細節
[BURNS, ROBERT]. McLEHOSE, AGNES ("CLARINDA"). Autograph letter signed to Allan Cunningham, Edinburgh, 18 October 1834. 3 pages, 4to, 230 x 187mm. (9 x 7 1/4 in.), integral address leaf with red wax seal, tipped to a larger sheet, bound at front of the following: MCLEHOSE, W.C., editor. The Correspondence Between Burns and Clarinda. With a Memoir of Mrs. M'Lehose, (Clarinda). Edinburgh: Tait, 1843. 12mo, each leaf of the 300-page book neatly inlaid to 4to size, red morocco gilt, covers gilt-lettered and gilt-ruled, with gilt thistle devices in corners, spine gilt in six compartments, gilt-lettered in two, green watered silk doublures and end-papers, g.e., by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, folding fleece-lined red cloth case.
Cunningham (1784-1842) had known Burns in his youth and edited Burns's works and letters after the poet's death. Burns's intimate friend "Clarinda" turned down requests by Cunningham and others to allow publication of their letters, which remained unpublished until after her death in April 1839. In the present letter, Mrs. McLehose reiterates her unwillingness to permit publication of the famous correspondence. "I need not say that I was greatly surprized at Mr. McCrone's assertion that I had 'given him permission' to print... when I have all along, expressed in my letters both to him and you how averse I was to grant any such permission and even if my wish had been otherwise, I did not possess the power of granting it. The reason of this opinion was so fully stated in my last letter to you that I consider it quite unnecessary to trouble you with any repetition. All this I repeated strongly to Mr. McCrone when he called upon me a few weeks ago and urged me for permission to publish the letters and stated that my son had said I had no power to give it... He said a great deal about their being already published by others in a garbled and incorrect form and that they would be better published; and teased by his importunity, I merely said loosely he might make the best of it, or some such expression. Surely such slight expressions extorted from a lady at my advanced time of life cannot be considered a permission to publish... Messrs. Cordall, Caddell and Davies and the Heirs of Burns's will... have a clear right to prosecute..." Burns and Mrs. McLehose met in Scotland prior to his 1788 marriage to Jean Armour.
Cunningham (1784-1842) had known Burns in his youth and edited Burns's works and letters after the poet's death. Burns's intimate friend "Clarinda" turned down requests by Cunningham and others to allow publication of their letters, which remained unpublished until after her death in April 1839. In the present letter, Mrs. McLehose reiterates her unwillingness to permit publication of the famous correspondence. "I need not say that I was greatly surprized at Mr. McCrone's assertion that I had 'given him permission' to print... when I have all along, expressed in my letters both to him and you how averse I was to grant any such permission and even if my wish had been otherwise, I did not possess the power of granting it. The reason of this opinion was so fully stated in my last letter to you that I consider it quite unnecessary to trouble you with any repetition. All this I repeated strongly to Mr. McCrone when he called upon me a few weeks ago and urged me for permission to publish the letters and stated that my son had said I had no power to give it... He said a great deal about their being already published by others in a garbled and incorrect form and that they would be better published; and teased by his importunity, I merely said loosely he might make the best of it, or some such expression. Surely such slight expressions extorted from a lady at my advanced time of life cannot be considered a permission to publish... Messrs. Cordall, Caddell and Davies and the Heirs of Burns's will... have a clear right to prosecute..." Burns and Mrs. McLehose met in Scotland prior to his 1788 marriage to Jean Armour.