THE EPITAPH.

Tom Samfou's weel-worn clay here lies,',

Ye canting Zealots, spare him ! If Honest Worth in Heaven rise,

Ye'll mend or win near him..

PER CONTRA..

Go, Fame, an? canter like a filly : Thro'a'the ftreets anneuks o' Killie, * Tell ev'ry social honeft billie..

To cease his grievin, For yet, un kaith'd by Death's gleg gullie,

Tam Samson's livin!

* Killie is a phrase the country-folks sometimes use for the Dame of a certain town in the Welt...

1

The following POEM will, by many Readers, . be well enough understood; but for the sake of those who are unacquainted with the manners and traditions of the country where the scene is cast, notes are added, to give some account of the principal Charms and Spells of that night, fo big with Pro. phecy to the Peasantry in the West of Scotland. The paffion of prying into Futurity makes a striking part of the Hiftory of Human Nature, in its rude ftate, in all ages and nations; aud it may be fome entertainment to a philofophic mind, if any such should honour the Author with a perusal, to see the remains of it, among the more unenlightened in our

own.

HAL L0 W E E N.

Yes! let the Rich deride, the Proud disdain
The simple pleasures of the lowly train;
To me more dear, congenial to my heart,
One native charm than all the glofs of art.

GOLDSMITH.

I. :

UPON

PON that night when Fairies, light
On Casplis. Downans to dance,
Or owre the lays, in fplendid blaze,

On sprightly courfers prance;
Or for Colean the rout is ta’en,

Beneath the moon's pale beams;
There, up the Cove I, to stray an'rove,
Amang the rocks an' streams

To sport that night.

*Is thought to be a night when Witches, Devils, and other mischief-making beings, are all abroad, on their baneful, midsight errands; particularly, those aerial people, the Fairies, are said on that night, to hold a grand Anniversary.

+ Certain little, romantic, rockey, green bills, in the neighbourhood of the ancient seat of the Earls of Caffilis.

I A noted cavern near Colean-house, called the Cove of Colean; which, as well as Caflilis Dowoans, is famed, in couotry story, for being a favourite haunt of Fairies.

II.
Among the bonie, winding banks,

Where Duon rins, wimplin, clear,
Where BRUCE * aince ruld the martial ranks, -

An shook bis Carrick spear,
Some merry, friendly, countra folks,

Together did convene,
To burn their nits, an' psu their stocks,
An' haud their Halloween

Fu' blythe that night,:

ITI.
The laffes feat, and cleanly neat,

Mair braw than when they're fine;
Their faces blythe, fu' sweetly kythe,

Hearts leal, an' warm an 'kin': The.lads sae trig, wi’ wooer-babs, -

Weel knotted on their garten, Some unco blate, an' some wi' gabs, Gar laffes bearts gang ftartin,

Whyles fast at night.

IV.
Then, first an'foremost, thro' the kail, ,

Their stocks † maun a' be faught aince;

* The fangous family of that name, the ancestors of Roos DLRT the great Deliverer of his country, were Earls of: Carrick

+ The first ceremony of Halloween is, pulling each a Slock, or plaat of kail. They must go out, haad in hand,

They steek, their een, an' grape an' wale

For muckle anes, an' ftraught anes ;
Poor hav'rel Will fell aff the drift,

An' wander'd thro' the Bow-kail, ,
An pou't, for want o'better shift,
A runt was like a low-tail,

Sae bow't that night.

Then, fraught or crooked, yird or nane,

They roar an' cry a throu’ther; The vera wee-things, toddlin, rin,

Wi' stocks out-owre their fhouiber:
An' gif the custock's sweet or sour,

Wi jocteleg's they tafte theni;
Syne, cozięly, aboon the door,
Wi' capnie care, they've plac'd them

To lie that night,

VI.
The lasses ftaw frae 'mang them a',

To pou their stalks o' corn*;
with eyes shut, and pull the first hey meet with: its being
big or little, straight, or crooked, is prophetic of the fize and
Shape of the grand object of all their Spells--the husband or
wife. If any yird or earth stick to the root, that is Tocher,
of Fortune; and the taste of the castor, that is, the heart of the
Stem, is indicative of the natural temper and disposition.
Lastly, the ftemos, or, to give them their ordinary appellation,
the runts, are placed some where above the head of the door-;
and the Christian names of the people whom chance brings
into the house, are, according to the priority of placing the
Rints, the name: in question.
They go to the barn-yard, and pull each, at three several

a llalk of Oats. If the third slalk wants the top-pickle,

*

timas,