[Southern (Group 2): Wiltshire.]
The following well-known Wiltshire fable is from Wiltshire Tales, by J. Yonge Akerman (1853). I give it as it stands in the Preface to Halliwell’s Dictionary; omitting the “Moral.”
The Harnet and the Bittle.
A harnet zet in a hollur tree—
A proper spiteful twoad was he;
And a merrily zung while he did zet
His stinge as shearp as a bagganet;
Oh, who so vine and bowld as I?
I vears not bee, nor wapse, nor vly!
A bittle up thuck tree did clim,
And scarnvully did look at him;
Zays he, “Zur harnet, who giv thee
A right to zet in thuck there tree?
Vor ael you zengs so nation vine,
I tell ’e ’tis a house o’ mine!”
The harnet’s conscience velt a twinge,
But grawin’ bowld wi’ his long stinge,
Zays he, “Possession’s the best laaw;
Zo here th’ sha’sn’t put a claaw!
Be off, and leave the tree to me,
The mixen’s good enough for thee!”