I whiles thought it scoff'd me to scorn, Saying, Shame, is your conscience no checkit? But when I grew dry for a horn, It changed aye to Tak it, man, tak it. The smugglers whiles cam wi' their pocks, But the warst thing I did in my life, Nae doubt but ye 'll think I was wrang o Od! I tauld a bit bodie in Fife A' my tale, and he made a bit sang o't; I have aye had a voice a' my days, o't, But for singing I ne'er got the knack o't; Now, miller and a' as I am, This far I can see through the matter, Mair greedy than me or the muter; OH, SWEET WERE THE HOURS. AIR-" Gregor Arora.” OH, sweet were the hours Her breath was the zephyrs As the summer day closes. I told her my love-tale, Which seem'd to her cheering; Then she breathed on the soft gale Her song so endearing. The rock echoes ringing Seem'd charm'd wi' my story; Replied to my Flora. The sweet zephyr her breath As the summer day closes. PATE BIRNIE.* OUR minstrels a', frae south to north, This Patie, wi' superior art, Made notes to ring through head and heart, Their praise to Patie Birnie. Tell auld Kinghorn, o' Picish birth, His merits mak Auld Reekie † ring, He cheers the sage, the sour, the sad, The witching tones o' Patie's therm, * Pate Birnie was a celebrated fiddler or violinist who resided in Kinghorn, Fifeshire. An old designation for the city of Edinburgh, often used by the Scottish poets. Pate maks the fool forget his freaks, Maks baxter bodies burn their bakes, And gowkies gie their hame the glaiks, And follow Patie Birnie. When Patie taks his strolling rounds, The crabbit carles forget to snarl, And gilphies forget the stock and horle, And dance to Patie Birnie. WILLIAM PARK. His WILLIAM PARK was not born in lawful wedlock. grandfather, Andrew Park, occupied for many years the farm of Efgill, in the parish of Westerkirk, and county of Dumfries. He had two sons, William and James, who were both men of superior intelligence, and both of them writers of verses. William, the poet's father, having for a brief period served as a midshipman, emigrated to the island of Grenada, where he first acted as the overseer of an estate, but was afterwards appointed to a situation in the Customs at St George's, and became the proprietor and editor of a newspaper, called the St George's Chronicle. In the year 1795, he was slain when bravely heading an encounter with a body of French insurgents. His son, the subject of this memoir, was born at Crooks, in the parish of Westerkirk, on the 22d of February 1788, and was brought up under the care of his grandfather. He received an ordinary training at the parochial school; and when his grandfather relinquished his farm to a higher bidder, he was necessitated to seek employment as a cow-herd. 1805, he proceeded as a farm-servant to the farm of Cassock, in the parish of Eskdalemuir. In 1809, he entered the service of the Rev. Dr Brown,* minister of In * William Brown, D.D., author of "Antiquities of the Jews." Lond., 1825, 2 vols. 8vo. |