hear of,
And yet, when to ruse ye the neebour lads try--
Though it 's a' true they tell ye--yet never sae far off
I could see 'em ilk ane, an' I canna tell why.
When we tedded the hayfield, I raked ilka rig o't,
And never grew weary the lang simmer day;
The rucks that ye wrought at were easiest biggit,
And I fand sweeter scented around ye the hay.

In har'st, whan the kirn-supper joys mak us cheerie,
'Mang the lave o' the lasses I preed yer sweet mou';
Dear save us! how queer I felt whan I cam' near ye--
My breast thrill'd in rapture, I couldna tell how.
When we dance at the gloamin', it 's you I aye pitch on;
And gin ye gang by me, how dowie I be!
There 's something, dear lassie, about ye bewitching,
That tells me my happiness centres in thee.

JAMES MONTGOMERY.

James Montgomery, the spiritual character of whose writings has gained
him the honourable designation of the Christian Poet, was born at
Irvine, in the county of Ayr, on the 4th of November 1771. His father,
John Montgomery, was a missionary of the Moravian Brethren, and in this
capacity came to Irvine from Ireland, only a few days before the birth
of James, his eldest son. In his fourth year he returned to Ireland with
his parents, and received the rudiments of his education from the
village schoolmaster of Grace Hill, a settlement of the Moravian
Brethren in the county of Antrim. In October 1777, in his seventh year,
he was placed by his father in the seminary of the Moravian settlement
of Fulneck, near Leeds; and on the departure of his parents to the West
Indies, in 1783, he was committed to the care of the Brethren, with the
view of his being trained for their Church. He was not destined to see
his parents again. His mother died at Barbadoes, in November 1790, and
his father after an interval of eight months.

In consequence of his indolent habits, which were incorrigible, young
Montgomery was removed from the seminary at Fulneck, and placed in the
shop of a baker at Mirfield, in the vicinity. He was then in his
sixteenth year; and having already afforded evidence of a refined
taste, both in poetry and music, though careless of the ordinary routine
of scholastic instruction, his new occupation was altogether uncongenial
to his feelings. He, however, remained about eighteen months in the
baker's service, but at length made a hasty escape from Mirfield, with
only thr