E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Petaud.
’Tis the court of King Petaud, where everyone is master. There is no order or discipline at all. This is a French proverb. Petaud is a corruption of peto (I beg), and King Petaud means king of the beggars, in whose court all are equal. (See ALSATIA.)
