Poetical Works

Important in the history of the Scottish Enlightenment and 18th-century literature and thought, James Beattie (1735-1803) was a figure of high reputation and influence in a variety of fields, including philosophy, poetry, belles-lettres, education, language and religion. He varied and valuable works in prose and verse are presented here. They form important source documents for all scholars of 18th-century thought. Each features a comprehensive introduction by Beattie scholar Professor Roger J. Robinson. Beattie's most important poems are reproduced here in the form in which they were known in the late 18th-century. They include "The Minstrel", which affected both Wordsworth and the Romantics.