with critical observations and biographical notices, by Robert Burns

74
sent dress, it has gained immortal honor from Mr.
Home's taking from it the ground-work of hisfine
tragedy of Douglas. But I am of opinion that the
present ballad is a modern composition; perhaps not
much above the age of the middle of the last cen-
tury; at least I should be glad to see or hear of a
copy of the present words prior to 1650. That it
was takenfrom an old ballad, called Child Maurice,
now lost, I am inclined to believe; but the present
one may be classed with Hardyknute, Kenneth,
Duncan, the Laird of Woodhouselie, Lord Living-
ston, The Death of Monteith, and many other mo-
dern productions, which have been swallowed by
many readers, as antient fragments of old poems.
This beautiful plaintive tune was composed by Mr,
M^ Gibbon, the selector of a collection of Scots
tunes. Jl. R.
ed ; it is divine, and as long as from hence (Cambridge) to Aston.
Have you never seen it? Aristotle's best rules are observed in
it, in a manner that shews the author had never read Aristotle.
It begins in the fifth act of the play : you may read it two-thirds
through without guessing what it is about : and yet, when you
come to the end, it is impossible not to understand the whole
story. I send you the two first stanzas,"