Corrupted bukes he did detest, For his wur ov the varry best; This meead him wiser than the rest O' t' neeaburs roond, Tho' poor i' t' purse, wi' senses blest, An' judgment soond.
Befoore the silvery neeght ov age, The precepts ov the sacred page, His meditation did engage, That race te run; Like thooase, who 'spite o' Satan's rage, The praaze hed won.
Bud noo his een's geean dim i' deeath, Neea mare a pilgrim here on eearth, His sowl flits fra' her shell beneeath, Te reealms o' day, Whoor carpin care, an' pain, an' deeath, Are deean away.
Wi'oot the author's neeame or leeave, They'd put his stoory thruff the sieve, An' roond his circuit set the screeve O' justice keen, Fra' crotchet cramp, or semibreeve, Te sift him cleean.
The charge 'at they ageenst him bring,- He harps teea mitch upon yah string, Or triumphs like a lahtle king, Ow'r fashions gay; He's ower religious!-That's the thing They meean te say.
Yet still Awd Isaac tells his teeal, Ower monny a weeary hill an' deeal, An' 'll sumtaames into cities steeal, Nor silent be; Till infants try te lisp his theeame Across the sea.
Oor last, an' lasting interview, His wonted theeame he did renew, Fra' which, a paraphrase he drew, An' thus began, I' conversation clear, an' frindship true, Like man te man.
"Ah lahtle thowght, as weel thoo knaws, Thoo te t' public wad expooase, Mah awd gray cooat, wi' all its flaws, An' stick an' all, For want o' which, the aged prood Seea offens fall.
Ah varry leeatly gat a hint, They'd put oor stoory into prent, An' copies roond the coontry sent Beeath left and reeght; Bud if 'twur deean wi' gud intent, Gud luck gang wi' 't.
Noo all Ah sed wur meeant for gud, If it wur reeghtly understud; Te sum neea doot, t'language wud Seeam quite abrupt;- We're all alike, ov flesh and bleead, An' hearts corrupt.
Fooaks oft leeaks mare at bleead an' breedin, Than at t'subject they are reeadin, An' thus awd prejudice is feedin, I' system's narrow, For want o' pains te crack the beean Th'oft miss t'marrow.
Men still i' spite ov all oor caution, 'Ll hanker efter heeigh promotion; Like Evan's Pills, or Rowland's Lotion Saain'd by t'King; We're seea inclin'd te self-devotion- That's the thing.!
T' Naation still seeams discontent, Ther's strange debeeates i' parliament, Petitions on petitions sent Theer, all implorin; An' sum i' dungeons deep lament Whahl they're snoorin.
Still ower t'land t'clood hangs dull, An' we may thrust, an' they may pull; Wi' "Eys an' Nooas" the paper's full, Wi' applause an' laughter: An' all the gud for poor John Bull 'S te cum hereafter.
Still let us calmly wait the end, On God, an' nut on man, depend.
Oor Nation's woond is bad te mend, Ommost incurable!
His Israel he will still defend, Wi' kindness durable.
Bud numbers streeangely hev backslidden, An' deean thooase things 'at wur forbidden, An' caused His feeace for te be hidden, By actions fowl, Till scarce a ray ov whooap is left Te cheer the sowl.
T'coonsel Ah wad recommend Is all te strave ther lives te mend, An' persevere unto the end I' word an' deed.
An' thooase 'll nivver want a Frind I' t' taame o' need.
Bud Ah mun cut mah stoory shoort, Or it may mack the critics spoort, Oor subject's ov too greeave a soort Te dwell upon.
Afoore ye spreead yer next repoort, Ah sal be geean.
For sin' we met an' pearted last, Ah finnd mah strenth decreeasing fast, Like floor's beneeath the Nowthern blast, Yance fresh an' gay, Seea man is doom'd te droop an' waste, An' fade away.
Ah wad befoore Ah tack mah leave, Te all, mah deein coonsel give, An' if i' the truth they deea beleeave Or apprehend, That truth, whahl Ah'v a day te live _Ah will defend_."
HIS DYING ADVICE.
When Eden's floory garden smiled, Nor Eve the Sarpent hed beguil'd, Man stood upreeght an' undefiled I' maand an' feeature, An' sweetest conversation held Wi' his Creator.
Bud when that awful monster sin Hed gain'd its ugly entrance in The warld, oor sorrows did begin; Then Heaven froond, An' t' glitt'ring swoord o' Justice gleeam'd On all aroond.
Sin spreead destruction wide, an' seean Grim deeath began his feearful reign;- Satan wi' lees an' malice keen Went teea an' fraw, The frail, the noble sons o' men Te owerthraw.
Bud the Almighty sent his aid, Enoch an' Abraham obey'd, An' Noah, Job, an' Daniel pray'd, An' Gideon too; An' mighty fooas throo mighty faith They did subdue.
Then ancient Israel's altar's blazed, An' solemn congregations gazed, An' Holy men ther voices raaized, An' trumpets soonded.
Then heathen armies stood amazed, An' wur confoonded.
Then Joshua congker'd i' the vale, An' gud Elijah did prevail;- The wicked worshippers o' Baal He owerthrew, An' showed te them the living God An' only true.
An' while the sacrifice was pure, Destruction com nut neegh ther door; I' moont or tent they wur secure By neeght or day; Whahl thraving groups o' flocks an' herds, Aroond 'em lay.
They towght an' showed ther childer hoo Ther Fathers kept ther solemn voo, When the Almighty leead 'em throo The desert land; An' hoo thooase fell 'at wad nut boo Te His command.
An' seea sud we oor childer teeach, An' i' ther ears gud doctrine preeach, Befoore corrupt ideas reeach The tender maand; An' when they up te manhood graw, The gud they'll finnd.
Ey, tell 'em whea the sarpent stung, Hoo Moses an' hoo Deborah sung, An' hoo the Holy Hebrews yoong Did walk throo fire; An' try te tune ther infant tongues Te David's lyre.
Remind 'em ov a Saviour's love, Leearn 'em the way God will approve, Te pray, an' fix ther thowghts above Eearth's fleeting joys, Which at ther best, when tried 'll proov, Bud empty toys.
Consult the worthies ov' each age, Wheas lives are doon i't' sacred page, Nor rest till all the heart engage Like them i' feight.
Then we like them oor hostile fooas, Sal put te flight.
Te us they as examples stand, As guide-poosts in a weeary land, Or like seea monny beeacons grand, On mountains heeigh, Te shoo the way Jehovah's plann'd; Or deeanger neeigh.
Bud men graw noo seea warldly wise, Seea prooan te vanity an' lies, T'best o' coonsel they'll despise, Seea queer they live, They'll scarce a proper question ax, Or answer give.
Mankind i' gen'ral can espy, The mooat 'at's in anoother's eye, An' big an' busy as Paul Pry, 'Ll mark it doon;- It helps fra' silly passers by Te hide ther awn.
Theer's numbers seeams o' t' better soort, Aroond oor chapels still resoort, An' o' convarsion mack a spoort, An' sins forgeean, An' at the truly pious shoot, Ther arrows keen.
Bud the Almighty sees ther ways, An' thof he lenthens oot ther days, An' his just rath he noo delays, 'Tis seer te cum; The stootest o' the human race, Mun meet ther doom.
Ey, when ther jolly days are spent, If they i' taame deea nut repent, They'll seerly doon te hell be sent Te revell theer, Te curse, an' fooam, an' pay ther rint I' black despair.
Freeat nut thysel when thoo doast see The wicked i' prosperity, Te floorish like a green bay tree, Or cedar tall; He like a leeaf, by firm decree, Mun feeade an' fall!
Consider thoo what hez beean sed, An' o' ther threeats be nut afraaid, Beware lest thoo sud be betray'd By ther deceit;- An' t'Lord gie thee, an' nut upbreead, His Sperit's leeght!"
The coontry's all anxiety, Te knaw Awd Isaac's pedigree, An' sum cry oot 'tis all a lee, A meead up thing;- Te sike we think it nut woth whahl, Oor proofs te bring.
For all that wish te knaw-may read, The sum an' substance ov his creed;- May catch, an' saw the lahtle seed Wi' greeat success.
Bud whoor he liv'd, or whoor he deed, 'Tis left te guess.