FOETRT. 



SONNET. 

 Fcir the Bee. 

 Xho' Salton* thy domains unflielter'd seem, 



And lefs than each adjacent village fair. 

 Yet with that light which inem'ry's clafsic beam 

 Around thee throws, can nought of theirs compare 



, In thee Dunbar, of Scottifh bards supreme, 

 Inhal'd his earliest draught of vital air; 

 Dunbar, whose song mrith fancy's brilliant gleam. 

 Conjoins the comic boast of humour rare. 



Dunbar, whose mystic Rose and Thistle twine. 

 Unfading glory may so baldly claim, 

 : Whose Coldea Tergef, enrich'd with forms diYJne» 

 Shall hang for ever In the hall of fame ! 



Hail charming bard, to thee some future day. 

 Perhaps my critic pow'rs may larger tribute pay. 

 Salton, June 14. 1792. A. T. % 



■ MODERN REFINEMENT, OH. A CHARACTER OF THE TIMES. 



AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND ON THE NEW YEAR. 



For the Bee. 



" Nona eetas agitur, pejtra que tccuhferri 



" Tempor'thus, quorum scdir'z non invenit !j>sa. 



«( Nomen, et a nullo posuit Jiatura tr.eiailo." Juv.5a.'. It. 



Worse than the iron age ! — these modern times 

 Are SO depraved, that nature, for their crimes. 

 Not in her basest metal finds a name. 



While I the prevalence of vice bewail. 

 My friend, my genius, my M*cenas, hail ! 

 By thee inspir'd, and prompted by thy praise, 

 I first presum'd to scan my infant lays ; 

 And now more versint in Apollo's laws. 

 Present them to the world for its applause. 

 • The village of Salton in East Lothian. 



+ The Thistle and Rose, the Golden Terge, (Ihield) both ailejorical 

 poemj, and es-:emed the best of Dunbar's compositions. 



t A critical account of the ancient poets of Scotland i^ still wanted; 

 for although Mr Pinkerton has begun to tread in that walk, yet the fitl.t 

 is so wide, an.l the views that may be taken of that subject so various ; 

 that there is here roam for many labourers, without imarfenng with each 

 Other. We hope our ingenious correspondent will not relinquilh the des.gii 

 pointed at in these lines J and jlncerely wiJh him health and s^nts hap- 

 pily to accompVrfh it. 1 



VOL. X. t 



