Forewarned is forearmed

Posted by ESC on October 27, 1999

In Reply to: Re:Forewarned is forearmed posted by Andrew James on October 26, 1999

: Could you please help me to find the origin behind this phrase please.

From "Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" by Gregory Y. Titelman: "Forewarned is forearmed. Knowledge of imminent danger can prepare us to overcome it. The Latin version is 'Praemonitus, praemunitus.' The proverb has been traced to 'Treatises of Fistula' (c. 1425) by J. Arderne. In 1615, it was used by Cervantes in 'Don Quixote.' First attested in the United States in 'History of New Hampshire' (1685). The proverb is found in many forms: Forewarned, forearmed; Forewarned is quite often forearmed; To be forewarned is to be forearmed, etc."