II.

Amang the Bonnie, winding banks,
Whare Doon rins, wimplin, clear,

Whare BRUCE ance rul'd the martial ranks,
And fhook his Carrick spear,

Some merry, friendly, countra folks,

Together did convene,

To burn their nits, an' pou their stocks,

An' had their Halloween

Fu' blythe that night.

III.

The laffes feat, an' cleanly neat,
Mair braw than when they're finc
Their faces blythe, fu' fweetly kythe,
Hearts leal, an' warm, an' kin':
The lads fae trig, wi' wooer-babs,
Weel knotted on their gartin,
Some unco blate, and fome wi' gabs,
Gar laffes hearts gang startin,

Whyles fast at night,

IV.

Then, first an' foremost, thro' the kail,
Their flocks maun a' be fought ance;
They steek their een, an' graip an' wale,
For muckle anes, an' ftraight anes.

* The famous family of that name, the ancestors of Robert the great Deliverer of his country, were Earls of Carrick.

The first ceremony of Halloween is pulling each a Stock, or plant of kail. They muft go out, hand in hand, with eyes fhut, and pull the firft they meet with; its being big or little, ftraight or crooked, is prophetic of the fize and fhape of the grand object of all their Spells---the husband or wife.

I

Poor hav'rel Will fell aff the drift,
An' wander'd thro' the Bow-kail,
An' pou't for want o' better shift,

A runt was like a fow tail,

Sae bow't that night.

V.

Then, ftraught or crooked, yird or nane,
They roar an' cry a' throu❜ther;
The vera wee-things, toddlin, rin,
Wi' ftocks out-owre their fhouther:
An' gif the cuflock's sweet or four,

Wi' joctelegs they taste them;

Syne coziely, aboon the door,

Wi' cannie care they've plac'd them
To lie that night.

VI.

The laffes ftaw frae 'mang them a',

To their ftalks o' corn
pou

*

;

But Rab flips out, and jinks about,

Behint the muckle thorn:

If any yird, or earth, stick to the root, that is tocher, or for tune ; and the taste of the cuftock, that is, the heart of the ftem, is indicative of the natural temper and difpofition. Laftly, the stems, or, to give them their ordinary appella tion, the runts, are placed fomewhere above the head of the door and the Chriftian names of the people whom chance brings into the house, are, according to the priority of pla cing the runts, the names in question.

:

They go to the barn-yard, and pull each, at three feveral times, a ftalk of Oats. If the third ftalk wants the top pickle, that is, the grain at the top of the ftalk, the party queftion will come to the marriage-bed any thing but a Maid.

He grippet Nelly hard an' fast;
Loud fkirl'd a' the laffes;
But her tap-pickle maist was lost,

When kittlin i' the Faufe-house *

Wi' him that night.

VII.

The auld Guidwife's weel hoordet nit. †

Are round an' round divided,
An' monie lads an' laffes fates

Are there that night decided;
Some kindle, fouthie, fide by fide,
An' burn thegither trimly;
Some ftart awa wi' faucy pride,
And jump out-owre the chimlie

Fu' high that night,

VIII.

Jean flips in twa, wi' tentie e'e;
Wha 'twas the wadna tell;
But this is fock, an' this is me,
She fays in to herfel:

*When the corn is in a doubtful ftate, by being too green or wet, the ftalk-builder, by means of old timber, &c. makes a large apartment in his ftack, with an opening in the fide which is faireft expofed to the wind: this he calls a Faufe-Houfe.

Burning the nuts is a favourite charm. They name the lad and lafs to each particular nut, as they lay them in the fire; and according as they burn quietly together, or start from befide one another, the courfe and iffue of the Courtfhip will be,

He bleez'd owre her, and the owre him,

As they wad never mair part, Till fuff! he started up the lum, An' Jean had e'en a fair heart

To fee't that night.

IX.

Poor Willie, wi' his bow-kail runt,
Was brunt wi' primfie Mailie ;-
An' Mary, nae doubt, took the drunt,
To be compar'd to Willie ;
Mall's nit lap out, wi' pridefu' fling,
An' her ain fit it brunt it;
While Willie lap, an' fwoor by jing,
'Twas just the way he wanted

To be that night.

X.

Nell had the Faufe-houfe in her min',
She pits herfel an' Rob in;
In loving bleeze they fweetly join,
Till white in ase they're fobbin :
Nell's heart was dancin at the view:
She whifper'd Rob to leuk for't:
Rob, ftownlins, pri'd her bonny mou,

Fu' cozie in the neuk for't,

Unfeen that night.

XI.

But Merran fat behint their backs,

Her thoughts on Andrew Bell;
She lea'es them gafhin at their cracks ;
An' flips out by herfel:

She thro' the yard the nearest taks,
An' to the kiln fhe goes then,
An' darklins grapit for the bauks,
An' in the blue-clue throws then,

Right fear't that night.

XII.

An' ay fhe win't, an' ay fhe fwat,
I wat she had nae jaukin;
Till fomething held within the pat,
Guid L-d! but she was quakin!
But whether 'twas the Deil himsel,
Or whether 'twas a bauk-en',
Or whether it was Andrew Bell,
She did na wait on talkin

To fpier that night.

XIII.

Wee Jenny to her Graunie says,
'Will ye go wi' me, Graunie?

I'll eat the apple † at the glass,

"Whoever would, with fuccefs, try this fpell, muft strictly observe these directions: Steal out, all alone, to the kiln, and, darkling, throw into the pot a clue of blue yarn; wind it in a new clue off the old one; and towards the latter end, something will hold the thread: demand, wha bauds? i. e. who holds? and answer will be returned from the kiln-pot, by naming the Christian and Sirname of your future Spouse.

Take a candle, and go alone to a looking-glafs; eat an apple before it, and fome traditions fay you fhould comb your hair all the time; the face of your conjugal companion to be, will be seen in the glafs, as if peeping over your shoulder.