Yerl Galloway lang did rule the land,
Made me the judge o' strife;

But now Yerl Galloway's sceptre's broke,
And eke my hangman's knife.1

'Twas by the banks o' bonny Dee,
Beside Kirkcudbright's towers,
The Stewart and the Murray there
Did muster a' their powers.

The Murray, on the auld gray yaud, Jade
Wi' winged spurs did ride,2

8

That auld gray yaud, yea, Nidsdale rade,
He staw upon Nidside.

An there had na been the yerl himsel',
O there had been nae play ;
But Garlies was to London gane,
And sae the kye might stray.

1 Variation:

Earl Galloway's man o' men was I,

And chief o' Broughton's host;

So twa blind beggars on a string

The faithfu' tyke will trust.

But now Earl Galloway's sceptre's broke,
And Broughton's wi' the slain,

And I my ancient craft may try,

Sin' honesty is gane.

stole

dog

2 An obscure allusion to the lady with whom Murray had eloped a member of the house of Johnston, whose wellknown crest is a winged spur.

& Variation: a.

And there was Balmaghie, I ween,
In front rank he wad shine;
But Balmaghie had better been
Drinking Madeira wine.

Frae the Glenkens came to our aid,
A chief o' doughty deed;

In case that worth should wanted be,
O' Kenmure we had need.

And by our banners marched Muirhead,
And Buittle was na slack;

Whase haly priesthood nane can stain,
For wha can dye the black?

And there sae grave Squire Cardoness,
Looked on till a' was done;

Sae, in the tower o' Cardoness,

A howlet sits at noon.

And there led I the Bushby clan,

My gamesome billie Will;

And my son Maitland, wise as brave,

My footsteps followed still.

The Douglas and the Heron's name
We set nought to their score ;
The Douglas and the Heron's name

Had felt our weight

1 Variation: And fra.

2

before.

owl

brother

2 Variation: Might.

But Douglasses o' weight had we,
The pair o' lusty lairds,
For building cot-houses sae famed,
And christening kail-yards.

And there Redcastle drew his sword,
That ne'er was stained wi' gore,
Save on a wanderer lame and blind,
To drive him frae his door.

And last came creeping Cl—n,
Was mair in fear than wrath;
Ae knave was constant in his mind,
To keep that knave frae scaith.

THE DUMFRIES VOLUNTEERS.

TUNE-Push about the Jorum.

In the early part of 1795, two companies of volunteers were raised by Dumfries, as its quota towards the stationary troops which were found necessary at that crisis, when the regular army was chiefly engaged in maintaining external warfare against France. Many a liberal who had incurred the wrath or sus

picion of the government and its friends, was glad to enroll himself in these corps, in order to prove that he bore a sound heart towards his country. Syme, Dr. Maxwell, and others of the Dumfries Whigs, took this step, and Burns also joined the corps, though, according to Allan Cunningham, not without opposition from some of the haughty Tories, who demurred about his political opinions. The poet made a further and more public demonstration of his sentiments, about Gallic propagandism, by penning this well-known song.

DOES haughty Gaul invasion threat?
Then let the loons beware, sir;
There's wooden walls upon our seas,
And volunteers on shore, sir.
The Nith shall run to Corsincon,1
And Criffel sink in Solway,
Ere we permit a foreign foe
On British ground to rally!
Fall de rall, etc.

Oh, let us not like snarling tykes
In wrangling be divided;
Till, slap, come in an unco loon,
And wi' a rung decide it.
Be Britain still to Britain true,

Among oursel's united;

1 A high hill at the source of the Nith. — B.

dog

stranger

bludgeon

2 A well-known mountain near the mouth of the Nith.

For never but by British hands
Maun British wrangs be righted.
Fall de rall, etc.

The kettle o' the Kirk and State,
Perhaps a clout may fail in't;
But deil a foreign tinkler loon

Shall ever ca' a nail in't.

Our fathers' bluid the kettle bought,
And wha wad dare to spoil it,
By Heaven, the sacrilegious dog
Shall fuel be to boil it!

Fall de rall, etc.

patch

drive

The wretch that wad a tyrant own,
And the wretch his true-born brother,
Wh' 'ould set the mob aboon the throne,
May they be damned together!
Who will not sing "God save the King,"
Shall hang as high's the steeple;
But while we sing "God save the King,"
We'll ne'er forget the People.