1721.

LUCKY SPENCE'S LAST ADVICE *.

THREE times the carline grain'd and rifted,
Then frae the cod her pow fhe lifted,

In bawdy policy well gifted,

When she now fan,

That death nae longer wad be shifted,

She thus began:

My

* Lucky Spence, a famous bawd, who flourished for several years about the beginning of the eighteenth century. She had her lodgings near Holyrood House: fhe made many a benefitnight to herself, by putting a trade into the hands of young laffes that had a little pertnefs, ftrong paffions, abundance of laziness, and no forethought.

*

My loving laffes, I maun leave ye,

But dinna wi' your greeting grieve me,

Nor wi' your draunts and droning deave me,
But bring 's a gill:

For faith, my bairns, ye may believe me,
'T is 'gainst my

will.

O black-ey'd Bess, and mim-mou'd* Meg,
O'er good to work, or yet to beg,

Lay funkets

up for a fair leg;

For when ye fail,

Ye'r face will not be worth a feg,
Nor yet ye'r tail.

Whane'er ye meet a fool that 's fou,
That ye 're a maiden gar him trow,
Seem nice, but stick to him like glue;
And when fet down,
Drive at the jango till he spew,

Syne he 'll fleep fown.

When he 's asleep, then dive and catch
His ready cash, his rings, or watch;
And gin he likes to light his match †

At

* Expreffes an affected modefty, by a precifenefs about the mouth.

I could give a large annotation on this fentence, but do not incline to explain every thing, left I difoblige future critics, by leaving them nothing to do.

At your spunk-box,

Ne'er stand to let the fumbling wretch
E'en take the pox.

Cleek a' ye can by hook or crook,
Ryp ilky pouch frae nook to nook;
Be fure to truff his pocket-book;
Saxty pounds Scots

Is nae deaf nits *; in little bouk
Lie great bank notes.

To get amends of whindging fools †,
That's frighted for repenting-stools,
Wha often whan their metal cools,
Turn fweer to pay,

Gar the kirk-boxie hale the dools ‡,
Anither day.

But

* Or empty nuts: this is a negative manner of faying a thing is fubftantial.

To be revenged of fellows who wear the wrong fide of their faces outmoft, pretenders to fanctity, who love to be fmuggling in a corner.

Inform against them to the kirk-treasurer.

"Hale the

"dools" is a phrase used at foot-ball, where the party that gains the goal or dool, is faid to hale it, or win the game, and fo draws the stake.

But dawt red-coats, and let them fcoup,
Free for the fou of cutty stoup*;

To gee

them up, ye need na hope

E'er to do weel:

They 'll rive ye'r brats, and kick your doup, And play the deel.

There's ae fair cross attends the craft,
That curft correction-house, where aft
Wild hangy's taz † ye'er riggings faft
Makes black and blae,

Enough to pit a body daft;

But what 'll ye fay ?

Nane gathers gear withoutten care,
Ilk pleasure has of pain a fhare;
Suppose then they should tirle ye bare,
And gar ye fike;

E'en learn to thole; 'tis very fair

Ye 're nibour like.

Forby,

*Little pot; i. e. a gill of brandy.

If they perform not the tafk affigned them, they are whipt by the hangman.

The emphafis of this phrafe, like many others, cannot be fully understood but by a native: its neareft meaning is, "But "there is no help for it-fo it must be.”

Forby, my looves, count upo' loffes,

Ye'r milk-white teeth, and cheeks like roses,
Whan jet-black hair and brigs of nofes
Faw down wi' dads,

To keep your hearts up 'neath fic croffes,
Set up for bawds.

Wi' well-crifh'd loofs I hae been canty,
Whan e'er the lads wad fain ha'e faun t' ye,
To try the auld game taunty-raunty,
Like coofers keen,

They took advice of me, your aunty,

Then

If

ye were clean.

up I took my filler ca',

And whistl'd benn*, whiles ane whiles twa;
Roun'd in his lug †, that there was a

Poor country Kate,

As halefome as the wall of Spa,

But unka blate.

1

Sae

* Butt and benn" fignify different ends or rooms of a houfe: to " gang butt and benn," is to go from one end of

the house to the other.

+ Whispered in his ear.