But I gae mad at their grimaces, Their sighin', cantin', grace-proud faces, Their three-mile prayers, and hauf-mile graces, Their raxin' conscience, Whase greed, revenge, and pride disgraces Waur nor their nonsense. There's Gawn, misca't waur than a beast, Wha has mair honour in his breast Than mony scores as guid's the priest Wha sae abus't him; And may a bard no crack his jest What way they've use't him? See him, the poor man's friend in need, The gentleman in word and deed, And shall his fame and honour bleed By worthless skellums, And not a Muse erect her head Oh, Pope, had I thy satire's darts Their jugglin' hocus-pocus arts A' KEN I'm no the thing I should be, Gavin Hamilton beating confusion sober fearful bard knew loose half stretching whose worse than blamed wretches talkative fellows give C But twenty times I rather would be Than under gospel colours hid be An honest man may like a glass, And then cry zeal for gospel laws, They take religion in their mouth; And hunt him down o'er right and ruth, All hail, Religion! maid divine! Though blotch't and foul wi' mony a stain With trembling voice I tune my strain Who boldly daur thy cause maintain In spite o' crowds, in spite o' mobs, By scoundrels, even wi' holy robes, O Ayr! my dear, my native ground, As men, as Christians too, renowned, Sir, in that circle you are named; Sir, in that circle you are famed; And some, by whom your doctrine's blamed Even, sir, by them your heart's esteemed, Pardon this freedom I have ta'on, And if impertinent I've been, false scope poor Impute it not, good sir, in ane Ought that belang'd ye. one whose belonged to TO A MOUSE, ON TURNING UP HER NEST WITH THE PLOUGH, NOVEMBER 1785. The best-laid schemes o' mice and men, And lea'e us nought but grief and pain, Still thou art blest, compared wi' me! And forward, though I canna see, go oft wrong eye HALLOWE'EN.* The following poem will, by many readers, be well enough understood; but for the sake of those who are unacquainted with the manners and traditions of the country where the scene is cast, notes are added, to give some account of the prin cipal charms and spells of that night, so big with prophecy to the peasantry in the west of Scotland. The passion of prying into futurity makes a striking part of the history of human nature in its rude state, in all ages and nations; and it may be some entertainment to a philosophic mind, if any such should honour the author with a perusal, to see the remains of it among the more unenlightened in our own. "Yes! let the rich deride, the proud disdain, UPON that night, when fairies light, There, up the Covet to stray and rove To sport that night. Amang the bonny, winding banks, Where Doon rins, wimplin', clear, GOLDSMITH.-B. Where Bruce§ ance ruled the martial ranks, And shook his Carrick spear, Some merry, friendly, country folks Together did convene, To burn their nits, and pou their stocks, Fu' blythe that night. over, field: meandering once nuts, pull hold Hallowe'en or All Hallow Eve is thought to be a night when witches, devils, and other mischief-making beings are all abroad on their baneful midnight errands; particularly those aürial people, the fairies, are said on that night to hold a grand anniversary.-B. Certain little romantic, rocky, green hills, in the neighbourhood of the ancient Beat of the Earls of Cassilis.-B. A noted cavern near Colean House, called the Cove of Colean; which, as well as Casilis Downans, is famed in country story for being a favourite haunt of fairies.-B. § The famous family of that name, the ancestors of Robert, the great deliverer of his country, were Earls of Carrick.-B. |