If he some scheme, like tea and winnocks, Could he some commutation broach, Nor erudition, Yon mixtie-maxtie queer hotch-potch, Auld Scotland has a raucle tongue; And if she promise auld or young To tak their part, Though by the neck she should be strung, And now, ye chosen Five-and-Forty, Ye'll snap your fingers poor and hearty, God bless your honours a' your days, That haunt St Jamie's! windows oath mixture, broth rash bludgeon sulky food and clothes jackdaws POSTCRIPT. Let half-starved slaves in warmer skies She eyes her freeborn, martial boys What though their Phoebus kinder warms, Or hounded forth, dishonour arins Their gun's a burden on their shouther; Till skelp-a shot-they're aff, a' throwther, But bring a Scotchman frae his hill, shoulder cannot, powder uncertainty in confusion Say such is royal George's will, He has nae thought but how to kill Nae cauld, faint-hearted doubtings tease him; And when he fa's, His latest draught o' breathin' lea'es him Sages their solemn een may steek, And physically causes seek, In clime and season; But tell me whisky's name in Greek, Scotland, my auld, respected mither! eyes, shut Though whiles ye moistify your leather, sometimes, moisten Till whare ye sit, on craps o' heather Ye tine your dam; Freedom and whisky gang thegither!- crops lose THE AULD FARMER'S NEW-YEAR MORNING SALUTATION TO HIS AULD MARE MAGGIE, ON GIVING HER THE ACCUSTOMED RIPP OF CORN TO HANSEL A GUID New-year I wish thee, Maggie! Though thou's howe-backit now, and knaggie, I've seen the day Thou could hae gaen like ony staggie Though now thou's dowie, stiff, and crazy, A bonny gray: handful hollow, show[ing the bones colt over, field melancholy glossy He should been tight that daur't to raize thee prepared, excite Ance in a day. Thon ance was i' the foremost rank, And could hae flown out-owre a stank It's now some nine-and-twenty year, once stately, firm, agile earth stagnant ditch mare But hamely, tawie, quiet, and cannie, quiet to handle, gentle And unco sonsie. That day ye pranced wi' muckle pride, Kyle Stewart I could braggèd wide, Though now ye dow but hoyte and hobble, And wintle like a saumont-coble, That day ye was a jinker noble, For heels and win'! And ran them till they a' did wauble Far, far behin'! very, engaging much bore can, limp stagger, salmon-boat runner reel high-mettled tedious scream aloof When thou and I were young and skeigh, And stable-meals at fairs were dreigh, How thou would prance, and snore, and skreigh, And tak' the road! Town's bodies ran, and stood abeigh, And ca't thee mad. When thou was corn't, and I was mellow, We took the road aye like a swallow: At brooses thou had ne'er a fellow For pith and speed; But every tail thou pay't them hollow, The sma' droop-rumpl't, hunter cattle, race at a marriage But sax Scotch miles thou try't their mettle, And gar't them whaizle: Nae whip nor spur, but just a wattle O' saugh or hazle. Thou was a noble fittie-lan',* As e'er in tug or tow was drawn! [short race perhaps, worst, six made, wheeze wand willow harness Aft thee and I,,in aught hours' gaun, eight, going Hae turned sax rood beside our han' For days thegither. Thou never braindg't, and fetch't, and fliskit,† The right-hand horse in the plough. together whisked And spread abreed thy weel-filled brisket, Till spritty knowes wad rair't and risket,* And slypet owre. When frosts lay lang, and snaws were deep, I gied thy cog a wee bit heap Aboon the timmer; I kenn'd my Maggie wadna sleep For that, or simmer. In cart or car thou never reestit; The steyest brae thou wad hae face'd it; abroad, breast turned over wooden dish above, edge knew ere stopt steepest Thou never lap, and sten't and breastit, leapt, strained, sprung Then stood to blaw; But just thy step a wee thing hastit, Thou snoov't awa. Monie a sair daurk we twa hae wrought, And monie an anxious day I thought Yet here to crazy age we're brought, And think na, my auld trusty servan', A heapit stimpart, I'll reserve ane We've worn to crazy years thegither; We'll toyte about wi' ane anither; Wi' tentie care I'll flit thy tether, To some hain'd rig, Where ye may nobly rax you leather, Wi' sma' fatigue. breathe [forward hasted went smoothly on besides, more fifteen worst sore day's work world many would heap of corn eighth of bushel totter observant, move, halter spared ridge stretch THE TWA DOGS. A TALE. "TWAS in that place o' Scotland's isle That bears the name o' Auld King Coil, (Kyle in Ayrshire) Upon a bonnie day in June, When wearing through the afternoon, Rushy hillocks, would, roared, rasped. Twa dogs that were na thrang at hame, The first I'll name, they ca'd him Cæsar, His locked, lettered, braw brass collar, Nae tawted tyke, though e'er sae duddie, busy met ears whelped where, go fine none would cur smithy shaggy, ragged And FRISK OWRE stanes and hillocks wi' him. The tither was a ploughman's collie, He was a gash and faithful tyke, other blade (Ossian) sagacious jumped, ditch plump, brindled always got, each shaggy stately hips, swirling motion Nae doubt but they were fain o' ither, fond And unco pack and thick thegither; very intimate [ted Wi' social nose whyles snuff'd and snowkit, sometimes scen I've aften wondered, honest Luath, What sort o' life poor dogs like you have; And when the gentry's life I saw, What way poor bodies lived ava. Our laird gets in his racked rents, at all [ments His coals, his kain, and a' his stents; rent in kind, assess |