BURNS, Ron HILT, a distinguished Scottish poet, was born on the 25th of January 1759, in a small house about two miles from the town of Ayr, and within a few hundred yards from " Alloway's auld haunted kirk," which the poet has rendered so famous in his Tam 'o'Shanter. I 1 is father was a small farmer and gardener, and overseer to Mr Ferguson of i)unholm. Burns was sent, in his sixth year, to a school at Alloway Mill, about a mile distant ; but was soon after placed under a young schoolmaster of the name of Murdoch, whom his lather, poor as he was, engaged, in conjunction with some neigh bours, to instruct their families, and live at their houses in rotation. This teacher seems to have had an amiable ambition to cultivate the talents of his pupil, though he had little anticipation of his fame : he taught him Eng lish grammar, a circumstance of great importance to Burns, in facilitating his correspondence and conversa tion with persons of superior education at a subsequent period of his life. In 1767, Bu•n's father quitted the birth place of our poet, and took a farm at Mount Oli phant, a change of residence which made his attendance at Murdoch's school more irregular ; and at the end of two years and a half from the commencement of his tui tion, Murdoch quitted the place for a different appoint ment. Burns was thus left with no other instructor than his father, at the farm of Mount Oliphant ; but the ve nerable rustic seems to have done all that lay in himself for the education of his family. Ile taught them arith metic by their solitary evening candle, and borrowed for them some useful books, such as Salmon's Geographical Grammar, Derham's Physico and Astrotheology, and Ray's Wisdom of God in the Creation. He was also a subscriber to Stackhousc's History of the Bible. What ever interests us in the Bible, (and there is nothing which interests a young and curious mind so much as elucida tions of its history,) is, indepcndant of all influence on morals—a most valuable guide to good taste. In trac ing the education of Burns, (an education interesting, because it is scant•,) this early direction of his mind to the sacred writings is a prominent circumstance.
About the age of 13, he was sent for a week at a time, alternately with his brother, to the parish school of Dal •ymple, during a summer's quarter, to improve his hand-writing. The following summer, as his faithful friend Murdoch had been appointed to the English school at Ayr, he was boarded with him for three weeks, to revise his English grammar, and to acquire a little French. 'Wonderful it is. that, (luring a fortnight's in
structions ur the latter language, he was enabled to trans late it in prose. This seems to ha,,: been all lus ac complishment in French ; yet it is the only instance 0f his manly and modest nature being betrayed into vanity, that he piqued himself so mile!' upon it, as to afk ct French phrases, when broad Scotch would have served him better. Ile even sometimes tried to speak it. On one occasion, when he called in Edinburgh at the house of an accomplished friend, a lady who had been educated in France, he found her conversing with a French lady, to whom he was introduced. The French woman un derstood English ; but Burns must try his pow ers. His first sentence was intended to compliment the lady on her apparent eloquence in conversation ; but by mistak ing some idiom, he made the lady understand, that she was too fond of hearing herself speak. The French woman, highly incensed, replied, that there were more instances of vain poets than of talkative women ; and Burns was obliged to use his own language in appeas ing her.
Ile made a slight attempt to learn Latin, but did not persevere. Upon the whole, the instructions already mentioned, with a quarter's attendance, at the age of 19, in geometry and surveying, and a few lessons at a coun try (lancing school, form the history of Burns's education. From the books which he read during that period, he had imhihed a smattering of history and philosoph) ; hut till the time of his becoming an author, his brother assures us, that he was imperfectly, or not at all acquaint ed with our most eminent English authors. We have been thus minute in noticing the history of our poet's mind, because his education has been sometimes as much over-rated as under-rated. It has been said to be equal to that of Shakespeare.* If the education of a poet means that reading which shall best inspire a poet, we beg to say, with deference to the high authority which we contradict, that his reading must have been infinitely inferior to that of Shakespeare. The great ancient poet lived in an age overflowing with chivalrous and romantic books, the richest food for the imagination ; in an age, too, when translations were sought with more avidity ; translations which Shakespeare must have perused in cessantly, from his business of writing for the stage.