The A to Z blog hop letter this week is "H" -- Here's mud in your eye"Benjamin Franklin offered many toasts in his lifetime.
Here’s one he gave at Versailles when he was the American emissary to France.
The toasting was led off by the British ambassador, who said, “George the Third, who, like the sun in its meridian, spreads a luster throughout and enlightens the world.”
He was followed by the French minister, who said, “The illustrious Louis the Sixteenth, who, like the moon, sheds his mild and benevolent rays on and influences the globe.”
Franklin finished the round: “George Washington, commander of the American armies, who, like Joshua of old, commanded the sun and the moon to stand still, and both obeyed.”
Here’s another toast the Patriots made during the Revolutionary War:
To the enemies of our country! May they have cobweb breeches, a porcupine saddle, a hard-trotting horse, and an eternal journey.
I'm confused; feel like I've missed something. So where did your title post quote come from?
ReplyDeleteSorry for the confusion, Barbara. I had to come up with a title that started with an "H," so I used a wellknown, traditional toast. There are several theories about how "Here's mud in your eye" came about. Some say its from the Biblical account of Christ putting mud on the blind man's eyes; some say it's a racetrack term where the winning horse's hooves spray mud in the loser's eyes; some say it became popular in Britain in WWI among the soldiers in the very muddy bunkers; and some say it's from the time when people used pewter tankards with inferior ale that left sediment in the bottom of them.
ReplyDeleteLove it. But you know I love the historical bits. Franklin was a very interesting man. He knew how to insult someone while still being so eloquent. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, J'nell. Franklin was an incredibly brilliant man.Insulting but eloquent, describes him perfectly.
ReplyDeleteDon't know why, but this reminded me of one of my favorite Winston Churchill quotes (in an exchange with Lady Astor):
ReplyDelete“Sir, if you were my husband, I would poison your drink."
"Madam, if you were my wife, I would drink it."
I remember that, too. I really liked your post on hockey. So funny.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE IT! You have such great posts and this one is no exception.
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