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Weel mounted on his grey mare, Meg,
A better never lifted leg,

Tam fkelpit on thro' dub and mire,
Defpifing wind, and rain, and fire;

Whiles holding faft his gude blue bonnet;
Whiles crooning o'er fome auld Scots fonnet;
Whiles glow'ring round wi' prudent cares,
Left bogles catch him unawares:
Kirk-Alloway was drawing nigh,

Whare ghaifts and houlets nightly cry.

By this time he was crofs the ford,
Whare in the fnaw the chapman smoor'd;
And paft the birks and meikle ftane,
Whare drunken Charlie brak's neck-bane;
And thro' the whins, and by the cairn,
Whare hunters fand the murder'd bairn;

And near the thorn, aboon the well,
Whare Mungo's mither hang'd herfel.-

Before

Before him Doon pours all his floods;
The doubling ftorm roars thro' the woods;
The lightnings flash from pole to pole;

Near and more near the thunders roll:
When, glimmering thro' the groaning trees,
Kirk-Alloway feem'd in a bleeze;

Thro' ilka bore the beams were glancing;
And loud refounded mirth and dancing.-

Infpiring bold John Barleycorn!
What dangers thou canft make us fcorn!
Wi' tippeny, we fear nae evil;

Wi' ufquabae we'll face the devil!

The swats fae ream'd in Tammie's noddle,
Fair play, he car'd na deils a boddle.
But Maggie flood right fair aftonish'd,
Till, by the heel and hand admonish'd,
She ventur'd forward on the light;
And, vow! Tam faw an unco fight!

Warlocks

Warlocks and witches in a dance;

Nae cotillion brent new frae France,
But hornpipes, jigs, ftrathfpeys, and reels,
Put life and mettle in their heels,

A winnock-bunker in the east,

There fat auld Nick, in fhape o' beast ;
A towzie tyke, black, grim, and large,
To gie them mufic was his charge:
He screw'd the pipes and gart them skirl,
Till roof and rafters a' did dirl.-

Coffins flood round, like open preffes,
That fhaw'd the dead in their laft dreffes;
And by fome devilish cantrip flight,

Each in its cauld hand held a light.

By which heroic Tam was able
To note upon the haly table,

A murderer's banes in gibbet airns;

Twa fpan-lang, wee, unchriften'd bairns

A thief, new-cutted frae a rape,

Wi' his laft gafp his gab did gape;

;

Five tomahawks, wi' blude red-rusted;
Five fcymitars, wi' murder crusted;
A garter, which a babe had strangled;
A knife, a father's throat had mangled,
Whom his ain fon o' life bereft,

The grey hairs yet ftack to the heft;
Wi' mair o' horrible and awefu',

Which ev'n to name wad be unlawfu'.

As Tammie glowr'd, amaz'd, and curious, The mirth and fun grew faft and furious: The piper loud and louder blew ;

The dancers quick and quicker flew ;

They reel'd, they set, they cross'd, they cleekit,

Till ilka carlin fwat and reekit,

And cooft her duddies to the wark,

And linket at it in her fark!

Now Tam, O Tam! had thae been queans,

A' plump and ftrapping in their teens,

Their

Their farks, instead o' creefhie flannen,

Been fnaw-white feventeen hunder linnen!
Thir breeks o' mine, my only pair,

That ance were plush, o' gude blue hair,
I wad hae gi'en them off my hurdies,
For ae blink o' the bonnie burdies!

But wither'd beldams, auld and droll,
Rigwoodie hags wad spean a foal,
Lowping an' flinging on a crummock,
I wonder didna turn thy ftomach.

But Tam kend what was what fu' brawlie, There was ae winfome wench and wawlie, That night enlisted in the core, (Lang after kend on Carrick fhore; For mony a beaft to dead fhe shot, And perifh'd mony a bonnie boat, And fhook baith meikle corn and bear,

And kept the country-fide in fear),

Her

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