Per costam et scopulis Lobster manifootus in udis We must not omit to notice Ruggles, the facetious author of Ignoramus, as he has introduced some laughable macaronicisms in that amusing play. Prefixed to it are these lines by Dulman "In laudem Ignorami.” Non inter plaios gallantos et bene gaios, Hic multum Frenchum, quo possis vincere wenchum ; Hunc bookum amamus, simul hunc et jure probamus; Ignoramus himself thus recites how he will endow his mistress Rosabella; what we may consider his instructions for a marriage settlement. Versus Legales de Rosabella. Si possem, vellem pro te, Rosa, ponere pellem : Farthingales biggos, stomacheros, et periwiggos, Pantofflos, cuffos, garteros, Spanica ruffos, Buskos et soccos, tiffanas, et Cambrica smockos, Among the specimens will be found a short scene from this play, containing a humorous burlesque of Law-Latin, though that venerable dialect scarcely requires a caricature to display its powers: what will the uninitiated say to a Writ de pipa vini cariandâ, i. e. for negligently carrying a pipe of wine? But our most regular macaronic writer is Dr. Geddes, who was born in Banff in the year 1737, and died in 1802. The following are his productions in this style : 1790. Epistola Macaronica ad Fratrem de iis quæ gesta sunt in nupero Dissentientium Conventu, Londini habito, prid. id. Feb. 1790. 4to. pp. 21. Epistola Macaronica, &c. with an English version for the use of the ladies and country gentlemen. 4to. pp. 30. 1795. Ode Pindarico-Sapphico-Macaronica, in Guglielmi Pitti, &c. Laudem. Morning Chronicle, Jan. 13. Translation of the same. Ditto Jan. 30. 1800. Bardomachia, Poema Macaronico-Latinum. 4to. pp. 14. Bardomachia, or the Battle of the Bards; translated from the original Latin. 4to. pp. 16. This was written on the subject of a battle (celebrated at the time) between two rival authors in a bookseller's shop. In the year 1801, a collection was printed (I believe not published) under the superintendance of Dr. A. Duncan, as appears from aMS. observation in the copy penès me.* It is entitled, "Carminum rariorum Macaronicorum delectus, in usum ludorum Apollinarium. Edinburgh, 1801. 8vo." and includes several clever classical jeux d'esprit, but scarcely any thing strictly macaronic, except the "Polemo-middinia," and a burlesque diploma for Dr. Wm. Sutherland, which is printed in the latter part of the present volume. It is now high time to close this introduction, and I beg to remind any readers, that this work is only intended for light reading, and to request that if inclined to exercise their critical powers, they will seek some book of more pretence, and not break an insect on the wheel. * That is, I fancy, fashionable literary parlance for my copy, and has the benefit of being rather less intelligible to ladies, and boys-I beg their pardon-young gentlemen (there are no boys in these intellectual times) of the under forms. There is nothing like observing these technicalities occasionally; they cause a sort of sacred mist, a kind of enas eσre Bebnλo shade, which scares unauthorized intruders. What an undefinable air of mystery do they throw about a lawyer's or a carpenter's bill, or a physician's prescription! PUGNA PORCORUM PER P. PORCIUM РОЁТАМ. Paraclesis pro Potore. Perlege porcorum pulcherrima prælia, Potor, Potando poteris placidam proferre poësin. NIVERSTADII: APUD CASPARUM MYRRHEUM, MELCHIOREM THUREUM, & BALTHASARUM AUREUM. AD LECTOREM JODOCUS HELMONTANUS. Porciolus Porcos, cecinisti parva croacum, AD EUNDEM. Mæonides ranas cecinit, sed Porcius ille AD EUNDEM. Potando pugnas Porcorum perlege potor, Petendis posuit præmia porciolus. Porcorumque procul propellant prælia planctus, Persuadent propter poëmata percinere. Perdocuit paucis Porcorum pulchra Poëta Prælia, perlecto plaudite Porciolo. |