Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Scottish songs > Volume 1

Ixvii
had reached. Before the fervid; forceful eloquence of
Burns's lyrics, the rude ditties of his native land, and
the cold formal hturgies of the classic and English
poets, sunk alike into contempt. The Song, in his
hands, became something superior to what any former
man had ever hoped or dared to make it.
Burns, on coming to Edinburgh, to superintend the
new edition of his poems, became acquainted with
Johnson as a matter of course ; and, when we con-
sider how little he had of the mercenary about him,
and with what enthusiasm he was devoted to the sub-
ject, we can easily conceive, that but small persuasion
was required to make him lend his utmost assistance to
the " Scots Musical Museum." To show how warm-
ly he patronised the undertaking, a quotation may be
made from a letter which he wrote in the summer of
1787, to a Mr Candlish at Glasgow. " I am en-
gaged," he there expresses himself, " in assisting an
honest Scots enthusiast, (meaning Johnson,) a friend
of mine, who is an engraver, and has undertaken to
publish a collection of all our songs set to music, of
which the words and music are done by Scotsmen.
This, you will easily guess, is an undertaking exactly
to my taste. I have collected, begged, borrowed, and
stolen, all the songs I could meet with. Pompey's
Ghost, words and music, I beg from you immediately,
to go into his second number; the first is already
published. I shall show you the first number when I
see you in Glasgow, which will be in a fortnight or
less. Do be so kind as send me the song in a day or
two ; you cannot imagine how much it will oblige me."
Such was the feeling with which Burns entered into
this most patriotic enterprise. During the progress of
the work, he not only supplied the publisher with va-
rious songs collected from his friends ; but likewise
composed a very great number himself expressly for
the work, which are admitted to be the finest produc-
tions of his lyric muse. Burns was quite at home in
composing for the " Museum," He seldom, indeed, al-