John Muir, proprietor of Willie’s Mill in Tarbolton, a notable reference in ‘Death and Dr Hornbook’, shared a close friendship with the Burns family. In a time of need, he extended his support to Jean Armour, sheltering her when she found herself pregnant for the second time due to Burns. On February 23rd, 1788, Burns paid Jean a visit, riding from Dunlop House to Mossgiel. Following this encounter, he penned a letter to Clarinda, describing Jean as a ‘farthing taper beside the cloudless glory of the meridian sun’, with the ‘sun’ representing Clarinda herself.
Found within his Second Commonplace Book, Burns composed an epitaph in honor of Muir:
“An honest man here lies at rest, As e’er God with his Image blest: A friend of man, the friend of truth, The friend of age and guide of youth; Few hearts like his—with virtue warm’d, Few heads with knowledge so informed: If there’s another world, he lives in bliss; If there is none, he made the best of this.”
Burns played a significant role in aiding Muir’s widow, a gesture facilitated through the efforts of Gavin Hamilton.
A guide track for ‘William Muir’ is available below for listening: -
You can download a PDF of the sheet music here
- or braille format here.
The track is additionally available within the following collections and sets: -
Associated Collections: -
12/8
Ayrshire Characters
Bagpipe
Jig
Not Yet Recorded
Robert Burns
The Tarbolton Collection
The Three Six Five Collection
Associated PDF Download Sets: -
March 1
