Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 7.djvu/513

 12 s. vn. NOV. 27, 1920.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

421

LONDON, NOVEMBER 27, 1SSO.

CONTENTS. No. 137.

TfOTES : Somersetshire Dialect of Eighty Years Ago. 421 Thomas Watson, Author of ' Hecatompathia,' 422 An English Army List of 1740, 428 Amias Hexte : Ananias Harte " Break. Break, Break," and the "Dover Cliff" Passage, 426 The Registers of the Company of Stationers " Eminere "Lady Hamilton as the " Messalina of the Sea," 427 East Ruston shadow of a Shadow, 428.

^QUERIES :- Emerson's 'English Traits,' 428 Gentleman Ushers of the Black Rod Joseph Fletcher Cope Chests in York Minster English Fairs Permit Office Bentley : Beverley English Merchants of Portugal Sir John Duval, 429 Heralds' Funerals Enigma Wanted Air- Guns L. Maybank -Violins "Both " : " Each" D. Dunnigan "Craspesiorum" Ice- Worm, 430 De Tejada London in the Fifties and Sixties Works of Eugene Sue Admiral Benhow Family of Sir John Cheke Gaspar Barlaeus, 431' Lothair' ' Bride of Siena,'432.i

REPLIES rTone of Bodenstown, 432 Silver Wine Cisterns Gilbert Wakefielrt : John Watson, 433 Confessor to His MaJBsty's Household, 434 " New Exchange," London Richard Marsh-The Original War Office Capt. J. W. Carleton. 43 'Mr. Sergeant Ballantine's Fee Parlia- mentary Petitions <fec.- Greek Letters on " Adam " Ceiling Dr. Johnson at Chester The " Goose Club " Bedford- shire Churchyard Inscriptions Benzon, 436 Author Wanted London Insurance Companies Snipe in Belgrave Square Elizabeth (Rundle) Charles Cornish Acres in Domesday Beauclerc, 437 In Praise of Indexing Earliest English Poetess Prisoners who Survived Hanging The Talbot Inn, Ashbourne " Hun " Sir W. J. Stroi h Poor Uncle Ned,' 438 Will Proved before Burial of Testator Sea- water and Madness Book-Title Mis-translated Authors of Quotations Wanted, 439.

!N0TES ON BOOKS : ' A Thousand and One Notes on " r A New English Dictionary " ' ' The Authorship of " The Taming of a Shrew " ; " The Famous Victories of Henry V."; and the additions to Marlowe's "Faust us"'
 * Journal of the Commissioners for Trade and Plantations.'

Notices to Correspondents.

CUrfes*

'SOMERSETSHIRE DIALECT OF EIGHTY YEARS AGO.

THE following example of pure Somerset- shire dialect common about ninety years ago, was collected from Rachel Gulliford, an inhabitant of Radstock, and recently found -among some old papers.

Scene. Rachel Gulliford's cottage. Rachel at work.

Enter Nurse and children of the Rev. Richard Boodle.

Nurse. Well, Rachel, and how are you this -evening?

Rachel. Law ! Zonls ! Nurse, I haint a zeed ye of a long time, Well, and hows the Little Vamily ? They do look terrible pure, howsoever, and thic little beaby, un be zo sprack (lively) as an eel, tir've a got sich a penetratin eye, and do look so artful, ur's as like urs brother as iver two paes. Bless un, what, have it a been haw-haw (for a walk), to zee the backy lambs? It shall have a tuttie (nosegay) pretty thing, a piuck'd for un in the

vield. Ur do pitch away (grow thin), and warsly (wrestle) with ur's teethy ; do ye let un zuck a bit o' old shoe-leather. An't ur twily (restless) o' nights ? If your master will be zo well pleased to let me, 1 should love to come and zee the gearn (garden), but, there, I do fear to weary out welcome, it do zo mind me of Paradise, thic' bowery sheade, and the bath and all is zocompus mentus (in order). I do whoe for the poor babe's, when you do dip them marnings.

Oh, I've been in sich a rack of pain to-day, and the vurniture be in sich a caddie (confusion) and zo dousty. When I've done my few chores 'bout house, I be fit to swoundy (swoon). Do zeem to me, I be brought to sich placen, I shan't be here long ; and William do come from carl-pet (coal-pit) zo blatchy (dirty) and zootty, and when ur's had a drop too much, ur's so frappish (cross), ur do becall I, and drive such a nise, and ur've a-played (not gone to work) these vour days, but ur never gied la blow in ur's life. Bound ur didn't, I could never be sarved like o' that, but it's all along o' they Dallimores, they do like posse un 'imtodrink, there they do zit, and blow up their jackets wi' strong yale, and discoursing all sorts, and keep dumping and dreshing (playing and making a noise) and whooping arid keeping sich a row : they do, I b'leeve ye. Well, and what can I do? (Enter Harry).

Where hast thou been newsing (gossiping) Harry ? Y"e do look zo white as death.

Harry. And well 1 may ! Haint I just a met the men gone along wi poor Latchem, it do make me trimble to think on un, ur was but righting the hudge (iron bucket belonging to coal-pit), and ur just twitch'd o' the rawp (touched the rope) ur's yeet slipt, down ur went, and fell athwart a bar, all in geometries, ur was beat to an attomy (a skeleton), and ur's a spurticle of a spurticle (a spectacle). They've a sent for the Crowner to zit upon un. Lord look down ! ur's wife's to be pitied.

Rachel. Well, if I didn't think zummat' bad would happen at Middle Pit, thease naisty Ravens did vlee over it, and cry, "Hark, hark!" But Hal, dost hear? Go to thy nuncle, he's a gone down after the navvy (the canal) for a boitle (a sort of wooden mallet to split wood). Do ye send un going, and vetch me some taties. You'm be zo fat as a moby-warp, and zo idle as iver you can live.

Nurse. Well, Rachel, we must be going home now.

Rachel. Why hadden ye a zot down to rest ye a bit longer ? Haint ye a heard o' Tom Garret ? He be a desperate solid man and a good workman, he as made your gout (a drain). He've a had a mortal bad squatt (bruise) o' the lagge, sich a heft of the cliffe fell on un. I zeed the lamiger (cripple) a hailed whoam ur did shrieky and groany, 1 promise ye, when they witched on un, to trig (sup- port) un up. Ur's got a hard vamily ; his little maid was handy death te year, with the grief that goes about (typhus fever). It be more tedious like wi' children than wi' hard persons. She can't hardly wag out now, she's zo wake ; the best com- pensation as she can vind is to smell the frish yearth when she's lear (fasting). I do never neigh- bourey (visit) much wi' Challengers at next door. He be such a resolute chap, ur's wife do drink, an' he do dreaten as ur'll drown un in the bruck (brook), an' ur do beat ur shameless : do put ur's