Malta.
"_Houd maet of laet_" (Vol. ix., p. 148.).--One of your correspondents
desires an explanation of _this_ phrase, which he found in the corner of an
old Dutch picture. It is a Flemish proverb; I translate it thus:
"Keep within bounds, though 'tis late."
It may either be the motto which the artist adopted to identify his work
while he concealed {258} his name; or it may be descriptive of the picture,
which then would be an illustration of _this_ proverb. Inscribed either by
the artist himself, or by some officious person, who thus "tacked the moral
full in sight."
I think I have seen a similar inscription somewhere in Flanders on an
antique drinking-cup, a very appropriate place for such wholesome counsel.
I should like to know the subject of the picture your correspondent refers
to. In modern Dutch the proverb reads thus:
"Houd maat of laat."