Transactions. 105 



old songs in which the heroine mourns over her highwayman 

 executed, or in which disappointed love vows vengeance, or in 

 which Bacchus is blest, are hiding their heads. There was a low 

 suppressed murmur of disapprobation at the introduction of 

 instrumental music in church. 



Proverbs, some of them having an aroma of the sheep-walks, 

 abound. I beg to give a few not inserted in "Hislop's Collection 

 of Scotch Proverbs," although that collection professes to be 

 complete. 



The richt wrangs naebody. 



He's a man among sheep, but a sheep among men. 

 There's nocht sae crouse as a new scoured louse. 

 She would mak' a gude poor man's wife ; get him poor and 

 keep him poor. 



Ye're aff your eggs and on the grass (applied to one who 

 reasons incorrectly). 



Auld soles mak' bad uppers (that is, old servants make hard 

 masters). 



Hae as much o' the deil in you as keep the deil aff you. 



Gif ye winna hae walkers, riders may pass by (applied to girls 

 who are too saucy). 



He that lies down wi' the dogs rises up wi' the fleas. 

 He would mak' a gude poor man's pig : he eats weel at every 

 meal. 



Tak' tent o' the hizzie that's saucy and proud, 



Tho' her e'e's like the gowan and the gowan like the gowd. 



Whittlegair was the heroineof a favourite story. She is beautiful, 

 but set at nought. She finds a gold ring in a pie, and afterwards 

 is lucky and happy. A variant of the ballad of Gill Morice used 

 to be sung. The child' grew to manhood, and was in great 

 poverty. His mother was wont to meet him secretly and 

 relieve his wants. A tell-tale aroused the earl's jealousy. He 

 was beset by the earl, overpowered, beheaded, and his head 

 brought home to his unliapj)y mother on a pike as the reward of 

 her supposed infidelity. The Countess, on seeing her son's head, 

 swooned and shortly after expired. The old woman who chanted 

 this is long since dead. The following child's rhyme was more 



U 



