---
title: "To Mr. John Kennedy"
author: "Robert Burns"
recipient: "Mr. John Kennedy"
letter_number: 13
roman: "XIII"
date: "March 1786"
place: "Mossgiel"
source: "Project Gutenberg #18500 — The Complete Works of Robert Burns (ed. Allan Cunningham)"
editor: "Allan Cunningham"
source_url: "https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18500/pg18500.txt"
canonical_url: "https://robert-burns.com/letters/013-to-john-kennedy/"
---

# To Mr. John Kennedy

## Editor's note
Who the John Kennedy was to whom Burns addressed this note, enclosing "The Cotter's Saturday night," it is now, perhaps, vain to inquire: the Kennedy to whom Mr. Cobbett introduces us was a Thomas—perhaps a relation.

— Allan Cunningham

## Letter
SIR,

I have done myself the pleasure of complying with your request in sending you my Cottager.—If you have a leisure minute, I should be glad you would copy it, and return me either the original or the transcript, as I have not a copy of it by me, and I have a friend who wishes to see it.

"Now, Kennedy, if foot or horse."[157]

ROBT. BURNESS.

## Footnotes
157. Poem LXXV.

---

Source: [Project Gutenberg #18500 — The Complete Works of Robert Burns (ed. Allan Cunningham)](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18500/pg18500.txt), edited by Allan Cunningham  
Canonical HTML: https://robert-burns.com/letters/013-to-john-kennedy/