self, and gave him an education suitable to these views; but the strong predilection of the son to the fine arts frustrated these views; and he was no sooner at liberty to choose for himself than he decidedly determined to abandon the study of the law, and to attach himself to that of painting alone.

Poetry, painting, and music have, with justice, been called sister arts. The finer feelings of the human mind are the object on which they all are intended to operate; and it seldom happens that any person excels much in one of these arts who is not likewise an admirer of the others. Mr Aikman was fond of poetry; and was particularly delighted with those unforced strains which, proceeding from the heart, are calculated to touch the congenial feelings of sympathetic minds, and make them vibrate. with that delicate unison which those alone who have felt it can appreciate. It was this propensity which attached Mr Aikman so warmly to Allan Ramsay, the the Doric bard of Scotland, whose artlefs strains have been admired wherever the language in which he wrote was known. Though younger than the bard, Mr Aikman, while at college, formed an intimate acquaintance with Ramsay, which constituted a principal part of his happiness at that time, and of which he always bore the tenderest recollection. It was the same delicate bias of mind which at a future period of his life, attached him so warmly to Thomson, who unknown, and unprotected by others at that time, stood in need of, and obtained the warmest patronage of Aikman; who perhaps considered it as one of the most fortunate occurrences in his life that

he had it in his power to introduce this young poet, of nature to Sir Robert Walpole, who wished to be reckoned the patroniser of genius, Arbuthnot, Swift, Pope, Gay, and the other beax esprits of that brilliant period. Thomson could never forget this kindnefs; and when he had the misfortune, too soon, to lose this warm friend and kind protector, be bewailed the lofs in strains which, for justnefs of thought, and genuine pathos of exprefsion, will perhaps be allowed to equal any thing he ever wrote, though some may think they fall fhort of other pafsages, in that flowing melody of sound which so few, others have been able to imitate.*

Mr Aikman having prosecuted his studies for some time in Britain, found that to complete them it would be necefsary to go into Italy, to form his taste on the fine models of antiquity which there alone can be found in abundance. And as he perceived that the profefsion he was to follow, could not permit him to manage properly his paternal estate, situated in a remote place near Arbroath in the county of Forfar in Scotland, he at this time thought proper to sell it, and settle all family claims upon him, that he might thus be at full liberty to act as circumstances might require.

In the year 1707 he went to Italy; and having resided, chiefly at Rome, for three years, and ta

*These lines are inserted complete in this number. The last eight lines only, which doubtlefs are the best, are all that have been usually inserted in Thomson's works; but the whole deserves to be preserved, not only on account of the poetry, but as an original portrait of a worthy man who has not been sufficiently known.

ken instructions from, and formed an acquaintance with the principal artists of that period, he chose to gratify his curiosity by travelling into Turkey. He went first to Constantinople, and from thence to Smyrna. There he became acquainted with all the British gentlemen of the factory; and finding them a very agreeable set of people, he made a longer stay than he had intended. They had even nigh engaged him to forsake the pencil and to join them in the Turkey trade: But that scheme not taking place, he went once more to Rome and pursued his former studies there, till the year 1712 when he returned to his native country; there he followed his profefsion of painting for sometime, applauded by the discerning few; though the public, too poor at that period to be able to purchase valuable pictures, were unable to give adequate encouragement to his superior merit. John Duke of Argyll, who equally admired the artist and esteemed the man, regretting that such talents should be lost, at length prevailed on Mr Aikman to move with all his family to London, in the year 1723, thinking this the only theatre in Britain where his talents could be properly displayed. There, under the auspices of the Duke of Argyll, who honoured Mr Aikman with particular marks of his friendship, he formed anew habits of intimacy with the first artists there, particularly with Sir Godfrey Kneller, whose studies and dispositions of mind were very congenial to his own.

In this society he soon became known and patronised by people of the first rank, and was in habits of intimacy with many of them; particularly the

carl of Burlington, so well known for his taste in the fine arts, especially architecture. For him he painted, among others, a large picture of the royal family of England, for the end of a principal room in his house: in the middle compartment are all the younger branches of the family on a very large canvas, and on one hand above the door a half length of her majesty Queen Caroline; the picture of the King was intended to fill the niche opposite to it, but Mr Aikman's death happening before it was begun, the place for it is left blank. This picture is now in the pofsefsion of the Duke of Devonshire, whose father married Lady Mary Boyle, daughter and only child to the earl of Burlington.

This was perhaps the last picture finished by Mr Aikman, and is in his best stile, which like that of Raphael went on continually improving to the last. His country had the mistortune of losing him to at a very early age.

Towards the close of his life he painted many other pictures of people of the first rank and fashion in England. At Blikling in Norfolk, the seat of Hobart Earl of Buckinghamshire, in a gallery there, are a great many full length pictures by Mr Aikman, of noblemen, gentlemen, and ladies, relations and friends of the earl. These, with the royal family, above named, were his last works; and but a few of the number he painted in London.

Mr Aikman was the particular friend of Mr William Sommerville, the author of the Chace, Hobbinol, and several other performances of merit, from whom he received an elegant tribute of the

muse, on his painting a full length portrait of him in the decline of life, carrying him back, by the afsistance of another portrait, to his youthful days. This poem was never published in any edition of that gentleman's works: By the favour of an obliging correspondent, I have been enabled to insert it in this number of the Bee-See the article poetry.

The subject of this memoir was the only son of William Aikman of Caerney Esq. advocate, by Margaret sister of Sir John Clerk of Pennycook Bart. He was born on the 24th October 1682. He married Marion Lawson, daughter to Mr Lawson of Cairnmuir, in Tweedale, by whom he had one son named John, who died at his house in Leicester fields London, on the 14th January 1731. Mr Aikman himself having died soon after, both father and son were buried in the same grave at the same time.*

The following epitaph written on that mournful occasion by Mr Mallet, who was another of Mr Aikman's intimate friends, was engraven on their tomb

* John Aikman died in Leicester fields London, on the 14th of January O S 1731, and as his father propos'd going to Scotland that year, and intending to send down his son's remains, they were, in the mean time, deposited in a vault belonging to a friend in St. Martin's church.

Mr Aikman dying the 7th of June thereafter, they were brought from thence and sent down alongst with his father's, and were interr'd in the same grave on the same day.

Mr Aikman died in the 49th year of his age, and his son in the 17th of bis.