Page images
PDF
EPUB

825. Continuo culpam ferro compesce, priusquam per incautum serpant contagia vulgus.

Dira

Prompt measures.

(L.) Virg. G. 3, 468.

Cut off at once with knife the mischief's head,

Lest thro' the unthinking crowd the poison spread.-Ed.

Prompt measures must be taken with disorders, either of the natural or the political body: sedition, like any other ulcer, must be at once removed.

826. Con todo el mondo guerra, y paz con Inglaterra. (S.) Prov.-War with all the world, and peace with England. 827. Contra malum mortis, non est medicamen in hortis. Med. Aphor.-No chemist's herbarium contains a remedy against death.

828. Contranando incrementum.

(L.)

(L.)—Progress by swimming

against the stream. Motto of the town of Peebles.

829. Contra verbosos noli contendere verbis ;

Sermo datur cunctis, animi sapientia paucis. (L.) Dion. Cato. Avoid wrangling with the contentious; speech is given to every man, wisdom to few.

830. Contredire, c'est quelquefois frapper à une porte, pour savoir s'il y a quelqu'un dans la maison. (Fr.) Prov.

To contradict, sometimes means to knock at the door to find out whether there is any one at home.

831. Contre fortune bon cœur. (Fr.)—Against the fickleness of fortune oppose a bold heart.

832. Contre les rebelles, c'est cruanté que d'estre humain et humanité d'estre cruel. (Fr.) Corneille Muis, Bp. of Bitonte. Against rebels, it is cruelty to be humane, and humanity to be cruel. A maxim adopted by Catherine

de Médici in her "Counsels" to her son Charles IX.

833. Contumeliam si dicis, audies. (L.) Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 77.If you abuse others, you will have to listen to it yourself. 834. Coram domino rege. (L.)- Before our lord the king. (2.) Coram non judice. Law Term.-Before one who is not a judge.

If judgment be delivered in a county which has no jurisdiction to try the case, the judgment is a mere nullity. Thus, a case belonging to the provincial Court of Canterbury, if tried before a judge sitting at Westminster, would be coram non judice, and the judgment consequently null. (3.) Coram nobis.Before us. Before the Court.

835. Coram rege suo de paupertate tacentes

Plus poscente ferent. Distat, sumas ne pudenter
An rapias.
(L.) Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 43.

Those who have tact their poverty to mask

Before their chief get more than those who ask;

It makes, you see, a difference, if you take

As modest people do, or snatch your cake.-Conington.

836. Cor nobyle, cor immobyle. (L.)—A noble heart is a changeless heart. Motto of Lord Vivian.

837. Corpora lente augescunt, cito extinguuntur. (L.) Tac. Agr. 3.-Bodies are slow in growth, rapid in decay.

838. Corpora magnanimo satis est prostrasse leoni : Pugna suum finem, quum jacet hostis, habet.

The lion is content to fell his foe:

(L.) Ov. T. 5, 3, 35.

The fight is done, when the enemy's laid low.-Ed.

839. Corporis et fortunæ bonorum, ut initium, finis est: omnia orta occidunt, et aucta senescunt. (L.) Sall. J. 2.— The advantages of person and fortune have their appointed end, as they have their beginning: all that rises has its setting, and growth is only a step towards decay. 840. Corps diplomatique. (Fr.)-The diplomatic body.

The ambassadors, ministers, and envoys from foreign Courts resident at the capitals of the various kingdoms with their secretaries and attachés.

841. Corpus Christi. (L.)-The Body of Christ. Festival of the Roman Church in honour of the Holy Eucharist, instituted by Pope Urban IV. in 1264, and observed on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday. (Fr. Fête Dieu.) 842. Corpus delicti. (L.) Law Term.-The body of the offence. The entire nature of the crime, containing the substance, and matter, of which the several counts in the indictment must be formed.

843. Corrumpunt bonos mores colloquia mala. (L.) Prov. Vulg. Cor. 1, 15, 33.-Evil communications corrupt good manners.

844. Corruptio optimi pessima.

(L.) S. Greg. Moral. ?—A corruption of the best possible, is the worst possible.

Originally said of bad priests, and referring particularly to the sins of all who have received grace, the saying expresses generally that the better a thing is, the worse is its abuse.

For fairest things grow foulest by foul deeds;
Lilies that fester, smell far worse than weeds.

-Shakesp. Sonn. 94, 13.

The higher a man's reputation, the graver his downfall. Institutions of the most salutary, as well as of the most sacred kind, have been perverted to become perfect plague-spots of corruption, instead of centres of life and health. The extent of the deterioration is proportionate to the excellence of purpose for which the institution was established.

845. Corruptissima in republica plurimæ leges. (L.) Tac. A. 3, 27.—The worst states produce the greatest number of laws.

846. Cor unum, via una.

(L.)-One heart, one way. Motto of

the Marquess of Exeter.

847. Cosa fatta, capo ha. (It.) Prov.-That which is done has a head. A thing is never done until it is perfectly completed.

848. Cosa mala nunca muere. (S.) Prov.-A bad thing never

dies.

849. Così fan tutte. (It.)-So do they all. Mozart's operas. The way of the world.

850. Coup de grâce.

Title of one of

(Fr.)—The finishing stroke (or blow).

851. Coup de main. (Fr.) Mil.-A surprise.

852. Coup d'œil. (Fr.)—A glance. A view or prospect. 853. Courage sans peur. (Fr.)-Courage without fear. Motto of Viscount Gage.

854. Coûte que coûte. (Fr.)-Cost what it will. The expense is no consideration. I will have it, or I will do it, "coûte que coûte." Anyhow.

855. Coutume, opinion, reines de notre sort,

Vous réglez des mortels et la vie, et la mort. (Fr.) De La Motte-Custom, opinion, arbiters of our fate, ye influence the life and even the death of man.

856. Craignez honte. (Fr.)-Dread shame. Motto of the Duke of Portland.

857. Crains Dieu tant que tu viveras. (Fr.)-Fear God as long as you live. Motto of Lord Athlumney.

858. Craignez tout d'un auteur en courroux. (Fr.)—Fear everything from an author in a rage.

859. Cras amet, qui nunquam amavit,

Quique amavit, cras amet. (L.) ? Pervigilium Veneris.

Let those love now who never loved before,

Let those who always loved, now love the more.-T. Parnell, 1717. 860. Cras hoc fiet? Idem cras fiet. Quid? quasi magnum Nempe diem donas? sed quum lux altera venit,

Jam cras hesternum consumpsimus; esse aliud cras
Egerit hos annos, et semper paulum erit ultra.

(L.) Pers. 5, 66.

To-morrow and to-morrow and to-morrow.
It shall be done to-morrow. But, I say,
You'll sing to-morrow what you sing to-day.
What, is one day of such vast consequence
That you present it as a boon immense?
No! but reflect, when next day's sun has shone,
Then yesterday's "to-morrow
will have gone;

And you're kept idling by one morrow more,
No nearer action than you were before. -Ed.

861. Cras te victurum, cras dicis, Postume, semper.
Dic mihi cras istud, Postume, quando venit?

(L.) Mart. 5, 58, 1.

To-morrow, you always say, I'll wisely live:
Say, Posthumus, when does that day arrive?-Ed.

862. Credat Judæus Apella

Non ego namque deos didici securum agere œvum;
Nec, si quid miri faciat natura, deos id

Tristes ex alto cœli demittere tecto.

The miraculous liquefaction.

(L.) Hor. S. 1, 5, 100.

Tell the crazed Jews such miracles as these!
I hold the gods live lives of careless ease,

And, if a wonder happens, don't assume

'Tis sent in anger from the upstairs room.—Conington.

Credat Judæus Apella is often used in a more or less contemptuous way, meaning that the thing is too absurd and improbable to obtain credence, like our "Tell that to the marines!"

863. Credebant hoc grande nefas, et morte piandum

Si juvenis vetulo non assurrexerat.

Old fashioned manners.

"Twas thought a grave, a capital offence,
For youth not to rise up in age's presence.-Ed.

(L.) Juv. 13, 34.

864. Crede Byron. (L.)-Believe, or trust Byron. Motto of

Lord Byron.

865. Crede mihi bene qui latuit bene vixit, et intra

Fortunam debet quisque manere suam.

(L.) Ov. T. 3, 4, 25.

Seclusion.

He lives the best who from the world retires

And, self-contained, to nothing else aspires.-Ed.

866. Crede mihi, miseros prudentia prima relinquit. (L.) Ov. Ep. 4, 12, 47.—Prudence, believe me, is the first to leave the unfortunate.

867. Crede mihi, res est ingeniosa dare. (L.) Ov. Am. 1, 8, 62.-Believe me, giving is a matter that requires tact.

868. Crede quod est quod vis; ac desine tuta vereri ;

Deque fide certa sit tibi certa fides. (L.) Ov. T. 4, 3, 13
Think it is as you wish: throw fears away,
And have no doubt on my fidelity.-Ed.

869. Credite me vobis folium recitare Sibyllæ.

(L.) Juv. 8, It is

126.-Believe I'm quoting you the Sibylls' leaves.
Gospel truth. The Sibyll wrote her oracles on palm

leaves.

870. Credite, posteri!

Believe it, after years!-Conington.

(L.) Hor. C. 2, 19, 2.

Is it possible that our descendants will credit such things?

871. Creditur ex medio quia res arcessit habere

Sudoris minimum; sed habet comœdia tanto
Plus oneris, quanto veniæ minus.

The comic dramatist.

(L.) Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 168.

'Tis thought that Comedy, because its source
Is common life, must be a thing of course;
Whereas there's nought so difficult, because

There's nowhere less allowance made for flaws.-Conington.

872. Credo pudicitiam Saturno rege moratam

In terris visamque diu.

Chastity.

That thing called Chastity, in Saturn's reign,
Did, I believe, her parting steps detain,

And for a while was seen on mortal earth

(L.) Juv. 6, 1.

E'er she resought the realms that gave her birth.-Ed.

873. Credula res amor est. (L.) Ov. M. 7, 826.—Love is a credulous thing. Love will believe anything.

874. Credula si fueris, aliæ tua gaudia carpent,

Et lepus hic aliis exagitandus erit. (L.) Ov. A. A. 3, 661.-If you are too ready to believe, others will reap the pleasures that should be yours, and you will be hunting the hare for the benefit of others.

« PreviousContinue »