MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. "And frae his harp sic strains did flow, As ever met a Briton's ear! "He sang wi' joy the former day, He weeping wail'd his latter times But what he said, it was nae play, 413 I winna ventur't in my rhymes."—vol. iv. 344-346. Some verses, written for a Hermitage, sound like the The reader may take these best parts of Grongar Hill. few lines as a specimen : "As thy day grows warm and high, Dost thou spurn the humble vale ? Life's proud summits wouldst thou scale? Soar around each cliffy hold, While cheerful peace, with linnet song, Chants the lowly dells among."-vol. iii. p. 299. There is a little copy of Verses upon a Newspaper at p. 355. of Dr. Currie's 4th volume, written in the same condensed style, and only wanting translation into English to be worthy of Swift. The finest piece, of the strong and nervous sort, however, is undoubtedly the address of Robert Bruce to his army at Bannockburn, beginning, "Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace Bled. The Death Song, beginning, "Farewell, thou fair day, thou green earth and ye skies, is to us less pleasing. There are specimens, however, of such vigour and emphasis scattered through his whole works, are as sure to make themselves and their author remembered; for instance, that noble description of a dying soldier. "Nae cauld, faint-hearted doubtings teaze him : Wi' bluidy hand a welcome gi'es him; An' when he fa's, His latest draught o' breathin lea'es him In faint huzzas!"-vol. iii. p. 27. The whole song of "For a' that," is written with extraordinary spirit. spirit. The first stanza ends 414 BURNS—HIS POWER OF DICTION AND VERSIFICATION. "For rank is but the guinea stamp ; The man's the goud, for a' that.' All the songs, indeed, abound with traits of this kind. We select the following at random: — "O woman, lovely woman, fair! An angel form's faun to thy share; "Twad been o'er meikle to've gi'en thee mair, I mean an angel mind.”—vol. iv. p. 330. We dare not proceed further in specifying the merits of pieces which have been so long published. Before concluding upon this subject, however, we must beg leave to express our dissent from the poet's amiable and judicious biographer, in what he says of the general harshness and rudeness of his versification. Dr. Currie, we are afraid, was scarcely Scotchman enough to comprehend the whole prosody of the verses to which he alluded. Most of the Scottish pieces are, in fact, much more carefully versified than the English; and we appeal to our Southern readers, whether there be any want of harmony in the following stanza : — "Wild beats my heart to trace your steps, Thro' hostile ranks and ruin'd gaps Even I who sing in rustic lore, Haply my sires have left their shed, And fac'd grim danger's loudest roar, Bold-following where your fathers led!”—vol. iii. p. 233. The following is not quite English; but it is intelligible to all readers of English, and may satisfy them that the Scottish song-writer was not habitually negligent of his numbers: "Their groves o' sweet myrtle let foreign lands reckon, "Tho' rich is the breeze in their gay sunny vallies, ESTIMATE OF MR. CROMEK'S SUPPLEMENT. The slave's spicy forests, and gold-bubbling fountains, Save love's willing fetters, the chains o' his Jean." 415 Vol. iv. p. 228, 229. If we have been able to inspire our readers with any portion of our own admiration for this extraordinary writer, they will readily forgive us for the irregularity of which we have been guilty, in introducing so long an account of his whole works, under colour of the additional volume of which we have prefixed the title to this article. The truth is, however, that unless it be taken in connection with his other works, the present volume has little interest, and could not be made the subject of any intelligible observations. It is made up of some additional letters, of middling merit-of complete copies of others, of which Dr. Currie saw reason to publish only extracts of a number of remarks, by Burns, on old Scottish songs-and, finally, of a few additional poems and songs, certainly not disgraceful to the author, but scarcely fitted to add to his reputation. The world, however, is indebted, we think, to Mr. Cromek's industry for this addition to so popular an author;—and the friends of the poet, we are sure, are indebted to his good taste, moderation, and delicacy, for having confined it to the pieces which are now printed. Burns wrote many rash-many violent, and many indecent things; of which we have no doubt many specimens must have fallen into the hands of so diligent a collector. He has, however, carefully suppressed every thing of this description; and shown that tenderness for his author's memory, which is the best proof of the veneration with which he regards his talents. We shall now see if there be any thing in the volume which deserves to be particularly noticed. The Preface is very amiable, and well written. Mr. Cromek speaks with becoming respect and affection of Dr. Currie, the learned biographer and first editor of the poet, and with great modesty of his own qualifications. "As an apology (he says) for any defects of my own that may appear in this publication, I beg to observe that I am by profession an 416 BURNS — INTERESTING LETTERS NOW FIRST PUBLISHED. artist, and not an author. In the manner of laying them before the public, I honestly declare that I have done my best; and I trust I may fairly presume to hope, that the man who has contributed to extend the bounds of literature, by adding another genuine volume to the writings of Robert Burns, has some claim on the gratitude of his countrymen. On this occasion, I certainly feel something of that sublime and heart-swelling gratification, which he experiences who casts another stone on the CAIRN of a great and lamented chief."-Preface, p. xi. xii. Of the Letters, which occupy nearly half the volume, we cannot, on the whole, express any more favourable opinion than that which we have already ventured to pronounce on the prose compositions of this author in general. Indeed they abound, rather more than those formerly published, in ravings about sensibility and imprudence-in common swearing, and in professions of love for whisky. By far the best, are those which are addressed to Miss Chalmers; and that chiefly, because they seem to be written with less effort, and at the same time with more respect for his correspondent. The following was written at a most critical period of his life; and the good feelings and good sense which it displays, only make us regret more deeply that they were not attended with greater firmness. "Shortly after my last return to Ayrshire, I married 'my Jean.' This was not in consequence of the attachment of romance perhaps ; but I had a long and much lov'd fellow-creature's happiness or misery in my determination, and I durst not trifle with so important a deposite. Nor have I any cause to repent it. If I have not got polite tattle, modish manners, and fashionable dress, I am not sickened and disgusted with the multiform curse of boarding-school affectation; and I have got the handsomest figure, the sweetest temper, the soundest constitution, and the kindest heart in the county! Mrs. Burns believes, as firmly as her creed, that I am le plus bel esprit, et le plus honnête homme in the universe; although she scarcely ever in her life, except the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, and the Psalms of David in metre, spent five minutes together on either prose or verse. I must except also from this last, a certain late publication of Scots Poems, which she has perused very devoutly, and all the ballads in the country, as she has (O the partial lover! you will cry) the finest "wood-note wild" I ever heard.-I am the more particular in this lady's character, as I know she will henceforth have the honour of a share in your best wishes. She is still at Mauchline, as I am building my house: for this hovel that I shelter in while occasionally here, is pervious to every blast that blows, and every shower that falls; and I am only preserved from being chilled to death, by QUESTIONABLE REVELATIONS - -VALUABLE NOTICES. 417 being suffocated with smoke. I do not find my farm that pennyworth I was taught to expect; but I believe, in time, it may be a saving bargain. You will be pleased to hear that I have laid aside idle éclat, and bind every day after my reapers. "To save me from that horrid situation of at any time going down, in a losing bargain of a farm, to misery, I have taken my excise instructions, and have my commission in my pocket for any emergency of fortune! If I could set all before your view, whatever disrespect you, in common with the world, have for this business, I know you would approve of my idea."―vol. v. p. 74, 75. We may add the following for the sake of connection. "I know not how the word exciseman, or still more opprobrious, gauger, will sound in your ears. I too have seen the day when my auditory nerves would have felt very delicately on this subject; but a wife and children are things which have a wonderful power in blunting these kind of sensations. Fifty pounds a year for life, and a provision for widows and orphans, you will allow, is no bad settlement for a poet. For the ignominy of the profession, I have the encouragement which I once heard a recruiting sergeant give to a numerous, if not a respectable audience, in the streets of Kilmarnock — Gentlemen, for your further and better encouragement, I can assure you that our regiment is the most blackguard corps under the crown, and consequently with us an honest fellow has the surest chance of preferment." -vol. v. p. 99, 100. It would have been as well if Mr. Cromek had left out the history of Mr. Hamilton's dissensions with his parish minister, - Burns's apology to a gentleman with whom he had had a drunken squabble,-and the anecdote of his being used to ask for more liquor, when visiting in the country, under the pretext of fortifying himself against the terrors of a little wood he had to pass through in going home. The most interesting passages, indeed, in this part of the volume, are those for which we are indebted to Mr. Cromek himself. He informs us, for instance, in a note, "One of Burns's remarks, when he first came to Edinburgh, was, that between the Men of rustic life and the polite world he observed little difference-that in the former, though unpolished by fashion, and unenlightened by science, he had found much observation and much intelligence;-but a refined and accomplished Woman was a being almost new to him, and of which he had formed but a very inadequate idea.”—vol. v. p. 68, 69. He adds also, in another place, that "the poet, when questioned about his habits of composition, replied, All my poetry is the effect of easy composition, but of |