the twenty-fourth song of Polyolbion,[1] where Drayton supplies a long catalogue of British—I use the word in its pre-Freemanic sense—worthies whose names are no longer within the ken of the Folk.
A FOLK-TALE FROM ABERDEENSHIRE.
The Wifie an Her Kidie.
THE following folk-tale has been communicated to me by Mr. James Moir, M.A. Rector of the Grammar School, Aberdeen. A form of it under the title of "The Wife and her Bush of Berries" is given in Popular Rhymes of Scotland, pp. 57-59, by Robert Chambers (1870).
There wiz a wifie, an she sweipit her hoosie clean an fair, an she fan twal pennies. An she geed till the market, an she bocht a kid. An she said:—"Kid, kid, rin hame, leuk the hoose, an come again, till I gedder a puckle sticks to my fair firie."
"Niver a lenth," said the kid, "will I rin hame, leuk the hoose, an come again; ye can dee't yersel."
An the wifie said to the dog:—"Dog, dog, bite kid; kid winna rin hame, leuk the hoose, an come again till I gedder a puckle sticks to my fair firie."
"Niver a lenth," said the dog, "will I bite the kid; the kid niver did me ony ill."
"Stick, stick, ding dog. Dog winna bite kid, kid winna rin hame," &c.
"Niver a lenth," said the stick, "will I ding dog; dog niver did me ony ill."
"Fire, fire, burn stick; stick winna ding dog, dog winna bite kid, kid winna rin," &c.
"Niver a lenth," said the fire, "will I burn the stick; the stick niver did me ony ill."
"Watter, watter, quench fire; fire winna burn stick, stick winna ding dog," &c.
- ↑ [iii. 1134, 1135.]
