Tam o' Crumstan
"A loupin' on stane is a very good thing,
For a man that is stiff, for a man that is auld,
For a man that is lame o' the leg or the spauld,
Or short o' the houghs, to loup on his naggie;"--
So said Tam o' Crumstane, unbousome and baggie;
And mountin' the stane at Gibbie's house-end,
Like a man o' great pith, wi' a grane, and a stend--
He flew owre his yaud, and fell i' the midden!
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Henderson Pop. Rhymes of Berwickshire (1856), 77, whence
Cheviot Proverbs (1896), 242, and SC (1948), 118 (no. 191).
The stane was a natural stone or erection of masonry
which stood at the churchyard gates, to enable
parishioners to mount horses or carts easily,
particularly useful for women riding pillion. They
began to fall into disuse about 1790. Unbousome =
stubborn; baggie = corpulent.
MS
OCT98
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!