Scotland/Scots > Life of Robert Burns

304 LIFE OF
Burns, to a farm in Dumfries-shire, carrying with
him his aged mother, who died under his roof. At
a later period he became factor to the noble family
of Blantyre, on their estates in East Lothian. The
pecuniary succours which the poet afforded Gilbert
Burns, and still more the interest excited in his
behalf by the account of his personal character
contained in Currie’s Memoir, proved of high ad¬
vantage to him. He trained up a large family, six
sons and five daughters, and bestowed on all his
boys what is called a classical education. The
untimely death of one of these, a young man of
very promising talents, when on the eve of being
admitted to holy orders, is supposed to have has¬
tened the departure of the venerable parent. It
should not be omitted that, on the publication of
his edition of his brother’s works, in 1819, Gilbert
repaid, with interest, the sum which the poet ad¬
vanced to him in 1788. Through life, and in
death, he maintained and justified the promise of
his virtuous youth, and seems in all respects to
have resembled his father, of whom Murdoch, long
after he was no more, wrote in language honour¬
able to his own heart: “ O for a world of men of
such dispositions ! I have often wished, for the
good of mankind, that it were as customary to
honour and perpetuate the memory of those who
excel in moral rectitude, as it is to extol what are
called heroic actions : then would the mausoleum
of the friend of my youth overtop and surpass most
of those we see in Westminster Abbey! ” *
It is pleasing to trace, in all these details, the
happy influence which our poet’s genius has ex-
• These particulars are taken from an article which
appeared, soon after Gilbert’s death, in the Dumfries
Courier.