Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

Who fhall point the battle's road;

Bathe his horfes hoofs in blood?

Grafs ne'er grew where once he trode;
Pity ne'er unmann'd his breaft:

Him the Wolga's arrows dread;

Him the Tiber's eagles fled;
Him the plunder's glory led

[blocks in formation]

tale!

She's left us a' to fab an' wail!-
O'er the Eaft, and o'er the Weft. Auld Clatter banes has hit the nail

IV.

Shed no tears where low he lies;
Tears defcend from women's eyes,
Captive tears the brave despise;

Coward tears are figns of fear!
Warriors, fhear your raven hair,
Gash your cheeks with fabres bare;
Fill with blood the drizzling air,

Shake the earth with roundels drear.
V

Charnell'd fields with mofs o'ergrown,
Heaps of cities, now unknown,
Attila's unpeer'd renown

Thefe to future days fhall tell:

In the joys of spears his brow
Flufh'd with wars immortal glow;
By his arrows' deadly dew

Blighted empires fank and fell.

[blocks in formation]

Lizzie Weatherston, the fubject of the prefent Elegy, was a well-known character, who for many years kept a little change-houfe at Jock's Lodge, in the immediate neighbourhood of Edinburgh, and from a peculiar method fhe had of making Scotch puddings, had obtained the name of Puddin' Lizzie. Her houfe was long the favourite refort of many of the young people in and about Edinburgh, when inclined to an innocent homely frolic. She died in 1796.

O Reekie's Callants, mourn wi' me! Your waes, alake! are fair to dree! O mourn the days-the days o' gleeNow fled awa'!

I fee the tear start i' ilk e'e,

An' fadly fa'!

Ech! mony time, ance on a day,
In cheerie bangs we've ta'en our way,
Ilk birkie keenly bent on play,

Wi hearts fu' light,

An' for a wee fet Care aftray,

Far out o' fight!

And whan we reach'd her little dwallin', Whare toolied birds wi' bloodie talon*, How kind fhe met us at the hallin

Led to the ha',

[ocr errors]

Whan fhe began to crack her creed,
I've feen our chafts maift like to fcreed;
In short, at times a filly thread

Might c'en ha'e tied us; An' wow how croufe fhe cock'd her head, Whan fet befide us !

The mair the pith o' barley fhone,
The mair was heard Mirth's focial tone,
An' sang, an' joke, an' toast gaed roun'
Wi' glee imprentit;
While bizzy Time ftill jogget on,
Unmark'd, untentit;

Till Night, her fable mantle dreepin'
Braught Luna o'er St Anthon's peepin',
An' dowie ghaifts frae kirk-yards creepin'
Began to wauner,

"Gude c'en, gude e'en!" ay loudly baw- Whan we, frae Lizzie's kindly keepin', Wad hamewards dauner. Och! wae's my heart! now whan fhe's

lin,'

An' baikin' law!

Syne what a fyke, an' what a phraifin'! "The puddin's, bairns, are just in feafonThey're newly made-the kettle's bigzin'

[ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]

Wi' timmer pins at ilka en'

[ocr errors]

To haud the meat in.

An' than fhe had the knack fae weel
To taste the gab o' ony chiel',
Wi' fpic'ries, braught thro' danger's feil
Frae India's coast,

An' ingans, mixt wi' gude ait meal,
'Auld Scotia's boaft.

Thus feated round her canty ingle,
O how the knives an' forks wad ringle,
An' cutty-fpoons 'mang puddin's mingle,
Hov'd up fae wally;

An' caps an' trunchers in a jingle
A' fearted brawly!
Did ony relifh cauler water?

Na, faith! it was na in our nature!
We but to ha'e a wee drap creature,
Gude Papish Whiskyf➡

It beits new life in ilka feature,

An' keeps ane brisk aye!

gane,

How fad an' alter'd is the ftrain!
To Puddin' Feasts an' Rants fu' fain

Nae mair we pap in ;

Our wames e'en to our riggin' bane
Like fkate fish clappin”!

But whifht!-for mair I canna speak!
The tears come rappin' doun my cheek!
To mark her grave fae cauld an' bleak!

The green grafsgrowin'!But, Lord, keep her frae Hornie's creek, Black, footy, lowin'!

Then O fareweel to feasting rare,
An' fcrieving cracks that drave aff care,
Fareweel to rantin' late an' ear',

Sae blyth an' frisky;

An' eke fareweel for ever mair

To Papish Whisky! R. G.

ODE OF HERALD THE VALIANT, From an Icelandic Chronicle, called Knytlinga Saga.

By the Author of The Vagabond, &c.

[blocks in formation]

* Lizzie had a fign-board above her door, on which was painted two cocks fighting, with this infcription." The thickest skin stand langest out.".

+ She fold rum under the name of Papish Whisky, for the purpose, it was said, of e-vading the licence.

Our hoftefs was noted for her ready wit, and many fatirical sayings; fo much fo, that few cared to engage with her, or they were fure of becoming the butt of the whole: company.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

Once our bark in unknown ocean
Felt the whirling furges rife,
Yet we ftay'd her beating motion,
Hope and valour ftrength supplies.
Warlike prowess till adorns me,
Yet a Ruffian maiden fcorns me.
IV.

I perform eight feats of glory,
Great in fight, on horfeback firm,
None in fkaiting are before me,

From my bow the arrows burn.
Warlike prowess ftill adorns me,
Yet a Ruffian maiden fcorns me.
V.

Will the own, the lovely maiden,
Near a fouthern city plac'd,
I return'd with trophies laden,

And my deeds in flaughter trac'd,
Warlike prowess still adorns mė,
Yet a Ruffian maiden fcorns me.
VI.

Rugged Norway's country bore me,
Where the hills are clad in fnow,
Where the infant, and the hoary
Peasants, twang the founding bow.
I preferr'd my veffel's guiding,
'Midft the rocks and ragged fhores,
Får from human dwelling riding,

Where the foaming ocean roa. s.
Warlike prowess ftill adorns me,
Yet a Ruffian maiden fcorns me.

SONNETS BY MISS SEWARD.
SONNET III.

Written at Buxton in a Rainy Seafon:

FROM thefe wild heights, where oft the

mifts defcend

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Frown o'er th' umbrageous glen; or pleas'd furvey'd

The cloudy moonshine in the fhadowy glade,

Romantic Natnre to th' enthusiast Child Grew dearer far than when ferene fhe

[blocks in formation]

That comes foft creeping o'er the flowery field,

And fhadow'd waters; in whose bushý fide

The mountain bees their fragrant treafure hide

Murmuring; and fings the lonely Thrush conceal'd!

Then, Ceremony, in thy gilded halls,

Where forc'd and frivolous the themes

arife,

With bow and file unmeaning, O! how palls

At

At thee, and thine, my fenfe !-how oft it fighs

For leiture, wood-lanes, dells, and waterfalls;

And feels th' untemper'd heat of fultry fkies!

SONNET XXXVI.

SUMMER.

OW on hills, rocks, and streams, and vales, and plains,

Now

Full looks the fhining Day.-Our gardens wear

The gorgeous robes of the confummate year.

With laugh, and shout, and fong, stout Maids and Swains

Heap high the fragrant hay, as through rough lanes

Rings the yet empty waggon.-See in air

The pendent cherries, red with tempting ftains,

Gleam thro' their boughs.-Summer, thy bright career

Muft facken foon in Autumn's milder fway:

Then thy now heapt and jocund meads

fhall ftand Smooth,-vacant,-filent,-thro' th' exulting Land

As wave thy Rival's golden fields, and gay Her reapers throng She fmiles, and

binds the fheaves;

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

SONNET XLVIII.

OW young-ey'd Spring, on gentle breezes borne,

Now

'Mid the deep woodlands, hills, and vales,

and bowers,

Unfolds her leaves, her bloffoms, and her flowers,

Pouring their foft luxuriance on the morn, O! how unlike the wither'd, wan, forlorn, And limping Winter, that o'er ruffet

moors,

Grey ridgy fields, and ice-incrufted fhores, Strays!-and commands his rifing Winds

to mourn.

Protracted Life, thou art ordain'd to wear A form like his; and, fhou'd thy gifts be mine,

I tremble left a kindred influence dear Steal on my mind ;-but pious Hope benign,

The Soul's bright day-fpring, fhall avert the fear,

And gild Existence in her dim decline.

Ο

SONNET LXXVII.

Haft thou feen a vernal morning bright

Gem every bank and trembling leaf with

dews

Tinging

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

Interesting Intelligence from the London Gazettes.

London Gazette Extraordinary, June 22.
A difpatch, of which the following is a
copy, has been received from Lieuten-
ant Colonel Robert Craufurd, by the
Right Hon. Lord Grenville his Majef
ty's Principal Secretary of State for the
Foreign Department:
MY LORD,

I

Zurich, June 7, 1799. HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship, that, in confequence of a very fevere action which took place on the 4 inft. Maffena has been obliged to abandon his entrenched camp before this place, and that the Auftrians took poffeffion of the town yefterday afternoon.

In my difpatch of the 31ft ultimo, I had the honour to acquaint vour Lordhip, that after the affair of Winterthur the enemy retreated behind the Glat. In the fubfequent days the right wing of the Archduke's Army under Gen. Nauendorff, advanced towards Buelach, the centre of Prince Reufs's column towards Kloten, and Gen. Hotze's to Balferidorff.

In order to threaten the enemy's right flank, and in hopes of thereby inducing him to quit the position of Zurich, (the real firength of which was not known,) Gen. Zellachich was fent with a column round the Greifenfee, and afterwards advanced towards Zurich, in connection with another part of General Hotze's corps, which croffed the Glat below Greifenfee, but confiderably to the enemy's right. As the fe demonftrations, however, were without effect, an attack was determined upon.

Between the Glat and Limmat is a confiderable chain of hills, running nearly moft parts with thick woods. On this parallel to thefe rivers, and covered in ridge, juft in the front of Zurich, Maffena had chofen a moft excellent and not very extenfive pofition, which for several weeks paft he had caused to be ftrengthened by numerous entrenchments, and in which, after the affair of Winterthur, he collected a confiderable part of the army.-The right wing was posted on the hill called Zurich Berg, which is greatly elevated above every other part of the ridge within its reach, and is covered with very thick woods, in which the enemy had made very confiderable abbatis, entirely furrounding the hill, and defended by redoubts: and this being the moft interefting and decifive point of the position, it was occupied by a large body of infantry; the right wing of which was thrown back en Potence towards the town. The left wing of the army was placed on the continuance of the above-mentioned chain of hills; likewife protected by extenfive woods, abbatis, and entrenchments:-in the centre the ground was much lower, quite free from wood and of ealy accefs. Through this open space (which is not quite a cannonfhot in extent from wood to wood), pass the roads leading from Kloten and Winterthur to Zurich. This is the only part of the pofition in which cavalry could have acted; but it was completely covered by a chain of clofed redoubts, confiderably retired, and ferving as a curtain to connect the two wings, by which it Q92

[ocr errors]
« ZurückWeiter »