One of the great joys of owning a used bookstore is the surprise that one sometimes finds in the bottom of a box filled with otherwise common books. One day I found under a pile of moldy paperbacks a rebound copy of a book published in 1721 and titled A Complete Collection of Scottish Proverbs Explained and Made Intelligible to the English Reader by James Kelly. Done as a service to the Englishman who could no more understand the Scots–their language and otherwise–Mr. Kelly set out to “write down none but those which I knew to be Native, Genuine Scottish proverbs.” The more he got into it, however, he discovered that not only did many of the old Scots phrases derive from England, but France, Italy, and Ancient Greece as well. He nonetheless soldiered on. The only fault I can find is that he left out what he considered vulgar, openly obscene and anything that tends to “make too homely with the Almighty Being, for they are apt to wear off that awful sense that every good Man ought to have of the Divine Majesty.” Here’s a few of the Scottish proverbs followed by the 18th century English interpretation:
Yell (barren) Sow was never good to Gryces (pigs). Spoken to those, who having no Children of their own, deal harshly by other peoples.
A bonny Bride is soon busked (dressed)–That which is of itself beautiful, needs but little adorning.
A bleat (bashful) cat makes a proud Mouse–When Parents and Masters are too mild and easy, it makes their Children and Servants too saucy and impertinent.
Draff is good enough for Swine–A Turd is as good for a Sow, as a Pancake. spoken jocosely when People refute what is good, and fine, and feed upon that which is course.
So much for Mr. Kelly avoiding the vulgar. I’ll share more from this book in future blogs.
