THE COMPLETE WORKS OF ROBERT BURNS 5

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF ROBERT BURNS 5

CCXXII. To Mr. Robert Ainslie. State of mind. His income

 

CCXXIII. To Col. Fullarton. With some Poems. His anxiety for

Fullarton's friendship

 

CCXXIV. To Miss Davis. Lethargy, Indolence, and Remorse. Our wishes

and our powers

 

CCXXV. To Mrs. Dunlop. Mrs. Henri. The Song of Death

 

 

1792.

 

CCXXVI. To Mrs. Dunlop. The animadversions of the Board of Excise

 

CCXXVII. To Mr. William Smellie. Introducing Mrs. Riddel

 

CCXXVIII. To Mr. W. Nicol. Ironical reply to a letter of counsel and

reproof

 

CCXXIX. To Francis Grose, Esq. Dugald Stewart

 

CCXXX. To the same. Witch stories

 

CCXXXI. To Mr. S. Clarke. Humorous invitation to teach music to the

M'Murdo family

 

CCXXXII. To Mrs. Dunlop. Love and Lesley Baillie

 

CCXXXIII. To Mr. Cunningham. Lesley Baillie

 

CCXXXIV. To Mr. Thomson. Promising his assistance to his collection of

songs and airs

 

CCXXXV. To Mrs. Dunlop. Situation of Mrs. Henri

 

CCXXXVI. To the same. On the death of Mrs. Henri

 

CCXXXVII. To Mr. Thomson. Thomson's fastidiousness. "My Nannie O," &c.

 

CCXXXVIII. To the same. With "My wife's a winsome wee thing," and

"Lesley Baillie"

 

CCXXXIX. To the same. With Highland Mary. The air of Katherine Ogie

 

CCXL. To the same. Thomson's alterations and observations

 

CCXLI. To the same. With "Auld Rob Morris," and "Duncan Gray"

 

CCXLII. To Mrs. Dunlop. Birth of a daughter. The poet Thomson's dramas

 

CCXLIII. To Robert Graham, Esq., of Fintray. The Excise inquiry into

his political conduct

 

CCXLIV. To Mrs. Dunlop. Hurry of business. Excise inquiry

 

 

1793.

 

CCXLV. To Mr. Thomson. With "Poortith cauld" and "Galla Water"

 

CCXLVI. To the same. William Tytler, Peter Pindar

 

CCXLVII. To Mr. Cunningham. The poet's seal. David Allan

 

CCXLVIII. To Thomson. With "Mary Morison"

 

CCCXLIX. To the same. With "Wandering Willie"

 

CCL. To Miss Benson. Pleasure he had in meeting her

 

CCLI. To Patrick Miller, Esq. With the present of his printed poems

 

CCLII. To Mr. Thomson. Review of Scottish song. Crawfurd and Ramsay

 

CCLIII. To the same. Criticism. Allan Ramsay

 

CCLIV. To the same. "The last time I came o'er the moor"

 

CCLV. To John Francis Erskine, Esq. Self-justification. The Excise

inquiry

 

CCLVI. To Mr. Robert Ainslie. Answering letters. Scholar-craft

 

CCLVII. To Miss Kennedy. A letter of compliment

 

CCLVIII. To Mr. Thomson. Frazer. "Blithe had I been on yon hill"

 

CCLIX. To Mr. Thomson. "Logan Water." "O gin my love were yon red

rose"

 

CCLX. To the same. With the song of "Bonnie Jean"

 

CCLXI. To the same. Hurt at the idea of pecuniary recompense. Remarks

on song

 

CCLXII. To the same. Note written in the name of Stephen Clarke

 

CCLXIII. To the same. With "Phillis the fair"

 

CCLXIV. To the same. With "Had I a cave on some wild distant shore"

 

CCLXV. To the same. With "Allan Water"

 

CCLXVI. To the same. With "O whistle, and I'll come to you, my lad,"

&c.

 

CCLXVII. To the same. With "Come, let me take thee to my breast"

 

CCLXVIII. To the same. With "Dainty Davie"

 

CCLXIX. To Miss Craik. Wretchedness of poets

 

CCLXX. To Lady Glencairn. Gratitude. Excise. Dramatic composition

 

CCLXXI. To Mr. Thomson. With "Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled"

 

CCLXXII. To the same. With "Behold the hour, the boat arrive"

 

CCLXXIII. To the same. Crawfurd and Scottish song

 

CCLXXIV. To the same. Alterations in "Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled"

 

CCLXXV. To the same. Further suggested alterations in "Scots wha hae"

rejected.

 

CCLXXVI. To the same. With "Deluded swain, the pleasure," and "Raving

winds around her blowing"

 

CCLXXVII. To the same. Erskine and Gavin Turnbull

 

CCLXXVIII. To John M'Murdo, Esq. Payment of a debt. "The Merry Muses"

 

CCLXXIX. To the same. With his printed poems

 

CCLXXX. To Captain ----. Anxiety for his acquaintance. "Scots wha hae

wi' Wallace bled"

 

CCLXXXI. To Mrs. Riddel. The Dumfries Theatre

 

 

1794.

 

CCLXXXII. To a Lady. In favour of a player's benefit

 

CCLXXXIII. To the Earl of Buchan. With a copy of "Scots wha hae"

 

CCLXXXIV. To Captain Miller. With a copy of "Scots wha hae"

 

CCLXXXV. To Mrs. Riddel. Lobster-coated puppies

 

CCLXXXVI. To the same. The gin-horse class of the human genus

 

CCLXXXVII. To the same. With "Werter." Her reception of him

 

CCLXXXVIII. To Mrs. Riddel. Her caprice

 

CCLXXXIX. To the same. Her neglect and unkindness

 

CCXC. To John Syme, Esq. Mrs. Oswald, and "O wat ye wha's in yon town"

 

CCXCI. To Miss ----. Obscure allusions to a friend's death. His

personal and poetic fame

 

CCXCII. To Mr. Cunningham. Hypochondria. Requests consolation

 

CCXCIII. To the Earl of Glencairn. With his printed poems

 

CCXCIV. To Mr. Thomson. David Allan. "The banks of Cree"

 

CCXCV. To David M'Culloch, Esq. Arrangements for a trip in Galloway

 

CCXCVI. To Mrs. Dunlop. Threatened with flying gout. Ode on

Washington's birthday

 

CCXCVII. To Mr. James Johnson. Low spirits. The Museum. Balmerino's

dirk

 

CCXCVIII. To Mr. Thomson. Lines written in "Thomson's Collection of

songs"

 

CCXCIX. To the same. With "How can my poor heart be glad"

 

CCC. To the same. With "Ca' the yowes to the knowes"

 

CCCI. To the same. With "Sae flaxen were her ringlets." Epigram to Dr.

Maxwell.

 

CCCII. To the same. The charms of Miss Lorimer. "O saw ye my dear, my

Phely," &c.

 

CCCIII. To the same. Ritson's Scottish Songs. Love and song

 

CCCIV. To the same. English songs. The air of "Ye banks and braes o'

bonnie Doon"

 

CCCV. To the same. With "O Philly, happy be the day," and "Contented

wi' little"

 

CCCVI. To the same. With "Canst thou leave me thus, my Katy"

 

CCCVII. To Peter Miller, jun., Esq. Excise. Perry's offer to write for

the Morning Chronicle

 

CCCVIII. To Mr. Samuel Clarke, jun. A political and personal quarrel.

Regret

 

CCCIX. To Mr. Thomson. With "Now in her green mantle blithe nature

arrays"

 

 

1795.

 

CCCX. To Mr. Thomson. With "For a' that and a' that"

 

CCCXI. To the same. Abuse of Ecclefechan

 

CCCXII. To the same. With "O stay, sweet warbling woodlark, stay," and

"The groves of sweet myrtle"

 

CCCXIII. To the same. With "How cruel are the parents" and "Mark

yonder pomp of costly fashion"

 

CCCXIV. To the same. Praise of David Allan's "Cotter's Saturday Night"

 

CCCXV. To the same. With "This is no my ain Lassie." Mrs. Riddel

 

CCCXVI. To Mr. Thomson. With "Forlorn, my love, no comfort near"

 

CCCXVII. To the same. With "Last May a braw wooer," and "Why tell thy

lover"

 

CCCXVIII. To Mrs. Riddel. A letter from the grave

 

CCCXIX. To the same. A letter of compliment. "Anacharsis' Travels"

 

CCCXX. To Miss Louisa Fontenelle. With a Prologue for her

benefit-night

 

CCCXXI. To Mrs. Dunlop. His family. Miss Fontenelle. Cowper's "Task"

 

CCCXXII. To Mr. Alexander Findlater. Excise schemes

 

CCCXXIII. To the Editor of the Morning Chronicle. Written for a

friend. A complaint

 

CCCXXIV. To Mr. Heron, of Heron. With two political ballads

 

CCCXXV. To Mrs. Dunlop. Thomson's Collection. Acting as Supervisor of

Excise

 

CCCXXVI. To the Right Hon. William Pitt. Address of the Scottish

Distillers

 

CCCXXVII. To the Provost, Bailies, and Town Council of Dumfries.

Request to be made a freeman of the town

 

 

1796.

 

CCCXXVIII. To Mrs. Riddel. "Anarcharsis' Travels." The muses

 

CCCXXIX. To Mrs. Dunlop. His ill-health.

 

CCCXXX. To Mr. Thomson. Acknowledging his present to Mrs. Burns of a

worsted shawl

 

CCCXXXI. To the same. Ill-health. Mrs. Hyslop. Allan's etchings.

Cleghorn

 

CCCXXXII. To the same. "Here's a health to ane I loe dear"

 

CCCXXXIII. To the same. His anxiety to review his songs, asking for

copies

 

CCCXXXIV. To Mrs. Riddel. His increasing ill-health

 

CCCXXXV. To Mr. Clarke, acknowledging money and requesting the loan of

a further sum

 

CCCXXXVI. To Mr. James Johnson. The Scots Musical Museum. Request for

a copy of the collection

 

CCCXXXVII. To Mr. Cunningham. Illness and poverty, anticipation of

death

 

CCCXXXVIII. To Mr. Gilbert Burns. His ill-health and debts

 

CCCXXXIX. To Mr. James Armour. Entreating Mrs. Armour to come to her

daughter's confinement

 

CCCXL. To Mrs. Burns. Sea-bathing affords little relief

 

CCCXLI. To Mrs. Dunlop. Her friendship. A farewell

 

CCCXLII. To Mr. Thomson. Solicits the sum of five pounds. "Fairest

Maid on Devon Banks"

 

CCCXLIII. To Mr. James Burness. Soliciting the sum of ten pounds

 

CCCXLIV. To James Gracie, Esq. His rheumatism, &c. &c.--his loss of

appetite

 

 

Remarks on Scottish Songs and Ballads

 

 

The Border Tour

 

 

The Highland Tour

 

 

Burns's Assignment of his Works

 

 

Glossary

 

 

 

 

LIFE

 

OF

 

ROBERT BURNS.

 

 

Robert Burns, the chief of the peasant poets of Scotland, was born in

a little mud-walled cottage on the banks of Doon, near "Alloway's auld

haunted kirk," in the shire of Ayr, on the 25th day of January, 1759.

As a natural mark of the event, a sudden storm at the same moment

swept the land: the gabel-wall of the frail dwelling gave way, and the

babe-bard was hurried through a tempest of wind and sleet to the

shelter of a securer hovel. He was the eldest born of three sons and

three daughters; his father, William, who in his native

Kincardineshire wrote his name Burness, was bred a gardener, and

sought for work in the West; but coming from the lands of the noble

family of the Keiths, a suspicion accompanied him that he had been

out--as rebellion was softly called--in the forty-five: a suspicion

fatal to his hopes of rest and bread, in so loyal a district; and it

was only when the clergyman of his native parish certified his loyalty

that he was permitted to toil. This suspicion of Jacobitism, revived

by Burns himself, when he rose into fame, seems not to have influenced

either the feelings, or the tastes of Agnes Brown, a young woman on

the Doon, whom he wooed and married in December, 1757, when he was

thirty-six years old. To support her, he leased a small piece of

ground, which he converted into a nursery and garden, and to shelter

her, he raised with his own hands that humble abode where she gave

birth to her eldest son.

 

The elder Burns was a well-informed, silent, austere man, who endured

no idle gaiety, nor indecorous language: while he relaxed somewhat the

hard, stern creed of the Covenanting times, he enforced all the

work-day, as well as sabbath-day observances, which the Calvinistic

kirk requires, and scrupled at promiscuous dancing, as the staid of

our own day scruple at the waltz. His wife was of a milder mood: she

was blest with a singular fortitude of temper; was as devout of heart,

as she was calm of mind; and loved, while busied in her household

concerns, to sweeten the bitterer moments of life, by chanting the

songs and ballads of her country, of which her store was great. The

garden and nursery prospered so much, that he was induced to widen his

views, and by the help of his kind landlord, the laird of Doonholm,

and the more questionable aid of borrowed money, he entered upon a

neighbouring farm, named Mount Oliphant, extending to an hundred

acres. This was in 1765; but the land was hungry and sterile; the

seasons proved rainy and rough; the toil was certain, the reward

unsure; when to his sorrow, the laird of Doonholm--a generous

Ferguson,--died: the strict terms of the lease, as well as the rent,

were exacted by a harsh factor, and with his wife and children, he was

obliged, after a losing struggle of six years, to relinquish the farm,

and seek shelter on the grounds of Lochlea, some ten miles off, in the

parish of Tarbolton. When, in after-days, men's characters were in the

hands of his eldest son, the scoundrel factor sat for that lasting portrait of insolence and wrong, in the "Twa Dogs."