Love-rhymes and Proverbs. 170 



Plenty, too, 'of old love superstitions remain — about ash. 

 boughs with an even number of leaves, and " four-leaved" clover, 

 concerning which runs a Forest rhyme : — 



" Even ash and four-leaved clover, 

 You are sure your love to see 

 Before the day is over." 



Then, too, we must not forget the Forest proverbs. *' Wood 

 Fidley rain," " Hampshire and Wiltshire moon-rakers," and 

 " Keystone under the hearth," have already been noticed. But 

 there are others such as "As yellow as a kite's claw," " An iron 

 windfall," for anything unfairly taken, " All in a copse," that is, 

 indistinct, " A good bark-year makes a good wheat-year," and 

 " Like a swarm of bees all in a charm," explained further on, 

 which show the nature of the country. Again, "A poor dry 

 thing, let it go," a sort of poacher's euphemism, like, "The' 

 grapes are sour," is said of the Forest hares when the dogs 

 cannot catch them, and so applied to things which are coveted 

 but out of reach. " As bad as Jeffreys" preserves, as through- 

 out the West of England, the memory of one who, instead of 

 being the judge, should have been the hangman. Again, too, 

 "Eat your own side, speckle-back," is a common Forest expres- 

 sion, and is used in reference to greedy people. It is said 

 to have taken its origin from a girl who shared her breakfast with 

 a snake, and thus reproved her favourite when he took too much. 

 Again, " To rattle like a boar in a holme bush," is a thorough 

 proverb of the Forest district, where a "holme " bush means an 

 old holly. Passing, however, from particulars to generals, let 

 me add for the last, " There is but one good mother-in-law, and 

 she is dead." I have never heard it elsewhere in England, but 

 doubtless it is common enough. It exactly corresponds with the 

 German saying, " There is no good mother-in-law but she that 



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