Pallas. This word should be written thus 'Pallas , with an apostrophe, as in the instance of 'fore for afore . Its origin then clearly appears. The goddess was so called on account of the Gorgon's head on her shield, that had the power of killing or turning into stone, which was indeed enough to Appal us .
In a very singular work, printed in 1611, and entitled Stafford's Niobe , I find something like an attempt to prove that the goddess of wisdom acquired the name of Pallas from the Paleness she occasions in her followers. The author's words are simply, "Pallas, whose liverie is paleness," which, if allowed to have any etymological bearing, will, from their date, at once deprive me of all credit for originality in this department of philology. The learned reader is left to decide on this nice point.
Venus , from wean us , as it is even now elegantly pronounced by many. As the heavenly Venus had that power with the Gods, so has each earthly one with us, namely, to wean us from all other earthly things, and hence the undoubted derivation.
γεμων, or Egemon , with the Greeks, meant a general, and is very evidently borrowed from a vulgar phrase amongst us, most pointedly significant of the office of a general, with respect to his soldiers, viz. to egg 'em on . It will be observed, that I have sunk the aspirate, which is a mere vulgarism in the Greek speaker, as in such instances as the following amongst ours, viz. "Hi ham " for I am.
Macrones , a people on the confines of Colchis, and I should suppose, though Flaccus does not mention it, and I have no leisure to turn to Herodotus, remarkable for their partiality to dress, since the word is clearly an abbreviated pronunciation of Macaronies .
Celsus. This philosopher composed a treatise against the Christians, which having a good sale, one of the Christians, in a merry mood, said, he sells us , and from that moment he bore his present name.
L. Mummius , a Roman consul, who acquired his cognomen of mummius , or mummy us , from being sent against the Achæans, whom he beat most unmercifully.
Boreas. This wind was long without a name, until the people feeling its northern blasts exceedingly troublesome, would be continually crying, "how they bore us !" which in time gave rise to the word boreas , or as it was originally pronounced bore us . Here we presently come at the etymology of the verb to bore , which has hitherto baffled all research and made futile every conjecture. It cannot be questioned that the Persian Boreus , and Borus the son of Perieres, had their names from some such obnoxious qualities as are attributed to the wind, though we are at a loss to guess what they were, and are by no means willing to venture an hypothesis that may lead to indecency. It is worthy of remark, as an astonishing fact, that these gentlemen are mentioned by Polyænus and Apollodorus, but without a word in the Stratagems of the one, or in the Bibliotheca of the other, that throws any light on the matter.
Philostratus. A famous sophist, and very liberal and expensive in his entertainments, from which circumstance his friends very properly gave him the cognomen of fill us, treat us . The penultimate of Philostratus is short in its derived state, but this is a liberty perfectly excusable in these cases, and coming assuredly under the description of parcè detorta .
Mannus. It is imagined that this divinity obtained his name from having once undertaken to furnish some fleet with men ; but from being a German God, and for other reasons, I confess that I have no great faith in this etymology.
Æsymnus. This anxious politician's consulting Apollo, according to Pausanias, on the
in drawing-rooms, theatres, &c. An act to abolish punning would be the destruction of three-quarters of what are called the wits of our times, and fifteen-sixteenths of the dramatic writers.
Under these circumstances of fashion and prevalence, a man might as well go into a gambling house without knowing how to play, as into company without knowing how to make himself agreeable by punning. Rules are necessary for the acquisition of every art. Let what Ovid desired to have said of him, in respect to love, be said of me, with regard to punning "Magister erat. "
In the rules divide thus puns for every day, in one week, in winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Puns, in these different seasons, for men, and puns for women, varied according to the class of life, and the rank held in the particular establishment, &c. &c.
The man of the house is nothing without his wife. It is becoming that she should assist you she is your help-mate . Connive together, and let her put leading questions . Half an hour before dinner company come. All very stupid as usual. Mrs. observes, that she fears that the dinner will be rather late, as she was obliged to take Adam , the footman, to the park, on account of the children. The husband immediately remarks, that Adam may be the first of men, but he is a damn slow fellow.