O Lord! yestreen, thou kens, wi' Meg— Thy pardon I sincerely beg, O! may it ne'er be a livin' plague To my dishonour, An' I'll ne'er lift a lawless leg Again upon her. Besides, I farther maun allow, When I came near her, Or else thou kens thy servant true Wad ne'er hae steer'd her. Maybe thou lets this fleshly thorn Lest he owre high and proud should turn, 'Cause he 's sae gifted; If sae, thy hand maun e'en be borne, Lord, bless thy chosen in this place, Wha bring thy elders to disgrace, An' public shame. Lord, mind Gavin Hamilton's deserts, Wi' grit an' sma', Frae God's ain priest the people's hearts An' whan we chasten'd him therefore, As set the warld in a roar O' laughin' at us; Curse thou his basket and his store, Kail and potatoes! Lord, hear my earnest cry an' pray'r, Thy strong right hand, Lord, make it bare, Lord, weigh it down, and dinna spare, O Lord my God, that glib-tongu'd P Aiken, While he, wi' hingin' lips an' snakin', Lord, in the day of vengeance try him; Nor hear their pray'r; But, for thy people's sake, destroy 'em, But, Lord, remember me and mine An' a' the glory shall be thine, Amen, Amen. EPITAPH ON HOLY WILLIE. HERE Holy Willie's sair worn clay, up His saul has taen some other way, I fear the left-hand road. Stop! there he is, as sure 's a gun, Nae wonder he's as black 's the grun, Having readiness of speech. Your brunstane devilship, I see, But hear me, sir, deil as ye are, THE CALF. TO THE REVEREND MR. On his text, Malachi iv. 2. And they shall go forth, and grow up, like calves of the stall." RIGHT, Sir! your text I'll prove it true, For instance, there's yoursel just now, And should some patron be so kind, I doubt na, sir, but then we 'll find But, if the lover's raptur'd hour Forbid it, ev'ry heavenly power, Tho', when some kind, connubial dear, The like has been, that you may wear 4A very calf. A yearling bullock. ✔ An ox. And in your lug, most reverend James, And when ye 're number'd wi' the dead, Wi' justice they may mark your head Here lies a famous bullock !' TO A LOUSE. On seeing one on a Lady's Bonnet at Church. Owre gauze and lace; Ye ugly, creepin', blastit wonner, Gae somewhere else and seek your dinner, Swith, in some beggar's haffet squattle; In shoals and nations; Whare horn nor bane ne'er dare unsettle Now haud ye there, ye're out o' sight, y A term of contempt. A contemptuous appellation. x Crawling. z To walk sturdily. Get away. d The side of the head. e To sprawl. ƒ Trimmings. The vera tapmost, tow'ring height My sooth! right bauld ye set your nose out, As plump and gray as onie grozet ;8 O for some rank, mercurial rozet,b Or fell, red smeddum,1 I'd gie you sic a hearty doze o't, Wad dress your droddum !k I wad na be surpris'd to spy But Miss's fine Lunardi' fie, How dare ye do't? O Jenny, dinna toss your head, The blastie's makin'! O wad some pow'r the giftie gie us It wad frae monie a blunder free us And foolish notion: What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us, ODE, SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF MRS. OF DWELLER in yon dungeon dark, A Breech. • A fannel vest. p Abroad. i Powder. |