Letter from Robert Burns to James Hoy, 20 October 1787

Sir,
I will defend my conduct, in giving you this
trouble, on the best of Christian principles - "What -so ever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye "even so unto them"- I shall certainly, among my legacies, leave my latest curse to that unlucky predi-cament which hurried me, tore me away from Castle Gordon. - May that obstinate son of Latin Prose be curst to Scotch mile periods, and damn'd to sevenleague paragraphs; while Declinsion & Conjugation, Gender, Number and Time, under the ragged ban-ners of Dissonance and Disarrangement eternally rank against him in hostile array!!!!!!

Allow me, Sir, to strengthen the small claim I have to your acquaintance by the following request
An Engraver, James Johnson, in Edin. has,;not from mercenary views but from an honest Scotch enthusiasm, has set about collecting all our native Songs and setting them to music; particularly those that have never been set before.- Clarke, the well known Musician, presides over the mussical arrangement, and Drs Beattie & Black-lock, Mr Tytler, Woodhouslee, and your humble serv.t to the utmost of his small pwer, assist in collecting the old poetry, or sometimes for a fine air, to make a stanza, when it has no words
The inclosed is one which, like some other misbe
gotten brats, "too tedious to mention, " claims a
parental pang from my Bardshop.- I suppose it will appear in Johnson's second Number the first was published before my acquaintance with him - My request is; "Cauld kail in Aberdeen is one intended for this number; and I beg a copy of his Grace of Gordon's words to it, which you were so kind as repeat to me. - You may be sure;won't prefix the Author's name, except you like
tho' I look on it as no small merit to this work
that the names of many of the Authors of our old
Scotch Songs, names almost forgotten, will be inserted. - I do not well know where to write to you, I rather write at you; but if you will be so obliging, immediately on receipt of this, as to write me a few lines; I shall perhaps pay you in kind tho' not in quality. --m's terms are each Number, a handsome
pocket volume, to consist at least of a hundred
Scotch Songs, with basses for the Harpsichord,
the price to Subscribers, 5, to non sub: 6 sh-
He will have three Numbers I conjecture.
My direction for two or three weeks will be, at
Mr William Cruikshank's. S.t James's
Square, Newtown, Edin.r

I am,
Sir,
yours to command -

Rob.t Burns
Edin.r 20th Oct.
1787