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State of the BAROMETER in inches and decimals, and of Farenheit's THERMOMETER in the open air, taken in the morning before fun-rife, and at noon; and the quantity of rain-water fallen, in inches and decimals, from the 30th of Dec. 1792, to the 31st of January 1793, near the foot of Arthur's Seate.

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RAITH HOUSE.

EDINBURGH MAGAZINE,

OR

LITERARY MISCELLANY,

FOR FEBRUARY 1793.

ORIGINAL LETTERS OF DAVID MALLET, ESQ

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6.

LETTER III.

conceal nothing in favour of my youth, circumftances, or any other extenuating confiderations. If writing bad poems be a fin, (as I am, unluckily for myself, tempted to believe it is) I am not yet fo hardened in that iniquity, as to go on in a courfe of finful rhiming, deaf to reproof, and uneafy to all thofe who have the misfortune of being known to me. Would any of my friends deal honeftly by me, and tell me I have no genius, in fober sadness, I would endeavour never to repeat the fin offcrib bling more. But as poets, especially

SIR, Have waited with impatience fince your departure from Edinburgh, for your cenfures upon my tranflation of your poem. Your filence has made me uneafy to anxiety; for my fears fuggest to me, that I have fail'd of fuccefs in my attempt; and that your good nature is unwilling to fhock me with an ungrateful truth. But whether that (which I have reafon to dread) or affairs of a more important turn, have hindered your anfwer, allow me, who am not so much embarqued in business, to put you bad ones, deal too much in lying; I am in mind of your promife; and that you may deal fincerely by me, I may affure you, that as I am not old enough to write correctly, fo I am neither afhamed nor unwilling to learn. Point me to the faults of that poem, and if they are fuch as can be amended, I shall fairly attempt their correction; but if they are too bad I fhail honeftly confefs it. Suffer me to repeat my intreaty, that you would

M

afraid you won't believe me, for 'tis
feldom feen that the poet dies before
the man. However, methinks I am
not irrecoverably finitten, at leaft
the longing fit returns but feldom,
and I have no reafon to fay of my
mufe, as a certain gentleman does of
his miftrefs, that,

Wherever I am, and whatever I do,
My Phillis is ftill in my mind, &c.
No,

No, Sir, I am not only cautious of poem to you *. "Tis written in imita

fhewing any one the trifles I do, but even of writing at all, leaft I should unluckily be tempted to declare myfelf a fool to my friends. When I fee a bad poem, I cannot forgive its author; and for good poems, when I reflect what qualifications are requifite to make a finished poet, methinks 'tis but a fair deduction to affirm, I have no title to that name: how then should a bad poet expect to meet with mercy, who gives none to others? In fum 'tis with me as with Medea in Ovid, (if you'll excufe the pedantry of a Latin quotation,)

« Vidco meliora proboque, Deteriora fequor!"

And now Sir,- -but whether have I fun? Pray then, to atone this impertinent tattle, fuffer me to draw a found moral truth from it. How trong! how unaccountable is felflove! It can intoxicate the wife, and strip the bashful of his modefty, and make him talk confidently of himfelf before one whofe judgment he reveres, and whofe efteem he is afraid to lofe by that very talk. You fee then, with how much reafon fome modern authors have eftablifhed egotifm as a figure in rhetoric, fince there is no mortal writer but what is guilty of it,writes more or less, from thofe of the firft form, down to the farthing fonneteers of Grub-street. But there is one thing behind which I am still more at a lofs to excufc. I have faid, fome lines above, that I am cautious of expofing my poems; and, lo! I have given the lie to my affertion in the compafs of half à page. But fetting afide jefting. If it ought to be every writer's care to have his productions as thin of blunders as poffible, and if the cenfures of the learned and knowing are reckoned the most valuable helps that way, you will at fight find a goud reafon for my fending this,

tion of Milton's ftile, and I have therefore run my verfes into each other; which is likewife Homer's manner, whom Milton profeffedly imitated. I have likewife attempted to copy his periods and the elifions with which he abounds. The epithets too are in his way. This was what I propofed to myself without borrowing any thing from him in particular, and it may ferve to excufe fome things that are not fo ordinary. I beg pardon for this jargon, methinks 'tis ridiculous to extravagance in me to mention myfelf the fame day with the greatelt of all the English poets. It puts me in mind of the fable of the Toad and the Bull, I may fwell till I burft, and never the nearer to Milton.

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As for news, I have only to inform you, That Mr Paterfon is tranflating Velleius Paterculus by fubfcription, and I queftion not but you have feen the fpecimen and fubfcriptions already. Mr Mitchell is writing a new tragedy, (the fate of King James the Firit,) at London where he refidesIt is out of queftion with me that you are afleep long ago, and have left me to fcribble to the end of the chapter, and therefore, without further difturbing you, I withdraw; fubfcribing myfelf, SIR,

Your most grateful,
Humble fervant,
DAVID MALLOCH,

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*The Transfiguration.

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