E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Cres’cit.
Crescit sub pon’dere Virtus (Virtue thrives best in adversity). The allusion is to the palm-tree, which grows better when pressed by an incumbent weight.
1
Many plants grow the better for being pressed, as grass, which is wonderfully improved by being rolled frequently with a heavy roller, and by being trodden down by sheep.
