'Making ropes of
sand' was Iniquity's
occupation
in 1.
Ben Jonson - The Devil's Association
34, which the editor explains as 'a
proverbial expression for a fruitless task.' The occupation of lines
5-6 is adapted from a popular proverb given by Cotgrave: 'J'aymeroy
autant tirer vn pet d'un Asne mort, que. I would as soone vndertake
to get a fart of a dead man, as &c.' Under _Asne_ he explains the
same proverb as meaning 'to worke impossibilities.' This explains
the passage in _Staple of News_ 3. 1., _Wks._ 5. 226. The proverb
is quoted again in _Eastward Ho_, Marston, _Wks._ 3. 90, and in
Wm. Lilly's Observations,' _Hist._, pp. 269-70.
'Making ropes of
sand' was Iniquity's
occupation
in 1.
1. 119. This familiar proverb
first appears in Aristides 2. 309: ?? ?????? ????
