Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 9.djvu/273

 9*

a* s. ix. APRIL 5, 1902.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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long." Ibid., "The ash-burls are brought in from the surrounding country."

Burlesquecal (not in). 1747, Gent. Mag., 40, "A satirical, burlesquecal, ironical, dogmatical trans- lation."

Burner (earlier). 1778, 'England's Gazetteer,' 8.v. ' Westminster,' "32 lamps with each 3 burners."

Burr (veneer, not in). Spon, ut supra, p. 357, " When French walnut burr is buckled or cockled." Ibid., " \Valnut burrs are best cut with scissors."

Burrel-fly (later). 1829, Glover, 'Hist. Derby,' i. 177, " CEotrus Bovis, Whame or Burrel Fly. Lays eggs on horses in August."

Bushelage (no quot.). 1778, 'England's Gazet- teer,' s.v. ' Lostwithiel,' " Its once flourishing trade is decayed, but it holds the bushelage of coals, salt, malt and corn in the town of Fowey."

Butter-ball, the buffel-headed duck (Clangula albeola, L.). Saunders, ut supra, p. 442.

Butterick (not in, but see 'Butter-rigged' and quot.). 19ul, J. L. Ford, in Munsei/s Mag., July, p. 534, " What is technically known as the 'but- terick,' a picture of two or more persons in con- versational attire [sic], and usually amid the most luxurious surroundings. They are supposed to be ' getting off' the humorous dialogue that accom- panies it. There is no attempt at humour in the drawing of the butterick."

Butt-joint (v., not in). Spon, ut supra, p. 361, " There are 3 or 4 ways of butt-jointing curls."

J. DORMER.

Redmorion, Woodside Green, S.E. (To be continued.)

"ANCE" AND "A.NE." In the glossary appended to his edition of Burns's ' Poems and Songs ' the late Mr. Scott Douglas says that " ance" and "ane," the Scottish spellings respectively for once and one, are usually pronounced "yince" and "yin." This is somewhat too absolute, and may mislead incautious readers. In a note the editor says that he had satisfied himself that such was the pronunciation in use among the poet's countrymen of Ayrshire and Dumfries- shire. He indicates also that this conclusion is supported by the practice of dwellers in the Lothians, but he hesitates regarding Lowlanders north of the Forth. The rimes in Burns's lyrics raise some difficulty against the establishment of Mr. Scott Douglas's theory in the poet's case. "Ance" occurs less frequently as a terminal word than "ane," and when so used it does not give definite guidance in the matter of sound. In 'Hallowe'en,' stanza iv., it rimes to " anes," from which no inference as to pro- nunciation is possible apart from what may be gathered otherwise with reference to "ane." Again, in ' The Kirk's Alarm,' stanza xv., "ance" responds to "sins," afact which may or may not favour the contention of Mr. Scott Douglas. With regard to "ane" it is possible to be more decided. Mr. Douglas adduces in support of his view the penulti-

mate stanza of the song ' Philly and Willy,' in which the swain protests in these terms : Let fortune's wheel at random rin, And fools may tyne, and knaves may win ; My thoughts are a' bound up in ane, And that 's mv ain dear Philly.

All that needs to be said regarding this is that, while those who use the pronunciation " yin " will find a perfect rime in the stanza, the thousands of bcotsmen who make "ane" rime to " mane " are not likely to cavil at the arrangement as it stands. Should they be critically disposed, they will regard the structure as illustrative of a legitimate assonance, and quietly pass it by. There is a similar indefiniteness in the accord of " ane " and "mine " in the second stanza of the song 4 Gala Water,' of " braw ane " and " thra wing in the twenty-third stanza of 'Hallowe'en,' and of "new ane" and "ruin" in the fourth stanza of the ode 'To a Mouse.' Similar to this last is the rime in the third stanza of the P.S. to the 'Epistle to William Simpson,' where "new ane" is made to respond to " vie win "; and towards the end of ir rheTwa Herds' we find this, which may be placed with the example given by Mr. Scott Douglas from ' Philly and Willy ' :

Forbye turncoats aniang oursel', There 's Smith for ane,

I doubt he's but a gray-nick quill, And that ye '11 fin'.

Probably the ordinary versifier would find it as difficult to discover a rime for Eccle- fechan as for the proverbial " porringer," but Burns readily accomplished the feat, duly adjusting in the proper place the guttural "laigh ane," and producing this :

My gutcher has A hich house and a laigh ane, A' forbye my bonnie sel', The toss o Ecclefechan.

There does not seem to be here the sound desiderated by Mr. Scott Douglas. On the other hand, there is no doubt whatever as to the pronunciation requisite in the second stanza of the song ' As I was a- wandering ' : Weel, since he has left me, my pleasure gae wi'

I may 'be distress'd, but I winna complain ; I flatter my fancy I may get anither,

My heart it shall never be broken for ane. The rime in stanza xvi. of 'Death and Dr Hornbook ' is equally clear :

'Twas but yestreen, nae farther gane,

I threw a noble throw at ane ;

Wi' less, I 'm sure, I 've hundreds slain ;

But de'il-ma'-care, It just play'd dirl on the bane,

But did nae mair. On the whole, if judgment is to be given