s, going into the house to write them dowhe inspiration began to fg. in this process is to be found the expnation of much of the peculiar quality of the songs of burns. scarcely any known author has succeeded so brilliantly in bining his work with folk material, or in carrying on with such tinuity of spirit the tradition of popur song. fee thomson's colle of scottish airs he performed a fun simir to that which he had had in the “museum”; and his poetical activity during the st eight or nine years of his life was chiefly devoted to these two publications. in spite of the fact that he was stantly in severe financial straits, he refused to accept any
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