1753 Poem, Anon. (William Starrat), ‘Tit for Tat; or the Rater rated’
Author: Anon. (William Starrat)
Date: 1753
Source: ‘Tit for Tat; or the Rater rated. A new Song, in Way of Dialogue, between a Laggen Farmer and his Wife’, an anonymous poem in ‘Scotch Poems’, The Ulster Miscellany, 1753
Comments: This poem is one of nine anonymous ‘Scotch Poems’ from the ‘Laggan’ area of North-East Donegal published in The Ulster Miscellany of 1753. In Philip Robinson’s ‘William Starrat of Strabane: the first Ulster-Scots Poet’, Ullans, 5, 1997, he identifies William Starrat as the likely author of at least some of these. Given Starrat’s well-known friendship and poetical correspondence (in Scots) with Allan Ramsay about 1722, further corroboration of Starrat’s authorship of these ‘Scotch Poems’ is revealed in the seventh poem (‘An additional Verse to the Widow my Laddie’). The original ‘Widow my Laddie’ was published by Allan Ramsay in his Tea-Table Miscellany … of Songs in English and Scots, in 1750.
Doc. ref. no.: USLS/TB/Poetry/1700-1799/011
Tit for Tat; or the Rater rated
TIT for TAT; or the Rater rated.
A new Song, in Way of Dialogue, between a Laggen Farmer and his Wife.
I. | |
HE. | Ye’re welcome hame, my Marg’y, |
Frae the grim craving clergy; | |
How deeply did they charge ye, | |
Wi’ sair oppressive tythe? | |
While some are chous’d, and cheated; | |
Some rattled are, and rated; | |
Ye hae been better treated, | |
I trow, ye luick sae blythe. | |
II. | |
SHE. | I hae been wi’ the rector; |
His wife did scould and hector; | |
Instead o’ a guid lecture — | |
Quo’ she, ‘Ye go too fine, | |
With scarlet cloaks and bedgowns, | |
With velvet puggs and plaid-gowns, | |
With ruffled sleeves and headrounds, | |
More rich and gay than mine.’ | |
III. | |
“Forbear, proud madam Persian, | |
Take back ye’r ain aspersion, | |
Wi’ tea, ye’r chief diversion, | |
Ye waste ye’r time awa: | |
While dressing ye’re and pinning, | |
I’ll spin, and bleach my linnen, | |
And wear my ain hands winning, | |
Ye rector’s lazy daw.” | |
IV. | |
“I rise e’er the cocks craw day; | |
My hands I spare not a’ day, | |
And wi’ my farmer laddie | |
At night I take my ease: | |
My husband plows and harrows, | |
He sows and reaps the farrows, | |
Shame fa’ them wad change marrows, | |
For rector’s gown and chaise.” | |
V. | |
“Sure some kind deel has brought us | |
Yon yellow[a] chiel, that taught us | |
To cleek the tythe potatoes | |
Frae ilk a greedy gown! | |
Nae bishop, dean, or rector, | |
Nae vicar, curate, proctor, | |
Dare ettle now to [b]doctor | |
Our skeedyines under ground.” | |
VI. | |
HE. | Dear Madgie, e’en fairfaw ye! |
I’m blest that e’er I saw ye! | |
A braid-claith coat I aw ye, | |
Fac’d wi’ a velvet cape: | |
May milk and meal ne’er fail ye, | |
May loss of yews ne’er ail ye, | |
But geer grow on ye daily, | |
For birking madam Crape. |
Footnotes
[a] A certain meddling lawyer, profess’d enemy to the clergy, who went by the name of Yellow Rowan.
[b] A common expression for managing things as they please; alluding to the practice of physicians.