THE ORDINATION.1

"For sense, they little owe to frugal Heav'n—
To please the mob they hide the little giv’n.”

KILMARNOCK Wabsters, fidge' an claw,3
An' pour your creeshie nations;
An' ye wha leather rax an' draw,
Of a' denominations;

5

3

Swith! to the Laigh Kirk, ane an' a',
An' there tak up your stations;
Then aff to Begbie's in a raw,

7

An' pour divine libations

For joy this day.

Curst Common-sense, that imp o' h-ll,
Cam in wi' Maggie Lauder:"

This poem was composed before Feb. 17th, 1786, though the ordination of Dr. Mackinlay did not actually take place until April 6th. Mackinlay was of the "Auld Light" party, though his predecessors for the past twenty years had been "moderates." Burns wrote this piece to comfort his friends, who were disappointed at the reaction.

2 shrug,

5 stretch.

7

3 scratch.
6 get away.

4 greasy.

Begbie's Inn, now the Angel Hotel. The way from the Kirk was through a narrow passage, part of which still exists, and it was this that rendered it necessary for the people to walk "in a raw." The topography has since been much altered by the formation of a new street.

8

Alluding to a scoffing ballad which was made on the admission of the late Reverend and worthy Mr. L[indsay] to the Laigh Kirk. (R. B.)—Thomson asked Burns in October, 1794, "Pray what do your anecdotes say concerning Maggie Lauder?' Was she a real personage, and of what rank? You would surely 'spier for her if you ca'd at Anstruther town." The poet's answer does not appear, and Allan Cunningham suggested that Maggie Lauder was probably a creature of the imagination. Burns has, however,

But Oliphant' aft made her yell,
An' Russell 2 sair misca'd her:
This day Mackinlay' taks the flail,
An' he's the boy will blaud her!
He'll clap a shangan on her tail,
An' set the bairns to daudR her
Wi' dirt this day.

5

Mak haste an' turn King David owre,
And lilt wi' holy clangor;

O' double verse come gie us four,
An' skirl up the Bangor :

7

8

This day the kirk kicks up a stoure,
Nae mair the knaves shall wrang her;
For Heresy is in her pow'r,

And gloriously she'll whang' her,
Wi' pith this day.

Come,10 let a proper text be read,

An' touch it aff wi' vigour,

given a simple explanation of the mystery. In a
copy of the Ordination," in his own hand, he says
in a note to this verse, "Maggie Lauder. The maiden
name of the late Reverend Mr. Lindsay's wife."

Rev. James Oliphant, minister of Chapel of Ease,
Kilmarnock, from 1764 to 1774.

2 Rev. John Russell, of Kilmarnock, one of the
"Twa Herds," succeeded Oliphant.

3 Rev. James Mackinlay, the subject of the present
poem, was ordained April 6th, 1786. He became a
popular preacher.

4

slap.

7

a cleft stick.

a favourite psalm-tune.

9 punish with blows from a strap.

6 belabour.

8 noise.

10 VAR. "Come wale a text, a proper verse,
And touch it aff wi' vigour,

How Ham leugh at his father's a-,
Which made Canaan a nigger;
Or Phineas did fair Cozbie pierce
Wi' whore-abhorring rigour;

Or Zipporah, wi' scaulding hearse,” etc.

(MS.).

How graceless Ham' leugh at his dad,
Which made Canaan a nigger;

2

Or Phineas drove the murdering blade,
Wi' whore-abhorring rigour;

3

Or Zipporah, the scauldin jad,
Was like a bluidy teeger,

4

I' th' inn that day.

There, try his mettle on the creed,

And bind him down wi' caution,— That stipend is a carnal weed

He taks but for the fashion ;And gie him o'er the flock to feed, And punish each transgression; Especial, rams that cross the breed, Gie them sufficient threshin;

Spare them nae day.

Now auld Kilmarnock, cock thy tail,
An' toss thy horns fu' canty;"

6

Nae mair thou'lt rowte out-owre the dale,

Because thy pasture's scanty;

For lapfu's large o' gospel kail

Shall fill thy crib in plenty,

An' runts' o' grace the pick an' wale,"

No gi'en by way o' dainty,

But ilka day.

Nae mair by Babel's streams we'll weep,

To think upon our Zion;

1 Genesis ix. 22.-R. B.

2 Numbers xxv. 8.-R. B.

3 Exodus iv. 25.-R. B.

4 VAR. "There try his mettle on the creed,
Wi' form'la and confession;

And lay your hands upon his head,
And seal his high commission,
The holy flock to tent and feed," etc.

(MS.).

5

merry.

6 low.

7 stems of cabbage,

8 best.

And hing our fiddles up to sleep,
Like baby-clouts a-drying!

Come, screw the pegs wi' tunefu' cheep,1
And o'er the thairms 2 be tryin;

Oh, rare! to see our elbucks3 wheep,*
And a' like lamb-tails flyin,

Fu' fast this day!

Lang, Patronage, wi' rod o' airn,
Has shor'd the Kirk's undoin;
As lately Fenwick, sair forfairn,
Has proven to its ruin:7

6

Our patron, honest man! Glencairn,
He saw mischief was brewin;

An' like a godly, elect bairn,

8

He's waled us out a true ane,

And sound this day.

Now Robertson' harangue nae mair,
But steek 10 your gab for ever;
Or try the wicked town of Ayr,
For there they'll think you clever
Or, nae reflection on your lear,
Ye may commence a shaver;
Or to the Netherton " repair,
An' turn a carpet weaver,

1 chirp.

Aff-hand this day.

:

jerk (cf. the species of sewing called "whipping").

threatened.

2 fiddle-strings.

3 elbows.

6 distressed.

Moderate," ordained pastor

Rev. Wm. Boyd, a

66

of Fenwick, June 25th, 1782.

8 chose.

Rev. John Robertson, colleague of Dr. Mackinlay, ordained 1765, died 1798. He belonged to the "Common-sense "order of preachers.

10 shut.

11 A district of Kilmarnock, where carpet weaving was largely carried on.

Mu'trie' and you were just a match,

We never had sic twa drones;

Auld Hornie did the Laigh Kirk watch,
Just like a winkin baudrons,2
And ay he catch'd the tither wretch,
To fry them in his caudrons;
But now his Honor maun detach,
Wi' a' his brimstone squadrons,

Fast, fast3 this day.

See, see auld Orthodoxy's faes
She's swingein thro' the city!
Hark, how the nine-tail'd cat she plays!
I vow it's unco pretty :

There, Learning, with his Greekish face,
Grunts out some Latin ditty;

And Common-sense is gaun, she says,
To mak to Jamie Beattie

4

Her plaint this day.

But there's Morality himsel,
Embracing all opinions;
Hear, how he gies the tither yell,
Between his twa companions!
See, how she peels the skin an' fell,
As ane were peelin onions!

Now there, they're packèd aff to h-ll,
An' banish'd our dominions,

Henceforth this day.

O happy day! rejoice, rejoice!
Come bouse about the porter!

1 The Rev. John Multrie, a "Moderate," was Mackinlay's predecessor.

2 cat.

3 VAR. "Fu' fast" (MS.). 4 The poet, and author of an "Essay on Truth," who was reckoned to side with the moderate party in church matters.

5 flesh immediately under the skin.