ON SEEING THE BEAUTIFUL SEAT OF
LORD GALLOWAY.‡

WHAT dost thou in that mansion fair?

Flit, Galloway, and find

Some narrow, dirty, dungeon cave,
The picture of thy mind!

ON THE SAME.

No Stewart art thou, Galloway,
The Stewarts all were brave;
Besides, the Stewarts were but fools,
Not one of them a knave.

ON THE SAME.

BRIGHT ran thy line, O Galloway,
Thro' many a far-fam'd sire!
So ran the far-fam'd Roman way,
So ended in a mire!

John Stewart, Eighth Earl of Galloway, K. T. who succeeded to the title in 1773, and died in 1796.

These four Epigrams were printed in Cromek's Reliques.

TO THE SAME,

ON THE AUTHOR BEING THREATENED WITH HIS

RESENTMENT.

SPARE me thy vengeance, Galloway,
In quiet let me live:

I ask no kindness at thy hand,
For thou hast none to give.

VERSES TO J. RANKINE.

AE day, as Death, that grusome carl,
Was driving to the tither warl'
A mixtie-maxtie motley squad,
And monie a guilt-bespotted lad;
Black gowns of each denomination,
And thieves of every rank and station,
From him that wears the star and garter,
To him that wintles in a halter;
Asham'd himsel to see the wretches,
He mutters, glowrin at the bitches,

66

By God I'll not be seen behint them, Nor 'mang the sp'ritual core present them,

Printed in the Glasgow Collection in 1801.

VOL. III.

Without, at least, ae honest man,
To grace this damn'd infernal clan."
By Adamhill a glance he threw,
"Lord God!" quoth he, "I have it now,
There's just the man I want, i' faith,"
And quickly stoppit Rankine's breath.

EXTEMPORANEOUS EFFUSION, ON BEING

APPOINTED TO THE EXCISE.*

SEARCHING auld wives' barrels,

Och, hon! the day!

That clarty barm should stain my laurels ;
But-what'll ye say?

These movin' things, ca'd wives and weans,
Wad move the very hearts o' stanes!

ON HEARING THAT THERE WAS FALSEHOOD

IN THE REV. DR. B-'S VERY LOOKS.*

THAT there is falsehood in his looks
I must and will deny :

They say their master is a knave—
And sure they do not lie.

* Printed in Cromek's Reliques.

POVERTY.

In politics if thou would'st mix,
And mean thy fortunes be;
Bear this in mind,— be deaf and blind,
Let great folks hear and see.

ON A SCHOOLMASTER IN CLEISH PARISH, FIFESHIRE.+

HERE lie Willie Michie's banes;
O Satan, when ye tak him,
Gie him the schoolin' of your weans,
For clever De'ils he'll mak them!

LINES

WRITTEN AND PRESENTED TO MRS. KEMBLE, ON SEEING

HER IN THE CHARACTER OF YARICO.

Dumfries Theatre, 1794.

KEMBLE, thou cur'st my unbelief
Of Moses and his rod;
At Yarico's sweet notes of grief
The rock with tears had flow'd.

+ Printed in Cromek's Reliques.

+ Printed in the Glasgow Collection in 1801.

I MURDER hate by field or flood,
Tho' glory's name may screen us;
In wars at hame I'll spend my blood,
Life-giving war of Venus.

The deities that I adore

Are social Peace and Plenty,
I'm better pleased to make one more,
Than be the death of twenty.

LINES WRITTEN ON A WINDOW, AT THE KING'S ARMS' TAVERN, DUMFRIES.

Ye men of wit and wealth, why all this sneering 'Gainst poor Excisemen? give the cause a

hearing;

What are your landlords' rent-rolls? taxing ledgers:

What premiers, what? even Monarchs' mighty

gaugers:

Nay, what are priests, those seeming godly wise men ?

What are they, pray, but spiritual Excisemen ?