
CU ene 
bridge, but it often means Under the 
bridge. In the fame manner, deloz wa- 
ter, belows ground, &c. are often ufed for 
under water, under ground, &c. 
Up to London and down to Edinburgh, 
Up to England and down to Scotland. \ 
know not whether thefe phrafes can be 
called Scotticifms ; but they are as com- 
mon among my countrymen,,as if they 
had confidered London as their capital, 
and England as the paramount country, 
for many centuries. Perhaps thefe may be. 
looked upon as inftances of that complai- 
fance which induces them to comply, in all 
{mall matters, with the Englifh cuftoms ; 
yet they are not fond of ‘having Scotland 
confideréd in the miftaken light of a pro- 
wince of England ; nor is it to be expect- 
ed that they fhould, wnen they recollect 
heir ancient, inexpugnable independence, 
and when they feel themfelves ftill in pof- 
feffion of their ancient laws, fuch as they 
are, and of a religion’ chofen by the great 
body of their nation. 
. . It is fimply impofidle. This phrafe has 
been quoted as an arrant Scotticifm, and 
fuch it may be, for any thing I know ; 
but it is not clear to me, thar it fhould be 
included among Scottifh improprieties. 
Perhaps it would rot be eafy for the cri- 
tics to fix any intrinfic impropriety on this 
ufe of the word fply. In my cpinion, 
which I deliver with unfeigned deference 
to better judgments, it may be fuccefs- ~ 
Fully defended, both on the ground of 
gramnrar and metaphyfics. 
Sixthly, Prepofitions are mifapplied by 
the Scotch, in the following inftances : 
He fiuck among the clay, inftead of iz the 
clay. 
Have you a 
about you.. 
Mr. A. is married upon Mifs B. This 
ridiculous expreffion is intended to fignify, 
tat Mr. A. is married to Mifs B. : 
‘He will write well through time.— 
He fpeoks through his fleep—tor through 
in thefe examples, fubftitute zz. ~ 
Make a peu tome. Buy a knife to me. 
In thefe and fimilar expreffions, inflead of 
Zou fe for. : 
I enquived for Mr. A’s health, fhould be, 
¥ enquired atter Mr. A’s health. -By the 
way, fume gentlemen have of late affected 
to ufe this word enguire, as if it were 
perfectly fyncnymous with the word ajk, 
in fuch expreffions as this; ** It has ne- 
ver been enquired, whether the prefent mea- 
fure be agreeable to the people.”’ If it 
be proper, as it certainly is, to fay, Minif- 
ters have neverenquired, &c. then, it would 
feern that, the other (imperfonal) ule of 
knife upon you? infead of 
“Lip of Scotticifins 
-few miicellaneous examples. 
the wordis improper. This example fug- 
gefts another, in which the Scotch appear 
to bein the right. Such of them as do not” 
affect a very modern ftyle, write, ** whe- 
ther or zot the prefent meafure,” &c. 
fafhion, the giddy arbitrefs of living lan- 
guages, were regulated by reafon, one 
might afk, What good reafon there is for 
omitting the words or zotafter whether? 
Is Mr. A. in, means, Is Mr. A. within, 
or rather, Is Mr. A. at home, as before 
hinted. But my countrymen are feldom 
or never heard to fay, He is gone a (in« 
ftead of into) the coantry, an impropriety 
too common in London. 
He infijted for it, is the Scotticifm for, 
He infitted to have it. 
If 
I have long waited on (for) an anfuser, 
is, I believe, very good Scotch: at leaft, 
I have lately found the expreffion in the 
fcroil (rough copy) of a letter-which I 
[May 1) 
wrote at {chool, about thirty years ago, 
when I may be fuppofed to have written 
my mother tongue with tolerable purity. ” 
It is not uncommon for the Scotch to fay, 
I waited on a perfon, inftead of, I waited 
for him. 
I do not agree with it, would be in 
Englith, I do not agree to it. 
Notwithfanding of, inttead of notwith- 
fiandiag is a northern monfter fo very 
gigantic and formidable, that, to ufe an — 
expreffion of the great Pitt, I would as 
foon think &f conquering America with 
my erutch, as of attacking this moun- 
tain favage with my puny goofe quill. All 
his Majefty’s Zeges thould combine againtt 
it, and all its abettors fhould be banifhed © 
—to Scotland—for fourteen years, as ene- 
mies to civilized fociety. _ 
Seventhly. I do not at prefent reeol- 
le&t any initance, in which the Scotch ule 
the conjunctions improperly. 
Eizhibly. Nor do J remember many in- 
ftances of peculiarity in their ufe of the — 
inter jeétions. 2 
Of} dear! is an exclamation expreffive — 
of pain of body or mind, as beigh ba! is of 
wearipefs. They often ufe the ancient 
Ay, for 4b! or Ob! and Butler preferred 
Ay! to Ab! when he wrote 
Ay me! what perils do environ _ 
The man who meddies with cold iron. | 
Having thus pointed out fonie of the. 
peculiarities in the Scottith ufe of the dif- 
ferent parts of fpeech, I fhall fubjoin a 
A trong fire is often called, in Scotland, 
a bold fire. In my part of the pen 
the kiln. men (thofe who attend kilns for 
dryine® corn, malt, &c.) will net allow 
itt | their 
* 
