Men by wise example led, From England’s greatest statesmen dead; Men whose fathers fought and bled For England’s liberty; Now’s the day and now’s the hour, See the front of battle lour, Scatter wide the Tory power, And let us still be free! Who would be a Jingo knave? Who would Tory banners wave? Let him ever be a slave To Tory tyranny. Who would justice, right and law, Free from Tories’ greedy maw, To the poll in thousands draw, And poll for liberty! Ere oppression’s woes and pains Load your sons with servile chains, Poll your full elect’ral gains To keep the people free; Lay the Tory braggarts low, A tyrant falls in every foe, Strike! for every Liberal blow Is dealt for liberty! From _Songs for Liberal Electors_, 1885. ――――:o:―――― JOHN ANDERSON, MY JO. John Anderson, my jo, John, When we were first acquent, Your locks were like the raven, Your bonnie brow was brent: But now your brow it beld, John, Your locks are like the snaw; But blessings on your frosty pow. John Anderson my jo. John Anderson, my jo, John, We clamb the hill thegither; And mony a canty day, John, We’ve had wi ane anither. Now we maun totter down, John, But hand in hand we’ll go; And sleep thegither at the foot, John Anderson my jo. ROBERT BURNS. The above is the version of this song as given in the Works of Burns, but _John Anderson, my jo_, existed as a song, under different forms, long before his time. In Percy’s _Reliques of Ancient Poetry_ it is traced back to the time of the Reformation, when many ridiculous and obscene songs were composed to be sung to the tunes of favorite hymns in the Latin Service, to ridicule the Roman Catholic faith. The explanation is important, and should be borne in mind, as accounting for the fact that many of the absurd and nonsensical old Scotch Songs, which Burns either entirely re-wrote, or remodelled, were wedded to really grand original music. The first, and only, verse fit to quote originally ran thus: “John Anderson, my jo, cum in as ye gae bye, And ye sail get a sheips heid, weel baken in a pye; Weel baken in a pye, and the haggis in a pot: John Anderson, my jo cum in, and ye’s get that,” In the first volume of a collection entitled, _Poetry Original and Selected_, printed by Brash & Reid, of Glasgow, this song is given as follows: JOHN ANDERSON, MY JO, IMPROVED. _By Robert Burns._