This, my dear Sir, is one of the many instances of the folly of leaving the guidance of sound reason and common sense in matters of religion.

Whenever we neglect or despise these sacred monitors,

servant. A short time after she married Robert Buchan, a workman at the Delf work in Glasgow, at which time she belonged to the Scottish Episcopalians; but her husband being a BurgherSeceder, she adopted his principles, and was admitted into communion with that body. She had several children, but only three were alive when she left her husband-a son and two daughters.

"For several years previous to her delusions becoming public she had been unsettled in her religious belief, and she had adopted many extraordinary and visionary doctrines. She fancied herself the woman foretold in Rev. ch. xii., clothed with the sun, and having the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She does not appear in the beginning of her career to have made any proselytes, and Mr White is the first recorded. Having heard him preach on the sacrament Monday, she pretended she had at once discovered in him a kindred spirit. She addressed a letter to him, expressive of her admiration of his discourse; had a personal interview with him, and by her flatteries gained an entire ascendancy over him. In a few days she followed him to Irvine, becoming an inmate of his house. A change in his doctrine was observed the next Sabbath; and this becoming greater each week, Mrs B. was considered to be the cause of it. He was requested to dismiss her; but he answered he would sooner cut off his right hand. Certain queries were proposed to him, to which he gave written answers. These left no doubt of his deviations from the faith; and the matter was brought before the Presbytery of Glasgow. He was cited before them and appeared. He made no attempt to deny or palliate his errors; and a sentence of suspension was pronounced against him, to which he paid no attention, but continued to preach and disseminate his doctrines. He was then libelled by the Presbytery, appeared in person, defended his doctrines, and was deposed in October, 1783.

Subsequently to this, Mr White and Mrs Buchan published several pamphlets on their peculiar delusions: one of which is entitled The Divine Dictionary, or a treatise indited by holy inspiration, containing the faith and practice of the people called Buchanites; who are actually waiting for the second coming of our Lord, and who believe that they alive shall be changed and translated into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.' This was only the first number of a large work White intended to publish. In it he calls Mrs B. the woman prophesied of in Rev. ch. xii.; says she is God's only vicegerent on earth in this genera

the whimsical notions of a perturbated brain are taken for the immediate influences of the Deity, and the wildest fanaticism, and the most inconstant absurdities, will meet with abettors and converts. Nay, I have often thought,

tion; and professes to have learned the sentiments in his work from her, though not told,' says he, with the same divine simplicity as she declared them.' The style of this work is very poor; in many parts it is obscure, confused, and scarcely intelligible, and indicates a total departure from the truth. Mr W. still continued to reside in Irvine, where he preached first in a tent, and afterwards in his house, and zealously propagated the tenets of Mrs Buchan. Converts were made, mostly inhabitants of the town, who had been members of the Relief body, but some also from places at a distance. They met in the night, and were instructed by the prophetess. Strange accounts were given of their doctrine and manner of worship, which drew the indignation of the populace upon them. The house where they met was several times surrounded, the windows and furniture broken, and greater extremities would have been used, but for the intervention of the magistrates; who at length thought it prudent to dismiss her from the place, which was done in May, 1784. To protect her, they accompanied her a mile out of town; but notwithstanding she was grossly maltreated. She stopped that night with some of her followers near Kilmaurs, and, being joined by Mr White and others in the morning, the whole, about forty in number, proceeded, singing hymns as they went, to Mauchline, and thence by Cumnock, to Closeburn in Dumfriesshire. There they halted, and took possession of the offices of a farm-house, paying for it, and all they asked for.

"This sect paid great attention to their Bible, having it always at hand; spent a great deal of time in singing hymns in which their peculiar tenets were expressed, and in conversing about religion. They believed the last day was at hand-that none of their number should die, but would soon hear the sound of the last trumpet, when all the wicked should be struck dead, and remain so for a thousand years, while they should live and reign with Christ on the earth. They neither married nor gave in marriage, professing to live a holy life as the angels of God, having one common purse, and regarding one another as brothers and sisters. When asked if they had communications for their friends and relations, they answered, they minded not former things or connections, but that their whole attention was devoted to their fellow-saints. Many gross reports were circulated concerning them; but these were generally considered calumnies. For some time they followed no industry, or if they worked, refused all wages, declaring their object in doing so was to mix

that the more out-of-the-way and ridiculous the fancies are, if once they are sanctified under the sacred name of religion, the unhappy mistaken votaries are the more firmly glued to them.

R. B.

No. XI.

TO MISS

MY DEAR COUNTRY WOMAN,

I AM SO impatient to show you that I am once more at peace with you, that I send you the book I mentioned directly rather than wait the uncertain time of my seeing you. I am afraid I have mislaid or lost Collins' Poems, which I promised to Miss Irvin. If I can find them, I will forward them by you; if not, you must apologize for me.

I know you will laugh at it when I tell you that your piano and you together have played the deuce somehow about my heart. My breast has been widowed these many

with others, and inculcate their doctrines. Afterwards, however, they changed their minds, and, removing from Closeburn to the parish of Kirkpatrick-Durham, they rented a considerable farm, which they cultivated in common. In course of time several withdrew and returned to their relations; and, at last, Mrs Buchan died, contrary to her own predictions. On this Mr White acted very disingenuously. He pretended at first she was only in a trance; and afterwards he had her buried privately without the knowledge of her votaries, alleging she was taken up to heaven. A magistrate, however, to his great mortification, obliged him to produce the body, on which he was so affronted, and felt his character so disgraced, that he went off to America. These circumstances must have proved sad blows to the delusion; and accordingly the party gradually dispersed, and dropped out of public view."-M.

* Cromek assigns the composition of this letter to the year 1784, and hazards the conjecture that it may have been addressed to the Peggy alluded to by Burns in his commonplace book. -M.

months, and I thought myself proof against the fascinating witchcraft; but I am afraid you will "feelingly convince me what I am." I say, I am afraid, because I am not sure what is the matter with me. I have one miserable bad symptom; when you whisper, or look kindly to another, it gives me a draught of damnation. I have a kind of wayward wish to be with you ten minutes by yourself, though what I would say, Heaven above knows, for I am sure I know not. I have no formed design in all this; but just, in the nakedness of my heart, write you down a mere matter-offact story. You may perhaps give yourself airs of distance on this, and that will completely cure me; but I wish you would not; just let us meet, if you please, in the old beaten way of friendship.

I will not subscribe myself your humble servant, for that is a phrase I think, at least fifty miles off from the heart; but I will conclude with sincerely wishing that the Great Protector of innocence may shield you from the barbed dart of calumny, and hand you by the covert snare of deceit. R. B.

No. XII.

гO MR JOHN RICHMOND, EDINBURGH.*

MOSSGIEL, Feb. 17, 1786.

MY DEAR SIR,

I HAVE not time at present to upbraid you for your silen ce and neglect; I shall only say I received yours with great

* Mr Richmond was an early friend of the Poet, and it was with him he lodged, when he first went to Edinburgh, and to him we are indebted for many valuable reminiscences of Burns' early efforts in poetry. Connell was the Mauchline carrier, and Smith was then a shopkeeper in Mauchline. It was to this James Smith that Burns addressed one of his performances, beginning "Dear S, the sleest paukie thief." He died in the West

pleasure. I have inclosed you a piece of rhyming ware for your perusal. I have been very busy with the muses since I saw you, and have composed, among several others, The Ordination,' a poem on Mr M'Kinlay's being called to Kilmarnock; Scotch Drink,' a poem ; 'The Cottar's Saturday Night;' 'An Address to the Devil,' &c. I have likewise completed my poem on the 'Dogs,' but have not shown it to the world. My chief patron now is Mr Aikin in Ayr, who is pleased to express great approbation of my works. Be so good as send me Fergusson, by Connel, and I will remit you the money. I have no news to acquaint you with about Mauchline, they are just going on in the old way. I have some very important news with respect to myself, not the most agreeable-news that I a sure you cannot guess, but I shall give you the particulars another time. I am extremely happy with Smith; he is the only friend I have now in Mauchline. I can scarcely forgive your long neglect of me, and I beg you will let me hear from you regularly by Connel. If you would act your part as a friend, I am sure neither good nor bad fortune should strange or alter me. Excuse haste, as I got yours but yesterday.

Indies.

I am, my dear Sir,

Yours,

ROBERT BURNESS.

am

Cromek, who first gave this letter to the public, says, this is the only letter he had met with in which the Poet added the termination, ess, to his name as his father and family had spelled it; but in the letter immediately following, it will be seen that at its date he still adhered to the ancient orthography -M.