Broadside ballad entitled 'To J*** C***** A Southron'

Commentary

Verse 1 begins: 'HOW sair a task wi' Doubt to wrestle! / Sax hours I've had your kind Epistle, / An' done nocht syne but fidge an' fisle / About the matter'. The ballad was written by J*** A*******. The sheet was published by J. and R. Childs of Bungay, Suffolk, on the 9th May 1822.

This dramatic narrative conveys the machinations of J.C.'s decision-making process. He has been invited to move from his present location, which is not given, into Edinburgh. The worries of employment, housing and moving to a new residency, however, play on his mind. This text gives his 'inner' arguments both for and against such a spontaneous life choice.

Broadsides, cheap and accessible, were often used as moral forums with 'lessons of life' included in the narrative. Broadside authors tended to see themselves as moral guardians and teachers in society. As such, publishers often disseminated 'educational' texts outlining the social and personal consequences of undisciplined or immoral behaviour.

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