MISCELLANEOUS POETRY. TOWSER. A TRUE TALE. 46 Dogs are honest Creatures, Ne'er fawn on any that they love not; And I'm a friend to dogs, They ne'er betray their masters.' IN mony an instance, without doubt, The man may copy frae the brute, With def'rence to our great Lavaters, Wha judge a' mankind by their features, There's mony a smiling, pleasant fac'd cock, That wears a heart no worth a custock, While mony a visage, antic, droll, O'erveils a noble, gen'rous soul. With Towser this was just the case, His make was something like a messin, He never girn'd in neighbour's face, With wild ill natur'd scant of grace, Nor e'er accosted ane with smiles, Then, soon as turn'd, wou'd bite his heels, Nor ever kent the courtier art, To fawn with rancour at his heart, Nor aught kent he of cankert quarr'lling, Nor snarling just for sake of snarling, Ye'd pinch him sair afore he'd growl, But what adds maistly to his fame, "Twas in the month o' cauld December, When nature's fire seem'd just an ember, And growling Winter bellow'd forth In storms and tempests frae the north→→→ Set out to the neist burrow town, To buy some needments of his own, And, case some purse-pest shou'd way-lay him, He took his trusty servant wi' him." His bus'ness done, 'twas near the gloaming, Come weel, come wae, he took the road. Whyles 'gainst the foot-path stabs he thumped, But on he gaed, and on he waded, Till he at length turn'd faint and jaded. To gang he could nae langer bide, But lay down by the bare dykę-side |