knowledge of his AUGUSTUS, our present gracious SOVEREIGN, then Prince of Wales: this assured Mr. HOME the comforts of a pension, and we believe, a place.He " has kept the noiseless "tenour of his way," known only to his Friends and to the Muses.

1

DOUGLAS.,

MR. GRAY offers an opinion upon this tragedy so consonant with that of the present writer, that he claims permission to cite it, as, poetically, an authority perhaps the bigbest. "I am greatly struck with "the tragedy of Douglas, though it has infinite faults: "the author seems to have retrieved the true lan

guage of the stage, which has been lost for these "hundred years; and there is one scene between Ma"tilda and the old peasant so masterly, that it strikes " me blind to all the defects in the world."

This tragedy abounds in nervous picturesque and pathetic writing; the chief incidents are extracted from an ancient Scottish Ballad, entitled CHILD MAURICE. To supply curiosity with a reference at hand, it is here printed correctly:

CHILD MAURICE.

CHILD MAURICE was an erle's son

His name it waxed wide;

It was nae for his great riches,

Nor yit his meikle pride,
But for his dame, a lady gay

Wha livd on Carron side.

• Whar sall I get a bonny boy

That will win hose and shoen,

That will gae to lord Barnard's ha,
• And bid his lady come?

And ye maun rin errand Willie,
And ye maun rin wi speid;
When ither boys gang on their feet
• Ye sall ha prancing steid.'

"O no! oh no! my master deir!
"I dar na for my life;

"I'll no gae to the bauld barons, "For to triest furth his wife."

My bird Willie, my boy Willie, . My deir Willie, he said,

How can ye strive against the streim?

For I sall be obeyld.'

And there it is, a filken sark,
'Her ain hand sewd the sleive;
And bid her come to Child Maurice;
" Speir nae bauld baron's leive.'

"Yes I will gae your black errand,
"Thouch it be to your cost;
"Sen ye will nae be warnd by me,
"In it ye sall find frost.

"The baron he's a man o micht,
"He neir could bide to taunt:
"And ye will see before its nicht,
"Sma cause ye ha to vaunt.

"And sen I maun your errand rin,

"Sa sair against my will,

"I'se make a vow, and keip it trow, "It sall be done for ill."

Whan he cam to the broken brig,
He bent his bow and swam;
And whan he came to grass growing,
Sat down his feet and ran.

And when he cam to Barnard's yeat,
Wold neither chap nor ca,
But set his bent bow to his breist,
And lichtly lap the wa.

He wald na tell the man his errand
Thoch he stude at the yeat;
But streight into the ha he cam,

Whar they were set at meat.

↑ Dame, ye maun to the grenewode gae, Afore that it be late.

Ye're bidden tak this gay mantel, • Tis a gowd bot the hem:

Ye maun haste to the gude grenewode, Ein by yoursel alane.

And there it is, a silken sark,
'Your ain hand sewd the sleive;
Ye maun gae speik to Child Maurice;
'Speir nae bauld baron's leive."

The lady stamped wi her foot,
And winked with her eie;
But a that she cold say, or do,
Forbidden he wald nae be.

"It's surely to my bower-woman,
"It neir cold be to me."
I brocht it to lord Barnard's lady,
'I trow that ye be shee.'

Then up and spak the wylie nurse,
(The bairn upon her knie,)

"If it be cum,from Child Maurice "It's deir welcum to me.".

Ye lie, ye lie, ye filthy nurse,
'Sac loud as I heir ye lie;

'I brocht it to lond Barnard's lady
I trow ye be nae shee.'