top of page
Featured Posts
Check back soon
Once posts are published, you’ll see them here.
Recent Posts
Search

WILLIAM SMELLIE: A SKETCH

  • Neil Macgillivray
  • Aug 3, 2017
  • 1 min read

William Smellie was an antiquary, natural historian and prolific writer. A real ‘man of parts’, he was also the first editor of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Trained as a printer, he printed the Edinburgh Editions of the poetry of Robert Burns. Another claim to fame close to Burns’s heart was that he was a founder of the Crochallan Fencibles, the Edinburgh drinking club, and introduced the poet to the delights of the club.

"Shrewd Willie Smellie to Crochallan came; the old cock’d hat, the grey surtout the same;

His bristling beard just rising in its might, ’Twas four long nights and days to shaving night:

His uncomb’d grizzly locks, wild staring, thatch’d, A head for thought profound and clear, unmatch’d;

Yet tho’ his caustic wit was biting-rude, His heart was warm, benevolent, and good."

https://soundcloud.com/words-of-burns/william-smellie-a-sketch

 
 
 

Recent Posts

See All
THE HIGHLAND WIDOW’S LAMENT

Click here to listen: https://soundcloud.com/user-598426471/highland-widows-lament The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746,...

 
 
 
A Man's A Man For A' That

Click here to listen: https://soundcloud.com/words-of-burns/a-mans-a-man-for-a-that Last weekend I was at the heart of Europe in...

 
 
 
JOHN ANDERSON, MY JO

Click here to listen: https://soundcloud.com/words-of-burns/john-anderson-my-jo As we approach the birthday of Robert Burns, I thought...

 
 
 

Comments


Archive
Search By Tags
Follow Us
  • Facebook Basic Square
  • Twitter Basic Square
  • Google+ Basic Square

© 2014 Neil Macgillivray

bottom of page