friend shall right me, and make a ballad of thee and thy cattle all over. Are you puft up with the pride of your wares? your arsedine?

The two words in italics are the supposed allusions to Jones. There are other passages that strengthen the impression of Leatherhead being a satirical personification of Inigo. Very few of those, however, who use the word as one of contempt, fancy that they are libeling a great genius.

LEEF, or LIEVE, for willingly. (Grose.) Used in the South of England. We say, "I had as lieve, or leef, not do it," meaning, I had rather not do it. We also say, "I had as lives, or leef, do it as not," meaning if there is any occasion, I am quite ready or willing to do it, and that it would not be disagreeable to me to do it. It is an old Saxon word; one of its meanings is desire, inclination; as, in Chaucer's "Monke's Prologue :"

"Thou wouldest han ben, a trede foul a right,

Haddest thou as great leve as thou hast might."

Another is agreeable; as, in the "Knight's Tale :"— "But on of you, al be him loth or leve."

Whether it is agreeable to him or not. In the "Miller's Tale," we have another meaning:

"I am no babble,

Me though I say it. I am not lefe to gabble."

I do not like prating, or, it may be, I am not willing to prate. In the "Shipmanne's Tale," we have yet another use of the word :

"For on my portos here I make an oth,

That never in my life, for lefe nor loth,
Ne shall I of no conseil you bewray."

So that this apparent vulgarism is good old English. The word lever, the comparative degree of leve, or lefe, as more agreeable, I have never heard; nor lever, for rather; both of which are old words.

"It were me lever than twenty pound worth lond."

And in the sense of rather :

CHAUCER.

"As there is falle on me swiche hevinesse,
No't I nat why, that we were lever to slepe
Than the best gallon wine that is in Chepe."
MANCIPLES PROLOGUE.

LET ON, to mention. "He never let on," he never told me. An Icelandic word, laeta. (Brockett.) "He never let on to me about it," may be heard not unfrequently in the country.

LICK, to beat. I'll lick you, and, I'll give you a licking, are common, both in word and deed. I find it in Brockett and the Hallamshire Glossary. Grose says it is a North and South of England word. Likken, Dutch. LICKLY, for likely, probable. (Brockett.) This word is never pronounced lickly, and we notice it only to say that it has two meanings, in New England. In the sense of good looking, as, "he is a likely fellow;" also, for a youth who promises well, and is intelligent; and for probable. The last seems its only meaning in England.

LIFT, for assistance. (Brockett.) We say, "give us a lift." It has another application; if one has an addition to his fortune, "he's got a great lift lately," may be heard as announcing it.

LITTLEST, for least. (Brockett.) Shakspeare makes use of it. It is common here.

LOAFER, LOAFING. This common expression, so far as I know, is peculiar to us, and of late invention, seems to come very directly from the German. Laufer is "courir," to run; laufen is "coureur," and one of the meanings of this is a rambler, a rover. By a very easy transition from these gentler terms, it can be made to have a strong or coarser and more vulgar application; and loafing, or to go loafing about, is to run about idling; and a loafer, is an idle vagabond. LOON, for loun, lowne; an idle vagabond, a worthless fellow, a rascal. (Brockett.) In the first sense, this word may be heard in New England; "a lazy loon,” being no uncommon expression; also, "as stupid as a loon." In neither of the others do I remember it. Shakspeare makes "Macbeth," in an agony, cry out— "The devil damn thee, thou cream-faced loon, Where gots thou that goose-book?"

LOUT, a heavy, idle fellow. (North of England.) "A lout of a fellow," is not uncommon among us. LUBBART, an awkward, clownish fellow. (Brockett.) This word may be found in Shakspeare, Milton, and later authors. We say lubber, in the precise sense given above. Lowt, which Shakspeare uses, is a synonym, and not unfrequent in New England.

LUMAKIN. A lumakin sort of a fellow, for an awkward

person, is used here. Mr. Akerman gives it as in use

in Wiltshire.

LUMP. There is a mode of using this word in New

England, or was, that seems to be peculiar. "If you don't like it, you may lump it," was a defiance to a boy who had taken offence at something said or done. Whence comes lump, or what it means, I do not know. "To take in the gross, without attention to particulars," the definition in Tod's Johnson, covers it to a certain extent. Forby gives lump, to drub with violence. The German lumpen, "traiter avec mepris," which would give the meaning, "if you don't like it, treat it with contempt," is not far from the New England use of the word. Thence it might be, "if you don't like it, treat it with contempt."

LUSTYISH, for rather stout; inclining to be fat. (Brockett.) This is our application of the word.

LYNCH. Is a Western mode of arranging social griev

ances.

LYNCH-LAW. A summary execution of the will of those

who live under no fear of the restraints of laws or civilization. It seems to be absolutely necessary, as, without it, there would be no hope of ridding society, in new countries, of those who are a nuisance. It is a rough expression of the moral sense, and frequently well directed.

MAD, for very angry.

M.

This is one of the words that English travelers laughed at us for using. "Let me alone, I am mad with you;" but it is only through ignorance of the language of their own people. It is used in Essex, and in Middleton's "Your Five Gallants," one of the characters uses it:—

"They're mad; she graced me with one private minute above their fortunes."

MANNERSBIT. A portion of a dish left by the guests, that the host may not feel himself reproached for insufficient preparation. (Hallamshire Glossary.) Among the relics of old times and their fashions, this still exists in New England; probably, however, as a custom only among the very particular, and the very precise. "Leave some for manners," was always enjoined on us, as school-boys, and was always practiced by all, old and young. The last piece of toast, the last piece of pudding, the last potato, were untouched; and so left the table, notwithstanding the significant glances of the hungry and half-satisfied.

MANTEL-PIECE, the chimney-piece. (Hallamshire Glossary.) This, which formerly meant the whole of the work about a chimney, seldom is applied to more than the piece of wood or marble that crosses its top. MARE'S NEST. "He has found a mare's nest, and is laughing at the eggs," said of one who laughs without any apparent cause. (Grose's Classical Dictionary.)