thistle, till In Britain's shield The northern star mingles with George's beams. The plan of this episode, and the political sentiments of which it is made the vehicle, are alike deserving of praise. History might supply us with a more authentic origin for our national emblem, but it could not supply us with one more fraught with moral purpose, or more accordant with every patriotic feeling. The blank verse which the author has adopted in this poem, does not seem to have been altogether adapted to his powers; yet a reader must be struck with the felicity with which more than one of the passages which have been quoted are modulated. The only piece which Hamilton wrote in his native language was "the Braes of Yarrow," designated by Mr. Richardson, as "one of the finest ballads ever written." Another critic, whose opinion of the ancient ballad poetry of Scotland must be allowed to have considerable weight, has passed a very different judgment upon it. "It is," says Mr. Pinkerton, "in very bad taste, and quite unlike the ancient Scottish manner, being even inferior to the poorest of the old ballads with this title. His repeated words and lines causing an eternal jingle, his confused narration and affected pathos, throw this piece among the rubbish of poetry." Although a warm participator in Mr. Rich ardson's general admiration of Hamilton, I am inclined, in this instance, to agree with Mr. Pinkerton. The jingle and affected pathos of which he complains, are indeed sickening. Lang maun she weep, lang maun she, maun she weep, Then build, then build, ye sisters, sisters sad, It is for those who ean attune their voices to such rant, to discover where the pathos of it lies. Simplicity and melody were never surely so departed from before. There exists in MS. a fragment of a poem by Hamilton, not published in his works, called the "Maid of Gallowshiels." It is an epic of the heroi-comic kind, intended to celebrate the contest between a piper and fiddler, for the fair Maid of Gallowshiels. Hamilton had designed to extend it to twelve books, but has only completed the first and a portion of the second. Dr. Leyden, who owns himself indebted to the friendship of Dr. Robert Anderson for his knowledge of this MS. gives the following account of it in his preface to the "Complaynt of Scotland."-" In the first (book) the fiddler challenges the piper to a trial of musical skill, and proposes that the maid herself should be the umpire of the contest." Sole in her breast the favourite youth shall reign, Whose hand shall sweetest wake the warbled strain; And if to me the ill-fated piper. yield, As sure I trust, this well contested field, High in the sacred dome his pipes I raise, All Gallowshiels the daring challenge heard, And in the midst his sounding bagpipe threw. "The history of the two heroes is related with various episodes; and the piper deduces his origin from Colin of Gallowshiels, who bore the identical bagpipe at the battle of Harlaw, with which his descendant resolves to maintain the glory of the piper race. The second book, the subject of which is the trial of skill, commences with the following exquisite description of the bagpipe." Now in his artful hand the bagpipe held, Fast to the swelling bag, two reeds combin'd, Round from the twining loom, with skill divine In secret prison pent, the accents lie, Then duteous they forsake their dark abode, With lab'ring bellows thus the smith inspires |