56 



ON ALLAN RAMSAY. Sept. 2 I ^ 



this Is only a fecondary part of his praife. A vein of 

 folid good fenfe, a nice difcrimination of chara£ter, a 

 nervous elegance, and a pathetic fimplicity of expref- 

 fion ; in a word, the genuine language of nature, of 

 paffion, and of poetry, place his paftoral comedy almoil 

 beyond our praife. From the chemift and aftronomer, 

 to the girl at her fpinning-wheel, his eloquence kindles 

 every heart, and irrefiftibly commands our tears. It is 

 true that we have here no bawdry, no jealous alderman 

 cuckolded, no amorous fuicide, no wire-drawn folilo- 

 quy, no pedantic ill-jointed epithet, no raving defpot, 

 iuch as never exifted but in the frenzy of a modern 

 play wright. But the Gentle Shepherd does not reft 

 its reputation on the caprice of a theatrical audience 

 "Were all the copies of Ramfay's comedy annihilated, 

 the grateful memories of his countrymen would eager- 

 ly fupply the lofs. Many of his readers have almoft 

 the whole poem by heart ; and what other Scottilh au- 

 thor can pretend to fuch univerfal admiration ? 



It has been faid, that Ramfay did not write this 

 poem -, and when that ftory was no longer tenable, it 

 has been loudly affirmed, that at leaft a great part of 

 it was -wTitten by fomebody elfe •, and the whole cor- 

 refted by gentlemen who were the author's patrons. 

 The word parroti is pronounced, by men of fenfe, with 

 a tone of contemptuous pity. If thefe critics fug- 

 gefted any proper alterations, this feems to have 

 been the only a£l of benevolence which they be- 

 ftowed on the author : for, in the proper ftyle of pa- 

 trofiage, they fuffiered him to live poor, and die bank- 

 rupt *. 



In Scotland, the firft circulating library was kept by 

 Allan Ramfay. His original profeffion is often men- 

 tioned by himfelf ; and to thofe who are weak enough 

 to defpife it, we may reply in the words of an elegant 



* His debts were aftenvards p.id by lis fun, the famous painter. 



