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A woman having broke her eggs
By stumbling at another's legs,
For which she made a woful cry,

St. Swithin chanced for to come by,
Who made them all as sound, or more

Than ever that they were before.

But whether this were so or no

'Tis more than you or I do know;
Better it is to rise betime,

And to make hay while sun doth shine,

Than to believe in tales or lies

Which idle monks and friars devise!"

the

TO BEAR THE BELL.

A bell used to be a common prize, as a writer in Gentleman's Magazine" states that "a little golden bell was the reward of victory in 1607 at the races near York;" whence "to bear the bell" (or, rather, "to bear away the bell") passed into a proverb for success of any kind.

SPICK AND SPAN NEW.

This expression seems to be a corruption of the Italian spiccata de la spanna, "snatched from the hand!" and is equivalent to another English expression, "Fresh from the mint."

PLEASE THE PIGS.

The word pigs, says a writer in the "Gentleman's Magazine," is a corruption of pyx, the vessel in which the Host is kept in Roman Catholic countries, and that the expression means no more than Deo volente (God willing.)

A ROLAND 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

* Some writers say Roland and Oliver were his pages.

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 1774.

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. Everything that bore on that number gave the possessor a local importance: the devil was in the number forty-five!

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. The 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 stock

broker, 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 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, 45.

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 snoringwaking 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, sometimes used by the bellmen of country towns, is a corruption of the old Norman French oyez! oyez ! oyez ! 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. 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."

Shakespeare so uses it in his "Richard III.;" he

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