PEG NICHOLSON. PEG Nicholson was a good bay mare, As ever trode on airn; But now she's floating down the Nith, Peg Nicholson was a good bay mare, Peg Nicholson was a good bay mare, But now she's floating down the Nith, Peg Nicholson was a good bay mare, Peg Nicholson was the successor of Jenny Geddes : the latter took her name from the zealous dame who threw a stool at the Dean of Edinburgh's head, when the ritual of the Episcopal Church was introduced: and the former acquired the name of Peg Nicholson from that frantic virago who attempted the life of George III. Of the exit of Mrs. Margaret, the Poet gives an account to Willam Nicol, who had sold or rather lent her to the Poet. "SIR,―That d-mn'd mare of your's is dead.-I would freely have given her price to have saved her: she has vexed me beyond description.-Indebted as I was to your goodness beyond what I can ever repay, I eagerly grasped at your offer to leave the mare with me, that I might at least shew my readiness in wishing to be grateful; I took every care of her in my power; she was never crossed for riding above half a score of times by me or in my keeping; I drew her in the plough, one of three, for one poor week; I refused fifty-five shillings for her, which was the highest bode I could squeeze for her; I fed her up and had her in fine order for Dumfries fair; when, four or five days before the fair, she was seized with an unaccountable disorder in the sinews or somewhere in the bones of her neck, with a weakness or total want of power in her fillets, and, in short, the whole vertebræ of her spine seemed to be diseased and unhinged; and in eight and forty hours, in spite of the two best farriers in the country, she died and be d-mn'd to been quite strained her. The farriers said that she had in the fillets before you had bought her, and that the poor devil, though she might keep a little flesh, had been jaded and quite worn out with fatigue and oppression. While she was with me, she was under my own eye, and I assure you, my much valued friend, every thing was done for her that could be done, and the accident has vexed me to the pluck up spirits to write to fortunate business." heart. In fact, I could not you, on account of the un One of the men of skill whom Burns brought to the aid of Peg Nicholson was the eccentric Samuel Colan; a person eminently skilful in the ailments of four-footed creatures, but who believed that all diseases among cattle or horses proceeded from witchcraft or the malice of elves and fairies. The swelling of a cow from eating dewy clover was caused, he said, by a spell: pains in the limbs arose he was certain from elf-arrows, and with regard to witches, he declared that the Cauldside of Dunscore was swarming with them. "I can stand," said he, on my threshold and count aught-HIS presence be near us!" Little was to be hoped from honest Samuel's skill if his employer chanced to smile as he laid down the rustic law regarding murrain, mooril, and other ailments. ON CAPTAIN MATTHEW HENDERSON, A GENTLEMAN WHO HELD THE PATENT FOR HIS HONOURS IMMEDIATELY FROM ALMIGHTY GOD. "Should the poor be flattered?" SHAKSPEARE. But now his radiant course is run, O DEATH! thou tyrant fell and bloody! Haurl thee hame to his black smiddie, O'er hurcheon hides, And like stock-fish come o'er his studdie Wi' thy auld sides! He's gane! he's gane! he's frae us torn, Where, haply, pity strays forlorn, Frae man exil'd! Ye hills near neebors o' the starns, That proudly cock your cresting cairns! Ye cliffs, the haunts of sailing yearns, Where echo slumbers! Come join, ye Nature's sturdiest bairns, My wailing numbers! Mourn, ilka grove the cushat kens! Or foaming strang, wi' hasty stens, Mourn, little harebells o'er the lea ; In scented bow'rs; Ye roses on your thorny tree, The first o' flow'rs. At dawn, when ev'ry grassy blade Ye maukins whiddin thro' the glade, Come join my wail. |