^V4 :vi^^ A s=^ <= A oCO — c: 3: =^ zJO 33 O O *^m-: ; • •••/'^ =s-= > 8 ^^= ^^KMiQessi 2 ro ^^RSE^^^if^ 5 ^m -< ^'-'h^^'^'nIP i 6 _ ^^^ 3 ,wS^^i^^*^^5^*^ %t -4> o /;^4:^ .if?>^ THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES ^- ..^ W'.-%. *^fes%* .-i-V;.^**--*- ^:-i- S^.-'i •"*#fir (s <7 'A y .«• Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2007 witii funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation littp://www.arcliive.org/details/edinfugitivepiecOOcreeiala • ' Hi M: ^^.^A'^^^a;^^^ HKb!, ^^^^^^^KJ;;,. '•P*-^- "^l^^l ( -^ii- ^' ^ l^\' ' '; I i ?«>.< witju.i-«»r.«- n A ''^ wiin^n^EAKfi li^aiJSis^sjHi :s.^; E<htiburtli.Fiil.li.'li.-.l l.v.I..lmKiiil,.,iir EDINBURGH FUGITIVE PIECES: WITH LETTERS, CONTAINING A COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE tlODES OF LIVING, AKTS, COMMERCE, LITERATURE, MANNERS, &C. OF EDl^'BURGH, AT DIFFERENT PERIODS. BY THE LATE WILLIAM CREECH, Esq. F.RS. Edin. TO WHICH IS PREFIXED AN ACCOUNT OF HIS LIFE. EDINBURGH: Printed by George Ravisay and Company^ FOR JOHN FAIRBAIRN, (SUCCESSOR TO MR CREECH ) ; LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN, T. CADELL AND W. DAVIES, JOHN MURRAY, T. HAMILTON, AND GALE AND FENNER, LONDON. 1815. ADVERTISEMENT. \ 54i ^ The Essays and Sketches contained in -^^ \ this volume, chiefly written by the late Mr ^ Creecu, were originally published in the periodical works of the day. A consider- able part of them was first collected and pubhshed in a volume, in the year 1791* under the title of " Edinburgh Fugitive Pieces/' and some part was afterwards inserted in the Statistical Account of Scot- land. The volume in which they at first appeared as a collection having been long out of print, it is now republished, with several pieces which were not in the former edition ; and it is hoped will not be unac- 488319 VI ADVERTISEMENT. ceplable to the public. There is prefixed, a short Account of Mr Creech's Life, to- gether with his Portrait, engraved from an excellent picture, painted by Mr Raeburn in the year 1806. Edinburgh, August 1815. CONTENTS. Page XiiFE of Mr Creech ,. xi Resolutions of the Citizens of Edinburgh, on the change of Ministry, when Lord North retired..,,,, 4 A debate on the loyal address proposed to be made on occasion of a change of men and measures..,.,.,, Q Advertisement of an universal warehouse for all sorts of goods 25 Cato Censor's letters.. • 33 Casualties during a week..... 44 The Jezebel Club 4>7 Resolutions occasioned by the proposal for killing the dogs, in the scarcity of provisions in 1783 51 Verses by a penitent prostitute.... 59 Letters containing a comparative view of Edinburgh in the years 1763, 1783, and 1793—respecting the modes of living—trade—manners, &c 61 The letters of Horatius on the foregoing comparison 128 A comparison similar to that of Edinburgh, from a country "parish , 139 A comparison of the British nation in 1763 and 1783...... 143 Men are in every respect like books , 156 On the character and tendency of Rousseau's writings, with a prophecy .„.;.., ,... ..i.m 158 3 VUl CONTENTS. Pago Two letters from Constantia Phillips, at the age of forty, to Lord Chesterfield, on female education iSj On indelicacy in conversation before Ladies IJS A letter occasioned by a sentiment of Lord Kames, on the observance of Sunt-.ay, by Pascal 181 An answer to the above, containing an account of a Sunday passed in Westmoreland, by Eusebius 183 A reply to the above by Pascal 192 Another letter on the same subject, by Philo-Sabbaticus 198 A letter respecting the situation of the schoolmasters of Scotland 209 A poetical epistle, on Mrs Siddons's first appearance on the Edinburgh Stage..., m «• ,. 212 On singular fashions in dress 2l6 ^tanzas to Dr Beattie, the author of the Minstrel 221 Verses to the author of the Man of Feeling „ 223 A receipt for happiness 224 Lines written on a window , 225 Return to a card, on the first of April 225 Abridgement of a sermon on Man is born to trouble 226 Genteel economy ib. On a letter by a clergyman respecting the American loyalists ,. „.. 227 On the tax on bachelors ••••••• 230 A letter from Asialicus, describing himself and the woman he would wish to marrj' 233 Reflections on the case of a young woman who took poison in consequence of a disappointment in marriage 238 Advertisement of masquerade dresses ...«.« 243 The letters of Bclzebub, on modem education «... 247 A letter on female seduction ».., 299 A letter from Peter Peascod, contrasting the manners of the town with those of the coutrtry „ 302 CONTENTS. JX Page Account of the extraordinary duel of Capt. Wildair and Mr Manly 306 A prologue on Stewart Nicolsons first appearance on the stage at Edinburgh 316 Verses on a Captain of Fencibles leaving his company on their march, and going into a hackney coach 317 Verses to the author of the Essay on Nothing 318 Verses to a gentleman who complained of having lost his gold watch 318 A Critique on Logan's Ode to women 319 On Mr Henderson in the character of Hamlet 329 On the manner of singing the Scots songs at the theatre 332 On dancing, by Peter Paspy „ 336 A letter from Gamaliel Pickle, on his wife's fondness for desultory reading „... 341 Lines written by an Officer to a Lady whose name was Whiting 343 Professional Resolutions 344 Leith Resolutions 354 English Translation of Latin Lines on tbe Calyx of the Rose 357 The want of personal Beauty a frequent cause of Virtue and Happiness 3£8 Hints on Education » 36? AN ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE OF THE LATE Mr WILLIAM CREECH. William Creech, late Bookseller in Edinburgh, was born at Newbattle, in the neighbourhood of that city, on the 21st of April 1745. His ancestors were re- spectable farmers in the county of Fife, but not in opu- lent circumstances. He was the son of the Rev. William Creech, minister of the parish of Newbattle, and Mrs Mary Buley, an English lady, nearly related to the family of Quarme in Devonshire, several of whom have held the office of Usher of the Black Rod in the House of Lords. The Rev. Mr Creech, who was a pious and most respec- table clergyman, died at the early age of forty, a few months after the birth of his son William, leaving be- sides him, his widow, and two very young daughters, Margaret and Mary, both of whom died in the month of September 1749. Xll LIFE OF MR CREECH. After the death of her husband, Mrs Creech retired with her young charge to the village of Dalkeith, where she continued to be patronised by the noble family of Lothian, who had bestowed the living of Newbattle on her husband j and at the death of her two daughters, she resided for sometime in Perthshire, and her son, we believe, was for a short period at one of the schools in the town, of Perth. They soon, however, re- turned to Dalkeith, where Mr Creech received an ex- cellent education at the school of Mr Barclay, who was one of the ablest and most successful teachers of his day, and who had the happiness of directing the early stu- dies of the late Lord Chancellor Loughborough, the late Lord Viscount Melville, and other eminent characters who have since shone in public life *. At this school Mr Creech was also particularly fortu- nate, in having the benefit of the private tuition of the • Wlh several of Ihese, the early companions of his youth, Mr Crcecli always maintained tlie strongest friendship ; and he frequently mention, ed, witli peculiar satisfaction, the pleasure he felt in meeting, not many years ago, so many of his school companions, who assembled at social parties, under the name of " Barclay's Scholars," to talk over their youthful exploits. Upon one of these occasions, which took place about a twelvemonth before his death, the late Lord Melville was present, and was extremely cheerful and animated. It is very remarkable, that al* though, at the date of the first of these meetings, upwards of forty years had elapsed since the death of Mr Barclay, more thau twenty gentlemen Survived to pay this tribute of grateful affection to his memory. And it may be added, that all of them were men moving in a respectable rank of life, and some of them of great opulence and consequence. These meetings are still continued, thougli the hand of death has struck others Vfttie members as well as the regretted subject of this sketch. LIFE OF MR CREECH. Xlll late Dr Robertson, minister of Kilmarnock, at that time private tutor to the sons of the Earl of Glencairn, who were boarded in Mrs Creech's house. Mr Creech of- ten expressed with gratitude the advantage which he derived from the knowledge and kindness of this gen- tleman, who paid the same attention to him as to his own pupils. These young noblemen contracted a great friendship for Mr Creech, and hence arose an intimacy between him and the Glencairn family, which continued while any of its branches existed. After completing his grammatical education at Dal-* keith, Mr Creech removed with his mother to Edinburgh, where they met with the greatest kindness and attention from many respectable friends, and particularly from the family of the late Mr Kincaid, then his Majesty's printer for Scotland *. Mrs Kincaid, who was grand- daughter to Robert fourth Earl of Lothian, and the daughter of Lord Charles Kerr, continued that friendship which her noble relations had so long manifested to the widow and son of their favourite clergyman.