MISER. The term Miser, which we well know, signifies a man who makes his money his god; is derived from Miserii, i. e. Misery, or Miserable. "Unmov'd by Nature, unsubdued by art, Vain are thy words to mend a Miser's heart; MYRMIDON. Myrmidon is derived from Myrmidons, a people of Thessaly, who, by miracle, being Ants (states the Heathen Mythology), were turned into men, at the request of Eacus, when the most destructive plague had destroyed the old inhabitants. They followed Achilles to the siege of Troy. Hence the term Myrmidon has been applied to followers, or hangers on. ASS! "Thou wouldst (perhaps) he should become thy foe, He cares not for himselfe, much lesse thy blow." The Ass is of Assyrian origin, and from the former syllable also derives its name. Nature, foreseeing the cruel usage which this useful servant to man should receive at man's hands, did prudently in furnishing him with a tegument impervious to ordinary stripes. The malice of a child, or a weak hand, can make feeble impressions on him. To a common whip or switch his hide presents an absolute insensibility. His back offers no mark to a puny foeman. You might as well pretend to scourge a school-boy with a tough pair of leather breeches on. His jerkin is well fortified. "One other gift this beast hath as his owne The hatefull vermine that doth teare the skin And to the bode (body) doth make his passage in." And truly, when one thinks on the suit of impenetrable armour with which Nature (like Vulcan to Achilles) has provided him, these subtle enemies to our repose would have shown some dexterity in getting into his quarters. The term Ass, as applied to the disciples of folly, has been of very long standing, and the origin of which, no doubt, took place from their stupidity; to conclude with a pun,“Ass in praesenti seldom makes a WISE MAN in futuro." ASSASSIN. "Assassin like be struck a fatal blow," There was, says Hume, a petty Prince in Asia, commonly called "The Old Man of the Mountain," who had acquired such an ascendant over his fanatical subjects, that they paid the most implicit deference to his commands; esteemed Assassination meritorious, when sanctioned by his mandate; courted danger, and even certain death, in the execution of his orders; and fancied that when they sacrificed their lives for his sake, the highest joys of paradise were the infallible reward of their devoted obedience. It was the custom of this Prince, when he imagined himself injured, to despatch secretly some of his subjects against the aggressor, to charge them with the execution of his revenge, to instruct them in every art of disguising their purpose; and no precaution was sufficient to guard any man, however powerful, against the attempts of those subtle and determined ruffians. The greatest monarchs stood in awe of this Prince of the Assassins or Hassassinah, (for this was the name of his people; whence the word has passed into most European languages), and it was the highest in discretion in Conrade, Marquis of Montserrat, to offend and affront him. The inhabitants of Tyre, who were governed by that nobleman, had put to death some of this dangerous people. The Prince demanded satisfaction; for, as he piqued himself on never beginning any offence, he had his regular and established formalities in requiring atonement. Conrade treated his messengers with disdain. The Prince issued his fatal orders. Two of his subjects, who had insinuated themselves in disguise among Conrade's guards, openly, in the streets of Sidon, wounded him mortally; and when they were seized and put to the most cruel tortures, they triumphed amidst their agonies, and rejoiced that they had been destined by heaven to suffer in so just and meritorious a cause. A DUN! "A DUN! Horrible monster! hated by gods and men, Some erroneously suppose, that the word Dun comes from the French donner, to give, implying a demand; but the true origin of this word, or epithet, so frequently used, is from one John Dunn, a famous bailiff, or sheriffs' officer, of the town of Lincoln; so extremely active and dexterous at the management of his rough business, that it became a proverb, when a man refused, or perhaps could not pay his debts, "Why don't you dunn him?" that is, "Why don't you send Dunn to arrest him?" Hence it became a custom, and a proverb, and is as old as the days of Henry the Seventh. But the word Dun is not merely confined to demanding payment with importunity, but to any other thing demanded in a similar manner. BAILIFF. Bailiff (states the Cabinet Lawyer) is of doubtful etymology, and applies to offices very different in rank and jurisdiction. Thus, the Sheriff is Bailiff to the Crown, in the county of which he has the care, and in which he executes the King's writs. There are likewise Bailiffs to whom the king's castles are committed, as the Bailiff of Dover Castle. Lastly, the Chief Magistrates in divers ancient corporations, as Ipswich, Yarmouth, Colchester, Scarborough, and other places, are termed Bailiffs. With due submission to the above authority, cannot we give another application to the term, and which may be recognized in the following lines :-- Here stood a ruffian with a horrid face, There was another making villainous jests At thy undoing, &c. &c.- -Venice Preserv'd. The term Bailiff is no doubt derived from the word Bail, implying responsibility, or a responsible person, as a Bailiff most assuredly is. ANTHONY PIG! The officers, who had the inspection of the city markets in former times, were very diligent in detecting persons that brought bad provisions to sell; and Pigs being then sold alive, they seized all that were found unmarketable, and bestowed the same upon St. Anthony's Hospital, which the proctors or overseers thereof no sooner received, than they hung a bell round each of their necks, as so many testimonials of their belonging to them; and sent them abroad into the world to shift for themselves. These pigs, by frequenting the several parts of the city, soon became acquainted with their benefactors, whom they followed with a continual whining (which gave birth to a proverb, that "you follow and whine like a St. Anthony's Pig)," till they received a benevolence; whereby in a short time they became so fat, that they were taken up for the use of the fraternity. Another pleasant observer says, "This was a common nick-name for a dangler among our old writers;" its origin, which is rather curious, was as follows: Philip of France, son of Louis the fat, was killed, riding one day in the streets of Paris, by a pig running between his horse's legs, and throwing him down. In consequence of this accident, an order was made that pigs should not, on pain of the severest penalties, run about the public streets: but an exception was made in favour of those which belonged to the monks of the convent of Saint Antony, out of the partiality in which King Louis held that saint. Whence the term Antony Pig," (according to several French writers) applied to any fellow who seemed to run up and down as he pleased. Goldsmith, in his "She Stoops to Conquer," makes his Tony Lumpkin tell his cousin, "not to be following him about like a "Tantony Pig." RIBALD. "It was," says Verstegan, "the proper name of Rabod, a heathen king of Friesland, who being instructed in the faith of Christ, by the godly Bishop Ulfran, faythfully promised to be baptized, and appointed the tyme and place where being come, and standing in the water, he asked of the Bishop where all his forefathers were, that in former ages were deceased? The Bishop answered, 'that dying without the knowledge of the true God, &c. they were in Hell!' Then,' quoth Rabod, I hold it better, and more praiseworthy, to go with the multitude to Hell, than with your few Christians to Heaven!' and therewith, he went out of the water unchristened, and returned both to his wonted idolatory and his evil life, notwithstanding the good admonitions of the Bishop, and an evident miracle, which (through the power of God) the said Bishop wrought even in his own presence. He was afterwards surprised with a sudden and unprovided death, about the yeere of our Lord 720, and his very name became so odious through his wickedness, that it grew to be a title of reproach and shame, and hath so continued ever since." BEEF-EATER. Beef-eater is a corruption of the word Buffetier, one who waits at the side-board; this ought to have been observable to a Frenchman; it is curious, however, that Boyer, in his French Dictionary, translates Beef-eater, Mangeur de Boeuf, and subjoins, by way of remark, that this is a nick name given to the Guards of England, because while on duty, they are fed upon beef; that otherwise, their true name is Yeomen of the Guard. MAN OF STRAW! It is a notorious fact, that many years ago, wretches sold themselves to give any evidence, upon oath, that might be required ; and some of these openly walked Westminster Hall, with a Straw in their Shoe, to signify they wanted employ as witnesses; such was one of the customs of the "good old times," which some of us regret we were not born in. From this custom originated the saying, "he is a Man of Straw." LUNATIC! The term Lunatic is derived from Luna, the moon, all who are mentally deranged being more or less affected by the change in that luminary. POLTROON! According to Suetonius, in Vit. August. c. 24, a Roman knight, who had cut off the thumb of his two sons, to prevent them being called to a military life, was, by order of Augustus, publicly sold, both he and his property. Calmut remarks, that the Italian language has preserved a term poltrone, which signifies one whose thumb is cut off, to designate a soldier destitute of courage and valour. We use poltroon to signify a dastardly fellow, without considering the import of the original. BIGOT! The word Bigot is derived by that judicious antiquary, Camden, from the following circumstance :-When Rollo, Duke of Normandy, received Gisla, the daughter of Charles the Simple, King of France, in marriage, together with the investiture of that dukedom, he would not submit to kiss Charles's feet; and when his friends urged him by all means to comply with that ceremony, he made answer in the English tongue, "Ne se, by God," i. e. "Not so, by God" Uponwhich, the king and his courtiers deriding him, and corruptly repeating his answer, called him Bigot, from whence the Normans were called Bigodi, or Bigots. TURN COAT! The Duke of Savoy took indifferently some times part with France, and sometimes with Spain, for that purpose he had a justeau corps, white on one side, and scarlet on the other, so that when he meant to declare for France, he wore the white outside, and when for Spain the red. This is the origin of the proverb, tourner casaque, or "turn coat." YANKEE! The current American term Yankee, was a cant or favourite word with one Jonathan Hastings, a settler at Cambridge, North America, about the year 1713. The inventor used it to express Excellency. For instance, a "Yankee good horse," or "Yankee cider," meant an excellent horse, and excellent cider. The students of a neighbouring college were accustomed to hire horses of Jonathan; their intercourse with him, and his use of the word upon all occasions, led them to adopt it, and they gave him the name of "Yankee Jonathan." It was dispersed by the Collegians throughout New England, until it became a settled term of reproach to all New Englanders, and eventually to all North Americans. CAT'S-PAW! 'The term Cat's-Paw, or the phrase "he is the Cat's-Paw of the Party," took its origin from the following anecdote : "A monkey and a turn-spit, a kind of dog between the lurcher and the terrier, were at one period considered indispensable requisites in the culinary department, y'clep'd the kitchen. Our readers will recollect the story of the roasted chesnuts in Don Saltero's kitchen, where the monkey, taking a fancy to them as they were crackling within the bars of the fire-place, catching hold of the cat as she lay sleeping before the fire, and making use of her paw, to withdraw some of the chesnuts from the scorching situation in which they were placed. From this circumstance, when one person pushes forward another to do that which he himself is either afraid to do, or ashamed to appear in, originated the saying, "he is the Cat's-Paw of such a one," or "he is the Cat's-Paw of the party." BANKRUPT! The term Bankrupt is derived from the Italian Banha, or Banca, Bench, and rupta, broken. The Italian money lenders, in the various cities of Italy, had a place of assembly of their own, and every one had a Bench or table, at which they stood and transacted their business. When any of them failed in their covenants, it was the custom to break up the Bench of the individual, and hence came the term banca-rupta, or the bench is broken, and from whence also, came our term Bankrupt, as applied to a man whose name is published in the Gazette. In former times, if not even now, it was the custom in our corn-market, in Mark Lane, to break up the table or beuch of any salesman who could not meet his payments. JACK KETCH! It is now about one hundred and forty years ago, since one Dun, the then finisher of the law, departed this life, when one Jack Ketch was advanced to the office, and who has left his name to his successors ever since. This appears from "Butler's Ghost," published in 1682. When the author wrote the first part of it, it is plain that Dun was the executioner's name, or nick-name: "For you yourself to act 'Squire Dun Such ignominy ne'er saw the Sun;" But before he had printed off his poem, Jack Ketch was in office; "Till Ketch observing he was chous'd, And in his profits much abus'd, In open Hall the tribunes dunn'd MY LORD! This title has a Grecian origin. "My Lord" was a nick-name for deformed men, and is from the Greek word lordus, i. e. crooked. During the feudal times the lower class, by way of humour, called a man that was half an idiot, or deformed, "My Lord," in ridicule of their superiors. This we suspect, says a writer in the "New |