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PREFACE.

THE advantages of Books of Reference are now so universally acknowledged, that it would be wholly superfluous to endeavour to recommend the present work by dwelling on its peculiar merits.

To give a more copious amount of information than has hitherto appeared in any work of the kind has been the design of the present publication: and, unless its author be greatly deceived as to its execution, it can hardly fail to be useful to individuals of all ranks and conditions-to the man of business and the man of pleasure, the student and the superficial reader, the busy and the idle. Every one, who takes any share in conversation, or who dips, however cursorily, into any newspaper or other publication, will every now and then find the advantage of having access to the "New Dictionary of Quotations."

The author has not restricted himself to purely Classical Quotations, but as his object is to supply the need of the unlearned as well as to refresh the memory of the scholar, isolated words, expressions in frequent use but imperfectly understood, and terms which have wandered far from their original import, have been freely incorporated in the work.

The value of this Dictionary is greatly enhanced by the complete and voluminous Index which is appended, by the aid of which, a passage may be readily found where only two or three words of a quotation have been caught by the ear, or remain upon the memory. Without this addition the utility of such a work is limited to the occasions on which an entire quotation is sought for.

The abbreviations, Gr. Lat. Fr. Ital. Ger. Span. Port. and Prov. stand respectively for Greek, Latin, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Proverb.

London, June, 1858.

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NEW DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS,

&c.

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A barbe de fou, on apprend à raire. Fr.-"Men learn to shave on the chin of a fool."-They like to make experiments at the expense of others.

"By trimming fools about the gill,

A barber's 'prentice learns his skill."

A bas. Fr.-"Down, down with." "With audacious and fearful sincerity do these hungry hordes inscribe on their banners two watchwords, destructive alike of domestic and political society, A bas la famille, Down with family and La propriété est un vol, Property is robbery!"

A beau jour beau retour. Fr.-"One good turn deserves another." N.B. This must be understood ironically in English, as the French proverb is said when one has, has had, or is likely to have, an opportunity of resenting an injury.

A beau mentir qui vient de loin. Fr. prov.-"Travellers have the privilege of lying." It would be difficult to find a more striking proof of the truth of this proverb, A beau mentir qui vient de loin:" that is to say, He who comes from afar may lie with impunity, without fear of contradiction, as he is sure of being listened to with the utmost attention. Travellers, they say, often draw the long bow [indulge in exaggeration].

A bis et à blanc. Fr. prov.-"By fits and starts."

A bolza vazia, e a casa acabada faz o home sesudo, mas tarde. Port. prov.-" An empty purse, and a new house, make a man wise, but too late."

A bon appetit il ne faut point de sauce. Fr. prov.-"A good appetite needs no sauce; hunger, or a good stomach, is the best sauce.'

A bon chat bon rat. Fr.- "To a good cat a good rat; tit for tat; set a thief to catch a thief." The parties are well matched, well met.

A bon chien il ne vient jamais un bon os. Fr. prov.-"A good bone does not always come to a good dog." Merit seldom meets with its reward.

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