TEA-TABLE

MISCELLANY:

A

COLLECTION

O F

CHOICE SONGS,

SCOTS AND ENGLISH.

FORMERLY IN FOUR VOLUMES,
NOW WHOLLY COMPRISED IN ONE.

ALLA N

BY

RAMSAY.

THE FOURTEENTH EDITION.

GLASGOW:

Printed by JAMES KNOX, and fold at his Shop, near
the Head of the Salt-mercat.

M.DCC.LXV

To ilka lovely BRITISH lafs,

Frae Ladies Charlotte, Anne, and Jean,
Down to ilk bonny finging Befs,
Wha dances barefoot on the green..

DEAR LASSES,

Our most humble flave,

Wha ne'er to ferve you fhall decline,
Kneeling, wad your acceptance crave,
When he prefents this fma' propine.
Then take it kindly to your care,

Revive it with your tunefu' notes:
Its beauties will look fweet and fair,
Arifing faftly through your throats,
The wanton wee thing will rejoice,
When tented by a fparkling eye,
The fpinet tinkling with her voice,
It lying on her lovely knee.
While kettles dringe on ingles dour,
Or clashes stay the lazy lafs;
Thir fangs may ward you frae the four
And gaily vacant minutes pafs.

E'en while the tea's fill'd reeking round,
Rather than plot a tender tongue,
Treat a' the circling lugs wi' found,
Syne fafely fip when ye have fung.
May happinefs had up your hearts,
And warm you lang with loving fires:
day pow'rs propitious play their parts,
In matching you to your defires.

EDINBURGH, Jan. 1.

1724.

A. RAMSAY.

A

Lthough it be acknowledged, that our SCOTS tunes have not lengthened variety of mufic, yet they have an agreeable gaiety and natural fweetnefs that make them acceptable where-ever they are known, not only among ourselves, but in other countries. They are, for the moft part fo chearful, that, on hearing them well played, or fung, we find a difficulty to keep ourfelves from dancing. What further adds to the esteem we have for them, is their antiquity, and their being univerfally known. Mankind's love for novelty would appear to contradict this reafon; but will not, when we confider, that for one that can tolerably entertain with vocal or inftrumental mufic, there are fifty that content themfelves with the pleasure of hearing, and finging without the trouble of being taught. Now, fuch are not judges of the fine flourishes of new mufic imported from Italy and elfewhere, yet will liften with pleasure to tunes that they know, and can join with in the chorus. Say that our way is only an harmonious fpeaking of merry, witty, or foft thoughts, after the poet has dreffed them in four or five ftanrelish beft with people, who have not bestowed much in acquiring a tafte for that downright perfect mufic, which requires none, or very little of the poet's affiftance.

zas; yet undoubtedly thefe malt of their time

My being well affured, how acceptable new words to known tunes would prove, engaged me to the making verfes for above fixty of them, in this and the fecond volume: about thirty more were done by fome ingenious young gentlemen, who were fo well pleased with my undertaking, that they generoufly lent me their affiftance; and to them the lovers of fenfe and mufic are obliged for fome of the

beft fongs in the collection. The reft are fuch old verfes as have been done time out of mind, and only wanted to be cleared from the drofs of blundering tranferibers and printers; fuch as, The Gaberlunzieman, Muirland Willy, &c. that claim their place in our collection for their merry images of the low character. al

This fourteenth edition in a few years, and the general demand for the book by perfons of all ranks, where-ever our language is underftood, is a fure evidence of its being acceptable. My worthy friend Dr. Bannerman tells me from America,

2

Nor only do your lays o'er Britain flow,
Round all the globe your happy fonnets gos
Here thy foft verfe, made to a Scottish air,
Are often fung by our Virginian fair.
Camilla's warbling notes are heard no more,
But yield to Last time I came o'er the moor;
Hydafpes and Rinaldo both give waybold
To Mary Scot, Tweedfide, and Mary Gray.

From this and the following volume*, Mr. ThomJon (who is allowed by all to be a good teacher and finger of Scots fongs) culled his Orpheus Caledonius, the mufic for both the voice and flute, and the words of the fongs finely ingraven in a folio book, for the ufe of perfons of the highest quality in Britain, and dedicated to the late Queen. This, by the by, I thought proper to intimate, and do my. felf that juftice which the publisher neglected; fince he ought to have acquainted his illuftrious lift of fubfcribers, that the most of the fongs were mine, the mufic abstracted.

In my compofitions and collections, I have kept out all fmut and ribaldry, that the modeft voice

The reader will eafily perceive, by this Preface, that this Mifcellany was first published in separate volumes.