sophie's fair

Bugs Bunny (c) Warner Brothers

ever wondered who first coined the phrase "a penny for your thoughts"? i was thinking about that as i squeezed my brain further to attain one simple answer, on the other hand of course, i didnt have any idea what to write. it awes me when i read other people's blogs -- just how many times in a day can one actually have a death defying, exhilarating, over the top experience worthy enough to be included in their web log? that led me to my first question -- who first used the phrase a penny blah blah..., well now i know, it was john heywood. he was born in london in the 1400s and became the king's bard (not to mention a playwright). yeah, he was that artistic. naturally, no one could prove that the proverb in question and many others originated from him, doesnt matter -- to society what always matters is who first published it. i read that in the 1500s, heywood received a 10 mark annuity as the king's puppet (no pun intended), there're 240 pennies to a mark, so that was a yearly salary of 2,400 pennies. compare it to today's top butler who makes about $100 grand ... equating 2400 pennies to $100,000. amazing, isnt it?
so i guess, no matter how lame your blog is or filled with swashbuckling adventures and an all-star cast, just remember that a penny for your thoughts is no chump change.