that beset the humble tenant; but he sees with equal clearness compensating happinesses. His eyes are not dazzled by rank or riches. All that can really brighten and ennoble life may be found, he thinks, in the cottage; for mere tinsel and trappings he does not care: "To make a happy fire-side clime To weans and wife; That's the true pathos and sublime Thus Burns, whilst a national and a universal poet, is yet in a special sense the poet of the peasant. 117. 1. The place meant here is a part of Ayrshire-elsewhere Burns calls it Coila; see Globe Ed. p. 79. There are several Kyles in Scotland, e. g. Kyle Akin, Kyle of Bute, Kyle Durness, Kyle Rea, Kyle Shin, Kyle Sutherland, Kyle Tongue. The word properly signifies a sound, a strait. Jamieson mentions in connection with it the Gael. caolas, and the Isl. Kyll “gurges.” With regard to its use in Ayrshire, perhaps it originally denoted the strait between Arran and the opposite mainland, now called the Firth of Clyde, and then became attached to that mainland. Then the name so given to the Ayrshire shore was popularly explained as derived from some old King, just as Britannia from Brutus, Italia from Italus, &c. &c. Coil is mentioned in The Black Book of Caermarthen: "Whose is the Grave on the slope of the hill? Many who knew it do not ask. The grave of Coel, the son of Cynvelyn." (M. Arnold quotes a neighbouring verse in his Study of Celtic Literature.) 'Boece tells us : 'Kyl dein proxima est vel Coil potius nominata, a Coilo Britannorum rege ibi in pugna cæso," and a circular mound at Coilsfield, in the parish of Tarbolton, on the highest point of which are two large stones, and in which sepulchral remains have been found, is pointed out by local tradition as his tomb. The name of "Auld King Coil" is also perpetuated in the crags of Kyle, the burn of Coyl, and the parish of Coylton.' (Glennie's Essay on Arthurian Localities.) So Buchanan says of Coila (which he places between Glottiana and Gallovidia), that the British king, Coilus, overthrown by the Picts and Scots, "regionem in qua pugnatum est de suo nomine celebrem fecit," (Rerum Scot. Hist. Lib. iv.). This name occurs also in Geoffrey of Monmouth's List of old British Kings, chap. xix., after "Catellus Coillus." He makes another Coillus, son of Marius, and father of Lucius, the first Christianized king of Britain. A third is mentioned as the father of the famous Helena, whom Constantius married, of which wedlock came Constantine. This last monarch Spenser mentions in his Chronicle of Briton Kings, in F.Q. 11. x. 58 and 59, deriving the name Coylchester from him. It is by no means intended to suggest that this so common an old Keltic (it would seem Gaelic) king's name is really derived from Kyle, but only that that derivation was the reason for localizing him in Ayrshire. In the old days chroniclers and tradition-mongers were the mere victims of any similarity of names. 'Twas in, &c. See note to Alex. Feast, 1. 4. [With what subst. does the part. wearing "agree?"] 5. thrang busy. So in Lancashire, where is used the form throng also. Lite == rally pressed, crowded (from A.S. thringan). Of course the common Eng. throng = a crowd is closely cognate. Comp. the secondary sense of õxdos, as in Eur. Med. 337: “ὄχλον παρέξεις, ὡς ἔοικας, ὦ γύναι” and how the Lat. turba is used. 6. forgather'd. This prefix-for- was once very common in Eng.; see the instances given by Stratmann. It answers to the Germ. ver. 8. keepit. So in the Brus: redressyt, governyt, enbuschyt, &c. = 9. lugs ears; so in North Eng. It also the handles of pitchers. Comp. Gr. oùs, auris, and the use of auris in Georg. i. 172. Lug, according to Wedgwood, is properly "the flap or hanging portion of the ear.' "To lug a thing along is probably to pull it along by an ear or any loose part employed as a handle, but it might be to trail, or drag along the ground, as Swiss lugger." Luggage, lug-sail, lugger, are all connected with lug. = 11. whelpit = whelped. [What part of the verb is it here?] 12. [What place is meant?] 14. [What is the force of the here?] 16. the fient a pride = perhaps, the "devil a bit" of pride. Or does it mean "the devil take pride," as the negative is so sufficiently given by the following "na"? A is very common for have. Were the former the sense, perhaps the phrase, would rather be "fient a bit," or "fient hait," or "deil hait" (as in the Anitquary, chap. 44, when Edie Ochiltree is asked what he hopes to get from Lovel for his services: "Deil haet do I expect.”) But, of course, that sense is possible enough-perhaps it is preferable; a=of, and the fient fiendish, or devilish little not a whit. Comp. Twelfth Night, II. iii., where Maria says of Malvolio: "The devil a puritan that he is, or anything constantly but a time-pleaser." In this and such uses the phrase, the devil, denotes excess, and so may be used either as a violent intensive, or a violent negative. Thus, "Thou most excellent devil of wit," in Twelfth Night, II. v. end, thou superlative wit, &c. The negative sense is common in the old plays, &c. With this twofold use springing out of that idea of excess, comp. the use of male in Latin, and duo- in Greek-e. g., see what the commentators say of "male pinguis" in Georg. i. 105. Comp. "male metuo" in Ter. Hec. III. ii. 2="I am terribly afraid," and "male raucus," Hor. Sat. I. iv. 66, on the one hand, with "male sanus, ""statio male fida carinis " (En. ii. 23), on the other. Observe the two senses of dvoépws. Usually when this very strong English phrase is used in a negative sense, it is placed first in its clause, or sen tence. =3 18. messin, "a dog of mixed breeds." Gloss. Burns, Globe Ed. Jamieson suggests two derivations: (i.) from Messina, "whence this species was brought;" (ii.) from the Fr. maison. Halliwell gives "messet"= a cur, as used by Hall in his poems, 1646, and “still in use.' 18. smiddie. Obs. the German form Schmiede. 20. tawted shaggy, unkempt, Other forms are tawtie and tatty. Jamieson connects it with the Islandic word for to tease wool. duddie, ragged. Dudds garments, strictly = rags. So dudes in North Eng. 21. stan't stand it go on standing. In this use of it, on which see note to trip it, L'Alleg. 33, there is often the idea of continuance. 22. stroan't. So Launce's dog Crab, when he had "thrust me himself into the company of three or four gentleman-like dogs under the duke's table." Two G. of V. IV. iv. beg.; only in Cæsar's case there was no offence. 23. the tither. Tither, the prov. Eng. tother, is a crasis of the other: so tae of the one. In course of time the meaning of the initial t was forgotten, and the words used as primitive. Thus, Old Mortality, chap. xiii.: "Wi' the pistol and the whinger in the tae hand, and the Bible in the tother," &c. It is possible, however, that the tother that other, &c. collie a country dog. A word of Gaelic descent, according to Jamieson. 24. billie companion, good fellow. See Minstrelsy of the S. B., passim. So in North of Eng. 27. Luath was the name of Cuchullin's dog in Ossian's Fingal. 28. When he adds Lord knows how long, he is no doubt thinking of the doubts that prevailed of the genuineness and the authenticity of Macpherson's Ossian. Certainly it might well be questioned whether there was more Ossian or Macpherson in them. = 29. gast sagacious. Perhaps derived from Old Fr. gas, which Roquefort and also Burguy connect with gab. Could it possibly be derived from sagacious, sagax, by decapitation? Comp. centum from decem-tum, van from avant, drake from ened-ric, tent from attend, &c., &c. 30 lap. The old strong pret. Mause uses the corresponding part. in her famous quotation: "Through the help of the Lord I have luppen ower a wall." (Old M., chap. xiv.) sheugh trench. Another form is seuch. = 118. 31. sonsie is from sons or sonce, a word of Gaelic origin, meaning prosperity, good luck, &c. baws'nt. See note on hawkie, Cotter's S. N. 93. See Wedgwood s.v. 33. towzie = shaggy. 35. gawcie large, thick. In the Holy Fair it means plump, comfortable-looking: "In comes a gaucie gash guidwife, 38. pack. The idea is the same as in thick, and in our "close familiarity." unuco. See note L'Alleg. 5. 39 whiles. This is an old noun-case used adverbially; so needs, whilom, seldom; so often in Greek and in Latin. snowkit. The Prompt. Parv, gives "snokyn or smelling, K. P. nicto." Mr. Way quotes from the Ortus; "Nicto, to snoke, as houndes dooth when following game,' "2 and from Goulman: "Indago to snook, to seek or search, to vent, to seek out as a hound doth." In this sense snook is used in Lincolnshire. = 40. moudieworts moles. Other forms are mowdiewarks, modywarts. These forms are mere variations, and mole is in fact but a corruption of the first syllable of mould-warp: mold or earth thrower or caster. Shakspere has moldwarp once, 1 Hen. IV. III. i. For the dropping off of the warp, comp. map for mappe-monde = mappa mundi), canker for canker-worm, &c. howkit holked digged. The root is seen in hole, hollow. = 43. daffin fun, folly, &c. The word is used in Northumb. Daft occurs in various dialects for foolish, stupid. See Piers the Plowman, I. 138, ed. Skeat: "Thou doted daffe, quod she, dulle arne thi wittes." Chaucer's Clerke's Tale: "Beth not bedaffed for your innocence." Daffe in Prompt. Parv. is defined as = "dastard, or he that spekythe not yn tyme." Mr. Skeat, in his Clar. Press P. P. Glossary, points out that deaf is cognate. 44. [What is the common Eng. form of knowe? Quote, or find, similar instances of liquefaction.] 50. ava = av-a' = of all, much in the sense of the common Eng. at all. This phrase, from its very nature, is used only in questions (direct and indirect), in conditional, and in negative sentences; comp. the use of the indef. quid in Latin, du tout in French. For the form the Scotch and the French approach each other most nearly. of all, used with certain restrictions; comp. Lat. omnino, Gk. employed to form adverbs, as at length, at last, at first, &c. At all is an adverbial form návτws. At is frequently so With at all comp. especially at least. All in negative and quasi-negative sentences often has the sense of any; so was (as the N.T. où dikaiwbýσerai nâσa oȧp§ K.T.λ.—Rom. iii. 20), omnis (as in sine omni, etc., in Plaut., Ter., and Ovid). Thus at all in any wise, anyhow. Lowland Scotch adverbializes all by means of the prep. of. In Cant. Tales, 5628, the prep. in is used. But, perhaps more probably, ava = Anct. Eng. awa, ava, always, ever. Comp. Mæs. G. aiw, Lat. ævum, Gr. aiwr. 51. racked rents = rents raised to the greatest possible amount; lit. rents strained, drawn out to the utmost. Comp. M. of Ven. I. i. 180: "Try what my credit can in Venice do, That shall be rack'd even to the uttermost." rent is close cognate with render, Low Lat. rendo, Lat. reddo. 66 52. kain or cane, or canage = "a duty paid by a tenant to his landlord in kind," as cane cheese," 'cane fowls," &c. (Jamieson): Kain bairns = children paid as tribute by witches to their lord the devil. See Bord Minst. stents = "assessments, dues" (Gloss. Burns, Globe Edn.). Jamieson derives the word from extendere in the sense of "æstimare, appretiare." Comp. cess from assess. The Promp Parv. gives "stente or certeyne of valwe ordrede and other lyke (of value or dette), taxacio.” 54. at the bell. Comp. Marmion, III. xxix. : "Blithe would I battle, for the right To ask one question at the sprite—” 57. steeks = interstices, reticulations; strictly = stitches. Steek, or steik, stitch, stick, are all various forms from Ancient Eng. stician. With stick and stitch, comp. brig and bridge, læccan and latch, thack and thatch, &c. 58. keeks = peeps. The word is used in Northumb. Intueri is the equivalent given by the Promp. Parv. In Dutch there is Kijken. [Geordie. Give other instances, both ancient and modern, of coins being called after the monarchs uttering them.] 59. [its. Try to explain the use of its]. but is a shortened form of butan = be-outan 61. stechin cramming. "O. Teut. staecken, stipare." (Jamieson.) 63. ragouts = radically, things to revive the appetite. The stem of the latter syllable is gustus. trashtrie. For the trie, the t is an "auxiliary (inorganic) consonant," as the din gender, Fr. gendre, number, &c., i.e. trashtrie = trashrie. (See Peile's Introd. to Greek and Latin Etymology, Lect. xiv.); the rie or ry is a termination with a collective, and so sometimes a generalising force. Comp. chivalry, cavalry, infantry, peasantry, heraldry, yeomanry, Irishry, rivalry, Jewry, gentry; so pastry. Comp. Fr. gaucherie, causerie, &c. So wastrie in the following line. Comp. Lowland S. snastry. 65. wonner wonder, here in a contemptuous sense. So elsewhere Burns uses ferlie. Comp. how uncouth, Bápßapos, Fr. outré, &c. come to have a bad meaning. Whatever is unusual and so excites surprise is apt to be despised. These words express the very spirit of conventionality. "I am surprised, or astonished, or amazed, at your conduct," as a rule, “I am much dissatisfied with it." 66. elf. Comp. the sense of daμórios, as in Iliad. ii. 190: δαιμόνι', οὗ σε ἔοικε κακὸν ὡς δειδίσσεσθαι. Similar perhaps is the history of wight; see Trench's Select Gloss. s. v. 69. painch. So hainch. 119. 71. fash't troubled. It is used in Northumb. It is from the Fr. facher. [What is the force of eneugh or enough here?] 72. sheugh or seuch a furrow, a ditch; see above, 1. 30. = 73. dyke wall. So in some parts of England. Radically, dike is connected with dig, and denotes perhaps first the ditch dug (= Lat. fossa), then the mound, formed of the earth thrown up out of the ditch (= Lat. agger, also vallum when stockaded). 76. smytrie=“a numerous collection of small individuals” (Jamieson). The stem is smyte, a small bit, a particle; for the rie see above on trashtrie. duddie, see above, 1. 20. 77. darg or dark is said to be a corruption of day-wark. 77. [What is the grammatical construction of nought but his han' darg?] 78. in thack an' rape under a good roof. Thack thatch. Rape or rap or raip= rope; in this phrase, the rope with which the thatch was fastened on to the rafters and walls. 81. maist = most = here, almost. 82. maun. Other forms are mon, mun, mune. In one form or another the word prevails in North English dialects in the sense of the Southern must. It is an Old Norse verb. 82. o'. We should say with; but we say "he died of a fever," &c. For various old uses of of, see Wright's Bible Word-book. 85. buirdly or burdly "large and well-made;" so Jamieson, who makes it of Icelandic origin. chiels, radically, = children, then servants (comp. puer, τaîs, knave, garçon, &c.), then, generally, fellows. hizzies = huzzies = housewives. 87. negleckit. It is not uncommon in England to hear imperfectly-educated persons say "objec," "subjec," &c. In all languages, both in their literary and their provincial forms, such signs of a desire for easier articulation may be found. See Max Müller's Lectures on the Science of Language, 2nd Series. 92. brook badger. 94. Comp. Chevy Chase: "For Widrington my heart is woe, "&c. = 96. thole suffer, from Ancient Eng. tholian. Burns is here doubtless thinking of certain bitter experiences of his own youth. during his father's tenure of Mount Oliphant farm. [What is the common Eng. name for such an agent as is called a factor here?] snast abuse, from the "Sueo-Gothic," according to Jamieson. 98. poind distrain, lit. pound, shut up, from Ancient Eng. pyndan, to shut up. = 104. poortith poverty. Another form is purtye (Old Fr. pourcté). Perhaps poortith is formed from this form purtye, the -th being a secondary substantival affix, the French form being Englished by this affix, so common in English words, as youth (= young-th), health, length, strength, tilth, &c. Comp. bountith. 120. 105. [What is there noticeable in this line as compared with the common English usage? How would you explain it?] 110. blink. In common English twinkling is used for a very short space of time. 112. grushie = "of thriving growth." Another form used is grush. It is from the same root as gross, grow, great, Germ. gross, &c. In Old. Eng. gross = simply, large, as in King Lear, IV. vi. 14. 113. just. This adverb is now so commonly used by Scotchmen, as to be specially characteristic. Such phrases as "it was just delightful," "I was just weary of it," &c., at once indicate the nationality of the speaker. An Englishman qualifies certain adverbs as now, enough, by just; and also verbs, as "I just touched him," &c.; with adjs. he scarcely uses it at all. = 115. nappie fine ale. Strictly, nappy is an adj. signifying strong-“noppy (as ale is), vigoureux" (Palsgrave). Burns speaks of a "nappie callan" = strong boy. In a song called BB |
