[Ads-l] "to hell in a hand-barrow" interdating, 1831; was Re: New York Sunday Mercury

ADSGarson O'Toole adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Mon Nov 16 15:04:37 UTC 2020


Below is a possible precursor: "ride to Hell in a Wayn" where the word
"Wayn" probably refers to a four-wheeled cart for hauling loads. The
date is between 1639 and 1661.

Title and date: Rump, or, An exact collection of the choycest poems
and songs relating to the late times by the most eminent wits from
anno 1639 to anno 1661.
Author:  Alexander Brome (1620-1666)
Section: RUMP SONGS. The Second Part.
Song: Chipps of the Old Block; or, Hercules Cleansing the Augaean
Stable. To the Tune of The Sword.

http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A29621.0001.001

[Begin excerpt]
That Mine of Fraud Sir Arthur,
His Soul for Lands will barter,
And if you'd ride to Hell in a Wayn
Hee's fit to make your Carter,
[End excerpt]

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wain#English
[Begin excerpt]
wain (wayn)
(archaic or literary) A wagon; a four-wheeled cart for hauling loads,
usually pulled by horses or oxen.
"The Hay Wain" is a famous painting by John Constable.
[End excerpt]

Garson


On Mon, Nov 16, 2020 at 9:08 AM Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:
>
> Let us treat the old frumps to a kick.
> And consign them to hell in a hand-barrow.
>
> The Tattler. Monday Dec. 5, 1831, no. 392,  535/2
>
> Stephen
> https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015036816596&view=1up&seq=541&q1=%22hell%20in%20a%20hand%22
>
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of dave at WILTON.NET <dave at WILTON.NET>
> Sent: Monday, November 16, 2020 8:16 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Re: New York Sunday Mercury
>
> Thanks. There seems to be a huge gap in the coverage of this phrase.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> On Behalf Of Stephen
> Goranson
> Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2020 9:05 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: [ADS-L] New York Sunday Mercury
>
> Though I am not aware of a digital version, which indeed might give the
> quote from "On Whales and Little Fishes" reprinted, though "revised," in
> 1841, Short Patent Sermons, Dow Jr. It may be worth noting that another
> serial periodical, The Weekly pacquet of advice from Rome, or, The history
> of popery. Henry Care, 1678-1680 was reprinted in 1682.
> The history of popery, or, Pacquet of advice from Rome :
> the fourth volume containing the lives of eighteen popes and the most
> remarkable occurrences in the church, for near one hundred and fifty years,
> viz. from the beginning of Wickliff's preaching, to the first appearance of
> Martin Luther, intermixt with several large polemical discourses, as whether
> the present Church of Rome be to be accounted a Church of Christ, whether
> any Protestant may be present at Mass and other important subjects :
> together with continued courants, or innocent reflections weekly on the
> distempers of the times.
> Henry Care, London 1682--which has been noted for this before.
> From page 215 at Early English Books Online:
> Damme, concludes the fourth man, that story of Godfrey's being Killed at
> Sommerset-house was all Bubble; why the Divel should the Papists meddle with
> him? the three poor fellows were meerly sworn out of their Lives, and so
> were all the rest; that noise of a Popish Plot was nothing in the world but
> an intrigue of the Whigs to destroy the Kings best Friends, and the Devil
> fetch me to Hell in a Hand basket, if I might have my will, there should not
> be one Fanatical Dog left alive in the three Kingdoms.
>
> Stephen Goranson
> http://people.duke.edu/~goranson/
>
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> dave at WILTON.NET <dave at WILTON.NET>
> Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2020 8:18 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: New York Sunday Mercury
>
> Does anyone know if the New York Sunday Mercury has been digitized, and if
> so, where it might be found? I can't find it in any of the usual databases.
>
> It's a rather important paper (the first to publish Mark Twain, the first to
> cover baseball), so I'm a bit surprised that I can't find it.
>
> In particular, I suspect that it contains a pre-1841 antedating of "hell in
> a handbasket/handcart."
>
> --Dave Wilton
>
>
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