years residing in the neighbourhood of the Mearns, in Scotland, a gentleman of landed property, whose name was Hume or Home; and his estate was known as the Bogue. From the great falsehoods that "Hume of the Bogue" was in the habit of relating about himself, his family, and every thing connected with him, it soon became customary, when persons heard any thing that was remarkably extravagant or absurd, to say, "That is a Hume o' the Bogue." The expression spread like wildfire over the whole country; and by those who did not understand the origin of the phrase, and applied it only to any extravagant action or saying, contracted it into one word, and corrupted it to Humbug."

We must define humbug. It is not naked untruth. A draper's assistant, who tells a lady that a dress will wash when it will not, does not humbug her, he merely cheats her. But, if he persuades her to buy a good-for-nothing muslin, by telling her that he has sold such another to a duchess, he humbugs her, whether he speaks truly or not, He imposes an inference in favour of his commodity, through her large vanity upon her small mind. Humbug thus consists in making people deceive themselves, by supplying them with premises, true or false, from which by reason of their ignorance, weakness, or prejudice, they draw wrong conclusion.

TO PAY A SHIP'S SIDE.

From pix, pitch, distorted into poix, and pronounced pay; hence the expression, "Here's the devil to pay, and no pitch hot!"

WHEN ROGUES FALL OUT, HONEST MEN COME BY THEIR OWN!

This saying originated with the great Sir Matthew Hale. A plaintiff and a defendant, who previous to assuming those characters had rowed in the same boat, had a matter at issue tried before that upright judge; when it came out in evidence that the property they were contending for, had originally come into their possession by unjust means, and that the real owner had been ruined by their joint concurrence. It was then Sir Matthew made use of the saying, "When rogues fall out, honest men come by their own.' The trial was quashed, and the right owner was put in possession of his property.

THE BITER'S BIT!

This saying originated from Bishop Tonstall, in the reign of Henry VIII., who was far fonder of burning books than men, having employed an agent on the continent, where the bishop was travelling, to buy up the works of Tindal the sectarist. This agent was secretly a Tindalist, and communicated the circum.

stance to Tindal himself, who was at that period residing at Geneva. Tindal was highly pleased at the circumstance, for he had long been desirous of printing a corrected edition, but his poverty prevented him: he had also a quantity of the first edition by him, which he had now an opportunity of turning into cash. The agent was very industrious, and furnished the bishop with an immense quantity; the latter was highly pleased, paid the money, and had the books burnt in Cheapside. Tindal brought out his second edition, sent his agents to London, where he had many secret followers, and consequently sold many of his books. One of these agents was detected, and taken before the chancellor, who promised him a pardon on condition of his giving up the principal in the transaction. The man agreed, and named Bishop Tonstall! that in consequence of the latter having bought up all that he could lay his hands on of the first edition, they had been able to distribute a second; and which they could not possibly have effected without the assistance of the bishop. 'I'faith," exclaimed the chancellor, turning round to some of the council, "I must confess the biter's bit." The man was pardoned, and the saying has continued to this day.

A BIRD IN HAND'S WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH!

This originated from the following circumstance: Will Somers, the celebrated jester to Henry VIII., happening to call at my Lord Surrey's, whom he had often, by a well-timed jest, saved from the displeasure of his royal master, and who consequently was always glad to see him, was on this occasion ushered into the aviary, where he found my lord amusing himself with his birds. Will, happening to admire the plumage of a kingfisher "By my Lady," said Surrey, "my prince of wits, I will give it you." Will skipped about with delight, and swore by the great Harry he was a most noble gentleman. Away went Will with his kingfisher, telling all his acquaintance whom he met, that his friend Surrey had just presented him with it. Now it so happened that my Lord Northampton, who had seen this bird the day previous, just arrived at my Lord Surrey's as Will Somers had left, with the intention of asking it of Surrey for a present to his (Northampton's) mistress. Great was his chagrin on finding the bird gone. Surrey, however, consoled him with saying, that "He knew Somers would restore it him, on he (Surrey) promising him two another day." Away went a messenger to the prince of wits, whom he found in raptures with his bird, and to whom he delivered his lord's message. Great was Will's surprise, but he was not to be bamboozled by even the monarch himself. "Sirrah," says he, "tell your master that I am obliged for his liberal offer of two for one; but that I prefer one bird in the hand to two in the bush!" Hence originated this much repeated saying.

THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING IS IN THE EATING!

That James I. was a pedant is well known to all literary men; but that he also professed a knowledge of the culinary art, may have been thought unworthy of a page in history. Buckingham, his favourite, was not only a regular bon vivant, but availed himself of his royal master's penchant as one of the means of securing that favour which he ultimately enjoyed. It happened one day, when dining with Buckingham, that a discussion on the merits of various viands took place, some of the most costly and delicious then being before them; one of which was particularly recommended by Buckingham to his Majesty as being superior to any other. "It may be so, Steenie," replied the king, “but the prufe of a gude thing is in the eating on't, so here's at it!"

THROWING A TUB TO THE WHALE.

*

The Greenland vessels, and indeed the South Sea vessels, are sometimes (especially after stormy weather) so surrounded with whales, that the situation of the crew becomes dangerous. When this is the case, it is usual to throw out a tub in order to divert their attention; when the marine monsters amuse themselves in tossing this singular sort of a plaything into the air, to and fro, as children do a shuttlecock. Their attention being drawn, every sail is hoisted, and the vessel pursues its course to its destination. Hence came the saying, "Throwing a Tub to the Whale!”

THE LAWYERS' PATRON!

Saint Evona, a lawyer of Britain, went to Rome to entreat the Pope to give the lawyers a patron; the Pope replied, that he knew of no Saint not disposed of to some other profession. His Holiness proposed, however, to Saint Evona, that he should go round the church of St. John de Lateran blindfold, and after saying a certain number of ave-marias, the first saint he laid his hand on should be his patron. This the good old lawyer undertook, and at the end of his ave-marias stopped at the altar of St. Michael, where he laid hold, not of the Saint, but unfortunately of the Devil, under the Saint's feet, crying out, "This is our Saint, let him be our patron!" Ben Jonson was once going through a churchyard in Surrey, and seeing some poor people weeping over a grave, asked one of the women why they wept. Oh,' said she, "we have lost our precious lawyer, Justice Randall; he kept us all in peace, and always was so good, as to keep us from going to law; the best man that ever lived." "Well," said Ben Jonson, “I will give you an epitaph to write upon his tomb:— "God works wonders now and then,

Here lies a lawyer, an honest man.'

66

* A familiar name by which James used to address Buckingham.

AS MERRY AS A GREEK!

This proverb obtained existence since the subjugation of the country by Mahomet II., in 1455. Patrick Gordon, in a work published seventy-seven years ago, thus writes "The Greeks (most famous of old both for arms and arts, and every thing else that's truly valuable) are so wonderfully degenerated from their forefathers, that instead of those excellent qualities, there is nothing to be seen among them but the very reverse. There is, nevertheless, no people more jovial and merrily disposed, being so much given to singing and dancing that it is now become a proverbial saying, 'As merry as a Greek.""

MERRYANDREW.

Although Strutt, in his Sports and Pastimes, has several allusions to Merryandrews, he does not attempt to explain the origin of the term. Hearne, in his Benedictus Abbas (tom. i. Præf. p. 50. ed. Oxon. 1735, as quoted by Warton in his English Poetry, vol. iii. p. 74. ed. 1840), speaking of the well-known Andrew Borde, gives it as his opinion that this facetious physician gave rise to the name of MERRYANDREW, the fool on the mountebank's stage: ""Twas from the Doctor's method of using such speeches at markets and fairs, that in after times those that imitated the like humorous, jocose language, were styled MERRYANDREWS, a term much in vogue on our stages."

COCK AND BULL STORY.

The following notice of this phrase occurs in The Universal Character, by which all the Nations in the World may understand one another's Conceptions, reading out of one Common Writing their own Mother Tongues, &c. By Cave Beck, M.A. Lond. 1657.-"The Egyptians of old had a symbolical way of writing by emblems and pictures, which might be read by other nations instructed in their wisdom, but was so hard to learn, and tedious in the practice, that letters soon justled them out of the world. Besides, most of their hieroglyphicks were so catachrestical (the picture showing one thing to the eye, and a quite different sense imposed upon it), that they justified the painter who drew a misshapen cock upon a signboard, and wrote under it 'This is a bull.""

DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND!

The Diamond is the hardest substance in nature, and hence there is no way of grinding or polishing diamonds, but by acting upon them with their own powder, which is obtained by laborious rubbing of them one against another. Hence the phrase of "Diamond cut Diamond," so generally applied when cunning and dexterity come in contact.

PUT A BEGGAR ON HORSEBACK, AND HE'LL RIDE TO THE

DEVIL!

A century ago, there existed in Scotland a class of privileged persons, or Beggars, called Blue-gowns. These itinerants were a very hardy race, and from the knowledge they attained of the country from their ramblings, were often employed as messengers. Every village and every mansion had its Blue-gown; the secrets of the laird and of his fair daughter were alike known to him. In every case of importance, whether to the magistracy, to the midwife, or to the post-office, the Blue-gown was the Mercury employed. Every cross-cut, bypath, and winding of the country, was better known to him than it was to any of the Scottish lieges; indeed, he was the oracle of the locality in which he vegetated, -the lover's messenger, the laird's confidant, and the gossip's chronicler. His privileges were also greater than any; for what would get the Blue-gown reprimanded, would get another transported. In his ramblings he did not always use his own extremities, but would sometimes make free with a neighbour's horse, or when he could not do that, would avail himself of one of the half-wild stragglers with which Scotland abounded at that period. In fact, when the Blue-gown was supposed to be in the north, he would be in the west; and when he was considered to be on some distant errand, he would suddenly make his appearance before the astonished parties. Of course, his knowledge of the cross country, and his four-legged assistant, gave him this celerity. Hence, when the laird wanted a special messenger, Bluegown was employed, and "Put the beggar on horseback!" was the charge given, and whence originated the common saying,"Put a beggar on horseback, and he will ride to the devil!"

GRINNING LIKE A CHESHIRE CAT.

This phrase owes its origin to the unhappy attempts of a sign painter of that country to represent a lion rampant, which was the crest of an influential family, on the sign-boards of many of the inns. The resemblance of these lions to cats caused them to be generally called by the more ignoble name. A similar case is to be found in the village of Charlton, between Pewsey and Devizes, Wiltshire. A public-house by the roadside is commonly known by the name of The Cat at Charlton. The sign of the house was originally a lion or tiger, or some such animal, the crest of the family of Sir Edward Poore.

HE IS GONE TO POT!

A tailor of Samarcand, living near the gate that led to the burying-place, had by his shopboard an earthen Pot hanging