In 1769, his tragedy of The Fatal Discovery, the fable of which is borrowed from one of the frag ments ascribed to Ossian, was performed at Drury Lane, with indifferent success. At this time, the prejudice against Scotsmen was so strong in London, that Garrick apprehended a total failure of the play if the author were known. At his sugges tion, therefore, the title was altered from Rivine to The Fatal Discovery ; and for some nights the representation was greeted with loud applause, the play being ascribed either to Gray or to Smith. Mr Home's love of praise, however, betrayed the secret, and from that moment the audience sensibly diminished every night. In February 1773, Alonzo was brought out, and was well received. This play is recommended by the simplicity of the plot, the harmony of the versification, and the dignity of the sentiments; but some of the incidents are impro bable, the language occasionally too mean, the apos trophes too frequent, and it has more eloquent de clamation than natural feeling, more graceful de ecription than pathetic effect. The acting of Mrs Barry affected the feelings of the audience so pow erfully as to disarm the severity of criticism. To this tragedy, as well as to the Fatal Discovery, Gar rick furnished an epilogue. The theatrical career of Mr Home was closed with the play of Alfred, which was represented at Drury-Lane in January 1778. It was listened to the first evening, but a less crowded house was never known than on the second, and after the third performance the author withdrew it.
For many years Mr Home lived chiefly in Lon don. In 1767, he obtained from Sir David Kioloch a long lease of Kilduff, a farm in East Lothian, on which he built a house. In 1770, he married Miss Home (daughter of Mr Home, minister of Fogo, formerly of Polwarth), a lady of very delicate constitution, who, however, survived him several years.
In 1778, when the Duke of Buccleuch raised the regiment of South Fencibles, Mr Home's military ardour induced him to accept a commission as lieu tenant, the same rank which he had held more than thirty years before ; and he gave occasion to some sneers from his graver brethren, by sit ting in the General Assembly in his scarlet regi mentals. After being nearly two years an officer, he was disabled for military service by a fall from his horse, which, though it did not permanently affect his health, continued through life to impair the vi gour of his faculties, and to diminish the flow of his spirits. About this time he left Kilduff; and took up his residence in Edinburgh for the remainder of his life. Till within five years of his death, he was accustomed to pay an annual visit to London ; and such was the force of habit, that his friends experi enced great difficulty in prevailing upon him to de sist from these expensive and unnecessary journies.
In 1798, an edition of his plays was published, in two volumes, now rarely to be procured.
His last work, the History of the Rebellion in 1745, was published at London in 1802, in a quarto volume. It had long been understood to be in a state of perfect preparation, but it was not expected to appear in the author's lifetime, as there was rea son to apprehend that much of the matter which it contained would prove offensive to some distinguish ed individuals, whose hostility it was not desirable to encounter. In the first sketches of it, the author is said to have ardently applauded the disinterest ed motives and gallant conduct of the adherents of the house of Stuart, to whom he had been op posed in the field ; and while he did ample justice to their devoted attachment and heroic efforts, he was not sparing of the indignation due to the barbarities perpetrated by the prevailing party af ter the victory of Culloden. Some influence, how
ever, was exerted to hasten the publication, and the author had not the courage to resist the temp tation to suppress and qualify many of his first statements. As a composition, it was certainly not improved by what were intended as the finishing emendations ; but, if its interest has been weakened, its impartiality has probably been more effectually secured than if it had retained its original form; and, though the book gave much less satisfaction than if it had not been so anxiously expected, its merit has certainly been unduly depreciated. The style, indeed, is negligent, and the reflections not profound ; but if the comments of the author are few and obvious, the detail is generally so full as to enable the reader to draw just conclusions; the battles are graphically described, and so far as the narrative extends, it is entitled to unreserved cre dit. Perhaps the chief cause why the work was never highly applauded has been, that it is not written so as to gratify the prejudices either of one party or another.
Mr Home died at Merchiston, in the neighbour hood of Edinburgh, on the 5th of September 1808, when he had nearly completed his 86th year. In private life no nun was ever more entirely beloved. His affections were equally warm and stedfast, and much as he had moved in the highest circles (not without pluming himself sufficiently on his in timacy with the great), he never forsook the interest of his friends in humbler stations, or betrayed any expectation of deference from those who were de pendent on his good offices. His temper was placid, and though there were occasions on which he manifested some warmth of feeling, he was nei ther apt to resent Injuries, nor to inflict pain. He was never known to grudge any exertion which tend ed to benefit or gratify his friends ; and long after the activity of his mind had begun to languish, he continued as eager as ever to confer unsolicited fa vours, and to use all the influence which he possess ed to reward neglected merit. He was alleged to be rather apt to flatter ; but the fact was, that he ap peared never to discover any defects in the charac ter of those whom he esteemed ; and with all the blindness of a lover to the objects of a first attach ment, the overflowing benevolence of his heart dis posed him to invest his early friends with every per fection of which human nature is susceptible, and to spread the veil of charity over blemishes and of fences. If he had not been early enticed into the vortex of fashion and politics, he might have at tained higher eminence as an author ; but, in spite of all the temptations of vanity, and the petulant and persevering attacks of envy, he coahl scarcely, under any circumstances, have proved more anaialile as a man.
It is earnestly to be hoped that the world will ere long be favoured with the very interesting Ac. count of the Life of Mr Home, which was read some years ago to the Royal Society of Edinburgh by Mr Henry Mackenzie ; an author whose works may tie considered as the channel through which the stream of poetic fancy and feeling has been transmitted from Thomson, Home, and other Scottish writers of the last age, to the Campbells and Scotts of the present day.