A phrase for which we have no direct substitute. Take him away, to the river with him. To the pump or to the horse pond, is sometimes the cry of the mob in this country, when they take upon themselves to execute summary justice on some poor wretch taken in the act of picking a pocket, or in the commission of some crime for which they conceive them properly to be amenable to their tribunal. But among the ancients, certain criminals were condemned to be tied in a sack and drowned, which is what the adage alludes to, and this kind of punishment is still used in Germany. Parricides in Rome were put into a sack with a cock, a monkey, a serpent, and a dog, and thrown into a river or into the sea, to which Juvenal alludes, in the following lines, as translated by Hodgson.

«If votes were free, what slave so lost to shame.
Prefers not Seneca's to Nero's name,
Whose parricides, not one close sack alone,
One serpent, nor one monkey could atone?»

Nero, it is known, caused his mother, two of his wives, and Seneca his tutor to be put to death.

Biting the lips, was formerly, and is now, noted as a sign of vexation or anger. Comedens labra præ iracundia, biting his lips through rage.

We must all die, we should, therefore, frequently meditate on this our common destiny, which is equally incident to the young and the old, the strong and the weak; no age, no state of health affording security against the stroke of death. Whence is it then, that we treat this common guest as a stranger, and appear to be surprised when he has taken from us any near relative or friend? In this town we have a regular yearly account of the number of deaths that occur within a certain distance; this, besides the purpose of recording the diseases which occasion the greatest destruction, for which it seems to have been originally formed, should have the further use of familiarizing us with death, and as it appears that that from 18 to 20,000 persons die yearly within the compass of a few miles, it ought not to seem extraordinary that ourselves, or any of our families should be of the number; it should rather be expected. A friend, condoling with Anaxagoras, on the death of his son, and expressing a more than ordinary concern on the occasion, was told by that philosopher, «Sciebam mortalem me genuisse filium», «that he had never thought his son to be immortal». And Xenophantes receiving similar intelligence, hearing that his son died fighting bravely for his country, said, «I did not make it my request to the Gods that my son might be immortal, or that he should be long lived, for it is not manifest whether this was convenient for him or no; but that he might have integrity in his principles and be a lover of his country, and now I have my desire!».

«The time of being here we style amiss,
We call it life, but truly labour 'tis».
(Plutarch, Consolation to Apollonius)

These men, therefore, it may be presumed, had well considered the subject. From the aversion that many persons have of speaking thinking of death, it would seem as if they thought that by such meditation they should accelerate its approach; but it would probably have the contrary effect, for as a large portion of the diseases and deaths of such as live to an adult age are occasioned by intemperance, a serious contemplation of that circumstance might wean them from their irregularities, and so prolong their lives; or if it did not produce that effect, it might enable them to meet death with firmness as a guest that was daily expected :

«Fleres si scires unum tua tempora mensem,
Rides, cum non sit forsitan una dies».

You would weep if you knew you had only one month to live, yet you pass your time in gaiety and folly, though perhaps you may not live a single day. It is not meant by what is here said, that we should not have a proper relish for life, or that we should be indifferent about its extinction ;

«For who to dumb forgetfulness a prey,
This pleasing anxious being e'er resigned,
Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day,
Nor cast one longing lingering wish behind?"

But as we know we must die, we should be at all times ready to meet our fate when the hour approaches.

The dead do not bite, cannot hurt you. This apothegm was used by Theodore Chius, master in rhetoric to Ptolemy king of Egypt, when consulted by him whether they should grant an asylum to Pompey, who had landed on their coast, after being defeated by Julius Cæsar. He advised them to receive him, and put him to death; adding, «Mortuos non mordere». Our more common phrase, and which is probably used by ruffians who determine to murder those they rob, is, the deads tell no tales.

Having dreamed you were dead, you will now be free from care. Such was anciently a current opinion among the Grecians, as it is now in some parts of this country. The Spaniards say, more properly, De los sueños no creas, ni malos, ni buenos, pay no credit to dreams, whether good or bad; and the French, Tous les songes sont mensonges, all dreams are lies. Hence, perhaps, an opinion, that all dreams are to be construed as meaning the contrary, After a dream of a wedding, we say, comes a corpse. But this is equally as idle, as taking them literally.

Entre la bouche, et le verre,
Le vin souvent tombe a terre.
Many things happen between the cup and the lip, was the saying of a servant to his master, whom he saw anxiously tending a vine, from which he promised himself an abundant produce of excellent liquor, of which, however, he was not permitted to partake; for, at the moment he was about to taste the wine, the reward, as he thought, of his labour, he was told that a boar had broke into his vineyard, and was destroying his trees; running hastily to drive away the beast, it turned upon him, and killed him. We are hence taught, not to be too sanguine in our hopes of success, even in our best concerted projects, it too often happening that they fail in producing the intended advantages. De la mano a la boca, se pierde la sopa, is the same sentiment in Spanish. The adage may also be explained, as admonishing us to take time by the forelock, that is, not to let a present opportunity, or advantage, to pass by, a similar one may not again occur. Strike, therefore, while the iron is hot, and
He that will not when he may,
When he will he shall have nay.

Many hands make light work. This is too obvious to need being explained. Of the same kind are, Two heads are better than one, or why do folks marry? and in a multitude of counsellors, there is safety. But the opposite to this is no less true, and we say, too many cooks spoil the broth, and keep no more cats than catch mice; we know also that where too many men are employed in the same business, instead of helping, they often-times hinder each other.

«An nescis longas regibus esse manus?» «Kings», we say, «have long arms», they have also many eyes and ears, that is, they use the ministry of their many servants and dependents, both to discover what is done that may be prejudicial to their interest, and to punish the delinquents, whose crimes may by these means have been detected, though seated at the extremities of their dominions. Hence we say, by way of caution, to persons speaking too freely, on subjects that may give offence, do you not know that Les murs ont des oreilles? "Walls have ears." This sentiment is beautifully expressed in the Ecclesiastes "Curse not the king, no not in thy thought, and curse not the rich, in thy bedchamber, for a bird of the air shall carry thy voice, and that which hath wings, shall tell the matter." The number of spies and emissaries employed by Midas, king of Phrygia, who was a cruel tyrant, gave occasion to the fable of that prince's having asses ears. Antoninus Caracalla, a monster in wickedness, and therefore full of suspicion, not only was frequent in his application to augurs, and soothsayers, in the hope that by their means he might discover whether any designs were hatching against his life, but he made it a serious complaint against Providence, that he was not endowed with the faculty of hearing with his own ears, whatever was said of him: so impotent is the influence of wealth or eminence, in imparting happiness to the possessor, unless, like Titus, he employs them in diffusing blessings among the people. Paredes tienen oydos, et Tras pared, ni tras seto no digas tu secreto. Walls have ears, and behind a wall or a hedge do not tell a secret.

Men are often through the dread of some misfortune threatening them, so disturbed, and so completely deprived of judgment, as not to see, or be able to use the means, which, in a more easy and quiet state of their minds, would have been sufficiently obvious, and by which they might have avoided the evil, so that to standers by, they seem to have acted under some secret impulse, or to have been fascinated. It is fear that deprives the bird of the power of escaping the snake, if it has once caught its eye; not daring to turn its face from the frightful object, it necessarily every step it takes approaches nearer, and at length, deprived of all sense and power, falls into its jaws.

Quo timoris minus est, eo minus ferme periculi est.

Where there is the least fear, there is, for the most part, least danger; though the Spaniards say, Quien obra sin miedo, yerra su hecho, he who acts without fear, acts wrong; but the word «miedo», «fear», in this sentence, means only care, caution or attention.

The goodwill and intention of the donor, constitutes the principal value of the gift. Xerxes found a draught of water, presented to him by a soldier in the field of battle, of inestimable value.

Living like the mouse, upon the property of others. Plautus makes his parasite say, «Quasi mures, semper edimus alienum cibum», like the mouse, we always feed upon what others have provided.

You have a weasel in your house, was said to persons with whom every thing turned out unfortunate and perverse. To meet a weasel was considered by the ancients as ominous; and portending some misfortune about to happen. Among huntsmen in this country, Erasmus tells us, it was in his time deemed an ill omen, if anyone named a weasel when they were setting off for their sport. Theophrastus, in his description of the character of a superstitious man, says; «If a weasel crosses the road he stops short, be his business never so pressing, and will not stir a foot till somebody else has gone before him and broke the omen; or till he himself has weakened the prodigy by throwing three stones».