Copy of a Return to Dr John Burton of York, April 18th, 1748
Metadata
Titles
Table of Contents
Copy of a Return to Dr John Burton of
York, April 18th, 1748
Forbes
Copy of a return to Dr. John Burton of York, April 18. 1748
Paton
Return to the preceding letter
Pages
Forbes
Vol. 4, 839—843Paton
Vol. 2, 63—65Credits
Encoder (metadata)
Transcriber
Proofreader
Proofreader
Encoder
Encoder
Status
Document
Metadata
Correspondence
sent
| Person | Robert Forbes |
| Date | 18 Apr 1748 |
| Place | Lady Bruce 's house |
| Place |
received
| Person | Dr. John Burton |
| Date | |
| Place | York |
acknowledgements
compliments to
quote
enclosed in
enclosures
requests
quote
for the copy you promised to send me was of a letter written after the battle of Falkirk. If you have such a one, be so good as send me a transcript of it. (Paton vol. 2, 63)
remediation
in Forbes
Related Documents
Active:
Copy of the Laird of MacLeod's Letter
to Kingsborrow anent giving up the Prince (v04.0701.01): Mentions in transcription
Copy of a Letter from Dr. John Burton of York (March 24. 1748) wherein Copy of a Letter from the Prince to his father, Perth September 10 1745 et cetera et cetera et cetera (v04.0825.01): Mentions in transcription
(v04.0826.01): Mentions in transcription
Copy of a Letter from Mr MacDonald of Kingsborrow, March 25th, 1748 (v04.0851.01): Mentions in footnote
Passive:
Copy of a Letter to Dr Burton of York from me Robert Forbes (v05.0939.01): Mentioned in footnote
Copy of a Letter from Dr Burton to me Robert Forbes
wherein of the peace then on the Carpet (v05.1062.01): Mentioned in footnote
Copy of an Answer to Mr Gordon's Letter, June 16. 1749. (v07.1362.01): Mentioned in footnote
Transcription
Copy of a Return to the pre-
ceedingpreceding Letter.
Dear Sir,
Your kind Letter of March
24th reached me in due Course. Your
long Silence made me at a Loss what
to think. Sometimes I was afraid
of your being laid up in the Gout,
&and at other Times I figured You
much engaged in the Business of
your Profession, so that, in either
Case, you could not be writing Let-
ters to Friends at a Distance;
but I never once imagined In-
gratitude to be the Case with You.
However, at last you have made
a sufficient Atonement by your long
&and obliging Letter. I return You my
most hearty Thanks for the Copy
of a Letter you sent me, which I
had never so much as heard of
before; for the Copy you promised
to send me, was, of a Letter writ-
ten after the Battle of Falkirk.
If you have such a one, be so good
as send me a Transcript of it.
24th reached me in due Course. Your
long Silence made me at a Loss what
to think. Sometimes I was afraid
of your being laid up in the Gout,
&and at other Times I figured You
much engaged in the Business of
your Profession, so that, in either
Case, you could not be writing Let-
ters to Friends at a Distance;
but I never once imagined In-
gratitude to be the Case with You.
However, at last you have made
a sufficient Atonement by your long
&and obliging Letter. I return You my
most hearty Thanks for the Copy
of a Letter you sent me, which I
had never so much as heard of
before; for the Copy you promised
to send me, was, of a Letter writ-
ten after the Battle of Falkirk.
If you have such a one, be so good
as send me a Transcript of it.
Mr Carmichael remembers you
kindly
840
(840)
kindly, &and bids me inform you, that
the Gowns cannot be ready till about
the End of May ^ ^ ^orof the Beginning
of June; but that your Commissi-
on is to be minded first.
kindly, &and bids me inform you, that
the Gowns cannot be ready till about
the End of May ^ ^ ^or
of June; but that your Commissi-
on is to be minded first.
The Clergyman1 you mention lives
not hereatbouts. His Dwelling-place
is at a great Distance from this in
the Highlands of Scotland. I know
Nothing as yet as to what Discove-
ries he may have made.
not hereatbouts. His Dwelling-place
is at a great Distance from this in
the Highlands of Scotland. I know
Nothing as yet as to what Discove-
ries he may have made.
As to your preparing for the Press,
suffer me, Dear Sir, to tell you my
Opinion plainly &and honestly. I am
persuaded, your Collection is not
full enough for that Purpose.
Besides, since I had the Happi-
ness of seeing you, I have been
making a strict Enquiry into these
Matters, and, after a leisurely and
impartial Examen, I can assure
You, that some Facts will not stand
the Test in every Particular. I say
not this with any Intention to dis-
courage you in the Attempt, but to
suggest Wariness &and Deliberation.
I need not hint to one of your Judg-
mentJudgement &and Experience in the Affairs of 841 (841)
of Life, that to render one capable
of narrating Facts exactly (the pro-
per Business of an Historian) espe-
cially where many secret interest-
ing Incidents come in the Way,
must be a Work of Time &and of a
long repeated Enquiry. In a Word,
Things must be sifted to the
Bottom, &and weighed in the BallanceBalance
of sober Reason, that so the Histo-
rian may proceed upon sure Grounds,
&and be able to withstand all the
Attacks of a partial &and criticizing
World. However, if you are de-
termined to appear soon in Print,
I must earnestly beg, that you
would blank some certain Names,
the giving of which plainly would
tend only to expose those Wor-
thies, who had the Courage and
Virtue to despise the gilded Dust,
to the enfuriateinfuriate Rage of, &cetc, &cetc,
&cetc. and, surely, no honest Man
would wish to have the remotest
Hand in their Ruin &and Destruction.
suffer me, Dear Sir, to tell you my
Opinion plainly &and honestly. I am
persuaded, your Collection is not
full enough for that Purpose.
Besides, since I had the Happi-
ness of seeing you, I have been
making a strict Enquiry into these
Matters, and, after a leisurely and
impartial Examen, I can assure
You, that some Facts will not stand
the Test in every Particular. I say
not this with any Intention to dis-
courage you in the Attempt, but to
suggest Wariness &and Deliberation.
I need not hint to one of your Judg-
mentJudgement &and Experience in the Affairs of 841 (841)
of Life, that to render one capable
of narrating Facts exactly (the pro-
per Business of an Historian) espe-
cially where many secret interest-
ing Incidents come in the Way,
must be a Work of Time &and of a
long repeated Enquiry. In a Word,
Things must be sifted to the
Bottom, &and weighed in the BallanceBalance
of sober Reason, that so the Histo-
rian may proceed upon sure Grounds,
&and be able to withstand all the
Attacks of a partial &and criticizing
World. However, if you are de-
termined to appear soon in Print,
I must earnestly beg, that you
would blank some certain Names,
the giving of which plainly would
tend only to expose those Wor-
thies, who had the Courage and
Virtue to despise the gilded Dust,
to the enfuriateinfuriate Rage of, &cetc, &cetc,
&cetc. and, surely, no honest Man
would wish to have the remotest
Hand in their Ruin &and Destruction.
—Verbum Sapienti sat est.—2
The Copy handed about of
MacLeod’s Letter to KingsborrowKingsburghis
(thousands not
842
(842)
(thousands of which are in London &and
EdrEdinburgh) is not genuingenuine, &and I have not a
true &and exact Copy ^of it to send to you.
I lately saw a ✝Letter under Kings-
borrowKingsburgh’s own Hand, wherein he
declares, that the Copy handed a-
bout is not genuingenuine.
MacLeod’s Letter to KingsborrowKingsburgh
(thousands of which are in London &and
EdrEdinburgh) is not genuingenuine, &and I have not a
true &and exact Copy ^of it to send to you.
I lately saw a ✝Letter under Kings-
borrowKingsburgh’s own Hand, wherein he
declares, that the Copy handed a-
bout is not genuingenuine.
You need not be surprizedsurprised, that Mal-
colm MacLeod has never writ to
You, when I tell You, that Rasay’s
second Son has been long in a
dying Condition, which gives great
Concern to all his Friends. In eve-
ry Letter I have from Malcolm
he remembers you most affectio-
nately, and, particularly in one of
Date JanryJanuary 13th, he complains for
Want of Time to write to You, &and
desires me to give his Service to
You &and your Lady, which I could
never do till now that you have
afforded me an Opportunity of cor-
responding with you. He received
the Letter you sent him from E-
dinburgh, which he looks upon as a
great Compliment.
colm MacLeod has never writ to
You, when I tell You, that Rasay’s
second Son has been long in a
dying Condition, which gives great
Concern to all his Friends. In eve-
ry Letter I have from Malcolm
he remembers you most affectio-
nately, and, particularly in one of
Date JanryJanuary 13th, he complains for
Want of Time to write to You, &and
desires me to give his Service to
You &and your Lady, which I could
never do till now that you have
afforded me an Opportunity of cor-
responding with you. He received
the Letter you sent him from E-
dinburgh, which he looks upon as a
great Compliment.
You please me much by sending
me
843 (843)
me a Copy of the Country Farm-
er’s Performance, which indeed
is rough &and plain enough.
843 (843)
me a Copy of the Country Farm-
er’s Performance, which indeed
is rough &and plain enough.
April 18th,
1748.
1748.
P= S: I am sorry, I cannot return
the Compliment of a Frank.3 I en-
deavoured to procure one, but could
not have it, ^&and I have never yet
seen our Friend, D------[rummon]d, since
the Receipt of your Letter. Forgive
me then for putting You to the
Charge of Postage.
the Compliment of a Frank.3 I en-
deavoured to procure one, but could
not have it, ^&and I have never yet
seen our Friend, D------[rummon]d, since
the Receipt of your Letter. Forgive
me then for putting You to the
Charge of Postage.
Adieu.
Copy
Citation
Forbes, Robert. “Copy of a return to Dr. John Burton of York, April 18. 1748.” The Lyon in Mourning,
vol. 4,
Adv.MS.32.6.19, fol. 110r–112r. The Lyon in Mourning Project,
edited by Leith Davis, https://lyoninmourning.dhil.lib.sfu.ca/
Appendix
Possibly George Innes or Reverend Mr. James Hay, but perhaps more likely John MacLachlan, given Forbes's letter to the latter immediately following this correspondence with Burton.
"A word to the wise is sufficient."
I.e. mail sent by post not requiring payment by the recipient, or a mark permitting the same.