Letter from Robert Burns to Mrs Dunlop of Dunlop 15 April 1787
Madam,
There is an affectation of gratitude which
I dislike.- The periods of Johnson and the pauses of
Sterne may hide a selfish heart. - For my part
Madam, I trust I have too much pride for servility, and
too little prudence for selfishness. - I have this moment
broke open your letter, but, "Rude am I in speech -
"And therefore little can I grace my cause
"In speaking for myself, - " so shall ^not trouble you
with any fine speeches and hunted figures. - I shall
just lay my hand on my heart and say, I hope I
will ever have the truest, the warmest sense of your
goodness. –
I come abroad in print, for certain, on Wednesday
Your orders I shall punctually attend to; only, by
the way, I must tell you that I was paid before for
D.r Moore's & Miss William's copies through the
There is an affectation of gratitude which
I dislike.- The periods of Johnson and the pauses of
Sterne may hide a selfish heart. - For my part
Madam, I trust I have too much pride for servility, and
too little prudence for selfishness. - I have this moment
broke open your letter, but, "Rude am I in speech -
"And therefore little can I grace my cause
"In speaking for myself, - " so shall ^not trouble you
with any fine speeches and hunted figures. - I shall
just lay my hand on my heart and say, I hope I
will ever have the truest, the warmest sense of your
goodness. –
I come abroad in print, for certain, on Wednesday
Your orders I shall punctually attend to; only, by
the way, I must tell you that I was paid before for
D.r Moore's & Miss William's copies through the
Key details
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/01/115
- Alt. number
- 3.6350
- Date
- 15 April 1787
- On display
- Yes
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
- Archive number
- NTS/02/25/BRN/01/115
- Alt. number
- 3.6350
- Date
- 15 April 1787
- On display
- Yes
- Creator
- Burns, Robert (Author)
Description
Letter from Robert Burns to Mrs Dunlop of Dunlop, dated Edinburgh, 15 April 1787.
After the death of her elderly husband in 1785, Mrs Dunlop (nee Francis Anna Wallace) suffered from depression and a friend gave her a copy of Burns's poems which prompted her to write to the poet; the friendship between the two continued until the poet's death. This is a letter thanking the recipient for her interest in his poetry.
When writing to well-to-do Mrs Dunlop, Robert used grand and expressive language, often making references to literature – here he quotes Shakespeare’s Othello.
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 Mrs Dunlop of Dunlop 15 April 1787