CHARACTERS. 



769 



was reasonable that some plan should 

 be laid down, whereby either he or 

 they should have the prospe6t of 

 being remunerated. 



Whatever gratitude Beattie felt 

 for the kindness and generosity of 

 his brother, he was under little dif- 

 ficulty of this kind. Though pos- 

 sessed of genius, his finances were 

 not very ample. And tho^e in his 

 circumstances, who aspire tothead- 

 vaatages of a liberal education, are 

 in Scotland generally devoted to the 

 church. To this sacred profession 

 ea-ier access is obtained in all coun- 

 tries, than to those of a physician 

 or a lawyer. Beattie had been 

 early destined for a clergyman, but, 

 through causes which will hereafter 

 appear, this original design was frus- 

 trated. 



About the beginning of April, 

 1753, he returned to Laurencekirk, 

 and waited patieutly for some em- 

 ployment, which would not greatly 

 interrupt the progress of his stu- 

 dies. 



Beattie's chara6ter, as a good 

 scholar, and a young man of ge- 

 nius, was justly, on his return from 

 college, so very high, that he ran 

 little risk of being an unsuccessful 

 candidate for any of those situa- 

 tions, which are in general request by 

 such persons as propose to be, and 

 tfiose who in Scotland are, students 

 in divinity. 



While Mr. Beattie resided with 

 his brother, the neighbouring pa- 

 rish of Fordoun was deprived of its 

 schoolmasler ; he applied for, and 

 easily obtained, that humble aj)- 

 pointment. Its emoluments were 

 small, lie was then about the age 

 of nineteen. 



With what ability he acquitted 

 himself as teacher of a school, in a 

 remote country village, cannot be 



Vol. XLVII. 



described with the utmost accuracy. 

 What one would not have expected, 

 I have been informed, upon evi- 

 dence the most unquestionable, that 

 he was a very severe disciplinarian. 

 It is likely that he did not sit very 

 easy under his new employment. 

 His views were more aspiring than 

 his situation at that time could war- 

 rant the hope of ever having it ia 

 his power to gratify. 



Beattie's manner and address arc 

 represented as having been at this 

 time blunt, and rather uncultivated. 

 He had hitherto but little opportu- 

 nity, either of conversing or asso- 

 ciating with his superiors in regard 

 to fortune. One of his earliest pa- 

 trons was Mr. Francis Garden, 

 afterwards lord Gardenstone. This 

 man was a kindred spirit, both in 

 his favourite studies and his convi- 

 vial talents. Disposed to express 

 himself with a frankness and free- 

 dom, bordering upon what the more 

 squeamish part of mankind would 

 term rudeness and incivility, he had 

 much of the milk of human kind- 

 ness. His learning was neither ac. 

 curate nor extensive. He possessed, 

 however, a considerable knowledge 

 of the Latin tongue, and had ac- 

 quired, at an early period of his 

 life, a facility in versification. His 

 acuteness, the readiness with which 

 he could express himself in distindl 

 and appropriate language uj)on any 

 subject, has been long acknow- 

 ledged in Scotland. When a judge, 

 he was always candid, and by an 

 amiable infirmity, he leaned to the 

 weak side, and was instinctively, 

 what the law of Kngland requires 

 all judges to be by a sense of duty, 

 " counsel for the accused." 



Mr. Garden was sheriff of Kin- 

 rardinshire, when Beattie went to 

 Fordoun. He did Mr. Beattie a 



3 D servic* 



