The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-06-07
Weel she lo'ed a Hawick gill
And leuch to see a tappit hen

is a form of topynett CIR. topette). When Burns
asks for pint OF wine in "a silver tassle," the
'tasse'' is Scotch diminutive of tdSSe These
are only few common examples of process
Of borrowing from the French which M. Fran
eisoue Michel traces through all departments
Of the Scotch life and language The old Court
tongue of Scotland was French: Frenchmen
were favorites of Scotch Kings; Scotchmen
served in the French wars, especially in the
famous Archer Guard Scotchmen studied in
French universities. and the most ancient
Scotch University, St. Andrews, was founded
on French lines.
Among the most singular Scotch relics of the
period of French influence are the family
names. Muschet, or Mushett, is best known
in connection with "Mushett's Cairn," the
rude stone heap near Arthurs Seat, which
marked the scene of a murder by Mushett.
NJ. Michel says that tho original form of the
name is De Montiquet, so that, like jour from
dies, De Montiquet is didbteDlent change en-
route TO Mushett. De LINDSAY, Oh the other
hand, has improved, we think, in becoming
Lindsay. De Vesci has fallen fearfully in de-
cliniug to Vetch, and De We're has become
hopelessly plebeian as the name of the great
0arloek Major Weir No one would think of
the "repose which marks the caste of Weir.'
Can De Montant really have become Mowatt?
NJ. Michel says so, but we sho1ld like better
evidence. Fletcher, we presume, is Fletcher,
and it is certain that many Scotch bourgeois
names are taken from French words indicative
Of various trades. Wnen the town of JedbuFgh
swore allegiance to Edward j. we find among
the burgesses Robert lie Mareshal, Rsuf lie Spic-
err, Thomas lie Tayhor, and. lat Roxbnrgh)
Richard le Forblaws (sword-cutler), and Aus
tyn e Mercer At the capitulation of Stirling
appears Johannes le Naper. 1t is a painful
thing to suggest, but may not the first OF all
the NapierS have been a haberdasher? The
derivation from Naper-the man who supplies
n0ppeS, or napery-seems as probable as the
punning etymology of mae peer" or ''peer
less" which members of distinguished house
may 0e excused for preferrlng. The worst deg
radiation of French name is De Belassize in
to Bellscher, whence it is short step to Belch-
er, and hero of the prize ring
Turning from names to customs and arts we
find the Scotch SO barbarous in the sixteenth
century that they could not even gid wealth
ercock ''The brszen cock of the steeple of
St Nicholas's parish church had to be sent to
Flanders to be repaired and gilded" Scotland
obviously derived from small French chdtedu1
the pepper-box towers of her ancient houses. In
the Technology OF architecture tne Scotch de-
rive "brettys," ratification, from the French
Breteche, which gives name to a terrible sto-
rv among Balzacs shorter tales. "Pittivout,
a small arch, is clearly the French petite 0Oute,
and "iaip," any projecting part OF room or
building, is jaDebe. When we come to food,
the very word "vivers" is 0iUres, and bona
law a parting cup or stirrup cup is bonne al
Zee. In the old Scotch song the poet tells how
My kimmer and lay down to sleep,
WI tWa pint bottles at our feet,
And still when we wakened we drank tnein ury-
What do you think o. my kimmer and !?
We certainly cannot answer this ungram-
matical question in fattering manner, but the
thing to notice is that "kimmer," a gossip, is
coD1mere. Commercials, a festivity after the
birth of child, NJ. Michel derives, perhaps
rather hastily, from coDen1ere and oeitIe.