Page images
PDF
EPUB

552. Brisant des potentats la couronne éphémère

Trois mille ans ont passé sur la cendre d'Homère :
Et depuis trois mille ans, Homère respecté
Est jeune encore de gloire et d'immortalité.

(Fr.) M. J. Chénier, Ep. à Voltaire.

Homer.
'Mid wreck of empires, crowns, and crumbled thrones,
Three thousand years have passed o'er Homer's bones ;
Yet Homer now, after three thousand years,

Undimmed in glory and in youth appears.— Ed. 553. Britannia victrix. (L.)Britain victorious. Motto of

Earl of Northesk. 554. Brouille sera à la maison si la quenouille est maîtresse.

(Fr.) Breton Prov.There will be discord in the house if

the spindle rules. 555. Bruta fulmina et vana, ut quæ nulla veniunt ratione

(L.) Plin. 2, 43, 43, § 113.-Thunderbolts that strike blindly and harmlessly, such as are traceable to no natural cause. A brutum fulmen is used metaphorically of any violent act, or

denunciatory language, producing more noise than injury. A loud but idle menace. An inoperative law. The idea is of

some terrestial Jupiter, whose bosts have lost their potency. 556. Bûche tortue fait bon feu. (Fr.) Prov.—A crooked log

makes a good fire. Don't judge from personal appearances. 557. Buen siglo haya quien dijo bolta. (S.)

(S.) Prov.-Blessings on the man that said, Right about face!

a

C and the Greek X (CH). 558. Cada cosa en su tiempo, y navos en adviento. (S.) Prov.

Everything in its proper season, and turnips in Advent. 559. Cada uno es como Dios le hizo, y aun peor muchas veces.

(S.) Cervantes, D. Quijote, 2, 4.-Every one is as God

made him, and oftentimes a great deal worse. 560. Cada uno es hijo de sus obras. (S.) Cervantes, D.

Quijote, 2, 32.Every man is the son of his own works.
Every one is responsible for his own acts. The child is

father of the man.
561. Cadit quæstio. (L.)-The question is at an end.

The subject requires no further discussion.

562. Cæca invidia est, nec quidquam aliud scit, quam

detrectare virtutes. (L.) Liv. 38, 49.—Envy is blind, and her whole power consists in disparaging the virtues

of others. 563. Cæcus non judicat de colore. (L.)--A blind man is a bad

judge of colour. 564. Calitus mihi vires. (L.)-My strength is from heaven.

Motto of Viscount Ranelagh. 565. Cælo tegitur qui non habet urnam. (L.) Luc. 7, 819.

The unburied dead.

The vault of heaven
Doth cover him who hath no funeral urn.-Ed.
566. Cælum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt.

(L.) Hor. Ep. 1, 11, 27.
Change of scene.
Who fly beyond the seas will find
Their climate changed, but not their mind. -Ed.
Motto of American

newspaper

Albion. 567. Cæsarem vehis Cæsarisque fortunam. (L.) Or in Greek

(see Plutarch, Ces.), Καισάρα φέρεις, και την Καισάρος
Túxnv.-You carry Cæsar and his fortunes.
This is the famous traditional reply of Julius Cæsar to the

mariner, Amyclus, when overtaken by tempest as he was
secretly crossing from Durazzo to Brindisi in an open boat.
The sailor declared he would go no further. Cæsar, grasping
his hand, bade him fear nothing. Perge audacter, Cæsarem
vehis, etc. - Go on boldly, you carry Cæsar, etc., as above.
(V. Suet. Jul. Ed. Delphin. Valpy, Lond. 1826, vol. iii.,

Notæ Varior., p. 1302.)

Lucan (5, 577) renders the incident in verse.
Fisus cuncta sibi cessura pericula Cæsar
Sperne minas, inquit, pelagi, ventoque furenti
Trade sinum. Italiam si cælo auctore recusas
Me pete. Sola tibi causa hæc est justa timoris
Vectorem non nosse tuum.

Cosar and the Mariner.
Reckoning all dangers to surmount
Cæsar replied, Make little count
Of threatening sea or furious gale,
But boldly spread the bellying sail.
And if in spite of Heaven's acclaim
Thou would'st turn back, then ask my namo.
There's a just reason for thy fears,
Thou know'st not whom thy vessel bears. -Ed.

568. Calamitosus est animus futuri anxius et ante miserias

miser, qui solicitus est, ut ea quibus delectatur ad extremum usque permaneant. (L.) Sen. Ep. 98.The man who is always thinking of the future is in a deplorable state, and makes himself wretched before his time, in his anxiety to have his enjoyment prolonged to the last day

of life. 569. Callidos eos appello quorum, tanquam manus opere, sic animus usu concalluit. (L.) Cic. N. D. 3, 10, 25.

( I call persons shrewd, whose minds have been toughened

by experience, as a man's hands get hard by labour. 570. Calomniez, calomniez, il en reste toujours quelque chose.

(Fr.) Beaumarchais, Barbier de Séville.—Keep on abusing,
some of it always remains behind.
Cf. Bacon, de Augm. Sc. 8, 2. Audacter calumniare, semper

aliquid hæret. (L.) --Calumniate boldly, some of it will always
remain. An identical saying will be found in Manlius'
Locorum Comm. Collectanea (Basileæ, 1563), vol. ii., p. 268,
and also in Caspar Peucer's Historia Carcerum (Tiguri, 1605),
p. 57, both quotations relating to one Midias (? Medius), a
well-known calumniator, who was accustomed to use the say.
ing. Archbishop Whately used to say, “If you only throw

dirt enough, some of it is sure to stick." 571. Calumniari si quis autem voluerit,

Quod arbores loquantur, non tantum feræ ;
Fictis jocari nos meminerit fabulis.

(L.) Phædr. 1, Prol. 5.
Æsop's Fables.
But if the critics it displease
That brutes should talk, and even trees,
Let them remember I but jest,

And teach the truth in fiction drest.Ed. 572. Campos ubi Troja fuit. (L.) ?—The fields where Troy once

stood. Applicable to the site of any ruined or vanished city of antiquity, or of any formerly well-known build

ings now no longer standing. 573. Canam mihi et Musis. (L.) Bayle I will sing to myself

and to the Muses. An unappreciated poet. 574. Can ch' abbaia non morde. (It.) Prov.The cur that

barks does not bite. 575. Candida pax homines, trux decet ira feras. (L.) Ov. A. A.

3, 502.- Smiling peace is becoming to men, and fierce anger to wild beasts.

576. Candida, perpetuo reside, concordia, lecto,

Jamque pari semper sit Venus æqua jugo:
Diligat illa senem quondam ; sed et ipsa marito,
Tunc quoque cum fuerit, non videatur anus.

(L.) Mart. 4, 13, 7.
Marriage wishes.
Sweet concord ever o'er their home preside,
And mutual Love the well-matched couple guide :
May she love him when time hath touched his hair,

And he, when she is old, still think her fair. -Ed. 577. Candide et constanter. (L.)— With candour and constancy.

Motto of the Earl of Coventry. 578. Candidus in nauta turpis color: æquoris unda Debet et a radiis sideris esse niger.

(L.) Ov.? The sailor. A fair skin in a sailor's out of place,

The sun and salt sea-spray should tan his face.-Ed. 579. Canis. (L.)- A dog.

Proverbial expressions connected with : (1.) Cane pejus et angui. (L.) Prov. Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 30.

Worse than a dog or snake. (2.) Canina eloquentia. Quint. 12, 9, 9. (Cf. Canina facundia, Appius ap. Sall. Fragm. 25, 37.)-Dog-eloquence, dog-oratory. Snarling, abusive. (3.) Canis caninam non est. Auct. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 32. - Dog don't eat dog. (4.) Canis timidus vehementius latrat quam mordet. Curt. 7, 4, 13.-A cowardly dog barks worse than it bites. (5.) Cave canem. Petr. 29. Beware of the dog. Inscription of warning to trespassers on doors. (6.) Stultitia est venatum ducere invitos canes. Plaut. Stich. 1, 2, 82. -It is folly to take unwilling hounds out hunting. (7.) Ut canis e Nilo. Cf. Phædr. 1, 25.-(To run) like a Nile dog-i.e., quickly to avoid being snapped up by crocodiles. (8.) Canis festinans cæcos parit catulos. Prov. A dog that hurries too fast will have blind puppies. 69.) Canis a corio nunquam absterrebitur uncto. Hor. S. 2, 5, 83.—You will never tear a dog away from a greasy hide. A dog that has once tasted flesh will be always gnawing anything of the kind. Proverb implying that bad habits stick closely. (Cf. The Greek saying, xalet dy xoplw kúva yellrai. Theocr. 10, 11.

It is ill letting a dog taste blood.) 580. Cantabit vacuus coram latrone viator. (L.) Juv. 11, 22.

-The traveller, whose pockets are empty, will sing in the

presence of robbers. 581. Cantantes licet usque, (minus via lædet) eamus. (L.)

Virg. E. 9, 84.
Keep we singing as we go,
It will make the way less slow.-E..

582. Cantat vinctus quoque coinpede fossor, Indocili numero cum grave

mollit

opus.
Cantat et innitens limosæ pronus arenæ,
Adverso tardam qui trahit amne ratem.

(L.) Ov. T. 4, 1, 5.
The convict bound with heavy chains
His labour cheers with artless strains :
Or sings as bent by oozy marge,

He slowly drags against the stream the barge. -Ed. 583. Cantilenam eandem canis. (L.) Ter. Phorm. 3, 2, 10.

You are singing the same (old) song (in Greek tò aútò

άδεις άσμα). 584. Cap à pié. (Old Fr.)-From top to toe. The modern

French equivalent is de pied en cap. Armed cap-d-pié=

in complete armour. 585. Capias. (L.) Law Phrase. - You may take. In English

common law the first word of a writ directed against the

person to effect his arrest. 586. Capias ad respondendum. (L.) Law Term.-You may

take him to make answer. Writ to arrest a party at large, or already in custody of the sheriff. (2.) Capias ad satisfaciendum (abbrev. ca, sa).— Writ of execution

after judgment for recovery of debt or damages. 587. Capistrum maritale. (L.)-The matrimonial halter. Vide

Juv. 6, 43. 588. Capitis nives. (L.) Hor. C. 4, 13, 12.The snowy head.

White hair. 589. Captum te nidore suæ putat ille culina Nec male conjectat.

(L.) Juv. 5, 162. He knows you can't resist the savoury smell

From his own kitchen ; and he guesses well. -Ed. 590. Caput inter nubila condit. (L.) Virg. A. 4, 177.-She

hides her head amidst the clouds. Said of rumour.

Motto of the town of Gateshead. 591. Caput mortuum. (L.)-A dead head. In chemistry, the

inert residuum of the distillation and sublimation of different substances. (2.) Trop.--A blockhead, a cypher,

a nonentity. 592. Caput mundi. (L.)-The head of the world. Applied

anciently to Pagan and, later, to Papal Rome. Cf. Ipsa, caput mundi .

Roma. Lucan. 2, 655. Cf. Caput imperii. Tac. H. 1, 84.-Head of the Empire ; and

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »