1377 LANGLAND Piers Plowman B. xi. 370 Suffraunce [forbearance] is a souer-
eygne vertue. c 1386 CHAUCER Tale of Melibee 1. 1517 Pacience is a greet vertu of
perfeccioun. 1594 LYLY Mother Bombie v. iii. Patience is a vertue, but pinching is worse
than any vice! 1754 RICHARDSON Grandison II. xvii. Aunt Prue in Yorkshire.. will be
able to instruct you, that patience is a virtue; and that you ought not to be in haste to take
a first offer, for fear you should not have a second. 1858 TROLLOPE Dr. Thorne I. xiv.
That was only three days ago. Why don’t you.. ferret her out?.. Patience is and always
was a virtue. 1979 A. FOX Threat Warning Red iv. ‘I.. can’t wait for you.’.. ‘Patience is
and said to be a virtue?’ patience and impatiencePaul see if SAINT Paul’s day be fair and clear, it will betide a happy year.
paved see the ROAD to hell is paved with good intentions.
PAY beforehand was never well served
1591 J. FLORIO Second Fruits 39 He that paieth afore hand, hath neuer his worke
well done. 1721 J. KELLY Scottish Proverbs 278 Pay beforehand was never well serv’d.It
is common to see.. Labourers, to go about a piece of Work with great Uneasiness, which
is to pay a just Debt. 1786 G. WASHINGTON Letter 7 Jan. in Writings (1938) XXVIII.
370 I have had some reason to remember an old adage, that one of the bad paymasters is
him that pays before hand. 1819 SCOTT Bride of Lammermoor iii. ‘Your honour is the
bad pay-master,’ he said, ‘who pays before it is done.’ 1928 A. C. BROWN Dr.
Glazebrook’s Revenge xi. The old Scots adage that ‘fore-hand payments mak’ hint-hand
wark’. employers and employees; workHe that cannot PAY, let him pray
1611 R. COTGRAVE Dict. French & English s.v. Argent, He that cannot pay let him
pray. 1732 T. FULLER Gnomologia no. 6362 He that cannot pay, Let him pray. 1954 R.
STOUT Three Men Out v. They’re quotations from things. One of them says, ‘He that
cannot pay, let him pray.’ money; povertyIf you PAY peanuts, you get monkeys
Peanuts in the sense of ‘a small sum of money’ (esp. when considered as inadequate