[Footnote AE: The following barbarous distich is sometimes inscribed on the arms of the three leagues.

Death is in the world; Cain's rallying from stupor I am awake at lasta dreary dream Had madden'd me,but he shall never wake: the curse of Eve; and the close[Greek: meizon ae kata dakrua] CAIN.

Pos teu tois cheilessi potedrame kouk eglukanthae; Tis de Brotos tossouton anameros ae kerasai toi, Ae dounai laleonti to pharmakon; ekphugen odan.]

Pos teu tois cheilessi potedrame kouk eglukanthae; Tis de Brotos tossouton anameros ae kerasai toi, Ae dounai laleonti to pharmakon; ekphugen odan.]

Let me in this ae night," etc.

He scorned academic learning, and protested that true inspiration was rather to be found in "ae spark o' Nature's fire,"or at the nearest tavern: Leese me on drink!

From THE GENTLE SHEPHERD PATIE AND ROGER Beneath the south side of a craigy bield, Where crystal springs the halesome waters yield, Twa youthfu' shepherds on the gowans lay, Tenting their flocks ae bonny morn of May.

His poetic creed may be summed up in one of his own stanzas: Give me ae spark o' Nature's fire, That's a' the learning I desire; Then, though I trudge thro' dub an' mire At pleugh or cart, My Muse, though hamely in attire, May touch the heart.

Or take a single suggestion, Ae fond kiss, and then we sever!

Ae farewell, and then forever!

Ae afternoon towards the glomin' I was oblegated to tak' a stap doun to the cross, wi' a web under my arm, which I had finished for Mr. Weft, the muslin manufacturer.

"Ye'll sit on his white hause-bane, And I'll pick out his bonny blue een; Wi' ae lock o' his gowden hair, We'll theck our nest when it grows bare.

This truth fand honest Tam O'Shanter, As he frae Ayr ae night did canter, (Auld Ayr, wham ne'er a town surpasses, For honest men and bonnie lasses.)

She tauld thee weel thou wast a skellum, A blethering,[160] blustering, drunken blellum; That frae November till October, Ae market-day thou wasna sober; That ilka melder, wi' the miller, Thou sat as lang as thou had siller; That every naig was ca'd a shoe on, The smith and thee gat roaring fou on; That at the Lord's house, even on Sunday, Thou drank wi' Kirten Jean till Monday.

Even Satan glowered and fidged fu' fain, And hotch'd and blew wi' might and main; Till first ae caper, syne[170] anither, Tam tint his reason a' thegither, And roars out, "Weel done, Cutty-sark!"

Letters to Minanlabain, by AE, pseud.

[Greek: 'Ae d' Atae sthenazae te chai 'aztipos sunecha pasas Pollou 'upechpzotheei, phthaneei d' de te pasan ep' aiach Blaptous' anthxopous.]

"Gang into an Exhibition," says the Ettrick Shepherd, "and only look at a crowd o' cockneys, some with specs, and some wi' quizzing-glasses, and faces without ae grain o' meaning in them o' ony kind whatsomever, a' glowering, perhaps, at a picture

If we write ae, oe in Philae, Adelphoe, we need the diæresis in Aglaë, Pholoë, and a name like Aeaea looks very funny in an English context.

4. The question of the use of ae (æ) and oe ([oe]).

Ay a' ae oo (yes, all same wool).

"I assure you, ma'am," he said, "when I was in your situation I was called upon in a similar way for this tax;" to which she replied, in quiet scorn, "In my situation! an' whan were ye in my situation?an' auld maid leevin' in a flat wi' an ae lass."

To which she rejoined, "Ye may hae that profit, but honour ye hae nane;" and then to the point, she added, "But I've been tell't that ae day's wark o' twa or three men wad mount the cannon, and that it may be a' dune for twenty shillings; now there's twa punds to ye."

"That may be, your Grace," said Donald; "but whiles I think that Providence maks a mistak in thae matters, and sends the bairns to ae hoose and the meat to anither!"

There was a secret grievance which embittered his lot; and to his friend he thus opened his heart:"Ae, ae, but oh, I'm sair hadden doun wi' the bubbly jock.