What herd like Russell telled his tale, And saw gin they were sick or hale, There was a literal truth in this line, for a person who sometimes attended Russell's prelections affirmed, that in a favourable state of the atmosphere, his voice, when he was holding forth in the open air at sacraments, might be heard at the distance of upwards of a mile. 2 Dr Robert Duncan, minister of Dundonald. 3 Rev. William Peebles, of Newton-upon-Ayr. See notes to Holy Fair and Kirk's Alarm. Rev. William Auld, minister of Mauchline. 5 Rev. Dr Dalrymple, one of the ministers of Ayr. He died in 1814, having filled his charge for the uncommon period of sixty-eight years. He had baptised Burns. Rev. William M'Gill, one of the ministers of Ayr, colleague of Dr Dalrymple. See note to Kirk's Alarm. 1 Minister of St Quivox, an enlightened man, and elegant preacher. halter 2 Dr Andrew Shaw of Craigie, and Dr David Shaw of Coylton. Dr Andrew was a man of excellent abilities, but extremely diffident—a fine speaker, and an accomplished scholar. Dr David, in personal respects, was a prodigy. He was ninety-one years of age before he required an assistant. At that period of life he read without the use of glasses, wrote a neat small hand, and had not a furrow in his cheek or a wrinkle in his brow. He was Moderator of the General Assembly in 1775. This amiable man died April 26, 1810, in the ninety-second year of his age, and sixty-first of his ministry. There were three brothers of this name, descended from the church historian, and all ministers-one at Eastwood, their ancestor's charge; the second at Stevenston; and the third, Dr Peter Wodrow, at Torbolton. Dr Peter is the person named in the poem. The assistant and successor mentioned in the verse was M'Math, elsewhere alluded to. * Rev. Mr Smith, minister of Galston. He is one of the tent-preachers in the Holy Fair. M'Quhae's pathetic manly sense, And guid M'Math, Wi' Smith, wha through the heart can glance, In the three last verses, the poet glances satirically at the demands made by the Old-Light party to obtain for congregations the right of choosing their own ministers, as opposite to the plan of their appointment by patrons, which had been reigning for several ages. The anti-patronage cause was almost identified with that of the Old Light, and for this reason Burns had no sympathies with it. The poet tells us that the Twa Herds was the first of his poetic offspring which saw the light. 'I had,' he says, 'a notion that the piece had some merit; but to prevent the worst [the possibility of its being condemned as stupid], I gave a copy of it to a friend who was very fond of such things, and told him that I could not guess who could be the author of it, but that I thought it pretty clever. With a certain description of the clergy, as well as laity, it met with a roar of applause.' The date of this event appears to be April 1785, the era of the letters to Lapraik, and probably very little after that of Hornbook. One Patrick Simpson carried a copy of the poem to his home in Ochiltree parish, a few miles south of Mauchline. By Patrick it was communicated to his brother, William Simpson, the parish schoolmaster, and a rhymer, who was immediately prompted to address a versified epistle to Burns, having probably heard the satire attributed to him. This was quickly answered by Burns in a beautiful poem, expressive of his intense love of nature and of country; to which, moreover, was appended a clever allegorical description of the heresy which he had adopted. In the expression, 'Our herds,' and the whole strain of this allegory, the reader will now see a connection of circumstances leading on from the Holy Tulzie, and confirming the present narration: But I'se believe ye kindly meant it, I sud be laith to think ye hinted On my poor Musie; obliquely directed Though in sic phrasin' terms ye 've penned it, cajoling 'In Scotland, when a person is much exalted and mystified about anything, he is said to be in a creel. 2 Allan Ramsay. * William Hamilton of Gilbertfield, a Scottish poet contemporary with Ramsay. The district of Kyle, personified under the appellation of Coila. assumed Coila as the name of his Muse. Burns afterwards Ramsay and famous Fergusson While Irwin, Lugar, Ayr, and Doon, Th' Illissus, Tiber, Thames, and Seine, And cock your crest, We'll gar our streams and burnies shine We'll sing auld Coila's plains and fells, Aft bure the gree, as story tells, Frae southron billies. At Wallace' name what Scottish blood Still pressing onward, red-wat shod, O sweet are Coila's haughs and woods And jinkin' hares, in amorous whids,' Their loves enjoy, rivulets mountains bore the bell meadows linnets furtive While through the braes the cushat croods coos With wailfu' cry! 1 A word expressive of the quick, nimble movements of the hare, which hence is sometimes called a whiddie in Scotland. |