W ODE for the NEW YEAR 1777. W THE FAST-DAY. HY number months? why mark the And with an humble, fervent prayer, years? Why name a newer course begun ? All life is but an instant won! A moment worth the memory's place, II. Whether thro' paths of Fate ye tread, Let Freedom ever be the fhield! That dar'd in chains to bind : vine. Thy pen, fair History, ftands confest! By time, nor envy, subject to decays, For guilty Sodom fu'd, With what fuccefs, what wondrous grate, Was his petition crown'd! So rich a boon obtain ? Her num'rous faints may boaft: And shall those prayers be loft? Still we are thine; we bear thy name; Long hath thy prefence blefs'd our land, O! may the people, priests, and prince, On TOM BRITTON, the Small-coal m T cell While Brunswick honours, and adorns its Did gentle peace, and arts unpurcha rays. III. dwell. Well pleas'd, Apollo thither led his train, Record this mighty good, with George's zeal; And Mufic warbled in her sweetest frain Nor pallid fickness let him feel, Who points the fureft path that leads Bids martial fire poffefs the breast! Or faction to confound! Cyllenius fo, as fables tell, and Jove, F ODE on CHRISTMAS DAY. N'Follow'd by her fable train! Ight forfakes her ebon reign, Mifts and fogs, and murky fpells, r now bedeck'd with Heav'n's own spotless ray, orifing-fee the glorious God of Day! Why! that glow of heav'nly light? Why! thofe wild notes of delight? Why! do all the wood-lands ring? Why! "the vallies laugh and fing?" me tell me, Nature, for thy voice is plain, :ll me—why foars this heav'n-inspired strain ? Shook with Nature's mighty hand, How amaz'd the mountains stand! 'Mid the chorus far and near, 'Tis Creation's voice I hear. All hail the morn!-record it heav'n, and 'earth! That gives the Son of GOD this myftic birth! To fumptuous purple twines his body round, Hark! Celestials found their ftrings! And defcend on Cherub wings, Hov'ring o'er the biest abode, To falute the new-born GOD! h! blend with theirs thy more than mortal ' voice, or God the FATHER wills," the Universe " rejoice!" Still thy finews brac'd with pride? Jas-for thy godlike fuccour thus decreed: Tears!-repentant tears arise! Man pours forth a strain divine! Behold the fpectre waves her wand! Hark! the calls her difmal band: Sce! Ignorance is foremost of the ghastly train, The chief fupporter of the tyrant's reign ; With Error's mift before her eyes, She trembling creeps, or wildly flies; Alternate in her looks appear Prefumption bold, and abject Fear; Next Superstition stalks along, Round her delufive phantoms throng, Now demons grim with fnaky hair, Now beauteous forms of painted air: But nought her anxious clouded afpect chears; She starts at those, and these she boding fears. And look where woe-worn Melancholy flowly moves; fears, Their boding hearts, their flowing tears; Her frighted infant round her clings, -the grateful Cho- Nor can his trembling knees his throbbing bulk 8 fuftain, Senfelefs Senfelefs he falls, his clanking chains refound, Sear'd in her heart is pity's fource, Havock and desolation mark her courfeNor age, nor infancy, nor fex the spares, The blooming maid, the helpless babe, the nerveless fire the tears. The mangled heaps the fits with exultation o'er, Sweet Religion, cheerful, mild, PROLOGUE to SEMIRAMIS. [661.] Written by the author of the tragedy, and spoken by Mr REDDISH. Ritics! I come your favour to C For one who never qualed fo much before! He, for a while, has left the gay parade, wrought. Phœbus forefend-left he new dangers run, Ye gentle, feeling, Female hearts, be kind! A Soldier fues!-his brows with laurels bind! ed), He'll gladly re-affume the Safh once more, If they his prifline rank will then restore, Nor deem him a deferter from the CORPS! D'shall with jefts deride the Trags In Ifhevell'd ftill, like Afia's bleeding que No, beauteous mourners!-from whofe den When gen'ral plaudits speak the Fable d'e Thus thro' the time when vernal fruits re -Ne'er does the gentle Rofe revive fo font- -Thou Child of Sympathy,-whoe'er than Thy lip ftill confcious of the recent figh, The graceful tear fill ling ring in thy t Go-and on real Mifery bestow So fhall our Mufe, fupreme of all the Ni Edinburgh, Dec. 21, 197 Extempore on Mifs CATLEY'S playing for benefit of the POOR. W Hat fine difcourses, each revolving y It follows, we must own, if barely civil, Man's fureft impulfe to his living well, To Heav'n Man's fureft guide muff be-de vil. J. SIR, Aberdeen, Dec. 25. 1776. While many in this town are parta king of the feftival rejoicings of this day, fequeftered from the voice of mirth and gaiety, I am paying the tribute of a filent tear to the memory of a friend, whofe worth I knew, and whofe lofs I till fenfibly feel. I long Battered myself, that fome abler en would have drawn a striking refemlance of one who was the pattern of irtue and goodness in the best and liveieft manner: but as this has not hither. o been done, the following imperfect ketch, tho' drawn by an unfkilful hand, may have its value with many readers. My materials have been a confiderable ime in collecting. They have been wholobtained from thofe who had the very eft access to know him intimately, and n whofe veracity and fidelity the pulic may folely rely. My time is not fo uch at my own difpofal as to allow me fend you a finished piece, if I had taots for fuch a task: if it be reckoned of nportance enough to appear in your ifcellany, my views are answered. The deceafed JOHN LEITH, Efq; of eith-ball, was born in 1757, and fuceded to his father in 1764. By the nanimous confent of all his relations, e was put under the tuition of the best mothers, to form his morals, to fuerintend his education, and to watch er his health. He carly discovered an uncommon rn for letters, and was making a very pid progrefs in his ftudies, when, to e unexpreffible grief of all his relations, fpring 1767 he was feized by an a rming fpitting of blood. By a conful HARRIOT, daughter of the late Alex der Stuart, Efq; of Auchluncart. VOL. XXXVIII. tation of phyficians, he was fent to try the effects of a warmer climate in a foreign country. On this occafion, the tenderest of mothers, ever indefatigable when the health or intereft of the most promifing of fons was concerned, quitting every tie in her native country, refolved to accompany him hertelf. Though ignorant of the language, and a ranger to the manners and cuftoms, of the people among whom he was to refide, fhe reckoned it her duty to furmount that, and every other obftacle, and placed her happiness in the thoughts of being an affectionate companion to him in his intervals of eafe and health, and an attentive and tenderhearted nurfe in the days of his fickness and diftrefs. The literary part of his education had been intrufted, from the beginning, to a private tutor, who, in the fequel, co-ope rated with his mother in whatever was judged proper to re-establish and confirm his health, or to promote his progrefs in his learning. They had the fatisfaction to see their endeavours crowned with fuccefs; and at the age of fourteen, he returned to his friends, and his native country, in perfect health, after a refidence of four years in different parts of France. On his return, his friends were unwilling to rifk his remaining in Scotland without a confultation of physicians; the refult of which was, that he should ay at home, and profecute his studies at the univerfity of Aberdeen: and this he afterwards did. ny His circumftances were fo flourishing, as to enable him to keep the best compain every country while he was lefs capable of judging for himself, thofe about him ftudied to give a proper turn to his choice; and as he was endowed with great quicknefs, he feldom failed to make the best use of it. Nature had given him the best parts, and the fineft difpofition I ever knew; but had accompanied them with a very His delicate and feeble conftitution. friends fpared no pains in cultivating and improving his parts by an excellent education: but, alas! they were not equally fuccessful in correcting and ftrengthening his weak and infirm conftitution. At the age of eighteen, he was the molt accomplished young man of his country. His perfon was remarkably 4 P tall, tall, and beautiful, and graceful. His manners were soft and infinuating. His deportment was elegant, manly, and exceedingly taking. No one ever came uneafy from him, no one ever went uneafy to him; fo fure were all beforehand of the sweetness of his temper, and of a polite reception. He never once difobey ed the command of a mother, he never once refufed to gratify the request of a brother, however much the one or the other might interfere with his own favourite views or inclinations. With fo many engaging accomplishments, he could not fail of popularity; and, with out either aiming at it, or so much as thinking of it, he was infinitely more popular than any one of his age and ftation i am able to recollect. He had a certain charm in his behaviour, that conciliated to him the favour of the great, the love of his equals, and the affection of his inferiors. In a word, without a fingle enemy, he had an amiable fomething about him that fecured the esteem and applaufe of all ranks. About the beginning of the prefent year, his difeafe recurred with unwonted violence. Unable at that season to fly from the rigour of a climate unfriendly to a confumptive habit, he bore, with the fortitude of a hero, and the patience of a faint, what could neither be prevented nor eluded. During this, and the remaining part of his fufferings, which were great beyond expreffion, the most dutiful and lovely son that ever lived, vyed with the tendereft and moft affectionate mother that ever was, in acts of mutual love, of the fincereft affection, of the most refpectful and most unwearied attention. 'Tis true, he weathered this threatening ftorm; but it gave fuch a fhock to his conftitution, that the return of the zephyrs, and the fine feason, scarcely afforded a tranfient glimpse of hope: two or three thort fea voyages and land-jour, nies, fuch as his enfeebled ftare could bear, hardly retarded the gradual approaches of death. Cambridge Heath, near Hackney, at which place it feems he awaited the failing of a veffel to carry him to Nice, where he had formerly reaped great benefit, was the fcene of his bittereft fufterings; tufferings dreadfully fevere, and borne with the most aftonishing fortitude and patience. Once, and only once, he was heard to fay," This is crucl;," and inftantly after he refumed his ufal meeknefs. In his intervals of eafe, he was VT mild, very gentle, and cheerful. I memory and his judgement were unr paired to the laft. One day be besp: his own coffin, to carry to fea with hr another, he confulted his phyfician ab the propriety of going to fea at all, a found himself conftantly declining. delired him, as a man of honour, to d clare his fentiments without difcut, and added, "God knows I may got night; and I hope I am not unprepe for it.' "Why, (fays he, on another or fion), I have been labouring for the two days to reconcile myself _to" thoughts of being thrown overh and now I am eafy on that head: 1 indifferent to me, whether I be dry ed by the fishes, or eaten by the w for neither will get a feast.” He had long entertained a fecret » to be carried home to the family-b place, and had concealed it, from at of its being a great weakness. Atlhe difclofed this with to his motherpiece of news, and talked of it 23 a foolish thing. She, who never k what it was not to indulge every * of fuch a fon, readily entered in views, and gave him her promik. he should be gratified in that will, every other, if it thould be her m tune to lose him. “Now, (fays) little after to one who had confente undertake the voyage with him agreed that you and I fhall have d home again from Nice together." The end was now drawing near. then, the poffeffor of a good forter. his own country, having creditable nections, and every other profpc. could render life both defirable and py; an amiable young man, o finest accomplishments, and mit volent heart; fee him ftrugglingua complication of dreadful diforders, a uttering a fingle complaint, morare tain of the event, perfectly recom it, fpeaking of it with eafe and 13 rence, and thoroughly prepared f If at any time he regretted ho doom, it was not on his own acer was for the fake of those he left him. Yes, (fays he, to an whofe affections were greatly r with the danger in which he |