I own 'twas rash, an' rather hardy, Wha, if they ken me, Can easy, wi' a single wordie, Louse h-ll upon me. But I gae mad at their grimaces, Whaws greed, revenge, an' pride disgraces There's Gaun,* miska't waur than a beast, Than mony scores as guid 's the priest Wha sae abus't him. An' may a bard no crack his jest What way they've use❜t him. See him,† the poor man's friend in need, An' shall his fame an' honor bleed By worthless skellums, An' not a muse erect her head To cowe the blellums? O Pope, had I thy satire's darts Their jugglin' hocus pocus arts To cheat the crowd. * Gavin Hamilton, Esq. †The poet has introduced the two first lines of this stanza into the dedication of his works to Mr. Hamilton. God knows, I'm no the thing I shou'd be, An atheist clean, Than under gospel colors hid be Just for a screen. An honest man may like a glass, He 'll still disdain, An' then cry zeal for gospel laws, Like some we ken. They take religion in their mouth; On some puir wight, All hail, religion! maid divine! Thus daurs to name thee; To stigmatize false friends of thine Can ne'er defame thee. Tho' blotch't an' foul wi' mony a stain, With trembling voice I tune my strain To join with those, Who boldly dare thy cause maintain In spite of foes: In spite o' crowds, in spite o' mobs, At worth an' merit, By scoundrels, even wi' holy robes, But hellish spirit. Z Ayr, my dear, my native ground, Of public teachers, As men, as christians too renown'd An' manly preachers. Sir, in that circle you are nam'd; An' some, by whom your doctrine 's blam'd, (Which gies you honor) Even Sir, by them your heart's esteem'd, An' winning manner. Pardon this freedom I have ta'en, Whase heart ne'er wrang'd ye But to his utmost would befriend Ought that belang'd ye. TO GAVIN HAMILTON, Esq. Mauchline. (Recommending a Boy.) Mosgaville, May 3, 1786. I HOLD it, Sir, my bounden duty Was here to hire yon lad away 'Bout whom ye spak the tither day, An' wad hae don't aff han': * Muster Tootie then lived in Mauchline; a dealer in Cows. It was his common practice to cut the nicks or markings from the horns of cattle, to disguise their age.-He was an artful, But lest he learn the callan tricks, As faith I muckle doubt him, Like scrapin' out auld Crummie's nicks, As lieve then 1'd have then, Not fitted otherwhere. Altho' I say 't, he 's gleg enough, I hae na ony fear. An' gar Frae hame this comin Friday, My word of honor I hae gien, In Paisley John's, that night at e'en, To meet the Warld's worm ; To try to get the twa to gree, In legal mode an' form: I ken he weel a Snick can draw, An' if a Devil be at a', In faith he 's sure to get him. trick-contriving character; hence he is called a Snick-drawer. In the Poet's "Address to the Deil," he styles that august personage an auld, snick-drawing dog! *The Airles-Earnest money, E. To phrase you an' praise you, To Mr. MADAM,, of Craigen-Gillan, In answer to an obliging letter he sent in the commencement of my poetic career. SIR, o'er a gill I gat your card, Now deil-ma-care about their jaw, 'Twas noble, Sir; 'twas like yoursel, Tho', by his banes wha in a tub And when those legs to gude, warm kail, Wi' welcome canna bear me; A lee dyke-side, a sybow-tail, * Diogenes. |