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Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #51090.
This volume is a multilingual anthology of proverbial wisdom, gathering sixty‑four French sayings and extending through Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and Danish, each rendered into English. The compiler, Henry G. Bohn, opens with a candid acknowledgment of the collaborative effort required to ensure linguistic fidelity, noting the contributions of native scholars who reviewed each language section. The work is organized by language, with page‑top markers that allow the reader to locate a proverb’s original text without flipping pages, and an extensive English index that condenses groups of sayings under single headings for quick reference. The opening pages already reveal the range of the collection, from familiar maxims such as “When the cat’s away the mice will play” to more obscure French phrases, all accompanied by literal translations that preserve the flavor of the source.
The tone is scholarly yet personable, reflecting mid‑nineteenth‑century editorial practices that blend rigorous source citation with occasional playful wordplay. Readers who enjoy comparative linguistics, cultural history, or the art of proverb‑collecting will find this book rewarding, as will anyone interested in the way everyday wisdom travels across borders and languages.
The opening · free to read
For the English translations (excepting those from the Danish) I am myself mainly responsible, as, where those already existing did not satisfy me, I generally substituted others. I have, however, been very forbearing towards some pleasant bits of doggerel and alliteration found in early volumes, and have occasionally indulged in similar playfulness of my own. One so deeply immersed in Proverb-lore may, perhaps, be forgiven for having imbibed such a tendency.
In the Index, a single line is often made to represent a whole group, although the several translations may not be exactly the same. That adopted as the key, being the last thought, ought to be the best. The running lines at the top indicate the pages of each of the several languages, so that by a comparison of them with the figures of reference below, it will be easy to see what monograph a proverb belongs to, without actually turning to the page.
HENRY G. BOHN.
August 30, 1857.
CONTENTS.
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