The Life of Dr. James Beattie. DR. JAMES BEATTIE was born at Laurencekirk, is the church. The delicacy of his health requirin the county of Kincardine, Scotland, on the 25th ing amusement, he found, as he supposed, all that day of October, 1735. His father, who was a amusement can give in cultivating his musical tafarmer of no considerable rank, is said to have had lents, which were very considerable. But there a turn for reading and for versifying: but, as he died in 1742, when his son James was only seven years of age, he could have had no great share in forming his mind. is reason to think that his hours of relaxation were too few, and that the earnestness with which he dissuaded his son from excessive study, arose from his repenting that he had not paid more attention to the exercises which promote health. James was sent early to the only school his birthplace afforded, where he passed his time under the The only science in which he made no extraorinstruction of a tutor named Milne, whom he used dinary proficiency, and to which he even seemed to represent “as a good grammarian, and tolerably to have a dislike, was mathematics. In this, inskilled in the Latin language, but destitute of taste, deed, he performed the requisite tasks, but was as well as of some other qualifications essential to eager to return to subjects of taste or general litea good teacher." He is said to have preferred rature. In every other branch of academical stuOvid as a school-author, whom Mr. Beattie after-dy, he never was satisfied with what he learned wards gladly exchanged for Virgil. Virgil he had within the walls of the college. been accustomed to read with great delight in In 1753, having gone through every preparatory Ogilvy's and Dryden's translations, as he did Ho-course of study, he took the degree of master of mer in that of Pope; and these, with Thomson's arts, the only one attainable by students (except Seasons and Milton's Paradise Lost, of all which of medicine) in any of the universities of Scotland. he was very early fond, probably gave him that The first degree of bachelor is not known, and taste for poetry which he afterwards cultivated with that of doctor of laws or divinity is usually beso much success. He was already, according to stowed on application, at any time of life after his biographer, inclined to make verses, and among leaving college, without the necessity of keeping his school-fellows went by the name of the Poet. terms. Mr. Beattie, therefore, at this time techAt this school he made great proficiency, by nically finished his education, and had a profession unremitting diligence, which, he was sensible, was to seek. He had hitherto been supported by the the only stock he could command; and he appear-generous kindness of an elder brother; but he was ed to much advantage on his entering Marischal anxious to exonerate his family from any farther -College, Aberdeen, in 1749, where he obtained the burden. With this laudable view, there being a first of those bursaries left for the use of students, vacancy for the office of schoolmaster and parishwhose parents are unable to support the entire clerk, to the parish of Fordoun, adjoining to Lauexpenses of academical education. Here he first rencekirk, he accepted the appointment August 6, studied Greek under principal Thomas Blackwell, 1753. There can be no doubt that he performed author of the Inquiry into the Life and Writings the duties of this situation with punctuality, but it of Homer; Letters concerning Mythology; and was neither suited to his disposition, nor advanMemoirs of the Court of Augustus; a teacher, tageous to his progress in life. The emoluments who, with much of the austerity of pedantry, was were very scanty, the site remote and obscure; and kind to his diligent scholars, and found in Mr. there was nothing in it to excite emulation or graBeattie a disposition worthy of cultivation and of tify the ambition which a young man, conscious as patronage. The other professor, with whom Mr. he must have been of superior powers and knowBeattie was particularly connected, was Dr. Alex- ledge, might indulge without presumption. He ander Gerard, author of the Genius and Eviden- obtained in this place, however, a few friends, parces of Christianity; Essays on Taste and Genius; ticularly Lord Gardenstown, and Lord Monbodand other works. Under these gentlemen, his do, who distinguished him with encouraging noproficiency, both at college and during the vaca- tice; and his imagination was delighted by the tions, was very exemplary, and he accumulated a beautiful and sublime scenery of the place, which much more various stock of general knowledge he appears to have contemplated with the eye of a than is usual with young men whose destination poet. His leisure hours he employed on some poetical attempts, which, as they were published in in the midst of literary society, and had easy acthe Scots Magazine, with his initials, and some-cess to books, and his colloquial talents daily intimes with his place of abode, must have contri-creased the number of his friends. His emolubuted to make him yet more known and respected. ments were not great, but his situation had a conThe church of Scotland was at this time the sequence in the opinion of the public, which to so usual resource of well educated young men, and young a man was not a little flattering. with their academical stores in full memory, there He had not long been an usher at this school bewere few difficulties to be surmounted before their fore he published a volume of poems. An author's entrance on the sacred office. Although this first appearance is always an important era. Mr. church presents no temptations to ambition, Mr. Beattie's was certainly attended with circumstances Beattie appears to have regarded it as the only that are not now common. This volume was anmeans by which he could obtain an independent nounced to the public in a more humble manner rank in life; and with his diligence, was confident than the present state of literature is thought to that the transition from the studies of philosophy demand in similar cases. On the 10th of March, and ethics to that of divinity, would be easy. He 1760, not the volume itself, but Proposals for printreturned, therefore, during the winter to Marischal ing original Poems and Translations were issued. College, and attended the divinity lectures of Dr. The poems appeared accordingly on the 16th of Robert Pollock, of that college, and of professor February, 1761, and were published both in LonJohn Lumsden, of King's, and performed the ex-don and Edinburgh. They consisted partly of ercises required by the rules of both. One of his original composition, and partly of the pieces forfellow-students informed Sir William Forbes, that merly printed in the Scots Magazine, but altered during their attendance at the divinity-hall, he heard Mr. Beattie deliver a discourse, which met with much commendation, but of which it was remarked by the audience, that he spoke poetry in prose. and corrected; a practice which Beattie carried almost to excess in all his poetical works. The praise bestowed on this volume was very flattering. The English critics who then dispensed the rewards of literature, considered it as an acWhile the church seemed his only prospect, and quisition to the republic of letters, and pronounced one which he never contemplated with satisfaction, that, since Mr. Gray (whom in their opinion Mr. although few young men lived a more pious and Beattie had chosen for his model) they had not met regular life, there occurred, in 1757, a vacancy for with a poet of more harmonious numbers, more one of the masters of the grammar-school of Aber-pleasing imagination, or more spirited expression. deen, a situation of considerable importance in all This verdict they endeavoured to confirm by exrespects. The school, which is a public founda- tracts from the Ode to Peace, and the Triumph of tion, is conducted by a rector, or head master, and Melancholy. But notwithstanding praises which three subordinate masters; the whole is in the so evidently tended to give a currency to the poems, patronage of the magistrates of the city, who are, and which were probably repeated with eagerhowever, governed in their choice by the issue of ness by the friends who had encouraged the puba very severe trial of the candidate's ability, car-lication, the author, upon more serious consideraried on by the professors of the university. On tion, was so dissatisfied with this volume as to this occasion, Mr. Beattie was advised to become destroy every copy he could procure. Nor was a candidate; but he was diffident of his qualifica- this a sudden or splenetic humour in Beattie. tions, and did not think himself so fully possessed Some years after, when his taste and judgment of the grammatical niceties of the Latin language, became fully matured, he refused to acknowledge as to be able to answer readily, any question that above four of them; namely, Retirement, Ode to might be put to him by older and more experienced Hope, Elegy on a Lady, and the Hares, and these judges. In every part of his life, it may be here he almost re-wrote before he would permit them observed, Beattie appears to have formed an exact to be printed with the Minstrel. estimate of his own talents; and in the present But notwithstanding the lowly opinion of the instance he failed just where he expected to fail, author, these poems, during their first circulation, rather in the circumstantial than the essential re- which was chiefly in manuscript, contributed so quisites for the situation to which he aspired. The much to the general reputation he acquired, that other candidate was accordingly preferred. But he was considered as an honour to his country, Beattie's attempt was attended with so little loss and deserving of a higher rank among her fr of reputation, that a second vacancy occurring a voured sons. Accordingly a vacancy happening few months after, and two candidates appearing, in Marischal College, his friends made such earnboth unqualified for the office, it was presented to est applications in his behalf, that in September, him by the magistrates in the most handsome man- 1760, he was appointed by the royal patent proner, without the form of a trial, and he immedi-fessor of philosophy. His department in this boately entered upon it in June, 1758. He was now nourable office extended to moral philosophy and |