THE CATS LIKE KITCHEN.

THE following letter from Burns to Mr. Robert Ainslie, which is now for the first time printed from the original, contains some doggerel verses which serve as an excuse for introducing it in this place. It is extremely characteristic, and will be read with interest.

"To Mr. Robert Ainslie, jun. Berrywell, Dunse.
'As I gaed up to Dunse

To warp a pickle yarn,

Robin, silly body,

He gat me wi' bairn.'

From henceforth, my dear Sir, I am determined to set off with my letters like the periodical writers, viz. prefix a kind of text, quoted from some classic of undoubted authority, such as the author of the immortal piece of which my text is a part. What I have to say on my text is exhausted in a letter I wrote you the other day, before I had the pleasure of receiving yours from Inverleithing; and sure never was any thing more lucky, as I have but the time to write this, that Mr. Nicol on the opposite side of the table takes to correct a proof sheet of a thesis. They are gabbling Latin so loud that I cannot hear what my own soul is saying in my own skull, so must just give you a matter of fact sentence or two, and end, if time permit, with a verse de rei generatione.

"To-morrow I leave Edinburgh in a chaise: Nicol thinks it more comfortable than horse-back, to which I say, Amen; so Jenny Geddes goes home to Ayr-shire, to use a phrase of my mother's,' wi' her finger in her mouth.'

"Now for a modest verse of classical authority:

HE cats like kitchen;

The dogs like broo;

The lassies like the lads weel,

And th' auld wives too.

CHORUS.

And we're a' noddin,

Nid, nid, noddin,

We're a' noddin fou at e'en.

If this does not please you, let me hear from you: if you write any time before the first of September, direct to Inverness, to be left at the post office till called for; the next week at Aberdeen; the next at Edinburgh.

"The sheet is done, and I shall just conclude with assuring you that I am, and ever with pride shall be, my dear Sir, "ROBERT BURNS.

"Call your boy what you think proper, only interject Burns. What do you say to a scripture name; for instance, Zimri Burns Ainslie, or Achitophel, &c. look your Bible for these two heroes, if you do this, I will repay the compli

ment.

"Edinburgh, 23rd August, 1787."

BURNS has thus introduced the following lines in one of his manuscripts printed in Cromek's Reliques:

"TRAGIC FRAGMENT.

"In my early years nothing less would serve me than courting the tragic muse. I was, I think, about eighteen or nineteen when I sketched the outlines of a tragedy forsooth: but the bursting of a cloud of family misfortunes, which had for some time threatened us, prevented my further progress. In those days I never wrote down anything; so except a speech or two, the whole has escaped my memory. The following, which I most distinctly remember, was an exclamation from a great character-great in occasional instances of generosity, and daring at times in villanies.

"He is supposed to meet with a child of misery, and exclaimed to himself.

LL devil as I am, a damned wretch,

"A harden'd, stubborn, unrepenting villain, Still my heart melts at human wretchedness;

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And with sincere tho' unavailing sighs

I view the helpless children of distress.
With tears indignant I behold th' oppressor
Rejoicing in the honest man's destruction,
'Whose unsubmitting heart was all his crime.
Even you, ye helpless crew, I pity you;

Ye, whom the seeming good think sin to pity; Ye poor, despis'd, abandon'd vagabonds, 'Whom Vice, as usual, has turn'd o'er to Ruin.

O but for kind, tho' ill-requited friends, 'I had been driven forth like you forlorn,

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The most detested, worthless wretch among you! O injur❜d God! Thy goodness has endow'd me With talents passing most of my compeers,

Which I in just proportion have abus'd As far surpassing other common villains, 'As Thou in natural parts hadst given me more.”

EXTEMPORE.*

PINNED TO A LADY'S COACH.

Fyou rattle along like your mistress's tongue,
Your speed will out-rival the dart:

But, a fly for your load, you'll break down
on the road,

If

your

stuff be as rotten's her heart.

* Printed from a copy in Burns' hand-writing.

THE following fragments occur in Burns' Common Place Book. Mr. Allan Cunningham says, "The Prose portion has been copied from Currie and from Cromek, with some slight additions, and the verses are from another source." He adds, "In several places small but necessary liberties have been taken with the language. It would have been unwise to omit verses so characteristic, and they would have offended many had they appeared as they stand in the original."

E hae lien a' wrang, lassie, .

Ye've lien a' wrang;

Ye've lien in an unco bed,

And wi a fremit man.

the knowes,

O ance ye danced upon
And ance ye lightly sang—
But in herrying o' a bee byke,
I'm rad ye've got a stang.

GIE my love brose, brose,

Gie my love brose and butter;
For nane in Carrick or Kyle

Can please a lassie better.

The lav'rock lo'es the grass,

The muirhen lo'es the heather;

But gie me a braw moonlight,
And me and my love together.

ASS, when your mither is frae hame,
Might I but be sae bauld
As come to your bower-window,
And creep in frae the cauld,

As come to your bower-window,
And when it's cauld and wat,
Warm me in thy sweet bosom ;
Fair lass, wilt thou do that?

Young man, gif ye should be sae kind,
When our gudewife's frae hame,
As come to my bower-window,
Whare I am laid my lane,
And warm thee in my bosom-
But I will tell thee what,

The way to me lies through the kirk;
Young man, do ye hear that?

隱

MET a lass, a bonie lass,

Coming o'er the braes o' Couper,
Bare her leg and bright her een,
And handsome ilka bit about her.
Weel I wat she was a quean

Wad made a body's mouth to water;
Our Mess John, wi' his lyart pow,
His haly lips wad lickit at her.

WAT ye what my minnie did,

My minnie did, my minnie did,
O wat ye what my minnie did,
On Tysday 'teen to me, jo?
She laid me in a saft bed,

A saft bed, a saft bed,
She laid me in a saft bed,

And bade gudeen to me, jo.

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