O sweet is she in yon town,
The sinkin sun's gane down upon;
A fairer than's in yon town,
His setting beam ne'er shone upon.
O wat ye wha's, &c.
If angry Fate is sworn my foe,
And suff'ring I am doom'd to bear;
I careless quit aught else below,
But spare, O spare me Jeanie dear.
O wat ye wha's, &c.
For while life's dearest blood is warm,
Ae thought frae her shall ne'er depart,
And she, as fairest is her form,
She has the truest, kindest heart.
O wat ye wha's, &c.
Ballads on Dr beron's Election, 1795.1
WHOM Will you send to London town,
To Parliament and a' that?
Or wha in a' the country round
The best deserves to fa'a that?
For a' that, and a' that,
Thro' Galloway and a' that,
Where is the Laird or belted Knight
The best deserves to fa' that?
Wha sees Kerroughtree's open yett, b
(And wha is't never saw that?)
Wha ever wi' Kerroughtree met,
And has a doubt of a' that?
1 The Tory candidate was backed by Murray of Broughton, in Galloway: "not Iscariot." Mr Heron, as a Whig opposed by Lord Galloway's interest, had Burns's good wishes. Mr Heron was elected. Dr Muirhead
replied to Burns with a ferocious adaptation from Martial xi. 66. Et delator es et calumniator. Chambers prints the verses, which are said to have vexed Burns a good deal.
For a' that, and a' that,
Here's Heron yet for a' that!
The independent patriot,
The honest man, and a' that.
Tho' wit and worth, in either sex,
Saint Mary's Isle can shaw that,
Wi' Dukes and Lords let Selkirk mix,
And weel does Selkirk fa' that.
For a' that, and a' that,
Here's Heron yet for a' that!
The independent commoner
Shall be the man for a' that.
But why should we to Nobles jouk,*
And is't against the law, that?
For why, a Lord may be a gowk,b
Wi' ribband, star and a' that,
For a' that, and a' that,
Here's Heron yet for a' that!
A Lord may be a lousy loun,
Wi' ribband, star and a' that.
A beardless boy comes o'er the hills,
Wi' uncle's purse and a' that;
But we'll hae ane frae mang oursels,
A man we ken, and a' that.
For a' that, and a' that,
Here's Heron yet for a' that!
For we're not to be bought and sold,
Like naigs, and nowt, and a' that.
Then let us drink-The Stewartry,
Kerroughtree's laird, and a' that,
Our representative to be,
For weel he's worthy a' that.
For a' that, and a' that,
Here's Heron yet for a' that!
A House of Commons such as he,
They wad be blest that saw that.
Ballad Second-Election Day.1
Tune-"Fy, let us a' to the Bridal."
FY, let us a' to Kirkcudbright,
For there will be bickerin there;
For Murray's light horse are to muster,
And O how the heroes will swear!
And there will be Murray, Commander,2
And Gordon, the battle to win;
Like brothers they'll stand by each other,
Sae knit in alliance and kin.
And there will be black-nebbit Johnie,+
The tongue o' the trump to them a';
An he get na Hell for his haddin,b
The Deil gets na justice ava.
And there will be Kempleton's birkie,5
A boy no sae black at the bane;
But as to his fine Nabob fortune,
We'll e'en let the subject alane.
And there will be Wigton's new Sheriff;
Dame Justice fu' brawly has sped,
She's gotten the heart of a Bushby,
But, Lord! what's become o' the head?
And there will be Cardoness, Esquire,7
Sae mighty in Cardoness' eyes;
A wight that will weather damnation,
The Devil the prey will despise.
1 The arrangement of the stanzas differs much in the various copies, and there are not a few variations in the text.
2 Mr Murray of Broughton in Galloway.
Thos. Gordon of Balmaghie, the Tory candidate, a nephew of Murray. 4 John Bushby.
5 William Bushby of Kempleton, a brother of John. He lost heavily by Douglas, Heron & Co.'s Bank, and went to India, where he made a large fortune.
6 Mr Bushby Maitland, son of John, and newly appointed sheriff of Wigtonshire. The Epistle from Esopus to Maria refers to him in similar terms. 7 David Maxwell of Cardoness.
And there will be Douglasses doughty,'
New christening towns far and near;
Abjuring their democrat doings,
By kissin' theo' a Peer:
And there will be folk frae Saint Mary's?
A house o' great merit and note;
The deil ane but honours them highly-
The deil ane will gie them his vote!8
And there will be Kenmure sae gen'rous,
Whose honour is proof to the storm,
To save them from stark reprobation,
He lent them his name in the Firm.
And there will be lads o' the gospel,
Muirhead wha's as gude as he's true;5
And there will be Buittle's Apostle,
Wha's mair o' the black than the blue.
And there will be Logan M'Dowall,"
Sculdudd'ry an' he will be there,
And also the Wild Scot o' Galloway,
Sogering, gunpowder Blair.8
But we winna mention Redcastle,9
The body, e'en let him escape!
He'd venture the gallows for siller,
An 'twere na the cost o' the rape.
But where is the Doggerbank hero,
That made "Hogan Mogan" to skulk?
Poor Keith's gane to h-ll to be fuel,
The auld rotten wreck of a Hulk.10
1 The Messrs Douglas, brothers, of Carlinwark and Orchardton. They had just altered the name of Carlinwark to "Castle Douglas."
2 The Earl of Selkirk's family.
"And there will the Isle o' Saint
Mary's
Exult in the worth of her youth;
Alas for the Isle o' Saint Mary's
In trusting to reason and truth!"
Mr Gordon of Kenmure.
5 Rev. Mr Muirhead, minister of Urr. 6 Rev. George Maxwell, minister of Buittle.
7 Colonel M'Dowall of Logan.
8 Mr Blair of Dunskey.
9 Walter Sloan Lawrie, of Redcastle. 10 These four lines were published for the first time by Mr Scott Douglas. A battle between the English and the Dutch was fought at the Doggerbank on August 5th, 1781.
And where is our King's Lord Lieutenant,
Sae fam'd for his gratefu' return?
The birkie is gettin' his Questions
To say in Saint Stephen's the morn.
But mark ye! there's trusty Kerroughtree,1
Whose honor was ever his law;
If the Virtues were pack'd in a parcel,
His worth might be sample for a';
And strang an' respectfu's his backing,
The maist o' the lairds wi' him stand;
Nae gipsy-like nominal barons,
Wha's property's paper-not land.2
And there, frae the Niddisdale borders,
The Maxwells will gather in droves,
Teugh Jockie, staunch Geordie, an' Wellwood,
That griens for the fishes and loaves;
And there will be Heron, the Major,
Wha'll ne'er be forgot in the Greys;
Our flatt'ry we'll keep for some other,
HIм, only it's justice to praise.
And there will be maiden Kilkerran,"
And also Barskimming's gude Knight,8
And there will be roarin Birtwhistle,9
Yet luckily roars i' the right.
And there'll be Stamp Office Johnie,10
(Tak tent how ye purchase a dram!)
And there will be gay Cassencarry,
And there'll be gleg Colonel Tam."
1 Patrick Heron, of Kerroughtree, the Whig candidate.
2 This refers to the fictitious electors, so common before the Reform Act of 1832, popularly called "paper," or "faggot voters."
3 John Maxwell, Esq. of Terraughty.
George Maxwell of Carruchan.
5 Mr Wellwood Maxwell.
6 Major Heron, brother of the Whig candidate.
7 Sir Adam Fergusson of Kilkerran. 8 Sir William Miller of Barskimming, afterwards Lord Glenlee.
9 Mr Alex. Birtwhistle of Kirkcudbright.
10 John Syme, Esq., Distributor of Stamps for Dumfries.
11 Colonel Goldie, of Goldielea.
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