The Proverbs of Scotland Part 17

Better be before at a burial than ahint at a bridal.

Better be blythe wi' little than sad wi' naething.

Better be envied than pitied.

Better be friends at a distance than enemies at hame.

Better be happy than wise.

Better be idle than ill doing.

Better be John Tamson's man, than Ring and Dinn's, or John Knox's.

"John Thomson's man is he that is complaisant to his wife's humours; Ring and Dinn's is he whom his wife scolds; John Knox's is he whom his wife beats."--_Kelly._

Better be kind than c.u.mbersome.

Better belly burst than gude meat spoil.

A plea for gluttony on the score of economy.

Better bend than break.

Better be out o' the warld than out o' fas.h.i.+on.

Better be sonsy than soon up.

Better be the head o' the commons than the tail o' the gentry.

"To reign is worth ambition, though in h.e.l.l; Better to reign in h.e.l.l than serve in heaven."--_Milton._

Better be the lucky man than the lucky man's son.

Better bow to my faes than beg frae my friends.

Better buy than borrow.

Better cry "Feigh, saut," than "Feigh, stink."

The first can be remedied or improved in cooking; but a putrid article cannot.

Better day the better deed.

Better do it than wish it done.

Better eat brown bread in youth than in eild.

Better fed than bred.

Better find iron than tine siller.

Better fleech a fool than fight him.

"'I have as much mind as ever I had to my dinner, to go back and tell him to sort his horse himself, since he is as able as I am.'

'Hout tout, man!' answered Jasper, 'keep a calm sough: better to fleech a fool than fight with him.'"--_The Monastery._

Better gang about than fa' in the dub.

Rather a long road and safety than a short one attended with danger.

Better gang to bed supperless than rise in debt.

Better gie the slight than tak it.

Better greet ower your gudes than after your gudes.

Meaning that it is better not to sell goods at all than to sell and not be paid for them.

Better gude sale than gude ale.

Better guide weel than work sair.

Better hae than want.

Better hain weel than work sair.

Better half egg than toom doup.

"Better half an egg than empty sh.e.l.ls."--_German._

Better half hang'd than ill married.

Better hand loose nor bound to an ill bakie.

"_Bakie_, the stake to which an ox or cow is bound to the stall."--_Jamieson._

Better hands loose than in an ill tethering.

Better happy at court than in gude service.

Better haud at the brim than at the bottom.

Better haud by a hair than draw by a tether.

Better haud out than put out.

"Prevention is better than cure."--_English._