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Engraved for Cameron &C Edition of Burn's Poems. 180p.

CHIEFLY IN THE

SCOTTISH DIALECT

BY

ROBERT BURNS.

WITH HIS

LIFE AND CHARACTER.

EDINBURGH:

PRINTED BY JOHN TURNBULL, HIGH-STREET;

FOR CAMERON AND CO. BOOKSELLERS, TRONGATE, GLASGO

1804.

LIFE

OF

ROBERT BURNS.

WILLIAM BURNS, the father of our poet, was the fon of

farmer in Kincardinefhire The narrow circumftances of his family had compelled him to leave his paternal roof at an early age, and after ferving in a variety of fituations he fettled as a gardener in the hire of Ayr From a phyfician in Ayr he obtained a perpetual leafe of feven acres of ground, and in the year 1757, married Agnes Brown, the mother of our poet. In a small house which he had built on the ground, his eldeft fon Robert was born on the 25th of January, 1759.

Burns, and his brother Gilbert, received their education from a Mr John Murdoch, whose care and attention to his pupils, Burns acknowledged with gratitude, at an after period of his life. Betides reading and writing, Burns received (from this gentleman) a flight knowledge of the French language, which he afterwards improved, and his father inflructed him in the common rules of arithmetic.

Burns love of reading, which he 'carried to excefs, s, his father indulged to the utmost of his power; fortunately for the young poet, his neighbours poffeffed a few good books, which he read and talked of with enthufiafin remarkably prophetic of his future character.

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