God made the country, and man made the town

God made the country, and man made the town
Cf. VARRO De Re Rustica III. i. divina natura dedit agros, ars humana aedificavit urbes, divine nature gave us the fields, human art built the cities.

1667 A. COWLEY in J. Wells Poems 2 My father said... God the first Garden made, & the first City, Cain.

1785 COWPER Task I. 40 God made the country, and man made the town.

1870 H. TENNYSON Memoir 25 Jan. (1897) II. 96 There is a saying that if God made the country, and man the town, the devil made the little country town.

1941 H. MACINNES Above Suspicion x. God made the country, man made the town. Pity men couldn’t learn better.

1977 G. TINDALL Field & Beneath i. It has been said that ‘God made the country and man made the town’, but..the town is simply disguised countryside.


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  • Town — Town, n. [OE. toun, tun, AS. tun inclosure, fence, village, town; akin to D. tuin a garden, G. zaun a hadge, fence, OHG. zun, Icel. tun an inclosure, homestead, house, Ir. & Gael. dun a fortress, W. din. Cf. {Down}, adv. & prep., {Dune}, {tine}… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Town clerk — Town Town, n. [OE. toun, tun, AS. tun inclosure, fence, village, town; akin to D. tuin a garden, G. zaun a hadge, fence, OHG. zun, Icel. tun an inclosure, homestead, house, Ir. & Gael. dun a fortress, W. din. Cf. {Down}, adv. & prep., {Dune},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Town cress — Town Town, n. [OE. toun, tun, AS. tun inclosure, fence, village, town; akin to D. tuin a garden, G. zaun a hadge, fence, OHG. zun, Icel. tun an inclosure, homestead, house, Ir. & Gael. dun a fortress, W. din. Cf. {Down}, adv. & prep., {Dune},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Town house — Town Town, n. [OE. toun, tun, AS. tun inclosure, fence, village, town; akin to D. tuin a garden, G. zaun a hadge, fence, OHG. zun, Icel. tun an inclosure, homestead, house, Ir. & Gael. dun a fortress, W. din. Cf. {Down}, adv. & prep., {Dune},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Town meeting — Town Town, n. [OE. toun, tun, AS. tun inclosure, fence, village, town; akin to D. tuin a garden, G. zaun a hadge, fence, OHG. zun, Icel. tun an inclosure, homestead, house, Ir. & Gael. dun a fortress, W. din. Cf. {Down}, adv. & prep., {Dune},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Town talk — Town Town, n. [OE. toun, tun, AS. tun inclosure, fence, village, town; akin to D. tuin a garden, G. zaun a hadge, fence, OHG. zun, Icel. tun an inclosure, homestead, house, Ir. & Gael. dun a fortress, W. din. Cf. {Down}, adv. & prep., {Dune},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • God — see you cannot serve God and Mammon where God builds a church, the devil will build a chapel God helps them that help themselves God is high above, and the tsar is far away God made the country, and man made the town …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • country — see in the country of the blind, the one eyed man is king happy is the country which has no history you can take the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy God made the country, and man made the town a nation without …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • town — see God made the country, and man made the town …   Proverbs new dictionary

  • The Carmelite Order —     The Carmelite Order     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Carmelite Order     One of the mendicant orders.     Origin     The date of the foundation of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been under discussion from the fourteenth century to …   Catholic encyclopedia

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