But the thistle tap it wither'd,
Winds bore it far awa',

And Scotland's heart was broken,
For the rose sae like the snaw!

THE COVENANTER'S LAMENT.

TUNE-" The Martyr's Grave.”

THERE'S nae Covenant now, lassie!
There's nae Covenant now!
The Solemn League and Covenant
Are a' broken through!
There's nae Renwick now, lassie,
There's nae gude Cargill,
Nor holy Sabbath preaching
Upon the Martyrs' Hill!

It's naething but a sword, lassie!
A bluidy, bluidy ane!
Waving owre poor Scotland,

For her rebellious sin.

Scotland's a' wrang, lassie,

Scotland's a' wrang-
It's neither to the hill nor glen,
Lassie, we daur gang.

The Martyrs' Hill's forsaken,
In simmer's dusk sae calm;
There's nae gathering now, lassie,
To sing the e'ening psalm!

But the martyr's grave will rise, lassie, Aboon the warrior's cairn;

An' the martyr soun' will sleep, lassie, Aneath the waving fern!

BONNIE LASSIE.

BONNIE lassie, blythesome lassie,
Sweet's the sparkling o' thine e'e;
Aye sae wyling, aye beguiling,
Ye hae stown my heart frae me.

Fondly wooing, fondly sueing,

Let me love, nor love in vain; Fate shall never fond hearts sever,

Hearts still bound by true love's chain.

Fancy dreaming, hope bright beaming, Shall each day life's feast renew; Ours the treasure, ours the pleasure, Still to live and love more true.

Mirth and folly, joys unholy,

Never shall our thoughts employ;
Smiles inviting, hearts uniting,
Love and bliss without alloy.

Bonnie lassie, blythesome lassie,
Sweet's the sparkling o' thine e'e;

Aye sae wyling, aye beguiling,

Ye hae stown my heart frae me.

ANDREW MERCER.

ANDREW MERCER was born at Selkirk, in 1775. By his father, who was a respectable tradesman, he was destined for the pulpit of the United Secession Church. He became a student in the University of Edinburgh, in 1790, and was the class-fellow and friend of John Leyden, and of Dr Alexander Murray, the future philologist. At the house of Dr Robert Anderson, he formed the intimacy of Thomas Campbell; he also numbered among his early associates Thomas Brown and Mungo Park. Abandoning theological study, he cultivated a taste for the fine arts; and he endeavoured to establish himself in the capital in the twofold capacity of a miniature-painter, and a man of letters. With respect to both avocations, he proved unfortunate. In 1804, a periodical entitled the North British Magazine was originated and supported by his friends, on his behalf; but the publication terminated at the end of thirteen months. At a subsequent period, he removed to Dunfermline, where he was engaged in teaching, and in drawing patterns for the manufacturers. In 1828, he published a "History of Dunfermline," in a duodecimo volume; and, at an interval of ten years, a volume of poems, entitled "Summer Months among the Mountains." A man of considerable ingenuity and scholarship, he lacked industry and steadiness of application. His latter years were clouded by poverty. He died at Dunfermline on the 11th of June 1842, in his 67th year.

THE HOUR OF LOVE.

WHEN the fair one and the dear one

Her lover by her side-
Strays or sits as fancy flits,
Where yellow streamlets glide;
Gleams illuming-flowers perfuming
Where'er her footsteps rove;
Time beguiling with her smiling,
Oh! that's the hour of love.

When the fair one and the dear one,
Amid a moonlight scene,

Where grove and glade, and light and shade,
Are all around serene;

Heaves the soft sigh of ecstasy,

While coos the turtle-dove,

And in soft strains appeals-complains,

Oh! that's the hour of love.

Should the fair one and the dear one

The sigh of pity lend

For human woe, that presses low

A stranger, or a friend,

Tears descending, sweetly blending,
As down her cheeks they rove;
Beauty's charms in pity's arms—
Oh! that's the hour of love.

When the fair one and the dear one
Appears in morning dreams,
In flowing vest by fancy drest,
And all the angel beams;

The heavenly mien, and look serene,
Confess her from above;

While rising sighs and dewy eyes
Say, that's the hour of love!

JOHN LEYDEN, M.D.

JOHN LEYDEN was born on the 8th September 1775, at Denholm, a hamlet in the parish of Cavers, Roxburghshire. His ancestors, for several generations, were farmers, but his father followed the humble occupation of a shepherd. Of four brothers and two sisters, John was the eldest. About a year after his birth, his father removed to Henlawshiel, a solitary cottage,* about three miles from Denholm, on the margin of the heath stretching down from the "stormy Ruberslaw." He received the rudiments of knowledge from his paternal grandmother; and discovering a remarkable aptitude for learning, his father determined to afford him the advantages of a liberal education. He was sent to the parish school of Kirkton, and afterwards placed under the tutorship of a Cameronian clergyman, in Denholm, reputed as a classical scholar. In 1790, he entered the University of Edinburgh, where he soon acquired distinction for his classical attainments and devotedness to general learning. His last session of college attendance was spent at St Andrews, where he became a tutor. By the Presbytery of St Andrews, in May 1798, he was licensed as a probationer of the Scottish Church. On obtaining his licence, he returned to the capital, where his reputation as a scholar had secured him many friends.

* We lately visited the spot. Not a vestige of the cottage remains. A wilder and more desolate locality hardly ever nourished the youthful imagination of a poet.