As was of Wowers, as I wene,

At Chrysts-Kirk on a Day;

Thair came our Kitties washen clene
In new Kirtills of Gray,

Full gay,

At Chryst-Kirk of the Grene that Day.

II.

To danss thir Damysells them dicht,

Thir Lasses licht of Laits:

Thair Gluvis war of the Raffell richt,
Thair Shune war of the Straits;

Thair Kirtills war of Lincome licht,

Weil prest with mony Plaits:

They war sae nyss when Men them nicht,

They squeilt lyke ony Gaits,

Sae loud, at, &c. that Day.

Danss, Fenss, Glanss, Dance, Fence, Glance. The ss us'd for the ce often in such Words.

Dicht, Licht, Richt, &c. Dight, Light, Right. The ch in such Words always us'd in Place of the gh.

Gluvis, Lufe, Haif, &c. Gloves, Love, Have. The ƒ and v indifferently made use of in those and the like Words.

Shune, Mune, Sune, &c. Shoon (or Shoes), Moon, Soon, the double oo never found in such Words. Sometimes they are spell'd, Sone, Mone; at in those, as in many others, we have endeavour'd to fix the Ortho

y to the most frequent Manner.

III.

Of all thir Maidens myld as meid,
Was nane sae jimp as Gillie:
As ony Rose her Rude was reid,

Her Lyre was lyke the Lillie.
Fow zellow, zellow was her Heid;

But scho of Lufe sae silly,

Thocht all hir Kin had sworn hir Deid,

Scho wald haif but sweit Willie

Alane, at Chryst-Kirk, &c. that Day.

IV.

SCHO skornit Jok and skrapit at him,
And murgeont him with Mokks,

He wald haif luvit, scho wald not lat him,
For all his zellow Lokks.

Well, Deid, Heid, Meid, &c. Well, Dead, Head, Mead. The Diphthong ei us'd in many such Words as now require e, ea and ee.

Sae, Wae, Mae, Nane, Wald, &c. So, Wo, Moe, None, Would. The a and ae in place of o and oe, except in those Words, Ony, Mony, which are the reverse.

Nyss, Wyss, Byt, Hyd; Myld, Lyk, &c. Nice, Wise, Bite, Hide, Mild, Like. Our not sounding the i as the English do, accounts very well for our Elders spelling all words with a y of such a sound.

He chereist hir, scho bad gae chat him,

Scho compt him not twa Clokks :

Sae schamefully his schort Goun set him,
His Limms wer lyk twa Rokks,

Scho said at, &c. that Day.

V.

THOM LUTAR was thair Menstral meit,

O Lord! as he coud lanss :

He playt sae schill, and sang sae sweet,
Quhyle Towsie tuke a Transs.

Auld Lightfute thair he did forleit,

And counterfittet Franss;

He us'd himself as Man discreit,
And up tuke Moreis Danss,

Full loud, at, &c. that Day.

Sang, Lang, Band, Thrang, &c. Song, Long, Bond, Throng, the a is us'd in place of o.

Tuke, Blude, Gude, Luke, Fule, Shute, &c. Took, Blood, Good, Look, Fool, Shoot.

Quhyle, Quhat, Quho, Quhyt, &c. While, What, Who, White. The qu is always us'd for the German w, when an à immediately follows. See Mr. Ruddiman's Glossary to Gavin Douglas's Virgil.

Auld, Bauld, &c. Old, Bold. Here in many such Words the Scots spell with au in Place of the English o.

VI.

THEN Steven came stepand in with Stends.

Nae Rynk micht him arreist : Plateflute he bobit up with bends,

For Mald he maid Requeist.

He lap till he lay on his Lends;
But rysand was sae preist,

Quhyle that he hoistit at baith Ends,
For honour of the Feist,

And danst, at, &c. that Day.

Stepand, Rysand, &c. Stepping, Rising; and is frequently the Sign of the Participle of the Present Tense; sometimes an and in instead of the modern ing.

Stevin, Stepand, Stends, as before, Lasses Licht of Laits, and generally through all, our ancient Bards endeavour to add a delicate and artful Smoothness to their Verse, by a Flow of Words that begin with the same initial Letters. No Poets of any Language ever pursued that Manner so close, or succeeded so well. Dryden and Waller, and some others of our best Moderns, in their Versification, seem to admire that Beauty.

When Man on many multiply'd his Kind.

And, Oh! how I long my tender Limbs to lay.

Dryd.

Wal.

One cannot help smiling to hear the Writer of Mr. Waller's Life say, That this Way of throwing off a Verse easily was first introduced by him.

VII.

SYNE Robene Roy begoud to revell,

And Dawny to him druggit.

Let be, quoth Jok, and cawd him Jevell,
And be the Tail him tuggit.

The Kensie cleikit to a cavell;

But, Lord, than how they luggit.
Thay partit manly with a Nevell;
I trow that Hair was ruggit
Betwix them, at, &c. that Day.

VIII.

ANE bent a Bow, sic Sturt coud steir him,
Grit Skayth wesd to haif skard him :

He cheist a Flane as did affeir him;

The toder said, Dirdum, dardum :

Begoud, Beuk, Clam, Keist, &'c. Began, or did begin, did bake, did climb, did cast; our old Authors have a great many of such preterites of Verbs, most of which continue amongst us still.

Toder, Fader, Bruder, Moder, Hider, &c. That other, Father, Brother, Mother, Hither. The d is frequently us'd for th in such Words.