'Because he never looked in the right place. He was not likely to find her among those thousand wives of his!' and indeed, some of these adverse proverbs, are, in fact, but another form of tribute to woman's widespread influence. or, as we say, Trouvez moi la femme! Who was she? was invariably the celebrated Lecoq's first remark, on being called in to investigate any affair of great difficulty; a conviction also found embodied in our ruder English, There's no mischief done But a woman's one. Which was also the reason why St. Colomb had no milk; when remonstrated with on this point he invariably replied Where there's a cow there must be a woman, Where there's a woman there must be mischief Why Adam's rib? Acta Sanctora. was the too enquiring young lady's somewhat provocative demand, Because its the crookedest part of the body,' was immediately her tutor's most ungallant answer! This may be slightly counterbalance by that confirmed bachelor Mr. Pope's somewhat dubious declaration, Would men but follow what their wives advise, All things would prosper, all the world grow wise. A woman's advice is a poor thing, but he is a fool who does not take it. The next proverbial protest is against Wilfulness, and here there is a perfect rush of remonstrants. one seems to say, Experto crede Believe me, I speak feelingly, Swine, women, and bees cannot be turned. 'Because is a woman's answer. I think him so because I think him so!- Shakespere. School boys are said to proceed upon very much the same principle. I do not like you Dr. Fell, "Because" is also the answer of an absolute ruler. Perché? Perché! as I used to hear in Italy, whenever I ventured to remonstrate with one of King Bomba's officials. 'I will, Because I will!' And so in the stern old Latin. Hoc volo, sic jubeo, stet pro ratione voluntas. which we may thus paraphrase My will is my reason, and surely that is reason enough! Now absolute rulers all women like to be; and very often very excellent rulers they make; and rule they will If not by hook then by crook. as says that old and most mysterious traveller's proverb. Home Rule of this kind, as the gentlemen across the Channel might easily discover, may be had more expeditiously than by entering on an agitation for Repeal of the Union! The following epigram is an instance in point. Clara's a manager, she's born to rule, And knows her wiser husband is a fool; Nor take her tea without a stratagem.-Dr. Young. Another of the kind will be found still more emphatic. A headstrong wife, who oft came in for blame, It is sometimes rather hard to suit both under such circumstances. A judicious compromise may be the only alternative-such for example as that adopted by the translators of the Septuagint. When they came to the list of the unclean' animals, there was Arnebeth, the hare, which had to be inserted. But Arnebeth was then the name of Ptolemy's queen. They could not possibly transfer it direct from the Hebrew. Then, try the Greek, Lagoos: that, on the other hand, was the name of the King! So they wisely arranged to call her Dasupous-Mistress Hairyfoot. A similar compromise is thus stated proverbially. Men hold the reins, but the women tell them which way to drive. As the gude man says, so say we, As the gude wife says so it maun be! Disguise our bondage as you will 'Tis woman, woman rules us still.-Wharton. Man reigns and woman rules. In the case of married women it has been argued, not unreasonably, that they ought to have their will, since they are not capable of making one, but a modern epigram is found taking a different view, Men dying make their wills-but wives Escape a work so sad ; Why should they make what all their lives Ladies have enormous influence, and they take enormous liberties Beresford Hope. The following is still more decidedly in the same direction; The man's a fool, who thinks by force or skill To stem the torrent of a woman's will; For if she will, she will! You may depend on't! And if she won't, she won't! And there's an end on't! Three things are untameable, Idiots, Women and the salt Sea. Only in one instance do proverbs hold out hopes of an exception to this. Women, like turkeys, are always subdued by a red rag,— Antiquary. Stemming the torrent, in the epigram above, suggests also sustaining it; for example, not unfrequently a torrent of words. And here again the rude remarks of the unfair sex have been frequent. Foxes are all tail, and women all tongue.-French. A woman's tongue is her sword, and she does not let it rust. Silence is a fine jewel for a woman, but it's seldom worn. "Tell one woman' is the lawyer's joke 'If substituted in the old form in the place of 'know all men,' would certainly be found to proclaim the matter quite as rapidly.' another lawyer however addresses the sex more appreciately. Fee simple, and the simple fee, And all the fees in tail, Are nothing when compared with thee Thou best of fees, fe-male! Again we find Epigrams having their say on this matter. How like is this picture, you'd think that it breathed, It wants but a tongue;-says the husband, Dear Sir, The Scotch say, with touching resignation to what may be expected afterwards, Maidens should be mim till they're married; which is found, more generally, Maidens should be mild and meek, The Italians have a singular manner of classification, Long and lazy, Little and loud, Fair and foolish, Dark and proud. Proverbs are rather hard upon little people. A little pot Is soon hot. However that' very short young lady' immortalized by the poet had not much to complain of. Also, When anything abounds, we find, But when there's little of the kind 'Man wants but little here below, Little bodies have large souls. There is one more ideal portrait in which the virtue of silence is specially exhibited. Her manners mild, Her actions such, But Womanish and Womanly are two very different things, as Mr. Gladstone took occasion to tell his Greenwich constituents. John Bunyan has shown us that there are Talkatives of Prating Row no less in the other sex indeed, verboseness is found more often in male than female authors. That historian might well pray to be saved from his friends, when one of them described him as 'Mr. Wordy,' who 'wrote a book in twenty volumes to prove that Providence is always on the side of the Tories.' But still we all |