(1878.)
Poetry and Poets--Milton, Dante, Petrarch--Old-time Poetry in
Scotland--Influence of Scenery on Literature--Lives that are
Poems--Birth of Burns--Early Life and Education--Scotland Emerging from
the Gloom of Calvinism--A Metaphysical Peasantry--Power of the Scotch
Preacher--Famous Scotch Names--John Barleycorn vs. Calvinism--Why Robert
Burns is Loved--His Reading--Made Goddesses of Women--Poet of Love: His
"Vision," "Bonnie Doon," "To Mary in Heaven"--Poet of Home:
"Cotter's Saturday Night," "John Anderson, My Jo"--Friendship: "Auld
Lang-Syne"--Scotch Drink: "Willie brew'd a peck o' maut"--Burns the
Artist: The "Brook," "Tam O'Shanter"--A Real Democrat: "A man's a man
for a' that"--His Theology: The Dogma of Eternal Pain, "Morality,"
"Hypocrisy," "Holy Willie's Prayer"--On the Bible--A Statement of his
Religion--Contrasted with Tennyson--From Cradle to Coffin--His Last
words--Lines on the Birth-place of Burns.