XII. Depend upon it, my snobbish friend, You may find it waxed at the farther end, Or, worse than that, your boasted line XIII. But Miss MacBride had something beside And he lived "up town," in a splendid square, And gave her gems that were rich and rare, XIV. A thriving tailor begged her hand, She perfectly scorned the best of his clan, An exceedingly vulgar fraction! XV. Another, whose sign was a golden boot, In a way that was quite appalling; * Sutor is the Latin for shoemaker. XVI. A rich tobacconist comes and sues, And could you really love him-” XVII. A young attorney, of winning grace, For the lawyer was poor, and "seedy" to boot, XVIII. The last of those who came to court, 66 In one who wears an elegant coat, But the very point on which they vote XIX. Now dapper Jim his courtship plieȧ (I wish the fact could be denied) With an eye to the purse of the old MacBride, And really "nothing shorter!" For he said to himself, in his greedy lust, "Whenever he dies-as die he must And yields to Heaven his vital trust, He's very sure to 'come down with his dust,' XX. And the very magnificent Miss MacBride, Quite graciously relented; And, tossing her head, and turning her back, But, alas, for the haughty Miss MacBride, 'Twas such a shock to her precious pride! She couldn't recover, although she tried Her jaded spirits to rally; 'Twas a dreadful change in human affairs, From a place "up town," to a nook “. "up From an avenue down to an alley! stairs' XXIII. 'Twas little condolence she had, God wot- They had civil phrases enough, but yet XXIV. And one of those chaps who make a pun XXV. And vulgar people-the saucy churls- She wasn't ruined-they ventured to hope-- XXVI. And to make her cup of woe run over Was the very first to forsake her; To quiet the butcher and baker' XXVII. And now the unhapp? Miss MacBride→ Cramped in the very narrowest niche, XXVIII. MORAL. Because you flourish in worldly affairs, Don't be proud, and turn up your nose But learn, for the sake of your mind's repose, EXERCISE X. THE ETTRICK SHEPHERD. ROBERT CHAMBERS.* James Hogg, generally known as "THE ETTRICK SHEPHERD," was, perhaps, the most creative and imaginative of the uneducated poets. His fancy had a wide range, picturing in its flight scenes of wild aërial magnificence and beauty. His taste was very defective, though he had done much to repair his early want of instruction. His occupation of a shepherd, among solitary hills and glens, must have been favorable to his poetical enthusiasm. He was not, like Burns, thrown into society when young, and forced to combat with misfortune. destiny was unvaried, until he had arrived at a period, when the bent of his genius was fixed for life. Without society during the day, his evening hours were spent in listening to ancient legends and ballads, of which his mother, like Burns's, was a great reci er. This nursery of imagination he has himself beautifully described: 2. O list, the mystic lore sublime Of fairy tales of ancient time! * For a Note on Chambers, see Exercise CVIII. His |