Then Bacchus-like I'd bawl and bluster, 'Twad gie my verse a brighter lustre, The powers aboon be still auspicious A' blessings, Ramsay, on thee row; And thro' thy creed, Be keeped frae the wirricow, After thou's dead. ANSWER III. Edinburgh, September 2, 1719. MY TRUSTY TROJAN, Thy last oration orthodox, Thy innocent auldfarren jokes, And sonsie saw o' three, provokes Tod-lowrie like,* to loose my pocks, By a' your letters I hae read, eithly scan the man weel-bred, And soger that, where honour led, Has ventur'd bauld; Wha now to youngsters leaves the yed, To 'tend his fauld.+ * Like Reynard the fox, to betake myself to some more of my wiles. † Leaves the martial contention, and retires to a country life. That bangster billy, Cæsar July, And midst his glories sheath'd his gully, Had he, like you, as weel he could,* Wha'd been aboon him? The senate's durks, and faction loud, Yet sometimes leave the riggs and bog, To clear your wit: Be blythe, and let the warld e'en shog, Ne'er fash about your neist year's state, Nor cantrips cast to ken your fate; There's ills anew To cram our days, which soon grow late: When northern blasts the ocean snurl, And toom the horn, t Grip fast the hours which hasty hurl, Thus to Leuconoe sang sweet Flaccus, And thole sae aft the spleen to whauk us It is well known he could write as well as fight. It is frequent in the country to drink beer out of horn-cups, made in shape of a water-glass. See Book I., 11th Ode, of Horace. Tho' I were laird o' ten-score acres, Yet crush'd wi' humdrums, which the weaker's I'd rather roost wi' causey-rakers, And sup cauld sowens. I think, my friend, an fouk can get I read this verse to my ain kimmer, Quoth she, and leugh, My hearty goss, there is nae help, The cheerfu' carles do sae yelp To hae's their minions. Thy raffan rural rhyme sae rare, Tho' gaffin they, wi' sides sae sair, Cry, "Wae gae by him!"‡ * A hallen is a fence built of stone, turf, or a moveable flako of heather, at the sides of the door in country places, to defend them from the wind. The trembling attendant about a forgetful great man's gate or levec, is also expressed in the term "hallenshaker." † Make people very earnest. It is usual for many, after a full laugh, to complain of sore sides, and to bestow a kindly curse on the author of the jest. But the folks of more tender conscience have turned their expletives to friendly wishes, such as this; or "Sonse fa' ye," and the like. K Fair fa' that soger did invent And pouse our fortune, And crack wi' lads wha're weel content Gin ony sour-mou'd girning bucky I'll answer fine-Gae kiss your Lucky,* I ne'er wi' lang tales fash my head, I'll own I am sae, And while my champers can chew bread, THE TWA CATS AND THE CHEESE; Twa cats ance on a cheese did light, Fell out in sharing o' the prize. "Fair play!" said ane, “ye bite ower thick, Thae teeth o' yours gang wonder quick: Let's part it, else, lang or the moon Be chang'd, the kebbuck will be doon." And laid the cheese before a judge *It is a cant phrase, from what rise I know not; but it is made use of when one does not think it is worth while to give a direct answer, or think themselves foolishly accused. A monkey, wi' a campsho face, And laid til't teughly tooth and nail, Cried, "Come, come, sir, we're baith content." Thus grumbl'd they, thus he went on, Till baith the halves were near-hand done: O' gawn for nignyes to the law; And bill'd the judge, that he wad please |