John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
Page 999
| Miscellaneous Translations. |
| 9673 |
| Absolutism tempered by assassination. 1 |
| 9674 |
| A Cadmean victory. 2 |
| 9675 |
| After us the deluge. 3 |
| 9676 |
| All is lost save honour. 4 |
| 9677 |
| Appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober. 5 |
| 9678 |
| Architecture is frozen music. 6 |
| Note 1. Count Münster, Hanoverian envoy at St. Petersburg, discovered that Russian civilization is “merely artificial,” and first published to Europe the short description of the Russian Constitution,—that it is “absolutism tempered by assassination.” [back] |
| Note 2. A Greek proverb. A Cadmean victory was one in which the victors suffered as much as their enemies. [greek]—Herodotus: i. 166. Where two discourse, if the one’s anger rise, The man who lets the contest fall is wise. Euripides: Fragment 656. Protesilaus. [back] |
| Note 3. On the authority of Madame de Hausset (“Mémoires,” p. 19), this phrase is ascribed to Madame de Pompadour. Larouse (“Fleurs Historiques”) attributes it to Louis XV. [back] |
| Note 4. It was from the imperial camp near Pavia that Francis I., before leaving for Pizzighettone, wrote to his mother the memorable letter which, thanks to tradition, has become altered to the form of this sublime laconism: “Madame, tout est perdu fors l’honneur.” The true expression is, “Madame, pour vous faire savoir comme se porte le reste de mon infortune, de toutes choses ne m’est demeuré que l’honneur et la vie qui est sauvé.”—Martin: Histoire de France, tome viii. The correction of this expression was first made by Sismondi, vol. xvi. pp. 241, 242. The letter itself is printed entire in Dulaure’s “Histoire de Paris”: “Pour vous avertir comment se porte le ressort de mon infortune, de toutes choses ne m’est demeuré que l’honneur et la vie,—qui est sauvé.” [back] |
| Note 5. Inserit se tantis viris mulier alienigeni sanguinis: quæ a Philippo rege temulento immerenter damnata, Provocarem ad Philippum, inquit, sed sobrium.—Valerius Maximus: Lib. vi. c. 2. [back] |
| Note 6. Since it [architecture] is music in space, as it were a frozen music…. If architecture in general is frozen music.—Schelling: Philosophie der Kunst, pp. 576, 593. La vue d’un tel monument est comme une musique continuelle et fixée.—Madame de Staël: Corinne, livre iv. chap. 3. [back] |