[Thus Englished by Archbishop Trench:
“Three things must epigrams, like bees, have all;
Its sting, its honey, and its body small.”]
[And thus by my friend, Mr. F. Storr:
“An epigram’s a bee: ’tis small, has wings
Of wit, a heavy bag of humour, and it stings.”]
“Celebre dictum, scita quapiam novitate insigne.” Erasmus.
“The genius, wit, and spirit of a nation are discovered in its proverbs.”—Bacon.
“The people’s voice the voice of God we call;
And what are proverbs but the people’s voice?” James Howell.
“What oft was thought, but ne’er so well expressed.” Pope, Essay on Criticism.
“The wit of one man, the wisdom of many.”—Lord John Russell (Quarterly Review, Sept. 1850).