BALLAD ON AMERICAN WAR

Ballad on the American War.1

Tune-"Killiecrankie."

WHEN Guilford good our pilot stood,

An' did our hellim thraw, man,
Ae night, at tea, began a plea,
Within America, man:
Then up they gat the maskin-pat,b
And in the sea did jaw, man ;
An' did nae less, in full congress,
Than quite refuse our law, man.

с

Then thro' the lakes Montgomery takes,
I wat he was na slaw,d man;
Down Lowrie's Burns he took a turn,
And Carleton did ca', man:
But yet, whatreck, he, at Quebec,
Montgomery-like did fa', man,
Wi' sword in hand, before his band,
Amang his en'mies a', man.

Poor Tammy Gage within a cage
Was kept at Boston-ha', man;
Till Willie Howe took o'er the knowe
For Philadelphia, man ;

⚫ helm,
b tea-pot.
1 Probably of 1784, as it alludes to
Pitt's new Parliament of that year.
The measure imitates that of a famous
skit on the Battle of Prestonpans, by
a Mr Skirving-

"The Chevalier being void o' fear, Did march up Birsie brae, man!" One of Burns's very rare allusions to Golf occurs here:

"North, Fox, and Co. "Gowffed Willie like a ba', man!" First published in the Edinburgh edition, 1787, after consulting the Earl of Glencairn and Henry Erskine. The notes are from Chambers.

2 General Richard Montgomery invaded Canada, autumn 1775, and took Montreal, the British Commander, Sir Guy Carleton, retiring before him. In

c throw.

d slow.

an attack on Quebec he was less fortunate, being killed by a storm of grape-shot in leading on his men at Cape Diamond.

Lowrie's Burn, a pseudonym for the St Lawrence.

A passing compliment to the Montgomeries of Coilsfield, the patrons of the poet.

5 General Gage, governor of Massachusetts, was cooped up in Boston by General Washington during the latter part of 1775 and early part of 1776. In consequence of his inefficiency, he was replaced in October of that year by General Howe.

6 General Howe removed his army from New York to Philadelphia in the summer of 1777.

BALLAD ON AMERICAN WAR

Wi' sword an' gun he thought a sin
Guid christian bluid to draw, man;
But at New-York, wi' knife an' fork,
Sir-Loin he hackèd sma',1 man.
Burgoyne gaed up, like spur an' whip,
Till Fraser brave did fa', man;
Then lost his way, ae misty day,
In Saratoga shaw, man.2

b

Cornwallis fought as lang's he dought,
An' did the Buckskins claw,3 man ;
But Clinton's glaive frae rust to save,
He hung it to the wa', man.

Then Montague, an' Guilford too,
Began to fear a fa', man;

And Sackville dour, wha stood the stour,d

e

The German chief to thraw, man:

For Paddy Burke, like ony Turk,

Nae mercy had at a', man;
An' Charlie Fox threw by the box,
An' lows'd 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:

e

Saint Stephen's boys, wi' jarring noise,
They did his measures thraw, man ;
For North an' Fox united stocks,*
An' bore him to the wa', man.
b Virginians.

e stubborn.

• wood. 1 Alluding to a razzia made by orders of Howe at Peekskill, March 1777, when a large quantity of cattle belonging to the Americans was destroyed.

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

3 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 reinforcements from General Clinton at New York.

d tumult.

⚫ thwart.

4 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.

REPLY TO J. RANKINE

Then clubs an' hearts were Charlie's cartes,
He swept the stakes awa', man,
Till the diamond's ace, of Indian race,
Led him a sair faux pas, man:
The Saxon lads, wi' loud placads,b
On Chatham's boy did ca', man;
An' Scotland drew her pipe an' blew,
"Up, Willie, waure them a', man!"

Behind the throne then Granville's gone,
A secret word or twa, man;
While sleed Dundas arous'd the class
Be-north the Roman wa', man :

e

An' Chatham's wraith, in heav'nly graith,'
(Inspired bardies saw, man),

Wi' kindling eyes, cry'd, "Willie, rise!
Would I hae fear'd them a', man?"

But, word an' blow, North, Fox, and Co.
Gowff'd Willie like a ba', man;
Till Suthron raise, an' coost their claise
Behind him in a raw, man :

An' Caledon threw by the drone,

An' did her whittle' draw, man;
An' swoor fu' rude, thro' dirt an' bluid,
To mak it guid in law, man.

Reply to an Announcement by J. Rankine.2

⚫ cards.

I AM a keeper of the law

In some sma' points, altho' not a';
Some people tell me gin I fa',
Ae way or ither,

The breaking of ae point, tho' sma',
Breaks a' thegither.

b proclamations.
8 struck (as in golf).

• overcome.

a sly.

h threw off their clothes.

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

2 The victim had been a servant of

ghost.

f dress.

i knife.

Burns's father, at Lochlea. Burns had the good taste never to publish these rhymes.

EPISTLE TO JOHN RANKINE

I hae been in for't ance or twice,
And winna say o'er far for thrice;
Yet never met wi' that surprise
That broke my rest;

But now a rumour's like to rise-
A whaupa's i' the nest!

Epistle to John Rankine.1

ENCLOSING SOME POEMS.

O ROUGH, rude, ready-witted Rankine,
The waleb o' cocks for fun an' drinkin!
There's mony godly folks are thinkin,
Your dreams 2 and tricks
Will send you, Korah-like, a-sinkin
Straught to auld Nick's.

Ye hae sae mony cracks an' cants,
And in your wicked, drucken rants,
Ye mak a devil o' the saunts,

An' fill them fou°;

And then their failings, flaws, an' wants,
Are a' seen thro'.

Hypocrisy, in mercy spare it!

That holy robe, O dinna tear it!

Spare't for their sakes, wha aften wear it—
The lads in black;

But your curst wit, when it comes near it,
Rives d't aff their back.

EPISTLE TO JOHN RANKINE

Think, wicked Sinner, wha ye're skaithing :"
It's just the Blue-gown' badge an' claithing
O' saunts; tak that, ye lea'e them naething
To ken them by

Frae ony unregenerate heathen,
Like you or I.

I've sent you here some rhyming ware,
A' that I bargain'd for, an' mair;
Sae, when ye hae an hour to spare,
I will expect,

Yon sang1ye'll sen't, wi' cannie care,
And no neglect.

с

Tho' faith, sma' heart hae I to sing!
My muse dow scarcely spread her wing;
I've play'd mysel a bonie spring,d

An' danc'd my fill!

I'd better gaen an' sair't the king,
At Bunker's Hill.

"Twas ae night lately, in my fun,
I gaed a rovin wi' the gun,

An' brought a paitrick to the grun'—
À bonie hen;

And, as the twilight was begun,

Thought nane wad ken.

The poor, wee thing was little hurt;
I straikits it a wee for sport,
Ne'er thinkin they wad fash me for't;
But, Deil-ma-care!

Somebody tells the poacher-court