Letter from Robert Burns to James Hoy, 20 October 1787
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
![](https://ciim-data.nts.org.uk/media/iiif/3/pf%2F2%2F1%2F40%2F715%2FNTSBRNp06012.ptif/full/!640,640/0/default.jpg)
Key details
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/01/19
- Alt. number
- 3.6046
- Date
- 20 October 1787
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/01/19
- Alt. number
- 3.6046
- Date
- 20 October 1787
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
Description
Letter from Robert Burns to James Hoy, dated Edinburgh, 20 October 1787. In bound blue leather book. Enclosing a copy of "Streams that glide in orient plains."
During his Highland Tour in 1787, Robert stopped at Castle Gordon near Fochabers, Morayshire. There he met James Hoy, the librarian to the Duke of Gordon.
Archive information
Place of creation
Themes
Hierarchy
-
Letters from and to Robert Burns
(
a sub-fonds is a subdivision in the archival material)