Scotland/Scots > Life of Robert Burns

LIFE OF
140
constant associate of the poet, and a most dangerous
associate ; for, with a warm heart, the man united a
fierce irascible temper, a scorn of many of the decen¬
cies of life, a noisy contempt of religion, at least of
the religious institutions of his country, and a violent
propensity for the bottle. He was one of those
who would fain believe themselves to be men of
genius ; and that genius is a sufficient apology
for trampling under foot all the old vulgar rules of
prudence and sobriety,—being on both points
equally mistaken. Of Nicoll's letters to Burns,
and about him, I have seen many that have never
been, and probably that never will be, printed—
cumbrous and pedantic effusions, exhibiting no¬
thing that one can imagine to have been pleasing
to the poet, except what was probably enough to
redeem all imperfections—namely, a rapturous ad¬
miration of his genius. This man, nevertheless,
was, I suspect, very far from being an unfavour¬
able specimen of the society to which Heron thus
alludes:—“ He (the poet) suffered himself to be
surrounded by a race of miserable beings, who
were proud to tell that they had been in company
with Burns, and had seen Burns as loose and as
foolish as themselves. He was not yet irrecover¬
ably lost to temperance and moderation ; but he
was already almost too much captivated with these
wanton revels, to be ever more won back to a
faithful attachment to their more sober charms. ”
Heron adds—“ He now also began to contract
something of new arrogance in conversation. Ac¬
customed to be, among his favourite associates,
what is vulgarly, but expressively, called the cock
of the company, he could scarcely refrain from in¬
dulging in similar freedom and dictatorial decision
of talk, even in the presence of persons who could