Contentment is true Riches to Cool Hundred

Contentment is true Riches The wise saw of Democritos, the laughing philosopher. ( B.C. 509-400.)

“Content is wealth, the riches of the mind;
And happy he who can such riches find.”
Dryden: Wife of Bath's Tale.
Contests of Wartburg (The), sometimes called The Battles of the Minstrels. An annual contest held in Wartburg, in Saxe Weimar, for a prize given by Hermann, Margrave of Thuringia, for the best poem. About 150 specimens of these poems are still extant, by far the best being those of Walter of Vogelweide, in Thuringia (1168-1230).
    The poem called The Contest of Wartburg is by Wolfram, a minnesinger. It records the contest of the two great German schools of poetry in the thirteenth century- the Thuringian and the Suabian. Henry of Vogel-weide and Henry of Ofterdingen represent the two schools.

Continence of a Scipio It is said that a beautiful princess fell into the hands of Scipio Africanus, and he refused to see her, “lest he should be tempted to forget his principles.” The same is said of Cyrus (see Panthea), of Anson (see Theresa ), and of Alexander.

Continental System A name given to Napoleon's plan for shutting out Great Britain from all commerce with the continent of Europe. He forbade under pain of war any nation of Europe to receive British exports, or to send imports to any of the British dominions. It began Nov. 21st, 1806.

Contingent (A). The quota of troops furnished by each of several contracting powers, according to agreement. The word properly means the number which falls to the lot of each; hence we call a fortuitous event a contingency.

Contra bonos Mores (Latin). Not in accordance with good manners; not comme il faut (q.v.).

Contretemps (French). A mischance, something inopportune. Literally, “out of time.”

Conventicle means a “little convent,” and was originally applied to a cabal of monks against the election of a proposed abbot. It now means a religious meeting of dissenters. (Latin, conventus, an assembly, with a diminutive.) (See Chapel )

Conversation Sharp Richard Sharp, F.R.S., the critic. (1759-1835.)

Convey A polite term for steal. Thieves are, by a similar euphemism, called conveyers. (Latin, con- veho, to carry away.)

“Convey, the wise it call. Steal! foh! a fico for the phrase.”- Shakespeare: Merry Wives of Windsor, i. 3.
Conveyers Thieves. (See above.)

Bolingbroke. `Go, some of you, convey him to the Tower.'
Rich. II. `O, good! “Convey.” Conveyers are ye all,
That rise thus nimbly by a true king's fall.' ”
Shakespeare: Richard II., iv. 4.
Conway Cabal (The), 1777. A faction organised to place General Gates at the head of the American army. He conquered Burgoyne, October, 1777, at Saratoga, and hoped to supplant Washington. The Conway referred to is the town in New Brunswick, North America, where the cabal was formed.
   General Gates was conquered in 1780 by Lord Cornwallis.

Conyger or Conigry. A warren for conies, a cony-burrow.

Cooing and Billing like Philip and Mary on a shilling. The reference is to coins struck in the year 1555, in which Mary and her consort are placed face to face, and not cheek by jowl, the usual way.

“Still amorous, and fond, and billing,
Like Philip and Mary on a shilling.”
Hudibras, part iii. 1.
Cook your Goose (See Goose )

Cooked The books have been cooked. The ledger and other trade books have been tampered with, in order to show a balance in favour of the bankrupt. The term was first used in reference to George


  By PanEris using Melati.

Previous chapter Back Home Email this Search Discuss Bookmark Next chapter/page
Copyright: All texts on Bibliomania are © Bibliomania.com Ltd, and may not be reproduced in any form without our written permission.
See our FAQ for more details.