26 
MEMOIR OP 
On this journey he was induced by his acquaint- 
ances to commence keeping a Journal, which was 
his first essay at prose writing, and evinced a clear- 
ness in the perception of human nature, liveliness 
in the narration of the incidents presented to his 
observation, and graphic power in displaying the 
beauties of the scenery which he traversed, seldom 
surpassed. Ilis road lay through the Lothians to 
Edinburgh andDunbar; from whence, having crossed 
the Forth, ho travelled over the county of Fife, 
making every effort with both his offerings to the 
Graces and the Muses, but in each of which he 
was miserably disappointed. He writes thus to Mr. 
Brodie from Edinburgh, “ A packman is a charac- 
ter which none esteem, and almost every one de- 
spises. The idea which people of all ranks entertain 
of them is, that they aro mean spirited, loquacious 
liars, cunning and illiterate.” “ When any one 
applies to a genteel person, pretending to be a poet, 
he is treated with ridicule and contempt ; and even 
though he should produce a specimen, it is either 
thrown back again without being thought worthy of 
perusal, or else read with prejudice.” It may thus 
be easily gathered that his success in the sale of his 
poetical effusions had proved almost completely fal- 
lacious ; and, indeed, so great were his difficulties at 
this time, that he hardly had wherewith to purchase 
the necessaries of life, far less materials for writing 
and other purposes. An amusing anecdote of his 
fruitfulness in expedients, under such pressing cir- 
cumstances, is narrated by one of his acquaintances 
