Mrs. ANN WHEELER, the Authoress of the four following Dialogues in the Westmoreland Dialect, was the daughter of Edward and Eleanor Coward, of Cartmel, where she was born and educated. When a young woman she went to London and remained there for eighteen years, part of which time she lived as housekeeper in a gentleman's family. She left her situation to marry a person of the name of Wheeler, the captain of a vessel in the Guinea trade. On the death of her husband, she returned to her native county to live with her brother, Mr. W. M. Coward, at Arnside Tower, where she wrote the Westmoreland Dialect; Strictures on the Inhabitants of a Market Town; Female Restoration; Acco and Ego, a dialogue; besides several other pieces never published, but which she left prepared for the press. Mrs. Wheeler died at Arnside Tower, on the 2nd of November, 1804, aged 69, and was buried within the chancel of Beetham church. She left a guinea to the Vicar to preach her funeral sermon from Psalm xciv, 19. By all who knew her she was highly esteemed as an affectionate, charitable woman.

A PREFATORY DISCOURSE.

I

KNA mony of my readers will think, nay en say, I hed lile et dea tae rite sic maapment about nae body knas wha; I mud hev fund mitch better employment in a cuntry hause, tae mind milkiness, sarra th coafs, leak heftert pigs en hens, spin tow for bord claiths en sheets; it wod hev been mitch mair farently then ritin books, a wark ets fit for nin but parson et dea; but en ea mud rite I sud hev meaad receits for sweet pyes en rice puddins, en takin mauls aut eth claiths, that mud hev done gud, but as tae this, nea yan knas what it means, it's a capper.

It wur net ith time of Oliver Crumel ner King Stune, but sum udder king, two men com a girt way off, ameast be Lunon, an they wanted toth gang owar Sand, but when they com an leaked what a fearful way it wur owar, en nae hedges ner tornpike tae be seen, they wur flayed en steud

B

gloarin about net knain what toth dea, when belive a man com ridin up tew em en eshed whaar they wur bawn; they sed owar Sand, but it wur sic a parlish way they didn't like tae gang, for feard ea been drownt; this mon sed cum gang wie me, I'll tak ye'th seaf owar I'll uphod ye'th; wie that they set off, an thor men hed bean at a college caod Cambridg, en they thout tae hev sum gam wie their guide, soa as they raidd alang, yan on em sed he wod give a supper an a crawn baul of punch if they cud cap him ea ony six words; they tryd mony a time, but cud net deat. At last they gat seaf owar Sand, en ridin up Shilla, two wimen wur feighten, hed pood yan an udder's caps off en neckcloths; they steud and leakd et em a lile bit, when th guide cood out "En udder blae el deat." Upon hearing this, our travellers sed yee hev won the wager, for that wur a language unknawn to onny university.

THE WESTMORELAND DIALECT

IN FOUR DIALOGUES.

DIALOGUE I.

Between ANN and MARY, upon running away from

ANN.

a bad husband.

AE whaar er yee bawn, yee er sae dond

SAE

awt ith check happron? What ails

tae? What haesta been greeten?

MARY. Aye, marry I've enuff tae greet about. ANN. Whya what farts flawn rang naw I preia? What's Joan an thee fawn awt agayn?

MARY. Aye, Ise gangin tae Lirple wie Peter, I'll stay nin here, I'll nivver leev wie him maar, Ise git a sarvis sum whaar I racken.

ANN. Nae daut but thau may, but thaul want to be at heaam agayn.

MARY. Nay nivver while I leev, for I've born his ill humour and sorliness ivver sen I wor wed, naw gangin ea eight yeer, an hees ivvery day waars, an I'll bide nea langer, sae gang I will.

ANN. But what, hee's nea waars then he wur, is he? What thau naas him, preia maak yersel yeasy.

MARY. When we wor wed he tewk me heaam to leev ith auld end with fadder fowk, it wur sic a spot as yee nivver saw barn, it wur as black as the Dule's nutin bag wie seat, an it reeks yee cannit see yan anudder; he began wie corsin an lickin me an hees hodden on ivver sen. I doant like cocklin, an gang toth skeer I'll net, an I can nivver spin tow enuff to please him, hees sic a reeden paddock; last neet he lickd me with steal, threw a teanale wie cockls at me, brack aw me cups an saucers, a teepot I gav a grote for at Kendal Fair, threw tee imme een, but I was gaily une wie him for I slat a pot a weatin in his feace, meaad his een sae saar that he cud net hoppen em; he swaar he wad kill me when he gat haad omma, soa he may, for Ise nivver ane him mair while I leev.

ANN. Thau tauks terrably, whya thau wod be teerd in a lile time was tae frae him, what cud tae dea at Lirple, nae yan dar tak the in, a husband has terrable pawer, nae justice can bang him, he can dea what he will wie the, he may lick the, nay hoaf kill the, or leaam the, or clam the, naae sell the, an nae yan dar mell on him.

MARY. Oddwhite justice an king teea, for meaakin sic laas, nae yan can bide wie him, an arrant filth! Hees oways drunk when heeas brass, an then he grudges me saut to me podish, nae he taks brass I git wie spinin tow, an barns an I may clam ith