Joking with hands are jokes of blackguards.

Span.-Brulas de manos, brulas de villanos.

Intimating that pugilism and other vulgar amusements are ungentlemanly.

Just as it falls, quoth the wocer to the maid. - Scotch.

Kelly gives a ludicrous account of the origin of this saying. A courtier went to woo a maid; she was dressing supper with a drop at her nose; she asked him if he would stay all night, he answered, Just as it falls: meaning, if the drop fell among the meat he would be off; if it fell by, he would stay.

Judge not of a ship as she lies on the stocks.

Ital. Non giudicar la nave, stando in terra.

K.

Keep yourself from the anger of a great man, from the tumult of a mob, from a man of ill fame, from a widow that has been thrice married, from a wind that comes in at a hole, and from a reconciled enemy.

Keep your purse and your mouth close.

Keep no more cats than will catch mice.

Kindness will creep when it cannot go.-Scotch.

Kill the lion's whelp, thou'lt strive in vain when he's grown.

L.

Lawyers' houses are built on the heads of fools.

Lawyers' gowns are lined with the wilfulness of their clients. Lawyers don't love beggars.

66

There is enough here one would think to deter the most obstinate litigant from resorting unnecessarily to the legal profession. So far as my observation has extended, I certainly do not blame the lawyers more than their clients. In a state of nature, man is naturally a pugnacious animal;" in a civilized state, he seems as naturally a litigious one. The real defect, however, is in "the glorious uncertainty of the law" itself; which, by some curious property, possesses the double power of repulsing and attracting its victims. While, in the arrogance of lawyers and solicitors-in the delay and anxiety of waiting the issue of suits -and the enormous expense attending them, there is enough to deter any one from going to law; the law itself creates the necessity by its uncertainty, and the necessity we are constantly under of appealing to its contradictory and ever-varying decisions, to ascertain our rights and properties.

Let not your tongue cut your throat.-Arabic. .. Let them fry in their own grease.

Lean liberty is better than fat slavery.

Learning makes a man fit company for himself.
Leave a jest when it pleases you best.

Spanish.-A la burla dexarla quando mas agrada.

Bacon observes, "He that has a satirical vein, as he maketh others afraid of his wit, so he had need be afraid of others' memory."

Let them laugh that win.

Give losers leave to speak and winners leave to laugh, for if you do

not they will take it. The French say, Rira bien, qui rira le dernier He laughs well who laughs the last.

Let every man praise the bridge he goes over.

Let him not look for me at home, who can meet me in the market-place.-Spanish.

Recommending persons to keep their domestic establishments free from intrusion, especially when they have places set apart for public business.

Letters blush not.

Less of your courtesy, and more of your coin.

Like the tailor of Campillo, who worked for nothing and found thread.-Spanish.

Like master, like man.

French.-Tel maître tel valet.

Like the squire of Guadalaxara, who knew nothing in the morning of what he had said at night.-Spanish.

Like a collier's sack, bad without, worse within.-Spanish. Said to a person of a mean appearance, with a bad heart.

Life without a friend, death without a witness.-Spanish. Like the dog in the manger, he will neither do nor let do. Little and often fills the purse.-Italian.

Little said is soon mended, and a little gear is soon spended. - Scotch.

Like author, like book.

The proverb ought to have been more precise, and specified what

description of authors. Poets, who write from feeling, their works may be a tolerable transcript of their characters. But feelings are variable; they change with the pressure of the atmosphere or the fluctuation of interest, and of course, the productions of this class are only the index of their minds under particular circumstances. With respect to political scribes, the proverb is still less applicable. If we take up the works of this genus, we find them at one period of their lives flaming aristocrats; at another, raving democrats, and vice versa. What ought we to infer of them? that their characters have changed with their books? or is it only their writings which have varied with their interests ? We fear it is only the philosophers the rule will apply to. When we meet with a clever book on chemistry or mathematics, we may be pretty sure the writer is a chemist or mathematician.

The fact is, these men write not on themselves, but on nature. Hence the difference; angles and alkalies are constant, but man is an animal very changeable.

Little strokes fell great oaks.

Live and let live.

Look not a gift horse in the mouth.

French. A cheval donné, il ne faut pas regarder aux dents.

Look before you leap, for snakes among sweet flowers do

creep.

Lookers on see more than players.

Lat.-Plus in alieno quam in suo negotio vident homines.

Losers are always in the wrong.-Spanish.

French.

Qui perd, peche.

Love thy neighbour, but pull not down thine hedge.
Love me, love my dog.

French.-Qui aime Jean, aime son chien.

M.

Make not thy tail broader than thy wings.

Keep not too many attendants.

Make your affairs known in the market place, and one will call them black and another white.-Spanish.

Make the best of a bad bargain.

Make a virtue of necessity.

Many soldiers are brave at able, who are cowards in the field.-Italian.

Many ways to kill a dog and not to hang him.-Scotch.
Many irons in the fire, some may cool.-Scotch.

Many littles make a mickle.

French.-Goutte à goutte, on remplit la cave.

Many masters, quoth the toad to the harrow, when every tooth gave her a blow.-Scotch.

Many kiss the hands they wish to see cut off.

Many children and little bread is a painful pleasure.--Spanish.

Many slips between the cup and the lip.

This is in Kelly's collection, as a genuine Scotch, though an old Greek proverb; implying that a project may be spoiled just at the point of consummation.

Many hands make light work.

Many go out for wool and come home shorn.-Spanish.
Many talk of Robin Hood that never shot in his bow.

Many a true word is spoken in jest.

Masters are mostly the greatest servants in the house.
Many a good cow hath a bad calf.

Masters grow poor and servants suffer.-Spanish.
Men used to worship the rising sun.

Lat. Plures adorant solem orienter quam occidentem.
Misfortunes seldom come alone.

French.-Malheur ne vient jamais seul.

Misunderstanding brings lies to town.
Most haste, worst speed.

The favourite proverb of Erasmus, was Festina tente! "Hasten slowly." He wished it to be inscribed wherever it could meet the eye; on public buildings, and on rings and seals. One of our statesmen, Sir Amias Pawlet, used a proverb of similar import. When he perceived too much hurry in a business, he was accustomed to say, "Stay awhile, to make an end the sooner." More fools more fun.

French.

Plus on est des fous plus on rit.

More words than one go to a bargain.

Mother's darlings make but milk-sop heroes.

་

Most men cry Long live the conqueror.'

Money is welcome, though it comes in a dirty clout.
Much would have more and lost all.

Much is wanting where much is desired.—Italian.
Murder will out.

Must is a word for a king.

Much coin, much care; much meat, much malady.

My cow gives a good mess of milk, and then kicks it down.

N.

Nature takes as much pains in the womb for the forming of a beggar, as an emperor.

A fine argument for the natural equality of man, which I think is not to be found in the writings of Paine. But though nature has followed the same process in the manufacture of us all, it does not follow that all her work is equally well turned out. There can be no doubt that some of us are naturally endowed with better memories, better judgments, greater reasoning powers, and greater physical strength, than others; and, of course, these differences will make differences in our individual fortunes, and social condition. I cannot see how the advocates of the natural equality of mankind can get over this distinction.

Name not a rope in his house that hanged himself.

Nae great loss but there is some gain.-Scotch.

Nothing venture, nothing have.

Never scald your lips in other folks' broth.

Never quit certainty for hope.-Scotch.

Neither beg of him who has been a beggar, nor serve him who has been a servant.-Spanish.

Neither fish nor flesh nor good red herring.

Need makes the old wife trot.

French.-Besoign fait vielle trotter.

Never too old to learn.

Nine tailors make but one man.

Nits will be lice.

A coarse, but descriptive proverb of Oliver Cromwell's, expressive of the contempt he felt for some of his mean and troublesome coadjutors.-D'ISRAELI.