coincident, to use a phrafeology fo perfectly appropriate to a wig-maker, they were, at leaft, not widely divergent; and fo accordingly they continue to this day. Although a reader of poetry in his twentieth year, and the frequenter of a literary club, of which we find the learned and accomplished Dr. Pitcairn was alfo a member, our bard produced nothing that could remind us of the infantine performances of Cowley, of Milton, or of Pope. His first attempt, which has been carefully preferved, is an addrefs "to the most happy members of the Eafy Club." It is, to confefs the truth, a contemptible effort, and not calculated to give the moft diftant promife of future excellence.

In 1716, we find his habit of writing greatly improved, as well as his fame and confideration in the city of Edinburgh.

"He wrote many petty poems, which from time to time he published, at a proportionate price. In this form, his poetry was at that time attractive; and the women of Edinburgh were wont to fend their children, with a penny, to buy Ramfay's last piece." Pr. 14, 15.

It was about this time likewife that he published an edition of "Chrift's Kirk on the Green," a ludicrous poem of King James the Firft's of Scotland, to which he fuccessfully added two cantos: and, in 1721, he at length ventured to fend forth his mifcellaneous poems" in the dignified form of a quarto;" concluding the work, after the manner of Horace, ad librum fuum,

Gae, fpread my fame:
Away, and fix me an immortal name.
Ages to come fhall thee revive,

And gar thee wi' new honours live.

This "dignified" volume, as it appears, was ushered into the world by a numerous lift of fubfcribers, " confifting of all who were either eminent or fair in Scotland," and actually procured for the poet, befides a diftinguished patronage, the more folid recompenfe of four hundred guineas; without doubt a confiderable fum at the commencement of the prefent century.

From this period, Ramfay was regarded as among the foremoft poets of his time, whether in the fouth or north. In 1724, he published "The Tea-table Mifcellany," being a collection of fongs, both Scotch and English, which he freely dedicated

To ilka lovely British lafs,

Frae Lady Charlotte, Ann, and Jean,
Down to ilk bonny finging Befs,
Wha dances bare-foot on the green.

δα

So fingularly pleafing and popular was the work, (to which two other volumes were afterwards added) that it foon went through no fewer than twelve different editions; a surprising number at a time, when booksellers, as yet, had not learnt the happy art of procuring, for a favourite author, the fame, if not the profit, of as many editions as they please, with the expenfe and trouble of only a single impreffion*. During the fame year, we find, that he likewife published "The Evergreen," a collection of Scotch poems," wrote by the ingenious before 1600." Here Ramfay is very juftly charged, by his biographer, with having not only fo changed the orthography, and modernized the verfe, that the state of the language, and the nature of the poetry, during former times, could no longer be difcovered," but, alfo, with inferting in his collection feveral compofitions, which he must have known to be of far more modern date. Among the latter description, was the curious, and well-known piece, entitled "Hardyknute a fragment," (republifhed afterwards by Dodfley in 1740) which our indefatigable biographer pretty clearly traces to a female pen, viz. that of Lady Wardlaw of Pitrevie in Fifefhire, and whom he afterwards (at page 38.) inaccurately calls "Lady Elizabeth Wardlaw."

66

Of the precife era, when Ramfay exchanged his profeffion of wig-maker for that of bookfeller, we are not informed: but, from a note at page 35, it appears to have been fome time between 1716 and 1725; in the latter of which years he is no longer ftyled Piriwige-maker," but diftinguished by the more honourable appellation of "Bookfeller," in the parish-regifters. This event, together with the confequences, both internal and external, which it must have produced on the poet, was, beyond queftion, the most remarkable occurrence in his life, and might, in our judgment, advantageoufly have occupied that portion of the biography before us, where fome awkward attempts are made at the exercile of criticifm, and the difplay of tafte. Fut as the author feems to poffefs but a fmall portion of the divinæ particula aura, this

* In our own memory if we rightly recollect (but previous to

the commencement of of Mr. Barrister Eriki fequences of the W five and forty editi

NO. XXXII. V

our labours) the very notable' performance .no, entitled a View of the Caufes and Conwith France" went through fewer than

within the year.

OL. VIII,

M

is a ftyle of writing, for which his talents are but little fitted. We, however, learn, that

"In 1726, Ramfay removed from his original dwelling, at the Mercury, oppofite the Crofs-well, to a houfe which had been the London Coffee-house, in the east end of the Luckenbooths. With this change of fituation, he altered his fign; and, instead of the original Mercury, he now adopted the heads of two poets, Drummond of Hawthornden, and Ben Jonfon. Here he fold, and lent books, till a late period of his life: here the wits of Edinburgh ufed to meet for amusement, and for information. From this commodious fituation, Gay, a congenial poet, was wont to look out upon the Exchange of Edinburgh, in order to know perfons, and afcertain characters. Pr, 39. 40."

This "congenial poet," we think, must have looked out upon the exchange with an eye of prophecy, (a poetical gift alfo) as well as difcernment; for the building fo called, in Edinburgh, was not begun to be erected till lefs than half century ago.

Somewhat previous to this period, Ramfay feems to have turned his thoughts to paftoral poetry, the fpecies of compofition of all others the most peculiarly adapted to his genius. He wrote a paftoral, entitled "Richy and Sandy," on the death of Addison, and another on that of Prior. He compofed, in 1721, "Patie and Roger," and addreffed the piece to Jofiah Burchet, one of his earlieft patrons, who was long Secretary to the Admiralty, and a poet alfo of that day. In 1723, he publifhed "Jenny and Meggy," being equal to the paftoral juft now mentioned: and by the advice of his literary friends, about two years after, he happily executed the project of conjoining the two pieces, and giving a dramatic form and character to the whole. Thus was produced "The Gentle Shepherd," a paftoral drama which we do not hesitate to pronounce to be the fineft effort of that defcription, by any author, or in any language with which we are acquainted. Why the time of its appearance should be eftcemed "a moment fo propitious for (what the biographer

*See Arnot's Hiftory of Edinburgh.

+ "Burchet left behind him 'A Hiftory of the Navy,' which is. now nearly forgotten. This gentleman seems to have been greatly captivated by Ramfay's mufe:

Go on, famed bard, the wonder of our days,
And crown thy head with never-fading bays;
While grateful Britons do thy lines revere,

And value, as they ought, their Virgil here.-P. 18"

calls)

calls) Shepherdish poetry," we cannot tell; as it will scarcely be faid that Pope, the contemporay of Ramfay touched the true notes of this fpecies of fong: but we most heartily concur with the author, in reprobating the uncommon petulance, and ftill more the uncommon dullness, of the editor of antient Scottish poems, (published An. 1786) who has taken it upon him to declare, that the Gentle Shepherd is more barbarous and ftupid than the Beggar's Opera," by which he appears. to poffefs but a very incompetent notion of the real character of either. In June 1725, Ramfay dedicated his performance, in plain profe, to Sufannah, Countefs of Eglinton.

tr

"There was at the fame time," as we are told, "a poetical dedication, of more elaborate praife, by Hamilton of Bangour, an amiable man, an accomplished poet, who finished his fhort career, at Lyons, in 1754, at the age of fifty. This is the fame dignified lady, to whom, at the age of 85, Johnson and Bofwell offered their homage; whofe powers of pleafing continued fo refplendent, as to charm the faftidious fage into a declaration, that, in visiting such a woman, he had spent his day well." PP. 34, 35.

On this delightful drama, this monumentum are perennius, we forbear to enlarge, until we come to speak of the critical effay on the writings of its author.

year;

" On.

In fpite of the malice of enemies, and the envy of rivals, Ramfay ftill continued to write, and to publifh, and to please. the public. He printed his "Fables and Tales" in 1722; his tale of "The Three Bonnets" in the fame "The Fair Affembly" in 1723; together with his poem Health," which he addreffed to the great Earl of Stair, the fame who was Ambaffador at the court of Lewis XIV. and in this manner he was enabled, in 1728, to fend forth a second "dignified" quarto, including "The Gentle Shepherd," and his "Mafque on the Nuptials of the Duke of Hamilton." Of this quarto an 8vo. edition came out, in 1729; and both quarto volumes were re-printed in London, for the book fellers, during the year 1731. His laft work was "A Collection of Thirty Tables," which made its appearance in 1730. At the age of forty five, we find that Ramfay ceafed to write for the public eye, after his fame had fpread and his compofitions were diffused, not only over England and Ireland, but

See Antient Scottish Poems (1786) r. 113; which should be carefully diftinguished from a very different work, published by the late accomplished, and learned Sir David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes, in 1768, where there are much ingenious remark, and elegant criticism,

alfo over the colonies, in various and repeated impreffions.He died at Edinburgh, on the 7th of January 1758, when paft feventy-two, and, as it is believed, in affluent circumstances. Ramfay left two fons, and feveral daughers. The eldeft fon, of his own name, was portrait-painter to his Majesty; and the fon of the latter, John Ramfay, is now, we understand a Lieutenant Colonel in the 3d regiment of foot-guards.

Thus we have curforily sketched, from the work before us, and for the entertainment of our readers, the life of a poet who has juftly been ftyled the Scottish Theocritus, and, with the exception only of Thomson and perhaps of Burns, is, without doubt, the most eminent of any that have yet appeared North of the Tweed.

(To be continued.)

Benfon's Vindication of the Methodists.

(Continued from p. 170, Vol. vii.)

N regard to the Clafs Meetings, we have reafon to believe that

and purport of them as Mr. B. infinuates, or as he, perhaps," would with them to be. From our own knowledge we can venture to affirm, that nothing has been advanced refpecting the meetings, which we confider as the grand nursery of Methodifm, of the truth of which abundant proofs are not ready to be produced. We will, therefore, in our turn, give the author of the Vindication fome little information as to the manner in which thefe clafs meetings are conducted in the country. The reporters have not, that we know of, pofitively affirmed that the pretenders to exorcifm have practifed their capricious forms and modes of it in the clafs meetings only; fuch an affertion would not have been strictly confonant to the truth; for almost all the members of the fociety refident in the diffrict alluded to, know full well, that thofe raving enthuafifts, known by the name of the Yorkshire Colliers, were cordially admitted into their respective meeting-houfes, that there they practifed their exorcifms, and many other grofs delufions; and that they were, moreover, efpoufed, carefied, and treated with the utmost hofpitality, not only by their preachers, both ftationary and fupernumerary, but alfo by many others the abettors of methodifm. All that they meant to fay, as far as we are able to comprehend their meaning, was that various grofs mifrepresentations and impoftures had been chiefly propagated. and jupported by means of thofe clafs meetings; and this, we

believe,