"Thy Spirit, Independence," &c.—Could you, or any of your readers, inform me where are the following lines?—
"Thy spirit, Independence, let me share,
Lord of the lion heart and eagle eye!
Thy steps I'll follow with my bosom bare,
Nor heed the storm that howls along the sky."
I quote from memory.
H.
[In Smollett's Ode to Independence.]
"Hob and nob," Meaning of.—What is the origin of these words as verbs, in the phrase "Hob or nob," which means, as I need not inform your readers, to spend an evening tippling with a jolly companion?
What is the origin of "nob?" And is either of these two words ever used alone?