My twenty-third year was to me an impor"tant æra. Partly through whim, and partly that "I wished to set about doing something in life, "I joined a flax-dresser in a neighbouring town, "(Irvin) to learn his trade. This was an unlucky affair. My and * * * to finish the whole, as we were giving a wel"coming carousal to the new year, the shop took "fire and burnt to ashes, and I was left like a "true poet, not worth a sixpence. "I was obliged to give up this scheme; the "clouds of misfortune were gathering thick round 66 my father's head; and what was worst of all, ❝he was visibly far gone in a consumption; and "to crown my distresses, a belle fille, whom I "adored, and who had pledged her soul to meet "me in the field of matrimony, jilted me, with "peculiar circumstances of mortification. The "finishing evil that brought up the rear of this "infernal file, was my constitutional melancholy 66 being increased to such a degree, that for three "months, I was in a state of mind scarcely to be "envied by the hopeless wretches who have got "their mittimus-depart from me ye cursed. "From this adventure I learned something of "a town life; but the principal thing which gave my mind a turn, was a friendship I formed with 66 a 35 a young fellow, a very noble character, but a "hapless son of misfortune. He was the son of 66 66 a simple mechanic; but a great man in the "neighbourhood taking him under his patronage, 86 gave him a genteel education, with a view of bettering his situation in life. The patron dying just as he was ready to launch out into the world, the poor fellow in despair went to sca; "where after a variety of good and ill fortune, a "little before I was acquainted with him, he had "been set ashore by an American privateer, on "the wild coast of Connaught, stripped of every 66 thing. I cannot quit this poor fellow's story "without adding, that he is at this time master of a large West-Indiaman belonging to the Thames. "His mind was fraught with independence, "magnanimity, and every manly virtue. I loved "and admired him to a degree of enthusiasm, "and of course strove to imitate him. In some "measure I succeeded: I had pride before, but "he taught it to flow in proper channels. His 66 knowledge of the world was vastly superior to "mine, and I was all attention to learn. He was "the only man I ever saw, who was a greater "fool than myself, where woman was the presid"ing star; but he spoke of illicit love with the levity of a sailor, which hitherto I had regarded " with 66 E 2 "with horror. Here his friendship did me a 66 mischief, and the consequence was, that soon "after I resumed the plough, I wrote the Poet's "Welcome. My reading only increased while "in this town by two stray volumes of Pamela, " and one of Ferdinand Count Fathom, which gave me some idea of novels. Rhyme, except some religious pieces that are in print, I had given up; but meeting with Ferguson's Scottish Poems, I strung a-new my wildly-sounding lyre with emulating vigour. When my father "died, his all went among the hell-hounds that "growl in the kennel of justice; but we made a "shift to collect a little money in the family a 66 66 mongst us, with which, to keep us together, my brother and I took a neighbouring farm. My brother wanted my hair-brained imagination, as well as my social and amorous madness; but in good sense, and every sober qualification, he was far my superior. "I entered on this farm with a full resolution, "come, go to, I will be wise! I read farming 66 books, I calculated crops; I attended markets; "and in short, in spite of the devil, and the world, " and the flesh, I believe I should have been a wise man; * Rob the Rhymer's Welcome to his Bastard Child. 66 man; but the first year, from unfortunately buying bad seed, the second from a late harvest, we lost half our crops. This overset all my wisdom, and I returned, like the dog to his "vomit, and the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire.* 66 "I now began to be known in the neighbour"hood as a maker of rhymes. The first of my "poetic offspring that saw the light, was a bur lesque lamentation on a quarrel between two re"verend Calvinists, both of them dramatis per sone in my Holy Fair. I had a notion myself, "that the piece had some merit; but to prevent "the worst, I gave a copy of it to a friend who "was very fond of such things, and told him that "I could not guess who was the author of it, but "that I thought it pretty clever. With a certain 66 description of the clergy, as well as laity, it met "with a roar of applause. Holy Willie's Prayer "next made its appearance, and alarmed the "kirk-session so much, that they held several "meetings, to look over their spiritual artillery, "if haply any of it might be pointed against pro"fane rhymers. Unluckily for me, my wanderings * See Appendix, No. II. Note B. ❝ings led me on another side, "shot of their heaviest metal. within point blank This is the unfor "tunate story that gave rise to my printed poem, "The Lament. This was a most melancholy af"fair, which I cannot yet bear to reflect on, and "had very nearly given me one or two of the "principal qualifications for a place among those "who have lost the chart, and mistaken the reck oning of Rationality.* I gave up my part of the "farm to my brother; in truth it was only no"minally mine; and made what little preparation "was in my power for Jamaica. But, before "leaving my native country for ever, I resolved "to publish my poems. I weighed my produc❝tions as impartially as was in my power; I "thought they had merit; and it was a delicious "idea that I should be called a clever fellow, even "though it should never reach my ears-a poor "negro-driver-or perhaps a victim to that inhos pitable clime, and gone to the world of spirits! "I can truly say, that pauvre inconnu as I then 66 was, I had pretty nearly as high an idea of my"self and of my works, as I have at this moment, "when the public has decided in their favour. It ever was my opinion, that the mistakes and "blunders both in a rational and religious point 66 "of * An explanation of this will be found hereafter. |