179'« EULOGY OF THOMSON. 261 



Great, and of a Wafhington, all men poflefTed of any 

 feeling or taile have rejoiced, and do now rejoice, to 

 behold the dignity of human nature beginning to ap- 

 pear amidfh the ruins of fuperftition and tyranny, and 

 the immortal Pruffian (landing like a herald in the pro- 

 ccirion of ages to mark the beginning of that order of 

 men who are to banifli from the earth the delu- 

 fions of priellcraft, and the monrtrous prerogatives of 

 defpotic authority. 



1 think myfelf happy to have this day the honour of 

 endeavouring to do honour to the memory of Thomfon, 

 which lias been prophanely touched by the rude hand 

 of Samuel Johnfon, whofe fame and reputation indi- 

 cates the decline of tafte in a country, that, after hav- 

 ing produced an Alfred, a Wallace, a Bacon, a Napier, 

 a isJewton, a Buchanan, a Milton, a Hampden, a Flet- 

 cher, and a Thomfon, can fubmit to be bullied by an 

 overbearing pedant. 



Scotland, gentlemen, though now full of men who 

 are above fervile compliance with the power ct the day, 

 was, in the days of Thomfon a nation of proud and 

 poor nobles, and difpirited valTals. Ejccept Belhavcn 

 and Fletcher, whom he hArdlv faw, and Argyle, Stair, 

 Marchmont, and other free ipirits, whom delicacy for- 

 bids mc to mention, there were few in the kingdom 

 who could encourage tlie poet to rife above the medi- 

 ocriry of a fettered lludent of divinity, or to infpire his 

 mind with that noble fcntiment of independence by 

 which his life and his writings are chara£lerifed and 

 diflinguiihet!. In the family of Jervifwood, to which 

 he was introduced by the kindred of his mother, he re- 

 ceived the earlieit attentions •, and fome verfes of his, 

 uddreffsd to one of that family, for the ufc of fome 

 books, are, I believe, ftill preferred as an early fpeci- 

 men of his genius. 

 "■ That the lady indifcrectly alluded to in the life of 

 Thomfon, fiiould Iia\e encouraged him to trv his for- 

 Vo: ..V. t Q c 



