A ROWLAND FOR AN OLIVER! Who has not read of Charlemagne's expedition against the Saracens for the recovery of the relics of the Passion? Those who have, will recollect, that if Alexander had his Bucephalus, Charlemagne had "twain steeds,"* who, if they were not endowed with the instinctive destructiveness of the former, possessed at least a tractability and fidelity not to be surpassed. These were his Roland and his Oliver, whose qualities were so equally poised, that Roland was as good as Oliver, and Oliver was as good as Roland; and hence arose the saying, "I'll give you a Roland for your Oliver;" or, "I'll give as good as you'll send." WILKES AND FORTY-FIVE. "Wilkes and Forty-five," originated from a pamphlet called the North Briton, which was written by Mr. Wilkes and his friends; and the forty-fifth number of which was so obnoxious, that it was ordered by law to be publicly burnt by the common hangman, before the Royal Exchange, which was the cause of much popular clamour for a season. John Wilkes was elected Lord Mayor of London in 1775. Foote used to relate, that on the day for celebrating Wilkes' liberation, an old fish-salesman at Billingsgate, well known by the appellation of King Cole, invited forty-five male and female friends to dine at the Gun. Every thing that bore on that number gave the possessor a local importance: the devil was in the number forty-five! The On the occasion, there was a gigantic plum-pudding, with 45lbs. of flour, and 45 of fruit, which was boiled the same number of hours, and paraded from Wapping with flags, and 45 butchers with marrow-bones and cleavers: 45 pigeons in pies, and 45 apple dumplings. Each bowl of punch, said the player as he smacked his lips-each had 45 Seville oranges, and lemons in due proportions. At night there was a well-regulated riot. watchmen and police interfered, and (continued the wag) 45 of the noisy politicians were committed to the Compter. The commencement of this Billingsgate row arose from 45 sailors, each with a wooden leg, bearing about an old besotted captain, who had crossed the Atlantic 45 times, who chose to quarrel with another drunken ass, a bankrupt stockbroker, who went roaring about (such was the general infatuation), "I don't care who knows it, but I'm the man who stopped for five and forty thousand pounds!" This same old fishmonger afterwards lost a son, whom he used to call the staff of his old age; he consoled himself, however, in the mystical number, inviting 45 fishmongers to attend the * Some writers say Roland and Oliver were his pages. funeral, had him interred at Queenborough (smelling strong of fish), being 45 miles from town, paid two pounds five shillings to the sexton, which was the best day's work he ever had, for 45 tolls of the tenor bell at one shilling per toll, and to eke out the last consolation from the memorable 45, they mourned ninety days, namely, in deep mourning five-and-forty, and in half mourning, forty-five! UNDER THE ROSE! That is, privately, or secretly. The rose was, it is said, sacred to Harpocrates, the god of silence, and therefore frequently placed on the ceilings of rooms destined for the receiving of guests; and implying that whatever was transacted there should not be made public. When any one was desirous that his words should be confined to the breasts of those present, he prefaced his communications by the words, "Remember, we are under the Rose." Old German houses have a rose sculptured on the ceilings of banqueting-rooms. TO SLEEP ON IT! "To sleep on it," or, "go to bed and sleep on it," derives its origin from the following circumstance. A French soldier who, having lost all his money at play, wished to fight with any of his companions that would come out. No one accepting the challenge, he threw himself down by the side of a tent, and went to sleep. Two or three hours after, it happened that another soldier who had met with the same fortune, was passing by the tent and heard the other snoring-waking him, he cried, "Get up, comrade, I have lost my money as well as you; quick, draw your sword, and let us fight!" "Fight? we fight?" cried the other, rubbing his eyes; "no, not yet, lay down a bit, and take a nap as I have done, and then we'll fight as much as you please." O, YES! O, YES! O, YES! This cry, so well known in our courts of justice, is the old Norman French oyez !* oyez! oyeż! signifying, hear! hear! hear! When the French language was discontinued in our courts of law, this portion of it remained. ENGLAND AND ST. GEORGE. This ancient battle-cry of the English was first used by Henry II. in Ireland. Nares, in his Glossary, observes, there is also this injunction to the English in an old art of war: "Item, that all souldiers entering into battaile, assault, skirmish, or other fraction of armes, shall have for their common crye and word, 'St. * Norman. + See Origin of English language, &c., in courts of law. George forward,' or, ' Upon them, St. George,' whereby the souldier is much comforted, and the enemie dismaied, by calling to minde the ancient valour of England, which with that name has so often been victorious." Shakspeare so uses it in his "Richard III.;" he makes Richmond conclude his address to his soldiery with, "Sound, drums and trumpets, bold and cheerfully, God and St. George, Richmond and victory." So also, Richard, after he receives the news of Stanley's defection, exclaims, "Advance our standards, set upon our foes! Our ancient word of courage, fair St. George, MERRY IN THE HALL, WHEN BEARDS WAG ALL! Mr. Brand says, "in Christmas holidays the tables were all spread from the first to the last; the sirloins of beef, the minced pies, the plumb porridge, the capons, turkies, geese, and plumbpuddings, were all brought upon the board; every one eat heartily, and was welcome, which gave rise to the proverb, 'merry in the hall when beards wag all." NINE TAILORS MAKE A MAN! This saying, we believe, had its origin in the following manner: In 1742, an orphan boy applied for alms at a fashionable tailor's shop in London, in which nine journeymen were employed. His interesting appearance opened the hearts of the benevolent gentlemen of the cloth, who immediately contributed nine shillings for the relief of this little stranger. With this capital our youthful hero purchased fruit, which he retailed at a profit. Time passes on, and wealth and honour smile upon our young tradesman, so that, when he set up his carriage, instead of troubling the Heralds' College for his crest, he painted the above motto on his carriage, "Nine tailors make a man.”—Notes and Queries, vol. vi. NOT FIT TO HOLD A CANDLE TO HIM! Candle-bearers preceded candle-sticks, and so did (however strange it may appear) chandeliers. Candlesticks did not come into general use until the latter end of the reign of Edward VI. Prior to that period, candles were held to, borne, or carried before, by youths expressly for that purpose. It was a situation which required a tact, independent of a steady hand; hence there arose a question as to the candidates' fitness, and out of that the saying, "Not fit to hold a candle to him." SEND HIM TO COVENTRY! The phrase of "sending to Coventry!" is by some said to have originated in the fact, that if a soldier was found to be a coward, he was sent to Coventry as being a central town of England, and a place where he was least likely to be exposed to the terrors of an unfriendly army. Hutton, in his History of Birmingham, gives a different origin to this expression, which he says arose as follows:-The day after Charles I. left Birmingham, on his march from Shrewsbury in 1642, the Parliamentary party seized his carriages, containing the royal plate and furniture, which they conveyed for security to Warwick Castle. They apprehended all messengers and suspected persons, and frequently attacked small parties of the Royalists, whom they sent prisoners to Coventry. Hence the expression respecting a refractory person, "Send him to Coventry."--Notes and Queries, vol. vi. IT'S AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NO ONE GOOD! Antiquaries generally agree, that this phrase has a Cornish origin. The coast of Cornwall is, perhaps, the most disastrous to the mariner of any, and what makes it still more lamentable, the Cornish people (not even excepting the more intelligent classes) look upon the plunder of a wreck as a birthright. If the wind blows hard, thousands are immediately on the look-out, impatient for their prey, and if any one makes the common-place remark, of "It's boisterous weather, neighbour," or, "It's a boisterous morning;" the very general reply is, “It's an ill wind that blows Cornwall no luck!" and from hence arose the common saying, "It's an ill wind that blows no one good.” WE'LL NOT CARRY COALS! This saying, so common in the northern counties, takes its origin from the following anecdote :-"Three soldiers in the 15th century, a German, a Scot, and an Englishman, being condemned to be hanged in the Low Countries for plunder, their lives were begged the "benefit of clergy"* in that part of the world-by persons who had occasion for their services. A brickmaker saved the German's life, that he might help him in his business; and the culprit thanked his stars. The Scot was taken by a brewer; and he only covenanted that he should not be compelled to make small beer. When the Englishman's turn came, a collier appeared to demand him, dressed in the costume of the mine— grim, black, and sooty: the Briton looking at him for a time, coolly observed, that he had not been used to carry coals, and that the law had better take its course! hence came the saying, * See benefit of Clergy. "We'll not carry coals," half-proverbially used by Shakspeare, and others, to signify the utterer would not put up with indignity. NE SUTOR ULTRA CREPIDAM. “Ne sutor ultra crepidam," owes its origin to this practice of Apelles. A shoemaker having found fault with a slipper, Apelles corrected the fault, which the shoemaker observing the next time he saw the picture, proceeded to remark upon the leg; when Apelles, springing from behind the canvass, desired him in wrath "to stick to his last." THOSE WHO HAVE GLASS HOUSES SHOULD BE CAREFUL HOW THEY THROW STONES. A great many of our phrases and sayings take their data from the reign of our James I., and some of them originated from that sapient monarch himself: this is one of them. On that monarch's accession to the English throne, London swarmed with Scotch adventurers, who were continually hovering about the court, and very generally succeeded (maugre the obstacles that were opposed to them by the English courtiers) in gaining the monarch's favour, as well as employ. This gave great umbrage to the chevaliers of the court, and particularly to the gay and sprightly Buckingham himself, the principal favourite of the king. His mansion, which was in St. Martin's Fields, was famed for its multiplicity of windows, and was denominated by the wags of the day the Glass House. Buckingham, with others of his fraternity, took every opportunity of annoying, in the most mischievous manner, the poor Scotchmen; indeed, it was not confined to the court: they were considered intruders, consequently fair game. Missiles were even resorted to; among the rest, was a tin tube of a portable size, through which the assailants could propel with their mouths a small pebble or stone; it was somewhat similar to what the boys of the present day call a Pea-shooter. Buckingham not only winked at this annoyance, but with others of his grade adopted it; whether from want of dexterity or otherwise, it is not said, but the persecuted Caledonians found him out, and by the way of retribution broke his windows! The favourite complained to his royal master, but the wary Scot had been beforehand with him, and on stating his complaint, the monarch replied, "Those who live in glass-houses, Steenie,* should be careful how they throw stones." Hence originated the common saying, "Those who have glass-houses should be careful how they throw stones." HUMBUG! The derivation of this word, now in such common use, is not generally known; but it is of Scotch origin. There was in former * A familiar name by which he invariably addressed Buckingham. |