Rankine’s sister Margaret was the first wife of John Lapraik about whom Burns also composed an Epistle. Rankine was one of the first to find out that Burns had impregnated Elizabeth Paton ...

The mock persona blames Dr Taylor of Norwich and John Goldie, the subject of the Epistle, both of whom are moderate 'New Lights'. John Goldie or Goudie (1717-1809) was a miller's son from ...