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Burgoyne gaed up, like spur and whip,
Till Fraser brave did fa', man;
Then lost his way, ae misty day,
In Saratoga shaw,' man.
Cornwallis fought as lang 's he dought,
And did the buckskins claw, man;
But Clinton's glaive frae rust to save,
He hung it to the wa', man.

Then Montague, and Guildford too,
Began to fear a fa', man;

2

wood

And Sackville dour, wha stood the stoure, obdurate-dust

The German Chief to thraw, man:

For Paddy Burke, like ony Turk,

Nae mercy had at a', man;

And Charlie Fox threw by the box,
And lowsed his tinkler jaw, man.

Then Rockingham took up the game,
Till death did on him ca', man;
When Shelburne meek held up his cheek,
Conform to gospel law, man;

Saint Stephen's boys, wi' jarring noise,
They did his measures thraw, man,
For North and Fox united stocks,

And bore him to the wa', man.3

Then clubs and hearts were Charlie's cartes,
He swept the stakes awa', man,

Till the diamond's ace, of Indian race,

thwart

Led him a sair faux pas, man;*

The Saxon lads, wi' loud placads,

cheers

On Chatham's boy did ca', man;

And Scotland drew her pipe, and blew,
'Up, Willie, waur them a', man!'

vanquish

1 General Burgoyne surrendered his army to General Gates, at Saratoga, on the Hudson, October 1776.

Alluding to the active operations of Lord Cornwallis in Virginia, in 1780, all of which ended, however, in his surrender of his army at Yorktown, October 1781, while vainly hoping for reinforcement from General Clinton at New York.

3 Lord North's administration was succeeded by that of the Marquis of Rockingham, March 1782. At the death of the latter in the succeeding July, Lord Shelburne became prime minister, and Mr Fox resigned his secretaryship. Under his lordship, peace was restored, January 1783. By the union of Lord North and Mr Fox, Lord Shelburne was soon after forced to resign in favour of his rivals, the heads of the celebrated Coalition.

* Fox's famous India Bill, by which his ministry was brought to destruction, December 1783.

Behind the throne then Grenville's gone,
A secret word or twa, man;
While slee Dundas aroused the class,
Be-north the Roman Wa', man:
And Chatham's wraith, in heavenly graith,
(Inspired Bardies saw, man)

Wi' kindling eyes cried: 'Willie, rise!
Would I hae feared them a', man?'

But, word and blow, North, Fox, and Co.,
Gowff'd Willie like a ba', man,

Till Suthron raise, and coost their claise
Behind him in a raw, man;

And Caledon threw by the drone,

And did her whittle draw, man;

And swoor fu' rude, through dirt and blood,

To make it guid in law, man.'

struck

knife

It would be pedantic to explain this series of allusions more particularly than by the few short notes appended. It is curious as an example of that brief, direct, though not always orderly narration, in which the rustic mind usually gives its version of the most complicated political and historical transactions. Burns was at this time in a raw and unenlightened state as a politician. Dr Blair remarked, with as much truth as point, that his politics 'smelt of the smithy.' He professed a sentimental attachment to Jacobitism, and was thus set down as a Tory. He at the same time sympathised with Dempster and other independent members of the House of Commons, and assumed, as we have seen, the blueand-yellow vesture, which denoted in those days an attachment to the principles of Mr Fox, though perhaps as much out of complaisance to the Earl of Glencairn and the Erskines, all of whom were Whigs, as from any other cause. In plain truth, as intimated by Professor Stewart, he had now no determinate party views, and he himself confesses as much in a hurried note which he seems to have addressed to the Dean of Faculty with reference to this very ballad :

TO THE HON. HENRY ERSKINE.

Two o'clock.

SIR-I shewed the enclosed political ballad to my Lord Glencairn, to have his opinion whether I should publish it; as I suspect my

1 In the new parliament called by Mr Pitt, after his accession to office, in the spring of 1784, amidst the many new members brought in for his support, and that of the king's prerogative, there was an exceeding proportion from Scotland.

political tenets, such as they are, may be rather heretical in the opinion of some of my best friends. I have a few first principles in religion and politics, which, I believe, I would not easily part with ; but for all the etiquette of, by whom, in what manner, &c., I would not have a dissocial word about it with any one of God's creatures, particularly an honoured patron or a respected friend. His lordship seems to think the piece may appear in print, but desired me to send you a copy for your suffrage. I am, with the sincerest gratitude for the notice with which you have been pleased to honour the rustic bard, sir, your most devoted humble servant,

ROBT. BURNS.1 The only other piece which has not already been presented in is the set of verses

these pages,

TO A HAG GIS.2

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin'-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:

Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,

Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o' need,

While through your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic labour dight,
And cut you up wi' ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright
Like ony ditch;

And then, oh what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin', rich!

Then horn for horn they stretch and strive,
Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive,

Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve

Are bent like drums;

small guts

stomachs-by and by

Then auld guidman, maist like to rive, burst

Bethankit!' hums.

1 Printed in the Ayr Observer, October 1846.

2 The haggis is a dish peculiar to Scotland, though supposed to be of French extraction. It is composed of minced offal of mutton, mixed with oatmeal and suet, and boiled in a sheep's stomach. When made in Elspa's way, with a curn o' spice' (see the Gentle Shepherd), it is an agreeable, albeit a somewhat heavy dish, always providing that no horror be felt at the idea of its preparation.

Is there that owre his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow,

Or fricassee wad mak her spew

Wi' perfect scunner,

Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner!

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as a withered rash,
His spindle-shank a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit;

Through bloody flood or field to dash,
Oh how unfit!

But mark the rustic, haggis-fed,

The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,

He'll mak it whissle;

And legs, and arms, and heads will sned,
Like taps o' thrissle.

Ye Powers wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;

But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer,
Gie her a Haggis!

disgust

feeble

fist

lusty fist

shear

thin stuff

splashes in bowls

TO

TO GAVIN HAMILTON, ESQ.

EDINBURGH, March 8, 1787.

DEAR SIR-Yours came safe, and I am, as usual, much indebted to your goodness. Poor Captain Montgomery is cast. Yesterday it was tried whether the husband could proceed against the unfortunate lover without first divorcing his wife, and their gravities on the bench were unanimously of opinion that Mmay prosecute for damages directly, and need not divorce his wife at all if he pleases. . . . . O all ye powers of love unfortunate, and friendless wo, pour the balm of sympathising pity on the grief-torn, tender heart of the hapless fair one!

My two songs on Miss W. Alexander and Miss P[eggy] K—— [the Bonnie Lass of Ballochmyle, and Bonnie Doon] were likewise tried yesterday by a jury of literati, and found defamatory libels against the fastidious powers of Poesy and Taste; and the author forbidden to print them under pain of forfeiture of character. I cannot help almost shedding a tear to the memory of two songs that had cost me some pains, and that I valued a good deal; but I must

submit.

My most respectful compliments to Mrs Hamilton and Miss Kennedy.

My poor unfortunate songs come again across my memory. D- the pedant, frigid soul of criticism for ever and ever!

R. B.

The Faculty Decisions, under the date March 7, 1787, report the judgment of the Court of Session in a case in which a legal point arises between Mr C. MC of S, in Ayrshire,

and Captain James Montgomery, late of the 93d foot, as to whether the former could prosecute the latter for the dishonour of his wife, without previously divorcing her. It appears that the lady was heiress of S-; that she had had two children to her husband; and that she left his house in June 1783, in company with Captain Montgomery, to whom she bore a child in November of the subsequent year. From Burns's expressions, we are led to understand that there were extenuating circumstances in the conduct of the lady, and that the policy of the husband in abstaining from a process of divorce, which would separate him from a goodly estate, was not generally admired. Miss Peggy K———— was another Ayrshire lady of fortune, already oftener than once alluded to in these pages, as having loved not wisely but too well.

Burns could scarcely but take an interest in the proceedings of the supreme civil court, always an object of respect with the rustic population of Scotland. As a result of his visits to the Parliament House, we have two well-drawn sketches of the leading barristers of that day-namely, the Dean of Faculty, Harry Erskine, and the Lord Advocate, Mr Ilay Campbell (subsequently Lord President).

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