40 TRACES OF OLD CORNISH. 



" Ho ! — haul everyone ; let it, on Malan's part, into the 

 mortice, crach, to fall."* 

 Here we also have the word " Hale," as used now. 



Trig — (" to trig," or fasten, " the gate abroad.") Cornish, Trige, 

 to stay, or fasten. 



BoosTERiNG— (hard, heavy work). To get up the moor of a big 

 tree would be " boostering work, sure 'nough " ; Cornish, 

 Boys, heavy. "Welsh, Pwys, weight. 



Chaw ; Not a modern corruption of " jackdaw," but Cornish 

 Chawc. 



Brose of het — (tremendously hot). This Brose must, I think, 

 be the Cornish Bras, — large ; written Broaz, in Pryce ; i, 

 is the usual word in Dramas for anything great ; I find 

 the word Braz used as an adverb, in the " Barzaz Breiz," — 

 the interesting collection of Breton ballads — for " ex- 

 cessively." The Welsh Bras is used of the largest 

 specimen in a heap of potatoes, apples, &c. 



Bttm. When a Cornish boy, in his impetuous zeal, fails to give 

 sufficient observation as to his course, and ''bums his 

 head " against a wall, he is using the usual word, Bom, 

 (pi. Bommyn) for blow, in the Miracle Plays. The Welsh 

 have pwmpio, to knock. 

 II. Then there are some words, or phrases, which are trans- 

 lations of Cornish expressions ; or retain just the old pronunci- 

 ation. Of these I would just mention, — 



Black-head — (a boil) which is the Cornish Pen-du. Welsh, 

 Penddiiyn. 



Black-month before Xmas (November) — which is the Cornish 

 Mi%-du. 



* St. Malan was a British Saint ; called also Andras. Pilate says — Paasio 

 Cliristi, 2341,—" Re Synt Malan ! " (by Saint Malan). It may just be 

 mentioned, in connexion with the name, that in the History of the writer's 

 family, (L'Histoire des Malans de Merindol) — compiled from the Archives 

 of Geneva and of Merindol — the accounts are given of the persecutions which 

 the successive generations of Malans endured between the years 1112 and 

 1685 ; and of the Martyrs' deaths which several members of the family volun- 

 tarily underwent, rather than relinquish their Faith. One or two bore the 

 christian name of Andre. Of course this is merely a coincidence — nothing 

 more, 



