ble wet day's riding. East Lothian, Berwick, Roxburgh, and Selkirk. shires; and next week I begin a tour through the ⚫ north of England. Yesterday I dined with lady Hariot, sister to my noble patron*, Quem Deus conservet! I would write till I would tire you as ́ much with dull prose, as I dare say by this time you are with wretched verse, but I am jaded to death; so, with a grateful farewell, I have been over most of I have the honour to be, Good sir, yours sincerely. I. Auld chuckie Reekie's† sair distrest, Can yield ava, Her darling bird that she loes best, Willie's awa! II. O Willie was a witty wight, And had o' things an unco slight; And trig an' braw: But now they'll busk her like a fright, Willie's awa! III. The stiffest o' them a' he bow'd, We've lost a birkie weel worth gowd, Willie's awa! IV. Now gawkies, tawpies, gowks, and fools, * James, earl of Glencairn. + Edinburgh. May sprout like simmer puddock-stools In glen or shaw; He wha could brush them down to mools, Willie's awa! V. The breth'ren o' the Commerce-Chaumer* Amang them a'; I fear they'll now mak mony a stammer Willie's awa! VI. Nae mair we see his levee door In bloody raw! The adjutant o' a' the core Willie's awa! VII. Now worthy G*****'s Latin face, As Rome ne'er saw; They a' maun meet some ither place, Willie's awa! VIII. Poor Burns-e'en Scotch drink canna quicken, By hoodie-craw; The Chamber of Commerce of Edinburgh, of which Mr. C. was secretary. + Many literary gentlemen were accustomed to meet at Mr. C-'s house at breakfast. Burns of ten met with them there, when he called, and hence the name of levee. Grief's gien his heart an unco kickin', Willie's awa! IX. Now ev'ry sour-mou'd girnin' blellum, His quill may draw ; He who could brawlie ward their bellum Willie's awa! X. Up wimpling stately Tweed I've sped, And Ettrick banks now roaring red While tempests blaw; But every joy and pleasure's fled Willie's awa! XI. May I be slander's common speech; And lastly, streekit out to bleach In winter snaw; When I forget thee! Willie Creech, Tho' far awa! XII. May never wicked fortune touzle him! May never wicked man bamboozle him! Until a pow as auld's Methusalem He canty claw! Then to the blessed, New Jerusalem Fleet wing awa! No. XV. To Mr. W. NICOL, Master of the High School, Edinburgh. Carlisle, June 1, 1787. Kind honest-hearted Willie, I'm sitten down here, after seven and forty miles ridin, e'en as forjesket and forniaw'd as a forfoughten cock, to gie you some notion o' my land lowper-like stravaguin sin the sorrowfu' hour that I sheuk hands and parted wi' auld Reekie. My auld, ga'd gleyde o' a meere has huchyall'd up hill and down brae, in Scotland and England, as teugh and birnie as a very devil wi' me*. It's true, she's poor's a sang-maker, and as hard's a kirk, and tipper-taipers when she taks the gate, first like a lady's gentlewoman in a minuwae, or a hen on a het girdle, but she's a yauld, poutherie *This mare was the poet's favourite Jenny Geddes. The This old faithful servant of the poet's was named by him, after the old woman, who, in her zeal against religious innovation, threw a stool at the dean of Edinburgh's head, when he attempted, in 1637, to introduce the Scottish liturgy. “On Sunday, the twenty-third of July, the dean of Edinburgh prepared to officiate in St. Giles's. congregation continued quiet till the service began, when an old woman, impelled by sudden indignation, started up, and exclaiming aloud, villain! dost thou say the mass at my lug? threw the stool on which she had been sitting, at the dean's head. A wild uproar commenced that instant. The woman invaded the desk with execrations and outeries, and the dean disengaged himself from his surplice to escape from their hands."-Laing's History of Scotland, vol. iii. p. 122. E. Girran for a' that, and has a stomack like Willie Stalker's meere that wad hae disgeested tumblerwheels, for she'll whip me aff her five stimparts o' the best aits at a down sittin, and ne'er fash her thumb. When ance her ringbanes and spavies, her erucks and cramps, are fairly soupl'd, she beets to, beets to, and aye the hindmost hour the tightest. I could wager her price to a thretty pennies that, for twa or three wooks ridin at fifty mile a day, the deilsticket a five gallopers acqueesh Clyde and Whithorn could cast saut on her tail. I hae dander'd owre a' the kintra frae Dumbar to Seleraig, and hae forgather'd wi' mony a guid fallow, and monie a weelfar'd hizzie. I met wi' twa dink quines in particlar, ane o' them a sonsie, fine, fodgel lass, baith braw and bonnie; the tither was a clean-shankit, straught, tight, weelfar'd winch, as blythe's a lintwhite on a flowerie thorn, and as sweet and modest's a new blawn plumrose in a hazel shaw. They were baith bred to mainers by the beuk, and onie ane o' them had as muckle smeddum and rumblgumption as the half o' some presbytries that you and I baith ken. They play'd me sic a deevil o', a shavie that I daur say if my harigals were turn'd out, ye wad see two nicks i' the heart o' me like the mark o' a kail-whittle in a castock. I was gaun to write you a lang pystle, but, Gude forgie me, I gat mysel sae notouriously bitchify'd the day after kail-time, that I can hardly stoiter but and ben. My best respecks to the guidwife and a' our common friens, especiall Mr. and Mrs. Cruik shank, and the honest guidman o' Jock's Lodge. I'll be in Dumfries the morn gif the beast be to the fore, and the branks bide hale. Gude be wi' you, Willie! Amen! |
