Illustration to 'Tam O'Shanter' by Robert Burns. Study for an Engraving

This drawing illustrates a verse from Burns’s epic Poem ‘Tam O’Shanter’ that recounts the events after a night spent drinking and Tam’s journey home. Here, Faed shows the scene where Tam has been watching the evil spirits dancing in the ruins of old Alloway Kirk. He cannot contain himself and shouts to one of the young witches "Weel done, Cutty-sark". This mistake made the gathering of spirits abandon their dance and all fled out to chase Tam and his horse Meg: "And scarcely had he Maggie rallied, / When out the hellish legion sallied". This drawing was engraved and published in an illustrated edition of Burns’s work.