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The work presents itself as a scholarly compendium of familiar sayings, maxims, and literary excerpts, arranged with the explicit aim of tracing each passage to its original author. Its opening remarks acknowledge the difficulty of judging which phrases will feel “old friends” to any given reader, and explain that the editor has deliberately favoured inclusiveness, even at the risk of admitting some obscure items. The volume expands beyond English writers to incorporate French, Greek, and ancient sources, and it is supported by a network of contributors who supplied translations and selections from figures such as Marcus Aurelius, Pilpay, Diogenes Laertius, Montaigne, and the great Romantic poets. The book’s extensive index, now over ten thousand entries, testifies to its ambition as an exhaustive reference, and the 1891 Cambridge edition adds three hundred and fifty pages to its predecessor, reflecting a substantial growth in both scope and scholarly endorsement.
Written in a formal, nineteenth‑century academic voice, the text combines meticulous citation with a modest, almost apologetic tone that mirrors the editorial caution of its era. Readers who enjoy the methodical pleasure of locating the exact source of a proverb, or who have a penchant for the breadth of classical and Victorian literature, will find this collection rewarding. It appeals especially to scholars, teachers, and avid quotation hunters who appreciate a well‑organized, historically grounded repository rather than a casual anthology of famous lines.
The opening · free to read
This extract from the Preface of the fourth edition is applicable to the present one:--
"It is not easy to determine in all cases the degree of familiarity that may belong to phrases and sentences which present themselves for admission; for what is familiar to one class of readers may be quite new to another. Many maxims of the most famous writers of our language, and numberless curious and happy turns from orators and poets, have knocked at the door, and it was hard to deny them. But to admit these simply on their own merits, without assurance that the general reader would readily recognize them as old friends, was aside from the purpose of this collection. Still, it has been thought better to incur the risk of erring on the side of fulness."
With the many additions to the English writers, the present edition contains selections from the French, and from the wit and wisdom of the ancients. A few passages have been admitted without a claim to familiarity, but solely on the ground of coincidence of thought.
I am under great obligations to M. H. MORGAN, Ph. D., of Harvard University, for the translation of Marcus Aurelius, and for the translation and selections from the Greek tragic writers. I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. DANIEL W. WILDER, of Kansas, for the quotations from Pilpay, with contributions from Diogenes Laertius, Montaigne, Burton, and Pope's Homer; to Dr. WILLIAM J. ROLFE for quotations from Robert Browning; to Mr. JAMES W. MCINTYRE for quotations from Coleridge, Shelley, Keats, Mrs. Browning, Robert Browning, and Tennyson. And I have incurred other obligations to friends for here a little and there a little.
It gives me pleasure to acknowledge the great assistance I have received from Mr. A. W. STEVENS, the accomplished reader of the University Press, as this work was passing through the press.
In withdrawing from this very agreeable pursuit, I beg to offer my sincere thanks to all who have assisted me either in the way of suggestions or by contributions; and especially to those lovers of this subsidiary literature for their kind appreciation of former editions.
Accepted by scholars as an authoritative book of reference, it has grown with its growth in public estimation with each reissue. Of the last two editions forty thousand copies were printed, apart from the English reprints. The present enlargement of text equals three hundred and fifty pages of the previous edition, and the index is increased with upwards of ten thousand lines.
CAMBRIDGE, March, 1891.
INDEX OF AUTHORS.
PAGE ADAMS, CHARLES F. 678 ADAMS, JOHN 429 JOHN, note 529, 530 ADAMS, JOHN QUINCY 312, 458 ADAMS, SARAH FLOWER 606 ADDISON, JOSEPH 297 ADY, THOMAS 684 AESCHINES 810 AESCHYLUS 695 AGRICOLA, note 686 AKENSIDE, MARK 391 ALANUS DE INSULIS, note 5 ALDRICH, JAMES 639 ALI BEN TALEB 767 ALLEN, ELIZABETH A. 668 ALPHONSO THE WISE 768 AMELIA, PRINCESS 676 AMES, FISHER, note 283 ARCHILOCHUS, note 216 ARIOSTO, note 552 ARISTIDES, note 438 ARISTOPHANES, note 731 ARISTOTLE, note 267, 853 ARMSTRONG, JOHN 672 ARNOLD, MATTHEW 665 ARNOLD, SAMUEL J., note 388 ARRIANUS, note 704 ATHENAEUS 766 AVONMORE, LORD, note 531
BACON, FRANCIS 164 BACON, LADY ANNE, note 7 BAILEY, PHILIP JAMES 654 BAILLIE, JOANNA 674 BANCROFT, GEORGE, note 531 BARBAULD, MRS. 433 BARERE, BERTRAND 804 BARHAM, R. H. 676 BARKER, THEODORE L. 682 BARNFIELD, RICHARD 175 BARRETT, EATON S. 676 BARRINGTON, GEORGE 445 BARROW, ISAAC, note 299 BARRY, MICHAEL J. 680 BASSE, WILLIAM, note 179 BAXTER, RICHARD 670 BAYARD, CHEVALIER, note 21 BAYLE, PETER, note 604 BAYLY, T. HAYNES 581 BEATTIE, JAMES 428 BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER 197 BEAUMONT, FRANCIS 196 BEAUMONT, JOHN, note 478 BEE, BERNARD E. 860 BELL, ROBERT, note 330 BELLAMY, G. W. 682 BELLINGHAUSEN, VON MUeNCH 806 BENTHAM, JEREMY 856 BENTLEY, RICHARD 284 BENTON, THOMAS H. 858 BERKELEY, BISHOP 312 BERNERS, JULIANA, note 182 BERRY, DOROTHY, note 484 BERTAUT, JEAN, note 100 BERTIN, MADEMOISELLE, note 811 BETTELHEIM, A. S., note 170 BICKERSTAFF, ISAAC 427 BLACKER, COLONEL 588 BLACKMORE, RICHARD, note 685 BLACKSTONE, SIR WILLIAM 392 BLAIR, ROBERT 354 BLAMIRE, SUSANNA 673 BLAND, ROBERT, note 191 BOBART, JACOB, note 688 BODINUS, note 418 BODLEY, SIR THOMAS 368 BOETHIUS, note 618 BOILEAU 799 BOLINGBROKE 304 BOOTH, BARTON 306 BORBONIUS, note 321 BOURDILLON, FRANCIS W. 669 BRACTON 857 BRAINARD, JOHN G. C. 677 BRAMSTON, JAMES 352 BREEN, H. H., note 409 BRERETON, JANE 312 BRETON, NICHOLAS, note 33 BROMLEY, ISAAC H. 681 BROOKE, LORD 35 BROUGHAM, LORD 527 LORD, note 426 BROWN, JOHN 380 BROWN, TOM 286 BROWNE, SIR THOMAS 217 BROWNE, WILLIAM 201 BROWNING, ELIZABETH B. 620 BROWNING, ROBERT 643 BRYANT, WILLIAM CULLEN 572 BRYDGES, SIR S. EGERTON 674 BUFFON, note 186 BULFINCH, SAMUEL G., note 488 BUNN, ALFRED 561 BUNSEN, CARL JOSIAS, note 770 BUNYAN, JOHN 265 BURCHARD, SAMUEL D. 679 BURKE, EDMUND 407 BURNET, GILBERT, note 610 BURNS, ROBERT 446 BURTON, ROBERT 185 BUSSY DE RABUTIN, note 286 BUTLER, SAMUEL 209 SAMUEL, note 361 BYRD, WILLIAM, note 22 BYROM, JOHN 351 BYRON, LORD 539
CALHOUN, JOHN C. 529 CALLIMACHUS 496 CAMPBELL, LORD, note 418, 528 CAMPBELL, THOMAS 512 CAMDEN, WILLIAM 684 CAMBRONNE 810 CANNING, GEORGE 464 CAREW, THOMAS 200 CAREY, HENRY 285 CARLYLE, THOMAS 577 CARPENTER, JOSEPH E. 680 CARRUTHERS, ROBERT, note 528 CATINAT, MARSHAL, note 740 CATULLUS, note 306 CENTLIVRE, SUSANNAH 671 CERVANTES 784 CHANNING, WILLIAM E. 655 CHAPMAN, GEORGE 35 CHARLES I., note 398 CHARRON, note 317 CHASE, SALMON P. 619 CHAUCER, GEOFFREY 1 CHERRY, ANDREW 453 CHESTERFIELD, EARL OF 352 CHILD, LYDIA MARIA 596 CHOATE, RUFUS 588 CHORLEY, HENRY F. 667 CHRISTY, DAVID 854 CHURCH, BENJAMIN, note 513 CHURCHILL, CHARLES 412 CIBBER, COLLEY 295 COLLEY, note 294 CICERO 705 CLARENDON, EDWARD HYDE 255 CLARKE, JOHN, note 568 CLARKE, MACDONALD 582 CLAY, HENRY, note 505 CLEVELAND, GROVER 669 CODRINGTON, CHRISTOPHER, note 295 COKE, SIR EDWARD 24 COLERIDGE, HARTLEY 677 COLERIDGE, S. TAYLOR 498 S. TAYLOR, note 481 COLLINS, WILLIAM 389 COLMAN, GEORGE 454 COLTON, C. C. 675 CONGREVE, WILLIAM 294 CONSTABLE, HENRY, note 484 CONSTANT, HENRY B. 806 COOK, ELIZA 654 COOPER, J. FENIMORE, note 580 CORNUEL, MADAME, note 740 COTTON, NATHANIEL 362 COWLEY, ABRAHAM 260 COWPER, WILLIAM 413 CRABBE, GEORGE 443 CRANCH, CHRISTOPHER P. 653 CRANFIELD, note 210 CRASHAW, RICHARD 258 CRAWFORD, ANNE 673 CRISTYNE, note 12 CROCKETT, DAVID 852 CROKER, JOHN W., note 284 CUNNINGHAM, ALLAN 537 CURRAN, JOHN P. 855 CURTIUS, QUINTUS, note 25
D'ABRANTES, DUC 806 D'ABRANTES, MADAME, note 718 DALRYMPLE, SIR JOHN, note 550 DANCE, CHARLES 677 DANIEL, SAMUEL 39 DANTE 769 DANTON, note 28 DARWIN, CHARLES 622 DARWIN, ERASMUS 424 ERASMUS, note 426 DAVENANT, SIR WILLIAM 217 DAVIE, ADAM, note 21 DAVIES, SCROPE 682 DAVIES, SIR JOHN 175 DAVIS, JEFFERSON 679 DAVIS, THOMAS O. 680 DE BENSERADE, ISAAC 794 DEBRETT, JOHN, note 432 DECATUR, STEPHEN 675 DE CAUX, note 396 DEFFAND, MADAME DU 801 DEFOE, DANIEL 286 DEKKER, THOMAS 181 DE LA FERTE, note 430 DE LIGNE 803 DE L'ISLE, JOSEPH R. 804 DEMODOCUS, note 400 DE MORGAN, note 290 DEMOSTHENES 855 DENHAM, SIR JOHN 257 DENMAN, LORD 527 DENNIS, JOHN 282 DE QUINCEY, note 365 DIBDIN, CHARLES 436 DIBDIN, THOMAS 675 DICKENS, CHARLES 652 DICKINSON, JOHN 426 DICKMAN, FRANKLIN J., note 589 DIDACUS STELLA, note 185 DIOGENES LAERTIUS 757 DIONYSIUS OF HALICARNASSUS, note 304 DIONYSIUS THE ELDER 700 DISRAELI, BENJAMIN 607 DIX, JOHN A. 678 DODDRIDGE, PHILIP 359 DODSLEY, ROBERT 671 DOMETT, ALFRED 642 DONNE, JOHN 177 DOWLING, BARTHOLOMEW 641 DRAKE, JOSEPH RODMAN 573 DRAYTON, MICHAEL 40 DRENNAN, WILLIAM 855 DRUMMOND, THOMAS 582 DRUMMOND, WILLIAM 196 WILLIAM note 170 DRYDEN, JOHN 267 DU BARTAS 780 DUFFERIN, LADY 611 DUMAS, ALEXANDRE 809 DUNCOMBE, LEWIS, note 459 D'URFEY, note 348 DWIGHT, TIMOTHY 674 DYER, EDWARD 22 DYER, JOHN 358 DYER ---- 672
EASTWICK, note 437 EDGEWORTH, MARIA, note 283 EDWARDS, RICHARD 21 EDWARDS, THOMAS 671 EDWIN, JOHN 439 ELLIOT, JARED 392 ELLIOTT, JANE 393 ELLIS, GEORGE, note 175 ELLIS, HENRY 675 EMERSON, RALPH WALDO 598 RALPH WALDO, note 511 EMMET, ROBERT 675 ENGLISH, THOMAS DUNN 680 EPICTETUS 742 ERASMUS, note 3, 5, 216, 720 ESTIENNE, HENRI, note 379 EURIPIDES 697 EURIPIDES, note 277 EVERETT, DAVID 459 EVERETT, EDWARD 571
FABER, FREDERICK W. 653 FANSHAWE, CATHERINE M. 674 FARQUHAR, GEORGE 305 FENELON, note 353 FERRIAR, JOHN 456 FIELD, NATHANIEL 670 FIELDING, HENRY 362 FINCH, FRANCIS M. 668 FITZ-GEFFREY, CHARLES, note 305 FLETCHER, ANDREW 281 FLETCHER, JULIA A. 642 FLETCHER, JOHN 183 FLETCHER, PHINEAS, note 327 FOOTE, SAMUEL 391 FORD, JOHN 670 FORDYCE, JAMES 391 FORTESCUE, JOHN 7 FOUCHE, JOSEPH 805 FOURNIER, note 310 FOX, CHARLES J., note 364 FOX, JOHN, note 484 FRANCIS THE FIRST 807 FRANCK, RICHARD, note 305 FRANKLIN, BENJAMIN 359 FRANKLIN, KATE 682 FRENEAU, PHILIP 443 FRERE, J. HOOKHAM 462 FROTHINGHAM, RICHARD, note 360 FULLER, THOMAS 221 THOMAS, note 484
GAGE, THOMAS, note 495 GARRICK, DAVID 387 GARRISON, WILLIAM L. 605 GARTH, SAMUEL 295 SAMUEL, note 181 GASCOIGNE, GEORGE, note 10 GAY, JOHN 347 GETTY, REV. DR., note 631 GIBBON, EDWARD 430 GIBBONS, THOMAS 672 GIFFORD, RICHARD 393 GOETHE, WOLFGANG VON 803 GOLDSMITH, OLIVER 394 OLIVER, note 310, 592 GOOGE, BARNABY 5, 7 GORGIAS, note 578 GOSSON, STEPHEN, note 731 GOWER, JOHN, note 13 GRAFTON, RICHARD 684 GRANGER, JAMES, note 395 GRANT, ANNE 674 GRANT, ULYSSES S. 664 GRAVES, RICHARD 672 RICHARD, note 295 GRAY, THOMAS 381 GREEN, MATTHEW 354 GREENE, ALBERT G. 596 GREENE, ROBERT, note 190 GRESWELL, note 332 GREVILLE, MRS. 389 GRIFFIN, GERALD 678 GUALTIER, PHILLIPPE, note 64 GUARINI, note 495
HABINGTON, WILLIAM 515 HAKEWILL, GEORGE 683 GEORGE, note 169 HALE, EDWARD E. 681 HALIBURTON, THOMAS C. 580 HALL, BISHOP 182 HALL, ROBERT 457 HALLECK, FITZ-GREENE 561 HALLIWELL, JAMES O. 853 JAMES O., note 596 HAMILTON, ALEXANDER, note 532 HAMMOND, J. H. 678 HANNAH, J., note 22 HARE, JULIUS, note 268 HARRINGTON, SIR JOHN 39 HARRISON, WILLIAM 684 HARTE, FRANCIS BRET 669 HARVEY, STEPHEN 670 HAWKER, ROBERT 674 HAWKER, ROBERT S., note 687 HAYES, EDWARD, note 588 HAYES, RUTHERFORD B. 665 HEATH, LEONARD 666 HEBER, REGINALD 535 HEGGE, ROBERT, note 181 HEMANS, FELICIA D. 569 HENAULT, note 325 HENDYNG, note 7 HENRY, MATHEW 282 HENRY, PATRICK 429 HENSHAW, JOSEPH 263 HERBERT, GEORGE 204 HERODOTUS, note 696, 807 HERRICK, ROBERT 201 HERVEY, THOMAS K. 589 HESIOD 692 HEYWOOD, JOHN 8 HEYWOOD, THOMAS 194 HILL, AARON 313 HILL, ROWLAND 673 HIPPOCRATES 700 HOBBES, THOMAS 200 HOFFMAN, CHARLES F. 678 HOLCROFT, THOMAS 673 HOLLAND, SIR RICHARD 38 HOLMES, OLIVER WENDELL 635 HOME, JOHN 392 HOOD, THOMAS 583 HOOKER, JOSEPH 680 HOOKER, RICHARD 31 HOOPER, ELLEN STURGIS 654 HOPKINS, CHARLES, note 581 HOPKINSON, JOSEPH 465 HORACE 706 HORNE, BISHOP 853 HORNE, RICHARD H. 604 HOWARD, SAMUEL 672 HOWELL, JAMES, note 191, 208, 581 HOWITT, MARY 605 HOYLE, EDMUND 861 HUME, DAVID 854 DAVID, note 593, 685 HUNT, LEIGH 536 HURD, RICHARD 673 HURDIS, JAMES 454 HUTCHESON, FRANCIS 856
INGRAM, JOHN K. 681 IRVING, WASHINGTON 536
JACKSON, ANDREW 458 JAMES, G. P. R. 678 JAMES, PAUL M. 528 JEFFERSON, THOMAS 434 JEFFERYS, CHARLES 611 JERROLD, DOUGLAS 597 JOHNSON, ANDREW 678 JOHNSON, SAMUEL 365 SAMUEL, note 185, 294, 711 JONES, SIR WILLIAM 437 JONSON, BEN 177 JUVENAL 721
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