HIPPIC FOLK-LORE FROM THE NORTH-EAST OF SCOTLAND.
HE following hippic folk-wisdom I have got from old people in the parish, and they tell me they had it from old folks, so that its age cannot be less than a century:—
"Four feet fite fell 'im;
Three feet fite sell 'im;
Twa feet fite gee 'im t' your wife;
Ae fit fite keep 'im a' his life."
Another version is:—
"Four fite feet fell 'im;
Three fite feet sell 'im;
Twa fite feet keep 'im for your wife;
Ae fite fit keep 'im a' his life." •
A third version is:—
"Four fite feet keep 'im not a day;
Three fite feet sell 'im in (if) you may;
Twa fite feet you may sell 'im t' your breether;
Ae fite fit dinna sell 'im never."
A fourth version is:—
"One fite fit buy 't;
Twa fite feet try 't;
Three fite feet look weel aboot it;
Four fite feet gang withoot it."
There are nine points in a good horse. You will find three of them in a fox, three in a hare, and three in a woman. Like the fox he must be deep-ribbit, straight-backit, and bushy-tailt; like the hare, clean-limbt, quick-eet, and prick-luggit; and like a woman, weel-hippit, weel-breastit, and easy-mountit.
