of Pope, one of the correcteft of our poets, The reader may do well to compare this criticism, with the remarks of Dr. Warton, in his ESSAY ON THE GENIUS AND WRITINGS of Pope, "A book," fays the liberal Dr. Johnson, " which

"teaches how the brow of criticism

may be smoothed, and how she may "be enabled, with all her feverity, to “attract and to delight."

His remarks on GRONGAR HILL, and THE RUINS OF ROME, of Dyer, and the ORIENTAL ECLOGUES of Collins, are replete with tafte, the defects and beauties of each poem being fingled out with great difcernment. The ELEGY of Gray seems to have given him little room for objection, but I think that he has indulged himself too much in his propofed tranfpofitions of feveral paffages in that poem. Amidst all the beauties of Goldfmith's DESERTED VILLAGE, he has very clearly discovered redundancy and incorrectnefs. His ftric

tures

tures on Thomfon are generally juft, and feveral examples are given of false figures and confused metaphors, wherein the poet's fancy has carried away his judgment. It appears that he commenced a critic on Denham, Pope, and Thomson, in his correfpondence with his friends Cockfield and Turner, in the year 1756, and 1761.

It has been fhewn, that the active member of fociety, the public fpirited man, and contemplative ftudent, were all united in Scott, and that he had a conftant defire to be acquainted with every character of learning or genius. He often regretted that he had not known the late Mr. Garrick, of whom, though he never went to the theatres, he had conceived a high idea; and indeed he has frequently expreffed to me a ftrong curiofity to have seen him act. He imparted, without any difguife, his real feeling and fentiments on his own works,

or

66

"He con

or on the works of others. "fulted his friends, and listened with great willingness to criticism, and "what was of more importance, he "confulted himself, and let nothing pass against his own judgment."*

66

His manner of reading verfe was very peculiar, yet fuch as feemed to give him a ftrong perception of harmony at the fame time he frequently confeffed to me that he read ill, and was well pleased to have his lines repeated by another. "We are told of Thomfon," fays Dr. Johnson, "that among his peculiarities, was a very unskilful and inarticulate manner of pronouncing any lofty or folemn compofition. He was once reading to Dodington, who being himself a reader eminently elegant, was fo much provoked by his odd utterance, that he snatched the paper from his hand, and told him, that he did not understand

Dr. Johnson of Pope,

"his own verfes." This is a defect very common in authors; Goldsmith, one of the moft harmonious and eafy poets, was a very unfkilful reader.

Scott was a great lover of music, but had no practical knowledge of it. He preferred the time for poetical compofition, when the reft of the family were in bed; and it was frequently his cuftom to fit in a dark room, and when he had compofed a number of lines, he would go into another room where a candle was burning, in order to commit them to paper. Though in general very regular in his hour of retiring to rest, he would fometimes be up great part of the night, when he was engaged in any literary work.

In his perfon he was tall and flender, but his limbs were remarkably ftrong and mufcular he was very active, and delighted much in the exercise of walk

ing his countenance was cheerful and animated.

may

HAVING, agreeable to fuch materials as could be procured, given an account of my late valuable friend Mr. Scott, I will not here expatiate further on his moral or intellectual character, fince this be better known from the preceding pages, and from a perufal of his works, that truly reflect their author's mind, than from any laboured ftrain of friendly panegyric.