BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 121
the pastorship of Lady Yester’s Chum4 by the Town Council of Edinburgh ;
and again by the same body, in 1758, he was translated to one of the charges in
the High Church. About the same period, the degree of D.D. was conferred
upon him by the University of St. Andrews. In 1759, Dr. Blair commenced
the delivery of those lectures on “ Rhetoric and the Belles Lettres,” afterwards
given to the public in a printed form, and which have since continued to hold
precedence as a standard work on literary composition. The lectures were undertaken
with the concurrence of the University ; and so popular did they at once
become, that in 1761 the Town Council procured from Government an endowment
of 370 a-year towards instituting a historical class in connection with the
College, of which Dr. Blair was appointed Professor. Hitherto, except in the
case of one or two sermons on particular occasions, which were printed, the
Doctor had not appeared as an author before the world. The deep interest
w-hich he took, however, in the exertions of Macpherson to recover the traditional
poetry of the Highlands, led him to publish, in 1763, “ a critical Dissertation
on the Poems of Ossian,” which was held by the advocates for their
authenticity to be one of the finest specimens of “critical composition in the
English language.’’
Although his style of pulpit oratory had become an object of very general
imitation among the young clergy, and although he had been repeatedly urged
to favour the world with some of those productions which had captivated so
many hearers, it was not till 1777 that he was induced to think of publishing.
In that year he -transmitted the MS. of his first volume of sermons, through
the medium of Mr. Creech, to an eminent publisher in London (Mr. Strachan),
with a view to the disposing of the copyright. Strachan, presuming probably
on a very general feeling of aversion then existing .in the public mind towards
clerical productions, sent a discouraging answer to Dr. Blair. In the mean time
the MS. had been handed to Dr. Johnson for perusal, who, after Strachan’s
unfavourable letter had been despatched to the north, sent a note to the
publisher, in which he says, “I have read over Dr. Blair’s first sermon with more
than approbation; to say it is good, is to say too little.” This judgment,
strengthened by a conversation afterwards held with Dr. Johnson, soon convinced
Mr. Strachan of the error he had committed. He therefore wrote a second
time to Dr. Rlair, inclosing Johnson’s note, and agreeing, in conjunction with
Mr. Cadell and Mr. Creech of Edinburgh, to purchase the volume for one
hundred pounds.’ The popularity of these sermons exceeded all anticipation ;
Dr. Blair was thefirst person who introduced the Poems of Osaian to the notice of the world ;
first, by the “Fragments of Ancient Poetry “ which he published ; and next, by setting on foot an
undertaking for collecting and publishing the entire poems. He used to boast of this, but he little
dreamed that the lapse of a few years would produce so general a change in public opinion as to the
authenticity of these remarkable productions.
a The MS. was first submitted to the perusal of Mr. Creech, who was so highly taken with it,
that he made an offer off-hand to the author of one hundred guineas. Dr. Blair was so much struck
with the amount, as to be almost incredulous of the verity of Mr. Creech’s offer. “Will you
indeed ! ” was his exclamation.
R
