- Let's send for a pitcher a ale, lad, for o'm gerrin varra droi;
- O'm ommast chooakt we smitha-sleck, the wind it is so hoi.
- Ge Rafe and Jer a drop,
- They sen they cannot stop,
- They're e sich a moita hurra to get tot penny hop.
- They're e sich a moita hurra to get tot penny hop.
- Here's Steeam at lives at Heela, he'll soon be here, o kno;
- He's larnt a new Makkarona step, the best yo ivver saw;
- He has it sooa compleat,
- He troies up ivvera street,
- An ommast braiks all t' pavors we swattin dahn his feet,
- An Anak troies to beat him whenivver they dun meet.
- We'll raise a tail[1] be Sunda, Steeam ; o kno whoa's one to sell;
- We'll tee a hammer heead at end, to mak it balance well:
- It's a reit new Lunnon tail;
- We'll ware it kail for kail;
- Ahr Anak browt it we him, that neet he cum bit mail.
- We'll drink success unto it hey ! Jont, lad, teem aht t' ale.
- Bywater, p. 40.
A 'nominy' or little story may also be inserted here as illus- trating the dialect.
The Old Woman and Her Pig.
An owd woman went to t' market to boi a pig, an' when shoo'd got it shoo couldn't mak it goo o'er t' brig. 'Wot shall a dew,' shoo said, 'for a can't get hooam to get moi owd man his supper to-neet.' Shoo met a dog, and said to him, ' Prethee, dog, boite t' pig, t' pig waint goo o'er t' brig, an' a can't get hooam to-neet.' Shoo went further, and met a stick, an' said to't stick, ' Prethee, stick, pay t' dog, t' dog waint boite t' pig, t' pig waint goo o'er t' brig.' [Repeat as before.] Shoo went a bit further, and met wi' a hatchet, and said, 'Prethee, hatchet, chop t' stick.' [Repeat as before.] Then shoo met a foire, and said, ' Prethee, foire, burn t' hatchet.' [Repeat as before.] Then shoo met wi' watter, and said, 'Prethee, watter, sleek t' foire.' [As before.] Then shoo met wi' a ox, an' said, 'Prethee, ox, drink t' watter.' [As before.] Then shoo met a butcher, and said to him, Prethee, butcher, kill t' ox.' [As before.] Then shoo met wi' a rope, an' said to t' rope, ' Prethee, rope, hang t' butcher.' [As before.] T' butcher thowt that instead o' bein' hanged he'd kill t' ox, and t' ox thowt that instead o' bein' killed he'd drink t' watter. [And so on.] And so t' owd woman got hooam that neet.
A more modern and somewhat different version of this story will be found in Halliwell's Nursery Rhymes of England, ed. 1886, p. 292. The story itself is taken from an ancient hymn in Sepher Haggadah, fol. 23, a translation of which is given by Mr. Halliwell on p. 288. '
- ↑ A ' pig-tail,' or queue for a wig.
