AT FERGUSON'S GRAVE. 135 



an interesting note. 'I have seen the grave of poor 

 Ferguson, and the plain stone placed at its head by his 

 brother in misfortune and genius, Robert Burns. I felt 

 much affected when standing above the sod which covers 

 the mortal remains of the young poet, and could have 

 dropped a tear to his memory and to the memory of his 

 still greater successor, but I was not Shandean enough 

 to command one. You know I never could weep except 

 when insulted and stung to the heart by those whose 

 unkindness I could not or would not resent, and then the 

 tears I dropped were those of grief, rage, hatred, in short, 

 the offspring of any passion except tenderness/ This 

 is a touch of self-portraiture worth whole chapters of 

 retrospective delineation. 



In another of these letters, dated 10th October, 1824, 

 and addressed to his Uncle James, we meet with the 

 following careful sketch of Dr McCrie. ' I had long 

 wished to hear a discourse from Dr McCrie, the elegant 

 historian of Knox and Melville,' but it was some time 

 before I found out his meeting-house. At length I dis- 

 covered it, and being obligingly shown to a seat by one 

 of his elders, I sat with some little portion of impatience 

 till the doctor made his appearance. The laudable end 

 to which he has dedicated his great talents in rescuing 

 from unmerited contumely the memory of our venerable 

 Reformer had long prepossessed me in his favour, and 

 this prepossession his appearance was well calculated to 

 confirm. In age and figure I know not where to point 

 out any one who more resembles him than yourself. His 

 countenance is pale and expressive, and his forehead 

 deeply marked with the lines of thought ; the spareness 

 of his habit reminded me of long study and deep re- 

 search, and his demeanour, at once humble and dignified, 

 finished the portrait. You may doubt when I tell you 



