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Cornell University Library PR 5232.R3H8 Horace in homespun; a series of Scottish 3 1924 013 540 293 Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924013540293 HORACE IN HOMESPUN HORACE IN HOMESPUN H Series of Scottisb pastorals HUGH HALIBURTON SHEPHERD OF THE OCHILS PREFACE, NOTES, AND GLOSSARY BY J. LOGIE ROBERTSON, M.A. ILL USTRA TED EDINBURGH: WILLIAM PATERSON 1886 KzniS'owy SCOTT AND FERGUSON, EDINBURGH. PREFACE TT UGH or, as he is familiarly called, Hughie Haliburton, the Author of the Sketches of Scottish Life and Character among the Ochils contained in the present collection, has at least the merit of writing upon a subject which he knows personally, and in which he is directly interested. He lives among the people whom he describes — wears their dress, speaks their language, shares their joys and sorrows. He is, in short, one of themselves. He counts himself, and is counted, no better than his neighbours — except only that he is allowed to lay special claim to a gift of graphic expression, which on occasion takes a metrical form. His Pastorals reveal all about himself that he cares to make known. They represent him as a veritable shepherd living in healthy solitude with social instincts. His housekeeper on the hillside is a " single " sister — for Hughie is a bachelor. He has at various times pondered the idea of entering the marriage ■ state, but hitherto something has vi PREFACE. always occurred to postpone or prevent a decision. He is now, in his own language, " wearin' near twa score an' ten,'' and, though fleeting visions of a mysterious Peggy occasionally cross his dreams by night, his thoughts by day return to celibacy and soberness. He is however no enemy to matrimony in others : he can congratulate his friend Jamie on leaving the ranks of " the Wanters," and console Nannie in the absence of Davie with an assurance of Davie's faithful- ness. Hughie's philosophy of human life is perhaps worthy of particular attention. It is at once cheerful, manly, and practical. To look habit- ually at the bright side of things, to attend always to present duty, and generally to follow the dictates of common sense are among its features. There is besides a wide sympathy, guided by intelligence and guarded by humour, plainly present in Hughie's philosophical practice, which proves his heart to be as good as his head. Of Hughie's many friends, old and young, male and female, it would be invidious to particularise one more than another. It may be remarked generally that, if they stand forth with the dramatic distinctness of figure and character which obtains in real life, it is because they are no mere imaginary abstractions, but flesh and blood realities, moving about among PREFACE. vii the Ochils at. the present moment, lusty and world-Hke — with the soUtary exception of Andro, whose untimely death still casts a gloom over one nook of the hills. The bit of Latin at the beginning of each sketch is put there by the Editor, who sees in Hughie's experience of life among the hills of Scotland a remarkable correspondence to that of Horace, twenty cen- turies ago, in ancient Rome. J. LOGIE ROBERTSON. Hughie's Advice to his Brother John, His Advice to Auld Tammy to tak' the use o' his Savings, ....... His Indignation at the Conduct of the Absconding Elder, ....... His Anticipation of Hogmanay Night, His Refusal to Emigrate, ..... His Consolation to Allan for the Loss of his Son, Hughie in Love with a Shrew, .... PAGE I 6 9 12 15 I? CONTENTS. His Advice to Dauvit to Enjoy the Fine Weather, His Anxiety for Davy on the Seas, He takes his Ease in his Inn, . His Invitation to a Friend in the City, His Bachelor Party, HuGHiE at the Maiden's Well, . His Testimony to the worth of Auld Elspeth, He Consoles and Counsels Young Nannie in the Absence of Davie, ..... His Waddin' Gift to Jame, His Monument, ..... He Fa's in with a Fairy, His Happiness based on Contentment, He Thinks Himself now too Old for Love, . He Lectures a Vain Old Maid, He Flatters Saunders with an Ironical Description of Himself, .... His Winter Excuse for a Dram, Hughie in Murnins : He Laments the Loss o' his Friend Andro, .... He is driven in by a Tempest, but defies the Elements from behind a Jorum, .... His Views on Soldiering, . . . His Spring Sunshine dashed with Shadow, His Advice to Tammy to live less for the Future, an mair for the Present, .... PAGE 19 22 25 27 3° 34 37 39 41 44 47 49 SI 53 55 58 61 63 65 67 69 CONTENTS. PAGE His Flight : He figures as an Eagle, . . . ,71 He offers Consolation to his Sister Meenie, whose Heart IS WITH Donal' in Lochiel, ..... 74 He Remonstrates with Davie, a Dour Critic, . . 76 His Belief in Present Duty, ..... 80 Hughie upon Human Conduct, . . . . .81 Hughie at the Smiddy — A Dramatic Idyl — Part I., . • ■ • . -83 Part II., ...... 90 Glossary, ........ 97 HUGHIE'S ADVICE TO HIS BROTHER JOHN. " O nines eodem cogimur." — Car. II,, 3, EAR JOCK, ye're higher up the brae Than me, your aulder brither — Keep mind the higher up ye gae The mair ye're in the weather. I'm no' misdootin' that ye're wice, j) An', for your ploo-share, speed it ! But I may better gi'e advice, An' ye may better need it The higher up the brae ye speel The farrer it's below ye, — Tak' tent ye dinna gi'e the deil Occasion to dounthrow ye. Be douce an' ceevil wi' success. For Fortune's no' to trust aye ; Then if your head should tak' the gress Ye're whaur ye were at first aye. A HORACE IN HOMESPUN. An honest fa', wi' conscience clear, It never brak' a bane yet; There's aye the honest course to steer For a' that's come an' gane yet. But letna lucre be your aim. Pursued thro' thick an' thin aye ; The honour o' an honest name. That's what you first should win aye. For happiness (to God be thanks !) Is no' the gift o' Fortun': Wi' place the limmer plays her pranks, Wi' men like puppets sportin' — Rich folk lookin' idly on At puir folk busy dargin' — But happiness, my brither John, It wasna in the bargain. The ups an' douns o' human life Are like a fairy revel; But a' the warld, an' his wife. Maun lie at ae great level. An' that's a thocht for me an' you When Fate's awards perplex us; In calm eternity's wide view There's little that should vex us. HORACE IN HOMESPUN. Fate's like the waves aneth the mune, An' we are vessels ridin'; It's doon an' up, an' up an' doon, An' here there's nae abidin'; But on the far horizon's edge, To which we're ever driftin'. The changes on oor pilgrimage Are but a paltry shiftin'. HORACE IN HOMESPUN. HUGHIE'S ADVICE TO AULD TAMMY TO TAK' THE USE O' HIS SAVINGS. " Liiiquenda tellns et domus." — Car. II., 14. "V/'E'RE agein', Tammy, agein' fast, The season o' your strength is past ; Ye're white but whaur ye're bauld ; The footmarks o' the craw are seen Aboot the corners o' your een — Ye're auld, my frien', ye're auld ! There's some that on life's mornin' road Fall in their glorious strength. An' some, like you, that bear the load O' life the weary length; But hame still, the same still. We've a' to find oor way; What maitter the' later Or earlier in the day? HORACE IN HOMESPUN. Tammy, ye've lived to be a laird, Ye awn a stane house, an' a yaird Wi' fruit trees on your wa'; Ye keep a powny, an' ye've kye, Ye've siller i' the bank forbye — Ye'll need to leave it a'! What need ye, then, to strive an' strain. An' fret your saul wi' care. To gaither gain an' treasure gain A' for a spendthrift heir? He's waitin', like Satan, But if he ance win in. He'll dance throu't, an' prance throu't, An' scatter't a' like sin ! HORACE IN HOMESPUN. HUGHIE'S INDIGNATION AT THE CONDUCT OF THE ABSCONDING ELDER. "Mala soluta navis exit alite." — Car. V., lo. -5s> c^ afif the kintra at a spang ! ^ He's on the sea — they've tint him ! The warst o' weather wi' him gang ! Gude weather bide ahint him ! O for a rattlin' bauld Scots blast To follow an' owretak' him — ■ To screed his sails, an' brak' his mast, An' grup his ship, an' shak' him. Yet wha was less possessed wi' guile. Or prayed wi' readier unction ? He brocht the sweetness o' a smile To every public function. There wasna ane had half the grace Or graciousness o' Peter; There wasna ane in a' the place For the millennium meeter. HORACE IN HOMESPUN. lie's fairly aff, he's stown awa', A' wolf that wore a fleece, man ! He's cheated justice, jinkit law, An' lauch'd at the policeman. The mission fund, the parish rate, He had the haill control o't; The very pennies i' the plate — He's skirtit wi' the whole o't ! It's juist a year^t's no' a year, I'm no' a hair the belder. Since in the Session Chaumer here We made him rulin' elder. An' juist a month as Feursday fell He gat the gold repeater. That in a speech I made mysel We handit owre to Peter. A bonnie lever, capp'd an' jew'ld, Perth never saw the mak' o't. An' wi' his character in goold Engraven on the back o't. He's aff! He's aff wi' a' the spoil, Baith law and justice jinkit! O for wind o' winds the wale To chase his ship an' sink it ! HORACE IN HOMESPUN. To lift the watter like a fleece An' gie him sic a drookin', Whaur on his growf he groans for grace But canna pray for pukin'. Then wash'd owre seas upon a spar, \Vi' seaweeds roun' the head o'm, Let neither licht o' sun nor star Shine down upon the greed o'm ! But let a shark fra oonderneath, It's jaws wi' hunger tichtenin', Soom round him, shawin' izzet teeth At every flash o' lichtnin' ! Till in the end the angry waves Transport him to a distance To herd wi' wolves an' sterve in caves An' fecht for an existence ! HORACE IN HOMESPUN. HUGHIE'S ANTICIPATION OF HOGMANAY NIGHT. " Seu tu querelas sive geris jocos, Seu rixam, et insanos amoves, Seu faciletp, fia testa, somnum.^' — Car. III., 21. TTOO cam' this bonnie greybeard here, Sae trimly to the time o' year. When folk maun lay 't in, tho' it's dear? But this, I'se wauger, Cost but the buyin' o' the bere An' miss'd the gauger. It's smuggled — faith, I canna doot it ! The smell o' peat-reek hings aboot it ! But still it's whusky — to dispute it Wad be a sin — Sae wi' the leechence, or withoot it, We'se tak' it in. This verra nicht it's Hogmanay — When Hab an' Rab an' twa-three mae Weel-geizen'd guisers up the brae May be expeckit; An' they maun cake an' caulker hae Or they're negleckit. 10 HORACE IN HOMESPUN. An' juist as likly 's no, the folk That brew'd, an' brocht this bonnie crock, An' left it hingin' at my lock May be amon' them — Surely a mutchkin o' the stock 'S weel wair'd upon them. It's whusky noo; but ere the morn The deil kens what may be i' horn, What acks and antics may be born O' this elixir! The humours o' John Barleycorn — They're a queer mixtur' ! Here Willie wi' a warlike ee. There Hab upon his bendit knee, Dave amorous daft, an' Roger ree, An' Patie snorin'. An' Geordie wi' his jaws ajee A ballant roarin' ! Rab sits an' sulks, — a dour ane Rab ! Wee Johnnie gets a gift o' gab, Lang Sandie grows a perfeck blab An' tooms his mind; While Tarn, wi' aye the ither sab, Swears he's resign'd. HORACE IN HOMESPUN. I see them in their various places, Oblivious o' their blacken'd faces; They sit, ae hour the ither chases, Nor think o' risin', Nor hoo John Barleycorn disgraces Them an' their guisin'. At last it comes, the warnin' click The auld clock gi'es afore it strik'; They warstle up, an' i' the nick Roar oot their greetin' ; Then Patie's wauken'd wi' a kick, An' skells the meetin' ! 1 2 HORA CE IN HOMESP UN. HUGHIE REFUSES TO EMIGRATE. "/W tu cakntem Debita sparges lacrima favillam Fails amid," — Car. II., 6. TV /[■ ATTHIE, nae mair ! ye'se gang your lane ! Tak' my best wishes wi' ye, An' may guid fortun' owre the main An' snugly settled see ye ! I wuss ye weel ! the kintra's lairge, An ye're but twa wi' Mary ; Ye'll shortly hae the owner's chairge Nae doot o' half a prairie. There's ample room in sic a park To foond a score o' nations. An' flourish like a patriarch Amon' your generations. HORACE IN HOMESPUN. i3 But me may Scotland's bonnie hills Maintain to utmost auld age, Leadin' my flocks by quiet rills, An' lingerin' thro' the gold age; Untemptit wi' a foreign gain That mak's ye merely laird o't, s r An' thinkin' Scotland a' mm' am Tho' ownin' ne'er a yaird o't! What hills are like the Ochil hills? There's nane sae green, tho' grander; What rills are hke the Ochil rills? Nane, nane on earth that wander ! There Spring returns amon' the sleet, Ere Winter's tack be near thro'; There Spring an' Simmer fain wad meet To tarry a' the year thro' ! An' there in green Glendevon's shade A grave at last be found me, Wi' daisies growin' at my head An' Devon lingerin' round me ! Nae stane disfigurement o' grief Wi' lang narration rise there; A line wad brawly serve, if brief. To tell the lave wha lies there. 14 HORACE IN HOMESPUN. But ony sculptur'd wecht o' stane Wad only overpow'r me; A shepherd, musin' there his lane, Were meeter bendin' owre me. HORACE IN HOMESPUN. it, HUGHIE CONSOLES ALLAN FOR THE LOSS OF HIS SON. " Non semper . , , foliis viduantur omi ; Tu semper urges flebiliius modis Mysten adempium." — Car. II., 9. TT'S winter wi' us here amang the mountains, Patient they stand wi' leaden clouds opprest; Silent are a' the birds an' singin' fountains, Weary they seem, an' auld, an' wantin' rest. The braes are white wi' snaw instead o' gowans; Sorrow an' Care gang murnin' doun the glen; The wind is soughin' thro' the leafless rowans For beauty gane that canna come agen. But wi' the spring auld Earth puts aff her murnins For a' her bonnie bairns that dee'd last year. An' smiles as prood-like o' her braw new-born anes ^ As if she neither kent regret nor fear. Fra the bereavit boughs the young buds peep oot Till a' the wauken'd wud 's a wavin' green; Fra the fa'en leaves below the wee flooers creep oot, Raxin' themsels an' openin' their een, 1 6 HORACE IN HOMESPUN. But wi' the comin' spring, my gude friend Allan, To you comes neither pleasure nor relief; It winna bring ye back your auldest callan', It canna keep ye company in grief. Sorrow like yours endures the dark December, Lasts an' ootlives the lauchin' licht o' May ; Nature forgets, but Man maun aye remember. Aye miss what's ta'en awa', and mum it aye. An' yet, my friend, this loss, this gey ill-spar'd ane. Lies no' like a dead leaf, a lifeless thing; It's mair like flooer-seed sawn intil a gairden Certain to rise a' radiant in the spring. Tho' distant far that spring, its pleasures gaither Sweetness proportioned to the present pain; Meanwhile, be to the faitherless a faither — In ithers' gude ye're sure to find your ain. Note. — The Care and the Sorrow unite to form the Dolour, a tributary of the Devon. The glen referred to is a romantic ravine of the Ochils, directly under Castle Campbell. HORACE IN HOMESPUN. 17 HUGHIE IN LOVE WITH A SHREW. " Urit grata protervitas." — Car. I., 19. 'VE nocht to wreak mysel' upon, An' wark I dinna fancy, Sae I'll sit doun an' hae a groan Aboot my cruel Nancy. She thraw'd her head when late yestreen I telt her I was deein' — i Either she disna care a preen. Or else she kens I'm leein'. O Nancy, but your hert's as hard An' cauld as kirkyaird granite; f^^r~7:r^^Mr'''s 'Deed, whyles I think the nicht ill-starr'd That saw me brak' wi' Janet ! She's neither cuist me glance o' grace Nor shored me ceevil favour; The wooer's is a dootfu' case That builds on that behavour ! c >8 HORA CE IN HOMESP UN. Nae ither lad that awns a dug, But Sandie, ever socht her — She flang a leglen at his lug, As weel's the nits he brocht her She hasna tried thir tricks on me; She'd find it — no' sae chancy; An' that's what gars me houp to see My waddin' day wi' Nancy ! HORACE IN HOMESPUN. 19 HUGHIE'S ADVICE TO DAUVIT TO ENJOY THE FINE WEATHER. " Gratia cum nymphis geminisque sororibus audet Ducere nuda choros."—CAV.. IV.,