Not surprisingly, the first blackmailers were corrupt politicians, 17th century Scottish chieftains who demanded protection money from local farmers, who refused only at the risk of having their crops destroyed. The ‘mail,’ or payment, was said to be ‘black’ probably because the color black had long been associated with darkness and evil, but it might also have been because payment was usually made in livestock, rather than in silver (which was known as ‘white money’).
The ‘give me two cows or I’ll burn down your farm’ kind of blackmail first appeared in English around 1552, but by the early 1800’s we were using ‘blackmail’ to mean just about any sort of extortion, especially using threats to reveal secrets.
Author: admin
Homer Iliad: ‘May his fellow warriors fall round him to the earth and bite the dust.’
During the colonial days, you can always tell how important or rich someone is by the size of his wig.
Sir Philip Sidney (1590).
The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia. ‘My deare, my deare, my better half, I find that I must now leave thee.’
Categories
Bed of Roses
The Passionate Shepherd to His Love. ‘Come live with me and be my love….And I will make thee beds of roses.’