THE PLOUGHMAN.
Blithe be the mind of the ploughman,
Unruffled by passion or guile;
And fair be the face of the woman
Who blesses his love with a smile.
His clothing, though russet and homely,
With royalty's robe may compare;
His cottage, though simple, is comely,
For peace and contentment are there.
Let monarchs exult in their splendour,
When courtiers obsequiously bow;
But are not their greatness and grandeur
Sustain'd by the toils of the plough?
The soldier may glory discover
In havock which warfare hath made;
For the shout of his fame rises over
The vanquish'd, the bleeding, the dead.
Though pride, in her trappings so dainty,
May sneer with contemptuous air;
Fertility, pleasure, and plenty,
Still follow the track of the share.
And long may the heart of the ploughman
In virtue and vigour beat high;
His calling, though simple and common,
Our wants and our comforts supply.
WILLIAM ANDERSON.
William Anderson, an accomplished biographical and genealogical writer, and author of "Landscape Lyrics," a volume of descriptive poetry, was born at Edinburgh on the 10th December 1805. His father, James Anderson, supervisor of Excise at Oban, Argyleshire, died there in 1812. His mother was the daughter of John Williams, author of "The Mineral Kingdom," a work much valued by geologists. His brother, Mr John Anderson, surgeon, Royal Lanarkshire Militia, was the author of the "Historical and Genealogical Memoirs of the House of Hamilton."