliance, — one who would never set the Thames on fire."
C'est une autre chose. Fr. — "That is quite a 'different thing." The facts completely differ from the statement.
C'est une bibliotheque renversee. Fr. — "His notions are con- fused, in utter confusion."
C'est une grande folie de vouloir Stre sage tout seul. Fr. Rochefoucault. — "It is a great folly to think of being wise alone." None but a fool can suppose that he has a monopoly of good sense.
C'est une grande habilete" que de savoir cacher son habilete\ Fr. Rochefoucault. — "The greatest skill is shown in disguising our skill." The art of a painter or actor, for instance, is best shown when the art, by which he produces a strong effect, is completely concealed.
Ce monde est plein de fous, et qui n'en veut pas voir, Doit se renfermer seul, et casser son miroir.
Fr. Boileau. — "This world is full of fools, and he who would not wish to see one, must not only shut himself up alone, but must also break his looking-glass."
Ce n'est pas de sa juridiction. Fr. — "It is out of his latitude."
Ce n'est pas §tre bien ais6 que de rire. Fr. St. Evremond. — " Laughing is not always a proof that the mind is at ease, or in a state of composure."
Ce n'est pas merveille si ceux qui n'ont jamais mange" de bonnes choses, ne savent que c'est de bonnes viandes. Fr. — "It is not surprising that those who have never eaten of any delicacies, should be ignorant of the existence of such viands, articles of food." " It is natural that men should be inclined to soothe their vanity with the belief that what they do not themselves know is not worth knowing ; and that
70 A NEW DICTIONARY OP QUOTATIONS.
they should find it easy to convert others, who are equally ignorant, to the same opinion, is what might also confidently be presumed, Ce n'est pas mcrvcille cU bonnes viandes."
Ce n'est qu'un centon. Fr. — "It is a mere cento, mere patch- work. " Said of a work full of passages stolen from other authors.
Ce que 1' enfant oit au foyer est bientot connu jusqu'a Mon- stier. Fr. prov. — "What the child hears by the fire is soon known as far off as Monstier [a town in Savoy]." Little pitchers have great ears.
Ce qui fait qu'on n'est pas content de sa condition, c'est l'idee chimerique que Ton se forme du bonheur d'autrui. Fr. — "What makes many persons discontented with their own condition, is the absurd idea which they form of the happiness of others."
Ce qui manque aux orateurs en profondeur, ils vous la donnent en longueur. Fr. Montesquieu. — "What orators want in depth, they give you in length."
Ce qui ne vaut pas la peine d'etre dit, on le chante. Fr. — The solution that Figaro gives of the quality of the words of songs in gene- ral, as there is too often a divorce between song and sense.
Ce qu'on nomme liberality n'est souvent que la vanity de donner, que nous aimons mieux que ce que nous donnons. Fr. Rochefoucault. — "That which is called liberality is frequently nothing more than the vanity of giving, of which we are more fond than of the thing given."
Ce sont balles perdues. Fr. — "Useless endeavors, useless shot."
Ce sont toujours les aventuriers qui font de grandes choses, et non pas les souverains des grandes empires. Fr. Montesquieu. — "It is only adventurers that perform great actions, and not the sove- reigns of large empires." A maxim which the commencement of the nine- teenth century has elucidated, even beyond the expectation of its author.
Cedant arma togae, concedat laurea linguae. Lat. Cicero. — "Let arms yield, give place, to the gown [that is, to peace]; let war give way to civilianism, to the management of civil affairs, and the laurel to the tongue." The power of eloquence is sometimes superior to military force.
Cedat, uti conviva satur. Lat. Horace. — " Let him depart, like a contented, well-satisfied, guest." A hint applicable to various characters and situations.
Cede Deo. Lat. Virgil. — "Yield to providence." Submit where all opposition must be vain.
Cede repugnant!, cedendo victor abibis. Lat. Ovid. — "Yield to the opposer, by yielding you will obtain the victory." There are circum- stances, under which a prudent concession is equal to an advantage gained over your opponent.
Cedite Roman! scriptores, cedite Grail. Lat. — "Yield, ye Ro- man, and yield, ye Grecian writers." Yield to a competitor who outweighs you all. This is a quotation generally employed in an ironical sense.
Cedunt grammatici, vincuntur rhetores. Lat. Juvenal. — "The grammarians yield, the rhetoricians are confuted [by the overwhelming eloquence of a would-be learned woman]."
A NEW DICTIONARY OP QUOTATIONS. 71
"Full in the midst of Euclid dip at once, And petrify a genius to a dunce."
Cela est bel et bon, mais de 1' argent vaut mieux. Fr. — "All that is very well, but I don't like it, or, but I must have my money." [Speaking to a debtor, or some such person, who gives us excuses, reasons, instead of the money we want.]
Cela n'est pas de mon bail. Fr. — "That is no concern of mine; I am not answerable, responsible, for that."
Cela saute aux yeux. Fr. — " That is quite obvious, can be seen at once."
Cela sert a faire bouillir la marmite. Fr. — "That helps to make the pot boil."
Cela viendra. Fr. — "That will come to pass some day or other: All in good time."
Cela vient comme maree en carSme. Fr. — "That comes in the very nick of time ; in pudding-time."
Celebrare domestica facta. Lat. Horace. — [Those poets do well, who] seek a subject for their verse at home, find fit subjects for their, &c.
Celerius occidit festinata maturitas. Lat. Quintilian. — "Pre- cocious, premature, development of the powers of both mind and body leads to an early grave:" aptly rendered by the English proverb, "Soon ripe, soon rotten."
Celsae graviore casu decidunt turres. Lat. Horace. — " Stately towers tumble down with a heavier crash [than more lowly buildings]." — "The palace, from its airy height, Falls tumbling down with heavier weight." The highest tree hath the greatest fall.
Celui gouverne bien mal le miel, qui n'en goute, et ses doigts n'en leche. Fr. prov. — "He is a bad manager who tastes not the honey of which he has the charge, and also licks his fingers." He's an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers.
Celui-Ia est le mieux servi, qui n'a pas besoin de mettre les mains des autres au bout de ses bras. Fr. Rousseau. — " The man is best served, who has no occasion to put the hands of others at the end of his own arms." No maxim is more just or more useful in common life than this, that whatever a man can personally accomplish, he should never leave to be transacted by another person.
Celui peut hardiment nager a qui Ton soutient le menton. Fr. prov. — " He must needs swim that's held up by the chin."
Celui qui a trouve" un bon gendre a gagne" un fils ; mais celui, qui en a rencontr6 un mauvais, a perdu une fille. Fr. — "The man who has got a good son-in-law has gained a son; but he who has found a bad one has lost a daughter."
Celui qui deVore la substance du pauvre y trouve a la fin un os qui l'etrangle. — "He who devours the substance of the poor will find in it at length a bone to choke him."
Celui qui met un frein a la fureur des flots, Sait aussi des mechants arreter les complots.
72 A NEW DICTIONARY OP QUOTATIONS.
Soumis avec respect a sa volonte sainte, Je crains Dieu, cher Abner, et n'ai point d' autre crainte.
Fr. Racine. — " He who rules the raging of the sea knows also how to check the designs of the ungodly. Submitting myself with reverence to his holy will, I fear GOD, dear Abner, and I fear none but him."
Celui qui se d6fait de son bien avant que de mourir, se prepare a bien souffrir. Fr. — "He that parts with his property before his death, prepares himself for much suffering."
Cenotaph. From the Gr. — An empty monument, set up in honor of the dead; especially when they died abroad, and the body could not be conveyed home, but was buried in a foreign country. Xenophon, in his Expedition of Cyrus, about the middle of the sixth book, says, "As for those whose bodies could not be found, they erected a large cenotaph, with a great funeral pile, which they crowned with garlands." On this passage Mr. Spelman observes, "In the same manner we find in Thucy- dides that the Athenians in the funeral of the first of their countrymen who were killed in the Peloponnesian war, besides a coffin for every tribe, carried also an empty one in honor of the memory of those whose bodies could not be found." Virgil has translated the Greek word by tumulus inanis, where he says that Andromache had raised an empty monument to the manes [departed spirit] of Hector:
Manesque vocabat
Hectoreum ad tumulum, viridi quern cespite inanem Et geminas, causam lacrimis, sacraverat aras. Censure litteraire. Fr. — "Literary censorship." Censure politique. Fr. — "Political censorship." Cent ans banniere, cent ans civiere. Fr. prov. — Literally, "A hundred years a banner, a hundred years a hand-barrow." The same family that once hoisted a banner may in course of time handle a barrow.
Cento carre di pensieri non pagheranno un'oncia di debito. Ital. prov. — "A hundred wagon-loads of thoughts will not pay a single ounce of debt." A pound of care will not pay an ounce of debt. Centuriae seniorum agitant expertia frugis : Celsi praetereunt austera poemata Ramnes, Omne tulit punctum, qui miscuit utile dulci, Lectorem delectando, pariterque monendo.
Lat. Horace. — "iThe centuries of the old," that is, "the old as a body, repudiate works that are devoid of instruction: the lofty Equites, knights, members of the equestrian order, disdain to notice poems of a severe character. That in- dividual, however, has accomplished every thing, has carried every point, has gained universal applause, who has well blended the useful with the agreeable, amusing his reader at the same time that he instructs him." /^~~u Grave age approves the solid and the wise: Gay youth from too austere a drama flies: Profit and pleasure, then, to mix with art, T' inform the judgment, nor offend the heart, Shall gain all votes."
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 73
Centurion. — "A captain over a hundred foot-soldiers."
Cereus in vitium flecti, monitoribus asper. Lat. Horace. — ** As pliable as wax in being bent towards vice, but rough, rude, bearish, to their tutors, instructors, counselors, advisers."
" [The youth] Yielding like wax, th/ impressive folly bears, Rough to reproof [and slow to future cares], "The popular mind is like that of headstrong youth, Cereus in vitium flecti, monitoribus asper." Pliant as wax in the direction to which its own bias inclines, but obstinate as oak when urged into a shape hostile to its own bent.
Cernit omnia Deus vindex. Lat. — "There is an avenging GOD, who sees all things, every thing."
Certamina divitiarum. Lat. Horace. — "Unwearied struggles after wealth." An elegant expression to denote the striving to be richer than others.
Certiorari. Law Lat. — " To be made more certain." A writ issuing to order the record of a cause to be brought before a superior court.
Certum voto pete finem. Lat. Horace. — "Learn to set bounds to your desires : To wishes fix an end."
Cervi, luporum praeda rapacium, Sectamur ultro, quos opimus
Fallere et effugere est triumphus. Lat. Horace.— "We, like hinds destined to be the prey of rapacious wolves, of ourselves, of our own accord, seek after the Romans, whom it is the greatest triumph to deceive and avoid, whom to elude by flight is a glorious triumph." " Like stags, of coward kind, the destined prey Of ravening wolves, we unprovoked defy Those whom to baffle is our fairest play, The richest triumph we can boast, to fly." "This eulogium of the Romans," says Sanadon, "is in itself magnifi- cent, but it becomes infinitely more valuable in the mouth of Hannibal [the celebrated commander-in-chief of the Carthaginians]." N.B. "Hanni- bal" was a common name among the Carthaginians, signifying "the grace or favor of Baal ;" the final syllable, bal, having reference to this tutelary deity of the Phoenicians.
Ces discours, il est vrai, sont fort beaux dans un livre. Fr. Boileau. — "All this would do very weU for a book," that is, It is very showy in theory, but not reducible to practice.
Cessante causa, cessat et effectus. Lat. Law maxim. — "When the cause is removed, the effect must cease to follow." Thus, the release of a debt is a discharge also of the execution.
Cessio bonorum. Lat. — A Scottish law term. "A transference, cession, yielding-up, giving-up, of one's goods without reserve to one's creditors." "The Scottish legislature, a hundred and sixty years ago, gave insolvent debtors, by the right of applying for a cessio bonorum, a complete protection against the hardship of imprisonment, except in cases of fraudulent concealment of funds."
Cetera desiderantur. Lat. — Literally, "The rest is desiderated, wished for:" in other words, "The rest [of the poem, speech, &c] is wanting, or wanted."
7
74 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
Cetera desunt. Lat. — Used in the same manner as " Cetera deside- rantur."
Cette nouvelle fat un baume pour moi. Fr. — "That news was life to me."
Ceux qui n'aiment pas out rarement de grandes joies : ceux qui aiment ont souvent de grandes tristesses. Fr. prov. — "Those who do not love seldom feel great enjoyments: those who do arc fre- quently liable to deep sorrows."
Ceux qui parlent beaucoup ne disent jamais rien. Fr. Boileau. — "Persons who talk much say nothing:" or as Terence expresses it: "Nae ista hercle magno jam cojiatu magnas nvgas dixerit, In troth, with all these great efforts she is certainly going to be delivered of some mighty trifle."
Chacun a sa b§te dans la figure. Fr. — "Every man looks more or less like a beast." "Conceiving que chacun a sa bete dans la figure, he. insists that the strong animal likenesses, so distinctly traceable in men, are evidences of our having pre-existed in an inferior state of being:" that is to say, Conceiving that every man looks more or less like a beast, &c.
Chacun a sa manie, or, sa marotte. Fr. — "Every man has his own particular hobby."
Chacun a son gout. Fr. — "Every man to his taste." A proverbial remark in every language on the prevailing diversity of choice and opinion.
Chacun dit du bien de son coeur, et personne n'en ose dire de son esprit. Fr. Rochefoucault. — "Every man speaks of the good- ness of his heart, but no man dares to speak in the same manner of his wit."
Chacun en particulier peut tromper et Stre tromp6 : per- sonne n'a tromp6 tout le monde, et tout le monde n'a tromp6 personne. Fr. Bouhours. — " Every individual may deceive and be de- ceived : but no person has deceived the whole world, nor has the whole world ever deceived any person."
Chacun ira au moulin avec son propre sac. Fr. prov. — "Every one will go, must go, to the mill with his own sack." Let every tub stand on its own bottom.
Chacun joue au roi d6pouill6. Fr. prov. — "Every one jeers at the king who has fallen from his high estate." Where the hedge is lowest, men commonly leap ove*.
Chacun porte sa croix. Fr. prov. — "Every one bears his cross." Each cross hath its inscription.
Xaip', o tteSov afi<f>ia2.ov,
Ka/i' EVK^oig Tre/iipov afie/u7rTd)c, ev& 7] /j.eya?.?j fxoipa kojii&i, yvofiT] re ty&ov, x<-> Ttavda/iarup Aai/ntov, 6c ravf eweKpavev. Gr. SoPHOCLES. — " Farewell, 0 sea-girt land, and send, waft, me by a prosperous voyage unrepiningly, uncomplainingly, to the spot where a mighty destiny, serious and responsible duty, transports me, together with the wishes of my friends, and the command of the Great Supreme, who subjects every thing to his will, and who decides on all such points, matters." N.B. The exclamation of Bishop Heber on leaving the shores of his native land for India.
A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. 75
XakeTra ra na7xt. Gr. prov. — " The best things are worst to come by."
Chall. — The Turkish term for a shawl.
Chamade. Fr. — "A parley." "The drums of the garrison beat the chamade," that is, sounded a parley.
Champ clos. Fr. — "The lists." "He is prepared to maintain her peerless innocence, and to strive in champ clos against all gainsayers."
Champ mortel. Fr. — "A mortal combat."
Changer de note. Fr. — "To turn over a new leaf." To change one's line of conduct.
Changer son cheval borgne pour un aveugle. Fr. — "To change for the worse, make one's condition worse in endeavoring to amend it."
Chansonnette comique. Fr. — "A comic little song."
Chansonniers. Fr. — "Were all histories burned, the theatrical repertory could in no wise supply their places ; whereas a collection of chansonniers would, as it is in the chansons of the epochs that you will find the true spirit and portraiture of each age:" that is to say, a collec- tion of song-writers, or ballad-writers, would, ... in the songs, or ballads, of the, &c.
Chansons a boire. Fr. — "Drinking-songs."
Chaos. Gr. — Properly, "A chasm, an abyss," especially the vast void, or the confused mass of elements floating in infinite space, from which, according to the notion of certain ancient philosophers, the world has been formed, namely, Chaos.
Chapeau bas. Fr. — "Off with your hat, hats off."
Chapeau de paille. Fr. — "A straw hat."
Chapelle ardente. Fr. — "The place where a dead person lies in state." "The Empress Dowager stood as chief mourner in the chapelle ardente, where the body of the Emperor Nicholas had been placed:" that is to say, in a literal translation, in the burning chapel, where, &c. This, however, does not convey the correct meaning of the phrase, as a " chapelle ardente" means the funeral paraphernalia, or appendages surrounding the bier or a representation of it, either in the choir of a church, a private chapel, or an apartment, lighted up for the occasion with a great number of wax-lights.
Chaque nation doit se gouverner selon le besoin de ses affaires, et la conservation du blen publique. Fr. — "Every nation ought to govern itself according to the necessity of its affairs, and the preservation of the public weal." These being best known to the nation concerned, no other country or government can with justice or propriety interfere, unless it finds its own interests endangered.
Chaque oiseau trouve son nid beau. Fr. — "Every bird thinks its own nest handsome." We are all strongly inclined to commend that which is our own. See "Ad ogni uccello," &c.
Char-a-bancs. Fr. — A "pleasure-car." -
Charivari. Fr. — "Marrow-bones and cleavers." An unpopular person is treated in France with a charivari. This brings us to a class of newspapers, of which the Charivari may now be considered as the chief, a class reflecting little credit on the country, notwithstanding their clever- ness. Their business is to laugh at everybody, and turn every thing into
76 A NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS.
ridicule. If a celebrated man has a foible or defect, mental or physical, they point it out; if a celebrated woman has been suspected of a faux pas, they dwell upon it. Woe to the advocate who professes a fondness lor rural amusements, and shame upon the deputy who squints! Nor do they confine themselves to words —
" Segnius irritant animos demissa per aurem Quam quae sunt oculis subjecta fidelibus," — [which see,] and their most biting insinuations are illustrated by caricatures. The real or fancied resemblance of Louis Philippe's head to a pear was the discovery of Philipon, one of the illustrators of the Charivari, and gave the king more real annoyance than the attacks upon his life. Go where he would, this unlucky print haunted him ; and it is thought that the famous laws of September, which extended to caricatures, were owing fully as much to the pear as to Fieschi.
Charlatan. Fr. — A "quack, quack-doctor, mountebank, empiric, juggler."
Charlatanerie. Fr. — " Quackery, empiricism," the true meaning of which latter word is, "practical or experimental physic," in opposition to "dogmatical physic," that is, "physic, or the practice of physic, founded on dogmas and established principles."
Charlatanisme. Fr. — The same meaning as "charlatanerie" [which see].
Charterhouse. — Scarcely any word has been more disfigured both in orthography and pronunciation than this : the beginning of which dis- figurement came from the French language, with regard to etymology. Let any Englishman or literary Frenchman look at the original and its derivatives in both languages, and then give us any tolerable reason for their present appearance: it is generally agreed that the Carthusian order of monks was founded by Carthusius ; they have, however, been so confounded, transposed, and transplanted as to their name by the French, that they wear at last the ridiculous appearance of Chartreux, which the English, by endeavoring to preserve something of the vitiated French pronunciation, have converted into Charter-House.
Chasse-cousin. Fr. — "Chase away, or drive away, cousin." Bad wine, such as is given for the purpose of driving away poor relations.
Chat 6chaud6 cralnt l'eau froide. Fr. prov. — "A scalded cat dreads cold water." This is a saying rather more pregnant, more pithy, than the English, "A burnt child dreads the fire."
Chateau. Fr. — "A seat, country-seat." The plural is "chdteaux." "They were found resting in the neighborhood of one of the huge old farm houses, which in that high-sounding land are called chdteaux." N.B. The French chateau means any thing but a castle; and in a hundred in- stances for one to the contrary is little more than a large farm-house, gloomy as a dungeon, stuck upon the center of a huge field, naked of tree, shrub, or any other sign of the hand of man or the bounty of nature.
Chateaux en Espagne. Fr. — "Castles in the air:" literally, "Castles in Spain," a country in which "castles" are like angels' visits, ''few and far between."
Chattah. — An Indian term for an umbrella or parasol.
A NEW DICTIONARY OP QUOTATIONS. 77
Chattels, or rather, Chatties. — Personal property, particularly live stock, as cows, horses, hogs, and such like animals.
Che nasce bella nasce maritata. Ital. prov. — "She who is born handsome, is born married."
Che ne puo la gatta, se la massara e matta ? Ital. prov. — "How can the cat help it, if the maid be such a fool [as not to put things out of her reach] ?"
Che sara sara. Ital. prov. — "What will be, will be." This pro- verb, which so strongly supports the doctrine of fatalism, is the motto of the House of Bedford. N.B. The Italian is not correct: it should be, " Sard qual che sard."
Che spezie ! Ital. — "What arrogance, upstartishness !" What a deal of smoke !
Chef d'ceuvre. Fr. — A "masterpiece." An unrivaled, unequaled, performance.
Chef de cuisine. Fr. — A "head cook, master cook."
Chef de mission. Fr. — The "head of an embassy, representative mission."
Chef de police. Fr. — The " head of the police, chief police official."
Cheval