“Be Cokis passion.
Be Godis passion.
Be Cok’s deir passion.
Be Cok’s tois.
Be God’s wounds.
Be God’s croce.
Be God’s mother.
Be God’s breid.
Be God’s gown.
Be God himsell.
Be greit God that all has wrocht.
Be him that made the mone.
Be the gude Lord.
Be him that wore the crown of thorn.
Be him that bare the cruel crown of thorn.
Be him that herryit hell.
Be him that Judas sauld.
Be the rude.
Be the Trinity; Be the haly Trinity.
Be the sacrament; Be the haly sacrament.
Be the messe.
Be him that our Lord Jesus sauld.
Be him that deir Jesus sauld.
Be our Lady; Be Sainct Mary; Be sweit Sainct Mary; Be Mary bricht.
Be Alhallows.
Be Sanct James.
Be Sanct Michell.
Be Sanct Ann.
Be Sanct Bryde; Be Bryde’s bell.
Be Sanct Geill; Be sweit Sanct Geill.
Be Sanct Blais.
Be Sanct Blane.
Be Sanct Clone; Be Sanct Clune.
Be Sanct Allan.
Be Sanct Fillane.
Be Sanct Tan.
Be Sanct Dyonis of France.
Be Sanct Maverne.
Be the gude lady that me bare.
Be my saul.
Be my thrift.
Be my Christendom.
Be this day.”
Against this list we may place a similar catalogue of objurgations extracted from the old play of ‘Gammer Gurton’s Needle,’ acted at Cambridge in 1566. This work, ascribed to John Still, Bishop of Bath and Wells, very plainly depicts the condition of rustic manners at the period at which it was written:—
“By the mass (occurs 22 times).
Gog’s bones (4 times).
Gog’s soul (9 times).
By my father’s soul (2 times).
Gog’s sacrament (2 times).
By my troth.
By God.
By sun and moon.
Gog’s heart (6 times).
By God’s mother.
Gog’s bread (8 times).
By’r Lady (2 times).
By the cross.
By our dear lady of Boulogne.
Saint Dunstan.
Saint Dominic.
The three kings of Cologne.
By God and the devil too.
By bread and salt (2 times).
By him that Judas sold.
Gog’s cross (2 times).
By Gog’s malt (2 times).
Gog’s death.
Gog’s blessed body.
By God’s blest (2 times).
By Gis.
By Saint Benet.
By my truth.
By Cock’s mother dear.
By Saint Mary.
Gog’s wounds (2 times).
By Cock’s bones.
By All Hallows.
By my fay.
By my father’s skin.
By God’s pity (2 times).
Gog’s sides (2 times).”
[Page 169.] The deuce!—A specimen from the English version of ‘Havelok the Dane,’ edited by Sir F. Madden from the manuscript in the Laudian Collection in the Bodleian Library, may be appended:—
“‘Deus!’ quoth he, ‘hwat may this mene!’
He calde bothe arwe men, and kene
Knithes, and serganz swithe sleie,
Mo than an hundred.”—l. 2114.
Madden also refers the exclamation, dash you or dase you, from the Anglo-Saxon imprecation datheit which had been caught up from the Norman deshait.
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October 1883.
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