The Blacklock Manuscripts at Annan. 159 



printed in " The Nithsdale Minstrel " (1815) by the Rev. William 

 Dunbar, who may have got his copy from Blacklock's grand- 

 nephew, the Rev. Henry Duncan, of Ruth well. " The Graham " 

 is followed by a few short pieces. In one of these — a parody on 

 " Rule Britannia " — Blacklock refers in no generous spirit to " a 

 regrettable incident " associated with the name of Admiral 

 Keppel : — • 



When Keppel first from Britain's strand, 



Plough'd o'er the surge his liquid way. 

 Deep groan'd the Genius of the land, 



And cruel mermaids sang this lay : 

 " Yield Britannia, yield the main 

 To faithless France and haughty Spain." 



The volume which includes a copy of the first London 

 edition of Blacklock's Poems is richer in interest than any other 

 in the collection. It embraces no fewer than 53 written poems, 

 occupying 380 quarto pages. The pieces are described as 

 " Manuscript Poems," and there is no marking on any of them to 

 indicate that they are to be found in print ; but some of them were 

 published by the author himself. One of the longest of them — 

 a satire entitled " A Panegyric on Great Britain " — was issued 

 separately in 1773, and a considerable number of the shorter 

 pieces were published at different times and in different ways. 

 The earliest verses were written in 1745 ; the latest probably 

 about 1780, when Blacklock was almost 60 years of age. 



Prominent in the collection is a play called " Seraphina " — a 

 translation of the " Cenie " of D'Happoncourt de Grafigny. 

 Whilst engaged on this work, Blacklock, remembering the pro- 

 ceedings in connection with John Home's " Douglas," had some 

 fear that his occupation might lead him into trouble with the 

 Church, of which he was still a minister, though he had resigned 

 his charge at Kirkcudbright. Dr Beattie, author of " The 

 Minstrel," consoled him by arguing sophistically that to translate 

 a dramatic poem could not be held to be on the same footing 

 with composing one ! The poetical merits of " Seraphina " 

 being small, we need hardly regret that it was never published. 

 Into the sentiment of the following lines the extreme sensitiveness 

 of Blacklock must have enabled him fully to enter: — 



