ship's valuable manuscript collections that has escaped your diligence? "I am much obliged to your Lordship for your suggestion concerning Smollett, of which I shall avail myself in my observations on his History, which are not yet printed off. "The Northern Antiquities are to be taken up in the course of the summer, to be ready to come out in the end of the year, the usual time of publishing works of value. The specimens of the Islandic on the title-page are to be engraved, and the book will be printed handsomely. But I will write to you more fully on this subject afterwards. "A bookseller here has lately reprinted your Key to the New Testament,' rather inelegantly, with your name thus, By Thomas Percy.' in the title-page, taken from the dedication, without knowing your rank and distinction. "In justice to your Lordship, I have suggested to Mundell and Co. to print a handsome edition, with your Lordship's permission and authority, if you will have the goodness to give them. "Scott is going on with Dryden, and reprinting all his plays, and giving offence to many. "Sir William Forbes has published his Life of Dr. Beattie in two 4to volumes, with an engraved frontispiece from Sir Joshua Reynolds's emblematical painting.* He has presented me with a copy in a very flattering manner, and been very civil to me in some parts of it, but I have not yet had leisure to ascertain its value. "Dr. Trail has purchased a copy, and will bring it over for your inspection. Your letter to Beattie with Bishop Porteus's Sermons, and character of the author, is inserted, and does your Lordship much credit in every respect. "I owe your Lordship my particular acknowledgments for your letter by W. Stott; so just to my respectful and affectionate attachment, and so indulgent to my toils, which are incessant. "I will write to your Lordship by Dr. Trail more fully. "I am ever, with every kind wish to Mrs. Percy, your Lordship's most affectionate humble servant, "RO. ANDERSON. "P.S. I believe I have not yet mentioned to your Concerning this emblematical Painting, and the Portrait of Beattie, see a curious note in Gent. Mag. for November 1846, p. 462. Lordship Miss Bannerman's scheme of publishing a collected edition of her Poems and Tales, in 4to, by subscription, at a guinea, for her benefit. She was for some time averse to it; but it is now going on. She has about 250 names. From particular friends she takes, for her present subsistence, the price at subscription, reserving still £200 for the expense of printing. Your Lordship, with a benevolence equally prompt and liberal, at a certain time, proposed to send her £10 for her benefit.* Let me now assure your Lordship that a subscription to that amount, paid at present, would be received with the most heartfelt gratitude. I would apologize for mentioning Miss Bannerman's circumstances to your Lordship, did I not know that your goodness and humanity will render anything of that kind unnecessary. "We are all impatient to see young Robinson's extraordinary volume. I rejoice to hear of the honours he has received at Trinity College." "MY DEAR LORD, Heriot's Green, 13 July, 1806. "Since my last to your Lordship by Mr. Thomson, I have had the pleasure of a visit from Dr. Trail, who is in good health and spirits, and leaves this city for Ireland to-morrow. I avail myself of the opportunity to write to you, according to the phraseology of Miss Byron, in continuation. Communication between Dromore House and Edinburgh is so infrequent, that when it does occur I embrace it eagerly, to give you some account of our little affairs. "I begin with mentioning the substance of a conversation I had yesterday with my printers about a new edition of the Key to the New Testament,' namely, that your Lordship would let it be an authorised edition, with your name, and that they would print it in a style of suitable elegance. I mentioned something to that purpose in my last, and I recur to it willingly, from an earnest desire to extend the utility of this little work, which, in my opinion, is better calculated to advance, in a popular and rational manner, the study and knowledge of the New Testament, than a multitude of volumes. "By a letter which I received yesterday from Mr. Armstrong, I learn that young Robinson goes on in a rapid career at Trinity College; and that his brother, a fine * See before, p. 123, 129. 133, 138, boy, died about a month ago. I can easily conceive how great the shock must have been to a man of such nervous sensibility as Mr. Robinson. Thomas is now, I believe, his only child. His extraordinary volume, of which the subscribers' names, amounting to 1750, will be no contemptible part, has not yet reached our city. We take about 150 copies for our share, of which I take 50 for my friends, and Mr. Anderson, bookseller, the same number, for sale. Mrs. Blake, sister of Eliza Hamilton, and Mr. Allan, proprietor of the Belfast News Letter, take the rest. 66 By the gentleman who brought me Mr. Armstrong's letter, I had the satisfaction to learn, that the tutor of the young poet has commenced his professional career with extraordinary éclat; and he himself informs me, that he is invited to preach on trials in the first congregation in Dublin. From our knowledge of his qualifications and character we may safely anticipate his success. "Mr. Drummond, whom your Lordship mentions, sent me a copy of his poem, "The Battle of Trafalgar,' soon after its appearance. I perused it with singular delight, and easily prevailed on Mr. Anderson to order fifty copies for sale here, which is now going on. It is, in my opinion, not only the best, but the only good poem which the death of the heroic Nelson, the decus et dolor patriæ, has produced. The title is exceptionable, and the mechanism of the verse, perhaps, too uniform, the fault of his models, Pope and Darwin; but the imagery, the sentiment, and the diction evince, undeniably, considerable vigour of imagination, and great command of poetical language. "Mr. Drummond sent me, some time ago, a specimen of a new version of Lucretius, executed with so much spirit and elegance, that I strongly recommended him to complete it in the same style. Such a version, accompanied with proper notes, correcting the false philosophy of the original, printed in a moderate size, would easily supplant the old version of Creech, and even that of Good, which, though in many respects valuable, is in blank verse, in two expensive 4to volumes. "I have been interrupted by a valedictory visit from the worthy Dr. Trail, of whom I have this moment taken leave, with much regret, as his intention of spending the winter in England gives me a very distant hope of his return to Scotland. Within ten days he will be at Dromore House; where I often, in imagination, attend your Lordship to the lake, the garden, the glen, the lawn, and the grove; the scenes of many a social walk, and of many a pleasant and instructive hour, the impression of which no length of time can efface from my memory. To me they seem unchanged; the lake has lost none of its watery tenants, who obey the call of their master, and take their food from his hand, and the torrent issuing from it forms many a cascade with the same pleasing astonishment. But the garden, I fancy, may show marks of a more perfect and progressive cultivation; and the trees you planted may now cast a broader shade on the seats consecrated to friendship, and close the opening vistas. "At this distance, how delightful to me is the reflection, that, since it is no longer permitted to your Lordship to contemplate the scenery which your taste embellished, you bear the privation with pious resignation, and cheerfully pursue your accustomed walks with health as vigorous and step as firm and light as when I had the happiness to attend you! I most cordially hope that you may continue many years longer the patron and example of religion and learning, and the friend of human kind. "I know not whether I mentioned to your Lordship my design of enlarging the collection of Poetical Translations. The third volume is now printing, which will include, among others, Callimachus, Tryphiodorus, and Ossian. Mr. Preston gives us his Apollonius. Has your friend Mr. Meen completed his version of Lycophron ?* I am told there is a version of Propertius by one Drummond. Has your Lordship ever met with it? I have Mr. Nott's 'Cynthia.' I will thank your Lordship for your advice respecting a proper selection of translations of entire works. What is become of your version of Ovid's Epistles? I have many inquiries after your edition of Surrey, and the 4th volume of the 'Reliques.' I answer, they are both forthcoming.t "Dr. Trail takes over Sir William Forbes's Life of Beattie, with which I think you will be delighted. I am truly sorry to say the worthy Baronet is dangerously ill. This version was never completed. †The edition of Surrey was never completed, though the text was printed; and the fourth volume of the Reliques' never appeared. The Doctor takes over also the Edinburgh Review, and some other books and pamphlets. The Leslie controversy has produced several ingenious pamphlets, but the interest they excite is chiefly local. I had collected them for you, but the Doctor dissuaded me from sending them. I send, however, a new edition of my friend Brown's Observations on Hume, and a copy of the ninth edition of the Pleasures of Hope, of which you have the first, the most imperfect. Permit me to solicit for it the honour of a place in the cabinet or the drawing-room, with the approbation of Mrs. Percy. "I send you some political squibs, the two songs by Walter Scott. "With kindest respects to good Mrs. Percy, "Your affectionate humble servant, "MY DEAR LORD, Heriot's Green, 14 Aug. 1806. "I could not hold myself excused were I to neglect the opportunity of my friend Mr. Watson going to Dublin to-morrow, to make your Lordship my acknowledgments for your last kind note, inclosing a draft on Messrs. Goslings, London, for £10. 10s. as your subscription for Miss Bannerman's Poems. "The knowledge I have of your Lordship's disposition, makes me believe that the most gratifying return I can make for this noble instance of your liberality, is the assurance that it was received with overflowing gratitude by the poor young lady, as a donation of Providence, at the very moment she needed the sum to pay her board and lodging for the ensuing quarter. "Before this time, I doubt not, your Lordship has seen Dr. Trail, and received the packet I sent by him for Dromore House. "Messrs, Mundell and Co, are much obliged to your Lordship for your compliance with their request respecting an authorised edition of the Key to the New Testament,' and desire me to say that they will begin to print it as soon as they receive the corrections from your Lordship. "I observe an error of the press at page 35, for Newcome,' Rivington's edition, 1792. Newton' |