To a Gentleman who complained of having loft his Gold Watch. FRET not, my friend, or peevish fay Logan's Poems, when first published, were most extravagantly praised in the newspapers by fome of his friends, and particularly The Ode to Women, which occafioned the following criticism. To the Printer of the Edinburgh Evening Courant. SIR, I WAS induced by an excellent criticism from a Stirling-fhire correspondent, in your paper lately, to purchase the poems he fo warmly recommends.This critic justly condemns puffing paragraphs; but when you meet with a piece of genuine manly criticifm, fuch as your correspondent's, it indeed merits attention, and should be given to the public.-He does not deal in general applaufe (and as for cenfure there there was no room for it), but he judiciously points out the pieces which are to be admired, and pronounces the whole to be "irrefiftible to every person in "whom the world has left any remains of natural fenti"ments."-It is evident that this critic writes impartially, and meant not to make a puff to increase the fale of the book; for he does not fo much as expect that the Ladies will look at it in the play week, but defires them only to carry it to the country, to peruse at leifure, and this indeed it will require to difcover its beauties. I was too impatient to wait this period, and, in spite of the charms of the admirable performers at the Theatre, I staid at home one evening to feast on these delightful poems. I wished your correfpondent had been more minute, and had marked the peculiar and striking beauties as he went along. I find myself irresistibly led to do this, which is a proof that I yet retain fome remains of natural fentiments; and, by your indulgence, Sir, I would wish to have them better known; and who knows but I may have the future affistance of your Stirlingshire critic to bring forward beauties which I may overlook, as well as help me to explain difficulties which I cannot folve. The Ode to the Cuckow is fo well known to every perfon who has feen poor Michael Bruce's poems, long fince published, that it would be tirefome to make any remarks on it here.-I haftened with avidity to the Ode to Women, with which your critic is fo juftly enamoured, and found it indeed an unrivalled performance. performance. There is great knowledge of the female character, delicacy, and tafte, difcovered in that poem, and at the fame time no contemptible acquaintance with the art of war. Some beauties of thefe kinds I fhall endeavour to point out, which may not perhaps have been obferved. The poem begins thus: Ye Virgins! fond to be admir'd, With mighty rage of conqueft fir'd I was at a lofs, at first, Mr Printer, to guess what clafs of virgins was here addreffed. We know that all virgins are fond to be admired, but my difficulty arofe from the mighty rage. We have often heard of antiquated virgins being fired with mighty rage, at not being admired, and of their abufing the men as infenfible brutes; but I never before heard of young virgins making mighty rage an engine of attraction to increase their admirers: Yet the lines that follow clearly prove that it is the young clafs that is addreffed. Who heave th' uncover'd bofom high, And roll a fond inviting eye On all the circle gay. It is clear, from thefe lines, that they must be young buxom dames, or what the French term en bon point, who heave the uncovered bofom high; for the antiquated virgins have it not in their power to appear fo plump, unless they ufe the art of Swift's Corinna.-The only way to folve this difficulty then is, to attribute the picture to modern manners. In my young days, Mr Printer, the gentle winning graces were the female artillery used: but, indeed, there is a lamentable change in female manners; for the young damfels now-a-days-are fired with mighty rage, and heave th' uncover'd bofom high.The poet proceeds, You mifs the fine and fecret art To win the caftle of the heart, For which you all contend. Fine is here used, I suppose, for the French word fineffe. The allufion of the heart to a caftle is beautiful. It is meant here the inner strong hold; for the author, like an able general, leaves not the outer paffages unguarded.—In the fourth ftanza, we meet with thefe lines: You marfhal, brilliant from the box, Fans, feathers, diamonds, caftled locks, Here we have them in battle array, with all their modern artillery. Nothing could be happier than the phrafe caftled locks; for it defcribes, in a fhort and ftriking manner, the modern female head-drefs *. It is not faid towering locks, for that gives only an idea of height; and though applicable in that respect, yet the height is not loft by using the word caftled, which conveys to the mind the idea both of ftrength and height. And are not the Ladies locks now-a-days the exact models of Carronades (the late invented guns), ranged tier over tier, as if to defend to the last extremity the demi-lunar battery of the high bofom?— *It was the fashion at this time for the Ladies to have rows of large, round, stiff curls, on each fide of the face. The 'The picture, indeed, might have been more complete, had the author gone a little higher, and taken notice of the cushion and hair-pins, which have so apt a refemblance to an abattis and chevaux-de-frize : Sed omnia non poffumus omnes. It is hard to fay what fort of box is meant, from which they marfbal with all their magazine of arms. There are many forts of boxes made ufe of by Ladies; and from which of them they appear most like a centinel, I must allow every one to interpret for himself. In place of Fans, feathers, diamonds, caftled locks, perhaps it would have been more natural to have faid, Fans, feathers, patches, hats, and cloaks, as they were going out marfhalled; for diamonds are rather a rare commodity. The author proceeds, But 'tis the fweet fequefter'd walk, That gives your genuine charms. This is the ambuscade-And furely, if a fequeftered walk, a whispering hour, and tender talk, can give genuine charms, no poor lafs need want them. The poem goes on— The nymph-like robe, the natural grace, Refinement without art. |