ALEXANDER WILSON. 
XXI 
have yet seen,” lie a second time sallied forth, “ to make one bold 
push for the united interest of pack and poems.” 
He had now, by the solicitation of his friends, been induced to 
keep a Journal. We learn from it, that, after travelling to Edinburgh, 
he proceeded along the coast to Dunbar, and, crossing to Burnt- 
island, coasted that side of the Firth to Kinghorn, where his 
memoranda stop. This was his first attempt at prose writing, which 
appeared publicly, and is remarkable for the clear observation upon 
human nature, of incident, and the appearance of the surrounding 
country. The ill success of this journey disgusted him not only with 
the pack, but shewed him, that hawking poems was not a more 
profitable trade ; and, annoyed at the failure of his plans, he returned 
to his native town nearly pennyless, and much depressed in spirits, 
thinking that a pedlar and poet stood lower in the scale of rank, than 
he was previously inclined to place them. “ A packman,” he writes, 
in a letter from Edinburgh, to his friend Mr Brodie, u is a character 
which none esteem, and almost every one despises. The idea 
which people of all ranks entertain of them is, that they are mean 
spirited, loquacious liars, cunning and illiterate, watching every 
opportunity, and using every low and mean art within their power 
to cheat. 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.” Ill success rendered him severe on these often 
eccentric, very generally harmless, professions. 
The sale of his Poems being insufficient to procure for him the 
ordinary necessaries of life, he was obliged to resume occasionally 
the labours of his loom at Lochwinnoch, at which, by his expertness 
and diligence when willing, he could always raise a temporary 
And lovely tambours, with elegant flowers, 
For bonnets, cloaks, aprons, or gowns. 
Now, ye Fair, if ye choose any piece to peruse, 
With pleasure I’ll instantly show it : 
If the Pedlar should fail to be favour’d with sale, 
Then I hope you ’ll encourage the Poet. 
Journal , Poems , 2d Edit. 
