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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources, by James Wood This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license Title: Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources Author: James Wood Release Date: January 29, 2015 [EBook #48105] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS *** Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images available at The Internet Archive) DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS Preface List of Abbreviations Dictionary of Quotations: A., B., C., D., E., F., G., H., I., J., K., L., M., N., O., P., Q., R., S., T., U., V., W., Y., Z., Index: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, Y, Z (etext transcriber's note) cover DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS From Ancient and Modern, English and From Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources Foreign Sources INCLUDING PHRASES, MOTTOES, MAXIMS, PROVERBS, DEFINITIONS, APHORISMS, AND SAYINGS OF WISE MEN, IN THEIR BEARING ON LIFE, LITERATURE, SPECULATION, SCIENCE, ART, RELIGION, AND MORALS ESPECIALLY IN THE MODERN ASPECTS OF THEM SELECTED AND COMPILED BY THE R E V. J A M E S W O O D EDITOR OF "NUTTALL'S STANDARD DICTIONARY" "Aphorisms are portable wisdom."—W. R. Alger "A proverb is much matter decocted into few words."—Fuller LONDON FREDERICK WARNE AND CO. AND NEW YORK 1893 PREFACE The present "Book of Quotations" was undertaken in the belief that, notwithstanding the many excellent compilations of the kind already in existence, there was room for another that should glean its materials from a wider area, and that should have more respect to the requirements, both speculative and practical, of the times we live in. The wide-spread materials at command had never yet been collected into a single volume, and certain modern writings, fraught with a wisdom that supremely deserves our regard, had hardly been quarried in at all. The Editor has therefore studied to compile a more comprehensive collection; embracing something of this wisdom, which naturally bears more directly on the interests of the present day. To these interests the Editor has all along had an eye, and he has been careful to collect, from ancient sources as well as modern, sayings that seem to reveal an insight into them, and bear pertinently upon them; they are such as are specified on the title-page, and they are one and all more than passing ones. The aphorisms which wise men have uttered on these vital topics can never fail to deserve our regard, and they will prove edifying to us, even should we, led by a higher wisdom, be inclined to say nay to them. For, as it has been said, "The errors of a wise man are more instructive than the truths of a fool. The wise man travels in lofty, far-seeing regions; the fool in low-lying, high-fenced lanes; retracing the footsteps of the former, to discover where he deviated, whole provinces of the universe are laid open to us; in the path of the latter, granting even that he has not deviated at all, little is laid open to us but two wheel-ruts and two hedges." The quotations collected in this book, (particularly those bearing on the vital interests referred to,) are, it will be generally admitted, the words of wise men; therefore the Editor has endeavoured to ascertain and give the names of their authors, when not known. For, though the truth and worth of the sayings are nowise dependent on their authorship, it is well to know who those were that felt the burden they express, and found relief in uttering them. What was of moment to them, may well be of moment to others, and must be worthy of all regard and well deserving of being laid to heart. Except in the case of quotations from Shakespeare, the reader will observe that the Editor has quoted only the names of the authors or the books from which they are taken, and has not, as might be expected of him, supplied either chapter or verse. The reason is, he did not think it worth the labour and expense that would have been involved in doing so, while the quotations given are for most part independent of the context, and are perfectly intelligible in their own light. They are all more or less of an aphoristic quality, and the meaning and application are evident to any one who understands the subject of which they treat. As for the other qualities of these quotations, they will be found to be in general brief in expression and pointed in application, and not a few of them winged as well as barbed. A great many are pregnant in meaning; suggest more than they express; and are the coinage of minds of no ordinary penetration and grasp of thought. While some of them are so simple that a child might understand them, there are others that border on regions in which the clearest-headed and surest-footed might stumble and come to grief. The collection might have been larger; the quarry of the literature of the present century alone might have supplied materials for as big a book. But the Editor's task was to produce a work that should embrace gleanings from different fields of literature, and he could only introduce from that of the present day as much as his limits allowed. Yet, though the quantity given is no index of the quantity available, the Editor hopes the reader will allow that his selection has not been made in the dark, and that what he has given is of the true quality, as well as enough in quantity for most readers to digest. If the quality be good, the quantity is of little account, for what has been said of Reason may be said of Wisdom which is its highest expression: "Whoso hath any, hath access to the whole." A word of explanation in regard to the Arrangement and the appended Index:— The Arrangement adopted may not at once commend itself, but it was found to be the best; a topical one would have been too cumbersome, as, in that case, it would have been frequently necessary to introduce the same quotation under several different heads. The arrangement, it will be seen, is alphabetical, and follows the order of the initial letters of the initial word or words. The Index, which is topical, was rendered necessary in consequence of the arrangement followed, and, though a copious one, it only refers to subjects of which there is anything of significance said. It does not include mottoes, and rarely proverbs; for, apart from the difficulty of indexing the latter, the attempt would almost have doubled the size of the book, and rendered it altogether unwieldy. The Index, too, is limited to subjects that are not in the alphabetical order in the body of the book. Thus there was no need to index what is said on "Art," on p. 18, on "Beauty," on p. 26, or on "Christianity," on pp. 42, 43, as the reader will expect to find something concerning them where they occur in the order adopted. With these preliminary explanations the Editor leaves his book—the pleasant labour of more than three years—in the hands of the public, assured that they will judge of it by its own merits, and that they will be generous enough to acquit him of having compiled either a superfluous or an unserviceable work. London, 1893. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS DICTIONARY. Amer. American. Luc. Lucan. Apul. Apuleius. Lucr., Lucret. Lucretius. Arist. Aristotle. M. Motto. Aul. Cell. Aulus Gellius. Macrob. Macrobius. Bret. Breton. Mart. Martial. Cæs. Cæsar. Mol. Molière. Catull. Catullus. Per. Persius. Cic. Cicero. Petron. Petronius. Claud. Claudius, Claudian. Phæd., Phædr.Phædrus. Corn. Corneille. Plaut. Plautus. Curt. Curtius. Port. Portuguese. Dan. Danish. Pr. Proverb. Dut. Dutch. Pub. Syr. Publius Syrus. Ecclus. Ecclesiasticus. Quinct. Quinclilian. Eurip. Euripides. Russ. Russian. Fr. French. Sall. Sallust. Fris. Frisian. Sc. Scotch. Gael. Gaelic. Schill. Schiller. Ger. German. Sen. Seneca. Gr. Greek. Sh. Shakespeare. Heb. Hebrew. Soph. Sophocles. Hom. Homer. Sp. Spanish. Hor. Horace. Stat. Statius. It. Italian. St. Aug. St. Augustine. Jul. Julius. Sueton. Suetonius. Just. Justinian. Swed. Swedish. Juv. Juvenal. Tac. Tacitus. L. Law. Ter. Terence. Laber. Labertius. Tert. Tertullian. La Font. La Fontaine. Tibull. Tibullus. La Roche.La Rochefoucauld. Turk. Turkish. Lat. Latin. Virg. Virgil. Liv. Livy. DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS. A. A' are guid lasses, but where do a' the ill wives come frae? Sc. Pr. A' are no freens that speak us fair. Sc. Pr. A aucun les biens viennent en dormant—Good things come to some while asleep. Fr. Pr. Ab abusu ad usum non valet consequentia—The abuse of a thing is no argument against its use. L. Max. Ab actu ad posse valet illatio—From what has happened we may infer what may happen. A bad beginning has a bad, or makes a worse, ending. Pr. A bad dog never sees the wolf. Pr. A bad thing is dear at any price. Pr. Ab alio expectes, alteri quod feceris—As you do to others, you may expect another to do to you. Laber. A barren sow was never good to pigs. Pr. A bas—Down! down with! Fr. A beast that wants discourse of reason. Ham., i. 2. A beau is everything of a woman but the sex, and nothing of a man beside it. Fielding. A beau jeu beau retour—One good turn deserves another. Fr. Pr. A beautiful form is better than a beautiful face, and a beautiful behaviour than a beautiful form. Emerson. A beautiful object doth so much attract the sight of all men, that it is in no man's power not to be pleased with it. Clarendon. A beautiful woman is the "hell" of the soul, the "purgatory" of the purse, and the "paradise" of the eyes. Fontenelle. A beggarly account of empty boxes. Rom. and Jul., v. 1. A beggar's purse is always empty. Pr. A belief in the Bible, the fruit of deep meditation, has served me as the guide of my moral and literary {pg 1} 5 10 15 20 life. I have found it a capital safely invested, and richly productive of interest. Goethe. Abends wird der Faule fleissig—Towards evening the lazy man begins to be busy. Ger. Pr. A beneficent person is like a fountain watering the earth and spreading fertility. Epicurus. Aberrare a scopo—To miss the mark. Abeunt studia in mores—Pursuits assiduously prosecuted become habits. Ab extra—From without. Abgründe liegen im Gemüthe, die tiefer als die Hölle sind—There are abysses in the mind that are deeper than hell. Platen. Ab honesto virum bonum nihil deterret—Nothing deters a good man from what honour requires of him. Sen. A big head and little wit. Pr. Ab igne ignem—Fire from fire. Abiit, excessit, evasit, erupit—He has left, gone off, escaped, broken away. Cic. of Catiline's flight. Ability to discern that what is true is true, and that what is false is false, is the characteristic of intelligence. Swedenborg. Ab incunabilis—From the cradle. Ab initio—From the beginning. Ab inopia ad virtutem obsepta est via—The way from poverty to virtue is an obstructed one. Pr. Ab intra—From within. Ab irato—In a fit of passion. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Pr. A bis et à blanc—By fits and starts. Fr. A bitter and perplex'd "What shall I do?" is worse to man than worst necessity. Schiller. A black hen will lay a white egg. Pr. A blind man should not judge of colours. Pr. A blockhead can find more faults than a wise man can mend. Gael. Pr. A blue-stocking despises her duties as a woman, and always begins by making herself a man. Rousseau. Abnormis sapiens—Wise without learning. Hor. A bon chat bon rat—A good rat to match a good cat. Tit for tat. Pr. A bon chien il ne vient jamais un bon os—A good bone never falls to a good dog. Fr. Pr. A bon droit—Justly; according to reason. Fr. A bon marché—Cheap. Fr. A book may be as great a thing as a battle. Disraeli. A book should be luminous, but not voluminous. Bovee. Ab origine—From the beginning. About Jesus we must believe no one but himself. Amiel. Above all Greek, above all Roman fame. Pope. Above all things reverence thyself. Pythagoras. Above the cloud with its shadow is the star with its light. Victor Hugo. Ab ovo—From the beginning (lit. from the egg). Ab ovo usque ad mala—From the beginning to the end (lit. from the egg to the apples). A bras ouverts—With open arms. Fr. A brave man is clear in his discourse, and keeps close to truth. Arist. A brave spirit struggling with adversity is a spectacle for the gods. Sen. A breath can make them, as a breath has made. Goldsmith. Abrégé—Abridgment. Fr. Absence lessens weak, and intensifies violent, passions, as wind extinguishes a taper and lights up a fire. La Roche. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Bayly. Absence of occupation is not rest; / A mind quite vacant is a mind distress'd. Cowper. Absens hæres non erit—The absent one will not be the heir. Pr. Absent in body, but present in spirit. St. Paul. Absit invidia—Envy apart. Absit omen—May the omen augur no evil. Absolute fiends are as rare as angels, perhaps rarer. J. S. Mill. Absolute freedom is inhuman. Rahel. Absolute individualism is an absurdity. Amiel. 25 30 35 40 45 50 {pg 2} 5 10 15 20 Absolute nothing is the aggregate of all the contradictions of the world. Jonathan Edwards. Absque argento omnia vana—Without money all is vain. Abstineto a fabis—Having nothing to do with elections (lit. Abstain from beans, the ballot at Athens having been by beans). Absurdum est ut alios regat, qui seipsum regere nescit—It is absurd that he should govern others, who knows not how to govern himself. L. Max. Abundat dulcibus vitiis—He abounds in charming faults of style. Quint. Ab uno ad omnes—From one to all. M. Ab uno disce omnes—From a single instance you may infer the whole. Ab urbe condita (A.U.C.)—From the building of the city, i.e., of Rome. A bureaucracy always tends to become a pedantocracy. J. S. Mill. A burnt child dreads the fire. Pr. Abusus non tollit usum—Abuse is no argument against use. Pr. Academical years ought by rights to give occupation to the whole mind. It is this time which, well or ill employed, affects a man's whole after-life. Goethe. A cader va chi troppo in alto sale—He who climbs too high is near a fall. It. Pr. A capite ad calcem—From head to heel. A careless master makes a negligent servant. Pr. A carper will cavil at anything. Pr. A carrion kite will never make a good hawk. Pr. "A cat may look at a king," but can it see a king when it looks at him? Ruskin. A causa perduta parole assai—Plenty of words when the cause is lost. It. Pr. Accasca in un punto quel che non accasca in cento anni—That may happen in a moment which may not occur again in a hundred years. It. Pr. Accedas ad curiam—You may go to the court. A writ to remove a case to a higher court. L. Term. Accensa domo proximi, tua quoque periclitatur—When the house of your neighbour is on fire, your own is in danger. Pr. Accent is the soul of speech; it gives it feeling and truth. Rousseau. Acceptissima semper / Munera sunt, auctor quæ pretiosa facit—Those presents are always the most acceptable which owe their value to the giver. Ovid. Accident ever varies; substance can never suffer change or decay. Wm. Blake. Accidents rule men, not men accidents. Herodotus. Accipe nunc, victus tenuis quid quantaque secum afferat. In primis valeas bene—Now learn what and how great benefits a moderate diet brings with it. Before all, you will enjoy good health. Hor. Accipere quam facere præstat injuriam—It is better to receive than to do an injury. Cic. Acclinis falsis animus meliora recusat—The mind attracted by what is false has no relish for better things. Hor. Accusare nemo se debet nisi coram Deo—No man is bound to accuse himself unless it be before God. L. Max. Accuse not Nature; she hath done her part; / Do thou thine. Milton. Acer et vehemens bonus orator—A good orator is pointed and impassioned. Cic. Acerrima proximorum odia—The hatred of those most closely connected with us is the bitterest. Tac. Acerrimus ex omnibus nostris sensibus est sensus videndi—The keenest of all our senses is the sense of sight. Cic. A certain degree of soul is indispensable to save us the expense of salt. Ben Jonson. A certain tendency to insanity has always attended the opening of the religious sense in men, as if they had been "blasted with excess of light." Emerson. A chacun selon sa capacité, à chaque capacité selon ses œuvres—Every one according to his talent, and every talent according to its works. Fr. Pr. A chacun son fardeau pèse—Every one thinks his own burden heavy. Fr. Pr. A change came o'er the spirit of my dream. Byron. A chaque fou plaît sa marotte—Every fool is pleased with his own hobby. Fr. Pr. A character is a completely-fashioned will. Novalis. Ach! aus dem Glück entwickelt sich Schmerz—Alas! that from happiness there so often springs pain. Goethe. A cheerful life is what the Muses love; / A soaring spirit is their prime delight. Wordsworth. Acheruntis pabulum—Food for Acheron. Plaut. Ach! es geschehen keine Wunder mehr—Alas! there are no more any miracles. Schiller. 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 {pg 3} A child is a Cupid become visible. Novalis. A child may have too much of its mother's blessing. Pr. A chill air surrounds those who are down in the world. George Eliot. A chip of the old block. A Christian is God Almighty's gentleman. Hare. Ach! unsre Thaten selbst, so gut als unsre Leiden / Sie hemmen unsers Lebens Gang—We are hampered, alas! in our course of life quite as much by what we do as by what we suffer. Goethe. Ach! vielleicht indem wir hoffen / Hat uns Unheil getroffen—Ah! perhaps while we are hoping, mischief has already overtaken us. Schiller. Ach wie glücklich sind die Todten!—Ah! how happy the dead are! Schiller. Ach! zu des Geistes Flügeln, wird so leicht kein körperlicher Flügel sich gesellen—Alas! no fleshly pinion will so easily keep pace with the wings of the spirit. Goethe. A circulating library in a town is an ever-green tree of diabolical knowledge. Sheridan. A circumnavigator of the globe is less influenced by all the nations he has seen than by his nurse. Jean Paul. A clear conscience is a sure card. Pr. A cock aye craws crousest (boldest) on his ain midden-head. Sc. Pr. A cœur ouvert—With open heart; with candour. Fr. A cœur vaillant rien d'impossible—To a valiant heart nothing is impossible. Fr. Pr. A cold hand, a warm heart. Pr. A combination, and a form, indeed / Where every god did seem to set his seal / To give the world assurance of a man. Ham., iii. 4. A' complain o' want o' siller; nane o' want o' sense. Sc. Pr. A compte—In part payment (lit. on account). Fr. A confesseurs, médecins, avocats, la vérité ne cèle de ton cas—Do not conceal the truth from confessors, doctors, and lawyers. Fr. Pr. A conscience without God is a tribunal without a judge. Lamartine. A consistent man believes in destiny, a capricious man in chance. Disraeli. A constant fidelity in small things is a great and heroic virtue. Bonaventura. A constant friend is a thing hard and rare to find. Plutarch. A contre cœur—Against the grain. Fr. A corps perdu—With might and main. Fr. A countenance more in sorrow than in anger. Ham., i. 2. A courage to endure and to obey. Tennyson. A couvert—Under cover. Fr. Acqua lontana non spegne fuoco vicino—Water afar won't quench a fire at hand. It. Pr. A crafty knave needs no broker. Pr. quoted in Hen. VI. A craw's nae whiter for being washed. Sc. Pr. A creation of importance can be produced only when its author isolates himself; it is ever a child of solitude. Goethe. Acribus initiis, incurioso fine—Full of ardour at the beginning, careless at the end. Tac. A critic should be a pair of snuffers. He is often an extinguisher, and not seldom a thief. Hare. A crowd is not company. Bacon. A crown / Golden in show, is but a wreath of thorns. Milton. A crown is no cure for the headache. Pr. A cruce salus—Salvation from the cross. M. A cruel story runs on wheels, and every hand oils the wheels as they run. Ouida. A crust of bread and liberty. Pope. Acta exteriora indicant interiora secreta—Outward acts betray the secret intention. L. Max. Act always so that the immediate motive of thy will may become a universal rule for all intelligent beings. Kant. Acti labores jucundi—The remembrance of past labours is pleasant. Action can be understood and again represented by the spirit alone. Goethe. Action is but coarsened thought. Amiel. Action is the right outlet of emotion. Ward Beecher. Actions speak louder than words. Pr. Actis ævum implet, non segnibus annis—His lifetime is full of deeds, not of indolent years. Ovid. Activity is the presence, and character the record, of function. Greenough. 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Actum est de republicâ—It is all over with the republic. Actum ne agas—What has been done don't do over again. Cic. Actus Dei nemini facit injuriam—The act of God does wrong to no man. L. Max. Actus legis nulli facit injuriam—The act of the law does wrong to no man. L. Max. Actus me invito factus, non est meus actus—An act I do against my will is not my act. L. Max. Actus non facit reum, nisi mens sit rea—The act does not make a man guilty, unless the mind be guilty. L. Max. Act well your part; there all the honour lies. Pope. A cuspide corona—From the spear a crown, i.e., honour for military exploits. M. A custom / More honoured in the breach than the observance. Ham., i. 4. Adam muss eine Eve haben, die er zeiht was er gethan—Adam must have an Eve, to blame for what he has done. Ger. Pr. Ad amussim—Made exactly by rule. A danger foreseen is half avoided. Pr. Adaptiveness is the peculiarity of human nature. Emerson. Ad aperturam—Wherever a book may be opened. Ad arbitrium—At pleasure. Ad astra per ardua—To the stars by steep paths. M. A Daniel come to judgment. Mer. of Ven., iv. 1. Ad avizandum—Into consideration. Scots Law. A day may sink or save a realm. Tennyson. A day of grace (Gunst) is as a day in harvest; one must be diligent as soon as it is ripe. Goethe. A day wasted on others is not wasted on one's self. Dickens. Ad calamitatem quilibet rumor valet—When a disaster happens, every report confirming it obtains ready credence. Ad captandum vulgus—To catch the rabble. Addere legi justitiam decus—It is to one's honour to combine justice with law. M. A death-bed repentance seldom reaches to restitution. Junius. A deep meaning resides in old customs. Schiller. A democracy is a state in which the government rests directly with the majority of the citizens. Ruskin. A Deo et rege—From God and the king. M. Adeo in teneris consuescere multum est—So much depends on habit in the tender years of youth. Virg. Ad eundem—To the same degree. Said of a graduate passing from one university to another. Ad extremum—At last. Ad finem—To the end. Ad Græcas kalendas—At the Greek calends, i.e., never. Ad gustum—To one's taste. Adhibenda est in jocando moderatio—Moderation should be used in joking. Cic. Ad hoc—For this purpose. Ad hominem—Personal (lit. to the man). Adhuc sub judice lis est—The affair is not yet decided. Adhuc tua messis in herba est—Your crop is still in grass. Ovid. A die—From that day. Adieu la voiture, adieu la boutique—Adieu to the carriage, adieu to the shop, i.e., to the business. Fr. Pr. Adieu, paniers! vendanges sont faites—Farewell, baskets! vintage is over. Fr. Ad infinitum—To infinity. Ad interim—Meanwhile. Ad internecionem—To extermination. A Dio spiacente ed a' nemici sui—Hateful to God and the enemies of God. Dante. A Dios rogando y con el mazo dando—Praying to God and smiting with the hammer. Sp. Pr. A discrétion—Without any restriction (lit. at discretion). Fr. Ad libitum—At pleasure. Ad majorem Dei gloriam—To the greater glory of God (M. of the Jesuits). Ad mala quisque animum referat sua—Let each recall his own woes. Ovid. Admiration praises; love is dumb. Börne. Ad modum—In the manner. Ad nauseam—To disgust; sickening. 55 60 65 70 {pg 4} 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Ad ogni santo la sua torcia—To every saint his own torch, i.e., his place of honour. It. Pr. Ad ogni nocello suo nido è bello—Every bird thinks its own nest beautiful. It. Pr. Ad ognuno par più grave la croce sua—Every one thinks his own cross the hardest to bear. It. Pr. A dog's life—hunger and ease. A dog winna yowl if you fell him wi' a bane. Sc. Pr. Adolescentem verecundum esse decet—A young man ought to be modest. Plaut. Ad omnem libidinem projectus homo—A man addicted to every lust. Adó sacan y non pon, presto llegan al hondon—By ever taking out and never putting in, one soon reaches the bottom. Sp. Pr. Ad patres—Dead; to death (lit. to the fathers). A downright contradiction is equally mysterious to wise men as to fools. Goethe. Ad perditam securim manubrium adjicere—To throw the helve after the hatchet, i.e., to give up in despair. Ad perniciem solet agi sinceritas—Honesty is often goaded to ruin. Phædr. Ad pœnitendum properat, cito qui judicat—He who decides in haste repents in haste. Pub. Syr. Ad populum phaleras, ego te intus et in cute novi—To the vulgar herd with your trappings; for me, I know you both inside and out. Pers. Ad quæstionem legis respondent judices, ad quæstionem facti respondent juratores—It is the judge's business to answer to the question of law, the jury's to answer to the question of fact. L. Ad quod damnum—To what damage. L. Ad referendum—For further consideration. Ad rem—To the point (lit. to the thing). A droit—To the right. Fr. A drop of honey catches more flies than a hogshead of vinegar. Pr. A drop of water has all the properties of water, but it cannot exhibit a storm. Emerson. A drowning man will catch at a straw. Pr. Adscriptus glebæ—Attached to the soil. Adsit regula, peccatis quæ pœnas irroget æquas—Have a rule apportioning to each offence its appropriate penalty. Hor. Adstrictus necessitate—Bound by necessity. Cic. Ad summum—To the highest point. Ad tristem partem strenua est suspicio—One is quick to suspect where one has suffered harm before. Pub. Syr. Ad unguem—To a nicety (lit. to the nail). Ad unum omnes—All to a (lit. one) man. A dur âne dur aiguillon—A hard goad for a stubborn ass. Fr. Pr. Ad utrumque paratus—Prepared for either case. Ad valorem—According to the value. Advantage is a better soldier than rashness. Hen. V., iii. 6. Adversa virtute repello—I repel adversity by valour. M. Adversity is a great schoolmistress, as many a poor fellow knows that has whimpered over his lesson before her awful chair. Thackeray. Adversity's sweet milk—philosophy. Rom. and Jul., iii. 3. Adversus solem ne loquitor—Speak not against the sun, i.e., don't argue against what is sun-clear. Pr. Ad vitam aut culpam—Till some misconduct be proved (lit. for life or fault). Ad vivum—To the life. A dwarf sees farther than the giant when he has the giant's shoulders to mount on. Coleridge. Ægis fortissima virtus—Virtue is the strongest shield. M. Ægrescit medendo—The remedy is worse than the disease (lit. the disorder increases with the remedy). Ægri somnia vana—The delusive dreams of a sick man. Hor. Ægroto, dum anima est, spes est—While a sick man has life, there is hope. Pr. Ae half o' the world doesna ken how the ither half lives. Sc. Pr. Ae man may tak' a horse to the water, but twenty winna gar (make) him drink. Sc. Pr. Ae man's meat is anither man's poison. Sc. Pr. Æmulatio æmulationem parit—Emulation begets emulation. Pr. Æmulus atque imitator studiorum ac laborum—A rival and imitator of his studies and labours. Cic. Aendern und bessern sind zwei—To change, and to change for the better, are two different things. Ger. Pr. Æquabiliter et diligenter—By equity and diligence. M. 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 {pg 5} 5 10 Æquâ lege necessitas / Sortitur insignes et imos—Necessity apportions impartially to high and low alike. Hor. Æquam memento rebus in arduis / Servare mentem, non secus in bonis / Ab insolenti temperatam / Lætitiâ—Be sure to preserve an unruffled mind in adversity, as well as one restrained from immoderate joy in prosperity. Hor. Æquam servare mentem—To preserve an even temper. M. Æquanimiter—With equanimity. M. Æqua tellus / Pauperi recluditur / Regumque pueris—The impartial earth opens alike for the child of the pauper and of the king. Hor. Æquo animo—With an even or equable mind. M. Æquum est / Peccatis veniam poscentem reddere rursus—It is fair that he who begs to be forgiven should in turn forgive. Hor. Ære perennius—More enduring than brass. Hor. Ærugo animi, rubigo ingenii—Rust, viz., idleness, of mind is the blight of genius, i.e., natural capability of every kind. Æs debitorem leve, gravius inimicum facit—A slight debt makes a man your debtor; a heavier one, your enemy. Laber. Ætatem non tegunt tempora—Our temples do not conceal our age. Æternum inter se discordant—They are eternally at variance with each other. Ter. Ævo rarissima nostro simplicitas—Simplicity a very rare thing now-a-days. Ovid. A fact is a great thing: a sentence printed, if not by God, then at least by the Devil. Carlyle. A fact in our lives is valuable, not so far as it is true, but as it is significant. Goethe. A facto ad jus non datur consequentia—Inference from the fact to the law is not legitimate. L. Max. "A fair day's wages for a fair day's work," is as just a demand as governed men ever made of governing; yet in what corner of this planet was that ever realised? Carlyle. A fair face may hide a foul heart. Pr. A faithful friend is a true image of the Deity. Napoleon. A fault confessed is half redressed. Pr. A favour does not consist in the service done, but in the spirit of the man who confers it. Sen. A fellow-feeling makes one wondrous kind. Garrick. A fellow who speculates is like an animal on a barren heath, driven round and round by an evil spirit, while there extends on all sides of him a beautiful green meadow-pasture. Goethe. "A few strong instincts and a few plain rules" suffice us. Emerson, from Wordsworth. Affaire d'amour—A love affair. Fr. Affaire d'honneur—An affair of honour; a duel. Fr. Affaire du cœur—An affair of the heart. Fr. Affairs that depend on many rarely succeed. Guicciardini. Affection lights a brighter flame / Than ever blazed by art. Cowper. Affirmatim—In the affirmative. Afflavit Deus et dissipantur—God sent forth his breath, and they are scattered. Inscription on medal struck to commemorate the destruction of the Spanish Armada. Afflictions are blessings in disguise. Pr. A fiery soul, which, working out its way / Fretted the pigmy body to decay. Dryden. A fin—To the end. A fine quotation is a diamond on the finger of a man of wit, and a pebble in the hand of a fool. J. Roux. A fixed idea ends in madness or heroism. Victor Hugo. A flute lay side by side with Frederick the Great's baton of command. Jean Paul. A fly is as untamable as a hyena. Emerson. A fog cannot be dispelled with a fan. Japan. Pr. A fond—Thoroughly (lit. to the bottom). A fonte puro pura defluit aqua—From a pure spring pure water flows. Pr. A fortiori—With stronger reason. A fool always accuses other people; a partially wise man, himself; a wholly wise man, neither himself nor others. Herder. A fool always finds a greater fool to admire him. Boileau. A fool and his money are soon parted. Pr. A fool flatters himself, a wise man flatters the fool. Bulwer. A fool is often as dangerous to deal with as a knave, and always more incorrigible. Colton. 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 A fool is wise in his own conceit. Pr. A fool knows more in his own house than a wise man in another's. Pr. A fool may give a wise man counsel. Pr. A fool may make money, but it takes a wise man to spend it. Pr. A fool may sometimes have talent, but he never has judgment. La Roche. A fool may speer (ask) mair questions than a wise man can answer. Sc. Pr. A fool resents good counsel, but a wise man lays it to heart. Confucius. A fool's bolt is soon shot. Hen. V., iii. 7. A fool's bolt may sometimes hit the mark. Pr. A fool when he is silent is counted wise. Pr. A fool who has a flash of wit creates astonishment and scandal, like a hack-horse setting out to gallop. Chamfort. A fop is the mercer's friend, the tailor's fool, and his own foe. Lavater. A force de mal aller tout ira bien—By dint of going wrong all will go right. Fr. Pr. A force de peindre le diable sur les murs, il finit par apparaître en personne—If you keep painting the devil on the walls, he will by and by appear to you in person. Fr. Pr. A friend in court makes the process short. Pr. A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Emerson. A friend is never known till needed. Pr. A friend loveth at all times. Bible. A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of Nature. Emerson. A friend's eye is a good looking-glass. Gael. Pr. A friendship will be young at the end of a century, a passion old at the end of three months. Nigu. A friend to everybody is a friend to nobody. Pr. A fronte præcipitium, a tergo lupus—A precipice before, a wolf behind. Pr. After dinner rest awhile; after supper walk a mile. Pr. After life's fitful fever he sleeps well. Macb., iii. 2. After meat mustard, i.e., too late. After the spirit of discernment, the next rarest things in the world are diamonds and pearls. La Bruyère. After-wit is everybody's wit. Pr. A full cup is hard to carry. Pr. A ganging fit (foot) is aye getting. Sc. Pr. A gauche—To the left. Fr. Age does not make us childish, as people say; it only finds us still true children. Goethe. Age is a matter of feeling, not of years. G. W. Curtis. Age without cheerfulness is a Lapland winter without a sun. Colton. A genius is one who is endowed with an excess of nervous energy and sensibility. Schopenhauer. Agent de change—A stockbroker. Fr. A gentleman makes no noise; a lady is serene. Emerson. A gentleman's first characteristic is fineness of nature. Ruskin. A gentleman that will speak more in a minute than he will stand to in a month. Rom. and Jul., ii. 4. Age quod agis—Attend to (lit. do) what you are doing. Agere considerate pluris est quam cogitare prudenter—It is of more consequence to act considerately than to think sagely. Cic. Agiotage—Stockbroking. Fr. A giving hand, though foul, shall have fair praise. Love's L. Lost, iv. 1. Agnosco veteris vestigia flammæ—I own I feel traces of an old passion. Virg. A God all mercy is a God unjust. Young. A God speaks softly in our breast; softly, yet distinctly, shows us what to hold by and what to shun. Goethe. A gold key opens every door. Pr. A good bargain is a pick-purse. Pr. A good beginning makes a good ending. Pr. A good book is the precious life-blood of a master-spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life. Milton. A good friend is my nearest relation. Pr. 60 65 {pg 6} 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 A good horse should be seldom spurred. Pr. A good inclination is only the first rude draught of virtue, but the finishing strokes are from the will. South. A good king is a public servant. Ben Jonson. A good laugh is sunshine in a house. Thackeray. A good law is one that holds, whether you recognise it or not; a bad law is one that cannot, however much you ordain it. Ruskin. A good man in his dark striving is, I should say, conscious of the right way. Goethe. A good man shall be satisfied from himself. Bible. A good marksman may miss. Pr. A good name is sooner lost than won. Pr. A good presence is a letter of recommendation. Pr. A good reader is nearly as rare as a good writer. Willmott. A good rider on a good horse is as much above himself and others as the world can make him. Lord Herbert of Cherbury. A good road and a wise traveller are two different things. Pr. A good solid bit of work lasts. George Eliot. A good surgeon must have an eagle's eye, a lion's heart, and a lady's hand. Pr. A good thought is a great boon. Bovee. A good wife and health are a man's best wealth. Pr. A gorge déployée—With full throat. Fr. A government for protecting business and bread only is but a carcase, and soon falls by its own corruption to decay. A. B. Alcott. A government may not waver; once it has chosen its course, it must, without looking to right or left, thenceforth go forward. Bismarck. A grands frais—At great expense. Fr. A grave and a majestic exterior is the palace of the soul. Chinese Pr. A great anguish may do the work of years, and we may come out from that baptism of fire with a soul full of new awe and new pity. George Eliot. A great deal may and must be done which we dare not acknowledge in words. Goethe. A great genius takes shape by contact with another great genius, but less by assimilation than by friction. Heine. A great licentiousness treads on the heels of a reformation. Emerson. A great man is he who can call together the most select company when it pleases him. Landor. A great man is one who affects the mind of his generation. Disraeli. A great man living for high ends is the divinest thing that can be seen on earth. G. S. Hillard. A great man quotes bravely, and will not draw on his invention when his memory serves him with a word as good. Emerson. A great master always appropriates what is good in his predecessors, and it is this which makes him great. Goethe. A great observer, and he looks / Quite through the deeds of men. Jul. Cæs., i. 2. A great reputation is a great noise; the more there is made, the farther off it is heard. Napoleon. A great revolution is never the fault of the people, but of the government. Goethe. A great scholar is seldom a great philosopher. Goethe. A great spirit errs as well as a little one, the former because it knows no bounds, the latter because it confounds its own horizon with that of the universe. Goethe. A great thing can only be done by a great man, and he does it without effort. Ruskin. A great thing is a great book, but greater than all is the talk of a great man. Disraeli. A great writer does not reveal himself here and there, but everywhere. Lowell. Agree, for the law is costly. Pr. A green winter makes a fat churchyard. Pr. A grey eye is a sly eye; a brown one indicates a roguish humour; a blue eye expresses fidelity; while the sparkling of a dark eye is, like the ways of Providence, always a riddle. Bodenstedt. A growing youth has a wolf in his belly. Pr. Agues come on horseback and go away on foot. Pr. A guilty conscience needs no accuser. Pr. A hair of the dog that bit him. Pr. A haute voix—Loudly; audibly. Fr. 45 50 55 60 65 70 {pg 7} 5 10 15 A heart to resolve, a head to contrive, and a hand to execute. Gibbon. A hedge between, keeps friendship green. Pr. Ah! il n'y a plus d'enfants—Ah! there are no children now-a-days! Mol. Ah me! for aught that ever I could read ... / The course of true love never did run smooth. Mid. N.'s Dream, i. 1. Ah me! how sweet this world is to the dying! Schiller. A hook's well lost to catch a salmon. Pr. A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse. Rich. III., v. 4. Ah! pour être dévot, je n'en suis pas moins homme—Though I am a religious man, I am not therefore the less a man. Mol. Ah! quam dulce est meminisse—Ah! how sweet it is to remember! M. Ah! that deceit should steal such gentle shapes / And with a virtuous visor hide deep vice. Rich. III., ii. 2. A hundred years cannot repair a moment's loss of honour. Pr. A hungry belly has no ears. Pr. Ah! vitam perdidi operose nihil agendo—I have lost my life, alas! in laboriously doing nothing. Grotius. Aide-toi, et le ciel t'aidera—Help yourself and Heaven will help you. Fr. [Greek: Ai symphorai poiousi makrologous]—Misfortunes make men talk loquaciously. Appian. [Greek: Aidôs olôlen]—Modesty has died out. Theognis. Ainsi que son esprit, tout peuple a son langage—Every nation has its own language as well as its own temperament. Voltaire. Air de fête—Looking festive. Fr. Air distingué—Distinguished looking. Fr. Airs of importance are the credentials of impotence. Lavater. Aisé à dire est difficile à faire—Easy to say is hard to do. Fr. Pr. A jest loses its point when he who makes it is the first to laugh. Schiller. A jest's prosperity lies in the ear / Of him that hears it, never in the tongue / Of him that makes it. Love's L. Lost, v. 2. A Jove principium—Beginning with Jove. A judge who cannot punish, associates himself in the end with the criminal. Goethe. A judicious (verständiger) man is of much value for himself, of little for the whole. Goethe. A king of shreds and patches. Ham., iii. 4. A king's son is no nobler than his company. Gael. Pr. A knavish speech sleeps in a foolish ear. Ham., iv. 2. A l'abandon—At random; little cared for. Fr. A la belle étoile—In the open air. Fr. A la bonne heure—Well-timed; very well. Fr. A l'abri—Under shelter. Fr. A la chandelle la chèvre semble demoiselle—By candlelight a goat looks like a young lady. Fr. Pr. A la dérobée—By stealth. Fr. A la fin saura-t-on qui a mangé le lard—We shall know in the end who ate the bacon. Fr. Pr. A la française—In the French fashion. Fr. A la lettre—Literally. Fr. A la mode—According to the fashion. Fr. A l'amour satisfait tout son charme est ôté—When love is satisfied all the charm of it is gone. Corneille. A la portée de tout le monde—Within reach of every one. Fr. A la presse vont les fous—Fools go in crowds. Fr. Pr. Alas! the devil's sooner raised than laid. Sheridan. A last judgment is necessary, because fools flourish. Wm. Blake. A last judgment is not for making bad men better, but for hindering them from oppressing the good. Wm. Blake. A latere—From the side of (sc. the Pope). A lazy man is necessarily a bad man; an idle, is necessarily a demoralised population. Draper. Albæ gallinæ filius—The son of a white hen. Album calculum addere—To give a white stone, i.e., to vote for, by putting a white stone into an urn, a black one indicating rejection. Al corral con ello—Out of the window with it. Sp. 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 Alea belli—The hazard of war. Alea jacta est—The die is cast. Alea judiciorum—The hazard or uncertainty of law. A leaden sword in an ivory scabbard. Pr. A learned man is a tank; a wise man is a spring. W. R. Alger. Al enemigo, si vuelve la espalda, la puente de plata—Make a bridge of silver for the flying enemy. Sp. Pr. Alere flammam—To feed the flame. Ales volat propriis—A bird flies to its own. Al fin se canta la Gloria—Not till the end is the Gloria chanted. Sp. Pr. Al fresco—In the open air. It. Aliam excute quercum—Go, shake some other oak (of its fruit). Pr. Alia res sceptrum, alia plectrum—Ruling men is one thing, fiddling to them another. Pr. A liar is always lavish of oaths. Corneille. A liar should have a good memory. Pr. Alias—Otherwise. Alia tentanda via est—We must try another way. Alibi—Elsewhere. A lie is like a snowball; the farther you roll it, the bigger it becomes. Luther. A lie has no legs, but scandal has wings. Pr. A lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies. Tennyson. Aliena negotia centum / Per caput, et circa saliunt latus—A hundred affairs of other people leap through my head and at my side. Hor. Aliena negotia curo / Excussus propriis—I attend to other people's affairs, baffled with my own. Hor. Aliena nobis, nostra plus aliis placent—That which belongs to others pleases us most; that which belongs to us pleases others more. Pub. Syr. Aliena opprobria sæpe / Absterrent vitiis—We are often deterred from crime by the disgrace of others. Hor. Aliena optimum frui insania—It is best to profit by the madness of other people. Pr. Aliena vitia in oculis habemus; a tergo nostra sunt—We keep the faults of others before our eyes; our own behind our backs. Sen. Alieni appetens, sui profusus—Covetous of other men's property, prodigal of his own. Sall. Alieni temporis flores—Flowers of other days. Alieno in loco haud stabile regnum est—Sovereignty over a foreign land is insecure. Sen. Alieno more vivendum est mihi—I must live according to another's humour. Ter. Alienos agros irrigas tuis sitientibus—You water the fields of others, while your own are parched. Pr. A lie should be trampled on and extinguished wherever found. Carlyle. A lie which is all a lie may be met and fought with outright / But a lie which is part a truth is a harder matter to fight. Tennyson. A life that is worth writing at all is worth writing minutely. Longfellow. A light heart lives long. Pr. Alii sementem faciunt, alii metentem—Some do the sowing, others the reaping. Aliis lætus, sapiens sibi—Cheerful for others, wise for himself. Pr. A l'impossible nul n'est tenu—No one can be held bound to do what is impossible. Fr. Pr. A l'improviste—Unawares. Fr. Aliorum medicus, ipse ulceribus scates—A physician to others, while you yourself are full of ulcers. Alio sub sole—Under another sky (lit. sun). Aliquando bonus dormitat Homerus—Sometimes even the good Homer nods. Hor. Aliquis non debet esse judex in propria causa—No one may sit as judge in his own case. L. Alis volat propriis—He flies with his own wings. M. A little body often harbours a great soul. Pr. A little fire is quickly trodden out; / Which being suffered, rivers cannot quench. 3 Hen. VI., iv. 8. A little is better than none. Pr. A little learning is a dangerous thing / Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring. Pope. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Pr. A little more than kin, and less than kind. Ham., i. 2. A little neglect may breed great mischief. Franklin. A little philosophy inclineth a man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds 70 {pg 8} 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 about to religion. Bacon. A little spark maks muckle wark. Sc. Pr. Alitur vitium vivitque tegendo—Evil is nourished and grows by concealment. Virg. Aliud est celare, aliud tacere—To conceal is one thing, to say nothing is another. L. Max. Aliud et idem—Another and the same. Aliud legunt pueri, aliud viri, aliud senes—Boys read books one way, men another, old men another. Ter. A living dog is better than a dead lion. Pr. Alle anderen Dinge müssen; der Mensch ist das Wesen, welches will—All other things must; man is the only creature who wills. Schiller. Alle Frachten lichten, sagte der Schiffer, da warf er seine Frau über Bord—All freights lighten, said the skipper, as he threw his wife into the sea. Ger. Pr. Allegans contraria non est audiendus—No one is to be heard whose evidence is contradictory. L. Max. Allen gehört, was du denkest; dein eigen ist nur, was du fühlest—What you think belongs to all; only what you feel is your own. Schiller. Aller Anfang ist heiter; die Schwelle ist der Platz der Erwartung—Every beginning is cheerful; the threshold is the place of expectation. Goethe. Aller Anfang ist schwer, sprach der Dieb, und stahl zuerst einen Amboss—Every beginning is difficult, said the thief, when he began by stealing an anvil. Ger. Pr. Alle Schuld rächt sich auf Erden—Every offence is avenged on earth. Goethe. Alles Gescheidte ist schon gedacht worden; man muss nur versuchen, es noch einmal zu denken— Everything wise has already been thought; one can only try and think it once more. Goethe. Alles Vergängliche ist nur ein Gleichniss—Everything transitory is only an allegory. Goethe. Alles wanket, wo der Glaube fehlt—All is unsteady (lit. wavers) where faith fails. Ger. Pr. Alles wäre gut, wär kein Aber dabei—Everything would be right if it were not for the "Buts." Ger. Pr. Alles, was ist, ist vernünftig—Everything which is, is agreeable to reason. Hegel. Alles zu retten, muss alles gewagt werden—To save all, we must risk all. Schiller. All advantages are attended with disadvantages. Hume. All are but parts of one stupendous whole / Whose body Nature is, and God the soul. Pope. All argument will vanish before one touch of Nature. Colman. All are not hunters that blow the horn. Pr. All are not saints that go to church. Pr. All are not soldiers that go to the wars. Pr. All are not thieves that dogs bark at. Pr. All art is great, and good, and true, only so far as it is distinctively the work of manhood in its entire and highest sense. Ruskin. All balloons give up their gas in the pressure of things, and collapse in a sufficiently wretched manner erelong. Carlyle. All battle is misunderstanding. Goethe. All beginnings are easy; it is the ulterior steps that are of most difficult ascent and most rarely taken. Goethe. All cats are grey in the dark. Pr. All censure of a man's self is oblique praise; it is in order to show how much he can spare. Johnson. All cruelty springs from weakness. Sen. All death in nature is birth. Fichte. All deep joy has something of awful in it. Carlyle. All delights are vain; but that most vain / Which, with pain purchas'd, doth inherit pain. Love's L. Lost, i. 1. All destruction, by violent revolution or howsoever it be, is but new creation on a wider scale. Carlyle. All disputation makes the mind deaf, and when people are deaf I am dumb. Joubert. [Greek: All' estin, entha chê dikê blabên pherei]—Sometimes justice does harm. Sophocles. All evil is as a nightmare; the instant you begin to stir under it, the evil is gone. Carlyle. All evils, when extreme, are the same. Corneille. All faults are properly shortcomings. Goethe. All faiths are to their own believers just / For none believe because they will, but must. Dryden. All feet tread not in one shoe. Pr. All flesh consorteth according to its kind, and a man will cleave to his like. Ecclus. All forms of government are good, so far as the wise and kind in them govern the unwise and unkind. Ruskin. 50 55 60 {pg 9} 5 10 15 20 25 30

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