To Gavin Hamilton, Esq., Mauchline, Recommending
Robert Burns recommends a boy to Gavin Hamilton rather than letting Master Tootie, also called Laird M'Gaun, hire him away. He fears the lad may learn dishonest habits, such as altering old Crummie’s nicks and lying about them, and proposes that he serve as Hamilton’s clerk if no other position is available. Though the boy is clever enough, Burns suggests that a rough household might teach him to swear; under Hamilton, however, he would receive religious instruction, warnings of hell, and the example of attending kirk whenever Hamilton does. Burns asks that, if Hamilton must be away on the coming Friday, he leave directions with his lady. Having pledged to meet “the warld’s worm” at Paisley John’s to reconcile the parties and settle the earnest and wage legally, Burns warns that the man is skilled at taking advantage of simple people and would surely seize any devil available. He declines to flatter Hamilton and asks instead for the prayers of the grateful Minstrel Burns.
By Robert Burns · First published 1786 · Genre: Epistolary Poetry, Satirical Poetry, Scots Dialect Poetry · 453 words
First lines
Recommending a Boy.
Mossgaville, May 3, 1786.
Similar titles
- Epistle To John Rankine by Robert Burns
- Epitaph For James Smith by Robert Burns
- Reply To An Announcement By J Rankine by Robert Burns
- Epistle To John Goldie In Kilmarnock by Robert Burns
- Versified Reply To An Invitation by Robert Burns
- A Dream by Robert Burns
Genres
- Epistolary Poetry — The work is a verse letter addressed directly to Gavin Hamilton, framed as a practical recommendation concerning a boy's employment.
- Satirical Poetry — Burns uses irony and exaggerated praise to mock moral posturing, legal cunning, religious discipline, and the prospective employer's influence.
- Scots Dialect Poetry — The poem is composed substantially in Scots vernacular, using regional vocabulary, idiom, pronunciation, and rhythms central to Burns's style.
- Occasional Poetry — It responds to a specific contemporary social circumstance: the proposed hiring and placement of a local boy.
Tags
Scottish vernacular poetry · epistolary poem · eighteenth-century Scotland · Mossgaville · Mauchline · rural Scottish life · boyhood · employment recommendation · domestic service · clerkship · moral education · religious instruction
What this Textopian page supports
To Gavin Hamilton, Esq., Mauchline, Recommending a Boy 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: Epistolary Poetry, Satirical Poetry, Scots Dialect Poetry, Occasional Poetry, Comic Poetry
- Length: 453 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for To Gavin Hamilton, Esq., Mauchline, Recommending a Boy by Robert Burns
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