BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 141
The letter from which the foregoing extract is taken is dated June 2, 1782, and
directed to “ Mrs. Martin, relict of Captain Martin, to the care of Mr. William
Pagan, merchant, New York.” The nephew, for whom he expresses so much
anxiety, arrived safe in Scotland, and continued with him for several years,
but returning to America, died not long after. His wife, also, whose bad health
he mentions, did not long survive.
Amid these severe domestic aflictions, Martin’s business continued to flourish.
Finding his old place of business too small, he removed to more commodious
apartments in Gourlay’s Land, Old Bank Close, in one of the large rooms of
which he held his auction-mart. Here he seems to have been eminently successful.
In 1789 he purchased these premises from the trustee for the creditors
of the well-known William Brodie, cabinet-maker; and in 1792 the fame of his
prosperity was so great as to attract the notice of a perpetrator of verses, of the
name of Galloway, by whom he is associated with “ King Lackington” of London,
in the following immortal epistle :l
“ TO MEESRS.L ACKINGTOANND MARTINB, OOKSELLERS.”
‘‘ Honour and fame from no condition rise,
Act well thy part, there all thy honoar lies.”-PopE.
“ Whiie booksellers jog in Newmarket haste,
Racing with Crispins for the bankrupt list ;
Hail ! then, King LACKINQTOaNnd, brother MARTIE,
Fate‘s doom’d thee to survive the wreck for certain.
When you relinquished being shoe-retaikm,
You shunn’d the dangerous rocks of leather-dealers ;
Now, now, your BURNS,y our MORRISSEaSn, d PINDAM,
The product of their brain to you surrenders.
For which, one word, you’ve often sworn and said it,
You utterly abhor what fools givecredit 3
Thus, you’re the blades who can extract the honey,
For all your creed’s in two words, ‘ ready money.’
Now eunuch-built a booksellers all conivell,
And with thee tumbled headlong to the devil.
Sell, brother Crispins, sell (and spurn their clamour),
Quick as your welt-eye, or the auction hammer ;
While authors write, t i eyes drop from their sockets,
1 The sllbject of this exquisite e@t of genius will be sufficient apology for its insertion. The
author, GEORQGE ALLOWAwYa, s born in Scotland on the 11th of October 1757. He was bred a
mechanic-then turned musician-next went to sea, and was taken prisoner by the Spaniards.
After a lapse of many years he returned to London, and there set about courting the Muses, having
been rendered unfit for mechanical labour, owing to weakness of vision caused by long confinement
abroad While living in the capital he produced material for the volume from which the epistle is
selected. In justice to George, we must say that his address to “Lackington and brother Martin”
is the worst in the collection. He was the author of two plays, “ The Admirable Cdchton; a tyagedy
in five acts. The Battle of Luncarty, or the Valiant Hays Iriuvnphant
over the Danbh Invaders; a drama in five acts. Edin. 1804, lZnw.”-the perusal of which will
afford a treat to those who have any perception of the ludicrous. The last production from his pen
that we have seen is an L( Elegy on the Death of Hmwy Duke of Buccleuch. Edin. 1812, 8vo. ; ’’
which is stated “to be printed for and sold by the Author.”
Edin. 1802, 12mo. J” and
a A vulgar allusion to Bailie Creech.
