770 ANNUAL REC^ISTER, 1805. 



■service, which, at that period of his 

 history, was not a small one. He 

 afforded him his patronage, and in- 

 troduced him to the principal gen- 

 tlemen of the county ; not the prin- 

 cipal in point of fortune alone, but 

 to those also who were qualified to 

 appreciate real talents, and who 

 possessed the aristocracy of genius. 

 It must be confessed, that few paro- 

 chial schoolmasters ought to be com- 

 •pared with Mr. Beattie ; there are, 

 however, stdl fewer patrons like 

 loril Gardenstone. 



Wiiile at Fordoim he resided in 

 the ^M>^sc of James Anderson. The 

 rev. Mr. Korbcs, at that time minister 

 of the p.irish, shewed him many 

 marks of kindness. He very soon 

 discovered Beattie's ab.Iities, and, 

 though he held them in just estima- 

 tion, he was not blind to his de- 

 fects. Beattie's situation, as parish 

 schoolmaster, was early perceived 

 , by Mr Forbes not to be very con- 

 gen, al to his inclination, nor ade- 

 quate to his deserts He gene- 

 rou.siy wished that an opportunity 

 miiihi occur, on which it might be 

 in bis iiower to afford him those re- 

 commendations which he so justly 

 deserved. An opportunity of this 

 kind, however, did not present it- 

 self for some time. 



The discharge of the duties of 

 Beattie's office, was not incompa- 

 tible with his attendance at the di- 

 vinity hall ; at least what is reckon- 

 ed :.i tendance. 



When Mr. Beattie enrolled him- 

 self as a student of divinity, Dr. 

 Robert Pollock, and Mr. John 

 Liimsden. held the chairs of theo- 

 lo^y in the university of Aberdeen ; 

 ihi»f»nmerin Marisclial College, and 

 the hr'er in King's College. 



At Fordoun he amused himself 

 by composing little poems. Many 



of these were shewn to his friends, 

 who universally agreed in their ad- 

 miration of his poetical talents. IVJr. 

 B. sent those which he most esteem- 

 ed to the Scots Magazine, some- 

 times dated from Aberdeen, at other 

 times from Kincardinshire, or from 

 Fordoun. 



There is some difficulty in ascer- 

 taining exactly all the verses contri- 

 buted by him, because others, who 

 had a great facility of expressing 

 themselves in rhyme, were much in 

 the practice, at that time, of sending 

 their verses to the same publication. 

 The greater number of Mr. Beattie's 

 pieces have his name affixed to them, 

 and even though they had not, a 

 good judge would easily distin- 

 guish the more important of his 

 compositions. 



It is probable that soon after he 

 went to Fordoun, he was engagetl 

 in the translation of Virgil's Pasto- 

 rals. This he published in the first 

 edition of his poems. In the pre- 

 face we are informed that it was 

 written " at a very early time of 

 " life, when solitude left the mind at 

 " liberty to pursue, without any 

 " fixed design, such amusements 

 " as gratified the present hour." 



Among those fugitive pieces which 

 were not re-published by Dr. Beat- 

 tie, there is one that was composed 

 on his reading the declaration of war 

 which was made upon the l7th of 

 May, 1756. This poem is dated 

 from Kincardinshire, 7th of June, 

 of the same year. A short extract 

 from it will afford some idea 

 of his talent at versification at that 

 time. 



Fir'd by your country's wrongs, arise to 

 arms, 

 Ye brave, whose breasts a British spirit 

 w arms ! 



Defend 



Jl 



