APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE. 597 



in the battle fought in its neighbour- 

 hood, in which the rebels vanquish- 

 ed the king's troops, he was taken 

 prisoner, and confined for some 

 time in the castle of Doune. From 

 this place of captivity he effected 

 his escape, and the battle of Cul- 

 loden having blasted all the hopes 

 of the Pretender's adherents, tran- 

 quillity and order were soon re- 

 stored. Mr. Home resumed his stu- 

 dies, and was licensed to preach the 

 gospel in 174'7. Not long after, 

 Home visited England, for it ap- 

 pears that he was introduced to Col- 

 lins, the poet, at Winchester, by a 

 Mr. Barrow, who had been his 

 fellow student at the university. 

 Collins addressed to him his "Ode 

 on the Superstition of the High- 

 landers," considered as the subject 

 of poetry, composed in IT^O, but not 

 published till many years after his 

 death. It is evident that Home at 

 this period had exhibited some poe- 

 tical powers. In the first stanza, 

 Collins delivers a prediction, which 

 was soon after fulfilled : — 



" Home, thou return'st from Thames, 

 whose Naiads long 

 Have seen thee lingering with a fond 

 delay 

 'Midst those soft friends whose hearts 

 some future day 

 Shall melt perhaps to hear thy tragic 

 song." 



About the year 1750, he was settled 

 ministerof the parish of Athelstane- 

 ford, in East Lothian, and was the 

 immediate successor of Robt. Blair, 

 authorof" The Grave." Accustom- 

 ed to the bustle of a city, and the 

 society of men of letters, Mr. Home 

 found himself rather disagreeably 

 situated, in an obscure village, 

 where he had no opportunity of 

 distinguishing himself. From the 

 vicinity of his residence to Edin- 



burgh, he was in the practice of 

 frequently resorting to the capital, 

 to enjoy the company of men of 

 talents. Several of these had insti- 

 tuted a society for literary and phi- 

 losophical disquisition, of which 

 Mr. Home was an original and dis- 

 tinguished member. This institu- 

 tion comprehended several of the 

 most eminent characters of the day. 

 Among others, were enrolled the 

 names of Mr. Alexander Wedder- 

 burne, afterwards earl of Rosslyn, 

 and lord high chancellor of Great 

 Britain ; Ferguson the philosopher; 

 Hume and Robertson, the histo- 

 rians ; and Blair, the rhetorician 

 and divine ; men, whom it would 

 be superfluous here to panegyrise. 

 It was about this period that Mr. 

 Home, in his retirement, began se- 

 riously to court the dramatic muse. 

 The first tragedy he wrote was Agis, 

 founded on a portion of the Lace- 

 dsemonian history. He went to 

 London with the manuscript, in 

 hopes of getting it introduced on 

 the stage, but in this he was disap- 

 pointed, insurmountable objections 

 having been made to the plot. Our 

 poet, not at all discouraged by this 

 failure, conceived the plan of ano- 

 ther play, laid the plot in Scotland, 

 and made his hei'o one of his own 

 countrymen. In presenting this to 

 the London manager, he had the 

 mortification of a second refusal. 

 Notwithstanding the abilities of 

 Garrick, as a dramatist, his opinion 

 of the merit of plays was not infal- 

 lible. He rejected the tragedy of 

 Douglas as being too simple in its 

 fable, and destitute of stage effect. 

 Whether Garrick ever examined at 

 all into its merits, or delegated this 

 office to another, on whose report 

 he formed his decision, cannot now 

 be ascertained. He, however, can- 

 didly 



