Away went Gilpin, out of breath,
And sore against his will,
Till, at his friend the calender's,
His horse at last stood still.

The calender, amazed to see

His neighbor in such trim,

Laid down his pipe, flew to the gate,
And thus accosted him :-

"What news? what news? your tidings tell;
Tell me you must and shall—
Say why bareheaded you are come,
Or why you come at all?"

Now Gilpin had a pleasant wit,
And loved a timely joke;
And thus unto the calender,
In merry guise, he spoke :-

"I came because your horse would come;
And, if I well forebode,

My hat and wig will soon be here,—
They are upon the road."

The calender, right glad to find
His friend in merry pin,3
Returned him not a single word,

But to the house went in;

When straight he came with hat and wig;
A wig that flowed behind,

A hat not much the worse for wear,
Each comely in its kind.

3. Pin. Humor, mood.

He held them up, and in his turn,

Thus showed his ready wit: "My head is twice as big as yours, They therefore needs must fit.

"But let me scrape the dirt away
That hangs upon your face;
And stop and eat, for well you may
Be in a hungry case."

Said John,-"It is my wedding day,
And all the world would stare,
If wife should dine at Edmonton,
And I should dine at Ware."

So turning to his horse, he said, "I am in haste to dine;

'T was for your pleasure you came here, You shall go back for mine."

Ah! luckless speech, and bootless boast,
For which he paid full dear;

For while he spake, a braying ass
Did sing most loud and clear;

Whereat his horse did snort, as he
Had heard a lion roar,

And galloped off with all his might,
As he had done before.

Away went Gilpin, and away
Went Gilpin's hat and wig;
He lost them sooner than at first,

For why?-they were too big.

Now Mistress Gilpin, when she saw
Her husband posting down

Into the country far away,

She pulled out half-a-crown;

And thus unto the youth she said,

That drove them to the Bell, "This shall be yours, when you bring back My husband safe and well."

The youth did ride, and soon did meet
John coming back amain;

Whom in a trice he tried to stop

By catching at his rein;

But not performing what he meant,
And gladly would have done,
The frighted steed he frighted more
And made him faster run.

Away went Gilpin, and away

Went postboy at his heels,

The postboy's horse right glad to miss
The lumbering of the wheels.

Six gentlemen upon the road,

Thus seeing Gilpin fly,

With postboy scampering in the rear,
They raised the hue and cry:—

"Stop thief! stop thief!-a highwayman!"

Not one of them was mute;

And all and each that passed that way
Did join in the pursuit.

And now the turnpike-gates again

Flew open in short space;
The toll-men thinking as before,
That Gilpin rode a race.

And so he did, and won it too,
For he got first to town,

Nor stopped till where he had got up
He did again get down.

Now let us sing, Long live the King,
And Gilpin, long live he;

And when he next doth ride abroad,
May I be there to see!

31

TAM O'SHANTER 1

ROBERT BURNS

When chapman 2 billies 3 leave the street,
And droughty neebors, neebors meet;
As market days are wearing late,
And folk begin to tak the gate; *
While we sit bousin' 5 at the nappy,

8

An' getting fou and unco happy,

"The

1. In an edition of selected poems from Burns, Hudson says: original of Tam O'Shanter was an individual named Douglas Graham, a Carrick farmer. The man was, in sober truth, the 'bletherin,' blusterin' blellum' that the poet has described, and his wife was as veritably a lady who most anxiously discouraged drinking in her husband."

2. Chapman. A peddler.

3. Billie. A companion.

4. Gate. Road.

5. Bousin'. Drinking.

6.

Nappy. Ale,

7.

Fou. Full, drunk. 8. Unco. Very.

We think na on the lang Scots miles,9
The mosses,10 waters, slaps,11 and styles,
That lie between us and our hame,
Whare sits our sulky, sullen dame.
Gathering her brows like gathering storm,
Nursing her wrath to keep it warm.

This truth fand 12 honest Tam o' Shanter,
As he frae Ayr ae night did canter:
(Auld Ayr, wham ne'er a town surpasses,
For honest men and bonie lasses).

O Tam! had'st thou but been sae wise,
As ta'en thy ain wife Kate's advice!
She tauld thee weel thou wast a skellum; 13
A blethering,14 blustering, drunken blellum;
That frae November till October,

Ae market-day thou wasna sober;
That ilka 16 melder 17 wi' the Miller,
Thou sat as lang as thou had siller;
That ev'ry naig was ca'd 18 a shoe on
The smith and thee gat roarin fou on;
That at the Lord's house, ev'n on Sunday,
Thou drank wi' Kirkton Jean till Monday;
She prophesied that late or soon,
Thou wad be found deep drown'd in Doon,
Or catch'd wi' warlocks 19 in the mirk,20
By Alloway's auld haunted kirk.

9. Lang Scots miles. The old Scotch mile was 216 yards longer than the English

15

mile.

Ilka. Every.

Melder. Grain taken to be ground.

Ca'd. Driven.

Warlocks. Wizards.