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The Twa Dogs.—A Tale.

'Twas in the place o' Scotland's isle,
That bears the name of Auld King Coil,
Upon bonny day in June,
When wearing through the afternoon,
Twa dogs, that were na thrang at hame,
Forgather'd dance upon a time.
The first I'll name, they ca'd him Cæsar,
Was keep it for his Honor's pleasure;
His hair his size, his mouth, his lugs,
Shaw d he was nane of Scotland's dogs,
But whalpit some place far abroad,
Where sailors gang to fish for cod.
His locked letter'd braw brass collar,
Shaw'd him the gentleman and scholar
But though he was of high degree,
The fient a pride, nae pride had he,
But wad hae spent an hour caressin
E'n wi' a tinkler gypsey's messin:
At kick or market, mill or smiddle,
Nae tawted tyke though e'er sae duddie,
But he was stant't as glad to see him,
And stroan't on stanes and hillocks wi him,
The tither was a ploughman's collie,
A rhyming, ranting roving billie,
Wha for his friend and comrade had him,
And in his freaks had Luath ca'd him,
After some dog in Highland sang^[1],
Was made langsyne—Lord kens how lang.

1. Cuchullin's Dog, in Ossian's Fingal