CHARACTERS. 



773 



Like thee, I once have stemm'd the sea 

 of life, 

 Like thee, have languish'd after empty 

 j"ys; 

 Like thee, have labour'd in the stormy 

 strife; 

 Been griev'd for trifles, and amus'd 

 vvitli toys. 



Yet for a while 'gainst passions threatfui 

 blast 

 Let steady reason urge the struggling 

 oar; 

 Shot thro' the gloom, the morn at last 

 Gives to thy longing eye the blissful 

 shore. 



Forget my frailties, thou art also frail : 

 Foreive my lapses, for thyself niay'st 

 "fall; 

 Nor read unmov'd my artless tender tale, 

 1 was a friend, O man ! to thee, and 

 all. 



His oJe on Hope has been too 

 long admired to require any labour- 

 ed criticism in illustration of its 

 beauties. The powers of invention 

 discovered the novelty and variety 

 of the allusions, and the figurative 

 language introduced, entitle the au- 

 thor to the praise of distinguished 

 genius. An ode to Peace, and a 

 song in imitation of Shakespeare's 

 " Blow, blow, thou winfer wind," 

 &c. to be found in the Scots jMag. 

 for Sept. 1758, were afterwards ac- 

 knowledged by him. 



The particular circumslances In 

 MhJeh Mr. Beattie was then placed, 

 perhaps suggested Retirement as the 

 subject of the next poem whose date 

 can be ascertained. This was also 

 written in 1758. He has thought 

 proper, in the editions of the poems 

 of late years acknowledged by him, 

 to withdraw the titleof " An Ode," 

 which he had jirefixed to this pretty 

 little poem, in tlie first ediliou of his 

 Terses. 



In May, 17GO, Mr. Beattie had 



accepted of an invitation to dinner 

 from the parents of one of his scho- 

 lars, where he was requested to re- 

 cite a part of a poem he had written. 

 It had in a great measure escaped 

 his memory. The specimen it w as 

 then in his power to give, produced 

 a desire in those present to hear the 

 ■whole. He accordingly went to his 

 lodgings, and returned to the com- 

 pany with his manuscript. He was 

 infoi-mcd, however, cither while he 

 was going or returning from the 

 place where he lived, of the sudden 

 death of professor Duncan. This 

 information he naturally communi- 

 cated to those persons to whom he 

 was about to shew his poetical effu- 

 sions. There were now, it will be 

 remembered, two vacant professor- 

 ships in Marischal college, because 

 Dr. Gerard had, a year before, beea 

 chosen professor of divinity, on the 

 death of Dr. Pollock, and the chair 

 of moral pliilosophy had not yet 

 been filled. It was suggested, by 

 Mr. Arbuthnot, at whose particular 

 request Beattie had gone home for 

 his poems, thatayouiigmaii who had 

 produced such unquestionable proofs 

 of 'lis talents, would be a very fit 

 successor eitiier to Duncan or Ger- 

 ard. This gentleman actually pre- 

 vailed upon tlie earl of Erroll, lord 

 high constable of Scotland, to re- 

 commend Mr. Beattie to his majesty, 

 as one well worthy of being ap- 

 pointed to a vacant professorship. 



Nearly four months had elapsed 

 before Mr. Beattie v^as ofhcially in- 

 formed that the recommendations of 

 his friends had proved successful. 

 Towards the end of Sept. I76O, his 

 majesty's patent came to Aberdeen, 

 appointing him a professor of philo- 

 sophy in JNlarlschal college. 



An acadcinical life is so barton 



of incident, that it cannot be ex- 



3 D 3 pcctei 



II 



