the last moment, and it was received by the father of Miss Armour with equal surprise and anger. Burns, confessing himself to be unequal to the maintenance of a family, proposed to go immediately to Jamaica, where he hoped to find better fortunes. He offered, if this were rejected, to abandon his farm, which was by this time a hopeless concern, and earn bread, at least for his wife and children, by his labour at home; but nothing could appease the indignation of Armour. By what arguments he prevailed on his daughter to take so strange and so painful a step we know not; but the fact is certain, that, at his urgent entreaty, she destroyed the document. It was under such extraordinary circumstances that Miss Armour became the mother of twins.-Burns's love and pride, the two most powerful feelings of his mind, had been equally wounded. His anger and grief together drove him, according to every account, to the verge of absolute insanity; and some of his letters on this occasion, both published and unpublished, have certainly all the appearance of having been written in as deep a concentration of despair as ever preceded the most awful of human calamities. His first thought had been, as we have seen, to fly at once from the scene of his disgrace and misery; and this course seemed now to be absolutely necessary. He was summoned to find security for the maintenance of the children whom he was prevented from legitimating; but the man who had in his desk the immortal poems to which we have been referring above, either disdained to ask, or tried in vain to find, pecuniary assistance in his hour of need; and the only alternative that presented itself to his view was America or a jail CHAPTER IV. CONTENTS.-The Poet gives up Mossgiel to his Brother Gilbert-Intends for JamaicaSubscription Edition of his Poems suggested to supply means of outfit-One of 600 copies printed at Kilmarnock, 1786—It brings him extended reputation, and £20-Also many very kind friends, but no patron-In these circumstances, Guaging first hinted to him by his early friends, Hamilton and Aiken-Sayings and doings in the first year of his fameJamaica again in view-Plan desisted from because of encouragement by Dr. Blacklock to publish at Edinburgh, wherein the Poet sojourns. JAMAICA was now his mark, for at that time the United States were not looked to as the place of refuge they have since become. After some little time, and not a little trouble, the situation of assistant-overseer on the estate of Dr. Douglas in that colony, was procured for him by one of his friends in the town of Irvine. Money to pay for his passage, however, he had not; and it at last occurred to him that the few pounds requisite for this purpose, might be raised by the publication of some of the finest poems that ever delighted mankind. His landlord, Gavin Hamilton, Mr. Aiken, and other friends, encouraged him warmly; and after some hesitation, he at length resolved to hazard an experiment which might perhaps better his circumstances; and, if any tolerable number of subscribers could be procured, could not make them worse than they were already. His rural patrons exerted themselves with success in the matter; and so many copies were soon subscribed for, that Burns entered into terms with a printer in Kilmarnock, and began to copy out his performances for the press. He carried his MSS. piecemeal to the printer; and encouraged by the ray of light which unexpected patronage had begun to throw on his affairs, composed, while the printing was in progress, some of the best poems of the collection. The tale of the Twa Dogs, for instance, with which the volume commenced, is known to have been written in the short interval between the publication being determined on and the printing begun. His own account of the business to Dr. Moore is as follows: "I gave up my part of the farm to my brother: in truth, it was only nominally mine ; and made what little preparation was in my power for Jamaica. But before leaving my native land, I resolved to publish my Poems. I weighed my productions as impartially as was in my power: 1 thought they had merit; and it was a delicious idea that I should be called a clever fellow, even though it should never reach my ears-a poor negrodriver-or, perhaps, a victim to that inhospitable clime, and gone to the the last moment, and it was received It was under such ext hen was, I had As as I have at this ever was my opiand religious point wing to their ignoalong my constant with others: I watchround I occupied as a esign in my formation— ended. I was pretty conbut, at the worst, the ensure, and the novelty of rew off six hundred copies, undred and fifty.*—My vanet with from the public; and ame very seasonably, as I was wey to procure my passage. As rice of wafting me to the torrid rship that was to sail from the a the wind." ---zrom covert to covert, under all the eople had uncoupled the merciless the last farewell of my few friends; s. I had composed the last song I Loomy night is gathering fast, when mine, overthrew all my schemes, te ambition." he poet, we may annex a few details, rs and from his own letters.-While ress, it appears that his friends Hamilchemes for procuring him the means of ag studied some of the practical branches and in particular guaging, it occurred to might be better suited to him than any by the intervention of such patrons as he avengered longer after the publication of the his own narrative, in the hope that succeed in their efforts in his behalf. The aur. even with rapture, in the county of Ayr, courties." Old and young," thus speaks grave and gay, learned or ignorant, were mensvred I was at that time resident in Galand can well remember how even plough hare glady bestowed the wages they earned et new wanted to purchase necessary clothing, 2 works of Burns."-The poet soon found 4. Nome an dèject of general curiosity, and that a Cvetanes was excited among some of the gen seruitul. Mr William Parker try of the district, when the details of his story reached them, as it was pretty sure to do, along with his modest and manly preface. Among others, the celebarted Professor Dugald Stewart of Edinburgh, and his accomplished lady, then resident at their beautiful seat of Catrine, began to notice him with much polite and friendly attention. Dr. Hugh Blair, who then held an eminent place in the literary society of Scotland, happened to be paying Mr. Stewart a visit, and on reading The Holy Fair, at once pronounced it the "work of a very great genius;" and Mrs. Stewart, herself a poetess, flattered him perhaps still more highly by her warm commendations But above all, his little volume happened to attract the notice of Mrs. Dunlop of Dunlop, a lady of high birth and ample fortune, enthusiastically attached to her country, and interested in whatever appeared to concern the honour of Scotland. This excellent woman, while slowly recovering from the languor of an illness, laid her hand accidentally on the new production of the provincial press, and opened the volume at The Cottar's Saturday Night." She read it over," says Gilbert," with the greatest pleasure and surprise; the poet's description of the simple cottagers operated on her mind like the charm of a powerful exorcist, repelling the demon ennui, and restoring her to her wonted inward harmony and satisfaction." Mrs. Dunlop instantly sent an express to Mossgiel, distant sixteen miles from her residence, with a very kind letter to Burns, requesting him to supply her, if he could, with half-a-dozen copies of the book, and to call at Dunlop as soon as he could find it convenient. Burns was from home, but he acknowledged the favour conferred on him in this very interesting letter: "MADAM, Ayrshire, 1786. "I AM truly sorry I was not at home yesterday, when I was so much honoured with your order for my copies, and incomparably more by the handsome compliments you are pleased to pay my poetic abilities. I am fully persuaded that there is not any class of mankind so feelingly alive to the titillations of applause as the sons of Parnassus; nor is it easy to conceive how the heart of the poor bard dances with rapture, when those whose character in life gives them a right to be polite judges, honour him with their approbation. Had you been thoroughly acquainted with me, Madam, you could not have touched my darling heart-chord more sweetly than by noticing my attempts to celebrate your illustrious ancestor, the Saviour of his Country. "Great patriot hero! ill requited chief!" "The first book I met with in my early years, which I perused with pleasure, was The Life of Hannibal; the next was The History of Sir William Wallace: for several of my earlier years I had few other authors; and many a solitary hour have I stole out, after the laborious vocations of the day, to shed a tear over their glorious but unfortunate stories. In those boyish days I remember in particular being struck with that part o1 Wallace's story where these lines occur "Syne to the Leglan wood, when it was late, • See Prose Compositions. world of spirits. I can truly say that, pauvre inconnu as I then was, I had pretty nearly as high an idea of myself and of my works as I have at this moment when the public has decided in their favour. It ever was my opi nion, that the mistakes and blunders, both in a rational and religious point of view, of which we see thousands daily guilty, are owing to their ignorance of themselves. To know myself, had been all along my constant study. I weighed myself alone; I balanced myself with others: I watched every means of information, to see how much ground I occupied as a man and as a poet : I studied assiduously Nature's design in my formationwhere the lights and shades in character were intended. I was pretty confident my poems would meet with some applause; but, at the worst, the roar of the Atlantic would deafen the voice of censure, and the novelty of West Indian scenes make me forget neglect. I threw off six hundred copies, for which I got subscriptions for about three hundred and fifty.*-My vanity was highly gratified by the reception I met with from the public; and besides, I pocketed nearly £20. This sum came very seasonably, as I was thinking of indenting myself, for want of money to procure my passage. As soon as I was master of nine guineas, the price of wafting me to the torrid zone, I took a steerage passage in the first ship that was to sail from the Clyde; for "Hungry ruin had me in the wind." "I had been for some days skulking from covert to covert, under all the terrors of a jail; as some ill-advised people had uncoupled the merciless pack of the law at my heels. I had taken the last farewell of my few friends; my chest was on the road to Greenock; I had composed the last song I should ever measure in Caledonia, The gloomy night is gathering fast, when a letter from Dr. Blacklock to a friend of mine, overthrew all my schemes, by opening new prospects to my poetic ambition." To the above rapid narrative of the poet, we may annex a few details, gathered from his various biographers and from his own letters. While the Kilmarnock edition was in the press, it appears that his friends Hamilton and Aiken revolved various schemes for procuring him the means of remaining in Scotland; and having studied some of the practical branches of mathematics, as we have seen, and in particular guaging, it occurred to himself that a situation in the Excise might be better suited to him than any other he was at all likely to obtain by the intervention of such patrons as he possessed. He appears to have lingered longer after the publication of the poems than one might suppose from his own narrative, in the hope that these gentlemen might at length succeed in their efforts in his behalf. The poems were received with favour, even with rapture, in the county of Ayr, and ere long over the adjoining counties. "Old and young," thus speaks Robert Heron, " high and low, grave and gay, learned or ignorant, were alike delighted, agitated, transported. I was at that time resident in Galloway, contiguous to Ayrshire, and I can well remember how even plough boys and maid-servants would have glady bestowed the wages they earned the most hardly, and which they wanted to purchase necessary clothing, if they might but procure the Works of Burns."-The poet soon found that his person also had become an object of general curiosity, and that a ively interest in his personal fortunes was excited among some of the gen Gilbert Barns ne that a single individual. Mr. William Parker Kilmarnock, subscribed for 35 covies. |