Proverbs, Proverbial Expressions,

AND

Popular Rhymes of Scotland

COLLECTED AND ARRANGED

WITH INTRODUCTION, NOTES AND PARALLEL PHRASES

BY

ANDREW CHEVIOT

AUTHOR OF "TRICK, TRIAL, AND TRIUMPH,"

ST. FOINS," ETC., ETC.

THE PROVOST OF

ALEXANDER

GARDNER

Publisher to Her Majesty the Queen

PAISLEY; AND PATERNOSTER SQUARE, LONDON

1896

It is now nearly nine years since I first began to collect materials relating to the proverbs, proverbial expressions, and popular rhymes of Scotland. During a somewhat erratic course of reading, persistently pursued for many years, I came across quite a number of curious sayings not only in books and magazines, but also in daily and weekly newspapers, and it is somewhat remarkable that many of the rarest, and most precious gems were discovered in singularly primitive journals, published in quiet, quaint old world burgh towns. But not only was I attracted by the sayings themselves, I was over and over again intensely interested in reading the stories of their origin, or the historical, social, humorous, or pathetic incidents with which many of them have become associated. Indeed, what may be called the secondary, or subsidiary incidents are in many cases more interesting, and important than the original sayings. The well known, and frequently quoted proverb, "The mair mischief the better sport" is given in most of the previous collections, but there is a story connected with it which is related in none of them. On the day appointed for the execution of Lord Lovat, of the '45, when the guards entered his cell to conduct him to the place of execution, they informed his Lordship, that the platforms erected to give the public a good view of the gruesome procession to Tower Hill had collapsed, causing the death of several persons. "Weel, weel," grimly replied the doomed nobleman, "the mair mischief the better sport." Now such a striking historical incident gives an interest to this proverb apart from, and superior to its intrinsic value, because instead of being regarded merely as an abstract saying it becomes associated in our minds with the striking personality of one of the most re

markable characters in Scottish history. In this collection many interesting stories will be found linked by the sanction of history or tradition, with numbers of our most familiar sayings.

The next step from being interested in any particular subject is to make a hobby of one's favourite pursuit, and to cultivate it with persistence and assiduity. The pursuit of most hobbies generally involves a considerable expenditure of hard cash, but to the student who desires to collect the popular sayings of his country only a certain amount of leisure, free access to the necessary books, and a sufficient supply of stationery are indispensable. In forming the foundation of my collection I read all the best Scottish books I could find with the view of picking out the proverbs from their pages. Amongst the authors carefully studied were Scott, Burns, Ramsay, Galt, Hogg, and many others too numerous to mention here, but to whom references are given throughout this volume. In particular many gems were met with in the Waverley Novels. Scott uses these quaint old sayings with great aptness, and point, and perhaps none of the characters created by the genius of the "Wizard of the North" clenches an argument with a proverb more tellingly than Andrew Fairservice, the quaintly pawky, yet unblushingly selfish gardener in "Rob Roy." "If ye dinna think me fit," replied Andrew, in a huff, "to speak like ither folk, gie me my wages, and my board-wages, and I'se gae back to Glasgow-there's sma' sorrow at our pairting, as the auld mear said to the broken cart."

Having, as the result of my reading, got together a very considerable collection of old sayings, as well as many anecdotes relating to them, I next began to inquire as to what works had already been published in this department of Scottish folk-lore.

It would appear that it is to the clergy we owe the earliest works on this interesting subject. About the time of the Reformation, Beaton, Archbishop of Glasgow, made a small collection, concerning which, however, so little is known that it can hardly be recognised as one of the authorities on the subject. The earliest work of undoubted authenticity and real importance is the limited but deeply interesting collection formed by