ProverbChallenge
English origin1662
English origin1662The vicar of Bray will be vicar of Bray still.
Meaning: A pragmatist adapts his principles to survive whoever holds power, ensuring his position regardless of circumstance.
Origin: Bray is a village in Berkshire. Thomas Fuller's Worthies of England (1662) tells of a 16th-century vicar there who was twice a Catholic and twice a Protestant between the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, all to keep his post. He is usually identified with Simon Aleyn. An 18th-century song made him a byword for anyone who shifts their convictions to hold on to office.
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