Bellua multorum capitum—The many-headed 40 monster, i.e., the mob.
Bellum internecinum—A war of extermination.
Bellum ita suscipiatur, ut nihil aliud nisi pax quæsita videatur—War should be so undertaken that nothing but peace may seem to be aimed at. Cic.
Bellum nec timendum nec provocandum—War ought neither to be dreaded nor provoked. Plin. the Younger.
Bellum omnium in omnes—A war of all against all.
Bellum, pax rursus—A war, and again a peace. 45 Ter.
[Greek: beltion thanein hapax ê dia bion tremein]—Better die outright than be all one's life long in terror. Æsop.
Bemerke, höre, schweige. Urteile wenig, frage viel—Take note of what you see, give heed to what you hear, and be silent. Judge little, inquire much. Platen.
Be modest without diffidence, proud without presumption. Goethe.
Benchè la bugia sia veloce, la verità l'arriva—Though a lie may be swift, truth overtakes it. It. Pr.
Beneath the loveliest dream there coils a fear. 50 T. Watts.
Beneath the rule of men entirely great, the pen is mightier than the sword. Bulwer Lytton.
Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree's shade, / Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap, / Each in his narrow cell for ever laid, / The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. Gray.
Ben è cieco chi non vede il sole—He is very blind who does not see the sun. It. Pr.
Benedetto è quel male che vien solo—Blessed is the misfortune that comes alone. It. Pr.
Bene est cui Deus obtulit / Parca quod satis 55 est manu—Well for him to whom God has given enough with a sparing hand. Hor.
Benefacta male locata, malefacta arbitror—Favours injudiciously conferred I reckon evils. Cic.
Benefacta sua verbis adornant—They enhance their favours by their words. Plin.
Beneficia dare qui nescit injuste petit—He who knows not how to bestow a benefit is unreasonable if he expects one. Pub. Syr.
Beneficia plura recipit qui scit reddere—He receives most favours who knows how to return them. Pub. Syr.
Beneficium accipere libertatem vendere est—To 60 accept a favour is to forfeit liberty. Laber.
Beneficium dignis ubi des, omnes obliges—Where you confer a benefit on those worthy of it, you confer a favour on all. Pub. Syr.
Beneficium invito non datur—There is no conferring a favour (involving obligation) on a man against his will. L. Max.
Beneficus est qui non sua, sed alterius causa benigne facit—He is beneficent who acts kindly, not for his own benefit, but for another's. Cic.
Bene merenti bene profuerit, male merenti par erit—To a well-deserving man God will show favour, to an ill-deserving He will be simply just. Plaut.
Bene merentibus—To the well-deserving. M. 5
Bene nummatum decorat Suedela Venusque—The goddesses of persuasion and of love adorn the train of the well-moneyed man. Hor.
Bene orasse est bene studuisse—To have prayed well is to have striven well.
Bene qui latuit, bene vixit—Well has he lived who has lived well in obscurity. Ovid.
Benevolence is the distinguishing characteristic of man. Mencues.
Benigno numine—By the favour of Providence. 10 M.
Benignus etiam dandi causam cogitat—The benevolent man even weighs the grounds of his liberality. Pr.
Be no one like another, yet every one like the Highest; to this end let each one be perfect in himself. Goethe.
Be not angry that you cannot make others what you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself what you wish to be. Thomas à Kempis.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. St. Paul.
Be not righteous overmuch. Bible. 15
Be not the first by whom the new is tried, / Nor yet the last to lay the old aside. Pope.
Ben trovato—Well invented. It.
Be our joy three-parts pain! Strive, and hold cheap the strain; / Learn, nor account the pang; dare, never grudge the throe! Browning.
Berretta in mano non fece mai danno—Cap in hand never harmed any one. It. Pr.
Bescheiden freue dich des Ruhms, / So bist du 20 wert des Heiligthums—If thou modestly enjoy thy fame, thou art not unworthy to rank with the holy. Goethe.
Bescheidenheit ist eine Zier, / Doch weiter kommt man ohne ihr—Modesty is an ornament, yet people get on better without it. Ger. Pr.
Beseht die Gönner in der Nähe! Halb sind sie kalt, halb sind sie roh—Look closely at those who patronise you. Half are unfeeling, half untaught. Goethe.
Besiegt von einem, ist besiegt von allen—Overpowered by one is overpowered by all. Schiller.
Be silent, or say something better than silence. Sp. Pr.
Be slow in choosing a friend, but slower in 25 changing him. Sc. Pr.
Be sober, be vigilant. St. Peter.
Besser ein Flick als ein Loch—Better a patch than a hole. Ger. Pr.
Besser ein magrer Vergleich als ein fetter Prozess—Better is a lean agreement than a fat lawsuit. Ger. Pr.
Besser frei in der Fremde als Knecht daheim—Better free in a strange land than a slave at home. Ger. Pr.
Besser freundlich versagen als unwillig gewähren—Better 30 a friendly refusal than an unwilling consent (lit. pledge). Ger. Pr.
Besser Rat kommt über Nacht—Better counsel comes over-night. Lessing.
Besser was als gar nichts—Better something than nothing at all. Ger. Pr.
Besser zweimal fragen dann einmal irre gehn—Better ask twice than go wrong once. Ger. Pr.
Be still and have thy will. Tyndal.
Be stirring as the time; be fire with fire; / 35 Threaten the threatner, and outface the brow / Of bragging horror; so shall inferior eyes, / That borrow their behaviours from the great, / Grow great by your example, and put on / The dauntless spirit of resolution. King John, v. 1.
Best men are moulded out of faults. Meas. for Meas., v. 1.
Be strong, and quit yourselves like men. Bible.
Best time is present time. Pr.
Be substantially great in thyself, and more than thou appearest unto others. Sir Thomas Browne.
Be sure you can obey good laws before you 40 seek to alter bad ones. Ruskin.
Be sure your sin will find you out. Bible.
Be swift to hear, slow to speak. Pr.
Bête noir—An eyesore; a bugbear (lit. a black beast). Fr.
Beter eens in den hemel dan tienmaal aan de deur—Better once in heaven than ten times at the door. Dut. Pr.
Be thankful for your ennui; it is your last 45 mark of manhood. Carlyle.
Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Ham., iii. 1.
Be thou assured, if words be made of breath, / And breath of life, I have no life to breathe / What thou hast said to me. Ham., iii. 4.
Be thou faithful unto death. St. John.
Bêtise—Folly; piece of folly. Fr.
Be to her virtues very kind; / Be to her faults 50 a little blind. Prior.
Betrogene Betrüger—The deceiver deceived. Lessing.
Betrügen und betrogen werden, / Nichts ist gewöhnlicher auf Erden—Nothing is more common on earth than to deceive and be deceived. Seume.
Betrug war Alles, Lug, und Schein—All was deception, a lie, and illusion. Goethe.
Bettelsack ist bodenlos—The beggar's bag has no bottom. Ger. Pr.
Better a blush in the face than a blot in the 55 heart. Cervantes.
Better a child should be ignorant of a thousand truths than have consecrated in its heart a single lie. Ruskin.
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one. Chinese Pr.
Better a fortune in a wife than with a wife. Pr.
Better a fremit freend than a freend fremit, i.e., a stranger for a friend than a friend turned stranger. Sc. Pr.
Better a living dog than a dead lion. Pr.
Better an egg to-day than a hen to-morrow. Pr.
Better an end with terror than a terror without 5 end. Schill.
Better a toom (empty) house than an ill tenant. Sc. Pr.
Better a witty fool than a foolish wit. Twelfth Night, i. 5.
Better bairns greet (weep) than bearded men. Sc. Pr.
Better be at the end o' a feast than the beginning o' a fray. Sc. Pr.
Better be a nettle in the side of your friend 10 than his echo. Emerson.
Better be a poor fisherman than have to do with the governing of men. Danton.
Better be disagreeable in a sort than altogether insipid. Goethe.
Better be idle than ill employed. Sc. Pr.
Better bend than break. Pr.
Better be persecuted than shunned. Ebers. 15
Better be poor than wicked. Pr.
Better be unborn than untaught. Gael. Pr.
Better buy than borrow. Pr.
Better deny at once than promise long. Pr.
Better far off, than—near, be ne'er the near'. 20 Rich. II., v. 1.
Better far to die in the old harness than to try to put on another. J. G. Holland.
Better fifty years of Europe than a cycle of Cathay. Tennyson.
Better go back than go wrong. Pr.
Better go to bed supperless than rise in debt. Sc. Pr.
Better haud (hold on) wi' the hound than rin 25 wi' the hare. Sc. Pr.
Better is an ass that carries us than a horse that throws us. J. G. Holland.
Better it is to be envied than pitied. Pr.
Better keep the deil oot than hae to turn him oot. Sc. Pr.
Better keep weel than mak' weel. Sc. Pr.
Better knot straws than do nothing. Gael. Pr. 30
Better lose a jest than a friend. Pr.
Better mad with all the world than wise all alone. Fr. Pr.
Better my freen's think me fremit as fasheous, i.e., strange rather than troublesome. Sc. Pr.
Better never begin than never make an end. Pr.
Better not be at all / Than not be noble. 35 Tennyson.
Better not read books in which you make the acquaintance of the devil. Niebuhr.
Better one-eyed than stone-blind. Pr.
Better one living word than a hundred dead ones. Ger. Pr.
Better rue sit than rue flit, i.e., regret remaining than regret removing. Sc. Pr.
Better say nothing than nothing to the purpose. 40 Pr.
Better sit still than rise and fa'. Sc. Pr.
Better sma' fish than nane. Sc. Pr.
Better suffer for truth than prosper by falsehood. Dan. Pr.
Better ten guilty escape than one innocent man suffer. Pr.
Better that people should laugh at one while 45 they instruct, than that they should praise without benefiting. Goethe.
Better the ill ken'd than the ill unken'd, i.e., the ill we know than the ill we don't know. Sc. Pr.
Better the world know you as a sinner than God as a hypocrite. Dan. Pr.
Better to ask than go astray. Pr.
Better to get wisdom than gold. Bible.
Better to hunt in fields for health unbought, / 50 Than fee the doctor for a nauseous draught. / The wise for cure on exercise depend; / God never made his work for man to mend. Dryden.
Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven. Milton.
Better to say "Here it is" than "Here it was." Pr.
Better understand the world than condemn it. Gael. Pr.
Better untaught than ill taught. Pr.
Better wear out than rust out. Bishop Cumberland. 55
Better wear shoon (shoes) than sheets. Sc. Pr.
Better wrong with the many than right with the few. Port. Pr.
Between a woman's "Yes" and "No" you may insert the point of a needle. Ger. Pr.
Between saying and doing there's a long road. Pr.
Between the acting of a dreadful thing / And 60 the first motion, all the interim is / Like a phantasma or a hideous dream. Jul. Cæs., ii. 1.
Between the deil and the deep sea. Sc. Pr.
Between us and hell or heaven there is nothing but life, which of all things is the frailest. Pascal.
Beware, my lord, of jealousy; / It is the green-eyed monster that doth mock / The meat it feeds on. Othello, iii. 3.
Beware of a silent dog and still water. Pr.
Beware of a silent man and a dog that does 65 not bark. Pr.
Beware of a talent which you cannot hope to cultivate to perfection. Goethe.
Beware / Of entrance to a quarrel; but, being in, / Bear 't that the opposed may beware of thee. Ham., i. 3.
Beware of false prophets. Jesus.
Beware of "Had I wist." Pr.
Beware of one who has nothing to lose. It. 70 Pr.
Beware of too much good staying in your hand. Emerson.
Beware the fury of a patient man. Dryden.
Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet. Emerson.
Be warned by thy good angel and not ensnared by thy bad one. Bürger.
Be wisely worldly; be not worldly wise. 75 Quarles.
Be wise to-day; 'tis madness to defer. Young.
Be wise with speed; / A fool at forty is a fool indeed. Young.
Bewunderung verdient ein Wunder wohl, / Doch scheint ein Weib kein echtes Weib zu sein, / So bald es nur Bewunderung verdient—What is admirable justly calls forth our admiration, yet a woman seems to be no true woman who calls forth nothing else. Platen.
Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Jesus.
Bezwingt des Herzens Bitterkeit. Es bringt / 5 Nicht gute Frucht, wenn Hass dem Hass begegnet—Control the heart's bitterness. Nothing good comes of returning hatred for hatred. Schiller.
Bibula charta—Blotting-paper.
Bien dire fait rire; bien faire fait taire—Saying well makes us laugh; doing well makes us silent. Fr. Pr.
Bien est larron qui larron dérobe—He is a thief with a witness who robs another. Fr. Pr.
Bien nourri et mal appris—Well fed but ill taught. Fr. Pr.
Bien perdu bien connu—We know the worth of 10 a thing when we have lost it. Fr.
Bien predica quien bien vive—He preaches well who lives well. Sp. Pr.
Bien sabe el asno en cuya cara rabozna—The ass knows well in whose face he brays. Sp. Pr.
Bien sabe el sabio que no sabe, el nescio piensa que sabe—The wise man knows well that he does not know; the ignorant man thinks he knows. Sp. Pr.
Bien sabe la vulpeja con quien trebeja—The fox knows well with whom he plays tricks. Sp. Pr.
Bien vengas, mal, si vienes solo—Welcome, misfortune, 15 if thou comest alone. Sp. Pr.
Bien vient à mieux, et mieux à mal—Good comes to better and better to bad. Fr. Pr.
Big destinies of nations or of persons are not founded gratis in this world. Carlyle.
Bigotry murders religion, to frighten fools with her ghost. Colton.
Big words seldom accompany good deeds. Dan. Pr.
Billet-doux—A love-letter. Fr. 20
Biography is the most universally pleasant, the most universally profitable, of all reading. Carlyle.
Biography is the only true history. Carlyle.
Birds of a feather flock together. Pr.
Birds of prey do not flock together. Port. Pr.
Birth is much, but breeding is more. Pr. 25
Bis dat qui cito dat—He gives twice who gives quickly. L. Pr.
Bis est gratum quod opus est, si ultro offeras—That help is doubly acceptable which you offer spontaneously when we stand in need. Pub. Syr.
Bis interimitur qui suis armis perit—He dies twice who perishes by his own weapons or devices. Pub. Syr.
Bisogna amar l'amico con i suoi difetti—We must love our friend with all his defects. It. Pr.
Bis peccare in bello non licet—It is not permitted 30 to blunder in war a second time. Pr.
Bist du Amboss, sei geduldig; bist du Hammer, schlage hart—Art thou anvil, be patient; art thou hammer, strike hard. Ger. Pr.
Bist du ein Mensch? so fühle meine Noth—Art thou a man? then feel for my wretchedness. Margaret in "Faust."
Bist du mit dem Teufel du und du, / Und willst dich vor der Flamme scheuen?—Art thou on familiar terms with the devil, and wilt thou shy at the flame? Goethe's "Faust."
Bis vincit qui se vincit in victoria—He conquers twice who, at the moment of victory, conquers (i.e., restrains) himself. Pub. Syr.
Bitin' and scartin' 's Scotch folk's wooing. Sc. 35 Pr.
Black detraction will find faults where they are not. Massinger.
Blame is the lazy man's wages. Dan. Pr.
Blame where you must, be candid where you can, / And be each critic the good-natured man. Goldsmith.
Blanc-bec—A greenhorn. Fr.
Blasen ist nicht flöten; ihr musst die Finger 40 bewegen—To blow on the flute is not to play on it; you must move the fingers as well. Goethe.
Blasphemy is wishing ill to anything, and its outcome wishing ill to God; while Euphemy is wishing well to everything, and its outcome wishing well to—"Ah, wad ye tak' a thocht, and men'." Ruskin.
Blasted with excess of light. Gray.
Bleib nicht allein, denn in der Wüste trat / Der Satansengel selbst dem Herrn des Himmels—Remain not alone, for it was in the desert that Satan came to the Lord of Heaven himself. Schiller.
Bless, and curse not. St. Paul.
Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet 45 have believed. Jesus.
Blessed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it. Bible.
Blessed be he who first invented sleep; it covers a man all over like a cloak. Cervantes.
Blessed be nothing. Pr.
Blessed is he that considereth the poor. Bible.
Blessed is he that continueth where he is; here 50 let us rest and lay out seed-fields; here let us learn to dwell. Carlyle.
Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed. Swift.
Blessed is he who is made happy by the sound of a rat-tat. Thackeray.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation. St. James.
Blessed is the voice that, amid dispiritment, stupidity, and contradiction, proclaims to us, Euge! (i.e., Excellent! Bravo!). Carlyle.
Blessedness is a whole eternity older than 55 damnation. Jean Paul.
Blessings are upon the head of the just. Bible.
Blinder Eifer schadet nur—Blind zeal only does harm. M. G. Lichtwer.
Blinder Gaul geht geradezu—A blind horse goes right on. Ger. Pr.
Blindfold zeal can do nothing but harm—harm everywhere, and harm always. Lichtner.
Bloemen zijn geen vruchten—Blossoms are not 60 fruits. Dut. Pr.
Blood is thicker than water. Pr.
Blosse Intelligenz ohne correspondirende Energie des Wollens ist ein blankes Schwert in der Scheide, verächtlich, wenn es nie und nimmer gezückt wird—Mere intelligence without corresponding energy of the will is a polished sword in its scabbard, contemptible, if it is never drawn forth. Lindner.
Blow, blow, thou winter wind, / Thou art not so unkind / As man's ingratitude. As You Like It, ii. 7.
Blow, wind! come, wrack! / At least we'll die with harness on our back. Macb., v. 5.
Blue are the hills that are far from us. Gael. Pr.
Blunt edges rive hard knots. Troil. and Cress., 5 i. 3.
Blushes are badges of imperfection. Wycherley.
Blut ist ein ganz besondrer Saft—Blood is a quite peculiar fluid. Mephisto, in Faust.
Boca de mel, coraçaõ de fel—A tongue of honey, a heart of gall. Port. Pr.
Boca que diz sim, diz naõ—The mouth that can say "Yea," can say "Nay." Port. Pr.
Bodily exercise profiteth little. St. Paul. 10
Bœotum in crasso jurares aëre natum—You would swear he was born in the foggy atmosphere of the Bœotians. Hor.
Bois ont oreilles et champs œillets—Woods have ears and fields eyes. Fr. Pr.
Bole com o rabo o caõ, naõ por ti, senaõ pelo paõ—The dog wags his tail, not for you, but for your bread. Port. Pr.
Bon accord—Good harmony. M.
Bonæ leges malis ex moribus procreantur—Good 15 laws grow out of evil acts. Macrob.
Bona fide—In good faith; in reality.
Bona malis paria non sunt, etiam pari numero; nec lætitia ulla minimo mœrore pensanda—The blessings of life do not equal its ills, even when of equal number; nor can any pleasure, however incense, compensate for even the slightest pain. Pliny.
Bona nemini hora est, ut non alicui sit mala—There is no hour good for one man that is not bad for another. Pub. Syr.
Bonarum rerum consuetudo est pessima—Nothing can be worse than being accustomed to good things. Pub. Syr.
Bona vacantia—Goods that have no owner. L. 20
Bon avocat, mauvais voisin—A good lawyer is a bad neighbour. Fr. Pr.
Bon bourgeois—A substantial citizen. Fr.
Bon chien chasse de race—A good dog hunts from pure instinct. Fr. Pr.
Bon diable—A good-natured fellow. Fr.
Bon droit a besoin d'aide—A good cause needs 25 help. Fr. Pr.
Bon gré, mal gré—Whether willing or not. Fr.
Bon guet chasse maladventure—A good lookout drives ill-luck away. Fr. Pr.
Bonne épée point querelleur—A good swordsman is not given to quarrel. Fr. Pr.
Bonne est la maille que sauve le denier—Good is the farthing that saves the penny. Fr. Pr.
Bonhomie—Good nature. Fr. 30
Boni pastoris est tondere pecus, non deglubere—It is the duty of a good shepherd to shear his sheep, not to flay them. Tiberius Cæsar, in reference to taxation.
Bonis avibus—Under favourable auspices.
Bonis nocet quisquis pepercerit malis—He does injury to the good who spares the bad. Pub. Syr.
Bonis omnia bona—All things are good to the good. M.
Bonis quod benefit haud perit—A kindness done 35 to good men is never thrown away. Plaut.
Bonis vel malis avibus—Under good, or evil, omens.
Bon jour—Good day. Fr.
Bon jour, bonne œuvre—The better the day, the better the deed. Fr. Pr.
Bon marché tire l'argent hors de la bourse—A good bargain is a pick-purse. Fr. Pr.
Bon mot—A witticism or jest. Fr. 40
Bon naturel—Good nature or disposition. Fr.
Bonne—A nurse. Fr.
Bonne bouche—A delicate morsel. Fr.
Bonne et belle assez—Good and handsome enough. Fr. M.
Bonne journée fait qui de fol se délivre—He 45 who rids himself of a fool does a good day's work. Fr. Pr.
Bonne renommée vaut mieux que ceinture dorée—A good name is worth more than a girdle of gold. Fr. Pr.
Bonnet rouge—The cap of liberty. Fr.
Bonnie feathers mak' bonnie fowls. Sc. Pr.
Bon poète, mauvais homme—Good as a poet, bad as a man. Fr.
Bon sang ne peut mentir—Good blood disdains 50 to lie. Fr. Pr.
Bons et máos mantem cidade—Good men and bad make a city. Port. Pr.
Bons mots n'épargnent nuls—Witticisms spare nobody. Fr. Pr.
Bon soir—Good evening. Fr.
Bon ton—The height of fashion. Fr.
Bonum ego quam beatum me esse nimio dici 55 mavolo—I would much rather be called good than well off. Plaut.
Bonum est fugienda aspicere in alieno malo—Well if we see in the misfortune of another what we should shun ourselves. Pub. Syr.
Bonum est, pauxillum amare sane, insane non bonum est—It is good to be moderately sane in love; to be madly in love is not good. Plaut.
Bonum summum quo tendimus omnes—That supreme good at which we all aim. Lucret.
Bonus animus in mala re dimidium est mali—Good courage in a bad affair is half of the evil overcome. Plaut.
Bonus atque fidus / Judex honestum prætulit 60 utili—A good and faithful judge ever prefers the honourable to the expedient. Hor.
Bonus dux bonum reddit militem—The good general makes good soldiers. L. Pr.
Bonus vir semper tiro—A good man is always a learner.
Bon vivant—A good liver. Fr.
Bon voyage—A pleasant journey or voyage. Fr.
Books are divisible into two classes, the books 65 of the hour and the books of all time. Ruskin.
Books are embalmed minds. Bovee.
Books are made from books. Voltaire.
Books cannot always please, however good; / Minds are not ever craving for their food. Crabbe.
Books generally do little else than give our errors names. Goethe.
Books, like friends, should be few and well chosen. Joineriana.
Books still accomplish miracles; they persuade men. Carlyle.
Books, we know, / Are a substantial world, pure and good. Wordsworth.
Boomen die men veel verplant gedijen zelden—Trees 5 you transplant often, seldom thrive. Dut. Pr.
Borgen thut nur einmal wohl—Borrowing does well only once. Ger. Pr.
Born to excel and to command! Congreve.
Borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. Cic.
Borrowing is not much better than begging; just as lending on interest is not much better than stealing. Lessing.
Bos alienus subinde prospectat foras—A strange 10 ox every now and then turns its eyes wistfully to the door. Pr.
Böser Brunnen, da man Wasser muss eintragen—It is a bad well into which you must pour water. Ger. Pr.
Böser Pfennig kommt immer wieder—A bad penny always comes back again. Ger. Pr.
Bos in lingua—He has an ox on his tongue, i.e., a bribe to keep silent, certain coins in Athens being stamped with an ox. Pr.
Bos lassus fortius figit pedem—The tired ox plants his foot more firmly. Pr.
Botschaft hör' ich wohl, allein mir fehlt der 15 Glaube—I hear the message indeed, but I want the faith. Goethe's "Faust."
[Greek: bouleuou pro ergôn, hopôs mê môra pelêtai]—Before the act consider, so that nothing foolish may arise out of it. Gr. Pr.
Bought wit is best, i.e., bought by experience. Pr.
Boutez en avant—Push forward. Fr.
Bowels of compassion. St. John.
Brag is a good dog, but Holdfast is better. 20 Pr.
Brain is always to be bought, but passion never comes to market. Lowell.
Brave men are brave from the very first. Corneille.
Bread at pleasure, / Drink by measure. Pr.
Bread is the staff of life. Swift.
Breathes there the man with soul so dead, / 25 Who never to himself hath said, / "This is my own, my native land?" Scott.
Breathe his faults so quaintly, / That they may seem the taints of liberty; / The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind. Ham., ii. 1.
Breed is stronger than pasture. George Eliot.
Brevet d'invention—A patent. Fr.
Breveté—Patented. Fr.
Breve tempus ætatis satis est longum ad bene 30 honesteque vivendum—A short term on earth is long enough for a good and honourable life. Cic.
Brevi manu—Offhand; summarily (lit. with a short hand).
Brevis a natura nobis vita data est: at memoria bene redditæ vitæ est sempiterna—A short life has been given us by Nature, but the memory of a well-spent one is eternal. Cic.
Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio—When labouring to be concise, I become obscure. Hor.
Brevis ipsa vita est, sed longior malis—Life itself is short, but lasts longer than misfortunes. Pub. Syr.
Brevis voluptas mox doloris est parens—Short-lived 35 pleasure is the parent of pain. Pr.
Brevity is the body and soul of wit. Jean Paul.
Brevity is the soul of wit. Ham., iii. 2.
Bric-à-brac—Articles of vertu or curiosity. Fr.
Bricht ein Ring, so bricht die ganze Katte—A link broken, the whole chain broken. Ger. Pr.
Brief as the lightning in the collied night, / 40 That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth, / And ere a man hath power to say, "Behold!" / The jaws of darkness do devour it up. Mid. N.'s Dream, i. 1.
Briefe gehören unter die wichtigsten Denkmäler die der einzelne Mensch hinterlassen kann—Letters are among the most significant memorials a man can leave behind him. Goethe.
Briller par son absence—To be conspicuous by its absence. Fr.
Bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave. Bible.
Bring forth men-children only! / For thy undaunted mettle should compose / Nothing but males. Macb., i. 7.
Broad thongs may be cut from other people's 45 leather. It. Pr.
Broken friendships may be sowthered (soldered), but never sound. Sc. Pr.
Brouille sera à la maison si la quenouille est maîtresse—There will be disagreement in the house if the distaff holds the reins. Fr. Pr.
Brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts—To burn the candle at both ends. Fr.
Brute force holds communities together as an iron nail, if a little rusted with age, binds pieces of wood; but intelligence binds like a screw, which must be gently turned, not driven. Draper.
Brutum fulmen—A harmless thunderbolt. L. 50
Brutus, thou sleep'st; awake, and see thyself. Jul. Cæs., ii. 1.
Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Cæsar. Jul. Cæs., i. 2.
Bûche tortue fait bon feu—A crooked log makes a good fire. Fr. Pr.
Buen siglo haya quien dijó bolta—Blessings on him that said, Right about face! Sp. Pr.
Buey viejo sulco derecho—An old ox makes a 55 straight furrow. Sp. Pr.
Buffoonery is often want of wit. Bruyère.
Bullies are generally cowards. Pr.
Buon cavallo non ha bisogno di sproni—Don't spur a willing horse. It. Pr.
Burlaos con el loco en casa, burlará con vos en la plaza—Play with the fool in the house and he will play with you in the street. Sp. Pr.
Burnt bairns dread the fire. Sc. Pr. 60
Business dispatched is business well done, but business hurried is business ill done. Bulwer Lytton.
Busy readers are seldom good readers. Wieland.
But a bold peasantry, their country's pride, / When once destroyed, can never be supplied. Goldsmith.
But all was false and hollow; though his tongue / Dropp'd manna, and could make the worse appear / The better reason, to perplex and dash / Maturest counsels. Milton.
But by bad courses may be understood, / That their events can never fall out good. Rich. II., ii. 1.
But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve, / He taught, but first he folwed it himselve. Chaucer.
But earthlier happy is the rose distilled, / Than 5 that which, withering on the virgin thorn, / Grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness. Mid. N's. Dream, i. 1.
But evil is wrought by want of thought / As well as want of heart. Hood.
But facts are chiels that winna ding, / An' douna be disputed. Burns.
But far more numerous was the herd of such / Who think too little and who talk too much. Dryden.
But for women, our life would be without help at the outset, without pleasure in its course, and without consolation at the end. Jouy.
But from the heart of Nature rolled / The burdens 10 of the Bible old. Emerson.
But human bodies are sic fools, / For a' their colleges and schools, / That, when nae real ills perplex them, / They make enow themsels to vex them. Burns.
But hushed be every thought that springs / From out the bitterness of things. Wordsworth.
But I am constant as the northern star, / Of whose true-fixed and resting quality, / There is no fellow in the firmament. Jul. Cæs., iii. 1.
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve / For daws to peck at. Othello, i. 1.
But man, proud man, / Drest in a little brief 15 authority, / Most ignorant of what he's most assured, / His glassy essence,—like an angry ape, / Plays such fantastic tricks before high Heaven / As make the angels weep. Meas. for Meas., ii. 2.
But men may construe things after their fashion, clean from the purpose of the things themselves. Jul. Cæs., i. 3.
But men must work, and women must weep, / Though storms be sudden and waters deep, / And the harbour bar be moaning. C. Kingsley.
But mercy is above this sceptred sway; / It is enthroned in the hearts of kings, / It is an attribute to God Himself, / And earthly power doth then show likest God's / When mercy seasons justice. Mer. of Ven., iv. 1.
But now our fates from unmomentous things / May rise like rivers out of little springs. Campbell.
But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand, / And 20 the sound of a voice that is still. Tennyson.
But O what damned minutes tells he o'er, / Who dotes, yet doubts; suspects, yet strongly loves? Othello, iii. 3.
But pleasures are like poppies spread, / You seize the flower, its bloom is shed; / Or, like the snowfall on the river, / A moment white—then melts for ever. Burns.
But Shakespeare's magic could not copied be; / Within that circle none durst walk but he. Dryden.
But shapes that come not at an earthly call, / Will not depart when mortal voices bid. Wordsworth.
But souls that of His own good life partake, / 25 He loves as His own self; dear as His eye / They are to Him; He'll never them forsake; / When they shall die, then God Himself shall die: / They live, they live in blest eternity. H. More.
But spite of all the criticising elves, / Those that would make us feel, must feel themselves. Churchill.
But there are wanderers o'er eternity, / Whose bark drives on and on, and anchor'd ne'er shall be. Byron.
But there's nothing half so sweet in life / As love's young dream. Moore.
But thought's the slave of life, and life time's fool; / And time, that takes survey of all the world, / Must have a stop. 1 Henry IV., v. 4.
But to see her was to love her—love but her, 30 and love for ever. Burns.
But truths on which depend our main concern, / That 'tis our shame and misery not to learn, / Shine by the side of every path we tread, / With such a lustre, he that runs may read. Cowper.
But war's a game which, were their subjects wise, / Kings would not play at. Cowper.
But were I Brutus, / And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony / Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue / In every wound of Cæsar, that should move / The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny. Jul. Cæs., iii. 2.
But what fate does, let fate answer for. Sheridan.
But whether on the scaffold high, / Or in the 35 battle's van, / The fittest place where man can die / Is where he dies for man. M. J. Barry.
But who would force the soul, tilts with a straw / Against a champion cased in adamant. Wordsworth.
But winter lingering chills the lap of May. Goldsmith.
But words are things, and a small drop of ink, / Falling, like dew, upon a thought, produces / That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think. Byron.
But wouldst thou know what's heaven? I'll tell thee what: / Think what thou canst not think, and heaven is that. Quarles.
But yesterday the word of Cæsar might / 40 Have stood against the world; now lies he there, / And none so poor to do him reverence. Jul. Cæs., iii. 2.
Buying is cheaper than asking. Ger. Pr.
Buy the truth, and sell it not. Bible.
Buy what ye dinna want, an' ye'll sell what ye canna spare. Sc. Pr.
By-and-by is easily said. Ham., iii. 2.
By any ballot-box, Jesus Christ goes just as 45 far as Judas Iscariot. Carlyle.
By blood a king, in heart a clown. Tennyson.
By bravely enduring it, an evil which cannot be avoided is overcome. Pr.
By desiring little, a poor man makes himself rich. Democritus.
By dint of dining out, I run the risk of dying by starvation at home. Rousseau.
By doing nothing we learn to do ill. Pr.
By education most have been misled. Dryden.
By experience we find out a short way by a 5 long wandering. Roger Ascham.
By nature man hates change; seldom will he quit his old home till it has actually fallen about his ears. Carlyle.
By night an atheist half believes a God. Young.
By nothing do men more show what they are than by their appreciation of what is and what is not ridiculous. Goethe.
By others' faults wise men correct their own. Pr.
By persisting in your path, though you forfeit 10 the little, you gain the great. Emerson.
By pious heroic climbing of our own, not by arguing with our poor neighbours, wandering to right and left, do we at length reach the sanctuary—the victorious summit, and see with our own eyes. Carlyle.
By pride cometh contention. Bible.
By robbing Peter he paid Paul ... and hoped to catch larks if ever the heavens should fall. Rabelais.
By seeking and blundering we learn. Goethe.
By shallow rivers to whose falls / Melodious 15 birds sing madrigals. Marlowe.
By sports like these are all their cares beguil'd, / The sports of children satisfy the child. Goldsmith.
By strength of heart the sailor fights with roaring seas. Wordsworth.
By the long practice of caricature I have lost the enjoyment of beauty: I never see a face but distorted. Hogarth to a lady who wished to learn caricature.
By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is the noblest; second, by imitation, which is the easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest. Confucius.
By time and counsel do the best we can: / 20 Th' event is never in the power of man. Herrick.
C.
Ca' (drive) a cow to the ha' (hall), and she'll rin to the byre. Sc. Pr.
Cabin'd, cribb'd, confin'd. Macb., iii. 4.
Cacoëthes carpendi—An itch for fault-finding. 25
Cacoëthes scribendi—An itch for scribbling.
Cacoëthes loquendi—An itch for talking.
Cada cousa a seu tempo—Everything has its time. Port. Pr.
Cada qual en seu officio—Every one to his trade. Port. Pr.
Cada qual hablé en lo que sabe—Let every one talk of what he understands. Sp. Pr.
Cada uno es hijo de sus obras—Every one is the son of his own works; i.e., is responsible for his own acts. Sp. Pr.
Cadenti porrigo dextram—I extend my right 30 hand to a falling man. M.
Cadit quæstio—The question drops, i.e., the point at issue needs no further discussion. L.
Cæca invidia est, nec quidquam aliud scit quam detrectare virtutes—Envy is blind, and can only disparage the virtues of others. Livy.
Cæca regens vestigia filo—Guiding blind steps by a thread.
Cæsarem vehis, Cæsarisque fortunam—You carry Cæsar and his fortunes; fear not, therefore. Cæsar to a pilot in a storm.
Cæsar non supra grammaticos—Cæsar has no 35 authority over the grammarians. Pr.
Cæsar's wife should be above suspicion. Plut.
Cæteris major qui melior—He who is better than others is greater. M.
Cahier des charges—Conditions of a contract. Fr.
Ça ira—It shall go on (a French Revolution song). Ben. Franklin.
Caisse d'amortissement—Sinking fund. Fr. 40
Calamitosus est animus futuri anxius—The mind that is anxious about the future is miserable. Sen.
Calamity is man's true touchstone—Beaumont and Fletcher.
Calf love, half love; old love, cold love. Fris. Pr.
Call a spade a spade.
Call him wise whose actions, words, and steps 45 are all a clear Because to a clear Why. Lavater.
Callida junctura—Skilful arrangement. Hor.
Call me what instrument you will, though you fret me, you cannot play on me. Ham., iii. 2.
Call not that man wretched who, whatever ills he suffers, has a child he loves. Southey, Coleridge.
Call not the devil; he will come fast enough without. Dan. Pr.
Call your opinions your creed, and you will 50 change it every week. Make your creed simply and broadly out of the revelation of God, and you may keep it to the end. P. Brooks.
Calmness of will is a sign of grandeur. The vulgar, far from hiding their will, blab their wishes. A single spark of occasion discharges the child of passions into a thousand crackers of desire. Lavater.
Calumnies are sparks which, if you do not blow them, will go out of themselves. Boerhaave.
Calumny is like the wasp which worries you; which it were best not to try to get rid of, unless you are sure of slaying it, for otherwise it will return to the charge more furious than ever. Chamfort.
Calumny will sear / Virtue itself: these shrugs, these hums and ha's. Winter's Tale, ii. 1.
Camelus desiderans cornua etiam aures perdidit—The 55 camel begging for horns was deprived of his ears as well. Pr.
Campos ubi Troja fuit—The fields where Troy once stood. Lucan.
Campus Martius—A place of military exercise (lit. field of Mars).
Canaille—The rabble. Fr.
Canam mihi et Musis—I will sing to myself and the Muses, i.e., if no one else will listen. Anon.
"Can" and "shall," well understood, mean the same thing under this sun of ours. Carlyle.
Can anybody remember when the times were not hard and money not scarce? or when sensible men, and the right sort of men, and the right sort of women, were plentiful? Emerson.
Can ch' abbaia non morde—A dog that barks does not bite. It. Pr.
Can che morde non abbaia in vano—A dog that bites does not bark in vain. It. Pr.
Can despots compass aught that hails their 5 sway? / Or call with truth one span of earth their own, / Save that wherein at last they crumble bone by bone? Byron.
Candida pax homines, trux decet ira feras—Wide-robed peace becomes men, ferocious anger only wild beasts. Ovid.
Candide et caute—With candour and caution. M.
Candide et constanter—With candour and constancy. M.
Candide secure—Honesty is the best policy. M.
Candidus in nauta turpis color: æquoris unda / 10 Debet et a radiis sideris esse niger—A fair complexion is a disgrace in a sailor; he ought to be tanned, from the spray of the sea and the rays of the sun. Ovid.
"Can do" is easy (easily) carried aboot. Sc. Pr.
Candor dat viribus alas—Candour gives wings to strength. M.
Candour is the brightest gem of criticism. Disraeli.
Canes timidi vehementius latrant quam mordent—Cowardly dogs bark more violently than they bite. Q. Curt.
Cane vecchio non abbaia indarno—An old dog 15 does not bark for nothing. It. Pr.
Can I choose my king? I can choose my King Popinjay, and play what farce or tragedy I may with him; but he who is to be my ruler, whose will is higher than my will, was chosen for me in heaven. Carlyle.
Canina facundia—Dog (i.e., snarling) eloquence. Appius.
Canis a non canendo—Dog is called "canis," from "non cano," not to sing. Varro.
Canis in præsepi—The dog in the manger (that would not let the ox eat the hay which he could not eat himself).
Cannon and firearms are cruel and damnable 20 machines. I believe them to have been the direct suggestion of the devil. Luther.
Can storied urn or animated bust / Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath? / Can honour's voice provoke the silent dust, / Or flattery soothe the dull cold ear of death? Gray.
Canst thou not minister to a mind diseas'd, / Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow, / Raze out the written troubles of the brain? / And with some sweet oblivious antidote, / Cleanse the stuff'd bosom of that perilous stuff / Which weighs upon the heart? Macb., v. 3.
Can such things be, / And overcome us like a summer's cloud, / Without our special wonder? Macb., iii. 4.
Cantabit vacuus coram latrone viator—The penniless traveller will sing in presence of the robber. Juv.
Can that which is the greatest virtue in philosophy, 25 doubt, be in religion, what we priests term it, the greatest of sins? Bovee.
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Bible.
Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Nathanael.
Cantilenam eandem canis—You are always singing the same tune, i.e., harping on one theme. Ter.
Cant is properly a double-distilled lie, the second power of a lie. Carlyle.
Cant is the voluntary overcharging or prolonging 30 of a real sentiment. Hazlitt.
Can wealth give happiness? look around and see, / What gay distress! what splendid misery! / Whatever fortunes lavishly can pour, / The mind annihilates and calls for more. Young.
Can we wonder that men perish and are forgotten, when their noblest and most enduring works decay? Ausonius.
"Can you tell a plain man the plain road to heaven?"—"Surely. Turn at once to the right, then go straight forward." Bp. Wilberforce.
Caõ que muito ladra, nunca bom para a caça—A dog that barks much is never a good hunter. Port. Pr.
Capable of all kinds of devotion, and of all 35 kinds of treason, raised to the second power, woman is at once the delight and the terror of man. Amiel.
Capacity without education is deplorable, and education without capacity is thrown away. Saadi.
Cap-à-pié—From head to foot. Fr.
Capias—A writ to order the seizure of a defendant's person. L.
Capias ad respondendum—You may take him to answer your complaint. L.
Capias ad satisfaciendum—You may take him 40 to satisfy your claim. L.
Capiat, qui capere possit—Let him take who can. Pr.
Capistrum maritale—The matrimonial halter. Juv.
Capitis nives—The snowy locks of the head. Hor.
Capo grasso, cervello magro—Fat head, lean brains. It. Pr.
Captivity is the greatest of all evils that can 45 befall man. Cervantes.
Captivity, / That comes with honour, is true liberty. Massinger.
Captum te nidore suæ putat ille culinæ—He thinks he has caught you with the savoury smell of his kitchen. Juv.
Caput artis est, decere quod facias—The chief thing in any art you may practise is that you do only the one you are fit for. Pr.
Caput inter nubila condit—(Fame) hides her head amid the clouds. Virg.
Caput mortuum—The worthless remains; a ninny. 50
Caput mundi—The head of the world, i.e., Rome, both ancient and modern.
Cara al mio cuor tu sei, / Ciò ch'è il sole agli occhi miei—Thou art as dear to my heart as the sun to my eyes. It. Pr.
Care, and not fine stables, makes a good horse. Dan. Pr.
Care is no cure, but rather a corrosive, / For things that are not to be remedied. 1 Hen. VI., iii. 3.
Care is taken that trees do not grow into the sky. Goethe.
Care keeps his watch in every old man's eye, / And where care lodges, sleep will never lie. Rom. and Jul., ii. 2.
Care killed the cat. Pr. 5
Carelessness is worse than theft. Gael. Pr.
Careless their merits or their faults to scan, / His pity gave ere charity began. Goldsmith.
Care's an enemy to life. Twelfth Night, i. 3.
Cares are often more difficult to throw off than sorrows; the latter die with time, the former grow with it. Jean Paul.
Care that has enter'd once into the breast, / 10 Will have the whole possession ere it rest. Ben Jonson.
Caret—It is wanting.
Caret initio et fine—It has neither beginning nor end.
Caret periculo, qui etiam cum est tutus cavet—He is not exposed to danger who, even when in safety, is on his guard. Pub. Syr.
Care to our coffin adds a nail, no doubt, / And every grin, so merry, draws one out. Wolcot.
Care will kill a cat, but ye canna live without 15 it. Sc. Pr.
Carica volontario non carica—A willing burden is no burden. It. Pr.
Car il n'est si beau jour qui n'amène sa nuit—There is no day, however glorious, but sets in night. Fr.
Carior est illis homo quam sibi—Man is dearer to them (i.e., the gods) than to himself. Juv.
Cari sunt parentes, cari liberi, propinqui, familiares; sed omnes omnium caritates, patria una complexa est—Dear are our parents, dear our children, our relatives, and our associates, but all our affections for all these are embraced in our affection for our native land. Cic.
Carmen perpetuum primaque origine mundi 20 ad tempora nostra—A song for all ages, and from the first origin of the world to our own times. Transposed from Ovid.
Carmen triumphale—A song of triumph.
Carmina nil prosunt; nocuerunt carmina quondam—My rhymes are of no use; they once wrought me harm. Ovid.
Carmina spreta exolescunt; si irascare, agnita videntur—Abuse, if you slight it, will gradually die away; but if you show yourself irritated, you will be thought to have deserved it. Tac.
Carmine di superi placantur, carmine Manes—The gods above and the gods below are alike propitiated by song. Hor.
Carmine fit vivax virtus; expersque sepulcri, 25 notitiam seræ posteritatis habet—By verse virtue is made immortal; and, exempt from burial, obtains the homage of remote posterity. Ovid.
Carpet knights. Burton.
Carpe diem—Make a good use of the present. Hor.
Carry on every enterprise as if all depended on the success of it. Richelieu.
Carte blanche—Unlimited power to act (lit. blank paper). Fr.
Car tel est votre plaisir—For such is your pleasure. 30 Fr.
Casa hospidada, comida y denostada—A house which is filled with guests is both eaten up and spoken ill of. Sp. Pr.
Casa mia, casa mia, per piccina che tu sia, tu mi sembri una badia—Home, dear home, small though thou be, thou art to me a palace. It. Pr.
Casar, casar, e que do governo?—Marry, marry, and what of the management of the house? Port. Pr.
Casar, casar, soa bem, e sabe mal—Marrying sounds well, but tastes ill. Port. Pr.
Cassis tutissima virtus—Virtue is the safest 35 helmet. M.
Casta ad virum matrona parendo imperat—A chaste wife acquires an influence over her husband by obeying him. Laber.
Casta moribus et integra pudore—Of chaste morals and unblemished modesty. Mart.