PROVERBS

FROM

FAR AND NEAR,

Wise Sentences, &c.

COLLATED AND ARRANGED

BY WILLIAM TEGG,

Editor of the "Mixture for Low Spirits," "Cruet Stand,"
&c., &c.

HEC

"Proverbs existed before books.

ISAAC D'ISRAELI

LONDON:

WILLIAM TEGG & CO., PANCRAS LANE, CHEAPSIDE.

MDCCCLXXV.

270. g. bag

PREFACE.

"PROVERBS FRom Far and NEAR," is the title I have selected for this little volume.

I have been wide afield in my search, and have gleaned them from the pages of Ray, Fuller, Grose, and many another worthy, some well, some scarcely, known.

In the selection now presented to the Public the greatest care has been exercised to exclude those, which, witty as they might have been considered in past times, and significant though they are, would not be tolerated in the present age from their want of harmony with the tone of our modern tastes and culture.

Space will not permit me to enter into the history, or origin of proverbs; but as no writer has, to my mind, written so much to the purpose as Isaac D'Israeli in his "Philosophy of Proverbs," I may be pardoned for quoting his words :—

"Proverbs have ceased to be studied, or employed in
conversation, since the time we have derived our knowledge
from books; but in a philosophical age they appear to offer
infinite subjects for speculative curiosity. Originating in
various eras,
these memorials of manners, of events, and of
modes of thinking, for historical as well as for moral pur-
poses, still retain a strong hold on our attention. The
collected knowledge of successive ages, and of different
people, must always enter into some part of our own!
Truth and nature can never be obsolete.

"Proverbs embrace the wide sphere of human existence,
they take all the colours of life, they are often exquisite
strokes of genius, they delight by their airy sarcasm or the
caustic satire, the luxuriance of their humour, the playful-
ness of their turn, and even by the elegance of their imagery,
and the tenderness of their sentiment. They give a deep
insight into domestic life, and open for us the heart of man,
in all the various states which he may occupy-a frequent
review of Proverbs should enter into our readings; and
although they are no longer the ornaments of conversation,
they have not ceased to be the treasuries of Thought."

The Proverbs are placed in alphabetical order,
making them easy for reference, avoiding, therefore,
the necessity of either Index or Contents.

PANCRAS LANE,

1875.

WILLIAM TEGG.

PROVERBS

FROM FAR AND NEAR.

A bad padlock invites a picklock.

A bad thing never dies.

A bad workman never gets a good tool.

A barber learneth to shave by shaving of fools.

A bird is known by its note, and a man by his talk.

A black man is a jewel in a fair woman's eye.

A blunt wedge will do it, where sometimes a sharp axe will not.

A blow with a reed makes a noise, but hurts not.

A book that is shut is but a block.

A brave retreat is a brave exploit.

A broken friendship may be solder'd, but will never be sound. A bushel of March dust, on the leaves, is worth a king's

ransom.

A calm is most welcome after a storm.

A carper can cavil at any thing.

A cat may look upon a king.

A charitable man is the true lover of God.
A civil denial is better than a rude grant.

A clear conscience can bear any trouble.

A colt you may break, but an old horse you never can.