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The grave of the Scottish poet Robert Fergusson (1750-74) in the Canongate Kirkyard. Educated at the Edinburgh High School, Fergusson began writing poetry at the University of St. Andrews. After imitating English pastoral verses, he turned to writing in Scots and was hailed as the successor to Allan Ramsay. His best known work, 'Auld Reekie', is a satirical evocation of Edinburgh and its citizens. In 1774, after falling down a flight of stairs, his mental and physical condition deteriorated and he was committed to the Edinburgh madhouse where he died at the age of only 24. Distress at his condition led Dr. Andrew Duncan to devote his life to the treatment of the mentally ill, resulting in the founding of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. Fergusson was a major inspiration to Robert Burns and Walter Scott.