re is the not very
complimentary proverbial saying, of which there are several versions:--

"A spaniel, a woman, and a walnut-tree,
The more they're beaten, the better they be."

Another variation, given by Moor in his "Suffolk Words" (p. 465), is
this:--

"Three things by beating better prove:
A nut, an ass, a woman;
The cudgel from their back remove,
And they'll be good for no man."

A curious phrase current in Devonshire for a young lady who jilts a man
is, "She has given him turnips;" and an expressive one for those persons
who in spite of every kindness are the very reverse themselves
is this:--

"Though you stroke the nettle
ever so kindly, yet it will sting you;"

With which may be compared a similar proverb equally suggestive:--

"He that handles a nettle tenderly is soonest stung."

The ultimate effects of perseverance, coupled with time, is thus
shown:--

"With time and patience the leaf of the mulberry tree
becomes satin."

A phrase current, according to Ray, in Gloucestershire for those "who
always have a sad, severe, and terrific countenance," is, "He looks as
if he lived on Tewkesbury mustard"--this town having been long noted for
its "mustard-balls made there, and sent to other parts." It may be
remembered that in "2 Henry IV." (Act ii. sc. 4) Falstaff speaks of "wit
as thick as Tewkesbury mustard." Then there is the familiar adage
applied to the man who lacks steady application, "A rolling stone
gathers no moss," with which may be compared another, "Seldom mosseth
the marble-stone that men [tread] oft upon."

Among the good old proverbs associated with flax may be mentioned the
following, which enjoins the necessity of faith in our actions:--

"Get thy spindle and thy distaff ready, and God will send the flax."

A popular phrase speaks of "An owl in an ivy-bush," which perhaps was
originally meant to denote the union of wisdom with conviviality,
equivalent to "Be merry and wise." Formerly an ivy-bush was a common
tavern sign, and gave rise to the familiar proverb, "Good wine needs no
bush," this plant having been selected probably from having been sacred
to Bacchus.

According to an old proverb respecting the camomile, we are told that
"the more it is trodden the more it will spread," an allusion to which
is made by Falstaff in "I Henry IV." (Act ii. sc. 4):--

"For though the camomile, the more it is trodden on, the faster it
grows; yet youth, the mo