500
NOTES AND QUERIES. r. 9th s. vm. DEO. 21, 1901.
CHRISTMAS BIBLIOGRAPHY (continued from
9 th S. vi. 485) :
Bynoeus, Antony (1654-98), ' Explicatio Historic Evangelicse de Nativitate Christi.'
Betham, John, 'Sermon of the Epiphany, fi January, 4to, 1686.
Spinney, Rev. T. H., 'Christmas Carols for Church Use.' First Series (seven carols), W. Reeves, 185, Fleet Street, n.d. (about 1890).
Dowling, A. E. P. R., 'Flora of the Sacred Nativity,' 1900 (see Saturday fievieiv, 22 December, 1900).
On the Boy Bishop, Rex Natalicius, and some early carols, see the ' Camden Mis- cellany,' vol. vii., and Oxford Historical Society's Publications, vol. v. pp. 39-49, 150, 152. Vestments for the Episcopus Puerorum appear in many ecclesiastical inventories.
W. 0. B.
CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS, 1610. Andrew Willet, in his ' Hexapla in Danielem,' 1610, book ii. p. 458, gives these notes " ex Polano " :
"At the natiuitie of Christ, an infant made of wood wrapped vp in swathing cloutes is carried vp and downe by boyes and girles. In the festiuall of the three kings, which they say came to worship Christ, three apparelled like kings doe goe from doore to doore singing and begging with a star made of paper. In the day of the purification candles are carried about."
Good Master Willet's comment is, " All their seruice is nothing else but a meere stage- play." W. C. B.
" BRATTLE." In an article on ' Dialects,' in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1900, part ii. p. 541, Mr. Ralph Harold Bretherton includes some singular criticism on Burns. His remarks, no doubt, are largely facetious, and probably his main design is to produce a burlesque philological medley. The passage on Burns, however, seems to be marked by a serious intention, and, at any rate, the definite and unqualified assertions made are calculated to mislead the untutored reader, and therefore they fairly challenge consideration. The writer assumes that Burns invented words when he needed them for indispensable rimes. He illustrates his contention from the opening stanza of the ode 'To a Mouse,' which stands thus :
Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic 's in thy breastie !
Ihou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickerin brattle !
1 wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murderin' pattle !
On this Mr. Bretherton comments as follows :
Sleekit, we suppose, is the Scotch form of sleek,
and a glossary tells us that ' brattle ' means hurry
and pattle,' plough-staff. It is possible that they
o have these meanings, but we cannot get rid of
the suspicion that one of the words was coined to
make a rhyme with the other. Burns must have
been extraordinarily fortunate if he found his
rhymes so easily in the comparatively limited num-
ber of obsolete words which have been introduced
into the Scotch dialect. ' Pattle ' may be a true word,
for if it were an invented word there was no reason
for calling it a plough-staff any more than a hoe or
a spade. It was probably introduced because it
suited the pretty rhythm, and then 'brattle' was
invented and inserted in the line above to make a
rhyme. That the latter word is put in for rhyme's
sake is almost certain, for it is noticeable how it
has succumbed to the temptation of alliteration."
When a writer speaks of obsolete words having been introduced into the "Scotch dialect," and insinuates that the form of speech thus designated is a mere exhibition of modern patchwork, one can only conclude either that he is feigning the art of Touch- stone or that his experience is singularly strange and new. As Mr. Bretherton's effort would be a very hopeless joke, it seems only fair to him that he should be regarded as a serious philological critic* and, at any rate, it is more than likely that the majority of his readers will have accepted him as en- acting this character. It seems, therefore, perfectly fair to meet his challenge. Nothing need be said at the moment of the " Scotch dialect," regarding which much to the point has already been written variously in these columns, nor does there seem to be special necessity for dwelling on " sleekit " (written " sleeket " by Burns), but a word or two may not be amiss in reference to "pattle" and brattle."
Had the critic fixed on "pattle" as the doubtful word, he might have made some show with his argument. "Pattle" is what is called in many parts of Scotland a plough- spade, and thousands of Scotsmen have sim- ply to assume, on the authority of Burns, that the term is in use in Ayrshire. This, however, they are willing to admit without cavil, nor do they for a moment presume to raise against the poet a charge of coining words in the interests of his versification. Jamieson duly enters " pattle " in the ' Scot- tish Dictionary,' indicating this passage of Burns as the authority for its use, and adding a tentative etymology. All this is quite to the purpose, and nothing more needs to be said, except, perhaps, that Burns has the word in other two poems with the spelling " pettle," which suits his rime. " Pattle," it appears, is bhe name of an implement of husbandry in use in Ayrshire ; Burns has given it permanent iterary value ; and the language is enriched oy the possession of such a liquid, melodious word.
The case is altogether different as regards
