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Mannhardt regarded many or most of the philological solutions of gods into dawn or sun, or thunder or cloud, as empty jeux d'esprit. And justly, for there is no name named among men which a philologist cannot easily prove to be a synonym or metaphorical term for wind or weather, dawn or sun. Whatever attribute any word connotes, it can be shown to connote some attribute of dawn or sun.
Not less irritating were the jeux d'esprit with which Canning continued to assail the ministry in the newspaper press. The most famous of these is the couplet: Pitt is to Addington As London is to Paddington.
'À force d'esprit tout lui paroît matière. In one of his interesting 'Lay Sermons, the most interesting perhaps of the whole interesting series, Professor Huxley, taking for his theme the 'Physical Basis of Life, combats 'the widely-spread conception of life as a something which works through matter, but is independent of it; affirming, on the contrary, 'that matter and life are inseparably connected, and that there is one kind of matter which is common to all living beings. The preacher may be safely allowed to have satisfactorily made out the second portion of this affirmation.
Whole volumes of little jeux d'esprit, written under these circumstances, might be collected from the different prisons; and, I believe, it is only in France that such a collection could have been furnished.* * Many of these poetical trifles have been published some written even the night before their authors were executed.
Whole volumes of little jeux d'esprit, written under these circumstances, might be collected from the different prisons; and, I believe, it is only in France that such a collection could have been furnished.* * Many of these poetical trifles have been published some written even the night before their authors were executed.
A very similar jeu d'esprit of PORCIUS LICINUS is quoted: "Custodes ovium, teneraeque propaginis agnum, Quaeritis ignem? ite huc: Quaeritis? ignis homo est. Si digito attigero, incendam silvam simul omnem, Omne pecus: flamma est omnia quae video." This Porcius wrote also on the history of literature. Some rather ill- natured lines on Terence are preserved in Suetonius.
In a further paper he returns to the charge by a mock trial of one "Col. Apol." Fielding's knowledge of legal forms and phraseology enabled him to make a happy parody of court procedure, and Mr. Lawrence says that this particular "jeu d'esprit obtained great celebrity." But the happiest stroke in the controversy as it seems to us is one which escaped Mr.
Long's reserve in his presence, he was talking thus of a gentleman distinguised amongst his acquaintance for acuteness of wit; one to whom I think the French expression, 'Il pétille d'esprit, is particularly He has gratified me by mentioning that he heard Dr. Johnson say, 'Sir, if I were to lose Boswell, it would be a limb amputated. BOSWELL.
Jones bearing extra switches and fancy combs, her ebony face wreathed in smiles, had already arrived, and stood waiting Miss Wilson's pleasure. The much-talked-of dress of shimmering silk, over which point d'esprit hung like a cloud, lay over the bed ready for its wearer. The girls were hurrying, as the time was growing short.
Homme d'esprit, applied to a roving adventurer, a scarce other than vagabond, was either an undiscriminating epithet or else a further example of the French deficiency in humour. Dexterous contriver, he undoubtedly is.
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