"At a fupper at Dr. Markham's, after the Weftminfter play, Lord Lyttleton faid to Mr. Browne (on the latter expreffing a fear that his Lordship was going) "No, no, you are fo entertaining, 'tis impoffible to leave you; you are like the nightingale, that fings fweeteft at midnight."" I thank you, my Lord," replied Mr. B. " for your comparison ; but I refemble more the flying-fifh, and whilst my wings are wet, can foar above my native element, but as foon as they grow dry, I drop into it again."-See the worthy Bishop Newton's Life of himfelf, where this anecdote is related.

ART. III. The Life of Thomas Ruddiman, A. M. the Keeper, for almost fifty years, of the Library belonging to the Faculty of Advocates at Edinburgh. To which are fubjoined, New Anecdotes of Buchanan. By George Chalmers, F. R. S. S. A. 8vo. 5s. pp. 467. Stockdale, 1794.

THE

HE author of this piece of Biography was honourably known to the public by feveral previous works, but particularly by that which has gained fo much celebrity in the po litical world, his "Eftimate of the Comparative Strength of Great Britain, during the prefent and four preceding Reigns, and of the Loffes of her Trade from every War fince the Revolution," which has juft iffued from the prefs again in a new edition. The prefent performance carries ftrong features of the other, a minutenefs of accuracy, with a pointedness of obfervation; and will add greatly, we doubt not, to the just reputation of the author.

To it is prefixed, "A Portrait of the venerable Grammarian, which was painted by De Hune, who has preferved a "ftriking likeness, though he is not mentioned by Mr. Walpole; and is engraved by the greatest artist among the great, in the prefent day,"-Bartolozzi.

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"The defire of present praife," fays Mr. Chalmers at his outfet,, "or the ambition of pofthumous fame, may be confidered as the ftrongeft incentives of the human race. Whilft animated by fuch "notions, the ftudent is neither difcouraged by any difficulty, nor "overpowered by whatever labour. Whether he trim the lamp, or

rife with the fun, he makes difcoveries that are useful to men, or he "compofes writings, which, as they inftruct by their notions, or please "by their elegance, either facilitate the acquirement of knowledge, "or fmooth the afperities of life. He, who in this manner fpends "his days and nights in benefiting mankind, is at leaft entitled to "the recollection of pofterity. By refufing him this boon, we de"prive him of the great incentive of his labour. By withholding the chief reward of his toil, we injure the benefactor, who had ex

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"plained

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plained to us fome ufeful quality of matter; we contemn the Philologift who had inftructed us in the elements of language; or we difregard the pleafant companion, who had gladdened our melan"choly hours. But it is the praife of Biography, that the literary "world are enabled, by its recollections, to discharge a fair debt, "without the transfer of property, or the obligation of a loan; to "be juft without coft, and grateful without beneficence. Of the "numbers of men who have benefited our fathers by their ftudies, "and added to the reputation of Great Britain by their learning, "few will be found to be better entitled to biographical notice than "Ruddiman; whether we confider the usefulness of his works, the "modefty of his nature. or the difinterestedness of his fpirit. He "too was incited to employ laborious days, and fleepless nights, "by the hope that pofterity would at laft award him the juftice which "his contemporaries often denied him. The time is now come, "when an attempt is made to fulfil his wifh, by endeavouring to ftate "his pretenfions, and to estimate his worth. In making this attempt, "after abler writers had relinquished the task, it has fallen to my lot "to collect the incidents of his life, in order that his merits may be "known, and his example may be followed."

In this very engaging manner does Mr. Chalmers enter upon the Life of this celebrated Grammarian of Scotland. Such a life cannot exhibit any great variety of incidents of itfelf, and Mr. Chalmers has therefore taken in a number of general topics which the incidents connected with the fubjects.

"It was towards the end of the year 1699, that an accident open"ed new profpects to his (Ruddiman's) penetrating fight. The cele"brated Dr. Pitcairne, being detained by violence of weather at this "inconfiderable hamlet, Laurence Kirk, where Dr. Johnfon after"wards ftopped, but which had not yet a Library at the inn, felt "the mifery of having nothing to do. Wanting fociety, he enquired "if there were no perfon in the village who could interchange con"verfation, and would partake of his dinner. The hoftefs informed "him, that the Schoolmaster, though young, was faid to be learned,

and though modeft, fhe was fure, could talk. Thus met Pit"cairne, at the age of forty-feven, with Ruddiman, at twenty-five. "Their literature, their politics, and their general caft of mind, "were mutually pleafing to each other. Pitcairne invited Ruddiman "to Edinburgh, offered him his patronage, and performed, in the "end, what is not always experienced, as much as he originally promifed.

This anecdote very naturally introduces an account of Pitcairne, fo materially connected with the future life of Ruddiman. Pitcairne carried Ruddiman to Edinburgh.

"When Ruddiman came to that city in 1700, he found it inhabit"ed by thirty thousand people, who were divided by faction, with"out being invigorated by rivalfhip. Edinburgh without enjoying

"the comforts of elegance, did not then pretend to the gaiety of fplendour. Her youth were inftructed at a Grammar School, which "in early times, had been erected within her walls. It was from the "bounty of King James that the derived the illuminations of an Univerfity, which, in 1700, did not, however, teach profeffedly the "fciences of Phyfic or of Law: and fhe had, fince the year 1532, "had the prefence of a College of Juftice, which diftributed right in the fhape of fyftem, and at length formed a Faculty of Law"yers."

With this Library Ruddiman became connected on his remove to Edinburgh. "The learning and judgment, the ac"tivity and attention, which Ruddiman invariably exerted for "the benefit of this inftitution, during fifty years, have juftly "gained him the honour of being called the fecond founder "of the Advocates' Library."

But let us here ftop, and look a little into the heart of Ruddiman, that principal index to the character.

"The prevailing fentiment in the heart of Ruddiman, during his "whole life, was piety. When he refolved on any great undertaking, "he determined to work fteadily, but to truft in the affiftance of God. "When he formed a state of his debts, of his credits, and of his expectation, I refer, faid he, the event of all to God. As to modes of faith, he was an Epifcopalian. And in December, 1703, he agreed to pay forty fhillings Scots, for his feat, during two years, in Gray's "Clafe Meeting-Houfe. Who the preacher was, or whether he prayed "for the Queen, I am unable to tell.”

In 1710, on re-publishing Gavin Douglas's wonderful tranflation of the Eneid of Virgil, Ruddiman wrote the Jarge Gloffary, explaining the different words, and ferving for a Dictionary to the old Scotch language; and it appears, adds a note, "that Ruddiman was allowed 81. 6s. 7d. fterling, for performing one of the most elaborate works in our language. Yet this Gloffary was cenfured by Callendar, of Craigforth, who, to prove the jultnefs of his cenfure, fingles out fome words, and

"nence.

"The critic makes out his point with true etymological impertiHe cites words from the Gothic, from the Iflandic, from "the Saxon, from the Scythian, from the Welth, from the Belgic, "from the Swedish, and from the Latin, without one particle of "refemblance. Ruddiman had too correct a mind to wander with "Callendar towards the regions of the North, to enquire for what "he had learned in his youth, on the Braes of Bayne, or heard, dur"ing his manhood, in the streets of Edinburgh. One muft lament "to fee fuch a genius as Callendar's cramped by his conceit to be

hold fo much learning, enforced with fo little ratiocination; to "view usefulness of defign cut off by the ridiculoufnefs of fyllem,

and

" and the liberality of purfuit degraded by the vagaries of folly."—

P. 49.

In 1713, Dr. Pitcairne, the patron of Ruddiman, died.

"The fon of Pitcairne, running out to the Rebellion of 1715, was "faved from the ftroke of juftice by the active interpofition of Doctor "Mead, who finely faid to Walpole, that if the Minister's health "were bettered by his fkill, or the Royal Family were preferved by " his care, it was owing to the inftructions of Pitcairne.' Such reciprocations of kindness ought ever to be remembered, both as tri"butes to the dead, and as examples to the living." P.62.

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In 1715 Ruddiman publifhed the works of Buchanan, in two volumes folio, and prefixed the Life of Buchanan, which is afferted to have been written by (Buchanan) himself, two "years before his death. Ruddiman gives a fceptical note, "which feems to difcover his doubts of an affertion which has "never been fupported by proof. Yet he faw only part of "the truth. He did not perceive what appears to have been

the fact, that of this Life Sir Peter Young was the author." This, to us, is as new as it feems to be juft; a note adding, that," ft. on the 15th of March, 1579-80, Sir Thomas "Randolph wrote from London to Peter Young, who was "then the Preceptor of King James, under Buchanan's fuperintendance, urging him to write Buchanan's Life, and "offering him hints for his fubject (Rudd. Epift. Buch. Op. p. 19). 2dly, Doctor Thomas Smith fays exprefsly, "that Peter Young wrote briefly the Life of Buchanan,' "(Vita Petri Junii, p. 17, in the Vita Illuftrium Virerum, Lond. 1707.)" P.69.

In 1715 Ruddiman commenced a Printer.

"It will eafily be allowed," fays Mr. Chalmers on the occafion, that Thomas Ruddiman was the most learned Printer that North "Britain has ever enjoyed. Inquifitive men have often endeavoured, "without fuccefs, to discover when the Typographic Art was introduced into Scotland. The difcovery, which had eluded fo many enquiries, hath been at length made by fearching the records, Ít was the intelligent and induftrious William Robertfon, of the Ge"neral Regifter-Houfe, who, to gratify my defire, difcovered a Patent of King James IV. which plainly demonftrates, that a printing-prefs was first established at Edinburgh during the year 1507. "at the end of thirty years after that interefting trade had been brought to Westminster by Caxton. The first Printers were, Wal"ter Chapman, a Merchant in Edinburgh, and Andrew Myllar, a "mere workman. With the learning of Ruddiman, their talents "could enter into no competition. Their immediate fucceffors were "not more learned. At the commencement of the Seventeenth centusy, the Printers of Edinburgh were generally Booksellers, who, hav

ing acquired fome wealth, could purchase a prefs and employ arti"ficers; but knew no more of books than the title-pages and the "price. Andro Hart, who is juftly praised by Watfon for his wellprinted Table, was only a bookfeller. Scotland was foon after fupplied with Printers, chiefly from England. But, however illiterace, they had the merit of reforming the language, and fettling, by filent practice, the orthography of the North. These men, who practifed the art without poffeffing the erudition, of which it is the herald, could not difpute with Ruddiman the palm of literature.Henry Stevens himself, could have fcarcely complained of Ruddiman as one of thofe Printers who had brought the Typographic Art into contempt by their illiteratenefs. When we recollect his Gavin Douglas, and Buchanan, his Rudiments and his Grammar, his "Livy, and his Vindication of Buchanan's Pfalms, wherein competent judges have found the knowledge of a fcholar, and the accuracy of a critic; we may fairly place Ruddiman in the honourable lift of learned Printers, with Badius and Aldus, with the Ste"phens's and Janfen's."

In 1728 Ruddiman became the publisher of a newfpaper.

"The origin of Newfpapers, thofe pleafant vehicles of information, thofe entertaining companions of our mornings, has not yet "been investigated with the precifion which is undoubtedly due to "what has been emphatically called one of the fafe-guards of our "privileges. We are ftill unacquainted with the name of our firft newfpaper, and we are still ignorant of the epoch of its original publication." P. 102.

Mr. Chalmers, therefore, inveftigates both, with an induftry and a fuccefs that are highly gratifying to our taste. He fhews that Gallo-Belgicus, which has been faid to be the name of the first newspaper in England, was written in the Latin language, was compiled by M. Janfen, a Frifian, and was no newspaper, but rather an annual register, or a state of Europe.

"When Paul came to Athens, he perceived that the Athenians, and "the ftrangers refiding there, fpent their time in little more than either "to tell or to hear fome new thing.' At a period more early, per"haps, than the time of Paul, the Government of China diftributed

through that most extenfive empire a written paper, containing a "lift of the Mandarins who were appointed to rule in every pro"vince. Yet this Chinese Red-Book, which was afterwards printed, " and is ftill distributed, can scarcely be deemed a newspaper. Ve"nice is entitled to the honour of having produced the first Gazetta, "as early as the year 1536. It was compiled upon the plan, which "was afterwards adopted by Gallo-Belgicus, and contained much intelligence both of Italy, and even of the rest of Europe. Yet a jealous Government did not allow a printed newspaper. And the

"Venetian