4 ANECDOTES OF THE LATE DR. SMITH. Maj II, 



formed a great part of the cargo. The Doftor was in 

 ufe to get a number of copies of his publications from 

 the printer, and keep them in his houfe for fuch an op- 

 portunity. A gentleman who came in one day, ex- 

 claimed, with furprife, " Have you ever read all thele 

 " books." — " Nay," replied Do£lor Campbell, laugh- 

 ing, " I h?ve written them.'' 



Of Swift. Dr. Smith made frequent and lionourable 

 mention. He denied, that the Dean could ever have 

 written the Pindarics printed under his name. He af- 

 firmed, that he wanted nothing but inclination to have be- 

 come one of the greateft of all poets. " But in place of 

 " this, he is only a goiliper, writing merely for the 

 " entertainment of a private circle." He regarded 

 Swift, both in itile and fentiment, as a pattern of cor- 

 reftnefs. Fie read to me fome of the fhort poetical ad- 

 dreffc:j to Stella, and was particularly pleafcd with one 



Couplet " Say, Stella, feel you no content, reilcfting 



*' on a life well-fpent." — Though the Dean's verles are 

 remarkable for eafe and limplicity, yet the compofition 

 required an effort. To exprefs this difficulty, Swilt 

 iifed to fay, that a verfe came from him like a guinea. 

 Dr. Smith considered the lines on his own death, as the 

 Dean's poetical mailer- piece. He thought tliat upon 

 the whole, his poetry was correal, after he fettled in 

 Ireland, when he was, as he himfelf faid, furrounded 

 *' only by humble friends." 



The Doftor had fome fingular opinions. I was fur- 

 prifed at hearing him prefer Livy to all other hKlorians, 

 ancient and modern. He knew of no otlier who had 

 even a pretence to rival him, if David Hume could 

 not claim that honour. He regretted, in particular, 

 the lofs of his account of the civil wars m the age of 

 Julius Caefar ; and when 1 attempted to comfort him 

 by the library at Fez, he cut me ihort. 1 would have 

 expefted Polybius to {land much higher in his efleem 

 than Livy, as having a much nearer refemblance to Dr. 

 Smith's own manner of writing. Befides his miracles, 



