Epistle to John Goldie, in Kilmarnock
Robert Burns’s Epistle to John Goldie praises “Gowdie” as a feared opponent of Whigs, ministers, and religious severity. The speaker imagines Bigotry, Superstition, Enthusiasm, and Orthodoxy as sickly old figures collapsing under Goldie’s and Taylor’s attacks. Bigotry curses Goldie, Superstition requires Black Jock as a physician, Enthusiasm is dying of an incurable consumption, and Orthodoxy struggles for breath and should have her name announced in the chapel as one near death. The speaker says that Goldie and Taylor are chiefly blamed for this “black mischief,” though he suggests that the Lord’s own people might prefer a brutal remedy involving tar and burning peat to settle the dispute. Claiming little skill, especially in prose, he privately wishes Goldie success and advises him not to be troubled by abuse. Goldie should strike his opponents harder when they complain, while keeping a strong drink close at hand, since it quickens an author’s pulse and sharpens wit. The poem ends by celebrating “honest nappy,” asserting that drink makes men happy and women pleasant. The speaker recalls being so drunk he could scarcely see, yet says that half a mutchkin is enough to set him writing rhymes again with keen speed.
By Robert Burns · First published 1786 · Genre: Verse Epistle, Satirical Poetry, Religious Satire · 609 words
First lines
Author Of The Gospel Recovered. -August, 1785
O Gowdie, terror o' the whigs, / Dread o' blackcoats and rev'rend wigs! / Sour Bigotry, on her last legs, / Girns an' looks back, / Wishing the ten Egyptian plagues / May seize you quick.
What this Textopian page supports
Epistle to John Goldie, in Kilmarnock is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1786 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Burns
- Date: 1786 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Verse Epistle, Satirical Poetry, Religious Satire, Polemical Poetry, Scots Poetry
- Length: 609 words
- Structure: 1 section, 14 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Epistle to John Goldie, in Kilmarnock by Robert Burns
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Genres
- Verse Epistle — The poem is directly addressed to John Goldie and adopts the personal, conversational form of a poetic letter.
- Satirical Poetry — Burns ridicules religious opponents through exaggerated images of Bigotry, Superstition, Enthusiasm, and Orthodoxy as dying figures.
- Religious Satire — Its central target is sectarian Calvinist orthodoxy, clerical intolerance, and what Burns presents as oppressive religious fanaticism.
- Polemical Poetry — The poem takes a forceful partisan position, praises Goldie's theological challenge, and attacks named or implied adversaries.
Tags
Scottish vernacular poetry · verse epistle · August 1785 · Kilmarnock · religious controversy · anti-bigotry satire · anti-superstition · critique of religious orthodoxy · Whigs · clergy satire · blackcoats and reverend wigs · Enthusiasm personified