Then why should old age so much wound us? O, For how happy now am I, With my old wife sitting by, And our bairns and our oys all around us, O. No. No. L. TO PROFESSOR DUGALD STEWART. Mauchline, 3d May, 1788. SIR, I INCLOSE you one or two more of my bagatelles. If the fervent wishes of honest gratitude have any influence with that great, unknown Being, who frames the chain of causes and events; prosperity and happiness will attend your visit to the Continent, and return you safe to your native shore. Wherever I am, allow me, Sir, to claim it as my privilege, to acquaint you with my progress in my trade of rhymes; as I am sure I could say it with truth, that, next to my little fame, and the having it in my power to make life more comfortable to those, whom nature has made dear to me, I shall ever regard your countenance, your patronage, your friendly good offices, as the most valued consequence of my late success in life. No. No. LI. EXTRACT OF A LETTER To MRS. DUNLOP. Mauchline, 4th May, 1788. MADAM, DRYDEN'S Virgil has delighted me. I do not know whether the critics will agree with me, but the Georgics are to me by far the best of Virgil. It is indeed a species of writing entirely new to me; and has filled my head with a thousand fancies of emulation: but, alas! when I read the Georgics, and then survey my own powers, 'tis like the idea of a Shetland poney, drawn up by the side of a thoroughbred hunter, to start for the plate. I own I am disappointed in the Eneid. Faultless correctness may please, and does highly please, the lettered critic: but to that awful character I have not the most distant pretensions. I do not know whether I do not hazard my preten sions sions to be a critic of any kind, when I say that I think Virgil in many instances, a servile copier of Homer. If I had the Odyssey by me, I could parallel many passages where Virgil has evidently copied, but by no means improved, Homer. Nor can I think there is any thing of this owing to the translators; for, from every thing I have seen of Dryden, I think him in genius, and fluency of language, Pope's master. I have not perused Tasso enough to form an opinion in some future letter, you shall have my ideas of him; though I am conscious my criticisms must be very inaccurate, and imperfect, as there I have ever felt and lamented my want of learning most. No. No. LII. TO THE SAME. 27th May, 1788. MADAM, I HAVE been torturing my philosophy to no purpose, to account for that kind partiality of yours, which unlike * has followed me in my return to the shade of life, with assiduous benevolence. Often did I regret in the fleeting hours of my late will-o'-wisp appearance, that "here I had no continuing city;" and, but for the consolation of a few solid guineas, could almost lament the time that a momentary acquaintance with wealth and splendor, put me so much out of conceit with the sworn companions of my road through life, insignificance and poverty. There are few circumstances relating to the unequal distribution of the good things of this life |