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Her hair it was lint white, her fkin it was milk white, • Dark was the blue o' her faft rolling ee!

Red war her ripe lips, and fweeter than rofes!
Sweet war the kiffes that the gae to me!'

"It was na my wee thing! it was na mine ain thing!
"It was na my true love ye met by the tree!
"Proud is her leil heart, and modeft her nature,
"She never loo'd Le-man till ance fhe loo'd me.

"Her name it is MARY, fhe's frae CASTLE CARY,
"Aft has the fat, when a bairn, on my knee!
"Fair as your face is, war't fifty times fairer,
"Young braggart? fhe ne'er would gie kiffes to thee !"

It was then your MARY, fhe's frac CASTLE CARY, "It was then your true love I met by the tree! Proud as her heart is, and modeft her nature,

• Sweet war the kiffes that the gae to me!'

Sair gloom'd his dark brow, blood red his cheek grew,
Wild flash'd the fire, frae his red rolling ee;

"Ye's rue fair this morning, your boafts and your scorning; "Defend ye faufe traitor, for loudly ye lie!

Awa' wi' beguiling,' then cried the youth smiling;
Aff went the bonnet; the lint-white locks flee;
The belted plaid fa'ing, her white bofom shawing,
Fair stood the lov'd maid wi' the dark rolling ee!

"Is it my wee thing? is it mine ain thing? "Is it my true love here that I fee?"

'OJAMIE! forgie me, your heart's constant to me; 'I'll never mair wander, my true love, frae thee.'

To the Editor of the Bee.

To George Dempster.

DEMPSTER! thy country's friend! I call thee mine!
"Sweet is the fetting fun of ftormy life,"
But fweeter yet by far a charming gleam
Of genial fun to close the funimer day,
Ufeful, though placid, is thy fage retreat :

The stubborn furrow feels thy plastic hand,
The fields rejoice to fee their country's friend,
And dreffed for thee, put on their best array!
O Dempfter! leave not thy divine retreat,
Tho' thousands call thee to Augufta's towers,
Where ends the fret of busy bustling life,
Seeking the praise of mountebanks and flaves?
See Pitt and Poulteney loft in other pits,
And like the waves they leave no trace behind:
Even Burke himself, the Queen of France's friend,
Like her has found that beauty will not do,

Nor words fublime that hide themselves in heaven.

ALBANICUS,

To the Editor of the Bee.

Epitaph for Napier of Marchiflon.

No Napier! thou wer't not that thing,
The creature of a pageant king,
Which Britons call a lord;

A fquire thou wer't, but such a squire,
As might have held Apollo's lyre,
And touch'd its noble ft chord.

With purple flowers, O ftrew the grave,

Ye fons of fcience, where he lies,

And when ye lightly tread the fod,

Say, "Here's the peer was made by God,"

Who made him great and wife.

A. L.

Written on the blank leaf of a young Lady's mufic-book for the Harpfichord.

Music, 'tis faid, has charms that can impart
Exalted pleasures to the human heart;
But if to mufic, beauty lends her aid,
Refiftless then appears th' accomplished maid.
Thus, when alike with niceft fkill and fire,
Thy graceful fingers ftrike the trembling lyre,
Diffolv'd in blifs, we gaze our fouls away,
And yield our hearts to love's fuperior fway.'

ALEXIS

Melai, a Conftantinopolitan Tale, concluded from

page 39.

In spite of the ardour of my attachment to Gulmanac, I was almoft, if not wholly, a strange to jealoufy, that fury with which love is fo frequently attended. She was not only the mistress of my heart, but alfo the mistress of her own freedom, as far at least, as the customs of the country, and the dignity of her exalted ftation would allow. I frequently permitted fome of my courtiers to wait upon us at our little fuppers, and thus gave them an opportunity of feeing my wife Nay, fo far did I forget the pride of a fovereign, that I more than once fuffered Ebn Mahmud to fit befide us, and to share in our repast. Fool that I was for fo doing, did I not know how impoffible it was to behold Gulmanac and not to love her?

I have never discovered, whether Ebn Mahmud, out of fome remains of gratitude and fidelity, might not at first have endeavoured to ftifle thefe paffions, which foon after took poffeffion of his foul. But I difcovered, alas! too foon, that a rival is formidable even to a prince. My vifier, who faw no hopes during my reign of being able to pilfer the fairest jewel of my crown, began therefore to meditate the treach erous defign of raifing himself to the throne of Indoftan. Perhaps he faw fomewhat in the eyes of Gulmanac, which intimated too plainly, that he would not be averfe to exchange a husband of my years, for one who was still in the bloom of youth, or, perhaps, he was too well acquainted with the female difpofition, not to be fenfible, that their inclinations follow, for the most part, the favourites of fortune.

The whole of his abilities were now exerted to fecure to himself the affections of the people; and his attempt fuceeded but too well; for, when I told you just now that I was adored by my fubjects, I fpoke only of the greater part of them. The vain expectation of being univerfally beloved, which, in any fituation is fuficiently ridiculous, would be the height of abfurdity in that of a monarch. The party, which in my cafe were the most difcontented, confifted chiefly of

the military profeffion, which, although the least in number, was the most formidable in power. My peaceful government gave them no opportunity of enriching their rapacity with the fpoils of war, which they had fo frequently done under the reign of my father; and they beheld with an indignation which they could not conceal, that it was poffible to protect by political wifdom, what they imagined could be defended only by the fword My treacherous vifier perceiving their difcontent, perfuaded them fecretly to petition for war, and to demand at the fame time an addition to their pay.. Both of thefe requests, by his advice, I refused; but fcarcely had I uttered the unforutnate denial, when he ftood forth at their head in his native colours, and spoke to his fovereign in the tone of a rebel.

I was now forced by neceffity, however reluctant, to try the moit dreadful of all expedients, the uncertain iffue of a civil war. Thofe of my fubjects who remained faithful, affembled around me in a numerous body, the command of which I entrusted to my fon. Twice was he victorious ; but in the third engagement he fell. When his body was brought to me, I threw myself upon it, and indulged in all the extravagance of grief, till one of his flaves who was the most in his confidence, endeavoured to comfort me by discovering a circumftance, which added new horrors to my unhappy fituation. He brought me fome papers, which thewed but too clearly, that Ebn Mahmud had alienated the affections of my fon, by reprefenting the dangers to which he was expofed from the influence of Gulmanac over his father, and that nothing but their difagreement about the partition of the provinces, had hitherto prevented his open revolt. He had been compelled by his own troops to this laft engagement, and had fallen by the ignorance of one of the enemies, in fpite of the caution of his treacherous accomplice, who had expressly forbidden his life to be taken.

If the perfidy of my favourite had wounded me deeply, what must I have fuffered from the fate of my fon, and from the reflection, that his fate was no more than he deferved. now at laft took up arms, myself. My people appeared tranfported to fee me at their head. My forces were

far fuperior to thofe of the rebels; and the next engagement promised to be decifive.

As I was inflamed with rage, and Ebn Mahmud with love, our armies were not long of being brought to action. The right wing, which I led, was already victorious, and the left was commanded by Mir Narkuli, an officer illuftrious for his military achievements, whom my father had once reluctantly sentenced to death, and who had obtained his pardon at my interceffion. Whom could I have trusted with more confidence, than a man who was indebted to me for his life; and yet he betrayed me. In the heat of the engagement, he went over to the enemy, accompanied by the greatest part of his troops. The reft of that divifion naturally fled; my victorious band fell into diforder, and I was thrown, in the fpace of a few minutes, from power and greatness, down to mifery and flight.

I flew in diftraction to the tent of Gulmanac, and intreated her to fet herself upon the swifteft of my horfes, and follow me immediately to the next fortress. "I know, faid I, that captivity and death must be our fate; but let us at least die as we have lived." The traitress advised me to fubmit to the conqueror, promised, herself, to fupplicate his mercy; promifed, but why thould I repeat what the promised it is enough that I clearly faw her infidelity. And now my rage could no longer be reftrained. I drew forth my dagger, and would have pierced her to the heart, but her fhrieks brought fome of my officers to her affistance, and I faw for the first time, that I was no longer the monarch, before whom all was obedience and submission. He who the day before had incurred my difpleafure, and against whom I had raised my arm, would have received his fate from ten daggers at once; but now my hand was feised and the weapon forced from it, while the infamous woman efcaped with impunity. All was indeed concealed under the mask of perfuafion; every thing wore as yet the appearance of subjection; but I faw too clearly through the thin difguife, and confided no,longer in any one around me.

Meffenger after meffenger arrived to inform me of the complete flight of my army, and of Ebn Mahmud's ̧ap, proach. I threw myself immediately upon the fwifteft of my horfes, and commanded those who ftill loved me to for

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