Letter from Robert Burns to Robert Ainslie, 29 July 1787
Give you joy, give you joy, My dear brother! may
your child be as strong a man as Samson, as wise a
man as Solomon, & as honest a man as - his father, -
I have double health & spirits at the news. - Welcome, Sir,
to the society, the venerable Sociaty of Fathers!!!
"Lo children are God's heritage;
"The womb's fruit his reward;
"The sons of youth as arrows are
"In strong men's hands prepar'd.-
"Oh, happy is the man that hath
"His quiver fill'd with those!
"He unashamed in the gate
"Shall speak unto his foes!
But truce, with the Psalmist! I shall certainly give
you a congratulatory Poem on the birth day myself. -
your child be as strong a man as Samson, as wise a
man as Solomon, & as honest a man as - his father, -
I have double health & spirits at the news. - Welcome, Sir,
to the society, the venerable Sociaty of Fathers!!!
"Lo children are God's heritage;
"The womb's fruit his reward;
"The sons of youth as arrows are
"In strong men's hands prepar'd.-
"Oh, happy is the man that hath
"His quiver fill'd with those!
"He unashamed in the gate
"Shall speak unto his foes!
But truce, with the Psalmist! I shall certainly give
you a congratulatory Poem on the birth day myself. -
Key details
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/01/17
- Alt. number
- 3.6044
- Date
- 29 July 1787
- On display
- Yes
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Recipient
- Ainslie, Robert
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/01/17
- Alt. number
- 3.6044
- Date
- 29 July 1787
- On display
- Yes
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Recipient
- Ainslie, Robert
Description
Letter from Robert Burns to Robert Ainslie, dated Mauchline, 29 July 1787.
In this letter to his close friend Robert Ainslie, Burns discusses the pleasures and anxieties of fatherhood as he congratulates Ainslie on the birth of his child. He also says his publisher Creech requires him to be in Edinburgh in the next few days and he looks forward to meeting Ainslie there.
Robert Ainslie was a law student in Edinburgh when he met Robert there in 1787. Recognising a fellow man about town, the two Roberts became fast friends. Burns said of Ainslie, 'I have not found a friend upon earth, besides yourself, to whom I can talk nonesense without forfeiting some degree of his esteem.'
Archive information
Place of creation
Themes
Hierarchy
-
Letters from and to Robert Burns
(
a sub-fonds is a subdivision in the archival material)
Caring for collections
A gift of £5 a month can help us ensure collections like the Robert Burns Collection receive ongoing care and are shared with as many people as possible.