may with truth add, the more important affairs of life; but I shall continue occasionally to inform you what is going on among the circle of your friends in these parts. In these days of merriment, I have frequently heard your name proclaimed at the jovial board-under the roof of our hospitable friend at Stenhouse-mills, there

were no

Lingering moments number'd with care."

I saw your Address to the New-year in the Dumfries Journal. Of your productions I shall say nothing, but my acquaintances alledge, that when your name is mentioned, which every man of celebrity must know often happens, I am the champion, the Mendoza, against all snarling critics, and narrow-minded reptiles, of whom a few on this planet do crawl.

With best compliments to your wife, and her black-eyed sister, I remain, Yours, &c.

No. 85.

To MR. CUNNINGHAM.

Ellisland, 13th. February, 1790.

I BEG your pardon, my dear and much valued friend, for writing to you on this very unfashionable, unsightly shect

My poverty but not my will consents."

But to make amends, since of modish post I have none, except one poor widowed half-sheet of gilt, which lies in my drawer among my plebeian fool's-cap pages, like the widow of a man of fashion, whom that unpolite scoundrel, Necessity, has driven from Burgundy and Pineapple, to a dish of Bohea, with the scandal-bearing help-mate of a village priest; or a glass of whisky-toddy, with the ruby-nosed yoke-fellow of a foot-padding exciseman-I make a vow to inclose this sheet-full of epistolary fragments in that my only scrap of gilt-paper.

I am indeed your unworthy debtor for three friendly letters. I ought to have written to you long ere now, but it is a literal fact, I have scarcely a spare moment. It is not that I will not write to you; Miss Burnet is not more dear to her guardian angel, nor his grace the Duke of ********** to the powers of ********, than my friend Cunningham to me. It is not that I cannot write to you; should you doubt it, take the following fragment which was intended for you some time ago, and be convinced that I can antithesize sentiment, and circumvolute periods, as well as any coiner of phrase in the regions of philology.

MY DEAR CUNNINGHAM,

December, 1789.

WHERE are you? And what are you doing? Can you be that son of levity, who takes up a friendship as he takes up a fashion? or are

you, like some other of the worthiest fellows in the world, the victim of indolence, laden with fetters of ever-increasing weight?

What strange beings we are! Since we have a portion of conscious existence, equally capable of enjoying pleasure, happiness, and rapture, or of suffering pain, wretchedness and misery, it is surely worthy of an inquiry, whether there be not such a thing as a science of life; whether method, economy, and fertility of expedients, be not applicable to enjoyment; and whether there be not a want of dexterity in pleasure, which renders our little scantling of happiness still less; and a profuseness, an intoxication in bliss, which leads to satiety, disgust, and self-abhorrence. There is not a doubt but that health, talents, character, decent competency, respectable friends, are real substantial blessings; and yet do we not daily see those who enjoy many or all of these good things, contrive notwithstanding to be as unhappy as others to whose lot few of them have fallen. I believe one great source of this mistake or misconduct is owing to a certain stimulus, with us called ambition, which goads us up the hill of life, not as we ascend other eminences, for the laudable curiosity of viewing an extended landscape, but rather for the dishonest pride of looking down on others of our fellow-creatures, seemingly diminutive, in humbler stations. &c. &c

Sunday, 14th February 1790.

GOD help me! I am now obliged to join

66

Night to-day, and Sunday to the week."

If there be any truth in the orthodox faith o these churches, I am ****** past redemption, and what is worse, ****** to all eternity. I am deeply read in Boston's Four-fold State, Marshall on Sanctification, Guthrie's Trial of Saving Interest, &c. but "There is no balm in "Gilead, there is no physician there," for me; so I shall e'en turn Armenian, and trust to "Sincere though imperfect obedience."

Tuesday, 16th.

LUCKILY for me I was prevented from the discussion of the knotty point at which I had just made a full stop. All my fears and cares are of this world: if there is another, an honest man has nothing to fear from it. I hate a man that wishes to be a Deist; but I fear, every fair, unprejudiced inquirer must in some degree be a Sceptic. It is not that there are any very staggering arguments against the immortality of man; but like electricity, phlogiston, &c. the subject is so involved in darkness, that we want data to go upon. One thing frightens me much; that we are to live for ever, seems too good news to be true. That we are to enter into a new scene of existence, where, exempt from want and pain, we shall enjoy ourE e

No. 7.

selves and our friends without satiety or separation-how much should I be indebted to any one who could fully assure me that this was certain!

pre

My time is once more expired. I will write to Mr. Cleghorn soon. God bless him and all his concerns! And may all the powers that side over conviviality and friendship, be present with all their kindest influence, when the bearer of this, Mr. Syme, and you meet! I wish I could also make one.-I think we should be

*

Finally, brethren, farewell! Whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are gentle, whatsoever things are charitable, whatsoever things are kind, think on these things, and think on ROBERT BURNS.

No. 86.

To MR. HILL.

Ellisland, 2d. March, 1790.

AT a late meeting of the Monkland Friendly Society, it was resolved to augment their library by the following books, which you are to send us as soon as possible :-The Mirror, The Lounger, Man of Feeling, Man of the