A New England Oath

"I swaimy" does such universal luty as an oatli throughout New England that the expreasion merits some, attention as a philologícal curiosily. No oue can sojouruamoug rural New Englanders for auy lengtb of time without i ing üriven to ppeculate as to the origin of j the plu'Ase. Could it llave come down through ages oí gradual elimiuation f rom i some highlv respeotable pagan formula, i such as " I will swear by any o[ the j gods," for inslance? This seema a not wholly iueredible supposition, and lifts the roeming valgarira at once to tlie