Apr

5

Does not the cascading avalanche of negative publicity about the wrongness of the sage's mojo prove my point that "if you put a beggar on horseback he will gallop"? What is the classical story behind that?

Pitt T. Maner III responds:

The expression is said to be Irish in origin but its first appearance in literature as quoted by Chair appears to be in "The Anatomy of Melancholy" by Robert Burton. (Part 2 Section 3 Member 2). The Latin quote from Tully or Cicero that Burton quotes below means "Nothing is more annoying than a low man raised to high position".

"A beggers brat will be commonly more scornful, imperious, insulting, insolent, then another man of his rank: nothing so intolerable as a fortunate fool, as c Tully found long since out of his experience. Asperius nihil est humili, cum surgit in altum: set a begger on horseback, and he will ride a gallop, a gallop, &c. ……………… he forgets what he was, domineers, &c and many such other symptomes he hath, by which you may know him from a true gentleman."

(page 20).

The classical reference might be to Bellerophon and Pegasus:

Bellerophon felt that because of his victory over the Chimera he deserved to fly to Mount Olympus, the realm of the gods. However, this presumption angered Zeus and he sent a gad-fly to sting the horse causing Bellerophon to fall all the way back to Earth. Pegasus completed the flight to Olympus where Zeus used him as a pack horse for his thunderbolts.[21] On the Plain of Aleion ("Wandering"), Bellerophon, who had fallen into a thorn bush, lived out his life in misery as a blinded cripple, grieving and shunning the haunts of men.


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