Page:History of Buckhaven, or, The exploits of Wise Willie and Witty Eppie.pdf/3

3 those Buckers settled in a fishing town at Banff, called Bucky and near the river Spey, which is now a pretty large sea-port town. But among all the sea-towns in Scotland the fishers still retain a language quite different from the people in the country ; and they always shift the letter H and use instead thereof, which no country- people in Scotland do but themselves. There is a corruption of speech in every country over all Britain, and likewise they use different tones of pronouncing words from others; even some in the south of Scotland can hardly be understood by those in the north, though both pretend to speak good English, and have a liberal part of education. But since learning is now so easy to be obtained, ignorance and corruption of speech are greatly decreased.

In the county of File, on the sea coast, there stands a little town, inhabited by few but fishers, called Buck Harbour, because of sea buckies and shells to be found so plenty on the rocks about that place. There is little mention made of this place by historians, to know its original extraction and antiquities, but in their own burges ticket which was partly perfect truth, but more of it by way of lampoon, This ticket was dated the thirty-second day of the month of Julius Cæsar, Their Coat of Arms were two hands gripping each other over a scate's rumple. Their oath was, I wish that de de'il may tak me an I biuna an horest man to you an