ELEGY ON THE DEATH OF PEG NICHOLSON.*

PEG Nicholson was a gude bay mare,
As ever trode on airn;

But now she's floating down the Nith,
An' past the mouth o' Cairn.

Peg Nicholson was a gude bay mare,
An' rode thro' thick an' thin ;
But now she's floating down the Nith,
An' wanting even the skin.

Peg Nicholson was a gude bay mare,
An' ance she bare a priest;

But now she's floating down the Nith,
For Solway fish a feast.

Peg Nicholson was a gude bay mare,
An' the priest he rode her sair;
An' meikle oppress'd an' bruised she was,
As priest-rid cattle are.

"Peg Nicholson" was lent to Burns by his friend William Nicol, and obtained her name from the maniac who attempted to assassinate George the Third. Burns sent these verses to Nicol, in February 1790, with a long account of the deceased Peg, which is printed in Cromek's Reliques. The letter commenced thus:

"That damned mare of yours is dead. I would freely have given her price to have saved her." As a proof of his gratitude, he says, "he took every care of her in his power," and that he had never ridden her above twenty times. After

ON SEEING MISS FONTENELLE

IN A FAVOURITE CHARACTER.

SWEET naïveté of feature,

Simple, wild, enchanting elf,
Not to thee, but thanks to Nature,
Thou art acting but thyself.

Wert thou awkward, stiff, affected,
Spurning nature, torturing art;
Loves and graces all rejected,

Then indeed thou'd'st act a part.

THE LEAGUE AND COVENANT.†

THE Solemn League and Covenant
Cost Scotland blood-cost Scotland tears:
But it seal'd Freedom's sacred cause-

If thou'rt a slave, indulge thy sneers.

giving Nicol a full account of her illness, he added, "in eight and forty hours, in spite of the two best farriers in the country, she died and be damned to her." He then proceeds, "I have done little in the poetic way. I have given Mr. Sutherland two prologues, one of which was delivered last week. I have likewise strung four or five barbarous stanzas to the tune of Chevy Chase, by way of Elegy, on your poor unfortunate mare, beginning (the name she got here was Peg Nicholson), Peg Nicholson was a gude bay mare.'"

"This was spoken," says Mr. Allan Cunningham, “in reply to a gentleman who sneered at the sufferings of Scotland for conscience sake, and called the Solemn League and Covenant of the Lords and People ridiculous and fanatical."

ON MISS JESSY LEWARS.

Of Jessy Lewars, the affectionate friend and faithful attendant of the Poet in his last hours, some notice has already been taken. The following additional marks of Burns' esteem for her, have been collected by Mr. Allan Cunningham :

TALK not to me of savages

From Afric's burning sun,

No savage e'er could rend my heart,
As, Jessy, thou hast done.

But Jessy's lovely hand in mine,
A mutual faith to plight,
Not ev'n to view the Heavenly choir,
Would be so blest a sight.

EPITAPH ON MISS JESSY LEWARS.‡

SAY, Sages, what's the charm on earth

Can turn Death's dart aside?

It is not purity and worth,

Else Jessy had not died.

"The constancy of her attendance and the anxiety of her mind, made Jessy Lewars suffer a slight indisposition.You must not die yet,' said the Poet with a smile; 'however, I shall provide for the worst. Give me that goblet, and I'll write your epitaph.' He wrote these four lines with his diamond, and, presenting the goblet, said, 'That will be a companion to The Toast.'

THE RECOVERY OF JESSY LEWARS.*

BUT rarely seen since Nature's birth,
The natives of the sky,

Yet still one Seraph's left on earth,
For Jessy did not die.

**

THE TOAST.t

FILL me with the rosy wine,
Call a toast, a toast divine;
Give the Poet's darling flame,
Lovely Jessy be the name;
Then thou mayest freely boast,
Thou hast given a peerless toast.

"A little repose brought health back to the young lady. On this Burns said, smiling, I knew you would get better; you have much to do before you die, believe me. Besides, there is a poetic reason for your recovery.' So saying, he took up a pen and wrote the above.

"One day while the Poet was much indisposed, he observed Jessy Lewars moving, with a light foot, about the house, lest she should disturb him. He took up a crystal goblet containing wine and water for moistening his lips, wrote The Toast' upon it with a diamond, and presented it to her." She was," says Gilbert Burns, " a deservedly great favourite of the Poet's, and a soothing friend to Mrs. Burns at the time of his death."

THE KIRK OF LAMINGTON.*

As cauld a wind as ever blew,
A caulder kirk, and in't but few;
As cauld a minister's e'er spak,
Ye'se a' be het ere I come back.

WRITTEN ON A BLANK LEAF+
OF ONE OF MISS HANNAH MORE's works, wHICH
SHE HAD GIVEN HIM.

THOU flattering mark of friendship kind,
Still may thy pages call to mind
The dear, the beauteous donor:
Though sweetly female every part,
Yet such a head, and more the heart,
Does both the sexes honour.
She showed her taste refined and just
When she selected thee,

Yet deviating own I must,

For so approving me.

But kind still, I'll mind still

The giver in the gift;

I'll bless her and wiss her

A Friend above the Lift.

* Burns is said to have written these lines on the window of Lamington Kirk, to express his opinion of the coldness of the day, the church, and the sermon.

+ Burns sent a copy of these lines to Mr. Aiken, in April, 1786.