Meaning & Analysis
The proverb means that something is as certain and reliable as receiving payment from the English Exchequer (Check), the national treasury, specifically during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I when its credit was considered impeccable.
Insights
A Benchmark for Reliability
The proverb serves as a universal benchmark for absolute certainty. By invoking the Exchequer, it metaphorically equates any promise, outcome, or statement with the highest possible standard of dependability recognized in its time.
The Power of Institutional Trust
'Check' symbolizes the power of institutional trust. It suggests that a well-managed and credible authority (governmental, financial, or otherwise) can become a cultural symbol for security and infallibility.
Financial Integrity as a Social Bedrock
It underscores the connection between financial integrity and social stability. The proverb implies that when the state's finances are in order, it creates a bedrock of certainty that influences everyday life and language.
Historical Economic Confidence
This proverb is a direct reflection of the fiscal stability and high public confidence in the English monarchy's treasury during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Its meaning is entirely dependent on this specific historical context, where the Exchequer's payments were considered the benchmark for reliability.
Institutional Symbolism
The proverb's power derives from linking an abstract concept (certainty) to a tangible, powerful state institution. It illustrates how government credibility, when strong, can permeate public language and become a standard for trust itself.
The Fragility of Certainty
The annotations reveal the proverb's ephemeral nature, noting its relevance was tied specifically to Elizabeth I's reign. This provides a striking insight into how quickly standards of certainty can shift with political and economic change, making the proverb a time capsule of a specific era's trust.
Rhetorical Devices
Simile
The proverb is a simile that draws its power from a direct comparison to a contemporary institution, making an abstract quality (sureness) concrete and relatable.
Historical Allusion
The entire meaning hinges on a historical allusion to the Elizabethan Exchequer. Without this specific cultural and historical knowledge, the proverb is incomprehensible.
Synecdoche
'Check' is used as a colloquial synecdoche for the Exchequer, where a shortened, informal name represents the entire institution and the concept of its financial reliability.
Transcription
Quotations
But those worthy Mariners are dead, and an old Prouerbe, As sure as Check with them.
Let the Proverb As sure as check bayl me from the least suspicion of hyperboly.
*Viz. Exchequer.
Sure to be paid down upon the nail, when ever demanded; The English say, as sure as check.
As sure as Check, or Exchequer pay.
Annotations
- This was a Proverb in Queen Elisabeths time, the credit of the Exchequer beginning in, and determining with her reign.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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