This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1841 Excerpt: ...to be, My Lady, Your Ladyship's obliged And obedient humble servant, R. B. No. CLXXI. TO PROVOST MAXWELL, OF LOCHMABEN. Elljsland, 20M December, 1789. Dear Provost, As my friend Mr praham goes for your good town tomorrow, I cannot resist the temptation to send you a few lines, and as I have nothing to say, I have ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1841 Excerpt: ...to be, My Lady, Your Ladyship's obliged And obedient humble servant, R. B. No. CLXXI. TO PROVOST MAXWELL, OF LOCHMABEN. Elljsland, 20M December, 1789. Dear Provost, As my friend Mr praham goes for your good town tomorrow, I cannot resist the temptation to send you a few lines, and as I have nothing to say, I have chosen this sheet of foolscap, and begun as you see at the top of the first page, because I have ever observed, that when once people have fairly set out they know not where to stop. Now that my first sentence is concluded, I have nothing to do but to pray heaven to help me on to another. Shall I write you on politics or religion, two master subjects for your sayers of nothing. Of the first I dare say by this time you are nearly surfeited: and for the last, whatever they may talk of it, who make it a kind of company concern, I never could endure it beyond a soliloquy. I might write you on farming on building, on marketing, but my poor distracted mind is so torn, so jaded, so racked and bedeviled with the task of the superlatively damned to make one guinea do the business of three, that I detest, abhor, and swoon at the very word business, though no less than four letters of my very short sirname are in it. Well, to make the matter short, I shall betake myself to a subject ever fruitful of themes; a subject the turtle feast of the sons of Satan, and the delicious secret sugar plum of the babes of grace--a subject sparkling with all the jewels that wit can find in the mines of genius: and pregnant with all the stores of learning from Moses and Confucius to Franklin and Priestley--in short, may it please your Lordship, I intend to write Here the Poet inserted a song which can only be sung at times when the punch bowl has done its duty, and wild wit is...
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