WHY do we speak of the “near” and “off” horse?
BECAUSE in the days when the driver walked beside the horses his position was always at the left, with his right arm next the team. Therefore, in driving a pair, the horse on the left was nearer than the one on the right. The “near” horse is always the one on the left.
WHY do the stars twinkle?
BECAUSE their light passes through variously heated and moving currents of air which act as a refractor. Much twinkling foretells bad weather, because it denotes that these aerial currents are more disturbed than usual.
DEATH THE LEVELER.
James Shirley (1596–1666), the author of this poem, of which the last two lines are very famous, was a contemporary of Shakespeare, whom, however, he survived by many years. Originally a schoolmaster, he became a dramatic writer and composed both tragedies and comedies which form a link between the Elizabethan plays and those which were produced after the Restoration. He wrote few poems, yet these few are characterized by forcible imagery and a vigorous, manly cast of thought.
By JAMES SHIRLEY.
The glories of our blood and state