E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Mansion.
The Latin mansio was simply a tent pitched for soldiers on the march; and, hence a “day’s journey” (Pliny, xii. 14). Subsequently the word was applied to a roadside house for the accommodation of strangers. (Suetonius: Tit. 10).
