“God bless this house, and all that’s in this house, and all within twa miles ilka side this house. O bless the cow, and the meal, and the kail-yard, and the muckle town o’ Dumbarton.
“O God! bless the Scotch Greys that are lien’ in Hamilton Barracks. They are brae chiels—they are not like the English whalps, that dash their foot against a stone, and damn the saul of the stone—as if a stone had a saul to be saved.
“O build a strong deak [dyke] between us and the muckle French, but a far stranger one between us and the wild Irish.
“O Lord! preserve us frae a’ witches and warlocks, and a’ lang-nebbed beasties that gang threw the heather.
“O Lord! put a pair o’ branks about the king o’ France’s neck—gie me the helter in my ain hand, that I may lead him about when I like: for thy name’s sake. Amen.”
[CONSTANT CHANGE IN WORDS.]
By JOHN PEILE, M. A.