Burns's life, and knows with what enthusiasm he entered into the spirit of Johnson's undertaking, and afterwards of Mr. George Thomson's—the latter a work more ambitious in its character, and much more select and elegant in its design and execution. The services which he rendered to the lyric poetry of his country, by restoring and animating with life and vigour many a half-forgotten lay of the olden time, are incalculable; while his own contributions to that much-loved department of literature—inimitable as they are for their truth of feeling, simplicity and grace of expression, passionate tenderness, exquisite pathos, and felicitous humour—for ever constitute him the 'High Chief of Scottish Song.' No single sentence (and to such we are now limited,) can express the obligations which the lyric literature of Scotland owes to Robert Burns; but with the present volume in his hand, the reader may partly guess at these; and here may be appropriately inscribed, as applicable to the poet, the words of Sir Christopher Wren's epitaph in St. Paul's cathedral—'Si monumentum requiras, circumspice'—'If you seek for his monument, look around.'
Of the Collections of the present century, we can but barely allude to the more important. In 1816 was printed at the University Press of Glasgow, in 2 vols., 'The Pocket Encyclopedia of Songs'—a rather valuable collection, and now extremely scarce. In 1819, was published at Paisley, 'The Harp of Renfrewshire,' a work containing a large number of 'original' songs, and preceded by an 'Essay on the Poets of Renfrewshire,' from the pen of William Motherwell, then a very young man. In 1821, Mr. John Struthers brought out at Glasgow, his 'Harp of Caledonia,' a very comprehensive collection in 3 vols., accompanied by an able 'Essay on Scottish Songwriters.' In 1825 appeared at London, in 4 vols., 'The Songs of Scotland,' by Allan Cunningham, and in 1835, in 2 vols., 'The Songs of England and Scotland,' by Peter Cunningham, the latter work, though limited in its scope, a more faithful guide than the former. In 1829 Mr. Robert Chambers brought out at Edinburgh in 2 vols. his 'Scottish Songs,' a collection of great value, preceded by an 'Historical Essay on Scottish Song,' written in the editor's usual clear and discriminating manner. To this list may be added two musical collections: R. A. Smith's 'Scottish Minstrel,' Edinburgh, 1820, &c., 6 vols., and Mr. Peter Macleod's 'National Melodies,' Edinburgh, 1838. From all these works, the present publication has derived more or less benefit; and it now humbly claims a place by their side, in the hope of being in its turn of service to future collectors.
