Many people in Salem are inclined to avoid Sunday mornings at the meetinghouse because they dislike the minister, Mr. Parris. John Proctor tells Mr. Hale that he doesn't see the "light of God" in Parris, and he has even avoided having his youngest son christened by Parris because he doesn't want the man to lay hands on his child. In addition to these concerns, Proctor says that it "hurt[s] [his] prayer" that Parris insisted on -- and evidently got -- golden candlesticks for the altar when there were already perfectly good pewter candlesticks that were handmade by Francis Nurse, a well-respected member of the Salem community. When Proctor sees those golden candlesticks gleaming at Parris's elbow when he preaches, it seems to make Proctor feel that Parris's priorities are out of line.
Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
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