No. CLII.

TO MRS. DUNLOP.

5th December, 1795.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

from the epidemical complaint of the country, want of cash. I mention our theatre merely to lug in an occasional Address which I wrote for the benefit night of one of the actresses, and which is as follows.*

my

25th, Christmas Morning.

This my much-loved friend is a mornAs I am in a complete Decemberishing of wishes; accept mine-so heaven humour, gloomy, sullen, stupid, as even hear me as they are sincere! that blessthe deity of Dulness herself could wish, I ings may attend your steps, and affliction shall not drawl out a heavy letter with a know you not! in the charming words of number of heavier apologies for my late favourite author, The Man of Feeling, silence. Only one I shall mention, beMay the Great Spirit bear up the weight cause I know you will sympathize in it: of thy gray hairs, and blunt the arrow that these four months, a sweet little girl, my brings them rest!" youngest child, has been so ill, that every day, a week or less, threatened to terminate her existence. There had much need be many pleasures annexed to the states of husband and father, for God knows, they have many peculiar cares. I cannot describe to you the anxious, sleepless hours, these ties frequently give me. I see a train of helpless little folks; me and my exertions all their stay; and on what a brittle thread does the life of man hang! If I am nipt off at the command of Fate, even in all the vigour of manhood as I am-such things happen every daygracious God! what would become of my little flock! "Tis here that I envy your people of fortune! A father on his deathbed, taking an everlasting leave of his children, has indeed wo enough; but the man of competent fortune leaves his sons and daughters independency and friends; while I but I shall run distracted if I

think

any longer on the subject!

To leave talking of the matter so gravely, I shall sing with the old Scots ballad

"O that I had ne'er been married
I would never had nae care;
Now I've gotten wife and bairns,
They cry crowdie! evermair.

Crowdie! ance! crowdie twice;
Crowdie! three times in a day:

An ye crowdie ony mair,

Ye'll crowdie a' my meal away."

December 24th.

We have had a brilliant theatre here this season; only, as all other business has, it experiences a stagnation of trade

Now that I talk of authors, how do you like Cowper? Is not the Task a glorious poem? The religion of the Task, bating a few scraps of Calvinistic divinity, is the religion of God and Nature; the religion that exalts, that ennobles man. Were not you to send me your Zeluco, in return for mine? Tell me how you like my marks and notes through the book. I would not give a farthing for a book, unless I were at liberty to blot it with my criticisms.

I have lately collected, for a friend's perusal, all my letters. I mean those which I first sketched in a rough draught, and afterwards wrote out fair. On looking over some old musty papers, which, from time to time, I had parcelled by, as trash that were scarce worth preserving, and which yet at the same time I did not care to destroy; I discovered many of these rude sketches, and have written and am writing them out, in a bound MS. for my friend's library. As I wrote always to you the rhapsody of the moment, I cannot find a single scroll to you, except one, about the commencement of our acquaintIf there were any possible conveyance, I would send you a perusal of my book.

ance.

No. CLIII.

TO MRS. DUNLOP, IN LONDON.

Dumfries, 20th December, 1795.

I HAVE been prodigiously disappointed in this London journey of yours. In

* The Address is given in p. 184, of the Poems

the first place, when your last to me reached Dumfries, I was in the country, and did not return until too late to answer your letter; in the next place, I thought you would certainly take this route; and now I know not what is become of you, or whether this may reach you at all. God grant that it may find you and yours in prospering health and good spirits! Do let me hear from you the soonest possible.

ing had, in early days, religion strongly impressed on my mind. I have nothing to say to any one as to which sect he belongs to, or what creed he believes; but I look on the man, who is firmly persuaded of infinite Wisdom and Goodness superintending and directing every circumstance that can happen in his lot-I felicitate such a man as having a solid foundation for his mental enjoyment; a firm prop and sure stay in the hour of difficulty, trouble, and distress: and a neverfailing anchor of hope, when he looks be

As I hope to get a frank from my friend Captain Miller, I shall every leisure hour, take up the pen, and gossip away what-yond the grave. ever comes first, prose or poesy, sermon or song. In this last article I have abounded of late. I have often mentioned to

you a superb publication of Scottish songs which is making its appearance in your great metropolis, and where I have the honour to preside over the Scottish verse as no less a personage than Peter Pindar does over the English. I wrote the following for a favourite air. See the Song entitled, Lord Gregory, Poems, p. 87.

December 29th.

Since I began this letter, I have been appointed to act in the capacity of supervisor here and I assure you, what with the load of business, and what with that business being new to me, I could scarcely have commanded ten minutes to have

January 12th

You will have seen our worthy and ingenious friend the Doctor, long ere this. I hope he is well, and beg to be remembered to him. I have just been reading over again, I dare say for the hundred and fiftieth time, his View of Society and Manners; and still I read it with delight. His humour is perfectly original—it is neither the humour of Addison, nor Swift, nor Sterne, nor of any body but Dr. Moore. By the by, you have deprived me of Zeluco; remember that, when you are disposed to rake up the sins of my neglect from among the ashes of my laziness.

He has paid me a pretty compliment, spoken to you, had you been in town, by quoting me in his last publication.*

much less to have written you an epistle.

This appointment is only temporary, and during the illness of the present incumbent; but I look forward to an early period when I shall be appointed in full form; a consummation devoutly to be wished! My political sins seem to be forgiven me.

This is the season (New-year's day is now my date) of wishing; and mine are most fervently offered up for you! May life to you be a positive blessing while it lasts for your own sake; and that it may yet be greatly prolonged, is my wish for my own sake, and for the sake of the rest of your friends! What a transient business is life! Very lately I was a boy; but t'other day I was a young man; and I already begin to feel the rigid fibre and stiffening joints of old age coming fast o'er my frame. With all my follies of youth, and, I fear, a few vices of manhood, still I congratulate myself on hav

No. CLIV.

TO MRS. R*****.

20th January, 1796

I CANNOT express my gratitude to you for allowing me a longer perusal of Ana

charsis. In fact I never met with a book

that bewitched me so much; and I, as a member of the library, must warmly feel the obligation you have laid us under. Indeed to me, the obligation is stronger than to any other individual of our society; as Anacharsis is an indispensable desideratum to a son of the Muses.

The health you wished me in your morning's card, is I think, flown from me for ever. I have not been able to leave my bed to-day till about an hour ago.

* Edward.

These wickedly unlucky advertisements | ing, like that of Balak to Balaam-“Come, curse me Jacob; and come, defy me Israel!" So say I-come, curse me that east wind and come, defy me the north! Would you have me in such circumstances, copy you out a love song?

if I die not of disease, I must perish with hunger.

No. CLIX.

TO MRS. DUNLOP

MADAM,

Brow, 12th July, 1796

I have sent you one of the songs; the other my memory does not serve me with, and I have no copy here; but I shall be at home soon, when I will send it to you. —A-propos to being at home, Mrs. Burns threatens in a week or two to add one more to my paternal charge, which, if of the right gender, I intend shall be introduced to the world by the respectable designation of Alexander Cunningham Burns. My last was James Glencairn, so you can have no objection to the com-whence no traveller returns. Your friendpany of nobility. Farewell!

I HAVE Written you so often without receiving any answer, that I would not stances in which I am. An illness which trouble you again, but for the circumhas long hung about me, in all probability will speedily send me beyond that bourn

ship, with which for many years you honoured me was a friendship dearest to my soul. Your conversation, and espe cially your correspondence, were at once highly entertaining and instructive. With what pleasure did I use to break up the seal! The remembrance yet adds one pulse more to my poor palpitating heart Farewell!!!*

R. B.

*The above is supposed to be the last production of Robert Burns, who died on the 21st of the month, nine days afterwards. He had, however, the pleasure of receiving a satisfactory explanation of his friend's silence, and an assurance of the continuance of her friendship to his widow and children; an assurance that has been amply fulfilled.

I DELAYED Writing until I could tell you what effect sea-bathing was likely to produce. It would be injustice to deny that it has eased my pains, and I think, has strengthened me; but my appetite is still extremely bad. No flesh nor fish can I swallow; porridge and milk are the only thing I can taste. I am very happy It is probable that the greater part of her letters to to hear, by Miss Jess Lewars, that you him were destroyed by our Bard about the time that this are all well. My very best and kindest last was written. He did not foresee that his own letcompliments to her, and to all the chil-ters to her were to appear in print, nor conceive the dren. I will see you on Sunday. disappointment that will be felt, that a few of this ex

affectionate husband.

Your

R. B.

cellent lady's have not served to enrich and adorn the collection. E.

191

CORRESPONDENCE

WITH

MR. GEORGE THOMSON.

PREFACE.

THE remaining part of this Volume, consists principally of the Correspondence between Mr. BURNS and Mr. THOMSON, on the subject of the beautiful Work projected and executed by the latter, the nature of which is explained in the first number of the following series. The undertaking of Mr. Thomson, is one in which the Public may be congratulated in various points of view; not merely as having collected the finest of the Scottish songs and airs of past times, but as having given occasion to a number of original songs of our Bard, which equal or surpass the former efforts of the pastoral muses of Scotland, and which, if we mistake not, may be safely compared with the lyric poetry of any age or country. The letters of Mr. Burns to Mr. Thomson include the songs he presented to him, some of which appear in different stages of their progress; and these letters will be found to exhibit occasionally his notions of song-writing, and his opinions on various subjects of taste and criticism. These opinions, it will be observed, were called forth by the observations of his correspondent, Mr. Thomson; and without the letters of this gentleman, those of Burns would have been often unintelligible. He has therefore yielded to the earnest request of the Trustees of the family of the poet, to suffer them to appear in their natural order; and, independently of the illustration they give to the letters of our Bard, it is not to be doubted that their intrinsic merit will ensure them a reception from the public, far beyond what Mr. Thomson's modesty would permit him to suppose. The whole of this correspondence was arranged for the press by Mr. Thomson, and has been printed with little addition or variation.

To avoid increasing the bulk of the work unnecessarily, we have in general referred the reader for the Song to the page in the Poems where it occurs; and have given the verses entire, only when they differ in some respects from the adopted set.

* This work is entitled, "A Select Collection of original Scottish Airs for the Voice: to which are added Introductory and Concluding Symphonies and Accompaniments for the Piano Forte and Violin by Pleyel and Kozeluch: with select and characteristic Verses, by the most admired Scottish Poets," &c.