THE DEUK'S DANG O'ER MY DADDIE.

There is still much of the spirit of the old indelicate song of the same nama, in the following verses.

THE bairns' gat out wi' an unco2 shout,
The deuk's dang' o'er my daddie, O!
The fient ma care, quo' the feirie auld wife,
He was but a paidlin" body, O!
He paidles out, and he paidles in,
An' he paidles late and early, O;
This seven lang years I hae lien by his side,
An' he is but a fusionless carlie, O.

Oh haud your tongue, my feirie auld wife,
Oh haud your tongue now, Nansie, O:
I've seen the day, and sae hae ye,
Ye wadna been sae donsie," O:

I've seen the day ye butter'd my brose,
And cuddled me late and earlie, O;
But downa1 do 's come o'er me now,
And, oh, I find it sairly, O!

THE FIVE CARLINS.-AN ELECTION BALLAD.

There is considerable humor in this ballad. It was written on a desperately contested election for the Dumfries district of boroughs, between Sir James Johnson of Wester-hall, and Mr. Miller of Dalswinton.

TUNE-Chevy-chace.

THERE were five Carlins" in the south,

They fell upon a scheme,

To send a lad to Lon'on town

To bring us tidings hame.

Not only bring us tidings hame,

But do our errands there,

And aiblins" gowd and honor baith

Might be that laddie's share.

1 Children.-2 Great.-3 Duck.-4 Driven or pushed.-5 Fiend.- Stout,

vigorous.

Infirm, walking with a feeble step.-8 Dry, sapless.-9 Unlucky.

10 Unable, cannot.-11 Stout old women.-12 Perhaps.

There was Maggie by the banks o' Nith,'
A dame wi' pride eneugh;

And Marjorie o' the monie Loch,'

A Carlin auld an' teugh."

And blinkin' Bess o' Annandale,*
That dwells near Solway side,
And whisky Jean that took her gill'
In Galloway so wide.

And auld black Joan frae Creighton peel,"
O' gipsy kith an' kin,"
Five weightier Carlins were na found
The south kintraR within.

To send a lad to Lon'on town
They met upon a day,

And monie a Knight and monie a Laird,
That errand fain would gae.

Oh! monie a Knight and monie a Laird,
This errand fain would gae;

But nae ane could their fancy please,
Oh! ne'er a ane but twae.

The first ane was a belted Knight,
Bred o' a border band,

An' he wad gae to Lon'on town,
Might nae man him withstand.

And he wad do their errands weel,
And meikle he wad say,

And ilka ane at Lon'on court
Wad bid to him guid day.

Then neist came in a sodger youth,
And spak wi' modest grace,
An' he wad gae to Lon'on town,
If sae their pleasure was.

He wad na hecht' them courtly gift,
Nor meikle speech pretend;

But he wad hecht an honest heart

Wad ne'er desert his friend.

Dumfries. Lochmaben.-3 Tough.-4 Annan.-5 Kirkcudbright.Sanquhar.-7 Kindred.-8 Country.-9 Offer.

Now whom to choose and whom refuse;
To strife thae Carlins fell;
For some had gentle-folk to please,
And some wad please themsel.

Then out spak mim-mou'd Meg o' Nith,
And she spak out wi' pride,
An' she wad send the sodger youth
Whatever might betide.

For the auld guidman o' Lon'on court
She did not care a pin,

But she wad send the sodger youth
To greet his eldest son.

Then up sprang Bess o' Annandale:
A deadly aith she's ta'en,

That she wad vote the border Knight,
Tho' she should vote her lane.

For far off fowls hae feathers fair,
An' fools o' change are fain:
But I hae tried the border Knight,
I'll try him yet again.

Says auld black Joan frae Creighton peel,
A Carlin stout and grim,

The auld guidman or young guidman,
For me may sink or swim!

For fools may prate o' right and wrang,

While knaves laugh them to scorn:

But the Sodger's friends hae blawn the best,
Sae he shall bear the horn.

Then whisky Jean spak o'er her drink-
Ye weel ken, kimmers' a',

The auld guidman o' Lon'on court,
His back's been at the wa':

And monie a friend that kiss'd his caup,1
Is now a frammit3 wight;

But it's ne'er sae wi' whisky Jean

We'll send the border Knight.

1 Gossips.-2 Wooden drinking vessel.-3 Strange, or estranged.

Then slow raise Marjorie o' the Lochs,
And wrinkled was her brow;
Her ancient weed was russet gray,

Her auld Scots heart was true.

There's some great folks set light by me,
I set as light by them;
But I will send to Lon'on town,
Wha I lo'e best at hame.

So how this weighty plea will end,
Nae mortal wight can tell;
G-d grant the King and ilka man
May look weel to himsel.

OH THAT I HAD NE'ER BEEN MARRIED.

Written for the Musical Museum-the chorus is old.

On that I had ne'er been married,
I wad never had sic care-
Now I've gotten wife an' bairns,
An' they cry crowdie ever mair.
Ance crowdie, twice crowdie,
Three times crowdie in a day;
Gin ye crowdie ony mair,

Ye'll crowdie a' my meal away.

Waefu' want an' hunger fley' me,
Glowrin" by the hallan en'-
Sair I fecht them at the door,

But ay I'm eerie they come ben."
Ance crowdie, &c.

1 A dish made by pouring boiling water on oatmeal, and stirring it.-2 To make afraid.—3 Staring.-4 Partition wall. To fight.-6 Frighted.—7 Inwards.

44

THE JOLLY BEGGARS.

A CANTATA.

This spirited and humorous production was first introduced to the public by Mr. T. Stewart of Greenock. It appeared in a thin octavo, published at Glasgow in 1801, under the title of "Poems ascribed to Robert Burns, the Ayrshire Bard." Dr. Currie refused to admit it into his collection, because the Poet had trespassed slightly upon the limits of Presbyterian purity, and spoken rather irreverently of courts and churches.

RECITATIVO.

WHEN lyart' leaves bestrow the yird,
Or wavering like the bauckie-bird,2
Bedim cauld Boreas' blast;
When hail-stanes drive wi' bitter skyte,
And infant frosts begin to bite,
In hoary cranreuch1 drest;

5

Ae night at e'en a merry core
O' randie, gangrel bodies,
In Posie-Nansie's held the splore,
To drink their orra duddies:"
Wi' quaffing and laughing,
They ranted and they sang;
Wi' jumping and thumping,
The very girdle1o rang.

First neist" the fire, in auld red rags,
Ane sat, weel braced wi' mealy bags,
And knapsack a' in order;
His doxy lay within his arm,
Wi' usquebae an' blankets warm,
She blinket on her sodger:

An' ay he gies the toozie drab
The tither skelpin" kiss,
While she held up her geedy gab14

Just like an aumos15 dish.

1 Gray, or dead leaves.-2 The razor-bill.-3 To eject with great force.Hoar-frost.-5 Turbulent.—6 Strolling.

The landlady of a whisky-house, in the outskirts of Mauchline, in which the beggars held their orgies, and where the present group actually met. 8 A frolic.- Superfluous rags, or pence: or whatever they could turn inte money.-10 A round plate of iron for toasting cakes over the fire.-11 Next.12 Swarthy.-13 Warm, eager.-14 Mouth.-15 An alms-dish.