PROBABILITY BISHOP BUTLER. Also used by HOOKER- 6 PROCRASTINATION (See TIME, TO-MORROW) 7 16 Prison'd in a parlour snug and small, COWPER-Retirement. L. 493. "And a bird-cage, sir," said Sam. “Veels vithin veels, a prison in a prison.” DICKENS—Pickwick Papers. Ch. XL. 8 As if a wheel bad been in the midst of a wheel. Ezekiel. X. 10. 9 In durance vile. WILLIAM KENDRICK-Falstaff's Wedding. Act I. Sc. 2. BURKE-Thoughts on the Present (See also BURNS) A private closet is to me. Locks, bars, and solitude together met, Make me no prisoner, but an anchoret. Attributed to SIR ROGER L'ESTRANGE. Also to LORD CAPEL. Found in the New Foundling Hospital for Wit. (Ed. 1786) IV. 40, as a supplementary stanza. See Notes and Queries, April 10, 1909. P. 288. PROGRESS (See also EVOLUTION, GROWTH) Westward the star of empire takes its way. JOHN QUINCY ADAMSOration at Plymouth. (1802) Misquoted from BERKELEY on inside cover of an early edition of BANCROFT'S History of United States. (See also BERKELEY) Laws and institutions are constantly tending to gravitate. Like clocks, they must be occasionally cleansed, and wound up, and set to true time. HENRY WARD BEECHER—Life Thoughts. 17 18 * Westward the course of empire takes its way; The four first Acts already past, Time's noblest offspring is the last. What is art 11 19 Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage, That for an hermitage. 13 14 2 15 16 18 19 A tunnel underneath the sea from Calais straight PROPRIETY (See MANNERS) to Dover, Sir, The squeamish folks may cross by land from PROSPERITY (See also SUCCESS) shore to shore, With sluices made to drown the French, if e'er In rebus prosperis, superbiam, fastidium arthey would come over, Sir, rogantiamque magno opere fugiamus. Has long been talk'd of, till at length 'tis In prosperity, let us most carefully avoid thought a monstrous bore. pride, disdain, and arrogance. THEODORE HOOK-Bubbles of 1825. In John CICERO-De Officiis. I. 26. Bull, 1825. Ut adversas res, secundas immoderate ferre, This solemn moment of triumph, one of the levitatis est. greatest moments in the history of the world It shows a weak mind not to bear prosperity .. this great hour which rings in a new as well as adversity with moderation. era and which is going to lift up hu CICERO—De Officiis. I. 26. manity to a higher plane of existence for all the ages of the future. C'est un faible roseau que la prospérité. David LLOYD GEORGE. Speech at Guildhall Prosperity is a feeble reed. after the signing of the Armistice, Nov. 11, DANIEL D'ANCHÈRES—Tyr et Sidon. 1918. My gran’ther's rule was safer 'n 't is to crow: Alles in der Welt lässt sich ertragen, Don't never prophesy-onless ye know. Nur nicht eine Reihe von schönen Tagen. LOWELL-Biglow Papers. No. 2. Mason and Everything in the world may be endured, Slidell. except only a succession of prosperous days. (See also CICERO) GOETHE-Sprüche in Reimen. III. It takes a mind like Dannel's, fact, ez big ez all Prosperity lets go the bridle. 17 ou'doors To find out thet it looks like rain arter it fairly HERBERT Jacula Prudentum. pours. LOWELL-Biglow Papers. No. 9. L. 97. The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 5 Isaiah. XXXV. 1. I wish you every kind of prosperity, with a little more taste. 6 ALAIN RENÉ LE SAGE-Gil Blas. Bk. VII. No mighty trance, or breathed spell Ch. IV. HENRI Van Laun's trans. Inspires the pale-eyed priest from the prophetic cell. Felix se nescit amari. MILTON—Hymn on Christ's Nativity. L. 173. The prosperous man does not know whether 7 he is loved. Till old experience do attain LUCAN-Pharsalia. VII. 727. They shall sit every man under his vine and 8 under his fig-tree. Is Saul also among the prophets? Micah. IV. 4. Surer to prosper than prosperity could have My uncle assur'd us. Hamlet. Act I. Sc. 5. L. 40. MILTON—Paradise Lost. Bk. II. L. 39. 10 23 There is a history in all men's lives, Length of days is in her right hand; and in her Figuring the nature of the times deceas'd, left hand riches and honour. The which observed, a man may prophesy With a near aim, of the main chance of things Proverbs. III. 16. As yet not come to life, which in their seeds 24 And weak beginnings lie intreasured. Est felicibus difficilis miserarium vera æstimatio. Henry IV. Pt. II. Act III. Sc. 1. L. 80. The prosperous can not easily form a right 11 idea of misery. Prognostics do not always prove prophecies, QUINTILIAN—De Institutione Oratoria. IX. 6. at least the wisest prophets make sure of the event first. Res secundæ valent commutare naturam, et HORACE WALPOLE-Letter to Thos. Walpole. raro quisquam erga bona sua satis cautus est. Feb. 9, 1785. (See also CICERO) Prosperity can change man's nature; and 12 seldom is any one cautious enough to resist Your fathers, where are they? And the proph the effects of good fortune. ets, do they live forever? QUINTUS CURTIUS RUFUS-De Rebus Gestis Zechariah. I. 5. Alexandri Magni. X. 1. 40. 20 21 22 25 12 13 Semel profecto premere felices deus When God has once begun to throw down the prosperous, He overthrows them altogether: such is the end of the mighty. SENECA-Hercules Etæus. 713. 3 There shall be in England seven halfpenny loaves sold for a penny: the three-hooped pot shall have ten hoops; and I will make it felony to drink small beer. Henry VI. Pt. II. Act IV. Sc. 2. L. 70. No hay refran que no sea verdadero. There is no proverb which is not true. CERVANTES-Don Quixote. As Love and I late harbour'd in one inn, With proverbs thus each other entertain: "In love there is no lack," thus I begin; "Fair words make fools,” replieth he again; "Who spares to speak doth spare to speed,” quoth I; "As well,” saith he, "too forward as too slow"; "Fortune assists the boldest," I reply; "A hasty man," quoth he, "ne'er wanted woe''; "Labour is light where love," quoth I," doth pay”; Saith he, ""Light burden's heavy, if far borne''; Quoth I, “The main lost, cast the by away"; "Y'have spun a fair thread,” he replies in scorn. And having thus awhile each other thwarted Fools as we met, so fools again we parted. MICHAEL DRAYTON—Proverbs. 8 A proverb and a byword among all people. I Kings. IX. 7. 17 18 PROVERBS (Introduction) I'll tell the names and sayings and the places of their birth, Of the seven great ancient sages so renowned on Grecian earth, The Lindian Cleobulus said, "The mean was still the best"; The Spartan Chilo, “Know thyself,” a heaven born phrase confessed. Corinthian Periander taught "Our anger to command," "Too much of nothing," Pittacus, from Mity lene's strand; Athenian Solon this advised, “Look to the end of life,” And Bias from Priene showed, "Bad men are the most rife''; Milesian Thales urged that “None should e'er a surety be”; Few were their words, but if you look, you'll much in little see. From the Greek. Author unknown. answer Maxims are the condensed good sense of nations. SIR J. MACKINTOSH. Quoted on the title page of BROOM's Legal Maxims. (1911) This formal fool, your man, speaks naught but proverbs, And speak men what they can to him he'll With some rhyme, rotten sentence, or old saying, Such spokes as ye ancient of ye parish use. HENRY PORTER—The Proverb Monger. From Two Angry Women of Abindon. A proverb is one man's wit and all men's wisdom. LORD JOHN RUSSELL. In Notes to ROGER'S Italy. (1848) Claimed by him as his original definition of a proverb. 19 20 9 Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked. proverb on record. 21 Know thyself. SOLON. Bias. scribed in later days in the Delphian Temple. I can tell thee where that saying was born. Twelfth Night. Act I. Sc. 5. L. 9. |