"of opinion, that if the paper were "introduced with a proper enco"mium on Homer's poetical talents, "the critique upon his credit as a "Hiftorian will give less offence, and "have greater effect: without fome "foftening preamble of the kind, "Dr Robertfon is afraid, that all "the Idolaters of Greek will raife "the cry of Blafphemy, and that Li"terature is in danger."

66

Mr Maclaurin, during the years 1792, 93, 94, and 95, kept a journal, or diary, in which he recorded the various events that happened in Europe during that period; and wrote his obfervations upon them with the greateft freedom. He has left several folio volumes, containing thoughts on the times; upon one of which there is the following note, of his own hand-writing: I find "much fatisfaction in writing these "thoughts on the times: it occupies a leifure hour, and gives vent to my feelings and emotions, occa"fioned by the great events which "at prefent agitate Europe. My "fituation is fuch, that think it "would not be wife or proper to "speak them out in public at pre"fent, and it is a chance if ever it "fhall be fo during my life. I con"fider myself as talking to the man "of times to come, but I have taken "no pains in the ftyle. I could not "do fo, but either with immenfe "trouble, or by employing an ama "nuenfis; and that, the nature of "the fubject, and freedom with "which it is treated, forbade."From these volumes he made a felection, with the intention that they fhould be published after his death, which, in obedience to his directions, is now done.

matic turn. He kept a prefs, many years ago, for his amufement, and printed a collection of the poems that he had then written, which he diftributed among his friends. A great many of his pieces are to be found in a collection, by Gentlemen in Scotland, printed at Edinburgh in 1760 *: and he occafionally contributed verfes to the magazines, and other periodical publications of the day. The greateft part of these are to be found in this work.

The Editor had it in his power to increase the number, by the addition of a few levities, which, although not intended by the Author for publication, are, perhaps, the most finished of his productions; but he was reftrained by the confideration, that a lively fancy, when allowed to indulge itself at freedom, will fometimes produce fruit that can only be relished in private. On the Ode to War, and the Addrefs to the Powers at War, he bestowed much pains; they are the laft, and perhaps the moft beautiful Effufions of his mufe. Though he has written in the different kinds of measure, that of these two odes was what he most admired; he was fenfible that they were too long for that fpecies of compofition, indeed longer than he thought any poem fhould be; but inspired by the fubject, he difregarded, and forgot the fettered rules of criticism, and let loofe his fancy to indulge his feelings.

There is one piece, of which, fince Mr Maclaurin's death, the Editor has difcovered he was the Author.It is entituled the Philofopher, an Opera, in two acts, and is a fevere fatire against two authors, whofe works have done honour to their country, Mr David Hume, the celebrated Hiftorian; and Mr John Home, the well-known author of the Tragedy

that

that Tragedy firft made its appear ance. The perfecution which the author of Douglas experienced in confequence of the publication of that piece, is well known. Much abufe was levelled against him; and among those who ftooped to use the pen of a fatirift, was Mr Maclaurin : he was at this time, it must be remarked, a very young man, under the tuition and influence of his mother, who, though possessed of no inconfiderable share of genius, could not be reconciled to the idea of a Minifter of the Gospel writing a Play.

By her perfuafions, it feems, he was inftigated to attack the author of Douglas; it is not probable he would have written this fatire from any other motive. Though a man may fometimes write to indulge his fancy without meaning to offend, Mr Maclaurin's liberal mind could never have suffered him thus publicly to attack a man for his opinions, or ftop genius in its career, whatever the profeffion of the author might be; befides, himself a poet, it cannot be fuppofed he would intentionally injure a man whose works added luftre to poetry. Mr Maclaurin, however, in maturer years, became, in many of his opinions, a difciple of the philofopher, and an admirer of the poet: conscious he had acted wrong in writing this Opera, he never mentioned or wifhed to fee it, and has never been heard to avow it. The author of Douglas is revenged for the unmerited perfecution he met with a generous Prince rewarded his fufferings, and popular applaufe has fanctioned his fame. Though the publication of this Opera might

:

now give no offence, the writer of fuch a Tragedy being fuperior to fatire, yet, from refpect to the feelings of the living, and the memory of the dead, it is thought more proper not to revive it; and on that account, whatever intrinfic merit it may have, the Editor is determined never to publish it.

Of the merit of either the poetical or profe works, the Editor inclines to fay nothing, for the critical reader will, no doubt, judge with impartiality and temper, of a pofthumous publication.

It certainly cannot be expected that the writer of these volumes, even when no more, fhould escape the lash of inquifitive criticism; efpecially as a number of new, and certainly bold, opinions, very oppofite to the fentiments of the world, are fupported by the author. It may, however, be proper to mention, that (whatever fhall be their fate) they were entertained by him from no bad motive, but flowed from the pen of one neither too folicitous of literary fame nor of popular favour.

Although there will be found in this publication no complete fyftem of philofophy, law, religion, or politicks, it is however hoped, that the reader will not treat the work on that account with marked contempt; asit is conceived, that it may be found fomewhat useful and entertaining, though it happen not to be digefted into a fyftematic form: for the editor prefumes to think, that, from thefe pages, the politician and theologian may receive fome inftruction; the lawyer and philofopher fome information, and the man of fcience and letters not a little amufement.

EING fond of travelling, I lately amufed myself in a fhort excurfion through the Western parts of North-Britain. I cannot exprefs the

delight I felt in contemplating the bold and romantic fcenery which peculiarly characterizes that part of our island; and which, to the Naturalist

and

even of his own ifland. Let him view the Scotch peafant on his native mountains, and he will perceive the fame honeft and virtuous heart, cafed in the fame vigorous frame. To use a favourite ftanza of Mr Cowper, he will perceive,

These rural pleasures, however, exquifite as they are, will, I doubt, be little felt or relished by those who have all their lives been cooped up within the narrow confines of the Metropolis. The Philofopher, who has been accustomed from his infancy to artificial objects, is apt to confider the delight which the lover of Nature experiences, to be merely an ideal charm, which exifts only in the fond fancy of the poet or enthufiaft. Nor is he lefs in danger of error in his moral conclufions. Familiarized merely to the pomp and luxury of the "great city," he is apt to fup pofe that all mankind are rapidly carried down the fatal ftreams of degeneracy and corruption; to contraft the puny race of cockneys, he rencontres in Bond ftreet or Hyde-park, with the ancient fons of the mountains, whose frames were braced by temperance and toil, and whofe hearts were ever open to benevolence and honeft virtue.

But, Sir, these prejudices will va nish when he takes a minuter furvey

"An honeft heart elofe button'd to the chin,

within."

It is not a very unufual thing in this part of Scotland to fee a peafant healthy and vigorous in the 80th year of his life. Lately vifiting that romantic county of Scotland which goes by the name of Galloway, I met with a very curious fact, which strikingly confirms these remarks, and with which I fhall finish my letter. After a journey over very fleep and rugged mountains, I found myself at the fide of the beautiful_river Ken, which washes the most fertile plains of this county. It happened on that day, that a fête-chamêtre was to be celebrated on its banks in honour of a bridge, the foundation of which had juft been laid with great mafonic pomp. I had the honour of being one of the party at this rural feaft. Obferving a groupe of old men making extremely merry at one of the tables, I enquired of the gentleman who prefided at the feaft, who they were, and why they were placed together? He informed me, that they were 17 old men, inhabitants of the fmall burgh of New Galloway, in his own eftate, whofe ages exactly amounted to 1264 years*; the whole inhabitants of this little town being only 270 fouls. I believe, Sir, there is not a town in Europe, of the fame number of inhabitants, where so great a number of old men could be mustered,

It was not, however, in thofe reli gious temples that the illuftrious convert to the catholic faith, Monf. La Harpe, became a preacher of its doctrines. Like the hero of Mr Greaves's novel, Monf. La Harpe took courage to attack the devil in his strongest holds. Being a person of high literary merit, he had been chofen to fill the rhetorical chair in the Lyceum. From that place, where, a few moons before, he had defcanted on the glorious conquefts of philofophy over fuperftition, and of liberty and the rights of man over defpotifm and fla. very; he now poured forth the recantation of his errors in fo eloquent and touching a strain, that the neighbouring fquare and streets re-echoed the long and tumultuous applaufes of his fair auditory, for the majority were always ladies.

The lecturer, not fatisfied with the victory gained over infidelity in this feat of fcience, of which it had been fo long in poffeffion, purfued that pernicious fyftem into another of its fortreffes, the regions of pleafure. Monf. La Harpe, becoming a catholic, was too fingular an event not to attract general notice; and as catholicifm happened to be in fafhion, the proprietors of various places of amufement thought a few lectures from Monf. La Harpe, on "the religion of our fathers," would be no unprofitable speculation. Accordingly, the fplendid walks and fairy bowers of Idalia, which till then, had only re-echoed the founds of gaity and pleasure, now refounded with the vehement imprecations of La Harpe againft that vile revolutionary philofophy of the Rights of Man, which had overthrown the religion of our fathers. Monf. La Harpe continued to be the rage in Paris, till he was fucceeded by another fathionable novelty, which happened to be Abra ham Effendi, the turkish ambassador.

fashionable and butterfly-tribe forfook once more "the religion of their fathers," a fabric long fince undermined, and now haftening to decay, after gilding for a moment its venerable ruins with their glittering wings.

But another fect was now arifing, which threatened more formidable danger to the roman catholic religion than all the edicts of jacobin ferocity. Some ferious and well-intentioned men, who were fenfible that the human mind without religion feels a void, which fomething better must be found to fill up than the doctrine of atoms, or the worship of reason, have become the founders of a new fyftem, which, setting aside the dogmas of the roman catholic creed, connected, they affert, with ignorance and fuperftition, refts only on thofe points in which men of all religions are agreed, the moral government of the world by the Supreme Being, and the immortality of the foul.

This fect, diftinguished by the name of Theophilanthropists, the friends of God and man, had formed various little focieties in Paris before their opinions were publicly known. The fimplicity of their worship, fomewhat refembling that of the diffenters in England, gained the attention of a few lettered men, and the benevolence of their doctrines became the public theme of panegyric of a member of the directory, Larevelliere Lepaux, who published a pamphlet, the object of which was to raise these doctrines into repute, by fhewing the inconfiftency of the roman catholic religion with liberty. This pamphlet was anfwered by Gregoire, the learned and patriotic bishop of Blois, with much warmth, as a calumny against the nation fince the great majority, he afferted, were both catholics and republicans, and the most democratic governments in Europe, the smaller

can