LONG-FACED TIMOTHY [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—With reference
to Mr. Walter Tew's inquiry regarding the old rhyme about " Long-faced Timothy," I find in an old book of English Fairy Tales, collected by Joseph Jacobs, a story called " Master of All Masters," in which " hot cocks- lorum " is mentioned, also " white faced Simminy " (referring to the cat), and at the end of the book, which gives notes and references, it says : " Source.—I have taken what suited me from a number of sources which shows how wide-spread this quaint droll is in England : (i) In Mayhew; London Poor, iii, 391, told by a lad in the work- house ; (n) Several versions in 7 Notes and Queries (iii) 35, 87, 159, 398.
" Parallels.—Rev. W. Gregor gives a Scotch version under the title The Clever Apprentice,' in Folk Lore Journal, vii, 166. Mr. Hartland, in Notes and Queries, l.c. 87, refers to Pitre's Frabi iii, 120, for a variant.
" Remarks.—According to Mr. Hartland, the story is designed as a satire on pedantry and is as old in Italy as Straparola (sixteenth century).
" In passionate Sicily, a wife disgusted with her husband's pantry, sets the house on fire and informs her husband of the fact in this unintelligible gibberish ; he, not understanding his own lingo, falls a victim to the flames and she marries the servant who had taken the message."
I enclose a copy of the story :- MASTER or ALL MASTERS.
A girl once went to the fair to hire herself for servant. At last a funny-looking old gentleman engaged her, and took her home to his house. When she got there, he told her that he had
something to teach her, for that in his house he had his own names for things.
He said to her, " What will you call. me ? " "Master or Mister, or whatever you please, sir." He Said, " You must call Inc Master of all Masters.' And what would you call this ? " pointing
to his bed. •
" Bed or couch, or _whatever you please, sir." " No, that's my barnacle. And what do you call these Y " said he, pointing to his ,pantaloens. " Breeches or trousers, or whatever you please,
sir.' You must call them ' squibs and crackers.' And what would you call her ? " pointing to the cat. " Cat or Kit, or whatever you please, sir." " You must call her white faced simminy.' And this now," showing the fire, " what would you call this'? " " Fire or flame, or whatever you please, sir."- " You must call it `hot cockalorum,' and what this ? " he went on, pointing to the water. " Water or wet, or whatever you please, sir." " No pondalorum ' is its- name. And what do you call this ? " asked he, as he pointed to the house. " House or cottage, or whatever you please, sir." " You must call it high topper mountain.' " That very night the servant woke her master up in a fright and said, " Master of all Masters, get out of your barnacle, and put on your squibs and crackers, for white-faced simminy has got a spark of hot cockalorum on its tail, and unless you get some pondalorum, high topper mountain will be all on hot cockalortun."
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