issued in 1824, with a Life of Dunbar, by David Laing. One of his pleasantest poems, The Merle (Blackbird) and the Nightingale, is a dialogue between these two birds, the Merle advocating a joyous life spent in the service of earthly love, while the Nightingale avers that the only worthy love is that which is given solely to God. They debate the matter through a dozen stanzas, when the Merle avows himself convinced by the representations of the Nightingale: THE MERLE AND THE NIGHTINGALE. Then said the Merle: mine error I confess; Wherefore I counsel every man that he All love is lost but upon God alone. Then sang they both with voices loud and clear; The Merle said: Love him that thy love has sought Then flew thir birdis o'er the boughis sheen, Singing of love amang the leavis small Whose eidant plead yet made my thoughtis grein, Both sleeping, waking, in rest and in travail; Me to recomfort most it does avail, Again for love, when love I can find none, To think how sung this Merle and Nightingale : The Dance consists of ten stanzas. Mahoun (that is, Mahomet, a kind of incarnation of the Evil One) summons his principal servitors to make an entertainment before him. The Seven Deadly Sins make their appearance, and each of them recites a verse satirizing the vices of the times: THE DANCE OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS. III. Lets see, quoth he, now wha begins: And first of all in Dance was Pride, His kethat for the nanis : Mony proud trumpour with him trippit IV. Then ire came in with sturt and strife; He brandished like a beir : All boden in feir of weir; In jacks, and scryppis, and bonnets of steel, Frawart was their affeir: Some upon other with brands beft, Some jaggit others to the heft, With knives that sharp could shear. V. Next in the Dance followit Envy, Hid malice and despite : For privy hatred that traitor tremlit; VI. Next him in Dance came Covetyce, VII. Syne Sweirness, at the second bidding, Came lik a sow out of a midding, Full sleepy was his grunyie : Mony swear bombard belly huddroum, Mony slut, daw, and sleepy duddroun, Him servit aye with sonnyie; He drew them furth intill a chain, And Belial with a bridle rein Ever lashed them on the lunyie : In Daunce they were so slaw of feet, They gave them in the fire a heat, And made them quicker of cunyie. VIII. Then Lechery, that laithly corpse, The Dance consists of ten stanzas. Mahoun (that is, Mahomet, a kind of incarnation of the Evil One) summons his principal servitors to make an entertainment before him. The Seven Deadly Sins make their appearance, and each of them recites a verse satirizing the vices of the times: THE DANCE OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS. III. Lets see, quoth he, now wha begins: And first of all in Dance was Pride, His kethat for the nanis : Mony proud trumpour with him trippit IV. Then ire came in with sturt and strife; He brandished like a beir: All boden in feir of weir; In jacks, and scryppis, and bonnets of steel, Frawart was their affeir: Some upon other with brands beft, Some jaggit others to the heft, With knives that sharp could shear. v. Next in the Dance followit Envy, ttish clergyman and nks, born near DumIn 1810 he instituted bank, the success of ent of other banks of o discovered in 1828 layers of clay between Try in Dumfriesshire. ottage Fireside and The ons (1836-37). in reviving and refreshlready been adverted to. the aspect of the fields w of a single night. In I when the solar heat is ariant vegetation requires of moisture, an abundant ably refreshes the thirsty the parching drought. In where the summer is fervid vaporation excessive, dew ned in much greater abunrate climate. There it may he vegetable world and the erful and unclouded sunhusbandman, the theme of It gratitude. Accordingly, as the choicest of blessings ssed; while the want of it dous with a curse. Moses, |