"I abhor such fanatical phantasms, such insociable and pointdevice companions; such rackers of orthography, as to speak dout, fine, when he should say doubt; det, when he should pronounce debt, d, e, b, t, not d, e, t; he clepeth a calf, caulf; half, haulf; neighbour, vocatur nebour; neigh, abbreviated ne. This is abhominable (which he would call abominable), it insinuateth me of insanie: ne intelligis, domine? to make frantic, lunatic."- Love's Labor's Lost, v. 1 (1598). From Bacon 789 ULYSSES "Deceive more slyly than Ulysses could." 3 King Henry VI., iii. 2 (1623). "As Ulysses and stout Diomede, With sleight and manhood stole to Rhesus' tents." Ibid., iv. 2 (1623). "The mild glance that sly Ulysses lent." Lucrece (1595). "That same dog-fox, Ulysses." Troilus and Cressida, v. 4 (1609). Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I (1594-96). would,' Like the poor cat in the adage." Macbeth, i. 7 (1623). This is a French proverb - Le chat aime le poisson, mais il n'aime pas à mouiller la patte-the cat loveth fish, but she loveth not to wet her paw. It appeared in an English collection of proverbs for the first time, so far as we know, in 1629, or six years after the publication of Macbeth.' lived in France. Bacon had King John, iv. 1 (1623). Cheapside, 'What lack you'?"— It was a saying among the Greeks that a man's popularity is measured by the degree of deference shown to him by passers-by, while he is standing in his doorway. Bacon's entry in the Promus to this effect is quoted from Aristophanes. Accordingly in the play Ulysses advises the Greeks to pass Achilles, standing in the entrance of his tent, with averted looks, in order to show the sulking warrior his loss of popularity in the army. 803 THE SUN AND TAPERS "With taper light To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish." "To help the sun with lanterns." · Promus (1594-96). "This work, shining in itself, King John, iv. 2 (1623). needs no taper."- Amendment of the Laws (1616). 804 BULL-BEARING MILO "For thy vigor, Bull-bearing Milo his addition yield To sinewy Ajax." Troilus and Cressida, ii. 3 (1609). "He who shall have carried the calf will carry the bull." - Promus (1594-96). Both authors refer to the athlete Milo, who, having made a practice of carrying a calf while it was young, continued to do so after it had become full grown. |