Francis Sempill o' Beltrees,
His confort alfo if you please,

There's twa o's horfe, an' ane o's men,
That's quarter't doon wi' Allan Glen,
Thir lines 1 fen' to you for feir,
O' poin'in' o' auld Auntie's geir,
Wha nevir ane befoir durft fteir,
It flinks for ftalenefs I dare fweir.

(figned)

FRANCIS SEMPILL. And directed to the commander of the guard in Glasgow. When the captain received the letter, he could not understand it, on the account of it being written in the Scots dia. le&t. He confidered it as an infult put upon him, and like a man belide himself, flark, flarring, raving mad with rage, he exclaimed, "If I had the fcoundrel who had the audacity to fend me fuch an infulting, infamous, and impudent libel, I would make the villainous rafeal fuffer for his temerity." And a great deal more of fuch language, with which I will not ftain my paper. He then ordered a party of his men to go and apprehend a Francis Semple, who was lodged with a woman of the name of Semple, near the High Church, and carry him, to the Provoft. Mr. Semple was accordingly brought before the Provoft, and his accufer ap peared with the infulting, infamous, and impudent libel against him. It was read, but it was impoffible for the Provoft to retain his gravity during the reading of it. But

The explanation cool'd the captain's wrath, And ended this queer bufinefs with a laugh. The captain and Beltrees became friends, and he declared that Beltrees was the cleverit

gentleman in Scotland. On no account would he part with Beltrees during his ftay in Glasgow; therefore the time that Francis fhould have paffed with the old lady, his Aunt, was humourously spent with the Captain, and the other officers of Cromwell's forces, who kept him in Glasgow, two weeks longer than he would have otherwise ftaid.

Problem. How fhall a pin be formed which will fill a circular hole of an inch diameter, a hole of an inch fquare, and a triangular hole, one fide of which is an inch, and each of the other two fides is 1.118 inch? The pin muft go completely down through each hole. must be one folid piece, and nothing must be added to it, or taken from it, after it is once perfectly formed.

It

Solution. 1. A cylinder, or roller, of an inch diameter will fill the circular hole. 2. Cut an inch off one end of faid roller, for to fill the fquare hole. The diameter and length of the pin, being one inch each, form a fquare. 3. Then begin at one end of the cylinder and cut (but be fure to leave the circle at the end of the cylinder quite full) ftraight forward, in form of a triangle, till you reach the centre of the other end of the cylinder. Then begin and cut the other fide in the fame form. Having done fo, it will then fill the triangular hole.

Communications (poft paid) fuited to the nature of this work, may be addreffed to John Millar, Bookfeller, Sandholes, Pailley.

J. NEILSON, PRINTER.

to their cost, He was their deidly fae.

THE Incomparable beauties of this Ballad, and the favourable reception which the first part has always met with from the lovers of ancient poetry, have induced the Editor to give the tragedy complete. Certain, that while it ornaments his collection, it must also entertain the reader. We are indebted for the fecond part to Mr. Pinkerton, the compiler of the Scottifh Tragic Ballads, who hath had the honour of fnatching this valuable remaine from the jaws of oblivion, and tranfmitting to pofterity, the first complete copy. As Dr. Percy's introductory note, on the Ballad of Hardyknute, opposes the antiquity and authenticity of Hardyknute, we fhall here insert it.

"As this fine morfel of heroic poetry hath generally paffed for ancient, it is here thrown to the end of our earlieft pieces, that fuch as doubt of its age, may the better compare it with other pieces of genuine antiquity. For, after all, there is more than reason to fufpect, that it owes moft of it beauties, (if not its whole exiftence) to the pen of a Lady, within the prefent century

*This was printed in the year 1794.