Maria Riddkll, the Friend of Burns. 13 



was a reputation." Maria Riddell tells us she once asked 

 Burns why he had never taken the trouble to learn Latin, 

 *' a lang-uage which his happy memory had so soon enabled 

 him to be master of." To this Burns had replied, somewhat 

 in the graceless manner of the painter Lippo Lippi, that 

 " he already knew all the Latin he desired to learn, and that 

 was " Omnia vincit amor;" a phrase, Maria adds, " he was 

 most thoroughly versed in." 



One might have expected that Maria Riddell's diary'^^ 

 would have contained some interesting references to Burns, 

 but her original manuscript (so the copyist informs me) was 

 so mutilated, whole passages being erased and even pages 

 torn out, that it is impossible to say whether or no she kept 

 any record of her acquaintance with the Poet. Moreover, 

 the portion of Maria's diary which has been rescued from 

 oblivion only covers the period from January, 1797, to 

 October, 1803. It is remarkable that there should be no 

 mention whatsoever of her husband, unless, indeed, this was 

 10 have been found in the erased passages or the destroyed 

 pages. Meagre as are the details still remaining, we learn 

 that she now spent her life in the South of England (mostly 

 in Dorsetshire) and in London, and we receive additional 

 proofs that Maria was possessed of a highly cultivated mind 

 and a fine sensibility. To quote her diary in extenso would 

 prove but a tedious repetition of the names of the then leading 

 figures''''^ in Society whom Maria was in the habit of meeting 

 at balls, suppers, parties, receptions, or at the theatre, and 

 much of her diary is taken up with poetic and prose quota- 

 tions, not only from English but from French and Italian 

 authors. The following extracts are, however, especially in- 

 teresting as giving us an insight into Maria's character : — 



76 See footnote 1. 



77 Among many other names recorded in the diary are those of 

 the King and Queen, the Prince of Wales, Dnchess of Gordon, Lord 

 Alalmesbury, Marquis of Abercorn, Ivord HincJiiiibrook, " ]\Ionk " 

 Lewis. William Spencer, Dr. John Moore, Alathias, Jerninghan, 

 Fox, Sheridan, Henry Erskine, General Eustace, Lady Jersey, etc., 

 etc., etc. 



