Maria Riddkli., iiii': Fkikndoi- Ht r\s. oi) 



\\'lio says tliat tool iiloiio is not thy <lur, 

 And qiiotos tliy troaclit'iies to piove it true I" 



However nuich one may appreciate the genius of ihe Poet, 

 one must always regret his unmannerly conduct towards this 

 lady who had been his friend, and whose patronage he had 

 only lost on account of his rudeness to one of her family. ^^ 

 Whatever may have been low and despicable in Burns* 

 nature is nowhere more clearly shown than in his attacks on 

 Maria Riddell and her husband, who seem, however, to have 

 treated these effusions with a silent disdain. 



Maria was much taken up with the ordinary duties of 

 housekeeping', and she was wrapped up in the welfare of her 

 two daughters, the younger of whom had also had small- 

 pox. ^2 S}ig took a delight in her harp, her piano, and her 

 museum, to say nothing of reading, in which her taste ran 

 the gamut from \'oltaire's Candide to Godwin's Political 

 Juslice. Her husband, who has been described as " some- 

 thing of a wastrel, "^^ was often away from homC; in London 

 and elsewhere. That he was extravagant is apparent from 

 the fact that early in 1794 he parted with Woodley Park 

 (some say that it reverted, the purchase money not having 

 been paid) to Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Goldie.^'' On the 

 death of his brother, Captain Robert Riddell of Friars' Carse, 



51 Aiiguste Angelior, who may be regarded as an impartial and 

 unbiassed critic, has dealt with this episode (Bohrrt Bumf!, vol. i., 

 1893, pp. olO-oll), and his comment may be translated as follows: — 

 " People from time to time have regretted that [Burns] wrote certain 

 verses which were too free and gross. If a true friend of the poet 

 had to make a choice, it would not be these verses which he \\ould 

 suppress but the spitefulness and insults against a woman whom he 

 had offended." It is only fair to point out that Burns lived to 

 regret, and to apologise for, what he had done (see p. 39), and had 

 he him.«elf had the opportunity there can be no doubt that he would 

 have suppre.ssed these very insults. 



52 Memoirs of ilip lAfe. IViitiiujx. and (^orrpxpoiulcnrc nf 

 William Smellie, vol. ii. (1811). by Robert Kerr, p. 382. 



53 Henley and Henderson, llir Vortrii of Jiohcvt Biinix (1901), 

 vol. ii., p. 421. 



54 The actual disposition of Wondley Park to Lieutenant- 

 Colonel Thomas Goldie is dated September 3rd, 1794. 



