^m^m v.,^$«t^.- '^^f i \^^,fs:^fe)^ . \ \t W^^^^ c»^:..'^>>: tim^MmMsmk^^ '•i, rZ-'^V TG^ -^J^- /(^^•^v(^'i?f.\s ^^ ;L^^^^ ^'^-^^ f :. /e^9 ^'^ ''. -^ k^:,.- Ilfyirfn^ Alilan Ramsay. r. ^/r>/// f/ // I Jfty/ //ft f _ /////// ///y /// ///.j . //'// //// ////> hihlUhid June V ^ ifioch,- CadtU SrDm-us.^lrand THE POEMS ALLAN RAMSAY. A NEW EDITION, CORRECTED, AND ENLARGED; WITH A GLOSSARY. TO WHICH ARE PREFIXED, A LIFE OF THE AUTHOR, FROM AUTHENTIC DOCUMENTS: AND REMARKS ON HIS POEMS, FROM A LARGE VIEW OF THEIR MERITS. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. l' LONDON: Printed by A. Strahan, Printers Street, FOR T. CADELL JUN. AND W. DAVIES, STRAND. 1800. THE ADVERTISEMENT. In offering this Edition of the Poems of Ramfay to the world, the Publlfhers beg leave to fubmit what they hope will be allowed to give this a pre- ference to any former edition. Some poems have been now added, which had efcaped the diligence of former Colledlors j and the whole book, has been thrown into a new, and, they truft, a better arrangement. They have endeavoured to ornament this Edition with fuch embellifliments, as they prefumed would be welcome to every reader : there is prefixed a portrait of the author, which has been finely en- graved by Mr. Ryder, from a drawing which was made by Allan Ramfay, the poet's fon ; the original of which is now in the poffefTion of A. F. Tytler, Efq. of Edinburgh : there is added, as a tail-piece, an engraving of the ruflic temple which has been dedicated by that gentleman, who happily poffeffes the fuppofed fcene of the Gentle Shepherd^ to the place, and poet. Curiofity mufl, naturally, IV THE ADVERTISEMENT. naturally, be gratified, by the 2,zqmx2Xz facfimile of the hand-writing of fuch an author, which is now firft prefented to the public. It is underflood, that Allan Ramfay, the painter, left fome account of his father for publication : but it is hoped, that the Public will be full as well pleafed with the perufal of the Life of the Author, and the Remarks on his Poems, which have been written by the neutral pen of a (Iranger. Ci* The Bookbinder is deftred to place the Fac-fimlle, at the End of the Life. THE THE LIFE ALLAN RAMSAY. While Hiftory employs her peculiar powers, in developing the intrigues of flatefmen, in adjufting the difputes of nations, and in narrating the events of war. Biography bufies her analogous pen in trac- ing the progrefs of letters, in afcertaining the in- fluence of manners, and in appreciating literary characters. The purfuits of Hlflory mud be al- lowed to be mod dignified ; the employment of Biography is moft pleafing : it is the bufinefs of Hlflory to record truth, and to inculcate wifdom ; it is the duty of Biography to pay jufl tributes of refped, and praife, to genius, to knowledge, and to virtue. vox,. I. a In iv THE LIFE OF [b. i686. In every age, and in every nation, individuals have arifen, whofe talents, and labours, merited the notice, and the remembrance, of the biographer ; although in Ibme periods, and among fome tribes, the tumults of barbarity allowed little leifure, or fecurity, for collecting anecdotes, and arranging do- cuments, had learning exifted to record, and detail them. Among other civilized nations. North Bri- tain has produced her full fhare of genius to be admired, of knowledge to be learned, and of virtue to be imitated. It has, however, been conceived by ignorance, and alTerted by dogmatifm, that Scotland did not produce, in the century, which elapfed in 17 15, any perfon, except Burnet, who is worthy of biographical notice ; although, in fa6l, file did produce, in that period, men who were diilinguifhed for their jurifprudence *, for their I'cience and learning f, for their bravery J, and for their • * The Lord Prefident Lockart, the Loid Prcfidcnt GIl- mour, the Lord Prefident Stair. [ James Gregory was born in iC^g ; David Gregory in Kcil was in and Keil in 1661 ; John born 1670 ; James 1673 » Colin M'Laurin in 1698.—" the Latin Poetry of ' Deh'cia; " Poetaruni Scotorum," fays Johnfon, " would have done " honour to any country."—At the end of the feventeenth ccuturv, followed Ruddiman. i The Marquis of Montrofe, and Lord Dundee, O- ^75^'l ALLAN RAMSAY. V their wit *. It was alfo in that century, which was thus branded by malignity for its infertility of talents, Scotland produced, during a happy mo- ment, Allan Ramfay, her Doric poet, who claims the notice of biography ; becaufe he raifed himfelf to diftindtion by his talents, and pleafed others, by the perufal of his poetry ; while he derived a benefit to himfelf, by his powers of pleafmg. A zealous genealogift could eafily trace Ramfay to the family of the Earl of Dalhoufie. His father was Robert Ramfay, who inherited, as it were, the management of Lord Hopton's lead mines in Crawford-moor ; his grandfather was Robert Ramfay, a writer in Edinburgh, who had the management of the fame mines ; his great-grand- father was Captain John Ramfay, the fon of Ram- fay of Cockpen, who was a brother of Ramfay of Dalhoufie. Of this genealogy our poet fpeaks proudly, when he recolledts Dalhoufie of an auld defcent, My chief, my ftoiip, my ornament. His mother was Alice Bower, whofe father had been brought from Derbyfliire, to inftrudl Lord Hopton's * Dr. Pitcairn, and Dr. Arbuthnot. a 2 Vi THE LIFE OF [b. 1 685. Hopton's miners in their art ; his grandmother was Janet Douglas, a daughter of Douglas of Muthil : and our bard was careful to remember, with the exultation of genius, that He was a poet fprung from a Douglas loin. He was born on the 15th of October 1686, in the upper ward of Lanarkfliire. Ramfay has him- felf defcribed the place of his birth with pidurefque minutenefs : Of Craufurd-moor, born in Lead hill. Where mineral fprings Glengonir fill, Which joins fweet flowing Clyde, Between auld Crawfiird-Lindfay's tower?, And where Deneetnic rapid pours His ftream through Glotta's tide *. The learned miuifter, who writes the account of the parifli of Crawford-moor, claims no peculiar honour, from the birth of Ramfay, in that moun- tainous diftrid. In thefe wilds, did our bard re- main during fifteen years, deriving from the parifli fchoolmailer fuch lore as he poflefled, and learn- ing from experience. How halefome 'tis lo fnufF the cawler air, And all the fweets it bears, when void of care. But * Ramfay's petition to the Whin-buiTi Club. •^* ^75^-1 ALLAN RAMSAY, vU But this felicity did not laft long. His firfl misfortune confided in lofing, while he was yet an infant, his father, who died before he had him- felf pafled his five-and-twentieth year ; and his next unhappinefs arofe from the marriage of his mother, foon after the death of his father, to Mr. Chrigh- ton, one of the very fmall land-holders of the country, which is occupied by the great families of Hamilton, and Douglas. Thefe fad events left Ramfay without property, or the means of pro- curing any. And while Scotland was not yet bu- fied with manufaftures, nor enriched by commerce, the beft refource, which occurred to his relations, who had other objefts of affedion, was to bind hitn an apprentice to a wig-maker *. With * Some writers have faid, that Ramfay was a barber, becaufe he was a wig-maker, confidering the two trades as cn-incident in that age. That Ramfay, when he entered Kfc, was a wig- maker, is certain, from his frequent admiflions, and from the parifh regiller, which records the baptifm of his children ; and which calls him a periwig-maker, in 1713, in 1714, in 1715, and in 17 16. He was a burgefs of Edinburgh, not by birth, but by fervice as an apprentice to a wig-maker: Born to nae lalrd(]iip, mair 's the pity ! Yet denifon of this fair city. a a There — Viii THE LIFE OF [b. 1 686. With this defign, Ramfay was fent to Edin- burgh in 1 701, during the fifteenth year of his age. Had he behaved amifs as an apprentice, we fhould have heard of his mifcondu£l, when he was attacked, as a writer, by thofe, who fpared none of the afperities of reproach. The filence of a fati- rical enemy an author may well enjoy as praife. Ramfay was now to enter into Hfe, with an ho- neft trade, and a fair characler, for his Hvelihood. And he was induced, as much by his fociabihty of temper as by the example of other citizens, to marrv. There are neither fafts, nor circumftances, which intimate, that he Wr-.s a barber ; on the other hand, the fatirifts, who were ftudious to collcdl every topic of degradation, when fads were known, never call him a barber. The wig-makers do not form any of the forty-two corporations of that city.— [Maitland's Hift. Ed. 313, 14.] When the furgeons and barbers were conjointly incorporated in 1505, it was eftablifhed as a bye-law, that none fliall aft as a barber who was not free of that craft. [lb. 297.] In 1682, the furgeons threw off the barbers, who, however, remained dependant on them till 1722 : but the town council recommended to the furgeons to fupply the citi- zens with a fufiicient number of qualified perfons to fhave and cut hair.— [lb. 296.] In 1722, the barbers were feparated from the furgeons, and formed into a corporate body with cx- clufive privileges.