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Un des symboles isuivants apparattra sur la, dernlAre ima^e de cheque microfiche, sefdn 1^ / cas: le symbble — ► signifie "A SUIVRE". le symbolef V signifie "FIN". - - Maps, plates, charts, etc.. may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartas, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmAs A des taux de reduction diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit ep un seul clichA. 11 est filmA A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 "i- ' / 1 2 3 32 X V 4 5 6 M JE M O I R ,j) J' OF ROBERT POLLOK, A. M. m- BY REV. D*AVID RINTOUL, HON. MEMBER OF THE LIT, AND PHIL. 80C. OP THE UNITED COLLEGE, ST. ANDREWS. TORONTO: fWI^IED BY J. CI'»-yp. AND SOLD IT 0£014^S BROWN .,A;.?|.J".i* :... ,4^. -'i^ A:.J».4:&.Xiiwi 5SV f ■ f- <^ " - •r _ \ t-' 1 • • < 1 / t 1 •}i\ > f \ > \ • - ■ < > i V 1 /' * • ■V. ' - 1 ) » ', 1 ^ - \ -,. ' t . (' \ P^ • ■ • • i^ * f # ?•' • --. ^, ;:»«Ma.\«j..., r w, „:^ •^-..d ,. ■ ..'..■<. .. 1. k. . .;;.:-.w.t- ■■ ■ .■,r..,.',.v:4;i.ol.',tt....r ..... ..i THE FOLLOWING V .::i.''..i.i'...^MMli!u... MEMOIE OF A YOUTHFUL POET, IS INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR. TO ♦♦* •♦**♦****, AN AMERICAN LADY. \ \ \\ " STAT NOMINIS UMBRA." \ . \\ " Yes» of thy country's fame, worthy art thou, ^A noble matron, sure, though young in years ; 'And though I see around thee fair compeers, No envy comes to darken thy pale b|ow ; Thine eye with eagle's brightness well I wean Woman's real greatness has discc/ncd true— A fountain sealed, a garden fair a/e you j Ay, and most artful— bxit in wisd/>m seen. Aspiring after end that's worthy kill ; jAmbition c all it no t, nor thought of jiraise. Thy hidden aim that leads the/ thus to raise. ' Above the bubbles vulgar fab-iiion j)]^ase— No; sure 'tis not of euijh, but frofii above Thy spirit glows wilh roye of Ik a yen's own love. And in the pre^cut suli the f^tur^ sees." ;■ «^6d -r. riAiiLi^jil* *!* LIFE O^ BOBERT POLLOK, A. M. PART FIRST. .^tS -Tr^- 1 u^ ^^''^ ^^'""^ f'^y •"«" '^*n understand ; and though it IS true that it is the history of an individual, vet on the supposition that he is an individual who has reached distinction by his talents or by his virtues — that he has come out from among the multitude, and is one wl^ftl thev have delighted to honour, he is, in the elements al least, of his ch Jfaer, 'one of themselves-a representative or type of a large class of men, Tnln forminjr an accurate apprehension of his character we make a reach at general truths We may not have the delineation of ^ whole nation or community, but we ti,.?*K I- f * f^ ' *"1 ^^"«^'0"« consist of classes of men, on the supposition that the history of one individual of each could be written, we should then have. lir"- *f- ?r'\ '^' ''. ^'^" '^'^'^ °'' ^^^ "**'«"• It « to be observed, also ^ that an individual stands in certain relations to others, and therefore the illus- ration which we give of his life casts often a large flood of light upon the times and country m which he lived. The rao»t accurate view of the world's .T7-' therefore, would be best accom|«ished by a series of biographies of ' select individuals of all nations, from thfedfost ancient times down To our own day. Bible history, it may be observed, ^written on this principle. Little else 18 presented to our view, in the history\mprehending the period that elapsed from the flood Until near the times of c%tianity, than sketches of the ^vesofjadividuals; and yet every student oflffifetf HistoTV knows wTiSr a great light it casts upon the state of contemporarybommunities and nations. iZl ''^flections are perhaps of too general a kindVpreface the presem sketch. Our only apology is, that Mr. PoUok belongs to'a coWry which/though not large, has done much for education, wnJ-that he is the re^sentative ofa ^ l-IL'f f r'"°?« •" " who have undergone gr^ self-denial in trimming the lamp of knowledge athome, and in scattering its^lorious influence over other r- ■ 6 LIFE OF ROBERT POLLOK, A. M. i pArts of the earth. After we Have told the facti of his life, We shall refer more particularly to the class he belongs to — meanwhile we shajl proceed with our narrative. I •■:■,, I., RobertPollok, the Author of the Course of iTime, was bopn in Renfrew- shire, ^tland, on the 19th of October, 1798. ttis father folloy, incongruous though _ it might be to see him dressed up after the manner of a jtiil- But wishing t5 humour him as far as possible, she agreed that after his pr«*ent garment was "done," slip would consent sto the change. The discering little urchin took his mother at her word, and without saying Mjnro, he retired into an adjoininir room for a, few minutes, duri'pg which time lie must have made a good use of his pon knife;, for when he camieouthis petti- coat was draggling like a lone train behind hinfiv - His good mother was thus outwitted — the petticoat was fairly "done" now. ^he gave up the point, and it is perhaps needless to add, tiiat from this time ho began to wear the breeches. ' His first teacher wa^i Ids mother. Siic taught hinv^o read tlie Bible, and afterwards to commit the shorter catechism to memory. "And as some of his ancestors had suffered much during the persecutions of the Presbyterians in Scotland, between the years 1660 and 1688, she totld him anecdotes illustra- tive ofiiio character of those times — a circumstance which appears to have inspired him with an ardent zeal for civil and religious liberty. Napoleon Bonajvarte, notwithstanding all his despotism and ambition, appears at times^to have imbibed a better. spirit. Ho showed this in the abhorrence. in which he li^ld suoU ohftraetei-s as Robespier re an d iJarere. We see it alsq^ia acei^in groping after improvements on a great scale in Europe — but never perhaps <]o we find it more manifest than in something like an aspiratioo-aftef a national system of education, and a regret, which on one occasion- ho is said to have expressed, that there veere not mothers to carry it inta effect. We have no wish to eulogise the professional teachers of Scotland for the great exertions they have madeni speeding forward the cause of education, because there has been shall refer roceed with n Renfrew- )d the occu- the mother The poet p.ars he was ih walk and tiore private that in I)is I Addition tu lliat, bnsides ! him till the cried which ^ree, and is jnts of early lu'o for some tcr precisely \vn up boys predicament accordingly e a stronger iposed to the eld the point up after tlir , she agreed the change, bout saying f which time out his petti- ler was thus e point, and he breeches. ' E Bible, and some of his byterians in otes illustra- ears to have Napoleon rs at times to I in which ho juiftaoettain ever perkaps tef a national said to have have no wish xertions they ier0 has been fctFB OF mOBBKt PtMLLOK, a/ ■; ^ f pcrhj^s too much of this, more Specially when we look to a higher .standard of excellence, than what this or the other country furnlahos, in the nre^t stat0 of the world. The truth is, there is no cla.« o^^nelr in any nation whatever that has much t# boast of in the matter of education, for where so much remams yet to be done, it is unwi.t IS remembered that at this time his ifriends jxist imagined thev were dealing with an ordinary boy, and never scc|»i to have tliouabt that bo nnssc^sfd Om^.t me powers o^ fancy, which aftcrwai-ds enabled him/to occunv sucii a dis- ""Suished place among the masters/of sacred song. ^^ny individuals have had oci:aaion to lament the untoward Bccid4l« that betal them m early life. The subject of this memoir, a^ we shall mmcditltely see, was of thh.mdyPr. While attcndini,^ a puldic school, he hecamo an innocent sufferer tfcShsequence of the violent disposition of one of h.s companions. It may be obseryed that. Mke other hoys of like years, vo.ine PollQk was extremely fond of sp/rts and ptky. In these be en-arre-i with liM. greatest eagerness, and he is sair/ to have e.^lled all bis com ne'e r'^ in feats of - strength and agility. At this tii/ic it is very Vmmnn to find bovs sriven to all Kinds ot mischief-so'n^ycb I's /liis the caso iAsome sebools wlmre t'lP chil- dren are not impressed with a s/enso of religiouX oftli-ation, that if i^. really one of the most grieVous t:vils. / The children of^Ve careless aixlof the .li'i^en't ^ IT ^A\-l"r ^T^'^'^'-^T ''•'' '' '^••"' i" f'>^ "N times, when Ishniiierdi.- cnaigod his shafts of maliciou^ ridicule affaiHstlsaAc, so it is still— the xvenk ' oo_ often suffers by the strong,4nd the timid by the reckless. The poet Cowper 7.^1-^ rr-"--v» f^ ^ 0-jfevously -annovefl bv the tyrannical ^nd uut^f certain of his school-mates, thkl bis life was rendered absolutely miserable : and • wnen he became a man, he U'rote a satirical poem against pi^blic Seminaries, wnicii, It it proves anything at all, would certainly prove that th^y are i national pvil ». r / ' ' • i "Would you/yplir son should, be a sot or dunce. LaaciviouM, /l>cadstrong, or all these at once ; 8 . UFE Of lOPBltr POLLOK, A. M. "^ " " That in godd time the stripling's finish 'd U;8to For loose expense and fashionable waste, Shouldi^pA)ve your ruin or your own at last, ' ." , '' Train him in public with a mob of boys; ' " • ' Childish in mischief only and in noise. • • ■ • ♦ * , * • ■ ♦ , >> The weak and bashful boy will soon be taught 'TobeaM.b^ld and forward as he ought, The rude will scuffle. through with ea^ enough, Great schools suit best the sturdy and the roui^h. ♦ ♦ ♦-* *, ♦ * And you. arf staunch indeed in learning's cause If you can crown a discipline that draws f u ; Such mischief after it with much,«ppIau8e.V - j. And certainly few people acquainted with public Seminaries will refiuse to sidmitthat many boys are to be found thereof such depraved feelings tMt they often injure or corrupt their fellows. We would willingly hope, however, that there ii some improvement. At all events tho abuses which may arise out of Seminaries, supposing they aire good otherwise, is no reason why they should be set aside. Mere private teaching does not introduce a young man to a krtowledge»bf the world, and thi^ is a branch of knowledge of such importance that it cannot well be dispensed with-. Since, however, the evils' arising from bad companions are so generally acknowledged, something of a practical kind might be done in order to remove them. Our systems of edu- catioji are all too intellectual. Why should there not be the moral training as well as the intellectual ? Why might not a special hour be set apart in the week for a Minister or Elder visiting the school, and giving some special counsel of a moral and religious kind suitable to the relations in which the pupils stand. It is well known that the supporters of the Normar^ystem of training claim no small credit to it from this single considerationXhat they, far exceUence, train the moral faculties of the child according to the sijripture rule ; but if moral training be a good thing, as it confessedly is, why not ha^ it in every system ? why not have an hour once or twice a-week for picturing out the moral lessons whjcha parable or other interesting part of Scripture may contain. Moral truth is the natural and appointed safeguard against ' immoral doings of whatever kind they may be, and most assuredly the system which is without that branch has in it a defect that nothing can supply. The incident we are about, to record, perhaps, maybe held as warranting this digres^sion. Though at the period of life to which we now refer, the young poet, as we have hinted above, was full of fun and^ frolic, he was incapable of doing an injury to any of his school -fellows — this did not save him from sufFering by the hand of another who was less gentle in\ his disposition. He liad been associated with a robust boy sbnae three yeara,oldcr than himself in a^aine which depended on fleetness in running. His' S^itagonist gaVe chase witli such eagerness as to show he meant to run him down. Young Pollok, on t'is pa rt too, not t o V outdone, ' fled with all his mi ght . The ru n was a close one ; a iTvuTet rhfervened in their patTi ; iRobert, all breathless as lie was, could scarce clear it |wilh a lea(|^, and when he looked round to see if he was still pursued, he perceived that his fierce competitor had sunk down on the farther bank, thereby cjsnfessing his defeat.' tt may perhaps be thought by some individuals that an incident of this kind is too trivial to be noticed, but in the lives of men it is oflen found that great results arise out of small things. So f h it w his bina earl brot w»hi< that The heb 'one The to hf usini sh^ll have Poll( 7 f LIFE %Of Rf>WiWrrQfLhOKi A. M. 9| It was in tliC present instange. From this .hour Robert odntrtcted » pain i^. his Tfide and breast which, though often alleViated, never left him, unti),.in com. bmation withy other ca4i«e8, it brought hipti, in the noon of hiji hopes, to an early grave ! It ns perhaps also worthy of record, wjiat ia noticpd by hlft brother, that " after this running he lost his white and ruddy complexion, for Whioh^he was before remiarkable, and became pale." There are few things 'Pk^w*'^*^® '''*"^'"®*'" ''f o*'»'<»d more quickly than iHe death of relatives. fbefctTectionsofa boy in his sixteenth t)r seventeenth yearare as lively as when . he becomes a man. "And siipposing he forms few serjous thoughts of death, one thing he knows of it, thai he has lost forever in this world a dear ftiend. . The death of Robert's sister, Mrs. Young, wKen he was about t1iis.age„appearg to have deeply inipressed him. >Ble author still .tememb^red«,it when per- "ui?^i, V"™"!^' ^^*""' '*"■ "® '"fterwove with it this affecting episode.^ We shAir here copy'^ihe passage, becauseT, apart from it« poetical merits, it may have a peculiar interest in ^e estirhation of th*e reader, as embalming Mr. Pollok s thoughts and feelings on a very trying occasion in early life :-r- . " Our sighs were numerous and profuse our tears, For she we lost was lovely, and we loved Her much. Fres|i ip our memory, as fresh As- yesterday, is yet the day she died. h was an April day ; and blithely all The youth of nature leaped beneath the sun. And promised glorious rifanhood : and our hearts Were glad, and-round them danced the lightsoipe blood, In healthy merriment: when tidings came A child was born, and tidings Same again j_^ That she who gave it birth was sick to death. Soswift trod sorrpw on thte heels i)fjov ! '"■' We gatjiered rourid her bed and bent o^r kntees ' ^ In fervent supplication to the throne Of mercy ; *and berfumed our prayers wtth sighs Sincerfe, and peiVitential tears and looks Of self-abasement : but we sought to stay ' An angel on th^ eai^lhj^-ft^pirit ripe For Heaven ; and mercy, in her love, -refused, Most merciful, as oft, when seeming least ! Most gracious when she seemed the most to frown ! The room I well remember, atnd the bed ^ On which she lay, and all the faces too-' That crowded darlt and moui'nfully around.^ ■ Her father there and mother, bending, stoodT And down their aged cheeks.fell many drops • Q{ bitterness : her husband too was there, ^ And brothers, and |they wept : her sisters tqp - .Did weep and sorrow comfortless : and I Too wept, though not to weeping gwSn |lraralt t ^ 7 Within the hoirse Was dolorous and sad. This I remember well : but better still l.do remember, and will ne'er ftf^et. The dying eye ! That eye alone was bright, And brighter grew, as nearer death approached.* 1® LfPB or ttOBERT X>t.t.dK, A. itf. As I have seen the geritle little flower I^ook fairest in the silver beam which fell ' «^ Reflected from the thunder cloud, that soon Came down, and Ver the desert flattered far And widte its loveliness. She made a sign To bring her babe : 'twas brou^t and by her placed ; She looked upoh its face that neither smiled Nor wejit, nor knew who gd^ed thereon, and laid ' Her hand tjpon its little breast, and sought For it, With look that seemed to penetrate ^ The Heavens, unutterable Wessiogs, such ^ As God to dying parents only granted, * For infants left behind them in the world. ' God keep my child !' we heard her say, and heard - No more: the Angel of the Covenant Was come ; and faithfuf to his promise stood, Prenared to walk with her through death's dark vale. And now her eyes grew bright, and brighter still, ' .► Too bright for ours to look upon, suffused ' With many tears— ^and'closed without^' cloud: They set as sets the morning star, which gpcs Not down behind the darkened West, not- hides Obscured among the temjiftels of the sky, And. melts away into the light of Heaven. Taking into account that these verses truly describe the scene as it appeared to young Pollok, and to the lady's other relatives, we see in the fulness with which ho expatiates over it, what a deep impression the sad incident had made upon the heart and mind of the poet. But here it is proper we should direct the attention of the reader to another phasis of things. There can bo no doubt that external nature also has m*ich to do with the development of genius, and we should be greatly wanting in giving anything like an adequate view of the influences which operated on the active and observing mind of Mr. Pollok, if we did not take into account the early sbenes among which he roamed when a boy. It is common with ignorant people to conceive of genius as consisting merely in a capacity for composing with a certain degree of ease and elegance. Reflecting perhaps on the many books which they have heard poets have written, they take the mere materiel AH tlie basis on which tiiey fi)rm their opinion, and they judge of thi» poet's powers of intellect and of fancy^accordingly. It thus happens that were you to question such persons as to^what they thought of Genius, you would find that they conceive it to be a thing of art, a certain aptness for thro^Ping one's thoughts into metre, or what is just as likely, a sort of itch foj; writing which can never be gratified enbugh. But every one who hits apffreciated the true nature of. poetry knows well that suoh views as these are extreniely ntean and inadqc^uate. Let us list en to the views wh idh the gr eat Bard «f 'Avon h?t€"Oh lhT¥ suTi^ct. ' The verses,' we are aware, have been often q,uoted, but they are still fresh and beautiful: — , ' . " Tlie poet's eye in ^t.fipe frenjsy rolling Doth glance frpB^ heaven to earth, fj;dm earth to 'heaven* Ao/d as imtyjinatipn bodies fo/th The forms of ththgs unknown, the poet's pen LIFE OF ROBERT POU.OK, A. M. Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothipg A locfil habitaffon and a name." 11 Let me ask those persons, then; to whom we have just alluded, what it is Jt these verses that strikes them as most noticeable. The Bard we have quoted - does hot put the power of versifying foremost, as they probably would have done, had they written on tho genius of a poet. He speabis only of the poet's eye, meaning by this the spiritual eye as well as the material organ. We say, therefore, that sensibility is a remarkable trait in the character of a true A 'j" ?« Z°\'^^'r^''' ""'^"^ '^ '^^^"y awakened by external nature. Accordingly, we find a female poet expressing this idea with great propriety of " Cold and inert tha mental powers would be Without this qUickenfng spark of Deity,' To give immortal mind its finest tone— Oh, sensibility is alljhiiie Own !" ^A ^feing, therefore, we have uncSWien to make the reader acquainted with the highly interesting life of the Author of the Course of Time, he must not think that we are going far out of our way if we direct his attention to tfae scenes amid which the youthful poet first saw the light of day, and on which his eye never-opened but he experienced afeelingof pleasure or of iov. We have ourselves witnessed these scenes which are now classic ground in Scotland, but we saw them only in part ar^d at a distance, when sailing down the frith of Clyde towards the Western ocean, and the fVee shores of Columbii. We must therefore have recourse to another for our description, and in this case we are happy in having a Topographer in all respects capable of graUfv- jng our curiosity.^ Mr. Pollok's brother speaks to the following effect a« tothe locality. "Mid Moorhouse, which is said to have been built before the battle of Bannockburn, is situated about a quarter of a mile to the south-east of North Moorhouse, and was adorned in Robert's time with eight hid trees, fottr of ^Vhich, three ash and one of elm,' were ' tall' as well as old.* It standi on an open, elevated, hilly country, diversified with moor anddale, and sur- rounded m the distance with lofty mountains. The view from the house and different parts of the farm, which, notwithstanding its name, contains no moors, but is all either arable or meadow ground, is extensive, varied, and magnifi- cent. It is terminated on the east ahd South bv various hilld and moorland heights, from a mile to thrfe miles distant ; and from the west round to the north east, along an outline of bold mountains, it varies in r%e from forty to eighty or nmctv miles ; and within that range the whdl» fkceof the country IS undulating and picturesque. But the prospect fVom some of its neighbour- ing heights which Robert, from his childhood, oflen >visited, is much more extensive, and is still more varied and magnificent.. The principal of these' heia.hts, and one which comprehends the view from allthe rest, is Balagioh, the highest hill m the u pper jj art df Rciinfre wshire. It lies nearly a mile and -srhatf to the swutfrof Moorhouse,- anrm(rs ft fhd^^^ the sea. The prospect frorh it varies in range from forty to ninety, or a hun- dred miles ; and th^ ciTcumfbreuce of it, which oitnnot be less than three or four hundred, conslstis of lof^y mobntaihs. To the *a»t, over extensive tracts of moora, ripesTitito and beyorid it appear, in tftd dlitanoe, Walston Mount, Culter Fell, and Cardon.O^ the sbdth eait »nd •duth, krait ora^r, memor. ■P The Clm, it Htpean, Ji^WuMbMii Uowrn dow«, M U»f Hu»» A*w,fw .Ull tttiidtog. 12 LIFE OF RbBERT POLt^OK, A. M. able for the meetings and hallowed by the praves of martyrs, stretches out to Wardlaw and Cairntable, Black Craig, Windy Standard, Caimsmore, and ^larsphairn, and the Buchan hills in GaJQoway. South west and west the view expands over the green hills of Carrick, the grassy hills of Kyle and Cunning- ham, and the spreading waters of the Frith of Clyde to Ailsa Craig, Arran, and the Peaks of Jura, which look out upon the Atlantic Ocean. On the north west, and round to the nqrth east, the rich pastoral and arable lands oi Renfrew and Lanarkshire slope; gently down to the fertile vale of the Clyde, opening below the eye like a vast basin, in which are seen Paisley and Glas- gow, with their numerous suburbs, and from which the face of the country rises irregularly — sometimes gradually, and sometimes abruptly — to Ben Cruachan, Ben Lomond, Ben Ledi, Ben-voirlich, Uam-Var, and the beauti- ful range of the Ochil hills." It would require, however, the pencil of the Artist to convey anything like an adequate idea of this goodly panorama : and here we- may just remark, in passing, that if the reader has ever been enchanted by that noble ease with which our poet expatiates on scenes of Paradisaical beauty in the Course of Time, he should keep in mind that the whole is not an airy picture too bright for reality, but that the poet's imagina- tion had been sustained in its loftiest efforts by these natural scenes to which reference is made in the passage quoted above. But to proceed with out; narrative. It appears that Robert was first led to cherish higher thoughts than what belonged to an agriculturist, by meeting accidentally with an odd number of the Spectator. He had been accustomed to hear this book much commended as containing specimens of good writing ; and no sooner had he got it into his hands than we are told he retired into the fields, sat doivn, and perused a paper with great care and attention. After this he closed the book, saying he thought he could write like that. No, sooner said than done. He commenced opera- tions, and made the notable discovery,' for the first time, that the gift of writing was not restricted to the wits who figured during the reign of Queen Anne. Such is the incident noticed by his brother. We may, however, with- out any breach of charity, suppose, that the imperfect scrawl which a boy sitting in the fields could make, would not bear any strong resemblance to the least of the papers composed by such masters as Steel or Addison. The very thought, however, of acquiring distinction by his pen at some future period, (for we presume this was all he meant to say) on the part of a boy who had spent much of his time in mere bodily toil, was honourable to his decision of character. I^ndicated this quality, we think, in a high degree. It displayed a certain consciombess of power which needed only manifestation. From this incident, it may be noticed, dates Mr. Pollok's intention of becoming an Author. At this time he seems to have been in his sixteenth year. There are few ooantries in the world in which a greater craving for be- coming Ministers exists than among the sons of the middle classes in Scotland. To " wag hitt head in a Pulpit" is an exercise which has peculiar attractiojis in th h fell under his observation. A certain grown up man who had a wife to provide for, was suddenly seized with an uncommon desire for preaching the Gospel. Nothing short of this would satisfy him. It vf as in vain that it was suggested to him that there were plenty of Ministers already, and that' very probably he oould not hope to throw more light, upon the S<;ripturei than w«s done-ky them. He made little answer to alt this, but proceeded to calumniate his present oallitig: and wh«t dOMr^bai' gMitkr rtMHler ththk it itts t It Wt« teenth year, entered the University of Glasgow as a student. He attended" the Greek and Latin classes — the formed, at that time, taught by Dr. Young, one of the most accomplished Greek scholars of his time, and the Author of an elaborate Critique on Gray's Elegy '; and the latter class taught by Pro- fessor Walker, Author of a didactic poem, entitled " A I>elence of Order," directed against the principles of Revolutionary France. 'We cpin- hardly think, therefore, considering that Mr, Pollok \yasono who cultivated the Muses, that he could have been placed under teachers better fitted to give him counsel ' as to the best mode of initiatinjT himself into their graces. The writer of this,, when a boy. remembers seeing Dr. Young in/the Theatre of Glasgow, when the famous Kean was acting one of the characters of Shakspeare, and such: were his susceptibilities for being impressed,/that when the actor oa/ne to any impressive passage, the venerable Professo/ was immediately bathed in tears. We have hoard his students also say of hmi that it was ^uoh a treat to heir him read- the Iliad for the same reason. That the Poet had improved under the prelections of his distinguished teachers will appear by comparing thi following verses which he wrote for Professor Walker*^ class with those atovi given. They are addressed' to the Sun:--- ' " Hail, thou irnm^rial source of light ! , At thy approach/the gloomy night Ashamed shrinks from thy ray ;.- -t • > The moon, submissive, disappears, * And all the planets in their spheres. Are lost in whiter ray. / The lion quits the brightening plain, And all the nightly prowling train Kow fear tlio blood they've spilt :. % ' llebellion, riot, wild misrule. Night's progeny of mischief full. Fly consoious of their, guilt! Hark how the grateiiil sons of day Extol the penetrating ray That banishes their dread : • \ In tuneful not(>s the f^ather'd throng Melodious pour the early song, And'every leaf is glad. The bleating fboks, the lowing kine,, III rougher notes the concert join, ^- gaily lyide they graze ; , ■■•,-^, 16 £ir£ OF kbttERT' POLIOK, A. M. ; ■■ Th6 fields all waving richly gay, ^ The' flowers unfolding to thy ray, Though sil^t, smile' thy praise. Now from his couch upstarts the swain, , And sprightly hurries o'er the plain, * To see what night has done ; . With heartfelt joy his flocks among, He joins the universal song, j < ' Hail, ever bounteous Sun .'I " An incident here occurred which, as it indicates the spirit of the Poet, we nhouid pot \Yish to pass over unnoticed, tt so happened that Robert had given in three Poetical Exercises, (for it is usual to , receive these, as well as prose 0068,) to the Professor j and although the common practice is that the Professor either reads such exercises to the class' himself, or gives them to the Author to readf^or some reason or other, in this instance he did neither, but merely marked on the back, of one of the exercises, "Some of these verses are'spiritedJ' " Why then," said Robert, the moment he read the words, " Why then not read them to the class ?" The Poet felt the oversight rather keenly, but be inaproyqd it to some advantage, for he now for the first time began to think of looking for distinction from a wider society than what a class-room contains. ■'He begat! to anticipate nobler and more lasting honours from the world without. • ,., We believe there are no students in the world who work harder than those pf a certain class in Scotland — conscious that in their earlier years they have lost much precious time through a misdirection of their views, they study day and night, in 'order to make it up, and to sustain their reputation among students farther advanced. All this is done at a great sacrifice of comfort. and frequently of health — so that the case of KirkeWhite, so feelingly alluded to by Lord Byron, in his Poem of English Bards and Scotch Reviewers, is a matter of very common occurrence ia that country. As the young men have a long spell at their studies, the approach of the first of May is hailed with rejoicing, because then they are set free from their privations and labors, and allowed to retire to their homes in the country for the ne^tsix months to come. It may be observed, however, that to many of them even the summer brings no release ; for while prosecuting their studies and performing all the pre- scribed exercises allotted for the recess, they must in many cases support themselves. The return of November brought the subject of this Memoir up to Glas- gow to his second session. Ho attended the Greek class and an Elocution class taught by J. S. Knowles, Esquire, under whom he is said to have made con.siderable improvement. Dijring the following summer, while residing at Moorhouse, Mr. PoUok, appears to have contemplated with some degree of io- teirest his attendance at the Logic class, for be seems to have bestowed more tiiae than usual on English reading. The Logic olass in these days to which W iMw Kf6r,^ra9 tau|^ ^y 4*rofe«*or"J«fdiB8. Watasieffmt appearance at~ first sight-'— for he was very stout — would have sparoely impressed one with the idea that he was a great philosopher. He was, however, perhaps one of most successful Lecturers in his own department, and certainly the mosi popular Teacher that was then to be found in Great Britain. He drew bi> students from both England and Ireland, and they usually amounted, wn be Have, to some three or tourhundred. He was well ndTanoed in years at ij,,-. LIFE OP ROBERT POLLOK, A. M. tim?, but it was really a treat to s-re the fine old Pfofessor leaning over desk, and in the most familiar manner informing the students, by means Lectures, which seemed altogether extemporaneous, of the powers!, of human mind, and of the technicalities of logic. When he had the' happin to visit the Logic class, it was perfectly crowded ; and though the audit were at that period of life when it is no' easy task for a teacher to prcsc; among them a due respect for authority, yet such was^he veneration in wl Mr. Jardine was held, that one frown upon some idler, who, was perhaps dr ing a caricature of one of hi; talents in composition, whatever they might be, we cannot wonder that Mr. Pollok should bo sedulous in making preparation during the months of summor by a course of English reading. ' At'this time, too, he seems to have been wholly freed from. the task of ViJlVMri'^oW the farm, aid he sought to kmuso himself during ^e irHervals of study by excursions to the ncighl)Ouring heiorhts, from whence he could behold, beneath and around him, a landscape in which nature and art combined their powers to produce one glorious expression dt 'magnificence and j)eanty. To use his own words on this matter : — \, " It was indeed a wondrous sort of bliss j The lonoly bard enjoyed, when forth he. walked, / Unpurposed." / It appears thatJIr. Pollok, on joining the Logic class in November, 1819,] was peculiarly industrious. He wroje all tlie Essays which tho Professor! prescribed to tlie young men, and which were usually three in the w^pk ;- these Essays werei on subjects on which tho Professor had proviouslv bfleni lecturing, and weie admirably fitted for impressing more deeply upon the minds of the yount men the expositions to which they had- been listening, a.<| J well as of accustOjtning them to express themselves with case and correctness in their own langjiago, while along with these advantages, they enabled tliej Professor to jydgei of the students' progress at all times. It must, |iowjO,f,kiJ5|jv/edgo and of educatioi>iPver i^jq ea;:th. It >*q», tli<^:<;jfsfoinl of Mr, Jfif4ii?P» aitcr tfie studc/its had bneij iraincd iaR9i;ije inopsur*)^ jo "com-i jiositi^Tip, , by .^ji^itlng all ^hc preyjoua exerc,is9.<5, tqw,»jn[i^ jife ic^^ f>f the 'f?Rss{on,j - tP/,W''v(J'%«\M<^9n^^ ^.wrU? a^ J^^^^y ajigrIlok wrote it is a real end of the red among dark night, ! ludicrous ion of the [ers of the is my chief tiyself still ese beauti- My soul lelight him How wise y so good a was at the immencing I turned y thoughts, er."— And lad written re now all i country, about two jshed from TallVas a ings of the every eye, ' e youthful ET Heaven, d heard sq ippy hours, I's adverse ting Liza ; I reclined erhaps thei a weeping ibly leu by I iew lines f the terms, these line» baps not be fler spend- I eminence, ttive place. Kiy father's earned the ' ay. I wa« ery tongue, Robert wm \ LIFE OF ROBERT POLLOK, A. ■. pent up in one of those humble losings in tho neighbourhood of the College, j in which students, whose pockets are not over plenished with money, are ; usually found residing. Many a reference has been made to the harcl^hips' which the sons of Scottish peasants have undergone in their zeal to aosquire the learning necessary to fit them for beooming Preachers of the Gospel. Indeed it may truly be said, that the wired-up bird, which has been accustomed, in the months of summer, to flutter about among the flowery fields, and to perch upon every tree, warbling out its little heart in joy iiil. melody, does not long more ardently for being freed from its prison-house, that it may again join itself amongst the other feathered songsters of its kind, than the toil-worn . £>tudent longs to return to his father's house, an4<(b the scenes of his infancy. It is true that the sense of duty — the consciousness that his parents expect him to be diligent, and to spend aright that season for mental improvement which it costs them not a few privations to procure for him, not to mention the anticipations of future distinction, — form motives powerful enough to keep him at his books and studies ; but in the midst of all these, other thoughts will intrude, and, perhaps, while grinding in his narrow chamber at Homer or Demosthenes, or wasting the midnight oil over a mathematical theorem, his thoughts in a moment will be far away among the haunts of his boyhood. Qe loaths the smoke and dia, and the thousand annoyances of the great commercial city in>which his lot is cast, and he longs for the woodlands and solitudes of nature. That such was the frame of mind of Pollok at this period will be manifest to the reader, from the passages wc have copied from the Essay noticed above. A poem also which he wrote while attending the classes in GlasMw ie an illustration of the same kind ; it is entitled " ODE TO MOORHOUSB," and we shall here copy it, not so much for the sake of its poetical merits, but because it supplies us with an illustration of his feelings while a student "in, Glasgow : — ' " - . ' " Far from the giddy, cheerless crowd That press the streets, thoughtless and loud, In ancient majesty arrayed. Time-worn Moorhouse, thou stand'st displayed s Thy walls irregular could tell , „ ^ At Bannockburn what numbers fell ; . j, How Bruce, with strong resistless hand. From proud oppression saved his land. When Popes and Kings in hellish rage By persecution thinned the age, Thy walls a faithful shelter proved, To those that God and virtue loved. Oft in the silent midnight hour. When listening Heaven's almighty powei^ With ear inclined, delighted, hears The good man's prayers, and wipe* hiy^tean. W ithin th y walls assembled saints Praised him who wearies not nor ftfnl»H|r Praised him who sheathed the bloody twor^ And, undisturbed, his name adioredi And angf-b joined the aseeading toig^ Wafting itto th« amiial »»"2t 20 LIFE OF ROBERT Fdl.LOK, A, M. The lofty trees that by thee grow, A supplicating look bestow On me, a stripling easy laid, Within their hospitable t>liade ; And sighing say, • The kindly hand That gave us birth in this blest land, Centuries ago lies in the dust, | O do not thou betray thy trust ? Us gently prune with feeling hand, Nor to destroy us give command Tliy falliers now above the sky, Watched o'er ua with patetnal eye ; O to our age- some reverence yield ! Nor enVy us this little field. Around untainted zephyrs blow. And purling rills unfailing flow. And Earn's pure stream with gentle waves Unceasingly tljy border laves. The smiling herds that graze thy plain Of drink or pasture ne'er complain ; Their wintry food thy meadows yield. Secured ere Boreas beats the field ; The joyful, waving, yellow plains Ne'er baulk the labour of the swains. O happy dome ! placed far remote From city toils and treason's plot ;• The city smoke ne'er reached the plain Which suffocates the motley train ; F^r from the crimes that rage unnamed, From which the day retires ashamed ; Far from fho breezes fraught with death, ,Far from contagion's mortal breath, Happy the swains who in thee live. Who road their Bibles and believe ; Who worship God with heart aM, mind, And to his will are aye resigned v\ ha conclusion of the session Mr. follok^by tlic sufij-a.-rs of hi« f^vVo^Y. nf the Logic class, was awardnd one^of the prizes. On rrUrinc to At the students of „ ^.v. V....O.,, >»„, a^nruim one oi the prizes, un rrurina to hrs fa hor's house (May, 1820) we find him, in a letter to his brother, Stcd 13th June of the same year, complaining of depression and want of Hpcn doubtless the friuts of over exertion in the campaign of the previous .cs.4)n My situation " he^y*, '''is indeed not agreeable. To he aiming at litern lure without adequate assi.tamie is a hard- task ; but to be without adequate J«si4^r!ne ATi^ stunuktifls£*'healih is4iar4^^^^ upprotoctod fate anjitlhiifkvihftt feirenanhi, season of the year mv health is yhthor retrograde the prospfed i^ k^ed gloon^ \ J have'!ncft spoken of thn .t.i.c of my health to an.nt»«fsO«7here M ' 0,^1^^^^^ Spirits is no (louLi visible, ^y constitution i(lyet.><»^gimndiSrrfrqiri.Wg sickly. Dr. ...■i!/fi''V^'""i'D''r"" **""""" '° «he ^crtF made nt ihis time. o/Hm- nan o/ . ranr |C««lrd the Rodical Relormers, to overturu the Governuient. t«- i»n v • party rhis frlTow- rrViring to thcr, dated It of /»if>cp, us ffossfen. , ig at litern- it adequate y Jiealth is ikcn of tlip lirits is no ckly. Dr. irt 4^ « fwtj LIFE OP ROBERT POXAOK, A. M. ^ 21 Reid the last time I saw him/8ai;i1h^re'w'iy^no'langer wli^tever • and recom S^MSlP * "'"^'^ '' 'r ?" ^"*''' (^ '°'»^"^''^ Island i^\heF;th^' Oiyde) and taking occasiona sa Is. The raretv of the air in iVmt „f » a* would probably have a^ood efi^ct pa the nlind f a'ndto s^* batli^ V^^ ^hl !flL '"'°*V' ''*^^ ^" ttifl-Ofe*^ some kiod^ on the bodr^u* to L there aodb6 comfortable require.rKey; and you know Z^ is not To le ^Zf' ^^Tn' ^''V" ^'' '' '*«'•«' ^ knoVso well their inab lity ,o assL me t^o vL a "fat ?h"' " ^"'' ""' ^r^ ^'^"^"^^ '° communicate my own feelirn ■ 11„;, *"^^^*'^ °C going to Arran,; Mr. PoUok, along with another vounir gentleman went over to Ireland, an^ visited Dublia.^-It doi not aS?^ Ws brmh« "f"'" ^'' ^""'^ """""^ '"^ '^^ G--^^" I«J« to excite hi" fancT as .except a single poetical stanza, " written in Phoenix Park •" ^ H All Nature here to please conspires, T And Art combinei-^er varied powers^ Here doubljJ-btt«n the loVer's fires, For love itself hath forrh^d these Ijowers." . m,. n?1- " r ""^T V? ^^oo'^iouse ^''e ^nd the poet resumikhis pen to celebrate one of h.s emale friends in the neighbourhood. Wriung tC^orres^E^^ and^before launching forth in her 'praise, he prefaced hV^^^e XS . . 1 ■-.. V ' ^ .^ X " '*«MooRHOusE, August 18, 1820: '^ "Dear friend,, one moment quit\he classic page, The moderfll theorist and the anciX^jt sflge, ' ^ With all the depth of philosophic lo>e Through which your eye has long been taught to );ore. A brighter theme, the Muse devoid of fear. Presses upon your unaccustomed ear. The theme's Maria-ywho wllJ not ^tend ^ ■ When all the Muses, unimpl^ed, descend ? For when the virtuous fair our theme compose, } The Muses listen though we speak in prose." ' ; "pJ!" 7'"'*'''**'?°'?"^.'^ hive afforded spacq. to copy the whole of this Prose document, for it is really a curiosity in its way ; we fear?howeIer our fair readers would not much fancy it, as we w,ll know thev do noT wTsh to become objepts of admiration to mere Platonic fihilosonherranS theppW .we.are the more reconciled to an epitome. Marf^then°' £ beenVsu^^^^^^^^^ ful scholar m the various branches of female education ; her formTs handsome and might measure something about middle size. H^r Lir Ts black'?^^^^ Wtj, ,n lux\irUnt ringlets on a forehead and neck of a poHsh "nd whLe j ^ wiuch.afr^the.ey<>ofthemostcarele«b eholdBr. Hfef 6^^ ^^ ^ are met with ^ase and pleasure always full of the^chilss K Sea^^ ^ana'scolour is not high, nor is she fashionably pale, ^hlair of her cTun* •enance.is attracUve and easy. Goodness will gaU on her wJth freSom Md dehght; wickedness will withdraw.its eye ashfmed and rented ShT n^ «esses the sensibility and gentleneW^f the coutitry maid, without he; awkwSJ' ness or .gooranto J ai^d iL refinement and activVof he 0"°?^^ wUMt IHr whunswalness or 4*cppUon, Unal^le to call myself by tL tSr S n urs or ioBEKT pollok, a. h. otim busni, I am dnly an acquaintance. A more intimate connexioji liH^ft :| Mmoo'nv sota» &ulU ; but no connexion could reasonably discover faults which wouUd m be lost almost sooner than see", in that blaze of goodness which pervtuW «» ef f part of her character. A f 'he spots which are said to exist in the sun are tast in the bright effulgence of his beams, so Maria s faults, if she have any, are comptBtely hidden in the despreadrng luxuriance of her TOodness i and as the spots in the sun are no obstruction to his cheering, vivi- fying, and day-making influences on the earth, so Maria's faults oan be no hindrance to her pleasing,- animating, a^d soul-brightening influences on those^ around her. How delightful is it to see, youth, and beauty, and goodness, com- bined in the same female! What an irresistible jrower over mankind have justice and religion when enforced by so winning an admonisher ! Were there sufiicient Marias in the world, what respect were due to the female character ! How much would the eternal interests of mankind be promoted ! How more rational and satisfactory were the pleasures pursued in the world ! Then were Lemuel's description of a good wife applicable ; then were domesUc jarring at an end ; then might it be universally said, • He that find^th a wife, flndeth a good thing.' " In connexion with the above, we may here insert a passage from a com- mon-place book which he kept about this time. The author wishes to find out all the probable.causes whiah lead " Men to become bachelors." He says : "This catastrophe comes about from these various causes: 1. Some from thoughtlessness and carelessness. 2. Som^lro'" ^*^'y disappointments. 3. Some from the hurry of business.. 4. Sfl«|S#from picturing too much to them- selves all the evils that may attend marriage. 5. Some from a narrow worldly spirit, which cannotthink to share the bounties of Providence with another. During this summer, also, he wrote an Essay prescribed by Professor Jardjne, " On the External Senses, and the means of improving them." This exercise must have occupied a considerable portion of the season, as we are informed by his brother that it extends to 104 quarto pages.; and it must have been gratifying to the feelings of its Author that it was esteemed by the Professor worthy of carrying off" the prize. . • , MJJoVember, 1820, Mr. Pollok resumed his studfes at Glasgow^. He now eJ^Ued himself a student at the Moral Philogophy. This ela^ was taught by Professor Milne, a gentleman, who, though his ^^^^^M^^^i^r"*'', ments were not generally approved of, held a high reputationi( |j||Jj||t^ nd mptaphysioian and able lecturer.* Althojl^h moral philosophy ^^MHliKLCt Apartment which belonged to Mr. Milne, yet it might rather i^^ lectured on pienial philosophy. Like Dr.. Reid, he confined hifflSSim » freat measure to ^hat was called an analysis of the powers and faculties of the hu- man miidr-tbe great object of the teach,er being to discover and unfold its nrst pni years gti are in a ^ that the m subject as become fa iished the v^ him that fol The taste of the public for discussionsoftliis kind, has of late ' id— a?«rtly, it is believed, from a deep conviction that they ^ * fitablf— and partly from a growing conviction "^y Ififlysrs, does iiot apply"whefe wnrf^ is the rumeriUJ^To alLthis it may be added, that men had feeing on^pfeimmaker aAef another, who had demo- .n. V. .„oi predecessors, being doomed in turn to be demolished by nun ui«i luiiuwed ; ^*that the conclusion was in a manner forced upon them, thatm^taphyaicd were founded in fancy— that the iaquirer either did not Jcnow wUh Buffioient cleam«As what wai the en*be wa« aiming at, or if h« did, that ' had, wandered fyom the prt>per path. We would wiA to apeak with all r UFE OrHOBEBT POLLOK, A. M. 2y iofi nHffhH 7^ Its which 8S which i to exist faults, if je of her ing, vivi- , an be no I on thosei^ less, com- . ind have ■ '^ere there [laractdr ! low more , 1 ! Then domestic ;h a wife, m a com- to find out He says: »me from lents. 3. Ii to them- V worldly another." r Jardine, 5 exercise informed lave been Professor Toy/^^ He ela^ was cal senti- ,nd ct lie of the hu- unfold its las of late that they BODviotion lisihiff the^' >. men had lad demo- )lished by pon them, not know 1^ did, that I with all /- charity oftlje iraperlectionsof men of talent and genius, but we are opnstrfiined, after looking into the treatises on mentd philosophy, by such dtstinguiabed in- llividuals as Reid, Stewart, and Brown, to ask^he question, what have they proved ? where have been the discoveries which were to grace all ouf toils and labors? and Echo answers— wherfr? Professor Milne, besides lecturing on mental philosophy, lectured also occasioiyiny on political econ<^my ; and in this latter branch his prelections ^^'^ ^J^PSi of the Semindry which had originated that distinguished work, ^P*](|^of, [Rations. " H|s manner was unambitious; and apparently r^^ifj^^ of ^o'l'^g comorehended by his students, he delivered his views |toversa*ional style. Wha:ever objections might be urged against tho • lie of his teaching— for the Professor was not understood to be the raoM- ^•w.„j0jt-^,\vhatever he did teachras far as we can now remember — for we have frequently heard him lecture— he %oughl to present in a luminous man- ner tefore the minds of his students. It was then, in this Professor's class, r - asf w6 have said above, that Mr. Pollok was enrolled a student ; the following IS his own testimony to the in^provemen/ lie made. '« Till I heard Mr. Milne lecture, I never thought of calling in question the opinion of an author. If it differed from mine, ~I thoufrht it, must be right, and my own wrong. Bat in Mr. Milne's class I was set fi'e^ for ever from the trammels of book-authority ; I lost all deference to authors-and opinions and names ; and learned not°ooly . to think, for myself, but to test severely my own opinions." JThe most that we would say of this is, that according to his own confession, Mr. Pollok merely passed from one. extreme to another. Before, he never thought of calling jn quekion the opinion of an author; but after hearing Mr. Milne, lie had lost all deference for authors together ; for our own part, on the supposition that unsound authors are kept out of the way, we should have said that the former state of mind was to be preferred, and that the old was better than the new. It appears that Mr. Pollock took large notes, while attending this class. Hia ' brother informs us that he had them preserved in " four octavo volumes, amounting to two hundred and thirty pages ;" besides ajl this, he wrote twenty three Essays, averaging about eight quarto pages each. Thtse labours 'suffi- ciently indicate the great diligence of xMr. Pollok ; and we cannot wonder therefore th^>t they should have called forth the approbation of his fellow stu- dents, in the shape of a prize conferred by their suffrages. In the summer of 1821, after having spent four sessions ait College, we find Mr. Pollok residing with his father at Moorhouse. As was usual with Iwati^e made excursions at times into the country round about, in companv with a friend— qotes of these he occasiorfally inserted in his journah We shall here favor the reader with an extract: "Thursday, July 5.— This morniftg I again opened my eyes onall the beauties of the banks of Ayr. After break- fast r set out with my friend towards a farm-house about two miles from the Ayr. In the meantime we walked over-arched with oak, and birch, and plane, and serenaded by all the music of the banks of Ayr, till we acrived at Bar- skimming, the seat of Lord Glenlee, (an eminent Judge of the Court ofSes- -«ion.) ;, AH the^ffdperty t»f-thi»gemleman^afsljfrong marks of taste ;^*^ the nearer yqu approach his^nansion the morie conspicuous are these marks. Nature has provided him with a situation fur a house of the most noble kindt and the grandeur and taste of the house add dignity to the place.' I think Lord Glenlee VLibrary the most beautlftjl I have seen, if we take into consid. oration the combination of nature and art. The library contains about twelve , thoi^MOii yolumea, 'l('he c^pet c^st one hundre^ ^EveryjMit of thci."'' ', s • 24 . LIFE or ROBERT POtlOK, A. M. I inable interior is finished in the most elegant manner ii..„^.,.„„,, , „.,„ u.,,.„ „, ^^e windows appear to overhang the water of Ayr, wliich is here ornamented as niucli as large trees, lofty banks, and singing birds cun do." In a letter written about much tlie same time as the above, we find Mr 1 ollok, m giving counsel to his friend, as to the best mode for a Scottish stu- dent freeing himself of ScoW/c/sm, strongly urging upon him the importance of Ihinktng in English. Mr. Pollok sets himself to controvert the opinion of some, that because a Scotsman cannot express himself clearly and correctly 111 the English language, that therefore he-is a dark and confused thinker: and the argument which he urges is, that the English is really a foreie luage lost mmttuig them m this place. The truth is, Mr. Pollok is a much befter poet han philosopher, and could not but knoiv that the grand secret of cvcelling in this species of composition is to be found in the lively fancy of the writer • and If the images or types of external nature have awakened in the soul the sense oi beauty, of the picturesque or sublime, every man who has received any «,rt of education at all, will seldom find language to fail him. The poet Burns afcrds us a fine illustration of what we now ^ay ; he was all alive to thabeauties and harmonies of nature; and though a native of Scotia, an(f with but small pretensions to learning, he poured forth his feelings in the most appropriate language. The truth is, the theory of meditatincr on picturesoue scenes, until a good English word occurred to represent every^dea^s Sre conceit— a species of pedantry whicli would wither up the freshness of our poetry, and send us back the dactyls and S|>ondees of a bygone age And here it is needfulwe should remark, that Mr. Pollok was not one of those literary characters who can find pleasure in nothing else but in scenes I Sunw^f his fancy-he was not a mere dreamer, whose sympathies have no fellowship with mankmd in those matters which concern both their temporal fn ?b «'wf 'T ^^'»-'^^'"? On the contrary, Mr. PoUok's thoughts ran most m hw latter channel. Being a Meniber of a Church which has been Ion- . distinguished for its zeal irt behalf of scriptural truth,, Mr. Pollok at an early age imbibed the same spirit from the sermons of her Ministers; and beside* all this, made it a duty to read daily portions of the Sacred Volume. Acconi. injly, so far back as the year 1813, when he was in his fifteenth year, be gave indications that he had seen the importance of religion, and that he desired to regulate his conduct by its principles. His brothor David, who was his ccrnipanion from hfe^nfancy, informs us that he put the question to him as to Uie cause of this change, and-Robert made answer, "that while perusing the Gospels for himself, he was struck with the meekness or calm dignity of the baviour under provocation, and that he had resolved thenceforward to command his temper-and that since that time, tliough he might feel and express anger, nothing ever put him into a passion." Accordingly it appears that it was this love for the cause ofthe religion of the Bible, according to his understanding of It, which led him to give up the plough and to study for the Church of hi* lathers ; and m this matter, notwithstanding all the untoward influences to which he was exposed in a largo city, and among troops of thoughtless com- panions, he seems never to have fallen from his first love. His zeal for reli- gion did not, as with too many students, commence when he was abgut to .nn?r "" M ^''p ,T'. """ ''^''' i'^ '''^' •^stablidied in a good fat living : on the contrary, Mr. Pollok was zealous in behalf of n-eiigious doctrine and practice from the very commencement of his studies. We have one proof of this in the fact, that in connection with his brother, while residing in a lodaing-house in Glasgow, he was careful to assemble all the inmates in his apartment every evening for worship, at which he officiated, using, it would eeem, that simple t7J^ beautifully describea in the Cotter's Saturday Night, and to which he J'^l^g^ggMtamalm hi s f a t he r^ h o uae . -.Mr.^'aLk ibenmems^^io^ ^aught the Miasionary spirit which blazed far and wide over Scotland at this- Ume. rhe large to^vns. it is true, were the great centres in which it blazed ^S. kTk { ' "^"^ ^''r^ "'''** °^ Christianity, it was not confined to the. ^n^\^u 'P'fK** '^.'"C^^'.'^" ("'«y •«« not rather say its warming influ- r^titP !.'^'"°"j?jhe neighboring villages and country » Accordingly, in the retired viHageofJinelesham, we find an Association e.4ting at this tiSe, JUe object was to assist ia the diajemination of divine truth ot home aod abrgod, jj 26 LIFE OF ROBERT POLLOK, A. M. Mr. Pollok, sympathizing as he did with his whole heart in the views of the Association, delivered at one of their meetings, an address, which, to say the least, is remarkable for a fine tone of religious feeling, as well as fervid elo- quence. We shall here furnish the reader with one brief extract Ttie speaker I thus proceeds : — " I know that you and the other members of this society have no greater joy than to hear that by the blessing of God on the exertion» of British christians, thousands have been liberated from the imbruting fetters of ignorance and superstition — lifted ud from vile prostratioh to deaf and dumb idols, and taught the honourable worship of the living God. You need not to be informed, nor I trust any member in your society, how rapid of late has been the flight, and how wide the conquests, of that Angel which flies in the midst of Heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people ; and how widely he is proclaiming with a loud voice, — • EearVjrod, and give glory to Him ; for the hour of his judgment is come ; and woiship Him who made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waterV To what I have said I know you are prepared to give full credit. And to the uninformed and unbelieving, let existing facts bear witness. Let them listen through the medium of the most authentic communications, some [of which have been sealed with blood, to praises of Messiah, which are now heard here and there, from the rising to the seUi^g^of the sun. Let them be- hold, and it is a pleasing sight, the shivering Greenlander, whose mind for many past ages, like his wintry seas, has been frozen and benumbed by the ' cold breath of ignorance, and shrouded in darkness, now illuminated, melted, invigorated, ana purified by the all enlivening beams of ' the sun of righteous- i ness.' Let them behold many a thirsty African, In the midst of his burning deserts, drinking of the immortal waters of the river of life, and eating of the I fruit of that tree * whose leaves are for the healing of the nations.' Let them I turn their minds to the Indus and Ganges, and-hear the bowlings of the beasts of prey, affd the battle-shouts of warring savages, broken here and there by the sweet warblings of Immanuel's praise. Let them see the simple Hindoos casting their deaf and dumb idols to the moles and to the batd, And flying like I doves to the windows of salvation. Let them hear with gratitude and delight [the hallelujahs of Eiixine's shores respond to the hosannas of the Caspian ; [while the immortal standard of the cross waves the ensigns of peace on Cau- jcusus' lofty brow. Let them behold the Persian, instead oT travelling to'Mecca, opening up to the Creator and Redeemer the incense of a broken spirit and of a pure heart. Nor ha/e America's isles of slavery been altogether barren of the fruits of righteousness. Although there, hand has joined in hand te;darken the glooms of ignorance, strengthen the shackles of slavery, and widen the I wcuste places bf death, yet, even there, may be seen immortal souls eluding the I grasp of oppression ; esciping the thick clou^ of meditated ignorance ; and, i in the chariot of salvation, triumphing awayro the city of eternal refuge. No one needs to be told, that, only a few years ago, throughout all these nations and p eople, not one beom of celestial day broke into the horrid gloom of their Bpirituat nigfitT noToiie of their so'gs of praise saluted the eaF6fZi6n*B Kfii^ By the blessing of God on the exertions of Bible and Missionary Societies, the wildernemand the solitary place are glad ; the desert rejoices and bloaqoms as the rose. * * * * But were I to aay that the present coint^mpla- tion of the victorious march of truth in the lands of ignorance, was all the re* ward which awaits the christian's exertions, I would be speaking apatl froila ords of inspiration. When this world with all its enjoyments, ha« passed A* ■,^* LIFE OF ROBERT FOLLOK, A. M. away — ^wfaen ^old cannot purchase one luxurious dish to the voluptuary, nor a fnoment's repose to the careless, nor one grim smile to the earth-grasping miter, then shall the exertions of the christian receive their full reward. When that christian who has been the means of spiritually enlightening the mind of a fellow creature, has put on immortality — when he is reposing himself on the ' ever-verdant banks of the river of life, then from him shall be heard a louder note of praise swelling the eternal hosannas of heaven. How much will it add to his endless bliss, to shake hands in the regions of immortality, with some •ontje inhabitant of the desert, whom he hag been permitted by his benefactions to be the means of elevating from the wastes of darkness, suffering, and death, and of .placing amid the brightness of immortal day, and the felicities of eternal life." The following are the contents of a Letter dated July, 1821. It refers to the approaching death of an uncle, and is addressed to his brother: — ",Iam just arrived at Moorhouse. I left our uncle David about three hours ago, and received what I fear shall be the last injunction which I shall ever receive from, him. Yesterday he was unable to sit out of bed, and this day he is still weaker. He is wearing away with resigned dignity. Although his faith, as I heard him say, is perhaps not that of full assurance, yet with humble resig- nation and hopeful confidence he can say, that thou;rh his God slay him he will trust in him, that he shall be more than a conqueror through him that loved him. How solemn, how affectionate were his admonitions to me ! and you know with "what feelings I left him. Never did Young's interrogative assertion , I strike so deeply into my mind. " What is time worth ? Ask death-beds — they can teH. I cannot detail, for I am wearied to-night. I have written a few things, which you will see when you come to Moorhouse." The usual carriculum of study for young men, before entering the Divinity Hall in Scotland, is four years ; but as Mr. PoUok's education had' been beguli somewhat late in life, he protracted his philosophical studies a year longer. It might be also that the attractions of a College life formed one strong inducement why Mr. Pollok continued longer than tlie usual period at his philosophical studies. Certainly to ingenious youth no employment can aflbrd higher delight thart the exercises of a College. Besides Lectures comprising lucid and compendious views of the various branches of science, the easiest i method of acquiring knowledge, the student has access to an extensive Library, designated m ancient times, by an ancient Prince, as the office of the medicines] of the soul, a privilege he<5an scarcely prize too highly ; add to all this daily conversation with his fellow^ prosecuting the same studies, whose enthusiasm he imbibes, and whose suggestions he turns to account, and we may find | reasons enough why a man of genius should have lingered so long among the] bowers of the Academy. Learning and religion have been closely conneore4| in Scotland from the instlTution of the Presbyterian Church in that country ; j and some are of opinion that this connexion is such a necessary one that it r fermr her chief glory, and must continue tilt thr end of timei — U admitted, however, without any disparagement to learning, that a still higher I degree of advancement is in reserve for the Church, when the blessing ofl Heaven is given in a larger degree, and the pastoral office shall cease because] of the superior enlightenment of the people, and it shall not be needed to' E reach the knowledge of the Lord or the Gospel of salvation, for all shall Dow< it from^he least to the greatest. An era Qf this kind seems to be hinted] at in the Bible ; and in the present adranoed state of the human mind it is nc 28 LIFE OF ROBERT POLLOK, A, M. i without reason that piou^ christians of some denominators have ihouaht that a deficiency in learning Would be no defect, if supplemented by a greater mea- sure of chanty. The education Mr. Pollok received was admirably fitfedfor .preparing him to excel in the walks of litorfiture ; it was perhaps less so for preparing h.m to minister to a christian congregation. ^ PasLg over howeveT 'K' M'"p?f '^ '^''^''H^' "« P'°^^"«^ ^"h o"^ narrative.^ iNovSr' "821, Mr Pollok was enro led. for his hfih session, a student of philoSy^n ^ iZwn'^"- .V ''"• fi^^r ^''^^'' ^•'^"''hes of the MathematicsTnde; thi^ln k"''^"^-^*'!!.'"^^ Philosophy under Professor Meikleham. During this^ion he carried off no prize. It appears, however, that he had be us'llt Tiir"r"°" ""T ^^t '"^'"^" °^ ^'^^ «•— «- brother rnform us that, for the former class, he wrote eleven Essays, averaging more than teso'r fhrr'^;;' i^""'" 'f^''^ '^^P'""^ "°^-^'-- theiciTeTof ,Je Tiphrthin'nntn ' \ ''" ^^'T' ''^""'"^'^ '"^ ^™'« "° ^ssays, there still remain £bra Tnl?'r'"%"'- '^ ''"''' ""^'^•' '^' various heads of Geography, Algebra, Logarithms, frigonometry, and Conic Sections. A stranger wSuld Zlnu7ur°''T7r'''' °^!''' '^''"^ of improvement enjoyed by Scoitish to attend T,.'?? '^•'^ ^»°"»'°"/o the classes which they were required ihh^ .?h k 'TK ''' f' ^'- "'■•"^^^ ^f^^^'^' 'be Colleges of Scotland, ! S^hey are far ro.n being perfect, are yet conducted on fair and libeS principles. \\e ascribe this, however, rather to the Presbyterian regime of tlTiV '^"" '' ^ '^'^"^^ '^ ^°"«Sr^- '^hat we may no{ be suppo ed 'o Dhlt Td cZ!:^^^^ "" '°"' ('-^ That the distinctiorbetween JJissemer and Churchman is not knowrt among the students. So it was, at Irfnmfnf n, T'"T''' ^' ''''"'■■ ''^^«« '"^y b^. are awarded on the single groumj of merit and proficioncy, the students themselves being the JudgL InH thl P f ' ""■' """"'"^ '" ^*^'"^ '"'^'^''^^ ^°^ their mutual improvement, Bnd the Piofe.ssors exercise no inquisitorial .serutiny whatever in respect to he r proceedings. Their only security, that the students, in conductTng^uch -feociet.es will act wi,h propriety and decorum, rests in the sound principles b an tie'cnur"'' "V^^^'^'j^' «•• •" their Several Churches. Ac^rdinglJ! ^ nWv.l . • n"' ''V^'°'^^r.^' ''!' Sreal majority of the students are membei n PhiloI^^rR 'T' ■""'"'^- ^"' '^'' fP^"'^ P"^P"^« °f improving themselves L tn .t. "7- '^'^f ."'•"^' ''' '" ^0'"e department of science ; and wfthout advert- S.na -in Jm' •■''' '''""'' T ^bcre formed, th.^ improvement received, by companng their mows one with another on the topics discussed by the Profes- .or or in hstoiung to ori^nnal and often elaborate Essays delivered by one of , hemselves, we do not hesitate to say, is little inferior to what they gain in the bublic classes. During this session Mr. Pollok was a member of a socfety of :£iv. Tl '', ''"'^ '°' '";'.''" ^"-^ ""^^"? ^''^ P«P«" « ^^--y eloquent Essay fhi fnl V nf^ ''■ ""' f "^ '"^^t'"g«- The o'bject of the Essayist is to shoi Ivorld', hf, ^^PP^^'^S-tl'at because our lot is cast in a remote period of the CIh ^^' '^' ^'?' f '""""''^'•^ ''^^^ ^'""'^ «« l''°dJen, and the mines of knowledge so ransacked, that we cannat expedt to find a gem or flower either Ir«n3f W !wi ' ' * r- • *. ^^ ^ that nothing-remaTng for m thaw just to -fold our"^ hands in .sloth and inactivity, and to lament over our unhappy fate in having |bome too late into the world. Mr. Pollok combats this idea throughbut wUh lullTf'i. '^••6":"?''t. and g^eat felicity of style and illustration. Some •Zi .. ;* "''^~ ^*1" y"""' "'''^ ^^'^^ •''« '°t has destined his temporal e.v. .stcnce to the mneteenlh century, and granted him at the sanle time iTpatiem \m v'fiorous philosophical spirit, will soon discover that he has nothing to fear ^ > 16 lateness of his arrival, or the hbours and rendwn of his AnoMtor«j LIFE OP ROBERT POLLOK, A. M. 29 He may yet benefit society, and encircle his temples with unfading laurels. If he )s captivated with the philosophy of mind, the object of his de^jre'remains still in comparative darkness. Aristotle said much about the soul, but he said little that was intelligible. Many centuries were quibbled away in endeavour, ing to explain what had perhaps never any meaning. Heaven, in mercy to mankind, sent Bacon, and since his time the powers and operations of the numan mind have been considerably unveiled. * * * * * ' If there be yet a plentiful harvest inviting the philosopher, the historiani andl ine moralist, and promising them a rich reward, are there not also subjects of I song and immortal wreaths tempting the poet to take hold of the harp, andflinfff his tender hand across the strings of harmony? The early poets, it in saidj have taken possession of the most striking objects of nature, and their works! are herefore more vigorous and sublime than those of later bards. Whetherl this long-received opinion may no: be rather imaginary than real, there isroomf Tor doubt, i'octs were posting themselves in the strong placrs of nature durinffl thousands of years anterior to Milton; and yet without copying the images orl thoughts of his predecessors, he confounds us with a va§tness and sublimity off Idea and comparison, before which almost every former poet must veil his head as the stars at the approach of the sun. Homer's heroes fling from their hands stones which two men in the late ages of degeneracy could not lift, Milton' heroes take the mountain by its piny tops and toss it against the enemy. At| the name of Shakspeare the bards of other years fall down in deep prostration, and abjure the name of poet. In strength of expression these two archan^rel/ in poetry staad alof^i likethestar neighbouring TencrifTe among the little islalida tha float on the Atlantic surge. If the va-se of Milton be less melodious than hat of Horner and Virgil, it is because the language in which he wrote waa unsusceptible of equal harmony. In like manner, were we to compare th« lyric poets of modern Europe with those she produced in ancient davs. the comparison would not be so unfavourable to our own limes as has beeli often imagined. But were we to confine the comparison to the poets of our naUon's were we to compare the early English poets with those of our own time, ithai fjeen often said we would lose f)y the comparison. The early poet lays hold ol the most magnificent objects of his own country, and leaves to those who cgmJ after him m the same nation, the more feeble images of beauty and eWanw.'! i he Author then goes on to allege that the early English poets are chargeabU m many places with irregularity, e.xtravagance, and nonsense, of whfch h« Ro^ms to say that the poets of our own times are more free. He proceeds :- punting this unholy conrjparing of poets who have done all according to th« gift received, it will be sufficient to know that they have left behind tfeerr suiyects of noblest song, and laurels of immortal verdure, to erpwn him wh( may be so happy as to gain the favour of the cov sisters. And I think the v^r rature of poetry excludes the. possibility of its subjects ever being exhausted 10 please, to excite interest in existence, is the aim of poetry in ccneral. Bi -Z'J'^t?V°~ '^ 7« ascertain thg poe t's merit, or the life oflif^ whi.h jj, tj ^Z'a- ^'^ 77" *^e JiR^l'ohs, delight the imagination, iuid ^^liellS fctahrting; and if the general tendency of his work be poral, it matters nt Whence he choosn his subject, or by what mwrns be attain his pmm<,e. dihej •w^iteis axe confined by the boundaries of truth, but the po*jrft.niad« wwfwop^,^ the wild lerri-or of iraagn.ation, nnd brought forth with them abundantlfoils. But 'ior ficl 3or .I,IFE OF ROBERT POLLOK, A. M. are rich as ever. The flowers which bloom there, though plucked to-night, will grow up ere to-morrow. Over the lawns of fancy, Flora, with the rose and lilj in her hand, forever walks, while Zephyrus breathes soft life on her cheek, and drops thtf dews of vegetation from his southern locks." * * 9 "The siccaneous (Mlrren ?) critic, er the meagre scribbler, may hang down his little head in despair, and murmur out tif&t what can be done is done already. But he who has drunk of Castalia's font, and listened fo the mighty voice of the Parnassian sisters ; who casts his bold eye on creation, inexhaust- ible as its Maker, and catches inspiration while he gazes, will take the lyre in his hand, delight with new mel6dy the ear of mortals, and write his name among the immortal in song." It is manifest, from various parts of the Essay ' we have now quoted, that the Attthor hrntf'"' '""^ ofa thousand laverock, grove; and wouid fal^tve ^SdrStheVoeT- ''' ""^' ^^^^"^^^ °^^^«1 . , . " % heart rejoiced in nature's joy." j homage most reasonable and mJt I! , m /"•'''y'"'^"^ *"<^ gratitude— the -n fid gloominer miTste tTL'Xdt n^^^^^ "anS ^° ''^ ^'^'^f '' ««» wonted engines. What is bread h be loSu ''? Wh«'; '"^.k" I' ^'''^ '^ colour to the blind ? What is the chorus of Heavrn to ^h.A '%?' ^^'T^ ^^ I ; or what is the elonous bounivnf A. L ."^7^" to the deaf? murhiuredj ■ scholar, fitted to foow "and^o^roft fhe 3 alas! sadly unfitted to live in U?'' ' ^^^ ^^ '^"S** «^'tj but the j;^t:s:g^:;^:^ -^.-^^ ^^^:^w- -i4 Sf though't an?L;iTo?eSu:nl'Two:hr^^^^ ^^ ^-" -^M effect which this great Geniu^produced on the publ c min/^ STwf ""'*' ^'''r a thoroughly scientific turn • ^pHvp ^^^r.).- a 1 ™ wasa manofi '«ifttiii«ni. 32 LIFE OP RXyBERT POLLOK, A. M. tfeir^ employed to demonstrate its importance ; there was no region in nature or in science which was not laid under contributions to illustrate or subserve its tnumphs. It is to be observed, also, that there was a class of poets at this time who wielded a great influence over the public mind ; men who scemod to cast behmd them all the rules of Horace and other critics, and after the man- ner of the ancient prophets wrapt up in their mantles, courted inspiration amid the lasfnesses of the mountains, or by the margin ot lakes and streams • and who, after they had plenished their souls by solitary communings with n'aturo m her loveliest or most stupendous displays, poured forth their enraptured son^r in the ears of admiring myriads. At this time, when Scott and Byron and bouthey, and a crowd of poets and minstrels, \ - Let us here give a specimen of his poetry, which he has copied in the midst of a long letter to his friend Mr. Marr, dated May, 1822. Mr. Pollok had gone on a romantic excurs^ion to the town of Paisley. Musing as he went along, he appears to have spent^much time on the road ; for before he reached the town it was ten o'clock of tlie night. Ho tells us that there he was intro- duced to a young lady. She is thus described : " Her eyes dispensed an ever- lasting sorcery, that he who once had looked would look for ever. Her hair in witching ringlets, hovered rouiid her snowy forehead. Her ruby lips would have tempted the iron-hearted in|sor from his gold, and made li'is soul most liberal. Her form was symmetry itself and life ; and over her wholly the powers of softness, health, love, and youth, for ever wished to wander. Bo- ware, friend, of any naughty cohclusion. And ye severe in virtue, bo not loo hasty. Modesty sat on her bro\^, and chocked every unrighteous marauder of my breast. Upon parting with this excellent person, Mr. Pollok's reason appears to have been absolutely bewildered by an unbridled imao-ination, for he resolved that he would not go to bed that night, for "the night," he says, " was lovely, and I soon determined l|o spend it in the open air." * • * ' » " I hasted away from the town by airoad which led to a romantic wood, about ,three miles off. It was now fit time for musing ; my soul gathered itself toge- ther; and sometimes walking, sometijiies standing, and sometimes leaning on a dyke or a tree, I communed thus.]'— His communing assumed the form of blank verse, and we shall here give teonie specimens : — etui v.'->i Y ■tbu! ••-MysomnanBfirrWftoW fitlime t" * I The lark has dropped fromjhenven ; nnd still the choirs , .* rf.!ij*.ll'^P^ poui»ed;th* day Bong fi-om enchMeafV groTC. i iSFtf or ROSBRT POLIOKi Af M. 33 The song of the Cuckoo, whiefa we nerer b«af in these irestirn parts, is thus alluded to :^- , ^ " What sound is this that breaks upon my ear 1 From yonder wood it comes— the Cuckoo's Yoie& 'Tis curious at this pensive midnight hour 1 Sweet bird of spring, thou has^ jiroke up my thoughts 'But I will weave thee in my song, and make Thy kind intrusion teach me to be wise. Who formed thee as thou art with wings to fly ?" Whence didst thou learn that ever-pleasing note f , Who placed thee in the bosom of the spring, ^ _ And taught thee to attend her flowery path Unerring ? Or why dost thou leave thy eggs To be warmed into life, and fed, and guaraed . By liltle birds thou canst not bargain with,* Man taught thee not what man not understands Thou didst not teach thyself, else thou art wiser Far than I. Some being, then, I see not, Thee made and taught : the same most sure that stretched Forth, curtain-like, yon Heavens, and in them placed Those fiery hosts, the glory of the night Sweet bird ! I thank thee for thy midnight song ; Farewell ! and as thou fliest o'er, announcing Spring and joy to man, this informs him too There is a God who made thyself and man." The Author proceeds to reason about himself—where should he go, after death, to annihilation or to life ! He infers that it shall be to the latter state, from the excellency of the powers of the soul : — /♦ That Grodls good, I gather from the joy O'er nature spread. I walk the summer mom : Ten thousand little insects sportive dance TheystRmy beam : sublime in air, the lark, Full of devotion, lifts the cheerful song, Joining sweet chorus with the tuneful groves. Before me frisks the lamb ; the flocks and herds. High fed and happy, spread o'er hill^and plain. A smile plt^ys on the rippling rivulet ; The trees seem joyful in their bushy robes ; Fair pe^e sits on the gentle lily's brow ; And love looks blueing from the rose's jpheek. In autumn, too, I walk the golden fields ! But who can tell the goodness then that waves To man, t6 beast, to every living thing ? - . Ye s, Qod is^pod to^ man : t h is very h our How many millions rest, and rest in peace ! Each morn how many millions wake to joy f Why Bbould I quote His reason, endless source Of entttrt^iament sweet t or why sea d OMit • The Guekoo is Mid to be one of thoee birdewhkh bailcbiao nest of its own, b«l lesves'j Hs «||s to be hstcbed in tiib Msief soiM otlier l>ihL 34 OFJB. of KOBBHt PdLtOK, A. Mr Hisfancy, living infioite, to waft -- " WhV?'"^" uJ"^" °' '^^ "«*'io° home I ' Whv inl V " *'"■' ,'° ^"''^'« heeivenly tones ? Or place before his eye ihe bi>tbful spring V i he.autumn swelling, swelling e very^heaft with iov - Kidingaugusl the starry vault of night fr / 7^ ,. (J K A Jd wfh .i ''"■"'' Pf ^'^'•'^ f*^-- '«"d«' arms, . And wuh the sacred hawthorn, tree of love. Weave amorous o'er their h^ads a canopy ; -^■■•' rho violet and daisy, bathed in dew, ^^ ' ^j II.rH I °f, ''^•' '^'J'^'' '•^""d them, purest flower. • 1-he hallowed zephyrs bring them incens-e sweet." ^^re'I^^r^etii::'^^^^^ ^'Jf - ^"ich Mr. Pollok sang in tl»em,-a hi^h nhUanthrnnT. ■ . ^'I^*^- ^^^'^ ^ ""^^'''er peculiaritf "-tter what kiS o'f S l^Took Tl f '^"'°" u"^ .^" ^'^ ^' ^^^ no^t strict or more lax-alllereTmiued^l ^^'T'"'''^"''^"'" '^^^^ere more creatures at home or ab oaS Some nt?" '"'^^"^ «P'"t ^^ benefit thefrfellow- thun of enthusiasm, su'^hat it Z LCrj-^ " ^'^^^'' «bare of prudence I n-ents in the first instance -bu oth.^ ?'n" r""^^' "'^T'""^ ^^ ''^'"^ Wrove- ^ that it was better to t'^ n,',th wl S; IS^ "'"' ^'V^ °^, ^^P'""S ^^^'^^ ^^^ distant regions of thf Jol? ^"V*^*^ &»«* news of salvation to the most blessings uVtl^irnatfve land 's^ a covenanted GJod in Heaven to pour and the blind, and he Xf. and .^,'^'"°>^^«<1 »« ^he sick, and the maiLd, Some thought or the seamen and the snM^' ' r^"""". '" '^''" '^^^'^'^or!' rising youth, and longed that" hefshoudr-'rr^T' '*'^"5!'' "8°'" «^ '»»« approved sy3tem in sefular apSrt ? tSn J A L T."'?'"^ I" ^^'^ ""^^^ I longed and laboured io obtain^fc^ AfH^n H ^f ' • ^f^' ''"* "°^ ^"««^ "««*y Societies started into exttencers ff tthe LucH^hf M *'•^^"^^"' ^'^"^ these again were strengthened Vv nnm2 -^ Magician's wand, and le'ngth and breadth of thfK.il^T'*"' «^"*='««' *f"«h embraced the " ".eotings,andtheyea yme t^^^^^^^ !''«'« T'"^ 'he quarterly t:>e peer, from the humb^le co tug?;SS^?^'^;^^^ ^'•"™ !^ P^'^^^"^ ^« rosplendant with youth and beautv PnZ ' ^ .^^ rf«»K)w,//e rfe qualite, able to oloquence,^andrver Sh-.^h'^" rT'^'^'.r '"''^ *° ^'^ ^''^^^^r- iiiWe, Aii^sionary, and^o^herTn ?• 7T" bettet^Hlustrated than in the ;--> -ere dull ^J^L^ ^T^t^'^J^^ l^^-^^^-^ tho-momonl Uiev slool unon th*„l„Vr '^ * ' ?*»"«'"™^lf *t>m Weir lOTpor. " brilliant a«mbL? wJZ.'i'tt'? ?f T "r/!''. """» "«' '"''?«""' 1IF» O^'kosziit MliLdK^ *ir«. ^5 . had V- uptto men of more aanguli)^ tempemwi«ni«. li* tni^h^^,1|^hifc.w•.^■iie*t upon the excitement of tho«e tirties, in respect of rdlgioL kS^hSBiSSk ^eal. the onir explanation we «in glye o/it» or Jgin irttaillMlTi^'S Heaven. l^«d a i.ork Uvpertbrm % c^m/itAZ^^^rU^^l ca^e at hon^nd ah««ii and great was tfit^cd^^jyi »«a«ojS Ji^I 1^^^^^ th«« who sounded abroad his tr.etxjiful proclrimiiioi. Mf. JSlX 'A'Evo B.bleSoc.etjrj the topic he touches tp ia the Jnjustioe^ore ii^ftSleJ atrocious and unmitigated wrongs, which howeverVhe'soeiX^ih hk^M- h^ best remedied by the diffusion of Bible knowledge --.* Xone f IfciSfe il Ignorant of the present great extent of the n\^ve-tfyie7^TmJ^^H ::STtrl^:!;!:if'^^ r^i-^- .laver;.*"paSiaS5*^l>' n«»rn wed, kings and nobles have consnited, vete* ha*e bcfttt mVeh ^ Jr uie '>'ger ana the benegal have never murmurtad to its dttl6et cod^wpA . >L ' heart o{ the fettered West Indian has never leaped at i ts anprdSh At'' XS " ^ And though all Europe has jiftej „ jj; ^J^ ngninXrery vttt^fe ?b."f •i^"'^ ""*' r''^ ? *'"' «"'« ** -""^^ ^^»«>^'" the nS£"f them s^I wS nJonTh/'^'HT^ *° n'f '^^1"^' '""'^ "^ - a^hf^g that Vls^'ft fs rail J- S? ^^V" "" '<»ter?iWe, devourfng, infeinal deformity Wnd XaDttMnT,'"','"r^'"\^^° «ympatbii wish to keep Sai Sl HnwV ^T' ^"^^ T^ " *»"« ^«'** «'»^»'« Mother on AM' \ coast How does her heart tremble within her when a Euronean sail Ss^n ^ thJhrr ?T '^"f" .^'^^ ^'^'"* «way at the voice of a JZZ PkhfZ, thehell.faoed8lavp.deaIer, more horrible than, the lion or cSfe Zkh^t iXht nfl"^\.t'^™''"'' her daughters cluster LnSlSfie^^^^^ call her mbther ; but her arm is weak ; the agony of her co6nCcW K^ notjeed ; the voice of her prayer is «nheard.^fhe HeH-ccT3?oned Et i deabr, relent ess^ as Abaddon himself, tears her children frorherCm l^ fhem mto chains, and dr Ves them awav And hnw fMnW «l ' •?. ■T^' ^^ List mother^s look on their dear fS ^ \vith whrfeelS^^fhirk^^^^^^^^ oyo follow their departure ! And when she stand anleSlSv^Sii^^ ^S^n' on he Hnfl that is dragging her children to a land of sdfe n^and St^|^ now wi I all their fond endearments rush npon her mind J hW Willty& pJS- sstmgh^breakinnponhersoulf Yfe tUt are parens" will yoS thi. r I have k^t^yntir attention away from the feelirtgs"f rho chUd& S* .ndRe«! From their eVeS gush the streams of hit,.SJ;J.ll^.\]^^^^^^^^ .' '*■ ^^^^ 36 jixwM Qtb ttimmwf, wmaMK, i. u. obf i^vjpn hormf, «A tb«r wk«l ; MKliW •oounfld look of tte task bf^MttoT AmMI» im Thoughkoovii MnoiighM own friendaM « youwj m^iof Jiih,lia»»lt«»<^g«pia.,it^i«l «o|«^ fiim« iMd penetrated yif^^nmm^r the Ikll. Tbia will Uppwr fromtbe following singiUar p)*MtetM»,wbiori Mteoded ibe delWOTy of 1>w first Discourse. Oiie would nJ«f•»«teWl5^pppw4l Msiogolwii* t|»e owe,.ibat the demoo of envy, who oftei» fjsiriM iM poeV boif bem md^ki« l«st a&auU, to prevent hini cQimor wto Dptif9. Afitf:^ the ^eodote nwy sorve to tender « wowL of «-nooorae^ mentto jfpqthfuMftlpni wbeD strvigglinff with tb^ adverse influences of rivSs, T '^^ia,^^^^^^ tntosoHbing it la a somewhat ^breviated form Id thia }Mape» ♦lihe discourse, acoording to prescribed custbm, was ■ bomlly, and the ff)xt v^a^tbow wor*i iq BqSuma, y. 1^ • By one roan's diaobedi^oe many *TJ!^*v"*"2^ .^^"^ ^ ™** »^« ««*»» '^ aelivewd the intniducUon ana *be fesi tw^heade. few of the studetiU seemed to pay any attention to fiun. Uut i^hep he oame to the aeoond paragraph in the third and lasf head, which waf to show the efTecta of Adanr»*8 first dfsobedienoe on the rest of man- < j£uid» IMS language began to rise a littlo above the common level of prose : and at the tirst poeticaUxpression, several of the students of the fourth and fifth sessions exchanged looka with one another, and smiled contemptuously. As lie proceeded iq tl»a delivery, he mentioned, in illustration, the names of various awmalB, and ot several inanimate i^gents and objects of nature. On tbe mention of these names the whole of the studentsjixed their eyes on him, and. With the exception of tbOse of the first session, and a few others who wdre his personal friends or inUmafeacquaintanoes, broke out from diadainful smiles into audible laughter^ so that at times he could scarcely be heardi But he went 90,0001 and collected, wuh his WHal self-possession, keeping close to hie nqUis, am^d repeated bursts of laughter during the delivery of five full pages, QC abovt the^fiftb pfirt cf hif discourse. 0ere, iis he was going so witb^ohar- aotefiaUc self.opmroand, showing nepat^vely the • efibcta of ABaro's disobedi- ence,^ or enumerating a series of thingip which 'had Adam not disobeved— had Mn m entered into our Werld,' would twt have taken pboe, havingcomt! to .some things Mjictr might be applied to the present roanjfesteUooTof ihr studeqts, ho stood boldly and determinedly for^yard to muke himself be heard, and pronpBnoed,^wl!h awful firmness in the course of delivery, these words : raising lua che^ over tbe pvlpit. clenching his fist, fetching a stroke with his arm, and casting down on the students a look of great indignation, as he pro- noiincodthemj— ♦ifcd «» not e«terje4 our'wQrJd, no idio^maOe wmU havt gathered onOe/wt qf/ol^ tojmi mU tfeovaUenanceiSg mmnffwortk/^ » Thesu" words, with the tone asid manner in which ihey^were spoken, wereenouch. m »*WOT^ w^srfenoed, and ib0 atqdents, as if ashamed oMhen^elve«, fcnt .dflwqihclr,h^d»pn|hobeocbea. Tbe speaker.j however, though atill much rjcoited.^ ho Ml mSgkl be, seemed to ed Joy hw triumph. He kwked down on theoflfender*>w|tf, ranch f«w/rritf, as ^f he would have said, what do. you orni? aisc(^ur3» «raa1i9t«P<^,t(i with attenUmt bm when the Professor, as wa^ thopyjrton) p«)qe«MtQ ask the ppinlotw of the students on tkedisasursp, Uioy seemed |o hnye Mlio^ Md jeettme* cpiira« (bx a /lesb jwaauJt.Tonc, ^'"? f[t4» frtMfawofw of rttanner^ djenouQced Sm idiscwtr^e. saying, ^liwjr i#.^lhing,,Ja| tEara o«wr wuawh a n^ of absw* hopi^anJ^ilon , " ' , 1 . ... . ^ . .. . ^_ . ... . ^„ _ .^ ^, uv»^^V!^ A5imir mcfcOK, iA;^ifc m ^ and aignltf 6f iiliafioter^^xposed ihe wuihnM9 *nd,lu5pano» of ihdSJllSr^l approved of the dl-oourw ; raoommeoding him, howTreVW Ss S2Kr discourses to be more on his guaH In oalng in the ald.VlnSdntZfv ,» u 2f ^^ °^*^ ''^^ ''^^« ttenUoned we find Mr; P^ndkmtiltm^gitie at Moorhouse ; and here, among oih^r studiea, he appears to lSv?^^3 some attention to a course of reading in poetry. He'^^pTaw mZT^ menced with Chaucer, who wrote in the fourteenth centiry, and to have^d in chronological order from hi, days downwards. Mr. l^lKpLan to hPve carried on tl,ese attractive studies not merelyTor the aake of grSgl ?s own taste, t,ut w.th the vie# 6f fitting himself foJ taking his c«^ placraS t^ choir m due time. The poetry which he mftst admired, among trShob ^rms, was that of Milton. On one occasion, his broths info?ms us tha^ Robert came into his bed-room, and imagining Wm to be Sp "vklk' slow yabout with l»ar^dise Lost in his hands, saying, in a voTcTs; as dS tncUy to be hear^Tby him, striking the book at the afme time en his thigh ~ No, no, fere's n^ne of them like milOH--nme like Milter Indeed so much was Mr. PoUok's mind under the Influence of these studies. flShich at this timehe was engaged that not only did he meditate on themTrinrthe day but he dreamed about them by night. We accordinglv find oSr AhS describing a drfeam which he had at^'this time. He f^ Siat the timJl of Cromwell and of the restorativn of the « Merry Monarch" were gone by and he fancied that h s favourite Author was sUll alive. "I hadTSTveritldi" ' he says, "with Milton In a dream. We talked of his works «rSd CnokHfT °' ''%°"" ^'^"r.^ "^ '»"'»'' s«nsib^eof th^lcsUpeS; He spoke of them, and expressed hi^ opinion of them freely Zd dignifieSy « T L °^ii-f °''.""**° "''^'^ *"y own, 'that I awoke. So you see » he S " have Milton'sown authority for saying of his Comas • ItIs k Sb J^^' At this lime, also, we find Mr. Pollok so deeply interested inST^S^hJ*. tuneful brethren that he drew up a list of the suffering^?d mb^TXc^^ rn the days ofther pilgrimage, they had endured, ^e shaU nS S?"ut '! ' ' ' *» '7^*f ''"i"® °^" ^®°*"'' S^^'^ ^*»® '^"al Wow, ^ ( ■r . . And helped to plant the wound that laid thee low. ' » . So the struck eaele stretched upon the plain, No more through rpUing clouds to soar again— View d his own feathers on the fatal dart. And wipg'd ihe shaft that quiver'd in his heart. Keen were his pangs, but keener far to feel, Sfi m"'*'''*^ ^''® P'"^°" ^''^^^ impelled the steel ; - While the same plumage that had warmed his nest Dranfc,lhe last life blood of his bleeding breast." Though Mr. Pollok had not given the most successful illustration of preachmg in the Divinity Hall himself, as we have already noticerhe seems however, firmly td have believed that there were more defaulteSn hewasTn this matter. Accordingly we find him deliVfering, before a smal s^iety of hi, felow-studenta an Essay on Preaching. As far as we can perceTve into tbe wT °^ the objections of Mr Pollok, Lseems to think that it^ would betette^ ^vere preachers to present a larger picture of the works of God before the imnds of the peeple ; instead of geieral language he would Syeful? and finK'hw>r*°"V ^"""y^"? '^"°^«' ''°^^«^«^' '^^' it is much eas^r to fnui ; r V"^"^'^^™""* °^ "l""'^ '''"" ^ ^° '' ' «^"'l P*^haps there is too in L^ atnong young tpen ; but we cannot helfthinking that one of the evils whn5h attend the present religious regime of the Church Is, that there is It S^^ '". ^1'^ ^'^"^ ^''.' "^'^'*' considering her many iri^^f et 'on ! thrlt.t! T^ P°''^V° J^"i*"' *'. '*•" '""*^"^y '^^''°f « either to provoke „, kt? it ''^''^'f.S^l^i adversaries, or the disappointment of friends. Let W^TJ^ri'L^^u ^"""'^ " ^'^J""'*""' *° certain of our modern preachers We muet admit that he does not speak in a spirit of bitterness :-" I belief* a« much aa any man does, that the truths of the Gospel need no setting oflT Jjnaments; but I differ from the preachers in questioS aC th^meaS oT the term <>rnameal. They dehominate everything ornament, or at "fast JSl^rr"*' '"T'^'^' ^'''L-^^* off " Wea, e^xceot i^Jhe' bares wat I call nothihg ornament that gives force to the idea, or leaves it more d^enlv impresaeddn the mifld. * | • Ourbarren. dry'preache's zealous fo'Sj dignify of ih# pupt, areafVaid to single out any object i^ nature. Our f?n°H'^''' "^^ "'• ^T^^ ^5 *''« P"'P''' ''"» '»• ^"«^ »'«> that t",e obj^ts ofnat^^^rere^^anrwou^^^^^ ^eirt» s^ngTO m8l0F«etpTes. -Behold the Fowls of the air ; for theyww not, neither d© they reap, nor gather into bams, yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them.'" ^fr^ollok; in attother place, pr^eeds to say. that whili he ( ^"m u'^* *t? P'"11°>'' ^? P****** »»* Gospel in plate and sirtipl^ language* he would h»v* Him •« bring intb the service of the Gospel all the obfsotiahd ! minist^tfitsf aitfti.,. \fejJm.H hive him t(,giy. i JJ^.Z 4^.Kd tS tetirt pmise, Wt ii..:\ but MFl! or ROBEKT rOLLOK, A. M. 39 '»' """"•I""'" '"i" »< "It" I >»ean by it." Had m" Polbk U^ «h™V.T'°"'"r" ""'"*■ ■■• "•«!•' P»««T^ly have foS, wr* m«v White Zd'an" T: """"i° "'jF P?" °rthe oritio tha^tZe yeamS ctaTrvoTL^^^ P^t'"^^ T'^'^* daya' service as one bf the Lroffirom « Jh • 7''''*^; ^^ a Student of Divinity, he wasolcourse S^iaSSutTforaryK^^^^^^ ^"' he appears to haCl been wiling ^ thprrn}f i«-j • •! L "® *''^'*" brothers on whom the duty had devolved Hp been pecXrirexX^ SL «wnrH ' * ^""^ ?°'"'°* ^°'*^'«'-' *"^ ^ »«^» Thof ^.-o.:.. ^""icxiuuyoi literature and of the nDilitarv art is verv rlour ♦ and we Jill gXn ;:£lippiV-"m ^^^ the pen of Mr PouT'hITJ' •« «^ ''.^'■° '"*^'' *'«°' » «»*"» ^om bvteVv of fS«;H J u *"'*' '^""®" * "°'""y at the request of the Pres. follows .^P^*'"''''^ «'"• ^^ the back of the manuscript he had written a, "But they who were ever the fondest to raeet, ' I A„^°nf" i*? ""fP^ °'*'" ••'^ ^'•ean' thpy believed : And the heart that has slumbered in frieidship's sekt Is happy indeed if 'twas never deceived.*' " ,--ii'. In the summer of 1823 Mr PnWnh «»»%*. . t i • -S pe^efu. ti,., .«JC^n-J-. --H CH«^^^^^^ 40 tlFE Of ROAERir POtLOlS, A. M. to «heir eoiBciettcM, the lesson of gratitude, tu