The Complete Works of Robert Burns: Containing his Poems, Songs, and Correspondence. / With a New Life of the Poet, and Notices, Critical and Biographical by Allan Cunningham

by Robert Burns; Allan Cunningham

CCLXXXIV.

TO CAPTAIN MILLER,

DALSWINTON.

[Captain Miller, of Dalswinton, sat in the House of Commons for the Dumfries district of boroughs. Dalswinton has passed from the family to my friend James M’Alpine Leny, Esq.]

Dear Sir,

The following ode is on a subject which I know you by no means regard with indifference. Oh, Liberty,

“Thou mak’st the gloomy face of nature gay,
Giv’st beauty to the sun, and pleasure to the day.”

Addison.

It does me so much good to meet with a man whose honest bosom glows with the generous enthusiasm, the heroic daring of liberty, that I could not forbear sending you a composition of my own on the subject, which I really think is in my best manner.

I have the honour to be,