The Deil he could na scaith thee,
Or aught that wad belang thee;
He'd look into thy bonnie face,
And say, 'I canna wrang thee.'

The Powers aboon will tent thee;
Misfortune sha'na steer thee;
Thou'rt like themselves sae lovely,
That ill they'll ne'er let near thee.

Return again, Fair Lesley,

Return to Caledonie !

That we may brag, we hae a lass
There's nane again sae bonnie.

AMANG THE TREES.+

TUNE THE KING OF FRANCE, HE RADE A RACE.'

AMANG the trees where humming bees
At buds and flowers were hinging, O
Auld Caledon drew out her drone,
And to her pipe was singing; O
"Twas Pibroch, Sang, Strathspey, or Reels,
She dirl'd them aff fu' clearly, O
When there cam a yell o' foreign squeels,
That dang her tapsalteerie, O-

+ This song, which was printed by Cromek, has been collated with a copy in the Poet's autograph. It occurs neither in Johnson's nor in Thomson's Collection, and the date of its composition is uncertain.

ha ha's,

Their capon craws and queer
They made our lugs grow eerie; O
The hungry bike did scrape and pike

Till we were wae and weary: O-
But a royal ghaist wha ance was cas'd
A prisoner aughteen year awa,
He fir'd a fiddler in the north

That dang them tapsalteerie, O.

WHEN FIRST I CAME TO STEWART KYLE.*

TUNE I HAD A HORSE AND I HAD NAE MAIR.'

WHEN first I came to Stewart Kyle,
My mind it was na steady,
Where'er I gaed, where'er I rade,

A mistress still I had aye:

But when I came roun' by Mauchline town,
Not dreadin' onie body,

My heart was caught before I thought,
And by a Mauchline lady.

* These verses occur among the Poet's Memoranda, in August, 1785. The "Mauchline lady" was, says Allan Cunningham, Jean Armour; and he relates the manner in which Burns first attracted her attention.

ON SENSIBILITY.+

TO MY DEAR AND MUCH HONOURED FRIEND,

MRS. DUNLOP, OF DUNLOP.

AIR SENSIBILITY.'

SENSIBILITY, how charming,

Thou, my friend, canst truly tell;
But distress, with horrors arming,
Thou hast also known too well!

Fairest flower, behold the lily,
Blooming in the sunny ray:
Let the blast sweep o'er the valley,
See it prostrate on the clay.

Hear the wood-lark charm the forest,
Telling o'er his little joys;
Hapless bird! a prey the surest
To each pirate of the skies.

+ Mr. Allan Cunningham has printed two versions (vide vol. iii. 251, iv. 198,) of this song, without noticing that they are in fact the same. The following, addressed to Mrs. Dunlop, occurs in Thomson's Collection (iii. 36). The other, in which the only variation is that the second line stands thus,

"Dearest Nancy! thou canst tell;"

is given in Johnson's Museum, ii. 329. In our lyrical legends, the heroine of this song," says Mr. Allan Cunningham," is said to be the fair Clarinda. The similarity of the name, perhaps, has aided in this belief."

Dearly bought the hidden treasure
Finer feelings can bestow;

Chords that vibrate sweetest pleasure
Thrill the deepest notes of woe.

MONTGOMERIE'S PEGGY.‡

TUNE-GALLA WATER.'

ALTIO' my bed were in yon muir,
Amang the heather, in my plaidie,
Yet happy, happy would I be,

Had I my dear Montgomerie's Peggy.

When o'er the hill beat surly storms,
And winter nights were dark and rainy;
I'd seek some dell, and in my arms

I'd shelter dear Montgomerie's Peggy.

The name of the fair lass celebrated in this song, as well as in "Bonnie Peggy Alison," (ante,) and in "Now westlin winds and slaught'ring guns," (ante,) has not transpired, unless it were indeed Margaret Alison. She was the "My dear E." of several letters written about the year 1782, professing the most ardent attachment; but she refused to marry him, alleging that she was engaged to another. Burns himself has, however, left an account of this affair, and of these verses, in his private memoranda dated September, 1785:

"The following fragment is done something in imitation of the manner of a noble old Scottish piece, called M'Millan's Peggy,' and sings to the tune of 'Galla Water.' My

Were I a Baron proud and high,
And horse and servants waiting ready,
Then a' 'twad gie o' joy to me,

The sharin't wi' Montgomerie's Peggy.

ON A BANK OF FLOWERS.

The following song, which occurs in Thomson's Collection, is founded on one by Allan Ramsay.

ON a bank of flowers, in a summer day,
For summer lightly drest,
The youthful blooming Nelly lay,

With love and sleep opprest;

'Montgomerie's Peggy,' was my deity for six or eight montbs. She had been bred (though, as the world says, without any just pretence to it,) in a style of life rather elegant, but, as Vanburgh says in one of his comedies, My d-d star found me out,' there too; for though I began the affair merely in a gaieté de cœur, or to tell the truth, which will scarcely be believed, a vanity of shewing my parts in courtship, particularly my abilities at a billet-doux, which I always piqued myself upon, made me lay siege to her, and as I always do in my foolish gallantries, I had battered myself into a very warm affection for her, she told me one day in a flag of truce that her fortress had been for some time before the rightful property of another; but with the greatest friendship and politeness, she offered me every alliance except actual possession. I found out afterwards that what she told me of a pre-engagement was really true; but it cost me some heart-aches to get rid of the affair. I have even tried to imitate in this extempore thing that irregularity in the rhyme, which, when judiciously done, has