Let me know, your very first leisure, | Address to the Wood-Lark, your elegant how you like this song. ON CHLORIS BEING ILL. CHORUS. Long, long the night, Heavy comes the morrow, See Poems, p. 102. How do you like the foregoing? The Irish air, Humours of Glen, is a great favourite of mine; and as, except the silly stuff in the Poor Soldier, there are not any decent yerses for it, I have written for it as follows: SONG. THEIR groves o' sweet myrtle let foreign lands reckon, Panegyric on Caledonia, and your affecting verses on Chloris's illness. Every repeated perusal of these gives new delight. The other song to "Laddie, lie near me," though not equal to these, is very pleasing. Where bright-beaming summers exalt the perfume; See Poems, p. 102. SONG. 'Twas na her bonnie blue e'e was my ruin; Fair tho' she be, that was ne'er my undoing; See Poems, p. 102. Let me hear from you. SONG. MARK yonder pomp of costly fashion, Well! this is not amiss. You see how I answer your orders; your tailor could not be more punctual. I am just now in a high fit for poetizing, provided that the strait jacket of criticism don't cure me. If you can in a post or two administer a little of the intoxicating portion of your applause, it will raise your humble servant's frenzy to any height you want. I am at this moment "holding high converse" with the Muses, and have not a word to throw away on such a prosaic dog as you are. No. LXXIII. MR. THOMSON TO MR. BURNS. No. LXXV. May, 1795. You must not think, my good Sir, that MR. BURNS TO MR. THOMSON. I have any intention to enhance the value of my gift, when I say, in justice to the ingenious and worthy artist, that the design and execution of the Cotter's Saturday Night is, in my opinion, one of the happiest productions of Allan's pencil. I shall be grievously disappointed if you are not quite pleased with it. The figure intended for your portrait, I think strikingly like you, as far as I can remember your phiz. This should make the piece interesting to your family every way.-Tell me whether Mrs. Burns finds you out among the figures. I cannot express the feeling of admiration with which I have read your pathetic TEN thousand thanks for your elegant present: though I am ashamed of the va lue of it being bestowed on a man who has not by any means merited such an instance of kindness. I have shown it to two or three judges of the first abilities here, and they all agree with me in classing it as a first rate production. My phis is saeken-speckle, that the very joiner's apprentice whom Mrs. Burns employed to break up the parcel (I was out of town that day,) knew it at once.-My most grateful compliments to Allan, who has honoured my rustic muse so much with his masterly pencil. One strange coin No. LXXVII. cidence is, that the little one who is making the felonious attempt on the cat's tail, is the most striking likeness of an ill-deedie, d―n'd, wee, rumble-gairie, ur- | MR. BURNS TO MR. THOMSON. chin of mine, whom, from that propensity to witty wickedness, and manfu' mischief, which even at two days auld, I foresaw would form the striking features of his disposition, I named Willie Nicol, after a certain friend of mine, who is one of the masters of a grammar-school in a city which shall be nameless. You really make me blush when you tell me you have not merited the drawing from me. I do not think I can ever repay you, or sufficiently esteem and respect you for the liberal and kind manner in which you have entered into the spirit of my undertaking, which could not have been perfected without you. So I beg you would not make a fool of me again, by speaking of obligation. I like your two last songs very much, and am happy to find you are in such a high fit of poetizing. Long may it last! Clarke has made a fine pathetic air to Mallet's superlative ballad of William and Margaret, and is to give it me to be enrolled among the elect. IN Whistle, and I'll come to you, my lad, the iteration of that line is tiresome to my ear. Here goes what I think is an improvement. O whistle, and I'll come to ye, my laa Thy Jeany will venture wi' ye my lad. In fact, a fair dame at whose shrine, I the Priest of the Nine, offer up the incense of Parnassus; a dame, whom the Graces have attired in witchcraft, and whom the loves have armed with lightning, a Fair One, herself the heroine of the song, insists on the amendment: and dispute her commands if you dare! THIS will be delivered to you by a Dr. Brianton, who has read your works, and pants for the honour of your acquaintance. I do not know the gentleman, but his friend, who applied to me for this introduction, being an excellent young man, I have no doubt he is worthy of all acceptation My eyes have just been gladdened, and my mind feasted, with your last packetfull of pleasant things indeed. What an imagination is yours! It is superfluous to tell you that I am delighted with all the three songs, as well as with your elegant and tender verses to Chloris. I am sorry you should be induced to alter O whistle, and I'll come to ye, my lad, to the prosaic line, Thy Jeany will venture wi ye my lad. I must be permitted to say, that I do not think the latter either reads or sings so well as the former. I wish, therefore, you would, in my name petition the charming Jeany whoever she be, to let the line remain unaltered.* I should be happy to see Mr. Clarke • The editor, who has heard the heroine of this song sing it herself in the very spirit of arch simplicity that It requires, thinks M. Thomson's petition unreasonable If we mistake not, this is the same lady who produced the lines to the tune of Roy's Wife, ante, p. 228. No. LXXIX. MR. BURNS TO MR. THOMSON. FORLORN, my love, no comfort near, How do you like the foregoing? I have written it within this hour: so much for the speed of my Pegasus, but what say you to his bottom? Such is the peculiarity of the rhythm of this air, that I find it impossible to make another stanza to suit it. I am at present quite occupied with the charming sensations of the tooth-ach, so have not a word to spare. No. LXXXI. No. LXXXIII. MR. BURNS TO MR. THOMSON. MANY thanks, my dear Sir, for your handsome elegant present, to Mrs. B—, and for my remaining vol. of P. Pindar.Peter is a delightful fellow, and a first favourite of mine. I am much pleased with your idea of publishing a collection of our songs in octavo, with etchings, I am ex tremely willing to lend every assistance MR. THOMSON TO MR. BURNS. in my power. The Irish airs I shall MY DEAR SIR, 3d June, 1795. YOUR English verses to Let me in this ae night, are tender and beautiful; and your ballad to the "Lothian Lassie," is a masterpiece for its humour and naivete. The fragment for the Caledonian Hunt is quite suited to the original measure of the air, and, as it plagues you so, the fragment must content it. I would rather, as I said before, have had Bacchanalian words, had it so pleased the poet; but, nevertheless, for what we have received, Lord make us thankful! No. LXXXII. cheerfully undertake the task of finding verses for. I have already, you know, equipped three with words, and the other day I strung up a kind of rhapsody to another Hibernian melody, which I admire much. HEY FOR A LASS WI' A TOCHER. AwA wi' your witchcraft o'beauty's alarms, The slender bit beauty you grasp in your arms; See Poems, p. 105. If this will do, you have now four of my Irish engagement. In my by-past songs I dislike one thing; the name of Chloris-I meant it as the fictitious name of a certain lady: but, on second thoughts, MR. THOMSON TO MR. BURNS. it is a high incongruity to have a Greek 5th Feb. 1796. O Robby Burns, are ye sleeping yet? THE panse you have made, my dear Sir, is awful! Am I never to hear from you again? I know and I lament how much you have been afflicted of late, but I trust that returning health and spirits appellation to a Scottish pastoral ballad. Of this, and some things else, in my next: I have more amendments to propose. What you once mentioned of "flaxen locks" is just; they cannot enter into an elegant description of beauty. Of this also again-God bless you!* No. LXXXIV. YOUR Hey for a lass wi' a tocher, is a most excellent song, and with you the subject is something new indeed. It is the first time I have seen you debasing the god of soft desire, into an amateur of acres and guineas— will now enable you to resume the pen, MR. THOMSON TO MR. BURNS. and delight us with your musings. I have still about a dozen Scotch and Irish airs that I wish "married to immortal verse." We have several true born Irishmen on the Scottish list; but they are now naturalized, and reckoned our own good subjects. Indeed we have none better. I believe I before told you that I have been much urged by some friends to publish a collection of all our favourite airs and songs in octavo, embellished with a number of etchings by our ingenious friend have substituted for Chloris. Allan;-what is your opinion of this? I am happy to find you approve of my * Our Poet never explained what name he would Note by Mr. Thomson. proposed octavo edition. Allan has designed and etched about twenty plates, and I am to have my choice of them for that work. Independently of the Hogarthian humor with which they abound, they exhibit the character and costume of the Scottish peasantry with inimitable felicity. In this respect, he himself says they will far exceed the aquatinta plates he did MR. THOMSON TO MR. BURNS. for the Gentle Shepherd, because in the etching he sees clearly what he is doing,. but not so with the aquatinta, which he could not manage to his mind. The Dutch boors of Ostade are scarcely more characteristic and natural than the Scottish figures in those etchings. No. LXXXV. MR. BURNS TO MR. THOMSON. April, 1796. ALAS, my dear Thomson, I fear it will be some time ere I tune my lyre again! "By Babel streams I have sat and wept," almost ever since I wrote you last: I 4th May, 1796. I NEED not tell you, my good Sir, what concern the receipt of your last gave me, and how much I sympathize in your sufferings. But do not I beseech you, give yourself up to despondency, nor speak the language of despair. The vigour of your constitution, I trust, will soon set you on your feet again; and then it is to be hoped you will see the wisdom and the necessity of taking due care of a life so valuable to your family, to your friends, and to the world. Trusting that your next will bring cence, and returning good spirits, I reagreeable accounts of your convalesmain, with sincere regard, yours. P. S. Mrs. Hyslop, I doubt not, delihave only known existence by the pres-vered the gold seal to you in good condisure of the heavy hand of sickness and tion. have counted time by the repercussions of pain! Rheumatism, cold and fever, have formed to me a terrible combination. I close my eyes in misery, and open them without hope, I look on the vernal day, and say, with poor Fergusson "Say, wherefore has an all-indulgent Heaven Light to the comfortless and wretched given? No. LXXXVII. MR. BURNS TO MR. THOMSON. MY DEAR SIR, CHORUS. This will be delivered to you by a Mrs. I ONCE mentioned to you an air which Hyslop, landlady of the Globe Tavern I have long admired-Here's a health to here, which for these many years has them that's awa, hinnie, but I forget if you been my howff, and where our friend took any notice of it. I have just been Clarke and I have had many a merry trying to suit it with verses; and I beg squeeze. I am highly delighted with Mr.leave to recommend the air to your atAllan's etchings. Woo'd and married tention once more. I have only begun it. an' a', is admirable. The grouping is beyond all praise. The expression of the figures conformable to the story in the ballad, is absolutely faultless perfection. I next admire, Turn-im-spike. What I like least is Jenny said to Jockey. Besides the female being in her apppearif you take her stooping into the account, she is at least two inches taller than her lover. Cleghorn: I sincerely sympathize with him! Happy I am to think that he has ance ** ** Poor Here's a health to ane I lo'e dear, |