Letter from Robert Burns to Alexander Cunningham, 13-16 February 1790
Ellisland 13th Feb.ry 1790.
I beg your Pardon my dear & much valued Friend, for writing
you on this very unfashionable unsightly Sheet -
"My Povery but not my Will consents"
but to make amends since modish Poet I have none, except
one poor widowed half-sheet of gilt, which lies among in my drawer
among my plebeian foolscap pages, like the widow of a man of fashion
whom that unpolite scoundrel, Necessity, has driven from Burgundy
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
[?]-fellow of a foot-padding Exciseman - I make a vow to
enclose this sheet-full of epistolary fragments on that, my only
scrap of gilt Paper.
I am indeed your unworthy debtor for three friendly letters. - I
might have written you long ere now, but it is a literal fact I
have not almost a spare-moment. It is not that I will not
write you: Miss Burnet is not more dear to her Guardian Angel,
[?] His Grace of D- to the Powers of Darkness, than my friend
Cunningham to me. It is not that I can not write you:
would you doubt thatit, take the following fragment which
was intended for you some time ago, and be convinced
that I can antithesize Sentiment & circumvolute Periods,
as well as any Coiner of phrases in the regions of Philology. –
Dec.r - 1789 My dear Cunningham
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?
I beg your Pardon my dear & much valued Friend, for writing
you on this very unfashionable unsightly Sheet -
"My Povery but not my Will consents"
but to make amends since modish Poet I have none, except
one poor widowed half-sheet of gilt, which lies among in my drawer
among my plebeian foolscap pages, like the widow of a man of fashion
whom that unpolite scoundrel, Necessity, has driven from Burgundy
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
[?]-fellow of a foot-padding Exciseman - I make a vow to
enclose this sheet-full of epistolary fragments on that, my only
scrap of gilt Paper.
I am indeed your unworthy debtor for three friendly letters. - I
might have written you long ere now, but it is a literal fact I
have not almost a spare-moment. It is not that I will not
write you: Miss Burnet is not more dear to her Guardian Angel,
[?] His Grace of D- to the Powers of Darkness, than my friend
Cunningham to me. It is not that I can not write you:
would you doubt thatit, take the following fragment which
was intended for you some time ago, and be convinced
that I can antithesize Sentiment & circumvolute Periods,
as well as any Coiner of phrases in the regions of Philology. –
Dec.r - 1789 My dear Cunningham
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
& Rapture, or suffering Pain, Wretchedness & Misery,
it is surely worthy of enquiry 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 self
disgust and self-abhorrence. - There is not a doubt but
that health, talents, character, decent competency, respectable fr[?]
are real and substantial blessings, and yet do we not daily,
those who enjoy many or all of these good things, and not with
standing, contrive 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 owning to a certain stimulus with
us called Ambition, which goads us up the hill of life, not
as we ascend other emin[?] for the laudable curiosity of views of
an extended landscape, but rather for the dishonest pride
of looking down on others of our fellow-creatures seeming
diminutive in humbler stations. &c. &c. &c. &c. &c.
____________________________________
Sunday 14th Feb. 1790
God help me! I am now obliged to join
- Night to day. & Sunday to the week"-
If there be any truth in the Orthodox faith of these Churches,
I am damned past redemption, and what is worse,
;Page 3
damned to all eternity. I am deeply read in Boston's four
fold state, Marshal on Sanctification, Guthrie's trial of a
Saving Interest &c. &c. but "There is no balm in Gilead,
"there is no physician there", for me; so I shall e'en
turn Ariminian, & 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 & 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 Enquirer
must in some degree be a Sceptic. - It is not that there
are any staggering arguments against the Im-
mortality of Man; but like Electricity, Phlogiston &c.
the subject is so involved in darkness that we want
Data to go upon. One thing brightens me much
that we are to live for ever, seems to good news to
be true. That we are to enter into a new scene
of existence, where exempt from want & pain, we shall
enjoy ourselves & our friends without satiety or separation
- how much would I be indebted to anyone who could
fully assure me that this were certain fact!
"Tell us, ye Dead! will none of you, in pity
"To those you left behind, disclose the secret
conscious existence, equally capable of enjoying Pleasure, Happiness
& Rapture, or suffering Pain, Wretchedness & Misery,
it is surely worthy of enquiry 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 self
disgust and self-abhorrence. - There is not a doubt but
that health, talents, character, decent competency, respectable fr[?]
are real and substantial blessings, and yet do we not daily,
those who enjoy many or all of these good things, and not with
standing, contrive 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 owning to a certain stimulus with
us called Ambition, which goads us up the hill of life, not
as we ascend other emin[?] for the laudable curiosity of views of
an extended landscape, but rather for the dishonest pride
of looking down on others of our fellow-creatures seeming
diminutive in humbler stations. &c. &c. &c. &c. &c.
____________________________________
Sunday 14th Feb. 1790
God help me! I am now obliged to join
- Night to day. & Sunday to the week"-
If there be any truth in the Orthodox faith of these Churches,
I am damned past redemption, and what is worse,
;Page 3
damned to all eternity. I am deeply read in Boston's four
fold state, Marshal on Sanctification, Guthrie's trial of a
Saving Interest &c. &c. but "There is no balm in Gilead,
"there is no physician there", for me; so I shall e'en
turn Ariminian, & 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 & 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 Enquirer
must in some degree be a Sceptic. - It is not that there
are any staggering arguments against the Im-
mortality of Man; but like Electricity, Phlogiston &c.
the subject is so involved in darkness that we want
Data to go upon. One thing brightens me much
that we are to live for ever, seems to good news to
be true. That we are to enter into a new scene
of existence, where exempt from want & pain, we shall
enjoy ourselves & our friends without satiety or separation
- how much would I be indebted to anyone who could
fully assure me that this were certain fact!
"Tell us, ye Dead! will none of you, in pity
"To those you left behind, disclose the secret
My time is once more expired. - I will write Mr
Cleghorn soon. God bless him & all his concerns
And may all the Powers that preside over conviviality
& friendship be present with all their kindest
influence when the bearer of this, Mr Syme. &
you meet! I wish I could also make one. I think
we should be trinity in unity.
Finally, Brethren, farewell! Whatsoever things
are lovely, whatsoever things are gentle, whatsoever
things are charitable, whatsoever things are king, think
on these things, and think on
Robt Burns
Cleghorn soon. God bless him & all his concerns
And may all the Powers that preside over conviviality
& friendship be present with all their kindest
influence when the bearer of this, Mr Syme. &
you meet! I wish I could also make one. I think
we should be trinity in unity.
Finally, Brethren, farewell! Whatsoever things
are lovely, whatsoever things are gentle, whatsoever
things are charitable, whatsoever things are king, think
on these things, and think on
Robt Burns
Key details
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/01/49
- Alt. number
- 3.6077
- Date
- 13 February 1790 to 16 February 1790
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Recipient
- Cunningham, Alexander
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/01/49
- Alt. number
- 3.6077
- Date
- 13 February 1790 to 16 February 1790
- On display
- No
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Recipient
- Cunningham, Alexander
Description
Letter from Robert Burns to Alexander Cunningham, dated Ellisland, 13th - 16th February, 1790.
This letter is composed of four pages made up of four separately dated sections following on from each other, which Burns wrote to Cunningham from 13 to 16 February 1790. In the letter, Burns thanks him for his three letters written of 17 December, 19 December, and 28 January.
The first page, dated 13 February, apologises at some length for the Poet's shortage of proper writing paper. Quoting a line from Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, which puts the reason down to poverty, he then plays with the imagined interaction between his 'one poor widowed half-sheet of Gilt' and his remaining 'plebeian foolscap pages'.
The page finishes with his apology for not replying sooner to Cunningham's three letters due to having 'not almost a spare moment'. He writes that he has the will and the ability to write and encloses a piece written in December but not then sent as proof.
In December Burns wrote a piece to Cunningham which philosophises on the lot of man, looking for 'a science of life'. He reflects on the unhappiness of those seemingly well blessed and the effect that 'Ambition' has created 'for the dishonest pride of looking down on others of our fellow creatures seemingly diminutive in humbler stations'.
Burns tries to continue the letter on Sunday but runs out of time again writing, 'God help me! I am now obliged to join -"...Night to day, & Sunday to the week..."' He carries on with some obscure references of a religious nature which fizzle out. The following day he continues by admitting he had reached a 'knotty point' which he was glad not to have to develop.
He goes on to debate the question of immortality seeking ways to get assurance on the hereafter and quotes three lines from Blake's 'The Grave' who seeks the same answer.
Finally Burns says 'My time is once more expired' going on to mention his friend Mr Cleghorn whom he intends to write to soon and indicating he is sending the letter through their mutual friend Mr Syme.
The page finishes with his apology for not replying sooner to Cunningham's three letters due to having 'not almost a spare moment'. He writes that he has the will and the ability to write and encloses a piece written in December but not then sent as proof.
In December Burns wrote a piece to Cunningham which philosophises on the lot of man, looking for 'a science of life'. He reflects on the unhappiness of those seemingly well blessed and the effect that 'Ambition' has created 'for the dishonest pride of looking down on others of our fellow creatures seemingly diminutive in humbler stations'.
Burns tries to continue the letter on Sunday but runs out of time again writing, 'God help me! I am now obliged to join -"...Night to day, & Sunday to the week..."' He carries on with some obscure references of a religious nature which fizzle out. The following day he continues by admitting he had reached a 'knotty point' which he was glad not to have to develop.
He goes on to debate the question of immortality seeking ways to get assurance on the hereafter and quotes three lines from Blake's 'The Grave' who seeks the same answer.
Finally Burns says 'My time is once more expired' going on to mention his friend Mr Cleghorn whom he intends to write to soon and indicating he is sending the letter through their mutual friend Mr Syme.
Archive information
Place of creation
Themes
Hierarchy
-
Letters from and to Robert Burns
(
a sub-fonds is a subdivision in the archival material)
- Letter from Robert Burns to Alexander Cunningham, 13-16 February 1790