There are two good men: One dead, the other unborn. (Chinese).

This world's a widdle as weel as a riddle. (Scotch).

This world is a constant wriggle as well as a puzzle. Three blue beans in a blue bladder. (English).

Three P's of York: Pretty, Poor, Proud. (English). "Three P's of Italy: Poison, Pride, Piles.

To flee from the plague with three L's is a good science. (Spanish).

Luego, Lejos, y Largo tiempo.

Immediately, to a distance, to remain for a long time.

To stumble at the letters R. R. (Spanish).

To be drunk, because an intoxicated man cannot, by reason of his thick tongue, pronounce the letter R twice.

Two are better than three; woe to the one which goes but never returns.

(Hebrew).

It is better to be strong and able to walk without the aid of a staff. Woe is it for one's youth to pass, for it never returns.

Ware and Wades-mill are worth all London. (English). The proverb seems to refer to the town of Ware and part of a village called Wades-mill, two miles north, whereas the reference is probably to ware as merchandise.

"This I assure you, is a masterpiece of the vulgar wits of this country, wherewith they endeavour to amuse travellers, as if Ware, a thoroughfare market, and Wades-mill, part of a village lying two miles north thereof, were so prodigiously rich as to countervail the wealth of London. The fallacy lieth in the homonymy of Ware, here not taken for that town so named, but appellatively for all vendible commodities. It is rather a riddle than a proverb.”—John Ray.

When hempe is spun, England is undone. (English). "The word hemp is formed of the letters H-E-M-PE, the initials of Henry, Edward, Mary, Philip, and Elizabeth, and supposed to threaten that after the reigns of those princes England would be lost-i. e., conquered. Fuller remarks that, to keep this saying in countenance, it may pretend to some truth, for, on the death of Elizabeth, and accession of King James I. the kingdom, by its junction with Scotland, took the title of Great Britain, by royal proclamation, and thereby the name of England was in one sense lost. Some interpreted this distich more literally, supposing it meant that, when all the hemp in England was expended, there would be an end of our naval force, which would indeed be fact, if no more could be procured."-Francis Grose.

When the way is long you shorten it with your feet, not with a hatchet. (Oji-West Africa).

This proverb contains a pun in the original and may be read in the two ways: "When the way is long you cut it off with your feet, not with a hatchet," and "When the way is long you pass over or through it with your feet, not with a hatchet."

Which is the fairest view of Scotland? (Scotch). Answer the road that leads out of it, or the road that leads to England.

This old proverbial riddle is sometimes quoted by
Scotchmen as a reflection on the poverty of their
own land, and sometimes used as a sneer at other
Scotchmen who have left their homes to find
employment in England. Another proverb
often quoted in Scotland is, “England is fat
feeding ground for North Country cattle."
"I am to carry you to old Father Crackenthrop's,
and then you are within a spit and a stride of
Scotland, as the saying is. But mayhaps you
may think twice of going thither for all that;
for Old England is fat feeding ground for north
country cattle."-Sir Walter Scott.

"In all my travels I never met with any one Scotch-
man but that was a man of sense. I believe

everybody of that country that has any, leaves it as fast as he can."-Francis Lockier.

White as a dove, black as pitch; it talks and has no tongue, it runs and has no feet. (Mexican).

The reference is to a letter written on white paper with black ink.

Who swims on sin shall sink in sorrow. (English).
An alliteration.

Why does Peter stir the fire? (Spanish).

To warm himself.

Similar to the old English question asked children: "Why does a miller wear a white hat?" The answer being, "To keep his head warm.'

Without being a mule in the mill, I go with my eyes covered and feet apart. (Mexican).

A riddle referring to a pair of scissors.

You cannot spell Yarmouth steeple right. (English). John Ray declares that the saying is also applied to Chesterfield Spire in Derbyshire.

"This is a play on the word 'right.' Yarmouth spire is awry or crooked, and cannot be set right or straight by spelling. Some who choose to go further afield for a meaning consider the word 'spell' as a verb, signifying to conjure with spells, and make the meaning to be, You cannot, by any spell, set Yarmouth spire straight or upright."-Francis Grose.

You get gold out of earth and earth out of gold.

(Telugu). Your land produces that which enriches you, and you buy more land with your wealth.

You have drawn the letter M. (Modern Greek).
This is equivalent to calling one a fool.

You have drawn, as in a lottery, the letter M, which
is the initial letter of Mupos-i. e., dull, stupid.

The picture that is presented in this saying is that of an ox fallen to the ground from exhaustion and overwork while he remains tied to a water wheel. A man stands near who is advising the owner of the ox to throw some water on the prostrate beast to refresh it, whereupon the owner answers "Let us first get some water out of the well to throw on it."

The saying is used in reference to people who give foolish advice.

A crow exclaimed "God is the truth"; "Then," quoth "the dirt scraper has become a preacher."

one,

(Arabian).

See Grouping Proverbs: "If your neighbour has made a pilgrimage to Mecca once, watch him; if twice, avoid his society; if three times, move into another street."

A monkey solicited hospitality from demons. "Young gentleman," they replied, "the house is quite empty of provisions. (Arabian).

Never seek benefits of those who are capable only of inflicting injury. It is useless to ask hospitality of the niggardly.

"Bridegroom salute!" "May God be blessed!" (Modern Greek).

Addressed to one who has waited long for some benefit and whose patience is nearly exhausted.

"Cake! Why so insipid?" worth of sugar." (Tamil).

"Because I lack a cash

"The more

"Crow, how goes it with your children?" they grow, the more they blacken." (Modern Greek). This may mean, as a child grows he will show more clearly the characteristics of his parents, or it may mean, the character of an evil-minded man becomes worse with advancing age.

"Father," he said, "the person who washes his hand, is he to eat with us?" "Neither he nor thou also,"

It is a common practice in the East to wash the hands before eating. Sometimes the right hand only is washed, that being the one used in handling the food.

The proverb was used in referring to those who sought to prevent others from obtaining a benefit that they might secure it for themselves and found at last that neither of them were to have it. The proverb is now obsolete.

"Get up, youngster, and work.” “ "I am weak and cannot." "Get up, youngster, and eat something." "Where

is my big pot?" (Kashmiri).

"Good day, John." "I am sowing beans." (Modern Greek).

Applied to people who are so engrossed in work

that they are inattentive to others who ask them questions, and give only irrelevant replies.

"He has seen pardon from a dry head." "What kind of pardon did he see?" (Osmanli).

Favours granted by a bad man are worse than no favours, for they are sure to injure the recipient rather than benefit him. "Even quarter granted by the vile, is vile."

"Wilt thou

"That is thy run away?" (Arabian).

He said, "O Slave, I have bought thee."
business," he replied.
"That is my business,” he answered.