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Poems on several subjects

Nicol, Alexander

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TO THE HONOURABLE JAMES HALYBURTON of Pitcur, Esq; Member of Parliament of Orkney and Shetland, and Colonel of the Third Regiment of Foot-Guards, &c.
  
PREFACE.
  
To the Author, on his Collection of Miscellany Poems.
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NATURE without ART.
  
An Account of the Author, being an Epistle to the Right Honourable Susanna Countess of Strathmore, in the Year 1727; but newly revised and corrected, with some Circumstances then omitted.
  
An Introduction to a Wedding SONG. To the Right Honourable the Lord ------.
  
The ODE.
  
A POEM, inscribed to the Right Honourable the Earl of Morton, on his accepting the former Ode, &c.
  
The DREAM.
  
On the Death of the Honourable Henry Crawfoord of Monorgan, who died March 1731.
  
The young Man's Litany.
  
The young Woman's Litany in Choice of an Husband.
  
To the Right Honourable, the Lord Gray, upon his sending me Mr Ramsay's Poems.
  
To two GENTLEWOMEN.
  
An ACROSTIC.
  
Another ACROSTIC.
  
LOVE's CURE.
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A Collection of Scots Songs, being new Words adapted to old Tunes.
 I. 
SONG I.
 II. 
SONG II.
 III. 
SONG III. TIMBER STAIRS.
 IV. 
SONG IV. The poor Prentice.
 V. 
SONG V. Few good Fellows when Jamie's awa'.
 VI. 
SONG VI. The Pease Straw.
 VII. 
SONG VII. My Love she is the Ring-leader
 VIII. 
SONG VIII. The Summer Evening.
 IX. 
SONG IX.
 X. 
SONG X. O'er the Muir to Meggy.
 XI. 
SONG XI. The Leacher's Lament.
 XII. 
SONG XII. The amorous Shepherd.
 XIII. 
SONG XIII. The ADMIRATION.
 XIV. 
SONG XIV. The COMMENDATION.
 XV. 
SONG XV.
 XVI. 
SONG XVI. The COMPLAINT.
 XVII. 
SONG XVII. The Auld Goodman.
 XVIII. 
SONG XVIII. The FIDELITY.
 XIX. 
SONG XIX. The forlorn MAID.
 XX. 
SONG XX. The BANKS of TAY.
  
An Epitaph on that puissant Duke of Berwick, Great Marshal of France, who, at the siege of Phillipsburgh, viewing the trenches, had his head shot off by a cannon ball, in the year 1734.
  
CHRIST's KIRK on the GREEN.
  
An Epistle to Mr P---, one of his Majesty's Officers of Excise, on his ridiculing my Verses.
  
A Letter to J--- B--- an old Batchelor, persuading him to marry.
  
Written by a Gentleman upon seeing some of my Verses.
  
My ANSWER.
  
An Epistle to Mr Allan Ramsay.
  
Said on WRITING.
  
An Epistle to a Friend newly married, against the will of his Wife's Friends.
  
To the Laird of ABERCAIRNIE.
  
Upon our jolly Change-Keeper leaving the place.
  
A Tale of two Brothers, and their Posterity.
  
The AUTHOR's Wish.
  
On FORTUNE.
  
Upon the fair Sex.
  
PROVERBS, Chap. xxxi. Verse 10.
  
The honest Country-man's Meditation, as he was humming it over alone in Words at Resting-time.
  
Thirty Riddles, with their Expositions.
  
A POEM, shewing the Original, Antiquity, Beauty, and Glory of Masonry; also its Progress, Improvements, and Usefulness; with a Description of the Mason's Lodge. All which is concluded with an Ode, sung to the tune of, The free and accepted Mason. To which is prefixed, instead of a Preface, a Poem on the printed Pamphlet.
  
A POEM on Masonry.
  
The Masons Lodge.
  
The ODE.
  
On receiving a Compliment from the Right Honourable the Lord Kinnaird.
  
An ELEGY on auld Use and Wont
  
An ELEGY on Johnie Galla'.
  
An EPISTLE, from Mr D--- L--- Schoolmaster at Kinnaird, to Alexander Nicol Schoolmaster at Collace, February 3d 1749; on seeing my last book, called Nature without Art.
  
Alexander Nicol's Answer to the foregoing Epistle, February 6th 1749.
  
James Ratcliff's Retreat from the Prison of Edinburgh, Monday 23d of July 1739, he being to be hanged the Wednesday after:
  
A SAPPHIC ODE.
  
A SONG, Tune Allan Water.
  
A POEM on R--- H--- of South-Ballo.
  
ACROSTIC.
  
A Remark on the Poverty of Poets.
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The Complaint of a Lark directed to a great Lion: A Fable; occasioned by another Lion being influenced by some evil Speaker, to suspect the honesty of the Lark.
  
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The MORAL.
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The Cat and the Ape. A Fable.
  
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The MORAL.
  
On seeing Smith and Craig's bantering Poems, anent the building of a School-house at Glenshie.
  
An EPISTLE to Mr Robert Smith Schoolmaster at Kinnaird, upon his saying he would not stay in the Place.
  
Mr Smith's ANSWER.
  
Another EPISTLE to Mr Robert Smith.
  
The PETITION of Alexander Nicol. Schoolmaster at Collace, to the Honourable Sir William Nairn of Dunsinnan Baronet.
  
An EPITAPH on Alexander Robertson of Struan.
  
An ACROSTICK.
  
To the Memory of the Honourable George Hay of Leys, Esq
  
On Captain Balnave's being dangerously sick of a Fever at the time he should have been married; inscribed to his Lady afterwards.
  
On the City of DUNDEE.
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The BROKEN LAIRD REPAIR'D; OR, The DYVOUR turn'd a THRIVER:
 I. 
CANTO I.
 II. 
CANTO II.
 III. 
CANTO III.
 IV. 
CANTO IV.
 V. 
CANTO V.
  
Sung by Miss JENNY.
  
On FORTUNE.
  
A PASTORAL between Colin, Willie, and Deavy, upon Baledgarno's Marriage.
  
VENUS's JOURNEY. A POEM inscribed to Mr Ogilvie of Inchmartine, on his Marriage.
  
On Mrs Ogilvie's Chariot-wheel sinking on the Brink of the River Spey.
  
To the Right Honourable the Lord Kinnaird, on his commencing Master of Masons, &c.
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NATURE without ART.
  
An Invocation to the heavenly Muse.
  
Forty five Wonders; or, an Imitation of a Pamphlet of moral sayings, called, A Book of Fives, or five and forty Wonders.
  
Alphabetical Verses on the Life of MAN, being eight Verses annexed to each Letter.
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The four Seasons of the Year compared to the four Ages of Man's Life, viz. Infancy, Childhood or Youth, Manhood, and old Age.
 I. 
I. WINTER.
 II. 
II. SPRING.
 III. 
III. SUMMER.
 IV. 
IV. Autumn, or Harvest.
  
A Meditation at the Communion-table.
  
On the Fall of Man.
  
To the holy Trinity, on the Redemption of Man.
  
A Meditation for a Traveller.
  
Upon the WORLD.
  
A Meditation for a Fast-day before the Communion.
  
A Lamentation, &c.
  
The contented Christian, or the Christian's Content.
  
A Soliloquy for an unregenerate Sinner.
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A BUNDLE OF FLOWERS FOR CHILDREN:
  
To my young Reader.
  
The First Chapter of Genesis.
  
A Meditation on the Second Chapter of Genesis.
  
VERSES upon the most remarkable Men and Women mentioned in the BIBLE.
  
[Methuselah liv'd to the greatest age]
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REMARKS.
 I. 
[I.]
 II. 
II.
 III. 
III.
 IV. 
IV.
 V. 
V.
  
Fifty Golden Verses.
  
An ACROSTIC.
  
An ACROSTIC.
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An Epistle, or New-year's Gift, to a young Merchant in Perth, January 1st 1751.
  
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POSTSCRIPT.
  
The Brevity of Human Life.
  
The Eighth Chapter of Solomon's Proverbs.
  
The Love of Christ, An Hymn.
  
An Hymn on Death.
  
Hymn for a Fellowship Meeting.
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THE CHILD's COMPANION; IN A NATURAL DIALOGUE BETWIXT A Child and One of riper Years: Useful for Young Ones.
  
To my young Reader.
  
An Advice to Children. By another Hand.
  
The CHILD's COMPANION, &c.
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KING SOLOMON's BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES, IN METRE.
  
On the BOOK.
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King Solomon's Book of Ecclesiastes, in Verse.
 I. 
CHAP. I.
 II. 
CHAP. II.
 III. 
CHAP. III.
 IV. 
CHAP. IV.
 V. 
CHAP. V.
 VI. 
CHAP. VI.
 VII. 
CHAP. VII.
 VIII. 
CHAP. VIII.
 IX. 
CHAP. IX.
 X. 
CHAP. X.
 XI. 
CHAP. XI.
 XII. 
CHAP. XII.

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SONG XVI. The COMPLAINT.

[_]

Tune, The East Noo of Fife.

Draw near, young men, and hear my plaint,
Ye who with laughing merriment
Beguile the hurling minutes so,
That scarce one year ye think of two.
When I was young as well as you,
My heart was light and merry too;
38

I courted every charming fair,
And slighted every carking care.
All day I sang with heartsome glee,
And with sweet labour earnestly
I purchas'd coin, that I might have
A furnish'd fortune to my grave.
And all the night I slept full sound,
Till little Cupid did me wound;
Then all my art I did employ
To hasten to the promis'd joy.
At markets where I met with lasses,
We wantonly carrous'd our glasses:
I frankly dealt my fairing too,
But ah! these days are past me now.
Confin'd at home, wi' churlish want,
The sooty Kakers do me daunt;
And poverty so curbs my will,
I cannot have a pint and jill.
But yet my want is not so great,
But I might have it at some rate;
And heartsomely my penny free
Spend frankly with good company.
But my wife limits all my time;
If I break loose, she banns my wime:
And vow she makes an unco fraise;
And carps and grumbles two three days.
Syne supperless I go to bed;
The morn I wake with a fair head;
Yet dare not tell, for fear my dame
Would put me to a public shame.
But since 'tis so that I'm involv'd
In such a fate, I am resolv'd
To pluck up courage, heart and hand,
And make her to her orders stand.
Come, let's be jolly, fill again;
I'll sit a while, I'm not mistane:
And while we blithly slack our drought,
Fancy (at least) we're in our youth.
39

I'll reign as king in my empire;
That is to say, around my fire;
And let the housewife ken I'm free
To live, while life is lent to me.
Come, here's well may the lads all be,
And all the charming lassies too;
There's still among the fair as free
As any of our sex can be.
But let the dull and clumsy queans,
Who at true harmony repines,
Live in continual frets and groans,
With hearts as cold and dead as stones.
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