his prospects looked well; many of his articles appeared in the leading periodicals of the day, and though oftentimes anonymous, yet they afforded the means of living respectably, and thus he worked away on biographical notices of poets, statesmen, and philosophy, classics, and matters of general interest; not being idle, as many supposed, but working secretly, and oftentimes, from an over-fastidiousness, erasing in a moment the labours of an entire day.

Soon

On the 1st of July the poet became a father; the child was christened Thomas Telford, and his birth called forth feelings and language beautifully expressive of delight and tender affection. after this event, his health and spirits suffered much through an awkward contretemps with Mr. Doig, the Scotch bookseller. The difficulty, however, was settled through friendly interference, yet the traces of harass and vexation remained behind, and change and country air was advised. After consultations with medical and other friends, Sydenham was selected as his future residence; and to this place, at Michaelmas (1804), the family removed, and were received with open arms by many of the principal residents in the neighbourhood; this became a sort of oasis in the desert,-here, to use Campbell's own language, "I contrived to support my mother, my wife, and children; life became tolerable to me, and even agreeable. I had always my town friends to come and partake of my humble fare of a Sunday; and among my neighbours, I had an elegant society among whom I counted sincere friends."

Yet with this domestic comfort, he had his moments of anxiety, especially as he was called upon to sustain alone the burden of supporting his

mother and sisters. Up to this period he had shared the produce of his brain, his only farm, with his family; he had allowed his mother an annuity of 70l., but now his eldest brother, resident in America, wrote to say, that the remittances he had for sometime made for his mother, must for the future cease on account of his own slender means. Who can feel surprise at a young man, thus situated, becoming nervous and agitated touching the future? Two establishments to provide for, provisions dear, war prices prevailing in every department,-to use Campbell's own words-" I had never known in earnest the fear of poverty before, but now it came upon me like a ruthless fiend. If I were sentenced to live my life over again, and had the power of supplicating adversity to spare me, I would say, oh! adversity take any other shape. To meet these pressing demands I obtained literary engagements both in prose and poetry, but a malady came over me which put all poetry, and even imaginative prose, out of the question. My anxiety to wake in the morning, in order to be at my literary labours, kept me awake all night, and from less to more I became a victim to the disease called coma vigil." At this time he received a "stab in the dark," in the shape of an anonymous letter from Glasgow, written in a female hand, purporting to emanate from a society called the "Glasgow Female Society," which upbraided him in bitter terms for neglect of a near relative, leaving that relative, as it declared, to poverty and distress. Possibly, it may be said, he was over-sensitive; yet it was hard, after great exertion and sacrifices, that his conduct should be totally misrepresented, and reproaches be heaped upon him. Time, however,

healed them, and during the autumn we find him translating foreign correspondence, contributing to the "Philosophical Magazine," the "Star" newspaper,-attending daily in London,-subject at times to occasional fits of depression and fear,' yet not without his sunny moments, he had hopes of advancement, and was encouraged by persons of influence to believe that he would not be overlooked by a liberal ministry.

About this time the first idea of the "Specimens of the British Poets," suggested itself to his mind, a work which it has been well said "established him on our library shelves as a prose writer, and is the test of his unrhymed, not unpoetical works."* He wrote to Sir Walter Scott on the subject, stating his plan, and proposing to divide both labour and profit. Sir Walter was highly pleased, and left him authority to arrange the details; but for a time the matter was broken off by a difference about terms with the booksellers.

In the month of June, 1805, his second son Alison was born. In the same year his circumstances were rendered more easy by a pension of 2007. per annum, conferred upon him by the Crown. Touching this mark of royal consideration, he left the following:

"My pension was given to me under Charles Fox's administration. So many of my friends in power expressed a desire to see that favour conferred upon me, that I could never discover the precise individual to whom I was indebted for it. Lord Minto's interest I knew was not wanting; but I hope I may say, without ingratitude to

*This Work forms seven volumes in small 8vo. 1819.

others, that I believe Charles Fox and Lord Holland would have bestowed the boon without any other intervention." The use Campbell made of this addition to his income, was this-the one half he reserved for his own necessities, the other he generously divided between his mother and sisters.

Before the close of the year, the late Francis Horner, M. P., one of the poet's earliest friends, proposed to him to publish a new edition of his best poetical works by subscription, and volunteered his services in filling up the list. In writing shortly after he had obtained the poet's sanction, he said, "Very little exertion has been made, but we have got above 2007., of which 60%. are from Oxford. I shall be very much disappointed if we do not put into the poet's purse more than 1000l." The result was as anticipated, and with an easy mind and resources recruited, he went on his way rejoicing.

In the spring of 1806, Campbell met Mr. Fox at Lord Holland's at dinner; both were pleased with each other, and at parting, the premier said, "Mr. Campbell, you must come and see me at Saint Anne's Hill, and there we shall talk more about these matters," (referring to the heroic characters in Virgil, often much criticized as monotonous). Fox said privately in the ear of his nephew (Lord Holland), "I like Campbell, he is so right about Virgil; and there can be no question that the poet was singularly happy at all times in his classical allusions, as Sidney Smith once said, after listening to some of his remarks, "What a vast field of literature that young man's mind has rolled over."

The poem of "Gertrude of Wyoming," which

had for some time divided Campbell's thoughts with other literary cares, was completed in the early part of 1809, and in March was shown to Mr. Alison and Lord Jeffrey, and was pronounced by them worthy of the writer's talent and acquired fame.

Lord Jeffrey, in writing to Campbell, said, “There is great beauty, and great tenderness and fancy in the work, and I am sure it will be very popular. The latter part is exquisitely pathetic, and the whole touched with those soft and skyish tints of purity and truth which fall like enchantment on all minds that can make any thing of such matters.”

The public hailed with delight this new volume. Yet Campbell's joy was in a moment overcast and for a time destroyed by the sickening and death, by scarlet fever, of his son Alison, the child of many a fondly cherished hope; for some time his heart seemed crushed; the event sunk deep, and was never, even in after years, referred to without perceptible emotion; for weeks he was incapable of consecutive thought; and it was at last only through the kind sympathy of Mr. Alison that he became tranquillized and able to resume his duties, and at last set down to prepare a course of lectures for delivery at the Royal Institution.

At the commencement of the year 1812, the poet's mother died at Edinburgh, at the age of seventy-six. Mac Arthur Stewart, Campbell's highland cousin, insisted upon defraying the entire cost of her funeral, which was attended by more than two hundred people.

In the months of April and May, Campbell's Lectures on Poetry were delivered at the Royal Institution. They went off with great éclat, and obtained for him increased popularity, and a large

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