The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-03-11
jamaica Creole Proverbs.

peculiar h lbits of thought or the measure
OF heir growth. In Jamaica there are
hudrcds ofproyerbs circulating from gen
eraion to generation, which run through
all bades Of worldly wisdom and piety
Having insisted on seeing the corn put
betor the patient ponies we were told
"Quit right, the eyes Of the master fat.
ten tb' horse" The provcrbial phoiloso.
ply oihis people seems sometimes al
echo o our own apothcgms,again to have
run in an undiluted current from the
banks If the Congo and always to par.
take It that tropical luxuriance Of cx.
preston which harmonizes so well with
nature. If we are not frightened from
the beatty by the homeiness of the form
We shallsee the same piety in the jana.
cia pro@rb, "When COW tail cut off
God Almighty brush fly ie him." as in
our owr Providence tempers the wind
to the shorn lamb" The advantages OF
the Stariter in modo is inculcated by
Softly, softly, catch monkey" Shoddy
aristocracy is rebuked by "When towel
turn table cloth, dcre's no bearin wild it,"
The fond illusion by which parents are
apt to call their geese swans is applied by
the Creole to the blackest of black birds.
the familiar buzzard Of tropical towns, in
John Grow tink him pickny white.
This one seems to come direct from
Guinea : "NYANGA make dc crab walk
sideways Nyanga is pride, or SUPER
cllousncss ; and it is seen when we "turn
cold sholder' to an applicant. This
habit was so common to the crab, that he
soon found it impossible to walk straight:
isn't here to be found warning to us hui
mans? The land-crab common in warm
countries is frequently used to point a
moral Or consequential meak crab hab
no head Such was his pride, that to
have endowed him with head would have
been ton much.
The value OF worldly over aesthetic
tastes is taught by, "What dc good OF
cdication, if he got no sense ?" and the
power of application by "Tudyratron beat
cdication."
The advantages derived by possession
Of riches is hintcd at in, "Rock-tonc at
riber- ncbersknow sun hot"
Our politicians might enrich their cri-
minaton and rccrimination by the prov
erb, "lf you trow rock-tonc in hog'ty,
de pig dat cry, 'Qucc, quee = da him it
knock : that is, If the cap fits, put it
on
Our readiness to point out Others
faults is hit by, Finger nebcr say, 'LDol,
here -"
These that follow will be seen to have
meaning Of their own, and not always
to have there parallel in our own pro-
verbs
Trouble ncber blow she'll. Nan no
done climb hill, no trow way you tick.
Greedy choke puppy One time da
mistake, t'co time ad purpose. One
time fool no fool, two time fool. linn da
fool Cow kno where weak fancc dae.
Never min mex ship run shore.
The inggratitude Of man to his bene-
factors is referred to in, You run 20 help
tangled COW, des him get up da you fus
him, da 90 buck There's many slip,
&c, finds its parallel inMonkey say what
in you mout not ie YOU Curses come
home to roost, finds its prototype in,
Spit in de Ky, it fall in your face ! and
the eternal vcrites,' the final triumph of
truth and justice, are affirmed in the say
ing, 'Ebcry day Debil help tief, one day
God help Waterman
1t would be easy to keep Gu for pages
illustrations Of these idiomatc express
ions of this simple people and each island
would furnish list Of its own 4 few
peculiar to Jamacia will suffice =
when dog lib well, him 90 da broad
pass 60 trouble COW When puss lib
well, him say, Rata meat bitter.'
'Patiep' man dribe jackass' Pig say,
Nanny, wha' mex you mout long so p
him say, All, my pickny dat something
mex le me mout long wi mex e you long
to. 'Fippence buy trouble dat hundred
poun' cant take off If you miss Har.
ry, catch him trock' Dog hab shine
teet,him b'ongs to butcher Fur word
go da law 'Cuss, cuss, neber bore hole
in kin Man dead, grass grow da
him door Cotton tree fall down, goat
jump ober him 'Ef you want fe taste
old CONAN soup, cratcb him back Big
word no tear jaw Snake bite you, you
see groun lizard you run. Take time
wash ants, you see how him mex 'Trou.
Bile ncber mex himself One tief no
like ie see noder one carry long bag.
'Duppy (ghos) know who ie frightoD.'
Dark night no hah governor NO eb.
cry day ia Christmas Too much sit
down broke trousers Dog nyam (eaD
dog
WARRANTED ms Uoops.-Old Adam
c., "A resident Of Berks county, Pa, had
queer habit of making mistakes,
When about to sell rather an antiqu.
ated horse, he was intcrrogated as to the
aso OF the beast.
'Vcll,' he rcplic.,'l guess about nine
over ten.
Ina short time 'h purchaser discover
cd the fraud r'iIrnd with the animal,
and said
Mr.. G.. what mad, you cheat me in
selling me this horse Didn't you tell
me he was nine or ten aud here he is over
twenty?'
No, no; | sheats nobody. Isly he
in nine over ten, and he Is all Of DAT
At another time, when selling baky
horse, he was asked if the horse was true
to pull and good to drive old Adam
says;
Il tell you, in the morning you gets
your wagon out, and outs dc harness on
good hitch him fore dc wagon good
take up dc lines aud yip, and tell hlm 90.
| tell you he is right dar every time.
The buyer departed satisfied but
after following directions he found him
right dair every time and no amount of
persuasion could make him change his
position. Bdyer Of course returns the