Allan Ramsay. [A biography.] - National Library of Scotland

ALLAN RAMSAY 129
The extravagances of conventional pastoral had been
keenly satirised by Gay, who made his Lobbin Clouts
and Cloddipoles, his Blowzalinds and Bowzabees and
Bumkinets, in the Shepherd's Week^ 'talk the language
that is spoken neither by country maiden nor courtly
dame ; nay, not only such as in the present time is not
uttered, but never was in times past, and, if I judge
aright, will never be uttered in times future.' But by
Ramsay the silliness of the prevailing mode, both of
British and French pastoral, was more aptly satirised, by
presenting, as a contrast, a picture of rural life absolutely
truthful in all its details, and thus slaying falsehood by
the sword of truth.
Of The Gentle Shepherd^ the plot is simplicity itself.
It describes the love of a young Pentland shepherd
named Patie for a country maiden named Peggy. The
pastoral drama, the time of whose action is all embraced
within four -and -twenty hours, thus preserving one, at
least, of the Greek dramatic unities as defined by
the French critics, opens at early morning with the
two young shepherds, Patie and Roger, feeding their
flocks on the hills, and discussing the progress of
their love -suits. The scene is charmingly realistic
and natural. Patie is happy in his love for Peggy
who reciprocates it j Roger, in despair over his ill-
success with ' dorty Jenny.' His friend, however,
raises his spirits by telling him how he once served
Peggy when she had a fit of tantrums, by feigning
indifference to her, a course which soon brought the
fair one to reason. He exhorts Roger to adopt the
same line, conveying his counsel in the following
terms, that contain excellent advice to young lovers,