210 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 254. 



sent State of Rmsia, l2mo. 1671. I transcribe 

 same from Retrospective Review, xiv. 40. 



« This Juan Vasilowidg nailed a French ambassador's 

 hat to his head. Sir Jerom Boze, a while after, came as 

 ambassador, and put on his hat and cocked it before him ; 

 at which, he sternly demanded how he durst do so, having 

 heard how he chastised the French ambassador. Sir 

 Jerom answered, he represented a cowardly King of 

 France, but I am the ambassador of the invincible Queen 

 of England, who does not vail her bonnet, nor bare her 

 head, to any prince living ; and if any of her ministers 

 shall receive any affront abroad, she is able to revenge her 

 own quarrel. Look you there (quoth Juan Vasilowidg to 

 his boyars), there is a brave fellow, indeed, that dares do 

 and say thus much for his mistress : which whoreson of 

 you all dare do so much for me, your master ? This made 

 them envy Sir Jerom, and persuade the Emperor to give 

 him a wild horse to tame ; which he did, managing him with 

 such rigour, that the horse grew so tired and tamed, that 

 he fell down dead under him. This being done, he asked 

 his Majesty if he had any more wild horses to tame. The 

 Emperor afterwards much honoured him, for he loved 

 such a daring fellow as he was, and a mad blade to boot." 



Perhaps A, B. will be good enough to name the 

 novel to which he refers. C. H. Coopee. 



Cambridge. 



"the school-boy formula. 



(Vol. X., p. 124.) 



It may gratify X. to know the Scotch version of 



the Schoolboy's rhyme as given, along with several 



others, by " Charles Taylor," in the Magpie, or 



chatterings of the Pica, Glasgow, 1820. 



" Another old rhyme (says he) repeated often for the 

 amusement of children ; it is unaccountable how these old 

 sayings are so popular throughout the country. It is said 

 (which I believe is true) they have originated from the 

 Druids : 



" Anery, twaery, 

 Duckery seven ; 

 Alama crack, 



Ten am eleven ; 

 Peem pom. 



It must be done ; 

 Come teetle, come total, 

 Come twenty one. 



The total number of words in this old rhyme (used by 

 children also in their games) is twenty-one, and it seems 

 to be a mixture of numbers put into rhyme, the one is 

 just a parody upon the other, as is the case with many 

 more old sayings." 



He frequently notices " J. Gaucher, an old Scotch 

 writer," as an authority in the interpretation of 

 such matters. 



The author of the Magpie, who died in 1837, 

 aged about forty-two, spent much of his time, 

 sometimes in the midst of considerable poverty, in 

 gathering old sayings, proverbs, and uncommon 

 words, and also in taking portraits of original 

 characters, at which he had a happy nack. After 

 his death the most of his collections went amissing. 

 In early life he was employed for a number of 

 years as an amanuensis in the house of Dr. Watt, 



at Crossmyloof, near Glasgow, in the compilation 

 of his Bibliotheca Britannica. Though not a deep- 

 skilled and learned antiquary he had much shrewd 

 observation and mother wit, " an ounce of the 

 latter," as he used to say, " being worth a pound 

 of clergy." G. N. 



Another reading of the school-boy formula : 

 " One-ery, two-ery, tick-er-y, ten ; 

 Bobs of vinegar, gentlemen : 

 A bird in the air, 

 A fish in the sea, 



A bonny wee lassie come singing to thee. 

 One — Two — Three." 



The version used where I was at school ran 

 thus : 



" Hiary, diary, dockery, deven, 

 Arrabone, scarrabone, ten and eleven ; 

 Tmn, twan, skargery, don, 

 Twiddleum, twaddleum, twenty-one. 



So, you are out." 



Another formula was an alphabetical jingle, re- 

 peated so as to sound thus : 



"A, B, C, deffigv, — aitchygv, K,— 

 L, M, N, oppi Q,— restivy W,— X. Y. Z." 



CUTHBEET BeDE, B.A. 



TINKEGISTERED PEOVEEBS. 



(Vol. ix., pp. 392. 527.) 



" Crae (the crow) was born there." Said of 

 one who is attached to an out-of-the-way or un- 

 pleasant residence. 



" It's not the custom of these parts for the kit- 

 tens to bring mice to the cats ;" that is, for chil- 

 dren to provide for their parents. (See 2 Cor. xii. 



14.) 



" They addle brass like horses, and shute it like 

 asses." They make money (working) like horses, 

 and spend it like fools. It was applied specially 

 to the navvies in this parish. 

 " Flowers in May, 

 Fine cocks of hay." 



" He's a top-sawyer ;" i. e. he is, or fancies him- 

 self, a superior fellow. 



" He fell heavy." He died rich. 



" He came to a rest." He stopped payment. 



" Shoo's fa'en in." She's shrunk in person. 



" Shoo gaes in lill roum." She is thin. 



" Clip and away." Taking a crop of hay from a 

 field, and no more. 



" Mak' 'em shine." Make your offer guineas. 

 So Charles, in the School for Scandal, Act IV. 

 Sc. 1., says, " Make it guineas." 



"He lighted (pronounced leeted) upon gettin 

 drunk." He happened to get drunk. 



"Their ears were not reet (right) bored;" i.e. 

 were " untuneable." 



