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even neglect, will not surprise me in my losopher. He must lay his account, that any quarters.

one, who exposes himself to public observation, I have sent you a proof impression of Beu- will occasionally meet with the attacks of illigo's work for me, done on Indian paper, as a beral censure, which it is always best to overtrifling but sincere testimony with what heart-look and despise. He will be inclined somewarm gratitude I am, &c.

No. XLI.

FROM DR. BLAIR.

Argyle-Square, Edinburgh, 4th May, 1787.

DEAR SIR,

times to court retreat, and to disappear from public view. He will not affect to shine always, that he may at proper seasons come forth with more advantage and energy. He will not think himself neglected if he be not always praised. I have taken the liberty, you see, of an old man, to give advice and make reflections which your own good sense will, I dare say, render unnecessary.

As you mention your being just about to leave town, you are going, I should suppose, to I WAS favoured this forenoon with your very Dumfriesshire, to look at some of Mr. Miller's obliging letter, together with an impression of farms. I heartily wish the offers to be made your portrait, for which I return you my best you there may answer; as I am persuaded you thanks. The success you have met with I do will not easily find a more generous and better not think was beyond your merits; and if I hearted proprietor to live under than Mr. Milhave had any small hand in contributing to it, ler. When you return, if you come this way, it gives me great pleasure. I know no way in I will be happy to see you, and to know conwhich literary persons, who are advanced in cerning your future plans of life. You will years, can do more service to the world, than find me, by the 22d of this month, not in my in forwarding the efforts of rising genius, or house in Argyle Square, but at a country-house bringing forth unknown merit from obscurity. at Restalrig, about a mile east from Edinburgh, I was the first person who brought out to the near the Musselburgh road. Wishing you all notice of the world, the poems of Ossian: first success and prosperity, I am, with real regard by the Fragments of Ancient Poetry, which I and esteem, published, and afterwards, by my setting on Dear Sir, foot the undertaking for collecting and publishing the Works of Ossian; and I have always considered this as a meritorious action of my life.

Your situation, as you say, was indeed very singular; and, in being brought out all at once from the shades of deepest privacy, to so great a share of public notice and observation, you had to stand a severe trial. I am happy that you have stood it so well; and as far as I have known or heard, though in the midst of many temptations, without reproach to your character and behaviour.

nour.

Yours sincerely,
HUGH BLAIR.

No. XLIL

TO WILLIAM CREECH, Esq. (of Edinburgh,) LONDON.

Selkirk, 13th May, 1787.

MY HONOURED FRIEND,

tron, Quem Deus conservet! I would write till would tire you as much with dull prose as I dare say by this time you are with wretched verse, but I am jaded to death; so, with a grate

You are now, I presume, to retire to a more private walk of life; and I trust, will conduct THE enclosed I have just wrote, nearly exyourself there with industry, prudence, and ho- tempore, in a solitary inn in Selkirk, after a You have laid the foundation for just miserable wet day's riding.-I have been over public esteem. In the midst of those employ-Selkirkshires; and next week I begin a tour most of East Lothian, Berwick, Roxburgh, and ments, which your situation will render proper, you will not, I hope, neglect to promote that through the north of England. Yesterday I -esteem, by cultivating your genius, and attend-dined with Lady Hariot, sister to my noble paing to such productions of it as may raise your character still higher. At the same time, be not in too great a haste to come forward. Take time and leisure to improve and mature your talents; for on any second production you give the world, your fate, as a poet, will very much depend. There is, no doubt, a gloss of novelty which time wears off. As you very properly hint yourself, you are not to be surprised if, in your rural retreat, you do not find yourself surrounded with that glare of notice and applause which here shone upon you. No man can be a good poet without being somewhat of a phi

ful farewell,

I have the honour to be,

Good Sir, yours sincerely.

• Elegy on W. Creech; see the Poetry.

DEAR SIR,

No. XLIII.

FROM DR. MOORE.

Glifford Street, May 23, 1787.

pable of making a better use of it, when attain. ed, than is generally done.

I beg you will not give yourself the trouble of writing to me when it is inconvenient, and make no apology, when you do write, for having postponed it; be assured of this, however, I HAD the pleasure of your letter by Mr. that I shall always be happy to hear from you. Creech, and soon after he sent me the new cdi- I think my friend Mr. told me that you tion of your poems. You seem to think it in- had some poems in manuscript by you of a saticumbent on you to send to each subscriber a rical and humorous nature (in which, by the number of copies proportionate to his subscrip- way, I think you very strong), which your prution money; but you may depend upon it, few dent friends prevailed on you to omit, particusubscribers expect more than one copy, what-larly one called Somebody's Confession; if you ever they subscribed. I must inform you, however, that I took twelve copies for those subscribers for whose money you were so accurate as to send me a receipt; and Lord Eglinton told me he had sent for six copies for himself, as he wished to give five of them in presents.

will entrust me with a sight of any of these, I will pawn my word to give no copies, and will be obliged to you for a perusal of them.

Your friend and obedient servant,
J. MOORE.

I understand you intend to take a farm, and make the useful and respectable business of husbandry your chief occupation; this, I hope, will Some of the poems you have added in this not prevent your making occasional addresses to last edition are beautiful, particularly the Win- the nine ladies who have shown you such fater Night, the Address to Edinburgh, Green vour, one of whom visited you in the auld clay grow the Rashes, and the two songs immediate-biggin. Virgil, before you, proved to the world ly following; the latter of which was exquisite. that there is nothing in the business of husbandBy the way, I imagine you have a peculiar ta-ry inimical to poetry; and I sincerely hope that lent for such compositions, which you ought to you may afford an example of a good poet being indulge. No kind of poetry demands more a successful farmer. I fear it will not be in my delicacy or higher polishing. Horace is more power to visit Scotland this season; when I do, admired on account of his Odes than all his I'll endeavour to find you out, for I heartily other writings. But nothing now added is wish to see and converse with you. If ever equal to your Vision and Cotter's Saturday your occasions call you to this place, I make no Night. In these are united fine imagery, na- doubt of your paying ine a visit, and you may tural and pathetic description, with sublimity of depend on a very cordial welcome from this falanguage and thought. It is evident that you mily. I am, dear Sir, already possess a great variety of expression and command of the English language; you ought, therefore, to deal more sparingly for the future in the provincial dialect :-why should you, by using that, limit the number of your admirers to those who understand the Scottish, when you can extend it to all persons of taste who understand the English language? In my opinion, you should plan some larger work than any you have as yet attempted. mean, reflect upon some proper subject, and arrange the plan in your mind, without beginning to execute any part of it till you have studied most of the best English poets, and read a little more of history. The Greek and Roman stories you can read in some abridgment, and soon become master of the most brilliant facts, which must highly delight a poetical mind. You should also, and very soon may, become master of the heathen mythology, to which there are everlasting allusions in all the poets, and which in itself is charmingly fanciful. What will require to be studied with more attention, is modern history; that is, the history of France and Great Britain, from the beginning of Henry the Seventh's reign. I know very well you have a mind capable of attaining knowledge by a shorter process than is commonly used, and I am certain you are ca

No. XLIV.

TO MR. W. NICOLL,

MASTER OF THE HIGH-SCHOOL, EDINBURGH.

Carlisle, June 1, 1787.

KIND, HONEST-HEARTED WILLIE.

I'm sitten down here, after seven and forty miles ridin, e'en as forjesket and forniaw'd as a forfoughten cock, to gie you some notion o' my land lowper-like stravaguin sin the sorrowfu' hour that I sheuk hands and parted wi' auld

Reekie.

My auld, ga'd gleyde o' a meere has huchyall'd up hill and down brae, in Scotland and England, as teugh and birnie as a vera devil wi' me. It's true, she's as poor's a sang-maker

* This mare was the Poet's favourite JENNY GEDDES, of whom honourable and most humorous mention is made in a letter, inserted in Dr. Currie's edition, vol. i. p. 165.

This old and faithful servant of the Poet's was named by him, after the old woman, who in her zeal_against religious innovation, threw a stool at the Dean of

• His subsequent compositions will bear testimony Edinburgh's head, when he attempted in 1837, to in

to the accuracy of Dr. Moore's judgment.

troduce the Scottish Liturgy. "On Sunday, the 23d

three years, at thirty pounds sterling a-year;
and am happy some unexpected accidents inter-
vened that prevented your sailing with the ves-
sel, as I have great reason to think Mr. Dou-
glas's employ would by no means have answer-
ed your expectations. I received a copy of your
publications, for which I return you my thanks,
and it is my own opinion, as well as that of such
of my friends as have seen them, they are most
excellent in their kind; although some could
have wished they had been in the English style,
as they allege the Scottish dialect is now be-
coming obsolete, and thereby the elegance and
beauties of your poems are in a great measure
lost to far the greater part of the community.
Nevertheless there is no doubt you had sufficient
reasons for your conduct-perhaps the wishes
of some of the Scottish nobility and gentry, your
patrons, who will always relish their own old
country style; and your own inclinations for
the same.
It is evident from several passages

and as hard's a kirk, and tipper-taipers when she taks the gate, first like a lady's gentlewoman in a minuwae, or a hen on a het girdle, but she's a yauld, poutherie Girran for a' that, and has a stomack like Willie Stalker's meere that wad hae disgeested tumbler-wheels, for she'll whip me aff her five stimparts o' the best aits at a down-sittin and ne'er fash her thumb. When ance her ringbanes and spavies, her crucks and cramps, are fairly soupl'd, she beets to, beets to, and ay the hindmost hour the tightest. I could wager her price to a thretty pennies that, for twa or three wooks ridin at fifty mile a day, the deil-sticket a five gallopers acqueesh Clyde and Whithorn could cast saut on her tail. I hae dander'd owre a' the kintra frae Dumbar to Selcraig, and hae forgather'd wi' mony a guid fallow, and monie a weelfar'd hizzie. I met wi' twa dink quines in particlar, ane o' them a sonsie, fine, fodgel lass, baith braw and bonie; the tither was a clean-shankit, straught, tight, weelfar'd winch, as blithe's a lintwhite in your works, you are as capable of writing in on a flowerie thorn, and as sweet and modest's the English as in the Scottish dialect, and I am a new blawn plumrose in a hazle shaw. They in great hopes your genius for poetry, from the were baith bred to mainers by the beuk, and onie ane o' them had as muckle smeddum and rumblgumtion as the half o' some presbytries that you and I baith ken. They play'd me sik a deevil o' a shavie that I daur say if my harigals were turn'd out, ye wad see twa nicks i' the heart o' me like the mark o' a kail-whittle in a castock.

I was gaun to write you a lang pystle, but, Gude forgie me, I gat mysel sae notouriously bitchify'd the day after kail-time that I can hardly stoiter but and ben.

specimen you have already given, will turn out both for profit and honour to yourself and country. I can by no means advise you now to think of coming to the West Indies, as, I assure you, there is no encouragement for man of learning and genius here; and am very confident you can do far better in Great Britain, than in Jamaica. I am glad to hear my friends are well, and shall always be happy to hear from you at all convenient opportunities, wishing you success in all your undertakings. I will esteem it a particular favour if you will send me a copy of the other edition you are now I am, with respect,

My best respecks to the guidwife and a' our common friens, especiall Mr. and Mrs. Cruik-printing. shank and the honest guidman o' Jock's Lodge. I'll be in Dumfries the morn gif the beast be to the fore, and the branks bide hale. Gude be wi' you, Willie !

Dear Sir, yours, &c.

JOHN HUTCHINSON.

Amen!

SIR,

No. XLV.

FROM MR. JOHN HUTCHINSON.

Jamaica, St. Ann's, 14th June, 1787.

I RECEIVED yours, dated Edinburgh, 2d January, 1787, wherein you acquaint me you were engaged with Mr. Douglas of Port Antonio, for

No. XLVI.

TO MR. W. NICOLL.

Mauchline, June 18, 1787.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

I AM now arrived safe in my native country, after a very agreeable jaunt, and have the pleasure to find all my friends well. I breakfasted with your grey-headed, reverend friend, Mr. Smith; and was highly pleased both with the cordial welcome he gave me, and his most exof July, the Dean of Edinburgh prepared to officiate cellent appearance and sterling good sense. in St. Giles's. The congregation continued quiet till the service began, when an old woman, impelled by I have been with Mr. Miller at Dalswinton, sudden indignation, started up, and exclaiming aloud, and am to meet him again in August.. From Villain! dost thou say the Mass at my lug threw the stool on which she had been sitting, at the Dean's my view of the lands and his reception of my head. A wild uproar commenced that instant. The bardship, my hopes in that business are rather service was interrupted. The women invaded the mended; but still they are but slender. desk with execrations and outeries, and the Dean dis. engaged himself from his surplice to escape from their hands."-Laing's Hist. of Scotland, vol. fii. p. 122.

I am quite charmed with Dumfries folks→ Mr. Burnside, the clergyman, in particular, is

a man whom I shall ever gratefully remember; and Stirling, and am delighted with their apand his wife, Gude forgie me, I had almost pearance: richly waving crops of wheat, barley, broke the tenth commandment on her account. &c. but no harvest at all yet, except in one or Simplicity, elegance, good sense, sweetness of disposition, good humour, kind hospitality, are the constituents of her manner and heart; in short-but if I say one word more about her, I shall be directly in love with her.

two places, an old Wife's Ridge. Yesterday morning I rode from this town up the meandring Devon's banks to pay my respects to some Ayrshire folks at Harvieston. After breakfast, we made a party to go and see the famous CauI never, my friend, thought mankind very dron-linn, a remarkable cascade in the Devon, capable of any thing generous; but the stateli- about five miles above Harvieston; and after ness of the Patricians in Edinburgh, and the spending one of the most pleasant days I ever servility of my plebeian brethren, (who, per- had in my life, I returned to Stirling in the haps, formerly eyed me askance), since I re- evening. They are a family, Sir, though I had turned home, have nearly put me out of conceit not had any prior tie; though they had not been altogether with my species. I have bought a the brother and sisters of a certain generous pocket Milton which I carry perpetually about friend of mine, I would never forget them. I with me, in order to study the sentiments-the am told you have not seen them these several dauntless magnanimity; the intrepid, unyield- years, so you can have very little idea of what ing independence, the desperate daring, and these young folks are now. Your brother is as noble defiance of hardship, in that great per- tall as you are, but slender rather than othersonage, SATAN. 'Tis true, I have just now a wise; and I have the satisfaction to inform you little cash; but I am afraid the star that hith- that he is getting the better of those consumperto has shed its malignant, purpose-blasting tive symptoms which I suppose you know were rays full in my zenith; that noxious planet so threatening him. His make, and particularly baneful in its influences to the rhyming tribe, I his manner, resemble you, but he will still have much dread it is not yet beneath my horizon. a finer face. (I put in the word still, to please Misfortune dodges the path of human life; the Mrs. Hamilton.) Good sense, modesty, and at poetic mind finds itself miserably deranged in, the same time a just idea of that respect that and unfit for the walks of business; add to all, man owes to man, and has a right in his turn that, thoughtless follies and hare-brained whims, to exact, are striking features in his character; like so many ignes futui, eternally diverging and, what with me is the Alpha and the Omefrom the right line of sober discretion, sparkle g1, he has a heart might adorn the breast of a with step-bewitching blaze in the idly-gazing poet! Grace has a good figure and the look of eyes of the poor heedless Bard, till, pop, "he health and cheerfulness, but nothing else refalls like Lucifer, never to hope again." God markable in her person. I scarcely ever saw so grant this may be an unreal picture with re-striking a likeness as is between her and your spect to me! but should it not, I have very little Beenie; the mouth and chin particularly. little dependence on mankind. I will close my She is reserved at first; but as we grew better letter with this tribute my heart bids me pay acquainted, I was delighted with the native you-the inany ties of acquaintance and friend-frankness of her manner, and the sterling sense thip which I have, or think I have in life, I of her observation. Of Charlotte, I cannot have felt along the lines, and, d-n them! they speak in common terms of admiration: she is are almost all of them of such frail contexture, not only beautiful, but lovely. Her form is elethat I am sure they would not stand the breath gant; her features not regular, but they have of the least adverse breeze of fortune; but from the smile of sweetness and the settled complayou, my ever dear Sir, I look with confidence cency of good nature in the highest degree; and for the Apostolic love that shall wait on me her complexion, now that she has happily re"through good report and bad report"-the covered her wonted health, is equal to Miss love which Solomon emphatically says "Is Burnet's After the exercise of our riding to strong as death." My compliments to Mrs. | the Falls, Charlotte was exactly Dr. Donne's Nicoll, and all the circle of our common friends. mistress :

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answer about you all: I had to describe the able company, raises an honest glow in my bolittle ones with the minuteness of anatomy. som.

They were highly delighted when I told them
that John was so good a boy, and so fine a
scholar, and that Willie + was going on still
very pretty; but I have it in commission to
tell her from them that beauty is a poor silly
bauble without she be good. Miss Chalmers I
had left in Edinburgh, but I had the pleasure
of meeting with Mrs. Chalmers, only Lady
McKenzie being rather a little alarmingly ill of
a sore-throat, somewhat marr'd our enjoyment.
I shall not be in Ayrshire for four weeks.
My most respectful compliments to Mrs. Ha-
milton, Miss Kennedy, and Dr. M'Kenzie. I
shall probably write him from some stage or
other.
I am ever, Sir,

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No. XLIX.

TO MR. GILBERT BURNS.

Edinburgh, 17th Sept. 1787.

MY DEAR BROTHER,

I ARRIVED here safe yesterday evening, after a tour of twenty-two days, and travelling near farthest stretch was about ten miles beyond Insix hundred miles, windings included. My

verness.

I went through the heart of the Highlands, by Crieff, Taymouth, the famous seat of Lord Breadalbane, down the Tay, among cascades and druidical circles of stones to Dunkeld, a seat of the Duke of Athole; thence cross Tay, and up one of his tributary streams to Blair of Athole, another of the Duke's seats, where I had the honour of spending nearly two days with his Grace and family; thence many miles through a wild country, among cliffs grey with eternal snows, and gloomy savage glens, till I crossed Spey and went down the stream through Strathspey, so famous in Scottish music, Badenoch, &c. till I reached Grant Castle, where I spent half a day with Sir James Grant and family; and then crossed the country for Fort George, but called by the way at Cawdor, the ancient seat of Macbeath; there I saw the identical bed in which, tradition says, King Duncan was murdered: lastly, from Fort George to Inverness.

John

I HAVE just time to write the foregoing, and to tell you that it was (at least most part of it), the effusion of an half hour I spent at Bruar. I do not mean it was extempore, for I have endeavoured to brush it up as well as Mr. N- -'s chat, and the jogging of the chaise, would allow. It eases my heart a good deal, as rhyme is the coin with which a poet pays his I returned by the coast, through Nairn, Fordebts of honour or gratitude. What I owe tores, and so on, to Aberdeen; thence to Stonethe noble family of Athole, of the first kind, I hive, where James Burnes, from Montrose, met shall ever proudly boast; what I owe of the me by appointment. I spent two days among last, so help me God in my hour of need, I our relations, and found our aunts, Jean and shall never forget. Isabel, still alive, and hale old women. The little angel baad!-I declare I pray- Caird, though born the same year with our faed for them very sincerely to-day at the Fall of ther, walks as vigorously as I can; they have Fyars. I shall never forget the fine family- had several letters from his son in New York. piece I saw at Blair; the amiable, the truly William Brand is likewise a stout old fellow: noble Duchess, with her smiling little seraph but further particulars I delay till I see you, in her lap, at the head of the table; the lovely which will be in two or three weeks. The "olive plants," as the Hebrew bard finely says, rest of my stages are not worth rehearsing: round the happy mother; the beautiful Mrs. warm as I was from Ossian's country, where I G; the lovely, sweet Miss C. &c. I wish had seen his very grave, what cared I for fishI had the powers of Guido to do them justice! ing towns or fertile carses? I slept at the faMy Lord Duke's kind hospitality, markedly mous Brodie of Brodie's one night, and dined kind, indeedMr G. of F's charms of conversation-Sir W. M's friendship-in short, the recollection of all that polite, agree

This is the "wee curlie Johnnie," mentioned in

Burns's dedication to Gavin Hamilton, Esq. To this gentleman, and every branch of the family, the Editor is indebted for much information respecting the poet, and very gratefully acknowledges the kindness shewn to himself.

Now married to the Rev. John Tod, Minister of Mauchline.

"The humble Petition of Bruar-Water to the Duke of Athole.”

at Gordon Castle next day with the Duke, Duchess, and family. I am thinking to cause my old mare to meet me, by means of John Ronald, at Glasgow; but you shall hear farther from me before I leave Edinburgh. My duty, and many compliments from the north, to my mother, and my brotherly compliments to the rest. I have been trying for a birth for William, but am not likely to be successful.Farewell.

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