^> 

 
 Ex libris 
 C. K. OGDEN 
 
 M 
 
 h 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 AN 
 
 ACCOUNT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 LIFE AND WRITINGS 
 
 OP 
 
 JAMES BEATTIE, LL. D.
 
 Edinburgh: 
 Printed by James Ballantyne & Co.
 
 
 
 BEATTIE LL.D. 
 
 
 *V/7/*W. L<Jl</t-n-.
 
 AN 
 
 ACCOUNT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 LIFE AND WRITINGS 
 
 OF 
 
 JAMES BEATTIE, LL.D. 
 
 LATE PROFESSOR OF MORAL PHILOSOPHY AND LOGIC IK 
 
 THE MARISCHAL COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF ABERDEEN. 
 
 INCLUDING MANY OF HIS ORIGINAL LETTERS. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 
 BY 
 
 SIR WILLIAM FORBES 
 
 OF PITSLIGO, BART. 
 ONE OF THE EXECUTORS OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 Earum rerum omnium vel in primis hie fructum a me repelere prope 
 suo jure debet. Nam hunc video mihi principem, et ad suscipiendam, et 
 ad ingrediendam ralionem horum studiorum exlitisse. Cic. pro Arch. 
 
 EDINBURGH : 
 
 PRINTED FOR ARCH. CONSTABLE AND CO. EDINBURGH; 
 
 LONGMAN, HURST, REES, AND ORME, T. CADELL AND W. DAVJES, 
 
 AND JOHN MURRAY, LONDON. 
 
 1807-
 
 PR 
 
 33 |G 
 B38Z51 
 I 807 u . 
 V. 1 
 
 TO v 
 
 THE RIGHT HONOURABLE 
 AND 
 RIGHT REVEREND 
 
 BEILBY PORTEUS, D.D. 
 
 LORD BISHOP OF LONDON, 
 
 ONE OF HIS MAJESTY'S MOST HONOURABLE PRIVY COUNCIL, 
 &C. &C. &C. 
 
 MY LORD, 
 
 A.$ soon as I formed the re- 
 solution of attempting to write the Life of 
 Dr Beattie, I determined to request per- 
 mission to inscribe it to your Lordship ; be- 
 cause I well know the high value he justly 
 
 10
 
 VI 
 
 set on your friendship, and how much it 
 would have gratified him to think, that his 
 name should be joined with that of the Bi- 
 shop of London. 
 
 Your Lordship well knew Dr Beattie's 
 merit as a Philosopher and a Poet, and his 
 worth as a Man and a Christian. If in 
 this attempt, therefore, to delineate his cha- 
 racter, lam so fortunate as to gain, in any 
 degree, your approbation, I shall look upon 
 my work with no ordinary degree of com- 
 placence. 
 
 I embrace, with the greatest satisfac- 
 tion, and with peculiar propriety, this op- 
 portunity of expressing my respect for you ; 
 as it was to Dr Beattie's kind partiality
 
 Vll 
 
 that I owed my first introduction to your 
 Lordship, and the beginning of that friend- 
 ship with which you have ever since been 
 pleased to honour me. I am, 
 
 MY LORD, 
 
 Your Lordship's most obedient, 
 And faithful humble Servant, 
 
 WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 Edinburgh, 24th March, 1806.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Mr Mason prefaces his excellent and 
 entertaining Memoirs of the Life and Wri-< 
 tings of Gray,* with an observation, more 
 remarkable for its truth than novelty, that 
 " the lives of men of letters seldom abound 
 " with incidents. A reader of sense and 
 li taste, therefore/' continues he, " never ex- 
 " pects to find, in the memoirs of a philo- 
 " sopher or poet, the same species of enter- 
 
 * Vol. II. p. 1. Ed. 12mo. 
 VOL, I. A
 
 11 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 " tainment or information which he would 
 " receive from those of a statesman or ge- 
 " neral. He expects, however, to be either 
 " informed or entertained. Nor will he be 
 " disappointed, did the writer take care to 
 " dwell principally on such topics as cha- 
 " racterize the man, and distinguish that 
 " peculiar part which he acted in the va- 
 " ried drama of society/' 
 
 Keeping in view this rule of Mr Mason's, 
 it is my purpose to give to the world some 
 account of the late Dr Beattie ; a man, 
 whose life, if it does not afford many strik- 
 ing incidents, yet furnishes no unuseful les- 
 son, and no mean incentive, to men of ge- 
 nius, how obscure soever their origin may 
 be, or unpromising their early prospects ; 
 as it shews the degree of celebrity and in- 
 dependence at which they may reasonably
 
 INTRODUCTION. Ill 
 
 hope to arrive, by the exertion of those ta- 
 lents which they inherit from Nature, and 
 a virtuous conduct in the society in which 
 Providence has placed them. 
 
 Before I enter, however, on this under- 
 taking, I deem it necessary to offer some 
 apology for my attempting it at all. I wish, 
 indeed, that it had fallen to the lot of some 
 other person better qualified to do justice to 
 the subject ; yet perhaps I may be thought 
 to possess some advantages in that respect, 
 which are essential to the execution of a 
 work of this nature. For as he, who at- 
 tempts to write biography, ought to have 
 had a near acquaintance with the person 
 whose life and character he means to deli- 
 neate ; it is my pride to say, that, during 
 the long period of almost forty years, I 
 was honoured with Dr Beattie's unreserved
 
 IV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 friendship, as well as intimate epistolary 
 intercourse. By those means I enjoyed the 
 opportunity of knowing him well, and of 
 duly appreciating his merit as a poet and 
 philosopher, in both of which capacities 
 he eminently excelled. I have also been 
 fortunate enough to recover much of his 
 private correspondence with others. From 
 all which I hope to be able to show, that 
 the writings which he gave to the world, 
 were but transcripts of his mind : and that 
 he evinced his love of virtue and religion, 
 as well as his refined and classical taste, no 
 less in his private and unreserved commu- 
 nications with his friends, (some of them of 
 high rank in life, as well as in the literary 
 world,) than in those valuable works which 
 he composed, with more care, for the public 
 instruction.
 
 INTRODUCTION. V 
 
 In order to exhibit to the reader a faith- 
 ful portrait of the original, I propose to fol- 
 low the example of Mr Mason in his Life of 
 Gray, by producing some of the most inte- 
 resting of Dr Beattie's letters, and connect- 
 ing them by a narrative, at proper periods, 
 of the principal incidents of his life. By 
 this method, he will, in no inconsiderable 
 degree, be his own biographer. And those 
 letters will more clearly show the genuine 
 goodness of his heart, and the soundness of 
 his judgment, than any laboured character 
 of him that could possibly be drawn. 
 
 This mode of printing the letters of men 
 of eminence to their private friends, which 
 of course were never meant to meet the 
 public eye, has, I know, been condemned 
 by some ; but it has been well vindicated
 
 VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 by others, particularly by Mr Mason.* 
 " Letters of eminent persons, not written 
 " for publication," says the Editor of Lord 
 Orford's works, " have always been sought 
 " for with eagerness by the intelligent pub- 
 " lie, who justly conceive, that, by their 
 " means, the most intimate and most satis- 
 " factory acquaintance, both with the au- 
 " thor and his contemporaries, is often ac- 
 " quired." -j- Those who are of a different 
 opinion, may be asked, Whether they can 
 wish that they had never seen such letters 
 as Mr Mason has printed? and, farther, 
 Whether they think that Mr Gray's cha- 
 racter, as a gentleman or a scholar, has 
 been injured by their publication ? It may 
 also be asked, Whether there be not a wide 
 
 * Life of Gray, Vol. II. p. 5. Ed. 12mo. 
 
 f Preface to the Works of the Earl of Orford, p. xix.
 
 INTRODUCTION. Vll 
 
 difference between those elegant selections, 
 which do equal honour to the head and the 
 heart of the writers, and the collections of 
 such men as Edmund Curl, into which 
 every thing is indiscriminately admitted, 
 whether having merit or not, because it 
 bears the name of the eminent literary 
 characters of his day ? I believe few rea- 
 ders of taste will be at any loss to find an 
 answer to the question. If any farther au- 
 thority were wanting, I might add that of 
 Mr Hayley, who has published his interest- 
 ing life of Cowper on the same plan. In 
 the introduction to his third volume, Mr 
 Hayley has given a dissertation on the sub- 
 ject of the publication of private letters ; 
 and a list of the most eminent collections 
 of that species of composition to be met 
 with in ancient as well as modern Ian-
 
 Vlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 guages. Whether these letters of Dr Beat- 
 tie's, which 1 have thus ventured to lay be- 
 fore the public, may be deemed any valu- 
 able addition to those of which it is already 
 in possession, I scarcely dare to think my- 
 self a proper judge ; as the partiality I feel 
 for every thing that has fallen from his pen, 
 may not unnaturally be supposed some- 
 what to bias my judgment in that respect. 
 That every letter of Dr Beattie's here print- 
 ed is equally interesting, I am very far 
 from wishing to affirm ; but 1 trust that 
 many will be found of no inconsiderable 
 value, as containing the opinions, on lite- 
 rary subjects, of one who was himself so 
 excellent a judge, and so eminent an ex r 
 ample, of what is most valuable in philo- 
 sophy, poetry, or criticism. 
 I shall only add farther, that I have been
 
 INTRODUCTION. IX 
 
 scrupulous in not admitting any thing that 
 I thought would hurt the feelings of others; 
 nor any anecdote or opinion which Dr Beat- 
 tie himself could have wished to have sup- 
 pressed. As an Editor, I have not taken 
 the liberty to add a single iota to what Dr 
 Beattie has written ; but I have thought 
 myself fully warranted in omitting, with- 
 out scruple, whatever it seemed to me that 
 he would not have permitted to see the 
 light. 
 
 When I consider the very great number 
 of his letters, which I have been able to re- 
 cover, some of them of great length, besides 
 many more that he must have written to 
 his other correspondents, which have esca- 
 ped my research, or have not been deemed 
 worth the preserving ; when I consider, too, 
 the labour he bestowed in composing, as
 
 X INTRODUCTION. 
 
 well as transcribing over and over again 
 (for he seldom employed an amanuensis), 
 his works for the press, and at the same 
 time think of the deplorable state of his 
 health, and that he employed three hours 
 every day, for almost half the year, in teach- 
 ing his class, I cannot but be filled with 
 wonder how he could possibly have contri- 
 ved to write so much, preserving and en- 
 joying at the same time a suitable inter- 
 course with society.* 
 
 After these few introductory observa- 
 
 * I have retained the ancient custom of placing the 
 Notes at the bottom of the page, though in opposition 
 to the authority of some distinguished historical and 
 biographical writers, who throw all their notes, how 
 short soever, to the end of the volume ; a mode which 
 I have always thought extremely inconvenient for the 
 reader. When notes run to such a length, however, as 
 to break the narrative too much, they will be found, by 
 references, in the Appendix.
 
 INTRODUCTION. XI 
 
 tions, I now proceed, with the utmost dif- 
 fidence, to submit the following narrative 
 to the candour and indulgence of the pub- 
 lic.
 
 LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 JAMES BEATTIE, LL.D. 
 SECTION I.
 
 THE 
 
 LIFE OF JAMES BEATTIE, LL. D. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 FROM DR BEATTIE S BIRTH, IN THE YEAR 
 
 1735, TO HIS ESTABLISHMENT AT ABERDEEN, IN THE 
 
 YEAR 1758. 
 
 James Beattie, LL. D. was born on the 25th 
 October, 1735, at Lawrencekirk,* at that time an 
 obscure hamlet in the county of Kincardine in 
 Scotland. His father was James Beattie, who, at 
 
 * Lawrencekirk, which is situated twenty-eight miles south 
 from Aberdeen, owes its rise, from so slender a beginning, to 
 the rank of a borough of barony (as such small towns are called 
 in Scotland, holding a rank somewhat above that of a village) 
 to the ardent spirit of Lord Gardenstown, and the great encou- 
 ragement he bestowed on it, at a very considerable expence. 
 Any farther account of Lawrencekirk, however, is foreign from 
 my present purpose. I may merely add, that the house, in which 
 Dr Beattie was born, stood on a rising ground at the north-east 
 end of the village, at no great distance from the scite of the pre-
 
 16 LIFE OF DR EEATTIE. 
 
 the same time that he kept a small retail shop in 
 the village, rented a little farm in the neighbour- 
 hood, on which, and on a similar spot about a 
 mile distant, his forefathers, for several genera- 
 tions, had carried on the same useful employment 
 of agriculture. His mother's name was Jean 
 Watson ; and they had six children, of whom the 
 youngest was James, the subject of these me- 
 moirs. If from this humble line of ancestry Dr 
 Beattie derived no lustre, it may be fairly said, 
 that he incurred no disgrace. For, though they 
 were poor, they were honest ; and were even dis- 
 tinguished in that neighbourhood for their supe- 
 rior understanding. His father, in particular, is 
 represented as having been a man of a most re- 
 spectable character, who, by reading, had acqui- 
 
 sent inn, from which it was separated by a small rivulet. On 
 the same spot is now built a house inhabited by a nephew of 
 Dr Beattie's. And it has been remarked, by some who are 
 fond of fanciful analogies, that, as the tomb of Virgil, in the 
 neighbourhood of Naples, was adorned with a laurel, the birth- 
 place of Beattie was partly covered with ivy, as if to denote 
 that it had produced a poet. The banks of the rivulet are beau- 
 tifully fringed with wild roses, where Dr Beattie had been ac- 
 customed to spend his playful hours when at school, and which 
 he delighted to contemplate each time he passed through Law- 
 rencekirk, with that enthusiasm with which we revisit, in after 
 life, the haunts of our boyish days.
 
 LTFE OF DR BEATTIE. 17 
 
 red knowledge superior to what could have been 
 expected in his humble condition. 
 
 After his father's death, his mother, who was a 
 woman of uncommon abilities, was assisted in 
 the management of their small farm by her eldest 
 son David; by the profits of which, and of the 
 retail shop in the village, she was enabled to 
 bring up her family in a comfortable manner. 
 Her son James she placed at the parish-school of 
 Lawrencekirk. 
 
 To that part of the civil polity of Scotland, by 
 which in every parish a public school is by law 
 established, it has been, not unjustly, attributed, 
 that the lower classes of people in Scotland often 
 display a superior degree of abilities through com- 
 mon life, to those of the same station in other 
 countries, among whom the blindest ignorance 
 but too frequently prevails. For in these paro- 
 chial schools, the youth, even of the peasantry, 
 may, if so inclined, receive such a measure of in- 
 struction, as is suited to their station, or may ena- 
 ble them, if possessed of superior genius, to arrive 
 at still higher attainments in literature. 
 
 The parish-school of Lawrencekirk was at that 
 time of some reputation ; and it was rendered the 
 more remarkable, by being the same in which 
 
 VOL. I. B
 
 18 LIFE OF DH BEATT1E. 
 
 Ruddiman, the celebrated grammarian, had taught 
 about forty years before. When young Beattie 
 attended it, this school was taught by a person 
 of the name of Milne, whom he used to represent 
 as a good grammarian, and tolerably skilled in 
 the Latin language, but destitute of taste, as well 
 as of some other qualifications essential to a good 
 teacher. 
 
 During the period of his attendance at the pa- 
 rish-school, he had access to few books. * Such 
 as he could procure, he read with avidity ; and it 
 was then that he chanced to meet w T ith Ogilby's 
 translation of Virgil, from which he learned " the 
 tale of Troy divine," and first became acquainted 
 with English versification, f Even at that early 
 
 * For such books as he read at this early period, he was al- 
 most solely indebted to the Rev. Mr Thomson, at that time mi- 
 nister of Lawrencekirk ; a very learned man, whose collection, 
 though in all probability it was not large, yet was superior to 
 what a minister of the church of Scotland can generally be sup- 
 posed to possess in a' country parish. Of that clergyman, Dr 
 Beattie always spoke with the highest respect, and acknow- 
 ledged, in a particular manner, his obligations to him for the 
 use of books. 
 
 f It is a curious coincidence of circumstances, that Pope was 
 initiated in poetry at eight years of age by the perusal of Ogil- 
 by's Homer. A friend having presented Dr Beattie, in the lat- 
 ter part of his life, with a copy of Ogilby's Virgil, made him
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 19 
 
 period, his turn for poetry began to show itself, 
 and among his school-fellows he went by the 
 name of the Poet. It was remarked, likewise, by 
 his family at home, particularly by a sister some 
 years older than himself, at whose house in Mon- 
 trose, after her marriage, he occasionally visited, * 
 that, during the night-time, he used to get out 
 of bed, and walk about his chamber, in order to 
 write down any poetical thought that had struck 
 his fancy. 
 
 In the year 1 749, he commenced his academi- 
 cal course, and attended the Greek class in Ma- 
 rischal College, /Aberdeen, at that time taught by 
 Dr Blackwell. f Of Dr Blackweil's friendship 
 to him, he retained through life the most grate- 
 ful remembrance ; frequently declaring, that the 
 learned Principal was the first person who gave 
 
 very happy, in thus recalling to his imagination all the ideas 
 with which his favourite author had at first inspired him, even 
 through the medium of such a translation. 
 
 * Mrs Valentine, who told this anecdote to Mr Arbuthnot, 
 from whom I had it. 
 
 f Dr Thomas Blackwell, Principal of Marischal College, and 
 Professor of Greek, in which language he was eminently skill- 
 ed ; author of an " Inquiry into the Life and Writings of Ho- 
 mer ;" " Letters concerning Mythology;" and "Memoirs of 
 the Court of Augustus."
 
 2tO LIFE OF DIl BEATTIE. 
 
 him reason to believe that he was possessed of 
 any genius. By Dr Blackwell he was, to his as- 
 tonishment, early distinguished as superior to all 
 his class-fellows ; and, at the close of the session 
 1749-50, he received from him a book, elegantly 
 bound, bearing the following inscription: "Jaco- 
 " bo Beattie, in prima classe, ex comitatu Mernen- 
 " si, * post examen publicum librum hunc apts-wom, 
 " prcemium dedit T. Blackwell, April is 3 mdccl." 
 
 As his finances were but slender, he became a 
 candidate for one of the bursaries, which are an- 
 nually bestowed on such of the students as are 
 unable to bear the usual expences attendant on a 
 university education. These bursaries are small 
 annual stipends, which the piety of our ancestors, 
 and their zeal for the advancement of learning, 
 had led them to establish. 
 
 But no opprobrious distinction, no menial of- 
 fice, no degrading servitude, is annexed to the 
 appellation of Bursar at Aberdeen, which merely 
 implies the receipt of a certain revenue. On the 
 contrary, it is a proof of superior merit. For, in- 
 stead of being a sinecure to which the student is 
 
 * " The Meams," to which Dr Blackwell has here given a 
 Latin termination, is the vernacular name for the county of Kin- 
 cardine.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 21 
 
 presented without trial, it is the reward of learn- 
 ing, after a competition among those who are the 
 candidates, and of whose literary merits the pro- 
 fessors of the university are the judges. And it 
 not unfrequently happens, as was the case of 
 young Beattie, that the Bursars, by being the best 
 scholars, are found at the head of their class.* 
 
 He continued his attendance at the university 
 of Aberdeen during four years, in the course of 
 which, besides attending the Greek class, f he 
 
 * This alludes to those Bursaries which are in the gift of the 
 university, and are publicly contended for by every candidate 
 who chuses to make his appearance. Besides these there are 
 several in the gift of private patrons, who bestow them, without 
 trial, on whom they please. 
 
 t As a proof of the ardour with which he prosecuted his stu- 
 dies, not only while he attended the regular course of instruc- 
 tion at the university, but even after he had ceased to be an aca- 
 demical student, he wrote a book of notes on the Iliad, which 
 has been found among his papers since his death. It consists of 
 one hundred and forty duodecimo pages, closely written. There 
 was also found among his papers, a book of notes on some of 
 the Italian classics, similar to those on Homer. In his library 
 is an interleaved copy of Xenophon's Memorabilia of Socrates, 
 divided into two volumes, with very copious notes in the same 
 manner, most accurately written in a fair hand on the interleaved 
 pages. Longinus on the Sublime is prepared for the same pur- 
 pose, but no notes are written. In his copy of Virgil in Usum 
 Delphini there are some notes written by him, but they are not 
 
 Vide Appendix, [A.]
 
 22 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 studied philosophy under the late Dr Gerard; 
 and during three sessions he attended the lec- 
 tures given by Dr Pollock, at that time professor 
 of divinity in Marischal College, no doubt with 
 a view to the ministry ; a pursuit, however, 
 which he soon relinquished. One of his fellow- 
 students has informed me, that during their at- 
 tendance at the divinity hall, he heard Beattie 
 deliver a discourse, which met with much com- 
 mendation, but of which it was remarked by the 
 audience, that he spoke poetry in prose. * 
 
 very numerous, nor longer than can be easily contained in the 
 blank spaces of the book itself. Yet they are sometimes not 
 unimportant; for example, iEneid VI. v. 488. he has corrected 
 the interpretation of the editor Ruaeus, who has totally misun- 
 derstood the meaning of the expression et conferre gradum, which 
 that editor renders et admovere pedcm propius. On that passage, 
 by a note in Dr Beattie's handwriting, we are referred to Georg. 
 III. v. 169. where the same expression is used, when Virgil is 
 giving directions how to teach heifers to walk side by side, to 
 fit them for the plough. There Ruaeus himself could not mis- 
 take the meaning of the expression, (for the same words are used,) 
 and renders it as it ought to have been in iEneid VI. by simul 
 incedere. From his corrections of the text of this his favourite 
 Latin poet, as well as by what he has been beard to say, he 
 seems to have preferred the readings of Nicholas Heinsius. In 
 his library are several beautiful copies of Virgil. || 
 
 * It is told, in the same manner, of Thomson, who had also 
 been a student of divinity, that when he produced, as a proba- 
 
 || I owe the substance of this note to his assistant and successor, Mr 
 Glennie.
 
 LIFE OF Dlt BEATTIE. 23 
 
 - Having finished his course of study at the uni- 
 versity, he was appointed, on the ] st day of Au- 
 gust, 1753, to be schoolmaster of the parish of 
 Fordoun, a small hamlet, distant about six miles 
 from his native village of Lawrencekirk, at the 
 foot of the Grampian mountains, where he also 
 rilled the office of praecentor or parish-clerk. 
 
 In this obscure situation he must have passed 
 many of his hours in solitude ; for except that of 
 Mr Forbes, the parish minister, who shewed him 
 great kindness, and in whose family he frequent- 
 ly visited, he had scarcely any other society than 
 that of the neighbouring peasantry, from whose 
 conversation he could derive little amusement, 
 and no information. But he had a never failing 
 resource in his own mind, in those meditations 
 which he loved to indulge, amidst the beautiful 
 and sublime scenery of that neighbourhood, which 
 furnished him with endless amusement. At a 
 
 tionary exercise, the explanation of a psalm, the professor re- 
 proved him for speaking a language that would be altogether 
 unintelligible to a popular audience ; which so disgusted Thom- 
 son with theological pursuits, that he resolved to betake himself 
 entirely to the cultivation of his poetical talents, by which he 
 afterwards rose to such distinguished eminence. 
 
 $ Dr Anderson's Life of Thomson, in the Poets of Great Britain, Vol. 
 ix. p. 274.
 
 24 LIFE OF DR. BEATTIE. 
 
 small distance from the place of his residence, a 
 deep and extensive glen, finely clothed with 
 wood, runs up into the mountains. Thither he 
 frequently repaired, and there several of his ear- 
 liest pieces were written. From that wild and 
 romantic spot he drew, as from the life, some of 
 the finest descriptions, and most beautiful pictures 
 of nature, in his poetical compositions. He has 
 been heard to say, for instance, that the descrip- 
 tion of the Owl, in his charming poem on " Re- 
 tirement," 
 
 " Whence the scared Owl, on pinions grey, 
 " Breaks from the rustling boughs, 
 " And down the lone vale sails away 
 " To more profound repose," * 
 
 was drawn after real nature. And the seven- 
 teenth stanza of the second book of the " Min- 
 strel," in which he so feelingly describes the spot 
 of which he most approved for his place of sepul- 
 ture, is so very exact a picture of the situation of 
 the churchyard of Lawrencekirk, which stands 
 
 * It is curious to compare this stanza with the second of 
 Gray's Elegy in a Country Church- Yard, in which the same 
 thought occurs.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 25 
 
 near to his mother's house, and in which is the 
 school-house where he was daily taught, that he 
 must certainly have had it in his view at the 
 time he wrote those beautiful lines : 
 
 " Let vanity adorn the marble tomb 
 ** With trophies, rhymes, and scutcheons of renown, 
 ** In the deep dungeon of some Gothic dome, 
 * Where night and desolation ever frown. 
 " Mine be the breezy hill that skirts the down, 
 " Where a green grassy turf is all I crave, 
 " With here and there a violet bestrown, 
 " Fast by a brook, or fountain's murmuring wave ; 
 " And many an evening sun shine sweetly on my grave." * 
 
 It was his supreme delight to saunter in the 
 fields the live-long night, contemplating the sky, 
 
 * The wish, that our bones should be laid " in the sepulchre 
 with our fathers," has been so prevalent in all ages, that it seems 
 to be a sentiment inherent in our nature. No wonder, there- 
 fore, that the local scenery where his nearest and dearest con- 
 nections were interred, should have made an early and deep 
 impression on the mind of young Beattie, and should have sug- 
 gested to him the idea, that there, perhaps, might be his own 
 place of sepulture. 
 
 At a later period, however, he had changed his design in that 
 respect ; and after he began to spend so much of his time at 
 Peterhead, he became fond of an ancient burying-ground, at six 
 miles distance, where had originally stood the church, now in 
 ruins, of the parish of St Fergus, in the middle of the beautiful
 
 26* LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 and marking the approach of day ; and he used 
 to describe, with peculiar animation, the pleasure 
 he received from the soaring of the lark in a sum- 
 mer morning. A beautiful landscape which he 
 has magnificently described in the twentieth 
 stanza of the first book of the " Minstrel," cor- 
 responds exactly with what must have presented 
 itself to his poetical imagination, on those occa- 
 sions, at the approach of the rising sun, as he 
 would view the grandeur of that scene from the 
 hill in the neighbourhood of his native village. 
 The high hill which rises to the west of Fordoun, 
 
 links |] of that name. This was a favourite spot of Dr Beattie's, 
 where he much delighted to take his walks of meditation. Com- 
 bining the idea of solitude and repose with the solemn purpose 
 to which the scene was devoted, he felt a more than common 
 interest in that sequestered spot, and used to say to his friends, 
 that it was there he wished his remains might be laid. With 
 that view, the first season in which his niece, Mrs Glennie, ac- 
 companied him to Peterhead, he carried her to visit the church- 
 yard in the links of St Fergus. 
 
 It was the recollection of that circumstance which induced 
 Mrs Glennie to ask him, after the death of both his sons, where 
 he desired to be interred ? to which he replied, that " he would 
 " wish his body to be laid beside those of his two sons, rather 
 " than beside that of the greatest monarch upon earth." He 
 was accordingly buried at Aberdeen. 
 
 || A word used in Scotland, nearly synoninious with what in England 
 they call " Downs."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 2? 
 
 would, in a misty morning, supply him with one 
 of the images so beautifully described in the 
 twenty-first stanza. And the twentieth stanza of 
 the second book of the " Minstrel" describes a 
 night-scene unquestionably drawn from nature, 
 in which he probably had in view Homers sub- 
 lime description of the moon, in the eighth book 
 of the Iliad, so admirably translated by Pope, 
 that an eminent critic has not scrupled to declare 
 it to be superior to the original.* He used, him- 
 self, to tell, that it was from the top of a high 
 hill in the neighbourhood that he first beheld the 
 ocean, the sight of which, he declared, made the 
 most lively impression on his mind. 
 
 It is pleasing, I think, to contemplate these 
 his early habits, so congenial to the feelings of a 
 poetical and warm imagination; and, therefore, 
 I trust I shall be forgiven for having dwelt on 
 them so long, f 
 
 * Melmoth's Letters of Sir Thomas Fitzosborn, Letter xx. 
 p. 85. 
 
 f It must have been about this period, that an incident hap- 
 pened to him, which I should be afraid to relate, were I not fully- 
 persuaded of its authenticity : I never, indeed, myself heard him 
 mention it ; but I have perfect confidence in the veracity of 
 those friends to whom he has frequently told the circumstance. 
 Having lain down, early in the morning, on the bank of his fa-
 
 28 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 From this cheerless want of society, however, 
 he was, not long after, in a -great degree relieved, 
 by the arrival of his eldest brother, David, who 
 came to establish himself in the village of For- 
 doun. Although he was eleven years older than 
 our author, the utmost cordiality subsisted be- 
 tween the two brothers, and much of their time 
 was spent in each other's company. At that 
 time David, who was so much older than his bro- 
 ther, no doubt had it in his power to do him con- 
 siderable service. But that service was amply re- 
 turned in the course of their after lives, by Dr 
 Beattie, who took every opportunity of assisting 
 his brother and his family. And finally, by his 
 will, he left to David a legacy, from which, how- 
 ever, by his dying before Dr Beattie, he did not 
 derive any benefit. 
 
 vourite rivulet adjoining to his mother's house, he had fallen 
 asleep; on awaking, it was not without astonishment that he 
 found he had been walking in his sleep, and that he was then 
 at a considerable distance (about a mile and a half) from the 
 place where he had lain down. On his way back to that spot, 
 he passed some labourers, and enquiring of them, if they had 
 seen him walking along, they told him that thev had, with his 
 head hanging down, as if he had been looking for something he 
 had lost. II 
 
 H Vide Appendix, [B.]
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 29 
 
 His first patron was the late Lord Garden- 
 stown, * who, being at that time sheriff of the 
 county of Kincardine, resided occasionally at 
 Woodstock, a house in the neighbourhood of 
 Fordoun. To Beattie Mr Garden became acci- 
 dentally known, by his having found him one 
 day in his favourite glen, employed in writing 
 with a pencil. On enquiring what he was about, 
 and rinding that he was employed in the compo- 
 sition of a poem, Mr Garden's curiosity was at- 
 tracted, and from that period he took the young 
 bard under his protection. Dr Beattie has been 
 frequently heard to mention an anecdote which 
 took place in the early part of his acquaintance 
 with this gentleman. Mr Garden, having seen 
 some of his pieces in manuscript, and entertain- 
 ing some doubt of their being entirely of his own 
 composition, in order to satisfy himself of the 
 abilities of the young poet, asked him, with po- 
 liteness, to translate the invocation to Venus 
 from the first book of Lucretius. In compliance 
 
 * Francis Garden, afterwards one of the judges of the supreme 
 courts of civil and criminal law in Scotland, by the title of Lord 
 Gardenstovvn, the same who is mentioned in the note on p. 13. 
 as the patron of the village of Lawrencekirk, which was on his 
 estate.
 
 30 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 with this request, Beattie retired into the adjoin- 
 ing wood, and in no long time produced the 
 translation, bearing all the marks of original com- 
 position, for it was much blotted with alterations 
 and corrections. It was printed in the first col- 
 lection of Dr Beattie's poems, in the year 1700, 
 but omitted in all the subsequent editions. 
 
 He also became known at this time to Lord 
 Monboddo, * (whose family-seat is in the parish 
 of Fordoun,) with whom he always maintained a 
 friendly intercourse, although they essentially dif- 
 fered in some very material points, as must be 
 very apparent to those who are conversant with 
 their writings. 
 
 * James Burnet of Monboddo, also one of the judges of the 
 supreme court of law in Scotland, by the title of Lord Monbod- 
 do, well known in the literary world by his publications on the 
 origin and progress of language, and a still more extensive work, 
 entitled, " Antient Metaphysics," in which he has indulged 
 himself in not a few paradoxical and fanciful theories. His wri- 
 tings, however, evince him to have been a man of learning and 
 talents, though credulous in the extreme. He died at Edinburgh, 
 May 20, 1799, aged 85. The beautiful " Elegy, written in the 
 year 1758," beginning 
 
 " Still shall unthinking man substantial deem," 
 
 was written by Dr Beattie, on the death of Mrs Walker, sister 
 of Lord Monboddo.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 31 
 
 He continued to teach the school of Fordoun 
 till the year 1757, when, on a vacancy happening 
 of the place of usher in the grammar-school of 
 Aberdeen, his friend, Mr Forbes, minister of For- 
 doun, advised him to become a candidate for it. 
 He accordingly offered himself, but did not suc- 
 ceed. He acquitted himself, however, so well in 
 his examination on that occasion, that, on a se- 
 cond vacancy of the same place happening about 
 a year afterwards, the magistrates, who are the 
 electors, requested him to accept of the office 
 without any further trial ; and he was according- 
 ly elected to it, 20th June, 1758, soon after 
 which period he left Fordoun, and removed to 
 Aberdeen.
 
 [ 32 ] 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 FROM DR BEATTIES ESTABLISHMENT AT ABERDEEN 
 
 IN THE YEAR 1758, TO THE PUBLICATION OF HIS ESSAY 
 
 ON TRUTH IN THE YEAR 1770. 
 
 J his event of Beattie's election to be one of the 
 ushers of the grammar-school at Aberdeen, hum- 
 ble as the appointment was for a man of his ta- 
 lents and acquired knowledge, yet forms a me- 
 morable epoch in his life. It removed him in 
 fact from the obscurity in which he had hitherto 
 languished, at a distance from books, with few 
 friends, and with but little of the blessings of 
 congenial society, to a large and populous town, 
 the seat of an university, where he had access to 
 public libraries for study, and the opportunity of
 
 LIFE OF DR BEAT/TIE. 33 
 
 cultivating the friendship of persons of taste and 
 learning. Principal Black well, his early friend, 
 and the first to discover his genius and talents, 
 was now dead. But the two universities of Ma- 
 rischal college, New Aberdeen, and King's col- 
 lege, Old Aberdeen, could boast of no inconsi- 
 derable number of men of genius and learning, 
 with whom he had soon the happiness of be- 
 coming more immediately connected. And there 
 were likewise several gentlemen at that time at 
 Aberdeen, though not of the class of literary men 
 by profession, yet of liberal education, and a com- 
 petent degree of general knowledge, well suited 
 to the taste of such a person as Beattie, who de- 
 lighted to associate in convivial meetings with 
 friends whose disposition and habits were conge 
 nial with his own. 
 
 He did not remain long, however, in the hum- 
 ble situation of usher of the grammar-school. In 
 the year 1760, a chair in the Marischal college 
 and university of Aberdeen, became vacant by 
 the death of Dr Duncan, professor of natural phi- 
 losophy. On Beattie's relating this event, mere- 
 ly as an occurrence of the day, to a gentleman 
 With whom he lived in much intimacy, his friend 
 suggested to him the idea of his endeavouring to 
 
 vol. r. c
 
 34 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 procure the vacant appointment for himself. 
 Beattie heard the proposal with amazement, con- 
 ceiving such a situation to be an object altoge- 
 ther beyond his grasp. And, indeed, few things 
 seemed less likely to take place, than that he, 
 who but two years ago had filled the obscure of- 
 fice of a country parochial schoolmaster, almost 
 friendless and unknown, should succeed in ob- 
 taining a professors chair in the gift of the crown. 
 His friend, * however, willing to try what could 
 
 * The gentleman, to whose active zeal and friendly interpo- 
 sition, on this occasion, Beattie owed so much, was Robert Ar- 
 buthnot, Esq. secretary to the Board of Trustees for fisheries 
 and manufactures at Edinburgh, but who, at that time, resided 
 chiefly, and carried on business as a merchant, at Peterhead in 
 Aberdeenshire. Beattie and he had become acquainted on the 
 removal of the former to Aberdeen ; and a friendship was soon 
 formed between them, which terminated only with their lives. 
 Mr Arbuthnot, who was neaily related to the celebrated Dr Ar- 
 buthnot, the friend of Pope and Swift, to a considerable share 
 of classical learning, added an intimate acquaintance with the 
 best authors in the English language, particularly in poetry and 
 belles lettres, of whom he well knew how to appreciate the re- 
 spective merits, and with the most favourite passages of whose 
 works his memory was stored beyond that of almost any man 
 I ever knew. He had likewise read the most esteemed writers 
 in the French and Italian languages. By these means his con- 
 versation was uncommonly entertaining and instructive. He 
 possessed, likewise, an inexhaustible flow of spirits, which had 
 helped to support him through a variety of distressful circum- 
 stances, to which it had been his lot to be exposed. And to all
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 35 
 
 be done, prevailed on the late Earl of Erroll, (fa- 
 ther of the present lord,) with whom he lived in 
 
 this he added a vein of delicate and peculiar humour, and ** flashes 
 of merriment, that were wont to set the table in a roar." 
 
 An intimate friendship between Mr Arbuthnot and the au- 
 thor of these memoirs had commenced at an earlier period than 
 that at which either of us knew Dr Beattie, whom we both 
 equally loved as a friend, and admired as a writer of very supe- 
 rior genius. We had the happiness, too, of possessing in Major 
 Mercer, of whom I shall have occasion to say more hereafter, 
 another early friend, who was equally attached to Dr Beattie 
 by long habits of the strictest intimacy. Of the Doctor's re- 
 gard for all the three, he has given the strongest proof; first, 
 by inscribing to us the collection which he printed of his son's 
 miscellanies, and at last by appointing us the executors of his 
 will, and the trustees of his property ; bequeathing to each, at 
 the same time, some memorial of his kind remembrance, with 
 very flattering expressions of esteem. || From those gentlemen, 
 therefore, so intimately acquainted with Dr Beattie, and in whose 
 taste and judgment on literary subjects I had the fullest confi- 
 dence, I trusted that I should have received the most essential 
 aid, in preparing, by our united efforts, this tribute of affection 
 to the memory of our much loved friend. But, 
 
 " On our firmest resolutions 
 
 " The silent and inaudible tread of Death 
 
 " Steals like a thief." 
 
 Major Mercer and Mr Arbuthnot survived Dr Beattie only a 
 very short space of time ; and the health of both had become 
 so much impaired, as to render it impossible for either to give 
 me any assistance : a misfortune which I feel, as I proceed, al- 
 most in every page. Mr Arbuthnot died 5th November, 1 803, 
 and Major Mercer 18th November, 1804-. 
 
 )| Vide Dr Beattie's will, Appendix [C]
 
 36 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 much intimacy, to apply, by means of Lord Mil- 
 ton, to the late Duke of Argyll, who at that time 
 was supposed to have the chief interest in the 
 disposal of such offices as became vacant in Scot- 
 land; and, fortunately for Beattie, Lord Erroll 
 received a favourable answer. In consequence 
 of which, on the 8th of October, 1760, he was 
 installed professor of moral philosophy and logic 
 in Marischal college. 
 
 Dr Duncan, # whose death thus made way for 
 Dr Beattie's appointment, was Professor of Na- 
 tural Philosophy. But the professorship of Mo- 
 ral Philosophy and Logic becoming vacant soon 
 afterwards by the resignation of Dr Gerard, on 
 his being appointed Professor of Divinity, Dr 
 Skene, who was also a candidate for one of these 
 offices, and Dr Beattie, agreed, that the professor- 
 ship of Moral Philosophy should be assigned to 
 the last, as more suitable to his taste and dispo- 
 sition; and that of Natural Philosophy to Dr 
 Skene. They were both installed on the same 
 day.f 
 
 * The translator of " Cicero's Orations." 
 
 t As an expression of his gratitude to Lord Erroll for this 
 most important service, he dedicated to that nobleman his first 
 publication of a volume of poems. And when his eldest son
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 37 
 
 By this honourable appointment, Dr Beattie 
 found himself raised to a situation of much re- 
 spectability, where he could give full scope to 
 his talents, and indulge his favourite propensity 
 of communicating knowledge of the most im- 
 portant nature, and thereby promoting the best 
 interests of mankind. 
 
 His first business was to prepare a course of 
 lectures, which he began to deliver to his pupils 
 during the winter session of the years 1760-1. 
 These he continued gradually to improve by re- 
 peated study, till he brought them to that state 
 of perfection of which some idea may be formed, 
 from the publication of his " Elements of Moral 
 Science;" a compendium of his lectures, which he 
 prepared and published for the use of his stu- 
 dents, as will be mentioned hereafter. 
 
 How indefatigable he was in the discharge of 
 the duties of his important office, may be gather- 
 was born, he named him James Hay Beattie, after the Christian 
 name and surname of his noble patron, for whom he ever after 
 entertained the highest respect. Lord Erroll, on his part, con- 
 stantly treated Dr Beattie with the most friendly regard ; so 
 that he was always a welcome guest at Slains-Cas,tle, the seat of 
 Lord Erroll, in Aberdeenshire. For some farther account of 
 this accomplished nobleman, vide Appendix [D].
 
 38 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 ed from a very curious diary, found among his 
 papers, and now in my possession, in which he 
 has noted down the subject of each lecture ; and 
 from a perusal of which may be known what was 
 done in his class every day, during a long period 
 of upwards of thirty years. It exhibits, not only 
 the plan of his lectures, but his unwearied dili- 
 gence. For he did not content himself, it will 
 be seen, with merely delivering a lecture to his 
 students. He laboured, by recapitulations and 
 public examinations in his class, to impress on 
 the minds of his auditors the great and important 
 doctrines which he taught.* 
 
 Among other advantages derived by Dr Beat- 
 tie from his removal to Aberdeen, was that of be- 
 coming a member of a society, which at that time 
 subsisted there, composed chiefly of professors of 
 King's and Marischal Colleges, with the addition 
 of several gentlemen of that place, of a literary 
 turn, and of agreeable conversation. So far back 
 as the year 174^, a similar society had been form- 
 ed there, consisting of young men, who were stu- 
 dents of divinity at those universities, in which 
 the pleasures of conversation were combined with 
 
 * Vide Appendix [E], for some farther account of this diary.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 39 
 
 the pursuits of sacred literature. The chief foun- 
 der of that society, which was denominated the 
 Theological Club, was Dr Campbell;* besides 
 whom, the principal members were, the Reve- 
 rend Dr John Glennie, who afterwards success- 
 fully conducted an academy in the parish of 
 Mary Coulter, in the county of Kincardine, of 
 which he was minister, to a very advanced 
 
 * The Rev. Dr George Campbell, Principal of Marischal 
 College, and Professor of Divinity, distinguished as a scholar 
 and a divine by his valuable publications in the cause of reli- 
 gion ; in particular, his * Essay on Miracles," in opposition to 
 the doctrine of Mr Hume, has ever been esteemed one of the 
 most acute and most convincing argumentative treatises on that 
 great and fundamental doctrine of revealed religion, that has 
 ever appeared. His translation of the " Four Gospels," with 
 the accompanying dissertations, is a work of much erudition : 
 and his " Philosophy of Rhetoric" is a very classical perform- 
 ance, in which the laws of elegant composition and just criti- 
 cism are laid down with singular taste and perspicuity. Dr 
 Campbell, with whom I had the happiness of being long inti- 
 mately acquainted, besides being eminently learned as a writer, 
 was a man of the utmost simplicity of manners and naivete of 
 character; pleasant and agreeable in conversation, and most at- 
 tentive to the discharge of all the duties of his station as a mi- 
 nister of the gospel, and a public instructor of the youth com- 
 mitted to his care. The strongest friendship and strictest inti- 
 macy took place, at a very early period, between Dr Campbell 
 and Dr Beattie, which continued, without interruption, to the 
 close of Dr Campbell's life, which happened at Aberdeen, 6th 
 April, 1796, in the 77th year of his age.
 
 40 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 period of life ; # Dr Trail, afterwards Lord Bi- 
 shop of Down and Connor in Ireland ; and the 
 Reverend Mr John Skinner, of the Episcopal 
 church in Scotland, author of an Ecclesiastical 
 History of that country, who, at the age of 83, 
 is now the only surviving member of the society. 
 It lasted during several years, until most of its 
 members, having been settled as ministers in 
 country parishes, removed to a considerable dis- 
 tance from Aberdeen. 
 
 In the beginning of the year 1758, a new so* 
 ciety was formed, chiefly by the Reverend Dr 
 Reid, f and his friend and relation, DrJohn Gre- 
 
 * To the memory of Dr Glennie, who first taught me the ru- 
 diments of learning, when I attended his English school at Aber- 
 deen, I am happy in the opportunity of thus publicly testifying 
 my most sincere respect ; and that gratitude which I shall ever 
 feel towards him for the warm interest he was pleased to take 
 in the direction of my early studies. A strong and mutual re- 
 gard subsisted between us ever after, during the long period of 
 more than half a century. He died in 1801. His son married 
 Dr Beattie's niece ; and to him I here acknowledge my obliga- 
 tions for the materials with which he has taken the trouble to 
 furnish me respecting the early part of the life of Dr Beattie. 
 
 f The Reverend Dr Thomas Ileid, professor first at Aber- 
 deen, afterwards in the university of Glasgow, whose " Inquiry 
 into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense," 
 and his " Essays on the Intellectual and Active Powers of Man," 
 have deservedly ranked him among the first philosophical and
 
 LIFE OF DE BEATTIE. 41 
 
 gory, *ona more extensive plan, for the discus- 
 sion of literary and philosophical subjects. The 
 
 metaphysical writers of our age. He left Aberdeen not long af- 
 ter Dr Beattie was settled there. But the friendship which they 
 had early contracted for each other continued unabated to the 
 close of their lives. For farther particulars of Dr Re id, who 
 died in the year 1796, in his 87th year, see an elegant and well 
 written account of his life by my friend Professor Dugald Stew- 
 art of Edinburgh. 
 
 * Dr John Gregory, at that time professor of medicine in the 
 university of Old Aberdeen, with whom Dr Beattie became early 
 acquainted; and a friendship was formed between them, of the 
 sincerest and most intimate nature, which lasted unimpaired to 
 the death of Dr Gregory. Not long after the period here spo- 
 ken of, he removed to Edinburgh, from a consciousness of his 
 own talents, which he justly deemed calculated for a more ex- 
 tensive sphere than that wherein he was placed at Aberdeen. 
 In Edinburgh he soon obtained a chair in that celebrated school 
 of medicine, was honoured with the office of first physician to 
 his majesty for Scotland, and speedily arrived at high eminence 
 in the practice of his profession. His publications of " A com- 
 parative View of the State and Faculties of Man, with those of 
 the Animal World," of his " Lectures on the Duties and Offices 
 of a Physician," and his beautiful little address to his daughters, 
 published after his death, with the title of " A Father's Lega- 
 cy," show, in a most conspicuous point of view, the goodness of 
 his heart as a man, and his merit as a philosopher. He possess- 
 ed an elegant taste, and an intimate acquaintance with the 
 world. He was, moreover, a person of much piety, and a Chris- 
 tian in the best sense of the word. Of manners uncommonly 
 gentle and engaging, his society was courted by persons of the 
 first distinction ; and he lived in intimacy with the most eminent 
 literary characters of his time, both in England and Scotland,
 
 42 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 original members were, Dr Reid, Dr Gregory, 
 Dr David Skene, a physician of genius and taste, 
 particularly skilful in botany ; the Reverend Dr 
 Robert Trail, nephew of the Bishop of Down and 
 Connor ; and Dr Stewart, professor of mathema- 
 tics in M arischal college. To these were after- 
 wards added, Dr Gerard,* Dr George Skene, phy- 
 sician and professor of natural philosophy in the 
 same university ; the Reverend Mr John Far- 
 quhar, f and Dr Beattie. This literary society, 
 
 He honoured me very early, and in a particular degree, with 
 his friendship, of which he gave the most unequivocal proof, by 
 naming me one of the guardians of his children. And I now 
 look back, with a melancholy satisfaction, to the many pleasing 
 and instructive hours I have spent in his company. For a more 
 particular account of Dr Gregory, who died 9th February, 1773, 
 see his life, written by Lord Woodhouselee, prefixed to his 
 works. 
 
 * The Reverend Dr Alexander Gerard, professor of divinity, 
 first in Marischal College, New Aberdeen, afterwards in King's 
 College, Old Aberdeen, was another of that set of learned and 
 philosophical friends, from whose writings those two universities 
 have justly derived so great celebrity. He was distinguished by 
 his publications, viz. " An Essay on Taste," to which was ad- 
 judged the gold prize-medal by the Philosophical Society of 
 Edinburgh ; " Dissertations on the Genius and Evidences of 
 Christianity ;" " An Essay on Genius ;" and two volumes of 
 sermons. Dr Beattie and he were constant and intimate friends 
 from their first acquaintance. He died 22d February, 1795. 
 
 t Author of two volumes of excellent sermons, published af-
 
 X1FE OF DR BEATTIE. 43 
 
 (or rather club, for it was a convivial meeting in 
 a tavern,) which the vulgar and uninformed de- 
 nominated the Wise Club, subsisted for several 
 years, and seems to have had the happiest effect 
 in awakening and directing that spirit of philo- 
 sophical research, which has reflected so much 
 lustre on the north of Scotland. The members 
 (says the elegant author of the life of Dr Grego- 
 ry,) were persons of distinguished abilities and 
 learning, attached to the same plan, and engaged 
 in similar pursuits. The animosities and the mean 
 jealousies, which so often disgrace the characters 
 of literary men, were unknown to those friends, 
 who, educated in one school, professing no op- 
 posite tenets, or contending principles, seem to 
 have united themselves as in one common cause, 
 the defence of virtue, of religion, and of truth. 
 
 It would be curious, in many instances, (con- 
 tinues the author whom I quote,) to trace the 
 history of those literary compositions, which have 
 instructed or amused the world, and to mark 
 their progress from their first rude sketches to 
 
 ter his death, by his two friends, Dr Campbell and Dr Gerard. 
 He was brother to Sir Walter Farquhar, Bart, physician in Ixm- 
 don.
 
 44 LIFE OP DR BEATTIP. 
 
 their complete form and ultimate perfection. 
 Some of the most admired works of those philo- 
 sophers I have mentioned, owed their origin to 
 this literary society, which was held once a fort- 
 night in Aberdeen, on the second and fourth 
 Wednesday of each month. The members met 
 at five o'clock in the evening (for in those days 
 at Aberdeen it was the custom to dine early,) 
 when one of the members, as president, took the 
 chair, and left it at half an hour after eight, when 
 they partook of a slight and unexpensive colla- 
 tion, and at ten o'clock they separated.* 
 
 At these meetings, a part of the evening's en- 
 tertainment was the reading a short essay, com- 
 posed by one of the members in his turn. Be- 
 sides those more formal compositions, thus read 
 as discourses, a literary or philosophical question 
 was proposed each night, for the subject of con- 
 versation at the subsequent meeting. And it was 
 the duty of the proposer of the question to open 
 the discussion ; by him also the opinions of the 
 members, who took a part in it, was digested into 
 the form of an essay, which was ingrossed in the 
 album of the society. 
 
 * Rules of the Philosophical Society of Aberdeen, MS.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 45 
 
 Of such an institution th advantages were ob- 
 vious and eminent. Besides the benefit to be de- 
 rived to the members from a mutual communica- 
 tion of their sentiments on the common objects 
 of their pursuit, an opportunity was afforded of 
 subjecting their intended publications to the test 
 of friendly criticism. And the many valuable 
 works, which issued nearly about the same time 
 from individuals connected with this institution, 
 more particularly the writings of Reid, Campbell, 
 Beattie, Gregory, and Gerard, furnish the best 
 panegyric on the enlightened views of those un- 
 der whose direction it was originally planned, and 
 by whose exertions it was so successfully carried 
 on.* 
 
 But it was not solely to ethics, metaphysics, 
 and logic, that Dr Beattie had devoted his time 
 and attention at this period. For it appears by 
 the following letter, that he relaxed his mind 
 from those severer studies, by a perusal of works 
 of imagination : thus preparing himself for the 
 composition of those admirable essays on poetry, 
 and other subjects of taste, which he afterwards 
 gave to the world. 
 
 * See Appendix, [R]
 
 46 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO DR JOHN OGILVIE. * 
 
 Aberdeen, 20th August, 175& 
 u I had intended to have written a long letter 
 on the occasion of my reading " Clarissa ;" and 
 I actually had begun one in a very methodical 
 manner; but happening to read the postscript f 
 afterwards, I was surprised to find the very sub- 
 ject touched upon there, which I had proposed 
 to treat of in my intended letter. I therefore 
 changed my first resolution, judging it unneces- 
 sary to trouble you with reading in my words 
 what you find much better expressed in that 
 postscript. I intended to have inquired into the 
 conveniences and disadvantages of Richardson's 
 manner of writing, compared with that of other 
 
 * The Reverend Dr John Ogilvie, minister at Midmar, in 
 Aberdeenshire, author of " Providence," and other poems of very 
 considerable merit, especially his earlier lyric compositions. He 
 also published " An Enquiry into the Causes of the Infidelity 
 and Scepticism of the Times," a book containing much valuable 
 matter. 
 
 t To " Clarissa," referred to in the preface of the work, in 
 which several objections are considered by the author.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 47 
 
 novelists; to have considered the propriety or 
 impropriety of the catastrophe ; and to have in- 
 dulged what other critical reflections might have 
 occurred upon the arrangement of the narrations, 
 the length of the work, and a few other particu- 
 lars. But finding this plan executed, as I said be- 
 fore, in the postscript, and executed in a manner 
 very similar to that which I had designed, I shall 
 trouble you at present only with a few miscella- 
 neous observations upon that celebrated novel. 
 
 " The author shows great knowledge of man- 
 kind, and of human nature. He possesses an in- 
 exhaustible fund of original sentiment, a happy 
 talent at some kinds of description, particularly 
 conversation pieces ; he delineates some charac- 
 ters with masterly and distinguishing strokes; 
 he seems to be well acquainted with the human 
 heart, and with the particular emotions that arise 
 in it on particular occasions. The fervour where- 
 with he recommends religion and virtue, inti- 
 mates that he is truly in earnest, and that his 
 heart goes along with his pen. 
 
 " On reading " Clarissa," we immediately dis- 
 cover that its design is more to instruct than to 
 amuse. The author warns the reader of this in 
 his preface, and again repeats it in the postscript.
 
 48 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 It is for this reason, that they, who read more 
 for amusement than instruction, will not be so 
 much captivated with " Clarissa," as with some 
 other of our English novels. I grant there are 
 in the novel before us a great many passages of 
 the most interesting kind, but these passages are 
 few in comparison to the extent of the work. I 
 cannot help thinking that our author is often te- 
 dious to a fault. In the first volumes there are, 
 if I mistake not, many needless (and I had al- 
 most said nauseating) repetitions. I grant, such 
 letters as frfll under this censure are generally 
 characteristical, are often humorous, often in- 
 structive, and might possibly please, if we were 
 to read the book a second or third time, when we 
 are acquainted with all the characters, and all the 
 particulars of the story. But as there are not 
 many readers who can afford leisure to read so 
 long a romance twice or thrice over, I presume 
 proper care ought to have been taken to blend 
 amusement and instruction in such a manner, as 
 that the one might be a heightening and season- 
 ing to the other. When a stop is put to the pro- 
 gress of the story, in order to give the author 
 room to show his talent for humour, or for mo- 
 ralizing, the readers (especially those of the young-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 49 
 
 er sort, for whom principally such books are in- 
 tended) will be impatient till they disentangle 
 themselves of these digressions, and fall in again 
 with the story. This, I believe, will generally be 
 the case, if the narrative be deeply interesting ; 
 and deeply interesting every narrative of this 
 kind ought to be. One of the rules to be obser- 
 ved in the Aristotelean drama, is, that there be 
 no scene in the piece superfluous. I wish the au- 
 thor of " Clarissa" had kept some such rule as this 
 in his eye ; that he had disposed all the parts of 
 his Vork in such a manner, as that the reader, 
 though always impatient for the catastrophe, 
 should never be tempted to pass over any part, 
 but should ever find the story rising upon him, 
 so as that his passion for novelty should be fully 
 gratified all along. For my own part, I was of- 
 ten chagrined at his tediousness, and frequently 
 was obliged to turn to the contents of the vo- 
 lume, to relieve my mind a little from the rack 
 of unsatisfied impatience ; yet I doubt not, if I 
 were now to read " Clarissa" a second time, I 
 should find these tedious parts not the least use- 
 ful. Whoever rails at Mr Richardson's tedious- 
 ness, should recollect, that his design is more to 
 instruct than to amuse; and that consequently 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 .50 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 his tediousness is a pardonable fault, as the mo- 
 tive to it is so laudable. 
 
 " With respect to the characters in " Clarissa," 
 they are, I think, in general, particular and dis- 
 tinct enough. There is something similar in the 
 characters of the three brothers, Harlowes, and 
 at the same time something peculiar in each. 
 The same thing may be observed, upon a com- 
 parison of others of the characters that are appa- 
 rently pretty much alike. The character of Love- 
 lace is wrought up with great art. In the first 
 volume the reader sees something amiable enough 
 in this character, sees what he thinks almost suf- 
 ficient to engage the affections of Clarissa ; nor 
 does he discover the deep-designing ruffian, till 
 the third volume; and yet so consistent are Love- 
 lace's designs, even then, with that character 
 which he bears at the beginning, that the reader 
 is not disappointed when he comes to trace out 
 his villainy. 
 
 " It is with some a very strong objection against 
 our author, that he proposes to our imitation, what 
 they call a perfect character in the person of Cla- 
 rissa. Clarissa's character is indeed exalted, but 
 it is not humanly perfect. And in proposing a 
 character something more than humanly perfect
 
 LIFE OF DH BEATTIE. 51 
 
 to our imitation, I cannot at present discern any 
 absurdity. For is it not recommended to those 
 who study to excel in any art or science, that 
 they form themselves after the most perfect mo- 
 dels, even although it be morally impossible for 
 them ever to attain the perfection of these mo- 
 dels ? Does not the celebrated judge of the sub- 
 lime very strongly recommend this rule, when 
 he proposes for the imitation of those who would 
 attempt epic poetry and oratory, no less perfect 
 patterns than Homer and Demosthenes? Nay, (if 
 we may, without profanation, use this other il- 
 lustration,) does not the scripture enjoin us to 
 imitate the great Original of all perfection ? This 
 rule is founded in nature and reason. If the mo- 
 del be imperfect, the copies must of consequence 
 be more imperfect ; and so liable to error is the 
 human mind, that we are as prone to imitate the 
 faults as the excellencies of what is proposed for 
 an original to us. Now, shall this rule be allow- 
 ed to every other science, and not to the most 
 important of all sciences the science of life and 
 manners ? I know the grand objection is, that, to 
 give a man or woman a perfect character, is out 
 of nature. A character absolutely perfect, does 
 not, we acknowledge, belong to man.
 
 52 LlfK OF DK BEATTie. 
 
 " But what height of excellence even a human 
 soul may arrive at, we cannot ascertain, till we 
 have left no experiment untried. One who had 
 never seen the tricks of a wire-dancer, would be 
 apt to ridicule as fabulous the first accounts he 
 should hear of those astonishing feats, of which 
 long application and unwearied industry make 
 these performers capable. Who can tell, what 
 happy, what glorious effects might be produced, 
 were an equal proportion of industry applied to 
 the regulation of the passions, and the strength- 
 ening and improving the reasonable powers ! Let 
 not then the novelist be censured, if his hero or 
 heroine be possessed of a proportion of virtue su- 
 perior to what we have discovered in our acquain- 
 tance with mankind ; provided the natural ge- 
 nius inherent in the hero or heroine, assisted by 
 the improvements of the happiest education, be 
 sufficient to render their virtues at least probable. 
 Nature, we must remember, had endowed Claris- 
 sa with a genius of the most exalted kind, and a 
 temperament of soul formed to receive the im- 
 pressions of virtue. This genius, and this dispo- 
 sition, improved by the culture of a liberal and 
 strictly virtuous education, amid the simplicity of 
 a country life, could not fail to produce an admi-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 53 
 
 rable character. Nor do I think this character 
 (all circumstances considered) stretched beyond 
 the limits of humanity. Clarissa's external con- 
 duct was indeed unblameable, (and I hope, for 
 the honour of mankind, there are many to be 
 found whose external conduct is unblameable,) 
 but she often acknowledges her heart was not so. 
 She owns, she was conceited and puffed up in 
 her happy days, and not entirely proof against 
 the suggestions of chagrin and despondency in 
 her adversity. If, then, her character be perfect, 
 we must call it (as we before called it) humanly 
 perfect. 
 
 " On the whole, I think Mr Richardson is, 
 with regard to the manners of his heroine, entire- 
 ly unworthy of blame. 
 
 " You ask, What I think of Richardson's ta- 
 lents for the pathetic ? In this respect, I think he 
 has no equals among his own tribe of writers, 
 and not many superiors even among the most 
 celebrated tragedians. I said before, that he seems 
 to be acquainted with the particular emotions that 
 arise in the human heart on particular occasions. 
 Several passages of his work I could point out in 
 proof of this : I shall only at present give one in- 
 stance, and that is, Clarissa's delirious letter to Love-
 
 .54 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 lace, (Vol. v. p. 309.) which no person can read 
 without sensible emotion. The starts of phren- 
 zy, of phrenzy in such a person, under such cir- 
 cumstances, are, I think, hit off in such a manner, 
 as would not have been unworthy of Shakespeare 
 himself. I shall transcribe a few lines from that 
 letter, with which I cannot tell how much I was 
 struck. " But good, now, Lovelace, don't set 
 " Mrs Sinclair upon me again. I never did her 
 " any harm. She so affrights me when I see her. 
 " Ever since When xvas it ? I cannot tell. You 
 " can, I suppose." This (JVhen xvas it?) suggests 
 a great deal to my imagination. It is one of those 
 soul-harrowing expressions which are seldom to 
 be met with but in Shakespeare, and which are 
 infinitely preferable to all the laboured harangues 
 and verbose descriptions of a Dryden. I must 
 add, that the full beauty of that phrase cannot 
 be taken in but by one who is well acquainted 
 with this part of the story. The descriptions of 
 the arrest, and of Clarissa's death, are very pathe- 
 tic : and the author shows, by his account of the 
 infamous Sinclair's fate, that he has no mean ta- 
 lent at describing scenes of horror. There is 
 something dreadfully striking in the penknife 
 scene, as it is called, (Vol. vi. p. 60.) But, as it
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 55 
 
 is needless to be more particular, I cannot dis- 
 miss this criticism, without taking notice, that, 
 however pathetic the account of the lady's mis- 
 fortunes may be, sorrow will not (I think) be the 
 prevailing passion in one who peruses it. If I 
 mistake not, indignation at the infernal villainy 
 of the ruffian, who is the author of these misfor- 
 tunes, will not a little contribute to steel the 
 heart against the softer impressions of sorrow ; at 
 least, will render them less penetrating. And 
 yet, perhaps, either of these passions may be 
 prevalent, according to the constitution of the 
 reader. 
 
 " Richardson, I think, merits commendation 
 for his carefully avoiding to hint the least antici- 
 pation of the catastrophe in the first volumes. 
 The reader is left as much in the dark, with re- 
 spect to events, as the interested persons them- 
 selves. This naturally results from the manner 
 of writing which our author has chosen, and is 
 no doubt one of the principal excellencies of his 
 manner, compared with that of other novelists. 
 But this matter is handled in the postscript to the 
 work. 
 
 " I shall have done with my criticism on 
 " Clarissa." To point out faults is a disagreeable
 
 56 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 
 
 task ; I chuse rather to insist upon beauties. 
 Richardson, upon the whole, is an original writer; 
 and deserves well of his country, for giving it 
 one of the most useful novels in the English lan- 
 guage. 
 
 " After allowing this writer so large a share of 
 merit, perhaps it may be thought too trilling to. 
 censure his style. It is, indeed, sometimes very 
 expressive. To have raised it above the familiar 
 had been faulty. He has often coined words, 
 which, in a literary correspondence is allowable. 
 He varies his style with great judgment, and 
 adapts it admirably to the different characters. 
 If I were to find fault with it at all, I would on- 
 ly say, that, from an over- affectation of the fami- 
 liar, he too often uses the parenthesis ; and, as 
 he seldom unites the latter part of the period with 
 the former, by a recapitulating wurd or two, he 
 lays his reader under the necessity, especially 
 where the parenthesis is long, of reading the sen- 
 tence once and again, before he can catch the 
 meaning and intent of the whole. I think the 
 parenthesis ought to be used very sparingly ; 
 and, when an author chuses to use it, he should 
 condescend so far to the weakness of his reader's 
 memory, as to unite the disjointed parts of the
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 57 
 
 period by a few recapitulating words, as I venture 
 to call them, prefixed to the latter clause. 
 
 " I was surprised to find, at the end of such a 
 work as the " History of Clarissa," a set of verses 
 so very paltry as those inscribed to the author of 
 " Clarissa." But, I believe, authors are on such 
 occasions often at a loss, and find themselves ob- 
 liged to prefer, not the quality of the complimen- 
 tary verses, but the quality of the friendly 
 rhymers themselves ; otherwise I should venture 
 to pronounce Mr Richardson an inadequate judge 
 of poetical merit. Take the following four lines, 
 and tell me if you have ever seen more prosaic 
 doggerel : 
 
 'Oft' 
 
 " With streaming eyes, too late, the mother blames 
 " Her tame submission to the tyrant, James ; 
 " Even he, the gloomy father, o'er the hearse 
 " Laments his rashness, and recals his curse." * 
 
 * It is pleasing to compare this criticism of Dr Beattie's on 
 Richardson's " Clarissa," written, when a very young man, in a 
 private letter to a friend, with that which he afterwards gave to 
 the world, at the distance of four-and-twenty years, in his " Dis- 
 sertation on Fable and Romance ;" whence it will be seen, 
 how accurately he had formed his opinion on the* subject at so 
 early a period of life. 
 
 Dissert, on Fable and Romance, p. 567.
 
 ,58 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Dr Beattie, as has been already mentioned, had 
 given early indications of poetical genius. This, 
 however, he had merely employed for the amuse- 
 ment of himself and his friends. He had indeed 
 occasionally sent some verses to the Scots Maga- 
 zine, published at Edinburgh. * But his first ap- 
 pearance in print, in his own character, was by 
 the publication, in London, in the year 1760, of 
 a small collection, entitled, " Original Poems and 
 
 * In the Scots Magazine, for the year 1756, p. 39 I, will be 
 found a poem written by Dr Beattie, on reading the declaration 
 of war, signed "J. B. Kincardineshire, 1th June, 1756." In the 
 same Magazine, for the year 1757, p. 258, there is an epitaph 
 with the following words prefixed, " designed for its author,'* 
 which was signed " Moriturus, K d esh e," evidently Kin- 
 cardineshire, like the former, which was certainly written by 
 him ; as the epitaph in the first edition of his Poems, p. 66, 
 contains nearly the same thought, and the last stanza verbatim. 
 In the Scots Magazine for 1758, p. 482, is the "Ode to Peace," 
 signed " Aberdeen, J. B." In the Scots Magazine, 1759, p. 134. 
 is the " Elegy on the Death of Mrs Walker," signed " J. B. 
 Aberdeen, Feb. 1759." In the same year, p. 303, is the " Epi- 
 taph for a Messenger, written and published at the particular 
 desire of the person for whom it was intended." It is signed, 
 " Mont. Abd. Ford. June 28, J 759." The contracted words are 
 for Montrose, Aberdeen, Fordoun.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 59 
 
 Translations," to which he prefixed his name, and 
 dedicated it to the Earl of Erroll, in testimony 
 of gratitude to that nobleman, to whom he was 
 indebted for his chair in the university. # 
 
 This collection was very favourably received, 
 and stamped Dr Beattie with the character of a 
 poet of great and original genius. The public 
 judgment in his favour must be considered, too, 
 as the more valuable ; and indeed cannot, by any 
 means, be suspected of partiality, when it is con- 
 sidered, that the poems were presented to the 
 
 * The contents of this small volume were : 
 
 " Ode to Peace. 
 
 " Retirement, an Ode. 
 
 " Ode to Hope. 
 
 The Triumph of Melancholy. 
 
 " An Elegy, occasioned by the Death of a Lady. 
 
 " The Hares, a Fable. 
 % " Epitaph. 
 X " Epitaph on Two Brothers. 
 
 " Elegy. 
 J " Song in imitation of Shakespeare, 
 j " Anacreon, Ode 22. translated, 
 j " Invocation to Venus, from Lucretius, translated, 
 j Horace, Book II. Ode 10. translated. 
 X " Horace, Book III. Ode 1 3. translated. 
 % " The Ten Pastorals of Virgil, translated." 
 
 Those pieces marked i, were never reprinted ; and the " Ode 
 to Peace," as well as the " Triumph of Melancholy," were 
 omitted out of his later editions.
 
 60 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE, 
 
 world without any patronage, and with nothing 
 but their own intrinsic merit to recommend them ; 
 for the name of the author had never been so 
 much as heard of in London previous to their 
 publication. The harmony of his numbers, how- 
 ever, the simplicity, yet force, and elegance of 
 his diction, the brightness of his fancy, as well as 
 the correct and appropriate sentiments through- 
 out, were of themselves sufficient to command 
 the applause of every competent judge. 
 
 Of the pieces in this collection, all are certain- 
 ly not of equal merit. While the odes to " Peace," 
 to " Hope," on " Retirement,' 1 breathe the true 
 spirit of lyric poetry, and some of the elegiac 
 poems are highly pathetic and affecting, fable 
 seems to be a species of composition for which 
 he had but little genius. It may therefore, pro- 
 bably, excite some wonder, that while, in the 
 subsequent editions of his poems, he chose to re- 
 tain the " Hares," a poem which seems to possess 
 little other merit than smooth versification and a 
 faultless moral, he should have omitted his beau- 
 tiful " Ode to Peace," and the " Triumph of Me- 
 lancholy." The concluding dozen lines of the 
 " Hares," indeed, present a beautiful and glowing
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 6l 
 
 picture of evening, and as such are deserving of 
 no ordinary commendation. * 
 
 In this respect, however, Dr Beattie is not the 
 first poet who has entertained a judgment of his 
 own works, different from that which was held 
 of them by the public. It is known, that Milton 
 preferred the " Paradise Regained" to his divine 
 poem of " Paradise Lost." Virgil is recorded to 
 have ordered, on his death-bed, that the " iEneid" 
 should be burnt, because he did not think it suf- 
 ficiently finished for publication ; and it is to the 
 disobedience of his executors that we are indebt- 
 ed for the possession of that exquisite perform- 
 ance. Tasso new-modelled and injured his " Gie- 
 rusalemme Liberata." And it may reasonably be 
 doubted, from the specimen which Akenside has 
 left of the manner in which he intended to alter 
 his " Pleasures of the Imagination," whether that 
 beautiful poem would have been improved by the 
 experiment, had he lived to finish it. With all 
 these authorities before me, I trust I shall stand 
 acquitted of any impropriety, if I rescue from ob- 
 livion those two most beautiful poems, the " Ode 
 
 * The concluding lines of the " Hares" seem to me to pos- 
 sess beauty sufficient to entitle them to preservation. I have 
 therefore ventured to place them in the Appendix, [I\]
 
 62 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 to Peace," and the " Triumph of Melancholy." 
 Let those who think differently from me in this 
 respect, only take the trouble carefully to peruse 
 the stanza III. 1. of the " Ode to Peace :" 
 
 " Ambition, outside fair ! within as foul 
 " As fiends of fiercest heart below, 
 " Who ride the hurricanes of fire, that roll 
 ** Their thundering vortex o'er the realms of woe, 
 " Yon naked waste survey ; 
 , " Where late was heard the flute's mellifluous lay ; 
 " Where late the rosy-bosomed hours, 
 " In loose array, danced lightly o'er the flowers ; 
 " Where late the shepherd told his tender tale ; 
 " And, wakened by the murmuring breeze of morn, 
 ** The voice of cheerful labour filled the dale ; 
 " And dove-eyed Plenty smiled, and waved her liberal horn." 
 
 Or stanza IV. 3. of the same poem : 
 
 " On Cuba's utmost steep, * 
 
 " Far leaning o'er the deep, 
 
 " The goddess' pensive form was seen, 
 
 " Her robe, of nature's varied green, 
 
 " Waved on the gale ; grief dimmed her radiant eyes, 
 
 " Her bosom heaved with boding sighs. 
 
 " She eyed the main ; where gaining on the view, 
 
 " Emerging from the ethereal blue, 
 
 * This alludes to the discovery of America by the Spaniards 
 under Columbus. Those ravagers are said to have made their 
 first descent on the islands in the Gulph of Florida, of which 
 Cuba is one. Note of the Poet.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 63 
 
 " 'Midst the dread pomp of war, 
 
 " Blazed the Iberian streamer from afar : 
 
 " She saw ; and, on refulgent pinions borne, 
 
 " Slow winged her way sublime, and mingled with the morn." 
 
 And then let them say, if they think I have done 
 wrong in' preserving this fine poem, by placing it 
 in the Appendix. * For similar reasons, I have 
 also inserted in the Appendix the " Triumph of 
 Melancholy," wishing that this poem also should 
 not be entirely lost, f 
 
 The epitaph, printed at p. 66. of the collection 
 of the year 1 7 60, without any particular address, 
 I have also ventured to place in the Appendix ; 
 because, from the words prefixed to it in its ori- 
 ginal form, in the Scots Magazine which I have 
 already quoted, it seems certainly to have been 
 intended as an epitaph for himself; a circum- 
 stance whence it unquestionably derives an addi- 
 tional value. 
 
 The beautiful " Epitaph on Two Brothers," was 
 written on occasion of a fatal accident which ac- 
 tually took place ; when, in crossing the river 
 Southesk on horseback, in the neighbourhood of 
 Montrose, in the county of Angus, two young 
 
 * Vide Appendix, [G.] f Vide Appendix, [H.] 
 
 1
 
 64- LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 men, brothers, of the name of Leitch, were car- 
 ried down by the stream, and both drowned. 
 Their bodies were afterwards found clasped in 
 each other's arms. In such compositions it was 
 that Dr Beattie eminently excelled. Yet that 
 piece, too, he has omitted from the later editions 
 of his poems ; but I have ventured to place it al- 
 so in the Appendix. # 
 
 Of this collection of Dr Beattie's poetical pieces, 
 the largest share consisted of poetical translations 
 from the classics, and of these the principal were 
 the " Pastorals of Virgil." Speaking of them, he 
 says in his preface, that " Mr Dryden's transla- 
 tion will be admired as long as the English 
 " language is understood, for that fluent and 
 " graceful energy of expression, which distin- 
 " guishes all the writings of that poet. In his 
 " compositions,'' continues Beattie, "even in those 
 " which have been censured as inaccurate, we are 
 " charmed with 
 
 " Thoughts that breathe, and words that bum." 
 
 " And if we find any thing blameable, we are in- 
 if clined to impute it, not to any defect in his 
 
 * Vide Appendix, [I.]
 
 LIFE OF DR BE ATT IE. $5 
 
 tc own genius or taste, but to the depravity of the 
 " age hi which it was his misfortune to live. 
 
 " The translation of Virgil, published some 
 " yeats ago by the learned and ingenious Mr Jo- 
 " seph tVartony" he goes on, "did not come into 
 " my hands till long after what is now offered to 
 " the public was finished. The perusal of these 
 " two masterly versions," he says, " might have 
 "effectually discouraged the publication of the 
 " following, had he ever intended it as a rival to 
 " either of the others. But he disclaims that in- 
 "' tention, and would wish only to be thought an 
 " humble copier of Virgil. And he hopes that 
 " his translation will be pardoned, if, in a few 
 " particular instances, it be found to have set any 
 " of the beauties of the admired original in a 
 " more conspicuous point of view to the English 
 " reader." 
 
 After a declaration so modest on the part of 
 the author, it would not be fair to scrutinize this 
 translation too severely, more especially as it was 
 never republished after the first edition ; yet it is 
 no mean praise, that it may be read with satis- 
 faction even after the translation of Dryden, of 
 which Dr Johnson, in his life of that great poet, 
 
 VOL. T. E
 
 66 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 speaks with such high commendation : * and who- 
 ever shall take the trouble of comparing the trans- 
 lations of Dryden and of Beattie with the original, 
 will not probably deny, that Beattie comes the 
 nearest to the sense of the author, with, at the 
 same time, no inconsiderable portion of poetical 
 spirit, f 
 
 After all, a better translation of Virgil than any 
 we yet have seen, seems to be a work more to be 
 wished for than expected. Dr Beattie himself 
 has said in another place, that " it is not possible 
 " for one who is ignorant of Latin, to have any 
 " adequate notion of Virgil. The choice of his 
 " words, and the modulation of his numbers, 
 " have never been copied with tolerable success 
 " in any other tongue." J 
 
 In the following letter we have an account of 
 one of those coincidences in writing, of which it 
 is sometimes difficult to say, whether they hap- 
 pen by accident, or are to be classed under the 
 head of plagiarism. 
 
 It seems to me to be by no means improbable, 
 that both the translator of Musasus and Dr Beat- 
 
 * Lives of the English Poets, Vol. ii. 12mo, p. 283. 
 
 t Vide Appendix, [K.] 
 
 I Essays on the Utility of Classical Learning, p. 758.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 67 
 
 tie may have written the line in question, under 
 an impression on the memory, even unknown to 
 themselves, of the beautiful threnody of David 
 on the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, in which 
 the royal Hebrew bard employs the very same 
 turn of expression* * 
 
 LETTER If. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO ROBERT ARBUTHNOT, ESQ. 
 
 Aberdeen, 18th August, 1760. 
 " In a translation, just published, of Musaeus' 
 Loves of " Hero and Leander," I was surprised to 
 
 find the following line, 
 
 
 " They lived united, and united died ;" 
 
 which is exactly the same with one in my epi- 
 taph on the two brothers. In order to obviate 
 the imputation commonly applied in such cases, 
 I have subjoined the date to my little piece, 
 which (juxta MS. vetus) appears to be the first 
 of November, 1757- Instances of this sameness 
 
 * 2 Kings, ch. i. v. 23.
 
 68 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 
 
 in expression, as well as sentiment, have so often 
 happened, even in my experience, that I have 
 wondered at some of the criterions proposed for 
 the detection of imitations, by the accurate and 
 judicious Mr ilurd,* in his letters to Mr Mason. 
 I remember, in particular, he will not allow Mil- 
 ton the honour of making Death 
 
 " Grin horribly a ghastly smile," 
 
 because Spenser mentions grinning in some part 
 of his Fairy Queen. That pamphlet of Mr Hurd's 
 is, notwithstanding, an ingenious performance, 
 and evinces a great compass of classical know- 
 ledge, both ancient and modern. 
 
 ,c I have never yet seen the " Fragments of 
 Highland Poetry." I see one of these fragments 
 versified in a late Magazine, and to better pur- 
 pose (a few passages excepted) than I did expect. 
 But does not the spirit of such compositions eva- 
 porate, when it is strained through the syllable- 
 squeezing alembic ? Did you ever see a version 
 of the Psalms of David in metre, of Job, or the 
 Song of Solomon, that possessed all the pathos, 
 and simplicity, and sublimity of our prose trans- 
 
 * The present Lord Bishop of Worcester.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. t)9 
 
 lation ? The motley mixture of antique and mo- 
 dish phrases, that must necessarily take place in 
 all such paraphrases, gives a grotesque appear- 
 ance to the whole, and puts one in mind of CatO 
 arrayed in a full-bottomed periwig." 
 
 The following letter contains some strictures 
 on Rousseau's " Eloise;" of which he afterwards 
 gave a short character in his " Dissertation on 
 Fable and Romance," p. 570. 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO ROBERT ARBUTHNOT, ESQ. 
 
 Aberdeen, 24th October, 1761. 
 " I am just now employed in reading the first 
 volume of the " Nouvelle Eloise." The author 
 seems to possess great knowledge of the human 
 heart : his reflections, in general, are beautiful, 
 original, and just ; his sensibility exquisite, and 
 his eloquence wonderfully affecting. But, though
 
 70 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 I grant him these excellencies, I must be pardon* 
 ed, when I censure either his judgment or his 
 virtue. If he meant to promote the cause of vir- 
 tue, it was certainly a proof of an egregious failure 
 in his judgment, that he made choice of a fable 
 whose tendency seems directly contrary. Van- 
 brugh, and Congreve, and Rochester, only in- 
 flame the imagination ; Rousseau poisons the 
 principles, and misleads the understanding : the 
 former is a momentary evil, the other is perma- 
 nent. And as a harlot, when she assumes the, 
 garb, the features, and the language of virtue, is 
 much more dangerous than when she speaks her 
 own words, and wears her proper dress ; so I think 
 the " Nouvelle Eloise" a much more dangerous 
 book than all the ribaldry printed in the reign of 
 Charles the Second." 
 
 The following letter, written at the period when 
 " Ossian's Poems"' made their first appearance, 
 shows the accuracy of Dr Beatties critical taste 
 and judgment, which could not be swayed from 
 the genuine dictates of truth and nature in poetry.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 71 
 
 even by the strong torrent of applause with which 
 that singular production was received at that 
 time, by the learned as well as unlearned of this 
 country. 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 Dll BEATTIE TO ROBERT ARBUTHNOT, ESQ. 
 
 Aberdeen, 29 th March, 1762. 
 
 " I have now read Fingal ; but I am at a loss 
 to know whether I should give you my opinion 
 of it or not. My humble tribute of praise (were 
 I disposed to praise it) would be lost amidst that 
 universal deluge of approbation poured upon it, 
 both from the critics of London and of Scotland. 
 And were I inclined to censure it, my suffrage 
 would be as little regarded as the loitering jave- 
 lin which palsied Priam threw against the hea- 
 ven-tempered shield of Pyrrhus telum imbelle 
 sine ictu. The particular beauties of this won- 
 derful work are irresistibly striking, and I natter 
 myself that I am as sensible of them as another. 
 But to that part of its merit which exalts it, con- 
 sidered as a whole, above the Iliad or iEneid,
 
 72 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 and its author above Homer or Virgil, I am in- 
 sensible. Vet I understand, that of critics not a 
 few aver Ossian to have been a greater genius 
 than either of these poets. Yet a little while, 
 and, I doubt not, the world will be of a different 
 opinion. Homer was as much admired about 
 three months ago I speak not of the present 
 moment, for Ossian just now is all in all I say, 
 Homer was lately admired as much as he was 
 three thousand years ago. Will the admiration 
 of our Highland bard be as permanent? And will 
 it be as universal as learning itself? 
 
 " Knowledge of the human heart is a science 
 of the highest dignity. It is recommended, not 
 only by its own importance, but also by this, 
 that none but an exalted genius is capable of it. 
 To delineate the objects of the material world 
 requires a fine imagination, but to penetrate into 
 the mental system, and to describe its different 
 objects, with all their distinguishing (though 
 sometimes almost imperceptible) peculiarities, re- 
 quires an imagination far more extensive and vi- 
 gorous. It is this kind of imagination which ap- 
 pears so conspicuous in the works of Shakespeare 
 and Homer, and which, in my opinion, raises 
 them above all other poets whatsoever ; I mean
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 73 
 
 not only that talent by which they can adapt 
 themselves to the heart of their readers, and ex- 
 cite whatever affection they please, in which the 
 former plainly stands unrivalled ; I mean also 
 that wonderfully penetrating and plastic faculty, 
 which is capable of representing every species of 
 character, not, as our ordinary poets do, by a 
 high shoulder, a wry mouth, or gigantic stature, 
 but by hitting off, with a delicate hand, the dis- 
 tinguishing feature, and that in such a manner as 
 makes it easily known from all others whatso- 
 ever, however similar to a superficial eye. Hot- 
 spur and Henry V. are heroes resembling one 
 another, } T et very distinct in their characters ; 
 Falstaff, and Pistol, and Bardolph, are buffoons, 
 but each in his own way ; Desdemona and Ju- 
 liet are not the same ; Bottom, and Dogberry, 
 and the grave-diggers, are different characters : 
 and the same may be said of the most similar of 
 Homer's characters; each has some mark that 
 makes him essentially different from the rest. 
 But these great masters are not more eminent in 
 distinguishing, than in completing their charac- 
 ters. 1 am a little acquainted with a Cato, a 
 Sempronius, a Tinsel, a Sir Charles Easy, &c. 
 but I am perfectly acquainted with Achilles,
 
 74 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Hector, Falstaff, Lear, Pistol, and Quickly ; I 
 know them more thoroughly than any other per- 
 sons of my acquaintance. 
 
 " If this accurate delineation of character be 
 allowed the highest species of poetry, (and this, 
 I think, is generally allowed,) may I not ask, 
 whether Ossian is not extremely defective in the 
 highest species of poetry ? It is said, indeed, that 
 this poet lived in an age when mankind, being 
 in a state of almost total barbarism, were inca- 
 pable of that diversity of character which is found 
 in countries improved hy commerce and learning, 
 and that, therefore, he had no materials for a di- 
 versity of character. But it is certain, that di- 
 versities of character are found among the rudest 
 savages; and it is the poets business, not to pour- 
 tray the characters as they really exist, (which is 
 left to the historian,) but to represent them such 
 as they might have existed. But, to have done, 
 Ossian seems really to have very little knowledge 
 of the human heart ; his chief talent lies in de- 
 scribing inanimate objects, and therefore he be- 
 longs, (according to my principles,) not to the 
 highest, but to an inferior order of poets."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 75 
 
 It is to be observed, that, in this letter, Dr 
 Beattie does not at all enter into the question re- 
 specting the authenticity of the poems of Ossian. 
 He confines his strictures merely to their merit 
 as poetical compositions, such as we have them, 
 of whatsoever period. And he views them sole- 
 ly in comparison with other poets of acknowled- 
 ged celebrity. 
 
 The controversy respecting the authenticity of 
 these poems of " Ossian" is well known. When 
 Macpherson published first his " Fingal," and af- 
 terwards his " Temora," he exhibited them as 
 being complete and regular epic poems, of very 
 remote antiquity, which had existed in the High- 
 lands and islands of Scotland, although the parts 
 had been scattered and disjointed, through lapse 
 of time ; which he had searched for, and been so 
 fortunate as to discover ; and which, when thus 
 collected, and brought together into regular or- 
 der, he had translated and published as a whole. 
 This story, as told by Macpherson, was at first 
 believed by many, in its full extent, even by men
 
 76 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 of high character in the literary world. Dr Blair, 
 in particular, was so persuaded of their being 
 completely genuine, as to write a dissertation in 
 proof of their antiquity, and illustrative of their 
 beauties. * This opinion he formed partly from 
 the apparent similarity between the poetry thus 
 attributed to Ossian, and that of some detached 
 pieces traditionally preserved in the Highlands, 
 in which the same names were found, as well as 
 from some other points of resemblance ; and part- 
 ly perhaps from a national vanity, arising from 
 the possession of so extraordinary a performance 
 as " Fingal" certainly is, if genuine. 
 
 Others, again, insisted, and do still insist, that 
 the whole was an impudent forgery of Macpher- 
 son's own, which, having once produced as the 
 work of the Highland bard, he would not re- 
 tract, notwithstanding manv arguments against 
 their authenticity, drawn from their own internal 
 evidence, as well as from his refusal to comply 
 with the demands repeatedly made upon him to 
 put an end to the controversy, by exhibiting the 
 
 * " A Critical Dissertation on the Poems of Ossian, the Son 
 " of Fingal. By Hugh Blair, D. D. one of the Ministers of the 
 " High Church, and Professor of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres 
 " in the University of Edinburgh."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 77 
 
 original manuscript of the poems which he had 
 translated. At the head of this set of critics was 
 Dr Johnson, who, in his tour to the Hebrides, 
 has strenuously maintained their being altogether 
 a forgery. 
 
 That there never existed poems exactly in the 
 form in which " Fingal" and " Temora" were 
 published by Macpherson, seems now to be the 
 opinion most generally entertained. But it is 
 still maintained by many, with the strongest ap- 
 pearance of reason, that there certainly were 
 poetical compositions, consisting of songs, and 
 ballads, and other pieces, existing in the High- 
 lands many years before Macpherson was born, of 
 which sufficient traces are even yet to be found 
 in various parts of that country, some in a more, 
 some in a less perfect form. From these scat- 
 tered fragments it probably was, that Macpher- 
 son, by imitations and additions of his own, 
 wrought his work into a whole, and thus gave 
 it the appearance, in some degree, of a regular 
 epic poem. Nor is it very difficult, perhaps, to 
 conceive how these fragments may have been 
 handed down from father to son, even without 
 the use of writing, among a people who, with 
 scarcely any knowledge of agriculture, commerce,
 
 78 LIFE OF DK. BEATTIE. 
 
 or useful arts, filled up the vacancies of a pasto- 
 ral life, by the recital of those popular songs and 
 ballads. This is a practice not peculiar to the 
 Highlands of Scotland, but to be found in all 
 nations, who, by their local situation, in the 
 midst of hills and fastnesses, are cut off from any 
 great degree of intercourse with neighbouring 
 countries, farther advanced in the arts of polish- 
 ed life. Nor will it appear so very wonderful, if ; 
 in this manner, that poetry may have been pre- 
 served, which is believed by many to have exist- 
 ed in the Highlands, when the powers of the me- 
 mory are considered, and the strength it acqui- 
 red by the perpetual exercise of listening to the 
 bards, who were an appendage of the state and 
 magnificence of a Highland chieftain. 
 
 But Macpherson is dead, so that no farther in- 
 formation can be obtained from him ; and the re- 
 searches that are now made, must be attended 
 with great difficulty, when the means of enquiry 
 are daily becoming fewer, from the lapse of time, 
 and the gradual disuse of those local manners and 
 customs by which the Highlanders were once 
 distinouished. 
 
 o 
 
 The misfortune therefore is, that it seems to 
 be almost impossible to delect the imitations and
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 79 
 
 interpolations which Macpherson has intermixed, 
 with what may have been genuine, and original 
 of ancient Gaelic poetry, of the reality of which, 
 in some form or other, I cannot help being my- 
 self a strong believer. * 
 
 In the following letter, Dr Beattie gives the 
 first hint of his " Essay on Poetry," composed 
 that year, but not published till 1776, along with 
 the edition, in quarto, of his " Essay on Truth." 
 
 In this letter, mention also is made of a poem 
 under the title of the " Grotesquiad," which I 
 never either saw or heard of. It was undoubted- 
 ly of the mock heroic or satiric kind, a species 
 of poetry of which Dr Beattie used to express 
 himself uncommonly fond ; and being, in all like- 
 lihood, a.jeu d'esprit of the moment, he had wise- 
 ly suppressed it. I find no trace of any such 
 
 * The Highland Society of Edinburgh are at present enga- 
 ged in an investigation of the authenticity of the " Poems ot' 
 Ossian/' and from their enquiries, it is expected that consider- 
 able light will be thrown on the subject, ,
 
 80 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 production among his papers. He speaks like- 
 wise of his translation of Addison's " Battle of 
 the Pigmies and Cranes," which has since been 
 jHiblished. 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO ROBERT ARBUTHNOT, ESQ. 
 
 Aberdeen, 28th December, 1762. 
 
 ***** Pray what is like to be the fate of 
 the " Grotesquiad?" It is natural for a father to 
 be concerned about his offspring, though it be 
 spurious. I shall leave it to you to do with that 
 poem as you think proper. I think you said 
 that Pitt had translated the " Pigmies'' of Ad- 
 dison. 
 
 " You will perhaps remember, that in March 
 last I wrote a letter to you, containing some 
 strictures on the " Poems of Ossian," then new- 
 ly published. The remark which I made on that 
 occasion, was, that the poetry of that old bard, 
 however exquisite in its kind, was not the high- 
 est in dignity, and that, therefore, its author 
 could have no title to be ranked above .Milton,
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 81 
 
 or Homer, or Shakespeare, who have all made a 
 distinguished figure in the highest species of poe- 
 try. This was a subject on which I often had 
 occasion to expatiate in conversation, while the 
 rage of extolling the Highland bard continued. 
 It was then that I formed a design of throwing 
 together some thoughts, by way of essay, on the 
 comparative dignity of the several kinds of poe- 
 try ; a subject which, so far as I know, has never 
 been treated in a philosophical manner by any 
 critic, ancient or modern. As I applied my 
 thoughts more seriously to this inquiry, I found 
 the plan enlarge itself to a very considerable ex- 
 tent. I have, however, reduced it to something 
 of form, and find that it will naturally consist of 
 three parts. The first part contains a philosophi- 
 cal inquiry into the nature of poetry in general, 
 considered as an imitation of nature, by means 
 of language. In the second part, I propose to 
 consider the principles which determine the de- 
 grees of our approbation in the imitative arts, 
 particularly poetry. In the third part, I intend 
 to consider the several kinds of poetry, with a 
 view to these principles, and to determine their 
 comparative excellence according to the degrees 
 of approbation which they naturally command. 
 
 VOL. I. f
 
 82 LIFE OF DIl BEATTIE. 
 
 The first part, which is finished, made a discourse 
 of an hour and a half, which I read to a philoso- 
 phical society, composed of some of our literati, 
 who were very well pleased with it, and seemed 
 to think that I had made several new observa- 
 tions, and set some points of criticism in a new 
 light. The discussion of the second and third 
 parts I intend to attempt during the summer va- 
 cation." 
 
 In the summer of 1763, Dr Beattie went, for 
 the first time, to London. Of this journey I am 
 not able to give any account, as it had taken 
 place before my acquaintance with him commen- 
 ced. It was most probably a journey of curio- 
 sity merely; for Beattie was at that time un- 
 known in London, and had scarcely any acquain- 
 tance there, except the late Andrew Millar, the 
 bookseller, who had published his poems in the 
 year 1760, of whom I find him complaining bit- 
 terly in some of his letters, for his negligence in 
 not promoting their sale. In one of his letters 
 to Mr Arbuthnot, after his return home, he men-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 83 
 
 tions a gentleman of Scotland, of their mutual 
 acquaintance, who had accompanied him on a vi- 
 sit to Pope's house at Twickenham. 
 
 In some of his letters, at this time, he gives an 
 intimation of a poem upon which he was at work, 
 under the title of the " Judgment of Paris," a 
 classical fable known to every school-boy. An- 
 cient authors have mentioned it as a poetical or 
 legendary tale ; and, in modern times, Congreve 
 has written a masque under that title, and upon 
 the ancient plan. Dr Beattie wished to follow a 
 different course, and thought he could render his* 
 " Judgment of Paris" subservient to the cause of 
 virtue, by personifying wisdom, ambition, and 
 pleasure, in the characters of his three goddesses. 
 It was published in the spring of 1765. * 
 
 The poem opens with a most beautiful descrip- 
 tion of the landscape where the scene is laid; 
 and the appearance of the three goddesses, with 
 
 * Of the plan and intended mode of execution of this poem, 
 he gives an account in two letters to Mr Arbuthnot* which I 
 have thought it right to preserve, by inserting them in the Ap- 
 pendix: For although the poem was never republished after 
 the edition of the year 1766, copies of it are still preserved in 
 many libraries; and it is but justice to Dr Beattie, that the pub- 
 lic should know what his original design was in writing the 
 poem. Appendix, [L.]
 
 84 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE.> 
 
 their characteristic attributes, is described in a 
 vein of the richest imagery ; which I have thought 
 it worth while to preserve, by inserting those lines 
 in the Appendix. But it will probably be thought, 
 that the poet's personification of virtues, under 
 the semblance of those celestial personages, is ra- 
 ther too metaphysical, and is scarcely compensa- 
 ted by the beauties of the poetry. This, indeed, 
 seems to have been pretty much the decision of 
 the public; for the " Judgment of Paris" never 
 was a popular poem. It was republished in the 
 edition of Beattie's poems in the year 176G; but 
 he has himself omitted it in all his subsequent 
 editions. 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO ROBERT ARBUTHNOT, ESQ. 
 
 Aberdeen, 12th December, 1703. 
 
 " Since you left us, I have been reading Tasso's 
 " Jerusalem,'^ in the translation lately published 
 by Hoole. I wa* not a little anxious to peruse a 
 poem which is so famous over all Europe, and has 
 so often been mentioned as a rival to the " Iliad,"
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 85 
 
 " iEneid," and " Paradise Lost." It is certainly 
 a noble work ; and though it seems to me to be 
 inferior to the three poems just mentioned, yet I 
 cannot help thinking it in the rank next to these. 
 As for the other modern attempts at the " Epo- 
 pee," the " Henriade" of Voltaire, the " Epigo- 
 niad" of Wilkie, the " Leonidas" of Glover, not 
 to mention the " Arthur" of Blackmore, they are 
 not to be compared with it. Tasso possesses an 
 exuberant and sublime imagination, though in 
 exuberance it seems, in my opinion, inferior to 
 our Spenser, and in sublimity inferior to Milton. 
 Were I to compare Milton's genius with Tasso's, 
 I would say, that the sublime of the latter is 
 flashy and fluctuating, while that of the former 
 diffuses an uniform, steady, and vigorous blaze : 
 Milton is more majestic, Tasso more dazzling. 
 Dryden, it seems, was of opinion, that the " Je- 
 rusalem Delivered'' was the only poem of mo- 
 dern times that deserved the name of epic ; but 
 it is certain that criticism was not this writer's 
 talent ; and I think it is evident, from some pas- 
 sages of his works, that he either did not, or 
 would not, understand the " Paradise Lost." 
 Tasso borrows his plot and principal characters 
 from Homer, but his manner resembles Virgil's.
 
 86 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 He is certainly much obliged to Virgil, and scru- 
 ples not to imitate, nor to translate, him on many 
 occasions. In the pathetic he is far inferior both 
 to Homer, to Virgil, and to Milton. His cha- 
 racters, though different, are not always dis- 
 tinct, and want those masterly and distinguish- 
 ing strokes which the genius of Homer and 
 Shakespeare, and of them only, knows how to 
 delineate. Tasso excels in describing pleasure- 
 able scenes, and seems peculiarly fond of such as 
 have a reference to the passion of love. Yet, in 
 .characterising this passion, he is far inferior, not 
 only to Milton, but also to Virgil, whose fourth 
 book he has been at great pains to imitate. The 
 translation is smooth and flowing; but in digni- 
 ty, and variety of numbers, is often defective, 
 and often labours under a feebleness and prolixi- 
 ty of phrase, evidently proceeding either from 
 want of skill, or from want of leisure in the ver- 
 sifier."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 8/ 
 
 . 
 
 In the month of November 1764, Churchill 
 died; a writer who attracted much notice in 
 his day, not only from his having assumed the 
 character of an open and professed satirist, but 
 from his possessing no inconsiderable strength 
 of thought, with a vigorous, though slovenly, 
 energy of expression, which, notwithstanding all 
 his profaneness, faction, calumny, and ribaldry, 
 still preserves, in a certain degree, his reputation 
 as a poet. As Churchill, at the time of his death, 
 was extremely unpopular in Scotland, not only 
 on account of some of his own poetical produc- 
 tions, but of his connexion with Wilkes, who, at 
 that time, was publishing " The North Briton," 
 a periodical paper, peculiarly levelled against Scot- 
 land, it was proposed to Dr Beattie, that he should 
 write some verses on the death of Churchill ; a 
 task which he readily undertook. 
 
 The " Verses on the Death of Churchill" ap- 
 peared soon after, without the author's name, and 
 had a rapid sale. Of this poem Dr Beattie him-
 
 88 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 self appears, by his letters written at the time, to 
 have been exceedingly fond ; and they who yet 
 remember the violence of the political contests of 
 those days, with what intemperate zeal Churchill 
 prostituted his poetical talents in the support of 
 the plans and pursuits of the seditious dema- 
 gogues, who, under the banners of Wilkes, set 
 all decency, good order, and good government, 
 at defiance, will not wonder that Dr Beattie, 
 whose principles and opinions were the very re- 
 verse of theirs, should feel his indignation rouz- 
 ed by the popular applause with which he saw 
 Churchill distinguished while he lived, and heard 
 of the honours which were said to be preparing 
 for his memory when dead, by the proposal of 
 erecting a monument to him in Westminster Ab- 
 bey. The lines are therefore marked with more 
 than ordinary asperity, though perhaps not more 
 than the occasion warranted. The allusion, in- 
 deed, in the conclusion of the poem, was deser- 
 vedly found fault with. In the edition of Dr 
 Beattie's poems, published the year following, he 
 omitted the name of " Churchill," and prefaced 
 the verses with an address in prose, in which he 
 vindicates the keenness of his satire. In the sub-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 89 
 
 sequent editions of his poetical works, * he omit- 
 ted the lines altogether. 
 
 In the autumn of the year 1765, Mr Gray, 
 whose " Elegy in a Country "Church-yard," and 
 noble lyric compositions, have raised his name to 
 the first rank of British poets, came to Scotland 
 on a visit to the late Earl of Strathmore. Dr Beat- 
 tie, who was an enthusiastic admirer of Gray, as 
 soon as he heard of his arrival, addressed to him 
 the following letter. This procured to Dr Beat- 
 tie an invitation to Glammis castle, which led to 
 a friendship and correspondence between these 
 two eminent poets and amiable men, which con- 
 tinued, without interruption, till the death of Mr 
 Gray, on the 31st July, 1771. 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO MR GRAY. 
 
 Marischal College of Aberdeen, 30th August, 1765. 
 
 " If I thought it necessary to offer an apology 
 
 for venturing to address you in this abrupt man- 
 
 * Vide Appendix, [M.]
 
 90 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 ner, I should be very much at a loss how to be- 
 gin. I might plead my admiration of your ge- 
 nius, and my attachment to your character ; but 
 who is he, that could not, with truth, urge the 
 same excuse for intruding upon your retirement? 
 I might plead my earnest desire to be personally 
 acquainted with a man whom I have so long and 
 so passionately admired in his writings; but thou- 
 sands, of greater consequence than I, are ambi- 
 tious of the same honour. I, indeed, must either 
 flatter myself that no apology is necessary, or 
 otherwise, I must despair of obtaining what has 
 long been the object of my most ardent wishes ; 
 I must for ever forfeit all hopes of seeing you, and 
 conversing with you. 
 
 " It was yesterday I received the agreeable 
 news of your being in Scotland, and of your in- 
 tending to visit some parts of it. Will you per- 
 mit us to hope, that we shall have an opportuni- 
 ty, at Aberdeen, of thanking you in person, for 
 the honour you have done to Britain, and to the 
 poetic art, by your inestimable compositions, and 
 of offering you all that we have that deserves 
 your acceptance, namely, hearts full of esteem, 
 respect, and affection? If you cannot come so far 
 northward, let me at least be acquainted with the
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 91 
 
 place of your residence, and permitted to wait on 
 you. Forgive, sir, this request ; forgive me if I 
 urge it with earnestness, for indeed it concerns 
 me nearly ; and do me the justice to believe, that 
 I am, with the most sincere attachment, and most 
 respectful esteem, &c. &c. &c. 
 
 " P. S. Dr Carlysle of Musselburgh, and Dr 
 Wight of Glasgow, acquainted me of your being 
 in Scotland. It was from them I learned that my 
 name was not wholly unknown to you." 
 
 It was in the course of this year, 176*5, that my 
 acquaintance with Dr Beattie began. We first 
 met at the house of our mutual friend, Mr Ar- 
 buthnot, in Edinburgh ; and having occasion to 
 pass some time that autumn in Aberdeenshire, I 
 renewed my intercourse with him there. As 
 those with whom he chiefly associated at Aber- 
 deen were my most intimate friends, we were 
 much together; and that friendship and corre- 
 spondence took place between us, which I re- 
 garded, not only as my pride, but as a source of
 
 92 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 the purest pleasure; and I may fairly add, that if 
 I am not a better man for the correspondence and 
 instructive conversation of Dr Beattie, great will 
 be my condemnation at my last account. 
 
 From that correspondence, therefore, which 
 continued to the end of his days, when the decay 
 of his faculties would not permit him to carry it 
 on any longer, I am now enabled to begin to elu- 
 cidate still farther his writings and his character. 
 
 But I am not without my apprehensions here, 
 that I may be charged with no small degree of 
 vanity, for publishing to the world those warm 
 expressions of esteem, affection, and gratitude 
 towards me, which occur in several of the letters 
 addressed to me by Dr Beattie. And I own I do 
 feel some little pride (an honest pride, I hope) in 
 preserving and recording some testimonies of that 
 favourable opinion which such a man as Dr Beat- 
 tie was pleased to entertain of me. I can, how- 
 ever, at the same time assure the reader, (as some 
 apology for myself,) that I have suppressed much 
 stronger passages of that nature, and a much lar- 
 ger number of them, than I have allowed myself 
 to retain.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. $3 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO SIR WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 Aberdeen, 7 th December, 1765. 
 
 M The receipt of your very obliging letter ought 
 to have been sooner acknowledged. I should ab- 
 hor myself* had my delay been owing to indo- 
 lence: possessed as I am with a most grateful 
 sense of your favours, with the highest regard 
 for your friendship, and the most zealous attach- 
 ment to your character : my delay was indeed ow- 
 ing to another cause. 
 
 " I have been employed for some time past in 
 writing a kind of poetical epistle to Mr Black- 
 lock, in return for a present which he was so 
 kind as make me of his works, accompanied with 
 a very handsome copy of verses ; and I had in- 
 tended to send under the same cover my letter 
 to you, and my verses to Mr Blacklock. The 
 verses are indeed finished ; but as there are some 
 passages in them which seem to need correction, 
 I must, for some time, let them lie by me ; for I 
 have found by experience, that I am a much more
 
 94 LIFE OF DR. BEATT1E. 
 
 impartial judge of such of my works as I have al- 
 most quite forgotten, than of such as are fresh in 
 my memory. The epistle, when ready, will be 
 sent to Dr Gregory's care, and he will show it to 
 you and to Mr Arbuthnot as soon as it comes to 
 hand. 
 
 " I hope you will pardon me, if I cannot re- 
 turn such an answer to your letter as it deserves. 
 I want words to express how much I value your 
 friendship. Allow me to assure you, that I am 
 not one of the ungrateful, nor (if good intentions 
 can confer any merit on a character) one of the 
 undeserving. The friendship of the good is the 
 object of my highest ambition : if I cannot lay 
 claim to it, I shall at least approve myself not en- 
 tirely unworthy of it. Let me be tried by my 
 conduct; and if I shall ever give a good man 
 reason to be ashamed of owning me for his friend, 
 then let my name be despised to the latest poste- 
 rity. 
 
 " I intend, if possible, to publish this winter a 
 new edition of all my original pieces of poetry. I 
 wrote to Mr Arbuthnot some time ago, to treat 
 Avith a bookseller, but have received no answer, 
 which disappoints me a good deal, as the season 
 is fast advancing, and as it will soon be too late
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. Q5 
 
 to apply to another, in case the person to whom 
 he promised to apply should decline my offer. 
 Pray, will you advise me to insert the verses on 
 Churchill in the collection ? I do not think them 
 the worst part of my works, and therefore should 
 be sorry to lose them altogether. My scheme, 
 at present, is to strike out the name of Churchill, 
 and insert a fictitious one. But in this I would 
 wish to be directed by my friends. 
 
 " I am sorry you did not see Mr Gray on his 
 return ; you would have been much pleased with 
 him. Setting aside his merit as a poet, which, 
 however, in my opinion, is greater than any of 
 his contemporaries can boast, in this or in any 
 other nation, I found him possessed of the most 
 exact taste, the soundest judgment, and the most 
 extensive learning. He is happy in a singular 
 facility of expression. His conversation abounds 
 in original observations, delivered with no appear- 
 ance of sententious formality, and seeming to arise 
 spontaneously without study or premeditation. 
 I passed two very agreeable days with him at 
 Glammis, and found him as easy in his manners, 
 and as communicative and frank, as I could have 
 wished."
 
 96 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 The following letter, from Dr Beattie to Dr 
 Blacklock, # is the first, I find, of their correspon- 
 dence, and does equal honour to his head and to 
 his heart. 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO DR BLACKLOCK.* 
 
 Aberdeen, 15th January, 1766. 
 " I cannot express how agreeably I was flatter- 
 ed by the present you were pleased to make me 
 of your works, and by the elegant verses which 
 accompanied it. The acquaintance of good men 
 has always appeared to me almost the only tem- 
 poral object worthy of my ambition; and I can, 
 with great sincerity, declare, that the conscious- 
 ness of having attained your friendship, yields 
 me much higher pleasure than any compliments 
 
 * For some account of Dr Blacklock, see Appendix, [N.] 
 
 7
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 97 
 
 that can be paid to my poor merit. Your genius 
 and character I have long known and admired ; 
 and although remoteness of place and diversity 
 of employment had almost extinguished my hopes 
 of becoming personally acquainted with you, I 
 still flattered myself, that, in some way or other, 
 I should find an opportunity of letting you know 
 how highly I esteem and love you. This oppor- 
 tunity I have found at last, and it is with the ut- 
 most pleasure that I avail myself of it. 
 
 " On receiving your valuable present, I resol- 
 ved to attempt an answer in verse ; but, by rea- 
 son of many unavoidable interruptions from busi- 
 ness, from bad health, and from studies of a most 
 unpoetical nature, it advanced more slowly than 
 I could have wished. I found means, however, 
 to bring it to a conclusion two months ago, and 
 sent it in a cover addressed to Dr Gregory. I 
 heard, some days ago, that it had come safely to 
 hand, and that you was pleased to give it a fa- 
 vourable reception. You will easily perceive, by 
 its miscellaneousness, that the composition of it 
 must have been interrupted with frequent and 
 long intervals ; yet I have attempted to give it a 
 kind of unity, and I hope, upon the whole, it is 
 not more incoherent than a poetical epistle may 
 
 vol. r, g
 
 98 UCFE OF DR BEATT1S. 
 
 be allowed to be. There is, perhaps, more aspe- 
 rity in it than you can approve ; there is, indeed, 
 more than I will undertake to excuse ; but when 
 one dips into certain subjects, it is perhaps diffi- 
 cult to preserve that meekness of expression, and 
 tame acquiescence of sentiment, which, in the 
 ordinary intercourse of mankind, is, for the most 
 part, so agreeable. But, whatever you may think 
 of particular expressions, you will not blame the 
 general design ; the thoughts, I trust, are such as 
 become an honest man, who is more ambitious of 
 approving himself to his own conscience than to 
 the world. Let the sincerity of the writer be also 
 pleaded in favour of the essay ; for, though writ- 
 ten in rhyme, it is a faithful transcript of the real 
 sentiments of his heart. Indeed, I have always 
 thought it a piece of contemptible affectation in 
 an author to assume, in his writings, a character 
 which is none of his own. If a man's sentiments 
 be bad, he ought to conceal them altogether; 
 but, if good, I see no reason why he should be 
 ashamed of them. However, as a very general 
 prejudice prevails against the sincerity of poeti- 
 cal protestations, I could not rest till I had assu- 
 red you, in plain prose, that I set a very high va- 
 lue upon your friendship, and will ever account
 
 LIFE X)F DR BEATTIE. 99 
 
 it my honour to act such a part as may merit the 
 continuance of it. 
 
 " That you may long live an honour to your 
 country, a blessing to your family, and the de- 
 light of your acquaintance, is my earnest prayer." 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 BR BEATTIE TO SIR WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 Aberdeen, 30th January, 1766. 
 
 " Your zeal in promoting my interest demands 
 my warmest acknowledgments ; yet, for want of 
 adequate expressions, I scarce know in what man- 
 ner to pay them. I must therefore leave you to 
 guess at my gratitude, by the emotions which 
 would arise in your own heart, on receiving a 
 very important favour from a person of whom 
 you had merited nothing, and to whom you could 
 make no just return. 
 
 " I suppose you have seen my letter to Dr 
 Blacklock. I hope, in due time, to be acquaint- 
 ed with your sentiments concerning it. I know 
 not whether I have gained my point or not : but, 
 in composing that letter, I was more studious of
 
 100 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 simplicity of diction, than in any other of my 
 pieces. I am not, indeed, in this respect, so very 
 scrupulous as some critics of these times. I see 
 no harm in using an expressive epithet, when, 
 without the use of such an epithet, one cannot 
 do justice to his idea. Even a compounded epi- 
 thet, provided it be suitable to the genius of our 
 language, and authenticated by some good wri- 
 ter, may often, in my opinion, produce a good 
 effect. My notion of simplicity discards every 
 thing from style, which is affected, superfluous, 
 indefinite, or obscure ; but admits every grace, 
 which, without encumbering a sentiment, does 
 really embellish and enforce it. I am no friend 
 to those prettinesses of modern style, which one 
 may call the pompous earings, and flounces of 
 the muses, which, with some writers, are so high- 
 ly in vogue at present ; they may, by their glare 
 and fluttering, take off the eye from imperfec- 
 tions; but I am convinced they disguise and dis- 
 figure the charms of genuine beauty. 
 
 " I have of late been much engaged in meta- 
 physics ; at least I have been labouring with all 
 my might to overturn that visionary science. I 
 am a member of a club in this town, who style 
 themselves the Philosophical Society. We have
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 101 
 
 meetings every fortnight, and deliver discourses 
 in our turn. I hope you will not think the worse 
 of this Society, when I tell you, that to it the 
 world is indebted for " A comparative View of 
 the Faculties of, Man," and "An Enquiry into 
 Human Nature, on the principles of Common 
 Sense." Criticism is the field in, which I have 
 hitherto (chiefly at least) chosen to expatiate; 
 but an accidental question lately furnished me 
 with a hint, which I made the subject of a two 
 hours discourse at our last meeting. I have for 
 some time wished for an opportunity of publish- 
 ing something relating to the business of my own 
 profession, and I think I have now found an op- 
 portunity ; for the doctrine of my last discourse 
 seems to be of importance, and I have already 
 finished two-thirds of my plan. My doctrine is 
 this : that as we know nothing of the eternal re- 
 lations of things, that to us is and must be truth, 
 which we feel that we must believe ; and that to 
 us is falsehood, which we feel that we must dis- 
 believe. I have shown that all genuine reason- 
 ing does ultimately terminate in certain princi- 
 ples, which it is impossible to disbelieve, and as 
 impossible to prove : that therefore the ultimate 
 standard of truth to us is common sense, or that in-
 
 102 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 stinctive conviction into which all true reasoning 
 does resolve itself: that therefore what contra- 
 dicts common sense is in itself absurd, however 
 subtle the arguments which support it : for such 
 is the ambiguity and insufficiency of language, 
 that it is easy to argue on either side of any 
 question with acuteness sufficient to confound 
 one who is not expert in the art of reasoning. 
 My principles, in the main, are not essentially 
 different from Dr Reid's ; but they seem to offer 
 a more compendious method of destroying scep- 
 ticism. I intend to show, (and have already in 
 part shown,) that all sophistical reasoning is mark- 
 ed with certain characters which distinguish it 
 from true investigation : and thus I flatter my- 
 self I shall be able to discover a method of de- 
 tecting sophistry, even when one is not able to 
 give a logical confutation of its arguments. I 
 intend farther to enquire into the nature of that 
 modification of intellect which qualifies a man 
 for being a sceptic ; and I think I am able to 
 prove that it is not genius, but the want of it. 
 However, it will be summer before I can finish 
 my project. I own it is not without indignation, 
 that I see sceptics and their writings (which are
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 103 
 
 the bane not only of science, but also of virtue) 
 so much in vogue in the present age." 
 
 In the summer of 1766, a new edition of Dr 
 Beattie's Poems was published in London. In 
 this edition, all his poetical translations were 
 omitted ; and of the pieces formerly published, 
 only the following were retained- 
 
 " The Ode to Peace. 
 
 " Retirement, an Ode. 
 
 " Ode to Hope. 
 
 " The Triumph of Melancholy. 
 
 " Elegy occasioned by the Death of a Lady. 
 
 "The Hares, a Fable." 
 On some of these earlier pieces he had made con- 
 siderable improvements ; and he had added, 
 
 " The Judgment of Paris," 
 which had been printed as a pamphlet ; also, 
 
 " Verses, on the Report of a Monument to 
 
 be erected in Westminster Abbey, to the 
 
 Memory of a late Author." 
 
 These were the verses on the death of Churchill, 
 
 which had also been published separately. From
 
 104 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 I 
 
 this poem he had withdrawn Churchill's name, 
 and substituted that of " Bufo," and had prefaced 
 it with an apologetical letter. 
 
 " The Wolf and the Shepherds, a Fable;" in 
 praise of which much cannot be said ; for it has 
 been already remarked, that " Fable" was by no 
 means a species of composition in which Dr Beat- 
 tie excelled. 
 
 " An Epistle to the Reverend Mr (afterwards 
 Dr) Thomas Blacklock." This is a most excel- 
 lent performance. While at the same time it 
 pays many just and striking compliments to Dr 
 Blacklock, it may be considered as of the nature 
 of an ethic epistle, breathing a noble spirit and 
 freedom of sentiment, with great richness of poe- 
 try and harmony of versification. 
 
 The last piece of the collection is " The Battle 
 of the Pigmies and the Cranes;" a translation 
 from Addison's " Pygmaso-gerano-machia," which 
 certainly is at least equal to, if it does not sur- 
 pass, the original. Of this piece, he was himself 
 more than usually fond. *' It is written," says 
 he, in a letter to a friend, " in Ovid's manner. I 
 " have affected a greater solemnity of style and 
 " versification, and have bestowed a few heighten- 
 " ing touches on all the images."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 105 
 
 Of these additional pieces, "The Judgment of 
 Paris," the " Lines on Churchill," "The Wolf 
 and the Shepherds," and the " Epistle to Dr 
 Blacklock," have been omitted in the subsequent 
 editions of Dr Beattie's Poems. With the three 
 first, we may easily dispense ; but we regret, with 
 reason, I think, the loss of the " Epistle to Dr 
 Blacklock." 
 
 This republication was received by the public 
 equally well with the former. 
 
 LETTER XI. 
 
 DR JOHN GREGORY* TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Edinburgh, 1st January, 1766. 
 
 " Mr Gray got the books. He spoke of you 
 in terms of very high esteem. I think him an 
 excellent critic, and I am persuaded you found 
 him so. But though I think he could give you 
 an excellent advice in what relates to that intrin- 
 sic merit of your compositions, which will be re- 
 garded by real judges, of which there is not one 
 in a thousand who read them ; yet I would not 
 
 * For some account of Dr Gregory, see p. 41.
 
 106 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 depend much on liis judgment of that sort of 
 merit which makes a poet popular among the 
 bulk of readers. It is a sentiment that veiy uni- 
 versally prevails, that poetry is a light kind of 
 reading, which one takes up only for a little 
 amusement, and that therefore it should be so 
 perspicuous as not to require a second reading. 
 This sentiment would bear hard on some of 
 your best things ; and on all Gray's, except his 
 " Church-yard Elegy," which he told me, with a 
 good deal of acrimony, owed its popularity en- 
 tirely to the subject, and that the public would 
 have received it as well if it had been written in 
 prose. Dr Blair thinks your verses on Churchill 
 the best you ever made. I do not quite agree 
 with him there, though I think it one of the best 
 and most spirited satires that was ever written ; 
 but we all agree, that two or three lines should 
 be altered. 
 
 " What I earnestly wish, is, to have you employ 
 your genius on some subject that will be gene- 
 rally interesting, and which can alone procure 
 you that universal fame which you deserve, and 
 will likewise procure you a more solid reward of 
 your labours."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 107 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO SIR WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 Aberdeen, 18th September, 1766. 
 " You flatter me very agreeably, by wishing me 
 to engage in a translation of Tasso's " Jerusalem." 
 If I had all the other acpomplishments necessary 
 to fit me for such an undertaking, (which is by 
 no means the case,) I have not as yet acquired a 
 sufficient knowledge of the Italian language, al- 
 though I understand it tolerably well. My pro- 
 ficiency would have been much more consider- 
 able, if my health had allowed me to study ; but 
 I have been obliged to estrange myself from books 
 for some months past. I intend to persist in my 
 resolution of acquiring that language, for I am 
 wonderfully delighted with the Italian poetry. 
 It does not seem to abound much in those strokes 
 of fancy that raise admiration and astonishment, 
 in which I think the English very much superior ; 
 but it possesses all the milder graces in an emi 
 nent degree ; in simplicity, harmony, delicacy, 
 and tenderness, it is altogether without a rival.
 
 108 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 I cannot well account for that neglect of the Ita- 
 lian literature, which, for about a century past, 
 has been fashionable among us. I believe Mr 
 Addison may have been instrumental in introdu- 
 cing, or, at least, in vindicating it ; though I am 
 inclined to think, that he took, upon trust, from 
 Boileau, that censure which he past upon the Ita- 
 lian poets, and which has been current among 
 the critics ever since the days of the " Specta- 
 tor."* 
 
 if A good translation of Tasso would be a very 
 valuable accession to English literature ; but it 
 would be a most difficult undertaking, on account 
 of the genius of our language, which, though in 
 the highest degree copious, expressive, and sono- 
 rous, is not to be compared with the Italian in 
 delicacy, sweetness, and simplicity of composi- 
 tion; and these are qualities so characteristical 
 of Tasso, that a translator would do the highest 
 injustice to his author, who should fail in trans- 
 fusing them into his version. Besides, a work of 
 such a nature must not only be laborious, but ex-. 
 
 * It will be remembered, that this observation was made by 
 Dr Beattie very nearly forty years ago. Since that period, Ita- 
 lian literature has been much more cultivated in Britain, than it 
 was at his first acquaintance with it. 
 
 4
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 10$ 
 
 pensive ; so that a prudent person would not 
 chuse to engage in it without some hope, not 
 only of being indemnified, but even rewarded ; 
 and such a hope it would be madness in me to 
 entertain. Yet, to show that I am not averse 
 from the work, (for, luckily for poor bards, poe- 
 try is sometimes its own reward, and is at any 
 time amply rewarded, when it gratifies the desire 
 of a friend,) I design, as soon as I have leisure, 
 and sufficient skill in the language, to try my 
 hand at a short specimen. In the mean time, I 
 flatter myself, you will not think the worse of me 
 for not making a thousand protestations of my 
 insufficiency, and as many acknowledgements of 
 my gratitude, for the honour you do me in sup- 
 posing me capable of such a work. The truth is, 
 I have so much to say on this subject, that if I 
 were only to begin, I should never have done. 
 Your friendship, and your good opinion, which I 
 shall ever account it my honour to cultivate, I 
 do indeed value more than I can express. 
 
 " Your neglect of the modern philosophical 
 sceptics, who have too much engaged the atten- 
 tion of these times, does equal honour to your un- 
 derstanding and to your heart. To suppose that 
 everything may be made matter of dispute, is an
 
 110 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 exceeding false principle, subversive of all true 
 science, and prejudicial to the happiness of man- 
 kind. To confute without convincing is a com- 
 mon case, and indeed a very easy matter : in all 
 conviction (at least in all moral and religious 
 conviction) the heart is engaged, as well as the 
 understanding ; and the understanding may be 
 satisfied, or at least confounded, with a doctrine, 
 from which the heart recoils with the strongest 
 aversion. This is not the language of a logician ; 
 but this, I hope, is the language of an honest 
 man, who considers all science as frivolous, which 
 does not make men wiser and better ; and to puz- 
 zle with words, without producing conviction, 
 (which is all that our metaphysical sceptics have 
 been able to do,) can never promote either the wis- 
 dom or the virtue of mankind. It is strange that 
 men should so often forget, that " happiness is 
 " our being's end and aim." Happiness is desir- 
 able for its own sake : truth is desirable only as 
 a mean of producing happiness ; for who would 
 not prefer an agreeable delusion to a melancholy 
 truth ? What, then, is the use of that philosophy, 
 which aims to inculcate truth at the expence of 
 happiness, by introducing doubt and disbelief in 
 the place of confidence and hope ? Surely the
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. HI 
 
 promoters of all such philosophy are either the 
 enemies of mankind, or the dupes of their own 
 most egregious folly. I mean not to make any 
 concessions in favour of metaphysical truth : ge- 
 nuine truth and genuine happiness were never in- 
 consistent : but metaphysical truth (such as we 
 find in our sceptical systems) is not genuine, for 
 it is perpetually changing ; and no wonder, since 
 it depends not on the common sense of mankind, 
 (which is always the same,) but varies, according 
 as the talents and inclinations of different authors 
 are different. The doctrines of metaphysical 
 scepticism are either true or false; if false, we 
 have little to do with them ; if true, they prove 
 the fallacy of the human faculties, and therefore 
 prove too much ; for it follows, as an undeniable 
 consequence, that all human doctrines whatso- 
 ever (themselves not excepted) are fallacious, and 
 consequently, pernicious, insignificant, and vain." 
 
 In the following letter he gives a hint of hi* 
 design of writing the " Minstrel."
 
 112 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO DR BLACKLOCK. 
 
 Aberdeen, 22d September, 1766. 
 
 " I am not a little flattered by your friendly 
 and spirited vindication of the poem on Bitfo. * 
 Among the invidious and malicious I have got a 
 few enemies on account of that performance; 
 among the candid and generous, not one. This, 
 joined to the approbation of my own conscience, 
 is entirely sufficient to make me easy on that 
 head. I have not yet heard, whether my little 
 work has been approved or condemned in Eng- 
 land. I have not even heard whether it has been 
 published or not. However, the days of roman- 
 tic hope are now happily over with me, as well 
 as the desire of public applause ; a desire of which 
 I never had any title to expect the gratification, 
 and which, though I had been able to gratify it, 
 would not have contributed a single mite to my 
 
 * " Verses on the Report of a Monument to be erected in 
 " Westminster Abbey, to the Memory of a late Author." See 
 p. 103.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 113 
 
 happiness. Yet I am thankful to Providence for 
 having endued me with an inclination to poetry ; 
 for, though I have never been supremely blest in 
 my own muse, I have certainly been gratified, in 
 the most exquisite degree, by the productions of 
 others. 
 
 " Those pieces of mine, from which I have re- 
 ceived the highest entertainment, are such as 
 are altogether improper for publication ; being 
 written in a sort of burlesque humour, for the 
 amusement of some particular friend, or for some 
 select company. Of these I have a pretty large 
 collection ; and, though I should be ashamed to 
 be publicly known as the author of many of them, 
 I cannot help entertaining a certain partiality to- 
 wards them, arising, perhaps, from this circum- 
 stance in their favour, that the pleasure they have 
 yielded me has been altogether sincere, unmixed 
 with that chagrin which never fails to attend an 
 unfortunate publication. 
 
 " Not long ago I began a poem in the style 
 and stanza of Spenser, in which I propose to give 
 full scope to my inclination, and be either droll 
 or pathetic, descriptive or sentimental, tender or 
 satirical, as the humour strikes me ; for, if I mis- 
 take not, the manner which I have adopted ad- 
 
 VOL. i. h
 
 114 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 mits equally of all these kinds of composition. I 
 have written one hundred and fifty lines, and am 
 surprised to find the structure of that complica- 
 ted stanza so little troublesome. I was always 
 fond of it, for I think it the most harmonious 
 that ever was contrived. It admits of more va- 
 riety of pauses than either the couplet or the al- 
 ternate rhyme; and it concludes with a pomp 
 and majesty of sound, which, to my ear, is won- 
 derfully delightful. It seems also very well adapt- 
 ed to the genius of our language, which, from its 
 irregularity of inflexion and number of monosyl- 
 lables, abounds in diversified terminations, and 
 consequently renders our poetry susceptible of an 
 endless variety of legitimate rhymes. But I am 
 so far from intending this performance for the 
 press, that I am morally certain it never will be 
 finished. I shall add a stanza now and then, 
 when I am at leisure, and when I have no hu- 
 mour for any other amusement; but I am re- 
 solved to write no more poetry with a view to 
 publication, till I see some dawnings of a poeti- 
 cal taste among the generality of readers, of 
 which, however, there is not at present any thing 
 like an appearance.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 115 
 
 " My employment, and indeed my inclination, 
 leads me rather to prose composition; and in 
 this way I have much to do. The doctrines 
 commonly comprehended under the name of mo- 
 ral philosophy are at present over-run with meta- 
 physics ; a luxuriant and tenacious weed, which 
 seldom fails to choke and extirpate the whole- 
 some plants, which it was perhaps intended to 
 support and shelter. To this literary weed I have 
 an insuperable aversion ; which becomes stronger 
 and stronger, in proportion as I grow more and 
 more acquainted with its nature, and qualities, 
 and fruits. It is very agreeable to the paradoxi- 
 cal and licentious spirit of the age ; but I am 
 thoroughly convinced, that it is fatal to true 
 science, an enemy to the fine arts, destructive of 
 genuine sentiment, and prejudicial to the virtue 
 and happiness of mankind. There is a little Ode 
 of yours on the refinements of metaphysical phi- 
 losophy, which I often read with peculiar satis- 
 faction, and with high approbation of your spirit 
 and sentiments: 
 
 '* You, who would be truly wise, 
 
 " To Nature's light unveil your eyes, 
 
 " Her gentle call obey : 
 " She leads by no false wandering glare, 
 " No voice ambiguous strikes your ear, 
 
 " To bid you vainly stray.
 
 116 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 ** Not in the gloomy cell recluse, 
 " For noble deeds, or generous views, 
 
 " She bids us watch the night : 
 " Fair virtue shines to all displayed, 
 " Nor asks the tardy schoolman's aid, 
 
 " To teach us what is right. 
 " Pleasure and pain she sets in view, 
 " And which to shun, and which pursue, 
 
 " Instructs her pupil's heart. 
 * Then, lettered Pride ! say, what thy gain, 
 " To mask with so much fruitless pain 
 
 " Thy ignorance with art ?" 
 
 Of the following letter, there is so much plea- 
 sant humour in the first part, so very unlike the 
 admirable piece of criticism in the second, that 
 the reader, I think, will thank me for thus exhi- 
 biting to him the versatility of Dr Beattie's 
 powers of genius, which could pass at once from 
 the most playful to the gravest style of epistola- 
 ry correspondence. 
 
 Mr Boyd, to whom the letter is addressed, was 
 the second son of the unfortunate Earl of Kil- 
 marnock, * and brother of the Earl of Erroll. 
 
 * Vide Appendix, [C]
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 117 
 
 Although he had not attached himself to any 
 learned profession, he had received a literary edu- 
 cation ; and, having resided long in France, he 
 possessed a familiar acquaintance with the best 
 writers of both countries. He was master, too, of 
 no inconsiderable portion of humour, and had 
 some turn for making verses ; qualities which 
 had the natural effect of producing a friendship 
 and correspondence between him and Dr Beattie, 
 that lasted tiil Mr Boyd's death at Edinburgh, 
 3d August, 1782. 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO THE HON. CHARLES BOYD. 
 
 Aberdeen, 16th November, 1766. 
 " Of all the chagrins with which my present 
 infirm state of health is attended, none afflicts 
 me more than my inability to perform the duties 
 of friendship. The offer which you were gene- 
 rously pleased to make me of your correspon- 
 dence, flatters me extremely ; but, alas ! I have 
 not as yet been able to avail myself of it. While 
 the good weather continued, I strolled about the
 
 118 LIFE Of DR BEATTIE. 
 
 country, and made many strenuous attempts to 
 run away from this odious giddiness ; but the 
 more I struggled, the more closely it seemed to 
 stick by me. About a fortnight ago the hurry 
 of my winter business began; and, at the same 
 time, my malady recurred with more violence 
 than ever, rendering me at once incapable of 
 reading, writing, and thinking. Luckily I am 
 now a little better, so as to be able to read a page, 
 and write a sentence or two, without stopping ; 
 which, I assure you, is a very great matter. My 
 hopes and my spirits begin to revive once more. 
 I flatter myself I shall soon get rid of this infirmi- 
 ty ; nay, that I shall ere long be in the way of 
 becoming a great man. For have I not headachs, 
 like Pope ? vertigo, like Swift ? grey hairs, like 
 Homer? Do I not wear large shoes, (for fear of 
 corns,) like Virgil ? and sometimes complain of 
 sore eyes, (though not of lippitude,) like Horace ? 
 Am I not at this present writing invested with a 
 garment, not less ragged than that of Socrates ? 
 Like Joseph the patriarch, I am a mighty dream- 
 er of dreams; like Nimrod the hunter, I am an 
 eminent builder of castles (in the air.) I procras- 
 tinate, like Julius Caesar ; and very lately, in imi- 
 tation of Don Quixote, I rode a horse, lean, old, 
 
 7
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E* 119 
 
 and lazy, like Rozinante. Sometimes, like Cicero, 
 I write bad verses; and sometimes bad prose, 
 like Virgil. This last instance I have on the au- 
 thority of Seneca. I am of small stature, like 
 Alexander the Great ; I am somewhat inclinable 
 to fatness, like Dr Arbuthnot and Aristotle ; and 
 I drink brandy and water, like Mr Boyd. I 
 might compare myself, in relation to many other 
 infirmities, to many other great men; but if for- 
 tune is not influenced in my favour by the parti- 
 culars already enumerated, I shall despair of ever 
 recommending myself to her good graces. I 
 once had some thought of soliciting her patron- 
 age on the score of my resembling great men in 
 their good qualities ; but I had so little to say on 
 that subject, that I could not for my life furnish 
 matter for one well-rounded period ; and, you 
 know, a short ill-turned speech is very improper 
 to be used in an address to a female deity. 
 
 " Do not you think there is a sort of antipathy 
 between philosophical and poetical genius ? I 
 question, whether any one person was ever emi- 
 nent for both. Lucretius lays aside the poet 
 when he assumes the philosopher, and the philo- 
 sopher when he assumes the poet : In the one 
 character he is truly excellent, in the other he is
 
 120 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 absolutely nonsensical. Hobbes was a tolerable 
 metaphysician, but his poetry is the worst that 
 ever was. Pope's " Essay on Man" is the finest 
 philosophical poem in the world; but it seems to 
 me to do more honour to the imagination than to 
 the understanding of its author : I mean, its sen- 
 timents are noble and affecting, its images and 
 allusions apposite, beautiful, and new; its wit 
 transcendently excellent ; but the scientific part 
 of it is very exceptionable. Whatever Pope bor- 
 rows from Leibnitz, like most other metaphysical 
 theories, is frivolous and unsatisfying ; wliat Pope 
 gives us of his own, is energetic, irresistible, and 
 divine. The incompatibility of philosophical and 
 poetical genius is, I think, no unaccountable thing. 
 Poetry exhibits the general qualities of a species ; 
 philosophy the particular qualities of individuals. 
 This forms its conclusions from a painful and mi- 
 nute examination of single instances ; that de- 
 cides instantaneously, either from its own instinc- 
 tive sagacity, or from a singular and unaccount- 
 able penetration, which at one glance sees all the 
 instances which the philosopher must leisurely 
 and progressively scrutinize, one by one. This 
 persuades you gradually, and by detail ; the other 
 overpowers you in an instant by a single effort.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 121 
 
 Observe the effect of argumentation in poetry; 
 we have too many instances of it in Milton : it 
 transforms the noblest thoughts into drawling in- 
 ferences, and the most beautiful language into 
 prose : it checks the tide of passion, by giving 
 the mind a different employment in the compa- 
 rison of ideas. A little philosophical acquaintance 
 with the most beautiful parts of nature, both in 
 the material and immaterial system, is of use to 
 a poet, and gives grace and solidity to poetry ; 
 as may be seen in the " Georgics," the " Seasons," 
 and the " Pleasures of Imagination:" but this 
 acquaintance, if it is any thing more than super- 
 ficial, will do a poet rather harm than good ; and 
 will give his mind that turn for minute observa- 
 tion, which enfeebles the fancy by restraining it, 
 and counteracts the native energy of judgment, 
 by rendering it fearful and suspicious."
 
 122 LIFE OP DR BEATTIE, 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO SIR WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 Aberdeen, 8th January, 1767. 
 
 " I thank you for your excellent description 
 of Mrs Montague ; * I have heard much of that 
 lady, and I admire her as an honour to her sex 
 and to human nature. I am very happy to hear, 
 that, from the favourable representations of my 
 friends, she has done me the honour to think of 
 me with approbation. I cannot flatter myself 
 with the hope of ever having it in my power to 
 let her know how much I esteem her; but I shall 
 rejoice in the remembrance of having been, in 
 some little degree, esteemed by her 
 
 " The favourable reception you gave to my 
 little poem, | demands my acknowledgments. I 
 
 * This alludes to a letter which I had written to him, {jiving 
 an acevunt or a visit which Mrs Montague had paid to the late 
 Dr Gregory in Edinburgh, in the autumn or* [166, and to which 
 this letter of Dr Beatue's i* in answer. lie was not then per- 
 sonally known to Mis Montague. 
 . f " The Hermit."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 123 
 
 aimed at simplicity in the expression, and some- 
 thing like uncommonness in the thought; and I 
 own I am not ill pleased with it upon the whole ; 
 though I am sensible it does not answer the pur- 
 pose for which I made it. I wrote it at the de- 
 sire of a young lady of this country, who has a 
 taste both for poetry and music, and wanted me 
 to make words for a Scots tune called " Pentland 
 Hills," of which she is very fond. The verses 
 correspond well enough with the measure and 
 subject of the tune, but are extremely unsuitable 
 for the purpose of a song. 
 
 "My broken health, and a hurry of other bu- 
 siness, has for a long time interrupted my Italian 
 studies, to my very great regret. However, 
 within the last fortnight, I have read five or six 
 of Metastasio's operas with much pleasure. We 
 are apt to despise the Italian opera, and, perhaps, 
 not altogether without reason ; but I find the 
 operas of Metastasio very far superior to what I 
 expected. There is a sameness in the fables and 
 character of this author; and yet he seems to me 
 to have more of character in his drama than any 
 other poet of this or the last age. A reader is 
 generally interested in his pieces from beginning 
 to end ; for they are full of incident, and the in-
 
 124 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 cidents are often surprising and unexpected. He 
 has a happy talent at heightening distress ; and 
 very seldom tails into that unmeaning rant and 
 declamation which abounds so much on the 
 French stage. In a word, I should not scruple to 
 compare the modern Italian opera, as it appears 
 in Metastasio, to the ancient Greek tragedy. The 
 rigid observation of the unities of place and time, 
 introduces many improprieties into the Greek 
 drama, which are happily avoided by the less 
 methodical genius of the Italian. I cannot, in- 
 deed, compare the little Italian songs, which are 
 often very impertinent, as well as very silly, to 
 the odes of the ancient tragedians : but a poet 
 must always sacrifice something to the genius of 
 his age. I dare say Metastasio despises those 
 little mor^eaux of sing-song ; and it is evident, 
 from some of his performances in that way, that 
 he is qualified to excel in the more solemn lyric 
 style, if it were suitable to the taste of his coun- 
 trymen. Some of his little songs are very pretty, 
 and exhibit agreeable pictures of nature, with a 
 brevity of description, and sweetness of style, 
 that is hardly to be found in any other modern 
 odes. I beg leave to mention, as instances, the 
 songs in the 7th and 15th scenes of the second,
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 125 
 
 and the 1st of the third act of " Artaserse." By 
 the bye, the songs in this opera, as it is now 
 adapted to the English stage, seem to be very ill 
 translated. 
 
 " You will readily believe, that I rejoice to 
 hear of Dr Gregory's success. I earnestly wish, 
 for the honour of human nature, and for the good 
 of society, that he may still be more and more 
 successful. The reception his talents and his 
 virtues have met with, gives me a better opinion 
 of the present age than I should otherwise have 
 had ; and seems to prove, that there is yet in the 
 world something of a sense of virtue and regard 
 to justice. I have just received a letter from 
 him, which I will answer as soon as possible. 
 Mr Arbuthnot and he will please to accept of 
 my best wishes; may you live long happy in 
 each other's society; and may I have the satis- 
 faction to hear that you are so, and that you 
 sometimes think of me with pleasure. 
 
 " There is a famous stanza in the 4th canto of 
 Tasso's " Gierusalemme," which has often been 
 quoted as an instance of the harmony of the Ita- 
 lian language : 
 
 " Chiama gli abitator de I'ombre eterne 
 " II rauco suon de la tartarea tromba ;
 
 12(5 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 
 
 " Treman le Spociose aire caverne, 
 
 " E I'aer cieco a quel rumor rimbomba : 
 
 " Ne stridcndo cosi da le superne 
 
 " Region del cielo il folgor piomba, 
 
 " Ne si scossa giamai trema la terra, 
 
 " Suando i vapori in sen gravida serva." 
 
 I attempted, the other day, in a solitary walk, to 
 turn this passage into English; and produced the 
 following lines, which are as obstreperous at least 
 as the original, but, I am afraid, not so agree- 
 able; 
 
 " Forthwith to summon all the tribes of hell, 
 
 " The trump tartarean pour'd a thundering yell ; 
 
 "Trembled th' unfathomable caverns round, 
 
 " And night's vast void rebellow'd to the sound : 
 
 " Far less the roar that rends th' ethereal world, 
 
 " When bolts of vengeance from on high are hurl'd; 
 
 * Far less the shock that heaves earth's tottering frame, 
 
 " When its torn entrails spout th' imprison'd flame." * 
 
 * In Dr Beattie's " Essay on Poetry and Music," f he has 
 given a somewhat different translation of this stanza : 
 
 " To call the tribes that roam the Stygian shores, 
 " The hoarse tartarean trump in thunder roars; 
 " Hell through her trembling caverns starts aghast, 
 " And night's black void rebellows to the blast : 
 " Far less the peal that rends th' ethereal world, 
 " When bolts of vengeance from on high are hurl'd ; 
 " Far less the shock that heaves earth's tottering frame, 
 " When its torn entrails spout th' imprison'd flame." 
 
 t T'stay on Poetry and Music, Part II. Ch. II. p. 570. 4to edit.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 127 
 
 I have not Hoole at hand just now ; Fairfax runs 
 thus : 
 
 ** The dreary trumpet blew a dreadful blast, 
 " And rumbled through the lands and kingdoms under ; 
 " Through vasiness wide it roared, and hollows vast, 
 1 * And filled the deep with horror, fear, and wonder. 
 " Not half so dreadful noise the tempest cast, 
 " That fall from skies with storms oi hai! and thunder; 
 " .Not half so loud the whistling winds do sing, 
 " Broke from the earthen prisons of their king." 
 
 This is sonorous, but tautological, and not quite 
 true to the original ; Fairfax makes no mention 
 of the earthquake, and introduces, in the place 
 of it, what is really a bathos. Wind was never 
 so loud as thunder."* 
 
 * In order that the examination of the merit of Dr Beattie's 
 translation of this famous stanza of Tasso may be the more 
 complete, 1 set down here the lines as they stand in Hoole; 
 which every reader of any taste will perceive to be flat and lan- 
 guid in the extreme, compared either with the original, or with 
 Beattie's spirited version : 
 
 " The trumpet now, with hoarse-resounding breath, 
 " Convenes the spirits in the shades ot death : 
 " The hollow caverns tremble at the sound; 
 " The air re-echoes to the noise around ! 
 " Not louder terrors shake the distant pole, 
 " When through the skies the rattling thunders roll; 
 " Not greater tremors heave the lab'ring earth, 
 J " When vapours, pent within, contend tor birth."
 
 128 LIFE OP DR BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO ROBERT ARBUTHNOT, ESQ. 
 
 Aberdeen, 2d March, 1767. 
 
 " I have led a verv retired life this winter : the 
 condition of my health having prevented my go- 
 ing into company. By dint of regularity and at- 
 tention, I flatter myself I have now established 
 my health on a tolerable footing ; for I have been 
 better during the two last months than for a year 
 before. 
 
 " My leisure hours, of which I have but few 
 at this season, have been employed in reading 
 Metastasio, an author whom I now understand 
 pretty well, and of whom I am very fond. I 
 have also finished my essay on I know not well 
 how to call it ; for its present title-page, "An 
 " Essay on Reason and Common Sense" must be 
 altered. 
 
 " Some persons, who wish well to me and to 
 my principles, have expressed their wishes, in 
 pretty strong terms, to see ihis essay in print. 
 They say, I have set the sceptics in a new point
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 129 
 
 of view, by treating them without any kind of 
 reserve or deference ; and that it might be of use 
 to those who may be in danger from their doc- 
 trines, to consider them in the same light. How- 
 ever, I am far from being convinced that it would 
 be proper to publish such a treatise ; for the prin- 
 ciples are quite unfashionable; and there is a 
 keenness of expression in some passages, which 
 could please only a few, namely, those who are 
 thoroughly convinced of the truth and impor- 
 tance of religion. I shall be directed entirely by 
 you and Dr Gregory, and my other friends at 
 Edinburgh. At any rate, I do not repent my 
 having written it ; it has rivetted my conviction 
 of the insignificance of metaphysics and scepti- 
 cism : and I hope it will be of some use to the 
 young people under my care ; for whose princi- 
 ples (at least as far as they depend upon me) I 
 hold myself accountable to my own conscience 
 and the public." 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 130 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER XVII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO DR BLACKLOCK. 
 
 Aberdeen, 20th May, 1767. 
 " My performance in Spenser's stanza has not 
 advanced a single line these many months. It 
 is called the " Minstrel." The subject was sug- 
 gested by a dissertation on the old minstrels, 
 which is prefixed to a collection of ballads lately 
 published by Dodsley in three volumes. I pro- 
 pose to give an account of the birth, education, 
 and adventures of one of those bards ; in which 
 I shall have full scope for description, sentiment, 
 satire, and even a certain species of humour and 
 of pathos, which, in the opinion of my great mas- 
 ter, are by no means inconsistent, as is evident 
 from his works. My hero is to be bom in the 
 south of Scotland ; which you know was the na- 
 tive land of the English minstrels ; I mean of 
 those minstrels who travelled into England, and 
 supported themselves there by singing their bal- 
 lads to the harp. His father is a shepherd. The 
 son will have a natural taste for music and the
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 131 
 
 beauties of nature ; which, however, languishes 
 for want of culture, till in due time he meets 
 with a hermit, who gives him some instruction ; 
 but endeavours to check his genius for poetry 
 and adventures, by representing the happiness of 
 obscurity and solitude, and the bad reception 
 which poetry has met with in almost every age. 
 The poor swain acquiesces in this advice, and re- 
 solves to follow his father's employment; when, 
 on a sudden, the country is invaded by the Danes, 
 or English borderers, (I know not which,) and he 
 is stript of all his little fortune, and obliged by 
 necessity to commence minstrel. This is all that 
 I have as yet concerted of the plan. I have writ- 
 ten 150 lines, but my hero is not yet born, though 
 now in a fair way of being so, for his parents are 
 described and married. I know not whether I 
 shall ever proceed any farther : however, I am not 
 dissatisfied with what I have written." 
 
 In perusing the following, and some subse- 
 quent letters of Dr Gregory's, the reader of this 
 day cannot but be struck with some surprise at
 
 132 LIFE OF Dlt BEATTIE. 
 
 the picture which Dr Gregory draws of the seep-* 
 ticism of the times in which he wrote. When 
 Dr Beattie harangues against the alarming pro- 
 gress of infidelity, there are some readers who 
 may believe his declamations to be those of a re- 
 cluse, uttered from within the walls of his col- 
 lege, by a person totally unacquainted with life 
 and manners : but this cannot be said of Dr Gre- 
 gory, who was a man of the world, of extensive 
 observation, and who, by living much in society, 
 with men of all principles and of all parties, had 
 the best opportunities of knowing the spirit and 
 temper of the times. I know not the person, 
 therefore, of all my acquaintance, on whom I 
 should more fully rely for a faithful report of the 
 prevailing opinions of his day. Yet I would 
 gladly flatter myself, that even Dr Gregory, 
 with all his penetration, may, in this case, have 
 been somewhat mistaken ; and that his own ar- 
 dent zeal for the cause of revelation may have too 
 easily taken the alarm, where he found any ten- 
 dency towards the growth of scepticism. It will 
 be observed, too, with what nice discrimination 
 Dr Gregory marks the character of those pre- 
 tenders to science, mIio most probably having 
 never read, and most certainly not understand-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 133 
 
 ing, the writings which they affected so much to 
 admire, had blindly adopted the language of those 
 bold spirits, who rested their pretensions to the 
 character of men of superior genius on the para- 
 doxes they maintained ; and their daring attack 
 on principles that had been held by the best and 
 wisest of men, as essential to the truest interests 
 of human society. 
 
 But whatever may have been the character of 
 the preceding age, I am happy to think, that the 
 same features do not belong to the present ; and 
 I rejoice to have witnessed, in this case, an in- 
 stance of that beautiful order of Providence, by 
 which evil is made to administer to its own re- 
 medy. The sceptical conclusions of Mr Hume's 
 philosophy excited an attention which might not 
 otherwise have been bestowed upon it, and sti- 
 mulated the friends of religion and of science to 
 inquire into the foundations upon which it was 
 built. It was this inquiry that first produced the 
 " Essay on Truth ;" in which its sophistry was 
 exposed to the conviction of men of reflection, 
 and its consequences to human conduct and hap- 
 piness unfolded to the apprehension of the most 
 thoughtless. It was this which afterwards pro-
 
 134 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 duced the great work of Dr Reid, * in which its 
 errors were traced to their source, and the migh- 
 ty fabric of modern scepticism shown at last to 
 rest upon some of those weak hypotheses which 
 usually disgrace the infancy of science. 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 DR JOHN GREGORY TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 m 
 
 Edinburgh, 16th June, 1767. 
 
 " I have been in daily expectation of seeing 
 your papers, which you said, some time ago, you 
 would send me : Pray, what is become of them ? 
 By the accounts Mr Williamson gave me of them, 
 I am sure they will be much to my taste. I am 
 well convinced, that the great deference paid to 
 our modern heathens has been productive of the 
 worst effects. Young people are impressed with 
 an idea of their being men of superior abilities, 
 whose genius has raised them above vulgar pre- 
 judices, and who have spirit enough to avow 
 openly their contempt of them. Atheism and 
 
 * " Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 134 
 
 materialism are the present fashion. If one speak 
 with warmth of an infinitely wise and good Be- 
 ing, who sustains and directs the frame of nature, 
 or expresses his steady belief of a future state of 
 existence, he gets hints of his having either a ve- 
 ry weak understanding, or of being a very great 
 hypocrite. Christianity seems to be now thought 
 even below these gentlemen's ridicule, as I never 
 almost hear a sneer against it. There is an inso- 
 lence and a daring effrontery in this, which is ex- 
 tremely provoking ; but what hurts me most, is 
 the emphatic silence of those who should be sup- 
 posed to hold very different sentiments on these 
 subjects. The world supposes, that no man will 
 tamely hear sentiments ridiculed which he holds 
 as the most deeply interesting and sacred, with- 
 out expressing such dissatisfaction as would ef- 
 fectually prevent any gentleman of tolerable good 
 breeding from repeating the insult, or, at least, 
 that he would endeavour to retort the ridicule, 
 if he was not conscious of the weakness of his 
 cause. Till within these thirty years, the wit 
 was generally on the side of religion. I do not 
 remember any man, of the least pretensions to 
 genius in Britain, who ever thought of subvert 
 ing every principle of natural religion till of
 
 136 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 late ; and, if the present spirit is not very speed- 
 ily checked, I am confident it will give the fi- 
 nishing stroke to that corruption of heart and 
 principles which makes such an alarming pro- 
 gress. It is not worth while to say, after this, 
 that it will as certainly and speedily suppress all 
 great efforts of genius and imagination. You are 
 the best man I know to chastise these people as 
 they deserve; you have more philosophy, and 
 more wit, than will be necessary for the purpose, 
 though you can never employ any of them in so 
 good a cause." 
 
 On the 28th June, 1767, Dr Beattie was mar- 
 ried at Aberdeen, to Miss Mary Dun, the only 
 daughter of Dr James Dun, rector of the gram- 
 mar school there. From the period of his esta- 
 blishment at Aberdeen, he had naturally been 
 much connected in social intercourse with Dr 
 Dun's family. His daughter M^as a few years 
 younger than Dr Beattie ; she was tolerably 
 handsome, and lively in conversation; sung a 
 little, and accompanied her voice with the harp-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 137 
 
 sichord. As these were accomplishments exact- 
 ly suited to the taste of Dr Beattie, whose heart 
 was full of sensibility, no wonder, that what was 
 at first the ordinary interchange of civility, grew 
 into a strong and mutual attachment. When, 
 therefore, Dr Beattie found himself in a situa- 
 tion in which he had the reasonable prospect of 
 being able to maintain a wife and family, he na- 
 turally wished, like every virtuous man, to mar- 
 ry ; and he thought himself more than commonly 
 fortunate, in having met, in Miss Dun, with a 
 mate so exactly suited to his taste, with whom 
 he hoped for that measure of happiness, which 
 the married state, when wisely engaged in, is, of 
 all others, the best calculated to insure. 
 
 This connection, however, from which he au- 
 gured such lasting felicity, unfortunately proved 
 to him a source of the deepest sorrow; Mrs Beat- 
 tie having inherited from her mother that most 
 dreadful of all human evils, a distempered mind, 
 which, although it did not, for a considerable 
 time, break out into open insanity, yet, in a few 
 years after their marriage, showed itself in ca- 
 prices that embittered every hour of his life, till, 
 at last, it unquestionably contributed to bring 
 him to his grave.
 
 138 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 The following letter is curious, as it gives us 
 his sentiments of some of Rousseau's works at 
 a very early period. 
 
 Of that celebrated philosopher, and his wri- 
 tings, Dr Beattre has since given an elaborate 
 and masterly character in a long note to the 
 " Essay on Truth," Part III. ch. ii. p. 291. 4to 
 edit. 
 
 LETTER XX. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO THE REV. MR JAMES WILLIAM- 
 SON. * 
 
 Aberdeen, 22d October, 1767. 
 " I have been studying Rousseau's miscellanies 
 of late. His " Epistle to D'Alembert," on thea- 
 
 * Mr Williamson had been his pupil, and had gained his 
 friendship. That gentleman went afterwards to Oxford, where 
 he became a fellow of Hertford College, and distinguished him- 
 self by his skill in mathematics. He published a " Cominen-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 139 
 
 trical exhibitions, I think excellent, and perfect- 
 ly decisive. His discourse on the effects of the 
 sciences is spirited to a high degree, and contains 
 much matter of melancholy meditation. I ara 
 not so much of his mind in regard to the origin 
 of inequality among mankind, though I think the 
 piece on this subject has been much misunder- 
 stood by critics, and misrepresented by wits. 
 Even by his own , confession, it is rather a,jeu 
 (T esprit than a philosophical inquiry ; for he owns, 
 that the natural state, such as he represents it, 
 did probably never take place, and probably ne- 
 ver will ; and if it had taken place, he seems to 
 think it impossible that mankind should ever 
 have emerged from it without some very extra- 
 ordinary alteration in the course of nature. Far- 
 ther, he says, that this natural state is not the 
 most advantageous for man; for that the most 
 delightful sentiments of the human mind could 
 not exert themselves till man had relinquished 
 his brutal and solitary nature, and become a do- 
 mestic animal. At this period, and previous to 
 the establishment of property, he places the age 
 
 tary on Euclid's Elements," also an " Argument in favour of 
 Christianity/' and now holds the living of Plumtree, near Not- 
 tingham.
 
 140 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 most favourable to human happiness; which is 
 just what the poets have done before him, in 
 their description of the golden age ; so that his 
 system is not that preposterous thing it has been 
 represented. Yet he says many things in this 
 treatise to which I cannot agree. His solitary 
 and savage man is too much of a brute ; and ma- 
 ny of his observations are founded on facts not 
 well ascertained, and very ambiguous in their 
 meaning. There is a little treatise of his, which 
 he calls a letter to Mr Voltaire, which I read 
 with much pleasure, as I found it to be a trans- 
 cript of my own sentiments in regard to Pope's 
 maxim, " Whatever is, is right." 
 
 LETTER XXI. 
 
 DR JOHN GREGORY TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Edinburgh, 1st January, 1768. 
 " I approve much of your plan, * and am con- 
 fident you will execute it in a manner that will 
 do you credit, and promote the interests of vir- 
 
 * The plan of the " Essay on Truth."
 
 LIFE OF DIt BEATTIE. 141 
 
 tue and mankind. You are well aware of the 
 antipathy which the present race of readers have 
 against all abstract reasoning, except what is em- 
 ployed in defence of the fashionable principles ; 
 but though they pretend to admire their meta- 
 physical champions, yet they never read them, 
 nor, if they did, could they understand them. 
 Among Mr Hume's numerous disciples, I do not 
 know one who ever read his " Treatise on Hu- 
 man Nature." In order, therefore, to be read, you 
 must not be satisfied with reasoning with just- 
 ness and perspicuity; you must write with pa- 
 thos, with elegance, with spirit, and endeavour 
 to warm the imagination, and touch the heart of 
 those, who are deaf to the voice of reason. What- 
 ever you write in the way of criticism will be 
 read, and, if my partiality to you does not de- 
 ceive me, be admired. Every thing relating to 
 the " Belles Lettres" is read, or pretended to be 
 read. "What has made Lord Karnes's " Elements 
 of Criticism" so popular in England, is his nu- 
 merous illustrations and quotations from Shake- 
 speare. If his book had wanted these illustra- 
 tions, or if they had been taken from ancient or 
 foreign authors, it would not have been so gene-
 
 142 LIFE OP DR BEATTIE. 
 
 rally read in England. This is a good political 
 hint to you, in your capacity of an author; and 
 certainly, if you write to the world, and wish to 
 gain their approbation, you must write in such a 
 manner as experience shows to be effectual for 
 that purpose, if that manner be not criminal." 
 
 LETTER XXII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO SIR WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 Aberdeen, 17thManuary, 1768. 
 
 " I have been intending, for these several weeks, 
 to write to you, though it were only to assure 
 you of the continuance of my esteem and attach- 
 ment. This place, you know, furnishes little 
 amusement, either political or literary ; and at 
 this season it is rather more barren than usual. 
 
 " I have, for a time, laid aside my favourite 
 studies, that I might have leisure to prosecute a 
 philosophical inquiry, less amusing indeed than 
 poetry and criticism, but not less important. The 
 extraordinary success of the sceptical philosophy 
 has long filled me with regret. I wish I could 
 undeceive mankind in regard to this matter.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 143 
 
 Perhaps this wish is vain ; but it can do no harm 
 to make the trial. The point I am now labour- 
 ing to prove, is the universality and immutabili- 
 ty of moral sentiment, a point which has been 
 brought into dispute, both by the friends and by 
 the enemies of virtue. In an age less licentious 
 in its principles, it would not, perhaps, be neces- 
 sary to insist much on this point. At present it 
 is very necessary. Philosophers have ascribed 
 all religion to human policy. Nobody knows 
 how soon they may ascribe all morality to the 
 same origin ; and then the foundations of human 
 society, as well as of human happiness, will be 
 effectually undermined. To accomplish this end, 
 Hobbes, Hume, Mandeville, and even Locke, 
 have laboured ; and, I am sorry to say, from my 
 knowledge of mankind, that their labour has not 
 been altogether in vain. Not that the works of 
 these philosophers are generally read, or even un- 
 derstood by the few who read them. It is not the 
 mode, now-a-days, for a man to think for himself; 
 but they greedily adopt the conclusions, without 
 any concern about the arguments or principles 
 whence they proceed ; and they justify their own 
 credulity by general declamations upon the tran- 
 scendent merit of their favourite authors, and the
 
 144 LIFE OF BR BEATTIE. 
 
 universal deference that is paid to their genius and 
 learning. If I can prove those authors guilty of 
 gross misrepresentations of matters of fact, unac- 
 quainted with the human heart, ignorant even of 
 their own principles, the dupes of verbal ambi- 
 guities, and the votaries of frivolous, though dan- 
 gerous philosophy, I shall do some little service 
 to the cause of truth ; and all this I will under- 
 take to prove in many instances of high import- 
 ance. 
 
 " You have no doubt seen Dr Blacklock's new 
 book.* I was very much surprised to see my 
 name prefixed to the dedication, as he never had 
 given me the least intimation of such a design. 
 His friendship does me great honour. I should 
 be sorry, if, in this instance, it has got the better 
 of his prudence; and, I have some reason to fear, 
 that my name will be no recommendation to the 
 work, at least in this place, where, however, the 
 book is very well spoken of by some who have 
 read it. I should like to know how it takes at 
 Edinburgh." 
 
 * " Paraclesis, or Consolations."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 145 
 
 LETTER XXIII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO ROBERT ARBUTHNOT, ESQ. 
 
 Aberdeen, 25th February, 1768. 
 " I intended long ago to write to yo ; but se- 
 veral pieces of business, some of them unexpect- 
 ed, have, from time to time, prevented me. The 
 writing out a copy of Mr Gray's poems for the 
 press has employed me the last fortnight. They 
 are to be printed at Glasgow by Foulis, with the 
 authors own permission, which I solicited and 
 obtained : and he sent me four folio pages of 
 notes and additions to be inserted in the new 
 edition. The notes are chiefly illustrations of the 
 two Pindaric odes, more copious, indeed, than I 
 should have thought necessary : but, I under- 
 stand, he is not a little chagrined at the com- 
 plaints which have been made of their obscurity ; 
 and he tells me, that he wrote these notes out of 
 spite. " The Long Story" is left out in this edi- 
 tion, at which I am not well pleased ; for, though 
 it has neither head nor tail, beginning nor end, 
 it abounds in humorous description, and the ver- 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 146 LIFE OF DIt BEATTIE. 
 
 sification is exquisitely fine. Three new poems 
 (never before printed) are inserted : two of which 
 are imitations from the Norwegian, and one is 
 an imitation from the Welsh. He versified them, 
 (he says) " because there is a wild spirit in them, 
 " which struck him." From the first of the Nor- 
 wegian pieces he has taken the hint of the web, 
 in the ode on the Welsh bards ; but the imitation 
 far exceeds the original. The original in his ver- 
 sion begins in this manner: 
 
 " Now the storm begins to lower; 
 
 " Haste, the loom of hell prepare : 
 a Iron sleet of arrowy shower 
 
 " Hurtles in the darken'd air. 
 " See the grisly texture grow ; 
 
 " Tis of human entrails made ; 
 " And the weights that play below, 
 
 " Each a gasping warrior's head. 
 " Shafts, for shuttles, dipt in gore, 
 
 " Shoot the trembling chords along; 
 " Sword, that once a monarch bore, 
 
 ** Keep the tissue close and strong." 
 
 " The second Norwegian piece, is a dialogue 
 between Odin and a prophetess in her grave, 
 whom, by incantation, he makes to speak. One 
 of the most remarkable passages in it, is the fol- 
 lowing description of a dog, which far exceeds 
 every thing of the kind I have seen :
 
 LIFE OF Dlt BEATTIE. 1^7 
 
 " Him the dog of darkness spied, 
 " His shaggy throat he open'd wide, 
 " While from his jaws, with carnage fill'd, 
 " Foam and human gore distill'd. 
 ** Hoarse he bays with hideous din, 
 ** Eyes that glow, and fangs that grin ; 
 ** And long pursues, with fruitless yell, 
 " The father of the powerful spell." 
 
 " I give you these passages, partly to satisfy, 
 and partly to raise, your curiosity. I expect the 
 book will be out in a few weeks, if Foulis be di- 
 ligent, which it is his interest to be, as there is 
 another edition of the same just now printing by 
 Dodsley. I gave him notice of this, by Mr 
 Gray's desire, two months ago ; but it did not in 
 the least abate his zeal for the undertaking." 
 
 The following note to his friend Mr Tytler, 
 accompanying the beautiful little poem " The 
 Hermit/' has no date, but was probably written 
 in the year 1767, at the time he was in Edin- 
 burgh. The poem itself was written in the year 
 1766', as he mentions it in his letter to me, 8th 
 January, 1767, as a late production of his muse, 
 and the occasion of it. It was a very flattering
 
 148 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 compliment to Mr Tytler, who had composed the 
 tune of " Pentland Hills," which the words were 
 to accompany, in imitation of our ancient Scot- 
 tish melodies, of which he was an enthusiastic 
 admirer. For some account of Mr Tytler, whom 
 I had the happiness to rank among the number 
 of my intimate and most respected friends, see 
 the Appendix [O.]. 
 
 LETTER XXIV. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO WILLIAM TYTLER, ESQ. OF 
 WOODHOUSELEE. 
 
 Edinburgh, Thursday, Noon. 
 
 " The above is a copy of the verses I wrote 
 for your tune of " Pentland Hills." The senti- 
 ments, I fear, are not such as become a song; 
 but the measure corresponds well enough with 
 the music. I shall be glad to know your senti- 
 ments of this performance.'*
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 149 
 
 The following letter to his sister strongly marks 
 the strength of Dr Beattie's filial affection. 
 
 LETTER XXV. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO MRS VALENTINE. 
 
 Aberdeen, 27th March, 1768. 
 
 " For some weeks past, I have been wishing 
 to have it in my power to write to you my opi- 
 nion concerning the way in which our mother's 
 affairs are to be settled. The death of our two 
 sisters* has produced a great alteration in her 
 circumstances, and will, I am afraid, serve to ren- 
 der the remainder of her life more melancholy 
 than could be wished. We ought, however, to 
 endeavour, as much as possible, to prevent this, 
 and to settle her in as comfortable a situation as 
 we can. 
 
 * Who had lived with her.
 
 150 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 " Of the state of her affairs, as they are at pre- 
 sent, and as they have been for three or four 
 years past, I am almost wholly ignorant ; and, 
 out of tenderness to my sister, I did not care to 
 make too particular an enquiry. But matters are 
 now come to that pass, that there is a necessity 
 for doing something. I have written to my mo- 
 ther and brother to this purpose : but every thing 
 I now write is but guess-work ; for I have got 
 no particular account either of my mother's cir- 
 cumstances, or of what she would wish to have 
 done ; and this is the reason I did not write to 
 you sooner. I wrote to my brother, desiring some 
 information on this head. My mother's inclina- 
 tions ought to be consulted in the first place. 
 Whatever way of life is most agreeable to her, 
 shall be so to me. But till I know her inclina- 
 tions, I can say nothing. On my part, nothing 
 shall be wanting to render her old age as comV 
 fortable as possible."
 
 LTFE OF DR BEATTIE. 151 
 
 LETTER XXIV. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO DR BLACK LOCK. 
 
 Aberdeen, 1st July, 1768. 
 " I have at last found an opportunity of send- 
 ing you the Scottish poems which I mentioned 
 in a former letter.* The dialect is so licentious, 
 (I mean it is so different from that of the south 
 country, which is acknowledged the standard of 
 broad Scotch, ) that I am afraid you will be at a 
 loss to understand it in many places. However, 
 if you can overlook this inconvenience, together 
 with the tediousness of some passages, and the 
 absurdity of others, I doubt not but you will re- 
 ceive some amusement from the perusal. The 
 author excels most in describing the solitary 
 scenes of a mountainous country, and the man- 
 ners and conversation of the lowest sort of our 
 people. Whenever he attempts to step out of 
 this sphere, he becomes absurd. This sphere is, 
 
 * The " Fortunate Shepherdess," and other poems in the broad 
 Scots dialect, published at Aberdeen, in 1768, hy Alexander 
 Ross of Lochlee.
 
 152 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 indeed, the only one of which he has had any ex- 
 perience. He has been for these forty years a 
 schoolmaster in one of the most sequestered pa- 
 rishes in the Highlands of Scotland, where he had 
 no access either to company or books that could 
 improve him. His circumstances and employ- 
 ment confine him at home the whole year long ; 
 so that his compositions, with all their imperfec- 
 tions, are really surprising. My personal acquain- 
 tance with him began only two years ago, when 
 he had occasion to come to this town, on some 
 urgent business. He is a good-humoured, social, 
 happy old man ; modest without clownishness, 
 and lively without petulance. He put into my 
 hands a great number of manuscripts in verse, 
 chiefly on religious subjects : I believe Sir Richard 
 Blackmore himself is not a more voluminous au- 
 thor. The poems now published seemed to me 
 the best of the whole collection : indeed, many 
 of the others would hardly bear a reading. He 
 told me, he had never written a single line with 
 a view to publication ; but only to amuse a soli- 
 tary hour. Some gentlemen in this country set 
 on foot a subscription for his Scottisli poems ; in 
 consequence of which they were printed, and he 
 will clear by the publication about twenty pounds,
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 153 
 
 a sum far exceeding his most sanguine expecta- 
 tions ; for I believe he would thankfully have 
 sold Ins whole works for five. In order to excite 
 some curiosity about his work, I wrote some ver- 
 ses in the dialect of this country, which, together 
 with an introductory letter in English prose, 
 were published in the Aberdeen Journal ; * and 
 the bookseller tells me, he has sold about thirty 
 copies since they appeared. I have sent you in- 
 closed a copy of the verses, with a glossary of the 
 hardest words. Having never before attempted 
 to write any thing in this way, I thought I 
 could not have done it, and was not a little sur- 
 prised to find it so easy. However, I fear I have 
 exhausted my whole stock of Scottish words in 
 these few lines ; for I endeavoured to make the 
 style as broad as possible, that it might be the 
 better adapted to the taste of those whose curio- 
 sity I wished to raise. You will observe, that 
 Mr Ross is peculiarly unfortunate in his choice 
 of proper names. One of his heroes is called by 
 a woman's name, Rosalind. The injurious moun- 
 taineers he called Sevitians, with a view, no doubt, 
 to express their cruelty ; but the printer, not un- 
 
 * Vide Appendix, [P.]
 
 154 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 derstanding Latin, has changed it into Sevilians. 
 The whole is incorrectly printed. 
 
 " The following epigram has some merit. It 
 is said to have been written by Voltaire ; but this 
 I doubt. I have subjoined a translation, of which 
 I only wrote the first five lines. The three last 
 are by Mr Charles Boyd, Lord Errolls brother : 
 
 Epitaphe sur le Roi de Prusse. 
 
 " Ce mortel pro/ana tous les talens divers, 
 " II charma les kumuins quifurent ses victimesj 
 " Barbare en action, et philosophe en vers, 
 " II chanta les vertus, et commit tous les crimes. 
 " Uai du Dicu d' Amour, cher au Dieu de Combats, 
 " II bagna dans le sang I' Europe et la patrie, 
 " Cent mille hommes par lui recurent le trepas, 
 " Et pas un n'en recut la vie.'* 
 
 " He every human talent misemployed, 
 
 " And men at once delighted and destroyed; 
 
 Savage in action, but a sage in rhyme, 
 
 " Each virtue sung, and practised every crime; 
 
 " The scorn of Venus, but of Mars the pride, 
 
 " He fdled his country and the world with strife ; 
 " Thousands for him in honour's bed have died, 
 
 " But from his own not one e'er sprung to life."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 155 
 
 LETTER XXVII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO SIR WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 Aberdeen, 1 8th September, 1768. 
 
 " You mention the new edition of Mr Gray's 
 poems. It came out some months ago ; and is, 
 I think, one of the most elegant pieces of print- 
 ing that the Glasgow press, or any other press, 
 has ever produced. It does honour to every per- 
 son concerned in it; to Mr Foulis the printer, 
 and even to me the publisher, as well as to the 
 author. The additional pieces, though not of so 
 much consequence as his other poems, have every 
 kind of merit of which they are susceptible; 
 strength, elegance, and perspicuity of style, and 
 exquisite harmony of numbers. But you have 
 certainly seen them, and therefore I need not say 
 more about them."
 
 156 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER XXVIII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO THE HON. CHARLES BOYD. * 
 
 " I promised to give you my opinion of the 
 f* Henriade ;" but I must premise* that I take it 
 for granted you have not implicitly adopted the 
 notions of the French critics with regard to this 
 poem. I hear, it is accounted by them the great- 
 est poem that ever human wit produced, in any 
 age or nation. For my part, I judge of it with- 
 out prejudice either for or against it, and as I 
 would judge of Tasso's " Gierusalemme," or any 
 other work, in whose fate I have no national 
 concern. 
 
 " Among the beauties of this work I would 
 reckon its style, which, though raised above prose 
 as much as the genius of the language will per- 
 mit, is yet elegant and simple, though sometimes, 
 to one accustomed to English poetry, it may have 
 the appearance of being too prosaic. " Ou plutot 
 
 * This letter has no date, but was probably written in the 
 year 1767, as he speaks of the translation of Tasso as being re- 
 cently finished. See Letter XV.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 157 
 
 <{ en effet Valois ne regnait plus" " Henri scait 
 " profit er de ce grand advantage" 1 " Cest un usage 
 (i antique et sacre parmi nous' " De Paris a tin- 
 " st ant il fait ouvrir la port e" and many others, 
 have nothing to distinguish them from the flattest 
 prose but the measure and rhyme. But I do not 
 insist on this as a fault ; for the same objection 
 might be made to the finest poems in the world ; 
 and I know not whether a flatness of this kind 
 may not sometimes have a good effect, and 
 heighten, as it were, the relief of the more dis- 
 tinguished parts. The versification of the " Hen- 
 riade" is agreeable, and often more harmonious 
 than one could expect, who has not a greater 
 niceness of ear in regard to the French numbers 
 than I can pretend to have. I know not whence 
 it happens, that I, who am very sensible of the 
 Greek, Latin, and Italian harmony, can never 
 bring myself to relish that of the French, although 
 I understand the French language as well as any 
 of the others. Is it true, as Rousseau asserts, that 
 this language, on account of the incessant mono- 
 tony of the pronunciation, is incapable of harmo- 
 ny ? I should like to have your sentiments on 
 this subject.
 
 158 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 " The thoughts or reflections in this poem are 
 not too much crowded, nor affectedly introduced ; 
 they are, in general, proper and nervous, frequent- 
 ly uncommon. The author evidently appears to 
 be a man of wit, yet he does not seem to take 
 any pains to appear so. The fable is distinct, 
 perspicuous, and intelligible; the character of 
 Henry historically just; and the description of 
 particular objects apposite, and sometimes pic- 
 turesque. 
 
 " But his descriptions are often of too general 
 a nature, and want that minuteness which is ne- 
 cessary to interest a reader. They are rather 
 historical than poetical descriptions. This is no 
 verbal distinction ; there is real ground for it. 
 An historian may describe from hearsay ; a poet 
 must describe from seeing and experience ; and 
 this he is enabled to do by making use of the 
 eye of imagination. What makes a description 
 natural ? It is such a selection of particular qua- 
 lities as we think that we ourselves would have 
 made, if we had been spectators of the object. 
 What makes a description picturesque? It is a 
 selection, not of every circumstance or quality, 
 but of those which most powerfully attract the 
 notice, and influence the affections and imagina-
 
 LIFE OF DK BEATTIE. 159 
 
 tion of the spectator. In a word, a poet must, 
 either in vision or reality, be a spectator of the 
 objects he undertakes to describe : an historian 
 (being confined to truth) is generally supposed to 
 describe from hearsay ; or, if he describe what he 
 has seen, he is not at liberty to insert one circum- 
 stance, and omit another ; magnify this, and di- 
 minish that ; bring one forward, and throw the 
 other into the back-ground : he must give a de- 
 tail of all the circumstances, as far as he knows 
 them, otherwise he is not a faithful historian. 
 Now, I think, through the whole of this poem, 
 Voltaire shows himself more of a historian than a 
 poet ; we understand well enough what he says, 
 but his representations, for the most part, are 
 neither picturesque nor affecting. 
 
 " To one who has read the second book of 
 Virgil, Voltaire's Massacre of St Bartholomew will 
 appear very trifling. It is uninteresting and void 
 of incident; the horrors of it arise only upon re- 
 flection ; the imagination is not terrified, though 
 the moral sense disapproves. The parting of 
 Henry and Mad. D'Estrees is another passage that 
 disappointed me ; it is expressed in a few gene- 
 ral terms, that produce no effect. The parting of 
 Dido and iEneas, of Armida and Rinaldo, are in-
 
 160 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 comparably fine, and do as tar exceed that of 
 Henry and his paramour, as the thunder of hea- 
 ven transcends the mustard-bowl of the play- 
 house. 
 
 " There is hardly an attempt at character in 
 the poem. That of Henry is purely historical ; 
 and, though well enough supported on the whole, 
 is not placed in those difficult and trying circum- 
 stances, which draw forth into action the mi- 
 nuter springs of the soul. Before I get to the 
 end of the Iliad, I am as much acquainted with 
 Homer's heroes as if I had been personally known 
 to them all for many years ; but of Voltaire's he- 
 ro I have only a confused notion I know him 
 to be brave and amorous, a lover of his country, 
 and affectionate to his friends ; and this is all I 
 know of him, and I could have learned as much 
 from a common newspaper. 
 
 " I acknowledge Voltaire's fable to be perspi- 
 cuous, but I think it uninteresting, especially to- 
 wards the end. We foresee the event, but our 
 expectations are not raised by it. The catastrophe 
 is not brought about by any striking incident, 
 but by a series of incidents that have little or no- 
 thing in them to engage or surprise the reader. 
 Henry's conversion is a very poor piece of work.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. I6l 
 
 Truth descends from heaven to the king's tent, 
 with a veil over her, which she removes by little 
 and little, till at length her whole person appears 
 in a glorious, but undazzling lustre. This may 
 be good philosophy, but it is very indifferent 
 poetry. It affects not the imagination, nor re- 
 conciles the reader to the event. Henry is con- 
 verted, but we know not how or why. The ca- 
 tastrophe of Don Quixote is similar to this. Both 
 Cervantes and Voltaire seem to have been in a 
 haste to conclude ; and this is all the apology I 
 can offer for them. 
 
 " I mention not Voltaire's confusion of fabulous 
 and real personages in his machinery; this has 
 been remarked by others. But I cannot help ob- 
 serving, that his invocation to the historic muse 
 is extremely injudicious. It warns the reader to 
 expect nothing but truth, and consequently every 
 appearance of fiction in the sequel must produce 
 a bad effect, and bear the mark of improbability, 
 which it would not have borne if our author had 
 been content to follow the example of his prede- 
 cessors. Virgil pretends no better authority than 
 tradition, Sit mild fas audita loqui ; and Homer 
 throws himself entirely upon his muse, and is sa- 
 tisfied in being the instrument tli rough which 
 VOL. i. j,
 
 162 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 she speaks. The dream in the seventh canto 
 (which the French critics think superior in merit 
 to the whole Iliad) disappointed me much, though, 
 in some few passages, it is not amiss. But hea- 
 ven is not the element of poets. St Louis's prayer, 
 in the last canto, is an odd one. He treats his 
 Maker very cavalierly, and almost threatens him. 
 
 I observed in the " Henriade" some mixed and 
 some improper metaphors, but did not mark 
 them. One, however, occurs " L Eternal a ses 
 " voeux se laissa penetrer." On the whole, I am 
 very much of Denina's mind with regard to this 
 poem " Se neW Enriade non si trovano moltipas- 
 " saggi pieni di qffetti, ne molte orazioni forti e 
 " gagliarde, e che esprimano il carattere di chi par- 
 " la, ne quella uberta d'imagini e di tratti vivi e 
 " sorprendentid' , immaginazione,comeinOmero, Vir- 
 " gilio, Ariosto, Tasso, e Milton, non vi son nep- 
 " pure le superfluity, ne le strawaganze che in alcu- 
 
 II ni di questi si notano ; e chicchessia pud con gusto, 
 11 e soddisfazionc leggere V Enriade senza saziarsi; 
 " vantaggio, che Vautore dee riconoscere dalla viva- 
 11 cita e forza del suo stile, e da If energia de suoi 
 " versi. 
 
 " Reserve is the bane of friendly intercourse, 
 the screen of error, and the support of prejudice.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. \63 
 
 I have, therefore, spoken freely on this occasion, 
 because I would willingly embrace every oppor- 
 tunity of rectifying my errors, and putting my- 
 self in the way of information. If you approve 
 of my sentiments, I shall believe them right ; if 
 not, I shall carefully review and correct them. I 
 flatter myself I am of no country, but a citizen 
 of the world. I have received much entertain- 
 ment from the works of Voltaire ; but I do not 
 admire him much in his critical capacity. 1 
 know Mrs Boyd will support me in this ; for she 
 understands and admires Shakespeare, who seems 
 to be the object of Voltaire's envy in a particular 
 degree. 
 
 " The following lines from Tasso have often 
 been quoted as an instance of the unrivalled har- 
 mony of the Italian language : 
 
 " Chiama gli abitator deW ombre eterne" &c. 
 
 " I quote these lines, that I may have an op- 
 portunity of giving you a translation of them, 
 which I made a few days ago. I think I am as 
 obstreperous as my original, but not so musical : 
 
 " Forthwith to summon all the tribes of hell," &c. * 
 
 * Both the original and the translation of this stanza will be 
 found at pp. 125, 126.
 
 164- LIFE OF DB BEATTIE. 
 
 " Here is another morgeau, written lately in 
 imitation of the Italian. 1 attempted this, be- 
 cause I was dissatisfied with the common trans- 
 lation of it, which is given by the person who 
 adapted " Artaxerxes" to the English stage : 
 
 " L'onda dal mar divisa 
 " Bagna la valle, e 'I movie, 
 " Va passaggiera 
 a Infiume, 
 " Va prigioniera 
 " Infonte; 
 
 " Mormora sempre, e genie, 
 " Fin die non torna al nuir : 
 " Al nuir, dov ella nacquc, 
 " Dove acquisto gli umori, 
 " Dove da' lunghi errori 
 " Spera di riposar." 
 
 Metastasio Artasekse, Att. 3. sc. 1 . 
 
 " Waters, from the ocean borne, 
 
 " Bathe the valley and the hill, 
 " Prisoned in the fountain mourn, 
 
 ** Warble down the winding rill ; 
 " But, wherever doomed to stray, 
 
 " Still they murmur and complain, 
 " Still pursue their lingering way, 
 
 " Till they join their native main. 
 " After many a year of woe, 
 
 " Many a long, long wandering past, 
 " Where, at first, they learned to flow, 
 
 " There they hope to rest at last."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. \65 
 
 " I confined myself to the measure of the old 
 translation, because I wanted that my words 
 should agree with the music, which, in this song, 
 is very good." 
 
 The following letter gives a very interesting 
 account of Dr Beattie's motives for writing and 
 publishing his " Essay on Truth." 
 
 LETTER XXIX. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO DR BLACKLOCK. 
 
 Aberdeen, 9th January, 1769. 
 " It was very kind in you to read over my 
 " Essay on the Immutability of Moral Sentiment" 
 with so much attention. I wish it deserved any 
 part of the high encomium you bestowed on it. 
 I flatter myself it will receive considerable im- 
 provements from a second transcribing, which I 
 intend to begin as soon as I can. Some parts of 
 it will be enlarged, and others (perhaps) shorten-
 
 166 LIFK OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 ed: the examples from history, and authorities 
 from ancient authors, will be more numerous ; it 
 will be regularly distributed into chapters and 
 sections, and the language will be corrected 
 throughout. The first part, which treats of the 
 permanency of truth in general, is now in great 
 forwardness ; ninety pages in quarto are finished, 
 and materials provided for as many more. The 
 design of the whole you will guess from the part 
 you have seen. It is to overthrow scepticism, 
 and establish conviction in its place ; a convic- 
 tion not in the least favourable to bigotry or pre- 
 judice, far less to a persecuting spirit ; but such 
 a conviction as produces firmness of mind, and 
 stability of principle, in a consistence with mode- 
 ration, candour, and liberal inquiry. If I under- 
 stand my own design, it is certainly this; whe- 
 ther I shall accomplish this design or not, the 
 event only will determine. Meantime I go on 
 with cheerfulness in this intricate and fatiguing 
 study, because I would fain hope that it may do 
 some good; harm I think it cannot possibly do 
 any. 
 
 " Perhaps you are anxious to know what first 
 induced me to write on this subject; I will tell 
 you as briefly as I can. In my younger days I
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 16^7 
 
 read chiefly for the sake of amusement, and I 
 found myself best amused with the classics, and 
 what we call the belles lettres. Metaphysics I 
 disliked ; mathematics pleased me better ; but I 
 found my mind neither improved nor gratified 
 by that study. When Providence allotted me 
 my present station, it became incumbent on me 
 to read what had been written on the subject of 
 morals and human nature : the works of Locke, 
 Berkeley, and Hume, were celebrated as master- 
 pieces in this way ; to them, therefore, I had re- 
 course. But as I began to study them with great 
 prejudices in their favour, you will readily con- 
 ceive how strangely I was surprised to find them, 
 as I thought, replete with absurdities : I ponder- 
 ed these absurdities ; I weighed the arguments, 
 with which I was sometimes not a little con- 
 founded ; and the result was, that I began at last 
 to suspect my own understanding, and to think 
 that I had not capacity for such a study. For I 
 could not conceive it possible, that the absurdi- 
 ties of these authors were so great as they seem- 
 ed to me to be ; otherwise, thought I, the world 
 would never admire them so much. About this 
 time, some excellent antisceptical works made 
 their appearance, particularly Reid's "Inquiry in-
 
 168 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 to the Human Mind." Then it was that I be- 
 gan to have a little more confidence in my own 
 judgment, when I found it confirmed by those of 
 whose abilities I did not entertain the least dis- 
 trust. I reviewed my authors again, with a very 
 different temper of mind. A very little truth 
 will sometimes enlighten a vast extent of science. 
 I found that the sceptical philosophy was not 
 what the world imagined it to be, nor what I, 
 following the opinion of the world, had hitherto 
 imagined it to be, but a frivolous, though dan- 
 gerous, system of verbal subtilty, which it re- 
 quired neither genius, nor learning, nor taste, nor 
 knowledge of mankind, lo be able to put to- 
 gether; but only a captious temper, an irreligi- 
 ous spirit, a moderate command of words, and an 
 extraordinary degree of vanity and presumption. 
 You will easily perceive that I am speaking of 
 this philosophy only in its most extravagant state, 
 that is, as it appears in the works of Mr Hume. 
 The more I study it, the more am I confirmed in 
 this opinion. But while I applauded and admi- 
 red the sagacity of those who led me into, or at 
 least encouraged me to proceed in, this train of 
 thinking, I was not altogether satisfied with them 
 in another respect. I could not approve that ex-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 169 
 
 traordinary adulation which some of them paid 
 to their arch-adversary. I could not conceive 
 the propriety of paying compliments to a man's 
 hearty at the very time one is proving that his 
 aim is to subvert the principles of truth, virtue, 
 and religion ; nor to his understanding, when we 
 are charging him with publishing the grossest 
 and most contemptible nonsense. I thought I 
 then foresaw, what I have since found to happen, 
 that this controversy will be looked upon rather 
 as a trial of skill between two logicians, than as 
 a disquisition in which the best interests of man- 
 kind were concerned ; and that the world, espe- 
 cially the fashionable part of it, would still be 
 disposed to pay the greatest deference to the opi- 
 nions of him who, even by the acknowledgment 
 of his antagonists, was confessed to be the best 
 philosopher and the soundest reasoner. All this 
 has happened, and more. Some, to my certain 
 knowledge, have said, that Mr Hume and his ad- 
 versaries did really act in concert, in order mu- 
 tually to promote the sale of one another's works ; 
 as a proof of which, they mention, not only the 
 extravagant compliments that pass between them > 
 but also the circumstance of Dr R. # and Dr C.f 
 
 * Dr Reid. | Dr Campbell.
 
 170 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 sending their manuscripts to be perused and cor- 
 rected by Mr Hume before they gave them to 
 the press. I, who know both the men, am very 
 sensible of the gross falsehood of these reports. 
 As to the affair of the manuscripts, it was, I am 
 convinced, candour and modesty that induced 
 them to it. But the world knows no such thing ; 
 and, therefore, may be excused for mistaking the 
 meaning of actions that have really an equivocal 
 appearance. I know likewise that they are sin- 
 cere, not only in the detestation they express for 
 Mr Hume's irreligious tenets, but also in the 
 compliments they have paid to his talents ; for 
 they both look upon him as an extraordinary ge- 
 nius ; a point in which I cannot agree with them. 
 But while I thus vindicate them from imputa- 
 tions, which the world, from its ignorance of 
 circumstances, has laid to their charge, I cannot 
 approve them in every thing ; I wish they had 
 carried their researches a little farther, and ex- 
 pressed themselves with a little more firmness 
 and spirit. For well I know, that their works, 
 for want of this, will never produce that effect 
 which (if all mankind were cool metaphysical 
 reasoners) might be expected from them. There 
 is another thing in which my judgment differs
 
 LIFE OF DR. BEATTIE. 171 
 
 considerably from that of the gentlemen just 
 mentioned. They have great metaphysical abi- 
 lities ; and they love the metaphysical sciences. 
 I do not. I am convinced, that this metaphysi- 
 cal spirit is the bane of true learning, true taste, 
 and true science ; that to it we owe all this mo- 
 dern scepticism and atheism ; that it has a bad 
 effect upon the human faculties, and tends not a 
 little to sour the temper, to subvert good princi- 
 ples, and to disqualify men for the business of 
 life. You will now see wherein my views differ 
 from those of the other answerers of Mr Hume. 
 I want to show the world, that the sceptical phi- 
 losophy is contradictory to itself, and destructive 
 of genuine philosophy, as well as of religion and 
 virtue ; that it is in its own nature so paltry a 
 thing, (however it may have been celebrated by 
 some) that to be despised it needs only to be 
 known ; that no degree of genius is necessary to 
 qualify a man for making a figure in this pre- 
 tended science ; but rather a certain minuteness 
 and suspiciousness of mind, and want of sensibi- 
 lity, the very reverse of true intellectual excel- 
 lence ; that metaphysics cannot possibly do any 
 good, but may do, and actually have done, much 
 harm ; that sceptical philosophers, whatever they 
 l
 
 172 LIFE OF Dtt BEATTIE. 
 
 may pretend, are the corrupters of science, the 
 pests of society, and the enemies of mankind. I 
 want to show, that the same method of reason- 
 ing, which these people have adopted in their 
 books, if transferred into common life, would 
 show them to be destitute of common sense ; that 
 true philosophers follow a different method of 
 reasoning; and that, without following a diffe- 
 rent method, no truth can be discovered. I want 
 to lay before the public, in as strong a light as 
 possible, the following dilemma : our sceptics ei- 
 ther believe the doctrines they publish, or they 
 do not believe them ; if they believe them, they 
 are fools if not, they are a thousand times worse. 
 I want also to fortify the mind against this scep- 
 tical poison, and to propose certain criteria of 
 moral truth, by which some of the most danger- 
 ous sceptical errors may be detected and guarded 
 against. 
 
 " You are sensible, that, in order to attain 
 these ends, it is absolutely necessary for me to 
 use great plainness of speech. My expressions 
 must not be so tame as to seem to imply either a 
 diffidence in my principles, or a coldness towards 
 the cause I have undertaken to defend. And 
 where is the man who can blame me for speak-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 173 
 
 ing from the heart, and therefore speaking with 
 warmth, when I appear in the cause of truth, re- 
 ligion, virtue, and mankind ? I am sure my dear 
 friend Dr Blacklock will not ; he, who has set 
 before me so many examples of this laudable ar- 
 dour ; he, whose style I should be proud to take 
 for my model, if I were not aware of the difficul- 
 ty, I may say, the insuperable difficulty, of imi- 
 tating it with success. You need not fear, how- 
 ever, that I expose myself by an excess of pas- 
 sion or petulance. I hope I shall be animated, 
 without losing my temper, and keen, without in- 
 jury to good manners. In a word, I will be as 
 soft and delicate as the subject and my con- 
 science will allow. One gentleman, a friend of 
 yours, * I shall have occasion to treat with much 
 freedom. I have heard of his virtues. I know he 
 
 * The gentleman here alluded to by Dr Beattie, as a friend 
 of Dr Blacklock's, was Mr Hume, who had patronised Dr Black- 
 lock at an early period, and done him several acts of kindness, 
 which Dr Blacklock never failed to acknowledge. But all in- 
 tercourse between Mr Hume and him had ceased (through no 
 fault on the part of Dr Blacklock) many years before the period 
 here spoken of. In consequence of what Dr Beattie says here, 
 of Mr Hume's being a friend of Dr Blacklock' s, I find, among 
 Dr Beattie's papers, a long letter to him from Dr Blacklock, 
 giving a detail of the whole of the intercourse between him and 
 Mr Hume, from its commencement to its close.
 
 174 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 has many virtues; God forbid I should ever seek 
 to lessen them, or wish them to be found insincere. 
 I hope they are sincere, and that they will in- 
 crease in number and merit every day. To his 
 virtues I shall do justice ; but I must also do jus- 
 tice to his faults, at least to those faults which 
 are public, and which, for the sake of truth and 
 of mankind, ought not to be concealed or dis- 
 guised. Personal reflections will be carefully 
 avoided ; I hope I am in no danger of falling in- 
 to them, for I bear no personal animosity against 
 any man whatsoever ; sometimes I may perhaps 
 be keen ; but I trust I shall never depart from 
 the Christian and philosophic character. 
 
 " A scheme like this of mine cannot be popu- 
 lar, far less can it be lucrative. It will raise me 
 enemies ; it will expose me to the scrutiny of 
 the most rigid criticism ; it will make me be con- 
 sidered by many as a sullen and illiberal bigot. I 
 trust, however, in Providence, and in the good- 
 ness of my cause, that my attempts in behalf of 
 truth shall not be altogether ineffectual, and that 
 my labours shall be attended with some utility to 
 my fellow-creatures. This, in my estimation, 
 will do much more than counterbalance all the 
 inconveniences I have any reason to apprehend.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 175 
 
 I have already fallen on evil tongues (as Milton 
 says), on account of this intended publication. It 
 has been reported, that I had written a most 
 scurrilous paper against Mr Hume, and was pre- 
 paring to publish it, when a friend of mine in- 
 terposed, and, with very great difficulty, prevail- 
 ed on me to suppress it, because he knew it would 
 hurt or ruin my character. Such is the treatment 
 I have to expect from one set of people. I was 
 so provoked when I first heard this calumny, that 
 I deliberated whether I should not throw my pa- 
 pers into the fire, with a Si populus vult decipi, de- 
 cipiatur: but I rejected that thought; for so 
 many persons have told me, that it was my duty 
 to publish these papers, that I almost begin to 
 think so myself. Many have urged me to pub- 
 lish them ; none ever dissuaded me. The gentle- 
 man, named in the report, read the essay, and re- 
 turned it with the highest commendations ; but 
 I do not recollect that he ever spoke a syllable 
 about publishing or suppressing it. But I have 
 certainly tired you with so long a detail, about 
 so trifling a matter as my works. However, I 
 thought it necessary to say something by way of 
 apology for them, for I find that your good opi- 
 nion is of too much consequence to my peace, to
 
 176 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 suffer me to neglect any opportunity of cultiva- 
 ting it. 
 
 " I informed you, in the letter which I sent by 
 Mr John Ross, that I was become the father of 
 a son. Both his parents and he are much obliged 
 to you for interesting yourselves so much in that 
 event, and for your kind wishes. He thrives 
 apace, and my wife is thoroughly recovered. You 
 ask me, what are my feelings? Perhaps I shall be 
 in a better condition to answer that question af- 
 terwards than now. He is always near me, and 
 never has had any illness; and you know, that 
 adversity is the only true touchstone of affection. 
 I find my imagination recoils from the idea of 
 such adversity as would bring my affection to the 
 test. To tell the truth, I am at no great pains 
 to obtrude that idea on my fancy; evils come 
 soon enough, we need not anticipate them. At 
 present, however, I feel enough to convince me 
 experimentally of what i have proved from the 
 principles of reason in my essay, that this ropyn is 
 something entirely different from that affection 
 we feel towards dependants, as well as from that 
 which arises from a habit of long acquaintance. 
 
 " I long much to see your translation of the
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 177 
 
 French poem ; # pray send it as soon as you can. 
 You need not, I think, be under any apprehen- 
 sions of meeting with Mr Home's treatment, f 
 To translate a dramatic poem, can never be made 
 to be on a footing with composing one, and 
 bringing it on the stage. Even Presbyterianism 
 itself allows us to read plays ; and if so, it cannot 
 prohibit the translating of them." 
 
 In the following letter, Dr Beattie alludes to 
 an inscription, which I had written for a monu- 
 ment I was about to erect to the memory of my 
 father, and which I wished him to take the 
 trouble of correcting. I trust no one will object 
 to me this piece of egotism, at least in honour of 
 
 * The French poem, here spoken of, was a translation of the 
 play of " Cenie," by D'Happoncourt de Grafigny, which Dr 
 Blacklock had translated, with the title of " Seraphina;" but 
 which was never intended to be printed, far less to be brought 
 on the stage. In a letter to Dr Beattie, Dr Blacklock, speaking 
 of this piece, says it had been imitated, rather than translated, 
 by Mr Philip Francis, the translator of Horace, with the title 
 of " Eugenia," but with not much better success than his own. 
 
 t This alludes to Mr John Home's tragedy of " Douglas." 
 
 VOL. I. M
 
 178 "LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 a respected parent, to whose memory I wished 
 Dr Beattie to help me to inscribe some better 
 memorial than I could pretend to prepare my- 
 self. 
 
 The inscription, as here given, has since been 
 engraved on a monument of white marble, erect- 
 ed in the church of Kearn in Aberdeenshire, the 
 burial-place of Lord Forbes's family, where my 
 father's remains were deposited. 
 
 LETTER XXX. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO SIR WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 Aberdeen, 19th April, 1769. 
 ***** "The Christian religion, according to 
 my creed, is a very simple thing, intelligible to 
 the meanest capacity, and what, if we are at pains 
 to join practice to knowledge, we may make our- 
 selves thoroughly acquainted with, without turn- 
 ing over many books. It is the distinguishing 
 excellence of this religion, that it is entirely po- 
 pular, and fitted, both in its doctrines and in its 
 evidences, to all conditions and capacities of rea- 
 sonable creatures a character, which does not
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 179 
 
 belong to any other religious or philosophical sys- 
 tem that ever appeared in the world. I wonder 
 to see so many men, eminent both for their piety 
 and for their capacity, labouring to make a mys- 
 tery of this divine institution. If God vouch- 
 safes to reveal himself to mankind, can we sup- 
 pose that he chooses to do so in such a manner 
 as that none but the learned and contemplative 
 can understand him ? The generality of mankind 
 can never, in any possible circumstances, have 
 leisure or capacity for learning, or profound con- 
 templation. If, therefore, we make Christianity 
 a mystery, we exclude the greater part of man- 
 kind from the knowledge of it ; which is direct- 
 ly contrary to the intention of its Author, as is 
 plain from his explicit and reiterated declara- 
 tions. In a word, I am perfectly convinced, that 
 an intimate acquaintance with the scripture, par- 
 ticularly the gospels, is all that is necessary to 
 our accomplishment in true Christian knowledge. 
 I have looked into some systems of theology; 
 but I never read one of them to an end, because 
 I found I could never reap any instruction from 
 them. To darken what is clear, by wrapping it 
 up in the veil of system and science, was all the 
 purpose that even the best of them seemed to me
 
 180 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 to answer. True it is, there are, even in the gos- 
 pels, and in the discourses of Jesus Christ him- 
 self, some things that stand in need of illustra- 
 tion ; as when he adopts proverbial phrases pecu- 
 liar to Judea, or alludes to the customs of that 
 country and those times; but these obscurities 
 are but few in number, and generally relate to 
 matters of less indispensible utility ; and I pre- 
 sume, a very moderate share of erudition is all 
 that is necessary to make us understand them, as 
 far as they were intended to be understood by 
 us. As these, I am convinced, are your senti- 
 ments, you will agree with me in thinking, that 
 it is not necessary for us, even though we were 
 clergymen, to read a great deal of divinity, as it 
 is called. Indeed, I am every day more and more 
 inclined to Dr Gregory's opinion, (which, by the 
 bye, I think was Solomon's too,) that the reading 
 of many books of any sort is a bad thing, as it 
 tends to withdraw a man's attention from him- 
 self, and from those amusements and contempla- 
 tions, which at once sweeten the temper and che- 
 rish the health. You will do me the justice to 
 believe, that, by the word amusements, I do not 
 mean drinking, or gaming, or any of the fashion- 
 able modes of dissipation ; I mean the study of
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 181 
 
 the works of nature, and some of the best per- 
 formances in the fine arts, which I have always 
 found the most pleasing, as well as the most sa- 
 lutary amusement, both to my mind and body. 
 But I must certainly have tired you with this 
 long disquisition. 
 
 " I am much obliged to you for your account 
 of Dr Hawkesworth. I want much to see his 
 translation of Telemachus ; but no copies of it 
 have come to this country. The former transla- 
 tions were all very indifferent. I am inclined to 
 think, that the Doctor judged right in not ma- 
 king his translation too poetical and figurative. 
 His own prose style is as much ornamented as 
 good prose can well be ; and nearly as much (if 
 I mistake not) as Cambray's style, even where it 
 is most poetical. The measured prose (as they 
 call it,) which we have in the translations from 
 Ossian, would, I am afraid, become disgusting in 
 a work so long as Telemachus. Besides, the style 
 of this work is really simple, and of the narrative, 
 or epic kind, as it ought to be ; whereas the poems 
 of the Highland bard are altogether of the lyric 
 cast, both in the ornaments of the style, and in 
 the arrangement and detail of the fable, I won- 
 der how the editor of these poems took it into
 
 182 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 his head to call them epic. They are wholly ly- 
 ric, and can no more be referred to the class of 
 epic poems, than Milton's " Paradise Lost" can 
 be called an ode. 
 
 " The account you give me of the economy of 
 Dr Hawkesworth's family pleases me much.* I 
 am entirely of your mind in regard to Protestant 
 nunneries or convents, which are much wanted 
 in this country, and which, under proper regula- 
 tions, might, as you justly observe, be produc- 
 tive of the best effects. Our reformers seem to 
 have wholly forgot the old maxim, Fas est et al> 
 hoste doceri. If any practice was in use among 
 the Papists, this was enough to make them reject 
 it; and it was almost enough to recommend any 
 practice to them, that it was contrary to the usage 
 of their adversaries. I wish, however, they had 
 condescended to borrow a little church music, 
 and somewhat of more decorum and solemnity 
 in their public worship, even from the Papists; 
 and that they had provided some safe and credit- 
 able asylum for ladies of small fortunes and high 
 breeding, although this had been done in imita- 
 tion of the votaries of the Romish church. It 
 
 * See Appendix, [Q.J
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 183 
 
 seems as decent, at least, to imitate the Roman 
 Catholics as the Mahometans ; and yet we (Pres- 
 byterians) seem to have imitated the latter, in 
 banishing from our churches all music, at least 
 all good music ; that which we have retained be- 
 ing in general so very bad, that it is necessary 
 for a person to have a bad ear before he can re- 
 lish the worship of the church of Scotland. 
 
 " I much approve your notion of epitaphs, and 
 your resolution of erecting a monument to the 
 memory of your father. The epitaph, of which 
 you favoured me with a copy, is exceeding good, 
 and stands in no need of being enlarged, abridg- 
 ed, or altered. In my opinion, it is just what it 
 ought to be. However, to show my willingness 
 to do what you desire, I have proposed a few al- 
 terations, corrections I cannot call them, for I 
 have doubts about their propriety. I therefore 
 propose this form (which, however, I heartily 
 submit.)
 
 184 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Here are deposited, 
 In the firm hope of a blessed resurrection, 
 
 The ashes of 
 
 Sir William Forbes, Baronet, Advocate, 
 
 Of the family of Monymusk ; * 
 
 Who left this transitory world 
 
 On the \2th of May, 1743, aged 36, 
 
 Adorned with many virtues; stained with no crimes. 
 
 With the shattered remains of paternal possessions, 
 
 Once ample and flourishing, 
 
 He supported through the whole of life, 
 
 Without ostentation, 
 
 But with dignity and spirit, 
 
 That rank to which he was by birth entitled. 
 
 In his death, which he long foresaw, 
 
 He displayed equal magnanimity; 
 
 Enduring, without complaint, the attacks of a painful distemper, 
 
 And calmly resigning his soul to him who gave it. 
 
 This marble is erected, 
 
 By his only surviving Son, 
 
 Who, 
 
 Though deeply affected with his loss, 
 
 Subnuts to the Divine wisdom, 
 
 That saw proper to- deprive him early of such a Parent, 
 
 Before he was able to profit 
 
 By so bright an example 
 
 Of 
 
 Christian virtue. 
 
 " Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his; 
 
 * The name of the paternal estate of the family, but which had been 
 sold by his grandfather many years ago.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 185 
 
 " As soon as you determine upon the form of 
 the epitaph, you will cause it be printed in capi- 
 tals, and give one of the printed copies to the 
 stone-cutter to work after: I have had some 
 little experience in those matters, and I believe 
 there is no other way to keep the workmen from 
 blundering. 
 
 " I have read both " Zingis" and " The Fatal 
 Discovery :" there are good things in both, espe- 
 cially in the last; but I do not greatly admire 
 either the one or the other." 
 
 Of the warmth of Dr Beattie's affection for his 
 friends, I cannot give a stronger proof than by 
 transcribing part of a letter written by him to 
 me, on occasion of the fall of the North Bridge 
 in Edinburgh, when a gentleman and lady, and 
 three others, were unfortunately killed.
 
 186 LIFE OP DIt BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER XXXI. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO SIR WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 Perth, Friday, 4th August, 1769. 
 
 " I was in great anxiety last night for a few 
 minutes about you and Mr Arbuthnot. I had 
 waited for you half an hour, and then went to 
 Mr Arbuthnot's, where Mrs Arbuthnot told me, 
 that you and he had gone away about an hour 
 before, in quest of me. On my arrival at Dr 
 Gregory's, immediately after, I heard of the ter- 
 rible accident of the fall of the bridge. Your 
 house in the New Town, and some other ideas 
 which then occurred, brought you two so strong- 
 ly in my imagination, that I should soon have 
 been in a most anxious situation, had not a mes- 
 senger luckily arrived from you, bringing Tasso's 
 " Gierusalemme" to James Gregory. I shall like 
 that excellent bard the better as long as I live. 
 When I got home, a line was waiting me from 
 Mr Arbuthnot, of whose safety I had no doubt 
 after the messenger came from you ; and, by one 
 lucky accident or other, I learned, before I went
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 187 
 
 to bed, that none of my friends or acquaintance 
 were concerned in that sad event. Yet, alas ! the 
 persons who have perished had friends and ac- 
 quaintance of more sensibility perhaps than I. But 
 we ought not to repine at, but adore Providence 
 in all its dispensations, whatever be their appear- 
 ance, whether good or bad. Pray let me hear, as 
 soon as you can, who are the sufferers in this ca- 
 lamity, for I am greatly concerned about it." 
 
 In order that the following letter may be un- 
 derstood, it may be proper to mention, that Dr 
 Beattie, having now finished the manuscript of 
 his " Essay on Truth," was desirous of selling 
 it to a bookseller for publication; not with any 
 view, as he had often declared, of obtaining a 
 great price, but in order that he might avoid all 
 risk to himself, and that the publisher might feel 
 his own interest connected with the sale of the 
 book, which otherwise, he feared, would never 
 make its way in the world. Dr Beattie, there- 
 fore, committed the care of this business to Mr 
 Arbuthnot and me, with ample authority to us,
 
 188 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 to dispose of the manuscript as we should judge 
 proper. 
 
 On our applying, however, to the bookseller, 
 whom we thought most likely to publish it with 
 advantage, we were mortified by his positive re- 
 fusal to purchase the manuscript, although he 
 readily offered to publish it on Dr Beattie's ac- 
 count, a mode to which, we knew, Dr Beattie 
 would never agree. Thus there was some dan- 
 ger of a work being lost, the publication of 
 which, we flattered ourselves, would do much 
 good in the world. 
 
 In this dilemma, it occurred to me, that we 
 might, without much artifice, bring the business 
 to an easy conclusion by our own interposition. 
 We therefore resolved, that we ourselves should 
 be the purchasers, at a sum with which we 
 knew Dr Beattie would be well satisfied, as the 
 price of the first edition. But it was absolutely 
 necessary that the business should be glossed 
 over as much as possible ; otherwise, we had rea- 
 son to fear he would not give his consent to our 
 taking on us a risk, which he himself had refu- 
 sed to run. 
 
 I therefore wrote to him, (nothing surely but 
 the truth, although, I confess, not the whole
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 18$ 
 
 truth,) that the manuscript was sold for fifty gui- 
 neas, which I remitted to him by a bank-bill; 
 and I added, that we had stipulated with the 
 bookseller who was to print the book, that we 
 should be partners in the publication. On such 
 trivial causes do things of considerable moment 
 often depend. For had it not been for this 
 interference of ours in this somewhat ambiguous 
 manner, perhaps the " Essay on Truth," on which 
 all Dr Beattie's future fortunes hinged, might ne- 
 ver have seen the light. It also strongly marks 
 the slender opinion entertained by the booksellers 
 at that period, of the value of a work which has 
 since risen into such well-merited celebrity. 
 
 LETTER XXXII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO SIR WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 26th October, 1769. 
 
 " I this moment received yours of the Q3d 
 current, inclosing a bank post-bill for L. 52, 10 s. 
 I am too much affected with a sense of your and 
 Mr Arbuthnot's friendship on this, as on all other 
 occasions, to say any thing in the way of thanks
 
 190 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 or compliment. Like a man on the verge of 
 bankruptcy, I am become almost careless in re- 
 gard to the extent of the new or old debt I owe 
 to your goodness. If you are determined to per- 
 sist in heaping favours and obligations upon me, 
 why, be it so ; I shall, at least, in one respect, be 
 even with you, or endeavour to be so ; I shall try 
 to be as grateful as you are kind. As this book 
 had cost me a good deal of labour, and as I had 
 brought myself to think it a pretty good book, 
 I should have been much disappointed if I had 
 not got it published; and I do firmly believe, 
 that, if it had not been for you, it never would 
 have been published. As this is the light in 
 which I consider what you have now done for 
 me, you will readily believe, from the nature of 
 that attachment which all authors bear to the 
 offspring of their brain, that I have a pretty high 
 sense of the favour. 
 
 " The price does really exceed my wannest ex- 
 pectations; nay, I am much afraid that it ex- 
 ceeds the real commercial value of the book ; and 
 
 I am not much surprised that refuses 
 
 to have a share in it, considering that he is one 
 of the principal proprietors of Mr Hume's works, 
 and, in consequence of that, may have such a
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 191 
 
 personal regard for him, as would prevent his be- 
 ing concerned in any work of this nature. In a 
 word, I am highly pleased with the whole trans- 
 action, except in this one respect, that you and 
 Mr Arbuthnot have agreed to be partners in 
 this publication : this gives me real concern. I 
 know you both despise the risk of losing any 
 thing by it, and will despise the loss when you 
 come to know it, of which, I am afraid, there is 
 too great a chance : but notwithstanding, I could 
 have wished you out of the scrape ; and if it shall 
 afterwards appear that you are losers, I shall be 
 tempted to regret that ever I gave you the op- 
 portunity. There are some delicacies on this sub- 
 ject, which embarrass me so much, that I know 
 not how to express myself intelligibly. In a 
 word, you will account the loss a trifle, but to 
 me it will not have that appearance. 
 
 " I will now fall to work, and put the last hand 
 to my manuscript. This will take up a week or 
 two, as several things have occurred to me, with- 
 in these few days, which I think will, when add- 
 ed, make the book much more perfect. I will 
 venture to say, that few authors have ever been 
 more solicitous than I on this occasion, to make 
 their work correct. It has undergone a most
 
 192 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 critical examination in the hands of- my two 
 friends, Doctors Campbell and Gerard, who have 
 both written observations on it, and who are 
 perfect masters of all the subjects treated in it, 
 and really, in my judgment, the most acute me- 
 taphysicians of the age. Both have given me 
 great encouragement, and assured me, that, in 
 their opinion, my book will do good, if people 
 will only vouchsafe it a reading. It was but the 
 other day I received Dr Gerard's remarks; and, 
 on my desiring him, honestly and impartially, to 
 give his judgment, " I think," says he, " it is 
 " a most excellent book, and cannot fail to do 
 " you credit with all the friends of virtue and 
 " religion." I mention this only to show you, 
 that, if it shall afterwards appear that I have 
 judged wrong in thinking this book proper to 
 be printed, I am not singular in the mistake. 
 One thing I was particularly careful in recom- 
 mending to the two gentlemen just mentioned : 
 I desired them, above every thing, to observe, 
 whether I had, in any place, misrepresented my 
 adversaries, or mistaken their doctrine. They 
 tell me, that, in their judgment, I have not, ex- 
 cept in two or three passages of no consequence, 
 which, however, I have carefully corrected. I
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 19S 
 
 have the more confidence in their judgment in 
 this particular, because they are perfect masters 
 of the modern sceptical philosophy, and are par- 
 ticularly well acquainted with Mr Hume's wri- 
 tings, indeed better than any other person I 
 know, except Dr Reid at Glasgow; to whom, 
 however, they are no ways inferior. Much of my 
 knowledge on these subjects I owe to their con- 
 versation and writings, as Dr Gregory very well 
 knows. Since I am upon this subject, I shall tell 
 you farther, that the book, now under consider- 
 ation, has been my principal study these four 
 years ; I have actually written it three times over, 
 and some parts of it oftener. I have availed my- 
 self, all I could, of reading and conversation, in 
 order that I might be aware of all the possible 
 objections that could be made to my doctrine. 
 Every one of these, that has come to my know- 
 ledge, has been canvassed and examined to the 
 bottom, at least according to the examiner's mea- 
 sure of understanding. If all this, joined to my 
 natural abhorrence of misrepresentation, and to 
 the sense I have of what my character would 
 suffer if I could be charged with want of can- 
 dour; if all this, I say, is not sufficient to make 
 
 VOL. J, N
 
 194 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 my book correct, I must for ever despair of ma- 
 king it so." 
 
 Of the warmth of affection on the part of Dr 
 Beattie towards his friends, there is another stri- 
 king proof in the following letter to Major Mer- 
 cer. It likewise strongly marks the playful hu- 
 mour which he sometimes introduced into his 
 correspondence with those friends whom he 
 loved ; with whom he was wont to joke in con- 
 versation, and with whom he felt himself perfect- 
 ly at ease. 
 
 LETTER XXXIII. 
 
 DIl BEATTIE TO CAPT. (AFTERWARDS MAJOR) 
 
 MERCER. * 
 
 Aberdeen, 26th November, 1769. 
 " I shall not take up your time with enlarging 
 on all the causes that have kept me so long from 
 
 * For some account of Major Mercer, see p. 35. and Appen- 
 dix [R.]
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 1Q5 
 
 writing. I shall only tell you, that, while the 
 summer lasted, I went about as much as possible, 
 and imposed on myself an abstinence from read- 
 ing, writing, and thinking, with a view to shake 
 off this vile vertigo, which, however, still sticks 
 by me, with a closeness of attachment which I 
 could well excuse. Since that time, I mean since 
 the end of summer, I have delayed writing, till 
 I should be able to inform you of the fate of the 
 papers you were so good last winter as to read 
 and interest yourself in. They are sold to a 
 bookseller in Edinburgh, and are now actually in 
 the press, and will make their public appearance, 
 if I mistake not, in the spring. I have taken no 
 little pains to finish them ; and many additions, 
 and illustrations, and corrections, and expunc- 
 tions, and softenings, and hardenings, have been 
 made on them. With them I intend to bid adieu 
 to metaphysics, and all your authors of profound 
 speculation ; for, of all the trades to which that 
 multifarious animal man can turn himself, I am 
 now disposed to look upon intense study as the 
 idlest, the most unsatisfying, and the most un- 
 profitable. You cannot easily conceive with what 
 greediness I now peruse the " Arabian Nights 
 ^Entertainments," '* Gullivers Travels," " Robin-
 
 1^6 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 
 
 son Crusoe," &c. I am like a man who has es- 
 caped from the mines, and is now drinking in 
 the fresh air and light, on the top of some of the 
 mountains of Dalecarlia. These books put me 
 in mind of the days of former years, the roman- 
 tic aera of fifteen, or the still more careless period 
 of nine or ten: the scenes of which, as they now 
 stand pictured in my fancy, seem to be illumina- 
 ted with a sort of purple light, formed with the 
 softest, purest gales, and painted with a verdure 
 to which nothing similar is to be found in the 
 degenerate summers of modern times. Here I 
 would quote the second stanza of Gray's " Ode 
 on Eton College," but it would take up too much 
 room, and you certainly have it by heart. 
 
 " I hear you are likely to be a major in the ar- 
 my soon. I need not tell you on how many ac- 
 counts I wish that event to take place. I should 
 look on it as a forerunner of your return, which 
 I should certainly rejoice at, even with an excess 
 of joy, though I had not a single particle of ge- 
 nerosity in my whole composition, my own hap- 
 piness is so much interested in it. Alas! my 
 walks now are quite solitary. No more do the 
 banks of Dee resound to those confabulations, 
 critical, grammatical, philosophical, sentimental,
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 197 
 
 &c. which whilom were agitated between us. I 
 have not seen a man since you left us, whose no- 
 tions of Homer and Achilles were the same with 
 mine. 
 
 " I was a fortnight at Edinburgh this summer, 
 where I saw our friend Sylvester* almost every 
 day. You would be surprised to see his outward 
 man so little changed. His voice has the same 
 tone (only with a little addition of the English 
 accent) as when he went away. As to stature 
 and embonpoint, he is much the same (I fear I 
 have misapplied that word, which I believe is ne- 
 ver used of lean people.) His complexion rather 
 fresher and fairer than before. He speaks French, 
 Italian, and German, with fluency, and is as fond 
 of poetry as ever. He never drinks above two 
 or three glasses of wine at a sitting; and, indeed, 
 seems to have acquired a great many good qua- 
 lities by his travelling, without the loss of a single 
 one of those he formerly possessed. 
 
 " You would see Mr Gray's installation ode, 
 and, if so, I am sure you have approved it. It is 
 not equal to some other of his pieces, but it is 
 the best ode of the panegyrical kind I have ever 
 
 * The Right Honourable Sylvester Douglas, Lord Glenber- 
 vie. Vide Appendix [S.]
 
 198 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 seen. I had a letter from him since it came out, 
 in which he says, " That it cannot last above a 
 " single day, or, if its existence be prolonged be- 
 " yond that period, it must be by means of news- 
 " paper parodies, and witless criticism." He says, 
 he considered himself bound, in gratitude to the 
 D. of Grafton, to write this ode ; and that he 
 foresaw the abuse that would be thrown on him 
 for it, but did not think it worth his while to 
 avoid it. I am not of his mind in regard to the 
 duration of the poem. I am much mistaken if it 
 do not carry down the name of his patron to the 
 latest posterity ; an honour which, I fear, no 
 other great man of this age will have the chance 
 to receive from the hands of the muses." 
 
 I am induced to print the following letter of 
 Dr Beattie's, in order to shew, that he was aware, 
 before the publication of his " Essay on Truth," 
 how much he was supposed to have employed too 
 great a degree of acrimony in the original com- 
 position of that essay ; and how far he himself 
 entertained the belief, that he had removed all
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 199 
 
 just cause of any such complaint, before its pub- 
 lication. It proves, too, I think, very clearly, 
 how much he was actuated by principle in all his 
 writings; and that, in thus warmly expressing 
 his sentiments on the subject, he was merely act- 
 ing, as he thought, in the discharge of his duty. 
 
 LETTER XXXIV. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO THE EARL OF BUCHAN. 
 
 Aberdeen, 27th November, 1769. 
 
 " The concern your lordship is pleased to take 
 in my writings does me a great deal of honour. 
 I should think myself very happy, if, by means 
 of them, I could contribute any thing to the ad- 
 vancement of the cause of truth and virtue. 
 
 " I have not been able, since you left us, to 
 make any considerable additions to the " Min- 
 strel;" all my leisure hours being employed in 
 putting the last hand to my " Essay on Truth,'* 
 which was actually put to the press about three 
 weeks ago. It will, I think, make its public ap- 
 pearance in the spring. Several important alter- 
 ations and additions have been made. Most of
 
 200 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 the asperities have been struck out, and such of 
 them as have been retained are very much soften- 
 ed. Still, however, there are, and must be, some 
 strong pictures and expressions, which do not 
 well suit the apathy and equivocating lukewarm- 
 ness of this age. But my express design was, to 
 set our sceptics in a new light, and, therefore, I 
 found it necessary to pursue a new method. I 
 want to show, that their reasonings and doctrines 
 are not only false, but ridiculous ; and that their 
 talents, as philosophers and logicians, are abso- 
 lutely contemptible. Your lordship will, I pre- 
 sume, do me the justice to believe, that I have 
 not affected to treat them with more contempt 
 than I think they deserve. I should be ashamed 
 of myself, if, in pleading the cause of truth, I 
 were to personate a character that is not my own. 
 The doctrines I have maintained in this book are, 
 every one of them, according to my real senti- 
 ments. I have added some remarks on personal 
 identity ; on the veracity of our senses in regard 
 to extension, distance, magnitude, and those 
 other objects of touch which are commonly re- 
 ferred both to that sense and to sight; on the 
 different classes to which certain truths seem re- 
 ducible ; and I have made several other additions,
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 2G1 
 
 which, I hope, will render the book less excep- 
 tionable than it was when your lordship did me 
 the honour to peruse it. 
 
 " The ' Minstrel' I intend to resume next sum- 
 mer. It will consist of three books ; and, as it 
 promises to be by much the best, and will proba- 
 bly be the last, of my poetical attempts, I propose 
 to finish it at great leisure." 
 
 The Earl of Buchan, being desirous of excit- 
 ing an attention to classical learning at Aberdeen, 
 established a prize * to be annually contended for 
 among the young men educated at the Marischal 
 College ; the subject to be the best Greek exer- 
 cise. In consequence of the communication of 
 this design to Dr Beattie, Lord Buchan received 
 from him the following letter, by order of the 
 University. 
 
 * A silver pen, presented by Lord Buchan to the university, 
 to which a medallion is annually appended, with the name of 
 the successful candidate.
 
 202 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER XXXV. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO THE EARL OF BUCHAN. 
 
 Aberdeen, 15th December, 1769. 
 " I laid your letter before a full meeting of our 
 university ; and have their orders to return to 
 your lordship their most grateful acknowledge- 
 ments for your attention to the interests of learn- 
 ing in general, and your generosity to this socie- 
 ty in particular. We accept, with the most un- 
 feigned sentiments of gratitude, the noble pre- 
 sent you have done us the honour to promise us; 
 and will most zealously endeavour to promote, to 
 the utmost of our power, those good purposes 
 your lordship has so much at heart. We beg to 
 know more particularly, in what way it will be 
 proper for us to propose the prize-subjects ? and 
 from what sciences the arguments are to be 
 taken? what ranks of students (whether the 
 lower or higher classes, or all, in general) are to 
 be admitted as candidates ? in what manner their 
 performances are to be examined ? and whether 
 it will be expedient to publish, in the newspapers,
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 203 
 
 the names of such as shall be thought to have ob- 
 tained the prize ? In these, and in all other parti- 
 culars, we would chuse to be directed by your 
 lordship's judgment"* 
 
 LETTER XXXVI. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO SIR WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 Aberdeen, 4th May, 1770. 
 
 x< Nothing, I think^ is stirring in the literary 
 world. All ranks are run mad with politics ; and 
 I know not whether there was any period at 
 which it was more unseasonable to publish new 
 books. I do not mean, that the nation has no 
 need of instruction ; I mean only, that it has nei- 
 ther leisure nor inclination to listen to any. 
 
 " I am a very great admirer of Armstrong's poem 
 on " Health ;" and, therefore, as soon as I heard 
 that the same author had published two volumes 
 of " Miscellanies," I sent a commission for them, 
 with great expectations : but I am miserably dis- 
 
 * The annual competition for this prize still continues at 
 Aberdeen.
 
 204- LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 appointed. I know not what is the matter with 
 Armstrong ; but he seems to have conceived a 
 rooted aversion at the whole human race, except 
 a few friends, who, it seems, are dead. He sets 
 the public opinion at defiance ; a piece of bold- 
 ness, which neither Virgil nor Horace were ever 
 so shameless as to acknowledge. It is very true, 
 that living authors are often hardly dealt with by 
 their contemporaries ; witness Milton, Collins the 
 poet, and many others : but I believe it is equal- 
 ly true, that no good piece was ever published, 
 which did not, sooner or later, obtain the public 
 approbation. How is it possible it should be 
 otherwise ! People read for amusement. If a book 
 be capable of yielding amusement, it will natu- 
 rally be read ; for no man is an enemy to what 
 gives him pleasure. Some books, indeed, being 
 calculated for the intellects of a few, can please 
 only a few ; yet, if they produce this effect, they 
 answer all the end the authors intended ; and if 
 those few be men of any note, which is generally 
 the case, the herd of mankind will very willingly 
 fall in with their judgment, and consent to ad- 
 mire what they do not understand. I question 
 whether there are now in Europe two thousand, 
 or even one thousand, persons, who understand a
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 205 
 
 word of Newton's " Principia ;" yet there are in 
 Europe many millions who extol Newton as a 
 very great philosopher. Those are but a small 
 number who have any sense of the beauties of 
 Milton ; yet every body admires Milton, because 
 it is the fashion. Of all the English poets of this 
 age, Mr Gray is most admired, and, I think, with 
 justice ; yet there are, comparatively speaking, 
 but a few who know any thing of his, but his 
 " Church-yard Elegy," which is by no means the 
 best of his works. I do not think that Dr Arm- 
 strong has any cause to complain of the public : 
 his " Art of Health" is not indeed a popular 
 poem, but it is very much liked, and has often 
 been printed. It will make him known and es- 
 teemed by posterity : and, I presume, he will be 
 the more esteemed, if all his other works perish 
 with him. In his " Sketches," indeed, are many 
 sensible, and some striking, remarks ; but they 
 breathe such a rancorous and contemptuous spi- 
 rit, and abound so much in odious vulgarisms 
 and colloquial execrations, that in reading we are 
 as often disgusted as pleased. I know not what 
 to say of his " Universal Almanack:" it seems to 
 me an attempt at humour; but such humour is 
 either too high or too low for my comprehension.
 
 206 LIFE OF DH BEATT1E. 
 
 The plan of his tragedy, called the " Forced 
 Marriage/' is both obscure and improbable ; yet 
 there are good strokes in it, particularly in the 
 last scene. 
 
 " As I know your taste and talents in paint- 
 ing, I cannot help communicating to you an ob- 
 servation, which I lately had occasion, not to 
 make, for I had made it before, but to see illus- 
 trated in a very striking manner. I was reading 
 the Abb du Bos' " Reflections on Poetry and 
 Painting." In his 13th section of the first vo- 
 lume, he gives some very ingenious remarks on 
 two of Raphael's cartoons. Speaking of " Christ's 
 charge to Peter," he says of one of the figures in 
 the group of apostles, " Pres de lui est place un 
 i( autre Aputre embarasse de sa contenance ; on le 
 " discerne pour it re dun temperament melancho- 
 " lique a la mdigreur de so?i visage livide, a sa barbe 
 " noire et plate, a f habitude de son corps, enjin a 
 " tous les traits que les naturalistes ont assignes a 
 " ce temperament. II se courbe; et les ycux fixe- 
 " ment attaches surj. C. il est devore dune jalousie 
 " mornepour une clio'u dont il ne se plaindra point, 
 " mais dont il conserxera long terns un vif ressenti- 
 " ment ; enjin on recommit let Judas aussi distinct e- 
 " ment qu"d le voir pendu aujiguier, une bourse ren-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 207 
 
 " versee au col. Je rtai point prete d 1 esprit a Ra- 
 if pkael,* &c. You see the ingenious Abb6 is ve- 
 ry positive ; and yet you will immediately recol- 
 lect, that the charge of " Feed my sheep," to 
 which this cartoon refers, was given to Peter af- 
 ter the resurrection, and when, consequently, 
 Judas could not be present. (John xxi. 16.) If 
 it be said, that this charge refers to the keys, 
 which Peter carries in his bosom ; a charge given 
 long before : I answer, first, that the sheep in the 
 back-ground is a presumption of the contrary ; 
 and, secondly, that the wounds in the feet and 
 hands of Jesus, and the number of apostles pre- 
 sent, which is only eleven, are a certain proof, 
 that the fact to which this cartoon relates happen- 
 ed after the resurrection. The Abba's mistake is 
 of little moment in itself; but it serves to illus- 
 trate this observation, that the expression of 
 painting is at the best very indefinite, and gene- 
 rally leaves scope to the ingenious critic cle pr&ter 
 (Vesprit to the painter."* 
 
 * I have lately met with a criticism similar to the above of 
 Dr Beattie's on the Abbe du Bos, in the life of Raphael, in 
 " Pilkington's Dictionary of the Lives of the Painters/' p. 501. 
 A coincidence, however, that must have been entirely acciden- 
 tal, and which no way detracts from the originality of Dr Beat-
 
 208 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 At length, in the month of May, 1770, Dr 
 Beatties " Essay on the nature and immutability 
 " of Truth, in opposition to Sophistry and Scep- 
 " ticism," made its appearance. As the manu- 
 script had been seen by several eminent men of 
 learning, and as the " Essay on Truth" was known 
 to be written as a direct attack on the philoso- 
 phical principles of Mr Hume, its publication 
 had been looked for with considerable expecta- 
 tion. The boldness, too, of a writer so little 
 known to the world as Beattie was at this time, 
 (for he had merely published a few juvenile 
 poems,) in attacking an author so formidable as 
 Mr Hume, contributed not a little to excite the 
 public curiosity. Mr Hume was in the zenith of 
 his popularity. After a period of more than thir- 
 ty years spent in literary pursuits, and after ha- 
 ving acted in several respectable public situa- 
 
 tie's observation ; for I am satisfied, he had never read Pilking- 
 ton, otherwise he would not have sent me the remark as being 
 his own.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 20$ 
 
 tions, * to which his reputation as an author had 
 no doubt recommended him, he had returned 
 to Edinburgh, opulent from a pension which had 
 been bestowed on him by government, but still 
 more by the fruits of that plan of rigid economy, 
 which, he tells us, he had early adopted, and 
 steadily pursued, for the purpose of supplying his 
 original deficiency of fortune, and rendering him- 
 self independent in the world, f Mr Hume, in 
 his disposition, was humane and charitable; his 
 temper was mild, and his manners pleasing ; 
 which, added to his natural abilities, as well as 
 his great stock of acquired knowledge, made his 
 company much sought after. The circle of so- 
 ciety, therefore, in which he moved in Edinburgh, 
 was not only extensive, but the most distinguish- 
 ed for rank and fashion, and literary merit, of 
 
 * Mr Hume attended General St Clair, in the year 1746, as 
 secretary to his expedition on the coast of France. In 1747, he 
 attended the general in the same station in his military embas- 
 sy to the courts of Vienna and Turin. In the year 1763, he 
 accompanied the Earl of Hertford, as secretary, on his embassy 
 to Paris, where he was left charge d'affaires, on that nobleman's 
 going as lord-lieutenant to Ireland. And, in 1767, he was ap- 
 pointed by Lord Hertford's brother, General Conway, to be un- 
 der secretary of state, while the general held the seals. 
 
 f Life of Mr Hume, prefixed to his works, written by him- 
 self, p. vii. 
 
 VOL. I, O
 
 210 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 which the metropolis of Scotland could boast. 
 Of all this I am myself a living witness ; for I 
 was well acquainted with Mr Hume, with whom 
 I frequently met in the intercourse of social 
 life. 
 
 Mr Hume had deservedly acquired a high re- 
 putation as an historian ; and he may, with truth, 
 be said to have been among the first to introduce 
 into this country that dignified and classical style 
 of composition with which we are so much de- 
 lighted in his " History of England," as well as 
 in the writings of Robertson, Orme, and other 
 eminent authors since Mr Humes time. His ac- 
 count of the British constitution, of the feudal 
 system, and his affecting narratives of the death 
 of Charles the First, of Lord Strafford, of Arch- 
 bishop Laud, as well as other passages that might 
 be cited, are proofs of a masterly genius, which 
 must place Mr Hume in the first and most dis- 
 tinguished rank of writers of history in the Eng- 
 lish language. He had published, likewise, essays 
 on political economy, # as well as on subjects of 
 
 * Dr Adam Smith, in his valuable work, on the " Causes of 
 the Wealth of Nations," has acknowledged, that Mr Hume was 
 the first writer who rightly understood, and properly explained., 
 in his " Essays," some of the principles of political economy. 
 Vol. ii. pp. 39, 119. cd. 3.
 
 LIFE OF DIl BEATTIE. 211 
 
 taste and literature ; which, notwithstanding the 
 revolutions, both in opinions and things, that an 
 interval of upwards of half a century has produced, 
 are still perused with pleasure by every classical 
 scholar. Happy had it been, si sic omnia But 
 Mr Hume had unfortunately, at an early period 
 of his life, * imbibed the principles of a cold 
 hearted and gloomy philosophy, the direct ten- 
 dency of which was to distract the mind with 
 doubts on subjects the most serious and impor- 
 tant, and, in fact, to undermine the best interests, 
 and dissolve the strongest ties, of human society. 
 When he examined Mr Hume's philosophy, and 
 contemplated the mischief which arose from it, 
 X)r Beatties whole faculties rose in arms within 
 him, to use the emphatic expression of an anony- 
 mous journalist, f in the defence of the cause of 
 truth, and of every virtuous principle ; and he re- 
 solved, without fear, to attempt to show the fal- 
 lacy of a system, which he conceived to rest on 
 no solid foundation. Such was the origin of the 
 
 * He says, in the advertisement to his " Essays," that he had 
 projected his " Treatise on Human Nature" before he left col- 
 lege, and wrote and published it not long after. 
 
 t Account of the death of Dr Beattie, in the '* Orthodox 
 Churchman's Magazine and Review, for August 1803, No. 33."
 
 212 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 " Essay on Truth f of which, besides what I 
 have already inserted from his private correspon- 
 dence with his friends, Dr Beattie gives, himself, 
 the following account, in the advertisement to 
 the edition of the " Essay" published in quarto, 
 in London, in the year 1776. 
 
 " Ever since I began to attend to matters of 
 this kind, I had heard Mr Hume's philosophy 
 mentioned as a system very unfriendly to reli- 
 gion, both revealed and natural, as well as to 
 science ; and its author spoken of as a teacher of 
 sceptical and atheistical doctrines, and withal as 
 a most acute and ingenious writer. I had reason 
 to believe, that his arguments, and his influence 
 as a great literary character, had done harm, by 
 subverting or weakening the good principles of 
 some, and countenancing the licentious opinions 
 of others. Being honoured with the care of a 
 part of the British youth ; and considering it as 
 my indispensible duty (from which, I trust, I 
 shall never deviate) to guard their minds against 
 impiety and error, I endeavoured, among other
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 215 
 
 studies that belonged to my office, to form a right 
 estimate of Mr Hume's philosophy, so as not on- 
 ly to understand his peculiar tenets, but also to 
 perceive their connection and consequences. 
 
 " In forming this estimate, I thought it at 
 once the surest and the fairest method to begin 
 with the " Treatise of Human Nature," which 
 was allowed, and is well known to be, the ground- 
 work of the whole; and in which some of the 
 principles and reasonings are more fully prose- 
 cuted, and their connection and consequences 
 more clearly seen by an attentive reader, (not- 
 withstanding some inferiority in point of style,) 
 than in those more elegant republications of the 
 system, that have appeared in the form of " Es- 
 says.'* Every sound argument that may have 
 been urged against the paradoxes of the " Trea- 
 tise," particularly against its first principles, does, 
 in my opinion, tend to discredit the system ; as 
 every successful attempt to weaken the foundation 
 of a building does, in effect, promote the down- 
 fal of the superstructure. Paradoxes there are in 
 the " Treatise" which are not in the " Essays;" 
 and, in like manner, there are licentious doctrines 
 in these, which are not in the other : and, there- 
 fore, I have not directed all my batteries against
 
 214 LIFE OF DR BEATTTE. 
 
 the first. And if the plan I had in view, when I 
 published this book, had been completed, the 
 reader would have seen, that, though I began 
 with the " Treatise of Human Nature," it was 
 never my intention to end with it. In fact, the 
 11 Essay on Truth* is only one part of what I 
 projected. Another part was then in so great 
 forwardness, that I thought its publication not 
 very remote, and had even made proposals to a 
 bookseller concerning it ; though afterwards, on 
 enlarging the plan, I found I had not taken so 
 wide a view of the subject as would be necessary. 
 In that part, my meaning was, to have applied 
 the principles of this book to the illustration of 
 certain truths of morality and religion, to which 
 the reasonings of Helvetius, of Mr Hume in his 
 " Essays," and of some other modern philosophers, 
 seemed unfavourable. That work, however, I 
 have been obliged, on account of my health, to 
 lay aside ; and whether I shall ever be in a con- 
 dition to resume it, is at present very uncer- 
 tain.' 1 * 
 
 * His want of health prevented him from prosecuting his 
 original design of writing a second part of the " Essay on Truth." 
 But he contrived to introduce into some of his subsequent pub- 
 lications, some portion of what he intended the second part 
 should contain.
 
 LTFE OF DR BEATTIE. 215 
 
 In the prosecution of this design, Dr Beattie 
 has treated his subject in the following manner : 
 He first endeavours to trace the several kinds of 
 evidence and reasoning up to their first princi- 
 ples ; with a view to ascertain the standard of 
 truth, and explain its immutability. He shows, 
 in the second place, that his sentiments on this 
 head, how inconsistent soever with the genius of 
 scepticism, and with the principles and practice 
 of sceptical writers, are yet perfectly consistent 
 with the genius of true philosophy, and with the 
 practice and principles of those, whom all ac- 
 knowledge to have been the most successful in 
 the investigation of truth ; concluding with 
 some inferences, or rules, by which the more im- 
 portant fallacies of the sceptical philosophers 
 may be detected by every person of common 
 sense, even though he should not possess acute- 
 ness of metaphysical knowledge sufficient to qua- 
 lify him for a logical confutation of them. In
 
 216 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 the third place, he answers some objections, and 
 makes some remarks, by way of estimate of scep- 
 ticism, and sceptical writers. * 
 
 * Essay on Truth, p. 15.
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 FROM THE PUBLICATION OF THE "ESSAY ON TRUTH," 
 TO THE DEATH OF DR BEATTIE's ELDEST SON, IN 
 THE YEAR 1790. 
 
 No sooner did the " Essay on Truth" makes its 
 appearance, than it was assailed by the admirers 
 of Mr Hume as a violent and personal attack on 
 that writer. Of this Dr Beattie takes notice in 
 the following letters. 
 
 It is here necessary to mention, that, upon 
 the publication of the " Essay on Truth," it was 
 thought advisable, that a short analysis of the 
 essay should be inserted in the Edinburgh news- 
 papers, in order that something might be known 
 of the manner in which the subject was treated. 
 This task Dr Jblacklock undertook, and executed
 
 218 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 with much ability.* But, previous to its publi- 
 cation, lie thought it proper to submit what he 
 had written to Dr Beattie, who replied to Dr 
 Blacklock as follows. 
 
 LETTER XXXVII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO DR BLACKLOCK. 
 
 Aberdeen, 27th May, 1770. 
 " I cannot express how much I think myself 
 indebted to your friendship, in entering so warm- 
 ly into all my concerns, and in making out so 
 readily, and at such length, the two critical ar- 
 ticles. The shortest one was sent back, in course 
 of post, to Mr Kincaid,f from whom you would 
 learn the reasons that induced me to make some 
 alterations in the analysis you had there made of 
 my book. The other paper I return in this pac- 
 ket. I have made a remark or two at the end, 
 but no alterations. Indeed, how could I ? you 
 understand my philosophy as perfectly as I do ; 
 
 * Vide Edinburgh Evening Courant, 2d June, 1770. 
 t The publisher. 5
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 219 
 
 you express it much better, and you embellish it 
 with a great many of your own sentiments, which, 
 though new to me, are exceedingly apposite to 
 my subject, and set some parts of it in a fairer 
 light than I have been able to do in my book. I 
 need not tell you, how happy I am in the thought, 
 that this work of mine has your approbation ; for 
 I know you too well, to impute to mere civility 
 the many handsome things you have said in 
 praise of it. I know you approve it, because I 
 know you incapable to say one thing and think 
 another ; and I do assure you, I would not fore- 
 go your approbation to avoid the censure of fifty 
 Mr Humes. What do I say ? Mr Hume's censure 
 I am so far from being ashamed ofj that I think 
 it does me honour. It is, next to his conversion, 
 (which I have no reason to look for) the most 
 desirable thing I have to expect from that quar- 
 ter. I have heard, from very good authority, 
 that he speaks of me and my book with very 
 great bitterness (I own, I thought he would ra- 
 ther have affected to treat both with contempt;) 
 and that he says, I have not used him like a gen- 
 tleman. He is quite right to set the matter upon 
 that footing. It is an odious charge ; it is an ob- 
 jection easily remembered, and, for that reason,
 
 220 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 will be often repeated by his admirers ; and it 
 has this farther advantage, that being (in the 
 present case) perfectly unintelligible, it cannot 
 possibly be answered. The truth is, I, as a ra- 
 tional, moral, and immortal being, and something 
 of a philosopher, treated him as a rational, moral, 
 and immortal being, a sceptic, and an atheistical 
 writer. My design was, not to make a book full 
 of fashionable phrases and polite expressions, but 
 to undeceive the public in regard to the merits 
 of the sceptical philosophy, and the pretensions 
 of its abettors. To say, that I ought not to have 
 done this with plainness and spirit, is to say, in 
 other words, that I ought either to have held my 
 peace, or to have been a knave. In this case, I 
 might perhaps have treated Mr Hume as a gen- 
 tleman, but I should not have treated society, 
 and my own conscience, as became a man and a 
 Christian. I have all along foreseen, and still 
 foresee, that I shall have many reproaches, and 
 cavils, and sneers, to encounter on this occasion ; 
 but I am prepared to meet them. I am not 
 ashamed of my cause ; and, if I may believe those 
 whose good opinion I value as one of the chief 
 blessings of life, I need not be ashamed of my 
 work. You are certainly right in your conjee-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 221 
 
 ture, that it will not have a quick sale. Not- 
 withstanding all my endeavours to render it per- 
 spicuous and entertaining, it is still necessary for 
 the person who reads it to think a little ; a task 
 to which every reader will not submit. My sub- 
 ject too is unpopular, and my principles such as 
 a man of the world would blush to acknowledge. 
 How then can my book be popular ! If it refund 
 the expence of its publication, it will do as much 
 as any person, who knows the present state of 
 the literary world, can reasonably expect from 
 it. 
 
 " I am not at all surprised at your notions in 
 regard to liberty and necessity. I have known 
 several persons of the best understanding, and of 
 the best heart, who could not get over the argu- 
 ments in favour of necessity, even though their 
 notions of the absurd and dangerous consequences 
 of fatality were the same with mine. The truth 
 is, I see no possible way of reconciling the fata- 
 lists with the liberty-men, except by supposing 
 human liberty to be a self-evident fact, which, 
 perhaps, the fatalists will never acknowledge, and 
 which the staunch Arminian, who has been long 
 in the practice of arguing the matter, would think 
 a dangerous and unnecessary supposition. My 
 
 4
 
 222 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 own sentiments of this point, t have given fairly 
 and honestly in my book. That I am a free 
 agent, is what I not only believe, but what I 
 judge to be of such importance, that all morality 
 must be founded on it, yea, and all religion too. 
 To vindicate the ways of God to man, is not so 
 difficult a thing Avhen we acknowledge human 
 liberty ; but, on the principles of fatality, it seems 
 to me to be absolutely impossible. 
 
 " I beg you will, from time to time, let me 
 know what you hear of the fate of my book. 
 Every author thinks that his works ought to en- 
 gross every body's attention. I am not such a 
 novice as to have more of this vanity than my 
 neighbours ; yet I think it highly probable, . that 
 my book will be the subject of some conversation, 
 especially about Edinburgh, where Mr Hume is 
 so well known, and where I happen to be not al- 
 together unknown. By the bye, it was extreme- 
 ly well judged not to mention Mr Hume's name, 
 except very slightly, in the two critical articles 
 you wrote. People will do me a great injustice, 
 if they say or think, that my book is written 
 solely against Mr Hume. Yet many, I am con- 
 vinced, will say so ; and, therefore, it was proper
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 223 
 
 to say nothing in those articles that might en- 
 courage such a notion." 
 
 LETTER XXXVIII. 
 
 DR JOHN GREGORY TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Edinburgh, 20th June, 1770. 
 
 u Much woe has your essay wrought me. The 
 hero of the piece is extremely angry, and so are 
 all his friends, who are numerous. As it was 
 known that the manuscript had heen in my 
 hands, I was taken to task for letting it go to 
 the press as it stands. I have openly avowed 
 every where, that I had advised you to publish 
 your essay ; that I thought the reasoning it con- 
 tained both ingenious and solid ; that it was not 
 only written with great perspicuity, but with a 
 spirit and elegance very uncommon on such sub- 
 jects; that the importance of the subject justi- 
 fied sufficiently the warmth with which it was 
 written; that it was no metaphysical disquisi- 
 tion about questions of curiosity, but a defence 
 of principles, on which the peace of society, the 
 virtue of individuals, and the happiness of every
 
 224< LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 one who had either feeling or imagination, de- 
 pended. I wished, at the same time, some par- 
 ticular expressions had been softened ; but denied 
 there being any personal abuse. In one place, you 
 say, " What does the man mean T This, you know, 
 is very contemptuous. In short, the spirit and 
 warmth with which it is written, has got it more 
 friends and more enemies than if it had been writ- 
 ten with that polite and humble deference to Mr 
 Hume's extraordinary abilities, which his friends 
 think so justly his due. For my own part, I am 
 so warm, not to say angry, about this subject, 
 that I cannot entirely trust my own judgment; 
 but I really think, that the tone of superiority 
 assumed by the present race of infidels,, and the 
 contemptuous sneer with which they regard every 
 friend of religion, contrasted with the timid be- 
 haviour of such as should support its cause, act- 
 ing only on the defensive, seems to me to have a 
 very unfavourable influence. It seems to imply 
 a consciousness of truth on the one side, and a 
 secret conviction, or at least diffidence, of the 
 cause, on the other. What a difference from the 
 days of Addison, Arbuthnot, Swift, Pope, &c. 
 who treated infidelity with a scorn and indigna- 
 tion we are now strangers to. I am now per-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 225 
 
 suaded the book will answer beyond your expec- 
 tations. I have recommended it strongly to my 
 friends in England. 
 
 " I am positive in my opinion, that you should 
 publish the first part of the " Minstrel,'' without 
 waiting for the rest." 
 
 Mr Hume tells us, in his life, written by him- 
 self, * that he had formed a fixed resolution, 
 which he inflexibly maintained, never to answer 
 any body. But from what he has been heard to 
 say on the subject of the " Essay on Truth," 
 there is some reason to suppose, that, although 
 he affected to treat the matter in a vein of ironi- 
 cal pleasantry, he did not derive that consolation 
 from Beattie's work, which he pretends to have 
 received | from a pamphlet attributed to Dr 
 
 * Page 9. 
 
 t " In this interval," says Mr Hume, " I published my ' Na- 
 u tural History of Religion/ along with some other small pieces. 
 ** Its public entry was rather obscure, except only that Dr Hurd 
 " wrote a pamphlet against it, with all the illiberal petulance, 
 
 VOL. I. P
 
 22G LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Hurd, the present Bishop of Worcester, against 
 his " History of Natifral Religion." This pamph- 
 let, I believe, the Bishop afterwards disclaimed. 
 
 If, however, Dr Beattie found himself thus at- 
 tacked by one set of men, he derived ample con- 
 solation from the popularity of his book, and the 
 encomiums bestowed upon it by men of a diffe- 
 rent character. Some passages of his letters, at 
 this time, strongly evince this success of his es- 
 say, which, indeed, far exceeded the most san- 
 guine expectations, either of himself or his 
 friends. But no testimony in his favour could 
 convey to him higher gratification, than that 
 which he derived from the following letter of 
 that accomplished scholar and excellent man, the 
 first Lord Lyttelton, to whom Dr Beattie had ta- 
 ken the liberty of presenting a copy of his " Es- 
 say on Truth/' in consequence of his having been 
 mentioned to his lordship by the late Dr Gregory. 
 
 ** arrogance, and scurrility, which distinguished the Warburto- 
 " nian school. Tins pamphlet gave nie some consolation for the. 
 '* otherwise indifferent reception of my performance." Page 1 1.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 227 
 
 LETTER XXXIX. 
 
 LORD LYTTELTON * TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Hill-Street, (London) 6th October, 1770. 
 " That the author of such a work as that you 
 have done me the favour to send me, should en- 
 tertain the opinion you are pleased to express of 
 me and' my writings, is an honour to me, of 
 which I feel the high value. Never did I read 
 any book, in which truths of the greatest Impoiv 
 
 * George, Lord Lyttelton, eldest son of Sir Thomas Lyttelton 
 of Hagley, in Worcestershire, Was early distinguished by his 
 learning, his taste, and his poetical talents, of which he has left 
 many beautiful specimens, but no poem of any extent. Among 
 other pieces, his plaintive Monody, on the death of the first 
 Lady Lyttelton, is familiar to, and admired by, every reader of 
 taste. His works in prose are numerous. His " Persian Let- 
 ters," and his " Dialogues of the Dead," are well known ; but, 
 above all, his valuable " Dissertation on the Conversion and 
 Apostleship of St Paul," is entitled to the highest commendar 
 tion, as a masterly and convincing argument in favour of re- 
 vealed religion. It is a very important fact, which we have on 
 his own authority, that he was originally inclined to scepticism 
 in religious opinions; but, by the effect of study and candid re- 
 flection, he became a decided and a steady believer in revelation. 
 Lord Lyttelton also published an elaborate historical work on 
 " The Age of Henry the Second." The style is void of orna-r
 
 228 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 tance to mankind are more skilfully extricated 
 from the mazes of sophism, or where reason, wit, 
 and eloquence, join their forces more happily, in 
 opposition to errors of the most pernicious na- 
 ture. 
 
 " It has often given me great pain to see Bi- 
 shop Berkeley, a most pious and learned man, 
 overturn the main foundations of all religion and 
 all knowledge, by the most extravagant scepti- 
 cism concerning the real existence of matter, in 
 some of his writings; and then fancy, that in 
 others he could, by any force of argument, esta- 
 blish the evidences of Christianity, which are a 
 
 ment, but the book contains much valuable information, the re- 
 sult of diligent research. In his posthumous works, published 
 by his nephew, are some very curious letters from Lord Lyttel- 
 ton, while abroad, to his father, which set his filial piety in a 
 very striking point of light. 
 
 Lord Lyttelton was distinguished as a speaker in Parliament; 
 and, as a polite scholar and a man of taste, was one of the most 
 accomplished characters of his time. He was the friend of 
 Pope, of Thomson, of Shenstone : And the letter to Dr Beattie, 
 which has given occasion to the introduction of this slight bio- 
 graphical sketch of Lord Lyttelton, shows how strongly that 
 great and good man was pleased to interest himself in the for- 
 tunes of our author, even before their personal acquaintance 
 took place, and when Dr Beattie was merely known to his lord- 
 ship by his writings, and the testimony of their common friend 
 Dr Gregory.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 229 
 
 perpetual appeal to the truth of our senses, and 
 grounded on a supposition, that they cannot de- 
 ceive us in those things which are the proper 
 and natural objects of them, within their due li- 
 mits. Can one wonder, that the sceptics should 
 lay hold of the former in answer to the latter? 
 And can any more useful service be done to 
 Christianity, than to shew the fallacy of such 
 whimsies as would make the body of Christ, 
 which his disciples saw and felt, no body at all? 
 and the proof of his resurrection, from that testi- 
 mony of their senses, a mere delusive idea ? 
 
 " Berkeley certainly was not sensible of the 
 consequences of these doctrines, no more than 
 Locke of those you reprehend in his essay ; but 
 whatever respect may be due to the persons of 
 authors, their writings must be censured, when 
 they deserve censure, and especially on such sub- 
 jects. This the friends of Mr Hume have no 
 more right to complain of, than those of Berke- 
 ley or Locke. Nor can the censure of systems, 
 which attempt to shake the great pillars both of 
 natural and revealed religion, be delivered by a 
 believer, in terms as cool as if onty a speculation 
 on the nature of electricity, or the causes of an 
 aurora borealis, were in question. Mr Hume, as
 
 230 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 a man, from his probity, candour, and the huma- 
 nity of his manners, deserves esteem and respect ; 
 but the more authority he draws from his perso- 
 nal character, or from the merit of his other 
 books, the more care should be taken to prevent 
 the ill impressions which his sceptical writings 
 may make on a number of readers, who^ having 
 been used to admire him, and trust in his judge- 
 ment, are disposed to let him also judge for them 
 in these points, where the being misled must be 
 fatal. 
 
 " Go on, sir, to employ your excellent talents 
 in a cause worthy of them, and stop the progress 
 of that folly, which, assuming the venerable name 
 of philosophy, tends to deprive human nature of 
 the salutary light of its best and clearest know- 
 ledge, and throw it into a dark chaos of doubt 
 and uncertainty. 
 
 " I beg you to present my affectionate com- 
 pliments to good Dr Gregory, whom I have of- 
 ten been obliged to on many accounts, but never 
 more than for the favour of procuring me your 
 friendship, which I shall endeavour to cultivate 
 by the best returns in my power."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 231 
 
 The following letter to Mrs Inglis, * at Edin- 
 burgh, is truly valuable, as it contains Dr Beat- 
 tie's sentiments on the important question, which 
 has been so much agitated, whether a public or 
 a private education for boys is to be preferred. 
 
 LETTER XL. 
 
 OR BEATTIE TO MRS INGLIS. 
 
 Aberdeen, 24th December, 1770. 
 " While I lived in your neighbourhood, I often 
 wished for an opportunity of giving you my opinion 
 on a subject, in which I know you are very deep- 
 ly interested ; but one incident or other always 
 put it out of my power. That subject is the edu- 
 cation of your son, whom, if I mistake not, it is 
 
 * Daughter of Colonel Gardiner, by Lady Frances Stuart, 
 daughter of an Earl of Buchan. He was killed at the battle of 
 Prestonpans, in Scotland, in Sejatember, 1745, fighting at the 
 head of his regiment of dragoons.
 
 232 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 now high time to send to some public place of 
 education. I have thought much on this subject ; 
 I have weighed every argument, that I could 
 think of, on either side of the question. Much, 
 you know, has been written upon it; and very 
 plausible arguments have been offered, both for 
 and against a public education. I set not much 
 value upon these ; speculating men are continual- 
 ly disputing, and the world is seldom the wiser. 
 I have some little experience in this way ; I have 
 no hypothesis to mislead me ; and the opinion or 
 prejudice which I first formed upon the subject, 
 was directly contrary to that, which experience 
 has now taught me to entertain. 
 
 " Could mankind lead their lives in that soli- 
 tude which is so favourable to many of our most 
 virtuous affections, I should be clearly on the side 
 of a private education. But most of us, when 
 we go out into the world, find difficulties in our 
 way, which good principles and innocence alone 
 will not qualify us to encounter ; we must have 
 some address and knowledge of the world diffe- 
 rent from what is to be learned in books, or we 
 shall soon be puzzled, disheartened, or disgusted. 
 The foundation of this knowledge is laid in the 
 intercourse of school-boys, or at least of young
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT IE. 233 
 
 men of the same age. When a boy is always un- 
 der the direction of a parent or tutor, he acquires 
 such a habit of looking up to them for advice, 
 that he never learns to think or act for himself; 
 his memory is exercised, indeed, in retaining their 
 advice, but his invention is suffered to languish, 
 till at last it becomes totally inactive. He knows, 
 perhaps, a great deal of history or science, but he 
 knows not how to conduct himself on those ever- 
 changing emergencies, which are too minute and 
 too numerous to be comprehended in any system 
 of advice. He is astonished at the most common 
 appearances, and discouraged with the most trif- 
 ling (because unexpected) obstacles; ana! he is 
 often at his wits end, where a boy of much less 
 knowledge, but more experience, would instant- 
 ly devise a thousand expedients. Conscious of 
 his own superiority in some things, he wonders 
 to find himself so much inferior in others ; his va- 
 nity meets with continual rubs and disappoint- 
 ments, and disappointed vanity is very apt to de- 
 generate into sullenness and pride. He despises, 
 or affects to despise, his fellows, because, though 
 superior in address, they are inferior in know- 
 ledge ; and they, in their turn, despise that know- 
 ledge, which cannot teach the owner how to be-
 
 234 LIFE OF DR BEATtf IE. 
 
 have on the most common occasions. Thus he 
 keeps at a distance from his equals, and they at a 
 distance from him ; and mutual contempt is the 
 natural consequence. 
 
 " Another inconvenience, attending private 
 education, is the suppressing of the principle of 
 emulation, without which, it rarely happens that 
 a boy prosecutes his studies with alacrity or 
 success. I have heard private tutors complain, 
 that they were obliged to have recourse to flat- 
 tery or bribery to engage the attention of their 
 pupil; and I need not observe, how improper 
 it is to set the example of such practices be- 
 fore children. True emulation, especially in 
 young and ingenuous minds, is a noble principle ; 
 I have known the happiest effects produced by 
 it ; I never knew it to be productive of any vice. 
 In all public schools, it is, or ought to be, care- 
 fully cherished. Where it is wanting, in vain 
 shall we preach up to children the dignity and 
 utility of knowledge : the true appetite for know- 
 ledge is wanting; and, when that is the case, 
 whatever is crammed into the memory will ra- 
 ther surfeit and enfeeble, than improve the under- 
 standing. 1 do not mention the pleasure which 
 young people take in the company of one ano-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTtE. 235 
 
 ther, and what a pity it is to deprive them of it. 
 I need not remark, that friendships of the ut- 
 most stability and importance have often been 
 founded on school-acquaintance ; nor need I put 
 you in mind, of what vast consequence to health 
 are the exercises and amusements which boys 
 contrive for themselves. I shall only observe 
 further, that, when boys pursue their studies at 
 home, they are apt to contract either a habit of 
 idleness, or too close an attachment to reading; 
 the former breeds innumerable diseases, both in 
 the body and soul ; the latter, by filling young 
 and tender minds with more knowledge than 
 they can either retain or arrange properly, is apt 
 to make them superficial and inattentive, or, what 
 is worse, to strain, and consequently impair, the 
 faculties, by over-stretching them. I have known 
 several instances of both. The human mind is 
 more improved by thoroughly understanding one 
 science, one part of a science, or even one sub- 
 ject, than by a superficial knowledge of twenty 
 sciences and a hundred different subjects ; and I 
 would rather wish my son to be thoroughly mas- 
 ter of " Euclid's Elements," than to have the 
 whole of " Chambers' Dictionary" by heart.
 
 236 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 " The great inconvenience of public education 
 arises from its being dangerous to morals ; and, 
 indeed, every condition and period of human life 
 is liable to temptation. Nor will I deny, that 
 our innocence, during the first part of life, is 
 much more secure at home, than any where else ; 
 yet even at home, when we reach a certain age, 
 it is not perfectly secure. Let young men be 
 kept at the greatest distance from bad company, 
 it will not be easy to keep them from bad books, 
 to which, in these days, all persons may have 
 easy access at all times. Let us, however, sup- 
 pose the best ; that both bad books and bad com- 
 pany keep away, and that the young man never 
 leaves his parents' or tutor's side, till his mind be 
 well furnished with good principles, and himself 
 arrived at the age of reflection and caution : yet 
 temptations must come at last ; and when they 
 come, will they have the less strength, because 
 they are new, unexpected, and surprising ? I fear 
 not. The more the young man is surprised, the 
 more apt will he be to lose his presence of mind, 
 and consequently the less capable of self-govern- 
 ment. Besides, if his passions are strong, he will 
 be disposed to form comparisons between his past 
 state of restraint and his present of liberty, very
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 237 
 
 much to the disadvantage of the former. His 
 new associates will laugh at him for his reserve 
 and preciseness; and his unacquaintance with 
 their manners, and with the world, as it will ren- 
 der him the more obnoxious to their ridicule, will 
 also disqualify him the more, both for supporting 
 it with dignity, and also for defending himself 
 against it. Suppose him to be shocked with vice 
 at its first appearance, and often to call to mind 
 the good precepts he received in his early days ; 
 yet when he sees others daily adventuring upon 
 it without any apparent inconvenience ; when he 
 sees them more gay, (to appearance,) and better 
 received among all their acquaintance than he 
 is; and when he finds himself hooted at, and in 
 a manner avoided and despised, on account of 
 his singularity, it is a wonder, indeed, if he per- 
 sist in his first resolutions, and do not now at 
 last begin to think, that though his former teach- 
 ers were well meaning people, they were by no 
 means qualified to prescribe rules for his conduct. 
 " The world," he will say, " is changed since 
 " their time, (and you will not easily persuade 
 " young people that it changes for the worse :) 
 " we must comply with the fashion, and live like 
 " other folks, otherwise we must give up all 
 
 7
 
 S2S8 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 " hopes of makipg a figure in it." And when he 
 has got thus far, and begins to despise the opi- 
 nions of his instructors, and to be dissatisfied 
 with their conduct in regard to him, I need not 
 add, that the worst consequences may not unrea- 
 sonably be apprehended. A young man, kept 
 by himself at home, is never well known, even 
 by his parents; because he is never placed in 
 those circumstances which alone are able effec- 
 tually to rouse and interest his passions, and con- 
 sequently to make his character appear. His pa- 
 rents, therefore, or tutors, never know his weak 
 side, nor what particular advices or cautions he 
 stands most in need of; whereas, if he had at- 
 tended a public school, and mingled in the amuse- 
 ments and pursuits of his equals, his virtues and 
 his vices would have been disclosing themselves 
 every day ; and his teachers would have known 
 what particular precepts and examples it was 
 most expedient to inculcate upon him. Com- 
 pare those who have had a public education with 
 those who have been educated at home ; and it 
 will not be found, in fact, that the latter are, ei- 
 ther in virtue or in talents, superior to the for- 
 mer. I speak, Madam, from observation of fact,
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 239 
 
 as well as from attending to the nature of the 
 thing." j 
 
 So rapid was the sale of the " Essay on Truth," 
 that a second edition was published early in the 
 year 1771. In this edition he made several cor- 
 rections and improvements ; and he subjoined a 
 postscript, (he meant it at first for a preface,) the 
 rough draught of which he was pleased to submit 
 to the judgment of Dr Gregory, Mr Arbuthnot, 
 and me. He mentions this in the following letr 
 ter. 
 
 LETTER XLI. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO SIR WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 Aberdeen, 28th January, 1771. 
 
 " In preparing corrections and a preface for 
 
 the second edition of my essay, I have laboured 
 
 so hard these two months, that I had time to 
 
 think of nothing else. The former were finished
 
 240 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 three weeks ago ; and of the latter I have sent 
 you, with this, a complete copy. I must beg of 
 you, and Dr Gregory, and Mr Arbuthnot, to set 
 apart an hour or two, as soon as possible, to re- 
 vise this discourse, and mark what you would 
 wish to be changed or altered ; for I will be en- 
 tirely determined by your judgment and theirs ; 
 and I do not propose to consult, on the present 
 occasion, with any other persons. I beg you will 
 be very free in your censures, as I would not 
 wish to say any thing exceptionable ; at the same 
 time, you will see, by the strain of the whole, that 
 I want to express some things as clearly and 
 strongly as possible, and to show that my zeal is 
 not in the least abated. The printing of the se- 
 cond edition goes briskly on." 
 
 His three friends, to whom he had thus com- 
 mitted the important trust of judging of the style 
 and execution of his postscript, could not but re- 
 mark, that the warmth of his zeal in the cause of 
 truth, and his desire to vindicate himself from 
 some attacks which had been made upon him, as
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 241 
 
 lie conceived most unjustly, had led him to ex- 
 press himself, in some instances, with a degree of 
 acrimony which they thought had better be cor- 
 rected. And they did not scruple to state to 
 him their sentiments on this head, with the free- 
 dom which friendship permitted, and which the 
 trust, he had done them the honour to repose in 
 them, fully demanded. With what candour, with 
 what kindness, Dr Beattie received their obser- 
 vations on this intended addition to his essay, 
 will appear from the following letter. 
 
 LETTER XLII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO ROBERT ARBUTHNOT, ESQ. 
 
 Aberdeen, 12th February, 1771. 
 " It is not in your power, my dear sir, or Sir 
 William Forbes's, or Dr Gregory's, to offend me 
 on any occasion. Your remonstrances, on the 
 present occasion, against my preface, are so far 
 from offending me, that I consider them as a 
 most striking instance of the sincerest friend- 
 ship ; and as such, I should receive from them a 
 great deal of pleasure, unmixed with any pain, if 
 
 VOL. I. ft
 
 242 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 
 
 it were not for the trouble and uneasiness which 
 I know you must have felt on my account. I 
 am distressed, too, at the thought of having ta- 
 ken up so much of your time ; Dr Gregory, in 
 particular, has too much cause to complain of me 
 in this respect. As I well know the value of his 
 time, you will readily believe that I cannot be 
 entirely at ease, when I reflect on my having 
 been the cause of his writing a letter of twelve 
 quarto pages. All I can say for myself, is, that 
 I did not intend to give my friends so much 
 trouble ; for, though I sent them my preface as I 
 first wrote it, with all its imperfections on its head, 
 and though I knew they would object to several 
 passages in it, I never expected nor wished them 
 to do more than just to mark the exceptionable 
 parts with their pen, which would have fully sa- 
 tisfied me, as I had determined to follow their 
 advice implicitly in every thing. 
 
 " I hope I have, in my introduction, done jus- 
 tice to Mr Hume as a man, and as a historian : I 
 certainly meant it at least. I have finished a 
 draught of a new preface, (postscript I shall 
 henceforth call it ;) it will be sent to Sir William 
 Forbes when finished. You must once more 
 take the trouble to read it over ; I hope you will
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 243 
 
 find nothing to blame in it, for I struck out or 
 altered every thing that Dr Gregory marked or 
 objected to, and many things besides. But lest 
 there should still be any thing wrong, I will in- 
 vest my friends with a dictatorial power to ex- 
 punge every thing they do not like." 
 
 In the following letter, Dr Gregory has placed 
 in the most proper point of view, the accusation 
 brought by the friends of Mr Hume against Dr 
 Beattie, of having, in his " Essay on Truth," 
 treated the principles of the sceptical philosophy 
 with too much asperity.
 
 
 244 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER XLIII. 
 
 DR JOHN GREGORY TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Edinburgh, 26th November, 1 77 1. 
 " I have no objection to your marginal note.* 
 But I think the reason of the warmth with which 
 you write should be strongly pointed out, and as 
 concisely as possible. It has been said here, that 
 you had written with great heat and asperity 
 against Mr Hume, because you differed from him 
 about some metaphysical subtleties, of no mate- 
 rial consequence to mankind. This is alleged by 
 those who never read your book, and seem never 
 to have read Mr Hume's. You write with warmth 
 against him, because he has endeavoured to inva- 
 lidate every argument brought to prove the ex- 
 istence of a Supreme Being ; because he has en- 
 deavoured to invalidate every argument in fa- 
 vour of a future state of existence ; and because 
 
 * What the note here alluded to was, does not appear. It 
 was probably some marginal note on the MS. of his postscript, 
 then under consideration.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 245 
 
 he has endeavoured to destroy the distinction 
 between moral good and evil. You do not treat 
 him with severity, because he is a bad metaphy- 
 sician, but because he has expressly applied his 
 metaphysics to the above unworthy purposes. If 
 he has not been guilty of this ; if these are only 
 conclusions, which you yourself draw, by impli- 
 cation, from his writings, but conclusions which 
 he himself disavows, then you are in the wrong ; 
 you ought to ask pardon of him, and of the pub- 
 lic, for your mistaken zeal. But I have never 
 heard that he, or any of his friends, have pre- 
 tended, that you do him injustice in these re- 
 spects. After all, I wish, for the future, that you 
 would rather employ your wit and humour, of 
 which you have so large a share, against these 
 people, in the way that Addison, Pope, Swift, 
 and Arbuthnot did. It would mortify them be- 
 yond any thing that can be said against them in 
 the way of reasoning."
 
 240* LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Very soon after the publication of the second 
 edition of the " Essay on Truth," Dr Beattie pub- 
 lished the first canto of " The Minstrel." It was 
 printed without his name, because, as he said, 
 it was an imperfect sketch, being only a first 
 part. * 
 
 The very great number of editions through 
 which this beautiful poem has passed, is a deci- 
 sive proof of its merit. It is, indeed, in the hands 
 of every reader of taste, and is therefore so uni- 
 versally known and admired, that it is scarcely 
 necessary to say any thing farther in its com- 
 mendation. The author tells us, in an advertise- 
 ment prefixed to the first canto, that he took the 
 idea of this poem originally from Dr Percy's (the 
 Bishop of Dromore) " Essay on the English Min- 
 strelsy," prefixed to the first volume of " Reliques 
 of Ancient English Poetry," published in the year 
 
 * The second canto was published, together with a new edi- 
 tion of the first, in the year 1774, and with the addition of his 
 name.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 247 
 
 1765. His design, he says, was to trace the pro- 
 gress of a poetical genius, born in a rude age, 
 from the first dawning of fancy and reason, till 
 that period at which he may be supposed capable 
 of appearing in the world as " a Minstrel," that 
 is, as an itinerant poet and musician a character 
 which, according to the notions of our forefathers, 
 was not only respectable, but sacred.* 
 
 He has endeavoured, he adds, to imitate Spen- 
 ser in the measure of his verse, and in the har- 
 mony, simplicity, and variety of his composition. 
 Antiquated expressions he has avoided; admit- 
 ting, however, some old words, where they seem- 
 ed to suit the subject : but none, he hopes, will 
 be found that are now obsolete, or in any degree 
 not intelligible to a reader of English poetry. 
 
 To those who may be disposed to ask, what 
 could induce him to write in so difficult a mea- 
 sure, he says, he can only answer, that it pleased 
 his ear, and seemed, from its Gothic structure 
 and original, to bear some relation to the subject 
 and spirit of the poem. It admits both simpli- 
 city and magnificence of sound and language, 
 beyond any other stanza that he was acquainted 
 
 * Preface to the Minstrel, ed. 1771.
 
 248 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 with. It allows the sententiousness of the coup- 
 let, as well as the more complex modulation of 
 blank verse. What some critics have remarked 
 of its uniformity growing at last tiresome to the 
 ear, will be found to hold true, only when the 
 poetry is faulty in other respects.* 
 
 Of all Dr Beattie's poetical works, " The Min- 
 strel" is, beyond all question, the best, whether 
 we consider the plan or the execution. The lan- 
 guage is extremely elegant, the versification har- 
 monious ; it exhibits the richest poetic imagery, 
 with a delightful flow of the most sublime, deli- 
 cate, and pathetic sentiment. It breathes the 
 spirit of the purest virtue, the soundest philoso- 
 phy, and the most exquisite taste. In a word, it is 
 at once highly conceived, and admirably finished. 
 
 The success of " The Minstrel" was equal to 
 the warmest wishes of the author and his friends. 
 It was received well by the public, and it met 
 with much and just commendation from some of 
 the best judges of poetical composition in the 
 island. Of these, the highest praise Dr Beattie's 
 " Minstrel" ever received, was from the first 
 Lord Lyttelton, in a letter from that excellent 
 
 * Preface to the Minstrel, ed. 1771.
 
 LIFE OF DR. BEATTIE. 249 
 
 man and elegant critic, to Mrs Montagu, who 
 had put " The Minstrel" into his hands on the 
 publication of the first canto. 
 
 LETTER XLIV. 
 
 LORD LYTTELTON TO MRS MONTAGU. 
 
 Hill-Street, 8th March, 1771. 
 " I read your ' Minstrel' last night, with as 
 much rapture as poetry, in her noblest, sweetest 
 charms, ever raised in my soul. It seemed to 
 me, that my once most beloved minstrel, Thom- 
 son, was come down from heaven, refined by the 
 converse of purer spirits than those he lived with 
 here, to let me hear him sing again the beauties 
 of nature, and the finest feelings of virtue, not 
 with human, but with angelic strains ! I beg you 
 to express my gratitude to the poet for the plea- 
 sure he has given me. Your eloquence alone can 
 do justice to my sense of his admirable genius, 
 and the excellent use he makes of it. Would it 
 were in my power to do him any service !"
 
 250 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 The letter from the friend to whom I owe the 
 communication of this valuable manuscript of 
 Lord Lyttelton's, contains an observation on it 
 so extremely just, that I cannot resist the desire 
 of transcribing it here. 
 
 " I am very happy," says my friend, * " to be 
 " able to send Lord Lyttelton's letter on the sub- 
 " ject of ' The Minstrel.' It was written upon 
 " his first perusal of the first canto, and to a per- 
 " son to whom his heart was open. It is very 
 " seldom that the world can see so near the first 
 " impression of a work of genius on a cultivated 
 " mind ; and I do not know any thing that Lord 
 " Lyttelton has written, that so strongly marks 
 " the sensibility and purity of his taste. The al- 
 
 * The Reverend Mr Alison, rector of Rodington, and vicar 
 of High Ercal, and prebendary of Salisbury, whose elegant and 
 classical " Essays on the Nature and Principles of Taste," give 
 us cause to regret that he does not write more. I have had the 
 happiness, many years, of the intimate acquaintance and friend- 
 ship of Mr Alison.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 251 
 
 " lusion to Thomson is singularly affecting, and 
 " constitutes the finest praise that ever was be- 
 " stowed on a poet." 
 
 This letter of Lord Lyttelton's, Mrs Montagu 
 transmitted to the late Dr Gregory ; well know- 
 ing how much he would be gratified by such em- 
 phatic praise of his friend Dr Beattie, from so ex- 
 quisite a judge of poetic merit as Lord Lyttelton. 
 
 Mrs Montagu's own letter contains some valu- 
 able strictures on poetical composition in general, 
 which, I think, the reader will thank me for in- 
 serting here. 
 
 LETTER XLV. 
 
 MRS MONTAGU TO DR JOHN GREGORV. 
 
 London, 13th March, 1771. 
 
 " I keep as much out of the whirling vortex of 
 the world as I can. Sometimes I am caught up 
 for a day, but settle into tranquillity the next. I 
 am charmed with " The Minstrel," and have cir- 
 culated its fame. I have enclosed a note, by which 
 
 you will see how much it pleased Lord Lyttel- 
 l
 
 252 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 ton. I have sent one into the country to Lord 
 Chatham ; and I wrote immediately to a person 
 who serves many gentlemen and ladies with new 
 books, to recommend it to all people of taste. I 
 am very sorry the second edition of Dr Beattie's 
 book is not yet in town. I have recommended 
 it, too, to many of our bishops, and others ; but 
 all have complained this whole winter, that the 
 booksellers deny having any of either the first 
 or second edition. I wish you would intimate 
 this to Dr Beattie. I dare say many hundreds 
 would have been sold, if people could have got 
 them. I would advise, that the book and poem 
 might be frequently advertised. I recommended 
 the poem this morning to Dr Percy,* who was 
 much pleased to hear that Dr Beattie had so 
 kindly mentioned him. I admire all the poet 
 tells us of the infancy of the bard ; but I should 
 not have been so well satisfied, if he had not in- 
 tended to give us the history of his life. Gene- 
 ral reflections, natural sentiments, representations 
 of the passions, are things addressed to the un- 
 
 * The present Lord Bishop of Dromore, editor of " Reliques 
 of Ancient English Poetry," which first suggested to Dr Beattie 
 the idea of The Minstrel."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 253 
 
 derstanding. A poet should aim at touching the 
 heart. Strong sympathies are to be excited, and 
 deep impressions only to be made, by interesting 
 us for an individual ; and the poet, who is a ma- 
 ker, as well as a tailor is, 
 
 For real Kate should make the boddice, 
 And not for an ideal goddess. 
 
 I am sure the reason why few, even among the 
 lovers of belles lettres, can bear to read Spenser, 
 is, that they cannot sympathise with imaginary 
 beings. Our esteem of Sir Guyon, our love of 
 Sir Calidore, our veneration for Arthur, is faint 
 and uncertain. We are not convinced of their 
 existence, nor acquainted with their general cha- 
 racters and conditions ; all the sympathies with 
 creatures of our own nature and condition are 
 wanting. I assure you, every one is charmed 
 with " The Minstrel." 
 
 At the same time, and of the same date with 
 this excellent letter of Lord Lyttel ton's, Dr Beat- 
 tie received one from Mr Gray, with a very mi-
 
 254 LIFE OF DE BEATTIE. 
 
 nute and copious criticism on the first canto of 
 " The Minstrel," which I shall insert here. I 
 have also, in my possession, a paper, in Dr Beat- 
 tie's hand-writing, containing his own remarks 
 on those criticisms of Mr Gray's. It is curious, 
 as well as instructive, and it must afford pleasure 
 to every reader of classical taste, to compare the 
 remarks and observations of two poets of such 
 real genius, on this beautiful poem. I shall, there- 
 fore, give Mr Gray's letter in the text, and shall 
 subjoin, by way of notes, Dr Beattie's remarks on 
 Mr Gray's observations. 
 
 LETTER XLVI. 
 
 MR GRAY TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Cambridge, 8th March, 1771. 
 " The ' Minstrel' came safe to my hands, and 
 I return you my sincere thanks for so acceptable 
 a present. In return, I shall give you my undis- 
 guised opinion of him, as he proceeds, without 
 considering to whom he owes his birth, and 
 sometimes without specifying my reasons ; either
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 955 
 
 because they would lead me too far, or because I 
 may not always know what they are myself. 
 
 " I think we should wholly adopt the language 
 of Spenser's time, or wholly renounce it. You 
 say, you have done the latter ; but, in effect, you 
 retain fared, forth, meed, wight, ween, gaude, shene, 
 iui sooth, aye, eschew, &c. : obsolete words, at least 
 in these parts of the island, and only known to 
 those that read our ancient authors, or such as 
 imitate them. * 
 
 " St. 2. v. 5. The obstreperous trump of fame 
 hurts my ear, though meant to express a jarring 
 sound. 
 
 " St. 3. v. 6. A fid from his bending, Sec. the 
 grammar seems deficient : yet as the mind easily 
 fills up the ellipsis, perhaps it is an atticism, and 
 not inelegant. 
 
 " St. 4. and ult. Pensions, posts, and praise. I 
 cannot reconcile myself to this, nor to the whole 
 
 * To fare, i. e. to go, says Dr Beattie, is used in Pope's 
 " Odyssey," and so is meed ; wight (in a serious sense) is used 
 by Milton and Dryden. Ween is used by Milton; gaude by 
 Dryden ; shene by Milton ; eschew by Atterbury ; aye by Mil- 
 ton. The poetical style in every nation (where there is a poe- 
 tical style) abounds in old words.
 
 25(5 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 following stanza ; especially the plaister of thy 
 hair. * 
 
 " Surely the female heart, &c. St. 6. The 
 thought is not just. We cannot justify the sex 
 from the conduct of the Muses, who are only fe- 
 males by the help of Greek mythology ; and then, 
 again, how should they bow the knee in the fane 
 of a Hebrew or Philistine devil ? Besides, I am 
 the more severe, because it serves to introduce 
 what I most admire, f 
 
 " St. 7- Rise, sons of harmony, Sec. This is 
 charming ; the thought and the expression. I 
 will not be so hypercritical as to add, but it is 
 lyrical, and therefore belongs to a different species 
 of poetry. Rules are but chains, good for little, 
 except when one can break through them ; and 
 what is fine gives me so much pleasure, that I ne- 
 ver regard what place it is in. 
 
 " St. 8, 9, 10. All this thought is well and 
 freely handled, particularly, Here peaceful are the 
 
 * I did not intend a poem uniformly epical and solemn ; but 
 one rather that might be lyrical, or even satirical, upon occa- 
 sion. 
 
 f I meant here an ironical argument. Perhaps, however, 
 the irony is wrong placed. Mammon has now come to signify 
 wealth or riches, without any regard to its original meaning.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 257 
 
 vales, &c. Know thine own worthy &c. Canst thou 
 forego, &c. 
 
 " St. 11. O, how canst thou renounce, &c. But 
 this, of all others, is my favourite stanza. It is 
 true poetry ; it is inspiration ; only (to show it is 
 mortal) there is one blemish ; the word garniture 
 suggesting an idea of dress, and, what is worse, 
 of French dress. * 
 
 "St. 12. Very well. Prompting tli ungenerous 
 wish, &c. But do not say rambling muse; wander- 
 ing, or devious, if you please, f 
 
 " St. 13. A nation farri'd, &c. I like this com- 
 pliment to your country ; the simplicity, too, of 
 the following narrative ; only in st. 17. the words 
 artless and simple are too synonymous to come so 
 near each other. 
 
 " St. 18. And yet poor Edwin, &c. This is all 
 excellent, and comes very near the level of st. 11. 
 in my esteem ; only, perhaps, And some believed 
 him mad, falls a little too flat, and rather below 
 simplicity. 
 
 "St, 21. Ah, no! By the way, this sort of in- 
 
 * I have often wished to alter this same word, but have not 
 yet been able to hit upon a better. 
 
 J- Wandering happens to be in the last line of the next stan- 
 za save one, otherwise it would certainly have been here. 
 
 VOL. I. R
 
 258 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 terjection is rather too frequent with you, and 
 will grow characteristic, if you do not avoid it. 
 
 " In that part of the poem which you sent me 
 before, you have altered several little particulars 
 much for the better. * 
 
 " St. 34. I believe I took notice before of this 
 excess of alliteration. Long, loaded, loud, lament, 
 lonely, lighted, lingering, listening; though the 
 verses are otherwise very good, it looks like af- 
 fectation, f 
 
 " St. 36, 37, 38. Sure you go too far in length- 
 ening a stroke of Edwin's character and disposi- 
 tion into a direct narrative, as of a fact. In the 
 mean time, the poem stands still, and the reader 
 grows impatient. Do you not, in general, in- 
 dulge a little too much in description and reflec- 
 tion ? This is not my remark only, I have heard 
 
 * I had sent Mr Gray from st. 23. to st. 39. by way of spe- 
 cimen. 
 
 f It does so, and yet it is not affected. I have endeavoured 
 once and again to clear this passage of those obnoxious letters, 
 but I never could please myself. Alliteration has great autho- 
 rities on its side, but I would never seek for it ; nay, except on 
 some very particular occasions, I would rather avoid it. When 
 Mr Gray, once before, told me of my propensity to alliteration, 
 I repeated to him one of his own lines, which is indeed one of 
 the finest in poetry 
 
 Nor cast one longing lingering look behind. 
 3
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 259 
 
 it observed by others; and I take notice of it 
 here, because these are among the stanzas that 
 might be spared ; they are good, nevertheless, 
 and might be laid by, and employed elsewhere to 
 advantage. * 
 
 " St. 42. Spite of what I have just now said, 
 this digression pleases me so well, that I cannot 
 spare it. 
 
 " St. 46\ v. ult. The infuriate flood. I would 
 not make new words without great necessity ; it 
 is very hazardous at best, f 
 
 " St. 49, 50, 51, 52. All this is very good ; but 
 medium and incongruous, being words of art, lose 
 their dignity in my eyes, and savour too much of 
 prose. I would have read the last line ' Pre- 
 sumptuous child of dust, be humble and be wise.' 
 But, on second thoughts, perhaps ' For thou art 
 
 * This remark is perfectly just. All I can say is, that I 
 meant, from the beginning, to take some latitude in the compo- 
 sition of this poem, and not confine myself to the epical rules 
 for narrative. In an epic poem these digressions, and reflec- 
 tions, &c. would be unpardonable. 
 
 f I would as soon make new coin, as knowingly make a new 
 word, except I were to invent any art or science where they 
 would be necessary. Infuriate is used by Thomson Summer, 
 1096; and, which is much better authority, by Milton Par. 
 Lost, book vi. v. 487.
 
 260 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 
 
 but qfdusf is better and more solemn, from its 
 simplicity. 
 
 " St. 53. Where dark, &c. You return again to 
 the charge. Had you not said enough before ? * 
 
 " St. 54. Nor was this ancient dame, &c. Con- 
 sider, she has not been mentioned for these six 
 stanzas backward. 
 
 " St. 56. v. 5. The vernal day. With us it rare- 
 ly thunders in the spring, but in the summer fre- 
 quently, f 
 
 " St. 57, 58. Very pleasing, and has much the 
 rhythm and expression of Milton in his youth. 
 The last four lines strike me less by far. 
 
 " St. 59. The first five lines charming. Might 
 not the mind of your conqueror be checked and 
 softened in the mid-career of his successes by 
 some domestic misfortune, (introduced by way of 
 episode, interesting and new, but not too longj) 
 that Edwin's music and its triumphs may be a 
 little prepared, and more consistent with proba- 
 bility ? x 
 
 * What I said before referred only to sophists perverting the 
 truth ; this alludes to the method by which they pervert it. 
 
 f It sometimes thunders in the latter part of spring. Sultiy 
 day would be an improvement perhaps. 
 
 t This is an excellent hint; it refers to something 1 had been
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 26 1 
 
 u I am happy to hear of your successes in ano- 
 ther way, because I think you are serving the 
 cause of human nature, and the true interests of 
 mankind. Your book is read here too, and with 
 just applause."* 
 
 It is also a matter of some curiosity to compare 
 the first with the second edition of the same can- 
 to of the " Minstrel," in order to see where Dr 
 Beattie has followed Mr Gray's opinion, and 
 where he has adhered to his own. In order to 
 save the reader the trouble of making this com- 
 parison, I have subjoined it in the Appendix, f 
 
 The want of incident in the " Minstrel" has 
 often been regretted ; and all that can be said, 
 in excuse for the deficiency, is, that the poem, as 
 we now have it, is unfinished. On my once ask- 
 
 saying in my last letter to Mr Gray, respecting the plan of 
 what remains of the " Minstrel." 
 
 * Mr Gray has been very particular. I am greatly obliged 
 to him for the freedom of his remarks, and think myself as 
 much so for his objections as for his commendations. 
 
 t See Appendix, [T.]
 
 26*2 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 ing Dr Beattie, in what manner he had intended 
 to employ his " Minstrel," had he completed his 
 original design, of extending the poem to a third 
 eanto, he said, he proposed to have introduced a 
 foreign enemy as invading his country, in conse- 
 quence of which the " Minstrel" was to employ 
 himself in rousing his countrymen to arms. * It 
 is easy to see how interesting such a plan must 
 have become in the hands of such a poet as Dr 
 Beattie. 
 
 In the first edition, this poem was dedicated to 
 a male friend, although the name be left blank, f 
 In the second edition, Mrs Montagu's name was 
 inserted in the concluding stanza. 
 
 It is somewhat remarkable, that, although, in 
 deference to Mr Gray's opinion, Dr Beattie has 
 made some alterations in the second edition, 
 which must readily be allowed to be extremely 
 judicious, yet he has not, I think, made a single 
 alteration in the first canto, except where sug- 
 gested by Mr Gray. And in the second canto 
 he has changed nothing, except mild for wild$ 
 
 * He hints at this plan, in a letter to Dr Blacklock, p. 131. 
 
 f Our common friend, Mr Arbuthnot. 
 
 t Which, probably, had been merely a typographical error.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 263 
 
 in the 6th stanza, and inserting the 34th, which 
 was not in the first edition of that canto. 
 
 Mr Gray died a few months after writing this 
 letter, consequently before the publication of the 
 second canto, which may be justly matter of re- 
 gtet, as his criticisms might have improved it, as 
 well as the former. 
 
 Those who read the " Minstrel," on its first ap- 
 pearance, and were acquainted, either personally, 
 or by report, with the genius and character of 
 the author, were instantly led to believe, that, in 
 his description of Edwin, he had it in view to give 
 his own portrait. A letter which he wrote to the 
 Dowager Lady Forbes, in answer to one from 
 her, in which this idea had been suggested, con- 
 firmed the opinion. As this letter contains also 
 some striking sentiments on poetical composi- 
 tion, it must be very interesting to every reader 
 of taste.
 
 264 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER XLVII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE 
 DOWAGER LADY FORBES. * 
 
 Aberdeen, 12th October, 1772. 
 
 " I wish the merit of the ' Minstrel' were such 
 as would justify all the kind things you have said 
 of it. That it has merit every body would think 
 me a hypocrite if I were to deny ; I am willing 
 to believe that it has even considerable merit ; 
 and I acknowledge, with much gratitude, that it 
 has obtained from the public a reception far more 
 favourable than I expected. There are in it ma- 
 ny passages, no doubt, which I admire more than 
 others do ; and perhaps there are some passages 
 which others are more struck with than I am. 
 In all poetry, this, I believe, is the case, more or 
 less ; but it is much more the case in poems of a 
 sentimental cast, such as the ' Minstrel' is, than 
 in those of the narrative species. In epic and 
 dramatic poesy there is a standard acknowledged, 
 
 * Mrs Dorothea Dale, widow of the Right Hon. William 
 Lord Forbes.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 26*5 
 
 by which we may estimate the merit of the piece ; 
 whether the narrative be probable, and the cha- 
 racters well drawn and well preserved ; whether 
 all the events be conducive to the catastrophe ; 
 whether the action is unfolded in such a way as 
 to command perpetual attention, and undimi- 
 nished curiosity these are points of which, in 
 reading an epic poem, or tragedy, every reader 
 possessed of good sense, or tolerable knowledge 
 of the art, may hold himself to be a competent 
 judge. Common life, and the general tenor of 
 human affairs, is the standard to which these 
 points may be referred, and according to which 
 they may be estimated. But of sentimental poe- 
 try, (if I may use the expression,) there is no ex- 
 ternal standard. By it the heart of the reader 
 must be touched at once, or it cannot be touched 
 at all. Here the knowledge of critical rules, and 
 a general acquaintance of human affairs, will not 
 form a true critic ; sensibility, and a lively ima- 
 gination, are the qualities which alone constitute 
 a true taste for sentimental poetry. Again, your 
 ladyship must have observed, that some senti- 
 ments are common to all men ; others peculiar to 
 persons of a certain character. Of the former 
 sort are those which Gray has so elegantly ex-
 
 %66 LIFE OF DU BEATTIE. 
 
 pressed in his * Church-yard Elegy,' a poem which 
 is universally understood and admired, not only 
 for its poetical beauties, but also, and perhaps 
 chiefly, for its expressing sentiments in which 
 every man thinks himself interested, and which, 
 at certain times, are familiar to all men. Now 
 the sentiments, expressed in the ' Minstrel,' be- 
 ing not common to all men, but peculiar to per- 
 sons of a certain cast, cannot possibly be interest- 
 ing, because the generality of readers will not 
 understand nor feel them so thoroughly as to 
 think them natural. That a boy should take 
 pleasure in darkness or a storm, in the noise of 
 thunder, or the glare of lightning ; should be 
 more gratified with listening to music at a dis- 
 tance, than with mixing in the merriment occa- 
 sioned by it ; should like better to sec every bird 
 and beast happy and free, than to exert his inge- 
 nuity in destroying or ensnaring them these, 
 and such like sentiments, which, I think, would 
 be natural to persons of a certain cast, will, I 
 know, be condemned as unnatural by others, 
 who have never felt them in themselves, nor ob- 
 served them in the generality of mankind. Of 
 all this I was sufficiently aware before I publish- 
 ed the * Minstrel,' and, therefore, never expected
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 26Y 
 
 that it would be a popular poem. * Perhaps, too, 
 the structure of the verse, (which, though agree- 
 able to some, is not to all,) and the scarcity of 
 incidents, may contribute to make it less relish- 
 ed, than it would have been, if the plan had been 
 different in these particulars. 
 
 " From the questions your Ladyship is pleased 
 to propose in the conclusion of your letter, as 
 well as from some things I have had the honour 
 to hear you advance in conversation, I find you 
 are willing to suppose, that, in Edwin, I have 
 given only a picture of myself, as I was in my 
 younger days. I confess the supposition is not 
 groundless. I have made him take pleasure in 
 the scenes in which I took pleasure, and en- 
 tertain sentiments similar to those, of which, 
 even in my early youth, I had repeated expe- 
 rience. The scenery of a mountainous country, 
 the ocean, the sky, thoughtfulness and retire- 
 ment, and sometimes melancholy objects and 
 ideas, had charms in my eyes, even when I was 
 a schoolboy ; -(* and at a time when I was so far 
 
 * It is curious to remark, how much Dr Beattie was mista- 
 taken in this respect, with regard to " The Minstrel," as well 
 as his " Essay on Truth." See p. 174. 
 
 t See p. 24.
 
 268 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 from being able to express, that I did not under- 
 stand my own feelings, or perceive the tendency 
 of such pursuits and amusements ; and as to poe- 
 try and music, before I was ten years old I could 
 play a little on the violin, and was as much mas- 
 ter of Homer and Virgil, as Pope's and Dryden's 
 translations could make me. But I am ashamed 
 to write so much on a subject so trifling as my- 
 self, and my own works. Believe me, madam, 
 nothing but your Ladyship's commands could 
 have induced me to do it." 
 
 Dr Beattie's health had suffered so severelv 
 
 J 
 
 from the intense application of thought, which 
 he had bestowed in the composing, revising, and 
 correcting his " Essay on Truth," that exercise 
 and change of air were recommended to him by 
 his physicians. As he had heard much of the fa- 
 vourable reception his book had met with in 
 England, perhaps he was not displeased with ha- 
 ving an opportunity of again visiting London, 
 not as on the former occasion, when he was near- 
 ly unknown there, even by name ; but now that
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE, 26<J 
 
 he had emerged from obscurity, and had reason 
 to hope, that the reputation he had acquired, as 
 the successful champion of truth, and the deci- 
 ded enemy of sophistry and scepticism, would pro- 
 cure for him the notice of some respectable cha- 
 racters, whose acquaintance might, at some fu- 
 ture period, be of much service to him. 
 
 He accordingly went to London in the begin- 
 ning of autumn 1771. He was already known 
 by character to several of those with whom he 
 afterwards became personally acquainted, and he 
 carried with him some respectable letters of in- 
 troduction, by means of which he was received 
 in the most favourable manner. In particular, 
 he owed to the late Dr Gregory his personal ac- 
 quaintance with Mrs Montagu, who, as has been 
 seen, although they had never met, was already 
 much prepossessed in his favour. Mrs Montagu 
 not only honoured him with her friendship, of 
 which she gave him many substantial proofs, and 
 continued to carry on an epistolary correspon- 
 dence with him to the close of her life ; but at 
 her house, he had the fortunate opportunity of 
 meeting with, and becoming known to, some of 
 the most eminent characters of that period. It 
 is well known, that Mrs Montagu's house was,
 
 70 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 at that time, the chosen resort of many of those, 
 of both sexes, most distinguished for rank, as 
 well as classical taste and literary talent in Lon- 
 don.* In particular, Dr Beattie met at MrsMon- 
 
 * Mrs Elizabeth Robinson, daughter of Robinson, 
 
 Esq. of Horton, in the county of Kent, and wife of Edward 
 Montagu, Esq. of Denton-hall, in Northumberland, and Sandle- 
 ford Priory, in Berkshire. Inheriting from nature a genius for 
 literature, she had the good fortune to meet with an able direc- 
 tor of her early studies, in the celebrated Dr Conyers Middle- 
 ton, who was married to her grandmother, with whom she lived. 
 Under his tuition, she acquired that learning, and formed that 
 taste, which was so conspicuous throughout the whole of her 
 subsequent life. Mrs Montagu had early distinguished herself 
 as an author, first, by three Dialogues of the Dead, published 
 along with Lord Lyttelton's; afterwards, by her classical and 
 elegant " Essay on the Genius and Writings of Shakespeare ;" 
 in which she amply vindicated our great national dramatist 
 from the gross, illiberal, and ignorant abuse, thrown out against 
 him by Voltaire. The elegance of her manners, the brilliancy 
 of her wit, and the sprightliness of her conversation, attracted 
 to her house those who were most distinguished by their learn- 
 ing, their taste, and reputation, as literary characters. This so- 
 ciety of eminent friends, who met frequently at Mrs Montagu's, 
 for the sole purpose of conversation, differed in no respect from 
 other parties, but that the company did not play at cards. It 
 consisted, originally, of Mrs Montagu, Mrs Vesey, Mrs Bos- 
 cawen, and Mrs Carter, Lord Lyttelton, the Earl of Bath, (bet- 
 ter known as Mr Pulteney,) Horace Walpole, the classical owner 
 of Strawberry Hill, afterwards Earl of Orford, and Mr Stilling- 
 ileet. The society came at last to contain a numerous assem- 
 blage of those most eminent for literature in London, or who 
 visited it. Of these distinguished friends, Mrs Vesey, though
 
 LIFE OF DR. BEATTIE. 271 
 
 tagu's with Lord Lyttelton, to whose high com- 
 mendation of the " Essay on Truth," and " The 
 Minstrel," he had been so eminently indebted. 
 For that distinguished nobleman Dr Beattie re- 
 tained ever after the highest respect and venera- 
 
 less known than Mrs Montagu, was also another centre of plea- 
 sing and rational society. Without attempting to shine her- 
 self, she had the happy secret of bringing forward talents of 
 every kind, and of diffusing over the society, the gentleness of 
 her own character. She was the daughter of an Irish bishop, 
 and wife of Agmondesham Vesey, Esq. a gentleman of Ireland, 
 who, in his earlier years, had been the friend of Swift. Mrs 
 Boscawen was the widow of the gallant admiral of that name, 
 a woman of great talents, and, though unknown to the literary 
 world, acceptable to every society, by the strength of her un- 
 derstanding, the poignancy of her humour, and the brilliancy of 
 her wit. She died in the spring of 1805, at the advanced age 
 of eighty-six. Mrs Carter, the learned translator of Epictetus, 
 and the author of a volume of poems of very considerable me- 
 rit, is now the only original surviving member, at the age of 
 nearly ninety. But the gentleman, to whom this constellation 
 of talents owed that whimsical appellation, the " Bas bleu," 
 was Mr Stillingfleet, a man of great piety and worth, the au- 
 thor of some works in natural history, and of some poetical 
 pieces in " Dodsley's Collection." Mr Stillingfleet being some- 
 what of an humourist in his habits and manners, and a little neg- 
 ligent in his dress, literally wore grey stockings ; from which 
 circumstance, Admiral Boscawen used, by way of pleasantry, 
 to call them " The Blue-Stocking Society;" as if to indicate, 
 that when these brilliant friends met, it was not for the purpose 
 of forming a dressed assembly. A foreigner of distinction hear- 
 ing the expression, translated it literally, " Bas bleu," by which 
 these meetings came to be afterwards distinguished.
 
 272 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 tion ; and I have often heard him dwell with en- 
 thusiasm and delight on those more private par- 
 ties, into which he had the happiness of being 
 admitted, at Mrs Montagu's, consisting of Lord 
 Lyttelton, Mrs Carter, and one or two other most 
 
 Mrs Hannah More,* who was herself a distinguished member 
 of the society, has written an admirable poem, with the title of 
 the " Bas Bleu/' in allusion to this mistake of the foreigner, in 
 which she has characterised most of the eminent personages of 
 which it was composed. The concluding part of her prefatory 
 memorandum to the poem, is so very apposite to my present 
 purpose, that I cannot resist the temptation of inserting it here. 
 
 " May the author be permitted to bear her grateful testimo- 
 " ny, which will not be suspected of flattery, now that most of 
 " the persons named in this poem are gone down to the grave, 
 " to the many pleasant and instructive hours she had the ho- 
 " nour to pass in this company, in which learning was as little 
 " disfigured by pedantry ; good taste as" little tinctured by af- 
 " fectation ; and general conversation as little disgraced by ca- 
 " lumny, levity, and the other censurable errors with which it 
 " is too commonly tainted, as has perhaps been known in any 
 " society. Works of Mrs H. More, Vol. I. p. 12. 
 
 Mrs Montagu being left, by the will of her husband, in pos- 
 session of his noble fortune, lived in a style of the most splendid 
 hospitality, till her death, which happened at an advanced age, 
 25th August, 1 800. 
 
 I had first the happiness of being acquainted with Mrs Mon- 
 
 * The excellent author of " Strictures on Female Education," " Thoughts 
 on the Importance of the Manners of the Great to General Society," and 
 " An Estimate of the Religion of the Fashionable World," with other 
 piece*.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 273 
 
 intimate friends, who spent their evenings in an 
 unreserved interchange of thoughts, sometimes on 
 critical and literary subjects, sometimes on those 
 of the most serious and interesting nature. 
 
 How delighted he was with his reception on 
 this occasion in London, will be seen from the 
 following letters to his friends. 
 
 -A, 
 
 LETTER XLVIII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO THE REV. MR WILLIAMSON. 
 London, 8th September, 1771. 
 
 " I need not tell you how much it affects me 
 to hear, that I cannot have the pleasure of see- 
 ing you in England. I hoped it might have been 
 otherwise, and my hopes were sanguine : but I 
 am satisfied with your reasons, and am willing to 
 suppose, with you, that one time or other we may 
 meet again, even in this country. My health, 
 
 tagu in the year 1766, when she passed sortie time on a visit to 
 the late Dr Gregory" at Edinburgh, at whose house I saw her al- 
 most every day. Ever after, when I occasionally passed some 
 time in London, she was pleased, in a particular manner, to ho- 
 nour me with the most polite and gratifying attention. 
 
 VOL, I. S
 
 274 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 though much improved since I left Scotland, is 
 not so well established as to enable me to write 
 a long letter; otherwise I have ten thousand 
 things to tell you, in which I know you would 
 be much interested. My spirits, which, when I 
 came from home, were at the very lowest, are 
 now raised again near to their usual pitch : for I 
 have been as dissipated as possible of late, and 
 have neither read nor written any thing (except 
 now and then a very short letter) these two 
 months. Indeed the physicians do expressly pro- 
 hibit both. 
 
 " I have been here five weeks, and shall proba- 
 bly continue a week or two longer. I have been 
 extremely happy in making a great many very 
 agreeable and very creditable acquaintance. Dr 
 Hawkesworth, Dr Armstrong, Mr Garrick, Dr 
 Samuel Johnson, and several others of note, have 
 treated me, not only with politeness, but with a 
 degree of attention and kindness that equals my 
 warmest wishes. I wish I had longer time to 
 pass among them ; I shall find it no easy matter 
 to force myself away. Johnson has been greatly 
 misrepresented. I have passed several entire days 
 with him, and found him extremely agreeable. 
 The compliments he pays to my writings are so
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 275 
 
 high, that I have not the face to mention them. 
 Every body I have conversed with on the sub- 
 ject (among whom I have the honour to reckon 
 Lord Mansfield), approves of what I have done 
 in respect to Mr Hume; and none of them have 
 been able to find any personal abuse, any coarse 
 expressions, or even any indelicacy, in what I 
 have written against him : so, you see, I have no 
 great reason to value what my Scottish enemies 
 say against me. This I mention to you, because 
 I know it will give you pleasure. 
 
 { c A letter from Utrecht, which I received since 
 I came here, informs me, that three translations 
 of my Essay, a French, a Dutch, and a German, 
 will appear next winter. Some of them are now 
 in the press."
 
 276 LIFE OF DB BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER XLIX. 
 
 THE REV. MR MASON* TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 York, 17 th October, 177 1. 
 
 " In my late melancholy employment of re- 
 viewing and arranging the papers, which dear 
 Mr Gray's friendship bequeathed to my care, I 
 have found nine, letters of yours, which I meant 
 to have returned ere this, had I found a safe op- 
 portunity by a private hand ; but as no such op- 
 portunity has yet occurred, I take the liberty of 
 troubling you with this, to enquire how I may 
 best convey them to you. I shall continue in 
 my residence heref till the 12th of next month, 
 and hope, in that interval, to be favoured with a 
 line from you upon this subject. 
 
 " I should deprive myself of a very sincere 
 
 * Rector of Aston in Yorkshire, the well-known author of 
 " Caractacus," " Elfrida," and other esteemed pieces, and the 
 chosen friend of Gray. 
 
 f Mr Mason was precentor of the Cathedral of York; an of- 
 fice which, from its name, probably gave him the direction of 
 the choir.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. %77 
 
 gratification, if I finished this letter, with the 
 business that occasions it. You must suffer me 
 to thank you for the very high degree of poeti- 
 cal pleasure which the first book of your " Min- 
 strel" gave my imagination, and that equal de- 
 gree of rational conviction which your " Essay 
 on the Immutability of Truth" impressed on my 
 understanding. I will freely own to you, that 
 the very idea of a Scotsman's attacking Mr Hume 
 prejudiced me so much in favour of the latter 
 piece, that I should have approved it, if, instead 
 of a masterly, it had been only a moderate per- 
 formance. 
 
 " I shall be happy to know, that the remain- 
 ing books of your " Minstrel" are likewise to be 
 published soon. The next best thing, after in- 
 structing the world profitably, is to amuse it in- 
 nocently. England has lost that man, * who, of 
 all others in it, was best qualified for both these 
 purposes ; but who, from early chagrin and dis- 
 appointment, had imbibed a disinclination to em- 
 ploy his talents beyond the sphere of self-satis- 
 faction and improvement. May Scotland long 
 nossess, in you, a person both qualified and wil- 
 
 * Mr Gray.
 
 278 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 ling to exert his, for the pleasure and benefit of 
 society." 
 
 LETTER L. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO THE REV. MR WILLIAMSON. 
 
 Aberdeen, 22d December, 1771. 
 " On my return from London, I passed through 
 Cambridge ; but had not the heart to stay longer 
 than to dine, and see some of the principal curio- 
 sities. Mr Gray's death ran too much in my 
 head. He has left all his papers to Mr Mason, 
 from whom I have lately had two very obliging 
 letters. He had found several letters of mine to 
 Mr Gray ; and wrote to me, desiring to know 
 what he should do with them ; paying me, at the 
 same time, some very handsome compliments on 
 the score of my " Essay" and " Minstrel." In 
 answer, I asked the favour that he would ac- 
 quaint me what papers, in the poetical way, Mr 
 Gray had left; and he has given me a very par- 
 ticular detail of them, and a character of each, 
 and offers me the perusal of any of them I wish 
 to see. There is an epitaph on a friend ; a sonnet,
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 279 
 
 in Petrarch's manner; an address to the engra- 
 ver, who published the prints annexed to the 
 folio edition of his poems. These are finished, 
 and all of them excellent. There is a fragment 
 of a tragedy ; a part of an essay, in verse, of ten 
 syllables, on the influence of government and 
 education on human happiness, finished as far as 
 it goes, viz. 107 lines, in the highest manner; 
 part of an ode on the vicissitude of the seasons ; 
 several other imperfect pieces ; and some Latin 
 poems. Mr Mason has not yet determined what 
 pieces he shall publish. I fancy the public would 
 wish to see them all, and yet perhaps they ought 
 not. The works of Swift and Shenstone are a 
 melancholy example of the indiscretion of friends 
 in regard to posthumous publications. The ad- 
 mirers of Mr Gray will be happy to think, that 
 he has made choice of such an able executor as 
 Mr Mason." 
 
 On reading what Dr Beattie has said in the 
 preceding letter, on the publication of posthu- 
 mous works, it is not to be wondered, if I feel a
 
 280 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 more than ordinary anxiety, lest I may myself 
 have fallen into the error respecting Dr Beattie, 
 which he so justly reprobates with regard to 
 some former publications. All I can say on the 
 head, is, that I have endeavoured scrupulously to 
 adhere to the rule with which I set out, " of 
 " not admitting any thing that I thought would 
 " hurt the feelings of others ; nor any anecdote 
 " or opinion which Dr Beattie himself could have 
 " wished to have suppressed."* If I have erred 
 in that respect, however, as to error we are all 
 liable, I trust I may obtain belief when I say, 
 that I have erred unintentionally ; and that if any 
 such shall be pointed out to me, I shall be most 
 ready to correct whatever is amiss, should this 
 work ever arrive at a second edition. 
 
 * Introduction, p. \x.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 281 
 
 LETTER LI. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO DR BLACKLOGK. 
 
 Aberdeen, 23d May, 1772. 
 
 " I am greatly obliged to you for your elegy,* 
 which I have read with much pleasure. The plan 
 is new, and the sentiments are proper, and often 
 very pathetic. Where the person lamented has 
 no remarkable peculiarities of character, it is dif- 
 ficult to give a new turn to the elegy; every 
 thing that can be said^on these occasions having 
 been said so often already : yet I think in your 
 elegy there is a great deal of novelty and origi- 
 nality. You say it savours strongly of the tenth 
 lustrum ; a circumstance which could never have 
 prejudiced me against it ; for I believe you will 
 find, that the best human compositions have been 
 written, or at least finished, when the author was 
 above forty. Virgil published his " Georgics" 
 at forty-two, if I mistake not; and Milton his 
 " Paradise Lost" when he was more than sixty. 
 
 * What elegy is here spoken of I know not.
 
 282 LIFE OF DR. BEATTIE. 
 
 In youthful compositions there may be more of 
 that romantic cast of imagination, which young 
 people admire ; but very rarely is there so much 
 of those qualities that are universally pleasing, as 
 in the productions of persons farther advanced in 
 life ; I mean, knowledge of human nature, good 
 sense, mature reflection, and accuracy of plan and 
 language." 
 
 LETTER LII. 
 
 BR BEATTIE TO MRS MONTAGU.* 
 
 " I rejoice to hear that Mr Garrick is so well 
 as to be able to appear in tragedy. It is in vain 
 to indulge one's self in unavailing complaints, 
 otherwise I could rail by the hour at dame For- 
 tune, for placing me beyond the reach of that 
 arch-magician, as Horace would have called him. 
 I well remember, and I think can never forget, 
 how he once affected me in Macbeth, and made 
 me almost throw myself over the front seat of 
 
 * This letter is imperfect, and the date is wanting; but it 
 must have been written about this time.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 283 
 
 the two-shilling gallery. I wish I had another 
 opportunity of risking my neck and nerves in 
 the same cause. To fall by the hands of Garrick 
 and Shakespeare, would ennoble my memory to 
 all generations. To be serious, if all actors were 
 like this one, I do not think it would be possible 
 for a person of sensibility to outlive the repre- 
 sentation of Hamlet, Lear, or Macbeth; which, 
 by the bye, seems to suggest a reason for that 
 mixture of comedy and tragedy, of which our 
 great poet was so fond, and which the Frenchi- 
 fied critics think such an intolerable outrage both 
 against nature and decency. Against nature it 
 is no ; outrage at all : the inferior officers of a 
 court know little of what passes among kings 
 and statesmen; and may be very merry, when 
 their superiors are very sad ; and if so, the Por- 
 ter's soliloquy in Macbeth may be a very just 
 imitation of nature. And I can never accuse of 
 indecency the man, who, by the introduction of 
 a little unexpected merriment, saves me from a 
 disordered head, or a broken heart. If Shake- 
 speare knew his own powers, he must have seen 
 the necessity of tempering his tragic rage, by a 
 mixture of comic ridicule ; otherwise there was 
 some danger of his running into greater excesses
 
 284 LIFE OF 1)11 BEATTIE. 
 
 than deer-stealing, by sporting with the lives of 
 all the people of taste in these realms. Other 
 play-wrights must conduct their approaches to 
 the human heart with the utmost circumspec- 
 tion, a single false step may make them lose a 
 great deal of ground ; but Shakespeare made his 
 way to it at once, and could make his audience 
 burst their sides this moment, and break their 
 hearts the next. I have often seen Hamlet per- 
 formed by the underlings of the theatre, but none 
 of these seemed to understand what they were 
 about. Hamlet's character, though perfectly na- 
 tural, is so very uncommon, that few, even of 
 our critics, can enter into it. Sorrow, indigna- 
 tion, revenge, and consciousness of his own irre- 
 solution, tear his heart; the peculiarity of his 
 circumstances often obliges him to counterfeit 
 madness, and the storm of passions within him 
 often drives him to the verge of real madness. 
 This produces a situation so interesting, and a 
 conduct so complicated, as none but Shakespeare 
 could have had the courage to describe, or even 
 to invent, and none but Garrick will ever be able 
 to exhibit. Excuse this rambling : I know you 
 like the subject; and, for my part, I like it so
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 285 
 
 much, that when I once get in, I am not willing 
 to find my way out of it. 
 
 " I have enclosed two papers; one is an epi- 
 taph which I wrote (at the Doctor's desire) for 
 Mrs Gregory, and which has one kind of merit, 
 not very common in these compositions, that of 
 being perfectly true ; * the other is a tune which 
 you desired me to send you, and which, if it 
 were what is pretended, would indeed be a very 
 great curiosity ; but I am apt to think that it 
 has been composed in modern times, and even 
 since the invention of the present musical sys- 
 tem. Yet I have been told, by pretty good au- 
 thority, that the Greeks believe it to be as an- 
 cient as the days of Theseus, f 
 
 " The book of second-sight has not, I fear, 
 given you much entertainment. J The tales are 
 ill-told, and ill-chosen, and the language so bar- 
 barous as to be in many places unintelligible, 
 even to a Scotsman. I have heard many better 
 stories of the second-sight, than any this author 
 has given, attested by such persons, and accom- 
 
 * Vide Appendix [U] f Vide Appendix [X.] 
 
 X Dr Beattie has introduced a disquisition on the second- 
 sight, into his " Essay on Poetry and Music," Part I. Chap. VI. 
 3. p. 481. 4toedit.
 
 286 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 panied by such circumstances, as to preclude con- 
 tradiction, though not suspicion. All our High- 
 landers believe in the second-sight; but the in- 
 stances in which it is said to operate, are general- 
 ly so ambiguous, and the revelations supposed to 
 be communicated by it so frivolous, that I can- 
 not bring myself to acquiesce in it. Indeed this 
 same historian has made me more incredulous 
 than I was before; for his whole book betrays 
 an excess of folly and weakness. Were its reve- 
 lations important, I should be less inclined to 
 unbelief: but to suppose the Deity working a 
 miracle, in order to announce a marriage, or the 
 arrival of a poor stranger, or the making of a 
 coffin, would require such evidence as has not 
 yet attended any of these tales, and is indeed 
 what scarce any kind of evidence could make 
 one suppose. These communications are all 
 made to the ignorant, the superstitious, and ge- 
 nerally to the young; I never heard of a man 
 of learning, sense, or observation, that was fa- 
 voured with any of them ; a strong presumption 
 against their credibility. I have been told, that 
 the inhabitants of some parts of the Alps do also 
 lay a claim to a sort of second-sight ; and I be- 
 lieve the same superstition, or something like it,
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 287 
 
 may be found in many other countries, where 
 the face of nature, and the solitary life of the na- 
 tives, tend to impress the imagination with me- 
 lancholy. The Highlands of Scotland are a pic- 
 turesque, but gloomy region. Long tracts of 
 solitary mountains covered with heath and rocks, 
 and often obscured by mists ; narrow vallies, thin- 
 ly inhabited, and bounded by precipices that re- 
 sound for ever with the fall of torrents ; a soil so 
 rugged, and a climate so dreary, as to admit nei- 
 ther the amusements of pasturage, nor the chear- 
 ful toils of agriculture ; the mournful dashing of 
 waves along the friths and lakes that every where 
 intersect this country; the portentous sounds, 
 which every change of the wind, and every in- 
 crease and diminution of the waters, is apt to 
 raise in a region full of rocks and hollow cliffs 
 and caverns ; the grotesque and ghastly appear- 
 ance of such a landscape, especially by the light 
 of the moon ; objects like these diffuse an habi- 
 tual gloom over the fancy, and give it that ro- 
 mantic cast, that disposes to invention, and that 
 melancholy, which inclines one to the fear of un- 
 seen things and unknown events. It is observa- 
 ble too, that the ancient Scottish Highlanders 
 had scarce any other way of supporting them-
 
 288 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 selves, than by hunting, fishing, or war ; profes- 
 sions that are continually exposed to the most fa- 
 tal accidents. Thus, almost every circumstance 
 in their lot tended to rouse and terrify the ima- 
 gination. Accordingly, their poetry is uniform- 
 ly mournful ; their music melancholy and dread- 
 ful, and their superstitions are all of the gloomy 
 kind. The fairies confined their gambols to the 
 Lowlands : the mountains were haunted with 
 giants, and angry ghosts, and funeral processions, 
 and other prodigies of direful import. That a 
 people, beset with such real and imaginary bug- 
 bears, should fancy themselves dreaming, even 
 when awake, of corpses, and graves, and coffins, 
 and other terrible things, seems natural enough ; 
 but that their visions ever tended to any real or 
 useful discovery, I am much inclined to doubt. 
 Not that I mean to deny the existence of ghosts, 
 or to call in question the accounts of extraordi- 
 nary revelations, granted to individuals, with 
 which both history and tradition abound. But 
 in all cases, where such accounts are entitled to 
 credit, or supported by tolerable evidence, it will 
 be found, that they referred to something which 
 it concerned men to know; the overthrow of 
 kingdoms, the death of great persons, the detec-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 289 
 
 tion of atrocious crimes, or the preservation of 
 important lives. But I take up too much of your 
 time with these matters. 
 
 " I have lately received another very kind let- 
 ter from Mr Mason, in which he gives me an ac- 
 count of all the poetical pieces which Mr Gray 
 has left unpublished. There is, 1. A Sonnet on 
 the death of a friend, written 1742, of true Pe- 
 trarchian pathos and delicacy. 2. Stanzas, in al- 
 ternate rhyme, to Mr Bentley, on the designs he 
 made for his poems. 3, An Epitaph on Sir Wil- 
 liam Williams, who was killed at the siege of 
 Belleisle ; perfect in its kind. 4. The opening 
 scene of a tragedy, called Agrippina, with the 
 first speech of the second ; written much in Ra- 
 cine's manner, and with many masterly strokes. 
 5. An unfinished Address to Ignorance, in rhyme 
 of ten syllables ; satirical. 6. One hundred and 
 seven lines, of the same measure with the former, 
 of the beginning of an ethical Essay on Education 
 and Government; finished, as far as it goes, in 
 the highest manner : the most valuable piece he 
 has left. . 7. Six eight-lined stanzas of an Ode on 
 the vicissitude of the Seasons, nearly equal, in 
 ooint of merit, allowing for its being incomplete, 
 with the Ode on Spring ; besides some transla- 
 
 VOL. I. T
 
 290 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 tions, epigrams, and Latin poems. Mr Mason 
 obligingly offers me such of these pieces as I 
 wish to see, and I have asked to see the 1. 3. 6. 
 and 7: I heartily wish they may be printed, as 
 they would tend to shew the universality of 
 Grays genius." 
 
 LETTER LIII. 
 
 DR PERCY * (NOW LORD-BISHOP OF DROMORE) TO 
 DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Northumberland-House, 27th May, 1772. 
 
 " I lose no time in thanking you for your most 
 obliging letter, and the very pleasing ballad that 
 accompanied it. Such presents, when they fall 
 in your way, will always be most acceptable, and 
 very gratefully acknowledged. 
 
 " 1 had also another reason for troubling you 
 with so early an answer : it was to convey to you 
 a copy of the inclosed sermons; wherein you will 
 find very warm, but just acknowledgments, for 
 
 * The editor of " Reliques of Ancient English Poetry," to 
 which the first part ot this letter alludes.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 291 
 
 the services you have clone to the cause of truth. 
 The author # of them is so much your admirer, 
 that, when he knew I was writing to you, he de- 
 sired me to inclose a few lines from himself. If 
 his personal character is not known to you, I 
 must inform you, that Dr Porteus is one of the 
 brightest ornaments of the Church of England : 
 He was chaplain to Archbishop Seeker, who left 
 him one of the executors to his will, and editor 
 of his works, which he has since published. He 
 is a man of the most engaging and amiable man- 
 ners, and most distinguished abilities The ser- 
 mons here sent were preached before the King, 
 
 * The Right Reverend Dr Beilby Porteus, at that time Rec- 
 tor of Lambeth, afterwards Bishop of Chester, and now Lord 
 Bishop of London. This exemplary prelate is too well known 
 to require any encomium in this place; and the character given 
 of him, in this letter, by the Bishop of Bromore, will be allow- 
 ed by all to be strictly just. Besides what is said here of the 
 Bishop of London's merit as a preacher, it is fully proved by 
 his volumes of printed sermons, which have justly received the 
 best marks of public approbation. One circumstance respect- 
 ing his discourses from the pulpit, deserves, in a particular man- 
 ner, to be recorded. In the year 1798, and the three following 
 years, when the nation was carrying on the deadliest and the 
 most important war, in which it ever was engaged; while, at 
 the same time, too many in the upper ranks of society in Lon- 
 don seemed to plunge deeper into every excess of dissipation, 
 as the awful prospect of national affairs became more gloomy 
 and interesting-, the Bishop of London conceived the idea of de-
 
 292 LI*'E OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 and procured the preacher a degree of reputatioa 
 beyond that of any sermons preached in my re- 
 membrance. The King and whole Court talked 
 of nothing else for many days after ; the Queen 
 personally desired to peruse them afterwards in 
 her closet ; and the Duke of Northumberland" be- 
 ing not at Court till the Thursday after the last 
 of them was preached, came home full of the ac- 
 counts he heard from every mouth, of the im- 
 pressions these sermons had made in the Chapel 
 Royal. All this you will perhaps think very ex- 
 traordinary ; it is nevertheless literally true, as I 
 can testify of my own personal knowledge." 
 
 livering lectures, every Friday, in St James's Church, during 
 the season of Lent. He chose for his subject the Gospel of St 
 Matthew. Those lectures, which have since been published, 
 and are most excellent and instructive, were attended, with 
 great devotion, by crowded audiences of the most fashionable 
 persons of high life; and, it is piously to be hoped, not without 
 their suitable improvement. 
 
 Dr Beattie had the happiness of becoming personally known 
 to Dr Porteus, on his going to London in the year 1773; and, 
 from that period, a friendship the most sincere took place be- 
 tween them, and a correspondence, which lasted until Dr Beat- 
 tie's health no longer permitted him to carry it on. 
 
 I cannot but avail myself, with peculiar satisfaction, of this 
 opportunity of expressing the grateful sense I shall ever enter- 
 tain, of the notice with which the Bishop of London has long 
 honoured me, and which, I am conscious, I owe to our common 
 friend.
 
 LIFE OF DK BEATTIE. 293 
 
 LETTER LIV. 
 
 oa porteus (now lord bishop of London) to 
 
 DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Lambeth, 22d May, 1772. 
 " Though I have not the pleasure of being per- 
 sonally known to you, I take the liberty of re- 
 questing your acceptance of a small performance 
 of mine, which Dr Percy promises to convey to 
 you. I have read, sir, with singular delight, 
 both your poem called the " Minstrel," and your 
 " Essay on Truth." It is a very uncommon thing 
 to see so much true poetical invention, and such 
 a talent for profound philosophical disquisition, 
 united in the same person ; and it is still more 
 uncommon, to see such fine parts, especially in a 
 layman, dedicated to the support of virtue and 
 religion. I am not at all surprised to hear, that 
 your spirited attack on the head-quarters of scep- 
 ticism has drawn upon you the resentment of Mr 
 Hume and his followers. It is nothing more than 
 might be expected ; and, in the eyes of all im- 
 partial men, it is so far from being any reproach,
 
 294 LIFE OF Da BEATTIE. 
 
 that it is an honour to you. It shows that they 
 feel the force of your arguments; for personal in- 
 vective they cannot justly complain of. The 
 keenness of your manly reproofs is directed, not 
 against their persons, but their cause; and it falls 
 far short of what such a cause deserves. But 
 whatever unjust aspersions may be thrown upon 
 you by your own countrymen, let this be your 
 consolation, (if you need any,) that in England 
 your book has been received with universal ap- 
 plause. In the range of my acquaintance, which 
 is pretty extensive, both among the clergy and 
 the laity, I have never yet met with a single 
 person, of true taste and sound judgment, who 
 did not speak of your essay in the wannest terms 
 of approbation. In this they have always had 
 my most hearty concurrence ; and I was glad of 
 an opportunity of giving some public testimony 
 of my great esteem for your writings, as you 
 will see I have done in a note, which very ho- 
 nestly expresses my real sentiments, and says no- 
 thing more than is justly your due. 
 
 " The two sermons, which I send you, are 
 meant as the best return I could make, (though, 
 I must confess, a very inadequate one,) for the 
 great pleasure and instruction I have received
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 295 
 
 from your writings. Give me leave only to add 
 farther, that this place (which is contiguous to 
 London) is my constant residence, from the end 
 of November to the beginning of June ; and if 
 either business or amusement should bring you 
 to the metropolis, during that part of the year, I 
 shall be extremely glad to pay my respects to 
 you here, and to assure you how much I am, sir, 
 yours," &c. 
 
 LETTER LV. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO MRS MONTAGU. 
 
 Edinburgh, 6th July, 1772. 
 " Your last letter, of the 5th June, reached 
 me after I had been some days at Peterhead, en- 
 deavouring, by the use of the medicinal waters 
 of that place, to shake off this hideous indisposi- 
 tion. But from that water I did not receive 
 half so much benefit, as from the very agreeable 
 accounts you gave me of your health and spirits. 
 I congratulate you, madam, and myself on your 
 recovery, and I earnestly pray it may be perma- 
 nent.
 
 296 LIFE OF DR BEATTIEw 
 
 " Your description of Tunbridge-wells is so 
 very lively, that I think myself present in every 
 part of it. I see your hills, your cattle, your car- 
 riages, your beaux and belles blended together in 
 agreeable confusion. I am delighted while I 
 sympathise with the feelings of those, whose ima- 
 gination is refreshed and amused, by the pleasing 
 incongruities of the scene, and whose health and 
 spirits are restored by the freshness of the air, 
 and the virtues of the fountain. But what inte- 
 rests and delights me most of all, and more than 
 words can express, is, that by the eye of fancy I 
 behold you, madam, looking around on this scene 
 with an aspect, in which all your native benigni- 
 ty, sprightiiness, and harmony of soul are height- 
 ened, with every decoration that health and chear- 
 fulness can bestow. 
 
 " I am greatly affected with your goodness 
 and Lord Lyttelton's, in urging my advancement 
 with so much zeal and perseverance. After what 
 Lord Mansfield * has done me the honour to de- 
 
 * William Murray, son of the Lord Viscount Stormont, crea- 
 ted Baron (afterwards Earl of) Mansfield, and Lord Chief Jus- 
 tice of the Court of King's Bench, during the long period of 
 thirty-two years. In early life, he was eminently distinguished 
 by his eloquence at the bar, as well as afterwards in both houses 
 of Parliament. When exalted to the bench, he rendered hrs
 
 LIFE OF DE BEATTIE. 297 
 
 <:lare in my favour, I cannot doubt but your 
 friendly endeavours will at last prove successful. 
 
 name revered, not only by the ability and uprightness of his 
 conduct, but by the extent of h s knowledge, and the compre- 
 hensiveness of his views, upon many new subjects of judicial de- 
 cision. Scarcely any man of his time possessed, in an equal de- 
 gree, that wonderful sagacity in detecting chicanery and artifice, 
 in separating fallacy from truth, and sophistry from argument, 
 which discovers, as if by intuition, the exact justice of the case. 
 Nor was he less remarkable for his regularity, punctuality, and 
 dispatch of business, by which the suitors in his court were re- 
 lieved from the tedious anxiety of suspenre, so generally com- 
 plained of in a court of justice. I am informed, says Sir James 
 Burrows, who was Clerk of the Crown in the court of King's 
 Bench, and who therefore knew Lord Ma.isfield well, that at the 
 sittings for London and Middlesex, there are not so few as eiyfht 
 hundred cases set down in a year, and all disposed of. Upon the 
 last day of the last term, says Sir James, if we exclude such mo- 
 tions of the term, as by desire of the parties went over of course, 
 there was not a single matter of any kind that remained unde- 
 termined, excepting one case, professedly postponed on account 
 of the situation of America; and the same may be said of the 
 last day of any former term for some years backwards. The 
 same writer also informs us of the following most remarkable 
 circumstance, respecting Lord Mansfield's decisions ; that, ex- 
 cepting in two cases, there had not been a final difference of 
 pinion in the court, in any case, or upon any point whatso- 
 ever, during the long period from November 1756, to May 1776', 
 the time of Sir James's publication ; and it is not less remark- 
 able, that, except in these two cases, no judgment given in that 
 court during the same period has been reversed, either in the 
 Exchequer-Chamber or in Parliament. Lord Mansfield honour- 
 ed Dr Beattie, in a most particular manner, with his friendly 
 regard. He died, 18th March, 1793, aged 88.
 
 2^8 LIFE OF DA BEATTIE. 
 
 I now see that Lord Mansfield wishes to esta- 
 blish me in Scotland ; and I am certain, that in 
 this, as in other matters, his judgment is found- 
 ed on the best reasons. I am greatly flattered 
 by your kind invitation to Sandleford. I would 
 not, for any consideration, forego the hope that 
 I shall one time or other avail myself of it; but, 
 at present, this is not in my power. 
 
 " The second canto of the " Minstrel" is near- 
 ly finished, and has been so these two years ; but, 
 till my health be better established, I must not 
 think of making any additions to it. 
 
 " If you have not seen Dr Porteus's two ser- 
 mons, lately published, I would recommend them 
 to your notice, because they are, in my opinion, 
 amongst the most elegant compositions of the 
 kind in the English language. Dr P. did me the 
 honour to send me a copy of them, accompanied 
 with a very kind, and very polite letter."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 299 
 
 LETTER LVI. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO DR POBTEUS, (NOW LORD BISHOP 
 OF LONDON.) 
 
 Aberdeen, 18th August, 1772. 
 " Your approbation of my weak endeavours in 
 the cause of truth gives me the most sincere plea-* 
 sure. How shall I thank you, sir, for having de- 
 clared that approbation, so flattering to my am- 
 bition, and so favourable to my reputation and 
 interest? Not satisfied with giving the public a 
 favourable opinion of my late publication, and 
 honouring my name with a place in your work, 
 you wish to recommend me to the notice of 
 Royalty itself, and to give to my labours such a 
 lustre as might attract those eyes, from which 
 many would desire to hide all merit but their 
 own. Be assured, sir, that I shall ever retain a 
 just sense of your candour, good nature, and ge- 
 nerosity ; and that the encouragement I have re- 
 ceived from you, and from your noble-minded 
 countrymen, will serve as an additional motive 
 to employ that health and leisure, which Provi-
 
 300 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 dence may hereafter allot me, in promoting, to 
 the utmost of my poor abilities, the cause of 
 truth, virtue, and mankind. This is the best re- 
 turn I can make to your goodness ; for thus only 
 can I, in any degree, approve myself worthy of 
 it. 
 
 " The ' Essay on Truth,' according to my ori- 
 ginal plan, is only the first part of a large treatise 
 that I had projected, on the evidences of morali- 
 ty and religion. I entered on my second part 
 some years ago, and made a little progress in it. 
 My intention there was to attempt a confuta- 
 tion of the errors which Hume, Helvetius, and 
 other fashionable writers, had introduced into 
 the moral sciences. The subject would have led 
 me to the evidence of Christianity ; and my own 
 heart would have disposed, and my own con- 
 science determined, me to do justice to the cha- 
 racters and abilities of Voltaire, and other con- 
 temporary infidels, with the same freedom, and 
 with the same spirit, that appear in what I have 
 written against Hume's philosophy. But the 
 wretched state of my health obliges me to sus- 
 pend, for the present, all my literary projects. I 
 hope, however, to get better in time; for I am
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 301 
 
 told, that these nervous disorders are seldom fa- 
 tal at my age. 
 
 " I can never forget what I owe to the can- 
 dour and humanity of the English nation. To 
 have obtained the approbation and patronage of 
 those who have so long been, and who will, I 
 hope, continue to the latest ages to be, the pa- 
 trons of truth, and the great assertors of the 
 rights of mankind, is an honour indeed, of which 
 I feel the hisjh value. While animated bv this 
 consideration, I can overlook, and almost forget, 
 the opposition I have met with from a powerful 
 party in this country, who, since the publication 
 of the ' Essay on Truth/ have taken no little 
 pains to render my condition as uneasy as pos- 
 sible. In other countries, infidels appear but as 
 individuals ; but in Scotland they form a party, 
 whose principle is, to discountenance and bear 
 down religion to the utmost of their power. * 
 
 " I am much obliged to you for speaking so 
 favourably of the ' Minstrel.' When I published 
 the first book, the greatest part of the second 
 was written, and I hoped to have got the whole 
 ready (for I intend only three books) within a 
 
 * See what is said at pp. 131, 132.
 
 302 LIFE OP DR BEATTIE; 
 
 year ; but since that time my health has been 
 quite unfit for study of eveiy kind. When I go 
 to London, which may possibly be next summer, 
 I will, with great pleasure, avail myself of your 
 kind invitation, and take the first opportunity of 
 paying my respects to you at Lambeth." 
 
 LETTER LVIL 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO MRS MONTAGU. 
 
 Aberdeen, 30th September, 1772. 
 
 " I have never seen Mr Jones's imitations of 
 the Asiatic poetry. From what you say of them, 
 I am sure they will entertain me ; though I am 
 entirely of your opinion, that, if they had been 
 translations, they would have been much more 
 valuable, and the more literal the better. Such 
 things deserve attention, not so much for the 
 amusement they yield to the fancy, as for the 
 knowledge they convey of the minds and man- 
 ners of the people among whom they are pro- 
 duced. To those who have feelings, and are ca- 
 pable of observation, that poetical expression and 
 description will be most agreeable, which cone-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 303 
 
 sponds most exactly to their own experience. I 
 cannot sympathise with passions I never felt ; 
 and, when objects are described in colours, shapes, 
 and proportions, quite unlike to what I have 
 been accustomed to, I suspect that the descrip- 
 tions are not just, and that it is not nature that 
 is presented to my view, but the dreams of a man 
 who had never studied nature. 
 
 " What is the reason, madam, that the poetry, 
 and indeed the whole phraseology, of the eastern 
 nations (and I believe the same thing holds of all 
 uncultivated nations) is so full of glaring images, 
 exaggerated metaphors, and gigantic descrip- 
 tions? Is it, because that, in those countries 
 where art has made little progress, nature shoots 
 forth into wilder magnificence, and every thing 
 appears to be constructed on a larger scale ? Is it 
 that the language, through defect of copiousness, 
 is obliged to adopt metaphor and similitude, even 
 for expressing the most obvious sentiments ? Is 
 it, that the ignorance and indolence of such peo- 
 ple, unfriendly to liberty, disposes them to regard 
 their governors as of supernatural dignity, and 
 to decorate them with the most pompous and 
 high-sounding titles, the frequent use of which 
 comes at last to infect their whole conversation
 
 304 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 with bombast? Or is it, that the passions of those 
 people are really stronger, and their climate more 
 luxuriant ? Perhaps all these causes may conspire 
 in producing this effect. Certain it is, that Eu- 
 rope is much indebted, for her style and manner 
 of composition, to her ancient authors, particu- 
 larly to those of Greece, by whose example and 
 authority that simple and natural diction was 
 happily established, which all our best authors of 
 succeeding times have been ambitious to imitate; 
 but whence those ancient Greek authors derived 
 it, whether from imitating other authors, still 
 more ancient ; or from the operation of physical 
 causes ; or from the nature of their language, 
 particularly its unrivalled copiousness and flexi- 
 bility ; or from some unaccountable and peculiar 
 delicacy in their taste ; or from the force of their 
 genius, that, conscious of its own vigour, despised 
 all adventitious support, and all foreign orna- 
 ment, it is not perhaps easy to determine. 
 
 " The fourth edition of my Essay is now in the 
 press."
 
 XIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 305 
 
 LETTER LVIII. 
 
 SIR ADOLPHUS OUGHTON * TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 London, 3d November, 1772. 
 
 " Though your short stay at Edinburgh put it 
 
 out of my power to cultivate that acquaintance 
 
 with you which I wished, yet, as a lover of truth, 
 
 I cannot but be warmly interested in the honour 
 
 * Lieutenant-General Sir James Adolphus Oughton, K. B. 
 was the son of Sir Adolphus Oughton, a general officer in the 
 British army. He received his classical education on the foun- 
 dation at the Charter- house school, whence he was removed to 
 Trinity College, Dublin. When he had finished his studies, he 
 entered into the army, and served in Flanders, under the Duke 
 of Cumberland, whom he accompanied to Scotland in the me- 
 morable year 1746. In the Seven-Years War, he served in Ger- 
 many, under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick; and during these 
 two wars was present at most of the battles that were fought by 
 these two generals. In particular, at the battle of Minden, in 
 the year 1759, he commanded, as lieutenant-colonel, one of the 
 six British regiments, which so greatly distinguished themselves 
 by their gallantry on that celebrated day. In the interval be- 
 tween the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, and the Seven- Years War, 
 Sir Adolphus' s regiment bein^, stationed in Minorca, he had ob- 
 tained leave of absence to make the tour of Italy ; in all the 
 principal parts ot which he spent some time, sufficient to culti- 
 vate and improve his taste for the fine arts, in the knowledge of 
 which he greatly excelled. On that occasion, too, he formed 
 
 VOL. I. U
 
 S06 LIFE OP DR BEATTIE. 
 
 and welfare of its ablest champion. You will, 
 therefore, not be surprised, that I should take a 
 real pleasure in communicating to you a circum- 
 
 an acquaintance with some British travellers of high rank, who 
 continued ever after to honour him with their distinguished no- 
 tice. His talent for the acquisition of languages was extraordi- 
 nary ; so that he not only knew those of Greece and Rome, as 
 well as of France and ltaty, but he possessed some knowledge 
 of oriental literature, and was fond of the study of antiquities. 
 Even at an advanced period of life, after he settled here as com- 
 mander in chief of his Majesty's forces, he applied himself to 
 the study of the Gaelic, or ancient dialect of the Highlands of 
 Scotland : in which he made all the proficiency that could be 
 attained, chiefly by the help of books. 
 
 To all these acquirements in knowledge, Sir Adolphus Ough- 
 ton added the most estimable virtues of a true Christian, and 
 united, in no common degree, the character of the man of piety 
 with that of the man of the world. Obliged, by his official si- 
 tuation, to live almost always in the midst of company, to which 
 ht had no dislike, Sir Adolphus displayed much hospitality at 
 his social board, yet always within the rules of the strictest tem- 
 perance. He was extremely polite in his deportment; and, from 
 his great stock of acquired knowledge, his conversation w y as un- 
 commonly instructive and entertaining. In his attention to all 
 the external observances of religion, h; 1 was most exact; and I 
 know not that I have ever felt more forcibly the power of de- 
 votion, than when on a Sunday evening at his house, in the 
 neighbourhood of Edinburgh, collecting his guests around him, 
 I have heard him read the church-service, from the English Li- 
 turgv, with the utmost fervour, and most graceful elocution. I 
 was, during many years, honoured, in a particular manner, with 
 the friendship of Sir Adolphus Oughton ; and I shall ever look 
 back with grateful satisfaction, and I hope not without advan-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 307 
 
 stance, which has a tendency to the promoting 
 of both. I was yesterday informed, from the 
 very best authority, that our excellent Sovereign 
 had read your " Essay" with the utmost attention 
 and approbation, and expressed his intention of 
 bestowing on you some mark of his royal favour, 
 when a proper opportunity shall offer. Prover- 
 bial sayings, as resulting from the experience of 
 mankind, and appealing to their common sense, 
 have generally been received as axioms ; most 
 sorry I am, that Regis ad exemplum can no longer 
 lay claim to it in our country. It is equally to 
 be lamented, that, from the nature of our consti- 
 tution, and the violence of our parties, the King's 
 power, even of doing good, should in many in- 
 stances be limited, in most obstructed. Your 
 labours, sir, for the true interests of mankind, 
 are free and uncontrouled : Pursue, then, the 
 glorious task ; open the eyes and amend the 
 hearts of a deluded and dissipated people. Your 
 generous efforts must necessarily be productive 
 of much good ; and you cannot fail of your re- 
 ward, because it depends on yourself" 
 
 tage, on the many happy and instructive hours I have passed in 
 his company. Sir Adolphus Oughton died at Bath, 14th April, 
 1780, in his 60th year.
 
 308 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 
 
 LETTER LIX. 
 
 THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF YORK # TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Brodsvvorth, 1 9th September, 1772. 
 
 " As my brother, Lord Kinnoull, has lately 
 communicated to me your letter to him of Au- 
 gust 10th, explaining your views, which certain- 
 ly have not as yet been answered with success 
 correspondent to your talents, I desired him to 
 communicate to you my thoughts, which, at 
 least, are the thoughts of a real friend and well- 
 wisher, who has the highest esteem of your me- 
 rit in the cause of truth. 
 
 " I doubt, whether you would be well suited 
 with a lay-place, or a pension, or a residence in 
 Scotland. As far as I can judge, the ministry in 
 the church of England would be the profession 
 the most agreeable to your qualifications and in- 
 clination : but the prospect of fair profit in it 
 ought to be considered ; for that is a duty to 
 
 * The Honourable and Most Reverend Dr Robert Hay 
 Drummond, brother to the Earl of Kinnoull.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 309 
 
 yourself, and to your family. Give me leave, too, 
 to say, that there is a prior duty, that is, to your 
 conscience. 
 
 " Though I was educated in the church of 
 England, yet I have often sifted my mind with 
 sincere and impartial reflection, and with as en- 
 larged views as I could take in, of the great dis- 
 pensations of the Deity, centering in Christ. 
 Upon the whole, I have always thought, that 
 the church of England is the most agreeable to 
 Christiau doctrine and discipline ; equally distant 
 from wild conceit and implicit faith ; free, man- 
 ly, and benevolent ; conducive to the cause of 
 truth and virtue, to the happiness of society, and 
 of every individual in it. And it is the establish- 
 ment that seems to carry the fairest aspect with 
 it, towards promoting pure Christianity, and ci- 
 vil order ; without overbearing, or artful, or ab- 
 ject means. With due Christian condescension 
 to different opinions and modes, this is the result 
 of frequent consideration and conviction, and is 
 the testimony of my conscience. If it were 
 otherwise, I would not, I could not, in honour, 
 retain even the great emoluments with which I 
 am favoured, for another moment.
 
 310 LIFE OF DE BEATTIE. 
 
 " It is surely unreasonable and unnecessary to 
 trouble you with my notions. I allow it : but 
 this is only a mode of flattering myself with the 
 hopes, that yours are similar. If such is your 
 opinion of the church of England, and if it is 
 your upright intention to exercise in its ministry 
 your most valuable abilities and knowledge for 
 the service of true religion, I shall think your en- 
 try into it a happy acquisition. And I would 
 endeavour to contribute, as far as my scanty pa- 
 tronage goes, or my friendship and influence can 
 extend, that you should enter into it with credit, 
 and live in it with comfort. 
 
 " Lord Kinnoull has written to Lord Mans- 
 field, and I shall talk with him after Christmas. 
 I shall not leave my diocese till that time. I 
 have written also to-day to our friend Mrs Mon- 
 tagu."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 311 
 
 LETTER LX. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO SIR WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 Aberdeen, 6th November, 1772. 
 
 " I am happy to find, that the plan I have 
 just now in view is honoured with your approba- 
 tion. It is the result of the most mature delibe- 
 ration ; and I hope I shall never have occasion to 
 repent it. Whether my present views shall prove 
 successful, is a point very uncertain. I shall en- 
 deavour, by moderating my hopes and my wishes, 
 to prepare myself for the worst. 
 
 " You do too much honour to the letter I 
 wrote to the Archbishop of York. It contained 
 nothing that could entertain you. Some time or 
 other I shall give you, at large, my opinion of 
 the matters contained in it ; for of the letter it- 
 self I kept no copy. It has pleased his Grace, 
 and given great satisfaction to Lord Kinnoull. 
 
 " Dr Gregory will show you the character of 
 Rousseau, as it is now finished. Some years ago, 
 I should have put more panegyric in it, and less 
 censure; but since that time, I have had leisure
 
 312 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 to examine some of his theological, and some, 
 too. of his philosophical tenets, which has lower- 
 ed considerably my opinion of his candour and 
 understanding : but my admiration of his talents, 
 as an eloquent and pathetic writer, still remains 
 unimpaired ; and I am confident he had origi- 
 nally that in him, which might have made him 
 one of the greatest philosophers in the world, if 
 his genius had not been perverted by the fashion 
 of the times, and by the love of paradox. The 
 passage I allude to, where he speaks so well of 
 the genius of Christianity, and the character of 
 its Divine Founder, is in the creed of the Sa- 
 voyard curate, where he draws a comparison be- 
 tween Jesus Christ and Socrates." 
 
 LETTER LXI. 
 
 MRS MONTAGU TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 London, 13th December, 1772. 
 " You ask me, why the eastern nations are, in 
 their poetical compositions, so full of glaring 
 images, and exaggerated metaphors? One rea- 
 son, 1 presume, is, that they are little addicted
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 313 
 
 to write or read prose. Fiction and bombast are 
 called le Phoebus, in the French language: the 
 marvellous is affected in poetry more than in 
 prose ; exaggeration is a road to the marvellous. 
 The first passage from hieroglyphic representa- 
 tion to imitation by words, must naturally be by 
 images. The Greeks, by a certain subtlety of 
 parts, and the popular character of the philoso- 
 phers, addicted themselves greatly to metaphy- 
 sics ; this banished from the learned the grosser 
 images. They cultivated all the parts of rheto- 
 ric ; thence grew precision, and consequently the 
 figurative style became less in use ; words ac- 
 quired certain and exact signification ; and So- 
 crates, the best and most modest of men, would 
 inculcate the maxim, that the gods hate impu- 
 dence, without delineating an eagle, a crocodile, 
 a sea-horse, and a fish, as the Egyptian sages 
 had done, to teach it. Many of the high pom- 
 pous and high sounding titles you take notice 
 of, as given to eastern princes, are verbal transla- 
 tions of the symbols of regal power, executive 
 justice, &c. As to Homer, we know little about 
 him ; he seems to paint exactly from the life, as 
 our Shakespeare did, and as the first-rate genius's 
 will always do, where there arc not established
 
 314 LIFE OF DR BEATTIZ. 
 
 laws of criticism, to which they must bend, and 
 which set up a pattern and mode to work by. 
 You will find JEschylus an hieroglyphical, sym- 
 bolical, allegorical writer; his works smell of 
 Egypt, and the mythology of his country. So- 
 phocles saw that the historical muse of Herodo- 
 tus was admired, he therefore takes a more middle 
 flight between history and poetry. Euripides finds 
 his countrymen still more refined, and is a moral 
 philosopher, as well as poet.- He writes to So- 
 crates, and the disciples of Socrates. Something 
 of the pomp and luxury of an Asiatic poet's de- 
 scriptions certainly arises from the wealth and 
 plenty of his country, and the display of gold 
 and jewels, and the perfumes, &c. in the palaces of 
 the great. Ossian exaggerates only the strength 
 and valour of his heroes, and the beaut} of his 
 women. As poetry professes to please and sur- 
 prise, it will always embellish and magnify. We 
 owe much to the metaphysical turn of the Greeks, 
 for refining our ideas, and spiritualizing them. 
 While only fables and panegyrics were fabricated 
 by the poets, clear and adequate, and well-pro- 
 portioned phrase, could never be established. 
 Obscurity was necessary, exaggeration would be 
 sought; and though Homer, who sung to the
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 315 
 
 distant posterity of Agamemnon, &c. was not 
 under a necessity of magnifying his character 
 beyond the ordinary proportion of human quali- 
 ties, I dare say Agamemnon's family-bard, and 
 the rest of the heroes' poets, attributed many ex- 
 travagant exploits to them. As to the passions, 
 I believe them to be much more violent in warm 
 countries ; and as the Asiatic life is more indo- 
 lent, the body employed in less motion, and the 
 mind less diverted by variety of objects, it de- 
 sires what it likes with more vehement and un- 
 interrupted attention. These are my random 
 thoughts upon your questions ; but as they are 
 merely my own, I have no great confidence in. 
 them." 
 
 LETTER LXII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO MRS MONTAGU. 
 
 Aberdeen, 12th January, 1773. 
 
 " It gave me the most sincere pleasure to find, 
 
 that the Archbishop of York was satisfied with 
 
 the sentiments expressed in the letter I had the 
 
 honour to write to him. His Grace sent my let-
 
 316 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 ter to Lord Kinnoull, who was pleased to write 
 to me on the occasion, and to express his appro- 
 bation in very strong terms. Considering the 
 turn that my affairs were likely to take, I wish- 
 ed for an opportunity of doing myself justice, by 
 explaining my opinion of the doctrine and dis- 
 cipline of the Church of England ; and a more 
 favourable opportunity could not have been wish- 
 ed for, than that which his Grace was pleased to 
 grant me. I am much honoured by your appli- 
 cation in my behalf to the Duchess of Portland, 
 and deeply sensible of the importance of her 
 Grace's interest and favourable opinion. 
 
 " In the new edition of my " Essay," I have 
 inserted a long note, containing a character of 
 Rousseau and his writings. This I did by the 
 advice of Dr Gregory, who told me, that many 
 persons, who wished me well, had signified to him 
 their desire of knowing my reasons for thinking 
 so favourably of that philosopher, as to place his 
 name in the same list with Bacon, Shakespeare, 
 and Montesquieu. I was somewhat afraid, lest, 
 by bestowing on Rousseau those praises which 
 I think are his due, I might offend some well- 
 meaning people, who had read only those parts 
 of his works that express his dissatisfaction with
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 317 
 
 some parts of the Christian doctrine : and there- 
 fore, when I sent my criticism to Dr Gregory, I 
 desired him to consider it very seriously, and, if 
 he thought it would give offence to any Chris- 
 tian, or tend to embroil me in controversy, to 
 suppress it altogether. But, instead of suppres- 
 sing, he forwarded it to the printer, and after- 
 wards wrote to me that he entirely approved of 
 it. I long to know your opinion of this note, 
 and have therefore desired Mr Dilly to send you 
 the book; you will find it at the 437th page. 
 There is at page 330, a ludicrous note, intended 
 to expose some of Voltaire's reasonings on the 
 subject of necessity. These are the only addi- 
 tions of any consequence that are made to this 
 new impression. 
 
 " Mr Dilly will also send you a copy of this 
 book, addressed to Mrs Carter, which I must beg, 
 madam, you will take the trouble to forward to her, 
 with some apology, to make it acceptable. It is 
 a tribute of respect and gratitude which I owe to 
 her extraordinary genius and virtue, and to the 
 pleasure and instruction I have received from her 
 writings. 
 
 " I am greatly delighted with your account of 
 the causes that produced the striking diversity
 
 318 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 which appears in the poetical style of Greece and 
 of modern Europe, compared with the style com- 
 monly called oriental. You have, in my opinion, 
 fully accounted for this diversity. It is a great 
 pity we know so little of Homer's history, and of 
 the state of Grecian literature before his time. 
 It appears to me, that the records of Greece have 
 never gone far beyond the Trojan war ; for it is 
 observable, that most of Homer's heroes are de- 
 scended from Jupiter, in the third or fourth de- 
 gree only ; in other words, that they could not 
 trace their genealogy higher than the third or 
 fourth generation : which is a proof, or at least 
 a presumption, that they wanted letters, and had 
 but lately emerged from barbarity. Horace makes 
 the contemporaries, of Orpheus and Amphion to 
 have been perfect savages, till humanized Iry the 
 charms of poetry and music : but perhaps he spoke 
 only from conjectures, gathered out of the fables 
 of those ancient times. If those conjectures be 
 just; if the Greeks were really in a state of bar- 
 barity and ignorance, so late as the third or fourth 
 generation before the Trojan war : it is a matter 
 of astonishment, that, in Homer's time (about 
 150 years after that war,) their language should 
 be so copious, so regular, so harmonious, so sub-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 319 
 
 tie, in the discrimination of thought, and so won- 
 derfully diversified in its inflections. If we did 
 not know the thing to be impossible, we should 
 be tempted to think that the Greek language 
 must have been the invention of philosophers : if 
 it arose, like other languages, from vulgar and 
 accidental use, and yet came, in so short time, 
 to such perfection, we cannot help thinking, that 
 the Greeks had received from nature superior 
 force of genius, and delicacy of taste; and that 
 Horace spoke as a philosopher, as well as a poet, 
 when he said. Gratis i?ige?ihim > Graiis dedit ore ro- 
 tundo musa loquV 
 
 The following letter was written in reply to 
 one from me, in which I informed Dr Beattie of 
 the death of our common friend, Dr Gregory. It 
 is expressive of the tenderest grief, at the same 
 time full of the most pious sentiments of resig- 
 nation to Divine Providence on the occasion, 
 which, under all the calamities that befel him 
 through life, was his chief support, and surest 
 consolation.
 
 320 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER LXIII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO SIR WILLIAM FORBES. 
 
 Aberdeen, 1 3th February, 1773. 
 
 " I am deeply sensible of your goodness, in 
 communicating to me, in so tender and soothing 
 a manner, the news of a misfortune, which is in- 
 deed one of the severest I have ever felt. For 
 these two months past, my spirits have been un- 
 usually depressed, so that I am but ill prepared 
 for so terrible a stroke. Of the loss which so- 
 ciety, and which his family have received ; of 
 the incomparable loss which I sustain, by the 
 death of this excellent person, I can say no- 
 thing; my heart is too full, and I have not yet 
 recovered myself so far as to think or speak co- 
 herently on this or any other subject. 
 
 " You justly observe, that his friends may de- 
 rive no small consolation, from the circumstance 
 of his death having been without pain, * and 
 
 * tie was found dead in bed, probably from an attack of the 
 uout, to which he was subject.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 321 
 
 from the well-grounded hope we may entertain 
 of his having made a happy change. But I find 
 I cannot proceed ; I thought I should have been 
 able to give you some of my thoughts on this 
 occasion ; but the subject overpowers me. Write 
 to me as soon, and as fully as you can, of the si- 
 tuation of his family, and whatever you may 
 think I should wish to know. I shall endeavour 
 to follow your kind advice, and to reconcile my- 
 self to this great affliction, as much as I am able. 
 My reason, I trust, is fully reconciled: I am 
 thoroughly convinced, that every dispensation of 
 Providence is wise and good; and that by ma- 
 king a proper improvement of the evils of this 
 life, we may convert them all into blessings. It 
 becomes us, therefore, to adore the Supreme Be- 
 nefactor, when he takes away, as well as when 
 he gives; for he is wise and beneficent in both."' 
 
 vol. i. x
 
 322 LIFE OF PR BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER LXIII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO MRS MONTAGU. 
 
 Aberdeen, 3d May, 1773. 
 
 " I have just now finished the business of a 
 melancholy winter. When I wrote to you last, 
 which was in January, my health and spirits 
 were in a very low state. In this condition, the 
 unexpected death of the best of men, and of 
 friends, came upon me with a weight, which at 
 any time I should have thought almost unsup- 
 portable, but which, at that time, was afflicting 
 to a degree which human abilities alone could 
 never have endured. But Providence, ever be- 
 neficent and gracious, has supported me under 
 this heavy dispensation; and I hope, I shall in 
 time be enabled to review it, even with that 
 cheerful submission, which becomes a Christian, 
 and which none but a Christian can entertain. I 
 have a thousand things to say on this most af- 
 fecting subject ; but for your sake, madam, and 
 for my own, I shall not, at present, enter upon 
 them. Nobody can be more sensible than you
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 323 
 
 are, of the irreparable loss which not only his 
 own family and friends, but which society in ge- 
 neral, sustains by the loss of this excellent per- 
 son : and I need not tell you, for of this too I 
 know you are sensible, that of all his friends, (his 
 own family excepted,) none has so much cause of 
 sorrow, on this occasion, as I. I should never 
 have done, if I were to enter into the particulars 
 of his kindness to me. For these many years 
 past, I have had the happiness to be of his inti- 
 mate acquaintance. He took part in all my con- 
 cerns ; and, as I concealed nothing from him, he 
 knew my heart and my character as well as I 
 myself did ; only the partiality of his friendship 
 made him think more favourably of me than I 
 deserved. In all my difficulties, I applied to him 
 for advice and comfort ; both which he had the 
 art of communicating in such a way as never 
 failed to compose and strengthen my mind. His 
 zeal in promoting my interest and reputation is 
 very generally known. In a word, (for I must 
 endeavour to quit a subject, which will long be 
 oppressive to my heart,) my inward quiet, and 
 external prosperity, were objects of his particular 
 and unwearied care; and he never missed any 
 opportunity of promoting both to the utmost of
 
 324 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 his power. I wrote to his son soon after the fa- 
 tal event; and have had the comfort to hear 
 from several hands, that he, and his sisters, and 
 the whole family, behave with a propriety that 
 charms every body. In continuing his father's 
 lectures, he acquits himself to universal satisfac- 
 tion." 
 
 LETTER LXIV. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO MRS MONTAGU. 
 
 Aberdeen, 2 1st April, 1773. 
 
 " A book has been lately published, which 
 makes no little noise in this country. It is an 
 Essay on the Origin and Progress of Language ; 
 the author is Mr Burnet of Monboddo, * one of 
 our Lords of the Session, a man of great learning, 
 but rather too much devoted to Greek literature, 
 particularly the Peripatetic philosophy. In the 
 first part of his work, he gives a very learned, 
 elaborate, and abstruse account of the origin of 
 ideas, according to the metaphysic of Plato, and 
 
 * See p. 30.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 325 
 
 the commentators upon Aristotle. He then treats 
 of the origin of human society, and of language, 
 (which he considers as a human invention,) in the 
 way in which many of our fashionable philoso- 
 phers have treated of them of late ; representing 
 men as having originally been, and continued for 
 many ages to be, no better than beasts, and in- 
 deed in many respects worse ; destitute of speech, 
 of reason, of conscience, of social affection, and 
 of every thing that can confer dignity upon a 
 creature, and possessed of nothing but external 
 sense and memory, and a capacity of improve- 
 ment. The system is not a new one : it is bor- 
 rowed (whatever these philosophers may pretend) 
 from Epicurus, or rather from Lucretius, of whose 
 account of it, Horace gives a pretty exact abridge- 
 ment, in these lines : " Cum prorepserunt pri- 
 " mis animalia terris, mutum et turpe pecus? &c. 
 which Lord Monboddo takes for his motto, and 
 which, he says, comprehend, in miniature, the 
 whole history of man. In regard to facts that 
 make for his system, (all which our author sees 
 with microscopical eyes,) he is amazingly credu- 
 lous, and equally blind and sceptical, in regard 
 to every fact of an opposite tendency. He pro- 
 fesses a regard for the scripture, and I believe
 
 326 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 means it no harm ; but his system cannot possi- 
 bly be reconciled to it. In a word, he has gone 
 further in brutifying human nature, than any au- 
 thor, ancient or modern. Yet there are many 
 curious and good things in his book. I have 
 been entertained, and sometimes instructed, by 
 it ; but notwithstanding this, and in spite of my 
 regard for the author, who is truly a worthy 
 man, and to whom I am under particular obliga- 
 tions, I take it up as a task, and can never read 
 above half an hour in it at a time ; so odious, so 
 filthy, is the picture he gives of the nature of 
 man. It pains and shocks me, as if I were wit- 
 nessing the dissection of a putrid carcase. It is, 
 however, a book, which, I believe, will do little 
 hurt; for the vulgar, it is too abstruse and too 
 learned : and the greater part of his readers will 
 be moved rather to laughter than to conviction, 
 when they hear him assert, which he does with 
 the utmost confidence and gravity, that the Ou- 
 ran-Outangs are of our species ; that in the Bay 
 of Bengal exists a nation of human creatures 
 with tails, discovered 1 30 years ago, by a Swe- 
 dish skipper; that the beavers and sea-cats are 
 social and political animals, though man, by na- 
 ture, is neither social nor political, nor even ra-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 327 
 
 tional; reason, reflection, a sense of right and 
 wrong, society, policy, and even thought, being, 
 in the human species, according to this author, 
 as much the effects of art, contrivance, and long 
 experience, as writing, ship-building, or any other 
 manufacture. 
 
 " Some years ago, I wrote a small treatise in 
 Latin, on a subject similar to this of Lord Mon- 
 boddo's, but the conclusions I drew were widely 
 different. From the nature of language, I proved, 
 to my own satisfaction at least, that, if men had 
 ever been a mutum et turpe pecus, they must, 
 without supernatural assistance, have continued 
 so to this day ; that therefore man, in all ages 
 from the beginning, must have been a speaking- 
 animal ; that the first man must have received 
 the divine gift of language from God himself, by 
 inspiration ; and that the children of our first pa- 
 rents, and their descendants to the present time, 
 must have learned to speak by imitation and in- 
 struction. And for the smaller diversities in kin- 
 dred languages, (such as those which took place 
 in the French language, for instance, compared 
 with the Italian and Spanish,) I would account 
 from the revolutions of human affairs, and the 
 tendency of language to alteration ; and for the
 
 328 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 greater diversities, (such as those that appear in 
 the European languages, compared with those of 
 China, America, &c.) I would account from the 
 confusion of Babel ; nor do I think it possible 
 to account for them satisfactorily in any other 
 way." 
 
 In several of Dr Beattie's letters at this time, 
 he had mentioned his intention of undertaking a 
 journey to England : the cause he chiefly assign- 
 ed was the broken state of his constitution, which 
 he hoped, on the authority of his friend and phy- 
 sician, the late Dr Gregory, would be improved 
 by the exercise of travelling. 
 
 In pursuance of his intention, Dr Beattie set 
 out from Aberdeen, in the end of April, for Lon- 
 don, accompanied by Mrs Beattie. And after 
 paying a visit of two days to the Earl of Kin- 
 noull, * at Dupplin-Castle, in Perthshire, he ar- 
 rived in Edinburgh. 
 
 * The elder brother of the Honourable and Most Reverend 
 Robert Hay Drummond, at that time Lord Archbishop of York.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 329 
 
 Dr Beattie now communicated to me all the 
 motives of his journey to London, which, besides 
 the recovery of his health, and the paying a visit 
 to his friends there, had a still farther object in 
 view. So early as his former visit to London, in 
 the year 1771, his English friends had formed -an 
 anxious wish, that some attempt should be made 
 to procure for him a permanent provision or esta- 
 blishment. His fame, indeed, as an exquisite poet, 
 and an eloquent as well as energetic philosophical 
 writer, was considerable. He had been honoured, 
 also, with the friendship of some of the most distin- 
 guished characters, both for rank in life, as well 
 as reputation in the republic of letters. But ex- 
 cept the very trifling sums, which he had recei- 
 ved from the booksellers, for his " Essay on 
 Truth," and his " Minstrel," so trifling as scarce- 
 ly to be worth mentioning, he remained with no 
 other property or provision for the support of his 
 family, than the very moderate emoluments ari- 
 sing from his professorship of moral philosophy 
 in the university of Aberdeen. His friends had 
 likewise reason to believe, that neither Dr Beat- 
 tie's name, nor his merits as a distinguished wri- 
 ter in the cause of truth, were altogether un- 
 known to the king, whose love of literature, and
 
 330 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 marked attention to every thing that could pro- 
 mote the best interests of religion and virtue, it 
 was hoped, might procure for Dr Beattie some 
 substantial proof of his Majesty's regard. And, 
 in fact, the King had been pleased, not only to 
 express his approbation of the works which Dr 
 Beattie had published, but had even signified his 
 intention of conferring on the author some mark 
 of his royal favour. 
 
 In consequence of these flattering symptoms 
 of success, in a pursuit so interesting to him- 
 self and his family, his friends in England had 
 urged his coming to London without delay, and 
 bringing with him such letters of introduction 
 to those in power, as were most likely to be of 
 use. 
 
 By Lord Kinnoull he had been made known to 
 his brother, the Archbishop of York, and to Lord 
 Mansfield, who were both of them much dispo- 
 sed to serve him. And from Sir Adolphus Ough- 
 ton, Dr Beattie received, as he passed through 
 Edinburgh, a letter of introduction to the Earl 
 of Dartmouth, at that time secretary of state for 
 the colonies, with whom Sir Adolphus was in- 
 timately acquainted, and who afterwards much 
 contributed to Dr Beatties success.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 331 
 
 On his arrival in London, in the beginning of 
 May 1773, he hastened to wait on those friends 
 to whom he had become known during his for- 
 mer residence there, and by whom he was again 
 received with much cordiality. Mrs Montagu, 
 in particular, entered eagerly into his interests, 
 and pointed out to him, what, in her opinion, 
 was the most proper mode of proceeding, in or- 
 der to have his case brought under his Majesty's 
 immediate notice. Among others, he failed not 
 to pay an early visit to Lord Dartmouth, in or- 
 der to deliver the letter he had brought from Sir 
 Adolphus Oughton. He experienced the most 
 friendly reception from that nobleman, who paid 
 him many compliments, extolled the candour 
 with which his book was written, and said, that 
 no book, published in his time, had been more 
 generally read, or more approved of. Lord Dart- 
 mouth told him of the King's goodwill towards 
 him, and that Lord North* was his friend. He 
 said he would mention his business to Lord North, 
 and that perhaps an opportunity might offer, of 
 
 * At that time first lord of the treasury, and prime minister 
 of Great Britain; an office which he held for twelve years, and 
 during the arduous and eventful period of the American war.
 
 332 LIFE OF DIt BEATtflE. 
 
 letting the King know that he was in London. 
 He promised, as soon as possible, to acquaint him 
 with the result. * 
 
 Lord Dartmouth failed not to perform his pro- 
 mise, and in no long time sent him notice that 
 Lord North would be glad to see him. Dr Beat- 
 tie accordingly waited on the minister, and was 
 very politely received. Lord North told him, 
 the King had read his book, and approved it, 
 and that he would take an early opportunity of 
 letting his Majesty know that he was in Lon- 
 don, f 
 
 In deliberating on the most probable mode by 
 which some provision from government might 
 
 * I am enabled to give a circumstantial and exact account 
 of every thing that took place, respecting Dr Beattie's obtain- 
 ing his pension from the King, by having found, among his pa- 
 pers, a very curious and interesting Diary, which he had kept 
 of the occurrences of this journey to London, from the time of 
 his arrival there, to the date of his return home; in which he 
 has recorded, with scrupulous fidelity, every event of any mo- 
 ment that befel him. Every visit, of any consequence, which 
 he paid or received ; every person of any note whom he met 
 with, he has mentioned; and even many conversations, at which 
 he was present, or in which he bore a part, he has recorded in 
 the form of dialogue. It were tedious to insert the whole of 
 the Diary ; but I shall occasionally avail myself of it. 
 
 + MS. Diary, 21st May, 1773.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 335 
 
 be obtained for him, various schemes had been 
 suggested by his friends. By some it had been 
 proposed, that he should take orders, and go into 
 the Church of England ; for which his habits of 
 study had been by no means ill-suited, as he had 
 originally attended the lectures of the .professor 
 of divinity, when at the university ; and, at one 
 time, he seems to have been not altogether averse 
 from such a plan. His reasons for abandoning 
 all ideas of that nature, however, will be seen in 
 a subsequent letter. By others of his friends it 
 was hoped, that he might obtain some civil ap- 
 pointment, suited to his talents ; or, if not, some 
 sinecure office, of which there are many in the 
 West Indies, the duties of which are discharged 
 by a deputy on the spot, while a certain fixed 
 salary or emolument remains with the principal 
 at home. But at last it was resolved, on the sug- 
 gestion of the Archbishop of York, with the ap- 
 probation of his other friends, that a memorial 
 should be drawn up, expressing his services, his 
 wants, and his wishes ; which paper was to be 
 laid before the King. This memorial he trans- 
 mitted to Lord Dartmouth, by whom it was pre- 
 sented to his Majesty ; who on that, as on other 
 occasions, expressed himself in terms of high ap-
 
 334 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 probation in regard to him, and his writings, and 
 desired to see him. * 
 
 In consequence of this gracious intimation, 
 Lord Dartmouth undertook to carry him to the 
 levee at St James's, and present him to the King. 
 
 While Dr Beattie was thus waiting, with the 
 hope of experiencing some more substantial mark 
 of royal favour, than bare approbation, he conti- 
 nued to receive every possible proof of the kind- 
 ness and attachment of his private friends ; the 
 number of whom daily increased, as the circle of 
 society, in which he moved, became more exten- 
 sive, f 
 
 * MS. Diary, 12th June, 1773. 
 
 t Among those who most eminently distinguished him by 
 their politeness and attention, he could reckon Mrs Montagu ; 
 Lord Lyttelton ; the Archbishop of York; the Earl of Dart- 
 mouth ; Lord Mansfield; the Duchess-Dowager of Portland; Sir 
 William and Lady Mayne (afterwards Lord and Lady Newha- 
 ven); Lord Carysfort; Dr Porteus, now Bishop of London ; Dr 
 Markham, at that time Bishop of Chester, now Archbishop of 
 York ; Dr Percy, now Bishop of Dromore ; Dr Moss, Bishop of 
 St Davids; the Bishop of Bristol; Lord Dartry ; Dr Parker, 
 Rector of St James's ; Dr Halifax, Professor of Law at Cam- 
 bridge ; the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr Cornwallis) ; Dr 
 Moore, at that time Dean of Canterbury, afterwards himself 
 Lord Archbishop; Dr Douglas, now Bishop of Salisbury; Syl- 
 vester Douglas, now Lord Glenbervie ; Dr Kurd, the present 
 Bishop of Worcester; Sir Joshua Reynolds; Sir John Pringle,
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 335 
 
 From all of these he received the warmest com- 
 mendations of his principles and his writings, as 
 well as of his zealous efforts in the cause of vir- 
 tue and religion.* Nor were they merely the 
 slight and ordinary marks of formal acquaintance, 
 that he received from so many persons of distin- 
 guished eminence. By many of those whom I 
 have named, his society was eagerly sought for ; 
 and, at the Duchess-Dowager of Portland's house, 
 at Bulstrode, f at Sir William Mayne's, at Arno's- 
 Grove, and at Mrs Montagu's at Sandleford-Prio- 
 ry, Mrs Beattie and he spent occasionally some 
 days ; while they were prevented from accepting 
 similar invitations from other friends, by his 
 judging it proper to continue in London, until 
 the fate of his application to the King was deci- 
 
 President of the Royal Society ; Mr Edmund Burke ; Mr Gar- 
 rick ; Dr Samuel Johnson ; Mr Cumberland ; Mr and Mrs Ve- 
 sey; Mr Langton ; Mrs Carter; Mr John Hunter; Dr Majen- 
 die ; Dr Goldsmith ; Mr Hawkins Browne. 
 
 * MS. Diary, passim. 
 
 f Lady Margaret Cavendish Harley, only danghter and 
 heiress of Edward, Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, by his wife 
 the Lady Henrietta Cavendish, the only daughter and heiress 
 of John Holies, Duke of Newcastle. She inherited from her fa- 
 ther a noble estate, and lived, with splendid hospitality, at Bul- 
 strode, in Buckinghamshire ; which was the resort, not only of 
 persons of the highest rank, but of those most distinguished for
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIEj 
 
 ded. * In short, I believe I should not hazard 
 much, were I to affirm, that it is without a paral- 
 lel in the annals of literature, that an author, 
 almost totally a stranger in England, as Dr Beat- 
 tie was, should, in less than the space of two 
 years after the appearance of his ' Essay on 
 Truth, 1 and his poem of the ' Minstrel,' emerge 
 from the obscurity of his situation, in a provin- 
 cial town in the north of Scotland, into such ge- 
 neral and distinguished celebrity, without the aid 
 of party spirit, or political faction, or any other 
 influence than what arose from the merit of these 
 two publications, which first brought him into 
 notice, and his agreeable conversation, and unas- 
 suming manners, which secured to him the love 
 of all to whom he became personally known. 
 
 talents and eminence in the literary world. To the Duchess- 
 Dowager of Portland, posterity will ever be indebted, for secu- 
 ring to the public the inestimable treasures of learning contain- 
 ed in the noble MS. library of her father and grandfather, Earls 
 of Oxford, now deposited in the British Museum, by the autho- 
 rity of Parliament, under the guardianship of the most distin- 
 guished persons of the realm, easy of access, and consequently 
 of real use, to the philosopher, the statesman, the historian, the 
 scholar, as well as the artist and mechanic, f 
 
 t Introduction to Astle's " Origin and Progress of Writing," p. xxi. 
 * MS. Diary, passim.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 337 
 
 Nor must I omit some still more substantial 
 and flattering marks of friendship, which he has 
 gratefully recorded in his Diary* Mrs Montagu, 
 when speaking of the object of his journey -to 
 London, told him in very explicit, though deli- 
 cate terms, that if government did nothing, she 
 would herself claim the honour of rendering his 
 situation in life more comfortable. * To this in- 
 stance of generosity and friendship, he told her, 
 he did not know what other answer to give, ex- 
 cept that he did, and ever should, entertain a pro- 
 per sense of it. 
 
 Not long after, he received a most unexpect- 
 ed, and still more exalted, mark of favour from 
 her Majesty, to whom Dr Beattie had been men- 
 tioned by Dr Majendie, f at the desire of Lady 
 Mayne, although altogether without his know- 
 ledge. The Queen was pleased to express to Dr 
 Majendie her high approbation of Dr Beattie 
 and his writings, wishing that it were in her 
 power to do him a favour, and desired Dr Ma- 
 jendie to ask him, whether he would be willing 
 
 * MS. Diary, 21st May, 1773. 
 
 f Prebendary of Worcester, who had at that time the honour 
 of being instructor to the Queen in the English and French lan- 
 guages ; the father of the present Lord Bishop of Chester. 
 
 VOL. I. Y
 
 338 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 to receive some present from her Majesty. Af- 
 ter expressing to Dr Majendie the high sense of 
 the honour her Majesty had done him, and of the 
 favour she meant to confer, Dr Beattie informed 
 him of the applications that had been made by 
 his friends, to procure for him a pension from 
 the King; and concluded, by desiring him to let 
 the Queen know, that he would, with the utmost 
 gratitude, receive any mark of favour she should 
 be pleased to bestow ; but that he was in hopes 
 of receiving some provision from the King, in 
 which case he should not wish to encroach on 
 her Majesty's bounty. If, however, his applica- 
 tion to the crown should prove unsuccessful, any 
 mark of the Queen's favour would be most ac- 
 ceptable. * From Dr Majendie he afterwards 
 learned, that the Doctor had related to the Queen 
 what had passed ; with which her Majesty ex- 
 pressed herself extremely well pleased ; and said, 
 the manner in which Dr Beattie had declined her 
 offer, was a proof of his discretion, and that she 
 had a still better opinion of him on that account. 
 She added, that she would take the first opportu- 
 nity to speak of him to the King; and, further, 
 
 * MS. Diary, 13th June, 1773.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 339 
 
 desired Dr Majendie to tell him, that she had 
 read his book with great attention; that she 
 highly approved of it, and had several times con- 
 versed upon it with the King. * 
 
 He has also recorded another instance of mu- 
 nificence. The Duchess of Portland, while he 
 was on a visit at Bulstrode, desired to speak with 
 him in private ; and after regretting the expence 
 to which this journey to England must have sub- 
 jected him, requested, in the frankest manner, 
 that he would accept, of what she called a trifle, 
 of one hundred pounds, in bank-notes, which she 
 held in her hand. He was greatly disconcerted, 
 he adds, by such an extraordinary instance of 
 generosity. But he declined to accept of her 
 Grace's present, in a manner, as she was pleased 
 to say, which gave her a very favourable opinion 
 of him, and a very high idea of the liberality of 
 his sentiments. He endeavoured to explain to 
 her, that by frugality at riome, and the price he 
 had received for his writings, he had saved as 
 much money as would serve to defray the ex- 
 pence of this expedition ; adding, at the same 
 
 * MS. Diary, 15th June, 1773.
 
 340 LIFE OF DK. BEATTIE. 
 
 time, the probability of his soon receiving some 
 increase of income from government. * 
 
 It will not be matter of wonder, that Dr Beat- 
 tie should feel himself highly gratified, as well as 
 flattered, by such eminent proofs of distinguish- 
 ed favour: a sentiment naturally increased by the 
 very gracious reception he experienced from his 
 Majesty, to whom he was presented by Lord 
 Dartmouth, at the levee, where he had the ho- 
 nour of kissing the King's hand. His Majesty 
 spoke to him, for four or five minutes, with the 
 most polite and chearful affability : told him he 
 had read his book, and approved of it greatly, as 
 a work that was much wanted, and surely would 
 do a great deal of good ; inquired how long time 
 it cost him to compose it; and was pleased to say, 
 that what he greatly admired in it, was the plain- 
 ness and pcrspicuity-of the reasoning, which must 
 make it intelligible to every body, and which 
 seemed to be perfectly unanswerable. The King 
 repeated what he had said to Lord Dartmouth, 
 who stood by, and who heartily joined in the 
 same sentiments. His Majesty then asked, if 
 any body had ever attempted to answer it ; and 
 
 * MS. Diary, 28th June, 1773.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 341 
 
 on being told, that some anonymous writers had 
 attacked it in the newspapers, and had abused 
 him on account of his book, he said, that such 
 abuse did honour to him and his work. Here 
 the conversation ended. The levee was exceed- 
 ingly crowded, which made it the more gratify- 
 ing to him, that the King should honour him 
 with so long a conference. * 
 
 Dr Beattie was afterwards to have been pre- 
 sented to the Queen, and several days were fixed 
 on between Lord Dartmouth and him for that 
 purpose ; but it so happened, that on these days 
 the Queen held no drawing-room, and the pre- 
 sentation did not at this time take place. 
 
 Not a hint was dropped, however, at this time 
 of his presentation, by the King, or by Lord 
 North, who was at the levee, and spoke to Dr 
 Beattie, of any intention of making some provi- 
 sion for him ; but on the day following, he learn- 
 ed, with no small satisfaction, from Dr Majendie, 
 that the Queen had informed him, that she knew 
 it to be the King's resolution to confer on him a 
 pension of two hundred pounds a-year; but no 
 notice was to be taken of this, until it should be 
 
 * MS. Diary, 30th June, 1773.
 
 342 LIFE OF Dft BEATTIE. 
 
 announced to him in a regular form by the mi- 
 nister. 
 
 While he thus waited, with a very excusable 
 degree of anxiety, for the fulfilment of this ex- 
 pectation, he received a mark of public approba- 
 tion, of a very pleasing nature, by an honorary 
 degree of doctor of laws being conferred on him 
 by the University of Oxford. The first idea of 
 his receiving this honour had been suggested to 
 him by Mr Peckard, a clergyman, with whom 
 he had become acquainted at Dr Porteus's house 
 at Lambeth, and who proposed to mention the 
 matter to Dr Markham, Bishop of Chester, and 
 Dean of Christ- Church. * 
 
 The Bishop readily entered into the plan, to 
 which he did not foresee that any objection could 
 be made, as Dr Beattie's essay was well known 
 at Oxford, and had rendered him extremely po- 
 pular there. The time fixed on for his receiving 
 this honour from the university, was the ar>- 
 proaching installation of Lord North as Chan- 
 cellor of the University, on which occasion a 
 number of degrees were, as usual, to be confer- 
 red; and Dr Beattie was directed to repair to 
 Oxford, to be present on the occasion. 
 
 * Now Lord Archbishop of York.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 343 
 
 It was the original intention that it should be 
 what is called a diploma-degree; by which he 
 would have become entitled to all the rights and 
 privileges of a member of the university. When 
 the Bishop of Chester went to Oxford, however, 
 a short time before the installation, and conver- 
 sed on the subject with the vice-chancellor, it 
 was represented as doubtful, whether a degree 
 by diploma could, with propriety, be conferred 
 on Dr Beattie, on account of his being a Presby- 
 terian. On this difficulty being communicated 
 to Dr Beattie, he laid aside all thoughts of the 
 matter. It was, therefore, not without consider- 
 able surprise, that he received a letter from the 
 Bishop of Chester, from Oxford, informing him, 
 " that though the success of a diploma-degree in 
 " laws seemed doubtful, (notwithstanding that all 
 " the heads of houses in the university were as 
 " favourable as could be wished,) an honorary- 
 " degree did not seem liable to any hazard ; and 
 " that his name had been put in the list of those 
 " who were to be so complimented on the present 
 " occasion. The Bishop desired him, therefore, to 
 " repair immediately to Oxford." 
 
 Dr Beattie, who happened to come accidental- 
 ly that morning from Sir William Mayne's, at
 
 344 ljfe'of dr beattii;. 
 
 Arno's Grove, to London, set out instantly for 
 Oxford, where he arrived the same evening. He 
 immediately waited on the Bishop of Chester, hy 
 whom he was received with the utmost kindness, 
 and the day following, (9th July,) the degree was 
 conferred on him, in the theatre. * 
 
 * Some circumstances attended the conferring of this degree 
 on Dr JJeattie, which were extremely flattering to him. About 
 fifteen persons were admitted that day to the degree of Doctor 
 of Laws ; among which number was Sir Joshua Reynolds, 
 When it came to Dr Beattie's turn, the Professor of Civil Law, 
 (Dr Vansittart,) whose business it is to present the graduates to 
 the Chancellor, after mentioning his name and title, of professor 
 of moral philosophy in the university of Aberdeen, which is all 
 that is usually said on the occasion, to his surprise, went on 
 with a long Latin oration, in his praise, nearly to the following 
 purpose : " whose writings and character are too well known, 
 " to stand in need of any encomium from me. He has had the 
 " singular fortune to join together, in the happiest union, the 
 tf poetical and philosophical character. He is justly consider- 
 " ed as one of the most elegant poets of his time ; and his fame, 
 " both as a philosopher and poet, will be as permanent as that 
 " truth which he has so ably defended." This is but an abridge- 
 ment of the speech, which was much more elegant in its com- 
 position, as well as more extravagant in its compliment. This 
 speech, says Mr Williamson, (who was present in the theatre, 
 and heard it spoken,) was much taken notice of at Oxford, on 
 this occasion. He adds, it was certainly unpremeditated, as Dr 
 Vansittart did not know, twenty minutes before he spoke it, that 
 Dr fceattie was among the number of the graduates; and even 
 after he knew it, he was in the middle ot a crowd, so that not- 
 withstanding its elegance, it was a temporary ellusion, proceed:
 
 LIFE OF DR. BEATTIE. 345 
 
 On the next day he left Oxford, and returned to 
 London, where he continued, without hearing any 
 
 ing from the high character he had conceived of him from his 
 writings, and which, continues Mr Williamson, I thought no 
 study could have produced. 
 
 As soon as the degree is conferred, the graduate bows, and 
 takes his place among the doctors, when there is generally a 
 clap of approbation in the theatre, which is sometimes loud, 
 and sometimes but faint. When it came to Dr Beattie's turn, 
 the clapping of hands was so remarkably loud, and so long con- 
 tinued, as satisfied him, that he had more friends in the theatre, 
 than he had any reason to expect ; and that this honour was 
 conferred on him with the heartiest good-will of all parties. Of 
 those who received the degree at that time, Sir Joshua Rey- 
 nolds and he were the only two who were distinguished by an 
 encomium, and extraordinary applause. As soon as the cere- 
 mony was over, several of his friends bowed to him, from their 
 seats in the theatre, particularly, Lord Dartmouth, Dr Thomas, 
 dean of Westminster, Dr Moore, dean of Canterbury, Mr 
 Thrale, Dr Parker, &c. &c. &c. who all, when the convocation 
 broke up, came and paid their compliments to him ; none with 
 greater affection and politeness than Lord Dartmouth. 
 
 So great a concourse of people had been drawn to Oxford, 
 from all quarters, to witness this installation of the prime mini- 
 ster, as chancellor of the university, that when Dr Beattie wish- 
 ed to return to London, neither carriage, nor horse, nor any 
 mode of conveyance, was to be had on any terms ; all being 
 engaged for several days. After many fruitless attempts to get 
 a post-chaise, he was preparing to set out on foot, as he was 
 anxious to get back to town ; when, happening to pay a visit to 
 Mr John Pitt j| and his lady, they, on hearing of his embarrass- 
 
 |j A gentleman of fortune in Dorsetshire, who honoured Or Beattie, in 
 a particular manner, with his friendship, and to whose kind intentions, 
 in his favour, it will be seen hereafter, that he was much indebted.
 
 346 LIFE OF DIt BEATTIE. 
 
 thing farther of the pension, until the 20th Au- 
 gust, when he received a letter from Lord North's 
 secretary, informing him officially, by his lord- 
 ship's desire, that the King had been pleased to 
 consent to a pension of two hundred pounds a- 
 year being paid to him. 
 
 Thus, at length, he saw happily accomplished 
 the object of the wishes of his friends and his 
 own, by this provision, which his Majesty had 
 been graciously pleased to make for him, and 
 which, though not such as to place him in great 
 affluence, was yet amply sufficient, with the emo- 
 luments of his professorship, for all his wants ; 
 and, together with the profit to be derived from 
 his writings, to render him independent. 
 
 If any thing could add to the satisfaction he 
 naturally felt from this fortunate conclusion of 
 his affairs, it was the distinguished honour he 
 met with, before he left London, of a personal 
 
 ment, very kindly insisted on his accepting of the use of their 
 post-chaise and four, to carry him the first stage on his road, 
 where he could find post-horses for the rest of the way. || 
 
 || I state this account of the graduation of Oxford, from the MS. Dia- 
 ry, and from a letter to me, from Mr Williamson, who was present in the. 
 theatre on the occasion, and heard and saw the whole.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 347 
 
 and private interview with his Majesty, at the 
 palace at Kew. 
 
 Dr Beattie had been informed by Dr Majendie, 
 who lived at Kew, and was often at the palace, 
 that the King having asked some questions of 
 the Doctor respecting him, and being told that 
 he sometimes visited Dr Majendie there, his Ma- 
 jesty had desired to be informed the next time 
 Dr Beattie was to be at Kew. What his Majes- 
 ty's intentions were, Dr Majendie said he did not 
 know ; but supposed the King intended to ad- 
 mit him to a private audience. A day was there- 
 fore fixed, on which Dr Beattie was to be at Dr 
 Majendie's house, early in the morning, of which 
 the Doctor was to give notice to his Majesty. 
 Of this interesting event, so honourable to Dr 
 Beattie, I shall transcribe, in his own words, the 
 account he has given in his Diary. 
 
 " Tuesday, 24th August, set out for Dr Ma- 
 jendie's at Kew-Green. The Doctor told me, 
 that he had not seen the King yesterday, but had 
 left a note in writing, to intimate, that I was to 
 be at his house to-day ; and that one of the King's 
 pages had come to him this morning, to say, 
 " that his Majesty would see me a little after 
 " twelve." At twelve, the Doctor and I went to
 
 348 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 
 
 the Kings house, at Kew. We had been only a 
 few minutes in the hall, when the King and 
 Queen came in from an airing ; and, as they 
 passed through the hall, the King called to me 
 by name, and asked how long it was since I 
 came from town. I answered, about an hour. 
 " I shall see you," says he, " in a little." The 
 Doctor and I waited a considerable time, (for the 
 King was busy,) and then we were called into a 
 large room, furnished as a library, where the 
 King was walking about, and the Queen sitting 
 in a chair. We were received in the most gra- 
 cious manner possible, by both their Majesties. 
 I had the honour of a conversation with them 
 (nobody else being present, but Dr Majendie) for 
 upwards of an hour, on a great variety of topics ; 
 in which both the King and Queen joined, with 
 a degree of chearfulness, affability, and ease, that 
 was to me surprising, and soon dissipated the 
 embarrassment which I felt at the beginning of 
 the conference. They both complimented me, 
 in the highest terms, on my " Essay," which, 
 they said, was a book they always kept by them ; 
 and the King said he had one copy of it at Kew, 
 and another in town, and immediately went and 
 took it down from a shelf. 1 found it was the
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 349 
 
 second edition. " I never stole a book but one," 
 said his Majesty, " and that was yours; (speak- 
 " ing to me) I stole it from the Queen, to give 
 " it to Lord Hertford to read." He had heard 
 that the sale of Humes ' Essays' had failed, since 
 my book was published ; and I told him what 
 Mr Strahan had told me, in regard to that mat- 
 ter. He had even heard of my being in Edin- 
 burgh last summer, and how Mr Hume was of- 
 fended on the score of my book. He asked ma- 
 ny questions about the second part of the ' Essay,' 
 and when it would be ready for the press. I 
 gave him, in a short speech, an account of the 
 plan of it ; and said, my health was so precarious, 
 I could not tell when it might be ready, as I had 
 many books to consult before I could finish it ; 
 but, that if my health were good, I thought I 
 might bring it to a conclusion in two or three 
 years. He asked, how long I had been in com- 
 posing my Essay ? praised the caution with which 
 it was written ; and said, he did not wonder that 
 it had employed me live or six years. He asked 
 about my poems. I said, there Mas only one 
 poem of my own, on which I set any value, 
 (meaning the ' Minstrel') and that it was first 
 published about the same time with the Essay.'
 
 350 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 My other poems, I said, were incorrect, being but 
 juvenile pieces, and of little consequence, even 
 in my own opinion. We had much conversation 
 on moral subjects ; from which both their Majes- 
 ties let it appear, that they were warm friends to 
 Christianity ; and so little inclined to infidelity, 
 that they could hardly believe that any thinking 
 man could really be an atheist, unless he could 
 bring himself to believe, that he made himself; 
 a thought which pleased the King exceedingly ; 
 and he repeated it several times to the Queen. 
 He asked, whether any thing had been written 
 against me. I spoke of the late pamphlet, of 
 which I gave an account, telling him, that I ne- 
 ver had met with any man who had read it, ex- 
 cept one Quaker. This brought on some discourse 
 about the Quakers, whose moderation, and mild 
 behaviour, the King and Queen commended. I 
 was asked many questions about the Scots uni- 
 versities ; the revenues of the Scots clergy ; their 
 mode of praying and preaching ; the medical col- 
 lege of Edinburgh ; Dr Gregory, (of whom I gave 
 a particular character,) and Dr Cullen ; the length 
 of our vacation at Aberdeen, and the closeness of 
 our attendance during the winter; the number of 
 students that attend my lectures; my mode of
 
 LIFE OF PR BEATTIE. 351 
 
 lecturing, whether from notes, or completely 
 written lectures ; about Mr Hume, and Dr Ro- 
 bertson, and Lord Kinnoull, and the Archbishop 
 of York, &c. &c. &c. His Majesty asked what I 
 thought of my new acquaintance, Lord Dart- 
 mouth ? I said, there was something in his air 
 and manner, which I thought not only agreeable, 
 but enchanting, and that he seemed to me to be 
 one of the best of men; a sentiment in which 
 both their Majesties heartily joined. " They say 
 " that Lord Dartmouth is an enthusiast," said the 
 King, " but surely he says nothing on the sub- 
 " ject of religion, but what every Christian may, 
 " and ought to say." lie asked, whether I did 
 not think the English language on the decline at 
 present ? I answered in the affirmative ; and the 
 King agreed, and named the ' Spectator* as one 
 of the best standards of the language. When I 
 told him that the Scots clergy sometimes prayed 
 a quarter, or even half-an-hour, at a lime, he ask- 
 ed, whether that did not lead them into repeti- 
 tions ? I said, it often did. " That," said he, " I 
 " don't like in prayers ; and excellent as our li- 
 " turgy is, I think it somewhat faulty in that re- 
 " spect." " Your Majesty knows," said I, " that 
 tl three services are joined in one, in the ordinary
 
 S52 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 " church-service, which is one cause of those re* 
 " petitions." " True," he replied, " and that cir* 
 " cumstance also makes the service too long/ 
 From this, he took occasion to speak of the 
 composition of the church-liturgy ; on which 
 he very justly bestowed the highest commenda- 
 tion. " Observe;" his Majesty said, " how flat 
 " those occasional prayers are, that are now com- 
 " posed, in comparison with the old ones." When 
 
 I mentioned the smallness of the church livings 
 in Scotland, he said, " he wondered how men of 
 " liberal education would chuse to become clergy* 
 
 II men there ;" and asked, " whether, in the re- 
 " mote parts of the country, the clergy, in gene- 
 " ral, were not very ignorant ?" I answered, " No, 
 " for that education was very cheap in Scotland, 
 " and that the clergy, in general, were men of 
 " good sense, and competent learning." He ask- 
 ed, whether we had any good preachers at Aber- 
 deen? I said, yes, and named Campbell and Ge- 
 rard, with whose names, however, I did not find 
 that he was acquainted. Dr Majendie mention- 
 ed Dr Oswalds ' Appeal/ with commendation ; 
 I praised it too ; and the Queen took down the 
 name, with a view to send for it. I was asked, 
 whether I knew Dr Oswald ? I answered, I did
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 353 
 
 not; and said, that my book was published be- 
 fore I read his ; that Dr O. was well known to 
 Lord Kinnoull, who had often proposed to make 
 us acquainted. We discussed a great many other 
 topics ; for the conversation, as before observed, 
 lasted for upwards of an hour, without any inter- 
 mission. The Queen bore a large share in it. 
 Both the King and her Majesty showed a great 
 deal of good sense, acuteness, and knowledge, as 
 well as of good nature and affability. At last, 
 the King took out his watch, (for it was now al- 
 most three o'clock, his hour of dinner,) which Dr 
 Majendie and I took as a signal to withdraw. 
 We accordingly bowed to their Majesties, and I 
 addressed the King in these words : " 1 hope, 
 " Sir, your Majesty will pardon me, if I take this 
 " opportunity to return you my humble and most 
 " grateful acknowledgments, for the honour you 
 " have been pleased to confer upon me." He 
 immediately answered, " I think I could do no 
 " less for a man, who has done so much service to 
 " the cause of Christianit} 7 . I shall always be 
 : ' glad of an opportunity to show the good opi- 
 **' nion I have of you." The Queen sate all the 
 while, and the King stood, sometimes walking 
 about a little. Her Majesty speaks the English 
 vol. r. 7
 
 354 LIFE OF DIl BEATTIE. 
 
 language with surprising elegance, and little or 
 nothing of a foreign accent. There is something 
 wonderfully captivating in her manner; so that 
 if she were only of the rank of a private gentle- 
 woman, one could not help taking notice of her, 
 as one of the most agreeable women in the world. 
 Her face is much more pleasing than any of her 
 pictures ; and in the expression of her eyes, and 
 in her smile, there is something peculiarly en- 
 gaging. When the Doctor and I came out, 
 " Pray," said I, " how did I behave? Tell me ho- 
 " nestly, for I am not accustomed to conversa- 
 " tions of this kind." " Why, perfectly well,* 
 answered he, " and just as you ought to do." 
 " Are you sure of that?" said I. " As sure," he 
 replied, " as of my own existence : and you may 
 " be assured of it too, when I tell you, that if 
 " there had been any thing in your manner or 
 " conversation, which was not perfectly agree- 
 " able, your conference would have been at an 
 " end in eight or ten minutes at most." The 
 Doctor afterwards told me, that it was a most 
 uncommon thing for a private man, and a com- 
 moner, to be honoured with so long an audience. 
 I dined with Dr and Mrs Majendie, and their fa- 
 
 4
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 355 
 
 mily, and returned to town in the evening, very 
 much pleased with the occurrences of the day."* 
 
 To close the account of the honours he receiv- 
 ed, at this time, in England, I must not omit to 
 add the very high and pleasing compliment paid 
 to him by Sir Joshua Reynolds, who requested 
 Dr Beattie to sit for his picture, which that emi- 
 nent master of painting executed in a manner 
 that did equal credit to himself, and to Dr Beat- 
 tie. For, not contented with his portrait merely, 
 in the usual form, Sir Joshua, whose classical 
 taste is well known, himself suggested the idea 
 of an allegorical painting, which he actually fi- 
 nished, of admirable design, and exquisite skill 
 in the execution. In this inestimable piece, 
 which exhibits an exact resemblance of Dr Beat- 
 tie's countenance, at that period, he is represent- 
 ed in the gown of Doctor of Laws, with which 
 he had been so recently invested at Oxford. 
 
 * MS. Diary, 24th August, 1773.
 
 356 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Close to the portrait, the artist has introduced an 
 Angel, holding, in one hand, a pair of scales, as 
 if weighing Truth in the balance, and, with the 
 other hand, pushing down three hideous figures, 
 supposed to represent, Sophistry, Scepticism, and 
 Infidelity ; # in allusion to Dr Beattie's ' Essay,' 
 which had been the foundation of all his fame, 
 and all the distinction that had been paid to him. 
 The likeness of Dr Beattie was most striking; 
 and nothing can exceed the beauty of the angel. 
 The whole composition, as well as execution, is 
 in the very best manner of that inimitable painter. 
 And it has had the good fortune, not always the 
 case with Sir Joshua's pieces, masterly as they are 
 in every other respect, of preserving the colour- 
 ing, which is as beautiful, at this distance of up- 
 wards of thirty years, as it was at first, with as 
 much of mellowness only, as one could desire. 
 
 * Because one of these was a lean figure, and the other a fat 
 one, people of lively imaginations pleased themselves with find- 
 ing in them the portraits of Voltaire, and Mr Hume. But Sir 
 Joshua, I have reason to believe, had no such thought, when lie 
 painted those figures. Dr Beattie, in one of his letters, says, the 
 figures represent Prejudice, Scepticism, and Folly, who are 
 shrinking away from the light of the Sun, that beams on the 
 breast of the Armel.
 
 LTFE OF DR BEATTIE. 357 
 
 Of this admirable performance Sir Joshua was 
 pleased to make Dr Beattie a present, of which 
 he was very justly proud. * Sir Joshua Reynolds, 
 indeed, had a great friendship for Dr Beattie, 
 and paid him much attention, frequently enter- 
 taining him, both in town, and at his house on 
 Richmond Hill ; and testifying, by every means 
 in his power, the admiration he felt of his genius 
 and talents, and the opinion he held of the ser- 
 vice he had rendered to the world by his writings. 
 While Dr Beattie, on the other hand, loved Sir 
 Joshua, for the amiable simplicity of his manners, 
 and character, and justly admired the masterly 
 productions of his pencil, as well as duly appreti- 
 ated his merit, in the composition of those truly 
 classical discourses, which he delivered to the stu- 
 dents at the Royal Academy. 
 
 How properly he estimated the various talents 
 of Sir Joshua Reynolds, will be seen by the fol- 
 
 * This fine piece of painting, which Dr Beattie preserved 
 with the utmost care, keeping it always covered with a green 
 silk curtain, he left to his niece, Mrs Glennie, in whose posses- 
 sion it now is. A mezzotinto print was done from it, by Wat- 
 son, when it was first painted. And the excellent engraving, 
 prefixed to this work, will give some faint idea of the picture, 
 as well as of Dr Beattie, to those who have not had the oppor- 
 tunity of seeing the originals.
 
 358 LIFE OF DR. BEATTIE. 
 
 lowing character, which he has drawn of him in 
 his diary. I transcribe it in his own words ; be- 
 cause, being a private record, merely of his 
 thoughts, not meant for any eye but his own, it 
 may be relied on, as speaking the genuine lan- 
 guage of his heart. 
 
 " Sunday, 15th August, we proposed (Dr and 
 Mrs Beattie) to have gone yesterday to Arno's 
 Grove, but Sir Joshua Reynolds insisted on it, 
 that we should stay till to-morrow, and partake 
 of a haunch of venison with him to-day, at his 
 house on Richmond Hill. Accordingly, at ele- 
 ven, Mrs Beattie, Miss Reynolds, Mr Baretti, and 
 Mr Palmer, set out, in Sir Joshua's coach, for 
 Richmond. At twelve, he and I went in a post- 
 chaise, and by the way paid a visit to the Bishop 
 of Chester, who was very earnest for us to fix a 
 day for dining with him ; but I could not fix one 
 just now, on account of the present state of my 
 affairs. After dining at Richmond, we all return- 
 ed to town, about eight o'clock. This day I had 
 a great deal of conversation with Sir Joshua Rey- 
 nolds, on critical and philosophical subjects. I 
 find him to be a man, not only of excellent taste 
 in painting and poetry, but of an enlarged under- 
 standing, and truly philosophical mind. His no-
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 359 
 
 tions of painting are not at all the same with 
 those that are entertained by the generality of 
 painters and critics. Artificial and contrasted 
 attitudes, and groupes, he makes no account of; 
 it is the truth and simplicity of nature, which he 
 is ambitious to imitate; and these, it must be al- 
 lowed, he possesses the art of blending with the 
 most exquisite grace, the most animated expres- 
 sion. He speaks with contempt of those, who 
 suppose grace to consist in erect posture, turned- 
 out toes, or the frippery of modern dress. Indeed, 
 whatever account we make of the colouring of 
 this great artist, (which some people object to,) 
 it is impossible to deny him the praise of being 
 the greatest ' designer' of this, or perhaps of any 
 age. In his pictures there is a grace, a variety, 
 an expression, a simplicity, which I have never 
 seen in the works of any other painter. His por- 
 traits are distinguished from all others by this, 
 that they exhibit an exact imitation, not only of 
 the features, but also of the character of the per- 
 son represented. His picture of Garrick, between 
 tragedy and comedy, he tells me, he finished in 
 a week." 
 
 Dr Beattie has also strongly marked his high 
 admiration of Sir Joshua Reynolds, in his ' Essay
 
 360 LIFE OF DK BEATTIE. 
 
 on Poetry and Music,' * by joining his name with 
 that of no less a painter than Raphael. Praising 
 those two great masters, for taking their models 
 from general nature, and avoiding, as far as pos- 
 sible (at least in all their great performances) those 
 peculiarities that derive their beauty from mere 
 fashion, he adds, " that on this account their 
 ' works must give pleasure, and appear elegant, 
 ' as long as men are capable of forming general 
 1 ideas, and of judging from them. The last 
 ' mentioned incomparable artist, (meaning Sir 
 ' Joshua Reynolds,) is particularly observant of 
 ' children," says Dr Beattie, " whose looks and 
 ' attitudes, being less under the controul of art, 
 ' and local manners, are more characteristical of \ 
 ' the species, than those of men and women, 
 ' This field of observation," Dr Beattie continues, 
 ' supplied him with many fine figures, particular- 
 ' ly that most exquisite one of Comedy, strug- 
 * gling for, and winning (for who can resist her?) 
 'the affections of Garrick; a figure which 
 ' could never have occurred to the imagination 
 ' of a painter, who had confined his views to 
 ' grown persons, looking and moving in all the 
 
 * Part I. ch. iii. p. 393. ed. in 4to.
 
 LIFE OF DIt BEATTIE. 361 
 
 " formality of polite life ; a figure which, in all 
 " ages and countries, would be pronounced na- 
 " tural and engaging." 
 
 " Monday, 16th August, breakfasted with Sir 
 Joshua Reynolds, who this day began the allego- 
 rical picture. I sate to him five hours, in which 
 time he finished my head, and sketche out the 
 rest of my figure. The likeness is most striking, 
 and the execution masterly- The figure is as 
 large as life. The plan is not yet fixed for the 
 rest of the picture. Though I sate five hours, I 
 was not in the least fatigued ; for, by placing a 
 large mirror opposite to my face, Sir Joshua Rey- 
 nolds put it in my power to see every stroke of his 
 pencil ; and I was greatly entertained to observe 
 the progress of the work, and the easy and mas-i 
 terly manner of the artist, which differs as much 
 from that of all the other painters I have seen at 
 work, as the execution of Giardini on the violin 
 differs from that of a common fidler. Mrs B. and 
 I dined with Sir Joshua."* 
 
 * MS. Diary, 15th and 10th August, 1773. To the charac- 
 ter of Sir Joshua Reynolds, Dr Johnson, whose intimate and 
 beloved friend he was, bore the most emphatic testimony, when 
 he declared him to be " the most invulneral le man he knew :
 
 362 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 At length, having obtained at the Treasury the 
 warrant for his pension, and gone clown to San- 
 dleford-Priory to bid adieu to Mrs Montagu, and 
 to Arno's Grove to take leave of Sir William and 
 Lady Mayne, Mrs Beattie and he set out on their 
 return to Scotland, and arrived in Aberdeen on 
 the 30th September, 1773; after an absence of 
 somewhat more than five months. 
 
 u whom, if he should quarrel with him, he should find the most 
 difficulty how to abuse." 
 
 To that great artist, and exce llent man, whose house, one of 
 our mutual friends has well denominated " the common centre 
 *' of union for the great, the accomplished, the learned, and the 
 " ingenious," I must equally pay my grateful acknowledgments 
 for the uninterrupted friendship with which he honoured me, as 
 well as for an introduction to the notice of some distinguished 
 characters, to whom I should not otherwise have had the means 
 of being known. || 
 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds died in London, 23d February, 1792, 
 aged 68. 
 
 ^ Boswell's Life of Johnson, Vol. I. Ded. p. ii. Hi. 
 |) Ditto, Vol. III. p. 83, 84. Ed. 3d. 8vo. 179A.
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 363 
 
 I shall insert here some of Dr Beattie's corres- 
 pondence, during his stay in England. In these 
 letters will be found some details, confirming the 
 account which I have given of Dr Beattie's visit 
 to London, but which I forbore inserting at their 
 proper dates, that I might not interrupt the 
 course of the narrative. 
 
 LETTER LXV. 
 
 THE DUCHESS-DOWAGER OF PORTLAND TO 
 DR BEATT1E. 
 
 Bullstrode, 13th July, 1773. 
 
 I take the first moment to return you my best 
 thanks for the favour of your letter I have just 
 received, as well as that of last week. The Uni- 
 versity have done themselves great honour, and 
 I am glad the manner was agreeable. You must 
 give me leave to differ from you in regard to 
 yourself, but modesty is always the attendant on
 
 S6ti LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 superior merit. Lord Dartmouth is not only va- 
 luable but amiable ; your success will, I dare say, 
 give him as much pleasure as to any of your well- 
 wishers, in which number I hope you will allow 
 me to subscribe myself, with the greatest esteem, 
 &c. &c. &c. 
 
 " Mrs Delany * desires her best compliments 
 
 * Mrs Delany's maiden name was Granville, the grand- 
 daughter of the gallant Sir Bevil Granville, the faithful adhe- 
 rent of King Charles I. ; for whose service, by his own popula- 
 rity, jointly with other royalist gentlemen in Cornwall, an army 
 was raised at their expence, which he led into the west of Eng- 
 land ; but was unfortunately killed in the battle of Lansdown, 
 near Bath, on the 5th July, 1643. t 
 
 Mrs Delany was first married to Pendarves, Esq. a 
 
 Cornish gentleman. Her second husband was the Reverend 
 Dr Delany, Dean of Down, in Ireland, and the chosen friend 
 of Swift. She long survived her husband ; and, during many 
 years, was the esteemed and intimate companion of the Duchess- 
 Dowager of Portland, who generally spent her evenings, when 
 in London, at Mrs Delany's, where was an assemblage of per- 
 sons, the most distinguished for rank, as well as literary accom- 
 plishments. In. return, Mrs Delany passed her summers witlf 
 the Duchess of Portland at Bullstrode. 
 
 From a romantic and useless stretch of, what she no doubt 
 considered to be, disinterested friendship, she had insisted, that 
 the Duchess of Portland should not make any provision for her 
 in her will, notwithstanding she was far from being in opulent 
 circumstances ; so that, on the death of the Duchess, Mrs Dc, 
 
 + Clarendon, Vol: II. Part I. pp. 130. 281, Ed. in 8vo.
 
 LIFE OF DIt BEATTIE. 36*5 
 
 to you and Mrs Beattie; I beg you will make 
 mine acceptable to her, and I hope that I shall 
 soon have the pleasure of seeing you both at 
 Bullstrode." 
 
 lany found herself reduced to a very circumscribed income : 
 But, to the credit of their Majesties, to whom Mrs Delany had 
 the honour of being well known, by her residence at the Du- 
 chess of Portland's, whom the King and Queen often visited at 
 Bullstrode, in the course of their morning-airings from Windsor 
 Castle, as soon as they were informed of Mrs Delany 's situa- 
 tion, on the Duchess of Portland's death, they established her 
 in a house at Windsor, with a pension of three hundred pounds 
 a-year. 
 
 Mrs Delany was a woman of a cultivated understanding and 
 refined taste, and particularly skilled in drawing and painting in 
 oil. She executed, likewise, an herbal, or collection of plants, 
 formed of coloured paper, so exactly resembling nature, as to 
 be almost a deception, even to adepts in botanical science. Her 
 collection amounted to the astonishing number of nine hundred 
 and ninety, which it was her intention, had she lived, to have 
 augmented to one thousand. The collection is now in the pos- 
 session of her nephew, Barnard D'Ewes, Esq. of Welsburn, in 
 Warwickshire. 
 
 Mrs Delany died in the year 1788, at the advanced age of 
 eighty-eight.
 
 366 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER LXVI. 
 
 . DR BEATTIE TO DR PORTEUS. 
 
 London, 23d July, 1 77 
 
 " I have been very much hurried of late by a 
 variety of interesting matters, otherwise I should 
 have sooner acknowledged the receipt of your 
 most obliging letter of the 1st of July. The ma- 
 ny favours I have had the honour to receive at 
 your hands, affect me with the most lively grati- 
 tude, which I would fain attempt to express in 
 words, but find, after repeated trials, that I can- 
 not. All therefore that I shall now say on this 
 subject is, that I shall ever cherish a most grate- 
 ful remembrance of them. 
 
 " The business which I hinted at in my last 
 still remains undetermined ; and I, of conse- 
 quence, am still confined to this town, or, at least, 
 to the neighbourhood. 1 thank you for your good 
 wishes ; but I fear you far over-rate my talents 
 when you suppose, that London is the properest 
 theatre for exerting them in. One thing at least 
 is in my power, to employ, in whatever place
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 367 
 
 Providence shall allot me, those intervals of 
 health and leisure which may fall to my share, 
 in vindicating, to the utmost of my poor abili- 
 ties, the cause of truth, virtue, and mankind. If 
 I shall be able to do any thing good in this way, 
 my ambition will be completely gratified ; and I 
 shall have the satisfaction to think, that I am 
 not altogether unworthy of the kindness and at- 
 tention which I have met with from you, sir, 
 and from others of your noble-minded country- 
 men. 
 
 " You have heard, perhaps, of my being at. 
 Oxford at the late installation. I went thither 
 in consequence of a letter from the Bishop of 
 Chester. * The university did me great honour. 
 They were unanimous, not only in conferring the 
 degree, but also ordering that it should be given 
 to me free of all expence. 
 
 " I have not seen the poem you mention. Dr 
 Hawkesworth's book I have seen, and read some 
 parts of it. I do not think that the interests of 
 science, or of mankind, will be much promoted 
 by what I have read of this work ; which, how- 
 ever, does not reflect on the Doctor, who was no 
 
 * Dr Markham, now Archbishop of York*
 
 368 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 doubt obliged to tell his story in the very way 
 in which he has told it. I am very apt to be 
 distrustful of our modern travellers, when I find 
 them, after a three months residence in a coun- 
 try, of whose language they know next to no- 
 thing, explaining the moral and religious notions 
 of the people, in such a way as to favour the li- 
 centious theories of the age. I give them full 
 credit for what they tell us of plants and mine- 
 rals, and winds, and tides; those things are ob- 
 vious enough, and no knowledge of strange lan- 
 guage is necessary to make one understand them : 
 but as the morality of actions depends on the 
 motives that give rise to them ; and as it is im- 
 possible to understand the motives and principles 
 of national customs, unless you thoroughly un- 
 derstand the language of the people, I should 
 suspect, that not one in ten thousand of our or- 
 dinary travellers is qualified to decide upon the 
 moral sentiments of a new discovered country. 
 There is not one French author of my acquain- 
 tance, that seems to have any tolerable know- 
 ledge of the English government, or of the cha- 
 racter of the English nation: they ascribe to us 
 sentiments which we never entertained ; they 
 draw, from our ordinary behaviour, conclusions
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 369 
 
 directly contrary to truth ; how then is it to be 
 supposed, that Mr Banks and Mr Solander could 
 understand the customs, the religion, govern- 
 ment, and morals, of the people of Otaheite ? 
 
 " Dr Hawkesworth, in his preface, has given 
 an account of Providence, which, in spite of all 
 my partiality in his favour, I cannot help think- 
 ing indefensible. But I need not say any thing 
 on this subject, as you must have seen the whole 
 passage in the newspapers. When my affairs are 
 determined, which I hope will be soon, I shall 
 take the liberty to write to you again." 
 
 LETTER LXVII. 
 
 MRS MONTAGU TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Sandleford, 14th July, 1773. 
 
 " It is not possible to express the pleasure I 
 felt from your letter last night. It is not on 
 your account alone I rejoice in the honours and 
 marks of distinction and applause you received at 
 Oxford : I congratulate the university, I congra- 
 tulate the age, on the zeal with which they pay 
 regard to merit. 
 
 vol. i. 2 a
 
 370 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 " I am here, at present, quite alone, which 
 comes nearest to the happiness one finds in the 
 society of those one loves best. Such perfect so- 
 litude is not good, but in very fine weather ; so- 
 litude is a fine thing, says a French writer, but 
 one wants a friend to whom one can say, soli- 
 tude is a fine thing. The gayest place of resort 
 is still enlivened by the presence of a friend ; and 
 a friend does not diminish the tranquillity of re- 
 tirement. I am not sure, that one should not 
 find one's self in a more uneasy state of destitu- 
 tion, in the midst of a great town, in which one 
 had not any very intimate friends, than when 
 quite alone in the country. Where there are no 
 enemies, one does not stand in need of allies, nor, 
 where there are no clangers, of any auxiliaries. 
 The little natives of the woods and meadows act 
 in constant conformity to the laws of their na- 
 ture; and when you have informed yourself of 
 the qualities of the species, you are thoroughly 
 acquainted with each individual. Here we have 
 no caprices of the disposition, or peculiarities of 
 interest, to attend to, and to fear. In this secu- 
 rity the mind is free from little cares, and at lei- 
 sure to contemplate the system of infinite wis- 
 dom and goodness, whose laws equally regulate
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 371 
 
 the little course of the creeping insect, and the 
 vast orbit of the rolling spheres. There is not 
 any thing that more strongly impresses upon the 
 mind a sense of the perpetual presence of the 
 Deity, than seeing things, void of intelligence 
 in themselves, ever progressing, without halt or 
 deviation, error or untowardness, to complete 
 their peculiar destination, and conspire with the 
 laws which pervade the universal system. In 
 these contemplations I have passed the long sum- 
 mer days, since I came hither, without feeling 
 any ennui ; yet I am not a disciple of the philo- 
 sophers, & quattre pattes, who recommend sa- 
 vage life. I think it as great an abuse of philo- 
 sophy, as of the human form, to stoop to the 
 level of the brute animals. Philosophy is a holy 
 thing, should keep erect, look up to heaven, 
 contemplate the stars, and adore their Maker. 
 Seasons of recess and retirement are good for the 
 mind, and give time to reflect on what we have 
 done, and what we ought to do. Dr Beattie 
 will give a voice to all the mute objects I now 
 admire, and lead me farther in virtue and wis- 
 dom than I can advance by myself; so he must 
 excuse my being impatient to see him.
 
 37% LIFE OP VR BEATTIE. 
 
 " I wish very much for your being presented 
 to the Queen ; I take her to be a sovereign judge 
 of merit, and I do not doubt of her being as gra- 
 cious to you as his Majesty, and with the same 
 elegance and propriety of manner. As I have a 
 most loyal respect for the King, I have always 
 taken great delight in the peculiar elegance of 
 his language. It is a very essential thing in 
 such great personages, whose words are always 
 remembered, often repeated. I am extremely 
 pleased with the obliging attentions the Bishop 
 of Chester * showed to you ; his regard does ho- 
 nour. He is much respected." 
 
 LETTER LXVIII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO MRS MONTAGU. 
 
 Arno's Grove, 26th July, 1773. 
 
 " Your most obliging and most excellent let- 
 ter of the 14th current, bore the impression of 
 Socrates on the outside, f but judgment, better 
 
 * The present Lord Archbishop of York. 
 
 t This letter was sealed with a head of Socrates.
 
 LIFE OF DIt BEATTIE. 373 
 
 than that of Socrates, spoke within. He, if I 
 mistake not, piqued himself on having constant- 
 ly resided in Athens, and used to say, that he 
 found no instruction in stones or trees ; but you, 
 Madam, better skilled in the human heart, and 
 more thoroughly acquainted with all its sublimer 
 affections, do justly consider that quiet which 
 the country affords, and those soothing and ele- 
 vating sentiments which " rural sights and rural 
 " sounds" so powerfully inspire, as necessary to 
 purify the soul, and raise it to the contemplation 
 of the first and greatest good. Yet, I think, you 
 rio-htlv determine, that absolute solitude is not 
 good for us. The social affections must be che- 
 rished, if we would keep both mind and body in 
 good health. The virtues are all so nearly allied, 
 and sympathise so strongly with each other, that 
 if one is borne down, all the rest feel it, and have 
 a tendency to pine away. The more we love one 
 another, the more we shall love our Maker ; and 
 if we fail in duty to our Common Parent, our 
 brethren of mankind will soon discover that we 
 fail in duty to them also. 
 
 " In my younger days I was much attached 
 to solitude, and could have envied even " The 
 " shepherd of the Hebride isles, placed far amid
 
 374 IIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 " the melancholy main." I wrote Odes to Re- 
 tirement ; and wished to be conducted to its 
 deepest groves, remote from every rude sound, 
 and from every vagrant foot. In a word, I 
 thought the most profound solitude the best; 
 but I have now changed my mind. Those solemn 
 and incessant energies of imagination, which na- 
 turally take place in such a state, are fatal to the 
 health and spirits, and tend to make us more and 
 more unfit for the business of life : the soul, de- 
 prived of those ventilations of passion, which 
 arise from social intercourse, is reduced to a state 
 of stagnation, and, if she is not of a very pure 
 consistence indeed, will be apt to breed within 
 herself many " monstrous, and many prodigious 
 " things," of which she will find it no easy mat- 
 ter to rid herself, even when she has become sen- 
 sible of their noxious nature.' 1
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 375 
 
 LETTER LXIX. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO MRS MONTAGU. 
 
 London, 21st August, 1773. 
 
 " I have at last received a letter from Mr Ro- 
 binson, * dated yesterday, in which he tells me, 
 " that he is desired by Lord North to inform me, 
 " that his Majesty has been pleased to consent, 
 " that a pension be paid me of two hundred 
 " pounds a-year." Mr Robinson says, he will or- 
 der the warrant to be made out for me imme- 
 diately, and desires me to call for it at the trea- 
 sury ; which I shall do on Monday. 
 
 " And now, madam, allow me to congratulate 
 you on the happy conclusion of this affair ; for 
 sure I am, you will take as much pleasure in it 
 as I do. You may believe, I shall never forget 
 from whom this long series of applications took 
 its rise. But I shall not at present enter on this 
 subject. I fear it will not be in my power to set 
 out for Sandleford till towards the end of the 
 
 * At that time secretary of the treasury.
 
 376 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 week, as I have the warrant to get from the trea- 
 sury, the court to attend, and a multitude of let- 
 ters to write, to the Archbishop of York, Lord 
 Kinnoull, Sir Adolphus Oughton, Lord North, 
 &c. &c. As soon as I can possibly fix a time for 
 setting out, I will write to you. Meantime, I 
 beg to hear some account of your health. 
 
 " It is very good in you, madam, to flatter me 
 with the hopes, that still better things may be in 
 reserve for me. But I assure you, I think my- 
 self rewarded above my deservings, and shall 
 most willingly sit down contented : not to eat, 
 or drink, or be idle, but to make such a use of 
 the goodness of Providence, and his Majesty's 
 bounty, as the public has a right to require of 
 me. What I have now got, added to the emolu- 
 ments of my present office, will enable me to 
 live independently and comfortably in Scotland, 
 and to cultivate those connections and friend- 
 ships in England, which do me so much honour. 
 But more of this, when I have the happiness to 
 see you. 
 
 " I am ashamed to send you so shabby a let- 
 ter, all made up of shreds and patches. It is by 
 mistake, owing to hurry, that I write on so many 
 bits of paper; but as the post is just going out, I
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 377 
 
 have no time to transcribe; and I would not keep 
 back this intelligence for a single day. 
 
 " I have another piece of news to tell you, 
 which will give you pleasure. Sir Joshua Rey- 
 nolds, with whom I formerly told you that I have 
 the happiness to be particularly acquainted, and 
 whose talents, both as a painter, and as a critic 
 and philosopher, I take to be of the very first 
 rate, has planned out a sort of allegorical picture, 
 representing the triumph of truth over scepti- 
 cism and infidelity. At one corner of the pic- 
 ture, in the foreground, stands your humble ser- 
 vant, as large as life, arrayed in a doctor of laws' 
 gown and band, with his " Essay on Truth" un- 
 der his arm. At some little distance appears 
 " Truth," habited as an angel, with a sun on her 
 breast, who is to act such a part with respect to 
 the sceptic and infidel, as shall show, that they 
 are not willing to see the light, though they 
 have the opportunity. My face (for which I sat) 
 is finished, and is a most striking likeness ; only, 
 I believe, it will be allowed, that Sir Joshua is 
 more liberal in the articles of spirit and elegance 
 than his friend Nature thought proper to be. 
 The angel also is finished, and is an admirable fi- 
 gure : and Sir Joshua is determined to complete
 
 378 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 the whole witli all expedition, and to have a print 
 done from it. He is very happy in this inven- 
 tion, which is entirely his own. Indeed, if I had 
 been qualified to give any hints on the subject, 
 (which is not at all the case) you will readily be- 
 lieve, that I would not be instrumental in for- 
 warding a work that is so very flattering to me. 
 The picture will appear at the Exhibition ; but 
 whether Sir Joshua means to keep it, or dispose 
 of it, is not, I believe, determined," 
 
 LETTER LXX. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO THE EARL OF KINNOULL. 
 
 London, 29th August; 1773. 
 " Mrs Montagu's state of health is very indif- 
 ferent ; she complains of a feverish disorder, which 
 has haunted her the greatest part of the summer. 
 She is greatly afflicted at the death of our great 
 and good friend, Lord Lyttelton. This event 
 was unexpected ; it is little better than a fort- 
 night since I received a very kind letter from 
 him. The loss to his friends, and to society, is 
 unspeakable, and irreparable : to himself his death
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 379 
 
 is infinite gain; for whether we consider what 
 he felt here, or what he hoped for hereafter, we 
 must admit, that no man ever had more reason 
 to wish for a dismission from the evils of this 
 transitory life. His lordship died, as he lived, a 
 most illustrious example of every Christian vir- 
 tue. His last breath was spent in comforting 
 and instructing his friends. " Be good and vir- 
 <l tuous," said he, to Lord Valentia, * " for know 
 " that to this you must come." The devout and 
 chearful resignation that occupied his mind du- 
 ring his illness, did not forsake him in the mo- 
 ment of dissolution, but fixed a smile on his life- 
 less countenance. I sincerely sympathise with 
 your Lordship on the loss of this excellent man. 
 Since I came last to town, I have had the honour 
 and happiness to pass many an hour in his com- 
 pany, and to converse with him on all subjects ; 
 and I hope I shall be the better, while I live, for 
 what I have seen, and what I have heard, of 
 Lord Lyttelton." 
 
 * His son-in-law.
 
 380 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER LXXI. 
 
 THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF YORK* TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Brodsworth, September 11th, 1773. 
 
 " Your letter, which gave me the pleasure of 
 hearing of his Majesty's benevolence to you, went 
 to Scotland, just as I left it, and came back here, 
 t'other day ; otherwise I should appear very tar- 
 dy, in expressing the sensible satisfaction which 
 I have, in your being rewarded, though not to 
 the full of your merit, yet by a personal mark of 
 the Kings favour, and well-grounded opinion. 
 
 " I look upon this, not only as a distinguished 
 reward of your merit, in the cause of virtue and 
 truth, but as a beacon to those who are tossed 
 about among the waves of infidelity. I believe, 
 as I hope, that it will, in a general light, do good; 
 and that is the great purpose of the King; which 
 he declared to me, when he first came to the crown ; 
 and you are one happy instrument, that carries 
 
 * The Honourable and Most Reverend Dr Robert Hay 
 Drummond, brother to the Earl of Kinnoull, at that time Lord 
 Archbishop of York.
 
 LIFE OF Dll BEATTIE. 381 
 
 this purpose forward, by your constant labours in 
 defence of truth. 
 
 " I hope this pension will make you tolerably 
 easy ; whether it will so far procure your com- 
 fort, as that you should relinquish other views, 
 you best know. I am clear, that this was the 
 right plan at present, as the circumstances and 
 opportunities presented themselves. . { , 
 
 " I wrote to Lord Kinnoull, as soon as I got 
 your letter, and it will give him great pleasure. 
 
 I have since seen who is much pleased, 
 
 both upon your account, and the service it may 
 do to many people, particularly in Scotland, who 
 run astray. 
 
 " I am so^ry you give so indifferent an account 
 of my excedent friend, Mrs Montagu ; and ra- 
 ther a poor one of your own, and Mrs Beattie's 
 health. 
 
 " Don't drop your correspondence, which will 
 be always agreeable to me."
 
 382 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 LETTER LXXII. 
 
 DR BEATTIE TO MRS MONTAGU. 
 
 Aberdeen, 15th October, 1773. 
 
 " I purposely delayed for a few days to answer 
 your letter, that I might be at leisure to think 
 seriously, before I should venture to give my 
 opinion, in regard to the important matter, about 
 which you did me the honour to consult me. A 
 religious education is indeed the greatest of all 
 earthly blessings to a young man ; especially in 
 these days, when one is in such danger of recei- 
 ving impressions of a contrary tendency. I hope, 
 and earnestly wish, that this, and every other 
 blessing, may be the lot of your nephew, who 
 seems to be accomplished, and promising, far be- 
 yond his years. 
 
 " I must confess, I am strongly prepossessed 
 in favour of that mode of education that takes 
 place in the English universities. I am well 
 aware, at the same time, that in those seminaries, 
 there are, to some young men, many more temp- 
 tations to idleness and dissipation, than in our
 
 LIFE OF DR. BEATTIE. 383 
 
 colleges in Scotland ; but there are also, if I mis- 
 take not, better opportunities of study to a studi- 
 ous young man, and the advantages of a more 
 respectable and more polite society, to such as 
 are discreet and sober. The most valuable parts 
 of human literature, I mean the Greek and Latin 
 classics, are not so completely taught in Scotland 
 as in England ; and I fear it is no advantage, I 
 have sometimes known it a misfortune, to those 
 young men of distinction that come to study 
 with us, that they find too eas)', and too favour- 
 able an admittance to balls, assemblies, and other 
 diversions of a like kind, where the fashion not 
 only permits, but requires, that a particular at- 
 tention be paid to the younger part of the fe- 
 male world. A youth of fortune, with the Eng- 
 lish language, and English address, soon becomes 
 an object of consideration to a raw girl ; and 
 equally so, perhaps, though not altogether on the 
 same account, to her parents. Our long vaca- 
 tions, too, in the colleges in Scotland, though a 
 convenience to the native student, (who com- 
 monly spends those intervals at home with his 
 parents,) are often dangerous to the students 
 from England ; who being then set free from the 
 restraints of academical discipline, and at a dis-
 
 384 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 tance from their parents or guardians, are too* 
 apt to forget, that it was for the purpose of 
 study, not of amusement, they were sent into 
 this country. 
 
 " All, or most of these inconveniences, may 
 be avoided at an English university, provided a 
 youth have a discreet tutor, and be himself of a 
 sober and studious disposition. There, classical 
 erudition receives all the attentions and honours 
 it can claim ; and there the French philosophy, 
 of course, is seldom held in very high estima- 
 tion; there, at present, a regard to religion is 
 fashionable ; there, the recluseness of a college- 
 life, the wholesome severities of academical dis- 
 cipline, the authority of the university, and se- 
 veral other circumstances I could mention, prove 
 very powerful restraints to such of the youth as 
 have any sense of true honour, or any regard to 
 their real interest. 
 
 " We, in Scotland, boast of our professors, that 
 they give regular lectures in all the sciences, 
 which the students are obliged to attend ; a part 
 of literary economy which is but little attended 
 to in the universities of England. But I will 
 venture to affirm, from experience, that if a pro- 
 fessor does no more than deliver a set of lectures,
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 385 
 
 his young audience will be little the wiser for 
 having attended him. The most profitable part 
 of my time is that which I employ in examina- 
 tions, or in Socratical dialogue with my pupils, 
 or in commenting upon ancient authors, all which 
 may be done by a tutor in a private apartment, 
 as well as by a professor in a public school. Lec- 
 tures indeed I do, and must give; in order to 
 add solemnity to the truths I would inculcate; 
 and partly too, in compliance with the fashion, 
 and for the sake of my own character ; (for this, 
 though not the most difficult part of our busi- 
 ness, is that which shows the speaker to most 
 advantage,) but I have always found the other 
 methods, particularly the Socratic form of dia- 
 logue, much more effectual in fixing the atten- 
 tion, and improving the faculties of the student. 
 
 " I will not, madam, detain you longer with 
 this comparison : it is my duty to give you my 
 real sentiments, and you will be able to gather 
 them from these imperfect hints. If it is deter- 
 mined that your nephew shall be sent to a uni- 
 versity in Scotland, he may, I believe, have as 
 good a chance for improvement at Edinburgh or 
 Glasgow, as at any other : if the law is to form 
 any part of his studies, he ought, by all means, 
 
 vol. i. 2 B
 
 386 LIFE OF Dlt BEATTIE. 
 
 to go to one or other of these places ; as we have 
 no law-professors in any other part of this king- 
 dom, except one in King's College, Aberdeen, 
 whose office has been a sinecure for several ge- 
 nerations. Whether he should make choice of 
 Edinburgh or of Glasgow, I am at a loss to say : 
 I was formerly well enough acquainted with the 
 professors of both those societies, but, tempora 
 mutantur. Dr Reid is a very learned, ingenious, 
 and worthy man, so is Dr Blair ; they are both 
 clergymen; so that, I am confident, your ne- 
 phew might lodge safely and profitably with ei- 
 ther. Whether they would choose to accept of 
 the office of tutor to any young gentleman, they 
 themselves only can determine ; some professors 
 would decline it, on account of the laboriousness 
 of their office : it is partly on this account, but 
 chiefly on account of my health, that I have been 
 obliged to decline every offer of this sort."
 
 LIFE OF DR BEATT1E. 387 
 
 LETTER LXXIII. 
 
 MRS MONTAGU* TO DR BEATTIE. 
 
 Sandleford, September 5th, 1772. 
 " Pray have you met with Mr Jones's imita- 
 tions of the Asiatic poetry? He possesses the 
 oriental languages in a very extraordinary man- 
 ner, and he seems to me a great master of versi- 
 fication. I wish he had given us translations, ra- 
 ther than imitations, as one is curious to see the 
 manner of thinking of a people born under so 
 different a climate, educated in such a different 
 manner, and subjects of so different a govern- 
 ment. There is a gaiety and splendour in the 
 poems, which is naturally derived from the hap- 
 py soil and climate of the poets, and they breathe 
 Asiatic luxury, or else Mr Jones is himself a man 
 of a most splendid imagination. The descrip-* 
 tions are so fine, and all the objects so brilliant, 
 that the se?ise akes at them, and I wished that Os- 
 
 * This letter should have been inserted at p. 302. before Let- 
 ter LVII. which is in answer to it.
 
 388 LIFE OF DR BEATTIE. 
 
 sian's Poems had been laying by me, that 1 might 
 sometimes have turned my eyes, from the daz- 
 zling splendour of the eastern noonday, to the 
 moonlight picture of a bleak mountain. Every 
 object in these Asiatic pieces is blooming and 
 beautiful; every plant is odoriferous; the pas- 
 sions, too, are of the sort which belong to para- 
 dise. These things, as rarities brought from Ara- 
 bia Felix, would give one great pleasure; but, 
 when I am not sure they are not the dreams of a 
 man, who is shivering under a hawthorn hedge, 
 in a north-east wind, I cannot resign myself 
 enough to the delusion, to sympathise with them. 
 Mr Jones has written some critical dissertations 
 at the end of his poems, which, I think, shew 
 him a man of good taste." 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOLUME, 
 
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