m 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 ^
 
 /
 
 THE 
 
 LITERARY 
 
 HISTORY OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 BY 
 
 THOMAS MURRAY, A. M. 
 
 Paulluui sepultas distat inertia: 
 Celata virtus. — Hor, 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 EDINBURGH : 
 PRINTED|FOR WAUGH AND INNES ; 
 
 W. CURRY, JUN. & CO. DUBLIN ; AND WHITTAKER & CO. 
 
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 M.DCCC.XXXII.
 
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 PRINTKD liy A. IMI.I'OUR AND CO. MDDUV STREET.
 
 riK. 
 US/ 
 
 w c^c HA yfi/hf>vK iJrti^n^yt^w /i 
 
 
 It) 
 THE RIGHT HONOURABLE 
 
 LADY ANNE MURRAY 
 
 of Brougljton, 
 
 THIS WORK 
 
 IS 
 
 RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED 
 BY 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 if^ orTio c r^
 
 It*' 
 
 ;\ 
 
 ^ v%
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Of Tlie Literary History of GaUoivay, which first 
 appeared in 1822, a new impression is now present- 
 ed to the public. The extraneous matter, which the 
 orig-inal work embraced, has been omitted ; much 
 extravagance, in regard both to sentiment and dic- 
 tion, has been corrected ; and the whole has under- 
 gone a thorough revisal. Nor is this all : Nine- 
 teen new articles, of which sixteen are altogether 
 original, have been added ; and the present volume 
 may be considered rather as a new work than as the 
 republication of one already before the world. Its 
 execution is not, I am aware, worthy of the import- 
 ant materials of which it is composed ; yet I flatter 
 myself, that, with all its imperfections, it will be re- 
 garded as constituting some addition, however slight, 
 to the biographical literature of Scotland. 
 
 Of the numerous Lines which the volume in- 
 cludes, the subjects of several were but slightly con- 
 nected with Galloway. I allude, in particular, to
 
 M rUKlAtK. 
 
 Lord .Stair, l^ut as no account of this distinfifuished 
 law \ iM- lias hitherto been g-iven to the workl, — a cir- 
 tiiiustantc which I regard as not honourable to our 
 Scots bar, — T avaih^d myself of his casual connexion 
 \\ith the j)r()vince in question to obey an impulse 
 wliich it woukl have been difficult for me to re- 
 strain. Had my limits admitted, I should have had 
 iiuich pleasure in extending the notices I have given 
 of this illustrious person. 
 
 County Literary History I consider as of great 
 imj)()rtance. Without such a classification of bio- 
 graphical articles, the personal history of many in- 
 dividuals, who have been benefactors to their coun- 
 tr\ , or deserved well of the republic of letters, would 
 soon be forgotten, or but partially known. A work, 
 such us the present, prevents, so far as its locality 
 extends, this result, much to be regretted, from 
 taking place. And if Scotland, divided into coun- 
 ties, or larger districts, were possessed of a series of 
 similar productions, she would be distinguished by 
 a fulness and minuteness of Literary History, of 
 which no other country can boast. 
 
 I cannot close this preface without mentioning, 
 in terms of becoming gratitude, the facilities which, 
 • 111 all occasions, have been so liberally afforded me 
 by (N ery person to M'hom I found it necessary to 
 apjily for information : a circumstance that rendered 
 my researches a work, not of toil, but of pleasure.
 
 # 
 
 PREFACE. VH 
 
 To the Rev. Dr. Andrew Brown of this city, whose 
 acquaintance with American history is well known, 
 I have been indebted for a perusal of the numerous 
 pamphlets, (all of them rare,) relative to the settle- 
 ment' formed by Lord Selkirk on the Red River, 
 North America. 
 
 Since |^that part of my History, which contains 
 Tlie Life of Robert Maxivell of ArJdand, was 
 printed, I have learned, from a most respectable 
 source, that that eminent person had been bred a 
 writer in Edinburgh ; and that he lived some time 
 in that city in the profession of the law. He 
 must, it is probable, have relinquished that profes- 
 sion, either when he entered on his extensive 
 farming- operations at Clifton-Hall, or soon after 
 that time, as he seems subsequently to have devot- 
 ed his life to the enthusiastic cultivation, both 
 practically and theoretically, of agricultural science. 
 
 Albany^Street, EdINBURC4H, 
 2Qth December 1831.
 
 THE 
 
 LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 
 GALLOWAY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 DRUIDISM— LIFE OF ST. NINIAN. 
 
 The progress of nations in literature and refinement is gener- 
 ally slow. From various causes, Galloway,* as well as the 
 other districts of Scotland, remained long sunk in ignorance 
 and barbarism. At the time of the invasion #f the Romans, 
 the south of Britain could boast of the Druids, a religious 
 class of men, comparatively enlightened. ■{• That the Druidical 
 system had ever extended to Scotland, it would be difficult to 
 show. That it was of Celtic origin, and professed by all 
 Celtic tribes, is a position which, though often repeated, none 
 has succeeded in establishing. If this point could be indis- 
 putably ascertained, it is obvious, that no other argument 
 would be requisite to prove the existence of Druidism in Scot- 
 land, the original inhabitants of that country being undoubt- 
 edly of Celtic derivation. :J: Caesar, however, decidedly affirms, 
 
 • Appendix, Note A. 
 
 ■f Neque fas esse existimant ea Uteris mandare, quum in reliquis fere rebus, 
 publicis privatisque rationibus, Greeds Uteris utantur, Caesar de Bello GaHico, 
 vi. xiv. 
 
 J Appendix, Note B. 
 
 B
 
 - THE MTERARY HISTORY 
 
 that it h;ul its oriiMU in Britain, and M'as thence translated to 
 Ciaul. And, in corroboration of this statement, he mentions, 
 that tliose who wished to become acquainted with its forms 
 and mysteries, were under the necessity of going to Britain 
 to be instructed. This opinion, it is evident, is not a conjec- 
 ture of Ca\sar ; it is the opinion of the Gallic Druids, from 
 wliom he obtained his information. And as of all the early 
 writers on this subject, he undoubtedly possessed the most ac- 
 curate and miinite intelligence ; and as his account of the 
 origin of Druidism has never been disputed by any ancient 
 author, it is absurd to conclude, in the face of such satisfactory 
 eviilencc, that this system was radically Celtic, and co-exten- 
 sive with the wanderings of that celebrated people. " Since 
 it must have begun to exist after the Celts left their original 
 settlements, it must be considered as British, not Celtic ; and 
 it would be as absurd to extend it to all the Celts, because it 
 originated among them, as it would be to expect to find the 
 institutions of secret tribunals, in the thirteenth century, among 
 the Swedes, as well as among the Germans, merely because 
 they were both Gothic nations."* 
 
 As it cannot, therefore, be proved that Druidism was the 
 religion of all the Celtic nations, we have no authority for ex- 
 tentling it to any district of Scotland. We may, indeed, con- 
 clude, from the statement of Caesar, that it was known only 
 in the south of Britain and in France. Besides, no early 
 writer mentions that this cruel superstition was even professed 
 by our ancestors ; and on the authority of early writers alone 
 can this question be determined. Tacitus relates, that Sueto- 
 nius Paulinus, after having vanquished the Britons on Mona,*f- 
 cut down and destroyed the consecrated groves of the Druids.^ 
 The same author, however, in writing the history of the cam- 
 paign of Agricola in Scotland, never once alludes to this order 
 of men. And as the JJruidical ceremonies were so singular, 
 and wj deserving of attention, both in a religious and political 
 
 " Eilinburtjh Review for July 1801. -|- Anglesea. 
 
 \ TacUi AnnaleK, xiv. xxx.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. Cj 
 
 point of view, it would be impossible to account for the silence 
 of Tacitus respecting them, if they had been really established 
 in the country which he describes. Negative evidence is 
 nearly all we can obtain on this subject, and we hold the pre- 
 ceding as an irrefragable argument in our favour. 
 
 The well known circles of stones have been uniformly ap- 
 pealed to by the promoters of the opposite theory as an indu- 
 bitable proof that Druidism had existed in the countries where 
 such remains are to be found ; and Mr. Chalmers, the celebrat- 
 ed author of Caledonia, rests nearly the whole merits of the 
 question on this argument. Those who have studied the sub- 
 ject impartially, know that this position is assumed ; and we 
 may confidently challenge our opponents to produce one single 
 authority in support of it. Caesar, whose account of the 
 Druids is so full and explicit, makes no mention of these 
 buildings ; and Tacitus, while he relates that the sacred groves 
 of the Druids were destroyed, is silent with regard to these 
 stone monuments.* And as it evidently appears to have been 
 the intention of Suetonius to exterminate, if possible, the re- 
 ligion of the Druids, certainly, if temples had formed any part 
 of their institution, he would have destroyed them, as well as 
 cut down the groves. These circles of stone might have been 
 erected for purposes different from those of religious worship ; 
 and Mr. Chalmers confesses that similar edifices of stone de- 
 signate the places of ancient political and judicial assemblies- 
 It is evident, indeed, that such temples were used by Gothic 
 nations for the purposes either of religion or judicature, and 
 are to be found in districts in which, it is allowed, Druidism 
 was never known. " Stone monuments, nearly similar in 
 form, and equal in magnitude to those which are said to be 
 most unequivocally Druidical, exist in countries into which, 
 according to the opinion of all antiquarians, the Celts never 
 penetrated. In many parts of the north of Germany, in the 
 island of Zealand, and in Iceland, the stone monuments are 
 similar in form, and seem to have been erected for the same 
 
 * Chalmers' Caledonia, i. 1. 

 
 1 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 })uq)oso with those in Britain and France.""* " For Druidic 
 antiquities," says Dr. Irving, " it would he in vain to search ; 
 instead ot" temples and other edifices, they consecrated the mis- 
 letoi', and the oak on which it grew.""!" I'his opinion is not 
 a uiodtrn conjecture, for it has been handed down to us since 
 the days of Pliny. :|; The worship in groves, indeed, and the 
 veneration paid to the misletoc of the oak, are the distinguish- 
 ing features of the Druidical mythology. These are uniformly 
 mentioned by early writers, without any reference to stone edi- 
 fices ; and as groves were used by the Druids instead of tem- 
 ples, and as their victims were immolated on the oak, it is 
 necessary to conclude that they erected no buildings or altars of 
 stone. 
 
 To Druidism, then, Galloway owes no obligations. Nor do 
 I think she is much indebted to her Roman invaders; for 
 though, as Dr. Irving remarks, " the conquests of that war- 
 like but civilized and ingenious people, were not more fatal 
 to pride and independence than conducive to the dissemination 
 of useful knowledge ;"i^ yet we have no evidence that the Ro- 
 mans ever established colonics in this province, or formed any 
 very intimate connexion with its inhabitants. The Galwegians, 
 it is probable, were indebted for nearly the first rudiments of 
 liberal knowledge to the diffusion of the Christian religion ; 
 an event which took place as early at least as the beginning 
 of the fifth century. According to some writers, Scotland was 
 converted to Christianity a considerable time before this period ; 
 and it is expressly stated by Ailred, that the sovereign of that 
 province, nf)w known by the name of (ndloway, (father to the 
 illustrious Ninian of whom we are about to speak), embraced 
 the tl(K'trines of the gospel about the middle of the fourth 
 centur)'.|| These assertions, however, are not entitled to un- 
 qualified credit ; and, indeed, it is not improbable, from the 
 
 " EtI. Bev. ut mipra- f Irving's Lives of Scottish Poets, i. 4. 
 
 J NUiil hnhfiit JJruida, it a (mini appellant siios Mayos, visco et arbore in qua 
 gignntur, xi modo nl rohur, sacratiiui. Plinii Nat, Ilisloria, xvi. 1)5. 
 § IniiiK'x Lives, i. 2. 
 y A'lmflBt Vita ab Ailredo, edit. I'inkcrtoii, Loud. 1789.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. O 
 
 deciiloil testimony of Bcde, the earliest writer on this subject, 
 that the region of which we arc treating was not freed from 
 idolatry and heathenism until the time of St. Ninian, bishop 
 of Candida Casa.* 
 
 Of this celebrated ecclesiastic little can now be known. His 
 life, indeed, has been written by Ailred ; but Ailred lived in 
 the middle of the twelfth century, above six hundred years 
 after the death of him whose histoiy he professed to trace. 
 His work, then, though its merits in other respects were much 
 higher than they are, cannot be regarded as very accurate or 
 authentic ; but the ignorance or credulity of Ailred, no sub- 
 sequent learning and research have been able to detect or 
 remove."!* 
 
 Ninian, as above hinted, was descended of royal parentage, 
 and bom, it is supposed, near Leucophibia, the site of the 
 present Whithorn, in the year three hundred and sixty. J Of 
 his early history, and the nature of his education, we must be 
 content to remain ignorant ; but we are informed, that, after 
 having been ordained, at Rome, bishop of the Britons, and 
 instructed in monastic discipline by his relation St. Martin of 
 Tours, he returned to his native country about the end of the 
 fourth, or beginning of the fifth century, and devoted the 
 remainder of a lonjr life to the zealous dissemination of the 
 doctrines of the gospel. He erected a church at Leucophibia, 
 which is emphatically mentioned by Bede as the first built 
 of stone, and as obtaining from this circumstance the appro- 
 priate name of Candida Casa.§ This church he dedicated to 
 
 • Bedce Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum, iii. iv. 
 
 + The work of Ailred, wlio was Abbot of Rievall in Yorksliire, has been 
 published by the late Mr. Pinkerton, and forms the first article of a curious 
 collection of ancient biography, entitled, Vitce Ardiqua Sanctorum qui hahi- 
 taverunt in ea parte BritannicE nunc vocata Scotia, vcl in ejus Insulis. Quas- 
 daiH edidit ex MSS. quasdaiii colkgit Johannes Pinkerton, qui el Variantes 
 Lectiones et notas pauculas adjecit. London, 17S9, 8vo. 
 
 I Niniani Vita. Caledonia, i. 315. 
 
 § BedcB Historia, ut supra. It has been conjectured that Leucophibia 
 and Candida Casa are equivalent terms, the former being merely a corrup- 
 tion of the Greek \iuk otKiha,; Camden's Britannia, 740.
 
 6 THK LITERARY Hlt^TORY 
 
 t>t. Martin, not as the saint of the place, but as a mark of 
 resjuvt to his memory, (for he was now dead,) and to preserve 
 the remembrance of his virtues. The bishoprick of Candida 
 Casa is regarded by ]Mr. Pinkerton as the oldest in Scotland.* 
 
 The assertion of Mr. Chalmers, that Kinian founded a 
 monastery at Candida Casa, is not devoid of probability. Mo- 
 nasteries, as shall be afterwards shown, had been instituted 
 for more than a century before the period at which we are 
 arrived ; and Ninian, as mentioned above, had undoubtedly 
 been instructed in the nature and discipline of these establish- 
 ments, by St. INIartin of Tours. But though the opinion of 
 Mr. Ciialmers be allowed to be correct, the monastery of Can- 
 dida Casa, amid the distractions of war, and from a paucity of 
 ecclesiastics, must soon have fallen into decay. Nor was it 
 revival till the days of Fergus, lord of Galloway, in the mid- 
 dle of the twelfth century. 
 
 Ninian did not confine his labours to Galloway. We are 
 informed that he went to convert the Picts who lived south of 
 the (irampian Hills ;-}* but of the result of this pious expedi- 
 tion we have no certain intelligence. To this portion of his 
 history, Ailretl devotes but a single page ; though, as Mr. 
 Pinkert<m remarks, it forms the m.ost important part of his 
 lifc.;J: This omission, however, we have no great reason to 
 regret ; for his success, we may readily suppose, could not 
 have been very extraordinary. Men, in every age, have shown 
 a deep-rooted attachment to the religious opinions which their 
 forefathers entertained, and in which they themselves were 
 educated ; and nothing has been found more difficult than to 
 effect a revolution in the theological discipline and doctrine of 
 a nation. This inveterate prejudice Ninian had to encounter 
 in his labours aBflong the Picts ; for notwithstanding his cha- 
 racteristic zeal and perseverance, the greater part of this cele- 
 brated ])eoplc remained unconverted till the time of St. Colum- 
 ba, whei^ the king and nobility liaving abjured paganism, and 
 
 • Pinkerton'.s Jm/ninj, ii. 268. -j- Bede and Ailrcd, ut supra. 
 \ Pinkcrtoii's /»Y"'ry, i. 7i. Ailicd, t. xi Userii Brilt. Eccl Anliq-
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 7 
 
 received baptism from the ISaint, the whole population were at 
 once induced to follow so illustrious an example. 
 
 That Nmian, in his visit to the Picts, ordained presbyters, 
 consecrated bishops, and divided the country into parishes, is 
 an assertion undeserving of unqualified belief.* That he conse- 
 crated persons to the holy ministry of the gospel, is exceedingly 
 probable ; but that he established parishes, in the proper ac- 
 ceptation of that word, either among the Picts, or among his 
 own flock in Galloway, is absurd or impossible. The erection of 
 parishes, indeed, was purely an ecclesiastical regulation ; but 
 that it was effected by Ninian, is disproved by the circum- 
 stances, that the number of preachers, (all of whom it is pro- 
 bable he himself had educated in his monastery of Candida 
 Casa,) were then necessarily small, and that, as just men- 
 tioned, the Picts at least, whatever was the case with his Gal- 
 wegian flock, did not receive the word of God gladly. — 
 At what period parishes were established, it would now be in 
 vain to inquire. It could not have taken place till the Chris- 
 tian system had been generally received, and its preachers be- 
 come numerous ; and as this division, and the necessary pre- 
 vious ecclesiastical establishments infer no inconsiderable degree 
 of refinement and political knowledge, it is highly probable 
 that the arrangement in question did not take place before the 
 ninth or tenth century. Mr. Chalmers supposes that parishes 
 were gradually formed after the year 843 ; but that they ex- 
 isted in the time of Malcolm III., who died in 1093, is as- 
 certained by authentic records.-f- In the reigns immediately 
 subsequent, tythes and ecclesiastical dues are mentioned, as 
 if they were familiarly known and had been long esta- 
 blished.;!: 
 
 It is improper to term Ninian bishop of "the Picts, though 
 he went to convert them. Galloway formed the great scene of 
 his benevolent exertions ; its inhabitants were then Celts ; nor 
 
 * Ailrcd ar.d Uslier, tit supra. t Caledonia, i. -tS?. 
 
 i Diitjdale's Monaslicvn, i. 3i)9 — Conncl on Tythes, i. 8.
 
 8 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 were the Picts known in this province till alter the ahdication 
 of the Anglo-Saxons in the beginning of the ninth century.* 
 
 I'.sher mentions a tradition, that on account of frequent and 
 inconvenient visits from his mother and relations, St. Ninian 
 left Whithorn and retired to Ireland ; that he obtained from 
 the king a fit and pleasant place called Cluayn-Coner, where he 
 founded a magnificent monastery; and that, after many years re- 
 sidence, he died in that country. -f* This tradition is evidently 
 unfounded in truth. It is alloAved, on all hands, that he died 
 and was buried in ^Vhithorn ;:|: and no fact in history is better 
 kno\\m, than that his tomb there was visited by pilgrims for 
 ten centuries after liis death. s^J Besides, that this " very reve- 
 rend and holy" saint, (to use the words of Bede), forsook an 
 cst;djlishmcnt which himself had reared, and which must have 
 been endeared to him by many charms and associations, merely 
 on account of unseasonable visits from his mother and friends, 
 is abundantly iinpro])able and ludicrous. 
 
 After a life spent in promoting the most valuable interests 
 of mankind ; after introducing his countrymen to a know- 
 ledge of (jod and his gospel, he died on the sixteenth day of 
 September 432, at the advanced age of seventy-two. || The 
 anniversary of his death was long observed in remembrance of 
 a prelate who had devoted his days to promote the best inte- 
 rests of his species. 
 
 From the narrow-mindedness and superstition of his age, St. 
 Ninian was not free. That he laid claim to the power of 
 working miracles, has been asserted by all his biographers, 
 and has made him the object of much abuse and illiberality.fl 
 Whether he did really put forth such a claim, or whether this 
 distinction has been gratuitously conferred on him by posterity, 
 wc need not inquire, though the latter sujjposition is by no 
 
 • Calitlimui, i. ."ii?. j. Userii Britt. Eccles. Antir/uilatcs, 1059. 
 
 J Sqiullux rM in ecclesiu beati MuTlini quam ipse a fiindmnento cunsiruxerat, 
 jH^xUiuf/ue in HiiTarphnijo iipideo juxlu allure. Ailred. Niidani Vila, 19. This 
 Mtatement is also made by Bede; iii. iii. 
 
 § C<didi,ma,\.2\r,. App. fioto C- \\ Hid. 
 
 % riiikertoii'b Irt'juiri/, ii. 277.
 
 OF GALL0U^4Y. 
 
 means improbable. But whatever he may have believed, or 
 pretended, there is no evidence that miraculous gifts have been 
 imparted to any since the days of the apostles. The dark and 
 superstitious times in which he lived, however, should exempt 
 him from the disgrace of errors and delusions which were then 
 common ; for St. Columba, also, and all the early saints on 
 the Romish Calendar, supposed they possessed the miraculous 
 influences of the Holy Spirit. And, besides, when we see 
 grave Protestant divines inculcate the doctrine that, in certain 
 circumstances, the power of working miracles will be conferred 
 on faithful preachers of the gospel, the memories of Ninian 
 and his contemporaries should surely no longer be visited with 
 contempt or ridicule.* 
 
 His literary attainments cannot reasonably be regarded as 
 great. Some of his biographers, however, have represented 
 them as stupendous ;-|- while Mr. Pinkerton characterises him 
 " as a man of a confined mind, and a stranger to secular 
 learniug."'*'i But to him, with all his ignorance and bigotry, we 
 owe the first ecclesiastical establishments in Scotland, and his 
 name will ever hold a respectable rank among the early orna- 
 ments of our country. 
 
 * Smith's and Adomnan's Life of St. Columba, passim — Tillotson's Ser- 
 mo7is, viii. 304. ix. 362. Edin. 1772, 12mo. 
 
 + Leland de Scriptoribus Britannicis, i. 56. Some have even repre- 
 sented him as an author. — Ne viderentur, says Usher, omnino posterorum 
 immemor, inaffectato-, sed utili exarahat stylo, Psalterii Meditationes, librum 
 unum, et Ex Seiitentiis Sanctorum, librum unum — Useiii Britt. Eccl. Antiq. 
 Balei Scriptoris Britannia, i. 43. 
 
 X Inquiry, ii. 277. 
 
 H
 
 10 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 OUIGIX AND HISTORY OF MONASTERIES. 
 
 The death of Ninian was fatal to the progress of learning and 
 refinement in Galloway. The benefits which he conferred on 
 the Gahvegians, there was none after him to cherish and per- 
 petuate. In the see of Candida Casa, indeed, Acta succeeded 
 hini. but Acta has left us no memorials either of his learning 
 or usefulness ; and besides, with the exception of the short pe- 
 riod of seventy years, during the sway of the Anglo-Saxons, 
 this see could not boast of a bishop for the protracted space of 
 seven centuries.* Nor is this circumstance difficult to be ac- 
 counted for. The political state of the district was extremely 
 unfavourable to the cultivation of taste and of literature. In 
 less than a century after the death of Ninian, Galloway became 
 subject to the Anglo-Saxons of Northumbria ; and though 
 their conquerors conferred on them many advantages, though 
 for a short time they revived the reduced bishoprick of Can- 
 dida Casa, and taught them the arts of peace and of domestic 
 comfort, the Gahvegians never willingly submitted to their 
 sway ; they regarded them with hostility, and made frequent 
 and daring attempts to regain their independence. 
 
 But the abdication of the Anglo-Saxons, which took place 
 in the year 820, was not the source of much benefit to the 
 Galwegians ; their province was immediately overrun by a 
 fresh horde of invaders ; and they were afterwards involved in 
 
 ' Keith's Calal. of ScoUish Hin/wps, 161.
 
 OK GALLOWAY. 11 
 
 a continual state of" warfare, offensive or defensive, till the mid- 
 dle of the fifteenth century, the date of the fall of the family 
 of Douglas. 
 
 In such circumstances, they could devote no time to intel- 
 lectual improvement. Such pursuits they would have reckoned 
 unworthy of them, and incompatible with their glory and inde- 
 pendence. To them the dignity of literature and civilization 
 were entirely unknown. From their earliest youth, their pas- 
 time and trade was war ; it was their daily, their sole occupa- 
 tion. So remarkable were they for daring and devoted heroism 
 and enterprise, that these, at an early period, obtained them 
 the appellation of the wild Scots of Galloway, and procured 
 them from the Scottish king the distinction of forming the van 
 in every engagement at which they might be present. 
 
 But the evils under which Galloway so long laboured were 
 not unblended with many advantages. Their native princes, 
 amid all their ambitious and warlike enterprises, were not inat- 
 tentive to the interests of literature and religion ; for by their 
 means she could boast of no fewer than ten ecclesiastical estab- 
 lishments before the end of the thirteenth century. These 
 continued to flourish, even under the inauspicious sway of the 
 family of Douglas, who long held the province in thraldom, 
 and who regarded intellectual endowments as a stain and re- 
 proach. Of these monastic establishments, for many ages the 
 only sources of learning and religion, we now proceed to give 
 such an account as the scantiness of materials has enabled us 
 to collect. 
 
 MoNACHiSM, if we may believe that St. Ninian introduced 
 it into Galloway, was then but of recent establishment. An- 
 thony of Egypt is looked upon as the author of this system. 
 In 305, he thought it meritorious to forego all the charities 
 and sympathies of life, and to retire into the depths of the de- 
 sert for the practice of austerity. His example was successively 
 followed at Rome and in Pontus ; and St. Martin, from whom 
 Ninian received his instructions, was the first that founded a 
 monastery in Western Europe.* 
 
 " Hist- Ace. of Monachiam., in Gibbon, vi. 241 — 6. 8vo.
 
 12 THE LITEnARY HISTORY 
 
 Monastic establishments have been regarded by modern 
 ^\Titers as objects worthy only of contempt and of ridicule. 
 A\'ith their very names we are taught to associate ideas of the 
 most base and repulsive kind. Nor is this feeling entirely un- 
 founded. For more than a centuiy before their final suppres- 
 sion, monasteries were distinguished only for lewdness, igno- 
 rance, and impiety. But, however degraded they at last be- 
 Tame, how objectionable soever they may be at a period when 
 liberal knowledjie is common, and schools and colleges are nu- 
 merous, vet for many centuries they formed the only semina- 
 ries of education in our land ; literature and science, unknown 
 among the laity, were confined to the monks ; and their re- 
 cords and chartularies contain almost the only repositories of 
 our early literary and ecclesiastical history. The first two au- 
 thors that Scotland can boast of were of the order of monks, 
 and a great proportion of our early wTiters spent their days in 
 a cloister.* ^^■ hen we are inclined to apply to these ancient 
 estiiblishments epithets of contempt or condemnation, let us 
 soften our feelings by reHecting, that, for ages, they formed 
 the only source from which the stream of intellectual attain- 
 ments was fed and maintained — from which " roving clans and 
 savage barbarians derived the benefits of knowledge, and the 
 blessings of religion." 
 
 About the middle of the twelfth century, Fergus, Lord of 
 Cralloway, founded a priory at Whithorn, for monks of the 
 Premonstratensian order, so called from Premonstrc in Cham- 
 pagne, the seat of their first abbey .-|- Of this monastery the 
 records are entirely lost. At the Reformation, all the chartu- 
 laries and ecclesiastical manuscripts that the Popish clergy 
 could get into their hands were carried away by them, and 
 either destroyed, or lodged in the Vatican at Rome, or the 
 Scotch College at Paris. '^J'hrs was the case, in a peculiar 
 manner, in the province of Galloway ; for, of the many reli- 
 
 • Irving's ScMltiah Poets, i. 18, If). 
 
 •j- .">ir James Biilfoui'i* Acrounl of the Bvi/iojmch and Monasteries in Scot- 
 land, anil their founders, and time offoumlation, JMS. Adv. Lib. Keitli, &c. on 
 Rdiijifjus JIouscs, Kfith'b Catulotjue, 21i. 
 1
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 13 
 
 gious establishments with which it abounded, no records re- 
 main ; and the very little that can now be known of their his- 
 tory must be collected from the meagre references of collateral 
 sources. 
 
 With the exception of Morice, who swore fealty to Ed- 
 ward I. in 1296, the names of none of the early priors of 
 Whithorn have been handed down to us ; but this loss is am- 
 ply compensated by the celebrity of James Beaton and Gavin 
 J )unbar, both successively connected with this priory, and both 
 afterwards raised to the highest civil and ecclesiastical digni- 
 ties. 
 
 James Bethune, or Beaton, was youngest son to John 
 Beaton of Balfour, in Fife. He was prior of Whithorn some 
 time before the year 1504. About this period he obtained the 
 office of lord treasurer, and in four years afterwards was elected 
 bishop of Galloway ; but, before his consecration, he was pro- 
 moted to the archiepiscopal see of Glasgow, on which appoint- 
 ment he resicrned the situation of treasurer. He attained to 
 the highest offices, both in church and state ; for, in 1515, 
 through the friendship of the Duke of Albany, then regent of 
 the kingdom, he was created lord chancellor ; and, in 1522, 
 he was raised to the dignity of primate of Scotland. But his 
 prosperity was not uninterrupted. Of the office of chancellor 
 he was deprived by the fluctuation of court favour ; and such 
 at that period was the instability of power, that, to preserve his 
 life, he was compelled to retire from his public duties, to lurk 
 in the most remote corners of the country, and was even re- 
 duced to the necessity of tending sheep, disguised under the 
 humble garb of a shepherd. When the Earl of Angus, how- 
 ever, whose accession to power was the source of all his mis- 
 fortunes, lost the royal favour, this prelate returned to the 
 unrestrained exercise of his episcopal functions, but was not 
 afterwards allowed to resume the office of chancellor. He died 
 in 1539, having nominated his nephew, the infamous Cardinal 
 Beaton, his successor in the see of St. Andrews, — a nomina- 
 tion afterwards confirmed by the king.* 
 
 " Keith's Catal. ut supra. Crawfurd's Officers of State, Gl-2.
 
 14- TKK MTKRARY HISTORY 
 
 The character of Beaton is any thing but respectable. His 
 conduct was ever reguhited by those tyrannical and arbitrary 
 maxims, which, whether exercised as an engine of church or 
 state policy, are uniibrmly subversive of the peace, the happi- 
 ness, and safety of those against whom they are employed. 
 Patrick Hamilton, and several others, whose names our church 
 still venerates, he committed to the Hamcs ; while Buchanan, 
 *».with many eminent men, were obliged to save their lives by 
 seeking refuge in a foreign land.* " Principle," says Dr. 
 Cook, " had over his decision no influence ; and it is impos- 
 sible to acquit him of the heavy charge of having hypocriti- 
 cally sacrificed, under pretence of regard to what he despised, 
 men who were guided by the conviction of their understanding, 
 and who obeyed the suggestion of conscience."-|* 
 
 But Beaton is yet entitled to some praise. He founded St. 
 Mary"'s college in St. Andrews. This seminary was erected on 
 the most judicious and advantageous principle ; it soon attain- 
 ed to no inconsiderable degree of eminence ; and with it have 
 been connected some of the best and most learned men of whom 
 our country can boast. ;|; 
 
 Beaton was succeeded by Gavin Dunbar, son to Sir John 
 Dunbar of ^Nlochrum, county of Wigton, and Janet Stewart, 
 daughter to the Laird of Garlics. § He studied at the Uni- 
 versity of Glasgow, where he was remarkable for diligence, and 
 
 • Spottiswood, 62, et seq, Knox, 4, et seq. 
 
 f Owk's lieformaiion, i. 163-4. 
 
 + Keith's Catalogue. Life of Melville, i. 224—226. 
 
 5 Douglas (Peerage, p. 114.) is wrong in stating tliat Gavin Dunbar was 
 BOD to Patrick Dunbar of Cliigston, and grandson to the Laird of Mochrum. 
 Dunbar of Cliigston, Arcliib;ild Dunbar, founder of the family of lialdoon, 
 and Gavin, were brothers, being sons of the Knight of JMochrum. Craw- 
 furd'8 Officerfi of State, p. 75. Crawfurd's MS. Gen. Coll. Ad. Lib. De- 
 diralion to Tripatrinrchicon, by the Ilev. Andrew Symson. 
 
 T lie family of Mochrum, which is now represented by Sir William II. 
 Dunbar, Hart., is of gn;at antiquity. Thomas Dunbar, the first of Mo- 
 chrum, who was second son of Patrick, ninth Earl of March, got a grant 
 under the Great Seal, of the lands in question, and of others in 1368. 
 (Douglass Baronnijr, 113.)
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 15 
 
 gained no inconsiderable share of literary celebrity. " Being," 
 says Keith, " a person of polite letters, he was pitched upon 
 to have the education of the young king, James V. entrusted 
 to him ;"* and, according to Crawfurd, " he managed the 
 province allotted to him so happily, that he taught his royal 
 pupil, with ease and pleasure, every thing that was necessary 
 f<)r so great a prince to learn in his young and tender years.'" ■!• 
 This important trust, indeed, he discharged so much to the 
 satisfaction of the regents of the kingdom, that in 1522, when 
 the see of Glasgow became vacant by the translation of Arch- 
 bishop Beaton to St. Andrews, they appointed Dunbar his 
 successor at Glasgow. In 1528, he was raised to the dignity 
 of chancellor of the kingdom ; and when the king, in 1536, 
 went to France, on his marriage to Magdalene, daughter of 
 Francis I., the Archbishop of Glasgow was appointed one of 
 the Lords of the Regency. The tie between the royal pupil 
 and his preceptor was never dissolved. " Dunbar," says 
 Crawfurd, " had always a full share in his master's esteem, 
 who looked upon him as a wise and able servant, and worthy 
 of the trust he reposed in him,"! 
 
 With all his eminence, however, he seems not to have been 
 a very useful preacher of the gospel ; or, more properly speak- 
 ing, he seems never to have preached at all. On one occasion, 
 indeed, at the request of Cardinal Beaton, he travelled to Ayr 
 to oppose the celebrated George Wishart, who was labouring, 
 in that quarter, in propagating and enforcing the reformed 
 doctrines. The pulpit which Wishart meant to occupy was 
 taken possession of by his opponent, who, we are told, " preach- 
 it to his jackmen, and to sum auld boisses of the town. The 
 soum of all his sermone was, They say we sould jjretc/te, 
 quhy not? Better hit thryve, nor nevir thryve : Hand us 
 still for your Bisehope, and ice sail provyde better the nixt 
 tyme. This was the beginning and end of the Bischopis ser- 
 mone, wha with haist departit the toun, bot returnit not to 
 
 • Keith's Catalogue, 86. f Craw furd's Officers of State, 15. 
 
 \ Crawfurd, vt supra.
 
 16 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 fulfil his pronicis."* If this irreverent exhifjition was made 
 by the second dignitary of the Popish church in Scotland, we 
 cannot form too low an opinion of the degraded state to which 
 that faith was then reduced in this country. 
 
 Like the other Popish clergy of his day, Dunbar, as is evi- 
 dent from the foregoing statement, viewed the progress of the 
 Reformation with extreme fear and dissatisfaction, and was not 
 less remarkable than any of his brethren for a cruel and in- 
 tolerant spirit. Bishop Keith, it must be confessed, states that 
 Dunbar had not a <• persecuting turn," though he quotes facts 
 that undennine the assertion ; and our illustrious Buchanan, 
 who enjoyed his acquaintance, speaks of him with respect, and 
 composed an epigram in his praise. -f* These writers have, I 
 am afraid, judged too favourably : for we find him engaged 
 with Cardinal Beaton in many of his most sanguinary mea- 
 sures, and endeavouring to check the advancement of the re- 
 fonned doctrines, by committing to the flames those who 
 preached and promoted them. To overlook the other arbitrary 
 transactions in which he took an active part, we may safely 
 conclude that a person who assisted on the trials of Patrick 
 Hamilton and George Wishart, can, with little propriety, be 
 said not to have possessed a " persecuting turn." And he not 
 only concurred in the sentence passed on these men, but when 
 AVishart was perishing at the stake, he, along with other pre- 
 lates, kept his eyes fixed on the awful spectacle, and seemed to 
 enjoy it. 
 
 In the parliament held in March 1542, immediately on the 
 death of James V., a motion was made by Lord INIaxwell, that 
 the Bible be allowed to be read in our vernacular tongue. This 
 overture, which redounds much to the honour of him who pro- 
 posed it, was carried after considerable discussion, and was the 
 first public and legislative step towards a reformation of reli- 
 gion. JVom this decision, however, which went to sap the 
 very foundation of the Popish faith, Archbishop Dunbar, in 
 his own name, and in the name of " all the prelates of the 
 
 • Knox's Historj/, 5i. Edin. 1731. 
 
 -j- EpifframA. 4-3. liiichanani Historia, xiv. 40G.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 17 
 
 realm," thought it proper to dissent. This opposition, which 
 was of course unavailing, does not impress us with a very fa- 
 vourable opinion of the dignitaries by whom it was made.* 
 
 He died on the 30th of April 1547, ^^^^ ^^^ interred in 
 the chancel of his cathedral, in a tomb which he had caused to 
 be built for himself. -f- 
 
 The Abbey of Dundrennam was founded by Fergus, Lord 
 of Galloway. The first monks of this place were brought from 
 Rievall in Yorkshire, and were of the Cistertian order.;|: The 
 first abbot of Dundrennan, was Sylvanus, who died in 1189- 
 There is a chasm of nearly three hundred years in the history 
 of this abbey, which cannot now be filled up. In the begin- 
 ning of the fifteenth century, Thomas was abbot of Dundren- 
 nan, — " a man," says the Rev. Mr. Thomson, " who was an 
 honour not only to his country, but to the age in which he 
 lived. "§ He was a member of the two celebrated councils of 
 Constance and Basil. He and Bishop Kennedy of Dunkeld 
 represented the Scottish church in the council of Constance ; 
 while, if we credit so fabulous a writer as Dempster, he held a 
 more dignified rank in that of Basil. || Dr. Mackenzie, who 
 is remarkable for any thing but accuracy, has placed the 
 meeting at Basil before that of Constance, and has spoken of 
 this abbot as living in I47O. It is not likely that, when 
 chosen to represent the Scottish church in 1414, he was so 
 young, that he can be expected to have been alive sixty years 
 after that period.^ It is evident, indeed, that he survived the 
 council of Basil, which met in 1431, only a very short time, 
 for in a few years after this period, another ecclesiastic filled 
 the abbot's chair of Dundrennan. 
 
 Part of the Chronicle of Melrose was composed by an abbot of 
 
 * Officers of State, 77 — Keith's Hist. 50-1. 
 f Keith's Cutal. 86. 
 
 \ Spottiswood, Keitli and Hope, on Religious Houses; also Sir James 
 Balfour's Ace of the Bishoprichs and Monasteries, IMS. Adv. Lih. 
 
 § Statist. Ace- of Scot. xi. 45. || Dempster, Apparatus ad Hist. Scot. i. 69. 
 ^ Lives of Scottish Authors, i. 319. 
 
 C
 
 16 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 this place ; and it has been conjectured tliat the ecclesiastic 
 of whom we are speaking, was the writer of it.* From the cele- 
 brity which he acquired, it is not at all improbable ; but the 
 truth of this conjecture we have no means to ascertain. 
 
 Henry, who succeeded Thomas, was abbot of this place be- 
 fore the year 1437 ' for at that date, a charter granted by him 
 to Henry Cutlar of Orroland, was confirmed by the pope. Of 
 this abbey, I have learned nothing from the period just men- 
 tioned, till the middle of the subsecpient century, when an- 
 other person of the name of Heni-y appears as a member of the 
 pri\y council, under the designation of Abbot of Dundrennan."|* 
 
 Edward Maxwell, the son of the noble family of that 
 name, was abbot here in the time of Mary. This ill-fated 
 woman, after the fatal battle of Langside, fled, at the recommend- 
 ation of Lord Herries, who accompanied her to Dundrennan, 
 which thus had the honour of affording an asylum to this 
 beautiful and interesting princess. Edward Maxwell, along 
 with his relations. Lord Herries, and Lord Maxwell, as also 
 Gordon of Lochinvar, M'Lellan of Bombie, and many others 
 connected with this district, subscribed a bond immediately be- 
 fore the battle of Langside, obliging themselves to protect and 
 defend their unfortunate queen. The ecclesiastic of whom we 
 are treating, was the last abbot of this place, which at his death 
 was annexed to the chapel royal at Stirling. 
 
 "At the end of the Chronicle is tliis note : — Hac est vera copia Antiquce 
 Chroniccr <le Mdross in Scotia, inchoala per Abbatem de Dundranan ab Anno 
 735, cuntinxmta per varies ad Annum 1270. 
 
 + Keith's Ilintory, A pp. 50. K
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 19 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 HISTORY OF MONASTERIES CONTINUED. 
 
 The Priory of St. Mary's Isle also owes its erection to Fer- 
 gus Lord of Galloway, and was the seat of Canons Regular 
 of the order of St. Augustine. The history of this establish- 
 ment for the first four hundred years has sunk into oblivion. 
 
 David Panther, or Paniter, of an ancient family near 
 Montrose, was prior of this place towards the middle of the 
 sixteenth century, and is one of the most learned men con- 
 nected with Galloway. He held several benefices, being at the 
 same time prior of St. Mary's Isle, vicar of Carstairs, and 
 commendator of Cambuskenneth.* For a considerable time be- 
 fore the year 1545, he was also principal secretary of state ; 
 and it was while he held this appointment, that he wrote those 
 elegant official letters which have perpetuated his name. He 
 was elected to the bishoprick of Ross at the period just men- 
 tioned, but was not consecrated, as immediately on his nomi- 
 nation he was appointed ambassador for Scotland at the 
 French court, where he continued seven years ; during which 
 period he regularly received the revenue of that see. His con- 
 secration took place at Jedburgh on his return, in the presence 
 of the Earl of Arran and a splendid company of nobility, all 
 of whom bestowed great praises on him for the remarkable 
 prudence and wisdom with which he had discharged the duties 
 of his high trust.-f^ 
 
 • Keith's Cat. 113. 
 f Leslceus de Rebus Gestis Scotorum, 178.
 
 20 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 In the political transactions of his time, he still continued to 
 act a prominent part. Soon after his return to his native land, 
 he was employed hy the King of France to treat with the 
 Karl of Arran, to induce him to resign the regency into the 
 hands of the Queen Dowatjcr. His nejjotiation was success- 
 ful ; and the French monarch, as a reward for his services, con- 
 ferred on him an abbey in Poictou. In 1550, when peace was 
 likely to be concluded between Scotland and England, he was 
 sent as commissioner from the Scottish Parliament to bring 
 about that desirable event ; and when Mary was married to 
 the Dauphin of France, Panther with several other illustrious 
 men, were deputed by the Scottish nation to attend, as wit- 
 nesses of the ceremony. Having led a life of great activity 
 and eminence, he died at Stirling on the 1st of October 1558.* 
 
 Few of that a<je were more remarkable for taste and for 
 erudition, than bishop Panther. The celebrated Lesly, who 
 at a subsequent period filled the same see, speaks of him in the 
 most enthusiastic terms ;-|* and ]\Ir. Ruddiman, no incompe- 
 tent judge, remarks, of how fine a genius Panther was his let- 
 ters sufficiently declare ^ for they are such as could only have 
 been written by a man imbued with elegant literature, and 
 deeply skilled in the principles of political economy. J These 
 letters, indeed, which were written on public business in his 
 official capacity as secretary of state, and })ublished by Ruddi- 
 man in 1722, afford a model of classical latinity, and are de- 
 ser^•ing of higher celebrity than has been awarded them. The 
 j)u!jlication of Ruddiman consists of two volumes, of which the 
 second only was composed by our prelate, the first being the 
 work of Patrick Panther, his near relation, and also an elegant 
 writer. § 
 
 " r.iirlianani Hist. xvi. Kcitli's Ilisl. 72. Spottiswood's Hint. 90. 
 
 \ Lexbnis <le Rebus frestis Scotnriim, 478 — .516. 
 
 } EpialoUe Iter/. Scot. The full title of tliis book is Epistolce Jacohi 
 Quarti, Quinti, ft Mariae Re<jum Scotorum, cormnrjue Tutorum, et Reijni Gu- 
 hfrna/oriim, rid Imperalores, Ref/en, Pontifurs, Civitates et Alios ah anno 1505. 
 aii annum lolj. Kdiii. 1722, 2 vols. bvo. 
 
 5 EjnstoltF Reg. Scot. 
 
 1
 
 OF OALiLOWAV. 21 
 
 But whatever was his eminence as a scholar, it is doubtful 
 if much praise be due to his moral and religious character. 
 He seemed, says Buchanan, to have been educated in the school 
 ofprofaneness, and not in that of" piety ; and at court he prompt- 
 ctl men to all manner of impurities ; and Knox represents 
 him as a man of grossness and sensuality ; " Eating and 
 drinking,"" says he, " was the pastyme of his lyif.""* 
 
 Robert Richardson, whose progenitors had, for several 
 generations, been respectable citizens of Edinburgh, was, about 
 the year 1560, created commendator of St. Mary''s Isle. Along 
 with Alexander Gordon, bishop of Galloway, he was present 
 in the parliament (1560) in which the Confession of Faith was 
 first ratified, and is mentioned among others as having " re- 
 nouncit papistry, and openly professed Jesus Christ with us."-}" 
 Two years before this period, he had been advanced by the 
 Queen-Regent to the offices of lord treasurer and general of the 
 mint. He seems either to have been a man of no wamnth or 
 violence of feeling, or to have been calculating, selfish or tem- 
 porizing, for he contrived to retain his two lucrative situations, 
 both under Mary and under her son. He purchased large 
 estates, which, at his death in 1571» he left to his two sons — 
 Sir James Richardson of Smeaton, and Sir Robert of Pencait- 
 land.j 
 
 The Priory of Tongland was founded about the middle of 
 the twelfth century, by that munificent prince whom we have 
 so often mentioned. The monks were of the Premonstraten- 
 sian order, and were brought from Cockerland in Lancashire. 
 We find Alex'Ander, abbot of this place, swear fealty to Ed- 
 ward I. in 1296. He was also a subscriber to Bagimont''s 
 Roll. The next abbot of Tongland of whom we have any 
 memorials, is James Herries, who, in 1430, repaired this mo- 
 nastery, which was greatly decayed, and enclosed the precincts 
 with a high wall. " He was a Doctor of the Sorbonne,"" says 
 
 • Knox'.s Histmij, 118. f lb- 280. 
 
 t Crawfurd's Officers of Stale, 383.
 
 •22 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 Keith, •• aiul much taincil tor his learning, and wrote upon 
 the validity ot" indulgences.'''* 
 
 In the reisn of James IV. an Italian, a man of doubtful 
 worth, who came to this country in the character of a physi- 
 cian and alchymist, was promoted to the abbot''s chair of this 
 place. He seems to have been a fanciful theorist and projec- 
 tor. Having laid claims to the art of flying, he undertook to 
 rise, in the presence of the king and courtiers, from the battle- 
 ments of Stirling castle, and fly to France, whither he was to 
 arrive before the IScottish ambassadors, who were just then com- 
 mencing their journey. The result of this mad attempt may 
 easily be anticipated. He not only entirely failed, but his thigh 
 bone was broken by the fall ; and, as Dunbar says, he sunk 
 deep into a dunghill. That his wings were not entirely com- 
 posed of the feathers of the more noble and dignified birds, but 
 blended with those of the lowest fowls, he regarded as the cause 
 of his failure and disgrace."^ By this ridiculous exhibition, he 
 exposed himself to the keen personal satire of William Dunbar, 
 author of the allegorical poem of The Thistle and the Rose. 
 The poet, after admirably describing how the feathered tribes 
 attacked him for invading their province, adds : 
 
 For t'eir imcuiiuaudly he cawkit, 
 Quliyll all his pentiis war drowii'd and drawkit, 
 Jle maid a hundretli iiolt all hawkit, 
 Ijeneath hiin with a spowt. 
 
 He schfiire his leddereiiie that was scheuc, 
 And .slipj)it out of it full cleiit', 
 And in u inyre, up to the enc, 
 
 Aniaiig the glur did ulyd. 
 'I'lie fowlis all at the fjdrem dang; 
 As at a monster tharne aniang, 
 Quhyll all the pennis of it owt.-.prang 
 
 Iiitill the air full wyde. 
 
 And he lay iit the plunge ovir mair 
 Sa lang as any i^vin di<l laii' ; 
 
 • Keith's Cat. 5?4j. 
 
 f Le«lcEiis tic Jiebus G st. Scot. PjM—'^Ui. Dunbar'b Poems.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 23 
 
 The c-rawis him socht with cryis ol' cair 
 
 III every schaw besyde. 
 Had he reveild bene to the ruikis, 
 T hay had him rcviii with tliair ekiikis. 
 Tliro dayis in duh amaiig tlie dukis 
 
 He did with dirt him hyde." 
 
 Of the subsequent life of this ecclesiastic nothing is known. 
 
 William Melville is the only other person whose name 
 I can discover, as connected with this abbey ; of which he was 
 coinmendator. He was fourth son of Sir John Melville of 
 Raith, and brother to Sir James Melville of Halhill, whose 
 Memoirs are so well known.* Melville is often mentioned 
 in the history of his times, by the title of Lord Tungland. 
 This title he obtained on being made a Lord of Session in 
 1587? on the resignation of the Dean of Moray. -j- Dubartas, 
 the celebrated French poet, having visited Scotland in 1597^ 
 was made known to James VI. who had published a transla- 
 tion of his poem of Uranie. Henry IV. then king of 
 Navarre, gave him secret instructions to endeavour to bring 
 about a marriage with his sister and the Scottish monarch, to 
 whom he introduced him. The representation of Dubartas 
 made no inconsiderable impression on the mind of James ; for 
 when Dubartas departed, a person of trust was despatched at 
 the same time to accompany the poet, and to bring home an 
 accovmt of the Princess of Navarre. The person to whom this 
 affair was entrusted was Lord Tungland. The marriage, how- 
 ever, did not take place, in consequence of the ardent attach- 
 ment of the Princess to the Comte de Soissons. Melville was 
 decidedly hostile to the existence of presbyteiy in Scotland ; 
 and we find him often employed by the Scottish monarch as 
 his commissioner in the ecclesiastical courts. In 1595, along 
 with Macgill of Cranston-Riddel, he appeared before the pres- 
 bytery of Haddington with a complaint from the king against 
 the famous John Davidson, minister of Prcstonpans, for his 
 resistance to the royal will at the last General Assembly, and 
 
 • Crawl u id's Peerage, 325. ■Melville's Memoirs, 323. 
 f Hailes' Catalogue of Lords of Session., 6—8.
 
 ^ 
 
 '2i THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 for protesting against the proceetlings and enactments of the 
 two tbrnior Assemblies.* In the year after that just mention- 
 ed, Sir Patrick Murray and Melville wove appointed to attend 
 the synml of Fife, and not to allow the measures of the late 
 Assemblies to be altered or annulled. The synod, however, 
 showed no disposition of the kind. IMelville died in 1613. 
 He was subservient to every wish of his sovereign, and showed 
 not much respect to the civil rights and religious privileges of 
 his countrymen. "f 
 
 The monastery of 8auls;eat, which lies in the parish of 
 Inch, in the neighbourhood of Stranraer, was also founded by 
 Fergus, lord of (ialloway, and was the seat of monks of the 
 Premonstratensian order. It was so called, according to Sym- 
 son, either from Sedes Animarum, or from Sedes Saulis, a per- 
 son of the name of Saul being the first abbot of it. It never 
 rose to any eminence, and of its history nothing is known. 
 The only hint I have met with connected with it, is, that, in 
 15G8, the abbot of Saulseat, along with some of the most emi- 
 nent men of the kingdom, subscribed a bond, obliging them- 
 selves to defend, by every means in their power, their unfortu- 
 nate queen. 
 
 The college or provostry of Lincluden, situated on the 
 small river Cluden where it joins the Nith, about two miles 
 above Dumfries, was originally a convent for Benedictine or 
 Black Nuns, and was founded by Uchtred, son to Fergus, lord 
 of Galloway. The nuns were, about the end of the 14th cen- 
 tury, expelled by Archibald the Grim, Earl of Douglas, on ac- 
 count of their debauched and scandalous lives, and this esta- 
 blishment converted into a college or ])rovostry. 
 
 'i'he first provost of Jjlncluden was Klese, who was succeed- 
 ed by Alexander Cairns, chamberlain to the Earl of Doug- 
 las. He was succeeded, in 1424, by John Cameron of the 
 
 " .^I'Crie'B Life if Melville, ii. 134- 
 
 t J>l>otti«woo(l's Ilisl. 453. Calderwood's Hist. i25. Hailes' Cata- 
 hxjue, H.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 25 
 
 house of Lochiel, — a man whose name is recorded in the his- 
 tory of his country. He attained to the highest offices in the 
 state. James I. on his return from Kngland, made him secre- 
 tary and lord privy seal, and afterward chancellor of the king- 
 dom. He was at a subsequent period elevated to the archiepis- 
 copal chair of Glasgow, and was elected one of the delegates 
 from the Church of Scotland to the council of Basil, whither 
 he went with a magnificent retinue of thirty persons. The re- 
 bellion, which, after murdering James I., brought his son to 
 the throne, deprived Cameron of the office of chancellor. He 
 now retired from public life ; and died at Lockwood, on the 
 24th December 1446. 
 
 His character, and the circumstances of his death, have been 
 variously represented. From one account it would seem that 
 to all his vassals within his diocese he had been infamously 
 cruel and inquisitorial, and that his end was worthy of his 
 wicked life ; for that, after thrice hearing a voice calling on 
 him to appear before the tribunal of Christ to plead his cause, 
 he suddenly expired, uttering a deep groan, his countenance 
 being distorted, and his tongue suspended from his mouth. 
 This is the account given by Buchanan, and is re-echoed by 
 Spottiswood ; w^hile Crawfurd and Keith dispute the truth of 
 it, as Buchanan has stated it merely on the faith of public re- 
 port, and as, had Cameron been so harsh and unprincipled, it is 
 improbable that he could have retained so long the countenance 
 and favour of the best of sovereigns. Whether Cameron was 
 an amiable character, cannot now be decided ; but the state- 
 ment of Buchanan is too absurd to gain implicit confidence.* 
 
 The next provost of Lincluden was Halliburton, of whom 
 nothing is known, and who was succeeded by John Methuin. 
 After Methuin, persons of the names of Lindsay, Living- 
 stone, Herries and Anderson were successively provosts of 
 this place. Andrew Stewart, third son of Sir James Ste- 
 wart of Lorn, by Jane, widow of James I., succeeded Ander- 
 
 * Buchanani Historiu in Vita Jacobi II. Spottisivood, 114. Crawfurd 's 
 Officers of State, 2i. Keith's Catalogue, liS.
 
 26 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 son. He was (loan of faculty of the university of Glasgow, and 
 sul)senuently bishop of Moray. He died in 1501.* 
 
 Stewart was succeeded by George Hepburn, uncle to the 
 first Karl of Both well, who, while he held several benefices, 
 was also lord treasurer of Scotland. He died at the side of his 
 monarch on the bloody field of Flodden.-f* 
 
 WiLLiAM Stewart, son of Sir Thomas Stewart of Minto, 
 was, it is thought, the next provost of Jjincludcn. He was 
 raised to the dignity of lord treasurer of Scotland in 1530, and 
 two years afterward, was created bishop of Aberdeen. To the 
 college of that })lace he was very munificent ; he bestowed up- 
 on it a considerable addition to its revenue, and built apart- 
 ments for a library. He founded two schools ; and, honoured 
 by all, he died on the 17th of April 1545. " He was," says 
 Spottiswood, " a man given to virtue, charitable to the poor, 
 and ready to every good work.^J 
 
 This provostry was afterwards filled, in succession, by Max- 
 well, and three persons of the name of Douglas, the third of 
 whom was the last provost of Lincluden, which was erected in- 
 to a temporal barony in 15G5 ; since which time it has been 
 the property of the INIaxwells of Nithsdale. 
 
 The Al)bey of Glenluce was founded in 1190, by Roland, 
 Lord of Galloway, and Constable of Scotland. The monks, 
 who were of the Cistertian order, were brought from Melrose. 
 Here again we have to complain of the same want of materials 
 as on former occasions : few names connected with this abbey 
 have come down to us. In 1214, William was abbot of 
 Cilenluce, who, though proba})ly a man of credulity, seems not 
 to have l)een entirely destitute of learning. The ecclesiastics 
 of this early period, indeed, were much more learned and vir- 
 tuous than tliey are generally represented or believed, or than 
 their .successors of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. All 
 that can now be known of this abbot is, that he flourished at 
 
 • Keith's Cut. 86. f Crawfiird's OJfkers of State, 368. 
 
 X Crawfurd'e Officers of Stale, 373—4. Spottiswood, 106.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 27 
 
 the period recently mentioned, and that he addressed a letter 
 written in Latin, to the Prior of Melrose, containing an ac- 
 count of a remarkable phenomenon in the heavens, which had 
 been observed by two monks of Glenluce. This letter has al- 
 ready appeared in print, and affords no very contemptible spe- 
 cimen of the monkish latinity of that early period.* In the 
 Chronicle of Melrose, he is termed opthni testimonii, et sanctae 
 conversationis monachus. In the reign of James IV. Walter 
 was abbot of Glenluce, having been sent thither by John Duke 
 of Albany. 
 
 CuTHBERT Baillie, of the anciont family of Carphin, 
 descended from that of Lamington, is the next person I find 
 connected with this abbey ; of which he was commendator. 
 He was early destined for the church ; and so soon as he 
 entered into orders, obtained a canonry in the chapter of 
 Glasgow, and was made rector of Cumnock. How early he 
 held the commendatorship of Glenluce, I have not discover- 
 ed ; but he died in 1514, after having for two years filled 
 the dignified office of lord-treasurer of the kingdom. Thomas 
 Hay, of the house of Park, was commendator of the abbey 
 in 1560.t 
 
 Lawrence Gordon, son to Alexander, bishop of Gallo- 
 way and archbishop of Athens, was abbot of this place in the 
 end of the 16th, and beginning of the 17th century. In 1602, 
 James IV. erected, in his favour, Glenluce into a temporal 
 barony, which, at his death in 1606, was, by royal charter, 
 conferred on his brother John, dean of Salisbury ; who was at 
 length succeeded by his son-in-law, Sir Robert Gordon of 
 Gordonston. Glenluce was afterwards annexed to the see of 
 Galloway, the revenue of which, from various causes, had 
 been much reduced ; and, towards the end of the 17th cen- 
 tury, it was again erected into a barony, and became the pro- 
 perty of the family of Dalrymple, afterwards Earls of Stair. J 
 
 " Mackenzie's Lives of Scottish Writers, i. 406. 
 
 -j- Crawlurd's Officers of State, 369. 
 
 I Wood's Fasti Oxon. 79a. Gordon's Historrj of the FamHi/ of Gordon,
 
 28 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 Of the abbey of Kirkcudbright, which was the seat of" 
 Franciscan or lirey Friars, and probably I'ounded either by 
 Roland, formerly mentioned, or his son, Allan, lord of 
 Galloway, no acconnt can now be given. Like Saulseat, it 
 seems never to have attained to any degree of celebrity : the 
 following notice is all I can discover respecting it. In the 
 time of David 11. John Carpenter belonged to this place — a 
 man who, says Keith, " was an excellent engineer, and 
 dexterous in contriving all instruments of war ; he fortified 
 the castle of Dunbarton, for which he had twx^nty pounds 
 Sterling of yearly allowance settled upon him by that mon- 
 arch."* 
 
 The abbey of Sweet-heart was, early in the 13th cen- 
 tury, instituted by Dervorgille, daughter of Allan, lord of Gal- 
 loway, and wife of the illustrious John Baliol, and was the 
 seat of Cistertian monks. At the death of her husband, 
 which took place in France, Dervorgille extracted his heart, 
 and having spiced and embalmed it, put it into an ivory box, 
 bound with silver and enamelled ; and, having brought it 
 home, deposited it solemnly in the wall of Sweet-heart, near 
 the high altar.-f* This circumstance gave the name of Sweet- 
 heart to the monastery, which in modern times, is also known 
 by the appellation of New- Abbey. The only eminent name 
 connected with this place, is that of Gilbert Brown, who 
 was descended of the ancient family of Carsluith, in the 
 parish of Kirkmabreck, now extinct, and who was the last 
 abbot of Sweet-heart. His connexion with this abbey must 
 have been soon after the middle of the sixteenth century, as, in 
 15C0, he had a seat in that parliament, by which the (con- 
 fession of Faith was passed.^ The celebrity of Gilbert 
 Drown originated in the controversy between him and the 
 famous John Welsh of Ayr, on the subject of popery. A 
 
 • Ki'itli'H Cut. A\>y. 27.5. 
 
 t \rytitoii'R Chrov'jkil of Scotland, edilcd by l\IacpI)cr.soii, viii. 8. 
 
 \ KtitirM Cat. 2m.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 29 
 
 communication from Welsh, to a person of the ('atholic 
 religion, the object of which was, to undermine the principles 
 of that faith, having fallen into the hands of Brown, he im- 
 mediately composed what he regarded as a refutation of it, ad- 
 dressed to Welch.* Welsh was not tardy in making a reply ; 
 which, while it is extremely satisfactory and conclusive, forms 
 one of the most learned and elaborate works written in that 
 a<re. Nor was Brown without his share of talent ; and his 
 erudite treatise, (if a few pages can deserve that name,) is as 
 superior to the works of any of his Catholic brethren of that 
 period, as it is inferior in every useful quality to the elaborate 
 production of Welch. — Welch wished for a verbal and public 
 disputation on the points at issue ; but this. Brown, for his 
 own good name, had the caution and prudence to decline."!* 
 
 " Brown," a rigid and inflexible catholic, " was," says 
 Dr. M'Crie, " a busy trafficker for Rome and Spain, and a 
 chief instrument of keeping the south of Scotland under ignor- 
 ance and superstition. "j Accordingly, the commissioners of 
 the Assembly, in a list of grievances, which, in 1596, they 
 submitted to the king, stated among other things, " that 
 Jesuits and excommunicated papists were entertained within 
 the country." Gilbert Brown of New-Abbey was specially 
 mentioned, and recommended to be apprehended, and brought 
 before his majesty for his errors. This recommendation, how- 
 ever, was not attended with immediate success : but, nine 
 years afterwards, he was apprehended by Lord Cranstoun, 
 captain of the guard appointed for the borders — though not 
 without some difficulty, as the people attempted to rescue him 
 out of his hands. § He was first confined in Blackness, and 
 thence in a few days conveyed to the castle of Edinburgh. 
 
 • The title, or rather the first sentence of Brown's reply, is, A7ie An- 
 swere to one certaine libeU or jvritijig, sait by Mr. John Wehche, to ane Catho- 
 liclie, as ane Answere to ane objection of the Roman kirk, whereby they go about 
 to deface the veritie of that onely true religion whilk we professe. 
 
 f Preface of Welsh's Beply. 
 Life of Melville, ii. 208. 
 
 § C alderwood's Hist. A])p. 320—196. Keith's Cat. 26.
 
 30 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 More kindiiess was shown by the king to him than to his ami- 
 able and ingenious o])ponent ; tor after having been liberally 
 entertained, while in confinement, at the public expcncc, he 
 was pcnnitted to leave the kingdom ; all the apparatus and 
 insignia ol" popery belonging to him having been carefully 
 restored before his departure. He died in France in 1612.* 
 
 The abbey of Wigton, the seat of Dominican or Black 
 Friars, was founded in 1262, by Lady Dervorgille of Gallo- 
 way. Of its history nothing is known ; and even the very 
 ruins of it have totally disappeared. Friars, indeed, from the 
 very nature of their order, never attained to eminence. Obliged, 
 as they were, to profess poverty, and to subsist on the charity 
 of the world, their lives necessarily passed away in the most 
 uninteresting and inglorious manner. Whatever influence 
 they may have possessed, whatever esteem they may have ac- 
 quired in the limited sphere in which they moved, their names, 
 unassociated with any great purpose or achievement, soon sunk 
 into total oblivion. This was the case in a peculiar manner 
 with the establishment at Wigton. Of the existence of the 
 various successions of Friars who adorned, or disgraced it, the 
 faintest memorial cannot now be traced. 
 
 • Sir Robert Spottiswood, second son of the archbishop of that name, 
 seems to have got a grant of this abbey. He succeeded liis celebrated father 
 as a I>ord of Session in 1622, under the title of Lord New-Abbey. He was 
 in 1633 elected president of the court; but, on the trumph of ])resbytery in 
 1637, he ceased to exercise that office. He joined the marquis of Montrose ; 
 and was apprehended near rhiliphaugh, in August ICA5. He was tried 
 for treason, by a committee of jiarlianient, and found guilty. He was be- 
 headed at the market-cross of St. Andrews, 20th January 1646. Memoirs 
 of his Lifn, prefixed to his Praclics of the Law of Scotland, edited in 1706, by 
 his grandson, IMr. John Jipottiswood, advocate. 
 
 A
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 31 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 BISHOPRICK OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 Having, in the two preceding chapters, given an account of 
 the monastic establishments in Galloway, we must now go 
 back to trace her episcopal history, — a task for which the ma- 
 terials are, upon the whole, ample and satisfactory. We have 
 already mentioned, that Ninian was succeeded by a person of 
 the name of Acta, and that, after his time, with the trifling 
 exception of about seventy years, this bishoprick remained in a 
 state of decay until the middle of the twelfth century. At 
 this latter period, therefore, our present account begins. 
 
 The bishoprick of Candida Casa* was revived in 1154, pro- 
 bably by Fergus, Lord of Galloway, who flourished at this 
 period, and was a great patron of learning and religion. Chris- 
 tian, who was consecrated bishop of that see in the year just 
 mentioned, seems to have been a man of no inconsiderable 
 eminence. He is mentioned by Rymer as a witness to the 
 sentence passed by Henry II. of England in 1177? ^^ the dis- 
 pute referred to his decision by Alfonsus and Sanctius, two 
 princes of Spain. -j* About the same period Cardinal Tomasi, 
 arriving in Scotland, as legate from Rome, summoned the 
 
 • Wc use the terms Galloway and Candida Casa as synonymous, the 
 bislioprick in question being designated by either of these names. The 
 diocese of Galloway comprehended Wigtonshirc and the stewartry of Kirk- 
 cudbright, and, according to Spottiswood, part ot Dumfries-sliire. {Hist. App. 
 10.) 
 
 f Rymcr's Feeder a, i. 48.
 
 32 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 Scottish prelates to Kdinburgh, where he sat in council. 
 Christian refused to obey the summons, because, being a suf- 
 fragan of the see of York, he regarded himself as subject only 
 to the jurisdiction of the archbishop of that place. Nor might 
 this have been his sole reason. The connexion of the Galwe- 
 gians with their Scottish neighbours was, for many centuries, 
 very slender and jealous ; and an alliance with England was 
 waniily courted and cherished, to enable them to resist the in- 
 roads cf the Scottish kings. Such, it is probable, was also 
 their ecclesiastical state, even so early as the time of Christian. 
 It is, at least, evident, that all the bishops of Candida Casa, 
 until the beginning of the fourteenth century, being conse- 
 crated at York, owned subjection only to that see ; and it is 
 even mentioned, that at one period, when the convent and 
 prior of Whithorn, and the other inhabitants of Galloway, 
 severally espoused the cause of rival candidates for the see of 
 Candida Casa, and when each applied to the archbishop in 
 favour of their respective competitor, that prelate preferred 
 and consecrated the person recommended by the Galwegians, 
 thus indisputably shewing the extent and stability of his 
 power. Whatever, in the time of Christian, may have been 
 the ecclesiastical connexion between England and Galloway, 
 or whatever reasons he may have urged in support of the step 
 he had taken, he was nevertheless suspended from his office by 
 the legate.* Of his subsequent history we know nothing, but 
 that he died at Holmcultram in the year 1186. 
 
 Christian was succeeded by John, who, in 1206, resigning 
 his charge, retired to the abbey of Holyrood, where he died in 
 
 1209.t 
 
 Walter was the next bishop of this see. He is tenned by 
 Keith chaplain (clcricus) to Koland, Lord of Galloway, and 
 afterwards chamberlain to Allan, the last of the male line of 
 that illustrious family. He died in 1235. J 
 
 His successor, it is thought, was Gilbert, abbot of Kinloss, 
 
 • Hailch' Huit. Memoirs concerning (he provincial councils of the Scottish 
 Clergy, 6. 
 ■\ Forduni Scotichronicon, viii. * Keith, 161.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 33 
 
 who, having been recommended and supported by the inhabi- 
 tants of Galloway, was opposed by the prior and convent of 
 Whithorn, who made choice of Odo, al)b()t of Deretonsal. 
 The decision of this matter, as mentioned above, was referred 
 to the archbishop of York, who, preferring the claims of Gil- 
 bert, invested him with episcopal dignity.* 
 
 Gilbert died in 1253, and was succeeded by Henry, abbot 
 of Holyrood, whom Baliol chose as one of the commissioners, 
 on his part, in the dispute between Bruce and him for the 
 crown of Scotland. -f- 
 
 The see of Galloway was next filled by Thomas, who, in 
 1296, swore fealty to Edw^ard I. and recognised Bruce's title 
 to the Scottish throne. + To this prelate the following lines of 
 Wynton refer : — 
 
 De Byschope of Gallway, tiiaie Thomas, 
 
 (A Theolog solempne he was,) 
 
 Made a Serraownd rycht plesaiit, 
 
 And to the matere accordant. § 
 
 Of the other persons who held this see till about the year 
 1426, little else than the names have come down to us. 
 Alexander Vaux, descended of the ancient and powerful 
 family of the De Vallibus or De Vaux, was consecrated bishop 
 of Galloway about that year. His name is mentioned by 
 Rymer ; he is honoured with the praise of Lesly ; and Boyce 
 terms him vir nohilis et eruditus — a learned man, and of noble 
 extraction. II In 1429, he was appointed by James I. one of 
 the preservers of the peace on the borders of Scotland. He 
 resigned his bishoprick about the year 1451, in favour of Tho- 
 mas Spence, a man of no inconsiderable distinction.^ 
 
 " Spence being a man of singular prudence," according to 
 Keith, " was employed in several embassies, particularly in 
 the treaty of marriage between the Duke of Savoy and Lewis 
 
 " Hailes, ut supra. -f llynier's Firdcra, ii. 555. 
 
 \ Keith, ut mipi-a. § Wynton's Clirowjliil of Scotland, \x. \Z- 
 
 II Rymer's Fcedera, x. Boethii Aberdon. Episcop, Vitae, f. xiv. 
 
 •[ Boethius, uf supra, f. xv. 
 
 D
 
 .'^4 THE MTERARY HISTORY* 
 
 Count de Mauvionuc, his son, with Annabclla, sister to James 
 1 1 . ill 1 449." * He was appointed, in 1451 , one of the ambas- 
 sadors from the Scottish Court, to negotiate a truce with Eng- 
 hnid, and, in 1 i.";}}, was made keeper of the privy seal. At 
 this latter date, he was transhited to the see of Aberdeen, when 
 he rcsigni-d the office of privy seal, which, however, he again 
 resumed, and kei)t till the year M^l-f He founded an hos- 
 pital iji Kdinhurgh for twelve ])oor men, called the Hospital 
 of Our Lady, which is now converted into a work-house, under 
 the name of PauFs Work.+ He died at Edinburgh on the 
 Hftecnth day of April 1480. 
 
 He was succeeded by Ninian, of whom nothing important 
 is known, and at whose death George Vaux, a near relation of 
 bishop A\aux, mentioned above, was, through the interest of 
 Thomas Spence, out of gratitude to his beneiactor, promoted to 
 this see. It was during the time of this prelate that James 111., 
 having founded a chaj)el royal at Stirling, annexed it to the bi- 
 shoprick of (ialloway. (jeorge A^aux was the first that held this 
 a])jK)intnient ; which was retained by his successors until the re- 
 volution in 16}{}{ ; and the Pope having conferred episcopal dig- 
 nity on the dean of the chapel, the bishops of Galloway were 
 now designated Candidfe Casa: et CcipcU(V Rvgia. Strivelinge?i- 
 si.s Episcopi — bishops of (ralloway and of the chapel royal of 
 Stirling.^ Tbis appointment undoubtedly added much to the 
 importance of the see to which it was thus annexed ; but, from 
 its very foundation, the dignity of this bishoprick was high ; 
 for, from its being the oldest in Scotland, and from the cele- 
 brity of the province in which it was situated, it ranked imme- 
 diately after the archie])iscopal sees of St. Andrews and Glas- 
 gow. After the erection of Edinburgh into a bishoprick in 
 Ui.'J.'}, it i)ecanie fourth in degree ; and the precedence of the 
 f»ther sees was determined by the sein'oiity of the prelates by 
 whom they were resjiectively filled. 
 
 James III. having been slain at Bannockburn, once the 
 scene of a more gJorio\is achievement, in a rebellion of his 
 
 • KoiUr.s Catalo(/w, IfiS. f IJyinpi's Fa'Jcra, ix. 
 
 X Arriot's Hitlorif of luiinbunjh, 24-7. § Keith's Cat. IGk
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 35 
 
 nobles, his only son, who hecadcd the nobility on this occasion, 
 and succeeded to the throne, retired soon after his accession to 
 Stirling; and by means of the members of the chapel royal, 
 and chiefly of bishop Vaux, the royal dean, he became so peni- 
 tent on account of the undutiful part he had acted, that, while 
 Vaux " put him in good hopes of forgiveness by God"'s mer- 
 cies in Jesus Christ," he was induced, to give his conscience 
 ease, to use an outward sign of repentance, and " garth make 
 a girth of iron, and wear it daily about him, and eiked every 
 year of his life certain ounces of weight thereto as he thought 
 good.""* 
 
 Vaux must have died before the year 1508, as at that date 
 James Beaton, of whom we have already given an account, 
 was elected bishop of Galloway ; but Beaton, before he was 
 consecrated, was advanced to the archbishoprick of Glasgow. 
 
 David Arnot, son to John Arnot of Arnot, and Catherine, 
 daughter to Melville of Carnbee, was the next that filled this 
 see. He was archdean of Lothian, abbot of Cambuskenneth, 
 and commendator of Tongland.-|- 
 
 He died in 1526, and was succeeded by Henry Wemyss, 
 who was nearly related to the noble family of that name in 
 Fife. In 1540, he attended at St. Andrews, on the summons 
 of Cardinal Beaton, on the trial of Sir John Borthwick for 
 heresy, and concurred in the unjust and tyrannical sentence 
 pronounced on that individual. He died in the course of the 
 year just specified.]: 
 
 Andrew Durie, abbot of Melrose, and descended of an 
 ancient family in Fife, succeeded him. He seems to have 
 been rather eminent, and to have taken an active part in the 
 political events of his time. He was seldom absent fi-om his 
 duty in parliament. With several noblemen, Durie, in 1550, 
 accompanied the queen-dowager to France, whither she went 
 to endeavour, by superseding the Earl of Arran, to get the 
 regency of Scotland conferred on herself. And he was also 
 
 * Pitscottie's Hislori/ of ScotlnncL 171. App. note D. 
 
 f Keith's Cat. IG.j. J Spottiswood, 69. Keith's History, App. 4,
 
 3G THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 one of the commissioners sent from the Scottish court to neoo- 
 tiatc the marriage of Mary with the dau])hin of France. His 
 (U\ith took place in the month of Septemher 1558.* 
 
 'I'liat ] )urie was exempt from the vices hy which the Popish 
 ck'rgy were then distinguish.ed, is hardly to he expected. And 
 Knox accordingly presents us with a repulsive, though pro- 
 hahly an exaggerated picture of him. " That enemy of God 
 was sumtymes called, for his filthiness, Ahhote Stottiken ;" 
 and '' he vowed and plainly said, that in despi/te of God, ao- 
 /aiig as tluiy that war prclats levid, sonld that word, caUit the 
 craiisrell, nen'r be pirachcd icithin this rmhney-f 
 
 Alexandkr Goroon, whose name must be familiar to the 
 reader, and whose history we shall endeavour to detail with 
 some minuteness, was, on the death of bishop Durie, promoted 
 to the vacant see. He was the son of John, master of Huntly, 
 and of Jane Stewart, natural daughter of James IV. " Scarce- 
 ly any Scottish prelate," says Dr. M'Crie, " ever occupied so 
 many different sees, or occupied them for so short a time.''*'J 
 A\nK'n the l)ishoprick of Glasgow became vacant in 1547, on 
 the death of Gavin Dunbar, Gordon, through the influence of 
 liis powerful family, obtained the appointment ; but before he 
 was inducted to the charge, he was opposed by James Beaton, 
 then abbot of Aberbrothick, and the decision of the matter 
 having been referred to the court of Rome, Beaton, though a 
 man of inferior extraction, was preferred ; while, as a compen- 
 sation for his disa])pointment, the Pope conferred on Gordon 
 the title of archbishop of Athens, which he ever afterwards re- 
 tained, and gave him the promise of the first vacant benefice 
 in Scotland in the gift of the Karl of Arran, then regent of 
 the kijigdom. He was afterwards successively bishop of the 
 Isles and of Caithness, and in 1558 was promoted to the see 
 of (ialloway. 
 
 Gordon, with all the frailties that attach to the name, is en- 
 titled to the distinction of being the first prelate that was con- 
 verted to the protestant faith. This happy change took place 
 
 • Kcitli's Cat. 165. f Knox's Jlistonj, IIH. ^ Life of Knox, ii. 80.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 37 
 
 immediately on his consecration to the see of Galloway ; for, in 
 the year following, we find him associated with the promoters 
 of the reformed religion in suspending, by a solemn deed, the 
 queen-dowager from her authority as regent. Having unani- 
 mously adopted this important step, they elect a council for 
 the management of public affairs until the meeting of a free 
 parliament. " When the council," says Dr. M'Crie, " had 
 occasion to treat of matters connected with religion, four of the 
 ministers were appointed to assist in their deliberations. These 
 were Knox, Willock, Goodman, and Alexander Gordon., bishop 
 of Galloway.''* And in 1560 Gordon, along with the barons 
 of Lochinvar and Garlies, and other eminent individuals, sub- 
 scribed the Confession of Faith and the first Book of Discip- 
 line, containing a plan of the ecclesiastical polity and religious 
 tenets to which they bound themselves to adhere. -|- 
 
 The principles of Gordon, however, do not seem to have 
 been of the most pure or most inflexible kind. Though, at 
 one time, he was held in high estimation as a man of worth 
 and piety, and was familiar with our great reformer, both " in 
 his house and at tabill,''! yet he never exhibited much zeal in 
 promoting the interests of the protestant cause, and at length 
 forsook the presbyterian party, with whom he had become 
 bound to act. The hollowness of his pretensions Queen Mary 
 was the first to detect and to expose. " I understand,''"' (said 
 the queen, in an interview with Knox at Lochleven in 1563), 
 " that ye ar appoynted to go to Dumfrese for the election of a 
 superintendent, to be established in these countrys. Yes, said 
 he, those quarters have gritt need, and sum of the gentlemen so 
 requyre. But I heir, said sche, that the bischope of Athenis 
 wald be superintendent. He is one, said the uther, madam, 
 that is put in election. If ye knew him, said sche, as weall as 
 I do, ye wald never promote him to that office, nor yet to any 
 uther within your kirk. Quhat he has bein, said he, madam, 
 I nyther know, nor yet will I inquyre ; for in tyme of dark- 
 ness, quhat culd we do, but grope and go wrong, even as dark- 
 
 " Life of John K/w.r, i. 300. f Knox's Ilislonj, book iii. \ \h.
 
 38 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 lies caryotl us ? Bot yt' he feir not God, he deceaves mony 
 mo than me. Wcall, sayes sche, do as ye will, but that man 
 is a dangerous man. And thairuntill," continues Knox, "was 
 not the queen deceaved ; for he had corrupted the maist pairt 
 of the gentelmefi not only to nominat him, bot also to elect 
 him."* In consequence of this discovery, the appointment did 
 not take place, but soon afterwards he was created, by the ge- 
 neral assembly, visitor or commissioner of Galloway. "f* 
 
 He seems not to have discharged very conscientiously 
 the sacred duties incumbent upon him. In 1567, ^^ ^^^ 
 him called before the assembly, and accused of not hav- 
 ing, for three years, visited the kirks within his charge ; 
 of having haunted court too much ; of having purchased to 
 oe one of the session and privy council, offices incompatible 
 with a rigid discharge of the sacred duties ; of having re- 
 signed Inchaffray, of which he had been commendator, in 
 favour of a young child ; and of having let divers lands in 
 feu, to the injury of the funds of the church. | To these grave 
 and multifarious charges he pleaded guilty ; and yet, from some 
 circumstance not fully explained, his commission was continu- 
 ed, with an admonition from the assembly to be more diligent 
 and exemplary. At a subsequent period, however, he was 
 suspended from every ecclesiastical office. Nor have I learned 
 that this deed of suspension was ever rescinded. ij 
 
 The history of Gordon affords us an interesting view of the 
 purity of our infant church, and of the moral qualifications in- 
 dispensably necessary in the character of her ministers. 
 Though many of our early reformers were distinguished by 
 birth and family connexions ; though almost all of them were 
 eminent for learning and genius, yet self-denial, virtue, and 
 ])iety, were the most prominent features in their character. — 
 They overlooked all the inconveniences and privations which, 
 on account of their religious principles, they experienced ; and 
 with the greatest cheerfulness and resignation, they were ready 
 to spend, and be spent, in promoting the cause of reforma- 
 tion. The age in which they lived was not worthy of them. 
 
 • Knox's //isiorj,, '.121. f 11). J Keith's History, 585-6. § Kcitli'.s Cat. lG(i.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 39 
 
 With men of" such exulted sentiments, a person, lukewiirm 
 and worldly-minded like (iordon, could not expect to make 
 common cause. The splendour of his family, and his great 
 influence at court, could procure him no favour in the eyes of 
 men of such singleness of mind, who overlooked every adven- 
 titious distinction, and counted all things but loss, that they 
 might win Christ. 
 
 (rordon, besides, was a man too deeply engrossed in secular 
 pursuits, to make a faithful or useful minister of religion. In 
 1565, he was created an extraordinary I^ord of Session.* He 
 attended Parliament regularly.-f Along with some of his most 
 distinguished contemporaries, he was appointed by the queen 
 to collect into one body the ancient laws of the kingdom. | We 
 find him, with many others, immediately previous to the bat- 
 tle of Langsidc, sign a bond, obliging themselves to defend, 
 by every means in their power, their unfortunate sovereign.§ 
 His name, indeed, seems connected with almost all the im- 
 portant political transactions of his time. In such circum- 
 stances, it was totally impossible that he could discharge his 
 sacred duties with scrupulous fidelity and care. 
 
 But though, as stated above, he had forfeited the confidence 
 and employment of the general assembly, he did not altogether 
 lay aside his clerical character. Knox having found it neces- 
 sary for his safety to flee from Edinburgh in May 1571? tior- 
 don occupied his pulpit. His discourses, according to Banna- 
 tine, were more agreeable to the queen's party than those of 
 his predecessor ; but the people despised him, for he not only 
 supplanted their favourite pastor, but endeavoured to refute 
 some of his opinions. The following extract from one of his 
 
 • He was superseded, however, as a judge, in 1569 ; lieeause, to use the 
 words of the book of sederunt, his place " vaiks by his continual] absence." 
 Hailes' Catalofjuc of Lords of Session, notes, 8. 
 
 ■f- Keith's History, App, passim. 
 
 f To these persons we owe the first impression of our laws, commonly 
 called the Black Acts of Parliament, because they were jirinted in the 
 black Saxon character. This took place in 1566. Wackenzie's Lives, 
 ii. 504. 
 
 § Keith's History, 477.
 
 40 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 sermons, preached at this time, is curious in itself, and exhi- 
 bits the sentiments then prevalent in the nation, respecting 
 the guilt of the queen. He is enforcing the doctrine, that, 
 with all licr failings, she is their lawful sovereign, and, as such, 
 is entitled to the prayers of her subjects : 
 
 *' Sanct David was a synncr, and so was sche ; Sanct David 
 was an adulterer, and so is sche ; Sanct David committed mur- 
 ther in slaying Urias for his wife, and so did sche : bot what 
 is this to the mater ? the more wicked that sche be, hir sub- 
 jectis suld pray for her, to bring hir to the spreit of repent- 
 ance ; for Judas was ane synner, and gif he had bene prayed 
 for, he had not diet in despair ; whairfore I pray all faythfull 
 subjectis to pray for thair lauchfull magistral, gif it be the 
 queue. It is the queue, as I doubt not ; bot ye may weil con- 
 sider that na inferior subject hes power to deprive or depose 
 thair lauchlull magistral, hie or sche whatsumever, albeit thay 
 comitt whoredome, murther, incest, or ony vither cryme, being 
 anes be God just and lauchfull prince or princes, to ring above 
 you, not chosen as the imperiall magistrats are.^^* 
 
 Gordon died in the year 1576.-f" He retained the revenue 
 of the see of Galloway till his death ; which, indeed, he con- 
 sidered so much his own property, that, during his last sick- 
 ness, he made a disposition of it in favour of his son John, 
 dean of Salisbury', and it thus remained in his family for the 
 most part of half a century. Well might Keith exclaim, 
 *' thus went the ecclesiastical benefices in that period." 
 
 Gordon, whose wifc\ name was Barbara Logic, daughter 
 to JjOgie of that ilk, left behind him several children, John, 
 Lawrence, Robert, and George, and a daughter, Barbara, 
 married to Anthony Stewart, rector of Pcnningham.;]: Law- 
 rence, as already mentioned, was abbot of Glenluce, and the 
 
 • Tramaclums in Scotland in 1570-3, printed from Bannatine's AIS. 
 iirifJer tlie guperiotendence of John G. Dalzell, Esq. 181. 
 
 f Kr-ith's Calalnifitr, 160. 
 
 ^ Tlic parson of I'ciiniiigliiiin, wlio was son to Stewart of Garlics, got witli 
 Mi.-H Gordon the lands of Clary, in that parish.— Gordon's Hislori/ of the 
 Family of Gordon, i. 300.
 
 OF GALLOMAY. 41 
 
 remaining three seem to have been presented at different times 
 to the bishoprick of Galloway ; but owing to the agitated con- 
 dition both of the church and state, none of them obtained con- 
 secration for that dignity. This see, indeed, appears to have re- 
 mained vacant from the time of bishop Gordon, until the in- 
 duction of Gavin Hamilton, (of whom we shall soon speak,) in 
 1606. 
 
 John Gordon, his eldest son, was a man of no ordinary 
 talents and erudition. Having for a while attended the uni- 
 versity of St. Andrews, and Baliol College, Oxford, he re- 
 moved to France to prosecute his studies, where he soon be- 
 came celebrated, particularly for his skill in the oriental lan- 
 guages. In a charter of the bishoprick of Galloway, and ab- 
 bey of Tongland, conferred on him while in France, his know- 
 ledge in Hebrew, Chaldaic, Syriac, and other tongues, is 
 mentioned. He never, however, returned to his native land, 
 to receive consecration for these offices. He afterwards held 
 an eminent place in the domestic establishments of three 
 successive sovereigns of France, Charles IX. Henry III. 
 and Henry IV. ; and notwithstanding the many induce- 
 ments and solicitations he must have met with there, to 
 cause him change his religious faith, he maintained it un- 
 corrupted. James VI., on his accession to the Fnglish 
 throne, sent for Gordon from the continent, and conferred on 
 him the deanery of Salisbury, a situation which he ever after- 
 wards retained. In 1605 he maintained a disputation in 
 Baliol College, in presence of the king ; and, as soon as it was 
 over, was dignified with the degree of doctor in divinity, to 
 show the sovereign the nature of that ceremony. He died in 
 the month of August 1619, leaving behind him an only 
 daughter, (by a second wife,) married to Sir Robert Gordon 
 of Sutherland, one of the Lords of the bedchamber to James 
 VI., but better known as the historian of his family. The fol- 
 lowing encomiastic stanzas, addressed to him by the celebrated 
 Thomas Maitland, it may not be improper to insert, as they 
 contain intimations of his character.
 
 42 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 AD JOANNEM GORDONIUM. 
 
 Gordoni, pxiinia si laiis virtuto paratiir, 
 
 Laus tribupuda aliis, laus tril)iieiula tibi. 
 Dulcis enim eloquii cum sit laudanda facuitas ; 
 
 Est tiia tergemino liiifjua polita soiio. 
 Nemo Palladias tiactat f.iclicius artes, 
 
 Inj::eiiii tantum dexteiitate vales. 
 Quid ? quod forma viro digna est, sine crimine corpus, 
 
 Et Juno eximias polliceatur opos. 
 I\Jagiia (juidom sunt haec ; uamquc laudanda putautur. 
 
 Cur ego digna suis laudibus esse negem ? 
 Sed amdor raorum magis est minibilis illis 
 
 Ductrina, ingenio, sanguine, forma, opibus." 
 
 • Delitiae Poetarum Scotontm, ii. 174. 
 
 Tiie writings of Gordon, it may here be mentioned, are considerably 
 ample. Dr. M'Crie mentions two letters from him, — one to the regent Mur- 
 ray, containing political intelligence, and the other to John Fox, on literary 
 topics ; and that a poem composed by him is prefixed to Plauloye pour M. 
 Jean Hamilton. The rest of his works are theological. The first, which 
 must have been composed on the continent, as it was published the very year 
 of his leaving it, and the object of which was to undermine the principles of 
 the catholic faith, was likely written in consequence of the various public 
 disputations which he liad maintained in France on this subject. It is term- 
 ed, Assertioncs Theoloijicae pro vera verae Eccleiiac nota quae est solius Dei 
 adoratio. 8vo. KiOS. His next work was given to the wctrld in con.se- 
 quencc of James's attempt to establish e])isc()j)acy, a measure whicii he 
 strenuously advocated : KiKjland aiul Scutlamr.s Happiness in heimj reduced to 
 Unity of Reliijion under King James. London, 1 604, 4to. Orthodoxo- Jaco- 
 bus et Papa Apostaticus, vfAS published in 1611. The literary controversy 
 between king James and cardinal liellarminc is well known. Gordon, hav- 
 ing espoused the side of the Scottish monarch on this occasion, wrote the 
 following treatise in answer to Bellarmine, who had assumed the fictitious 
 name of .Mathaeus Tortus : Anti-IieUarndiio-torlur, site tortus retorlus et Ju- 
 liano papismus. London. 1612, 4to. He published also a treatise on The 
 Ceremonies of the Church ofEmjland. together with Sermons, and other Thimjs. 
 — Life of Melville, Vu 224; 5. Wood's Fasti Oxonienses. London, folio, i. 
 7yj. (cordon's History of the Family of Gordon. Edin. 1726, i. 360-1.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 43 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 BISHOPRICK OF GALLOWAY CONTINUED. 
 
 Having, in the last chapter, endeavoured to give an account 
 of the bishops of Galloway until the era of the Reformation, 
 we now proceed, in order to make our narrative more distinct 
 and uniform, to detail the history of the protestant prelates of 
 this see until the year 1688, the date of the final downfall of 
 episcopacy in Scotland. 
 
 Gavin Hamilton, son to John Hamilton of Orbiston, 
 was, in 1606, promoted to the bishoprick of Galloway, after a 
 vacancy of thirty years, during which period the deaneiy of 
 the chapel royal was vested in the chapel of Dunblane.* Before 
 he obtained this dignity, he was minister of Hamilton. On 
 account of the reduced and ruined state of the revenue of his 
 see, occasioned by the rapacity of bishop Gordon his prede- 
 cessor, two other benefices were conferred upon Hamilton, who 
 was thus, at the same time, prior of Whithorn and abbot of 
 Dundrennan. Spottiswood mentions, that, in 1600, the reve- 
 nue of Galloway " was so dilapidated, that scarcely it was re- 
 membered to have been.'"'*|' 
 
 On the death of Elizabeth, James, in going to take posses- 
 sion of the English throne, chose Gavin Hamilton, then mi- 
 nister of Hamilton, and Andrew Lamb, then of Brechin, 
 both afterwards bishops of Galloway, with other eminent indi- 
 
 • Keith's Catal 166. Spottiswood's History, App. 9. f lb. 4'58.
 
 41 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 \ idnals, to attoiul him. Wc find Hamilton in London again 
 in l(j()(), and that he, Spottiswood, and several other divines, 
 were in the presence of the king, when Andrew and James 
 Melville, with the other six Scottish ministers, were intro- 
 dnced to have a conference with his majesty. These prelates 
 always pretended to befriend their persecuted countrymen, but 
 their professions evaporated in empty promises and protesta- 
 tions. It is hardly to be expected, indeed, that Hamilton, 
 who afterwards was a member of the Iliixh Commission Court, 
 would feel much rem-et at the accumulated sufferings of these 
 inriexible presbyterians. 
 
 In ICIO, James summoned three Scottish prelates to Lon- 
 don to receive consecration, there not being a sufficient number 
 at home for performing that ceremony. These were Spottis- 
 wood of Glasgow, Lamb of Brechin, and Gavin Hamilton of 
 (ialloway. Having undergone this ceremony, they were thus 
 qualified, on their return, to give ordination to those pro- 
 moted to the vacant sees.* 
 
 Bishop Hamilton, who died in 1G14, was succeeded by 
 A\'illia:\i Coupeu, a man of no ordinary talents and cele- 
 brity. ^>Vc have no reason, in this instance, to complain of the 
 want of authentic and copious materials. In addition to the 
 biographical sketch of himself, which he composed during his 
 last sickness, the incidents of his life are handed down to us 
 in the literary and ecclesiastical histor^ of his time. 
 
 Cowper was born in the year 15G8. His father, John 
 Cowper, a respectable merchant in Edinburgh , having early 
 abjured poperj', brought up his son in the principles and pro- 
 fession of the protestant faith. His mind seems to have been 
 early impressed witli a deep and an abiding sense of piety. 
 " In my younger years," .says he, " I was trained up with the 
 wrestlings of (iod ; from my youth I have borne his yoke, ex- 
 ercised with his terrors ; yet so, that many a time his sweet 
 consolations have refreshed my sou]."-j- 
 
 • Spottiswood's Hislori), 51 1. Keitli's Cnlal. iCA\. 
 
 * JJfr (if Cowper, written by Litnscll, aiid pictixed to his works, printed 
 al liondon, lC2f», folly.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 45 
 
 After receiving some elementary instruction in his native 
 city, and after attending for four years the school of Dunhar,* 
 he was sent to the University of St. Andrews, in 1580. In 
 four years he was created jNlaster of Arts ; and being at this 
 time urged by his parents to enter upon a profession different 
 from that in which he took the deepest interest, " for my 
 heart," says he, " still inclined to the study of the holy Scrip- 
 tures," he left his paternal roof, and removed to Kngland. 
 There he remained for vipwards of two years, employed at 
 first as under teacher in the school of Hoddesdon, and after- 
 wards in the service of Mr, Broughton, a learned divine, to 
 whom he acknowledjTed himself indebted for much valuable in- 
 struction and edification. 
 
 He now returned to Edinburgh, and having for a while 
 prosecuted his theological studies under his elder brother, one 
 of the ministers of that city, and having given a " proof of 
 his gift" privately before the Reverend Robert Pont of St. 
 Cuthbert, Principal Rollock, and several other clergymen, he 
 was authorized a probationer of the presbyterian church of 
 Scotland, in the beginning of 1588. Nor did he remain long 
 without the charge of a flock ; for in a few months, on an ap- 
 plication from Bothkennar in Stirlingshire, he was appointed 
 by the general assembly minister of that parish, though then 
 only in the twentieth year of his age. In this situation he 
 did not remain long ; for, by the direction of the assembly, in 
 consequence of the earnest solicitation of the inhabitants of 
 Perth, (without any application on his part), he was translat- 
 ed, at the end of seven years, to that town, where he perform- 
 ed, in the most faithful and zealous manner, the important 
 functions of his station, till the year 1614, when, on the 
 death of Bishop Hamilton, he was translated to the see of Gal- 
 loway. *|* 
 
 • " At Dunbar school," says lie, " we went two and two to the church ; 
 God put then this prayer in my heart every day, in the way : Lord, bow 
 mine ear, that I may hear thy word." Life of Coicper, ut supra. 
 
 f " In Perth," says Wr. Cowper, " I continued doing- the work of God 
 for tlic full space of nineteen years. How I did carry myself in my open
 
 46 
 
 THE LITER ARY HISTORY 
 
 It is necessary, before we proceed farther, shortly to mention 
 the circumstances in which our retbrmed church was now placed. 
 A short time before the period at which we are arrived, episco- 
 pacy had been, through the policy of James VI. established 
 in Scotland, both by a decision of the assembly, and an enact- 
 ment of the Scottish Parliament. The examination and ordi- 
 nation of the candidates for the sacred office, as well as their 
 disgrace and ejection, were vested solely in the bishops ; none 
 could be inducted to a benefice, unless he acknowledged his 
 sovereign as the only head of the church, and professed obe- 
 dience to the bishop of the diocese ; and those who manfully 
 opposed these innovations, and endeavoured to maintain the 
 polity established by the early reformers, were either immured 
 within the walls of a dungeon, or banished from their native 
 land. This state of things was introduced by slow degrees, 
 and was such as we have described it, at the time when 
 Cow|)er obtained the presentation to the bishoprick of Gal- 
 loway. 
 
 Cowper's sentiments respecting ecclesiastical discipline did 
 not remain unchanged until the date of his preferment. He 
 could not, for several years previous to this period, have retain- 
 ed his living in Perth, without owning subjection to episcopal 
 dignity ; and accordingly, in 1608, we find him attend a 
 packed assembly, which the zealous adherents to presbytery 
 regarded as illegal and unconstitutional, and from this time 
 readily concurring in all the measures sanctioned by royal and 
 episcopal authority. 
 
 The public transactions in which he was engaged, show the 
 esteem in which he was held. In 1596, a publication, con- 
 sisting of fifty-five articles, which were intended to undermine 
 the foundation of presbytery, and to pave the way for that 
 
 conversation, living among them, not as one separate from them, Imt mixed 
 myself in all their fellowship, as a comfort to the best, and a wound to the 
 worst inclined sort, this age will not want living witnesses to record it. 
 ]\Iy diligence, in like manner, in the ministry, not only on the ordinary 
 day>, hut on others, which I voluntarily chose thrice a-vveek, Wednes- 
 days, Fridays, and Saturdays, for a preparation to the Sabbath." — Life, of 
 OncjieTy ut nipra.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 47 
 
 innovation which the king intended to make in the church, 
 was submitted by him to the assembly which met at Perth 
 in the month of February of that year. I'hough the most vi- 
 gorous measures w^ere taken to defend the established church ; 
 though several of the inferior judicatories gained to themselves 
 immortal honour, by their zeal and fearlessness ; — yet, by cor- 
 ruption, by persuasion, by threatcnings, the king was enabled, 
 in that assembly, and at a subsequent one which met at Dun- 
 dee the year following, to make that first inroad on the presby- 
 terian establishment, which was fraujjht with so much evil to 
 the peace and happiness of his subjects. William Cowper 
 was appointed by the first of these assemblies a member of the 
 commission for " reasoning'' the articles given in by the king; 
 and when the principal articles were decided upon, another 
 commission of " the most wise and discreet brethren,"" Cowper 
 being included in the number, were nominated by the second 
 assembly to treat of the remainder, and all affairs that might 
 concern the good of the church. * 
 
 In the assembly which met at Linlithgow, in 1608, discus- 
 sions took place respecting the growth of popeiy, and the means 
 of preventing papists from holding any office of trust or au- 
 thority ; for, though the bishops, as lately hinted, exerted at 
 this time a complete sway over our ecclesiastical judicatories, 
 the catholic faith was not less obnoxious to them than to their 
 more rigid presbyterian brethren. A supplication on this sub- 
 ject was drawn up, to be submitted to James, to whom five 
 commissioners were appointed to go to London to present it. 
 These were, the celebrated Spottiswood, the Earl of Wigton, 
 Lord Kilsyth, William Cowper, and James Nisbet, burgess 
 of Edinburgh. ■}- 
 
 In 1616 an act for drawing up a liturgy for the episcopal 
 church of Scotland was passed by the assembly which met at 
 Aberdeen; and several learned divines, "Bishop Cowper being 
 designed the chief," were appointed to effect this work. | 
 
 • Spottiswood'.s Hishrri/, 139, HG. Ciildcrwood's Hist, of the Church, 39 k 
 Life of Mdcille, ii. 9.5, et seqq. ' 
 
 + Spottiswood's Hist. 506. Calderwood's Hist. 503. 
 \ Life of SpottisTvood, prefixed to his Historij.
 
 48 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 The fbllowino- circumstance forms an interesting and amiable 
 feature in the character of Cowper. James having, in I6I7? 
 resolved to visit Scotland, from which he had been absent for 
 fourteen years, issued orders to repair the royal chapel, and 
 sent English carpenters, with portraits of the apostles to be 
 erected in it. The serious part of the community immediate- 
 ly took the alann. A report that images were to be introduc- 
 ed, and that, ere long, they would have the mass, began to 
 circulate, and gained general belief Cowper, who, as bishop 
 of Galloway, was dean of the chapel, and who always, it can- 
 not be denied, showed a deep sympathy with the feelings and 
 quiet of the people, conceived it to be his duty to write to his 
 sovereign, representing the agitation which such a step would 
 necessarily occasion among his Scottish subjects. To this let- 
 ter he procured the signatures of several prelates, and of the 
 ministers of Edinburgh. The application was not unsuccess- 
 ful ; for, though James was dissatisfied with it, and alleged 
 that it resulted from ignorance and bigotry, and even threaten- 
 ed to bring with him some English Doctors to enlighten their 
 minds, yet he forth^'ith laid aside his original intention res- 
 pecting the portraits, thus removing every cause of disgust and 
 provocation.* 
 
 C'ow]ier was not destined to attain to advanced years, for he 
 died in Edinburgh, on the 15th of February 1()]9, at the age 
 of fifty-one. During his last illness, which continued several 
 weeks, he wrote an account of his life, to obviate the misrepre- 
 sentations that had gone abroad respecting him ; and the serious 
 and pious nature of his conversation, and the fervour of his de- 
 votional exercises, strikingly proved that his latter end was that 
 of the righteous. He was buried on the south side of the New 
 (ireyfriars' church, where the monument over his grave is still 
 to be seen : his funeral was attended by the lords of the privy 
 council, and by the magistrates of the city ; and a sermon was 
 delivered on the occasion, by Archbishop Spottiswood.-f- 
 
 • Spottiswond's //(Ato/y, 530. Cook's JHnt^u/oftlie Church,u. 26. Rowe's 
 MS. Ilislonj, 12G. 
 
 f Life of Coiijicr, prfftxtil to liis works, f'iildcrwood's Ilistori/, 721. 
 
 4
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 49 
 
 If Spottiswood and other writers may be believed, the cause 
 of his death is much to be deplored. " By their libels and 
 pamphlets,"" the presbyterians, according to this prelate, attack- 
 ctl the bishop of Galloway, so " that he, taking the business 
 more to heart than was needful, fell into a sickness, whereof he 
 deceased."* Nor did this abuse terminate with his life ; his 
 memory has been loaded with abuse ; and even an eminent 
 writer of the present day has not hesitated to prostitute his 
 pen in reviving and perpetuating the slander.-f* That part of 
 his history which gave rise to these attacks, we must endea- 
 vour, in order to estimate his character aright, to examine and 
 appreciate. 
 
 The sentiments of Cowper, with respect to ecclesiastical 
 polity, must indeed have undergone a total revolution ere he 
 ventured to accept episcopal honours. Educated in the princi- 
 ples of presbytery, and officiating for many years as a presby- 
 terian minister, he was much attached to the tenets, ami simple 
 but solemn form of worship which that polity prescribed. Nor 
 was his dislike of episcopacy less remarkable than his partiality 
 for the church of which he was a member. At so recent a 
 period as ICOG, we find him associated with Andrew Melville, 
 and other distinguished individuals, in a determ.ined resistance 
 to the establishment of the episcopal form of worship. In the 
 same year he thus addressed an old acquaintance, who, having 
 forsaken the presbyterian cause, had accepted of a bishoprick : 
 
 * The same tiling is insinuated by Caldcrwood -. — '< When Cowper ac- 
 cepted a bislioprick, he set forth an Apologie, to purge himself of covetous- 
 ness and ambition, and gave reasons wherefore he changed his mind. He 
 VMS so vext with answers, that he threw some of them into the fire, and would not 
 look upon them. Mr- David Home of Godscroft pressed liim with a reply to 
 his answer, whereupon Cowper published his Dikaiologie, answering only to 
 such passages as pleased him." — P. 648. The full title of this work is the 
 Bischope of Galloway, his Dikaiologie, containing a just defence of his former 
 appology against the imputations of Mr. David Home. Lond. 1614. pp. 
 183 — To which is added, A view of church government best warraided by 
 the word; and a short ansiver to the tripartite antiapologie of some nameless 
 authors, 
 
 t Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scqflish Border, iii. 144. 
 
 E
 
 50 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 " Your course," says he, " wherein you are entered, I never 
 lovetl ; althoutrh the tVuit you enjoy be sweet, yet tlie end shall 
 prove it never i^roAv on the tree of life.*" And at one tiine he 
 " not veiy decently compared bishops to coals and candles, that 
 not only light, but have a filthy smell in all men's noses."* 
 
 That this change of sentiments originated in ambition or 
 covetousness, neither charity nor his own direct declaration will 
 permit us to believe. That he was a man devoid of piety and 
 principle, none will affirm who are at all acquainted with his 
 life, or who have read his works. His conversion, it must, how- 
 ever, be confessed, is extremely obnoxious to suspicion. All 
 history bears testimony to the fact, that to espouse a cause, and 
 adopt principles which at one time we violently opposed, and re- 
 garded as subversive of our dearest rights and privileges, is sel- 
 dom entitled to the praise of candour, particularly when the 
 change is accompanied with riches, dignity and power. The ac- 
 count, however, which, on his death-bed, (vowper himself gives 
 of this important event, surely claims very serious consideration, 
 
 " Now, about this time,"" says he, " God had opened to mc 
 a door, and called me to the charge of the churches in Gallo- 
 way, in the south-west part of this kingdome ; for being named 
 with others by the General Assembly of such as they thought 
 it meet to be preferred to the Christian dignity (whereof I ever 
 acknowledged myself not worthy,) and recommended by the 
 fathers of our church, it was his Majesty ""s pleasure to present 
 me to that benefice, due to the office whereunto the church had 
 called me. God knows that this was done without my know- 
 ledge, or seeking, directly or indirectly ; for I could have been 
 contented all my days with a private life, resolving to give 
 honour and obedience in God to such as were called to these 
 places, after that it was once established by order in our church, 
 and I had considered the lawfulness, antiquity, and necessity 
 of it among us. 
 
 " Here,'' continues he, " I was neither guilty of ambition, 
 nor of any precipitate embracing of it ; for, between the date of 
 
 • Spottiswood's History, 'iOfi. Cal(ler\Voo(l's History, .527, .531, 549. 
 Row's MS. History, 127.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 51 
 
 his Majesty's presentation and my acceptation, there intervened 
 eighteen weeks." 
 
 Such is his account, which we shall leave without comment 
 to the judgment of' the reader ; hut it may he recorded to his 
 honour, in opposition to the express declaration of his enemies, 
 that, during his connexion with the diocese in question, there 
 was no instance of cruelty or persecution, — no attempt to make 
 encroachments on the civil rights and religious privileges of the 
 people. " Cowper,*" says an imdouhted judge, " was an 
 amiahle man. Though he altered his opinion, and hecame a 
 bishop, he uniformly shewed much moderation, and was guid- 
 ed by sincere attachment to the best interests of religion."* 
 " In this my calling," says he, alluding to his connexion with 
 Galloway, " how I have walked, and what my care was to 
 advance the gospel there, I trust I shall not, nor yet do want 
 witnesses." These are his dying words, and a death-bed is not 
 the place for hypocrisy or prevarication. 
 
 His writings, which are all theological, and are very numer- 
 ous, consist of Sermons, short religious treatises, and a Com- 
 mentary on the Book of Revelation. They were originally 
 given to the world by himself in a separate form; hut, in 1623, 
 they were collected and published in London in one large 
 volume, extending to 1122 folio pages; and such was the es- 
 timation in which they were held, that, at the end of six 
 years, another impression was found necessary. To both these 
 editions a memoir of the author, written by himself, was pre- 
 fixed, with an account of his last illness, by the hand of a 
 friend. 
 
 His works display abilities of no ordinary kind. His pulpit 
 discourses are characterised by a degree of fancy, of fervour, 
 and of pathos which must have made them, at the time they 
 were delivered, powerful instruments of persuasion and instruc- 
 tion, and may still render them eminently useful to the theolo- 
 gical student, as well as to the private Christian. His illustra- 
 tions are striking and appropriate, and not seldom ingenious 
 
 • Cook's Hist, of the Church, ii. 269.
 
 52 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 and original ; but arc so fully and clearly evolved, as to make 
 them intellimblc to the weakest intellect. Of these remarks, 
 the lecture ou the parable of the prodigal son affords no slender 
 confirmation. His stylo is peculiarly happy : equally removed 
 from vulgarity and declamation, the overwhelming vices of the 
 age, it is simple, nervous, copious, and often elegant, such as 
 would not have dis<jraced a writer of the bemnning of last cen- 
 tury. " The residence of CoAvper in England, during some 
 years of the early part of his life, may have given him that 
 command of the English language by which his writings are 
 distinguished.""* 
 
 The Commentaiy on the Revelation, his largest work, is of 
 itself sufficient to perpetuate his name. Though expositions 
 of this sublime and interesting part of the sacred volume 
 have been composed by some of our most eminent writers, the 
 treatise of Cowjier will, we think, be found inferior to none of 
 them in ingenuity, in soundness of judgment, and in biblical 
 kaming. For entering on an analysis of this work, we nei- 
 ther have space, nor do we reckon ourselves perfectly qualified ; 
 but we cannot conclude this sketch without submitting to the 
 reader the recommendatory lines from the pen of Drummond 
 of Hawthornden, On my Lord of Galloway., his learned Cowr- 
 mentary on the Revelation : 
 
 To this admir'd discoverer give place, 
 Ye who first tam'd the sea, the windes out-ranne, 
 And match'd the dayes bright coachman in your race, 
 Americus, Cokimbus, Magellan, 
 
 It is most true that your ingenious care 
 And well-spent paines, another world brought forth ; 
 For l)casts, birds, trees, for gcmmes and metals rare. 
 Yet all being earth, was but of earthly worth. 
 
 He a more precious world to us dcscryes, 
 
 Rich ill more treasure than both Ind'os contuinc ; 
 
 • Life of Melville, ii. 31G,
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 53 
 
 Faire in more beauty than men's wit can falnc, 
 
 Wliose sunne not sets, whose people never dyes. 
 
 Eartli shall your browes deck with still verdant bayes, 
 But heaven crowne his with starres immortal rayes. 
 
 Andrew Lamb succeeded Cowper in the see of Galloway. 
 His first settlement in the church was at Burntisland ; and in 
 1606, he was promoted to the bishoprick oi' Brechin. He 
 was one of those who, on the death of Elizabeth, accompanied 
 James VI. to England, and, as mentioned in speaking of 
 Gavin Hamilton, was one of the three prelates that received 
 consecration at London. He was a member of the High 
 Commission ; but showed little intolerance in his own diocese. 
 He died in 1634. From the following epigram, it appears 
 that he was blind.* 
 
 Lammius astrorum spoliatus lumine, lucem 
 Qua se, quaque Deum conspicit, intus habet. 
 
 Thomas Sydserff, who succeeded him, was son of SydserfF 
 of Ruchlaw, an ancient family, originally styled of that ilk, 
 of whom one is a subscriber to Bagimont's Roll, in 1296. The 
 family of Ruchlaw is still extant in Haddington, their original ^ 
 
 seat. The subject of this note was tutor to the first Earl of 
 Traquair, a nobleman who rose to the dignity of High Trea- 
 surer of Scotland.-}- Sydserffs subsequent promotion in the 
 church, may have been principally owing to his connexion with 
 this distinguished person ; to whose interests he, under every 
 circumstance, remained firmly attached. He became a clergy- 
 man ; and his first appointment in the church was in Edin- 
 burgh, his charge being that of the College Church, which he 
 held for a short time conjunctly with Henry Rollock, nephew 
 to Principal Rollock. He early imbibed those Arminian prin- 
 ciples which were so obnoxious to the great body of the Scot- 
 tish people, and became subservient to all the illiberal and in- 
 judicious measiures of Laud. The violence by which he was 
 afterwards distinguished, he had begun to display ere he was 
 invested with the mitre. Henry Charters, Professor of Divi- 
 
 • Arturi Johnstoni Epigr — Belit. Poet. Scot. i. 622. 
 f Crawford's Officers of State, 406.
 
 O-if THE LITERAKY HISTORY 
 
 nity, having died in 1629, Sydserff and John Maxwell, (after- 
 wards bishop of Ross,) endeavoured to get a person of Amninian 
 doctrine, " who had glutted in all the erroures of that time," 
 appointed his successor. This attempt, however, was completely 
 defeated : but Sydscrff soon met with his reward. Hewaselevated 
 to the see of Brechin, and soon afterwards to that of Galloway. 
 He erected a High Commission Court in his new diocese, com- 
 posed of his OT^Ti creatures ; and exercised his authority against 
 presbyterians in the most arbitrary manner. It was by him 
 that the famous Rutherford was ejected from his living in the 
 parish of Anwoth and confined to Aberdeen. He seems not 
 to have been more unpopular in Galloway than throughout the 
 kingdom. " The bishop of Galloway was like to have re- 
 ceived injury in Stirling : but the magistrates saw to him. In 
 his return to t'alkirk, the wives railed and stoned him with 
 stones, and were some of them punished. Also at Dalkeith, 
 upon Sunday, the wives so railed upon him, that the treasurer, 
 [Lord Traquair, his former pupil,] put two of them in prison. 
 The bishop is in great fear and danger."* This unpopularity 
 arose in a great measure from his alleged leaning to popery, 
 not from his high episcopal principles. He was supposed to 
 wear upon his breast a crucifix of gold. " After some quarrel- 
 ing of him for his crucifix and clamours,*" some women attack- 
 ed him on the streets of Edinburgh ; and it was with difficulty 
 he was rescued by Traquair and others out of their hands. -j" A 
 few doggrel stanzas on the bishops of Scotland, TMntten while 
 Sydscrff was in Galloway, have been preserved among Wod- 
 row's valuable MS. collections; and in them he is thus spoken 
 of:— 
 
 " A papist thou art, (inWoway ; in heaven thou'lt never dwell ; 
 Tliy crooked feet and fiery head will cause thee march to hell :" 
 
 lines which, among other things, convey to us some idea of 
 his personal appearance. 
 
 Sydserff was deposed and excommunicated by the Assembly 
 
 • Baillie's ZcUers, i. 34. f lb. 20 — Guthrie's Manoirs, 28.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 55 
 
 of Glasgow in 1638. He then retired to England. He seems to 
 have attended the royal forces, hoping, through them, to witness 
 the restoration of his order in Scotland.* While in the south, he 
 superintended the publication of a posthumous work, composed 
 by his friend Dr. William t orbes, the first bishop of Edin- 
 burgh. -f- To this work is prefixed a life of the author. 
 The editor's designation is T. G. [Thomas, bishop of 
 Galloway,] which Dr. Irving has supposed to point out Dr. 
 Thomas Gale ;:j: but that the opinion of this learned writer is 
 erroneous, is evident from Baillie, who distinctly mentions 
 Sydserff as the editor.^ The only other instance in which we 
 find him in the character of an author, is in The Muses' Wel- 
 come, where are two short Latin poems, bearing the signature 
 of Thomas Si/nserjiiis. 
 
 On the Restoration Sydserff was the only surviving bishop in 
 Scotland, and expected to be elevated to the primacy. But 
 the base conduct of Sharp had given him paramount claims ; 
 and the subject of this sketch was nominated to the see of 
 Orkney. " He lived," says Burnet, " little more than a year 
 after his translation. He had died in more esteem, if he had 
 died a year before it."|| " He was, after all," says the same 
 author, " a very learned and good man ; but strongly heated 
 in those matters, * * of which I know Sydserff made great 
 acknowledgments in his old age."^ Mr. William Annand, 
 who preached his funeral sermon, insisted " with much parade 
 on h\s sufferings for the sake of the gospel !" 
 
 Sydserff man-ied a daughter of John Byres of Coates, " late 
 dean of guild, a prime counsellor, and good patriot."** He 
 had a large family ; of whom one was a physician, another 
 
 " Rutherford's Letters, Part iii. 53. 
 
 f This work is entitled, Considerationes Modestae et Pacificae Controver- 
 siarum, de Justificatione, Punjatorio, Invocalione Sanctorum ct Cliristo Me~ 
 diatore, Eiicharistia. Per Gidielmum Forbesium, S. T. D. et Epis. Edin. 
 primum. Lond. 1658. 8vo. 
 
 I Irving's Lives, i. 138. § Letters, ii. i26. 
 
 II History of Ins own Times, i. 191. f lb. lb. 33. 
 ** Crawford's Hist, of the Univ. of Edin. 115.
 
 56 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 inanrictl to the representative of the ancient family of Kilker- 
 ran, anil a third was the author of the first newspaper that this 
 country could hoast of. This paper was called Mercurius 
 CaU'donius ; comprising the affairs in agitation in Scotland, 
 with a survei/ of foreign intelligence. It was a small 4to. 
 of eight pages ; was published weekly ; and extended only 
 to ten numbers. It was begun on the 31st of December 16G0, 
 and tcnninated on the 28th of March 1G61. 
 
 It was, in truth, the first paper of really Scottish origin; 
 though Cromwell had some years before printed a newspaper. 
 This celebrated man carried a printing press with him ; and 
 through Christopher Higgins, whom he brought to (Scotland 
 for the express purpose, he printed at Leith in 1652, A Di- 
 urnal of some passages and ajfairs ; and in 1653, il/ercwriM* 
 Politicus. The last was first printed at Leith ; but afterwards 
 at Edinburgh. It continued till the Restoration, when it was 
 changed into Mercurius Puhlicus, At the Revolution, and 
 for ten years afterwards, there was not, it may be stated, a 
 newspaper printed in Scotland ; but at the Union we could 
 boast of no fewer than three.* 
 
 James Hamilton, who was promoted to this see in 1661, 
 was brother to the first Lord Belhaven. So early as 1634 he 
 had been settled minister of Cambusncthan ; a situation which 
 he contrived to retain, amid all the ecclesiastical vicissitudes 
 of that period, until the Restoration. In reference to this 
 accommodating and temporizing disposition. Bishop Burnet 
 remarks, " Hamilton was good natured, but weak ; he was 
 always believed episcopal ; yet he had so far complied in the 
 time of the covenant, that he affected a peculiar expression of 
 his counterfeit zeal for their cause, to secure himself from sus- 
 picion. When he gave the sacrament he excommunicated all 
 that were not true to the covenant, using a form in the Old 
 Testament, of shaking out the lap of his gown ; saying, so did 
 he cast out of the church and covenant all that dealt falsely in 
 
 • Chalmcr¥'.s Life of Ruddimun, ll7_f). I/ond. 1794, 8vo.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 57 
 
 the covenant."* " His gifts,"" says Wodrow, " were reckon- 
 ed every way ordinary ; but he was remarkable for his cun- 
 ning time-serving temper."-f- 
 
 At the Restoration, Bishop SydserfF being the only Scottish 
 prelate alive, and Charles II. having then re-established epis- 
 copacy in Scotland, James Hamilton, Sharp, afterwards arch- 
 bishop of St. Antlrews, and Fairfoul, afterwards of Glasgow, 
 were summoned to London, and received episcopal consecra- 
 tion. Having undergone this ceremony, they were thus ren- 
 dered qualified to give ordination at home to those who might 
 be promoted to the vacant sees. 
 
 Hamilton, having died in 1674, was succeeded by John Pa- 
 TERSON, dean of Edinburgh, and son to the bishop of Ross. 
 He was, first, minister of Ellon, Aberdeenshire, then of the 
 Tron Church of Edinburgh, and afterwards dean of that 
 city. In I67'i» he was created bishop of Galloway, a situa- 
 tion which he held for nearly five years, when he obtained the 
 see of Edinburgh. During the time of his connexion with Gal- 
 loway, he was created a member of the pri\y council, and his 
 name was added to the committee for public affairs. His last 
 
 translation, which took place in I6O7, was to the archiepisco- 
 pal chair of Glasgow, of which he was deprived by the Re- 
 volution. At this period, he opposed the forfeiture of the 
 ■crown, and in the Convention of Estates, strenuously support- 
 ed the government of the expatriated king. He died at 
 Edinburgh in the month of December I7O8.J 
 
 Arthur Ross, bishop of Argyle, was Paterson"'s successor 
 in the see of Galloway, which he did not hold much more 
 than a month, when he obtained the archbishoprick of Glas- 
 gow. 
 
 James Aiken, or Aitken, a person of no ordinary degree 
 of distinction, was promoted to this vacant bishoprick. He 
 was son to the sheriff of Orkney, and was born in Kirkwall in 
 
 • Burnet's Own Times, i. 190, 1. 
 
 f Wodrow's History, i. 237, ed. 1828. 
 
 \ liegistir of Burials in Abbey Church, Hohjrood.
 
 58 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 1G13. Having previously attended the University of Edin- 
 burgh, he removed to Oxford in 1()37, where he studied divi- 
 nity under the celebrated Dr. Prideaux. Aiken was chosen 
 chaplain to the Duke of Hamilton, when appointed Lord 
 High Commissioner to the famous assembly which met at 
 Glasgow in 1C38, — a situation of which he discharged the 
 duties so well, that on his return to London, he was presented 
 to the church of Birsay in his native county. When the 
 Duke of INIontrose landed in the north of Scotland, the pres- 
 bytery, of which Aiken was a member, issued a proclamation, 
 expressing their determination to maintain their allegiance, 
 and to use every means in their power to promote the royal 
 cause. This was a step which the state of feeling then pre- 
 valent in Scotland could not brook. The general assembly, 
 at that time sitting in Edinburgh, passed sentence of deposi- 
 tion against the whole presbytery, and, in addition to this, ex- 
 communicated Aiken, because the proclamation had been 
 drawn up by him, and because he had had a conference with 
 INIontrose himself Nor was this spirit confined to the clergy. 
 The privy council, animated by the same feelings, issued an 
 order for apprehending him ; but Aiken, having obtained 
 private intelligence of his danger from his relation Archibald 
 Primrose, lord register, Hed into Holland, where he remained 
 till 1653, when, venturing to return to Scotland, he resided 
 in Edinburgh in a private capacity until the Restoration. 
 
 When this event took place, so pregnant with ills to the 
 prcsbyterian church of Scotland, he went to London, in com- 
 pany with Thomas Sydserff, to congratulate his Majesty. 
 At this period, Aiken obtained the rectory of Winfrith in 
 Dorsetshire ; and, in 1C77' ^^^ elected and consecrated bi- 
 shop of Moray, " to the great rejoicing," says Wood, " of 
 the episcojial party ;"''* and, in three years afterwards, was 
 thence translated to the see of Galloway. Now of an ad- 
 vanced age, he obtained " a dispensation to reside at Edin- 
 
 • Wood's Athcm Oxon. ii. 685.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 59 
 
 burgh, because it was thought unreasonable to ol)ligc a re- 
 verend prelate of his years to live among such a rebellious and 
 turbulent people, as those of his diocese were, the effect of 
 whose fiery zeal hath too frequently appeared in affronting, 
 l)eating, robbing, wounding, and sometimes murdering the 
 curates."* 
 
 This worthy prelate, however, ventured to pay a visit to the 
 " rebellious" people of his diocese. That he was not " mur- 
 dered"" by them is sufficiently evident ; for his death took place 
 some time afterwards in Edinburgh ; and, though anxious 
 to blacken the character of presbyterians, his party has not 
 condescended to inform us, whether he was " affronted, beat, 
 robbed, or wounded." He died in 1677? ^^ ^^^ advanced age 
 of seventy-four. His epitaph was written by Dr. Pitcairn. 
 
 His character is entitled to considerable praise. His prin- 
 ciples, both political and ecclesiastical, were indeed of an arbi- 
 trary and intolerant kind. But the friends with whom he 
 acted, speak favourably of his talents and piety ; and when 
 James proposed to annul the penal laws, he, seeing the danger- 
 ous design the king had in view, had the boldness and hon- 
 esty, notwithstanding his usual deference to royal authority, 
 to opjiose the measure. Unable, from old age and sickness, to 
 walk, he was carried to the Scottish Parliament, where he 
 publicly declared his total disapprobation of it ; and he also 
 used his influence with the nobility and gentry to the same 
 effect.-j- 
 
 Aikcn may, in some respects, be regarded as the last bishop 
 of Galloway ; for John Gordon, who succeeded him, and was 
 consecrated at Glasgow in February 1688, probably never vi- 
 sited his people ; and, at least in the end of that year, following 
 the fortunes of his infatuated monarch, who forfeited his throne, 
 he forsook Britain for ever, and retired to St. Germains, where 
 he afterwards continued to reside. He read the liturgy of the 
 church of England to those protestants who resorted to him, 
 
 • Wood's yl thence Oxon. ii. 685. f lb. il..
 
 60 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 and expressed a desire to join in that service. William, Prince 
 of Oranije, landed in Britain on the 5th of November 1688 ; 
 and in April of the following year, prelacy was abolished, and 
 presbytery finally established as the national church of Scot- 
 laud. 
 
 f
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 61 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 REFORMATION.— LIVES OF MACBRAY AND WELSH. 
 
 The ecclesiastical and literary history of a nation is inti- 
 mately connected. This is the case in a peculiar manner with 
 the province of Galloway ; for a great majority of the scholars 
 of whom she can boast have been of the sacred profession. — 
 As in the foregoing chapters of this work, the literary and 
 ecclesiastical notices have been indiscriminately blended, so, as 
 we proceed, we shall have occasion to advert to the history of 
 the Reformation, and of the protestant cause. 
 
 The doctrines of the Reformation obtained, at a very remote 
 period, a footing in Galloway. These doctrines Gordon of 
 Earlston had the honour of introducing into this province. 
 Some of the disciples of WicklifFe, eager to expose the corrup- 
 tion and dangerous tendency of the papal faith, and to dissolve 
 the magic spell with which that faith enchained the faculties 
 and consciences of mardiind, itinerated to Scotland in that 
 work of piety and benevolence. The family of Earlston, not 
 only became converts to their principles, but received them 
 into their house, and afforded them safety and protection ; and 
 had in their possession a copy of the New Testament in the 
 \Tilgar language, which was read at secret meetings, held in a 
 wood in the neighbourhood.* 
 
 The refonned opinions of Wickliffe, thus imbibed, and pro- 
 moted by one of the most powerful families in Galloway, could 
 
 " At this time the use of the sacred volume was confined to the clergy.
 
 62 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 not fail to spread very rapidly through the whole extent of it. 
 It may, without hesitation, be asserted, that before the mar- 
 tyrdom of Patrick Hamilton, which took place on the last day 
 of February 1528, the Gallovidians had completely abjured 
 the catholic faith, and adopted those sentiments, for which that 
 illustrious man perished iu the flames. 
 
 As connected with this period, John IMacbray, or Mac- 
 bra ir, deserves to be commemorated. He is termed by his- 
 torians a gentleman of Galloway, without having the particu- 
 lar place of his birth specified. This omission of our early 
 wTiters cannot now be rectified, but I think it not improbable 
 that he was a native of the parish of Irongray, where the name 
 was once common. Immediately on the death of Hamilton, 
 Avhom all the nation regarded as a martyr, the reformed doc- 
 *■ trines, being eagerly examined and subjected to the test of re- 
 velation, began to be rapidly disseminated. The most vigor- 
 ous measures were adopted for checking their progress. The 
 fires of martyrdom were kindled, and many, of whom our 
 church has still reason to boast, were committed to the flames. 
 Others, among whom was Macbray, to preserve their lives, 
 were compelled to exile themselves from their native land. 
 
 He fled to England in 1538, where, having become a 
 minister of the English protestant church, he continued till 
 the death of Kdward \I. when, having retired to Frankfort, 
 he was appointed preacher to the English congregation of that 
 place.* He was afterwards removed to a charge in Lower 
 Germany ; where, says Spottiswood, " he continued the rest 
 of his days :"' but Dr. INI'Crie has shev/n, by many references, 
 that, on the accession of Elizabeth, he returned to England, 
 and that, in 15C8, he was inducted to the vicarage of St. 
 Nicholas in Newcastle, where he died in 1584.-|- 
 
 Such is the scanty account we can give of a man who seems 
 to have been distinguished in his day, and whose name is 
 recorded by various writers. Strype, who terms him " an il- 
 lustrious exile," says, that the most pious and learned protes- 
 
 • .Cpottiswood's Histonj, 97. + Life of Knox, i. 359.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. G3 
 
 taut divines having boon seloctod to preach successively in St. 
 Paul's, JNIacbray formed one of the number, and officiated 
 there in his turn in 1559-* And Bale, who mentions several 
 of his works, states, that he wrote " elegantly in Latin." -f 
 He composed an account of the church of which he was pastor, 
 in Lower Germany ; and " some homilies," says Spottiswood, 
 " he left upon the prophecy of Hosoa, and an history of the 
 bogiiming and progress of the Knglish church." | 
 
 The next name that claims our notice, is that of a man 
 whose memory is associated with one of the most important 
 events of our history — I allude to the famous John Welsh, 
 who was born about the year 1570, and was son to the laird of 
 Collieston, a small estate lying in the parish of Dunscore, 
 Dumfrios-shire. § The imprudence and vices of his youth are 
 universally known. At school, he was not more careless when 
 present, than unwilling to attend it ; he despised and trampled 
 upon the authority both of parents and teacher ; and resolved, 
 at length, to extricate himself from every species of restraint, 
 he abandoned his paternal roof, and associated with a company 
 of gipsies and border freebooters, participating in all their rob- 
 beries and debaucheries. He was now regarded as sunk into 
 an irretrievable state of depravity ; and his parents daily feared 
 to hear of his coming to a premature and ignominious end. 
 Soon, however, experiencing poverty and wretchedness, the 
 unavoidable result of his crimes and irregularities, and feeling, 
 too, it is not improbable, the compunctious visitings of con- 
 science, he ventured to return home ; and being, by means of 
 a female relative, introduced to his father, he besought 
 
 * Strype's Annak of the JReign of Elizabeth, ii. 134. 
 
 •J- J3alei Scnptores JBritannice, 229. 
 
 J Spottiswood, and IJfe of Knox, ut supra, 
 
 § The source from which I have obtained the substance of the following 
 sketch, (unless when reference is made to other sources,) is a small volume, 
 entitled, The Life of John Welch, printed at Edinburgh, 1703. The author 
 of it was Blr. James Kirkton, first minister of Merton, and afterwards one 
 of the ministers of Edinburgh ; and who, being married to a relation of Mrs. 
 Welsh, possessed the best means of coming to the knowledge of the circum- 
 stances he records.
 
 04 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 liim, in the tcndcrest and most penitential manner, to pardon 
 his disobedience ; and promised to give, in future, no new 
 cause of" grief or of shame. Parental affection could not with- 
 stimd this appeal. Welsh was immediately restored to the 
 bosom of his family ; and, having petitioned permission to 
 study for the church, was removed to college, where he became 
 remarkable, not more for the ardour of his application, than 
 the fervour of his piety. His first settlement in the ministry 
 was at Selkirk, which, on receiving an invitation from Kirk- 
 cudbright, he was soon induced to leave, on account of the 
 ignorance, the profanity, and ingratitude of his people. 
 
 It was while he held the charge of Kirkcudbright that he 
 composed his celebrated work on the errors of popery. A com- 
 munication sent by Welsh to a person of the catholic religion, 
 '• the object of which was to expose the absurd and dangerous 
 tendency of that faith, having fallen into the hands of Gilbert 
 Brown^^blajt of Sweetheart, he immediately undertook to re- 
 fute it in a treatise addressed to Welsh. Welsh, on receiving 
 it, solicited a public disputation on the subject in question ; a 
 request which jBrown, fi'om a scrupulous regard to his own 
 good name, had the prudence to decline. Welsh, therefore, 
 composed his Reply ; a work in which he overthrows the 
 arguments of his opponent, head by head separately, — which 
 neither Brown, nor any popish writer has yet attempted to 
 answer, — ^nd which, unquestionably, is one of the most erudite 
 and elaborate treatises of the age in which it was composed. 
 The author displays the most jninute acquaintance with the 
 oldest and most rare theological writings, and he analyzes and 
 refutes those that bear against him with a degi'ee of dexterity 
 and talent, to which Brown, learned as he unquestionably was, 
 possessed no claim.* His triumph over his opponent was com- 
 
 " The title of tliis work is, — A Repli/ arjainst M. Gilbert Browne, 
 priest. Wherein iv IiavxRcil many of the yreatest and wei'jhliest points of 
 controiterxie between v.s and the papbites, anil the truth of our doctrine clear- 
 ly proued, anil tlw, falnct of flieir religion arul doctrine laid open, and most 
 evidenllie conuicted and confuted, btj ihe testimonies of the Scripture and
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 65 
 
 plete and undisputed. — " I have set downe your answcrc ful- 
 lie," says Welsh in his preface, " and hcs answered to every 
 poynt and argument seuerally ; the like, Maister Gilbert, 1 
 desire of you, that if ever you can be able to put to your hand 
 to make ane ansvvere, that you set downe me word for word, 
 and answere euerie head and poynt thereof seuerally, as I haue 
 set them downe here, and shew what you graunt, and what 
 you denie in euerie head and argument, as I haue done in 
 yours ; otherwaies I will take it for no answere, bot for a nia- 
 nifest demonstration that ye are conuicted in your conscience of 
 the falset of your owne religion."*^ — Brown, notwithstanding this 
 challenge, and the humiliating alternative to which it reduced 
 him, thought it proper to maintain silence. 
 
 At what period Welsh removed from Kirkcudbright to Ayr, 
 I have not been able to ascertain. It could not have been till 
 towards the end of the year 1599, as the introductory address 
 to Gilbert Brown is dated from Kirkcudbright in, August of 
 that year. Of the extent of his zeal and exertions at Ayr, it 
 is almost impossible for us to form any thing like an adequate 
 idea. He preached publicly every day, — was scrupulously 
 faithful in the performance of his other important duties — 
 and uniformly devoted the third part of his time to pri- 
 vate prayer and meditation. The presbyterian clergy, in- 
 deed, of the 16th and 17th centuries, were all eminently dis- 
 tinguished for ardent and indefatigable activity in holy things. 
 Cowper, when at Perth, in addition to his other d^ies, 
 preached, as we have already stated, four times a-week ; Sa- 
 muel Rutherford rose every morning at three o"'clock, and after 
 devoting the early part of the day to prayer, meditation, and 
 study, spent the remainder of it in visiting and instructing his 
 people ; and John Livingstone of Stranraer set apart an hour 
 
 auncient Fathers ; and also hy some of their own popes, doctors, cardinaUs, 
 and of their own writters- Wherevnio is annexed a seuer all treatise concerning 
 the Masse and antichrist. By M. John Welsche, preacher of Christ's GospeU 
 at Aire. Edinburgh, printed by Robert Walde-grave, printer to the King's 
 Maiestie, 1602 — 4to. pp. 363. It is dedicated " to the Riglit Excellent 
 and Mightic Prince James the 6, King of Scotland."
 
 GC THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 every morning, for reading the Bible to his fiock, and ilhistraf- 
 ing it.* 
 
 And the success of Welsh was fully in proportion to the 
 extent of his exertions. On his arrival at Ayr, he found the 
 flock over whom he was to preside, not only remarkable for 
 ignorance and profanity, but carrying their abhorrence of 
 sacred things to such an extent that, in their sight, a minister of 
 the gospel was an object worthy only of contempt and hatred. 
 This Mr. Welsh himself experienced when he first came 
 among them ; for it was not without difficulty that he could 
 procure a house for himself and his family. This unhappy 
 state of matters he was soon enabled to remove. His inde- 
 fatigable exertions for thewelfare of his people — the mild, yet 
 firm and dignified nature of his private intercourse with them 
 — the solemnity and energy of his public ministrations — and 
 the eminent spiritual mindedness of his own life, soon gained 
 their affection and commanded their esteem. 
 
 The circumstances in which our reformed church was now 
 placed, are generally known. James had, for several years be- 
 fore the time at which we are arrived, been gradually smooth- 
 ing the way for abolishing presbytery, and establishing episco- 
 pacy on its ruins. Under various pretexts, he had made in- 
 fringements on the power and privileges of the General As- 
 sembly. Though, by a parliamentary decision, this judicatory 
 was <lirccted to be held annually, and a determinate rule laid 
 down for fixing the particular day and place of meeting, yet 
 James had succeeded in obviating that enactment ; and though 
 the assembly which was held at Holyroodhouse in 1602, came 
 to a resolution that this court should henceforth be kept ac- 
 cording to the act of Parliament — a resolution which the king 
 himself, who was present, agreed to ; yet the assembly, which 
 was appointed to meet at Aberdeen in 1604, he prorogued un- 
 til the month of June of the following year. But his Majes- 
 ty did not stop here. His object was not merely to make en- 
 croachments on the privileges of this court, but to destroy its 
 
 • Tlic Lives of Rutherford and Livingstone in this work.
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 67 
 
 existence. Accordingly, the assembly which himself had fixed 
 to take place at Aberdeen in 1605, he not only prorogued, but 
 mentioned no other time for its meeting. This tyrannical 
 conduct, which was striking at the very root of tlie prcsby- 
 terian cause, alarmed the whole nation. The ministers were 
 compelled to exert themselves, unless they meant to surrender 
 their privileges for ever. And nine presbyteries resolved to 
 send representatives to Aberdeen, with instructions, however, 
 merely to constitute the assembly, and to appoint a day for its 
 next meeting. Of these representatives Welsh was one. John 
 Forbes, minister of Alford, was chosen moderator. While 
 they were employed in reading a letter delivered to them by 
 Straiton, the king''s commissioner, from the lords of the privy 
 council, a messengcr-at-arms entered, and charged them, in the 
 king''s name, to dissolve the meeting on pain of rebellion. With 
 this request the ministers seemed quite ready to comply, and 
 only solicited that the royal commissioner should appoint 
 the time and place for next meeting. This being refused, 
 the moderator nominated it to be held at the same place 
 on the last Tuesday of September ensuing, and dissolved 
 the meeting by prayer. The commissioner, afraid lest 
 the indecision he had shown in allowing, as he did, the assem- 
 bly to be held at all, or in seeming to recognise its lawful- 
 ness or competency, might expose him to the resentment of the 
 prelates and of the king, is supposed to have given a very dis- 
 torted account of the whole proceedings to his majesty. He^ 
 declared, that on the day previously to the meeting, he had 
 forbidden it by a public proclamation at the cross of Aberdeen. 
 Of the falsehood of this assertion, no person now entertains a 
 doubt ; not only the ministers had not heard this proclamation, 
 but none could be produced who were present when it was de- 
 livered. " And it is universally believed," says Dr. M'Crie, 
 " that he had ante-dated his proclamation, to conciliate the 
 kinji and his court-ministers, who were offended at him for the 
 countenance he had given to the meeting.''"' * 
 
 • Life of Melville, ii. 201.
 
 68 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 We cannot withhold our applause from the manner and 
 spirit in which this assembly was held. " The question at 
 issue, between the court and the ministers, amounted to this, 
 whether they were to he ruled by law, or by the arbitrary will 
 of the prince — whether royal proclamations were to be obeyed, 
 when they suspended statutes enacted by the joint authority of 
 king and parliament ? This question came afterwards to be 
 debated in England, and was ultimately decided by the estab- 
 lishment of the constitutional doctrine, which confines the ex- 
 ercise of royal authority within the boundaries of law. But it 
 cannot be denied, and it must not be forgotten, that the minis- 
 ters of Scotland were the first to avow this rational and salu- 
 tary doctrine, at the expense of being denounced and punished 
 as traitors ; and that their pleadings and sufferings in behalf 
 of ecclesiastical liberty, set an example to the patriots of Eng- 
 land. In this respect complete justice has not been done to 
 their memory ; nor has expiation been made for the injuries 
 done to the cause which they maintained, by the slanderous 
 libels against them,, which continue to stain the pages of Eng- 
 lish history."* 
 
 This manly and dignified conduct of the assembly, however, 
 James, in the frenzy of his zeal for the hierarchy, and for his 
 prerogative, could not forgive. Orders were immediately is- 
 sued to proceed with the most unrelenting rigour against the 
 ministers who had thus dared to act in opposition to his autho- 
 rity. They were accordingly apprehended ; and fourteen of 
 them, ha\'ing resolved to defend the propriety of their conduct, 
 were committed to different prisons. Forbes and Welsh, con- 
 sidered as leaders, were lodged in separate cells in the castle of 
 Blackness. These two, with four others, when brought before 
 the pri\y council, declined the authority of that tribunal, as in- 
 competent to judge in a cause purely ecclesiastical, and which 
 could only be decided by the judicatory of the church. This 
 behaviour, coupled with the high crime of which they were 
 originally charged, could not be overlooked. They were serv- 
 
 • Life o/MelviHf, ii. 203.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. G9 
 
 cd with an mtlictmcnt to stand trial for high treason, on the 
 10th of January 1606, before the Court of Justiciary at Lin- 
 lithgow. This trial ivS one of the most infamous and tyranni- 
 cal that ever disgraced a court. The charge of treason, which 
 consisted in the mere circumstance of having given in a decli- 
 nature against the jurisdiction of the privy council, was found- 
 ed on a law which, as far as respected ecclesiastical matters, 
 was disabled by a subsequent enactment. His majesty condes- 
 cended to exercise all the influence he could command to con- 
 vict the prisoners. The Earl of Dunbar, his favourite, was 
 despatched to Scotland for that purpose ; and when the jury 
 seemed reluctant to bring in a verdict of guilty, the king's ad- 
 vocate, worthy of the occasion, threatened them with the royal 
 displeasure if they allowed the pannels to escape ; and the 
 judges prostituted the dignity of their office, by promising that 
 no punishment should be inflicted on them, provided a verdict 
 was delivered agreeable to his majesty. The result may thus 
 easily be anticipated. Notwithstanding the justness of their 
 cause, — the able defence of their counsel, — and the impressive 
 and energetic speeches of Forbes and Welsh, a verdict was at 
 length brought in, finding them guilty of treason. — " But it 
 ought to be recorded," to use the animated words of Dr. Cook, 
 " that although the most indecent mea,ns were employed to 
 influence the jury, — although they were even threatened to be 
 prosecuted as traitors, if they hesitated to bring in the verdict 
 demanded by the servants of the crown, — six of the fifteen 
 composing it voted that the ministers were innocent ; and one 
 of them nobly said, that he not only absolved them from the 
 crime of treason, but regarded them as faithful servants to 
 Christ, and good subjects to the king."* 
 
 From policy, however, or out of respect to the voice of the 
 nation, the punishment of death, which the law awards to trai- 
 tors, was not inflicted on them ; but, after fourteen weeks' im- 
 prisonment, they were banished to France. The scene of their 
 
 ♦ Cook's Hist, of the Church, ii. 168. Criminal Trials, ii. 494 — 502, 
 edited by Robert Pitcairn, W.S., a work of great importance and merit, 
 wliich does honour to the research aiul public spirit of its enlightened editor.
 
 70 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 departure was extremely interesting and striking. Their fate 
 had excited the deepest sympathy and pity, and a vast multi- 
 tude assembled on the shore of Leith to bid them a last adieu. 
 Mr. M^elsh offered up, on the occasion, a most pathetic and 
 impressive prayer ; and, after having sung the twenty-third 
 psalm, the ministers tore themselves away, and most of them 
 were doomed never to return. The populace were much mov- 
 ed ; and implored, in the most fervent manner, the Divine 
 Being for their welfare and happiness. 
 
 It may not be improper to mention, that Welsh, while at 
 Kirkcudbright, had married Elizabeth Knox, daughter to our 
 illustrious reformer. This lady inherited a portion of her 
 fixther's spirit. She attended her husband, while in confinement, 
 and was present at Linlithgow, with the wives of the other 
 prisoners, on the day of trial. These heroines, instead of giv- 
 ing themselves up to unavailing sorrow and despondency, seem 
 to have possessed that firmness and fortitude which the occa- 
 sion required. They blessed God that their husbands were 
 endowed with courage to maintain the cause of Christ through 
 shame and through suffering, and that, like him, they had 
 been tried and condemned under the darkness of night.* 
 
 Welsh, on his arrival in France, applied with so much ar- 
 dour to the study of the language of the country, that, in about 
 fourteen weeks, he was able to preach in it. He was first set- 
 tled minister of a protestant congregation at Nerac, from whence 
 he was afterwards removed to St. Jean d'Angely, a tovm of 
 Lower Charcnte, where he continued to labour in the work of 
 the ministry until a short time before he left that country. 
 
 The following extraordinary circumstances must not be 
 passed over in silence. In the war which, in 1620, Lewis 
 XIII. king of France, waged against his protestant subjects, 
 St. Jean d'Angely was besieged by his majesty in person. 
 Welsh, who assured the magistrates that God would deliver 
 them, not only encouraged his fellow-citizens by his exhorta- 
 tions, but ascended the walls, and resolutely assisted in defend- 
 ing the garrison. The siege terminated in a way highly gra- 
 
 . _ • Life of Knox, ii. 269—7 i.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 7^ 
 
 tifying to the defenders. A treaty was concluded, by which 
 the full and free exercise of their religious principles was se- 
 cured them, and the king was to be allowed to enter the town 
 in a friendly manner with his troops. A law at that time ex- 
 isted in France, that, wherever the king resided, there should 
 be no public exercise of any form of worship different from that 
 which he adopted ; and accordingly, the magistrates of St. Jean 
 d'Angely requested Mr. Welsh to forbear preaching on the 
 ensuing Sabbath. " It is making,"" says Welsh, with his char- 
 acteristic firmness, " no good requital to God for your delivery 
 to hinder his worship ; for my part, except I am violently hin- 
 dered, I will go to the public place, and preach to any that 
 come ; — and if none come, I mil go home and bewail the 
 miseries that are coming upon you."" This resolute conduct 
 was productive of the happiest effects. Not only was there a 
 o-reater meeting than on any former occasion, but many per- 
 sons of the catholic religion, who belonged to the royal troops, 
 were among the number of his hearers. The king hearing of 
 the determination of Welsh, and offended at his presumption, 
 despatched the Duke d'Esperon, with some of the guard, to 
 brino- him from the pulpit into his presence. When Welsh 
 saw the du.ke enter the church with an armed guard, he was 
 not intimidated. INIaking a pause in his discourse, he ordered 
 a seat to be set for the Marshal of France, — and " command- 
 ed him, in the name of God, whose servant he was, not to dis- 
 turb his worship." The duke, struck with the dignity of 
 Welsh, and the air of authority with which he spoke, involun- 
 tarily obeyed his " commands," and listened to the sermon 
 with decorum and seriousness. When the services of the 
 church were over, the duke brought him before the king, who 
 demanded of him " how he durst preach, it being against the 
 law to do it so near the king .?" " If your majesty," replied 
 Welsh, " knew what I preach, you would command othei's, 
 and come yourself to hear it ; for I preach salvation by Jesus 
 Christ ; and I am sure your own conscience tells you that your 
 own works will never merit salvation to you ; — I preach that 
 there is none on the earth above you, which none of those
 
 7- THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 about you that adhere to the pope will say/' This unexpected 
 reply so pleased the king, that lie exclaimed, " Vcnj well ; i/ou 
 shall he mi/ minister,'" — addressed him by the name of Father, 
 and promised him his protection. And circumstances soon oc- 
 curred to tiy the faith of his majesty's promise. St. Jean 
 d'Angely having been besieged and taken the subsequent 
 year, Lewis ordered INI. de Aitry, one of his generals, to plant 
 a guard at ]\Ir. Welsh's house, that he might receive no in- 
 juiy ; and soon afterwards, himself and his family w^ere con- 
 \eyed, at his majesty's expense, to Rochelle.* 
 
 Welsh was not yet for advanced in years ; but from the 
 length of his confinement in Scotland, the exertions he had 
 made as a minister of the Gospel, and the various calamities of his 
 life, his constitution now began to fail him, and symptoms of a 
 pulmonary nature were visible. Being told by his physicians, 
 that the only chance he could have of prolonging his life, was 
 to breathe his native air, he repaired to Campvere in Zealand, 
 from which he sent supplications to the British king, for per- 
 mission to return to Scotland. He only, however, obtained 
 leave to return to London ; nor would he be allowed to visit 
 his native land, unless he gave his approbation of the ecclesias- 
 tical polity then established there. For extorting this sub- 
 mission, Dr. John Young, his majesty's chaplain, waited on 
 him, and conversed with him on the subject. His principles, 
 iiowever, had been too long cherished, and too deeply rooted, 
 to be easily shaken ; he spurned every compromise of them, or 
 the most indirect approval of prelacy ; he had all his life suf- 
 fered in opposing arbitrary and corrupt measures, and had 
 never yet regretted the part he had acted ; he had not hesitated 
 to confront death, when at the very meridian of his days ; and 
 it was not to be expected, that now he would endeavour to 
 
 • Livingstone's Remarkahle Ohnervations upon the Lives of the most eminent 
 l^rinistcTs find Profexsors in the Church of Srothmd. AJ S. Adv. Ivibrary, article 
 Mr. John WcUh. Livingstone informs us, that lie got liis information from 
 Lord Kcnmure, who, at the time to which we refer, was lodged in Mr. 
 M'lIsIi'h house. Sec also Introduction to Rutherford's Survey/ (if the spiritual 
 Aniirhrim. I.ond. HItH.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. ^3 
 
 purchase a few years of precarious existence, by abandoning or 
 betraying a cause which he had identified with the glory of 
 (jod, and with the temporal and eternal interests of mankind. 
 Nor was this inflexibility and faitlifulness confined to Welsh 
 himself. His amiable wife was distinguished by the same 
 spirit. This lady, having obtained access to his majesty, peti- 
 tioned him to grant her husband liberty to return to his native 
 country. James replied, that if she would persuade him to 
 submit to episcopal authority, permission should be given him. 
 Mrs. Welsh, lifting up her apron, and holding it towards the 
 king, answered in a spirit worthy of her father and her hus- 
 band ; " Please your majesty, I'd rather kep [receive] his head 
 there."* 
 
 The termination of his life was characteristic of the tenor of 
 it. James, in opposition to all entreaty, had prohibited hiim 
 from preaching in London, until he heard that his death 
 could' not be far distant. As soon as Welsh was informed of 
 his majesty "'s resolution, he availed himself of the privilege 
 which it allowed him ; and having obtained a pulpit, preach- 
 ed with his usual animation and energy. It was a last and 
 expiring effort, and seems to have hastened his end ; for he 
 retired to his chamber, and, within two hours, died without a 
 struggle. This event took place in 1622, in the fiftieth year 
 of his age. 
 
 The character of Welsh is peculiarly amiable. From the 
 period of his entering into the ministry, his whole time was 
 devoted to his sacred profession. He has been accused of acri- 
 mony and violence, even in the pulpit ; but violence and acri- 
 mony may almost be forgiven in a man whose party had every 
 day to struggle against power and oppression, and who per- 
 ceived that nothing could effect the success of their cause, but 
 a full exposure of the base and arbitraiy means by which it 
 was endeavoured to be blasted and exterminated. A circum- 
 stance of a different nature has also made him the object of 
 much ridicule, namely, that he spent the third part of his 
 time in prayer. We cannot respect those who have brought 
 
 * Life of Knor, ii- 27 1.
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 forward this charge. It may be branded with the epithet of 
 entliusiasm ; but it was enthusiasm in a duty which cannot be 
 performed too fully or too well. Inflexibility of purpose and 
 principle, forms the most prominent feature in Welsh's cha- 
 racter. This was displayed in every circumstance of his life ; 
 and the spirit which, in his youth, when his moral and reli- 
 gious nature was uncultivated, prompted him to trample under 
 foot parental authority, was the very same with that which, 
 under higher guidance, and at a future period of life, animated 
 him to persevere so resolutely in the service of his divine Mas- 
 ter, and fearlessly to resist the exercise of arbitrary power. 
 
 Of his learned work we have already spoken. He is also 
 the author of various sermons which were at first given to the 
 world separately, but which, after his death, were published in 
 a collected form, and have since formed a favourite book in 
 every district of the south of Scotland. 
 
 There is one part of Welsh's history to which I have not yet 
 alluded, namely, that he possessed, or was believed to possess, 
 the gift of prophecy, and the power of working miracles. That 
 he himself laid claim to this distinction, or appealed to it 
 as a proof of the truth of his doctrines and principles, is ex- 
 ceedingly improbable, and has never indeed been asserted. 
 With all his enthusiasm and ardour, he possessed too much 
 judgment and penetration, and was too deeply skilled in the 
 principles and history of Christianity, to advance a claim so 
 absurd and preposterous. The age of which we are speaking, 
 and those that preceded it, were times of credulity and super- 
 stition ; and in those early days, miraculous gifts was an honour 
 gratuitously paid to the memory of almost every divine, emi- 
 nent for piety and virtue. This has undoubtedly been the 
 case with Knox and Welsh, and many other individuals. 
 For the truth is, there is no evidence of a miracle having been 
 performed since the days of the apostles. Nor are miracles 
 now necessary. They were at first necessary for proving the 
 divinity of the nature and mission of our Saviour, and for gain- 
 ing his gospel a reception in the world. But that necessity 
 did not long exist. With the apostles, the miraculous gifts 
 
 G
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 7^ 
 
 of the Holy Spirit disappeared. Nor, whatever may have 
 been pretended or believed, have they been imparted to any 
 since that distant period.* 
 
 AVelsh was the father of three sons ; two of whom prede- 
 ceased him, while the other, though he survived his father 
 about twelve years, died young in 1G34. He was minister of 
 Temple-Bar, in the north of Ireland, and was distinguished 
 for piety and zeal in the discharge of his clerical duties. Mr. 
 John Livingstone, who gives him a place among the " eminent 
 ministers" whose worth he so affectionately commemorates, at- 
 tended him on his death-bed. " I being at prayer," says he, 
 " at his bed-side before him, and the word victory coming out 
 of his mouth, he took hold of my hand, and clapped both his 
 hands, and cried out Victory .^ victory .^ victory for evermore I 
 and then desired me to go on in prayer, and within a short 
 time after he expired."-f- 
 
 He left behind him one son, afterwards minister of Irongray, 
 his grandfather*'s native parish. He lived during the perilous 
 and bloody reign of Charles II., and being possessed of that 
 ardour of piety and adherence to principle which characterised 
 his forefathers, he endured a large share of the sufferings 
 and persecvition of that period. At one time nine thousand 
 merks were promised by the government to any who should 
 apprehend hun. He died about the year 1680 in London, 
 whither he had retired after the battle of Bothw-ell-bridge.| 
 Several respectable families of the name of Welsh claim de- 
 scent either directly or collaterally from the distinguished mi- 
 nister of Ayr, or from the house of CoIlieston.§ 
 
 • Chap. i. of this work, 16. Life of Knox, ii. 262—7. 
 
 ■j- Livingstone's Remarkable Observations, JMS.152. 
 
 \ Wodrow's History, i. 234 — ii. 13 ; Scotch Worthies, 70. 
 
 § The house of Collieston seems soon to have terminated in a female. 
 Mary Welsh, wife of William Gordon of Miinihuy, is mentioned as " heir" 
 of John Welsh, younger of Collieston, in 1659. Inq. Retor. Ahhrev. § Dum- 
 fries. 
 
 -(<'-.*; 
 / *
 
 70 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 CIIAPTER VII. 
 
 LIFE OF SAMUEL RUTHEllFORD. 
 
 This distinguished man was born in the year 1600 in the 
 parish of Nisbet, now annexed to Crailing, in the presbytery 
 of Jedburgh.* His parents, it is supposed, were of the rank 
 of fanners ; and he is known to have had at least two brothers, 
 one a schoohiiaster in Kirkcudliright, the other an officer in 
 the service of the Dutch. After having received his elementary 
 education either at Nisbet, or Jedburgh, distant about four 
 miles, he entered the college of Kdinburgh in 1617? and after 
 going through the usual course of study, took the degree of 
 Master of Arts in 1621. AVhat rank he held in his classes 
 is not told ; but we may infer that his progress, particularly 
 in classical literature, was great, from the circumstance that, 
 at the end of two years after his graduation, he was, by com- 
 parative trial, elected regent or professor of humanity. There 
 were four candidates ; and " although INIr. Will, (one of the 
 masters of the High School,) pleased the judges most for his 
 experience and actual knowledge, yet the whole regents, out of 
 their particular knowledge of ISIr. Samuel Rutherford, demon- 
 strated to them his eminent abilities of mind and virtuous 
 disposition, wherein the judges being satisfied, declared him 
 successor in the profession of humanity." 
 
 Though thus honourably elected, he did not continue long 
 
 • The Life of Samuel Rutherford, written by the present author, was pub- 
 lishcd in 1828, in one volume, 12ino. ; to whicli the reader is referred.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 77 
 
 connected with the university. For, having " given some 
 scandal in his marriage,"" he resigned his charge in the year 
 1625. Without entering on this unpleasant subject, (which 
 will be found very fully investigated in the Life of Rulhtrford 
 already referred to), we shall merely mention that the name 
 of his wife was Eupham Hamilton ; of whom, previous to his 
 marriage, nothing is known. Rutherford, on retiring from the 
 college as a professor, is supposed to have devoted his time to 
 the study of theology, under the celebrated Andrew Ramsay. 
 It is not unlikely, indeed, that he had commenced this study 
 while he officiated as regent of humanity ; for the incomes 
 derived from the university were, in these days, so small, that 
 the regents, while they conducted the business of a class, M'ere 
 themselves frequently attending the lectures of the professor 
 of divinity ; and they resigned their situations in the college, 
 not merely for livings in the church, but sometimes for grammar- 
 schools. At what period Rutherford received licence as a 
 preacher, we are not told ; but in 1627? (two years after he 
 had resigned his place as regent of humanity), he was settled 
 minister of Anwoth, in the presbytery of Kirkcudbright ; a 
 livinfr which he obtained through Gordon of Kenmure. An- 
 woth had not, till this date, been a separate parish, but had 
 been united to Kirkmabreck and Kirkdale, in the latter of 
 which the place of worship stood ; nor was there a church in 
 Anwoth till one was built immediately before Rutherford^s 
 removal thither. 
 
 AVhether Rutherford, on his going to Anwoth, received 
 episcopal ordination, and acknowledged episcopal authority, is 
 a question that has often been agitated. It is reasonable to 
 suppose, from the domination to which the bishops were now 
 raised, and which they were not remiss in exercising, that no 
 minister could obtain a charge without acquiescing in all the 
 conditions, and submitting to all the shackles which Episcopacy 
 imposed. There seem, however, from particular circumstances, 
 to have been some deviations from this established practice. 
 And of these the case before us is recorded as one. Mr. 
 M'Ward, the pupil and friend of Rutherford, to whom the
 
 78 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 truth must have been well known, unconditionally states, th.tt 
 he entered to his charge " by the means of that worthy noble- 
 man, my Lord Kenmure, without giving any engagement to 
 the bishop." M'odrow corroborates this opinion. And Ste- 
 venson mentions, that " untill the beginning of the year 1628, 
 some few preachers, by moyen, [influence,] were suffered to 
 enter the ministry without conformity, and of this number 
 we suppose Mr. Rutherford may be reckoned, because he was 
 ordained before the doors came to be more closely shut upon 
 honest preachers." In corroboration of this opinion, Ruther- 
 ford himself expressly declares, in a letter from Anwoth, that 
 ** the great master-gardener, the Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, in a wonderful providence, planted me here, where, 
 by his grace, in this part of his vineyard I grow." And at 
 another period, he gives it as his decided opinion, that " the 
 lawfull calling of ane pastor to the flock of Christ, requireth 
 the consent, vowes, and approbation of the people and pres- 
 byterie." The truth, in fine, seems to be, that Andrew Lamb, 
 then bishop of Galloway, and the friend of Kenmure, was 
 induced by that gentleman, and by Lord Kirkcudbright, a 
 zealous Presbyterian, and possessed of great estates in the 
 parish of Anwoth, to relax, in this instance, the authority with 
 which the law invested him, and to connive at the Presbyterian 
 ordination and non-conformity of Rutherford. 
 
 Never did any clergyman enter upon his sacred trust under 
 happier auspices, or with more flattering prospects of success. 
 The inhabitants of Anwoth had previously had sermon only 
 every alternate week ; a circumstance which they seem deeply 
 to have felt and lamented. " Our soules," they say, " were 
 under that miserable extreame femine of the word, that we 
 had onlie the puir help of any sermone everie second Sabbath." 
 The doctrines of the gospel had, at this time, obtained a 
 surer footing in Anwoth, and were more assiduously cultivated, 
 than has yet been stated. For under the ministry of William 
 Dalglcish, their former clcrgj-man, (who still continued minister 
 of the united parishes of Kirkmabreck and Kirkdale,) not only 
 the great body of the people, but the proprietors and higher
 
 OFfiALLOWAY. 7^ 
 
 orders, had embraced these doctrines, and exhibited a corre- 
 spondent walk and conversation. The landlords, indeed, 
 were all characterised by the same sentiments on the subject 
 of divinity and ecclesiastical polity, that Rutherford himself 
 entertained ; sentiments, indeed, that first recommended him 
 to their notice, and that induced them to adopt the steps ne- 
 cessary to his induction as their minister.* He exhibited, in 
 the exercise of his important functions, a degree of industry 
 and zeal that is almost incredible. He was accustomed to rise 
 every morning at three o'clock ; the early part of the day he 
 spent in prayer, in meditation, and study ; and the remainder 
 of it was devoted to his more public duties — to the visitation of 
 the sick, the afflicted, and the dying, and to the examination 
 and encouragement in godliness of the different families of his 
 congregation. His flock were the cause and objects, he tells 
 us, " of his tears, care, fear, and daily prayers ;" he laboured 
 among them " early and late ;*" and " my witness is above," he 
 declares to them, " that your heaven would be two heavens to 
 we, and the salvation of j/o« all, as two salvations to jjie." 
 
 Nor w'ere his labours and usefulness confined to the inhabi- 
 tants of Anwoth. People firom many of the neighbouring 
 parishes resorted to his preaching, and in consequence of the 
 paucity of faithful ministers, he was often invited to officiate, 
 and occasionally to dispense the sacrament in the adjoining 
 churches. *' He was a great strengthener of all the Christians 
 in that country, who had been the fruits of the ministry of ]Mr. 
 John Welsh, the time he had been at Kirkcudbright ; the whole 
 country indeed, were to him, and accounted themselves as his 
 particular flock." There were, however, still a few clergymen 
 in this province, such as William Dalgleish of Kirkmabreck, 
 John M'Lellan of Girthon, and Robert Glcndinning of Kirk- 
 cudbright, who, in spite of every obstacle, continued faithful 
 to presbyterian principles and doctrines. But many parishes 
 were either vacant, or were filled with minions of the bishop ; 
 
 • Rutherford's stipend consisted of 200 merks Scots, (about £,\\ Sterling,) 
 derived from the teinds of the parish, and of a voluntary contribution on the 
 heritors.
 
 00 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 and as the people, with extremely few exceptions, were decitlecUy 
 in tavc>ur of the tenets, hoth ecclesiastical and theological, ot" 
 the non-contorniists, they thought no journey too long, and 
 no lahour too great, that enahled them to enjoy the ministration 
 of their favourite pastors. Nor was it to the lower orders alone 
 that his ser\'iccs were so welcome and acceptable. Between 
 him and the hiixher classes also, an intimate Christian connexion 
 obtained. Almost every individual of this rank, in the county 
 in which he lived, had embraced presbyterian doctrines ; 
 and we learn, both from his Letters, and from the exertions 
 which, as we shall see, they made to retain him in Galloway, 
 when the General Assembly wished to remove him from it, that 
 they regarded him as the minister not merely of the parish 
 over which he more immediately presided, but of the whole 
 province, and as the spiritual teacher, guide, and comforter of 
 each of them. 
 
 But eminence and worth, however gi'eat, will not exempt 
 from the sorrows and sufferings of humanity ; and Rutherford, 
 while he must have been gratified in being the instrument of 
 so much good, and in the esteem and admiration which were 
 so extensively shown him, was doomed to experience deep 
 family distress and bereavement. His wife, after a tedious and 
 severe illness of thirteen months, died in the month of June 
 1630, in less than five ydars after their man-iage. Her pro- 
 tracted sickness was the soiree of much anxiety and anguish to 
 him. " My wife's disease," says he in a letter to one of his 
 most valued friends,* " increascth daily to her great torment 
 and pain, night and day ; she had not been in God''s house 
 since our communion, neither out of her bed. I have hired a 
 man to Edinburgh to Dr. Jeally and John Hamilton. I 
 can hardly believe her disease is ordinary, for her life is bitter 
 to her; she sleeps none, but cries. * * What will be 
 the event, he that hath the keys of the grave knows." In 
 
 " iMaiioii M'Nauglit, wife to William Fullcrton, provost of Kirkcudbriglit. 
 A short account of Mrs. Fullcrton may be found in a note, pp. 63 — .5. to 
 77<e tost ami Ifeavenli/ Speeches of Lord Kenmure, edited in 1827, by the 
 present author.
 
 OP GALLOWAY. lU 
 
 nnother letter to the same friend, "my wife," he observes, " is still 
 in exceeding great torment night and day. Pray for us, for my 
 life was never so wearisome to me. God hath filled me with 
 gall and wormwood ; but I believe, (which holds up my head 
 above the water,) It is good for a man that he hear the yoke in 
 his ynnth.'"' When her death had taken place, he seems to 
 have borne it with pious resignation, though in no part of his 
 correspondence that is preserved, is the subject particularly al- 
 luded to. In a letter to Lady Kenmure, he says, " the Lord 
 hath done it, blessed be his name ;" and four years after the 
 event, he speaks of her as having been " the delight of his 
 eyes," and of the wound which her death had occasioned, as not 
 being " yet fully healed and cured." Even at the end of nine 
 years he uses sinailar language, and remembers with intense 
 grief the bereaving dispensation with which he had been 
 visited. 
 
 This marriage had been productive of children, though, as 
 far as we know, they had all predeceased their mother ; and 
 when bereaved of his wife, Rutherford was left alone without 
 any pledges of their love to engage and interest his affections. 
 And to add to his distress, he had been seized previously to her 
 death with a fever, which continued for thirteen weeks, and 
 w^hich, when it was removed, left him in a state of such debility, 
 that for some time he w'as able to preach " but once on the . 
 Sabbath, with great difficulty," and able neither to visit nor 
 examine his congregation. Amid these afflictions his mother 
 lived with him, having left Nisbet in consequence, it is sup- 
 posed, of her husband^s death, and come to end her days under 
 her son's roof; but instead of affording him comfort, she seems 
 rather to have added to his anxiety and distress, for she was old 
 and infirm, and apparently following fast her departed relative 
 to the grave. " God knowing my present state, and the neces- 
 sities of my calling, I hope will spare my mother's life for a 
 time, for the which I have cause to thank my I^ord." " My 
 mother is weak, and I think shall leave me alone ; but I ain 
 not alone, but Christ's Father is with me." And though she 
 may for a while have survived her daughter-in-law, her death, 
 
 G
 
 82 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 we know, took place previously to 1036, \vhen Rutherford was 
 removed from Anwoth. He had a brother, also, at this time 
 a teacher in Kirkcudbright, who frequently visited him. He 
 entertained for him the greatest esteem ; and from his sympa- 
 thy and affection he must have derived much consolation. 
 
 His small ftimily circle generally included the only daughter 
 of Mrs. FuUerton (INIarion IM'Knaught,) of Kirkcudbright ; 
 between whom and Rutherford a most intimate and pious con- 
 nexion sul)sistcd from the time he came to Anwoth, till her 
 death in 1643. '"■Blessed be the Lord,'"* says he, " that in 
 God's mercy, I found in this country such a woman, to whom 
 Christ is dearer than her own heart, when there be so many 
 that cast Christ over their shoulder.'" In the spiritual welfare 
 of his young guest, he appears to have placed the deepest in- 
 terest. " Your daughter," says he, in a letter to INIrs. Fuller- 
 ton, " desires a Bible and a gown ; I hope she shall use the 
 Bible well, which if she do, the gown is the better bestowed." 
 *' I am in hopes,'" he observes in another letter to her mother, 
 " that the seed of God is in her, as in one born of God. * * 
 I have her promise she shall be Christ\s, for I have told her 
 she may promise much in his worthy name ; for he becomes 
 caution to his Father for all such as resolve and promise to 
 serve him."" And the tender regard he thus expressed for the 
 daughter, was extended to the whole of Mrs. Fullcrton's fa- 
 mily. " I pray for you, with my whole heart and soul, that 
 your children may walk in the truth, and that the Lord may 
 shine upon them, and make their faces to shine, when the 
 faces of others shall blush. I dare promise them in his name 
 whose truth I preach, if they will but try God's service, that 
 they shall find him the sweetest master that ever they served ; 
 and desire them from me, but to try for a while the service of 
 this blessed Master, and then, if his service is not sweet, if it 
 afford not what is pleasant to the souPs taste, change him upon 
 a trial, and seek a better. * * If I have any credit with your 
 children, I intreat them in Christ's name, to try what truth 
 and rcalit)' is in what I say, and leave not his service till they
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 83 
 
 have found me a liar. I give you, your husband, and them, 
 to His keeping, to whom I have, and dare venture myself" and 
 soul, even to our dear Friend Jesus Christ, in whom I am." 
 
 The names of John Gordon of Kenmure and his Lady, have 
 already been introduced to the reader. They at first lived at 
 Rusco, in the parish of Anwoth. At the end of two years 
 after his induction, they removed to Edinburgh, where, or at 
 Kenmure Castle, twenty miles from Anwoth, they afterwards 
 resided. On their departure, Rutherford bids them '• for ever 
 farewell in paper, having small assurance ever to see their face 
 again, till the last General Assembly, when the whole church 
 universal shall meet." Their absence indeed he laments ex- 
 tremely, and regards as the severest trial he had experienced 
 since he entered on his ministiy. But he kept up a regular 
 correspondence with them, particularly with Lady Kenmure, 
 on religious subjects. He assures them that his constant prayer 
 would be, that the christian graces which they had exhibited 
 might be more and more cultivated and improved. On their 
 return from Edinburgh, and settlement at Kenmure castle, 
 he thus addresses her Ladyship : — " I bless our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, who hath brought you home again to your country, 
 from that place where ye have seen with your eyes that which 
 our Lord's truth taught you before, to wit, that worldly glory 
 is nothing but a vapour, a shadow, the foam of the water, or 
 something less and lighter, even nothing ; and that our Lord 
 hath not without cause said in his word, the countenance and 
 fashion of this world passeth away.'" 
 
 Gordon had meanwhile been elevated to the peerage under 
 the title of A'iscount Kenmure ; and though he still retained 
 the theological and ecclesiastical principles which he had before 
 professed, and in which he had been educated, yet having re- 
 ceived such marks of favour from his sovereign, he did not 
 think himself warranted in opposing the measures of the Court 
 relative to the Church ; and in consequence, under pretence of 
 indisposition, he withdrew (1633,) from his attendance on 
 Parliament, and retired to his seat in the country. The en- 
 actments of this Parliament were as hostile to the Presbyterian
 
 84 THE LITERARY HrSTORY 
 
 polity as any measures of that house had formerly been ; ami 
 thoutfh Keninure did not at first seem impressed with a pro- 
 per sense of his unmanly dereliction of duty, yet, when he per- 
 ceived the ruinous tendency of these, enactments, his conduct 
 appeared to him in its true light ; he felt the most poignant 
 sorrow and remorse for having proved a traitor to so good a 
 cause ; and on his death-bed, about a year afterwards, " I have 
 found," he confessed, " the weight of the wrath of God for 
 not giving testimony for the Lord my God, when I had occasion 
 once in my life at the last Parliament, for which fault how 
 fierce have I found the wrath of the Lord ! my soul hath raged 
 and roared ; I have been grieved at the remembrance of it. 
 * * For all the world, I would not do as I have done." 
 
 The circumstances connected with the death of this no- 
 bleman must not be passed over in silence, both as they are 
 illustrative of the triumph of faith in an eminent Christian, 
 and throwing light on the character of the subject of this nar- 
 rative. Rutherford had accidentally come to Kenmure Castle 
 at the time his Lordship^s disease was beginning to assume an 
 alarming aspect ; and on being entreated to remain, attended 
 him till his death, which took place about a fortnight after- 
 wards, (12th Sept. 1634.) Kenmure rejoiced at the arrival,, 
 at so interesting a conjuncture, of a clergyman whom he loved 
 so much, and in whose religious services and conferences he 
 had formerly taken such delight ; and he immediately intro- 
 duced the subject of his apprehended dissolution. " I never 
 dreamt," says he, " that death had such a terrible, austere, and 
 gloomy countenance. I dare not die ; howbeit, I know I must 
 die." The minister proceeded Avith great earnestness and judg- 
 ment, to show him the sources whence his fear of death took its 
 rise, and to unfold to him the principles and views which, un- 
 der such circumstances, the gospel inculcates and requires. And 
 notwithstanding some doubts and misgivings, which Rutherford 
 succeeded most effectually in removing, and the interference of a 
 clergyman of less sound views, he accomplished such a happy 
 reformation in the sentiments and hopes of this nobleman, that 
 his death has ever been regarded as conspicuously that of the
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 85 
 
 "righteous. A few minutes before his departure, Rutherford 
 asketl him if he should pray. " He turned his eye to the pas- 
 tor, not being able to speak. In the time of that last prayer, 
 he was observed joyfully smiling, and looking up with glorious 
 look. * * The expiring of his breath, the ceasing of the 
 motion of his pulse, corresponded exactly with the Amen of the 
 prayer, — and so he died sweetly and holily, and his end was 
 peace."" 
 
 Rutherford lamented the death of his patron in an elegiac jxtem 
 written in Latin ; and in 1649, he published The Last and 
 Htatcnly Speeches, and Glorious Departure, of John Viscount 
 Kenmure ; a work from which the foregoing particulars are 
 obtained, and which contains a minute and interesting detail of 
 the conferences which Rutherford held with that nobleman, on 
 the most important of all subjects,^-death and salvation. The 
 narrative is in every point of view most striking ; it is given in 
 language distinguished alike for simplicity and pathos ; and the 
 •discussions which it embraces, are allied more to heaven than 
 to earth, exciting emotions of a character peculiarly solemn and 
 sacred.* 
 
 The death of his patron had the effect of enhancing, if pos- 
 sible, the interest which Rutherford took in the spiritual wel- 
 fare and comfort of his widow. His letters to her on the death 
 of her husband, and subsequently, on that of her only surviving 
 son, who died a minor, as w^ell as his whole correspondence with 
 her, breathe a spirit of the most elevated piety. Their inti- 
 macy, indeed, seems to have increased with years, and one of 
 the la.st letters he wrote was to this excellent lady."f" 
 
 * Tliis interesting little work was first published at Edinburgh in 1649, 
 extending to thirty pages small quarto, exclusive of seven pages of a Dedi- 
 cation. It was printed anonymously, but has been uniformly ascribed to Ru- 
 therford ; a point which I venture to hope has been rendered apparent in 
 the preface to the edition of that work, published in 1827, by the present 
 writer. To this edition are prefixed, Memoirs of Lord Kenmure, con- 
 taining a concise account of the public transactions in which that nobleman 
 •was called upon to engage. This Tract was extremely rare until flie appear, 
 ance of the edition in question. 
 
 ■^ It may not be unimportant to mention, that Lady Kenmure was sister
 
 }U) 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 Kutlicrt'ord, tliougli peculiarly assiduous in the discharge of 
 his pastoral duties, took a deep interest in ecclesiastical man- 
 ners, and maintained an epistolary correspondence with the 
 preshyterian leaders in Edinburgh, and the different parts of the 
 country. He was reiiarded as the orgfan of the church in the 
 county in which he resided, and was duly apprized of every 
 measure that was thought to affect the preshyterian cause. He 
 communicated the intelligence to his brethren, and to others 
 who were well-affected ; and when no public movement could 
 be made in reference to any step which the government or the 
 episcopal church adopted, Rutherford and his friends hoped 
 to gain the same end by means of private fasting, humiliation, 
 and prayer. The first Sabbath of every quarter was agreed 
 upon for this purpose, with any other six days that might be 
 reckoned most convenient, between the quarterly meetings. 
 " When authority, king, court, and churchmen, oppose the 
 truth, what other armour have we but prayer and faith ?" 
 
 Rutherford, meanwhile, beheld with pain and alaiin the 
 promulgation of doctrines which he reckoned unsound and un- 
 scriptural ; and he devoted a portion of his time to the study of 
 a controversy which then agitated the reformed church. The 
 i)old opinions of Arminius created a deep sensation, at first in 
 Holland, and subsequently throughout the Christian world. 
 Anxious as he was for the truth, he could not witness tlie pro- 
 gress of error without attempting to oppose it ; and, notwith- 
 standing his other important engagements, he found leisure to 
 compose a learned work, entitled, Exercitationes Apologelicae pro 
 Dhina Gratia, on the controversy in question. This treatise is 
 elaborate, distinguisiicd by ])roofs of extensive reading and 
 
 to the celebrated IMarquis of Argyle, who was executed in 1661, for his ad- 
 herence to I'resbyterian principles, and to the Solemn League and Covenant. 
 After the dcalli of her first husbari'i, slie was mnriied to the Honourable 
 IJenry Moiitgoiiicry, serond .son to liie Earl of Eglinton, " an active and 
 faithful friend of CJirist's kirk," whose religious views were congenial to her 
 own. She was soon left a widow a second time, in which state she lived 
 till a very vcneriit)le age, being alive in the year 1G72; liut how long slic 
 survived that period I have not a.scertaincd — Memoirs nf Lord Kcnmurc, ]iic- 
 Jixcd to The Last and Ileavcnhj SpKer/ics, '.i5 — 7.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 87 
 
 erudition, both biblical and classical, by a thorough acquaint- 
 ance with all the polemical Morks which had been written on 
 the subject, and by uncommon dexterity in the use of the dia- 
 lectic art. It was published at Amsterdam in 1636 ; and it 
 gained its author great fame, both in his native country and on 
 the continent. 
 
 Kpiscopacy having long been predominant, and the most 
 severe means being used to eradicate presbytery, Rutherford 
 could not hope to continue long overlooked. ISo early as the 
 year 1630, he had been summoned before the high commis- 
 sion court ; but, owing to the favour shown him by Mr. Alex- 
 ander Coh-ille, one of the judges, and a friend of Lady Ken- 
 mure, and the absence of Spottiswood, the diet was deserted, 
 and he was set at liberty. But such leniency was not always 
 to last. SydserfF, bishop of Galloway, having, like most of his 
 brethren, erected a high commission court in his own diocese, 
 composed of his own creatures, Rutherford, in 1636, was sum- 
 moned before this tribunal, which sat at Wigton, and was de- 
 prived of his ministerial office. This sentence SydserfF had 
 the influence to get confirmed by the high commission at 
 Edinburgh, before which Rutherford was cited to appear. 
 " The cause that ripened the hatred of this supreme court 
 against me,''*' says Rutherford, " was my book against the Ar- 
 minians, whereof they accused me these three days I appeared 
 before them." The result may easily be anticipated. Though 
 much interest was used in his behalf, and though some even 
 of the judges spoke in his favour, he was deposed from his pas- 
 toral office, prohibited, under pain of rebellion, from officiating 
 in his ministerial capacity, in any part of Scotland, and sen- 
 tenced to be confined within the town of Aberdeen during the 
 king''s pleasure. 
 
 This sentence did not dispirit or Intimidate him. " That 
 honour," says he, in a letter written immediately after his trial, 
 " that honour I have prayed for these sixteen years, my kind 
 Lord hath now bestowed on me, even to suffer for my royal 
 and princely king, Jesus." In another letter he speaks of his 
 being on his journey to C/irisf^ pa/ace in Aberdeen. He
 
 iill THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 fouiul it impossible to visit his flock and friends in (iallovvay ; 
 but he was accompanied to his place ot" confinement (in Au- 
 gust 1()3(),) by a deputation ot" his congregation in Anwoth, 
 " with great regret at the want of such a pastor, so holie, 
 learned, and modest."" 
 
 The time of" his confinement in Aberdeen is one of the 
 most interesting periods of his life. But on this portion of his 
 history we have uot at present room to dwell. It continued 
 for a year and a half, at the end of which time, public senti-r 
 ment having acquired the ascendency, episcopacy was forced 
 to give way, and make room for that polity which arbitraiy 
 power had long endeavoured in vain to destroy. He now re- 
 turned to his flock in Anwoth ; and, as a representative of the 
 presbytery of Kirkcudbright, he was a member of the famous 
 general assembly which met at Glasgow in 163H, which abo- 
 lished prelacy, and erected presbytery on its ruins. This lat- 
 ter polity continued the national church till the restoration, a 
 period upwards of twenty years. 
 
 Rutherford was now too eminent a man to be permitted to 
 remain in the remote 2)arish of Anwoth. Counter-applica- 
 tions were made to ol)tain the benefit of his services, namely, 
 from Edinburgh and >^t. Andrews, the foniner soliciting him to 
 become one of the ministers of the city, the other to be appoint- 
 ed professor of divinity in the New College. He wished to 
 decline both applications, and to be allowed to continue with a 
 flock to whom he was deeply attached. The parish of Anwoth, 
 and the county in which it is placed, respectively gave in most 
 urgent petitions against his removal. In truth, he at first abso- 
 lutely refused, hoping that the ensuing assembly of 1G39 
 would not givi" their sanction to either appointment. But in 
 this expectation he was disappointed. I'he claims of 8t. An- 
 drews were ])ref"erred, and he was oliliged to submit. He 
 went thither, and entered on his arduous duties as professor of 
 divinity, in the month of October in the year last mentioned. 
 And it is believed, that, owing to his numerous and important 
 avocations, he never had the satisfaction of sgain visiting his 
 former flock, or of occupying that j)ul[)it which he had so long
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 89 
 
 adorned. He was, at the same time, on his own request, ap- 
 pointixl one of the ministers of St. Andrews, as colleague to Mr. 
 Robert Blair.* 
 
 Nor were these the only offices to which he was nominated. 
 He was, in 1647, chosen principal of the college ; a place of 
 great honour, but nearly a sinecure ; and, in 1651, he was 
 elected rector of the university. He had, meanwhile, received 
 calls from West Calder and Edinburgh respectively, to remove 
 to these places. But his reputation was not confined to his na- 
 tive countr)\ It had become considerable on the continent ; and 
 he was honoured with invitations from the universities of Harder- 
 wyck and Utrecht successively, to occupy the chair of divinity 
 in these seminaries. But these offers he hesitated not to decline. 
 " Let me entreat you," says he, in a letter to a friend, who 
 seems to have formed the resolution of removing to the conti- 
 nent, " let me entreat you to be far from the thought of^teav- 
 ing this land ; I see it, and find it, that the Lord hath covered 
 the whole land with a cloud in his anger ; but though I have 
 been tempted to the like, I had rather be in Scotland beside 
 angry Jesus Christ, than in any Eden or garden in the earth."" 
 
 The venerable assembly of divines met at Westminster in the 
 year 1643 ; and of eight commissioners, namely, five clergymen 
 and three elders, sent from the church of Scotland to that ce- 
 lebrated convocation, Rutherford had the honour to be one. 
 He was absent four years ; he was regarded as one of the most 
 able and eminent members of that assembly ; and, while there, 
 he added much to the celebrity which he had before acquired. 
 
 On his return he renewed, with undiminished vigour, the 
 discharge of his academical and clerical duties, which, in his 
 
 * Bushy-Bield, the house in which he resided while in Anwoth, and the 
 
 church which, on his settlement there, was built for him, remained entire 
 
 till 1828. Bushy-Bield has now disappeared ; but of the church the bare 
 
 walk still remain. A new church has been erected at a distance of about two 
 
 hundred and fifty yards. The old pulpit, made of oak, is still preserved. 
 
 A place in the near vicinity of Bushy-Bield is still distinguished by the 
 
 name of Rutherford's Walk, as he was in the habit of retiring to that spot 
 
 for exercise or meditation. 
 
 6
 
 90 THK LITEUARY HISTORY 
 
 abscnce, had been performed by his colleagues, Dr. Colvillc 
 and Mr. James Wood. He still continued to take the same 
 interest in the public affairs of the church, and his name 
 stnnds connected with almost all the important transactions of 
 his times. He was attached from conscience to the most rij^id 
 sect of presbyterians ; and was, under every circumstance, the 
 consistent and fearless supporter of every principle and measure 
 for which he had the sanction of the word of God, or the con- 
 victions of his own understandinj;. 
 
 But it was not merely by his academical prelections, his 
 pulpit discourses, and his exertions as a churchman, that he 
 laboured to promote the cause of divine truth, and of presby- 
 tery ; which form of ecclesiastical polity was, in his opinion, 
 strictly ordained in the Scriptures. He exerted himself more 
 than any of his contemporaries, to obtain the same end through 
 the pjress ; he boldly stepped forward, on every necessary occa- 
 sion, as the unflinching champion of the church and of ortho- 
 doxy ; and his numerous and learned publications reinain as 
 an honourable memorial of his zeal, of his love of truth, and 
 hatred of error. We have already mentioned his work against 
 the Arminians. Before he went to the Westminster Assembly, 
 he had published another treatise, entitled, A Peaceable and 
 'J'empcrate Plea for Pauls Preshtjlerie in Scotland ; and, 
 during the four years he was in London, he gave to the world, 
 (not to speak of two sermons published separately,) no fewer 
 than five large works, either strictly theological or polemical. 
 After his return to St. Andrews, in ] 647, he was the author 
 of seven elaborate volumes, chiefly controversial. These works 
 do not display much taste according to the standard of taste 
 that now obtains, but they are characterised by great learning, 
 by eminent subtlety in the dialectic art, and by an intimate 
 acquaintance with the compositions of the early christian fa- 
 thers, and of subsequent writers on theological and ecclesiastical 
 subjects. Kditions of his treatises on practical theology still 
 occasionally issue from the press ; but his polemical works have 
 never been reprinted, and copies of them have in consequence
 
 OK GALLOWAY. 91 
 
 become scarce. They are, however, well known to recondite 
 scholars, and will ever entitle his name to a high place among 
 the writers of his age.* 
 
 But probably his most celebrated work was Lex, Rex, the Law 
 and the Prince ; a discourse, for the just prerogative of king 
 and people ; a treatise written in answer to the Sacro-sancta Re- 
 gum Majestas ; or the sacred and roj/al 2)rerogative of Christian 
 Kings, published by John JNIaxwell, excommunicated bishop 
 of Koss. On its appearance, this work of Kutherford excited 
 very deep and general interest ; and Bishop Guthrie speaks of 
 it as being " idolized"" and regarded as preferable to Buchan- 
 an's celebrated treatise, De jure Regni apud Scotos. We re- 
 gard it — whatever some writers may have said to the contrary — 
 as highly honourable to his memory. It is loyal, yet liberal ; 
 it exposes the extravagant monarchical principles inculcated 
 by Maxwell ; yet it is evidently the production of one who 
 both feared God and honoured the king ; it is characterised by 
 views and sentiments far superior to the age in which it ap- 
 peared ; and which have now obtained the sanction of the most 
 enlightened governments of Europe. 
 
 At the restoration, when the divine right of kings and pas- 
 sive obedience became predominant, when the proceedings of 
 
 • One of his best works, Examen Arminianismi, was a postlmmous produc- 
 tion, Jiaving appeared in 1668, under the superintendence of the celei^rated 
 Nethenus, professor of divinity at Utrecht. The \vorl<, along with Rutlier- 
 ford's other papers, had been placed in the hands of Robert IM'Ward, then 
 one of the ministers of the Scottish church at Rotterdam ; who, after sub- 
 mitting it to the critical inspection of John Livingstone, formerly of An- 
 criim, then residing in that city, transmitted it to Nethenus for publi- 
 cation. 
 
 Rutherford's celebrated Letters were also posthumous, having been pub- 
 lished at Rotterdam by Mr. M'Ward, in 1664. To this publication the 
 writer himself would never, it is supposed, have given his consent. From 
 the very interesting nature of these letters, copies of them had been col- 
 lected during his lifetime ; which gave him great annoyance, and which 
 he regarded as a breach of confidence on the part of his correspondents. 
 These letters, however, do honour to his memory ; they have been very 
 often reprinted ; and now, at the end of two centuries, still retain their 
 popularity.
 
 92 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 govonimcnt were cliaractcrised by illibcrality and persecution, 
 the author ot" Lex, Hex, could not expect to be allowed to re- 
 main unmolested. The committee of estates, in September 
 1C60, issued a ])roclamation against this obnoxious work, and 
 it was declared that every person having a copy of it in his 
 possession, who did not deliver it to his majesty's solicitor, be- 
 fore the middle of the ensuing month, should be regarded and 
 treated as an enemy to the king. Copies of it were publicly 
 burned in Kdinburgh by the hands of the common hangman; 
 it imderwent a similar fate at London, and at the gates of the 
 college, of which the author was Professor of Divinity. Nor 
 did the vengeance of government stop here. He was deprived 
 of his situation as a member of the university, and of his 
 charge in the church ; his stipend Avas confiscated, himself or- 
 dered to be confined to his own house, and cited to appear be- 
 fore the ensuing parliament on a charge of treason. 
 
 Rutherford was not yet old ; but he had always been a man 
 of delicate constitution ; and for some years past, his health 
 had declined much. His complaints, in truth, had now as- 
 sumed so alanning an aspect, that he was incapable of obey- 
 ing the summons served vipon him ; and it was evident to him- 
 self and his friends, that his death could not be far distant. 
 Not having it in his power to prove, by any public appearance, 
 that his principles remained unaltered in the prospect of disso- 
 lution, three weeks before his death, he emitted a testimony, 
 (which was afterwards printed,) expressive of the sentiments he 
 had uniformly maintained and advocated on ecclesiastical mat- 
 ters, and on the connexion which, in his opinion, the scriptures 
 allow between the church and the civil government. He also 
 made and subscribed his last will and testament, and arranged 
 his worldly affairs in the most judicious manner, for the benefit 
 of those who were to survive him. ' 
 
 Having completed these an-angements, he devoted himself 
 exclusively to a preparation for that event which he saw was 
 fast approaching. " I shall shine," he said, " I shall see him 
 as he is ; I shall see him reign, and all his fair company with 
 him, and I shall have my share. Mine eyes shall see my Re-
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 93 
 
 ileemcr, these very eyes of mine, and none for me." He died 
 on the 20th of March lf)()l, under the influence of that reli- 
 gion, by the love and cultivation of which, his whole life hiul 
 been eminently distinguished. His last words were, " Glory, 
 glory, dwelleth in Emanuel s land.'"' 
 
 Rutherford left behind him a widow, (for he had formed a 
 second marriage in 1 640, ten years after the death of his first 
 wife,) with one child, a daughter, named Agnes, then eleven 
 years of age. Of seven children which his second marriage pro- 
 duced, it was his melancholy lot to see six laid in an untimely 
 grave. 
 
 Mrs. Rutherford, on her husband's death, fixed on Edin- 
 burgh as her place of residence. In what circumstances, as to 
 pecuniary matters, she was left, the most minute information 
 is afforded us in his latter will. His whole property, at the 
 time of his death, amounted to L. 2,923, 13s. 4d. Scots money, 
 or about L.243 Sterling ; a sum barely sufficient for her sup- 
 port ; but either at this thne, or soon afterwards, she obtained 
 some property in the parish of Covington, the revenue of which 
 formed a considerable addition to her income. 
 
 She appears to have been distingushed by great worth, and 
 to have possessed a character not dissimilar to that of her pious- 
 husband. " It is true," to use the words of Mr. M'Ward, in 
 a letter addressed to her daughter, " it is true, you are depriv- 
 ed of the great advantage of a father''s example, before you could 
 make much observation of his walk ; but God hath been gra- 
 cious to you in sparing a mother of the same spirit and walk 
 with him, and whose experience also, I know to be beyond the 
 experience of any I know." 
 
 Mrs. Rutherford survived her husband upwards of fourteen 
 years, and died in the month of May 1675. But before that 
 event, she had seen her daughter, who married William Chies- 
 ly, writer to the signet, settled in life. The religious character 
 of Mrs. Chiesly, neither before her marriage nor after it, seems 
 to have been altogether worthy of her descent. JNI'Ward, in 
 his letters to her, addresses her in such terms as if he had been 
 informed of her neglect of sacred things, or had suspected her
 
 94 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 of such neglect. Nor was she married to a man move exem- 
 plary than herself in this respect. Chiesly, in truth, seems not 
 to have been a man of respectable character. He was disco- 
 vered to be o-uilty of " gross, exorbitant, and uninstructcd" 
 proceedings in a matter intrusted to his management ; and at 
 len.fTth, evidentlv from such practices, he was degraded from his 
 rank as a lawyer, and deprived of his privileges as a member 
 of the College of Justice. He died in the year 1704, at the 
 age of seventy. The date of his wife's death, I have not learn- 
 ed. Nor have I discovered the number of children that result- 
 ed from their union ; but one of their family, (a daughter, 
 named Jean, who had never been married,) died so late as the 
 year 173G, — seventy-five years after the death of her grandfa- 
 ther, the subject of these memoirs. 
 
 Of his character, we do not think it necessary to say much 
 in addition to what has been stated in the course of our narra- 
 tive. Our readers must already be well acquainted with it, so 
 far as it can now be known. He was a man indefatigable in 
 the discharge of every duty. In the clerical profession he took 
 great delight, and distiiiguished himself by peculiar faithful- 
 ness and zeal in the performance of its sacred functions. He 
 feared not the face of man in maintaining the ecclesiastical and 
 theological principles of the church to which he belonged, — or 
 in resisting and exposing error. He was willing to lay down 
 his life as a testimony to the truth. He may, we confess, some- 
 times have shown violence, and have pushed his principles to 
 an objectionable extreme. But liberal allowances must be made 
 for him in this respect. The age was one of faction and of 
 controversy ; and it was difficult, if not impossible, for any 
 man, who took an active share in its proceedings, or who was 
 animated with an energetic spirit, to keep free from the error to 
 which we refer, or to display mildness and gentleness amid the 
 storms and turbulence by which he was surrounded. And let 
 it be remembered, that the part he acted in public affairs, whe- 
 ther marked by violence or not, he undertook solely on public 
 grounds, and never made it subser\'ient to his own aggrandize- 
 ment. There seldom has lived an individual more devoid of
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 95 
 
 personal ambition, or who seemed less anxious to avail himself 
 of any places of honour, even when they were pressed on his 
 acceptance. 
 
 His friendship was warm and steadfast ; a circumstance evi- 
 dent from his Letters, and from the fact, that the friends of his 
 early life, that were not removed from him by death, continued 
 to be those of his advanced years. In his domestic relations, 
 he is entitled to equal praise. Kvery time he appears before 
 us in this interesting capacity, it is highly to his honour. But 
 in nothing was he more remarkable, than for his assiduous cul- 
 tivation of personal piety. He may be said to have lived near 
 to God. Kvery principle of his heart, and every action of his 
 life, he endeavoured to mould according to the divine standard ; 
 and of him it may be truly said, that he departed in peace, his 
 eyes having seen the salvation of God. ,
 
 9b* THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 LIFE OF JOHN LIVINGSTONE. 
 
 John Livingstone, for a considerable time minister of Stran- 
 raer, was born at INIonyabrcck, or Kilsytli, in the presbytery 
 of Glasgow, on the 21st of January 1603. His father and 
 grandfather, descended from a family afterwards dignified with 
 the title of Karl of Linlithgow, were successively ministers of 
 that parish. The former, who married a daughter of Alex- 
 ander Livingstone, portioner of Falkirk, Mas removed from 
 Kilsyth to Lanark, where he died in 1641. * 
 
 The subject of this memoir was, at the age of ten years, 
 sent to the school of Stirling, then taught by Mr. William 
 Wallace, " a good man and a learned humanist/' Under 
 this respectable teacher his progress was gi-eat. At the termi- 
 nation of three years he had acquired so much knowledge in the 
 learned languages, as to be reckoned qualified to enter on his 
 studies at the university. On account of his youth, however, 
 and the urgent solicitation of Wallace, who was proud of his 
 pupil, and who wished to be the means of raising him to still 
 higher proficiency, he was allowed to remain another year at 
 Stirling. Nor were the cxj)ectations of the teacher unfounded. 
 *' For most part,^' says Livingstone, " we read by ourselves 
 in a little chamber above the school, our master furnishing us 
 in books, where we went through the most parte of the choice 
 
 " MS. Life of Livim/stotie, written by himself, in Adv. I.ihriuy.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 97 
 
 Latine writers, both poets and others ; and that year was to me 
 the largest, most profitable year I had in the schools." 
 
 Thus accomplished, he bade farewell to Mr. Wallace in 
 I6I7 ; the summer of that year he spent under his father's 
 roof in Lanark ; at the termination of which time he entered 
 the University of Glasgow, where he devoted himself, with un- 
 remitting ardour to the prosecution of his studies. " In my third 
 year in the College of Glasgow," says he, " I read more than 
 I think I did in any year since ; I was then under the over- 
 sight of precious Mr. Robert Blair, who for two years was my 
 regent in the college, and having got some grounds in logick 
 and metaphysics, and the subtilities of the schoolmen, a vain 
 thought to be above my equals, set me on to a great pains.'"* 
 Having passed Master of Arts in 1621, he left college and re- 
 turned to Lanark. 
 
 He had not yet fixed what profession he should follow. Af- 
 ter much hesitation, he seemed to prefer the department of me- 
 dicine, and requested his father's permission to go to France to 
 prosecute his studies. This request did not meet with his fa- 
 ther's approbation ; but anxious to see his son settled in life, 
 he advised him to form some matrimonial connexion, and to 
 retire to an estate in his native parish which he had recently 
 purchased in his name. This offer placed him in a most try- 
 ing and delicate situation. The wish and advice of so affec- 
 tionate a parent he knew not how to resist ; and yet, if these 
 were complied with, the pursuits of literature, for which he 
 felt an ardent attachment, must be foregone for ever. From 
 his earliest youth, he had been distinguished for a deep sense 
 of piety ; and in this perplexing dilemma, he resolved to set 
 a day apart to endeavour by prayer to obtain divine direction. 
 For this purpose, he retired to a cave not far from Lanark, 
 where, after petitioning guidance and assistance from on high, 
 he was led to infer that his lot was to preach Christ Jesus and 
 him crucified. Urged on by this persuasion, he, from this 
 moment, determined to devote his whole heart and time to his 
 advancement in theological learning. His father was too good 
 to oppose this resolution, or rather, he took delight in cherish- 
 
 H
 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 ing it. The property just mentioned was sold ; and having 
 at length hcen lieensed a probationer of the Scottish church, 
 Livingstone preached his first sermon from his father's pulpit 
 on the second day of Januaiy 1625. 
 
 For some time after this period, he remained at Lanarks 
 preaching frecpiently either at home, or in the neighbouring 
 jwrishes. But in April 1626, he visited Galloway at the re- 
 quest of Lord Kenmure, who wished, after some obstructions 
 were removed, to present him to the parish of Anwoth. Some 
 unforeseen difficulties having come in the way, his settlement 
 in Anwoth could not be eftected so soon as had been intended ; 
 in consequence of whicli he was induced to accept a call to the 
 parish of Torphichen. — The following statement, relative to 
 this j)art of his history, contains biographical notices. 
 
 " At that time, in Galloway," says he, " I got acquaint- 
 ance wath my Lord Kenmure and his religious lady, and se- 
 veral worthy and experienced Christians, as Alexander Gordon 
 of Karlston, Alexander Gordon of Knockgray, Robert Gordon 
 of Knockbrex, John his brother, and Alexander of Gairleuch, 
 Fullcrton Laird of Cairlton, John M'Adam, and Christian 
 M'Adam of Waterhead, IMarion M'Knaught in Kirkcud- 
 bright, and several others ; for I preached at a communion at 
 Borgh, where was many good people that came out of Kirk- 
 cudbright, and I was present at private meetings with some of 
 the forementioned at Gairleuch, and in the Airds, where Earl- 
 ston then dwelt.*"* 
 
 This settlement at Torphichen, however, did not take place, 
 being opposed by Spottiswood, on account of his non-confor- 
 mity. This was the fate of several other calls which about 
 this time he received. He was in the mean time invited to 
 Cumbemauld, the seat of the Earl of Wigton, with whom, 
 with little intermission, he continued, preaching frequently to 
 the tenantry of that nobleman, till 1C30, when, having re- 
 signed every hope of obtaining a settlement in Scotland, he 
 
 '. AfS- Life of Livimjstom, iO, II. Also liis Bemarkabk Observations 
 vpon tin: lircn (if the mtjst eminent ministers and professors, wlicre most of the 
 persons mentioned in llic text are commemorated.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 99 
 
 was persuaded by the entreaty of some clerical friends, and 
 the kindness of Viscount Clandiboy, to accept of the charge 
 of Killinchie, a parish in the north of Ireland. Of the na- 
 ture of his induction to his charfre, the foUowinff account is 
 interesting. " I needed to have ordination, and the bishop of 
 Down, in whose bounds the parish of Killinchie was, was a 
 corrupt and timorous man, and would require some engage- 
 ment ; therefore my Lord Clandiboy sent some with me, and 
 wrote to Mr. Andrew Knox, bishop of Rapho, who, when I 
 came and gave him the letters from my Lord Clandiboy 
 and the Karl of Wigton, and some others that I had, for that 
 purpose, brought out of Scotland, he told me that he knew 
 my errand, that I came to him because I had scruples against 
 episcopacy and ceremonies, according as Mr. Josiah Welsch 
 and some others had done before, and that he thought his old 
 age was prolonged for little other pur[)ose than to do such 
 offices, that if I scruple to call him my lord he cared not 
 much for it. All he would desire of me, because they got 
 there but few sermons, that I would preach there at Ramal- 
 ton next Sabbath, and he would send for ]Mr. William Cun- 
 ningham and some two or three neighbouring ministers to be 
 present, who, after sermon, should give me imposition of 
 hands ; but though they performed the work, he behoved to be 
 present, for otherwise he durst not answer it to the state. He 
 gave me the book of ordination, and desired any thing I 
 scrupled at I should draw a line over it in the margin, and 
 Mr. William Cunningham should not read it ; but I found 
 it had been so marked by some there before, that I needed 
 not mark any thing. So the Lord was pleased to carry that 
 business far beyond any thing that I had thought, or almost 
 even desired." 
 
 In the north of Ireland there were at that time many prcs- 
 byterian congregations, and amongst Livingstone's brethren 
 were Mr. Josiah Welsh, Mr. Robert Blair, and Mr. John 
 M'Lellan, subsequently minister of Kirkcudbright.* While 
 
 • John M'Lellan was originally a schoolmaster, and afterwards a mi- 
 nister, in the north of Ireland. He was, hke Livingstone and the other
 
 100 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 in this charge, he was exposed to m\ich distress and per- 
 secution. By the bishop of Down, in whose diocese Kil- 
 linc'hie was situated, he was deposed from his office, and ex- 
 cx)mniunicated. Afraid of imprisonment, and in danger of 
 his life, he was compelled to flee for refuge to his native 
 country ; and at one time, along with his other persecuted breth- 
 ren, had formed the resolution of crossing the Atlantic, and set- 
 tling in America. The hand of providence, however, overruled 
 this detennination ; and at length, being on a visit to the 
 Earl of Cassillis in Ayrshire, he received two calls to the minis- 
 try, the one from Stranraer, the other from Straiten. He pre- 
 fen-ed the former parish, and was inducted, by the Presbytery 
 of Stranraer, minister of that place, on the 5th of July 1G38. 
 In this situation, as prelacy was now abolished in Scotland, 
 he experienced no opposition. The more serious persons of 
 his flock having, on his arrival, requested liberty to attend 
 family worship in his house, he offered to meet with them 
 every morning in the church. This offer they willingly ac- 
 cepted. They assembled daily, and after singing a few verses 
 of a psalm, and reading a small portion of scripture, on which 
 he spoke " only so long as a half hour glass run," he con- 
 cluded the meeting by prayer. He attended the celebrated 
 assembly of Glasgow, which met soon after his induction to 
 Stranraer, and concurred in all its proceedings ; he was ap- 
 pointed by the Presbytery, in 1640, chaplain to the Karl of 
 Cassillis's regiment, and was present at the battle of New- 
 burn, near Newcastle ; and in consequence of an application 
 to the Assembly from the Presbyterian inhabitants of the north 
 of Ireland, he was appointed to go thither three months every 
 summer for five years previously to 1648. He continued at 
 Stranraer until this year, when, by the decision of the assem- 
 bly, he was translated to the parish of Ancrum, in the Pres- 
 
 clcrgymen of tliat place, deposed and excommunicated. He was removed to 
 Kirkcudbrip)it about the year 1G38, where lie continued until his death in 
 1650. Livingstone gives him a place in his Remarkable Observations, (p. 
 154); his name is repeatedly mentioned in Baillie's Letters (i. 197, 3i2, 
 &,c.) and many of his letters have been preserved in Wodrow's MSS.
 
 OK GALLOWAY. 101 
 
 bytery of Jedburgh. The following extract from his Life 
 will not be reckoned unintcrestinjr. 
 
 " During my abode in Stranraer," says he, " the neighbour- 
 ing ministers with whom I keeped most society, by whose 
 counsell and company I profited most, were my brother M'Lel- 
 lan of Kirkcudbright ; INIr, Robert Hamilton at Ballintrae, 
 and Mr. George Hutcheson at Colmonell ; and in the Pres- 
 bytery of Stranraer, Mr. Alexander Turnbull at Kirkmaiden, 
 Mr. George Dick at Inch, Mr. John Dick at Glenluce ; and 
 in the Presbytery of Wigton, Mr. Andrew Lauther at 
 Whythorn, and Mr. John Park at Mochrum, who also suc- 
 ceeded at Stranraer ; with all these I have been at their com- 
 munions, and most of them have been with me at the com- 
 munion at Stranraer." 
 
 His flock at Ancrum were not so exemplary as those of his 
 former charge.* They were indeed so ignorant and immoral, 
 that a considerable time elapsed ere he thought it proper to 
 celebrate among them the sacrament of the supper> On the 
 death of Charles I. he was sent to the Hague as one of the 
 commissioners from the parliament and church of Scotland, 
 to treat with his son, (who had assumed the title of Charles 
 II.) respecting his accession to the throne of his forefathers. 
 This embassy terminated unsuccessfully ; and at the desire of 
 the prince himself, another deputation, of which Livingstone 
 was also a member, were the following summer despatched to 
 Breda on the same important mission. Livingstone had the 
 discernment to discover the vacillating and dissolute princi- 
 ples of Charles ; and when, after much hesitation and delay, 
 he agreed to accept the conditions offered him, and to sub- 
 scribe the solemn league and covenant, Livingstone, who pre- 
 sided and delivered a sermon on the occasion, officiated with 
 much reluctance, fully aware that the king was insincere, and 
 insisting that this solemn obligation ou^ht not to be adminis- 
 tered, until a manifest change had been efi'ected in his prin_ 
 
 " " The people of Stranraer," says he, " were very tractable and re- 
 spectful."
 
 102 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 ciples, conduct, and councils. The doubts of Livingstone 
 were not lancitul. For Charles not only trampled under foot 
 his solemn vows and engagements, but persecuted unto death 
 all who supported those very principles, which the national 
 league and covenant inculcated, and to which he had publicly 
 sworn to adhere. 
 
 He now returned to Ancrum, and devoted himself to the 
 performance of his sacred duties ; which, however, were occa- 
 sionally intemipted by the active part he took in the import- 
 ant transactions of his time. Of these transactions, however, 
 we cannot at present give an account. We can merely men- 
 tion that, like Rutherford, he belonged to the most rigid side 
 of the church ; and that those who composed it, being less 
 numerous than their opponents, particularly after the Res- 
 toration, were exposed to suffering and persecution. Li- 
 vingstone early foresaw the treatment to which, like the rest of 
 his brethren, he must ere long be subjected. On the Monday 
 of the last sacrament he was allowed to dispense at Ancrum, 
 he took a public farewell of his flock and friends, aware that 
 the tie betwixt them must soon be broken. Nor was he de- 
 ceived. He was summoned to appear on the 11th of December 
 16G2, before the privy council at Kdinburgh. He obeyed 
 the summons ; and because he would not promise to keep the 
 anniversary of the death of Charles I. and take the oath of 
 allegiance in the precise way in which it was dictated to him,* 
 sentence of banishment was passed upon him ; he was ordered to 
 leave Scotland in two months, and until his departure, to remain 
 north of the Tay. " Well," exclaimed he, "although it be 
 not permitted me to breathe in my native air, yet I trust 
 whatsoever part of the world I go into, I shall not cease to 
 pray for a blessing to these lands, to his majesty and the 
 
 " " I do acknowledge," says Livingstone, in his answer to the chancellor 
 on tliis occasion, " the king's majesty (whose person and government I 
 wi.sh God to bless,) to be the only lawful supreme magistrate of this, and 
 all other his majesty's dominions ; and that his majesty is the supreme civil 
 governor over all persons, and in all causes, as well ecclesiastic as civil ; but, 
 for the oath as it stands, in /cnniiiit, I am not free to take it."
 
 OF OALLO^VAY. 103 
 
 government, and the inferior magistrates thereof, but especial- 
 ly to the hind of my nativity." The last part of his sentence 
 was not put in execution. In consequence of a petition to 
 the council, he was allowed to spend the short period before 
 his departure at Leith, whence having written a striking and 
 affectionate letter to his flock at Ancrum, he sailed, soon after 
 the commencement of the subsequent year, for Rotterdam, and 
 bade his native land farewell for ever ! On his arrival at 
 that city, he found Mr. M'Ward, and other exiled brethren. 
 He enjoyed many opportunities of preaching to the Scots 
 congregation there ; and having devoted the remainder of his 
 eventful life to the cultivation of theological and biblical learn- 
 ing, he died on the 9th of August 1672, in the 70th 
 year of his age. 
 
 When in Ireland, Livingstone was married to a daughter of 
 Bartholomew Fleming, merchant in Edinburgh, then on a 
 visit to her sister, Mrs. John M'Lellan, of whose husband 
 we have already spoken. His courtship was singular ; and 
 affords a curious proof of the spirituality of his principles. 
 
 " Mr. Blair propounded to me that marriage; immediately 
 thereafter I was sent to London to have gone to New Eng- 
 land, and returned the June following. I had seen her seve- 
 ral times before in Scotland, and had the testimony of many 
 of her gracious disposition, yet I was for nine months seeking 
 or I could get direction from God anent that business, during 
 which time I did not offer to speak to her, (who, I believe, 
 had not heard any thing of the matter,) only for want of clear- 
 ness in my mind ; although I was twice or thrice in the 
 house, and saw her frequently at communions and public 
 meetings, and it's like I might have been longer in such dark- 
 ness, except the Lord had presented an occasion of our con- 
 ferring together ; for, on November 10th, 1634, when I was 
 going to the Friday meeting, at Antrim, I foregathered with 
 her, and some others, going thither, and propounded to them, 
 by the way, to confer upon a text, whereon I was to preach the 
 day after at Antrim, wherein I found her conference so judi- 
 cious and spiritual, that I took that for some answer to my
 
 104 THE LITERARY H16T0RV 
 
 prayer to have my mind cleared, and blamed myself that I had 
 not bei'oro taken occasion to confer with her. Four or five 
 days after, I proponed the matter, and desired her to think up- 
 on it ; and after a week or two, 1 went to her mother's house, 
 and being alone with her, desiring her answer, I went to prayer, 
 and urged her to pray, which at last she did ; and in that time 
 I got abundant clearness, that it was the Lord's mind that I 
 should marry her, and then propounded tlie matter more fully 
 to her mother ; and albeit, 1 was then fully cleared, I may 
 truly say, it was about a month after before I got marriage af- 
 iection to her, although she was, for personal endowments, be- 
 yond many of her equals ; and I got it not till 1 obtained it 
 by prayer, but thereafter, 1 had greater difficulty to moderate 
 it." 
 
 Mrs. Livingstone was a person of great energy and for- 
 titude of character. In I674, two years after her husband's 
 death, we find her, along with about fifteen other females, 
 most of them ministers' widows, petitioning the privy council 
 for liberty to the prcsbyterian ministers to preach the gospel 
 witliout molestation, " as the people may, in an orderly way, 
 call them." These ladies, in order to incur the same respon- 
 sibility, severally engaged to present a copy to the principal 
 councillors. With this view, they met in the Parliament 
 Square, and delivered the petition to them as they passed. 
 " The good woman, Mrs. Livingstone," says Wodrow, " pre- 
 sented the petition to the chancellor. The Earl received it 
 with civility enough, and read it in the place where it was 
 delivered, and patiently heard what she had to add, for the 
 gentlewoman spoke very well and handsomely." The applica- 
 tion was unsuccessful : indeed, some of the petitioners were 
 afterwards seized and imprisoned on account of it ; but it 
 affords a striking proof of their zeal and intrepidity. 
 
 'J'hat Livingstone was a faithful and zealous minister of the 
 gospel, has already been stated. His sermons were at first 
 carefully composed and committed to memory, but he after- 
 wards spoke either from short notes, or merely from revolving 
 in his mind the subject on which he meant to discourse. His
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 105 
 
 discussions, therefore, as he himself allows, were often neces- 
 sarily disjointed and declamatory ; but from the general sim- 
 plicity and perspicuity of his style and arrangement, and from 
 the earnestness and energy with which he spoke, he seems to 
 have carried along with him irresistibly the hearts and under- 
 standings of his hearers. A sermon which, in his youth, he 
 delivered in the parish of Shotts, occasioned, as himself 
 informs us, a chan<re in the reliccious sentiments of about five 
 hundred persons; and double that number experienced a 
 revolution of their principles on a similar occasion at Holy- 
 wood, in the north of Ireland. " Perhaps," says Wodrow, 
 "few ministers since the Apostles' days were more remark- 
 ably countenanced from heaven in their work than ]Mr. Li- 
 vingstone.'" 
 
 Nor was he less eminent as a scholar than as a clergyman. 
 " I had a kind of coveting," he says, " when I got leisure to 
 read much, and of different subjects, and was oft challenged 
 that my way of reading was like some men's lust after 
 such a kind of play or recreation. I used to read much too 
 fast, and was pleased in the time but retained little. My 
 memory was waterish and weak, yet, had I improved it, I 
 miiiht have had better use of it ; for after I came to the 
 college, I did, with no great difficulty, attam to some toler- 
 able insight of the Hebrew and Chaldee, and some also of the 
 Syriac ; the Arabic I did essay, but the vastness of it made 
 me o-ive it over. I got also so much of the French, the 
 Italian, and after that, of the low Dutch, that I could make 
 use of several of their books — and of the Spanish and high 
 Dutch, that I could make use of their Bibles." 
 
 The erudition which he thus acquired he did not lose by 
 indolence, or employ in unprofitable speculation. The period 
 between his banishment and his death he devoted to his 
 favourite object — the elucidation of the sacred volume; of 
 which he meant to publish an edition, containing the original 
 Hebrew, and a new Latin translation, with various readings, 
 explanatory notes, and a reconciliation of passages apparently 
 contradictory. This elaborate undertaking obtained the ap-
 
 lOG THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 jirobation and support of Yoetius, and other learned men to 
 >vlu)ni it was submitted ; but his death, which was evidently 
 accelerated by an ardent application to study, deprived the 
 world of a work which, from the character of its author, must 
 have fomied a valuable addition to biblical literature. In 
 our life of Rutherford, we remarked that the Examen Jr- 
 miniamsmi\ a posthumous production of that celebrated per- 
 son, was submitted before publication to the critical judg- 
 ment of INIr. Livingstone, of whose learning and worth, 
 Nethenus the editor speaks in very encomiastic terms. In 
 such high estimation was he held by his brethren, that he 
 was repeatedly requested by the general assembly to com- 
 pile a histoiy of the Church of Scotland from the famous era 
 oflC38. With this request, from several circumstances, he 
 did not find it convenient to comply ; but in the manuscript 
 account of his own life, written during his banishment, he has 
 thrown very considerable light on the transactions in which he 
 himself had been engaged ; and in his Remarkable Observa- 
 tions upon the Lives of the most eminent Ministers and Profes- 
 sors in the Church of Scotland, also in manuscript, he has left 
 us memorials of his distinguished contemporaries. 
 
 N
 
 OF GALLOM'AY. ' 107 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 LIFE OF ROBERT M'WARD. 
 
 Robert M'Ward,* the intimate friend both of Livingstone 
 and Rutherford, was a native of Glenluce, a considerable vil- 
 lage in Wigtonshire. He seems to have been much young- 
 er than cither of these distinguished persons, though the year 
 of his birth has not been ascertained. The name and con- 
 dition of his parents are also unknown. He attended the 
 University of St. Andrews ; and having acquired, while yet a 
 student, the friendship of Rutherford, Professor of Divinity, 
 on this celebrated person's going to London as one of the Scot- 
 tish Commissioners to the venerable Assembly of Divines met 
 at Westminster, M'Ward was selected to accompany him as 
 his private secretary and amanuensis. "f He returned to Scot- 
 land in the end of the year 1647, and such was his character, 
 that, in April 1650, he was elected a professor of philosophy 
 in the university in which he had so recently been a student. | 
 
 * In our former edition we gave an imperfect sketch of Al'V/ard's life. 
 The present memoir is much more comi)lete. For tiie additional matter 
 which it contains I am indebted to an elaborate life of this celebrated per- 
 son, written by the Rev. William Steven, of the Scottish Church, llotter- 
 dam, with the perusal of which in manuscript I have been favoured. The 
 sketch from which I have so liberally availed myself is meant to form an 
 article in a Historical Account of the Church of P.otterdam, which is soon 
 to appear, and which, from the known research of the author, and the faci- 
 lities lie enjoys, cannot fail to contain much valuable information. 
 
 t J^ife i>f Eullicrford, 23.3..4, l.y the present writer. 
 
 X Lamont's Chronicle of Fife, 10.
 
 108 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 It is likely that, while he conducted the business of his own 
 class, he was attending the lectures on theology delivered by 
 Kuthertbrd, with a view to a settlement in the church. He 
 did not, however, take license as a preacher till the year 1655 ; 
 and in the subsequent year he succeeded the celebrated An- 
 drew Gray as one of the ministers of Glasgow\ In this charge 
 he continued for five years as an energetic and successful clergy- 
 man. Like his preceptor, Rutherford, he belonged to the 
 most rigid party in the church ; and at the Restoration, \^'hen 
 episcopacy was re-established at the expense of that polity 
 which had predominated for upwards of twenty years, he re- 
 mained firm to his original principles, and did not fail to lift 
 up his voice against " the glaring defections of the times." 
 In the month of February 1C61, he concluded a sermon, in 
 which he had been inveighing against the arbitrary measures 
 of government, with the following expressions : — 
 
 " As for my own part, as a poor member of the church of 
 Scotland, and an unworthy minister in it, I do this day call 
 you, who are the people of God, to witness that I humbly of- 
 fer my dissent to all acts which are or shall be passed against 
 the covenants and work of reformation in Scotland ; and I pro- 
 test that I am desirous to be free of the guilt thereof, and 
 pray that God may put it on record in heaven."| 
 
 These words, which are somewhat excusable on account of 
 the cruel and wanton proceedings of Charles relative to the 
 presbyterian church, could not be overlooked. M'Ward was 
 immediately apprehended, committed to prison, and served 
 with an indictment to stand trial for sedition and treasonable 
 preaching. The result need scarcely be told. He himself 
 knew from the beginning that his acquittal was hopeless ; and 
 he did not experience disappointment or vexation, when he 
 was sentenced to leave the kingdom within half a year. Of 
 this time he was allowed to spend one month in Glasgow ; and, 
 what was a wonderful stretch of lenity, he was declared entitled 
 to the stipend for the following year. Within the time speci- 
 
 • WoflroWs Jlislonj, 207. Hvo. Ed. ]828.
 
 OF GALLO^VAY. 109 
 
 fictl, he left his native land, and sailed for Holland, whence he 
 never returned. 
 
 In his correspondence with his Scottish friends, he makes 
 frequent mention of the kind reception he experienced at Rot- 
 terdam, where he had fixed his residence. In a letter to Lady 
 Kenmure, who is already known to the reader as the friend of 
 Rutherford, he says, " If your ladyship he desirous to have 
 any account concerning my condition, know that I have met 
 with much undeserved kindness. I am ashamed to call my 
 lot a suffering lot ; for He hath rather hid me from the storm 
 than exposed me to trouble. I have occasion now and then to 
 preach at Rotterdam, where we have ane old Scots minister, 
 who is dissatisfied with the times.'*** 
 
 The minister to whom he here refers was Mr. Alexander 
 Petrie, author of A Compendious History of the Catholic 
 Church, from the year 600 until the year \Q00. A portion of 
 the leisure he now enjoyed he devoted to the examination of the 
 manuscripts of his friend Rutherford, who had died in March 
 1661 ; which papers had been placed in his hands by the au- 
 thor's w'idow. He collected and arranged his celebrated Let- 
 ters ; which appeared in 1664, with an interesting address to 
 the " Christian Reader," containing much important biogra- 
 phical information, composed by Mr. M'Ward. The part he 
 took in the publication of Rutherford's posthumous work, Ex- 
 amen Arminianismi, has already been mentioned. 
 
 Soon after the publication of Rutherford's Letters, M'Ward 
 removed to Utrecht, where he enjoyed the friendship of these 
 eminent divines, Voetius and Nethenus. He also made him- 
 self useful to many of his young countrymen who were attend- 
 ing the university of that place. There is another circum- 
 stance connected with his residence here that must not be 
 omitted. In the English church at Utrecht he frequently 
 preached ; and INIr. Best and the consistory requested him to 
 give a weekly sermon every Wednesday morning. To this 
 request he wullingly acceded ; and when Mr. Best afterwards 
 
 * Wodrow's MSS. Iviii. 53.
 
 110 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 required to be absent for a few weeks, he officiated in hi& 
 room. But jNI-AV'ard was strictly prcsbyterian ; and, as he 
 did not adopt certain forms that obtained in the English 
 church, and as he had used some expressions in regard to 
 England which gave offence, representations were made to 
 himself on these subjects, and communications were despatched 
 to Mr. Best. IM'Ward v/as inflexible ; and as he would not 
 comply with ecclesiastical forms, M'hich, he conceived, Scrip- 
 ture did not enjoin, and presbyteiy never tolerated, his weekly 
 discourse and his connexion with ]\Ir. Best"'s congregation ne- 
 cessarily terminated ; and the people of Utrecht no longer en- 
 joyed the benefit of his spiritual instructions. 
 
 It was pro])ably this circumstance that induced him, about 
 the year 1668, to return to Rotterdam, where many of the 
 most distinguished Scottish presbyterians had taken refuge, 
 such as John Livingstone, John Brown, late of Wamphray, 
 John Nevoy, late of Newmills, and Colonel Wallace. He resid- 
 ed there, supported by the liberality of some of his friends in 
 Scotland, as also of the magistrates and inhabitants of the city, 
 till the year 1676, when he was appointed one of the ministers 
 of the Scottish church, as colleague to Mr. John Hog, who had 
 succeeded Mr. Petrie in 1662. This appointment was the 
 more honourable to Mr. M'Ward, as IMr. Brown and Mr. 
 John Carstairs were also put in nomination. 
 
 " Mr. M'Ward," says Mr. Steven, " effected many impor- 
 tant improvements. At his suggestion a sessional meeting was 
 held every Monday morning, for religious purposes. With him 
 also originated the proposal, to levy a small gratuity for the 
 poor of the congregation, from every Scots vessel arriving at 
 Rotterdam. He successfully an-angcd matters, and got the own- 
 ers and masters of ships readily to enter into his benevolent views. 
 For this acceptable offering, which has been uninterruptedly 
 and cheerfully continued to the present day, free church ac- 
 commodation is granted to captains, masters, and sailors, who 
 have distinct pews." He was also the means of establishing 
 a school for Knglish and the elementary branches of educa- 
 tion, connected with the Scottish church, and dependent on it;
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 Ill 
 
 a scininary which still exists, and which has, in the most ample 
 manner, realized the important object which its enli<;htened 
 founder had in view. While engaged in these philanthropic 
 arrangements, he was unwearied in discharging his sacred du- 
 ties ; and both by his pulpit discourses and private ministra- 
 tions, he laboured to prove himself a workman that needed not 
 to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 
 
 But however useful his labours were, or whatever was the 
 unobstrusive piety of his deportment, his flock were not allow- 
 ed long to enjoy his valuable services. The wrath of Charles 
 II. was not satisfied with the pvmishment which had been in- 
 flicted on him. He felt unhappy on hearing of M'Ward, or 
 any of presl)yterian principles, whom he had banished, attaining 
 to honour and distinction, even in a foreign land. So early 
 as the year I67O, application had been made to the States Ge- 
 neral, on the part of the English monarch, to obtain the ex- 
 pulsion of M'Ward, Robert Trail, formerly one of the mini- 
 sters of Edinburgh, and John Nevoy, from Holland. The 
 States seem to have acquiesced in this request, but took no 
 active steps to carry it into effect ; for these obnoxious clergy- 
 men never removed from the Dutch territories, but remained 
 for some time in seclusion. In 167^, a similar application 
 was made by Charles ; but it was received with a different 
 spirit on the part of the Dutch government. They peremp- 
 torily refused to comply. But the English king, in the most 
 urgent or threatening terms, continued to reiterate his request, 
 the compliance with which he said he would regard as a per- 
 sonal favour done to himself, till the States General thought it 
 prudent to yield. But, in yielding, they bore testimony to the 
 pacific dispositions and useful labours by which these unfortu- 
 nate men had been distinguished since they had become sub- 
 jects of the republic. They showed them all the respect, and 
 did them all the good which, under the circumstances, they 
 could confer upon them ; and gave them, on their departure, 
 an official recommendatory letter, ad, oinnes populos^ requesting 
 for them a kind reception and affectionate treatment. INIr. 
 M'Ward and Mr. Brown retired to Utrecht, or its neighbour-
 
 112 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 liood, where they were allowed to remain unmoicsted ; biit 
 Colonel ^^'allaco, who was particularly obnoxious to Charles, 
 on account of his connexion with the battle ot" Pentland, found 
 it necessary to pass the Dutch boundary, and to settle on the 
 borders of France.* 
 
 Of the loss which the members of the Scottish church in 
 Rotterdam sustained, in consequence of the removal of these 
 men, particularly Mr. M'Ward, they were fully aware. From 
 the minutes of consistory, of date 1st February 1677? i* ap- 
 pears, that " the session were very much grieved to be de- 
 prived of their laithfull, peacefull, and pious preacher, and of 
 such another, also, who, every Lord's day, was an helper in 
 the work of the Lord ; and likewise, of the most painfull and 
 usefull elder, they had amongst them." From the same 
 source we learn, that Mr. M'Ward " they do still own and 
 avouch to be their minister, and the said Mr. Wallace their 
 elder, notwithstanding of any act or ordinance now passed out 
 against them, procured by the means of wicked and malicious 
 instruments, and enemies to the truth and power of godliness, 
 in the court of England."" Mr. M'Ward, before his departure, 
 partook of the Lord"'s Supper with his people. And on Sab- 
 i)ath, 25th February 1677? ^"^ delivered a farewell discourse, 
 " being to remove the 27th instant, as he did, to the great 
 grief of all truly godly in the place.""' 
 
 Mr. ]\I' Ward's name, as a mark of respect to him, still 
 continued in the session roll as one of the ministers of the 
 Scottish church ; but, before his removal, he was requested by 
 the session, to nominate a person properly qualified to succeed 
 him. This task he undertook to fulfil ; and his letters to his 
 colleague, INIr. Hog, and to the congregation, relative to this 
 subject, are extremely interesting, and exhibit his character in 
 a very amiable light. Mr. James Kirkton, and Mr. John 
 Carstairs, men whose names are well known in the history of 
 our church, were the persons whom he successively tried to 
 accept the charge. But, from circumstances which need not 
 
 * M'Crie's edition of Life of Colonel Wallace.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 113 
 
 be mentioned here, they declined the ofi'er made them. At 
 length, however, on the 30th of" December of the year in 
 which M'Ward had withdrawn to Utrecht, Mr. Robert l^lcm- 
 ing, author of The Fuljllling of the Scriptures, and other 
 theological works, and who, like M'Ward, had studied divi- 
 nity under Rutherford at St. Andrews, was inducted as his 
 successor ; and continued as one of the ministers of Rotter- 
 dam till his death in 1694. 
 
 As the States General had reluctantly agreed to pass 
 sentence of banishment against M'Ward, and his two 
 friends. Brown and Wallace, they were not sorry to see 
 them return to their former place of residence. The two latter 
 returned to Rotterdam in the year 1C7^> ^^id Mr. M'Ward 
 soon joined them. He seems not, however, to have had any 
 further official connexion with the church, in which Mr. Flem- 
 iuir had been settled as his successor. But, with the other ex- 
 iled ministers, he held weekly meetings in private houses, for 
 religious puqwses. Towards the end of the year last men- 
 tioned. Colonel Wallace died in the arms of the subject of this 
 sketch, and Mr. Brown, in September of the following year ; 
 of the death and character of both of whom he gave an affec- 
 tionate account, in his correspondence with his friends, which 
 has happily been preserved. Mr. John Livingstone, who, 
 after his banishment, also lived in Rotterdam, had died some 
 years before. These, and other bereavements, he felt acutely ; 
 but his own days were now fast drawing to a close. The pre- 
 cise date of his death is not known ; but it took place towards 
 the end of the year 1681, after a banishment of twenty 
 years. 
 
 He was the author of various works. We have already 
 mentioned his introduction to Rutherford's Letters. To Mr. 
 Brown''s several publications are prefixed recommendatory 
 essays by M'Ward. He also wrote similar prefaces to other 
 works, as minutely specified by Mr. Steven. His other trea- 
 tises are, Solemn Jppeal to Preachers in Times of Spirit- 
 ual Declension ; a work that never appeared in English, but, 
 as Mr. Steven states, was translated into Dutch by Koelman, 
 
 I
 
 114 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 aiul publislu'il in Holland, in I67t; The Poor Mans Cup 
 of Cold Water, ministered to the Saints and Sufferers for 
 Christ in Scotland ; The True Non-Conformist, written in 
 answer to Bishop Burnet's Dialoi^ue between a Conformist and 
 Noji-Confonnist ; Banders Disbanded ; A Testimony against 
 Payinir of Cess to the Persecutors ; EIIAmNI^iMOI ; or. Ear- 
 liest Contendings for the Faith. This last work, which is his 
 largest, and which was posthumous, as some of his other trea- 
 tises were, was written in answer to some papers on the Indul- 
 gence, submitted to him hy Mr. Fleming, his successor in 
 Rotterdam, the latter having employed indulged clergymen in 
 his pulpit, and having, to a certain degree, abandoned that 
 party in the church to which M'Ward always rigidly adhered. 
 M'Ward, in truth, inveighed, on all occasions, most violently 
 against the indulgence. His letters, for example, addressed to 
 his friends in Scotland, had a direct tendency, on this account, 
 to widen the breach which then unfortunately obtained in the 
 church. " He was," says Kirkton, " a hot-myndcd man, 
 (otherways a man of parts and learning.)" He is also known 
 to have composed a History of the Church of Scotland ; but, 
 unfortunately, the manuscript has been lost. He maintained 
 a regular correspondence with his friends in Scotland, particu- 
 larly with the widow and only surviving child of his deceased 
 friend and preceptor, Samuel Rutherford. No fewer than 
 seventy of his letters have been preserved by Wodrow, which 
 the writer of them had either collected before his death, or had 
 pre\nously kept copies of, with the view of their being after- 
 wards published ; but such publication never took place. They 
 arc not all worthy of being presented to the public, but some 
 of them are valuable, containing much biographical and inte- 
 resting information. He has been, by some, erroneously re- 
 presented as the author oi' Naphtali ; which was written by Mr. 
 James Stirling, minister of Paisley, assisted by Sir James 
 Stewart of Goodtrccs.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 115 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 LIFE OF ANDREW SYMSON. 
 
 The history of Andrew Symson is not connected, as to 
 congeniality of character, with the distinguished men of whom 
 we have been speaking. He was, in truth, an episcopalian 
 clergyman ; and his opinions and views on ecclesiastical sub- 
 jects was necessarily the very contrary of theirs. In point of 
 time, however, his life comes to be considered in this place. 
 Nor shall we find the task an unpleasant one ; for he seems to 
 have been an estimable person, and distinguished by the pos- 
 session of respectable abilities. 
 
 Of his parentage or birth nothing is known. He was edu- 
 cated for the ministry, and before he left the university he had 
 obtained the degree of A. M. Whatever were his previous sen- 
 timents, we find him a member of the episcopal church in the 
 beginning of the reign of Charles II. The state of ecclesiasti- 
 cal affairs at this time requires briefly to be mentioned. The 
 presentation to vacant churches by lay patrons, having been 
 abolished in 1649, was restored in 1662 ; and those clergymen 
 who had, in the interval, entered on their benefices, were de- 
 clared to be unlawful possessors. The act, however, granted 
 them indemnity for the past, provided they agreed within a 
 certain time to receive presentation from the patrons, and sub- 
 mit to be inducted by the bishops. This requisition was dis- 
 regarded by about four hundred ministers, and the whole coun- 
 try was put into a ferment. A proclamation was under these
 
 116 THK LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 circumstances issued by the privy council, ordering such as had 
 not obeyed the late act to lay aside their ministry and withdraw 
 from their parishes ; and the military who were stationed 
 throughout the country, were commanded to pull out of their 
 pulpits all those who, though interdicted, still presumed to 
 exercise their sacred functions. In the presbytery of Wigton, 
 consisting of ten members, not fewer than eight, refusing to 
 conform, were forcibly torn from their congregations and de- 
 prived of their livings. Of these, Mr. George Waugh of 
 Kirkinner was one.* It was at this time, namely, early in 
 the year 16*63, that Symson, with other episcopal ministers, 
 were despatched to Galloway to supply the vacant churches 
 there. " Though,"" says he, " we had not a formal and explicit 
 call, yet we had it virtually and upon the matter ; for after we 
 had several Lord^s days preached in our respective congrega- 
 tions for which we were designed, (seven Lord''s days I am sure 
 for my own part,) our edicts served and duly execute, the re- 
 presentatives of the parish attended on our ordinations, and the 
 generality of the parish came to our solemn admissions ; and 
 thereafter waited on the ordinances under our administrations, 
 yea, and the very members of the former sessions concurred 
 with us, and assisted us in the exercise of discipline, and recti-, 
 fying such affairs as was incumbent to them, after the old man- 
 ner.'^t 
 
 " Mr. Wauf^li was confined aloiif^ with IVIr. Jolin Cant, witliin the parish 
 of Ke!ls, and denied the exei cise of his niinisteri.'il functions. Having left 
 this phice, he removed to Edinhurgh, and in 1(573, he, with others, were 
 brought hefoie the council, and ordered to return to their several pliiccs of 
 confinement, by a certain day, or he apprehended as despisers of his majes- 
 ty's authority. He was ulire at the Revolution, but never reponed at 
 Kirkinner. 
 
 The otlier ministers of the presliytery of V»'igton, who refused to conform, 
 were Arcliibald Hamilton of Wigton, Alexander Koss of Kirkoowan, Wil- 
 liam rviaitland of Whithorn, Alexander Fergusson of JMochrum, William 
 ^Maxwell of Minnigaff, Patrick Peacock of Kirkmabrcck, and Robert Ritchie 
 of 8<»rbie. — Wodrow's Hi.slori/, i. 321-7. 
 
 f Prefacr. to Si/mson's TripalrinrrJdcon, inserted in llie Appendix (No. 
 ix.) to the printed Large Deacriplion of Gcdluway. Edin. 1823.
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 117 
 
 Such were the circumstances under which, according to his 
 own account, he first came to Galloway, and entered upon the 
 pastoral office in the parish of Kirkinncr, The hamaony 
 with which he seems to have been inducted to his charge ap- 
 pears to have continued for some time. He used " all peace- 
 able and Christian methods'" to gain the " dissenters," as he 
 termed the presbyterians. When the commander of the 
 forces that were stationed in the stewartry, applied to him and 
 his episcopal brethren for a list of these dissenters, thoy abso- 
 lutely refused to comply, and deputed two of their number to 
 announce this determination to that officer ; a procedure on ac- 
 count of which, he says, they " were complained of as enemies 
 to the government, and obstructers of the settlement of the 
 peace of the country.*" But the result of such christian de- 
 portment was the prevalence of the greatest harmony between them 
 and their parishioners, insomuch, he mentions, that at the battle 
 of Pentland only two persons from Wigtonshire were pre- 
 sent. When acts and proclamations, issued against the pres- 
 byterians, were about to be put in force in that part of the 
 country, " we used," he states, " our utmost endeavours to 
 ward off the blow ; and by our intercession and diligence in 
 that affair, we got the penalty most times mitigated, yea, and 
 many times wholly taken off, for which we got but little thanks 
 many times from both parties.""* 
 
 This is the side of the picture most favourable to himself; 
 and we cheerfully allow him all that liberality and benevolence 
 to which he lays claim. His character, indeed, seems to have 
 been very amiable ; and no person, perhaps, could have acted 
 a better part in the unhappy circumstances under which he was 
 placed. But we doubt that he had mistaken quiet on the part 
 of the people for acquiescence. I'he probability is, that when 
 Mr. Waugh was forced away from them, they entertained 
 those very opinions on account of which he had been deprived 
 of his living, and that they afterwards proved true to them. 
 The truth in short is, that whatever countenance the people of 
 
 • 
 
 * Pi'eface to St/msoii's TripairiarchicoUi ut supra.
 
 118 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 Kirkinner may at first have been disposed to show Mr. Symson, 
 they afterwards \nthdrew it, and entirely deserted his ministry. 
 He himself confessed that his hearers were reduced to " two or 
 three." In a Funeral Elegie, written on the death of David 
 Dunbar, younger of Baldoon, only son of Sir David Dunbar, 
 Bart., who lost his life by a fall from his horse in 1C82, while 
 riding between Leith and Holyrood House, he has the follow- 
 ing striking lines : 
 
 He was no schismatick ; lie ne'er withdrew 
 Himself from tb' house of God ; he with a few 
 (Some two or three,) came constantly to pray 
 For such as had withdrawn themselves away. 
 Nor did he come by fits ; foul day or fair, 
 I, being i' th' church, was sure to see him there. 
 Had he withdrawn, 'tis like these two or three, 
 Being thus discouraged, had deserted me. 
 So that my muse 'gainst Priscian avers 
 He, he alone, were my parishioners.' 
 
 Nor was this desertion of him by his parishioners the only 
 evil he was doomed to encounter. Amidst the distraction of 
 the times, and the hatred of which the episcopal clergy were 
 the objects, his brethren and himself were often " maltreated." 
 But, though he mentions his being " necessitate to retire to a 
 quiet lurking place," and that " frowns, mocks, and taunts" 
 were his " daily bread and constant fare,*" yet, owing to his 
 moderation and general worth, he was " for the most part free 
 from those male-treatments that many of his brethren met with." 
 His troubles, in truth, proceeded more from strangers than his 
 own parishioners ; for the latter, to use his own words, " were 
 
 * Dunbar's sister seems to have been a person of opposite sentiments. 
 " Mistress JMary Dunbar, second daugliter to Sir David Dunbar of Baldoon, 
 was forced to abscond and leave her father's house, and live for some time 
 here and there, frequently in herds' houses, where she could not be accom- 
 modated accordiiifj to her birth and rank. One day she very providentially 
 and narrowly escaped the enemy's fury at the Caldons, about the year 1685." 
 Kirk- Session Records of Kirfcinner ; for extracts from which, I am indebted 
 to the Rev. James Reid, the present incumbent. A full account of the per- 
 aocutions to which the parish was exposed, was compiled in 1710 by the 
 Session, and inserted in their minutes.
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 
 
 119 
 
 SO kind to me, that, when they were atlvertisetl of any ap- 
 proaching clanger, they have hoth by day and night advertised 
 me thereof, upon which I have many times retired myself 
 quietly into their country houses, where I was lodged and 
 kindly entertained, and so escaped the danger I might other- 
 wise have been subject to." Indeed, long after he had been 
 forced from Kirkinner, he states that " his lot had been cast in 
 a very pleasant place," and that " he had to do with a very 
 well-natured peo])le :" — " for which people," says he, " for I 
 hate ingratitude, I shall have a kindness so long as I breathe." 
 He showed the same mild and resigned spirit, when, in 1684, 
 at the very moment of the hottest opposition shown to episco- 
 pacy, he speaks of that parish, " whereof," he states, " 1 have, 
 (by the providence of God, and the protection of his Sacred 
 Majesty's laws,) for more than twenty years, been a residenter, 
 per varios casus, et per discrimina rerum.''^ 
 
 But he was not the only sufferer. Many of his people were 
 exposed to fines, to imprisonment, and to death, on account of 
 their non-conformity with the ecclesiastical polity to which he 
 belonged. The persecution, indeed, which they endured, was 
 extreme ; of which we have, at present, room only to give two 
 instances, taken from the Sessioii Records. 
 
 " Margaret Laughlison [or M'Laughan,] of known integrity 
 and piety from her youth, aged about eighty, widow of John 
 Millikin, wright in Drumjargan, was, in her own house, taken 
 off her knees in prayer, and carried immediately to prison, and 
 from one prison to another, without the benefit of light to read 
 the Scriptures ; was barbarously treated by dragoons, who were 
 sent to carry her from Machirwood to Wigton, and being sen- 
 tenced by Sir Robert Grier of Lagg to be drowned at a stake 
 within the flood-mark, just below the town of Wigton, for 
 conventical keeping and alleged rebellion, was, according to 
 the said sentence, fixed to the stake till the tide made, and 
 held down within the water by one of the town officers by his 
 halbert at her throat till she died." Another female, it is well 
 known, namely, Margaret Wilson, from the neighbouring pa-
 
 120 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 risli of PeiininjThamc, aged eighteen, \^'as inhumanly drowned 
 along with her. 
 
 " M'illiam Sprot in Clutoch, being about 1685 obliged to 
 leave his own house to shun persecution, went to Portpa- 
 trick on his way to Ireland, and there was apprehended and 
 brought back on foot betwixt two dragoons, exactly by his own 
 house door, to Wigton prison ; his wife being big with child, 
 followed him to the said prison, where she saw him laid on his 
 back in the cold prison, put in the irons, his ears cut off', his 
 fingers burnt by fiery matches, and afterwards he was sentenced 
 to be banished to America, and in the voyage thither he died ; 
 he was a person eminent for piety ; his poor wife with grief 
 miscarritxl of her child.'"' 
 
 The inhabitants of Kirkinner being firmly attached to pres- 
 bytery, and being thus visited with the severest persecution 
 for conscience-sake, Mr. Symson, the episcopal minister of 
 that parish, brought in against their inclination, in the 
 place of a minister whom they adored, however amiable a 
 man, could not expect much happiness or much respect in 
 his official capacity as a clergyman. Nor did he enjoy much 
 of either. His ministry, as we have seen, was deserted ; 
 his person insulted ; and under these circumstances, after 
 ha\ing continued in the parish for " twenty-three years," 
 or till 1()86, he found it necessary to withdraw from a place 
 where his labours were entirely unacceptable, and where he 
 was daily exposed to peril and insult.* 
 
 Four years before this date, namely in 1682, a series of 
 queries had been circulated throughout the kingdom by Sir 
 Robert Sibbald, his majesty's geographer for Scotland, with 
 the view of procuring information preparatory to the jmblica- 
 tion of a Scottish Atlas. These queries attracted the atten- 
 tion of Symson, who undertook the task of drawing up A Large 
 Description of Galloway, " not thinking it altogether eccen- 
 trical to his profession to comply something with his genius." 
 
 * Preface to Tripatriarchicon, ut supra.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 121 
 
 This task he performed in 1084 ; but the troubles that en- 
 sued, he informs us, caused the pa])ers to be laid aside, if not 
 entirely forgotten, for some years; and it was not till 1G92, 
 when residing at Dalclathick, in Glenartney, Perthshire, that 
 he carefully revised and enlarged the work, and wrote out that 
 co])y which Sir Robert Sibbald, along with other papers, 
 deposited in the library of the Faculty of Advocates. It re- 
 mained in manuscript till the year 1823, when 'it was pub- 
 lished under the title of A Large Description of Gallowaij, 
 by Andrew Si/mson, minister of Kirkinner, 1684, with an 
 Appendix, containing original papers [referring to Galloway] 
 fro7n the Sibbald and Macfarlane MSS. 
 
 The work is one of the most judicious, minute, and interest- 
 ing of the kind to which it belonifs. Its statistics and miscel- 
 laneous information are important ; but the account which it 
 contains of the manners and customs that prevailed in Galloway 
 towards the end of the seventeenth century, is invaluable, 
 and as no such information is elsewhere to be found, its interest 
 will every year increase. We know of no other county in 
 Scotland that can boast of such a description as that which 
 Symson has given of Galloway. 
 
 Where he settled, or how he was employed on his leaving 
 Kirkinner, cannot now be ascertained. In 1692, six years 
 after he had withdrawn from Galloway, and the year in which 
 he revised and enlarged his Description of Galloway, we find 
 him living in a remote part of the country, and stating that he 
 had " time and leisure enough." He soon after this period be- 
 came a printer in Edinburgh ; though it is probable that print- 
 ing was not the first trade to which he turned his attention on 
 settling in that city. In an advertisement prefixed to an edi- 
 tion of n'Renzie's Observations on the Statutes, printed by 
 him in 1698, he terms himself a merchant-burgess of Edin- 
 burgh. " In 1700,'''' says Watson, in the preface to his His- 
 torj/ of Printing, " Mr. Matthew Symson, a student of divi- 
 nity, set up a small house ; but he, designing to prosecute his 
 studies, left the house to his father, Mr. Andrew, one of the 
 suffering clergy, who kept up the house till about a year ago
 
 122 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 that lu> died."' The subject of this memoir, however, had been 
 estabUshed as a printer before the date referred to by Watson. 
 He dietl in 1712. His library, which was extensive, was sold 
 by public auction after his death. The catalogue was printed 
 under the title of Bibliutheca Symsoniana ; a catalogue of the 
 vast collection of books ?'« the library of the late reverend and 
 learned Mr. Andrew Symson* 
 
 Symson was a married man, but of his wife, even of her 
 name, nothing is known. He had a son, Matthew, as above- 
 mentioned, who seems to have commenced life as a printer, but 
 who was afterwards employed by James, Earl of Galloway, as 
 tutor to his two brothers.-|- Of his other children, if he had 
 any, no traces can be found. 
 
 He was the author of other works beside the Description of 
 Gallotvay. In 1705, be published a poem, entitled Tripatri- 
 archicon ; or the Lives of the three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, 
 and Jacob, extracted forth of the sacred story, and digested 
 into English verse. He also published Elegies ; but of this 
 latter production, only one copy is known to be extant in 
 Scotland. The Elegies are thirteen in number, and eleven of 
 them were in honour of persons connected with the county in 
 which he so long resided. His poems, if they deserve that 
 name, are not entitled to praise as compositions of merit ; but 
 they shew their author to have been a man of great simplicity 
 and benevolence of character. The following extract from a 
 meditation on death, occasioned by the funeral of the virtuous 
 Ladij Agnes M'-Culloch, relict of umrjuhile William Maxwell 
 of Mvrreith, who died in 1C84, may serve as a specimen of his 
 versification. 
 
 • This catalogue was printed in 1712, and extended to 34 quarto pages. 
 
 •f The connexion between Mr. Andrew Symson and the noble house of 
 Clalloway, was most intimate. He had been tlie con-disciple of Karl Alex- 
 ander, father to Karl Jami's, mentioned in the text; a circumstance 'that 
 perhaps occasioned his coming to (lalloway, and his settlement in Kirkinner. 
 lie dedicated his Tripalriarrldcon to the latter nobleman : and he availed him- 
 self of this occasion to give a rninulc and curious genealogical account of his 
 lordship's family.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 It was the vcrtuous lady here tliat lyes 
 Abstracted, in this coffin, from our eyes, 
 That gave my low-borne, home-bred muse th' occasion 
 T' endite, and pen to write this meditation ; 
 And therefore 't will not he amiss that I 
 Should, though in short, ere I conclude, apply. 
 
 Her age was great, because she lived to see 
 Her children's children to the third degree; 
 Yet. notwithstanding, I am hold to say, 
 'Twas at the most but a short winter day. 
 And to jiroceed, although she was not vext 
 With quintessence of sorrow, nor perplext 
 With flood and seas of grief, yet still I'll say, 
 Her lifetime was a cloudy winter day. 
 
 She was a lady of great moderation, 
 A virtue slighted by this generation. 
 
 The dowrie left her by her loving spouse 
 She managed well ; she did not rant, carouse, 
 Or spend as many wanton widows doe ; 
 (And if 'twere fitting I could name them too,) 
 Nor did she as a niggard hoord the same, 
 (A fault for which some widows are to blame,) 
 But she improv'd it well, and did provide 
 For her descendants, and the poor beside. 
 Her house was as an alms-house, she being ready 
 To reach her hand forth to the poor and needy ; 
 Yea more, I think, I need not doubt to call 
 Barmeul, while she dwelt there, an hospital. 
 
 123
 
 124 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 LIFE OF JAMES DALRYMPLE, VISCOUNT STAIR. 
 
 The family from which the subject of this memoir was de- 
 scended, is of great antiquity. The exact period of its origin 
 cannot be ascertained : but mention of it is made in a charter 
 of Robert II., in the year ISJl- The name anciently as- 
 sumed two forms, Dalrympill and Dalrimpill ; and from a 
 practice prevalent in the early ages, it is evidently local, and 
 took its origin from the lands of Dalrymple, in the county of 
 Ayr, which, at a remoter period than can now be traced, be- 
 longed to this family. At the time mentioned above, this 
 barony was possessed in nearly equal parts by two persons of 
 the name of Dalrymple, sprung, it is supposed, from a com- 
 mon progenitor, and who voluntarily sold or resigned their re- 
 s])ectivc lands to John Kennedy of Dunure. But though they 
 alienated their property, they retained the name which it had 
 conferred on them. The Dalrymples, now separated into 
 branches, settled in different parts of the kingdom. That 
 branch, which has for centuries been regarded as the chief of 
 the name, and from which the celebrated person whose life 
 w^e profess to trace, was descended, became possessed of the 
 lands of Stair in Ayrshire, in consequence of the marriage of 
 William Dalrjniple in 1451, to Agnes Kennedy, heiress of 
 that estate.* 
 
 The Dalrymples of Stair have, from the earliest periods, 
 been characterised as the friends and promoters of civil and re- 
 
 • Crawfurd's Peerage. Chalmers' Caledonia, 529.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 125 
 
 ligious liberty. They were amongst the first in this country 
 that adopted the reformed faith ; and they have ever been ready 
 to make any sacrifice, or undergo any labour, in behalf of the 
 truth, and of sound and liberal principle. 
 
 James Dalrymple, afterwards President of the College of 
 Justice in Scotland, and Viscount Stair, was the ninth of the 
 family in lineal succession who had possessed the barony of 
 Stair. He was born at Drummurchic, in the parish of Barr, 
 Ayrshire, in the month of May 1619. His father, of the same 
 name, died in 1()24, when the subject of this memoir was only 
 five years old ; but his mother, (Janet, daughter of Kennedy 
 of Knockdaw,) survived till 1663, and enjoyed the happiness of 
 seeing her son elevated to places of trust and dignity. He received 
 his elementary education at the school of Mauchline in his 
 native county ; and in 1633, when fourteen years of age, he 
 was removed to the college of Glasgow ; where he is said to 
 have made such progress in his various classes, that he attract- 
 ed the attention or acquired the friendship of the professors 
 under whom he studied. He took the degree of A. M. in 
 1637 ; at which date he seems to have left the university. He 
 had not the advantage of foreign travel ; a mode of knowing 
 the world common at that time to young gentlemen of Dal- 
 rymple's rank and circvimstances. Instead of going abroad, 
 he appears to have entered the army immediately on leaving 
 college ; and during the short period of his military life, he 
 was stationed chiefly in Edinburgh, where he enjoyed every 
 facility for adding to his knowledge of mankind, and for be- 
 coming master of those momentous questions, both as to church 
 and state, by which the country was then agitated. Like the 
 family from which he sprung, he embraced the views of the 
 presbyterians, and disapproved of those arbitrary proceedings 
 by which Charles I. endeavoured to annihilate that party, and 
 to promote his own illiberal measures. Whether he was on 
 active service during the civil war which began in 1639, I have 
 not discovered. He rose to the rank of captain, and had the 
 command of a company of foot in the Earl of Glencairu\s regi- 
 ment. But he did not foll*Jw the military profession so long 
 
 5
 
 126 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 as to reap any of its higher honours. Possessing a natural 
 turn lor science and literature, and having at college obtained 
 great eminence in these liberal pursuits, his predilection for 
 letters soon taught him that the army was not a congenial 
 field for the proper cultivation of his genius and taste. A va- 
 cancy having occurred in the university of Glasgow, and a pro- 
 gramme having been issued inviting persons to apply for the 
 vacant office, J)alrymple, happening at that time to be in Glas- 
 gow, was induced, chieHy through the solicitations of the pro- 
 fessors, to whom he was known, to offer himself as a candidate. 
 The offices in our Scottish universities were, at that period, 
 invariably filled by comparative trial ; and Dairy mple having, 
 on this occasion, along with other competitors, gone through 
 this ordeal, was elected professor of philosophy. When he 
 appeared before the examinators, he was clad in " buff and 
 scarlet,"" his military dress. For some time after his appoint- 
 ment, he retained his commission in the army ; a singular 
 union of offices.* 
 
 This situation, to which he was appointed in IG'll, when 
 only twenty-two years of age, afforded him a wider field for the 
 exercise of his talents than he had yet enjoyed. He resum- 
 ed the studies which his military life had interrupted. In ad- 
 dition to the branches connected with his own academical de- 
 partment, he devoted his leisure hours to classical literature, 
 antiquities and history. He also assiduously turned his atten- 
 tion to the study of the civil law, which, at that time, was not 
 taught in any college in Scotland. A knowledge of it could 
 be ac([uired only by private study, or by resorting to foreign 
 universities. It is still, as it was then, regarded as the most 
 essential part of the education of a Scottish lawyer, forming, 
 as it does, the basis of the municipal law in all matters not 
 
 " Forbes's Journal of the SemAon. Edin. fol. 1714. Tliis respectable 
 author, wlio u'as proletsor of law in the university of lulinburgh, prefixed 
 V) liis work a j)reface containing Lives of the inoht celebrated Scottish lawyers 
 before his time: among tliese IJairympIc holds a prominent place ; and the 
 sketch of him there f^iven, thoiiffh very briif, is the only one that has hith- 
 erto npp<'ured.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 127 
 
 depending on feudal principles. Dalrymple, as he had not 
 enjoyed the benefit of foreign travel, was denied also the pri- 
 vilege of studying at any foreign seminary ; and the distinction, 
 to which he afterwards attained in civil law, must be ascribed 
 solely to his own application and merit, not to any adventitious 
 advantages. 
 
 1'he class, characterised by the vague name of philosophy, 
 which it was his duty to teach, embraced dialectics, ethics and 
 j)olitics, with arithmetic and geometry : a proof that division 
 of labour was unknown in the seminary to which we refer. It 
 is allowed on all hands that Dalrymple was an equally learned 
 and successful teacher. His students held him in high re- 
 spect ; and he could number among his pupils young men, with 
 whom he then formed a friendship which continued through 
 life, and who themselves afterwards attained to distinction. 
 But his connexion with the college did not long continue ; for 
 he resigned his chair at the end of the session 1647, after hav- 
 ing filled it with honour for six years. In the month of April 
 preceding, he intimated to the patrons his intention of retiring, 
 and suggested to them the propriety of their selecting a proper 
 person to succeed him.* 
 
 He had had his views directed, before this period, to the law 
 as a profession more suited to his taste, and that held out 
 nobler prospects of his rising to eminence. During the time 
 he had been connected with the college of Glasgow, as a pro- 
 fessor, he had been engaged soliciting grants for the increase of 
 the revenue of that seminary, and in other important matters ; 
 and, while his birth and talents pointed him out as the fittest 
 person to be put forward on these occasions, such employment, 
 bringing him into contact with the great men at the head of 
 public business, whether in the government or in the law, re- 
 dounded much to his future advantage, and had no small share 
 in determining him in favour of that profession, of which he 
 afterwards became the ornament. His studies, during the time 
 
 * MS. communication, obtained from the records of Glasgow Univer-si- 
 ty, with which I was favoured by my friend tlie Rev. Duncan Clerk, now 
 miuister of Torosav.
 
 128 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 he continued a protessor in Glasgow, had been made to corres- 
 pond with these views ; and having left that city in 1647, ^^ 
 entered advocate at the Scottish bar on the 7th of February of 
 the following year.* 
 
 Before this period, indeed so early as the year 1643, he had 
 married Margaret, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Major 
 James Koss of l>alnicl in the county of Wigton ; a lady by 
 whom he got a large estate. This union subsisted for forty- 
 nine years, with great happiness to both parties. His only 
 sister-in-law. Christian Ross, became the wife of Sir Thomas 
 Dunbar of Mochrum, in the same county.-f* 
 
 Dahymple, in his new profession, soon attracted attention, 
 and obtained distinction in consequence both of his abilities and 
 application. (Jn the death of Charles 1. in 1649, and again 
 in the following year, commissioners were despatched from the 
 church and parliament of Scotland to his son, then in Holland, 
 to treat with him respecting his accession to the throne of his 
 forefathers. To these commissioners Dahymple had the honour 
 of being appointed secretary. The conditions wished to be 
 imposed on the prince were very rigid and uncompromising ; 
 and the only mention made of the person who forms the sub- 
 ject of this memoir is, that contrary to the wish of his clerical 
 associates, he was anxious " to close the treaty with the king, 
 and to favour the views of the lay commissioners." j Charles at 
 length accepted the conditions offered him ; but it was not long 
 till he broke his most solemn vow ; antl he afterwards visited 
 with persecution those by whom the principles to which he now 
 attached his name were professed and inculcated. Whether 
 the characteristic moderation of Dalrymple on this occasion was 
 judicious, it is difficult to say ; but he gained the royal favour 
 by it. " He gave," says Forbes, " great proof of his abilities, 
 sincerity and moderation ; for which the king did ever after 
 esteem him." He took advantage of being in Holland to visit 
 the universities, and to pay his respects to the great men of 
 
 ■ F.irbcs's Jotf/-//«/. -j- Ikni^ha'a Baronayc, 117. 
 
 \ MS- Life fifjii/m Livingstone, 71.
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 120 
 
 tliat country. It was the first time he liacl been on the con- 
 tinent ; and he seems to have availed himself, as much as pos- 
 sible, of" the limited period, during which the duties of his pro- 
 fession allowed him to be absent. 
 
 On his return he found that he had been nominated one of a 
 committee to revise the old books of laws, the acts of parliament, 
 and the practice of the several judicatories ; an appointment 
 which shewed the estimation in which, as a lawyer, he was 
 already held. 
 
 Cromwell, in the year 1654, having abolished the Court of 
 Session, as it had been originally constituted, and having sent 
 down English Judges, to whom he added some members of the 
 Scottish bar, denominated them " Commissioners for Adminis- 
 tration of Justice." The number of these commissioners never 
 at any time exceeded seven ; and they were at one period so 
 low as four. Before this time the court consisted of two divi- 
 sions, the outer and the inner house ; of which a quorum in 
 the latter was four. It is evident, therefore, that when the 
 number of commissioners was reduced to this number, the 
 outer house was at least virtually abolished. Under such cir- 
 cumstances, the faculty of advocates, in 1656, sent a deputation 
 of four of their body, of whom Dalrymple was one, to petition 
 the commissioners to restore and maintain the outer house. 
 The application was listened to, and the two divisions of the 
 court were preserved. 
 
 On the death of Sir James Lermonth of Balcomie in 1657, 
 one of the commissioners, their number was reduced to four, 
 the minimum of the inner house. A successor reauired in- 
 stantly to be appointed. Dalrymple, though he had not been 
 ten years at the bar, had arrived at the summit of his profes- 
 sion ; and his name for talents, legal knowledge and integrity, 
 was not surj)assed, if equalled, by any of his contemporaries. 
 The protector^; council in Scotland had, therefore, little dif- 
 ficulty in filling up the important charge now vacant. Three 
 days, indeed, before Balcomie's death, General Monck, as the 
 orean of the council, had recommended him to Cromwell, in 
 anticipation of that event, as a proper person to be elevated 
 
 K
 
 130 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 to the bench.* " I make bold," says he, " to mention 
 to your highnessc, one ISIr. James Dalrymple, as a person 
 fit to be a judge, being a veiy honest man, a good lawier, and 
 one of a considerable estate ; there is scarce any Scotchman or 
 Englishman, who hath bin much in Scotland, but know him, 
 of whome your highnesse may enquire further concerning 
 him.'-f 
 
 Aftcr tlie vacancy had taken place, (June 2Gth), Monck, 
 after alluding to the necessity of maintaining the outer house, 
 which could not be done unless by the immediate nomination 
 of another judge, writes as follows : " beleeveing it," says 
 he, " to bee your highnesse's intention, that they should supply 
 such a present exigency in a time so pressing, they bethought, 
 and have pitched upon a person of eminent abilities, namely, 
 Mr. James Dalrymple, an advocat ; of whose qualifications and 
 good affections they have ample satisfaction, to be one of the 
 said commissioners for administration of justice, at the same 
 salary which the Lord Bclchomy had, being three hundred 
 pounds per annum., according to the establishment for the 
 Scotche judges ; of which choice they humbly crave leave to 
 desire your highnesse's approbation." \ 
 
 This elevation was not only unsought, but unexpected, on 
 the part of Daliymple. Nor was it accepted without consider- 
 able hesitation. By continuing his practice at the bar, his 
 income would have been much greater than the allowance made 
 him as a judge. He had, besides, an aversion to take office 
 under an usuq)er. Some time before, when the Tender was 
 imposed, abjuring the royal family of the Stuarts, he had 
 refused taking it, and withdrawn, in consequence, from 
 
 • Lord Brodie, who had been on tlie bench previously to the cliange 
 which, as already stated, liad been made in the constitution of the court, 
 had, a few day.s before declined, in consequence of sickness and infirmity, to 
 resume his judicial functions. In six months afterwards, Jiowever, he 
 allowed himself to be reponed. Thurloe's State Papers, vi. 346. IJailes' 
 CataUxjue. 
 
 f Tlmrloe, vi. 3G7. This letter is dated Edinburgh, 23d June 1657. 
 
 \ lb. ib. 372.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 131 
 
 the bar, as did many other lawyers. Nor did he return 
 till that obligation was dispensed with, or the refusal of 
 takiuir it connived at. Had he been left to himself, he would 
 probably have declined the preferment altogether ; but on its 
 being shewn him, by the most judicious men of the day, that 
 the people of Scotland were most anxious that the vacant office 
 should be filled by a native Scotsman, and by one distinguished 
 for integrity and knoMl?dge of the law, — and, moreover, a differ- 
 ence being insisted on between holding any civil appointment 
 under an usuq^er in councils of state, and the dispensation of 
 justice to his fellows-subjects, and the oath of allegiance being 
 dispensed with,* he accepted the office so handsomely offered 
 him ; to which he was admitted, under the title of Lord Stair, 
 on the 1st of July 16571* 
 
 But thouffh he held this commission from the motives and 
 under the conditions just stated, he would not, though invited 
 to do so, avail himself of a seat in parliament, or in the coun- 
 cil of state ; because such appointment he regarded as abetting 
 usurpation, and as identifying himself with the measures of a 
 government, the legality of which he could not recognise, and 
 which he afterwards exerted himself to destroy. 
 
 The preferment in question was not the only mark of respect 
 which IMonck showed him. This celebrated man on all occa- 
 sions reposed confidence in him, and not unfrequently asked 
 his advice and was guided by it. " The day before General 
 
 " An Apology for Sir James Dalrymple of Stair, president of the session, 
 written by himself This pamphlet, of which a few copies only are known to 
 exist, extends to four quarto leaves, closely printed. It bears the date of 
 1690; at which period it was written, as shall afterwards be mentioned, in 
 refutation of various slanders propagated against him. It is a curious docu- 
 ment, throws great light on his cliaracter, and contains much valuable 
 information. 
 
 + Sir Matthew Hale, whose character in many respects resembles that of 
 Dalrymple, was induced to accept of the situation of a judge under Crom. 
 well, from similar principles. " Having considered well of it," says Bishop 
 Burnet, " he came to be of opinion, ' that it being absolutely necessary to 
 have justice and property kept up at all times, it was no sin to take a com- 
 mission from usurpers, if he made no declaration of acknowledging their 
 authority.'" — Burnet's Life of Hale.
 
 132 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 INIonck wont into Enolaiul to settle the distractions which 
 the sectaries had bred there, he called Judge Dalrymple to 
 a private conference, desiring his opinion freely what was best 
 to be done for settling the three nations ; to which he readily 
 answered, tiiat the wisest and fairest way was to procure a 
 meeting of a full and free parliament ; and recommended ear- 
 nestly to the General to interpose at London effectually for 
 setting the course of justice a-going, which was then stopt by 
 reason of the disorder and unsettledness of the times : which 
 counsel the General followed."* Lord Stair at the same time 
 used his influence at home to unite all parties in the royal 
 cause, and to effect the restoration of Charles ; and when that 
 auspicious event took place, he lost no time in repairing to 
 London to congratulate his majesty on his return ; on which 
 occasion the honour of knighthood was conferred on him. The 
 king having, in 1661, restored the Court of Session to the 
 state in which it had stood previously to the commonwealth. 
 Stair was nominated one of the judges. Nor was this all. 
 Lord ^liddlcton, the royal commissioner for Scotland, on being 
 applied to by the court to name a vice-president in room of 
 Lord Craigmiller, the president, who had been called to Lon- 
 don by the king, appointed the subject of this memoir to fill 
 his place ; and Stair was ever afterwards, in absence of Craig- 
 miller, selected by the judges to preside in his room. This 
 distinction necessarily pointed him out as a proper person to 
 be raised to the president''s chair so soon as a vacancy should 
 occur. This event at last took place owing to the death of 
 Craigmiller ; and Stair accordingly, (17th January 1671,) had 
 the honour of being nominated his succe.ssor.-|* 
 
 But there are some circumstances of his life, which hap- 
 pened ])reviously to this time, that must not be passed 
 over in silence. In the first ])arliament of Charles II. 
 a Declaration was framed characterising the taking up arms, 
 against the king, under any pretence whatever, as sedition, 
 and the National Covenant, as swoni to in 1638, and the 
 
 • I'oibcs's Journal. \ lb.
 
 DP GALLOWAY. 133 
 
 Solemn League and Covenant, as unlawful obligations ; which 
 declaration every man was obliged to make, in order to 
 be continued in any place of trust, or admitted to it. This 
 obligation was tendered to his colleagues for subscription in 
 160*3, at a time when he was absent from town, in consequence 
 of the death of his mother. And of these distinguished per- 
 sons, with the honourable exception of Sir James Dundas of 
 Arniston, none scrupled to sign the obnoxious paper; a document 
 which went to establish non-resistance and passive obedience, 
 and which conferred irresponsible power on the king. Such a 
 measure could not bvit excite great alarm and uneasiness in the 
 breast of Stair, who was distinguished not more for his loyalty 
 than his love of liberty. To a man, indeed, possessed of any 
 thing like liberal sentiments, there was in this case no room 
 for hesitation. And Stair seems accordingly to have at once 
 decided not to recognise such unconstitutional enactments, 
 and to remain true to the solemn and deliberate obligations 
 under which both himself and all his countrymen had come. 
 He forfeited office, and incurred the risk of losing the royal 
 favour, by immediately sending his resignation to the king ; 
 and when his colleagues, not aware of this fact, intimated to 
 him by letter that he required to sign the declaration within 
 a certain time, else his situation would be regarded as vacant, 
 and no written explanation or apology accepted, he announced 
 to them that, before the date of their communication, he had 
 ceased to be one of their number. On receiving this answer, 
 the judges declared his place vacant. He, meanwhile, re- 
 mained at his country-seat in Wigtonshire for a year, un- 
 molested by the government, but, as he himself declares, w ith- 
 out the least desire or hope of restoration to his official duties. 
 He was at length, however, solicited by the king to wait on 
 him in London ; with which invitation he thought it his duty 
 to comply. His majesty, on seeing him, informed him that 
 he was unwilling to accept his resignation ; that his place had 
 not been filled up ; and that he was desirous he should resume 
 his station in the court. Such conduct was honourable to the 
 character of both parties. But Stair declined complying with
 
 134 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 the royal wishes, and stated that nothing could induce him to 
 recotrnisc so offensive a document as the one he had been com- 
 manded to sign. The king, with greater liberality than he 
 generally displayed, having requested to know on what terms 
 he would consent to sign the declaration, Stair replied that 
 he was willing to declare in general terras against whatever 
 was opposite to his majesty ""s just rights and prerogatives, pro- 
 vided, (with the view of pro%-iding against contingencies in 
 these slippery times,) that such terms Mere granted to him by 
 the kinjT in writinji. These conditions received the sanction 
 of Charles ; who, as a farther mark of his favour, conferred on 
 liim the title of baronet ; and Stair having been favoured with 
 a letter from the king addressed to the judges of the Court of 
 Session, resumed his place in that court on the 21st of April 
 16C4.* 
 
 The stand which this eminent individual made on this occa- 
 sion shows the most enlightened views and a conscientious regard 
 for truth and right principle. Happy had it been had his 
 colleagues and the statesmen of his day entertained the same 
 sentiments as to civil government, by which he was charac- 
 terised. " Since I was capable of considering the subject," 
 says he, " I have been ever persuaded that it was both against 
 the interest and duty of kings to use arbitrary government ; 
 that both kings and subjects had their titles and rights by 
 law ; and that an equal balance of prerogative and liberty 
 was necessary for the happiness of a common wealth. '"'■j- Such 
 liberal sentiments, though then not duly appreciated, and 
 though the public avowal of them was not unattended with 
 danger, he had the satisfaction of seeing completely triumphant 
 before his death. 
 
 In IG7O5 commissioners were appointed by the parliament 
 from Scotland to meet with commissioners from Enyland, to 
 treat of the union of the two kingdoms. Of the Scottish com- 
 missioners, (twenty-five in number), Lord Stair was one ; 
 and though the attempt was unsuccessful, we are told that 
 
 " Forhcs's Juiirnal , and Stair's A/iolor/ij. f Ajiolof/i/-
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 135 
 
 *' IMy Lord Rothes, Sir John Nisbct, the king''s advocate, and 
 Sir James Dalrymplc, did behave themselves well in that 
 affair."* 
 
 When Lord Stair had been invested with his new dignity 
 as president of the supreme court in I67I, as previously men- 
 tioned, he availed himself of the influence, with which this 
 high office invested him, to effect many important improve- 
 ments in the constitution and regulations of that judicatory. 
 Even before this time, he had been the author of reform in 
 the procedure of that court. " He began," says Mr. Forbes, 
 " the calling of causes by the order of roll in his course as 
 ordinary, before the act was made ; whose example in firmly 
 adhering to that rule brought to perfection a thing which, 
 (though designed at the institution of the college of justice, 
 and ordered by many acts, by the king's approbation), took no 
 effect till then.''*f- The improvements alluded to seem to have 
 been of the most judicious kind ; but it is not necessary at 
 present either to specify or consider them. Nor indeed does 
 the present writer deem himself fitted for such a task. It need 
 merely be mentioned that, with singleness of heart, he devoted 
 his time and his talents to the most conscientious discharge of 
 his official duties, and to the promotion of the purity and 
 efficiency of the court over which he presided. He attend- 
 ed in his place so regularly that, during the whole time 
 he held the office of a judge, he was scarcely a single day ab- 
 sent, and for ten successive years, he states that he never had 
 been once absent. He spent his vacant hours in hard study, 
 and in recording the decisions and procedure of the court, 
 " I did carefully and faithfully observe the debates and deci- 
 sions of the Lords of Session during all the time I was in it, 
 in all important cases which were not come to be uncontroverted 
 as a beaten path, or were obvious to common capacities, and 
 I did seldom eat or drink, and scarce ever slept before I perused 
 the information that passed every sederunt day, and set down the 
 decisions of the Lords while they were fresh in my memory."":J: 
 
 » Law's MtmoriaUs, 31. t Journal, 3k 
 
 :j: Apologij.
 
 136 I'HE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 There is one circumstance connected with this part of his 
 life, mention of which, as it has been made the subject ot 
 much discussion, must not be omitted. I allude to the alleged 
 share which he had in the misunderstanduig which took place, 
 in 1C74«, between the privy council and the bar, and the con- 
 sequent banishment from the city of about fifty of the advo- 
 cates. 
 
 At this time, the right of appeal from the decisions of the 
 Court of Session to Parliament was not recognised, though one 
 or two attempts had been made by litigants and their council to 
 act as if such a right existed. But this right, which undoubt- 
 edly forms a iiiost salutary check on the court, was not esta- 
 blished by law till the Revolution. In the year 1G74, an ap- 
 peal was lodged to Parliament against the line of procedure in 
 an important case ; and till such procedure was rescinded, the 
 defender's council regarded themselves as " not obliged to an- 
 swer.'' *■ This attempt, the real nature of which will be found 
 
 • It was a case in which the Earl of Dunfermline \\as pursuer, and the 
 Earl of Callendcr dofcnder. " Several delays had already been obtained that 
 Callender mif,Hit be present, and tlic last diet at whieh the advociites under- 
 took to answer being come, the defender wished farther delay on the ground 
 that it is statuted that where the Lords, for the intricacy or importance of causes, 
 reported from the outer house, ordain them to he heard in praescniiu, that the 
 same shovld he enrolled in the inner house, urcordinij to the date (f that interlocu- 
 tor., and discussed accordimjbj ,- /;'// irhich he done, they are not obliyed to an- 
 swer. 
 
 " It was answered, that diets being given and taken to answer the points 
 proposed, they could not now return to this dilator, which might have 
 been proposed the first day, and required not Callender's presence to in- 
 form ; and that this cause not being enrolled, the Lords, according to their 
 ordinary custom, might ajjjioint any point therein to be farther cleared, as 
 the Lords Jiave always been accustomed to do, and which quadrates with 
 the intent of the act for preventing uncertain attendance ; for the jiarties 
 being obliged to attend the debate in the outer house, ought not then to 
 refuse to answer immediately in the inner house, but after the cause is 
 enrolled in the inner house, they are in tuto to go home, and not obliged to 
 answer till their time. 
 
 " The Lords repelled the defender's allegiance, and declared that if they 
 would not debate in their presence, they v/ould advise the dispute reported 
 from the outer house, and allow to either jiarty time to give their informa-
 
 OF GALLo\rAy. 137 
 
 in the note below, was regarded as insolent on the part of those 
 by whom it was made, and the advocates concerned in it in- 
 curred the severe displeasure of the judges. The Court of Ses- 
 sion being the ultimate tribunal in any case brought before it, 
 such an attempt as the one in question was illegal ; and, if 
 allowed, calculated to impair the respectability of the judicato- 
 ly from which the appeal was made, and to shake the public 
 confidence in its decisions. The state of the law may have 
 been bad ; but for this the judges were not responsible. Their 
 duty was to assert their privileges according to the law as it then 
 existed ; and, under these circumstances, as the counsel refused 
 to plead, or enter on the merits of the case, unless a reversal of 
 the procedure complained of was granted, the judges had no 
 alternative ; the authority and statvites of their court was at 
 stake ; and it was thought proper to expel Sir George Lock- 
 hart and Sir John Cunningham, the refractory counsel, from 
 the bar. The judges submitted the whole matter to govern- 
 inent ; and the privy council stept forward to maintain the dig- 
 nity of the tribunal that had been insulted, and banished Cun- 
 ningham and Lockhart, with about fifty of the bar who had 
 espoused their quarrel, twelve miles from the capital. They 
 continued a year in exile ; at the end of ^vhich period, they 
 were allowed to return and resume their official privileges, 
 *' many of them having satisfied the offended Lords with ac- 
 knowledgment of their error and serious repentance ; while all of 
 them, after they had tasted the bitterness of loss of gain for a 
 session or two, concluded the war with accommodation and sub- 
 mission.""* 
 
 Whether this proceeding on the part of the privy council 
 was politic or not, this is not the place to decide. But as Lord 
 Stair has been unjustly blamed as the author and instigator of 
 
 tion, and thereby to enlarge the debate as far as they pleased." — Stair's De- 
 cisions, Feb. 5, 1674. 
 
 An appeal being entered, the Lords characterised it as illegal, and " re- 
 presented to the king the whole matter, that sucli preparatives might be 
 prevented in time coming." lb. ib. 
 * Kirkton's Ilistonj, 3i7, 8.
 
 130 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 it, wc have thought it proper to meet the charge. His Lord- 
 ship uiulouhtodly regarded the conduct of counsel referred to as 
 arrogant and illegal ; and he concurred with his colleagues in 
 inHlcting on them that punishment which the case was sup- 
 posed to merit. But he went no farther. The privy council 
 alone was responsihle for the suhsequent proceedings. His own 
 words are decisive on the suhject. " 1 have been quarreled 
 for being the author of the banishing of the advocates from 
 Kdinburgh in the year 16'J4f, whereof I was aIlos;cther free; 
 for it was done in the vacant time w^hen I was in the country, 
 and the inspection of the sederunts of the council will demon- 
 strate that in that whole vacance I was not present." Other 
 allegations equally false respecting the bar were made against 
 him ; but all such attacks originated in the violence of the 
 times, and in the envy occasioned by Stair^s subsequent great 
 power and preferment.* 
 
 Lord Stair, as is evident from the foregoing extract, was a 
 member of the privy council : but a judge, particularly the 
 president of the supreme court, is understood to be above all 
 party-politics, and to discharge his important functions for the 
 good of his fellow-citizens, vminfluenced by the character and 
 proceedings of the government under whose authority he ad- 
 ministers justice. The illustrious individual, of whom we are 
 speaking, seems to have regulated his conduct on this salutary 
 principle. He was seldom present at any meeting of council 
 during the vacation of the covirt, which sat, (as it still does,) only 
 six months annually ; and even during the other half of the 
 year, he appears not to have attended regularly, especially if 
 official duties required his presence elsewhere. When he did 
 attend, however, he always interposed in favour of moderate 
 and cautious measures ; while he never ceased to oppose every 
 thing of an illiberal or unjust tendency. He frequently de- 
 clared in his place at the council board, that though, in other 
 courts, judges have no option, but must rigidly administer the 
 law, however severe or inexpedient, yet that the council to whom 
 
 * Forbes's Joiirnul, !51. Apolorjy.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 139 
 
 the l<ing had intrusted the policy and government of the na- 
 tion hiy under no such obligation ; and that pnidencc, moder- 
 ation, and equity, should characterise all their proceedings. He 
 remonstrated frequently and openly against those cruel and 
 arbitrary measures which the government indulged against the 
 presbyterians. " So far was I," says he, " from being the 
 author or justifier of the severities used against those of my own 
 ])rofession, of whom many are my witnesses, that I did what 
 I durst to save them ; and I was always so esteemed, and often 
 publicly reproached in council for so doing." AVhen, in I678, 
 it was resolved to bring the Highland host, (amounting to 
 COOO, whose barbarous proceedings are w^ell known,) into the 
 western counties, in order to keep down the cause of presbytery 
 and the covenant, his lordship not only remonstrated with all 
 freedom and faithfulness against the measure, but entered his 
 dissent in the council books. He made the same determined 
 opposition when the Bonds of peace were proposed. These 
 Bonds contained an obligation on the part of those who sub- 
 scribed them, under severe pains and penalties, that they would 
 apprehend and bring to justice every presbyterian minister that 
 came in their power, who had kept conventicles ; and that they 
 would prevent their tenants, the servants of their tenants, with 
 their own families and domestics, from withdrawing from the 
 episcopal ministers, from attending conventicles, or succouring 
 field-preachers and persons intercommuned. The subscription 
 of such an obligation was tantamount to the renouncing of 
 presbytery ; and yet, though the gentlemen of the west, on 
 whose account it was framed, magnanimously refused to recog- 
 nise it, it is a remarkable fact, that of the judges of the 
 supreme court and of the members of the privy council. Lord 
 Stair was the only one that had the public spirit, not only 
 not to subscribe it, but to resist it and to lodge his dissent 
 against it. I regard this statement as highly honourable to 
 the character of this distinguished person. Had he not 
 been a judge, he would, I have no doubt, have made a 
 noble stand against the arbitrary proceedings of government, 
 and manfully have espoused the cause of the suffering presby-
 
 1^0 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 terians, and united his fortune with theirs. Well might he 
 exclaim, " God knows I had no pleasure in the affairs then 
 aijitated in council." * 
 
 Nor was it only in resisting bad measures, but in recom- 
 mending and promoting good ones, that he deserves such ho- 
 nourable mention. He stood high in the estimation of the 
 Duke of Lauderdale, of whose intentions, at least, (for long af- 
 ter his death he spoke of him as having been " most zea- 
 lous for the honour of his country,"" and as having been " over- 
 ruled by measures before he came to his greatness,")-!- he seems 
 to have had a more favourable opinion than impartial judges 
 now entertain. AV^ith all the rancour and illiberality of his 
 disposition, he was, in truth, the best minister that Scotland 
 knew during the two reigns that preceded the Revolution ; and 
 the only show of kindness and indulgence that the presbyte- 
 rians of that black period experienced was at his hands. Stair 
 used his influence with that celebrated minister to obtain se- 
 veral acts of council coiTcctivc of the abuses that then obtain- 
 ed. Persons cited on ecclesiastical matters, for example, had 
 previously had no specialties of time or place stated in their 
 respective summonses, but only one or two of the days of all 
 the months for several years were mentioned. Persons accu- 
 sed were thus put to their oath on the whole libel, " whereby," 
 says Stair, " many had been holden as confest, and thereupon 
 fined, imprisoned, and transported like slaves to foreign planta- 
 tions."";}: Criminal prosecutions were not conducted at this 
 time with much impartiality ; but the change effected by 
 Stair, namely the specific mention of time and place, was one 
 of the greatest improvements that could have been accomplish- 
 ed. § Of the character of the criminal court he entertained so 
 
 " Apologij. -f- lb. f lb. 
 
 § Lauderdale, it may bo mentioned as a ])ictiirc of tlie times, incurred the 
 displeasure of the infamous Sliarp, archbishop of St. Andrews, and of the 
 court, for carrying into effect Stair's excellent suggestion. This prelate 
 wrote to the bishops in England and to the government, that Lauderdale 
 had by this step overturned the settlement of the nation, and done more, dur- 
 ing the first month he bad ijeen in jiower in Scotland, against the royal inte- 
 rest, than could he retrieved for tJie next seven years. lb.
 
 OF GALLOWAY, 
 
 141 
 
 unfavourable an opinion, that though solicited, both before and 
 alter the Restoration, to become a judge init, with a handsome 
 addition of salary, he absolutely declined the offer ; and when 
 upwards of seventy years of age, he mentions with a feeling of 
 self-gratulation, " I did never meddle in any criminal court, 
 nor was I ever judge, pleader, juror, or witness therein.'"'* 
 
 But probably the most important act of his life as a public 
 man remains yet to be told. " I was ever," says he, " fully 
 persuaded, since I came to ripeness of age, of the truth of the 
 Protestant religion, and of the constitution and govermnent of 
 my mother country, as reformed from popery and prelacy .'"•f* 
 He had been educated in the presbyterian faith, to which he 
 ever steadfastly adhered, and the presbyterians, we are in- 
 formed, placed great confidence in him.:[: From his dig- 
 nity and situation as a judge, it was not in his power to 
 take active steps in their favour, though we have found him, 
 as a privy councillor, interpose with energy in their behalf. 
 He did not, we think, applaud the conduct of the more rigid 
 or violent of the presbyterians ; on the contrary, he approved 
 of the conduct of the moderate party ; and he suggested to the 
 whole of that suffering body, the propriety of supporting the 
 Duke of Lauderdale, in order to overcome the prejudices which 
 the king entertained against them, and thus to ward off the 
 severities under which they groaned. Burnet terms hiin " a 
 man of great temper and of a very mild disposition ;" and, ac- 
 cordingly, from his want of energy in their cause, and from his 
 intimacy with the Duke of Lauderdale, he lost at length the 
 confidence of the presbyterians. But his own principles re- 
 mained unaffected and unchanged, though " prudence," says 
 he, " allowed me not at all times to make noise. "§ When the 
 duke of York, afterwards James H., came to Scotland, he was 
 received with great pomp by the privy council and the other 
 constituted authorities. The judges of the Court of Session, 
 with the members of the college of justice, waited on his royal 
 
 * Apolorji/. f lb- 
 
 t Burnet's Own Times, i. 413, Lond. 1818. § Apohijy.
 
 142 THE LITERARY lirSTORV 
 
 highness at Holyrootl, on which occasion the president, in nams 
 ot" the court of which he was the head, addressed him in a 
 congratuhitory speech. The duke being susjx'cted of" a leaning 
 to popery, and a bill of exclusion having been discussed in the 
 English parliament. Stair, taking advantage of these circum- 
 stances, said, among other things, that " the nation being en- 
 tirely protestant, it is the fittest place your royal highness could 
 have made your recess to at this time." Not content with 
 these words, which gave offence to many, Stair afterwards used 
 his influence privately with him to induce him to take no 
 steps which might weaken the establishment of the protestant 
 relimon.* 
 
 The attachment to the reformed religion, or rather to the 
 presbyterian faith, which Lord Stair here displayed, circum- 
 stances soon enabled him to manifest in a more public and ef- 
 ficient manner. He was a member of the parliament that met 
 in 1681, as one of the representatives for Wigtonshire. 
 Among other important acts of that assembly, one was propo- 
 sed fixinfi the indefeasible rii^ht of succession to the throne, 
 without any regard to religious belief; a test pretended to be 
 for the better security of the protestant faith, but to which were 
 subjoined a r&cognition of royal supremacy, a disavowal of the 
 solemn league and covenant, and an obligation to attempt no 
 changes in civil or ecclesiastical matters without the permis- 
 sion of the king. To this obnoxious test Stair, who had pre- 
 viously resisted other similar obligations, could not give his 
 acquiescence. But as the tide at this time ran so high in fa- 
 vour of royalty, the difficulty was in what manner to resist it. 
 As the term protestant religion, which occurred in the act, was 
 vague, and might be interpreted differently by different indi- 
 viduals. Stair, with the design of rendering the statute abor- 
 tive, artfully moved that the Confession of Faith framed by 
 Knox and the early reformers, should be considered as the 
 standard. This confession teaches resistance to tyrants as a duty, 
 and fixes limitations to the supreme power, and altogether in- 
 culcates principles at variance with the other provisions of the 
 
 * Forbes's Journal.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 143 
 
 act to which it was joined. The Confession in question, 
 though Stair was intimately acquainted with it, was unknown 
 to ahnost every other member ; even the prelates, says Bur- 
 net, had never read it ; and when the test, with the important 
 modification in question, passed into a law, which was done very 
 hurriedly, it was ascertained not only to be unreasonably long 
 for an oath, but one part of it to be contradictory of the other.* 
 On this account, indeed, Stair expected it would fall to the 
 ground, and be a dead letter. But arbitrary power was too 
 triumphant to allow such benevolent expectations to be realized. 
 For while many persons most attached to the crown scrupled 
 to take the test as it then stood, and the more patriotic and 
 independent declined it altogether, the privy council published 
 what they regarded as a solution or explanation of some diffi- 
 culties attending it, which seems to have quieted their con- 
 science, and to have satisfied their submissive adherents. And 
 in this way, says Wodrow, " it became for many years a 
 handle tor persecuting even to the death great numbers, and 
 some of them of very considerable rank, and oppressing mul- 
 titudes of noblemen, gentlemen, and others, who would not 
 comply with it.""-|- Stair himself, as he had failed in his en- 
 lightened object, 'vvould not, of course, subscribe it. " Though,"" 
 to use his own words, " I was well pleased with the first part 
 of it," namely, that which his own amendment included, 
 " which was the safest hedge against papists that ever I saw, 
 yet I could not sign the latter part of it.''';^ 
 
 The consequences of this conduct on the part of Stair may 
 easily be conjectured. The test, which passed into a law on 
 the last day of August 1681, required to be signed by all in 
 places of trust and importance before the subsequent month of 
 Januaiy. But before the arrival of that period, he travelled to 
 London, with the view of waiting on the kino; and resiccnincf his 
 office as president of the Session. On his arrival, however, he 
 
 • The duke of York, wlien Stair's amendment was carried, declared that 
 he had ruined all honest men by it, meaning, of course, papists in particular. 
 —Apology. 
 
 I Wodrow's Church Hist. iii. 295. * Apoloffij.
 
 l-i4 THE MTERARY HISTORY 
 
 was not only refused admittance to the royal presence, but in- 
 formed that a new commission for the Session had been issued, 
 in which his name did not appear.* Never was thei-e a more 
 flagrant instance of the prostitution of royal authority than 
 this. " I neither did resign," says Stair, <' nor was excluded 
 by the act of the test, seeing the day was not yet come, hut hy 
 mere arbHrary power."" " This dismissal," to use the words 
 of J>ord Pitmedden, " makes the places of judges, Avhich by the 
 act of James VI. were ad vitam out culpam, become arbitrary ."-f* 
 
 The dismissal of Stair could not give him much uneasi- 
 ness. He had, when a young man, and when office was of 
 greater importance to him, resigned his rank and situation as a 
 judge, rather than sacrifice or compromise his principles. The 
 consolation of having done his duty, both as a judge and a 
 senator, was sufficient to compensate him for even a greater 
 insult than that offered him. He was, besides, now ad- 
 vanced in years ; he had been in public employment nearly 
 forty years ; above one half of which time he had had a seat on 
 the bench ; and it is evident that about this period he had 
 meant to retire ; an intention which he had communicated 
 to some of his private friends. Though he had been very 
 happy in the mutual affi^ction of his colleagues, both while he 
 was at the bar, and since he had been elevated to the bench, 
 yet, " I wish," he declares, " to have some remnant of my 
 life, of which I might be master, without diversion."^ 
 
 Before his connexion with the court of Session was dis- 
 solved, he had begun to print his celebrated book, entitled. 
 The Institutions of the Law of Scotland^ deduced from its 
 originals, and collated with the civil and feudal laws, and with 
 the customs of neiirhhouring nations. It is inscribed to the 
 king, but the dedication had passed through the press ere he 
 had lost the royal favour. I'he following extract from it is 
 not uninteresting : — " It is but little short of forty years since 
 
 " Three other judges were displaced at the same time, namely, Sir Tho- 
 mas Murray of Olendoick, Sir .John IJaird of Newbyth, and the Earl of 
 Arjfyle, thu latter an cTlraordinnrij Lord of Session. 
 
 -}■ Aj/olo'jij ; and llailes's Catal- p. 2!}, + Dedication (o Decisions.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 W> 
 
 I have followed the study and practice of law, constantly 
 and diligently, so that those who will not deny me reason 
 and capacity, can hardly deny knowledge and experience in 
 the suhject I write of. My modesty did not permit me to 
 publish it, lest it should be judicially cited where 1 sat : but 
 now, becoming old, I have been prevailed with to print it, 
 while I might oversee the press. It was not vanity and am- 
 !)ition that set me on work ; but being so long a servant to 
 God and your majesty in the matter of justice, 1 thought it 
 my duty not to smother my thoughts of the immaculate 
 righteousness of God Almighty in his moral law, and of the 
 fulness and fitness of your majesty's laws, that I might pro- 
 mote your honour and the good of your subjects."" 
 
 This work is one of the most important books on law that 
 has appeared in any language, and has raised the name of the 
 author to the highest place in the department to which it be- 
 longs. His " Institutions," says Professor Forbes, " are so 
 useful, that few considerable families in Scotland, not to men-- 
 tion professed lawyers, do want them. He hath therein so 
 cleared up the springs and grounds of our law, that had been 
 dammed up from ordinary observation by rust and rubbish, 
 and reduced it into a sound and solid body, (for which he de- 
 serves to be reckoned a founder and restorer of our law), that 
 if it were lost, it might be retrieved, and the tenor of it made 
 up out of his excellent Institutions.""* " It is not without 
 cause," to use the words of Mr. Brodie, " that the profound 
 and luminous disquisitions of Lord Stair have commanded 
 the general admiration of Scottish lawyers. Having brought 
 to the study of jurisprudence a powerful and highly cultivated 
 intellect, he was qualified to trace every rule to principle. 
 Yet such was his sterling practical good sense that he rarely 
 allowed himself to be carried away by theory, too frequently 
 the failing of philosophic minds, less endowed with this car- 
 dinal virtue. * * * His philosophy and learning have 
 
 Journal 
 L
 
 146 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 enabled hini to enrich jurisprudence with a work, which, in 
 eni!)odyin<T the rules of law, clearly devclopcs the ground on 
 which they are founded."* 
 
 Stair now retired to his seat in the parish of Glenluce, 
 W^igtonshire, under the positive assurance that, though he 
 had been deprived of his office, he should be allowed to enjoy 
 quiet and security in the country. Under this impression, 
 he must have looked forward with much delight to those rural 
 or literary pursuits, which could not but have yielded him 
 much enjoyment. He had within himself all the elements of 
 happiness. His character was high and vmblemished ; his 
 mind was richly cultivated ; his domestic circumstances were 
 comfortable ; his fortune was ample. He required nothing 
 to ensure him an old age equally dignified and happy, but 
 safety and non-interference. But these blessings, whatever 
 promises had been made, were not granted him. He was re- 
 garded with suspicion ; his tenants were imprisoned and forced 
 to give bond in more than they were worth, on account of 
 their attending conventicles ; his rents were arrested ; and 
 fearing to be himself apprehended and impeached, he con- 
 sulted the Lord Advocate whether he could remain in Scotland 
 in quiet. Sir George Mackenzie, who then held that office, 
 readily answered in the negative, and advised him to withdraw 
 to the continent. Accordingly, in October 1682, about a year 
 after his retirement, he emigrated to Holland, " the place of 
 the greatest common .safety. "'"'•f- 
 
 But the emigration of Lord Stair did not satisfy the go- 
 vernment. His independent conduct in parliament, and the 
 freedom he had used with the J)uke of York on his arrival 
 in Scotland, were crimes not to be forgiven. But a fresh 
 charge was now made against him in his absence. He was 
 
 • Preface to ."Mr. Urodio's excellent edition of the Institutes, Edin. 1826. 
 Another impression (1828) ha« since appeared, under the siiperinteudeuce 
 of .Mr. .John .S. More, another eminent memhcr of the Scots bar. 
 
 ■f Law's Memorials, 236. Ajwloijy
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 147 
 
 accused of high treason on the ground of " harbour and reset 
 of rebels," inasmuch as persons on his estate had attended con- 
 venticles, and some of them had been present at Both well bridge. 
 He was summoned successively to appear before the Court of 
 Justiciary, the Privy Council, and Parliament, accused of high 
 treason. " Hundreds of examinations and re-examinations 
 were taken against me, even of my most intimate domestic 
 ser^'ants, and my sister-in-law, (Lady Dunbar of Mochrum), 
 not in the regular way for probation, but by way of inquisi- 
 tion, to found a process upon any special matter.^^ But this, 
 he subjoins, was not done, " because nothing was found 
 against law." Alluding to his character as a judge, which 
 was also impugned, he observes, " No man was found to wit- 
 ness the least malversation or baseness, by indirect interest in 
 any cause, by taking any bribe or reward, by partiality or 
 insolvency, though nothing would have been more accepta- 
 ble to the Court, than by one blow against my fortune and 
 fame, to have ruined me upon malversation in my trust as a 
 judge."* 
 
 But the vengeance, which proved ineffectual against him at 
 home, pursued him abroad. In our Life of Mr. M'Ward, 
 we found the English government apply to the States General, 
 requesting them to remove certain obnoxious indi\'iduals out 
 of Holland, where they had taken refuge. A similar appli- 
 cation was made on the present occasion, and frequently re- 
 peated ; but without success. The Prince of Orange and 
 the States entertained too enlightened views to lend their sanc- 
 tion to a proceeding so manifestly tyrannical and unjust. 
 
 On his arrival in Holland, he seems to have chosen Leyden 
 
 * Apoloqy. " After I was gone," says lie, " my eldest son was fined in L.500 
 sterling upon Claverhouse's pickish accusation, that as baillie of the regality of 
 Glenluce, he had fined too low for conventicles, and thereafter he was taken 
 summarily without citation, and brought to the Tolbooth of Edinburgh, as 
 if he had been a malefactor, and detained three months, and then let go 
 upon bond of confinement, without showing the least pretence of a cause, 
 though he had never meddled in any public matter, but had served in good 
 reputation and employment as an advocate." Claverhouse and his brother 
 David Graham were at this time (684), joint sheriffs of AVigtonshire.
 
 ll'S THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 as his place ot" residence. A person who had tor forty years led 
 so active a lite as we have found Lord iStair do, could not 
 spend his old age in inglorious ease. We have already 
 spoken of his keeping a daily record of the decisions of the 
 court of Session. He did so regularly for twenty years pre- 
 vious to 1 ()}}!, when he was removed from his seat in that 
 judicatory. Before this event took place, he had intimated 
 to the king his intention of ])ublishing them ; and on sub- 
 mitting the same resolution to his colleagues, he not only ob- 
 tained their approbation, but was honoured with their thanks. 
 Part I. of this judicious and valuable work, entitled, The De- 
 cisions of the Lords of Council and Session, in the most im- 
 portant cases debate before them, with the acts of Sederunt, 
 from June 1661 to Julj/ 16H1, observed bj/ Sir James Dal- 
 rymple of Stair, Knight and Baronet, was printed at Edin- 
 burgh, and published in 1684. The dedication to the Lord 
 Chancellor and the Judges of the Court to which his 
 book refers, is dated at Leyden, 9th November in that year. 
 Part IL, inscribed as before to the Judges, was published 
 at Edinburgh in 1()87- "He judiciously observed the De 
 cisions of the Session," according to an excellent authority, — 
 " in which he hath not omitted any case of difficulty or im- 
 portance deteiTnined when he was on the bench ; without express- 
 ing his own opinion, when different from that of the plurality 
 of the Lords, out of modesty and deference to their judgment.*"* 
 A journal of the decisions of the court had been kept from its 
 first institution. But Lord Stair was the first that published 
 such decisions. Those that bear the name of Lord Durie, 
 though they embrace a period of twenty-one years previous to 
 1642, remained in manuscript till 1690, when they were given 
 to the world. 
 
 I \ is Institutions and Decisions both belong to the department 
 of law, but he was the author of a book of a totally different 
 description, which a])peared at Leyden in 1686: I allude to 
 his Phi/sio/ogia Nova Kxperimentalis. I'his work, which is de- 
 dicated to the Royal Society of London, is written, as the 
 
 • Forbes's Journal
 
 OK GALLOWAY. 149 
 
 title iiullcatcs, in Latin ; and while it throws off many of the 
 prtgiulices and absurdities then common both in philosophy 
 and in science, does not possess that degree of originality at 
 which he aimed, and which he Hattered himself he had attain- 
 ed. He had devoted his time and talents too exclusively to 
 the study of law, to rise to eminence, particularly in advanced 
 years, in such important pursuits as those which the physiolo- 
 gy embraces. 
 
 He seems at this time also to have been engaged in studies 
 more nearly connected with his public and professional duties 
 both as a statesman and lawyer. A work, in the composition 
 of which he was then employed, was meant to .shew that both 
 king and subject have their titles and rights by law, and that 
 an equal balance of prerogative and liberty was necessary for 
 the happiness of a commonwealth.* Such principles are now 
 universally recognised and acted upon : they are regarded as ele- 
 mentary and fundamental truths in political science ; and it is 
 allowed, that, without their operation, no freedom, prosperity, or 
 happiness, can be enjoyed. But at the time of which we are 
 speaking, and previously to it, they were not recognised in 
 theory, and totally overlooked in practice : nor had the divine 
 right of kings and passive obedience on the part of subjects 
 been altogether exploded. Light had indeed begun to glim- 
 mer ; but it had not been generally diffused, nor was darkness 
 entirely dispelled till the Revolution. " I have fully ex- 
 pressed," to use his own words, " my judgment on the import- 
 ant subjects in question in a treatise, which, when published, 
 I hope will not be unacceptable to so gracious and moderate a 
 prince, (William IIL) as we now have, nor to the people."-f- 
 But this work was never published ; a circumstance which, ow- 
 in(T to the talents and enlightened views of the author, we 
 have reason to regret. 
 
 Stair, though engaged in literary or .scientific studies in a 
 foreign land, was not insensible to the important concerns of 
 his native country. He had gained the friendship and confi- 
 
 * Apology. -j- lb.
 
 ^•50 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 dence of the Prince of Orange ; and had an important share 
 in those representations and negotiations which terminated, in 
 1()88, in the expedition of that prince to this country, and in 
 the glorious Kevohition consequent upon it. When Orange 
 was about to embark for Britain, Stair requested his royal 
 highness to state explicitly the true design of his going thither. 
 The prince at once answered, that it was not personal aggran- 
 dizement, but " the glor\- of God and the security of the Pro- 
 testant religion, then in imminent danger." The following re- 
 ply made by the venerable patriot is characteristic of the noble 
 feelings by which he seems ever to have been animated. Pull- 
 ing off his wig and exhibiting his bald head, he exclaimed, 
 " though I be now in the seventieth year of my age, I am 
 willing to venture that, (pointing to his head,) my own and 
 my children's fortune, in such an undertaking :" an answer 
 which gave the prince much delight, and afforded him, as 
 he declared, great encouragement in his design. Stair ac- 
 cordingly accompanied the prince in his interesting and suc- 
 cessful expedition. The latter manifested in every way the 
 utmost resj>ect for his venerable attendant ; and after he had 
 been .seated on the throne, he relied on him chiefly for advice 
 and direction ;'^he appointed'him to his former station of Lord 
 President of the Court of Session, on 1st November UJH9 ; 
 and, on 1st May of the following year, he ennobled him by the 
 title of Lord Viscount Stair.* 
 
 Lord Stair had meanwhile come to Scotland ; and by his 
 prudent management, secured a majority in the convention of 
 estates in favour of ^V'illiam, and of the establishment of pres- 
 bytery as the national religion. f Sir John ])alrymple, his 
 eldest son, with the Duke of Arfrvlc, and Sir James Mont- 
 gomery, were sent as a deputation to present the crown, and to 
 administer the oath to the king and queen. 
 
 The great influence which Stair now possessed, and the ho- 
 nours with which he had recently been invested, could not fail 
 to excite envy, particularly as the Episcopal party and the ad- 
 
 • yl/'o%y, and P'orbes's Jowmo/. f Bnriict'' Own Times, iii. 2(j.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 151 
 
 herents of the abdicated king were both numerous and active. 
 It must be confessed also, as previously stated, that he did 
 not enjoy the cordial confidence of some of the Presbyterians, 
 owing to his being supposed to have abetted the infamous ad- 
 ministration of Lauderdale, and to his son, already mentioned, 
 having accepted the office of king's advocate from James VII. 
 Not only were anonymous pamphlets published against him, 
 in answer to one of which, his admirable Apology, to which 
 we have so often referred, was produced ; but attempts were 
 meant to be made in parliament, by the opposition, to over- 
 turn the late nomination by William, of the Judges in the 
 Court of Session, with the view of annulling the appointment 
 of Stair as president. These attempts were not founded on 
 sound principle or on precedent. The nomination of the 
 judges was disapproved of, because it had been made by the 
 king, and not submitted to parliament, as had been the case at 
 the Restoration. But the circumstances of the two periods were 
 quite different. An ordinary judge, on his appointment by 
 the king, required by law to be tried by the court before his 
 induction. But at the Restoration, an entirely new set of 
 judges were appointed ; and as no court previously to their 
 election existed, and as they could not therefore undergo any 
 trials, the nomination made by the king was submitted to par- 
 liament. At the Revolution, on the contrary, William con- 
 tinued or reponed such a number of the former lords as were 
 sufficient to examine those nominated for the first time ; and 
 did not, under these circumstances, think it consistent with 
 precedent or the royal prerogative to consult parliament on the 
 subject. At the Restoration, in short, the Court of Session, 
 having previously existed under the authority of a usurper, 
 was regarded as extinct, and required to be revived. At the 
 more glorious period which called William of Orange to the 
 throne of these realms, that judicatory was not supposed to 
 stop, but only such changes were made in the list of its judges 
 as to get the bench occupied by men whose sentiments were 
 congenial to the times.* 
 
 • Apology, wliere a very full account of this mattt^r is given.
 
 152 THE LITERARY H ISTOR V 
 
 It was also ohjectetl to the nomination ol" Lord Stair, that 
 it hail hccMi niaik' hy the king, and not hy the Lords of" Session. 
 Til is charge shows nothing hut the ignorance and hatred of 
 those who made it. It was the incontrovertihle law of the 
 land, that " it is an inherent privilege of the crown, and an 
 undoubted part of the royal prerogative of the kings of this 
 kingdom, to have the sole choice and appointment of the offi- 
 cers of state and privy councillors, and the nomination of the 
 Ijords of Session."* And as a proof that the last clause in- 
 cludes the president of the court, that judge has uniformly 
 been appointed by royal authority from the date of the act in 
 question. -f- It may seem unnecessary to refute such unfounded 
 attacks, since there is nothing too absurd for en\'y, conjoined 
 with political and ecclesiastical rancour, to invent. 
 
 As this question, which it was intended to bring into par- 
 liament, was meant by the opposition, and looked upon by 
 others, as a public affront on the first and most important ac- 
 tion of the new government, it was resolved not to allow it to 
 be agitated in that assembly ; and when the Duke of Hamil- 
 ton, the royal commissioner, perceived the party to be both 
 active and strong, he thought it his duty to have recourse to a 
 dissolution. But even this step was not sufficient to put a 
 stop to the evil. Lord Stair had meanwhile been created a 
 peer of the realm, — a circumstance which, it was alleged, ought 
 to have incapacitated him from occupying the honourable sta- 
 tion to which he had been raised. This objection was equally 
 frivolous and inconsistent with precedent. JNIany judges, not 
 only presidents of the court but ordinary Lords of Session, 
 had, while they held these offices, been elevated to the peer- 
 age. And besides, as Lord Stair observes, " it is an express 
 straitening of the king^ power, if he may not nobilitate such 
 as have been constant and faithful servants to the crown, which 
 was practised frequently by his majesty "'s predecessors ever 
 since the institution of the College of Justice.";|: The truth, 
 
 " AcU of Scotn Pari. 1661. + Apoloyy. 
 
 X The Information of the Viicount of Stair, addressed to tlie Duke of 
 ll.imilton, the rf>yal rfmniiisNiniicr, ;iiul fi) tin; states of jiailiament. This
 
 OK GALLOWAY. 15'3 
 
 in fine, seems to be, as he himself" declares, that the contem- 
 plated acts on this subject, which were meant to have a retro- 
 spective operation, and thus to deprive him of his office, 
 " were framed by a committee wherein several members were 
 known to owe him a personal pique, and prospect to affront 
 him."* 
 
 But violence seldom abates, even when it is shown, as in 
 the present case, to be founded in injustice. The new parlia- 
 ment, which met in 1690, resumed the subject, and seem to 
 have displayed no diminution of rancour. But the proceeding 
 was at once and for ever stopt by the prompt and decided in- 
 terference made by Lord Melvil, the new royal commissioner. 
 " I desire," says he, in concluding a short address to the 
 house on the subject, " that no member of this loyal parlia- 
 ment may offer to call in question what is his majesty^s just 
 and uncontroverted prerogative, or that may touch his honour, 
 or reflect on the character of that judicatory of the session.""]* 
 
 Lord Stair, being thus settled as president of the session, 
 continued to discharge the duties of that high office till his 
 death. From the unsettled nature of the times, and the vio- 
 lence of the Tory party, animadversions were sometimes made 
 on the procedure of the court over which he presided. But 
 nothing was ever substantiated against it ; and the integrity 
 and fidelity which Stair had displayed at a time when these 
 virtues were rarer and less valued, unquestionably character- 
 ised him as a judge till the end of his days. He was now ad- 
 vanced in years, having reached the age of seventy at the 
 time when he embarked with the Prince of Orange in his expe- 
 dition toKngland. And though he had suffered a heavy bereave- 
 ment in the death of his wife in 1692, he was not exposed to 
 much domestic distress, but lived to see his family settled in 
 life, and rising to places of honour and distinction. And, 
 under these circumstances, he breathed his last, on the 25th of 
 
 curious and rare document contains a masterly answer to the malicious ob- 
 jections made against his appointment as president, and liis continuance in 
 tliat office. 
 
 • lb. f Acts Scot. Pari 1690. 
 
 5
 
 vJ 
 
 154 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 November 1()95, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. He 
 was buried in the Hicfh Church of" Kdinburirh. 
 
 To the works already mentioned as published by him, 
 we have to add one, entitled, A Vindication of the Divine 
 Pcrfirlions, illustratini>; the glory of God in them bi/ rea- 
 son and )-crclatiori, methodicallj/ digested into several medi- 
 tations, bi/ a Person of Quality, — a volume which, if possible, 
 does greater honour to his memory than any of his other pro- 
 ductions. This work displays on the part of its author great 
 piety, sound theological views, and a spirit long exercised in 
 holy meditations. It appeared in 1()95, the year of his death, 
 under the superintendence of Dr. William Bates and Mr. 
 John Howe, two distinguished dissenting clergymen, to whom 
 he seems to have presented his manuscript, and who, on 
 giving it to the world, contributed a preface to it. " We 
 have here,'"' they say, " an imitablc and instructive exam- 
 ple to great men, the dignity of whose stations in the world 
 too commonly seems to plead an exemption from a more sedul- 
 ous intention and application of mind to the affairs of religion 
 that have reference to another world. This performance of 
 the noble author shows it to be a thing not impracticable, as 
 it is most praise-worthy, amidst the greatest secular employ- 
 ments, to find vacancy and a disposition of spirit to look with a 
 very inquisitive eye into the deep things of God : which (if it 
 were the author's pleasure to be known,) would let it be seen 
 the statesman and the divine are not inconsistencies to a great 
 and com])rehensive mind.'"" 
 
 Of his character little need be said in addition to what has 
 been already advanced. His natural talents were of a very 
 superior order, and were assiduously improved both by study 
 and reflection. He was laborious, indefatigable, and method- 
 ical in the performance of his multifarious and important du- 
 ties, and in general study. As a statesman, his views, liberal 
 and enlightened, were superior to the age in which he lived. 
 As a judge his name is unsullied. He could not, con- 
 sistently with his judicial dignity, take a very open or active 
 part regarding the arbitrary measures resorted to by Charles II.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 155 
 
 against the preshyterians. He was therefore thought to have 
 ahettetl these proceedings ; but the facts which have been de- 
 tailed in the course of our narrative, and his general character, 
 afford ample proof of the contrary. He was a man of great 
 moderation ; and while it is likely that he disapproved of the 
 conduct of some of the most rigid preshyterians, he disapproved 
 still more of the cruel and disgraceful treatment to which they 
 were subjected. As a proof of his integrity and soundness of 
 principle, he refused, as we have seen, CromwelFs tender, 
 and twice withdrew from his office as a judge, rather than 
 compromise his views, or be a party to proceedings which his 
 conscience condemned. His moral sentiments and conduct 
 were exemplary. He was fond of domestic life, and was an 
 ornament to it. " He had a great spirit and equal temper in 
 the harshest passages of his life ; by the constant bent of his 
 thoughts to what was serious or profitable, he knew how to di- 
 vert them from every uneasy impression of sorrow. He was apt 
 to forget, at least not to resent injuries done to him, when it 
 was in his power to requite them."* Such sentiments and 
 conduct seem the natural result of that deep sense of religion, 
 by which his whole character was pervaded ; as to which we 
 may state, in addition to what has been already said, that " he 
 prayed always, and read a chapter of the Bible to his family 
 before they sat down to dinner, and performed the like divine 
 service after supper ; which he would not interrupt upon any 
 consideration of business, how important soever."*!* 
 
 Of Lord Stair's family, we have left ourselves scarcely room 
 to speak. His wife, whom he survived about three years, has 
 been represented as a high-minded woman, of great shrewdness 
 and energy of character, and knowledge of life, j Their family 
 
 * Forbes's Journal. "I- lb. 
 
 I Her ladyship was the author of one of the best puns extant. Graham 
 of Claverhouse, (commonly pronounced Clavers,) was appointed sheriff of VVig- 
 tcmshire in 1682. On one occasion, wlien this violent persecutor had been 
 inveighing in her presence against our illustrious reformer, she said, " Why 
 are you so severe on the chai-actcr of John Knox ? You are both reformers i 
 he gained liis point by clavers ; you attempt to gain yours by knocks !"
 
 loG 
 
 THE LITERARY UrSTORV 
 
 amountetl to nine ; five sons and four dauffhters. Sir John, their 
 eldest son, who succeeded his lather as Viscount Stair, studied 
 for the l)ar, was king's advocate in 16B7, Lord Justice-Clerk 
 the year following, again king''s advocate in 1G90, afterwards 
 Secretary of State, and created Earl of Stair in 1703. He was 
 a great promoter of the union, and a most distinguished par- 
 liamentary orator and statesman. He died of apoplexy on the 
 8th of January 1707? and was succeeded hy his eldest son, the 
 illustrious Marshall Stair. The puhlic character of the first Earl 
 of Stair has been differently represented, but on this subject 
 we cannot at present enter. 
 
 Sir James Dalrymple, 15aronet, of Borthwick, second son of 
 Viscount Stair, was one of the principal clerks of Session, and 
 author of an able and learned work, entitled, Colleciions con- 
 cerning the Scottish History preceding the death of David I. in 
 1153, published in 1705 in 8vo. ; also a Vindication of the Ec- 
 clesiastical part of his Historical Collections^ in answer to a 
 late Pamphlet^ entitled The Life of Mr. John Sage. He was 
 grandfather to Sir John Dalrj^mple of Cranston, Baronet, au- 
 thor oi Memoirs of Great Britain and Ireland, from the disso- 
 lution of the last Parliament of Charles II., until the sea battle 
 off La Hogue, in two volumes 4to. 
 
 Sir Hew Dalrymple, Baronet, of North Berwick, succeeded 
 his father as President of the Court of Session. He was one 
 of the first characters of his day, for talents, honour and virtue. 
 Decisions of the Court of Session from 1698 to 1712, com- 
 piled by him, were published in 1758. Sir Hew died in 1737? 
 at the venerable age of 85. 
 
 J)r. Thomas Dalrymple, the fourth son, was physician in 
 ordinary to Queen Anne. 
 
 Sir David J)alrymplc, Baronet, of Hailes,the only remaining 
 son, was Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1709 to 17^0. At 
 this latter date, he was appointed to the office of auditor of Ex- 
 chequer, but died the year following. Lord Hailes, the cele- 
 brated author of I'he Annals of Scotland, and other learned 
 works, and Alexander Dalrymple, hydrographer to the Board 
 of Admiralty, and a distinguished author, were his grandsons.
 
 OF CALLOW AY. 157 
 
 01" the daujfhters of Viscount Stair, Janet, the eldest, was 
 married to David Dunbar, younger of Baldoon, but survived 
 her marriage only four weeks and a few days. Her early death 
 at such an interesting period, seems to have given rise to much 
 superstitious credulity, heightened or generated by personal 
 malignity, or by the violence of party-spirit which then pre- 
 dominated. The same feelings, in which this credulity origi- 
 nated, have perpetuated, if not increased it, till the present day. 
 The tradition, however, has assumed two different shapes, the 
 one being quite the reverse of the other. To the gossiping and 
 illiberal editor of Law's Memorials, it has afforded occasion to 
 a most coarse and wanton attack on the illustrious family to 
 whom the young lady belonged ; while it suggested to Sir 
 Walter Scott, however absurdly, the idea of The Bride of 
 Lamviermnor. The gossip referred to, while it is of a most 
 conflicting and incredible description, seems to me to be al- 
 together unfounded in truth. The Rev. Andrew Symson, 
 minister of Kirkinner, the parish in which Baldoon is situ- 
 ated, and where the young bride with her husband had arrived 
 a fortnight after their marriage,* in his Elegij on the unex- 
 pected Death of the Vertuous Lady, Mrs. Janet Dalrymple, 
 Lady Baldone, Younger, affords no room for the tradition in 
 question. From his silence on the subject, indeed, the very 
 contrary is evident ; and we regard him as the only competent 
 authority that can be adduced. 
 
 • At this time, it is evident, from the tenor of Symson's poem, that she 
 was in good liealth and sound mind ; a circumstance quite at variance with 
 either version of the tradition. According to the one, the bridegroom, in a 
 state of insanity, endeavoured to murder the bride ; according to the other, 
 the bride, in a state of frenzy from which she never recovered, attempted with 
 a knife to kill her husband. Violence, however, is never alluded to by Syra- 
 son ; on the contrary, he expressly states that she did " enjoy" the happi- 
 ness of the marriage state for some " little time ;" which could not have 
 been the case, had murder been attempted by either party, or had madness 
 seized either of them. This " little time," evidently continued at least till 
 she was " brought home" to Baldoun ; on which occasion, says Symson, 
 " we did allrejoyce even for her sake." The story, in time, originated in 
 superstitious ignorance, or in the rancour of personal or political enmity, and 
 has since been illiberally perpetuated by episcopal and Jacobite writers.
 
 15H THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 We did enjoy great mirth, but now, ah mc ! 
 Our joyful song's turn'd to an elegie. 
 A Vertuous lady, not long since a bride. 
 Was to a hopeful plant by marriage ty'd, 
 And brought home hither. We did all rejoyce 
 Even for her sake. But presently our voice 
 Was turn'd to mourning, for that little time 
 That she'd enjoy ; she waned in her prime ; 
 For Atropos, witli her impartial knife, 
 Soon cut her threed, and therowithall her life. 
 And for tiie time, we may it well remember. 
 It being in unfortunate September, 
 Just at the equinox ; she was cut down 
 In th' harvest, and this day she's to be sown. 
 Where we must leave her till the resurrection ; 
 'Tis then the saints enjoy their full perfection. 
 
 ^V'nh regard to the other daughters, Elizabeth was married 
 to Alhin, Lord Cathcart ; Sarah to Charles, Lord Crichton, 
 afterwards Earl of Dumfries ; and Isobel to Sir David Cun- 
 nintdiam of INIilncraig. They had all children except the eld- 
 est, whose early death has just been mentioned.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 159 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 LIVES OF ANDREW M'DOWALL, LORD BANKTON, AND 
 OF ANTHONY MACMILLAN. 
 
 After the life of Lord Stair, an account of Lord Bankton, 
 also a distinguished lawyer, naturally requires to be given. 
 The family from which Andrew M'Dowall, afterwards a sena- 
 tor of the college of justice under the title just mentioned, was 
 descended, is one of the oldest, if not the very oldest, in Scot- 
 land, and was settled in Galloway at an earlier date than any 
 records testify. The word JNI'Dowall is supposed, by the best 
 judges, to be one of the most ancient surnames ; persons bear- 
 ing that name are said to have existed in Galloway 230 years 
 before the christian era ; and, at any rate, we find the 
 M'Dowalls flourishing as a powerful clan at the very dawn of 
 authentic histor)^* Three families, namely the M'Dowalls 
 of Logan, Garthland, and Freugh, have in modern times as- 
 pired to the superiority or chieftainship, and at one period pre- 
 ferred their respective claims to that honour with great confi- 
 dence. "f* The two latter houses may be regarded as no longer ex- 
 isting, at least they have now no property in Wigtonshire, though 
 the respectable name of the representative of Garthland is still 
 in the list of the freeholders of that county ; while the family of 
 Logan is as opulent and distinguished as at any fSicmer period 
 of its histoiy. Though this is not the place for entering on 
 
 • Nisbet'j Herald)!/, ii. 282, and 99. f lb. i. 28i, and ii. 10!).
 
 3 00 
 
 THK LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 this gencaloirical question, it may be remarked, that lu the 
 luimble opinion of tlie present writer, the honour of the chief- 
 tainsliip belongs undoubtedly to Logan. The M'Dowalls of 
 Logan held their lands blench of the kings of Scotland ; in- 
 deed, in a charter dated 27th January 1504, and granted by 
 James IX. to Patrick M'Dowall, the representative of that 
 iiousc, it is expressly i^tated, that his predecessors had so held 
 their estate " beyond the memory of man."* The families of 
 Garthland and Frcugh, on the contrary, held their lands of the 
 Lords of Galloway. They thus owed feudal service to these 
 petty princes ; while Logan, holding of the crown, owed fealty 
 only to his sovereign, and was probably a check on these tur- 
 bulent barons. Nor is this all. It is evident from charters 
 still existing, that Garthland, whose claims to the chieftainship 
 have always been regarded as stronger than those of Freugh, 
 held lands of Logan, a proof of the superiority of the latter fa- 
 mily, and that the jNl'IJowalls of Garthland had not only no 
 right to the honour to which they aspired, but were descend- 
 ants or cadets of the house of Logan. The character of the 
 armorial bearings of this latter house, a subject on which it is 
 unnecessary here to enter, is regarded by Nisbet as affording a 
 strong presumption in favour of this inference. *[• Li these en- 
 lightened days, when the contracted principles of feudal times 
 have disappeared, the determination of this question is of no 
 moment ; but Lord Bankton being sprung from so ancient u 
 house, it did not seem improper to state what were the claims 
 of his family to the dignity in question. 
 
 Andrew M'Dowall,;): the subject of this brief sketch, was 
 second son of Robert M'Dowall, younger of Logan, and 
 
 • Ultra memuTiam hominum. 
 
 ■f S\nhet ut supra. Colonel Aiidrevv iM'Dowall, the present representa- 
 tive of Lojj'un, politely favoured ine with the perusal of some cliarters and 
 otiicr documents preserved in the archives of the familj', from which, as well 
 as from Nishet, the statement in the text is taken. 
 
 * The surname is here given accordinfj to the modern orthography. The 
 suhject of tills memoir sjielt it M'Duuall. He was also sometimes called 
 ."NI'Dougal, which was perhaps the original form of the woid. and is still 
 used hy several families.
 
 OK GALLOWAY. IGl 
 
 Sarah Shaw, daughter of Sir John Shaw, Bart, of Greenock, and 
 was horn ahout the year 1685. Having gone through the usual 
 course of education under their roof, and subsequently at the 
 college of Edinburgh, he became a member of the Scottish bar 
 on the 21st of July I7O8. The study of the law, from the 
 time he thought of embracing it as a profession till the last 
 period of his life, he seems to have pursued with the greatest 
 assiduity. He early obtained reputation as a practitioner at 
 the bar, and acquired the character of a sound and discrimin- 
 ating lawyer. His success was such, that though possessed of 
 little or no patrimony, being a younger son, he purchased the 
 estate of Bankton in East Lothian, (a property which had be- 
 fore belonged to the celebrated Colonel Gardiner, and which is 
 now possessed by Colonel INI'Dowall of Logan,) from which, 
 when raised to the bench, he took his title. He was thrice 
 married. His third wife was daughter to Sir Francis Grant, 
 Lord Cullen. But none of his marriages were productive of 
 children. His last union, however, brought him into con- 
 nexion with persons of eminence in his profession ; which has 
 associated his name Vv'ith those of Lord Cullen and of his son, 
 Lord Prestongrange. It was owing to the hints and solicita- 
 tions of the latter that he undertook the composition of that 
 work, which has given his name a place among writers in 
 the department of Scots law, next to that of the illustrious 
 Stair. To the performance of this task he devoted many 
 years, while at the same time his practice at the bar was very 
 extensive. Though the undertaking was great, and he was 
 now advanced in years, he hoped to be able to finish it before 
 his death, and meant that it should be a posthumous publica- 
 tion. But his brother-in-law, William Grant, lord advo- 
 cate for Scotland, and afterwards a judge under the title of 
 Lord Prestongrange, who had at first induced him to under- 
 take the work, urged him to publish it during his life. To 
 this advice he yielded, and the first volume appeared anony- 
 mously in 1751. " An ambition," says Mr. ISl'Dowall in his 
 reface, " to be seen in print when the press is so much cro wd- 
 ed, did not influence me, and therefore the author's name is
 
 1G2 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 concealcd, which I was likewise induced to do because I still 
 practise at tlie bar ; and, indeed, the original intention was, 
 that the work should not be published in my life-time." But 
 his name, which could not be concealed, he thought proper to 
 affix to the second volume, which appeared in 1752. The 
 third was published in the subsequent year. The work is en- 
 titled, An Institute of the Laws of Scotkmd in Civil liightsy 
 with Observations upon the agreement or diversity between them 
 and the Laws of England, in Four Books, after the general 
 method of the Viscount of Stairs Institutes. It is assuredly a 
 high honour paid to Lord Stair's work, that at the end of 
 seventy years a lawyer so sound and learned as jMr. M'Dowall, 
 should have followed the general plan and arrangement of his 
 celebrated performance. Mr. INI'DowalFs book is in many re- 
 spects different from that of his illustrious model, owing chiefly 
 to the altered circumstances of the law at the periods at which 
 the publications respectively appeared. A comparison of the 
 laws of England and Scotland as to their conformity with each 
 other, not necessary in Lord Stair's time, is very properly treat- 
 ed of at great length in Mr. M'Dowairs Institutes. The Scots 
 law had also, meanwhile, undergone much alteration or modi- 
 fication, such as the convcrtinfj of ward-holdings into blench or 
 feu, and the abolition of hereditary jvn-isdictions, by which feudal 
 rights and privileges were deeply affected. ]\Ir. M'Dowall, 
 besides, embraces several subjects not alluded to by Stair, and 
 is more extensive and minute on others. His book also con- 
 tains various discussions only collaterally connected with his 
 main design, such as notes on the introduction of the feudal law 
 into this country-, and on the authority of the Regiam Majes- 
 iatem. Mr. ^hDowaW^ Institutes, m short, though they do not 
 display the profound and philosophic intellect and that ingeni- 
 ous reference to abstract principles for which Lord Stair's work 
 is so remarkable, are uniformly referred to as authority in 
 Scots law, and are quoted as such both by the judges of the 
 Court of Session, and by the Lord Chancellor in the House 
 of Peers. 
 
 A person capable of writing such a book as that which we
 
 OF GALLOM'AY. l(j.3 
 
 have been discussing, should, as a matter of justice to the ju- 
 dicial character of our supreme court, have been raised to the 
 bench, previous to the time at which our narrative has arrived. 
 But on the appearance of the Institutes, Mr. M'Dowall could 
 no longer be overlooked. Accordingly, on the death of Lord 
 Murkle, brother to the Earl of Caithness, he was nominated 
 his successor, on the 5th of July 1755, under the title of Lord 
 Bankton. * He had at this date been forty-seven years at the 
 bar, and was far advanced in age. But he survived his pre- 
 ferment upwards of five years ; during which period he esta- 
 blished for himself the highest character as a judge; and he 
 died at Bankton on the 22d of October I76O, in the seventy- 
 fifth or seventy-sixth year of his age. On the Sabbath suc- 
 ceeding his death, the Rev. William Carlyle, minister of Pres- 
 tonpans, the parish in which Bankton is situated, delivered a 
 sermon in reference to that event ; with a quotation from which, 
 illustrative of his character, I shall conclude this brief me- 
 moir. 
 
 " It is well known with what assiduity and diligence he 
 pursued the study of the law, and what great progress he made 
 in it. Not only the present generation, but ages to come shall 
 reap the benefit of his learned labours ; by which he did ho- 
 nour to his countiy, and deservedly raised himself to the dig- 
 nity of a judge of the supreme court of judicature in this part 
 of the united kingdom. 
 
 " But the most valuable parts of his character, (as indeed 
 they are of every man's that is possessed of them,) were his un- 
 dissembled piety and inviolable honour. 
 
 *' Having the principles of religion earnestly instilled into 
 his mind, he maintained them unto the last with a steadfast 
 and unshaken constancy. He not only kept up a daily inter- 
 course with God, but in these degenerate days, thought it ma- 
 terial to show the world his sincere regard to the christian in- 
 stitution by a regular and devout attendance on the public or- 
 dinances of religion. And having in the whole course of his 
 life, manifested his unfeigned faith and um-eluctant submission 
 
 " Hailes' Catal. 17.
 
 1C4 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 to the will of heaven, he bore his last painful illness with an 
 iinconnnon Jcgrce of christian patience and fortitude of mind. 
 
 '• He had the happiness always to maintain the character 
 of untainted honesty and uprightness in all his actions ; and 
 particularly, when he sat as judge either in the civil or eccle- 
 siastical courts, nothing could bias his judgment ; no partial 
 regards whatsoever, no desire of his dearest and most valued 
 friends, could turn his steps out of the way that he looked to 
 as the way of truth and equity. How carefully did he observe 
 the directions of the wise man, to which every man, and espe- 
 cially every judge ought to hearken. Proverbs iv. 25, 26, 2'J. 
 Let thine ei/cs look right on, and let thy eyelids look straight 
 before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways 
 be established. Turn not to the right hand or to the left ; remove 
 thy foot from evil. 
 
 " By his death, much to be lamented, though in a mature 
 old age, the public hath lost an useful member of society, his 
 neighbours a sincere and faithful friend, the poor a skilful coun- 
 sellor and constant patron, his family and allies a kind and af- 
 fectionate relation, and all have lost the benefit of his exem- 
 plary conversation ; yet what is loss to us is gain to him ; for 
 the good and faithful servant eiders into the Joy of the Lord.''''* 
 
 Anthony M'MiLL AN or Macmillan, author of several works 
 on law, next claims our attention, as not unconnected in point of 
 subject, norinpoint of time, with the distinguished lawyers whose 
 lives we have been considering. He was born at Corlea, parish of 
 Dairy, Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, on the 9th of January 
 1759. His father was James M'Millan, Esq. of Dalshangan, 
 in the neighbouring parish of Carsphairn, and his mother, Eli- 
 zabeth INI'Harg, of a respectable family in Ayrshire. His fore- 
 fathers had for upwards of two centuries been settled in the 
 Gleukcns, the district of country in which lie was born; and 
 
 * Scotn Mntjnzine for Octuhor 17(70.
 
 OF GALLOM'AY. 165 
 
 some of tiicm had had the honour of suffcrhifi for conscience-sake 
 in the reign of Charles II. and his successor. Anthony M'MiUan 
 had the advantage of receiving his scholastic education at Dai- 
 ry, under the care of Mr. John Campbell, afterwards minister 
 of Carsphairn. Being early destined for the profession of the 
 law, he first went into the office of a writer or attorney at Kirk- 
 cudbright, whence he afterwards removed to the chambers of a 
 writer to the signet in Edinburgh. It was soon after this 
 time, namely in 17^4, that his first publication was given to 
 the world, entitled. Forms of writing used in Scotland in the 
 most common cases, with the jyrinciples of the law connected 
 therewith. In 17^0, a Supplement to it appeared, and in the 
 same year a second edition, greatly amended and enlarged. In 
 1787, he published a Si/stem of Conveyancing of Land and Se- 
 curities thereon, and of Heritable Rights. A second edition of 
 this work issued from the press in 1808 : previous to which 
 time, he had printed a Supplement to it on Personal Rights. 
 These works are very unpretending, but of considerable merit, 
 and show their author to have been able for higher efforts. 
 The truth is, he once contemplated composing Institutes of 
 the Law of Scotland ; a task for which, as I have been inform- 
 ed by an adequate legal authority, he was not unqualified. 
 
 He had, meanwhile, removed to the country, having been 
 appointed in 1787? or about that time, surveyor of taxes 
 for Wigtonshire and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. 
 He held this situation till 1792, having been succeeded in 
 the latter county by a younger brother, who still respect- 
 ably holds that office. From this date, unfortunately for 
 himself, he followed no employment, but lived in the Glen- 
 kens, among his relations, but chiefly at Knocknalling, the 
 residence of his sister, contented with a small annuity. We 
 have often known persons of good talents, who might have 
 risen to respectability or eminence in their various professions, 
 sink into inglorious indolence, lost to the world, and unjust to 
 themselves, owing to their possessing too good a home, or a 
 trifling competence. This unambitious disposition ought care- 
 fully to be avoided, as inevitably bringing infelicity and degra- 
 dation alon;:!; with it. And nothinir should be more assiduously
 
 166 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 cultivated than the very contrary feeling, — a desire to improve 
 our condition in lite, and to avail ourselves of all the advan- 
 tages of which our circumstances are susceptible. Had Mr. 
 Macmillan, whose inactivity and indolence suggested these ob- 
 servations, exerted himself in the line of his profession, and 
 done justice to his education and talents, he could not but have 
 risen to distinction, and have led an honourable and useful life. 
 But unhappily for himself and his friends, he adopted a dif- 
 ferent course, and gradually acquired those habits which it sel- 
 dom fails to superinduce. He was accidentally drowned while 
 attempting to cross the Ken, the stream that flows through the 
 romantic district to which he belonged. This event took place, 
 so far as I can at present ascertain, in 1817? in the 58th year 
 of his age. 
 
 INIr. INIacmillan did not altogether neglect his studies, not- 
 withstanding the unhappy course of life which he followed. 
 In 1813, he published a most useful and judicious volume, en- 
 titled, Forins of jiroceediiigs before the Justice of Peace Court 
 in Scotlavd. He also commenced a poetical life of Sir Wil- 
 liam AVallace, part of which was printed ; but it is under- 
 stood that he did not finish the work. He cultivated polite 
 literature. Of poetry he was a great admirer, though his 
 own verses are not distinguished by much merit. Among 
 the numerous MSS. which he left behind him, there are some 
 specimens of dramatic composition. His reading was very ex- 
 tensive and varied. He was a great talker ; but his conversa- 
 tion was literary and instructive. His manners and speech 
 were mild ; his company agreeable ; his affections warm and 
 benevolent. Irresolution was his greatest failing. 
 
 As to his personal appearance, he was about five feet seven 
 inches in height, of slender make, with a nose slightly bent 
 up, large blue eyes, and auburn hair. 
 
 The life and death of Anthony Macmillan inculcate a salutary 
 les.son, and confirm the remark, tliat nothing will supply the 
 want of prudence ; and that negligence and irregularity, long 
 contirnu'd, will make knowledge and genius useless or con- 
 temptible. /*
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 167 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 LIVES OF ROBERT MAXWELL OF ARKLAND, AND THE 
 REV. SAMUEL SMITH. 
 
 Mr. Max\^'ELL, one of the most skilful practical farmers, and 
 eminent writers on agriculture, that this country has produced, 
 was the representative of a family which had originally sprung, 
 but at what date I have not learned, from the INIaxwells of 
 Carlaverock, and which had been settled in Arkland so early 
 at least as the year 1600. His father, James INIaxwell of 
 Ai'kland, who was married in 1C9'1 to iNIargaret Neilson, 
 daughter of Robert Neilson of Barncaillie,* had a family of 
 seven children, of whom Robert, the subject of this sketch, was 
 the eldest. Robert's eldest sister, Elizabeth, was married to 
 John INIaxwell of Breckonside and Terraughtie, and was ac- 
 cordingly great-grandmother to John H. Maxwell Esq., pre- 
 sently of Munshes. 
 
 The several representatives of the family of Arkland, though 
 not opulent, seem not to have been bred to any profession, but 
 resided on their estate as independent country gentlemen. Nor 
 do I know that ISIr. Robert Maxwell was meant to form an 
 
 * Barncaillie and Arkland are botli in the parish of Kirkpatrick- Durham. 
 The Neilsons of Barncaillie, descended of the ancient liouse of Craigcaffie, 
 county of Wigton, were proprietors of Barncaillie so early as the year 1537. 
 This family terminated in a female, Mary, heiress of Barncaillie, married 
 to Robert Glendonwyn of Parton, and mother to the late NVilliani (ilen- 
 ilonwyn of I'arton.
 
 1G8 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 exception. But after having received an education becoming 
 his rank, we find him, at an early period of life, engaged in 
 the cultivation of the soil as a profession. About the year 
 17-3, when under thirty years of age, he took the lease of a 
 farm on the estate of Cliftonhall, lying within eight miles of 
 Edinburgh, containing about 130 acres, all arable, the yearly 
 rent of which, paid in vwney, was Ij.50. The lease was 
 to extend to four nineteen years : a period sufficient to repay 
 him for those improvements and experiments which he con- 
 templated. In what way his taste for agriculture was first 
 excited, it is now impossible to ascertain. It could hardly have 
 been by the example of any landholder or farmer in his native 
 county, as in that district the art was in the rudest state.* 
 Throughout Scotland, indeed, there were at that time no large 
 farms, no money rents, no enclosures, no idea of draining or 
 fallowing, or proper rotation of crops : what, in fine, is now re- 
 garded as elementaiy principles in agriculture, was then un- 
 known ; so wretched indeed was the system of husbandry, that 
 lands were cultivated if they produced two seeds ; four seeds 
 were reckoned a noble return. 
 
 Under such circumstances did Mr. Maxwell enter on his 
 farm at Cliftonhall. Before he formed this engagement, his 
 agricultural views, however he may have acquired them, must 
 have been comparatively enlightened ; and he was perhaps the 
 first person that had taken a lease in this country of any great 
 duration, or that afforded an eminent example of skilful practi- 
 cal farming. But better times soon appeared. Not only had 
 private enterprise and zeal begun to accomplish much ; but a 
 public agricultural society, regarded as the first in the united 
 kingdom, was established in Edinburgh in the year 1723, en- 
 titled 77ie Society of Improvers in the Knowledge of Agricul- 
 ture in Scotland. This association, to which Mr. Maxwell 
 belonged, and which could boast of the highest names in this 
 countiy in the list of its members, lasted for about twenty 
 years ; at the end of which time it declined, owing to the death 
 
 Appendix, Note E.
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 169 
 
 of nearly all its founders ; but another was instituted under the 
 name of The Edinburgh Societj/ for Encouragement of Arts, 
 Sciences^ Manufactures and Agriculture ; of which also Mr. 
 Maxwell was a member. The institution of these societies, 
 particularly the former, constitutes an era in this country in 
 the histoiy of the science to which they belong. The mem- 
 bers, or others, submitted to the society queries or memorials on 
 some agricultural point, to which that body drew up a solution 
 or answer ; while the members themselves, on their several es- 
 tates or farms, exerted themselves to set the example of the 
 most approved system of husbandry. 
 
 Of The Society of Improvers, Mr. Maxwell was undoubtedly 
 the most skilful and active member. All the memorials and 
 queries, directed to that body, seem either to have been an- 
 swered solely byjiimself, under the sanction of the society, or 
 submitted to his opinion and direction. On all occasions the 
 society appear to have reposed the utmost confidence in his 
 judgment. " We have heard him,'"* to quote from their own 
 minutes, " speak on most of the different parts of husbandry. 
 He has wrote not a little that has been laid before us ; and he 
 merits to have it said of him, that his knowledge of soil, and 
 of the different methods of improving it, is extensive, and that 
 his sentiments are just. Was the way of taking his advice in 
 writ more in practice, we are fully satisfied that it would prove 
 highly advantageous to gentlemen if they followed it ; and the 
 lower sort would copy." In 1743, twenty years after the in- 
 stitution of the society, and when it was rapidly on the wane, 
 the result of their labours were laid before the public under the 
 title of Select Transactions of the Honourable the Society of 
 Improvers of Agriculture in Scotland, directing the husbandry 
 of the different soils for the most profitable purposes, and con- 
 taining other directions, receipts, and descriptions, together 
 ivilh an account of the Society's endeavours to promote our 
 manufactures. Prepared for the press by Robert MAxvrELL 
 OF Arkland, a member of the Society, and revised by the 
 preses'and a'sommiltee appointed for that end. Of this work, 
 which extends to 457 octavo pages, nearly one half was written
 
 IJO THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 officially by Mr. Maxwell himself as a member of the society ; 
 and for the trouble he took in compiling it, that body returned 
 him their cordial and unanimous thanks. This volume con- 
 U\ins many original views. The efficacy and mode of burning 
 clay or subsoil, recently brought to perfection by Alexander 
 Craig, Esq. late of Galloway, now residing in Edinburgh ; * 
 the mode of cutting seed-potatoes, and of planting them ; the dif- 
 ferent kinds of cultivation suitable to various soils; the rotation of 
 crops ; the necessity and nature of fallow ; green-crop ; drain- 
 ing ; the enclosing of land ; the husbandry of herbage, as he 
 terms it, such as turnips, carrots, cabbages, and the various 
 rrrasses, — not to speak of the multifarious articles relative to 
 the fisheries and manufactures, and other subjects, — were treat- 
 ed of, many of them for the first time in Scotland, in that 
 meritorious and useful work. 
 
 The \-iews developed by him in this volume were the re- 
 sult both of extensive reading, and of his own experience at 
 Cliftonhall. He was indeed a most liberal and enlightened 
 improver. " When I commenced farmer," says he, "I did 
 not only consider what crops, or in what shape the ground I 
 possessed would bring most money into my pocket in shortest 
 time, but 1 also employed my thoughts upon the cunsideratifM 
 of the better or worse state my ground would be improved or 
 reduced into, by these crops!" He threw off the prejudices of 
 the class of men .0 whom he belonged ; instead of following 
 the beaten track of those who had gone before him, his eyes 
 were open to the manifest defects of their system of husbandry, 
 and he endeavoured to set the example of better things. Some 
 of his views, undoubtedly, were fanciful ; and of his experiments 
 some failed, such i'or example, as the cultivation of fiax ; but 
 his general husbandry was of a superior order ; and could not 
 fail to exercise a most salutary infiuence, not only on his im- 
 mediate neighbourhood, but on the whole country. 
 
 • Letters on preparing clay ashes fur manure, written Iiy 31 r. Craig, and 
 published in the Dumfries Courier in February 1815. These Letters, two in 
 ntunber, were also printed in a separate form.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 17^ 
 
 The Sncict 1/ for Propagating Christian Knowledge in Scot- 
 land, established in 1709, having been empowered, by a charter 
 got for the express purpose, to lay out a part of" their funds in 
 the purchase of land and in agricultural property, Mr. Max- 
 well addressed a memorial to that body, describing his system 
 of farming, and offering to take under his care a certain num- 
 ber of young persons at the expense of the society, to be in- 
 structed in the science of husbandry. The body, to whom this 
 proposal was made, thought proper to submit it to the Society 
 of Improvers, the highest authority at that time, for their 
 opniion ; and this society having considered the subject, report 
 that INIr. Maxwell's scheme of husbandry, as detailed in his me- 
 morial, is excellent, and calculated to promote the general good 
 of the country, and warmly recommend it to the society to 
 grant him such encouragement as may enable him to carry his 
 public spirited proposals into effect. For " we believe,"" they 
 say, " that such conduct on the part of the society would receive 
 general approbation.*''' 
 
 But Mr. MaxwelFs application, and this recommendation of 
 his plan, were unsuccesful. The society held out encourage- 
 ment, but none was ultimately given ; a circumstance of which 
 Mr. Maxwell complains, and he blames them f"or incurring the 
 expense of getting a second charter, of which they never availed 
 themselves. " By some solemn and public deed," he observes, 
 " they should shew that they have struggled for the promotion 
 of the knowledge of agriculture, w ithout neglecting the propa- 
 gation of Christianity. Pure religion, universal benevolence, 
 the love of husbandry, and of every public and social virtue, 
 are inseparable."" 
 
 But he had too exalted views of the dignity of the art which 
 he cultivated, to be easily discouraged. He regarded agricul- 
 ture " as comprehending more parts of philosophy than any 
 other profession, art, or science in the world,"'"' and as the sole 
 source of wealth, and national independence. He expected 
 that a lectureship, or class, in our university might be established 
 for it. He urged The Society of Improvers to use means to
 
 17^ THE UTERARy HISTORY 
 
 accomplish this object. He hoped that government might be 
 iiulucod to do something in so important a matter, as " agri- 
 cuhurc,'"' lie observes, " is the preservation of all mankind."" 
 But the energy ot" his character rose above all difficulties. 
 For let it be told to his honour, that without the patronage of 
 any public body, and " encouraged,'" as he affirms, " by indi- 
 viduals only,"* he gave public lectures on agriculture in Edin- 
 burgh in the year 1756 ; a time when the science was nearly 
 unknown in this country. So far as I know, he enjoys the 
 high distinction of being the first in the united kingdom that 
 gave public prelections on this important subject. How many 
 seasons, (if more than one,) he continued these lectures, we 
 are not told ; but they were of svich merit that he was urged 
 by several gentlemen who were his hearers, to publish them. 
 AVith this request he did not think it proper to comply ; but 
 two of them, which were afterwards printed in his Practical 
 Husbandman, display such enlarged views, and are written 
 with such spirit, that there is room to regret that more of them 
 were not given to the world. 
 
 About twenty years before the time of which we have been 
 speaking, Mr. INIaxwell, then an experienced, as well as scien- 
 tific ajrriculturist, in addition to the management of his own 
 farm, had embraced the profession of a land-valuator, and of 
 superintending extensive improvements upon estates. In this 
 capacity he appears to have been extensively consulted ; and his 
 employers consisted of persons of the highest rank and dignity 
 lx)th in England and Scotland. Field Marshal Lord Stair 
 was one of his greatest patrons ; and it is well known that his 
 lordship's enlightened improvements and experiments in farm- 
 ing were done either at his instigation or with his approval. 
 Lord Stair, indeed, was so attached to him, that Mr. Max- 
 well hinted in 17''57? ^^^^^ ^^ ^^''^^ patriotic nobleman had been 
 living, a public lectureship would have been instituted by him 
 in behalf of his friend, for the promotion of agricultural science. 
 
 In 1757' ^^ S^^^ *° *^^ world The Practical Husbandman ; 
 being a Collection of Miscellaneous Papers on Husbandry, c^c.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 173 
 
 His former work having been out of print, the new publication 
 contained, with many new articles, several of his papers that 
 had first appeared in that treatise. Many of the articles con- 
 sist of memorials relative to the cultivation of the different 
 estates, respecting which he had been professionally consulted. 
 It is in this work that two of his public lectures on agriculture 
 are printed. Before this period, he had published a Letter, 
 addressed to the clergy of the Church of Scotland, respecting 
 the improvement of their glebes ; in which he shewed " it was 
 their duty, considering the importance of the matter, to preach 
 the doctrine, which his letter inculcated, unto their hearers, in 
 some week-day sermons annually, and also to enforce it by their 
 practice.'"* 
 
 But his views were superior to his age ; and the science to 
 which he so zealously dedicated himself, had not arrived at 
 such a stage of advancement as to admit of his realizing an 
 adequate return for his devoted cultivation of it. By his in- 
 structions and example in a most important art, he benefited 
 his country, and he may be called a patriot in the best sense of the 
 word ; but no reciprocal benefit resulted to himself. In truth, 
 he fell a victim to his own enthusiasm. As his father had a 
 large family, consisting chiefly of daughters, his eldest son, the 
 subject of this sketch, could not have enjoyed very ample pe- 
 cuniary advantages when he took the lease of Cliftonhall ; and 
 it was not for more than twenty years after he had entered on 
 his farm, (namely in 1745,) that he became proprietor of Ark- 
 land, as successor to his father. The money which he had 
 meanwhile laid out in enclosing and improving his land, (for 
 when he entered to it, it was quite open,) and in making 
 agricultural experiments, must have been very considerable. 
 The loss of his lint-mill by fire, had a tendency also to cripple 
 his resources. The melancholy truth is, that this respectable 
 and patriotic individual had the misfortune to experience em- 
 barrassment in his affairs, and to become insolvent. He was 
 obliged to resign his lease, which, though high at first, might 
 at length, owing to the improvements he had effected on it, have 
 been the source of great opulence to him ; and even his patrimo-
 
 174 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 nial estate, which had heen so long the property of his family, 
 was broiiuht to a judicial sale at the instance of his creditors.* 
 
 In \vhat way he gained a livelihood after this date, we have 
 no minute information. Nor have we been told whether his 
 lectures met with encouragement. The superintendence and 
 direction of improvements on estates, was an employment 
 which he still continued to pursue, and which perhaps con- 
 stituted the chief source of his support. And after a life spent 
 in the assiduous and enlightened cultivation of a most impor- 
 tant art, he died at Renfrew on the 17th day of May 17^5, 
 in the seventieth year of his age. 
 
 He had been married : his Avife was Margaret Montgomery, 
 daughter of Bailie Montgomery of Kdinburgh ; but whether 
 she survived her husband we are not told, though it is proba- 
 ble he was a widower at the time of his death, as that event 
 took place in the house of one of his daughters. His family 
 consisted of six daughters, of whom INIargaret, the eldest, was 
 married to INIr. Hamilton of Monkland, Lillias to Mr. Wal- 
 lace of Carzield, Barbara to James King, Esq. collector of cess 
 for the county of Renfrew, (in whose house Mr. Maxwell died), 
 Catherine to Mr. John Parlin, surrjeon in Glasfjow. The 
 two other daughters died unmarried. His grandson, William 
 Hamilton, Ksq. British consul at Boulogne, is the lineal repre- 
 sentative of the family. 
 
 ]Mr. Maxwell was not merely an eminent practical former : 
 he had studied agriculture as a science, and v/as intimately 
 acquainted with all the works, whether in ancient or modern 
 times, that had been written on the subject. He was not a 
 fanciful projector or speculator, but a sensible and discriminat- 
 ing improver. The enthusiasm of' his character was kept 
 under pro])er control by the soundness of his judgment. His 
 style is plain and unaffected, more chaste and pvire than was 
 common at that time in Scotland. His character seems to 
 have been very respectable : And altogether, whether we 
 
 • Tlii.ssale took pliico 011 tlic Oth .January, 17.50; ArklamI was boiiglit 
 by Jolin Coltart of Arccmiiitr for L.10,3()4. Scots. It now belongs to Mr. 
 Skirving of Croyes.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 17^ 
 
 view him as a writer on husbandly, or as an extensive improver, 
 and practical fanner, he is entitled to be regarded as one of 
 the greatest men of whom in this country agricultural science 
 can boast. 
 
 The Reverend Samuel Sjiith, (whose history, in point of 
 subject, is naturally connected with that of Mr. MaxM'ell,) 
 was son to IMr. John Smith, farmer in Craigmuie, parish of 
 Balmaclellan, and was born in that place in the year 1757- 
 Like other young men in a similar rank in life, Mr. Smith 
 enfjajTed in tcachinsi durino; the course of his academical 
 studies, and till he obtained a settlement in the church. This 
 object he soon attained ; for he was ordained minister of Cars- 
 phairn, in his native presbytery, on the 28th of August 1783, 
 when only twenty-six years of age. On the 17th of Novem- 
 ber in the same year, he was married to Janet, only daughter 
 of Mr. James Carruthers, a respeciable merchant in Dum- 
 fries ; a step on which both parties had always cause to look 
 back with happiness. He was translated to the parish of 
 Borgue, in the same presbytery, on the 20th of September 
 1792 : an appointment which he owed to the late David 
 Blair of Borgue, Esq. in whose family he had been tutor. 
 In both these livings, he was very acceptable to the people 
 placed successively under his care. Not merely was he an 
 able and interesting preacher, and performed his other official 
 duties with great fidelity, but he associated familiarly with the 
 various classes of his flock, who regarded him in the double 
 light of a pastor and a friend. " He mingled freely in your 
 social circles," says one who knew him well; " but amidst the 
 festivity of your meetings, he did not lose sight of the respect 
 due to his office, and to himself."* 
 
 " MS. sermon, preached on the Sabbath after Mr. Smith's funeral, by 
 the lie V. Robert Gordon, minister of Girthon. Mr. Gordon was himself
 
 17G 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 We are not aware at what time he showed any partiality 
 for the study of agriculture, or what circumstances turned his 
 taste to that subject. Certain it is, however, as mentioned in 
 the Life of IMr. INIaxwell, that public attention had been 
 assiduously directed to this pursuit from the beginning of the 
 present century throughout all Scotland. Agricultural socie- 
 ties had, meanwhile, been established in every district of the 
 kingdom ; and every county could ere long boast of an agri- 
 cultural survey or report. In the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, 
 such a society was formed in the year 1809, owing chiefly to 
 the exertions of the late William M. Herries of Spottes, and 
 of the late W'^illiam Douglas of Orchardton. Of this society, 
 however, INIr. Smith was not a member : not at least for the 
 first two years of its institution ; nor, so far as I know, did he 
 afterwards join it. But he had for many years taken a deep 
 interest in agricultural improvements, and had had considera- 
 ble experience as a practical farmer. The present parish of 
 Borgue is formed by the union of three parishes ; and, if I 
 mistake not, the minister has a title to a glebe in each : so 
 that INIr. Smith enjoyed some opportunity for exciting and 
 cherishing a taste for agriculture. In 1809, he undertook 
 to draw up a survey of Galloway, which appeared the year fol- 
 lowing, under the designation of a General Survey of the 
 Agriculture of Gallowai/, viz. the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright 
 and Wigtonshire, with Observations on the Means of their 
 Improvement. This work, which was not a voluntary effort, 
 but undertaken on the suggestion of others, particularly of the 
 late enlightened Karl of Selkirk, was WTitten, it is understood, 
 very hurriedly, and is not characterised by that extent of agri- 
 
 a most respectable clergyman, and an elegant scholar. His parish felt for 
 him a degree of esteem seldom equalled. Born of respectable parents in 
 the parish of Terrcgles, he died unmarried in 1817, in the 49th year of his 
 age. As he was minister of my native parish, I remember well his tall 
 genteel figure, his love of learning, the mildness of his countenance and 
 speech, the urbanity of his manners, and the goodness of his heart. I feel 
 a melancholy satisfaction in paying this tribute, however humble, to his 
 memory; for "he was one of the first friends tiiat literature procured me, 
 and I hope that at least my gratitude made me worthy of his notice."
 
 cultm 
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 177 
 
 cultural reading and that historical knowledge of the subject 
 which other similar works have displayed. Yet it is highly 
 creditable to the abilities of the author, and must always hold 
 a respectable place among the class of works to which it be- 
 longs. It is written in a simple, chaste style, unambitious 
 of ornament. It displays a minute knowledge of the actual 
 state of the agriculture of the province of which it treats, and 
 an intimate acquaintance, not only with the general principles 
 on which the science depends, but with the exact nature of the 
 improvements suitable to Galloway. The work contains also 
 much important miscellaneous information, for which it will 
 probably be more consulted in after times than for its merely 
 agricultural disquisitions. It shows throughout an amiable 
 spirit, and a benevolent heart ; and, on the whole, we regard 
 it as forming a most honourable memorial of its author. 
 
 Mr. Smith was not yet old ; but he had lived to educate 
 his family, and to see some of them settled in life. In the 
 year 1815, his health began rapidly to decline ; his complaints, 
 which were of a pulmonary nature, gained ground during the 
 ensuing winter ; and he died on the 6th of March in the fol- 
 lowing year, in the thirty-third year of his ministry, and fifty- 
 ninth of his age. He left behind him a widow, (who died 
 while these sheets were passing through the press,) with six 
 children, two sons and four daughters, of whom one daughter 
 is since dead. 
 
 He was a man of tall, slender figure, with a gentle bend in 
 his gait ; of slow or deliberate speech, of acute observation, 
 of independent thinking, extensive information, and liberal 
 sentiments. On this subject, we cannot resist quoting the 
 words of the Rev. Mr. Gordon : 
 
 " He had received from nature an excellent understanding. 
 His judgment was sound and acute. His memory was both 
 quick and tenacious ; qualities which seldom unite. By much 
 reading and meditation he had improved his natural gifts. He 
 had a quick, a lively, and distinct apprehension of every sub- 
 ject to which he directed his thoughts. His opinions were not 
 received on the authority of others. From a well-grounded 
 
 N
 
 178 • , THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 confitlonco in the strenotli and vigour of his own mind, he had 
 Icarni'il to trust to its rL-sourccs ; and ho did not dochnc the 
 task ot" tliinkuig for himself. There was a shrewdness in his 
 discrimination of character, which was partly the gift of nature, 
 and which was improved by frequent and intimate intercourse 
 with real life. * * * A character free from failings is 
 not the portion of any individual ; and no man inade less pre- 
 tension than he did to any immunity from those imperfections 
 and failings from which no man is exempt. But of him I 
 would remark, that I have seldom met with any character that 
 had more virtues and fewer faults.'' As to his clerical office, 
 ^Ir. (lordon characterises him " as indeed a workman that 
 needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 1 "JO 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 LIVES OF THOMAS GORDON, JAMES HILL, Surgeon, AND 
 WILLIAM JAMESON, D.D. 
 
 Of Thomas Gordon, we can, at this distance of time, give 
 but a meagre account. The date of his birth is vinknown ; 
 even the place of it has been disputed. In Chalmers"' Biogra- 
 phical Dictionary, he is termed a native of Kirkcudbright ; 
 while the parishes of Balmaclellan and Kells have each claim- 
 ed the honour of having given him birth. The latter of these 
 parishes, however, is now regarded as possessing the justest 
 claim. His father, the representative of an ancient family, 
 descended from the Gordons of Kenmure, was proprietor of 
 Gairloch, in that parish. 
 
 It has been asserted, that he obtained an academical educa- 
 tion ; but the university in which he studied has not been 
 mentioned. He afterwards removed to London, where he at 
 first supported himself as a teacher of languages, and afterwards 
 as an author by profession. He first distinguished himself in 
 the Bangor ian controversy, by two pamphlets written in defence 
 of Dr. Benjamin Hoadly. Of these treatises, I need not at 
 present speak, as the substance of them was incoqjorated in 
 subsequent publications of the same author, and as the contro- 
 versy which gave birth to them has lost its interest. 
 
 The most important event of the life of Gordon was his con- 
 nexion with Mr. Trenchard, author of several political pamph- 
 lets, and commissioner of the forfeited estates in Ireland.
 
 180 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 " From a perfect stranger to him,"'*' says Gordon, in his pre- 
 face to Catoi's Letters, " and without any other recommenda- 
 tion than a casual coffee-house acquaintance and his own good 
 opinion, he took me into his favour and care, and into as high 
 a degree of intimacy as ever was shown hy one man to another. 
 This was the more remarkahle, and did me the greater honovn*, 
 for he was naturally as shy in making friendships, as he was 
 eminently constant to those which he had already made.'"' 
 
 The memories of Trenchard and Gordon are inseparahly 
 connected. If ]\Ir. Gordon, as has hcen asserted, was first 
 employed hy Trenchard as an amanviensis, their connexion 
 soon grew more intimate. Being men of congeniality of 
 ^^ews, they hccame partners as authors, and their most ce- 
 Ichrated works were produced hy the joint efforts of hoth. 
 Their first puhlication was entitled The Independent Whig, — 
 a work which caine out anonymously, and, with only two ex- 
 ceptions, in weekly numbers. It was begun on the 20th of 
 January 17-0, and was concluded in the same month of the 
 subsequent year. After Trenchard's death, the papers of 
 which it consisted were published by Gordon in a collected 
 form, with several separate treatises, written by himself, which 
 swelled it to two volumes, containing C23 duodecimo pages. 
 
 It is a fortunate circumstance that this work is known only 
 by name ; for it is disfigured by sentiments which are deserv- 
 ing of great reprobation. It was more immediately directed 
 against the hierarchy of the church of England ; but it was 
 also meant, or at least has a direct tendency, to undermine the 
 very foundation of a national religion, under any circumstances, 
 and to bring the .sacred profession, if not religion itself, into 
 contempt. The sacerdotal office, according to this book, is not 
 only not recommended in scripture, but is unnecessary and 
 dangerous ; ministers of the gospel have ever been the pro- 
 moters of corruption and ignorance, and distinguished by a 
 degree of arrogance, immorality, and a thirst after secular power, 
 that have rendered them destructive of the public and private 
 welfare of a nation. " One drop of priestcraft," say they, " is 
 enough to contaminate the ocean."
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 181 
 
 Before the Independent Whig was concliulcd, a similar work 
 was boi^un by the same authors, under the name of Calos 
 Letters. It was a weekly publication, like its predecessor, and 
 was not terminated until the month of July 17^3. The ob- 
 ject of this work is nearly the same with that of the Independ- 
 ent Whig, — with this difference, that its theological and eccle- 
 siastical discussions are much blended with political disquisi- 
 tions. It was indeed directed particularly against the South 
 Sea Scheme ; the knavery and absurdity of which our authors 
 had the merit of exposing, at a time when almost the whole 
 nation were intoxicated with the golden dreams of wealth and 
 independence, which it artfully cherished, and by which so 
 many were ruined and betrayed. 
 
 Notwithstanding the insuperable objections we have stated 
 to the most of the principles of these works, they are charac- 
 terised, we must confess, by no mean portion of talents and 
 learning. The authors seem always master of the subjects of 
 which they treat ; and their discussions are clear, close, and 
 vigorous. 
 
 Like every person who, in any way, attempts to undermine 
 the interests and welfare of society, Gordon and Trenchard 
 laid claims to great purity of intention. According to their 
 own statement, they formed the only two wise, patriotic and 
 independent men of the age in which they lived. " As these 
 letters,'''' says Gordon in his pi*eface, already quoted, " were 
 the work of no faction ol* cabal, nor calculated for any lucra- 
 tive or ambitious ends, or to serve the purposes of any party 
 whatsoever, but attacked falsehood and dishonesty in all shapes 
 and parties, without temporizing with any, bvit doing justice 
 to all, even to the weakest and most unfashionable, and main- 
 taining the principles of liberty against the practices of most 
 parties ; so they were dropped without any sordid composition, 
 and without any consideration, save that it was judged that the 
 public, after all its terrible convulsions, was again become calm 
 and safe."" How false these pretensions are, no man need be 
 at a loss to determine. Gordon^s own history, indeed, dis-
 
 182 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 proves every word that we have quoted. Erroneous opinions 
 often attacli to the most worthy, and call forth our regret, but 
 not our censure. But what apology can be offered for that 
 man, whose principles are determined by his interests, and 
 who at one time advocates a cause, which at another, because 
 it has fallen into disgrace, he as strenuously exposes ? This 
 was the case with Gordon. In the reign of Queen Anne, he 
 was employed by the Earl of Oxford ; but no sooner had 
 that statesman, and the party whom he headed, lost their in- 
 fluence, than Gordon prostituted his talents and his principles, 
 by promoting, for hire, the interests of Sir Robc\-t Walpole, 
 and the measures of his administration. Nothing can be con- 
 ceived more uncandid than such conduct. 
 
 The works of which we have been speaking, are not the 
 only ones to which Gordon owes his fame. He is now proba- 
 bly better known as the translator of Tacitus and Sallust, than 
 in any other capacity. His other writings are nearly forgot- 
 ten ; while his translations are still enjoying that share of 
 celebrity to which works of their kind are entitled. Before 
 the time of Gordon, this country had produced two English 
 versions of Tacitus : the first by Greenway and Sir Henry 
 Savile, in the reign of Elizabeth ; and the second about a 
 century afterwards, by Dryden and others. The translation 
 of Gordon appeared in 1728, in two volumes, folio. It was 
 published by subscription ; and, being patronised by Sir Ro- 
 bert Walpole, formed a very lucrative speculation. Though 
 it is now in a great degree superseded by the elegant trans- 
 lation of Mr. Muqihy, it is nevertheless a work of no incon- 
 siderable degree of merit. Mr. Gordon probably understood 
 his author better than any who have presented him to the 
 world in an English dress ; and the only objection that has 
 been made to his work, even by Muq)hy himself, is, that he 
 foolishly attempted to accommodate the English language to 
 the elliptical and epigrammic style of the Roman historian. 
 To this production he prefixed several discourses, comprehend- 
 ing a vast variety of discussions, political, critical, moral — and
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 1B3 
 
 he could not resist the temptation which sucli an opportunity at- 
 fordeil him, of again favouring the world with his notions re- 
 specting religion and ecclesiastical polity. 
 
 Through the friendship of Walpolc, Gordon held the situa- 
 tion of first commissioner of the wine licences for several years 
 previously to his death, which took place on the 28th of July 
 17.50. He was twice married ; his second wife was the widow 
 of his friend Trenchard, by whom he was the father of several 
 children. Two collections of his fugitive pieces were published 
 after his death ; the one termed A Cordial for Loiv Spirits ; 
 and the other I'/ic Pillars of Pricslcraft and Orthodoxy 
 shaken ; as also in 17^8, Sermons on Practical Subjects, ad- 
 dressed to different characters. 
 
 The family from which Mr. James Hill was descended 
 had long been settled in Roxburghshire, a small piece of gromid 
 called HilFs Land in the parish of Lillisleaf having for cen- 
 turies belonged to them. Quintin Hill of HilFs Land was 
 killed in the battle of Flodden in 1514. His property con- 
 tinued to belonjT to some branch of the family till after the 
 subject of this sketch was settled in life ; at which time, 
 though he wished to have purchased it and to have settled it 
 on his children, it went into the hand of strangers. 
 
 The Rev. James Hill was the first of the family connected with 
 Galloway. He was ordained minister of Kirkpatrick-Durham 
 in l(i99, and maintained through a long life the highest cha- 
 racter for piety and talents. His wife was Agnes, daughter 
 of Bailie James INIuirhead, merchant in Dumfries, by whom 
 he had a family of thirteen children ; one of whom was the dis- 
 tinguished individual whose life we now purpose to trace. 
 
 James Hill, who was born in 1703, was early destined for 
 the medical profession ; and with that view served an appren- 
 ticeship with a surgeon in Edinburgh. He afterwards entered 
 the college of that city, a seminary which at that period could
 
 184 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 scarcely boast of a medical or anatomical school. Before this 
 time, young persons, intended for the medical profession, were 
 under the necessity of repairing to some of the celebrated uni- 
 versities on the continent for instruction. The chair of ana- 
 tomy in the college of Edinburgh was instituted in I7O0 ; that 
 of chemistry in 1713 ; of the institution and practice of me- 
 dicine in 1724 ; of midwifery in I726. Under this scanty 
 supply of academical instruction, (to which we may add the 
 brief course of chemistry and materia mcdica given in the Ed- 
 inburgh apothecary hall,) did Mr. Hill prosecute his studies 
 at the university of Edinburgh : and having obtained his di- 
 ploma as a surgeon, he entered the navy in that capacity in 
 1730. In this service he continued two years ; at the end of 
 which time he settled in Dumfries, and commenced the prac- 
 tice of surgery in that town. 
 
 From this date, his time and attention continued to be de- 
 voted to the practice and study of the medical and surgical 
 arts. He was distinguished by bold and original views ; and 
 while the sciences which he professed were undergoing im- 
 provement in every quarter of the world, his knowledge was 
 not remaining stationary. From the copious manuscript 
 notes that he left behind him, as well as from his published 
 work, it appears, that he was intimately acquainted with 
 the best works on surgery and medicine ; and that in his own 
 professional capacity, he ventured to depart from the usual 
 mode of practice, and to think and decide for himself. Speaking 
 of cancers, for example, he says, " There was no Infirmary in 
 Edinburgh when I served my apprenticeship there, so that I 
 never had an opportunity of seeing a cancerous breast extirpated, 
 or any other capital operation in surgery performed, till I per- 
 formed them myself My first practice, therefore, was di- 
 rected by the late Dr. Monro's performance on dead subjects, 
 and his prelections on operations, and the best authors that 
 were published at that time."" 
 
 As to cancerous and scirrhous complaints, he had the honour 
 of being the first surgeon in this country who laid aside the 
 palliative method, and by his own practice, established the
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 185 
 
 superiority of excision to any other mode of cure. Dr. Monro, 
 under whom he had studied at Edinburgh, Le Dran, Sharp, 
 and other distinguished writers, recommended and followed the 
 former method, and discouraged surgeons from attempting the 
 latter. But the authority even of these men had little in- 
 fluence with a person of indej)endent thinking like Mr. Hill. 
 As the result of his observation and practice, he declares that, 
 " in the case of cancers, I never observed the smallest benefit 
 from hemlock, (which before his time had been the grand 
 specific for this complaint). On the contrary, I have, in se- 
 veral instances, seen much mischief done by it : "" * * * 
 while, " in the course of thirty years'* practice, I have ex- 
 tirpated from most parts of the body no less than eighty- 
 eight genuine cancers, being all ulcerated except four ; and I 
 have the satisfaction of assuring the public that all the patients 
 but two recovered of the operation." 
 
 There is another department of surgery, in which he ef- 
 fected great improvement. I refer to the operation of tropan 
 in cases of disorders in the head from external \-iolence. Other 
 practitioners had published on this subject before him. But 
 in the work which he afterwards submitted to the world, he 
 gives the history of his own practice on this head, from which 
 it appears that he was the first, or one of the first, that adopt- 
 ed this mode of cure. " Within these last fifteen years," 
 says he, " so many circumstances, which I thought peculiar 
 to myself, have been discovered and published, that I have 
 frequently been almost determined to suppress these sheets." 
 " Yet," he continues, " as I imagined there was still some- 
 thing new in what I have to propose, I at last resolved to 
 give an account of such cases as occurred to me in practice, of 
 the methods 1 employed, and the reasons which induced me 
 to use these methods." " In truth," says he, " in some points 
 my sentiments and practice differ considerably from some 
 authors, for whom I have the highest esteem." 
 
 The work, from which these and the foregoing extracts are 
 taken, appeared in 1772> in one volume 12mo., under the 
 title of Cases i7i Surgerj/, particularly of Cancers, and dis-
 
 laf) 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 orders of the /uad from cxiernal violence, icith observations ; 
 to which is added, an Account af the Sibbens. This treatise 
 was most iavourably received ; and from the minute details it 
 gives of his own practice relative to the two distempers in 
 question, it must have had a favourable effect on the state 
 of science respecting them. His Accotint of the Sibbens, or 
 Yaws, is characterised by original views. In addition to this 
 work, ]\Ir. Hill contributed various articles, in the line of his 
 profession, to medical journals. 
 
 The deep interest he felt in the cases of his patients, is ap- 
 parent from his published work. He was a man of nice dis- 
 crimination and sound judginent; and though he excelled in 
 handling the knife, he never had recourse to this mode of 
 cure, unless when circumstances fully warranted it. When he 
 did avail himself of that instrument, his operations were equally 
 bold and successful ; and many of his cures have, we under- 
 stand, been referred to with praise by Dr. Monro and others 
 in their public lectures. Nothing ever prevented him from 
 visiting a patient when sent for : he has been known to incur 
 personal risk, in stormy weather, or in the case of floods, in 
 carrying his wishes in this respect into effect. His practice 
 was not confined to Dumfries or its neiojibourhood : he was 
 regarded as the surgeon of more than one county ; and was 
 not unfrcquently consulted by persons residing at a great dis- 
 tance, even in the sister kingdom. A considerable number of 
 young men, who afterwards attained to distinction as surgeons, 
 such as the late Mr. Benjamin Bell of Kdinburgh, had the 
 advantage of serving their apprenticeship under him. In the 
 instruction of such persons he seems to have exerted himself 
 with uncommon zeal. He left behind him two manuscript 
 volumes, entitled Lectures to his apprentices, embracing an 
 elucidation of the most important subjects connected with his 
 profession. 
 
 With Dr. Kbenezcr Gilchrist, who was a native of Dum- 
 fries, and who had settled in that town as a physician about 
 the time that the subject of this sketch commenced the prac- 
 tice of surgery there, Mr. Hill lived in terms of the greatest
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 1^7 
 
 friendship. Dr. Gilchrist, who is often referred to by him in 
 his Cases of Surgeri/, and who placed the greatest confidence 
 in the soundness of the professional views and experiments 
 of his friend, was a physician of very superior character and 
 attainments. He had studied successively at P]dinburgh, 
 London, and on the Continent, and obtained the degree of 
 M. D. from Rheims ; he was the author of various medical 
 treatises ; and, like his friend Mr. Hill, deserted the beaten 
 road of medical practice, and made many discoveries in the 
 art which he professed, particularly with regard to nervous 
 fever and the efficacy of sea voyages in certain complaints. 
 He died in 1774' '•> ^^^^ was succeeded by his son, the late Dr. 
 John Gilchrist. 
 
 Mr. Hill did not long survive his friend. He was now, 
 indeed, far advanced in years, and died on the 17th of Octo- 
 ber 177^*5 ^^ ^^^ ^ge of seventy-three. 
 
 As to his personal appearance, he was in stature above the 
 middle size, his height being about five feet eleven inches. 
 He continued till his death to prefer that fashion of dress 
 that had prevailed in his youth. He wore a full wig ; and 
 used a large staff. He was a man of dignity both of appear- 
 ance and manners. His character was in every department of 
 life most respectable. With the exception of professional 
 subjects, chemistry was his favourite study. He was fond of 
 antiquities. But his acquirements were miscellaneous, as well 
 as minute. 
 
 On the 15th of February 1733, a year after his settlement 
 at Dumfries, he married Anne M'Cartney, daughter of John 
 McCartney of Blaiket ; by whom he at length became pro- 
 prietor of that estate.* He kept it in his own possession. 
 
 * Blaiket, which lies in the parish of Urr, had been the property of the 
 M'Cartneys from IGIG, George, son to M'Cartney of Chapelearn, having 
 purcliased it in that year. Mrs. Hill's mother v/as Margaret, daughter of 
 Sir Alexander Gordon of Earlston. The sufferings of tlie i\I'Cartncys of 
 Blaiket during the reign of Charles II. occupy a prominent place in Wod- 
 vow's Histori/. A younger son of tlie first ]\rCartncy of Blaiket, having 
 emigrated to Ireland, was the progejiitor of that celebrated nobleman, the 
 late Earl of JMacartuey. MSS- penes mc. Barrow's Life of Lord Mucaiiney.
 
 188 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 Farming he seems in consequence to have carefully studied ; and 
 among his numerous manuscript papers, there are dissertations 
 relative to almost every branch of agi'iculturc. INIrs. Hill sur- 
 vived her husband ten years. Of eleven children, of whom 
 their family consisted, eight predeceased him. INIr. John 
 Hill, No. 26, Scotland Street, Edinburgh, his grandson, is 
 the lineal representative of the family.* 
 
 Dr. Willia:m Jameson was a native of the northern dis- 
 trict of Ayrshire, and born in 1704<. After the usual course 
 of elementary education, he entered the university of Glasgow, 
 in which he took the degree of A.M., and which, at a sub- 
 sequent period, conferred on him the degree of doctor in 
 divinity. In what way he first became known in Galloway, 
 I have not learned, but by the unanimous choice of the people, 
 he was, in 1731, ordained helper and successor to the Rev. 
 Alexander Telfer, minister of Rerwick.*f* Being a man of 
 liberal views, and extensive knowledge of life, he exerted him- 
 self to remove the narrow-mindedness and prejudices, for which 
 his people were remarkable ; while, at the same time, he never 
 neglected the more important objects for which he was stationed 
 among them. Even in the hour of merriment and enjoy- 
 ment, he lost no opportunity of communicating moral and 
 religious instruction, and has often been known to terminate 
 an easy and cheerful conversation, by some unexpected serious 
 
 • To 3Ir. John Ilill, as also to Robert Corbet, Esq., Advocate, I am 
 indebted for t!ic greater part of tlie materials of which this memoir consists. 
 
 ■j- The name of Mr. Teh"er, who was the first minister of Ilerwick after 
 the Revolution, is known to the curious reader as the author of a credulous 
 and superstitious jiamphlet, entitled, A True Relation of an Apparition, the 
 cxpre-is-ions ami t/rlinrjs of a Spirit vJiich ivfcsted the house of Andrew Machie 
 of Ilinrj-croft (f Slockinij, in the parish of Rerrick, in the Slewarlry of Kir k- 
 cndbriijlu., in Scotland, 1 fi95 ,• bi/ Mr. Alexander Telfair, minister of that Paroch, 
 and attested b'/ miiny other persons, irho were also eye and ear -witnesses- Ellin- 
 bunjh, printed b>j George Mosman, IWO'. 15 pages, small Ito.
 
 OP GALLOM'AY. 189 
 
 remark or inference, that left on the mind an indelible impres- 
 sion. If any instances of profancness or irreligion occurred 
 in his presence, he possessed a peculiar felicity in checking 
 and exposing them ; and " this he did," says Mr. Thomson, 
 " in the midst of smiles and good wishes, that he often gained 
 friends, but never thereby procured an enemy."* He enter- 
 tained a very high opinion of the importance and respectability 
 of his professional character ; and yet he was distinguished by 
 a singular facility in accommodating himself to every gradation 
 of rank and of age. Even when at the very extremity of a 
 life protracted beyond the usual span, the cheerfulness of his 
 manners, and the instructions to which he made these subser- 
 vient, were as conspicuous as ever. 
 
 Though old, he still retained 
 
 His manly sense, and energy of mind ; 
 Virtuous and wise he was, but not severe ; 
 He still remember'd that he once was young; 
 His easy presence check'd no decent joy. 
 Him even the dissolute admired, for lie 
 A graceful freedom, when he pleas'd, put on, 
 And, langhing, could instruct. 
 
 " As a minister," says Mr. Thomson, " he was highly 
 respectable. His sermons were both rational and pathetic, 
 exhibiting a deep tinge of that fervent and genuine piety which 
 ran invariably through his life and conversation. In discharg- 
 ing the duty of parochial examination, he excelled most men. 
 So studiously did he avoid putting any one to the blush, and 
 in such a clear and satisfactory manner did he explain the 
 Christian system, that several of his people followed him fi'om 
 one diet to another over the parish ; and he himself has been 
 heard to say, that he verily believed he did more good by his 
 examinations in the winter season, than by all his preaching 
 through the whole of the year." 
 
 His attachment to his flock, by whom he was beloved, no 
 consideration could induce him to sacrifice. Accordingly, 
 
 * liCtter from the late Kev. James Thomson to the present writer.
 
 190 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 when the living of Kirkciulbright was offered him by the Earl 
 of Selkirk, who characterised him as the most polite and ac- 
 complished clergyman in the south of Scotland, he did not for 
 a moment hesitate to decline the preferment. The tie that 
 binds pastor and people was, in his case, at the time of which 
 we arc speaking, enhanced by a residence among them of 
 thirty years. 
 
 ^^l^en Dr. Jameson was advanced in life, the late Rev. 
 James Thomson was ordained his helper and successor. He 
 died on the 4th of iNIarch 1790, at the venerable age of 
 eighty-six, of which he had spent no fev.er than fifty-nine as 
 minister of Rerwick. His wife, INIiss ISIarion Cunninghame, 
 a descendant of the family of Caprington, had predeceased 
 him. They had had two children, daughters, of whom Mar- 
 garet, the youngest, died unmarried, when upwards of twenty 
 years of age : the other, Jane, was married, first, to one of the 
 Newalls of Earlston, an ancient family in the parish of Kells, 
 and, second, to William Donaldson of Kildow, a small estate 
 in the parish of Kelton. By the former union, she had no 
 children ; by the latter, no fewer than eight, of whom some 
 are still alive. Two years before his death. Dr. Jameson had 
 retired from his official duties, and resided in the family of his 
 only surviving daughter, Mrs. Donaldson, in whose house he 
 breathed his last. 
 
 Dr. Jameson was distinguished by talents of no ordinary 
 kind. His mind, naturally strong and vigorous, was culti- 
 vated and improved by study and meditation. With the 
 classical writinfrs of Greece and Rome, as well as with those 
 of his own countr)-, his accjuaintancc was considerable. But 
 ethical and metaphysical science was his favourite study, and 
 that in which he excelled. Of this his Easay on Virtue and 
 Harmony affords no contemptil)le proof. It was published so 
 early as 17^9, a period when the science of which it treats 
 was little cultivated in this country : and when few metaphysical 
 works had issued from our northern press ; and had its author 
 held a place in any of our literary establishments, it would 
 have gained him no inconsiderable degree of celebrity. For,
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 191 
 
 while it exhibits many undoubted marks of erudition, and of a 
 strong masculine understanding, it is at the same time remark- 
 able for the felicity with \vhich it analyzes every complex feel- 
 ing and emotion, and ascertains the source, the motive, and 
 tendency of all our actions and sympathies. With regard to 
 the great object which he had in view in this treatise, the au- 
 thor himself thus speaks. " We flatter ourselves," says he, 
 " that we have brought our inquiry to the following conclusion : 
 — That the complete idea of virtue is not to be obtained from 
 human nature alone, or taken apart and independent, but from 
 viewing it as an object co-rejative with the universe ; and, from 
 the mutual agreement and harmony, which the Supreme Au- 
 thor and Lawgiver appears to have designed should take place 
 between them ; that, therefore, virtue is to be regarded and 
 revered as a divine law, promulgated to man by his own na- 
 ture, and by the nature of the universe."" 
 
 His knowledge and attainments as a theologian were also 
 respectable. " So thorough a master," says Mr. Thomson, 
 " was he reckoned of the Deistical controversy," — at that time 
 carried on with much keenness and asperity, — " that his bre- 
 thren always ap])lied to him when any difficulty occvirred to 
 them on that subject ;" and he had composed a treatise on the 
 evidences of Christianity, which, however, he did not think it 
 advisable to publish.
 
 102 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 LIVES OF THE REV. JOHN EWART, AND THE REV. 
 ANDREW DON NAN. 
 
 The E warts are an ancient family in the Stewartry of Kirkcud- 
 bright, as traces of them exist there so early as the year 1500. 
 For several generations they had been proprietors of Mullock, 
 as also for a shorter time of Drummore. By marriage they were 
 connected with the Browns of Carsluith, and other old fami- 
 lies. The Rev. Andrew Ewart, minister of Kells, father of 
 the venerable individual whose history we now purpose to 
 give, was proprietor of IMullock and Drummore. He married 
 Agnes, heiress of Grierson of Capenoch, by whom he had a 
 family of two sons and four daughters ; James, the oldest, 
 (who married JNIiss Christie of Baberton) ; John, the subject 
 of this memoir ; Anne, married to Mr. Newall of Park ; Agnes, 
 the wife of the Rev. Peter Yorstoun of Closeburn ; and Nicolas 
 and Henrietta, who died unmarried. The Rev. Andrew 
 Ewart was a widower when married to TNIiss Grierson, and 
 had a daughter, afterwards married to Alexander Kennedy of 
 Knock gray. 
 
 ^Ir. John Ewart was born at Kells Manse in the year 
 171 7> an'l^ after having received a suitable education at home, 
 entered the college of Kdiiiljurgh. He studied for the church, 
 and obtained from the crown the presentation to the parish of 
 Troquirc, near Dumfries, in 17*38, when he was scarcely 
 twenty-one years of age. In the work of the ministry he ex- 
 perienced great delight. He regularly visited the sick ; he
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 193 
 
 took a deep interest in the state of the poor ; and the three 
 schools within the parish enjoyed the advantage of his unfail- 
 ing superintendence and direction. To the various classes of 
 his parishioners he was warmly attached. His income, how- 
 ever, was small ; yet, when afterwards offered a more profitable 
 parish, he declined it, and " preferred to remain permanent 
 where he was happy." 
 
 In the rebellion of 174-5, the rebels having taken Carlisle, 
 the inhal)itants of Dumfries, believing the insurgents' army to 
 be in considerable force, naturally supposed that they must be 
 the next to surrender. They were not inactive in preparino- 
 for defence ; and jNIr. Ewart, with two other clergymen, col- 
 lected the farmers and tradesmen in the neia'hbourhood, and 
 joined their friends in Dumfries. These forces were drawn up 
 in rank and file on the field ; when Mr. Ewart, after prayer, 
 addressed them on horseback in a speech full of loyal senti- 
 ments. 
 
 These preparations, however, though honourable to the per- 
 sons by whom they were made, turned out not to have been 
 necessary. The rebels visited Dumfries, but left it unmolest- 
 ed, after having extorted contributions from it. INIr. Ewart, 
 on his return home, a distance of about a mile, found two 
 highland officers quartered in his house. He treated them 
 with the greatest hospitality ; but did not fail to remonstrate 
 freely with them on the desperate cause which they had es- 
 poused. 
 
 In the year 1747? ^Ir- Ewart married Miss Corrie, the 
 only daughter of William Corrie, Esq. of Dumfries ; descend- 
 ed from the family of Carlingwark, originally of Burrens. 
 A\^ith this lady he enjoyed the utmost happiness, during the 
 remainder of a lonir life. 
 
 In the subsequent part of his life there is little incident. 
 Professional duties occupied his chief care. He was at the 
 same time much given to reading. He omitted no oppor- 
 tunity of communicating pious and virtuous sentiments. To 
 any of his young friends going abroad, his advice was most 
 
 o
 
 19^ THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 apjiropriate. Such advices were given in that cheerful, frank, 
 and aiiectionatc manner, indicative of his character. 
 
 He occasionallv attended the meetings of the General As- 
 scmhly at Edinhurgh, in which city he had many relations 
 and friends.* In I'JGO, he visited London, accompanied by 
 his brother-in-law, jNIr. William Corrie. Of this excursion 
 he ever afterwards spoke with pleasure. He saw George II. 
 at the Chapel Royal a few months before his death ; but he 
 highly disapproved of his majesty's engaging in conversation 
 with some of his attendants, during the time of divine service. 
 He had the privilege of seeing some of the most eminent par- 
 liamcntar)' orators of that time. 
 
 In 177^^ ^^ published a small work in the form of a cate- 
 chism, chiefly on the principal points of difference between the 
 Protestant and Roman Catholic faith. This treatise seems to 
 have been meant specially for his own parish, in which there 
 were a few papists. There was, indeed, a Roman Catholic 
 Chapel in it belonging to an opulent family, in which a priest 
 of that persuasion regularly officiated. With that family and 
 with their clergyman, INIr. Ewart always lived in terms of the 
 greatest harmony. Pains having been taken to make converts 
 among Mr. Ewart"'s flock, and some popish books having been, 
 with that view, circulated among them, he thought himself 
 called upon to counteract these attempts ; and hence the work 
 in question, which he distributed among his hearers. No 
 copy of it can now, I believe, be found. 
 
 • Among I\Ir. Ewart's early friends was, Dr. Maxwell Garthshore of 
 London, with whom he maintained a regular epistolary correspondence till 
 his doatli. This di^^tingnished physician was son to the llcv. i\Ir. Garth- 
 shore, minister of Kirkcudbright. He married Miss M'Guffog, heiress of 
 Kusco, by whom he hcaime jjroprietor of that estate. They had an only 
 son of great promise, who predeceased both parents. Dr. Garthshore died 
 in 1H12, at the age of ^^0. He was very wealthy, and so extremely chari- 
 table that he commonly spent about L. 1000 per annum in acts of beneficence. 
 He was not the author of any literary work, though a man of great literary 
 etnincnce; but he contributed several articles on professional subjects to the 
 Hoyal Society of London and to ftleriical Journals.
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 195 
 
 In 1791, he drew up a description of the parish of Tro- 
 quirc for the Statistical Account of Scotland, in the first vol- 
 ume of which work it appeared ; the article is brief, but written 
 with great judgment. 
 
 Though Mr. Ewart had now arrived at a very advanced 
 age, he continued to enjoy the best health and the greatest viva- 
 city, a circumstance which was undoubtedly owing, in no mean 
 degree, to his habits of very early rising, his temperance and 
 activity. Before his death, however, Mr. Joseph Easton (who 
 did not survive him long) was ordained his helper and succes- 
 sor in the parish of Troquire. His dissolution was very 
 sudden ; a species of death which, in the case of a good man, 
 he often spoke of as desirable. Mrs. Ewart and he being on 
 a visit to their daughter and son-in-law, INIr. and Mrs. Porter, 
 at that time living at Youngficld, near Dumfries, he was in 
 excellent spirits, and so well that he spent about an hour and 
 a half in the open air. Another son-in-law, Dr. John Gil- 
 christ of Dumfries, joined them at dinner ; and it has been 
 alleged, that Mr. Ewart had not passed a more cheerful day 
 during the previous twenty years. Yet there was literally 
 but a step between him and death. At night he walked up 
 stairs to his apartment with Mrs. Ewart ; and in a few min- 
 utes after he had laid his head on his pillow, he breathed his 
 last. This event took place on the 5th of September 1799, 
 in the eighty-fourth year of his age, and sixty-third of his 
 ministry. His funeral sermon was preached by his nephew, 
 the late Rev. Andrew Yorstoun, minister of Closeburn. 
 
 In stature INIr. Ewart was not above the middle size ; he 
 was of slender make, of great activity and cheerfulness. The 
 portrait prefixed to his posthumous works, (of which we have 
 yet to speak,) is a striking likeness of him. 
 
 INIrs. Ewart survived her husband upwards of eleven years, 
 and died on the third of January 1811, when upwards of 
 eighty years of age. They had a numerous family of sons and 
 daughters, of whom three, one son and two daughters, still 
 survive. Of the sons, (three in number,) who are dead, we 
 cannot resist giving a brief account.
 
 19(3 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 Joseph, the eldest, distinguished from his youth for superior 
 talents, happening to visit Berlin when travelling with INIac- 
 donald of Clanronald, acquired the friendship and confidence 
 of Sir John Stepney, then British amhassador at the court of 
 Prussia. His excellency, having occasion to return to Kng- 
 land, left Mr. Ewart as charge d'affaires in his absence. This 
 was the beginning of a brilliant but brief career. After going 
 through some subordinate steps, he was appointed minister 
 plenipotentiary on the part of Britain at Berlin. He married 
 the Countess ^^'^arstenleben, by whom he had a family. Hav- 
 ing returned to England for the benefit of his health, which 
 had long been declining, he died at Bath in 1792. He was 
 a person of great accomplishments, eminent diplomatic charac- 
 ter, and high in the estimation both of the British and Prus- 
 sian governments. 
 
 The second son of the Rev. ^Ir. Ewart was William, long 
 a distinguished merchant in Liverpool, of whom the late Mr. 
 Canning declared, that he never knew " a more upright, honour- 
 able, right-minded, and kind-hearted man ;" an opinion which 
 received the sanction of the late !Mr. Huskisson. He died in 
 October 1823. AVilliam Ewart, Esq. M. P. for Liveqiool, 
 is his second son. 
 
 John Ewart, !M. D., was third .son of the minister of Tro- 
 quire. He was .settled at Bath as a phy.sician. He after- 
 wards went to India as inspector-general of hospitals, and died 
 there in 1799- 
 
 Two works, namely. Lectures on the Psalms, and Biogra- 
 phical SIcelches of Eminent Characters, written by Mr. Ewart, 
 have been published since his death. The MS. of the former 
 was given by the author to his daughter Mrs. Porter and her 
 husband,* a fcM' weeks before his death, with a request that 
 
 • A\'illiam Porter, Ki-q., died at London in 3Iay 1815. He was a native 
 of Galloway, educated at the university of lidinburgh, and, in 1761-, when 
 twenty-two years of age, was selected to accompany Dr. Dumaresqiie to 
 St. I'cteraburgh, to assist in forming the imperial academy there. He af- 
 terwards entered into commercial life in that rity, where he resided upwards 
 of twenty years. By t luse contingencies in business which ofte/i the best
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 1 97 
 
 one volume should be first publisheil, chieHy for the use of his 
 graiulchildren, and that, if it should be favourai)ly received by 
 the public, the remaining two might follow. Of this useful 
 work the first volume appeared in 1822 ; the other two in 
 182G. These Lectures, abounding with historical and biogra- 
 phical illustrations, were never preached, but were meant for 
 the use of private families, particularly for the improvement of 
 the young ; an object which they are admirably calculated to 
 serve. The Biograp/iical Sketches, which did not appear till 
 1830, are of a varied but interesting description, 'i'he volume 
 contains also " INliscellaneous Pieces, in verse and prose ;'" in- 
 cluding several letters written by Mr. Ewart to a grandson, 
 and to his son Dr. John Ewart, which do honour to the me- 
 mory of the venerable writer. To the Lectures is contributed 
 an excellent Memoir of the Author, written, we have reason to 
 believe, by Mrs. Porter. To both works is prefixed the en- 
 graving of Mr. Ewart to which we have already referred. 
 
 r. 
 
 The Rev. Andrew Donnan was descended of a family 
 that had for centuries been established as respectable farmers 
 in Wigtonshire. I'he surname which they bore is supposed 
 to be synonymous with Donnegan, and to be of Irish origin. Mr 
 Donnan was the son of Mr. William Donnan who rented the 
 farm of Ersick, in the parish of Whithorn, and of Margaret Ful- 
 lerton. He studied at the university of Glasgow ; his views were 
 directed to the church ; and after undergoing the usual course 
 of education, he received his licence as a preacher from his na- 
 tive presbytery. He was early distinguished for superior ta- 
 lents. The late Dr. Murray, no mean judge, characterised 
 
 skill cannot avoid, he was deprived of all lie had gained. But " his inte- 
 grity snil honour were unblemished." A short time before his death, 
 he was appointed one of the commissioners of tlie customs in Scotland. He 
 was a person of great respectability, of sound scholarship, and extensive 
 acquirements. See character of JMr. Porter iu Gmtkimn's Mutjuzine for 
 Way 1815, written by Lord St. Helens.
 
 198 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 him as " an excellent man and scholar." He acted for some 
 time as an assistant-teacher in the grammar school of Wigton ; 
 and the Rev. David Henderson, minister of that burgh, though 
 not advanced in life, having been for some time unable from 
 indisposition to perform his public duties, Mr. Donnan offi- 
 ciated in his room, and gave universal satisfaction. This 
 connexion led the way to his subsequent appointment as minis- 
 ter of that parish. ]Mr. Henderson having died in the year 
 17H4, though powerful influence was used to procure the living 
 for another respectable candidate, Mr. Donnan having gained 
 the esteem and confidence of the people of Wigton, was nomi- 
 nated his successor, owing chiefly to the exertions of his friend 
 Mr. Hawthorn, one of the magistrates of the burgh. Nor had 
 the flock, to whose pastoral care he was thus appointed, reason 
 to regret his preferment. He rose in their esteem daily, inso- 
 much that the present writer has heard it remarked that they 
 did not merely respect him, but were proud of him. He was 
 in truth a man of superior character. His pulpit discourses 
 M'cre remarkable for their lucid arrangement, perspicuous il- 
 lustration, and practical tendency. The editor of his posthu- 
 mous volume of sermons describes them as " truly edifying, 
 and well calculated to recommend sound principles and good 
 morals," and as exhibiting " great clearness and strength of 
 thought upon subjects of much importance in Christian doc- 
 trine and practice." Nor while he was thus esteemed and 
 useful as a preacher, did he neglect the private duties of his 
 office. These, indeed, he discharged in the most exemplary 
 manner ; and was altogether a most efficient and acceptable 
 minister of the Gospel. 
 
 The Paraphrases which had recently been composed under 
 the sanction of the Genera! Assembly, and appointed to be 
 sung as a part of public worship, had rot been generally intro- 
 duced at that time. In Mr. Donnan''s parish they had not 
 been used before his induction to the charffe. He thouifht it 
 his duty to introduce them ; a step which excited among the 
 lower orders of his flock considerable displeasure and opposi- 
 tion. Hut being convinced tliat these Paraphrases formed a
 
 OF GALLOWAV. 199 
 
 manifest improvement in the psalmody of our church, and as 
 not a few of them contained references to the gospel-dispensa- 
 tion, which necessarily could not be found in the Psalms of 
 David, he continued steadfast to his resolution. Nor was the 
 opposition of the people either long-continued or violent. It 
 was in truth soon laid aside ; and the laudable object he had 
 in view was realized. There are yet parishes in Scotland in 
 which popular prejudice on this subject has not entirely dis- 
 appeared. The people of this country in former times suffered 
 so much from having allowed innovations in public worship to 
 creep in, that they are naturally jealous on this point ; a cir- 
 cumstance for which, if they do not deserve honour, they ought 
 not to be visited with much blame. 
 
 To Sir John Sinclair'^s Statistical Account of Scotland, Mr. 
 Donnan contributed a description of the parish of Wigton. 
 This article is of a simple, unpretending character, but ex- 
 tremely judicious, minute, and appropriate. It was owing to 
 his influence, it may here be mentioned, that the Wigton 
 Subscription Library was formed. This library, which still 
 continues to flourish, was one of the first, if not the very first, 
 established in that quarter of the country. Being a scholar 
 himself, and impressed with the dignity of knowledge, he was 
 anxious to disseminate intelligence among all ranks of the 
 people. 
 
 Mr. Donnan had hitherto remained a bachelor. Indeed 
 for nearly ten years after his settlement, he lived as a boarder 
 with Mrs. Henderson, the respectable widow of his predecessor. 
 But on the 29th of July 1794, he was married to Miss Isa- 
 bella Gordon, daughter of James Gordon, Esq. of Balmeg, in 
 his own parish ; the representative of a family descended, about 
 three hundred years before that date, of the house of Lochinvar. 
 Her mother was daughter of the Rev. Samuel Brown of Kirk- 
 mabrcck, grandfather of the late Dr. Thomas Brown. 
 
 But though INIr. Donnan was not yet above middle age, 
 and so far as human views extend, had reason to look forward 
 to many happy and useful years, his days were near a close. 
 On one Sabbath, he dispensed the Sacrament of the Supper to
 
 200 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 his people. Ho returned from church in apparently good 
 health, hut was immediately attacked with inHammatory 
 fever, and het'orc the an-ival of another Sahbath, was no 
 more. This event took place on the 25th of June 1798, in 
 the fortv-scvcnth year of his aije and fourteenth of his minis- 
 try. I'he late Rev. John Steven of Mochrum preached his 
 funeral sennon ; a discourse which, on account of its appropri- 
 ate character and high talent, is yet remembered with interest. 
 
 He leit behind him a widow and two children, a son and a 
 daughter. ]Mrs. Uonnan survived her husband nearly thirty- 
 one years, having died at Peebles on the 16th of April 1829- 
 The name of this excellent lady, it would be injustice to pass 
 over with this simple notice. She was a person of the greatest 
 energy of character, and benevolence of disposition. In the 
 weliare of any needy or interesting object known to her, she 
 took an interest altogether uncommon. She delighted, in truth, 
 in doing good. Nor were her activity of mind, her extent of 
 intelligence, and her powers of conversation, less eminent than 
 the goodness of her heart. 
 
 Mr. Donnan was in figure about the middle size, of dark 
 complexion, very short-sighted, and of simplicity of manners 
 and appearance. He was an excellent classical scholar, fond 
 of books, and of very minute and exact infomriation. He had 
 a decided turn for genealogy and antiquities ; and in this de- 
 partment, left behind him some curious papers relative to his 
 native county. He was a man of inde])endent thinking, and of 
 liberal views ; and even in times of ])olitical excitement and 
 rancour, did not hesitate to judge for himself, and fearlessly to 
 state his sentiments. 
 
 About two years after his death, a posthumous volume of 
 his sermons was published. This task was executed by his 
 talented friend and co-presbyter, the late Mr. Graham of Kir- 
 kinner.* I'he discourses had been written without the least 
 
 " The Rev. Jolin Gialiam was a native of tlie parish of Miniiigaff, of 
 which Ills fatJier was schoolmaster. He was first settled in the parish of 
 Dunlop, Ayrhhire, and translated to Kirkinner in 1779, where he died in 
 June 1815, in the eighty-second year of his age, after having been unable
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 201 
 
 view to publication, and they labour under all the disadvantages 
 of a posthumous work. Yet they are most able compositions, 
 worthy of the character which, as quoted above, the editor gave 
 of them. They are plain, judicious, practical, unambitious of 
 ornament, and yet often both striking and elegant. As exam- 
 ples of this, I would refer in particular to the first sermon in 
 the volume, on Christian Improvement^ preached on the ordi- 
 nation of the Rev. Elliot W. Davidson of Sorbie ; to the sixth, 
 on the Nature and Obligation of an Oath ; and to the twenty- 
 first, on the Kings Recovery. The discourse on the nature of 
 an oath is a most elaborate production. 
 
 for several years to perform bis duties from advanced years. His wife, 
 Cliristiaii Hawthorn, predeceased him. Tliey Iiad no children. He was a 
 learned and worthy man, a great theologian, and thoroughly versed m 
 church.law. The marginal annotations which he made on the books he per- 
 used, evinced extensive reading and deep thinking. 
 
 A
 
 202 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 LIVES OF WILLIAM IVPGILL, D.D., AND THE REV. 
 WILLIAM MACARTNEY. 
 
 WiLLiAJi M'GiLL, whose life forms the subject of this sketch, 
 was bom at Carscnestock, in the parish of Penninghame, 
 Wigtonshire, on the 11th of July 1731. His father, of 
 the same name, rented the farm of Carsenestock, which is 
 still in the possession of his descendants ; and his paternal an- 
 cestors had been settled as fanners in that near neighbourhood 
 at an earlier period than can now be traced. His mother, 
 Jean Heron, daughter to a respectable tenant in the Moss of 
 Cree, was also descended of a family which, for several genera- 
 tions, had been established in that place or vicinity. Dr. 
 William M'Gill, the subject of this memoir, was the young- 
 est of five children. He seems to have been early destined for 
 the church, and he received an education suitable to such pros- 
 pects. He attended the parish school at the Old Kirk of 
 Penninghame, then taught by ]Mr. Gordon. Though the 
 school was distant three miles from Carsenestock, he was never 
 willingly absent, and regretted when circumstances occurred to 
 detain him at home. 
 
 He studied at the university of Glasgow. During the 
 course of his academical education, and after he had obtained 
 licence as preacher, he was engaged as tutor in successive re- 
 spectable families. The second or junior charge of Ayr, having 
 l)ecomc vacant, in October IT-^T, was not supplied till the 22d 
 of October I7CI ; at which period Dr. M'Gill, who was resid-
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 203 
 
 ing in the neighbourhood as tutor in a gentleman''s family, and 
 whose appearances as a preacher had been most acceptable, was, 
 on the solicitation of the people, inducted to that living. Dr. 
 William Dalrymple, having been ordained in 1^4:6, held the 
 senior or first charge ; and it is a remarkable fact that though 
 J3r. M'Gill lived to be forty-six years a clergyman, Dr. Dal- 
 rymple survived him, having died in 1814, after having been 
 sixty-eight years in the ministry. Between these two clergy- 
 men, the greatest friendship and happiness obtained during the 
 protracted period of their joint incumbency. 
 
 Two years after his settlement, Dr. M'Gill married Eliza- 
 beth Dunlop, daughter of a merchant in Ayr. The Dunlops 
 were connected with some of the best families; and INIrs. 
 M'Gill was niece to Dr. Dalrymple, her husband's colleague. 
 This lady, though she was distinguished by many amiable qua- 
 lities, was possessed of a very tender and nervous constitution ; 
 her temper and mode of thinking were variable and capricious ; 
 and Dr. M'Gill, it is feared, did not derive that happiness 
 from his marriage that he had reason to expect. 
 
 His wife brought him a fortune of about L.7OO. But 
 being deposited in the Douglas and Heron bank in Ayr, it 
 was lost, on the failure of that company in 1 77^* Owing to 
 the celebrity of the academy of that town, he received a limited 
 number of young gentlemen into his house as boarders, who 
 were undergoing their elementary education. By this means 
 no inconsiderable addition was made to his official income, 
 which was very limited. 
 
 He was, meanwhile, assiduously employed in the discharge 
 of his sacred functions. His preparation for the pulpit was 
 regular and unremitting ; and he spent much of his time in 
 the other private week-day duties of his office. He was al- 
 together a most useful minister of the Gospel, and enjoyed in 
 an entiinent degree the confidence and respect of his people. 
 He had, also, for some time, been engaged in preparing a 
 work of a theological nature for the press ; which was pub- 
 lished in 1786, under the title of A Practical Essay on the 
 
 Death of Jesus Christ, in two parts, contaiyiins;, 1, the Historu, 
 
 3
 
 204 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 2, ///(' Doctrine of his Death * This treatise, which was sup- 
 posed ta inculcate principles, both of Arian and Socinian charac- 
 ter, created a deep sensation, not only among the orthodox 
 clerijv of tile established church, but also amonfj dissenters. 
 Numerous pamphlets were written in answer to it ; theological 
 journals laboured to expose its en-ors ; and not a few clergy- 
 men of different denominations thought it their duty to warn 
 their hearers from the pulpit against its pernicious tendency. 
 The whok' west of Scotland was involved in a rclisjious fer- 
 ment. The author, meanwhile, remained silent ; and neither 
 by way of explanation or self-defence, did he condescend to 
 notice any of the pamphlets that had appeared against him. 
 
 The truth is. Dr. INI'Giirs Essaj/ did embrace to a certain 
 degree, sentiments not consentaneous to the word of God, or 
 the standards of our national church. Orthodox theology never 
 stood lower in this country than at the time in which this 
 work appeared. " Along with the elegant literature of our 
 sister country," says Dr. Chalmers, in his eloquent sermon 
 preached on the death of Dr. Andrew Thomson, " did the 
 mcai^rc Arminianism of her church make invasion amons; our 
 clergv' ; and we certainly receded for a time from the good old 
 way of our forefathers. This was the middle age of the church 
 of Scotland, an age of cold and feeble rationality, when evan- 
 gelism was derided as fanatical, and its very phraseology was 
 deemed an ignoble and vulgar thing." To that party in the 
 church to whom these words more especially refer, and who at 
 that period were altogether predominant, Dr. M'Uill belonged; 
 and though a man, not only of irreproachable but exem2)lary 
 moral character, and most indefatigable and popular as a 
 cltrgj^man, he seems to have receded as far as possible from the 
 sentiments of the party to whom he was opposed, while he 
 carried to an extreme extent his own peculiar views. But the 
 circumstances of the church in this respect are quite changed. 
 Both sides seem to combine, or to rival each other, in promot- 
 
 • TJiis work, which extends to 550 octavo pages, is inscribed to Dr. Dal- 
 rymple, his colleague.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 205 
 
 ing sound religious views, and in reviving what has been termed 
 " the olden theology of Scotland." 
 
 Dr. M'Giirs Essai/, though the alarm excited by it was 
 strong and general, a feeling increased by the irreligious 
 and wanton sarcasm of Burns, had not as yet attracted the 
 notice of the ecclesiastical courts. This forbearance on the 
 part of these judicatories may be imputed to the great respect- 
 ability of the reverend author, and to the high estimation in 
 which as a clergyman he was held. But circunastances soon 
 occurred which brought the matter to a crisis, and rendered 
 inquiry unavoidable. 
 
 The General Assembly, in 17^8, appointed a national 
 thanksiiivinff to be observed on the 5th of November of that 
 year, to commemorate the goodness of divine providence for 
 the blessings of the Revolution, which, a hundred years 
 before, had established presbytery as our national church, 
 and secured those civil and religious privileges which we 
 still enjoy. The purity of the standards of our church, 
 and the necessity of preserving them inviolate, were natur- 
 ally dwelt upon by clergymen on this occasion. Several 
 sermons delivered on that day were published ; and among 
 others, was one by Dr. Peebles, minister of Newton-upon-Ayr. 
 In this discourse, the author, not only thought it his duty to 
 animadvert most severely on several passages of Dr. ]M' Gill's 
 Essay, as containing heretical sentiments, but characterised him 
 as a person, " with one hand receiving the privileges of the 
 church, while, with the other, he was endeavouring to plunge 
 the keenest poignard into her heart."" This exposure or at- 
 tack, proceeding, as it did, from one with whom he had hither- 
 to lived on terms of friendship. Dr. M'Gill seems to have 
 felt acutely ; and notwithstanding his former silence, resolved 
 to write a reply on this occasion. This he did by publishing 
 his own sermon delivered on the 5th of November ; to which 
 he subjoined an appendix, elaborately composed, and extend- 
 ing to upwards of thirty pages, in strenuous support of his 
 former vic^vs, and directing reflections of the severest personal 
 censure against his opponent.
 
 206 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 Under sucli circumstances, the church courts were forced to 
 take such steps as had been long expected of them, and to 
 vindicate their standards. The matter not having been 
 brought before the presbytery of Ayr, an overture on the sub- 
 ject was laid before the synod of Glasgow and Ayr, in April 
 lyj^O, three years after the publication of the obnoxious treatise. 
 It being very properly insisted on that the case should origi- 
 nate in the radical court, and an appeal on this point having 
 been lodged to the ensuing General Assembly, it v.as remitted 
 to the presbytery, with instruction to take such steps as they 
 should find necessary for preserving the purity of the doctrines 
 of the church, and the authority of her standards. The pres- 
 bytery of Ayr, accordingly, proceeded to carry this recommen- 
 dation into ctfect. But of the proceedings that took place, it 
 is not necessary here to give a minute account. It may be 
 enough to say, that Dr. IM'Gill continued to defend his opin- 
 ions, though he at the same time declared that his views were 
 not hostile to the authority, or incompatible with the doctrines 
 of the church ; that from the complicated nature of the case, 
 the presbytery found it necessary to apply to the synod, which 
 met in the ensuing month of October, for advice and direction ; 
 and that a committee, appointed to examine into the nature of the 
 alleged errors contained in his works, gave in an able and elabo- 
 rate report, stating and illustrating, by a reference to the word of 
 God and the standards of the church, that they inculcated heretical 
 sentiments, 1 . (^)n the doctrine of the atonement by the suffer- 
 ings and death of Jesus Christ. 2. On the person and charac- 
 ter of Jesus Christ. 3. On the priesthood and intercession of 
 Christ. 4. On the method of reconciliation to God in the way 
 of repentance. And 5. On subscription to the Confession of 
 Faith. 
 
 This important question ultimately came before the synod 
 which met at Glasgow on the 13th of April 1790. The interest 
 excited by it had now become intense. The court was crowded to 
 excess. And Mr. Graham of Kirkinncr had come from that dis- 
 tant paqsh,.as the corresponding member from the synod of Gal- 
 loway, to sup])ort his early and highly valued friend. But mat-
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 207 
 
 ters now assumed an appearance that had not been anticipated. 
 Dr. M'Gill, on the second day of the meeting of* the court, before 
 the business was resumed, rose, and instead of defending the 
 protest and appeal which he had lodged, signified his ardent 
 desire that no farther proceedings should take place, and that 
 matters should be accommodated. To this candid proposal no 
 objections were stated. On the contrary, a committee of six 
 members was appointed to converse with him, and to endeavour 
 to brinji the matter to so desirable a termination. The endea- 
 vour was happily successful. Within two hours the committee 
 returned ; and expressed their unanimous satisfaction with Dr. 
 M'GilFs explanations and apology, which they wefe authorized 
 in his name to submit to the synod. This document was in 
 these words : 
 
 " I am extremely sorry that what was honestly intended by 
 me to serve the interests of piety, charity, and peace, should 
 have given ground of offence to my Christian brethren. INly 
 Essay on the Death of Jesus Christ was designed to be wholly 
 practical. My sole object was to promote practical godliness, 
 founded on the facts and circumstanpes of the gospel history : 
 and upon this design I was so intent that I may in some in- 
 stances have omitted things which I hold to be true, when the 
 practical use of them did not immediately occur to me. In 
 every work of man, more especially a work of some length and 
 variety, it is not to be expected but there will be failures and 
 blemishes which may have crept into it ; at which, however, 
 men of judgment and candour will not be offended, when they 
 are convinced that the design, upon the whole, is good. 
 
 " These things being premised, my general answer to the 
 first article in the report is, 
 
 " 1st, That I have explained ' the Doctrine of the Atone- 
 ment by the Sufferings and Death of Christ,' if not with all 
 the advantage that might be wished, yet in the way that ap- 
 peared to me most agreeable to the plain and undeniable facts 
 of the gospel record, most instructive and edifj'ing in its ten- 
 dency, and least liable to be perverted by sinners into a pre- 
 tence for continuing in their sins ; but, on the contrary, to
 
 208 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 afford them pressing motives to a vspccdy repentance. It seems 
 likewise calculated to comfort and confirm good men, and ani- 
 mate them in well-doing. I have, alter the evangelists, given 
 a minute detail of Christ's sufferings for our sins, and largely 
 insisted on the merit of his obedience unto death, as the foun- 
 dation of all our hopes of pardon and salvation. And what 
 is advanced upon this head, I hoped upon the whole, would 
 have been thought agreeable, not only to the word of Cjod, 
 which was my oidy rule in composing it, but likewise to the 
 Confession of Faith, which always represents the perfect obedi- 
 ence and unspotted sacrifice of Christ, as that which avails with 
 God in behalf of penitent sinners. Chap. viii. 3, 4, 5 ; chap. 
 xi. 3. 
 
 " To the 2d article of the report, I answer, That my sub- 
 ject required me to consider our Lord Jesus Christ simply, first, 
 in his suffering character, as a man of sorrows and acquainted 
 with grief: And then, in reward of his obedience, as highly 
 exalted at God's right hand, and made head over all things to 
 the church. If any word hath escaped me, disparaging to the 
 'person and character of our J3ivine Saviour,' it was certainly 
 far from my intention, as I always studied to speak of him in 
 Scripture language, or in the language which I took to be of 
 like import with that of Scripture. 
 
 " To the 3d article, my answer is. That though I have 
 hinted some reasons, why some of the expressions relating to 
 Christ's priesthood are not to be understood literally, but in a 
 figurative sense, and in allusion to the high priests under the 
 law ; yet I never meant to say, that the doctrine of Christ's 
 ])riesthfiod and intercession was figurative ; but do maintain 
 that it was real, important, and highly necessary both to our 
 present comfort and eternal salvation. For thereby we are 
 assured of the ])ardon of sin, when we sincerely repent of it, 
 and may depend on receiving, in answer to our prayers, all 
 needful aid and succour from above, under our infirmities ; we 
 have freedom of access to the throne of grace, and are encour- 
 aged to serve God with the spirit of love, and joy, and hope. 
 And all these and other benefits which we enjoy or hope for
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 
 
 209 
 
 throufrh Christ, are founded on the willing and acceptable 
 sacrifice and oblation which he made of himself on the cross. 
 The whole of this, as far as I understand, is agreeable to the 
 holy Scripture, and also to our other standards. 
 
 " As to the 4th article, < The method of reconciling sin- 
 ners to God by repentance,' I only meant, by what I said 
 on that article, that though our reconciliation to God is solely 
 by the death of Christ, it is never effected without the sinner 
 being brought to repentance. As I know no other name un- 
 der heaven, given among men, wdiereby we must be saved, 
 but that of Jesus Christ, so I know no method of salvation 
 but what he has pointed out in his gospel ; and that, I con- ^ 
 
 ceive, is the method of faith and repentance. ' This is the 
 work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent : 
 and except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.' So speaks 
 the Saviour of the world ; and does not our Confession say, 
 ' Repentance is of such necessity to sinners, that none may 
 expect pardon without it ?'' Chap. xv. 3. 
 
 " Now for the last article in the report, ' Concerning sub- 
 scription.' I have indeed given my opinion, that it would be 
 better if the practice of it were laid aside, as it was certainly 
 for some centuries unknown in the Christian Church, and was 
 not even practised in our own church for many years after the 
 Confession of Faith was adopted. But that is a political 
 question, like patronage, and many others, where, I appre- 
 hend, a man may lawfully propose his opinion, with the rea- 
 sons of it, whether well or ill founded, as to what he thinks 
 may be for the good of religion and society, withovit being 
 liable to any censure on that account. Upon the whole, I 
 assert, as I have formerly done more than once, that far from 
 being inimical in any respect, I am a zealous, though weak 
 friend to the constitution and authority of the church of Scot- 
 land, in doctrine, discipline, and worship, and do cordially 
 condemn whatever appears inconsistent therewith. 
 
 " And considering, that every member of the church of 
 Scotland is bound by very solemn engagements, to adhere to 
 her standards, and that these standards are the only authori-
 
 210 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 tative interpreters of the sacred scriptures amonir us, I hereby 
 again tleclarc, that I am sorry that my publications should 
 have given offence to any of my brethren, or to the world. 
 And now, upon further reHection, I am sensible that there 
 are ideas contained in these publications which may appear 
 improper, and modes of expression ambiguous and unguarded, 
 particularly respecting the doctrine of the atonement by the 
 sufferings and death of Christ ; his person and character ; the 
 priesthood and intercession of Christ ; the method of recon- 
 ciling sinners to God ; and subscription to the Confession of 
 Faith ; all which ideas I hereby disclaim, and for all such 
 expressions I am heartily sorry, and hereby declare my be- 
 lief in these great articles, as they are laid down in the stan- 
 dards of this church. I therefore intreat the Reverend Synod 
 to receive this my apology, which I leave with them, and 
 submit it to their determination to publish these my explana- 
 tions and apology to the world, if they shall think it neces- 
 sary.* 
 
 " William M'Gill." 
 
 The only object of the Synod being peace and the advance- 
 ment of truth, this ample and manly apology was sustained 
 by the court without a dissentient voice ; a result honourable 
 to all the parties concerned, and favourable to the cause of re- 
 ligion in general, and particularly in that quarter of the 
 country which had of late been so severely agitated. The 
 court, deeply impressed with these considerations, appointed 
 
 * In Lockliart's Life of Bums is this sentence, " Dr. M'Gill was fain to 
 ackriowlodj/e liis errors, and |)romi.se that lie would fake an early opi)or- 
 lunityof ai!oh)giy,ing for ihein to liis own congregation from tlie pulpit — 
 which promise, however, he never performed." No such promise was ever 
 asked of liim, or made, and tlicrcfore could not be ])erfornied. The asser- 
 tion, in sliort, thotigh madi; with such confidence, is unfounded in truth. 
 
 The apology was ordered by tlie iSynod to be published by the clerk, with 
 two sections of the Confession of Faith, as suggested by a member, after 
 the apology had been given in, — the one resi)ecting the original and essen- 
 tial dignity of the Son of Ood, — the other illustrative of the doctrine of the 
 Atonement.
 
 OF GALLOM'AY. 211 
 
 Dr. Dairy mple to offer up prayers to Almighty God, and to 
 express their thankfulness for the divine countenance and di- 
 rection with which, in this important matter, they had been 
 favoured. 
 
 During the discussions which terminated so happily. 
 Dr. M^Gill's flock, with very few exceptions, continued 
 faithfully attached to him. Their affection for him, indeed, 
 seems rather to have gained strength during the pro- 
 secution. On the subject being first brought before the 
 Synod, the magistrates of Ayr felt themselves, (to use their 
 own words), " irresistibly called upon, in justice to truth and 
 ministerial usefulness, to bear their public testimony" to the 
 exemplary faithfulness, and, so far as they could judge, to the 
 orthodoxy by which, as a clergyman. Dr. M'Gill was charac- 
 terised. 
 
 With the settlement of this question, every thing like in- 
 cident in Dr. M'GilFs life terminated. It " affords matter 
 for praise rather than narrative." He paid occasional visits, 
 as he always had done, to his relations in Galloway. At home 
 he was doomed to suffer deep family distress. He had been 
 left a widower before the time at which our narrative has ar- 
 rived. When he made his last will in 1791, out of a family 
 of eight, only three survived, one of whom it had been found 
 necessary to place in a lunatic asylum. The melancholy truth 
 is, that, though his children in early youth were most inte- 
 resting and promising, yet, as they arrived at maturity, they 
 all showed symptoms of something approaching to mental im- 
 becility. Probably, however, had their life been prolonged, it 
 might have sunk into that state of nervous sensibility in which 
 their deceased parent had so long remained. 
 
 The last visit he paid to Galloway was on an occasion 
 which, old as he was, induced him to make a great exertion to 
 accomplish his ])uq)0se. It was in July 1805, to celebrate 
 the marriage of his nephew, Mr. Andrew INI'Gill, the respecta- 
 ble tenant of Barsalloch, in his native parish of Penninghame. 
 At this time, he preached at Kirkinner, for his friend Mr. 
 Graham. His constitution had lost much of its original
 
 212 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 vigour ; and his gait had ceased to be so erect as it had for- 
 merly been. 
 
 About a year after his return to Ayr, the following letter 
 was written by him to Mr. M'Gill in Barsalloch. 
 
 " Ayr, 18th March, 1806. 
 " Dear Friend, 
 
 " I M'A5> really beginning to think, on account of the length 
 of time since I had heard from you, that, in administering the 
 ceremony of your marriage, I had performed the last duty to 
 a departed friend. But your most welcome letter of the 1 5th 
 instant, has happily relieved me, and given me the comfort to 
 know that you and your partner, as well as other friends, are 
 well. Your former letter was dated 6th October last. I never 
 leave any letters of my friends long unacknowledged when I am 
 able ; but 1 cannot continue to write when I receive no an- 
 swer. On this account I have been obliged to give up even 
 my dear friend Mr. Graham, my faithful correspondent for 
 fifty years. 
 
 " When you write to Jamaica, [where he had two nephews, 
 sons to his younger brother James M'Gill, farmer in Clary,] 
 remember me kindly to our friends there, whose welfare I re- 
 joice in. I am happy that your farm promises to do well. 
 But moderate expectations are best, and moderate cares about 
 the world. Sunday last was the first day, since I saw you, 
 that 1 was prevented from doing public duty by indisposition. 
 I am now confined to the house with a severe cough, though 
 better than I was some days ago. What can I expect at my 
 time of life .'' I am willing to depart. * * * 
 
 " I remain, dear nephew, yovir affectionate uncle and faith- 
 ful friend, 
 
 " Wm. M'GlLL.^^ 
 
 At this ])criod, and for a long time previously, he had been 
 afflicted with asthma, which never afterwards left him. He 
 died on the 30th of March 1807, "^ ^^^ seventy-sixth year of 
 his age, and forty-sixth of his ministry.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 213 
 
 He left behind him only one child, a daughter, named 
 Graham in honour of his old i'riend, the minister of Kirkinner. 
 This lady still survives, and is unmarried. Her father died 
 possessed of such funds as afford her an ample competency. 
 
 In addition to the Practical Essay on the Death of Christ, 
 and the Bemjits of the Information, a sermon, with an appen- 
 dix, published in reply to the animadversions of Dr. Peebles, 
 he was the author of two excellent discourses inserted in the 
 third volume of the Scotch Preacher. He also published some 
 occtpsional detached .sermons, designed chiefly for the benefit of 
 his own flock. These compositions are the result of superior 
 talents and acquirements on the part of their author. It is to 
 be regretted that his large work is marked by such vagueness 
 of language as to admit even of the suspicion of error, or by 
 heretical views, however unintentional on his part, of which a 
 distinct disavowal or qualification was afterwards necessary. His 
 sermons are practical and pious. His learning was very con- 
 siderable ; his reading extensive ; his habits literary ; and he 
 enjoyed the acquaintance of some of the most distinguished 
 men in this part of the island, and maintained an epistolary 
 correspondence with them. 
 
 His professional and moral character was pure. He was 
 warmly attached to his relations, and cultivated regular inter- 
 course with them. In his domestic capacity, whatever were 
 the trials which in this respect he underwent, he was ex- 
 emplary. His friendships were steady ; and by his friends 
 he was generally not only respected but beloved. We have 
 seen that he had opponents ; but he was never known to have 
 a personal enemy. His manners were mild ; and his conver- 
 sation lively, agreeable, and instructive. He was possessed of 
 great equanimity, the result of natural strength of mind, as 
 well as of an abiding principle of piety and of dependence on the 
 A^'isdom of divine providence. AVhen one of his children who 
 had come to an untimely death, was lying a corpse, he did not 
 hesitate to perform the public duties of the Sabbath with his 
 usual composure and firmness. 
 
 As to his personal figure, he was about six feet in height,
 
 214) THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 1)1' erfct carriage, and of clerical appearance. He never was 
 coq)ulcnt ; and towards the end of his days, his figure be- 
 came comparatively shrivelled, but was still venerable. 
 
 The Reverend William Macartney or M'Cartney,* was 
 born at the INIill or Mains of Penninghamc, on the 10th of 
 October 17G2. His father, Mr. James M'Cartney, was '^ri- 
 ant of that farm, and likewise carried on the business of a corn- 
 miller. His mother was INIargaret Cowan, daughter of James 
 Cowan, merchant in Newton Stewart. By his paternal grand- 
 mother, Agnes Milligan, who was married to William Thom- 
 son as her second husband, Mr. Macartney and the late Rev. 
 James Thomson of Balmaclellan, were cousins. Mr. Macart- 
 ney was also connected by marriage with Dr. M'Gill, whose 
 biography we have just finished. 
 
 The INIacartneys are an old family in Galloway. But the 
 branch of them from which the subject of this sketch was 
 sprung, had emigrated thither from Ireland, though, as men- 
 tioned in the life of Mr. James Hill in this work, even the 
 Irish branch was of Scottish origin. -f- INIr. William Macartney 
 received his early education under Mr. James Wood, af- 
 terwards successively minister of Calton chapel, Glasgow, and 
 of the Presbyterian chapel of Falstone, Northumberland. The 
 parochial school, (as well as the church,) being soon removed 
 from the village of Penninghame to Newton-Stewart, young 
 Macartney, instead of following it thither, was sent to the 
 
 • For the materials of which tliis sketcli is composed, I am indebted to 
 a valuable communication from William Thomson, Esq. merchant, Glasgow. 
 To Dr. I5oyd of the Kdinburgh High School, I owe similar obligations. Mr. 
 'Jhomsoii also favoured me with some information relative to Di'. JM'Gill's 
 life. 
 
 -j- Francis Blacartney, great-grandfather of the Rev. William Macartney, 
 cmit;ratfd from Ireland to .'^^cotland, and .settled at l-rsick, jiariirh of Whit- 
 liorn. 'I'lic Irioh branch was afterwards ennobled l»y the title of Earl of 
 Macartney.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 215 
 
 grammar school of Wigton, distant about Ctve miles. This lat- 
 ter seminary was then most ably taught by Dr. Cririe, now the 
 venerable minister of Dalton, Uumiiies-shire. 
 
 His views had at an early period been directed to the 
 church. ]iut circumstances occurred which gave them, at 
 least for a time, a different tendency. Owing to the advice of 
 his maternal uncle, the Rev. David Henderson, minister of 
 Wigton, (for his grandmother had been twice m.arried,) he 
 entered the office of INIr. Robert Fergusson, writer in that 
 burgh, w'ith the view of serving an apprenticeship under him. 
 In this employment, however, from whatever cause, he C(mti- 
 nued only a fortnight. His friends afterwards resolved to send 
 him to Jamaica, under the auspices of another uncle, George 
 Henderson, Esq. of that island. With this view he set out, 
 accompanied by his elder brother James, to Glasgow ; but 
 whether fortunately or otherwise, he was too late in reaching 
 that city, as the vessel in which it was meant he should go 
 had sailed before his arrival. Thus disappointed, he returned 
 home, and resumed wdth renewed vigour those studies from 
 which nothing was afterwards allowed to withdraw him. 
 
 When he entered the university of Edinburgh, having pre- 
 viously enjoyed every advantage of education, he was qualified 
 to join the senior Latin and Greek classes. He made not 
 only a respectable but an eminent figure in the various branches 
 of study in which he engaged, insomuch that he attracted the 
 attention or gained the friendship of several of the professors. 
 He was now enabled to support himself and defray the ex- 
 penses of his college studies by engaging in teaching. On the 
 recommendation of some of the professors, he was employed at 
 different times in directing the education of young men of high 
 birth or of advanced scholarship ; some of whom have since 
 made a distinguished figure in public life. The dead lan- 
 guages w ere his favourite stvidy ; and it was chiefly in giving 
 instruction in these that he was employed. 
 
 After having completed at college the course of education 
 which the \aws of the church prescribe, he was licensed as a 
 preacher of the gospel by the presbytery of Haddington. His
 
 216 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 first sermon was preached for Dr. Blair, in the High Church 
 of Kdinhurgli. Owing to the influence of Sir Islay Camp- 
 bell, to whose sons he had been tutor, Mr. Macartney was 
 presented to the parish of Old Kilpatrick, in the presbyteiy 
 of Dumbarton, and was ordained to that charge on the 18th 
 of April 1794. Three years after his settlement, he was most 
 happily married to Miss Janet Park, of a respectable family in 
 Greenock. 
 
 He belonged at this time to what has been denominated the 
 moderate party in the church, but he afterwards abandoned 
 their views, and attached himself to their ecclesiastical oppo- 
 nents. As a clergyman he stood very high. He was an en- 
 ergetic, clear, and striking preacher. His private official du- 
 ties he performed with great punctuality, and entirely to the 
 satisfaction of the people whose best interests were the ob- 
 ject of his labours. His chief care, in truth, centred in his 
 flock. He watched over them as one that must give an ac- 
 count. He was at the same time their enlightened counsellor 
 and faithful pastor. His studies, while at college, had com- 
 prehended some of the medical classes ; and in this capacity he 
 made himself veiy useful to the lower orders of his people. 
 
 But amidst his usefulness and happiness, a misunderstand- 
 ing, which was never brought to an amicable adjustment, took 
 place, respecting parish matters, between him and the heritors 
 of the parish, and caused him great annoyance.* It would 
 
 " This misunderstanding originated in a question respecting the manage- 
 ment of the poor's funds. Under the care of i\Ir. 3Jacartney and liis re- 
 spectaijle session, an assessment, considerably under L. lOO, was anyually 
 required. The lieritors alleged that this sum was extravagant ; and wished 
 in various ways to cripple the powers of the kirk-session, and to make that 
 hody tamely subservient to their views. The session offered to continue their 
 gratuitousandhenevolentlabours if no undue interference was made with them. 
 iVIatters, however, came at length to that extremity that the session found 
 themselves called upon, as an independent court, to resign the management 
 of the poor's funds into the hands of the heiitors. The result of this step, 
 which was taken solely on account of the arrogant behaviour of these gentle, 
 men, may easily be conjectured. 'J'Ik; ass('s>nu:nt innncdiately rose to three 
 or four times the sum which, under the prudent niiinagement of the session, 
 had been found neccssars".
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 217 
 
 j)crhaps be impolitic to enter minutely on this question. But 
 this may be said, that Mr. Macartney, though from the treat- 
 ment he met with, he may not always have given that " soft 
 answer which turneth away wrath," was always right at bottom 
 and in principle. He regarded the conduct of his heritors as 
 illiberal and arrogant ; and in the unflinching opposition he 
 made to them, he showed his characteristic independence. His 
 people and his session to a man steadfastly adhered to him ; and 
 the heritors, five in number, were the only persons in the pa- 
 rish who did not respect or venerate him. His popularity, in- 
 deed, seems to have increased from year to year in proportion 
 as means were used to destroy it ; and after his death, his pa- 
 rishioners erected, at their own expense, a monument to his 
 memory, " in testimony of their respect for his worth and in- 
 dependent principles." 
 
 From the time he entered college, he had been distin- 
 guished as an able scholar and as a man of literary study ; and 
 this character he sustained till the end of his days. Before 
 his settlement he had published two pamphlets on education. 
 After his induction to Old Kilpatrick, he WTote an essay on 
 the trade with India ; and he contributed various articles to 
 periodical works, particularly to the Christian Instructor. He 
 enjoyed the friendship of Dr. Andrew Thomson, the editor of 
 that journal ; a man whose character in many respects resem- 
 bled his own. As it has been said of that lamented clergy- 
 man that, had he been bred to the lavr, he would have risen 
 to the summit of that profession, a similar remark has often 
 been made, (even by some of his heritors,) of Mr. Macartney. 
 In 1798, he published the best translation that has yet ap- 
 peared of an important work, entitled The Treatise of' Cicero 
 De Ojfficiis, or his Essay on Moral Duty, translated and ac- 
 
 It may here also be mentioned, that before Ulr. IMacartiiey's incumbency, 
 and we beJieve, since his deatli, certain persons in the parish were obliged 
 by the heritors to pay for church accommodation. Such payment is, we un- 
 derstand, quite unwarrantable and illegal, and as such, J\Ir. fllacartney, 
 much to his honour, and, notwithstanding the opjicsition of the heritors, 
 did not rest till he got it abolished.
 
 218 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 compani'cd icith notes and observations. This version is com- 
 posed in an elegant, pure, and forcible style. The notes are 
 etliical and biographical, rather than critical. 
 
 He lived to see his family, five in number, four sons and a 
 daughter, educated, and all settled in life except one, Dr. 
 John Macartney, Aiho has since commenced practice as a phy- 
 sician in Liveqjool. Of his three other sons, one is settled as 
 a merchant in the city of Mexico ; two are engaged in the 
 same capacity in South America. His daughter is respectably 
 married in Glasgow. 
 
 He did not arrive at very advanced years, having died on 
 the 26th of October 1828, in the sixty-sixth year of his age, 
 and thirty-fourth of his ministry. Mrs. Macartney survives 
 him. 
 
 jNIr. Macartney was a man about the middle size, of dark 
 eyes, black hair, and florid complexion. In his latter days, he 
 became rather corpulent, and his hair white. 
 
 He was a man of sound principle, of correct judgment, of 
 independent thought and action, of extensive reading and mi- 
 nute information. He made extracts from every book of me- 
 rit he perused ; and the extent of his manuscripts of this kind 
 is sur|)risingly great. His natural temperament was warm ; 
 his decision was prompt and unflinching ; and he expressed 
 himself strongly under any circumstances, when his principles 
 or his feelings were deeply interested. Baseness or dishonour 
 he held in unspeakable detestation. His political sentiments 
 belonged to the Whig school. His affections were kind. His 
 friendships were intense and steady. He was a man of wit, 
 vivacity, ar.d sarcasm. He hated oppression. In his own 
 parish, he lent his assistance to the weak ; and was not inaptly 
 tenned the poor man"'s friend.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 219 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 LIFE OF ROBERT HERON. 
 
 Robert Heron was born at New-Galloway, a royal borough 
 in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, on the 6th day of Novem- 
 ber 1764. His father, John Heron, though he followed the 
 humble trade of a weaver, was a most respectable man.* By 
 his paternal grandmother, Margaret Murray, aunt to the late 
 Dr. Murray, the subject of this memoir was not very distantly 
 related to that celebrated linguist. 
 
 He began his letters under his mother, and did not attend 
 the parish school till he had attained his ninth year. He was 
 soon distinguished as a boy of great attention and insatiable 
 curiosity ; and his parents perceiving the great fondness which 
 he showed for letters, resolved to give him the advantage of a 
 liberal education. 
 
 But Mr. Heron did not continue long a burden on his 
 parents. At an early age he endeavoured, by his own exer- 
 
 • " John Heron was in the constant habit of practising family worship, 
 even twice a-day, though he liad a sliop full of young men and apprentices. 
 He was long an elder in Kells. Even at the close of a laborious day, he 
 would throw his plaid about him, and walk for four or five miles to the 
 dwelling of any poor man, laid upon the bed of sickness or of death. Uc 
 would converse with him on ' the world unseen,' and drop upon his 
 knees by the sick-bed side, and offer u prayer to tlie common Parent of 
 hrunanity." An Essay on (he ttucfidtiess of kirk-scssions, h\ Mr. Gordon 
 Barbour.
 
 220 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 tions as a teacher, to support and educate himself. Partly on 
 the Siivings ot" his own scanty income, and partly by the assist- 
 ance of his parents, he removed to the university of Edinburgh 
 in the end of the year I'JiiO ; and his views being directed to 
 the church, he followed the course of study which that profes- 
 sion requires. During his attendance at college, he supported 
 himself mostly by private teaching ; but having gained some 
 distinction by occasional contributions to newspapers and perio- 
 dical works, he became known to booksellers, and was after- 
 wards more or less employed by them in translating chiefly 
 from the French, or in original composition. He was first 
 known to the public in 17^9, as the superintendent of a small 
 edition of Thomson"'s Seasons, to which he prefixed a short 
 but excellent critique on the writing and genius of that 
 poet. His first production as a translator was an English 
 version of Fourcroy's Chemistry, which was successively fol- 
 lowed by translations of Savary"'s Travels in Greece, of Du- 
 mourier^s Letters, and Gesner's Idyls in part ; an abstract of 
 Zimmerman on Solitude, and abstracts and abridgments of 
 several Oriental Tales. 
 
 In I79O-I, he read lectures on the " Law of Nature, the 
 Law of Nations, the Jewish, the Grecian, the Roman, and the 
 Canon Law, and then on the Feudal Law." " These lec- 
 tures,"" as he himself informs us, " were intended as introduc- 
 tory to the professional study of law, and to assist gentlemen 
 who did not study it professionally in the understanding of 
 history." But they did not succeed according to his expecta- 
 tion, and were soon discontinued. He published a syllabus of 
 his course. 
 
 No degree of learning, however great, will atone for the 
 want of virtue and prudence. The sums received by Mr. 
 Heron for his literary labours he ^;quandcrcd away thought- 
 lessly, affecting to live in a rank which it would have required 
 a large and permanent income to support. Owing to his 
 extravagance, his pecuniary affairs fell into a state of embar- 
 ra.ssmcnt, and his creditors getting impatient, he was, by them, 
 thrown into prison.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 221 
 
 How long he might have continued in confinement, had 
 not his friends interfered, it would be impossible to conjecture. 
 On their suggestion, he undertook to write a Historij of Scot- 
 land., for winch the Morrisons of Perth were to allow him at 
 the rate of three guineas a-sheet. His creditors now agreed 
 to liberate him, on condition that he should pay them at the 
 rate of fifteen shillings a-pound, and appropriate, for that pur- 
 pose, two-thirds of the copy-right of his intended publication. 
 It is a melancholy fact, that nearly the first volume of the 
 History of Scotland was composed in jail. In 1793, ap- 
 peared the first volume of this work, consisting of six, of 
 which a volume was published every year successively, till the 
 whole was concluded ; and during the same period he gave to 
 the world A Journey throus;h the Western Parts of Scotland, 
 in two volumes octavo ; A Topographical Account of Scotland; 
 Extracts of Elegant Literature ; A New and Complete System 
 of Universal Geography, in two volumes octavo ; a short 
 Life of Robert Burns, besides several communications for the 
 Edinburgh Magazine, and many prefaces and critiques. He 
 was also employed by Sir John Sinclair in superintending the 
 publication of the Statistical Account of Scotland. 
 
 But unsuccessful as most of his productions were, he was 
 yet pleased to think himself capable of eflbrts of a higher 
 kind ; and, accordingly, made an attempt at dramatic compo- 
 sition. Never did man make a more en-oneous estimate of 
 his powers. His play, which he confesses indeed was written 
 hastily, is devoid of every thing like merit or interest ; and, 
 besides, it violates that scrupulous regard to decency of senti- 
 ment and of incident, for the breach of which no splendour of 
 genius will atone. He had influence, however, to get it in- 
 troduced on the Edinburgh stage as an afterpiece ; but it w^as 
 irretrievably condemned ere it reached the second act. The 
 author himself was present, and so thoroughly overwhelmed 
 was he with chagrin and disappointment, that he retired to his 
 lodgings, and kept his bed for several successive days. Bad, 
 however, as his play undoubtedly was, he regarded the deci- 
 sion of the theatre as not only undeserved, but as effected by
 
 '222 THE LITERAHY HISTORY 
 
 tlic malicious combination of his enemies. He therefore re- 
 solved, like Smollet on a similar occasion, to appeal from this 
 venlict to the public, by printing his play,* " to shame the 
 roc;ues.'"' It was, however, neither sold nor talked of, and, 
 except by a few of his surviving friends, is now forgotten. 
 Prefixed to it was a long, vapouring preface, the tone and 
 spirit of which may, to a certain degree, be appreciated by the 
 nature of the quotations with which he introduces it. The 
 first is from the pages of Tristrain Shandy : 
 
 " The learned Bishop Hall tells us, in one of his decades 
 at the end of his Divine Art of Meditation, ' that it is an 
 abominable thing for a man to commend himself,' and I verily 
 think it is so. And yet, on the other hand, when a thing is 
 executed in a masterly kind of a fashion, which thing is not 
 likely to be found out, I think it is fully as abominable that a 
 man should lose the honour of it. This is exactly my situa- 
 tion !" The other is from Dean Swift : 
 
 " When a true genius appears in the world, you may know 
 him by this sign — that the dunces are all in confederacy against 
 him." 
 
 But, amid all his folly and distress, he was not insensible to 
 the calls of filial and fraternal affection. Though his parents 
 remonstrated freely with him respecting his thoughtlessness and 
 extravagance, the tenor of his correspondence with them is of 
 the most respectful and candid description. The following 
 extracts from his letters, written at different periods, confirm 
 this : — 
 
 *' I hope, by living more piously and carefully, by manag- 
 ing my income frugally, and appropriating a part of it to the 
 service of you and my sisters, and by living with you in future 
 at least a third part of the year, to reconcile your affections 
 more entirely to me, and to give you more comfort than I have 
 yet done." 
 
 O forget and forgive my follies ; — look on me as a son 
 
 (( 
 
 * It is entitled, 67. KilJa in Edinbun/h ,- or News from Camperdown, a 
 Comic Dranui, in two acts ; with a critical prrface ; to which it added, an ac~ 
 cxnint nf a famous Aas Race. Edinburgh, 170B.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 223 
 
 who will anxiously strive to comfort and please you, and, after 
 all your misfortunes, to render the evening of your days as 
 hap]>y as possible." 
 
 That he afforded his parents much pecuniary assistance, is 
 not very probable. But he seems to have exerted himself in 
 promoting for them the education of their family. " We will 
 endeavour," says he, alluding to this subject in one of his let- 
 ters, " to settle our dear Grace comfortably in life, and to 
 educate our dear little Betty and Mary aright."" His eldest 
 brother John he brought to Edinburgh, to prosecute his stu- 
 dies at the University, as, I believe, he intended him for the 
 church. He seems to have been a yovmg man of very promis- 
 ing talents ; but his days were doomed to be few, for he died 
 in 1700, before he had attained the age of manhood. 
 
 His sister INIaiy, also, whose name and worth he has affec- 
 tionately commemorated in the preface to his History of Scot- 
 land, he afterwards removed to Edinburgh, to complete her 
 education. The happiness she experienced under her brother's 
 roof was not of the most enviable kind. But her early death, 
 which took place in his own lodgings in 1798, overwhelmed 
 him with poignant sorrow. Every instance of his unkind- 
 ness to her now rushed on his mind, and he was scarce able 
 to bear the load of existence. Neither the attention of his 
 fi-iends, nor the consolations of religion, could impart to him 
 fortitude or resignation. To add to his distress, his literary 
 labours not having been of late so lucrative as formerly, he was 
 reduced to the very verge of want and starvation, and his mind 
 was daily haunted with the horrors of a iail. Avoiding, as 
 much as possible, every communication with his former asso- 
 ciates, he might now be seen skulking about the suburbs of 
 the town, pale and emaciated, and exhibiting all the external 
 symptoms of wretchedness and despair. 
 
 But at length he returned with renewed \agour to the active 
 duties of life. And not finding his views succeed in Scotland, 
 he was encouraged to go to London, whither he went in the 
 beginning of 1799. There he was at first well employed. It 
 appears from his letters to his father, that for a few years after
 
 224 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 he removed to London, his application to study was great ; 
 that his mind was in a state of comparative tranquillity ; and 
 that his prospects were cheering : 
 
 " INIy whole income, earned by full sixteen hours a-day of 
 the closest application to reading, writing, observation, and 
 study, is but very little more than three hundred pounds a- 
 year. But this is sufficient for my wants, and is earned in a 
 manner which I know to be the most useful and honourable, 
 that is, by teaching beneficial truths, and discountenancing 
 vice and folly more effectually and more extensively than I 
 could in any other way. This I am here always sure to earn, 
 while I can give the necessary application ; and if I were able 
 to execute more literary labour, I might readily obtain more 
 money.'' 
 
 His labours in London were of the most miscellaneous kind. 
 For almost all the London Magazines of that time he wrote 
 numerous communications ; he was, at various periods, con- 
 nected with different newspapers, and he was long employed 
 as a reporter of debates in parliament. The Public Characters^ 
 and the Annual NecroloiQj, contain many pieces of his com- 
 position. In 180(), he addressed A Letter to Mr. Wilher- 
 forcc on the Justice and Expediencij of the Slave Trade. He 
 wrote a short system of chemistry ; and, a few months before 
 his death, he published a small work, called the Comforts of 
 Life^ which it seems met with a rapid sale ; and " I have 
 composed," says he, in his letter to the Literary Fund, " a 
 greater variety of fugitive pieces than I know to have been 
 written by any one other person." 
 
 But though, for some time after his arrival in London, he 
 was well employed, and realized a competent income, yet the 
 influence of his former habits at length prevailed : he wrote 
 only when driven to it by pecuniary exigencies ; and soon 
 found, that by his folly his friends had forsaken him, and that 
 he was reduced to the lowest extremity of indigence and dis- 
 grace. The last years of his life were miserable beyond de- 
 scription. His unhappy situation required uncommon exer- 
 tions to procure even the scantiest subsistence, or to answer in
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 225 
 
 the smallest degree the urgent demands of his creditors ; and 
 he certifies to us, that " he was obliged to read and write 
 from twelve to sixteen hours a-day !" But no exertions could 
 now ward off the calamities which threatened him. He was 
 thrown into Newgate for debt, where he was confined for some 
 months ; at the end of which time, in consequence of indispo- 
 sition, he was removed to an hospital, where, in the course of 
 a week, without a friend to attend or console him, he breathed 
 his last, on the 13th day of April 1807- 
 
 As to Mr. Heron's personal appearance, his figure was ra- 
 ther above the middle size ; his gait was very erect, and im- 
 pressed strangers with the idea of dignity and self-importance : 
 his countenance was pale and care-worn ; the colour of his eyes, 
 which were, from study and confinement, generally inflamed, 
 was blue ; his nose was long ; but, .altogether, his countenance 
 had a pleasing expression. 
 
 His application to study was peculiar and irregular. While 
 at ease in his pecuniary circumstances, he laid aside his pen 
 and books, and devoted his time to amusement and recreation. 
 He delighted in being regarded as an independent and opu- 
 lent gentleman. In the hey-day of prosperity, he kept a pair 
 of horses, with a lacquey dressed in livery. But his golden 
 dreams of wealth and rank, though often renewed, were never 
 of long continuance. His funds soon became exhausted ; and 
 he would, under these circumstances, resume his studies with 
 unremitting ardour, confining himself for weeks to his room, 
 habited only in his shirt and morning gown, with a green 
 veil over his eyes, which, as just mentioned, were weakened 
 and inflamed by these fits of intense application. In the 
 evening he generally dressed, and relieved his mind by visit- 
 ing his friends. He composed wijth the greatest rapidity, 
 and seldom wrote above one copy of any of his works : all his 
 corrections were afterwards made on the proof-sheets. 
 
 In taking a survey of Mr. Heron's intellectual endowments, 
 we are struck w4th the activity and versatility of his talents. 
 Though he did not probably possess great originality of ge- 
 
 d
 
 226 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 nius — though his mind did not blossom and produce fruit 
 spontaneously, yet it was naturally so rich and fertile, as abun- 
 dantly to repay the smallest degree of cultivation and care. 
 His memory was remarkably tenacious ; his acquired know- 
 ledge was uncommonly extensive ; a course of study which 
 commenced with his childhood, and only terminated with his 
 life, had conducted him through almost every department of 
 human acquirement. 
 
 But his various publications afford not a fair specimen of 
 his abilities, either natural or acquired. They were almost all 
 written for bread, and the subjects of them chosen by book- 
 sellers. To examine them singly is unnecessary, as, in his 
 letter to the Literary Fund, he has given a fair and candid 
 estimate of their merit, both in a literary and moral point of 
 view.* 
 
 His style is, in general, pompous and declamatory : it is the 
 same on the most trivial subjects as on the most important and 
 dignified; but it is not seldom chaste, elegant, and animated. 
 
 But whatever praise be due to his writings, not much is due 
 to his moral character. He did not make use of his knowledge 
 in the direction of his own conduct. He possessed little com- 
 mand over his time or his actions ; for he was the easy victim 
 of almost every passion and every temptation ; and, on account 
 of his unsteadiness and indecision, his employers could never 
 depend on his promise or his application. His temper was in 
 a great degree unequal and uncertain ; his friendship was easily 
 gained and easily lost. The vanity and envy which he dis- 
 played on every occasion, and in every company, disgusted his 
 companions, and not unfrequently alienated the affections of his 
 best friends and patrons. 
 
 But let us not employ harsh or unkind terms. Human 
 nature, even when exhibited in its happiest aspect, cannot bear 
 a very strict examination, and when weighed in the " bal- 
 ance" of virtue and piety, will be found " wanting." With 
 all iiis follies. Heron was not unadorned with many virtues, 
 
 * AjipciuHx. Note G.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 227 
 
 and had ever impressed on his mind a strong sense of the dig- 
 nity and necessity of religion. In a diary of his life, ke])t at 
 various periods, and which seems to contain a full and candid 
 account of his feelings and actions, it is recorded that in what- 
 ever manner he had spent the day, he never retired to rest at 
 night without bowing his knee in prayer before the throne of 
 the Eternal. 
 
 This brief account of his character may be summed up in 
 the words applied by Dr. Johnson to his unfortunate friend 
 Savage : — " The reigning error of his life was, that he mistook 
 the love for the practice of virtue, and was not so much the 
 good man, as the friend of goodness."
 
 228 THE LrrERARY HIS70RT 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 LIVES OF ALEXANDER MURRAY, D. D. AND THE REV, 
 
 JAMES M'RAY. 
 
 Alexander Murray, D.D., the subject of this sketch, having 
 been applied to by the Rev. John Garlies Maitland of Mini- 
 gaff, at the reqviest of Principal Baird, for an account of his 
 early history, transmitted to Mr. Maitland the following in- 
 teresting narrative. 
 
 " Manse of Urr, Jult/ 20, 1812. 
 " Dear Sir, 
 " I have many strong objections to state against the utility 
 and propriety of the task which Dr. Baird''s partiality for me 
 has imposed on you. First, I have as yet done nothing that, 
 in a literary sense, entitles me to a place even in the most tri- 
 vial volume oj" biography. Next, I have a just aversion from 
 being made a subject of biographical history ; as, in fact, on 
 account of the absence of any permanent literary merit, a nar- 
 rative concerning me must appear to every reader, as narratives 
 of that kind have often appeared to myself, very contemptible 
 eulogies of men who were, perhaps, a little clever, but whose 
 actions had left no effects ; who, therefore, were not worth a 
 monument, and whose histories seemed mere impertinence to a 
 young aspiring man of letters. Lastly, It is — like human 
 life and human weakness — a piece of absolute uncertainty 
 whether I shall be able to execute my own literary intentions 
 at all, or in a manner creditable to my memory. My ambition 
 is high enough, but my feelings will be much hurt if, in the
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 229 
 
 -event of failure, I shall have the acUlitional mortification of 
 fearing, that I shall be held up to public ridicule by some fool 
 or other, into whose hands the papers of my friends may fall, 
 after their kindness and my small merits have left this scene of 
 accumulating biography/.* 
 
 " The present motives for this task are produced by friend- 
 ship and great partiality. Gratitude seems to require that I 
 siiould not refuse to give j/o?/, and my other proven friend, the 
 means of gratifying an amiable curiosity. But I deprecate all 
 the unpleasant consequences which may follow, and often have 
 followed, the disclosure of the great importance of a man to 
 himself, made by the vain personage himself for advancing his 
 own glory, or by the friends who loved him too much to dis- 
 cern his real magnitude. In sole compliance, however, with 
 the wishes of the friends whom I shall honour while I live, I 
 shall set down some of the principal facts that respect my 
 studies till the year 1794, when I received your letter of re- 
 commendation to Dr. Baird. 
 
 t 
 
 " I was born on Sunday, the 22d of October 1^^5,-f and 
 baptized a fortnight after, on Tuesday 7th November — stated 
 in the register of baptisms to be the 27th, but the old style is 
 understood, (in the register.) The place where my father then 
 lived is called Dunkitterick, or commonly Kitterick ; in Earse, 
 Dun-chcatharaiach, — the know of the cattle. It is on the 
 burn of Palneur, on the south side, about a quarter of a mile 
 from the burn, and on a rivulet that flows from the high hills 
 above on the south. The hills of Craigneildar, Milfore, aiul 
 others, quite overshadow the spot, and hide it from the 
 sun for three of the winter and spring months. The cot- 
 tage has been in ruins for more than twenty years, as the 
 farm is herded from the house of Tenotrie, the tenant of which 
 holds both Tenotrie and Kitterick. This place, now laid 
 open by a road, was, when my father lived there, in a com- 
 
 * " I allude to the tribe of life-writers by profession." 
 •)- " I ascertained these points in 1805, — I did not exactly know my age 
 in 1794;"
 
 23() THE LITERAKY HISTOKY 
 
 pletely wild glen, which was traversed by no strangers but 
 smugglers. Patrick Heron's iamily, in Craigdews, were our 
 next neighbours ; and the black rocks of C'raigdews were con- 
 stantly in our sight. My father, Robert TNIurray, had been a 
 shepherd all his days. He was born in autumn I7O6, and 
 remembered the time of the battle of Sheriffmuir. Our clan 
 were, as he said, originally from the Highlands. My great- 
 grandfather, Alexander Murray, had been a tenant, 1 believe, 
 of Banikiln,* near the present site of Newton-Stewart, but he 
 had retired into Mininaff vlllairc before his death. He had 
 several sons. John, my grandfather, was all his life a shep- 
 herd. He married, when he was young, a woman of the name 
 of Helen INI'Caa. His children were, — Patrick, father of old 
 John INIurray in Blackcraig — my father, (Robert, born in 
 Garlarg,) William, John, and Grisel. INIy grandfather herded, 
 almost all his man-ied lifetime, the farm of Craigencallie, rented 
 by old Patrick Heron, Esq. of Heron. My father married, 
 about 1730, a woman of the name of INIargaret INI'Dowal, and 
 had by her many children — Agnes, John, William, Robert, 
 James. Some of these are still alive, — very old people. All 
 the boys became shepherds. My father lived chiefly in a 
 place called Garrarie, on the river Dee, opposite to Craigen- 
 callie, and in the parish of Kells. His wife died, I think, 
 about 177^- I^ December 1774*' ^^ rather in January l']']5, 
 he married my mother, whose name is Mary Cochrane. She 
 was the daughter of a shepherd also, who came originally from 
 the parish of Balmaghie, and whose forefathers had been small 
 tenants on the estate of Woodhall. She was born August 13, 
 1739? and was more than thirty-five years old at the time of 
 her marriage. My father was then in his sixty-ninth year, 
 which he had completed before I was born.^f* When I became 
 of age to know him, except his very grey, or rather white, hair, 
 
 • " I think this is tlic name '1 lie lands above Newton-Stewart were 
 held by a number of small tenants." 
 
 f '' I have one sister — .Mary, born in February 1777, ov 1778." S!ic is 
 Htill alivp, and is the wife of .Mr. Shaw, High Park, i3almaclolian, by whom 
 she liuN a lainurous family.
 
 OP GALLOWAY. 231 
 
 I remember no symptoms of the influence of time about his 
 person or in his a])pcarance. He enjoyed hak good health 
 till about a year before his death, which took place at Torwood, 
 or Dervvood, in the parish of Kells, in August 1797- 
 
 " He had been taught to read English in a good style for his 
 time ; he wrote not badly, but exactly like the old men of the 
 seventeenth century. He had a considerable share of acute- 
 ness or natural sagacity, a quality possessed by most of his 
 clan. His temper was rather irritable, but not passionate. 
 His moral character was habitually good ; and I know from 
 his way of talking in private about the thefts and rogueries of 
 other persons, that he actually detested these vices. He was 
 very religious in private ; but in company he was merry, fond 
 of old stories, and of singing. Patrick Heron, your elder, if 
 alive, will give you a better account of him than I can. He 
 was no fanatic in religious matters, and always respected the 
 established clergy, whose sermons he never, like many other 
 people, criticised, at least in my hearing. My brother James, 
 his youngest son by the first marriage, died of a fever in I78I 
 or 17^2. His death, which happened at some distance from 
 home, was reported to my father early on a Sunday morning, 
 and I, then a child, could not conceive why my father wept 
 and jirayed all that day. 
 
 " Sometime in autumn I78I he bought a catechism for me, 
 and began to teach me the alphabet. As it was too good a 
 book for me to handle at all times, it was generally locked up, 
 and he throughout the winter drew the figures of the letters to 
 me in his written hand on the board of an old wool-card with 
 the black end of an extinguished heather-stem or root, snatch- 
 ed from the fire. I soon learned all the alphabet in this form, 
 and became writer as well as reader. I wrou<rht with the 
 board and brand continually. Then the catechism was pre- 
 sented, and in a month or two I could read the easier parts of 
 it. I daily amused myself with copying, as above, the jJrinted 
 letters. In May 17^2 he gave me a small psalm-book, for 
 which I totally abandoned the catechism, which I did not 
 like, and which I tore into two pieces, and concealed in a hole
 
 23'2 THE LITERAUY HISTORY 
 
 of a dike. I soon got many psalms by memory, and longed 
 tor a new book. Here difficulties rose. The Bible, used ccery 
 night in the family, I was not permitted to open or touch. 
 The rest of the books were put up in chests. I at length got 
 a New Testament, and read the historical parts with great 
 curiosity and ardour. But 1 lono-cd to read the Bible, which 
 seemed to me a much more pleasant book, and 1 actually went 
 to where I knew an old loose-leaved Bible lay, and carried it 
 away in piecemeal. I perfectly remember the strange pleasure 
 1 felt in reading the history of Abraham and of David. I liked 
 mournful narratives, and greatly admired Jeremiah, Ezekiel, 
 and the Lamentations. I pored on these pieces of the Bible in 
 secret, for many months, for I durst not show them openly ; 
 and as I read constantly, and remembered well, I soon aston- 
 ished all our honest neighbours with the large passages of 
 scripture I repeated before them. I have forgot too much of 
 my biblical knowledge ; but I can still rehearse all the names 
 of the patriarchs from Adam to Christ, and various other nar- 
 ratives seldom committed to mcmorv. 
 
 " My fathers whole property was only two or three scores 
 of sheep, and four muirland cows, his reward for herding the 
 farm of Kitterick for jNIr. Alexander Laidlaw in Clatteran- 
 shaws, on the other side of the Dee. He had no debts, and 
 no money. AW' lived in a wild glen, five or six miles from 
 INIinigaff, and more from New Galloway. All his sons had 
 been bred shepherds ; he meant to employ me in that line ; 
 and he often blamed me for laziness and uselessness, because I 
 was a bad and negligent herd-hoy. The fact was, I was al- 
 ways a weakly child, not unhoalthv, but yet not stout. I was 
 short-sighted, a defect he did not know, and which was often 
 the occasion of blunders when 1 was sent to look lor cattle. I 
 was sedentary, indolent, and given to books, and writing on 
 boards with coals. Jn 17}'3 my fame for wondrous reading, 
 and a great memory, was the discourse of the whole glen. But 
 my father could not pay the expenses of lodging and wages for 
 me at any school. In harvest ^'JiVS, William Cochrane, a bro- 
 ther (it' my mother, returned from England, where he had
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 233 
 
 rnack' a few hundred pounds as a travelling merchant. He 
 came to visit our family, and being informed of my genius, as 
 they called it, undertook to place mc next spring at New 
 Gallov.ay school, and to lodge me in the house of Alexander 
 Cochrane, my grandfather, then alive, and dwelling about a 
 mile from New Galloway. This simple expedient might have 
 occurred to my parents, but I never heard them propose it : 
 the idea of school-wages frightened them from employing it. 
 I was brought to New (ialloway about the 2()th of May I'JHi; 
 and for a month made a ver)' awkward figure in the school, 
 then taught by INIr. William Gordon : he read English well, 
 and had many scholars. Mr. (iillcspic, who is almost my 
 equal in years, being born in 177^ or 177^>' "^'^^ then reading 
 the Rudiments of I^atin.* INIy pronunciation of words was 
 laughed at, and my whole speech was a subject of fun. But 
 I soon gained impudence, and before the vacation in August 
 I often stood dux of the Bible class. I was in the mean time 
 taught to write copies, and use paper and ink. But I both 
 wrote and printed, that is, imitated printed letters when out of 
 school. My morals did not equally improve. INly grandfather 
 was an old man, and could not superintend my proceedings. I 
 learned, therefore, to swear, lie, and do bad tricks, all which 
 practices I have ever since detested. I was fourteen days, or 
 thereby, at this school after the vacation had terminated. But 
 in the beginning of November 1784 I was seized with a bad 
 eruption on the skin, and an illness, which obliged me to leave 
 school, which I saw no more for four years. 
 
 " In spring 1785 my health grew a little better. I was put 
 to assist, as a shepherd boy, the rest of the family. I was 
 still attached to reading, printing of words, and getting by 
 heart ballads, of which I procured several. I had seen the 
 ballad of Chevy Chase at New Galloway, and was quite en- 
 raptured with it. About this time, and for years after, I 
 
 * " The Latin scholars then in the school were a l^r. Paplc, now in Dum- 
 fries; John Heron, now deceased, a relation of my own ; Air. Gillespie ; 
 Dr. Alexander Ilalliday, now in India; Mr. IM'Kay, schoolmuPter of Hal- 
 inaelellan, <Jk.c. 'J'hc three last had onlv read the Rudiments."
 
 234 THE LITERAKY HISTORY 
 
 spent every sixpence that friends or strangers gave me on bal- 
 lads and penny histories. I carried bundles ot" these in my 
 ]i()C'kots, and read them when sent to look for cattle on the 
 banks of Loch Grcanoch, and on the wild hills in its neigh- 
 bourhood. Those ballads that I liked most were Chevy 
 Chase, Sir James the Rose, (by Michael Bruce), Jamie and 
 Nancy, and all heroic and sorrowful ditties. This course of 
 life continued through 17^5, 17^56, and 17^^7- I'^ t^^* ^■^^^ 
 I had read, or rather studied daily, Sir David Lindsay, Sir 
 William ^^"allace, the Cloud of Witnesses, the Hind let 
 Loose, and all the books of piety in the place. My fame for 
 reading, and a mcmoiy, was loud, and several said 1 was " a 
 living miracle.'' 1 puzzled the honest elders of the church with 
 recitals of scripture, and discourses about Jerusalem, &c. &c. 
 In 1787 and I7H8 I borrowed from John Kellie, then in 
 Tenotrie, and still residing, I believe, in Minigaff, Salmon''s 
 Geographical (irammar, and L'Estrange's version of Josephus. 
 I got vnmnise benefit from Salmons book. It gave me an 
 idea of geography and universal history, and I actually recol- 
 lect at this day almost every thing it contains. I learned to 
 copy its maps, but I did not understand the scale. In I788, 
 or early in 17^9? Basil I^ord ])aer came to attend a committee 
 of the gentlemen on the line of road between New Galloway 
 and Newton-Stewart. He had made a map of the whole val- 
 ley of Palneur from Dee to Cree, which map he lost on the 
 moors near Kitterick. It was found and given to me, and I 
 practised drawing plans of the glen of Palneur, correcting and 
 printing the names of places, according to my own fancy. 
 
 " As I could read and write, I was engaged by the heads 
 of two families in Kirkowen parish to teach their children. 
 The name of the one was Kobert Milligan, and the other was 
 Alexander Milroy, laird of Morfad, an old and singular man, 
 who had young grandchildren. 1 taught these pupils during 
 the winter of 1 'JH']-il, but got acquainted with few books. 1 
 received copies of the numeration and multiplication tables 
 from one M'William, a boy of my own age, and a brother 
 teacher. I returned home in March I788. My fees were
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 235 
 
 fifteen or sixteen shillings. Part of this I laid out on books, 
 one of which was the History of the Twelve Ca?sars, translated 
 from ^■u^tonius ; another, Cocker's Arithmetic, the plainest of 
 all books, from which in two or three months I learned the 
 four principal rules of arithmetic, and even advanced to the 
 rule of three, with no additional assistance, except the use of 
 an old copy-book of examples, made by some boy at school, 
 and a ^qw verbal directions from my brother Robert, the only 
 one of all my father's sons, by his first marriage, that remain- 
 ed with us. He was then a cattle-dealer on a small scale. In 
 June 17^8, I made a visit to MinigafF, and got from old John 
 Simpson, a cartwright, and a great reader, the loan of several 
 volumes of Ruddiman's Weekly or Monthly Magazine during 
 1773? 1774* tind 177^? ^^^ ^i^ o^'^ ill-written and superstiti- 
 ous history of the Four INIonarchies, of the Popes, the kings of 
 England, &c. IMy memory now contained a very large mass 
 of historical facts and ballad poetry, which I repeated with 
 pleasure to myself, and the astonished approbation of the pea- 
 sants around me. On the 26th May 17^9, rny father and 
 his family left Kitterick, and came to herd in a place called 
 Drigmorn, on Palkill burn, four miles above MinigafF. He 
 was engaged by Mr. Ebenezer Wilson, now residing in Barn- 
 cauchla. A prospect now opened of my attending INIinigafF 
 school. I set out by myself, and arrived in Minigaff village, 
 where my friend, John Simpson, lived, and where INIr. Cra- 
 mond, schoolmaster of MinigafF, dwelt. I think he lodged in 
 Simpson's house. Mr. Cramond received me, and I travelled 
 every day from Drigmorn to MinigafF. 1 read some English ; 
 but applied chiefly to writing and arithmetic. In the course 
 of the summer I ran over all Dilworth's arithmetic. But I 
 was not in stout health ; the distance from school was great, 
 and I generally attended only three days in the week. INIy 
 teacher allowed this. I made the most of these days ; I came 
 about an hour before the school met, I pored on my arithmetic, 
 in which I am still a proficient, and I regularly opened and 
 read all the English books, such as the Spectator, World, &c. 
 &c., brought by the children to school. I seldom joined in
 
 23() THE LITERARY K16TORY 
 
 any play at the usual hour, but read constantly. It'occurrevl 
 to me that I might get qualified for a merchant's clerk. I, 
 therefore, cast a sharp look towards the method [of book-keep- 
 insj, and <rot some idea of its forms, bv reading Hutton in the 
 school, and by glancing at the books of other scholars. When 
 the vacation came on I was obliged to quit school. At Mar- I 
 
 timnas 17^59, I was engaged by three families in the moors of "^j 
 
 Kells and MinigafF to teach their children. I bought JNlair's 
 book-keeping, having sent to Edinburgh for it by a man who 
 rode as post between Wigton and Edinburgh. The families, 
 one of which belonged to my eldest brother, resided at great 
 distances one from another. JNIy brother lived in the Back- 
 hill of Cxarrarie, — another family lived in Buchan, on Loch 
 Trool, — a third on the Dee, near Garrarie. I migrated about, 
 remaining six weeks in each family. Among these mountains 
 I found several books, — Walker's Arithmetic, — a History of 
 England, — a volume of Langhorne's Plutarch, having the 
 Lives of Eumenes, Pompey, Scipio, &c. — and Burns' Poems, 
 — all which I read with perpetual and close attention. I wa.s 
 fond of verse of all kinds. In 17^7? before leaving Kitterick, 
 I made a scoffing ballad on a neighbour shepherd and a girl of 
 my acquaintance. This was my original sin as to verse. In 
 17^9, the whole moorlands of Ayrshire and Galloway were en- 
 gaged in discussing the doctrines of a book written by Dr. 
 ^lacgill, one of the ministers of Ayr. I entered with much 
 zeal and little knowledge into the feelings of the people, and 
 declaimed against Socinianism and various religious opinions, 
 ^v■hich I certainly was not of age to understand. 
 
 " A little before Whitsunday 1790, I returned home to Drig- 
 morn. My father had been engaged to herd in Barncauchla, a 
 farm within two miles of Minigaff village, to which farm we re- 
 moved on the 26th May 1790. I had now easy access to school, 
 and went regularly. As I now understood reading, writing, 
 and accounts, in imitation oi" other lads in the country, I 
 wished to add to these a little French. I'hese were the sum 
 toUi] of qualifications deemed necessary for a clerk intending 
 to go to the AVcst Indies or America.
 
 OF GALLOAVAY. '2'.f] 
 
 I hail, ih 1787 iind I'JHH, often lulmircil and mused on the 
 specimens of the Lord's Prayer in every language found in 
 Salmon's grammar. I had read in the magazines and Specta- 
 tor that Homer, Virgil, Milton, Shakespeare, and Newton, 
 were the greatest of mankind. I had been early informed 
 that Hebrew was the first language, by some elders and good 
 religious people. In 17H9, at Drigmorn, an old woman who 
 lived near, showed me her Psalm book, which v.'as printed 
 with a large type, had notes on each page, and likewise what 
 I discovered to be the Hebrew alphabet, marked letter after 
 letter in the 119 Psalm. I took a copy of these letters, by 
 j)ri7Uing them off in my old way, and kept them. 
 
 I borrowed from one Jack M'Bride at Bridgend of Cree, 
 Chambaud's Rudiments of French Grammar. About the 
 30th of May 1790, I set to work on it. INIy indulgent mas- 
 ter gave me whole pages of lessons, and in less than a fort- 
 night I besian to read lessons on the second volume of the 
 Diable Boiteux, a book which he gave me. Robert Kerr, a 
 son of William Kerr in Risque, was my friend and compa- 
 nion. He, in preparation for Grenada, whither he soon went, 
 had for some time read French. His gram.mar was Boyer's, 
 and the book which he read on, an old French New Testament. 
 There was another grammar in the school read by Robert 
 Cooper, son of Mr. Cooper, late tenant in Clarie. In the 
 middle of the days I sat in the school and compared the nouns, 
 verts, &c. in all these books ; and as I knew much of the New 
 Testament by memory, I was able to explain whole pages of 
 the French to Kerr, who was not diligent in study. About 
 the 15th of June, Kerr told me that he had once learned Latin 
 for a fortnight, but had not liked it, and still had " the Rudi- 
 ments" beside him. I said, " Do lend me them ; I wish to 
 see what the nouns and verbs are like, and whether they re- 
 semble our French." He gave me the book, I examined it 
 for four or five days, and found that the nouns had changes on 
 the last syllables, and looked very singular. I used to repeat 
 a lesson from the French Rudiments every forenoon in school. 
 On the inorning of the mid-summer fair of Newton-Stewart, I
 
 :23}{ THE LITERARY HISTORY "^ 
 
 set out for school, and accidentally put into my pocket the La- 
 tin irraniniar instead of the thin French rudiments. On an ordi- 
 nary day Mr. Cramond would have chid me for this, but on 
 that festive mornjng he was mellow and in excellent spirits — a 
 state not gootl for a teacher, but always desired in him by me, 
 for he was then very communicative. AV^ith great glee he re- 
 plied, when I told hiin my mistake, and showed the Rudi- 
 ments, " Gad, Sandy, I shall try thee with Latin,"" and ac- 
 cordingly read over to me no less than two of the declensions. 
 It was his custom with me to permit me to get as long les- 
 sons as I pleased, and never to fetter me by joining me to a 
 class. There was at that time in the school a class of four 
 boys advanced as far as the pronouns in Latin grammar. 
 They ridiculed my separated condition. But before the vaca- 
 tion in August, I had reached the end of the rudiments, 
 knew a good deal more than they, by reading at home the 
 notes on the foot of each page, and was so greatly improved in 
 French that I could read almost any French book at opening 
 of it. I compared French and Latin, and rivetted the words 
 of both in my memory by this practice. When proceeding 
 with the Latin verbs, 1 often sat in the school all mid-day, and 
 pored on the first pages of Robert Cooper's Greek grammar, 
 the only one I had ever seen. He was then reading Livy, 
 and learning Greek. By help of his book I mastered the 
 letters, but I saw the sense of the Latin rules in a very indis- 
 tinct manner. Some boy lent me an old Corderlus, and a 
 friend made me a present of Eutropius. I got a common vo- 
 cabulary from my companion Kerr. I read to my teacher a 
 number of Colloquies ; and before the end of July was permit- 
 ted to take lessons in Eutropius. There was a copy of Eutro- 
 pius in the school that had a literal translation. I studied 
 this last with great attention, and compared the English and 
 Latin. \Vlien my lesson was prepared, I always made an ex- 
 cursion into the rest of every book, and my books were not like 
 those of other school-boys, opened only in one place, and 
 where the lesson lay. The school was dissolved in harvest. 
 After the vacation, I returned to it a week or two to read Eu-
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 289 
 
 tropius. A few days before the vacation, I purchased from an 
 old man, named William Shaw, a very bulky and aged edition 
 of Ainsworth's Dictionary. This was an invaluable acquisi- 
 tion to me. It had all the Latin words, and the correspond- 
 ing Greek and Hebrew, likewise a plan of ancient Rome, 
 and a dictionary of proper names. 1 had it for eighteen 
 pence, a very low price. With these books I went off about 
 Martinmas to teach the children of Robert Kerr, tenant in 
 Garlarg, English reading, writing, arithmetic, and Latin. 
 In his house I found several more books, — Ruddiman''s Gram- 
 mar, the most obscure of all works that ever were offered to 
 children for their instruction, a book on which I laboured much 
 to no great purpose, — Caesar and Ovid. I employed eveiy 
 moment in pondering over these books. I literally read the 
 dictionary throughout. My method was to revolve the leaves 
 of the letter A, to notice all the principal words, and their 
 Greek synonimes, not omitting a glance at the Hebrew : to 
 do the same by B, and so on through the book. I then re- 
 turned from X and Z to A, and in these winter months I 
 amassed a large stock of Latin and Greek vocables. From 
 this exercise I took to Eutropius, Ovid, and Cssar, or at 
 times to Ruddiman's Grammar. The inverted order often 
 perplexed me, and I frequently mistook, but also frequently 
 discerned the sense. The wild fictions of Ovid have had 
 charms for me ever since. I was not a judge of simple and 
 elegant composition, but when any passage contained wild, 
 sublime, pathetic, or singular expressions, I both felt and te- 
 naciously remembered them. Here I got another book, which, 
 from that time, has influenced and inflamed my imagination. 
 This was " Paradise Lost,"" of w'hich I had heard, and which 
 I was eager to see. It was lent me by Jean jNIacmillan, at 
 present residing in INIinigafF village, then housekeeper in Gar- 
 larg, and afterwards married to Robert Murray, my brother's 
 son. I cannot describe to you the ardour or various feelings 
 with which I read, studied, and admired i\i\s Jirst-rale work. 
 I found it as difficult to understand as Latin, and soon saw 
 that it required to be parsed like that language. I had the
 
 -40 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 use of this copy for a year, and replaced it with one of my 
 owu. 1 account my first acquaintance with Paradise Lost an 
 era in my reading. 
 
 " About Whitsunday 1791? I returned to school, able to 
 read Kutropius, Ovid, Caesar, and Ruddiman*'s Grammar, 
 in an intelligent, but not very correct style. I certainly knew 
 a great deal of words and matters, but my prosody was bad, 
 and my Knglish not Huent nor elegant. I found the young 
 class reading Ovid and Ca>sar, and afterwards Yirgil. I 
 laughed at the difficulty with which they prepared their les- 
 sons, and often obliged them, by reading them over, to assist 
 the work of preparation. JNIy kind master never proposed 
 that I should join them. He knew, indeed, that my time at 
 school was uncertain ; and he not only remitted a great part of 
 my fees, but allowed me to read any book which I pleased. I 
 studied his humour, and listened to his stories about his col- 
 lege life, in the University of Aberdeen, where he had been 
 regularly bred, and where he had been the class-fellow of Dr. 
 Beattie. 
 
 " I found my school-fellow Robert Cooper reading Li\y, 
 the Greek Grammar, and the Greek New Testament. A few 
 <lays before going to school this season, I had formed an ac- 
 quaintance with John Hunter, a miner under Mr. George 
 INIure, and who lived in the High-Row of the Miners' A'il- 
 lage, at Mr. Heron's lead-mines.* This man and his family 
 had come from Leadhills. He showed me many civilities, 
 and gave me the use of the following books, that had belonged 
 to a brother of his, then deceased : Luciani Dialogi, cum Ta- 
 bula Cebetis, Greek and Latin ; a Greek New Testament ; 
 Homer's Iliad, (ireek and Latin, in tw'o small volumes; 
 Buchanani Historia Rerum Gest. Scoticarum ; and Buchana- 
 T»i Opera Poetica. 'J'he first jwrtion of my wages had gone 
 to Dumfries or Edinburgh, to buy Moor's Greek Grammar 
 
 " " I wa.s introduced to him by the late Mr. Robert Guthrie, my much 
 lamented friend, whose family hved in the same Row. I knew 3Ir. Guthri/3 
 /Voiii I7M7.''
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 241 
 
 and Schrevclii Lexicon. I got the Grammar, but I forget 
 how I obtained the Lexicon. My master allowed me to pass 
 over Ca-sar, Ovid, Virgil, and Sallust, of which last, how- 
 ever, I borrowed copies, and read them privately, or at times 
 with the young class. Dr. George Mure was one of the 
 young class, and my intimate friend. After I had read my 
 own lessons, I almost always read along with him his lesson 
 in Virgil and Sallust. But Mr. Cramond permitted me to 
 read Livy along with Robert Cooper, and Buchanan's His- 
 tory by myself Robert Cooper was indolent, and I was 
 proud to see that I had overtaken him, and could repeat 
 Greek Grammar, and read Greek in the New Testament, 
 with more ease. He was given to taw, but I joined in no 
 sports, but sat all day in the school. My amusement consist- 
 ed in reading books of history and poetry, brought to school 
 by the other scholars. At home I attacked Homer, and at- 
 temptetl to translate him by the help of the Latin translation. 
 In June 1791, we were allowed to read a daily lesson in the 
 first book and volume of the Iliad,* which we prepared in the 
 school. But I kept the second volume at home, and pored on 
 it, till I fairly became, in an incorrect way, master of the 
 sense, and was delighted with it. I remember, that the fate 
 of Hector and of Sarpedon affected me greatly. And no sen- 
 sation was ever more lively, than what I felt on first reading 
 the passage, which declares ' that Jupiter rained drops of 
 blood on the ground, in honour of his son Saqjedon, who was 
 to fall far from his country ."* My practice was to lay down a 
 new and difficult book, after it had wearied me ; to take up 
 another — then a third — and to resume this rotation frequently 
 and laboriously. I always strove to seize the sense ; but when 
 I supposed that I had succeeded, I did not weary myself with 
 analyzing every sentence. About that time I formed a sort 
 of axiom, that every language must have a certain number of 
 words, and that, in learning a language, the student is not 
 
 * " We liad hut one copy, mentioned above." 
 R
 
 24'2 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 master of it till he have seen all these. I therefore always 
 liked to turn over dictionaries, as well as to read authors. 
 
 " In July 1791 9 I found my Greek knowledge increase. 
 I began to translate sentences into Greek, by help of certain 
 phrases at the end of Schrevelius. And so far as I remember, 
 I, during that summer or autumn, attempted to introduce 
 myself to your notice, by letters in Greek and Latin. The 
 Greek one was short, and no doubt very inaccurate likewise, 
 but less exceptionable. From that time you began to give 
 me the use of books, and good advices as to my future beha- 
 viour and studies, which in my situation were very desirable.* 
 I had from you the loan of Longinus — the Glldipus Tyrannus, 
 a volume of Cicero's Orations, which I read with great delight 
 — and some others. All that summer and harvest were de- 
 voted to hard and continued reading, which was not limited 
 to words in Greek and Latin, but extended to the history and 
 poetry in the several books. I carried Homer in my pocket 
 abroad, and studied him with great diligence. 
 
 " I had long possessed the Hebrew letters, and knew the 
 meanings of many words. I was now determined to learn 
 that language. I sent for a Hebrew (xrammar to Edinburgh, 
 by the man who rode post. He brought me Robertson''s Gram- 
 mar, and the first edition of that book, which contains the Ara- 
 bic alphabet in the last leaf. Mr. Cramond, to whom I showed 
 it, in September 1791, at the time when I received it, informed 
 me, that he once was able to read Hebrew, but that he had now 
 forgotten it entirely. I had for a long time known the alphabet ; 
 I found the Latin easy and intelligible ; I soon mastered the 
 points ; and, in the course of a month, got into the whole 
 system of Jewish (Grammar. C)n an accidental visit to New- 
 Galloway, I was told by John Heron, a cousin of mine, and 
 
 * " You must remember, that I waited on you frequently during the 
 autumn 1791, and during the years 1792, 1793, and 1794. I was not six- 
 teen years of age till Octohcr 1791. When I went to Edinburgh, I sup- 
 posed and reported myself to be eighteen j but Dr. Baird's error is venial, 
 and easily accounted for."
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 243 
 
 father to Robert Heron, author of several works, that he could 
 give me a small old Lexicon, belonging to his son. This pre- 
 sent was to me astonishingly agreeable. It contained, besides 
 the words and their Latin interpretations, the book of Ruth in 
 the original. When I came home, some person informed me, 
 that a relation of Mr. Wilson's in Auchinleck, then living in 
 Minigaff village, had in her possession a Hebrew Bible, the 
 property of her brother, Mr. William Wilson, a dissenting 
 clergyman in Ireland. She consented to let me have the use 
 of it for several months. It was a small edition in several 
 volumes, I forget from which press. I made good use of this 
 loan ; I read it throughout, and many passages and books of 
 it, a number of times. At Martinmas 1791, Mr. William 
 Douglas, in Dranandow, engaged me to teach his children. 
 The fee was, I think, thirty-five or forty shillings. I devoted, 
 as usual, every spare hour to study. French, Latin, Greek, 
 and Hebrew, occupied all my leisure time. I sometimes 
 amused myself with printing songs and favourite pieces of 
 poetry, in the following sort of character : 
 
 ' Amang the bonnie winding banks, 
 Wliare Doon rins wiinpling clear,' &c. &c. 
 
 " A ballad written in this manner excited more admiration 
 than it really merited, because few lads in the country could 
 do it. I wrote this kind of hand with great celerity, but it is 
 now obsolete with me. 
 
 " I returned to school in summer 1792, and read Latin and 
 Greek rather for practice than in a rudimental way. The fault 
 of our teacher was a slovenly inattention to grammatical minu- 
 tiae, which hurt my future appearance at college, and is more 
 or less the evil of all country schools. In return for this, he 
 was kind, familiar, and communicative. His foible was the 
 love of drink. He had nobody to prepare a comfortable meal 
 for him in his little way, and he went to the alehouse in order 
 to avoid the wcarisomeness and inattention which distressed him 
 at home. You know he at length became unfit for any pub- 
 lic situation. Yet, had I been placed under a more formal and
 
 244 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 regular master, I should never have been able to make a re- 
 spectable progress. For the broken state of my time would 
 have condemned me to wait on children in low and young 
 classes, in order to get by memory every part of the Rudiments. 
 And every absent winter, and inaccuracy in reading, would 
 have been pretexts for bcyinning me anew in the Rudiments 
 and Grammar. All the accurate men have this way of think- 
 ing. Mr. Dalzel, the professor of Greek, rebuked me severely 
 for looking into Plato and Aristophanes in my first year at 
 college. I received his admonitions, but still persisted in read- 
 ing these writers. Desultory study is no doubt a bad thing, 
 but a lad whose ambition never ceases, but stimulates him in- 
 cessantly, enlarges his mind and range of thought by excur- 
 sions beyond the limits of regular forms. 
 
 " In 1792, 1 read portions of Homer, Livy, Sallust, and any 
 author used in the school. In the autumn 1792, my compa- 
 nion Cooper left the school, and went, I believe, to Glasgow 
 university.* I could not imitate him for want of funds. In 
 the winter 1792-3, I engaged myself with Thomas Birkmyre, 
 miller of Miniraff iNIiln, and taught his children durincj that 
 season till ISIarch 1793. My wages were only thirty shillings, 
 but my object was to get a residence near Newton-Stewart, and 
 to have liberty of going in the winter Joreju'ghts to a school 
 taught by INIr. Nathaniel INIartin in Bridgend of Cree. Se- 
 veral young lads attended it with a view to exercise themselves 
 in reading English poetry, and in spending their hours agree- 
 ahJij. Martin had been at Edinburgh, and possessed many 
 new books, such as the Bee, Duncan's Cicero, some of the best 
 English Collections, and so forth. In the Miln, I got Gulli- 
 ver's Travels, and Clarke's Evidences of Christianity. I did 
 not understand the one, nor care much for the other. My 
 companions at the nightly-school, were William Gifibrd, lately 
 a writer's first clerk in Edinburgh, one Thomas Baird, clerk 
 to a tobacconist, John Mackilwraith, son-in-law to John M'Kie, 
 lately merchant in Castle Douglas. John Mackilwraith was 
 
 ♦ " Or to Wigton Kchod, I forgot which."
 
 OF OALhOWAY. 245 
 
 an old friend, for his father-in-law was tenant of Kitterick in 
 1 'JHH. From him I got the loan of Baillie's English ])iction- 
 ary, which I studied, and learned from it a vast variety of use- 
 ful matters. I gained from it the Anglo-Saxon alphabet, the 
 Anglo-iSaxon paternoster, and many M'ords in that venerable 
 dialect. This enabled me to read Hicke's Saxon Grammar 
 without difficulty after I went into Edinburgh, and led the 
 way to the Visi-Gothic and German. About the end of au- 
 tumn 1792, I had procured from one Jack Roberts, a small 
 Welsh history of Christ and the apostles. I had seen a trans- 
 lation, or rather the original English, of this book in former 
 years, but I could not get access to it after I had the AVelsh 
 in my possession. I mused, however, a good deal on the quo- 
 tations of Scripture that abound in it, and got acquainted with 
 many Welsh words and sentences. If I had a copy of the 
 Bible in any language of which I know the alphabet, I could 
 make considerable progress in learning it without Grammar or 
 Dictionary. This is done by minute observation and compa- 
 rison of words, terminations, and phrases. It is the method 
 dictated by necessity, in the absence of all assistance. 
 
 " In I79I5 I had the loan of a stray volume of the Ancient 
 Universal History from my neighbour schoolfellows, the 
 Maclurgs, who lived in Glenhoash, below Risque. It con- 
 tained the history of the ancient Gauls, Germans, Abyssinians, 
 and others. It included a very incorrect copy of the Abyssi- 
 nian alphabet, which, however, I transcribed and kept by me 
 for future occasions. I was completely master of the Arabic 
 alphabet, by help of Robertson's Grammar, in the end of which 
 (first edition) it is given in an accurate manner. 
 
 "In the autumn of 1792, about the time I went to the 
 Miln, I had, in the hour of ignorance and ambition, believed 
 myself capable of writing an epic poem. For two years before, 
 or rather from the time that I had met with Paradise Lost, 
 sublime poetry was my favourite reading. Homer had encourag- 
 ed this taste ; and my schoolfellow, George IMure, had lent mc, 
 in 1791, an edition of Ossian's Fingal, which is in many pas-
 
 i>4G 
 
 THE LITERARY HlS^TORY 
 
 sages a sublime and pathetic performance.* 1 copied Fingal, 
 as the book was lent only for four days, and carried the MS. 
 about with me. I chose Arthur, general of the Britons, for my 
 hero, and during that winter 1792-3, wrote several thousand of 
 blank verses about his achievements. This was my first at- 
 tempt in blank verse. In 1790, 1 had purchased " the Grave,'" 
 a poem by Blair, and committed it almost entirely to memory. 
 In summer 1 791 , about the time that I intruded myself on 
 your notice, I wrote two pieces in blank verse, one on Death, 
 and another on some religious subject, and sent them to Dr. 
 Boyd at Merton Hall. The Doctor expressed a wish to see 
 me, and I went and waited on him. He was very kind to me, 
 but did not seem to relish my poetry. Dr. John Hope, who 
 was at the time on a medical visit to the Doctor, hinted to me, 
 that in order to please him, it would be proper to court the 
 Comic rather than the Tragic Muse on the next occasion. 
 
 " The poem of Arthur v.as, so far as I remember, a very 
 noisy, bombastic, wild, and incoiTcct performance. It was not 
 without obligations to Ossian, Blilton, and Homer. But I 
 had completed the Sevenlh Book before I discerned that my 
 predecessors were far superior to me in every thing. The 
 beauties of the first books of Paradise Lost overwhelmed me ; 
 and I began to flag in the executive department. My com- 
 panions, young and ignorant like myself, applauded my verses ; 
 but I perceived that they were mistaken, for my rule of judg- 
 ment proceeded from comparison in another school of criticism. 
 In March 1793, I left the INliln, and went to a place called 
 Suie, on the very limits of INIinigaff, and a mile or two above 
 Glcncard. I was employed there to teach writing and arith- 
 metic to one Alexander Hislop, formerly a travelling merchant, 
 an old ^acquaintance and a warm friend. Here 1 got Pope's 
 Homer, which indeed I had seen before, but had not read. In 
 the end of March, one James IM'Harg, son of a small farmer 
 in the Moss of Cree, who had been at Glasgow for half a year 
 
 " I^had^^read Telemaf/uC' .Miss IJaveiiscrof't Dunbar, then at scliool, ]iad 
 a vory rare and'curious edition of it, wliicli I have never met with in Ediri- 
 Inirgh.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 247 
 
 in some manufacturing house, came to Suie, on his return 
 from Glasgow. I shewed him the epic poem. He was trans- 
 ported with it, and declared that it was the most wonderful 
 piece in the universe. This was not my first introduction to 
 him. I knew him in 17^9 at jNIinigaff school, and visited 
 him now and then while he lived as a merchant in Dashwood, 
 (Newton-Stewart). He had formerly lent me Milton with 
 notes, and tiie first volume of Pope's works, I told him that 
 I did not think the epic poem well done, and that I meant to 
 destroy it, and take to smaller pieces. He was an enthusiast in 
 Scotch verse, and had written many comic poems in the manner 
 of Burns, some of them far from contenaptible. His heart was 
 very warm, but, like most poets, he was indolent in business, 
 and generally unsuccessful in his affairs. I returned home in 
 May 1793, but did not go to school. Indeed my business 
 there was completed. The whole periods of my school-educa- 
 tion stand as follows: — 1. From Whitsunday, 26th May, to 
 the middle of August 1784, at New-Galloway school, adding a 
 fortnight in the end of October and beginning of November 
 same year. 2. About six weeks of time spent at Minigaff in 
 summer 1789- 3. From Whitsunday to vacation time, and 
 a fortnight after vacation 1790. 4. From Whitsunday to va- 
 cation time 1791. 5. From Whitsunday to vacation, and a 
 fortnight after, 1792. 
 
 " I passed the summer 1793 at home, and in long visits to 
 my friends in Newton-Stewart, and other parts. I used to 
 live u-eeL's with James IM'Harg, and to write in company with 
 him ridiculous burlesque poems on any subject that struck our 
 fancy. Newton-Stewart, at that time, read with great interest 
 Tom Paine's works, in which M'Harg and I did not feel our- 
 selves much concerned. We both liked liberti/; but I remem- 
 ber, that the death of the king of France, which I read in 
 January 1793, in a newspaper, almost made me cry ; and I 
 hated Marat and Robespierre. M'Harg had a practice of 
 preying on the credulity of ignorant people who were not able 
 to read, but were keen Jacobins. He told them a world of lies 
 about the success of the French, &c. &c. which they with great
 
 248 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 and absurd joy communicated to their neighbours. We both 
 did a little too much in this wicked way, for we thought these 
 people below par in sense. During that summer I destroyed 
 Arthur and his Britons, and began to translate from Bu- 
 chanan's poetical works his Fratres Franciscani. I made an 
 attempt to obtain jNIochrum school, but Mr. Steven, minister 
 of that parish, Avho received me very kindly, told me that it 
 was promised, and that my youth would be objected to by the 
 heritors and parish. 
 
 " Some time in summer 1793, I formed an acquaintance 
 with William Hume, a young lad who intended to become 
 an Antiburgher clergyman, and who kept a private school in 
 Newton-Stewart. About the same time you introduced me to 
 several members of the presbytery of Wigton. My friendship 
 with JNIr. Hume procured me the loan of several new books. I 
 paid a visit to ]Mr. Donnan in Wigton, an excellent man and 
 scholar. He examined me on Homer, which I read ad aper- 
 turam librt, in a very tolerable, thovigh not very correct man- 
 ner. He gave me Cicero dc JValurd Dcorum, which 1 studied 
 with great ardour, though a speculative treatise. I was en- 
 thusiastically fond of Cicero, as my dictionary gave me a most 
 affecting account of the merits and fate of that great man. In 
 1791, I bought for a triHe a MS. volume of the lectures of 
 Arnold Drackenburg, a German professor, on the lives and 
 writings of the Roman authors, from Livius Andronicus to 
 Quinctilian. This was a learned work, and I resolved to 
 translate and publish it. I remained at home during the 
 winter of 179>^4, and employed myself in that task. My 
 translation was neither elegant nor correct. My taste was im- 
 proving ; but a knowledge of elegant phraseology and correct 
 diction cannot be acquired without some acquaintance with the 
 world, and with the human character in its polished state. 
 The most obscure and uninteresting parts of the Spectator, 
 World, Guardian, and Pope\ Works, were those that de- 
 scribed life and manners. '^I'he parts of these works which I 
 then read with rapture, were accounts of tragic occurrences, of 
 great, but unfortunate men, and poetry that addressed the
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 219 
 
 passions. In spring 1794, I got a reading of Blair's Jjcctures. 
 The book was lent by Mr. Strang, a Relief clergyman, to 
 William Hmne, and AwWent to me. In 1793 I had seen a 
 volume of an Encyclopaedia, but found very considerable dif- 
 ficulties in making out the sense of obscure scientific terms, 
 with whicli those books abound. 
 
 " Early in 1794 I resolved to go to Dumfries, and present 
 my translation to the booksellers there. As I had doubts re- 
 specting the success of a History of the Latin Writers, I like- 
 wise composed a number of poems, chiefly in the Scottish dia- 
 lect, and most of them very indifferent. I went to Dumfries 
 in June 1794, and found that neither of the two booksellers 
 there would undertake to publish my translation ; but I got a 
 number of subscription-papers printed, in order to promote the 
 publication of the poems. I collected by myself and friends 
 four or five hundred subscriptions. At Gatehouse, a merchant 
 there, an old friend, gave me a very curious and large-printed 
 copy of the Pentateuch, which had belonged to the celebrated 
 Andrew Melvin, and the Hebrew Dictionary of Pagninus, a 
 huce folio. Durint; the visit to Dumfries I was introduced to 
 Robert Burns, who treated me with great kindness ; told me 
 that if I could get out to college without publishing my poems 
 it would be better, as my taste was young and not formed, and 
 I would be ashamed of my productions when I could write and 
 judge better. I understood this, and resolved to make publi- 
 cation my last resource. In Dumfries I bought six or seven 
 plays of Shakespeare, and never read any thing, except INIilton, 
 with more rapture and enthusiasm. I had seen his poems 
 before. 
 
 " During this summer, my friend INI'Harg was in Edin- 
 burgh, employed as a hawker, or itinerant dealer in tea, &c. 
 He described my situation to James Kinnear, a journeyman 
 printer, a very respectable man, who informed him, that if I 
 could be brought into town, Dr. Baird and several other 
 gentlemen would take notice of me. I communicated this 
 to you, — you countenanced the measure, and, in consequence, 
 I arrived in Edinburgh in the beginning of November 1794.
 
 250 THK LITERARY lilSTORY 
 
 *' jNIv dear Sir, — I have exhausted the paper with a weari- 
 some detail of triHes, :inJ have not room to subscribe myself, 
 " Your very faithful and grateful servant, 
 
 " Alexr. Murray." 
 
 Such is Dr. INIurray's singular narrative, on which any com- 
 ment would hut weaken the impression which it is calculated 
 to convey. On his arrival in Edinburgh, we proceed to state, 
 he was kindly received by IMr. Kinnear. The only letter 
 of introduction which he hroujiht to town, was one from Mr. 
 jVIaitland to Dr. Daird; who received him \»ith great kindness. 
 Too much praise cannot be paid to these two gentlemen for 
 their generous conduct, particularly as they were strangers to each 
 other, and were actuated solely by the motive of bringing 
 into notice indigent merit, and opening to a young man of ex- 
 traordinary promise a wider field for the cultivation of his ge- 
 nius and talents. Nor was Murray unworthy of the patronage 
 of these respectable individuals. On the first day after his 
 arrival in town, he underwent an examination in presence of 
 Dr. Baird, Dr. Finlayson, and Dr. Moodie ; and, to use the 
 language of one of his examinators, " he read, ad aperturam 
 libri, and also explained and analyzed accurately a passage of 
 French, an ode of Horace, a page of Homer, and a Hebrew 
 psalm." In consequence of his uncommon acquirements, not 
 only the direct advantages of the college were procured to him 
 without expense, but such pecuniary aid was extended to him 
 as was necessary for the effectual prosecution of his studies. 
 At the end of two years he obtained a bursary from the town ; 
 and about that time he began to support himself by carrying 
 on private teaching. Dr. Baird continued through life his 
 faithful friend and patron. " 1 was under his immediate 
 care," says Dr. Murray, in a letter to Mr. Maitland, " from 
 179 i to I79G or 1797' when I began to support myself. In 
 fact, I was always under his counsel and directions, and saw 
 him as frequently as was suitable, from 1794 to 1806." 
 
 Dr. Murray's views were directed to our national church; 
 and, while he was following that course of study prescribed to
 
 OF GALLOWAY. ' 251 
 
 candidates for the sacred office, he was, at the same time, de- 
 voting every leisure moment to the silent prosecution of his 
 favourite studies. No language to which he had access escaped 
 his investigation. lie not only made himself acquainted with 
 all the dialects of Europe, ancient as well as modern, but his 
 researches penetrated also into the languages of the Kast. At 
 a subsequent period of life he made himself master of the 
 Sanskrita, the ancient dialect of India, and arrived at no slight 
 proficiency in the study of the Chinese itself. Of the exact 
 extent of his acquaintance with the latter of these tongues we 
 have no certain proof; but with regard to the former, the fol- 
 lowing extract from a letter written to Dr. Baird, contains sa- 
 tisfactory information : — 
 
 " The publication of Dr. Wilkins"" Sanskrita Grammar did 
 me material service, though I got his book only in May 1809. 
 Before that time I had limited my views to an examination of 
 the European dialects. I understood Hindostanee and Persic, 
 and was able to confirm the opinion of Sir William Jones as 
 to the ancient affinity of the Greek, Teutonic, Persic, and 
 Sanskrit. But although I knew the alphabet, and had some 
 specimens of the Sanskrita, I could not explain any passage 
 of it. I received this book with the pleasure felt in gratifying 
 a favourite passion ; and I am now happy in being able to 
 identify the languages of the Edda and the ^"edas. It will 
 amuse you to hear that Oeda, in Islandic, and Veda, in 
 Sanskrit, are not only in the main the same word, but that 
 they are actually the same as our own term wit, or wita, which, 
 as you know, in old times signified knowledge. By means of 
 the Sanskrit I have detected, the ancient form of many Persic 
 words, and the history of the several parts of the verb.. I have 
 ascertained the identity of the Sarmatee and Slavi, and traced 
 their affinity with the Medes ; of course, I have made the tour 
 of Asia and Europe, and I hope with some advantage to a 
 study which is rather too much despised, but which occupies 
 a considerable portion of the time of every man who reads fo- 
 reign or ancient books." 
 
 His attention, as this extract shows, was not c(mfined to
 
 2o!2 THE LITEUAUY HISTOUY 
 
 words merely, or satisfied with the l)arc capacity of translating 
 the several dialects which I'ornietl the ohject of his inquiries. 
 He studied antiquities, and the philosophy of grammar. He 
 was aware that it is impossible to investigate the filiation of 
 any one language, without a competent knowledge of those 
 which are either historically or geographically connected with 
 it. By researches conducted into the ancient languages of 
 Europe, he discovered the source and basis of all the modern 
 dialects of that quarter of the globe ; and was thus enabled to 
 ascertain the origin and early history of the several people that 
 inhabit Kurope, and the affinity that obtains among them. 
 " I have been gratified,"' says Dr. Murray, " to find what 
 has often been vaguely asserted, that the Greek and Latin are 
 only dialects of a language much more simple, elegant, and 
 ancient, which forms the basis of almost all the tongues of 
 Europe, and, as I hope to demonstrate on some future occa- 
 sion, of Sanskrit itself" 
 
 While he was thus dedicating every hour he could com- 
 mand to study and research, he was not known beyond the 
 circle of a few select friends ; of whom the most eminent was 
 Dr. Lcyden, a man of exactly the same age, and of congenial- 
 ity of mind and pursuits. " Murray,"" says the Rev. Mr. 
 Morton, " once observed to Dr. Anderson, that there was no- 
 body in Edinburgh whom he should be so much afraid to con- 
 tend with in languages and philology as Leyden ; and it is 
 remarkable that the latter, without knowing this, once ex- 
 pressed himself to the same person in the same terms in com- 
 mendation of Murray's learning."* Leyden closed " his 
 bright and brief career" in the island of Java, in August 1811. 
 Lamented as he was by all who take any interest in the fate 
 of genius, he was regretted by none more deeply than by his 
 friend, to whose memory these pages are dedicated. The fol- 
 lowing extract relative to this melancholy event, from a letter 
 written by Dr. Murray to Dr. Anderson, does equal honour to 
 the memory of both : — " Our indefatigable and invaluable 
 friend, than whose a more ardent spirit never comprehended 
 
 " Poetical liemainx (f Dr. Leyden, by the Rev. James Mortvn, y. 17.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 253 
 
 whatever is vast, nor surmounted whatever is difficult in literary 
 pin-suit, has prematurely closed his brilliant day, and is <Tone ! 
 When recently engaged in researches into the several affini- 
 ties of certain languages in which he was extremely conver- 
 sant, I felt an anticipation of pleasure from the thought that 
 my inquiries would in due time come under his eye, and un- 
 dergo the friendly correction of his learned judgment. Alas I 
 this expectation was utterly vain, for the possibility of its being 
 accomplished was already past." 
 
 Dr. Murray, soon after his arrival in town, supported himself, 
 as has been previously hinted, as a private teacher of languages. 
 But he at length obtained a more congenial species of employ- 
 ment. He had long been an occasional writer in The Scots 
 Magazine ; and acted, at length, for some time, as editor of 
 that work. He contributed also several able articles to the 
 Edinburgh Review. In his youth, as we have already seen, 
 he had attained some knowledge of the Abyssinian. The 
 study of this language, on his coming to college, he prosecuted 
 with the happiest success, by the help of Ludolph's Diction- 
 ary and the Polyglot Bible. He made himself completely 
 master of the Geez or Tygre, and the Amharic, the two dia- 
 lects of which the Abyssinian consists, as also of the dialects 
 spoken by the subjects and neighbours of the Abyssinian mon- 
 archy. With these rare attainments, he was engaged, by Mr. 
 Constable, as editor of a new impression of Bruce''s Travels to 
 Discover the Source of the Nile. This undertaking he com- 
 menced in the month of September 1802, and it v^as continu- 
 ed with unremitting application for nearly three years ; for the 
 work did not appear until the month of July 1805. The 
 time he was employed in preparing it, he resided chiefly at 
 Kinnaird House, where he had access to the papers and MSS. 
 which Mr. Bruce had collected or composed. To this produc- 
 tion, which consists of seven large octavo volumes, he prefixed 
 a Life of the author, and contributed notes and an appendix, 
 containing the most curious and learned discussions on philo- 
 logy, antiquities, and a manifold variety of subjects illustrative 
 of Bruce's narrative. The Life of the traveller, considerably
 
 :254 THE LITERAKV HISTORY 
 
 enlarged and improved, lie published separately in one volume 
 quarto, extending to 504> pages ; to which is added an appen- 
 dix, consisting of" selections from Bruce*'s correspondence, an 
 account of his various INISS. and other cognate illustrations. 
 
 Dr. Murray had meanwhile been licensed a preacher of the 
 gospel ; but had no prospect of obtaining a living in the 
 church. Having been employed, however, to give private les- 
 sons to the late William Douglas of Orchardton, that gentle- 
 man, himself a man of genius, took an interest in his views in 
 this respect ; and having understood that the Rev. Dr. James 
 Muirhead, minister of Urr, wished to have a helper and succes- 
 sor appointed to him in that charge, recommended his learned 
 tutor as a fit person for that situation. Murray having been 
 accordingly introduced to that clergyman, and several other 
 friends, among whom we cannot resist mentioning William 
 Muirhead Herries of Spottes,* son of Dr. Muirhead, he was, 
 much to the satisfaction of the people, appointed to this charge 
 in 180G. 
 
 Dr. Muirhead, descended of a family that had been settled in 
 Galloway so early as 1517, was born at Logan (of which his 
 father was proprietor,) in 1742. He commenced the study 
 of law, but soon abandoned it for theology. He was settled 
 in Urr in 1769- He was a man of learning and talents : 
 mathematics was at one time his favourite study. He was 
 given to wit and punning, but was possessed of too much 
 politeness and benevolence to wound by these the feelings of 
 any one. He was, moreover, a poet, and is advantageously 
 known as the author of an excellent song, entitled Bess the 
 Gnitkie. He died in 1808, two years after Dr. Murray had 
 been appointed his colleague. -f* 
 
 • AppenfltT, Note //. 
 
 ■) Allan Cunningliaiii, in his Son(/s of Scotland, a useless work, which de- 
 servedly fell dead from the press, igiionmtly terms this clergymHii " the 
 Rev. William i"\Iorolicad," instead of tlie Hov. Dr. James Muirhead ! 
 The same author converts the surname of Xathaniel IM'Kie of Crossmichael 
 into " Mackay." His work, indeed, is full of blunders, though it were 
 well for his character if mere hlunders constituted its only fault. For an 
 eminent instance of iiis modesty and veracity, consult the liife of Lowe in 
 this volume.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 255 
 
 Dr. Murray, on his first going to Urr, resided, till the 
 death of Dr. Muirhcad, in the house of his maternal uncle Mr. 
 William Cochrane, a respcctahle farmer ; and soon became 
 acquainted with the neighbouring family of Mr. James Af- 
 fleck, in Cxrangc. Henrietta Alileck soon became the object 
 of his attachment. His addresses were not unwelcome ; and 
 their marriage took place on Friday the 9th of December 1808. 
 
 In 1808, he published The Life of James Bruce, of which 
 we have formerly spoken. This work, with the edition of 
 Bruce^s Travels, had so established his character as a linguist, 
 and particularly as acquainted with the Abyssinian language, 
 that, in 1811, at the suggestion of the late Mr. Henry Salt, 
 envoy to that country, he w^as applied to, to use Mr. Salt''s 
 own words, " as the only person in the British dominions" 
 adequate to the task, to translate a letter written in Geez, from 
 the governor of Tygre to our king. Though, as Dr. Murray 
 himself states, some passages in the original were a little ob- 
 scure, he performed the task in the most satisfactory manner. 
 
 He continued faithfully to perform his clerical duties, and 
 w^as unwearied in his literary pursuits, till an event took place 
 which altered his prospects in life. In June 1812 the chair 
 of Oriental languages in the university of Edinburgh became 
 vacant by the death of Dr. IMoodie. For this situation Dr. 
 Murray was proposed a candidate by his friends in town, ere 
 an account of the vacancy had reached him in the countiy ; 
 and he afterwards himself solicited the support of the patrons 
 of the university to obtain the vacant office. Three other re- 
 spectable candidates appeared in the field.* The subject of 
 this memoir, however, after a very keen contest, was elected by 
 a majority of two voices. Had Dr. Murray died in the re- 
 mote parish of Urr, to use an expression of the late Professor 
 Christison, " the patrons of learning in Scotland might re- 
 gret that he was not promoted ; but such regret would not re- 
 pair the loss." 
 
 * These were Dr. Alexander Eruriton, (the present learned Professor,) 
 Dr. David Dickson, and Dr. David scot. For an account of this election, 
 see Scots Magazine for April 181?.
 
 "256 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 In consequence of this appointment, he removed to Edin- 
 burgh in the month of November 1812. He left his family 
 behind hi»n in l^-r, as he did not mean, till after the subse- 
 quent summer, which he expected to spend in the country, to 
 reside permanently in town. Before he commenced his class, 
 he published, for their use, Outlines of Oriental Philology, — 
 a small work which he had composed many years before this 
 date, and which is regarded as containing a remarkably simple, 
 and, in many respects, an original epitome of the grammati- 
 cal principles of the Hebrew and its cognate dialects. His 
 class Mas composed not only of theological students, who are 
 all, from the course of study prescribed them by the laws of 
 our church, obliged to be acquainted with the Hebrew lan- 
 guage, but of many aged and literary gentlemen, whose at- 
 tendance could only be gained and secured by such an illustri- 
 ous professor. 
 
 But Dr. ^luiTay was not doomed long to enjoy his new situ- 
 ation. His constitution was not naturally athletic. He had 
 long been threatened with complaints of a pulmonary nature. 
 Previously to his cominij to Kdinburij;h, he had been for two 
 winters so afflicted with a violent cough, accompanied with de- 
 bility and slight fever, that for several successive weeks, he had 
 been unable to discharge his public duties. In February 
 1813, this fatal complaint having, in consequence of his great 
 exertions in preparing his academical lectures, (all of which 
 he composed after his arrival in town,) settled upon him more 
 severely than usual, he was prevented from attending his 
 class ; and it was evident to all, that his life was in imminent 
 danger. He himself entertained hopes of his recovery, and 
 Mas flattering himself with the prospect of being able to re- 
 move to the country ; but his complaints daily assumed a 
 more alarming aspect. On the day before his death, he was 
 out of bed for twelve hours. He arranged several of his pa- 
 pers, spoke freshly, and appeared in good spirits. He alluded 
 to his ap])roaching dissolution, which he now himself began to 
 ap])rehend ; but Mrs. Murray, (who had come to town in the 
 preceding evening,) was too agitated to admit of the subject
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 257 
 
 being minutely adverted to. He retired to bed at eleven o"'clock ; 
 he dozed a little ; and every moment he Avas awake, he spent 
 in prayer. In the true spirit of genius, he said that he had 
 once expected to attain to old age, and that he Avould be en- 
 abled to perform something of a more eminent nature, and of 
 greater importance to society, than he had yet accomplished ; 
 but not a murmur escaped his lips ; he was, at all times, 
 perfectly resigned to the will of the Eternal. The following 
 verse of the hundred and eighteenth psalm he repeated a few 
 hours before his death : 
 
 O set ye open unto me 
 
 The gates o<" righteousness ; 
 Then will I cuter into them. 
 
 And 1 the Lord will bless. 
 
 At the end of these lines he made a pause, and Mrs. Murray 
 having proceeded with the subsecjuent verse, 
 
 This is the gate of God, by it 
 
 The just shall enter in ; 
 Thee will I praise, for thou me hcardst. 
 
 And hast my safety been, 
 
 he looked wistfully and tenderly in her countenance, — he put 
 his hand on his breast, — and said it gave him relief and con- 
 solation. He now became suddenly worse, — his speech failed 
 him, — and having lingered in this state for a short time, he 
 breathed his last in the arms of his wife. This melancholy 
 event took place at a quarter past six o'clock on the morning 
 of Thursday the 15th of April 1813, in the thirty-seventh 
 year of his age. The last words he was heard to utter were, 
 " Take clear burial ground," meaning, no doubt, to intimate 
 his desire that his remains might be placed in a grave which 
 had not been previously occupied. 
 
 His body was interred in the Greyfriars' church-yard, up- 
 on the north-west corner of the church, close to the wall of 
 it. His funeral was attended by the Magistrates of the city, 
 by the Professors of the University in their robes, by the The- 
 ological Society, of which he had been a member, and by
 
 258 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 some private litcraiy friends. There is not a stone to point 
 out wliere his remains are reposited. 
 
 His stature was rather hch)w the middle size. He bent a 
 littk' in his gait ; and Avhen he walked, generally kept his left 
 hand upon his breast, a habit originating, it is probable, in his 
 pectoral complaints. The colour of his hair was black ; of his 
 eyes, which were sharp and sparkling, a beautiful hazel brown. 
 On the right side of his face was a large mark of a pretty dark 
 hue, extending upwards fully three inches, from a line drawn, 
 as it were, from the lower extremity of the nose and ear. He 
 constantly wore spectacles. His dress was neat and becoming. 
 
 His character, in every point of view, is deserving of praise. 
 Born in a iuimble station, his advancement in life was owing 
 not less to the strictest propriety of conduct, than to the splen- 
 dour of his talents. As a companion and a friend, he was 
 frai\k, constant, imsuspicious, and affectionate. In the com- 
 pany of his intimate associates, he Avas playful and humorous, 
 and had ahvays at command a variety of witty and amusing 
 anecdotes, which he introduced with propriety, and told with 
 spirit and animation. His temper was rather irritable. Of 
 pcdantr)^ and ostentation he was perfectly devoid. As a cler- 
 gyman he was faithful and laborious, and much esteemed by his 
 people. His pulpit di.scourses were striking and edifying. 
 
 He left behind him in manuscript a learned work ; which, 
 under the auspices of the late Sir Henry INIoncreiff, was pub- 
 lished in two volumes in 1823. Of this work, entitled His- 
 tory of the European, Layiguages ; or, Researches into the Af- 
 Jinities of the Teulonicy Greek, Celtic, Sclavonic, and Indian 
 Nations, Dr. Scot was the editor ; and to it is prefixed a 
 Life of the Author, written by Sir Henry Moncreiff. This 
 undertaking is evidently no mean one. J3r. Murray in con- 
 ducting it endeavours to prove, as tlie result of his researches, 
 that the languages of Kurope can be traced to a single dialect ; 
 and that this dialect consisted of a few monosyllables, nine in 
 number, some of which may be considered a variation of the 
 other Of these he thinks that ag and wag were probably the 
 first articulate sounds. " We do not say,"" to use the words of
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 259 
 
 his learned editor, " that Dr. Murray's system may not af- 
 ford room for discussion ; but if it is not demonstrated truth, 
 it looks very like it. In support of his account of the rise of 
 the European languages, he has resorted to the inductive me- 
 thod of reasoning ; and the reader will have cause to admire 
 his ingenuity of analysis, if he cannot always subscribe to his 
 conclusions." " Dr. Murray," to quote again from Dr. Scot's 
 preface, " does not form a theory, and then look about for ar- 
 guments to support it. But he was led to the conclusions, 
 detailed in this work, by his attempt to analyze the words of 
 which the European languages consist." 
 
 He left behind him a widow with two children, a daughter 
 and a son. The former, Agnes, fell a victim to consumption 
 in 1821 ; the latter, James, has recently finished his academical 
 studies as a surgeon. Mrs. IMurray died also of consumption 
 in April 1824. On her husband's death, government grant- 
 ed her an annual pension of L.80. 
 
 The Rev. James M'Ray or M'Crae,* was born at Knock- 
 reoch, in the parish of Kells in 1746. His parents were 
 Thomas M-Crae and Jean Robb. His father rented a part of 
 the farm of Knockreoch. He afterwards possessed the farm of 
 Woodhead in the parish of Carsphairn, which he held for 
 thirty years previously to his death. James M'Ray was the 
 youngest of live children. He attended the parish school of 
 Carsphairn, then taught by Mr. M'Kay, an able classical 
 scholar. He studied at the university of Edinburgh ; and 
 
 • The subject of tliis sketch did not ultimately spell his name in either]of 
 these ways ; but thns, — James M. Ray. 
 
 To 3Ir. Thomas M'Gill, Damcroft, parish of Kells, nephew of Mr. 
 M'Kay, I am indebted for the materials of which this sketch is composed. 
 To Mr. Gordon Barbour, author of various ingenious works, and to my 
 much respected friend Mr. William Andrew, 1 lie under oblifjations, both 
 in regard to this article and to the life of Mr. Antluiny Macmillan.
 
 3()0 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 having become a preacher, was ordained in 177^' ^7 *^^ Pres- 
 byter)^ of the North West of England, minister of a chapel 
 in jMarjport. How long he continued in this situation is not 
 known ; but, as on leavinsf it, he sot from the heads of families 
 belonging to his congregation, a testimonial expressive of their 
 approbation of his labours, it is evident that these had not been 
 entirely unsuccessful. Bad health having been the cause of 
 his resigning his charge in jSIaryport, he returned to the Glen- 
 kens, and continued an invalid, for several years, under his 
 father's roof, at Woodhead. His health having at length been 
 restored, he was employed as assistant to the Rev. John 
 M'Naught, minister of Buittle, on whose death, in 1792, 
 he removed to Edinburgh, and gained employment in that city 
 as a teacher of Hebrew. 
 
 The most important event of I\Ir. M'Ray's life was his in- 
 troduction to the acquaintance of the late Mr. James Gillespie, 
 a gentleman, who, as a tobacconist, realized a large fortune, 
 and founded an hospital and school, (which bear his name), in 
 the neighbourhood of Edinburgh. Mr. M'Ray lived in Mr. 
 Gillespie's house as his chaplain and companion ; and in com- 
 pany with him, he made the tour of Europe ; and I have reason 
 to think that they also visited America. Mr. M'Ray himself, at 
 least, had been in the New World, where he delivered what he 
 terms " a course of philosophical-medical lectures,"" and where 
 one of his numerous publications was first given to the world. 
 The subject of this sketch was nominated by Mr. Gillespie 
 chaplain of his hospital ; an appointment which was to be per- 
 manent. On its institution in 1801, he accordingly remoT'« d to 
 it, and entered on his official duties. These he continued to 
 discharge about twelve years ; but some misunderstanding hav- 
 ing, I believe, arisen between him and the governors of the 
 hospital, he was induced to resign his situation on condition of 
 a certain annuity (L.50) being guaranteed to him for life. He 
 now removed to Glasgow, where lie carried on his favourite 
 studies till his death, which took place in November 1816. 
 
 Some of the most important events of his life remain yet to 
 be told. He had early become distingiiished for his know-
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 261 
 
 l(xlgc of Hebrew, and its cognate dialects, and for his biblical 
 learning. Soon after his settlement in Maryport, he pub- 
 lished a small work entitled The Hebrew Instructor. In IJSO 
 The Design of Creation ; a Dissertation on the chief end 
 and chief good of Man appeared ; a small volume containing 
 63 pages. He was the author of a pamphlet still smaller, but 
 without a date, on The Philosophy of the Languages of Men ^ 
 Beasts, Birds, Sfc. and on innumerable other sul)jects, such as 
 The 'Theories of the Origin of the Universe ; the Properties of 
 Matter and Spirit ; the Nature, Causes, and Kinds of Dream- 
 ing. When in America, he published Synopsis, or a compre- 
 hensive View of Philosophical, Political, and Theological Si/s- 
 terns, from the Creation to the Present Time; a volume extend- 
 ing to 320 octavo pages. In 1805, he gave to the world A 
 View of the Old and New Way of Doctrines, Discipline and 
 Government in the Church of Christ. These works, and others 
 which he printed of a similar tendency, display learning and 
 extensive reading ; but are characterised by no powers of 
 thought or arrangement, and no correctness of taste, containing 
 masses of matter capriciously huddled together. He announced as 
 preparing for publication various treatises which never appeared. 
 But his greatest work, and that by which alone he is known, 
 is A Revised Translation and Interpretation of the Sacred 
 Scriptures, after the Eastern Manner, from the concurrent 
 authorities of the Crifics, Interpreters, and Commentators^ 
 Copies and Versions. This publication first appeared in Lon- 
 don in an octavo form in 1799. Another impression, in quarto, 
 issued from the Glasgow press in 1815, the year before his 
 death. This edition contains extensive miscellaneous notes and 
 illustrations appended to each chapter, not given in the former 
 impression. He regarded the Bible as the worst translated 
 work extant, and quite unintelligible in many important places, 
 without the aid of commentators ; an advantage which the 
 greater portion of the people cannot be expected to command. 
 This difficulty, it was the object of the author of this transla- 
 tion to obviate. But his judgment, whatever was his learning, 
 was not equal to the purity of his motives, or the utility of his
 
 'J()2 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 design. He is, so far as I have traced, quite orthodox in his 
 views ; but he makes very short work with the difficulties of 
 Scripture ; (such as Jephtha's oblation, the witch of Endor, the 
 Song of Solomon,) and his version is in innumerable instances 
 rather an arbitrary paraphrase than a translation or interpreta- 
 tion. Of tliis work the following is a most favourable speci- 
 men. Ecclcsiastcs xii. 1 — 7- 
 
 " Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before 
 the days of affliction come, and the years of old age approach, 
 when thou shall say, I have no pleasure in them. 2. Before the 
 sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars become dark 
 to thee, and the clouds return after rain, or one trouble come 
 vpon another : 3. When (the arms) the keepers of the (cor- 
 poreal) house shall shake, and the strong ones (the limbs) be 
 feeble, and (the teeth) the grinders shall cease, as being few, 
 (and unfit for use) ; and they that look out at the windows (the 
 optic nerves of the eyes) become dim ; 4. And the doors be shut 
 in the streets, (the lips fall in, the teeth being gone,) and the 
 sound of the grinding (in eating) be low ; and they shall rise 
 up at the sound of the bird, (sleep being diminished and 
 easily broken,) and all the daughters of music (the accents of 
 the voice, and acuteness of the ear,) fail : 5. They shall also 
 be afraid of (ascending) the place which is high, (being weak 
 and breathless) ; and fears (of stumbling) shall be in the way ; 
 and (gray hairs like) the almond-tree's leaves shall flourish ; 
 and the grasshopper shall be a burden, (small matters being 
 troublesome, as being crooked and fretful) ; and the desire of 
 enjoyment shall fail ; for man goeth to his long home, and the 
 mourners go about the streets. 6. Before the silver cord (the 
 marrow of the back-bone, with its root and branches) be con- 
 tracted ; or the golden vial (the brain's membranes) be cracked; 
 or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, (the cavities and con- 
 veyers of the blood from the heart,) or the wheel be broken at 
 the cistern, (the returners of it from the lungs, liver, head, 
 hands, and feet ; the double, yea, quadruple circulation 
 (galal and ruts) being repeated, be interrupted and cease, 
 3 Kings iv. 33.)"
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 263 
 
 There was another object, which he reckoned of unspeaka- 
 ble importance, that his version was designed to accomplish, 
 namely, to shew that " the Inspired Writings contai)i the 
 seeds of the valuable sciences, being the source whence the 
 ancient philosophers derived them, also the most ancient his- 
 tories and greatest antiquities ; and are the most entertaining 
 as well as instructive to both the curious and serious." This 
 opinion, whether fanciful or not, was one of his favourite spe- 
 culations. 
 
 Nor did he inculcate his opinions merely in his published 
 writings. We have already mentioned that he had given pub- 
 lic lectures in America. He did so also in Scotland. The 
 subjects of his lectures seem to have been multifarious. At 
 one time he prelected on Biblical criticism ; and 1 have been 
 informed by a competent judge, who was one of his hearers, 
 that in these compositions he displayed no ordinary degree of 
 learning and talent. 
 
 He was a man of primitive simplicity, both in appearance 
 and habits. He continued till his death to use the same 
 fashion of dress that prevailed in his youth. A veiy small 
 income was sufficient to supply all his wants. Luxury and 
 effeminacy of all kinds he held in utter detestation. He was 
 an incessant talker ; and his subjects of conversation were ge- 
 nerally connected with his Biblical studies or his peculiar 
 views. His speech was extravagant. During the French 
 revolution he had been a great Jacobin ; and his political 
 creed belonged to that party that has since been deiiominated 
 radical. But notwithstanding his many eccentricities, he was 
 a good and learned man, of pious and literary habits, and is 
 not known ever to have had a personal enemy.
 
 2()1 
 
 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 LIFE OF THE REV. JOHN JOHNSTONE. ^ (^l 
 
 The family, from which the Rev. John Johnstone was 
 descciuletl, had long been proprietors of a small estate lying 
 Avithiii the royalty of Annan, county of Dumfries. They 
 had held this property at least from the year 16G1 ; and it is 
 supposed that the individual, who was then in possession of 
 it, was a cadet of the house of Milnfield, an ancient branch 
 of the family of Johnstone. 
 
 Mr. Johnstone was the son of Mr. Alexander Johnstone, 
 surgeon, Edinburgh, and Christian, daughter of Mr. Tod, 
 merchant in Edinburgh, and one of the magistrates of that 
 city, and was born on the 20th of February 1757- His 
 father died at the early age of thirty-four, leaving a numerous 
 family, the direction of whose education devolved chiefly on 
 his eldest brother Dr. Brycc Johnstone, minister of Holy- 
 wood. Speaking afterwards of the paternal uncle, under whose 
 kind superintendence his youth had been spent, " He was," 
 says Mr. Johnstone, " the protector of my father's or])han 
 house, and a willing instrument of our deliverance from pe- 
 nury and want. He was the faithful guardian of our hcl})less 
 years, the director of my studies, and active in promoting my 
 successful introduction into public life. His counsels in con- 
 versation and correspondence, his example and his prayers, 
 were directed to excite me to act with credit to myself and 
 usefulness to others.""'
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 265 
 
 Mr. Johnstone, though early deprived of his father, thus 
 enjoyed advantages very uncommon in the circumstances un- 
 der which his family was placed. He received his juvenile 
 education in the High School ; and in due time entered the 
 University of Edinburgh. When a student at College, he 
 became a member of the Speculative Society ; and though his 
 contemporaries in this institution were persons of abilities, 
 many of whom afterwards attained to distinction, he made no 
 inconsiderable figure as a speaker. Kveu at this early age, he 
 was remarkable for those very qualities by which he was after- 
 wards distinguished as a member of our ecclesiastical courts ; 
 felicity of speech, complete self-possession, a considerable ta- 
 lent for wit and humour, and acute reasoning faculties. 
 
 Havino; studied for the church, he obtained licence as a 
 preacher from the presbytery of Dumfries, of which his uncle 
 was a member, in the spring of 17^1. He did not con- 
 tinue long without a pastoral charge ; for he was ordained 
 minister of the parish of Crossmichael on the 18th of Septem- 
 ber 1783. 
 
 His predecessor in this living was the Rev. Nathaniel 
 M'Kie, the son of the Rev. William M'Kie of Balmaghie, 
 and maternal uncle of the heroine of Marys dream. Mr. 
 Nathaniel M'Kie was a man of simplicity of character, of 
 plain uncultivated m.anners, of superstitious credulity, and al- 
 together of great eccentricity. But he was a respectable 
 clergyman ; and is known as the author of a song, entitled, 
 jVo dominies for me, laddie. He was also the writer of 
 various doggrcl verses composed on different occasions ; but 
 the song in question is the only composition of merit that 
 bears his name. He died unmarried on the 10th of January 
 I78I ; and though it has been supposed that he was himself 
 the hero of the song of which we are speaking, he was never 
 known, at any future period of life, to have been under the in- 
 fluence of the tender passion. 
 
 Dr. Bryce Johnstone having long directed his attention to 
 the study of church law, and to the mode of proccd ure in the 
 ecclesiastical courts, his nephcAv, now minister of Crossmichael,
 
 2()6 IHK HTKIIARY HISTORY 
 
 most successfully imitated his example. His acquirements in 
 tliis department soon became eminent ; and his brethren re- 
 jrarded him with deference on all such subjects. He guided 
 the deliberations of the local courts on all important occasions ; 
 and when he was a memlicr of the General Assembly, he 
 showed iircat knowledije of business ; and held a most re- 
 spoctable place as a speaker and church-lawyer in that court. 
 
 He remained a bachelor for upwards of eleven years after his 
 settlement in Crossmichael. At length, on the 11th of No- 
 vember 1794, he married Miss Mary English, a lady of re- 
 spectability and accomplishments. The result of this union 
 was a very interesting family, particularly of daughters, — the 
 eldest of whom, INIiss Johnstone, celebrated for beauty, as well 
 as for every amiable quality, was laid in an early grave in 
 1818. 
 
 Of Sir John Sinclair's patriotic intention of drawing up a 
 Statistical Account of Scotland, compiled by the clergymen of 
 the Established Church, Mr. Johnstone highly approved ; and 
 in the first volume of that work his account of his own parish 
 appeared. 
 
 Of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright Agi'icultural Society, es- 
 tablished in March 1809, Mr. Johnstone was one of the ori- 
 ginal members, and one of the committee of management first 
 appointed. He was, at a subsequent period, one of the four 
 presidents of the society. He read an essay before that body, 
 containing A view of the defects in our si/stem of farm man- 
 agcmctit, and of the obstacles to its improvement, both as re- 
 spects proprietors and tenants. 
 
 Before this time, Mr. Johnstone had lost his distinguished 
 uncle, who died on the 27th of April 1805, and ho preached 
 his funeral sermon in the Church of Holy wood. " Many 
 peaceful, and profitable, and happy days,"" says he, in his ap- 
 peal to the people, towards the end of his discourse, " have I 
 spent among you. In this pulj)it I began my labours as a 
 preacher of the gospel. To you J have s])oken more frequent- 
 ly than to any other congregation, except that which is my 
 dear peculiar charge. On twenty-two solemn occasions, 1 have
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 267 
 
 assisted here, in the ministry of holy things, and joined with 
 you in commemorating our Saviour''s dying love, over the 
 symbols of his broken body and shed blood." 
 
 In I8O7, he published a posthumous volume of his uncle's 
 sermons, and prefixed to them a Memoir of the Life^ Charac- 
 teVi and Writings of the Author. This sketch is most ably 
 compiled, and conveys to us a most favourable impression of 
 the character of the writer. 
 
 Mr. Johnstone did not live to advanced years ; for, after a 
 lingering illness, he died on the 20th of June 1820, in the 
 sixty-fourth year of his age, and thirty-seventh of his ministry. 
 His funeral sermon was preached by the Rev. Dr. Brown, now 
 of Glasgow. Mrs. Johnstone survives him. 
 
 In stature he was rather above the middle size, of firm make, 
 of prepossessing appearance, of frank and polished manners, of 
 lively conversation, given to punning, a species of wit in which 
 he excelled. The painting of him by Mr. John Allan, from 
 which an engraving by Walker is prefixed to his posthumous 
 volume of sermons, is a striking likeness. 
 
 The Sermons, just referred to, were published by his family 
 in 1825 ; and though they labour under all the imperfections 
 incident to a posthumous work, they are honourable to his me- 
 mory, as useful, practical, and able discourses. They are all 
 on important subjects, and bring forward the peculiar doctrines 
 of the gospel with equal judgment and effect. Two of them 
 had before appeared in The Scotch Preacher.
 
 2()8 THi: LITERARV HISTORY 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 LIVES OF PATRICK IIANNAY, JOHN LOWE, AND THE 
 REV. WILLIAM GILLESPIE. 
 
 We have not yet given an account of any poet, if we except 
 Mr. Andrew Symson of Kirkinner. Galloway, in truth, can- 
 not boast of any writer of great celebrity in this department ; 
 but of such as she has produced we now proceed to treat. For 
 the following short account of Patrick Hannay, I am indebted 
 to the kindness of Dr. David Irving, the learned biographer 
 of Buchanan. 
 
 Patrick Hannay was a younger son of Donald Hannay 
 of Sorbie. (Nisbet's System of Heraldry, vol. i. p. 385.) It 
 may be inferred that he had received an academical education ; 
 for in the title-page of his Elegies, he styles himself A. M. 
 He appears, as Mr. Ellis remarks, to have served in a military 
 capacity under Sir Andrew Gray, a colonel of foot, and gene- 
 ral of artillery to the king of Bohemia. One of his publica- 
 tions bears the following title : " Two Elegies on the late 
 Death of our Soueraigne Qucene Anne : with Epitaphes. 
 Written by Patrick Hannay, M'.' of Arts." Lond. 1619, 8vo. 
 Another is entitled " A happy Husband ; or Directions for a 
 JNIaid to choose her Mate; together with a Wives Behaviour 
 after Man-iage. By Patrick Hannay, Gent."" Lond. 1819, 
 8vo. This composition, with a distinct title-page, is append- 
 ed to Brathwait's Description of a Good Wife. After an in-
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 269 
 
 terval of three years, he published a collection of his poems, 
 which is now a book of great pecuniary value. " The Night- 
 ingale, Sheretine, and Mariana : a Happy Husband : Elegies 
 on the Death of Queen Anne : Songs and Sonnets. By Pa- 
 trick Hanay, Gent." Lond. 1622, 8vo. The engraved 
 title includes a portrait of the author. At Mr. Bindley's sale 
 this rare volume produced L.35, 14s., at Mr. Perry's, L.38, 
 Cs., and at Sir Mark Sykes's L.42, 10s. 6d. The latter copy 
 had belonged to Mr. Bindley. Some specimens of Hannay's 
 poetry may be found in Kllis's Specimens of the Earli/ Eng- 
 lish Poets, vol. iii. p. 135. — Beloe's Anecdotes of Literature, 
 vol. vi. p. 191, — and Davis''s Second Journey round the Li- 
 brary of a Bibliomaniac, p. 7^. Lond. 1825, 8vo. The 
 following verses are transcribed from the first edition of the 
 Elegies. 
 
 ON THE QUEEN. 
 
 Tlie world's a sea of errors all must passe, 
 
 Where slielues and sands the purling billow blinds ; 
 Men's bodies are fraile barks of brittle giasse, 
 
 Which still are toss'd with aduerse tytls and winds ; 
 Reason's the pylot that the course directs, 
 
 Which makes the vessell (as its hieglit) holde out ; 
 
 Passions are partners, a still-iarring rout ; 
 Succumbing thoughts are life-inuading leaks. 
 How built her body, such a voyage made ! 
 How great her reason, which so rightly swayed ! 
 How pjyant passions, which so well obayd ! 
 How dantlessc thoughts, vaine doubts durst nere inuadc ! 
 
 Her body, reason, passions, thouglits did gree 
 
 To make her life the art to saile this sea. 
 
 John Lo^yE* was born at Kenmure, parish of Kells, in the 
 year 1750. His father was gardener to Mr. Gordon of Ken- 
 
 • Life of Lowe, written by the late Mr. Gillespie, in Cromek's Bomins 
 of Nithsdale and Gdllotcaj/ Sonci, 342.
 
 270 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 iniirc, son to that unfortunate nobleman, who, in the rebellion 
 of 1715, forfeited his life in the cause of the exiled House of 
 Stuart. Having, at the parish school, acquired the rudi- 
 ments of classical learning, he early betrayed a wish to become 
 a scholar ; but the narrowness of his father"'s circumstances did 
 not enable him to carry this laudable desire into effect ; and, 
 at the age of fourteen, he was put as an apprentice to John 
 Heron, a weaver in the burgh of New Galloway, and father to 
 the historian of whom we have already spoken. 
 
 But genius cannot remain long concealed. Its native and 
 inherent energy and aspirings, no circumstances, however dis- 
 astrous, can subdue or annihilate. Lowe''s ignoble employment, 
 instead of quenching the native vigour of his mind, constituted 
 the ver)' thing that roused it and brought it into action. The 
 scanty funds with which his labour supplied him, and which 
 he improved by employing his evenings in teaching church- 
 music, he devoted to his own improvement in education. And 
 having at length become sufficiently qualified to enter upon an 
 academical course, he removed to the university of Edinburgh 
 in the year 1771- 
 
 Amid his severer studies, Mr. Lowe did not fail to cultivate 
 poetr}', to which the natural bent of his genius had early in- 
 clined him. The following letter, (written from college,) dis- 
 closes a mind delicately alive to one of the most striking fea- 
 tures of nature, and imbued with the finest sensibilities. 
 
 " We have had a long and severe winter here, but now we 
 have a very agreeable spring — the time of the singing of 
 birds is come, and tlie song of joy is already heard in our land. 
 How sweet now to leave tlie noise of tlie busy world, and, with 
 frequent footsteps, to gather h(!altli from the gale of the morn- 
 ing — to raise the soul to heaven in pious ardour, and hail the 
 new-bom day ; — to bask in the cheerful beams of the sun, the 
 image of its Great Original ! — In short, we are like people 
 transported in an instant from the terrible icy shore of Zembla, 
 where eternal tempests madden, and dreadful whirlwinds roar 
 amid the frozen mountains, to the banks of the Nile, where a 
 lasting verdure clothes the fertile plains, where wintry blasts,
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 271 
 
 and the storms of dark December are never known. Pardon a 
 comparison so bold — but I am enraptured with the agreeable 
 chantje.'" * * * * 
 
 But the most important event of Lowe's life was his intro- 
 duction, in the capacity of tutor, to the family of Mr. M'Ghie 
 of Airds. The house of Airds, situated on the declivity of a 
 wooded hill, which is washed on opposite sides by the ])ee and 
 Ken, two rivers, whose streams unite at its base, commands an 
 extensive view of a beautiful and varied landscape. The hand 
 of nature has shut it out from almost all communication with 
 the living world ; it seems, indeed, intended as the nursery or 
 dwelling of a poet. Lowe coidd not but appreciate the happi- 
 ness of his lot. He delighted to " muse o'er nature with a 
 poet's ej'^e;" and the sweet and poetic charms of Airds he did 
 not cease to remember with melancholy pleasure, Avhen he was 
 far removed from them. " The beautiful banks of the river 
 Rappahannock,"" says he, in a letter to a friend, " where the 
 town in which I now reside is situated, with all their luxuri- 
 ance and fragrance, have never to me had channs equal to 
 smooth Ken, or murmuring Dee.*' " Thou wood of Airds ! 
 balmy retreat of peace, innocence, harmony and love, with what 
 raptures do I still reflect on thee !" 
 
 While he did not, I believe, neglect the education of those 
 placed imder his care, he devoted his vacant hours to the con- 
 templation of the beauties of external nature, and to the cviltiva- 
 tion of those poetical talents Avith which he was endowed. To de- 
 rive his happiness more directly from his own mind, he used to 
 retire to an elevated cliff in a sequestered part of the wood, " to 
 view the beauties of the rising day," and to hold sweet converse 
 with the genii of the mountains and the streams. On this 
 spot, he erected a rural seat, and environed it with a sweet ar- 
 bour entwined with honeysuckle, woodbine, and other shrubs. 
 It is still dignified with the name of Lowe's Seat, and has been 
 denominated by Burns, classic ground. " When were you at 
 Airds," says the poet, in a letter written many years after he 
 had left his native shore ; " and does my arbour still remain, 
 or is there now any vestige of my favourite walk ?"'
 
 272 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 It was on this spot that he composcxl those verses that have 
 coiiierred hiimortality on his name. His two most distinguish- 
 ed effusions were, A Morning Poem, of a descriptive and pas- 
 toral kind, and, Mary, weep no more for me, a song familiarly 
 known to every admirer of poetic excellence. The story of 
 Mari/s Dream was founded in truth. Mary, of the family of 
 Airds, had been promised in marriage to a gentleman of the 
 name of Alexander Miller, a surgeon, who was drowned at 
 sea. The impression which such an event must, in any case, 
 have made upon the mind of a poet, was, in the instance be- 
 fore us, rendered deeper, from the circumstance that the sister of 
 Mary had inspired Lowe with feelings of a tender kind. The 
 subject, therefore, was one which could not fail to call forth all 
 the energy of which he was capable. And, accordingly, the 
 poem is regarded as one of the happiest efforts. There is a 
 simplicity, a pathos, and sublimity about it, to which there are 
 few parallels in the class of compositions to which it belongs.* 
 
 The views of Mr. Lowe were directed to our national church, 
 and he had commenced at college the study of theology. But 
 the happiest period of his life — " the sabbath of his days,"" 
 was past. Having been engaged as tutor to the family of a 
 brother of the illustrious Washington, he crossed the Atlantic 
 and settled in America ; and though he flattered himself that 
 he miijht be enabled to be more useful to his asjed mother 
 in his new situation than he could otherwise have been, the 
 New World soon proved the grave of all his hopes, and yielded 
 to him nothing but disappointment and distress. After re- 
 maining for some time in the family to which he went, he es- 
 tablished an academy in Frederick sburgh, a town situated on 
 the river Kappahannock, A^irginia ; and, at a subsequent pe- 
 riod, became a minister of the episcopal church of that place, 
 and was for a while prosperous, respectable, and happy. But 
 his evil star was now in the ascendant. His academy declined, 
 on account, he says, of the severity of the seasons ; and the 
 evening of his days was clouded, and his death accelerated by 
 
 • Tl)c licroinc of this song, afterwards married to a iMr. AJ'I.ellan, died 
 at Manchester on ttie 30tli of November 1817, nged seventy.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 273 
 
 an event, whicli may be said to have proceeded from his own 
 imprudence. 
 
 One of the young ladies of Airds, as has already been men- 
 tioned, had early become the object of Lowe''s affection. 
 His addresses, it is believed, were not unwelcome ; and before 
 he left his native shore, they had pledged their mutual vows 
 of inviolable faithfulness, until fate should smile upon their 
 re-union. In such interesting circumstances, he bid her fare- 
 well ; and two years after they parted, he renewed his vows in 
 a poem, addressed to her. 
 
 " What hindered me, when first thy fondest slave, 
 I\!y hand to give tliee — as my heart I gave ? * 
 
 A\'edlock itself would need no grave Divine 
 To fix Ills stamp ui)on sueh love as mine; 
 A love so pure, so tender, and so strong. 
 
 Might last for ages, could we live so long. 
 
 ■ • • • • 
 
 Fair faces here I meet, and forms divine* 
 Enough to shake all constancy but mine." 
 
 But his constancy was not so firm as he seems to have 
 believed ; for the truth is, he became enamoured of a beau- 
 tiful Virginian lady, and forgot his first love on the banks of 
 the Ken.* This lady, however, mortified him by a refusal ; 
 but her sister having professed a violent attachment to him, 
 he consented to be united to her from no loftier feeling than 
 " a sentiment of gratitude." This imprudent step was the 
 source of all the miseries with which his subsequent life was 
 embittered. The woman to whom he gave his hand was dis- 
 tinguished by every abandoned quality. Her infidelity to 
 him drove him to distraction and despair. Recourse was had 
 to the bottle to obviate those feelings with which he was over- 
 whelmed ; and intemperance and anguish combined, under- 
 mined a constitution naturally good, and brought him to an 
 untimely grave. 
 
 The circumstances of his death must not be passed over in 
 
 " This lady was afterwards happily married to the late David Blair, Esq. 
 of Borgue. bhc died lately, without having had children. 
 
 T
 
 274 THE LITERAUY HISTORY 
 
 silence. " Perceiving," says his elegant biographer, " his 
 end drawing near, and wishing to die in peace, away from his 
 owni wretched walls, he mounted a sorry palfrey, and rode some 
 distance to the house of a friend. So much was he debilitated, 
 that scarcely could he alight in the court and walk into the 
 house. Afterwards, however, he revived a little, and enjoyed 
 some hours of that vivacity which was peculiar to him. But 
 this was but tlie last faint gleams of a setting sun ; for, on the 
 third day after his arrival at the house of his friend, he breath- 
 ed his last. lie now lies buried near Fredericksburijh, Vir- 
 ginia, under the shade of two palm-trees, but not a stone is 
 there on which to write, " Mary, weep no more for me."" He 
 died in 1798, in the 48th year of his age. 
 
 His character, with the exception of which we have just 
 s))oken, and the ills to which it gave rise, was respectable. 
 His figure, which was rather above the middle size, was hand- 
 some ; his hair was of an auburn hue ; his eyes were blue and 
 penetrating ; his nose aquiline ; and the expression of his 
 countenance open and benevolent. 
 
 His poetical endowments were of a high order, and cause us 
 to regret that his fate was so unpropitious as not to enable him 
 to cultivate them. Only one of his productions has been of- 
 fered to the public ; while his other pieces are fast dying away 
 on the lips of tradition. The Morning Poem, composed while 
 the author resided at Airds, abounds with many instances of 
 beautiful descri])tion ; and Lotvcs Lines, addressed by our poet 
 from A'irginia, to the lady who should afterwards have been 
 his wife, has been justly character i.scd by Mr. Gillespie as 
 *' manifesting at once the tenderness of the lover, and the 
 imagination of the poet." 
 
 A version of Man/s Dream is given by Mr. Cromek in the 
 Scottish dialect, which he regards as the genuine and original 
 form. This opinion is erroneous. The Scottish version was 
 never heard of, until it appeared in Cromek''s work ; and it is 
 well known to have been the composition of Allan Cunning- 
 ham, who took advantage of the credulity and enthusiasm of 
 a stranger, and dishonourably palmed it on him as genuine.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 275 
 
 No small proportion of the pieces in Crompk'fi work, (none of 
 them possessed of merit,) have no higher origin. This nnposi- 
 tion constitutes an instance of literary dishonesty, of which m 
 this country I know no example so flagrant. Yet it admits of 
 douht whether the original fraud, disgracefiil as it is, be more 
 detestable than the effrontery with which Cunningham affects 
 to brave it.* 
 
 Mr. Lowe, while at Airds, attempted also to write a tra- 
 gedy, the scenes of which, according to jNIr. Gillespie, he used 
 tj read to his companions, as he successively composed them. 
 It has now been lost — a thing not to be regretted, as dramatic 
 CDmposition was, it is likely, at that time, and perhaps at any 
 period, above his capacity. 
 
 The Rev. William Gillespie, (whose life naturally fol- 
 1 )ws that of Lowe,) tlie eldest son of the Rev. John Gillespie, 
 minister of Kells, and Dorothea M*Ewen, was born in the 
 manse of Kells, and baptized in the church of that parish, 
 on the 18th of February 1776- He received his education at 
 the parish school, then taught by Mr. William Gordon, a per- 
 son of respectable learning. Gordon generally resided in the 
 manse ; and thus in addition to the instruction he received St 
 school, the subject of this sketch enjoyed the benefit of private 
 tuition. In the life of Dr. Murray, the names of some of Mr. 
 Gillespie's school-fellows have been mentioned ; those of Dr. 
 Alexander JNIanson, physician in Nottingham, and the Rev. 
 Dr. David Cannan of Mains, may now be added. 
 
 Young Gillespie, though a gay active boy, made^rapid pro- 
 gress in the several branches to which his attention was direct- 
 ed. He early, also, showed a decided taste for music, poetry, 
 and painting. It is a remarkable fact, for example, that the 
 view of Kenmure castle, commonly sold in the print-shops, 
 
 • See page 2j4 in tliis work.
 
 SyC THE LITERAKY HISTORY 
 
 was engraved from a drawing of his, executed wlicn he was 
 about fourteen years of age. 
 
 He entered the college of Kdinburgh in the year 1792. On 
 his arrival in that city, he lived for some time in private lodg- 
 ings with a companion, but was afterwards placed under Mr. 
 Fcrrier, once a clergyman of the established church, who re- 
 ceived young gentlemen under his care as boarders. By his 
 general behaviour and attention to his education, he gained 
 the esteem of Mr. Ferrier, as also of the various professors un- 
 der whom he studied. Owinij to the recommendation of Pro- 
 fessor Dalziel, he was appointed tutor to Mr. Don, afterwards 
 Sir Alexander Don, Bart. This situation was attended with 
 many advantages. It was the means of introducing him to 
 many young men both of high birth and brilliant talents, 
 and of communicating to him a knowledge of life ; and 
 in company with his pupil, he made the tour of the Western 
 Highlands, which to a person given to poetry, and suscepti- 
 ble of strong emotions, must have afforded much excitement 
 and delight. His Ode to Beniglow, written on this tour, 
 while it has been regarded as one of his best productions, 
 is a proof how well he could appreciate romantic scenery, 
 and the associations to which such scenery is calculated to give 
 birth. 
 
 During the time he officiated as tutor to INIr. Don, he re- 
 gularly prosecuted his theological studies at college. While 
 he neclected no branch of education in which he was called 
 upon to engage, he cultivated the muse, and was known among 
 his particular friends as a poet of no ordinary promise. It was 
 at this time that he began The Progress of Refinement, a 
 poem, which, however, was not published till many years after 
 this period. In the list of his acquaintances he could boast of 
 the names of many young men who afterwards attained to dis- 
 tinction. He was connected with several debating societies, — 
 associations that have long been common among the students 
 of our metropolitan university. Of the Academy of Physics, 
 which was instituted by Mr. Brougham, Dr. Birbick, and
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 277 
 
 Other young men of genius, and which lasted for three years, 
 from January 1797? he had the honour to he a member. 
 
 While prosecuting his professional studies, he attended se- 
 veral of the medical classes ; a circumstance which he found of 
 some importance when afterwards settled in the country. 
 Having finished his college education, and his young friend 
 and pupil having entered the army, he returned to the bosom 
 of his father's family, and after undergoing the necessary trials, 
 obtained licence as a preacher from the presbytery of Kirkcud- 
 bright. Residing under his native roof, both his parents be- 
 ing still alive, and the family as yet unseparated, he enjoyed 
 in a remarkable manner the interchange of those domestic af- 
 fections so congenial to his mind. But this felicity was not 
 always to last. The first occurrence that encroached upon it 
 was the departure of a younger brother for America ; he ac- 
 companied him to Liverpool, where he bade him farewell. 
 Soon after his return, he was called upon to engage in the du- 
 ties of the profession in which he had been educated ; for in 
 1801, he was ordained helper and successor to his father in the 
 ministry of Kells : a settlement that met with the unanimous 
 consent of the people of that parish. 
 
 His excellent parent, however, though advanced in years, 
 was not unable to discharge his clerical duties ; a circumstance 
 that allowed his son leisure to pursue, with little inter- 
 ruption, his favourite studies. He continued, as before, to 
 contribute essays or poems, chiefly the latter, to the Scots Ma- 
 gazine^ and other periodical works. And in 1805, The Pro- 
 gress of Rr/incmenf, an Allegorical Poem, with other Poems, 
 appeared. He had meanwhile visited, in company with differ- 
 ent friends, many of the most celebrated or interesting spots in 
 his native land ; and from the various poetical eiiusions to 
 which they gave rise, it is evident that he surveyed them with 
 all the emotion of a poet. His young friend, Mr. Don, hav- 
 ing set out on his travels, invited Mr. Gillespie to accompany 
 him in making the tour of Europe ; an invitation which he 
 prized too highly to decline. He had actually left home for
 
 27^ THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 this purj)osc ; but was prevented from carrying his wishes into 
 effect, as Bonaparte at that time issued a mandate for detain- 
 ing in France all the English then resident in that kingdom. 
 
 This disappointment he felt deeply ; but he had afterwards 
 cause to view it in a different light. It occasioned his return 
 to Kells, and afforded him the satisfaction, (which he could not 
 have known had he gone to the Continent,) of performing the 
 last duties to his venerable father, who died on the 29th of 
 April 180(). Mr. Gillespie has characterised him as " a man 
 distinguished for the disinterested benevolence of his character, 
 for his sublime and vmaff'ected piety, and his cheerful and 
 amiable manners."" He had been minister of Kells for forty- 
 two years. He left behind him a widow with seven children, 
 three sons and four daughters. His widow survived him above 
 three years. She was a person of such extreme delicacy of 
 constitution, that, for many years, she had been obliged to 
 confine herself almost entirely to her bed-room, and life could 
 have afforded her little enjoyment. 
 
 Notwithstanding the death of the head of the family, no 
 alteration otherwise took place in their domestic circumstances ; 
 and the subject of this brief sketch regarded it as one of the 
 happiest events of his life, that, having been appointed his 
 father's successor, his house could still continue the home of 
 his mother and family. It was indeed a happy home. Never 
 was filial or fraternal affection more eminently displayed. 
 
 From this time there are few incidents in his life calculated 
 to engage the attention of the biographer. Living, as he did, 
 in a strikingly romantic country, and alive to the beauties of 
 •nature, poetry continued to be his favourite pursuit. He at- 
 tended the church courts regularly : he paid occasional visits 
 to Kdinbur-di : he made an excursion to the Lakes of Cum- 
 berland ; he twice visited London, on one of which occasions 
 he extended his journey to I*aris. He was chaplain to the 
 Stewarty of Kirkcudljright Yeomanry Cavalry. He was a 
 member of the Highland Society; the thanks of which body 
 he had the honour to receive for some communications he had
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 279 
 
 made to tlicm. The anniversary of Burns, celebrated at 
 Dumfries, he regularly attended ; and several of his addresses 
 delivered on these occasions were distinguished for that ar- 
 dour and that admiration of genius which marked his character. 
 
 Though The Progress of Refinement had not experienced 
 that success which it deserves, he ventured, in 1815, to pub- 
 lish another large work, entitled Consolation, with other Poems; 
 which, I regret to state, did not experience a more favourable 
 reception. In 1820, circumstances of a political nature, but 
 involving neither disloyalty nor faction in any quarter, ren- 
 dered it expedient for him to give to the world I'he Rebellion 
 of Absalom ; a discourse preached at Kirkcudbright on the 
 80th July of that year, before the Stewartry Gentlemen Yeo- 
 manry Cavalry. 
 
 He had hitherto remained a bachelor ; a circumstance the 
 more remarkable, as he was very partial to the company of 
 ladies, and was regarded as not unsusceptible of the tender 
 passion. At length, on the 26th of July 1825, he was united 
 to a lady whom he had long known ; Charlotte, third daughter 
 of the late INIajor Hoggan of Waterside, county of Dumfries. 
 His health had never been very vigorous. His amiable bride 
 and himself, immediately on their marriage, set out on a 
 jaunt to the western highlands. But he had not proceeded 
 many miles, when he was seized with indisposition. He be- 
 came at lenjith so ill that he was obliired to confhie himself 
 several days on his journey ; and on his return home, his 
 complaints turned out to be ill-formed Erysipelas, which soon 
 terminated in general inflammation. Of the result of this 
 trouble, Mr. Gillespie himself never augured favourably. He 
 feared the worst ; a circumstance, which, coming so close on 
 his marriage, must have au lamented his suffering and lacerated 
 the finest feelings of his soul. He bore his illness, however, 
 with great fortitude, and while he acquiesced in all the means 
 which his medical attendants recommended, he left, as he ex- 
 pressed it, " the issue with God." When allowed to converse, 
 for speaking was regarded as unfavourable to his complaint, 
 he expressed his hope and confidence in a Saviour. He gra-
 
 280 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 dually became worse ; and he died on the 15th of October, in 
 the fiftieth year of his age, and twentieth of his ministry, 
 within less than three months from the day of his marriage. 
 
 Never did any individual die more regretted. To describe 
 the sorrow of his widow and relations would be impossible. 
 His flock felt as if they had lost, not merely a faithful pastor, 
 but a venerated parent or a beloved brother. His death 
 struck a damp upon the public in general, particularly from 
 the interesting circumstances under which it had taken place ; 
 and many public tributes, both in prose and verse, were paid 
 to his memory. At the grave, on the day of his interment, 
 scarcely a dry eye was to be seen : even the sexton, — a charac- 
 ter not in general remarkable for soft feelings, — when covering 
 the remains of his departed pastor with kindred dust, sobbed 
 and wept to such a degree that he was hardly able to proceed 
 with his trying duty. 
 
 Mr. Gillespie was in person rather above the middle size, 
 his height being above five feet, ten inches. His hair was a 
 light auburn ; his eyes blue ; hus face, marked by the small- 
 pox, but expressive of frankness and intelligence ; his step light 
 and active ; his speech fluent ; his conversation witty, spright- 
 ly, enthusiastic, and intelligent ; his manners mild and po- 
 lished. 
 
 Mr. Gillespie's character is, in every respect, amiable. He 
 was a dutiful and affectionate son and brother. " His soul," 
 to use the words of the Kev. Alexander M'Gowan, who had 
 known him from his infancy,* " was knit with the souls of his 
 
 " Mr. M'fiowan, miiiisttT of the iieigliboiiriiif^ parish of Dairy, jircachcd 
 Mr. Gillespie's funeral sermon, i'.s he iiad done that of his father. Uoth 
 discourses were published soon after they were n spectively delivered. Mr. 
 JM'Gowan was a man of Iwirniiif; and of talents, hut of extremely reccntric 
 manners, and of great ignoranee of life. Ho was horn of iiunil)l( [)aients, 
 in the parish of which lie was afterwards minister. He supported himself 
 by teaching. In 1707, he was engaged as tutor in the family of John 
 Newall ot I'.arlston. He was afterwards appointed to the parish-school of 
 Dairy; and in July 1783, was ordained minister of that parish, Mr. Newall 
 being patron of it. JMiss Mary Neuall, the daughter of this gentleman, he 
 »oon alterwar'N mrirrind. He was the falher of se\entcen cliildren; and
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 281 
 
 own household, and he loved them as his own soul." He was 
 a warm friend ; and a man of" sound principle and integrity in 
 all the relations of life. As a pastor, he was most laithful. 
 Havin*^ heen born among the people of whom he afterwards 
 had the spiritual care, he regarded them with a feeling of in- 
 terest and affection, which, in other circumstances, could hard- 
 ly have been experienced. He declined the presentation to 
 the church of Dalton, which, before his father's death, had 
 been offered to him, unsolicited on his part. His pulpit dis- 
 courses, particularly his written ones, were eloquent and im- 
 pressive. In pathos lay his excellence. He was attentive in 
 visitinir the sick. Ministerial examinations he never neglect- 
 ed. To the management of the poor-funds he paid particular 
 attention ; and, while by this means he was really conferring 
 an important blessing on the poor themselves, he repeatedly 
 received the thanks of the heritors. He instituted a sabbath- 
 school in his parish. In short, he took a deep interest in 
 every thing calculated to promote the real interests of his 
 people. 
 
 His mind was naturally of a superior order, and had been 
 highly improved by reading and study. His genius was alto- 
 gether of a poetical turn. His sermons, his whole character 
 displayed this. Yet his own compositions have not been suc- 
 cessful productions. The Progress of Refinement, written in 
 the Spenserian stanza, is a poem possessed of many beauties. 
 " In tracing mankind," says Mr. Barbour, " from a state of 
 rudeness to a progressive &tate of refinement, the ingenious 
 author finds many opportunities of displaying all the powers of 
 poesy, and all the graces of the descriptive muse." * Consola- 
 tion, "f his other large work, the object of which, as he states 
 
 (lied at tlie sigo of eighty-two, on the 12tli of Octohcr 1826. Tic printed 
 the prospectus of a hirge work on Elocution, a suiiject wiiicli he had studied 
 with great care ; but tiic work itself never appeared. 
 
 " Tributes to Scotlis/i Geiiius. 
 
 I Dedicated to his ijrotiier, Robert Gillespie, Esq. nierciiaiit, New- York, 
 a most resjiectahle, accomjdished, and kind-hearted man, wito did not long 
 survive liis hrothcr ; lie diid on the 20tli of Sepf.niber 18S9. 
 
 8
 
 282 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 in his preface, is " to illustrate the influence of religion in 
 supporting the mind amid the trials of life, — in sickness, in 
 misfortune, in exile, in soitow, in old age, and at death," con- 
 sists of a series of poetical pictures, well conceived, and skill- 
 fully painted. It is written in hlank verse, which he manages 
 with great felicity. His ballads and lyrical pieces are possessed 
 of higher merit than his larger poems. Indeed, of the former, 
 some are exquisitely beautiful, and will preserve his name when 
 his other compositions are forgotten. Biiin, an ode, is a pro- 
 duction of high poetic excellence. The prevailing defect of his 
 poetry is uniformity, and a want of originality and vigour. 
 The chief beauty of his verses consists in the purity of moral 
 feeling and the ardour of piety, by -which they are distin-r 
 guished. l^v.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 283 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 LIFE OF MAJOR STEWART MAXWELL. 
 
 Major Stewart Maxwell,* (author of an excellent poem 
 called The Battle of the Bridge), was born at New- Abbey, in 
 the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, on the 23d of January 17B3. 
 His father, Captain James Maxwell, was the youngest son of 
 Sir William Maxwell of Monrcith, Baronet, and of Lady Jane 
 Montgomery, daughter of the ninth earl of Eglinton : his 
 mother, Elizabeth Maxwell, was daughter of William Max- 
 well of Ardwell, Wigtonshire. Captain James Maxwell was 
 uncle to Jane, Duchess of Gordon. Stewart Maxwell, the 
 subject of this memoir, was the youngest of eight sons, whq 
 arrived at maturity, of whom not fewer than seven entered the 
 army or navy. When he had hardly begun his letters, his 
 family removed to Newton-Stewart ; at the public school of 
 which place he received his elementary education. Having 
 lost both his parents by death, he was removed from Newton- 
 Stewart and sent to London, when only eleven years of age, 
 along with his brother John, who was a year older than him- 
 
 " For the interesting communication, from tlie particulars of which this 
 sketch is composed, I am indehted to the Rev. William Rose, the respect- 
 able minister of Kirkcolm, Wigtonshire, brotlicr-in-law of the eminent 
 person whose life we are about to trace. Some information relative to 
 Major IMaxwcll's last moments, I owe to the Rc\-. Kicliard Shannon of 
 Edinburgh.
 
 284 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 self, ami afterwards a captain in the Royal Navy. Being 
 destined for tlie army, he entered the military academy of 
 A\'oohvleh as a cadet. But his studies were soon interrupted, 
 lor he ohtained his first commission, that of second lieutenant 
 of artillery, on the 21st of Novemher 179^)? when in the 
 fourteenth year of his age : a time of life at which his educa- 
 tion cannot be supposed to have been very liberal. 
 
 His first military station was at the fort of Leith, where he 
 remained till he got his commission as first lieutenant of artil- 
 lery, (13th July 1799), when he was removed to Canterbury. 
 It was soon after this period that he went, for the first time, 
 on foreign service, and it was not his lot, or rather not his 
 wish, to be again placed on a home-station. He went in the 
 armament under Sir Eyre Coote, which proceeded first to Vigo 
 Bay, and afterwards to Malta; which surrendered to the British, 
 after a desperate siege, in 1800. After this event, while the 
 greater part of that armament proceeded to Egypt under Sir 
 Kalph Abercromby, the company to which he belonged remained 
 in the garrison at JSIalta. ])urin<T his residence on this island, 
 he became acquainted with Mr. Coleridge, the poet, secretary to 
 the governor, and with several other gentlemen of literary pur- 
 .suits ; a circumstance calculated, if he had any genius about 
 him, to arouse it and call it into action. Excitement is the 
 great nurse of talent ; and many a man of original powers has 
 sunk into an inglorious grave, who, had circumstances occurred 
 to develop these powers, might have risen to distinction. 
 Major MaxwelPs early education had not been very general or 
 liberal ; his habits, idle, like those of other boys, and of most 
 young officers ; his attention at least had been mainly directed 
 to those branches of knowledge, chieHy mathematical science, 
 that had a reference to his profession. And it was now for 
 the first time that he turned iiis thoughts to literature, or felt 
 any desire to cultivate the muse. His first poetical attempts 
 were made in a war-of-wit with some of the junior officers in 
 the garrison. It is likely, that even at this period he made 
 bolder efforts ; but of these, if he did make them, no memorial
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 285 
 
 has been left. From this date, however, he amused himself 
 by writing verses occasionally so long as he lived. 
 
 Under such favourable circumstances for exciting and culti- 
 vating a love for letters, did he remain at Malta till 180,'i, 
 when his health having suffered from the climate, he obtained 
 leave of absence and returned to Scotland. After spending 
 some time with his friends and relations, his health recovered, 
 and he made a pedestrian tour through part of the Highlands ; 
 an excursion, which, to a man of poetic or romantic taste, could 
 not fail to be interesting. 
 
 Having received his commission as second captain of artil- 
 lery, on the 24th of July 1804, he returned to the Mediter- 
 ranean, and joined the com])any to which he was appointed, 
 then stationed in Sicily. His services on this island and 
 throughout the MediteiTanean, extended to nearly six years. 
 He accompanied the successful expedition against the island of 
 Ischia. under Sir John Stewart. He made a tour through the 
 Morea, and the adjacent parts of Greece, visiting every spot 
 celebrated in ancient history, or important from classical asso- 
 ciations. While in Sicily, he ascended jMount iEtna, and had 
 the good fortune to witness one of its grandest eruptions ; so 
 that his description of that phenomenon in his poem of The 
 Battle of the Bridge was the result of his own observation. 
 
 Thus advantageously did his time pass while on the INIedi- 
 terranean station. But being promoted to be first captain of 
 artillery on the 22d January 1810, this appointment changed 
 his destination, and recalled him to Engla)id, where the com- 
 pany to which he was nominated was stationed. But the pen- 
 insular war was raging ; and to return ingloriously to England 
 at such a conjuncture, was a step inconsistent with his mili- 
 tary enthusiasm. And circumstances happily occurred that 
 enabled him to gratify his ardent desire in this respect. Hav- 
 ing on his way homeward accompanied Sir John Stewart to 
 Gibraltar, he was sent with despatclies to Cadiz. From Cadiz 
 he proceeded to Lisbon, where he obtained leave to visit the 
 British army. When he reached head-quarters, he realized 
 his fondest wishes, by accomplishing an exchange of companies
 
 -HG THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 with a captain of artillery, whose private affairs required his 
 presence in Kngland. He now joined the British army lying 
 before Badajos, and continued honourably to serve with it till 
 the end of the war. He connnanded a brigade of artillery, 
 and acted a distinguished part in many important military 
 operations. J3uring a great part of this time he served 
 under the immediate orders of the late lieutenant-jreneral the 
 honourable Sir William Stewart, in the division of the army 
 commanded by Lord Hill : to both of these distinguished 
 characters he was well known, and by both of them his merits 
 as an officer were highly appreciated. For his bravery in three 
 of the battles, in which he was engaged, he received me- 
 dals. He got a pension from the board of ordnance for hav- 
 ing commanded a brigade of artillery in the battle of A^it- 
 tjria ; as also one from government for the loss of the sight 
 of an eye. He was made companion of the military order 
 of the bath ; and to the rank of brevet-major in the army he 
 was raised on the 4th of June 1814. 
 
 His health, in the mean time, had suffered severely, and his 
 constitution had become impaired, in consequence of the inces- 
 sant fatigue to which he had been exposed. On this account 
 he obtained leave of absence immediately after the battle of 
 Toulouse, which was renewed afterwards from time to time, for 
 the same reason for which it had been originally granted. At 
 this period he returned to Scotland, where he continued for 
 nearly two years. But his health was not, during that inter- 
 val, sensibly improved. 
 
 The climate of Italy having been recommended to him, he 
 went to the continent in IBIG, accompanied by his sister Miss 
 Susan Maxwell. He arrived in Italy towards the end of that 
 year, and fixed his residence at Pisa. It was here he began 
 his celebrated work, 'I'lic Hal lie of the Bridse. which will Xowr 
 constitute an honourable memorial of his genius. " The 
 .subject of the following poem," says he in the preface, " is 
 taken from the histoiy of the Pisan republic. About the year 
 lOOo, tliat state, then free and prosperous, was, by foreign in- 
 vasion, suddenly involved in calamities, and brought to the
 
 OP GALLOWAY, 287 
 
 verge of ruin. Its deliverance was effecteil by the energy- of 
 a few patriots. Among these the most distinguished was 
 Chinzica, the heroine of this poem. She was of the house of 
 Sismondi, a fomily of (lerman origin, and of high consideration 
 during part of the middle; ages in the Pisan republic. Ac- 
 cording to tradition, the state expressed its gratitude for its 
 deliverance, and consecrated the patriotism of its deliverers by 
 the establishment of a triennial festival, the celebration of 
 which was finally discontinued near the end of the last century. 
 This festival, called, from the event it commemorates, La 
 Batlaglia del Ponte, gives its name to the present poem, of 
 which that event is the basis." 
 
 Having spent six months at Pisa, forming the plot, or en- 
 gaged in the composition of this poem, he removed to the baths 
 at Lucca ; where, having staid six months, he left Italy, and 
 went to Paris in the end of the year 1817- In the ensuing 
 spring he again travelled southward, and spent the summer 
 chiefly at Rome and Naples. In autumn he returned to 
 Palis, where he spent the winter ; and in May of the follow- 
 ing year he arrived in England, accompanied by Miss Max- 
 well, the companion of his travels. 
 
 During these visits to Italy he availed himself of the oppor- 
 tunity of seeing whatever was most interesting in that classical 
 country. His knowledge of the dead languages was trifling, 
 but his acquaintance with Greek and Roman history was 
 minute ; and fi'om his poetical taste and elegant character of 
 mind, he was well qualified to appreciate all the important 
 objects with which that country so largely abounds, and the 
 elevated emotions which they are calculated to inspire. It 
 was his practice, during this continental tour, to wTite in the 
 evening a journal, in Hudibrastic verse, of what he had seen 
 during the day. This composition extended to several thou- 
 sand lines, and contained many spirited and characteristic 
 sketches. When describing objects and feelings of dignity and 
 importance, he must, it is supposed, have employed a measure 
 more suited to the subject. 
 
 On his return from the continent in 18I9> he continued
 
 \liVll THE LITERATIY HISTORY 
 
 fully four yt'urs in IJritain. He had no fixed residence, livintj 
 respeetively in (Jalloway, at Kdinbun^li, London, or visitinjr 
 some of the wells. During tliis time he became acquainted 
 with several of the most celebrated living poets, — Scott, 
 M'oodsworth, Southey, Hogg. He finished The Battle of the 
 Jiridiic, or Pisa Defended^ a Poem, in ten cantos ; of which 
 the first edition appeared, under the title of Chinzica, m 
 1821 ; the second in 1823, under the more ajjpropriate title 
 which it now bears. 
 
 In November 1823, lie again went to the contiiient, chiefly 
 with the intention of revisiting the scenes of the cami>aigns he 
 had made in the peninsular war. I'he ensuing winter and 
 spring he spent at Tours, then the residence of a brother and 
 sister-in-law.* At this time he suffered severely from inflam- 
 mation in his eyes, — a complaint for which a course of mer- 
 cury was thought necessary ; and by the use of this powerful 
 medicine for two months, the inflammation was subdued, and 
 the appearance of his eyes much improved, while his general 
 V.ealth did not seem to have suffered. On the third of May 
 his health was so good, that he parted, though with extremely 
 agitated feelings, as if from a ])rese)itiment that tlic parting 
 was for ever, with his relations at Tours, and proceeded on his 
 inteiided journey to Nantes. From this latter ])lace he went, 
 with a party of friends, to visit the Abbaye de la Trappe, dis- 
 tant about thirty miles. The day was chill and wet ; and he 
 contracted a violent cold, from which he dated the commence- 
 ment of an illness, which soon brought him to a premature 
 grave. He ventured, however, to proceed to Bourdeaux ; but 
 on his arrival at that place he was confined six days to bed. 
 While there he wrote a long letter to his sister-in law at Tours, 
 executed apparently in excellent spirits, and containing not the 
 most distant allusion to the state of his health. On the 11th 
 of June he ai rived at Pau from J»ourdeaux, accompanied by 
 his friends Captain Robertson, R. N., and Mr. Charles Blair. 
 
 • I/ioiitcnaiit-Coloiiel Arcliibalil iMoiifgmncry I\Iaxwtll, of tlic artilliry, 
 and his lady '\lv». Maxwell.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 289 
 
 Though on his arrival he appeared well, and in good spirits, 
 he remained in bed next day, complaining of fatigue. As he 
 was not better on the tbllowing day, a medical gentleinan was 
 sent for, who pronounced his complaints to be merely a slight 
 cold, and said that he would be well in a short time. Kut 
 this o])inion held out hopes which were not realiz.ed. On the 
 16th, he was seized with shivering, and with such debility that 
 he was quite unable to walk. 'J\vo other physicians were im- 
 mediately called, who pronounced his disorder not to be a 
 cold, but deep-rooted consum])tion. On the day following he 
 slept constantly, speaking incoherently in his sleej). On the 
 morning of the 18th he was calm and collected ; but his ap- 
 pearance had completely changed : a cold sweat came over him ; 
 his ))ulse was faint and irregular ; and it was evident that his 
 death could not be far distant. Under these melancholy cir- 
 cumstances, his friends having thought it their duty to inform 
 him of his real situation, he expressed a wish to see the doctor 
 who had originally attended him ; and on his arrival, he took 
 him by the hand and said, " When you first saw me, you 
 said you did not think my case dangerous, but that I should 
 recover in a few days. Now I understand you say it is all 
 over with me." The doctor replied that he hoped all was not 
 yet over, and that something might be done. " Tell me," 
 .says he, " the truth, and all that you think." The medical 
 gentleman having given his opinion. Major Maxwell, aware 
 that he had not long to live, said to his friend Cajjtain Ro- 
 bertson ; " Robertson, I wish you would give me pen, ink, 
 and paper : I wish to write to my brother Montgomery." 
 The request was instantly obeyed. He was raised up, and 
 supported in bed. He dated the letter ; but after some inef- 
 fectual attempts, found himself unable to proceed. He then 
 said, " Robertson, you will write for me, and 1 shall dictate." 
 He accordingly dictated a few brief sentences, expressing his 
 last wish in regard to his affairs. It was an expiring effort ; 
 for he died in about a quarter of an hour, without a struggle. 
 This event took place on the 18th of June 1824, at the early 
 age of fortv-onc.
 
 290 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 His remains were inten-cd on the following day, in the bu- 
 rial ground at Pau, in a small corner allotted for the reception 
 of Protestants. His funeral was attended by all the gentry 
 resident in that town and neighbourhood ; and the service was 
 read by the Rev. Richard Q. Shannon, of Edinburgh, who 
 then happened to be at Pau. The place, where his body is 
 repo.xitcd, which is near Orthes, the scene of one of those bril- 
 liant achievements of the British army, in which his bravery 
 had 1iecn signally displayed, was afterwards purchased and 
 enclosed, and a monument, with a suitable inscription, erected 
 on the spot to his memory, by liis brother, Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Archibald jMontgomcry Maxwell. 
 
 He died unmarried. Several of his brothers, particularly 
 Sir IMurray INIaxwell, distinguished themselves in the public 
 service.* 
 
 In stature he was above six feet ; of slender but handsome 
 figure ; and of great muscular strength. His countenance was 
 pleasing and manly, expressive of vivacity and mildness. 
 
 From what has already been said, it may be inferred that 
 his character was ainiable. It was, indeed, peculiarly so. His 
 dispositions were checrfid and social ; his manners polite and 
 gentle. He was a man of great simplicity of heart ; unaffect- 
 ed, unresened, singularly free from selfishness, upright in 
 his principles, of warm affection, steady attachment, and en- 
 thusiasm in his pursuits. In his habits, he was temperate ; 
 in his expenses, moderate. His generosity was bounded only 
 by his means. His reverence for Christianity was great. 
 
 Though in his youth he was not a severe student, he after- 
 wards became capable of close application. He was partial to 
 metaphysical researches ; in which department Dr. Reid was 
 his favourite author. He acquired the knowledge of languages 
 with great facility. In any place, in which he remained 
 for a few months, he became master of its provincial dialect. 
 With the French, Spanish, and Italian lang^lages he was in- 
 timately acquainted, and spoke them fluently. Some time 
 
 • Appenrlij, iidtc /.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 291 
 
 "before his death, he had resolved on commencing, if he did 
 not commence, the study of Greek and Latin ; of the former of 
 which he knew nothing, of the latter not much. He was 
 possessed of gi'eat power i)i concentrating his faculties on any 
 subject in which he took a deep interest. He composed fifty 
 or sixty verses of the Battle of the. Brid(je, one forenoon, on his 
 way from London, on the top of the mail-coach. He wrote a 
 great numl^er of small pieces, and some short dramatic sketches. 
 In the Peninsula, even amid tlie iioise of a camp, he com- 
 posed a poem of as great length as the one he afterwards pub- 
 lished ; but having lost the maniisci-ipt, he did not submit to 
 the drudsTcrv of re-writing it. 
 
 The Buttle nf the Bridge, his only pxiblished work, is a per- 
 formance of extraordinary merit, particularly when we take 
 into account the disadvantages under which, from the limited 
 nature of his early educatio)\ and his being so long engaged in 
 active service, the author laboured. In a fictitious narrative, 
 constrvicted on a remote historical lact, he has combined with 
 the deliverance of Pisa, not only the story of the heroine, 
 through whose instrumentality this event was accomplished, 
 but the portraiture of Viirious persons of opposite and conflict- 
 ing characters, all of tliem well conceived and admirably drawn. 
 The principal conspirator, and the illustrious female who saved 
 her countrj'^, are fully and strikingly delineated. The reck- 
 less ambition, the daring villany, the appalling vices of the one, 
 form a striking contrast to the unobtrusive bvxt unbending pa- 
 triotism, the ccilm loveliness and devoted attachment of the 
 other. The poem embraces strong but natural representation 
 of deep and tender feeling : while the perturbed fancies of in- 
 sanity, as well as the exhibition of the darker passions, are ner- 
 vously portrayed. There is sometimes an appearance of su- 
 pernatural machiner)'^ ; yet no such agency is really introduced ; 
 and it turns out that every thing, hov.-ever intricate the plot 
 may appear, has been effected by mere human means. Love, 
 friendship, patriotism, after a long and doubtful conflict with 
 lust, envy, revenge, and treason, are finally triumphant. 
 
 " The places and objects, the natural sceneiy and pheno-
 
 292 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 iiiena to whidi the poem bears reference," says Major Max- 
 well in his preface, " are in general described from the au- 
 thor's own observation ; and some other occurrences which he 
 has taken occasion to introduce, are such as he himself has had 
 an opportunity to witness." He has in truth availed him of 
 the advantages he had enjoyed. His powers of description are 
 eminent ; and the invariable impression on the mind of the 
 reader is, that, while the author could be no stranger to the 
 scenes and objects which he so luminously places before him, 
 he had viewed their features with a poet''s eye, and felt their 
 influence with a poet's heart. 
 
 The author informs us that " he attempted a medium between 
 the stately regularity of the ancient epic, and the grotesque 
 wildness of the modern dramatic tale." The verse of eight 
 syllables is adopted ; but it is occasionally changed with the 
 varying nature of the subject ; and some lyrical measures are 
 introduced. There are, it must not be denied, some faulty 
 rhymes, some unmusical stanzas, and instances of inelegant or 
 inaccurate diction. But the versification is in general harmo- 
 nious, and the language felicitous. The moral tendency of the 
 ])ocm is excellent. There is no indelicacy, no profanity, no 
 irreligion. Every line bears the stamp of pure principles and 
 amiable feeling. The following lines I quote, chiefly on ac- 
 count of the excellent truth they so beautifully express : — 
 
 'Tis not for Faitli to mge a claim 
 
 To wealth or beauty, power or tame ; 
 
 But humbly ask, nor dread denial, 
 
 Strcri}i;tl> to SMi)])nrt each earthly trial. 
 
 'J'hc apathy that hardly lives, 
 
 'J'lie reckless fiercencs.s passion gives, 
 
 'J'he bravery honour bids us wear. 
 
 The wretched cour<".ge of despair ; — 
 
 What are all these, amid life's woes, 
 
 'I'he field ; the scaffold ; dungeon; stake j 
 
 The bodily, the mental ache, — 
 
 Oh what to eon.-,taney that flows 
 
 From licaven ! — to strength that Faith bestows ! 
 
 N
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 293 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 LIFE OF DR THOMAS BROWN. 
 
 This distinguished individual was born in the manse of Kirk- 
 mabreck, stewartiy of Kirkcudbright, on the 9th of January 
 1778. Of this parish, his father, the Rev. Samuel Brown, 
 was minister : his mother was Mary, daughter of John Smith, 
 Esq., of the customs, Wigton. Mrs. Smith was daughter of 
 a younger son of M'Dowall of Logan, and of Miss Hamilton 
 of Dalziel. The Rev. Mr. Brown's father, who was proprie- 
 tor of Barharrow, was his immediate predecessor in the charge 
 of Kirkmabreck. He was mamed to a daughter of Murdoch 
 of Comloddan ; a family that had been in possession of that 
 estate from the time of Robert Bruce. 
 
 Dr. Thomas Brown, whose history we now profess to trace, 
 was the youngest of thirteen children. His excellent father, 
 who had not attained to old age, died about eighteen months 
 after the birth of his son ; but his mother, a lady of great 
 worth and mildness of character, survived her husband nearly 
 forty years, and had the happiness of seeing her son attain to 
 honour and fame. She did not leave the manse till about a 
 year after her widowhood ; at which time she removed with 
 her family to Edinburgh, where she afterwards continued to 
 reside. Dr. Brown afforded early symptoms of that activity of 
 mind and desire of knowledge for which he was afterwards re- 
 markable. At the age of seven, he was removed from his mater- 
 nal roof by his uncle, Captain Smith, of the 37th regiment, and
 
 29-Jt THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 placed in a scliool at Camberwell, in tlic nciglibourhood of Lon- 
 don. His mother had before this time been his only instruc- 
 tor ; a circimiatance that may, in part, account for the romantic 
 and altogether extraordinary love and veneration which he ever 
 manife>ted for that amiable parent. From Camberwell he was 
 in a short time removed to Chiswicli, where he continued 
 several years. He w-as afterwards successively placed at Brom- 
 ley and Kensington ; at the latter of whicli schools he was, 
 in 1702, deprived by death of his kind patron and friend 
 Captain Smitli. A few months after this event he bade adieu 
 to ]<]ngland, and returned to his mother''s house in Edinburgh. 
 He travelled thither by land, but his books, which formed a 
 considerable little library, were lost at sea, the ship in Avhich 
 they ivcre conveyed liaving been w-rccked in Yarmouth Roads. 
 This circumstance affected liira w'itJi great grief, and he never 
 spoke of it ])ut Avith regret. 
 M He ^vas now sixteen years of age, and few young men at 
 that period of life had ever made equal progress in study. On 
 entering the ('ollege of Edinburgh, he attended the class of 
 logic, then ably taught by 13r. Finlaysoii, Arhose approbation 
 he was so happy as to gain, llaving, during the succeeding 
 summer, paid a visit to Jjiverpool, he had the pleasure of being 
 introduced to Dr. Currie, also the son of a Scots clergyman, 
 who treated him with m'cai kind)iess. Discovering no doubt, 
 the natural character of his rai)id, this distinguished man put 
 into his hand a copy of Stewart's Elements of the Philosophy of 
 the Hitman Mind, with a stroiig desire that he should peruse it. 
 With thiff recommendation he did not decline to comply ; and 
 his aC(|uai)itance with this work fitted him to attend Mr. Stew- 
 art's course of lectures next season with uncommon advantage. 
 These prelections he heard ^vith great delight ; few were more 
 capable of appreciating the eloquence and ingenuity which 
 pervaded them. But he was not a blind and indiscriminating 
 admirer. One of jNIr. Stewart''s theories, as unfolded in the 
 class, he did not regard as correct ; and having written some 
 remarks on it, ventured to submit them to the professor, who 
 received him with kindness; and this circumstance formed
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 29o 
 
 the commencement of an intimacy which continued through 
 life. 
 
 With such display of rising talent, did he attend several of 
 the literary and philosophic classes in the university. Mean- 
 while Dr. Darwin"'s Zoovomia, published at this time, was 
 deeply exciting the interest of the learned, and was enjoying 
 a degree of celebrity which has long since ceased. IJi: Brown 
 perused the 'jvork with deep attention, and made on it such 
 marginal annotations as occurred to him. These he afterwards 
 began to draw out in a consecutive manner, with the view of 
 their forming an article in some periodical publication. But 
 the length to which they swelled, and the importance of the 
 subject, suggested to him the propriety of forming them into a 
 separate volume. This he accordingly did ; but his work, 
 entitled Observations on Dr. Darwin s Zoonnmia, whicl) was 
 written in 1796, before he had completed his nineteenth year, 
 was not published till 1798, when he had only reached the age 
 of twenty. It was, however, far from being a juvenile perform- 
 ance ; on the contrary, it has been very justly characterised 
 " as the answer of a philosopher to a philosopher ;" and it is 
 questionable whether, in the whole history of philosophical 
 writings, there occurs another instance of equal precocity of 
 talents and attainments. 
 
 At the age of nineteen he took a part, M'ith others, some 
 of whom have become the most distinguished men of their 
 time, in the institution, first of the Literary Society, which 
 lasted only for a year, and then of the Academy of Physics, 
 which terminated at the end of three years. This latter 
 association is memorable chiefly on account of its having given 
 birth to The Edinburgh Review. To this work, which be- 
 gan in 1802, several articles were contributed by Dr. Brown, 
 worthy of the high character he had gained. But from cir- 
 cumstances, which involved blame nowhere, but perhaps 
 evinced an over-delicacy on his part, his connexion with this 
 journal ceased with the third number. 
 
 Of the profession which he meant to follow he had before 
 this time made choice. In 1796, he commenced the study
 
 296 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 ot" law, with ilio view of becoming a nicnibcr of the Scots bar. 
 But at the eiul of a single year, he intorniittcd this study, and 
 commenced that of medicine. He went through the usual 
 course of study preparatoiy to graduation from 1798 till 1803; 
 in which latter year he obtained the degree of INI. D. His 
 thesis on this occasion was entitled De Somiin, and dedicated 
 to Dr. (iregory. 
 
 We have hitherto neglected to mention, that from his ear- 
 liest youth he had been a votary of the muse. Amid his 
 severer pursuits, he never neglected the study of poetiy. In 
 IHOi he gave to the world the first specimen of his poetical 
 compositions, in two volumes, inscribed in most affectionate 
 terms to his mother. They were of a miscellaneous and lyri- 
 cal kind; and though characterised by real poetic feeling 
 and imagery, their reception, like that of his subsequent poeti- 
 cal ])roductions, was not flattering, and they are now nearly 
 forgotten. W^ant of simplicity of language, over-refinement 
 Tn all his conceptions, and the occasional predominance of 
 abstruse thought, constitute the causes of his failure in what 
 was ultimately his favourite study. 
 
 I»ut he was soon engaged in works of a more lasting de- 
 scription. ^V^e refer in particular to the share he took in the 
 controversy in regard to the appointment of Mr. Leslie to the 
 chair of Mathematics in the University of Edinburgh. An 
 attempt was made by the church to prevent the election of 
 this distinguished person in consequence of the approbation 
 which, in a note in his Essai/ on Heal, he had bestowed on 
 Humc^s doctrine respecting causation. Dr. Brown^s work, 
 entitled, Ohstrvuiions on the nalure and tcndenci/ of the doc- 
 trine of Mr. Hume concerning the relation of Ceui.se and 
 Kffcctf was published in 1H05, and reprinted in the ensuing 
 year, and the third edition of it, much enlarged and improved, 
 appeared in 1818, under the name of An Inquiry into the 
 Relation of Cause and Ejfecl. Sir James Mackintosh has 
 characterised this treatise as constituting " the finest model of 
 discussion in mental philosophy since Berkeley and Hume.''** 
 Dr. I3rowTi ])ublishcd two other pamphlets on this occasion :
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 297 
 
 the one, A short criticism of the Terms of the charge against 
 Mr. Leslie, in the protest of the Ministers of Edinburgh ; 
 tlie other, An Examination of some Remarks in the reply of 
 Dr. Inglis to Professor PUujfair. 
 
 From the time of receiving his diploma in 1803, he had 
 practised as a physician, notwithstanding the philosophical 
 studies in which he so largely engaged ; and in 180G, he was 
 associated in partnership with Dr. Gregory ; a connexion 
 highly honourable to him, particularly when we consider the 
 character of the gentleman with whom it was formed. 
 
 But eminence as a physician was not the object towards 
 which his ambition was most anxiously directed. Literary 
 leisure, with a moderate competence, and literary distinction, 
 were far dearer to him. An academic life he had hoped be- 
 fore this time to enjoy ; and his peculiar qualifications and 
 habits long pointed him out to his friends as fitted to adorn 
 it. So early as 1799, when the chair of Rhetoric was vacant, 
 he was a candidate for that office. But, though supported 
 by the first literary men of the metropolis, he had the misfor- 
 tune to suffer a defeat. 
 
 Thou.ch he had missed the chair of Rhetoric, he was not 
 
 CI 
 
 deterred by this circumstance from being a candidate for that 
 of Lofic, when it became vacant in 1808, on the death of 
 Dr. Finlayson. But the same result, however undeservedly, 
 followed. 
 
 Brighter views, however, even as to academical preferment, 
 soon opened up to him. During the session of 1808-9, iMr. 
 Stewart, in consequence of the gradual decline of his health, 
 being unable to attend to the duties of his class, applied to his 
 friend, the subject of this memoir, to fill his chair during 
 his absence. Dr. Brown undertook the task ; and for a short 
 time supplied Mr. Stewart's place with original lectures writ- 
 ten for the purpose. In the following year Mr. Stewart''s 
 state of health required his assistance for a much longer 
 period ; and Dr. Brown must have felt proud to afford it. 
 He confined his lectures to three weekly ; and these, he com- 
 posed from day to day to answer the occasion : And yet they
 
 298 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 were eminentlv distinguished for polish, ingenuity and elo- 
 quence. His mode of reading too, chaste and graceful to a 
 degree unknown till his time in the University, added force to 
 the delight with which his audience listened to his disquisi- 
 tions. The lecture-room was crowded, not only with the or- 
 dinary students who were attending the class, but by men of 
 advanced years and distinguisl^ed abilities, attracted thither by 
 the fame of the rising philosopher. 
 
 Dr. Brown occupied the ethical chair for eight Aveeks pre- 
 viously to the 1st of INIarch 1810 ; at which time Mr. Stewart 
 resumed his lectures. And on its being announced that the 
 former was to retire from the duties he had so admirably dis- 
 charjjed, the class held a meetinjj, at which a committee w'as 
 appointed to draw up and present an address to Mr. Stewart, 
 conijratulatinfT him on his return to his official station, and 
 requesting him to convey to Dr. Brown their high sense of 
 the manner in which he had filled the chair as his substitute. 
 The committee was composed of seven ; among whose names 
 we find those of Lord John Russell, Lord Calthorpe, and 
 T. F. Kennedy of Dunure. 
 
 This success on the part of Dr. Brown, was but the earnest 
 of higher triumphs. At the end of the session of which wc 
 have been speaking, ]\Ir. Stewart, from the declining and pre- 
 carious state of his health, intimated to the town-council of 
 Edinburgh, the patrons of the chair, his desire to have Dr. 
 Brown elected his colleague in the professorship of moral phi- 
 losophy. Of this application, so honourable both to Mr. 
 Stewart and his distinguished friend, the result is well known. 
 In jNIay 1810, Dr. Brown was elected joint professor of moral 
 philosophy. 
 
 On his appointment he retired to the country, where he 
 continued for the benefit of his health, and without engaging 
 in study, till within six weeks of the meeting of his class. 
 When the college opened, he had made no addition to the 
 number of lectures he had prepared during the preceding win- 
 ter. Great exertions, therefore, were now required to be made. 
 During the ensuing winter he was seldom in bed before two or
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 209 
 
 three o'clock in the morning ; and some nights he did not re- 
 tire to rest at all. He often continued writing till the hour 
 arrived at which he had to appear before his class, with the pa- 
 per in the composition of which he was engaged. Under 
 these circumstances were about seventy lectures composed dur- 
 ing the first year : the whole of the remaining ones, a hundred 
 in all, were written either before the beginjiing of next course, 
 or during its continuance. In revising lectures which had 
 been prepared so hastily, he was surprised to find how unex- 
 ceptionable they were, and what little improvement could be 
 made vipon them. Tlicse prelections he continued to read till 
 his death, often improved, indeed, and enlarged, but still the 
 original manuscript was retained ; and when afterwards pub- 
 lished to the world, they were printed from this copy. 
 
 Dr. Brown''s views on many subjects involved in his lectures, 
 were essentially different fi-om those entertained by his col- 
 league, — a circumstance which he confesses gave him great 
 uneasiness. This was perhaps the cause of his henceforth de- 
 voting his time more to poetical composition than to philoso- 
 phical studies. From the date of his appointment to the 
 ethical chair, his publications, with the exception of his Phy- 
 siology, were poetical, consisting of The Paradise of Coquettes, 
 by far his best production as a poet ; The Wanderer in Nor- 
 way ; The War Fiend; The Bower of Spring ; Agnes, in- 
 scribed to the memory of his mother; andEmih/. The Paradise 
 of Coquettes, and The Restoration of' India, have each under- 
 gone a second impression. 
 
 From an allusion in the foregoing paragraph, it is evident 
 that Dr. Brown had meanwhile lost his mother. She died on 
 the 3d of January 1817- He had ever regarded her with re-, 
 marlcable love and reverence : he watched over her in her last 
 illness with extreme anxiety and sorrow ; and the remembrance 
 of all that she had been he cherished till the moment of his 
 death with melancholy fondness. Her remains were first 
 placed in a vault in Edinburgh ; and, at the close of his col- 
 leo-e course, conveyed to the family burial-ground in the 
 church-yard of Kirkmabreck, one of the most romantic and
 
 300 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 secKuleil spots that can possibly be imagined, and, so far as I 
 know, without a parallel in this country. 
 
 It was at this time that he paid a visit to the Rev. John 
 Sibbald, the present minister of Kirkmabreck, who inhabits 
 the very house, with some additions, in which Dr. Brown first 
 saw the light. When he entered the chamber in which he 
 was born, he covered his eyes with his handkerchief, and shed 
 tears. At this period also he resided for some months at the 
 manse of Balmaclellan, with Mr. and Mrs. Thomson, his sis- 
 ter and brother-in-law. 
 
 As this summer was happily spent at Balmaclellan, he was 
 in the habit of retiring during the same season to the country 
 for the benefit of his health, which had never been good. But 
 few summers more it was his lot to enjoy : his brief but bright 
 career was near a close. In the end of autumn 1819 he re- 
 turned to town in apparently high health. In the country he 
 had begun the composition and printing of his PJiysiolop^y, 
 which was meant for a text book ; and as he was anxious that 
 the work should appear as early as possible, he laboured at it 
 on his return with such assiduity, that the exertion seems to 
 have hastened his days. During the Christmas holidays, be- 
 fore which he had been complaining, he confined himself to 
 the house, under the expectation that he should be enabled 
 aijain to meet his class with his usual share of health. But 
 his expectations were vain. He was unable to lecture till the 
 loth of January; on which occasion his subject unfortunately 
 happened to be one which had always excited in him a great 
 deal of emotion. The lecture to \vhich I refer is No. xxxv ; 
 and " those,"" says the Rev. Dr. ^Velsh, his ingenious and ele- 
 gant biographer, " who recollect the manner in which he al- 
 ways recited the ver)' affecting lines from Beattie's Hermit, will 
 not wonder that some who attended his last course should con- 
 ceive that the emotion he displayed arose from a foreboding of 
 his own approaching dissolution." 
 
 'Tis night, and the landscape is lovely no more: 
 I mourn, but ye woodlands, I mourn not for you ; 
 I'or morn is approacliinjf, your charnis to restoie, 
 I'l'i I'liurd wi(h iVc^li frug'iaiicr, and yliUeiiiig willi dew ;
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 
 
 301 
 
 Nor yet for the ravage of winter T mourn ; 
 Kind Nature tlie embryo blossom will save. 
 But when shall Spring visit the movldering urn ? 
 O ! when shall it dawn on the night of the grave ? 
 
 This was the last lecture he ever delivered. Dr. Gregory, 
 who was now for the first time sent for, interdicted him from 
 continuing his official duties. The late Mr. Stewart, lecturer 
 on botany, officiated for him during the remainder of the ses- 
 sion. His medical friends at length urged him to try the be- 
 nefit of a voyage to London, and so soon as the season per- 
 mitted, to remove to a milder climate. With this advice he 
 seems reluctantly to have complied. " 'Tis very difficult,"" 
 says he, " to convince my medical friends that there is such 
 a disease as the love of one*'s country : many people really can- 
 not be made to comprehend it. But,"" continued he, with a 
 languid and melancholy smile, " there is such a disease — 
 
 ' Nescio qua natale solum dulcedine captos 
 Ducit, et immeniores non sinit esse sui." 
 
 JVon shut ; how simply and beautifully expressive ; it will not 
 let us forget it.'" 
 
 He sailed for London on the 5th of March, accompanied by 
 his brother Major Brown, who never afterwards left him ; and 
 Dr. Gregory, his never-failing friend, saw him on board at 
 Leith. Soon after his arrival in London, his medical advisers 
 there recommended him to go to Brompton, in the near neigh- 
 bourhood of the city. The change seemed at first to revive 
 him. But nothing could now arrest the progress of his dis- 
 ease. He lingered on, gradually becoming weaker, but still 
 exhibiting his usual mildness and gentle resignation, till the 
 2d of April, when he breathed his last, without a sigh or a 
 struggle. This event took place in the year 1820, in the 
 forty-third year of his age. His remains were put in a leaden 
 coffin, and laid, as he had directed, beside those of his father 
 and mother, in his native parish. 
 
 As to his personal appearance, he was about the middle size, 
 and of round make ; but his step did not show that firmness of
 
 302 THE LITKRARY HISTORY 
 
 constitution which his ligurc otherwise might be supposed to in- 
 dicate. His complexion, too, particularly during his last years, 
 was pale and feminine ; his features were full and regular ; his 
 eyes dark grey ; his eye-lashes long ; his nose a mixture of the 
 Grecian and Roman ; his forehead large, and his hair brown. 
 The cxpressioii of his countenance did not convey the idea 
 either of bodily strength or mental vigour ; but was that of 
 mildness and delicacy. 
 
 He died unmarried. He lived with his mother till her 
 death in IHI7 ; after which he and two unmarried sisters, (who 
 had formerly also resided under their maternal roof), continued 
 as before to live together.* 
 
 " The character of Dr. Brown,"" to use the words of Sir 
 James ^Mackintosh i)i his admirable Dissertation on the History 
 of INIetaphysical Science, prefixed to the first volume of the 
 Enci/dopcdia Britannica, — " The character of J.)r. Brown is 
 very attractive, as an example of one in wliom the utmost ten- 
 derness of affection, and the indulgence of a flowery fancy, 
 were not repressed by the highest cultivation, and by a per- 
 haps excessive refiiicment of intellect. 11 is mind soared and 
 roamed through ever)"- regioi\ of pl^.ilosophy and poetry ; but 
 his untravelled heart clung to the hearth of his fathers, to the 
 children who shared it witli him ; and, after them, first to the 
 other partners of his childish sports, and then ahnost solely to 
 those companions of his youthful studies w]\o continvied to be 
 the friends of his life. Speculation seemed to keep his kind- 
 ness at home. It is observable that, thovigh sparkling with 
 fancy, he does not seem to have been deeply or durably touch- 
 ed by those affections which are lighted at its torch, or at least 
 tin-'cd with its colours. His heart souijht little abroad, but 
 
 * Of tlie numerous family to wliidi Dr. Brown belonged, only two were mar- 
 ricil, namely. Dr. James ."Murray Urown, who settled in America, and died 
 llicrc, leaving a family beliind liim ; and his oldest sister Dorothea, now the 
 widow of tlie late Kcv. James 'rhom&on, minister of Balmaclellan. Mr. 
 'J'homson, descended of respectable parents in ^^'■if(tOllshirc, died on tlie 
 lOlh of .March 1825, after having been minister of Balmaclellan iijnvards 
 of thirty-three years. He was a man of the p^rcatcst respectability and worth 
 of character, and deservedly held in high regard.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 303 
 
 contentedly ihvelt in his family and in his study. He was one 
 of those men of genius who repaid the tender care of a mother 
 by rocking the cradle of her reposing age. He ended a life 
 spent in searching for truth, and exercising love, by desiring 
 that he should be buried in his native parish with his " dear 
 father and mother." Some of these delightful qualities were 
 perhaps hidden from the casual observer in general society, 
 by the want of that perfect simplicity of manners which is 
 doubtless their natural representative.'" 
 
 His Leclures were published immediately after his death, 
 extending to four octavo volumes. In this shape they under- 
 went two impressions. They have since been stereotyped, and 
 compressed in one dense volume ; in which form they have 
 gone through various editions. The favourable reception which 
 this work has obtained, and the proud place among metaphy- 
 sical writiiigs which has been assigned to it, could the author 
 have foreseen it, would have afforded him unspeiikable delight ; 
 for he was passionately fond' of literary glory. He was per- 
 haps, indeed, over-jealous on this svibject, — a feeling, for ex- 
 ample, which led him to ascribe his want of success as a poet 
 to causes which had no connexion with it. 
 
 Of the character of his philosophical views Ave have not time 
 to speak ; nor, in a work like the present, is it necessary. The 
 subject, as may easily be conceived, has given rise to variety 
 of opinion ; and in the consideration of it due candour and im- 
 partiality have not always, perhaps, been displayed. For an ana- 
 lysis of his views, the reader is referred to his Life, admirably 
 written by Dr. Welsh ; but particularl}'' to that part of Sir James 
 Mackintosh's Dissertation which treats of Dr. Brown. This 
 article, were it not for its length, w^e would have presented 
 to our readers ; for, so far as it goes, it is undoubtedly one of 
 the most dignified and masterly pieces of composition connected 
 with the science to which it refers. 
 
 But these Lectures, though, both as to language and mat- 
 ter, they labour under all the disadvantages incident to a 
 posthumous work, so candidly pointed out by Sir James jMack- 
 intosh, are distinguished by the highest merits. " For mcta-
 
 304 THE UTERAUY HISTORY 
 
 physical acutcuoss," says Dr. Welsh, " protbuiul and liberal 
 views, refhiod taste, varied learning, and philosophical elo- 
 quence, all under the guidance of a spirit breathing the purest 
 philanthropy and piety, they may challenge comparison with 
 any work that ever was published ; and though the admirers 
 of ]^r. Brown may regret that they should not have received 
 his last corrections, the circumstance is of little real import- 
 ance, either to their value or his fainc ; for it may safely be 
 predicted that, even in their present form, they will always 
 continue a splendid monument of his academical exertions, 
 and be considered one of the most valuable accessions that ever 
 was made to the philosophy of mind,"" K,
 
 OF GALLOMAY. '305 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 LIFE OF THOMAS, EARL OF SELKIRK. 
 
 Of the family from which Thomas Douglas, Earl of Sel- 
 kirk, was descended, Lord Basil Hamilton, sixth son of the 
 Duke of Hamilton, was the first connected with Galloway. 
 He married IMaiy, heiress of Sir David Dunbar of Baldoon, 
 by which union he beame possessed of large estates both in 
 Wigtonshire and in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. This 
 amiable and accomplished young man came to an untimely 
 end at the early age of thirty. His brother the Earl of Sel- 
 kirk and himself, with a servant, were crossing the INIinnoch, 
 a small stream in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, which at 
 that time was much swollen ; when the servant having become 
 entangled in the river, Lord Basil, who had previously 
 gained the opposite bank, rushed in to rescue his attendant 
 from his perilous situation. The unhappy result was that both 
 master and servant were drowned. This took place in August 
 1701. In the Advocates Library are preserved three doggerel 
 poems occasioned by his death ; from which, as well as from 
 more authentic sources, we learn the respectability of his charac- 
 ter, and the deep interest he had taken in the unfortunate Scots 
 settlement at Darien. 
 
 lie laid his projects still to raise our trade. 
 In foreign colonies our fame to spread. 
 
 For Caledonia's injured settlement 
 With jmt rebcutmeut to tlie court lie went, 
 X
 
 30G THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 And that with great expense, yet did derline 
 To be repaid for either cost or time. 
 Thus brave and generous did he Hve and die, 
 And shrunk away in boundless charity. 
 
 His widow survived him nearly sixty years, having 
 died in I76O, at the age of eighty-four. Of their children, 
 four in nunihcr, the oldest dying young, the family was long 
 represented by Basil Hamilton the second son. On his death 
 in 17-i-> he was succeeded by his son Dunbar Hamilton, who, 
 in ly-i-l*, became heir to his grand-uncle the Earl of Selkirk ; 
 on which occasion he assumed the name of Douglas.* He 
 was father of the distinguished nobleman, whose life we now 
 purpose shortly to trace. 
 
 Thomas Douglas, though he afterwards succeeded his 
 father as Earl of Selkirk, was the youngest of seven sons, 
 of whom only two died in infancy : five reached the age of 
 manhood. The name of one of these, Basil William, 
 (the second Lord Daer,) must not be passed over in si- 
 lence. He has been celebrated by Burns, but there are traits 
 and excellencies in his character, of which the poet was not 
 aware. Having visited the Continent, he became an admirer 
 of the principles which led to the French Revolution. He 
 enjoyed the acquaintance of Rochefoucault, Condorcet, La- 
 vosier, and other distinguished men abroad. At home, he be- 
 came a member of the Society of the Friends of the People, 
 and was a zealous and persevering advocate for parliamentary 
 reform. These sentiments indeed were, in a greater or less 
 degree, those of his father and brothers ; biit from the energy 
 of his character and his distinguished talents, he occupied a 
 space in pulilic attention to which none of his family attained. 
 According to tlic law as it then existed, and still obtains, the 
 
 » The first Earl of Selkirk was a younger .'^on of tlie first Marquis of 
 Douglas; who, having married the lieircss of the Dukedom of Hiimilton, 
 and having been elevated for life to that title, resigned liis Karldom into the 
 hands of tlic king. This latter peerage was, in 1G88, revived in the person 
 of hi« third son with the precedence of the original creation. (IGUi.) I'uii- 
 bar Hamilton of Baldoon. who, as stated in the text, succeeded to the title 
 of i?ilkiik. w;i^ iivciit LTundson of the Uuke of Hamilton first refcried to.
 
 OF OALI.O\VAV. .307 
 
 olcle^ son of a Scots peer cannot, like those of the Knglish or 
 Irish nobility, have a scat in the Commons House of paliamcnt. 
 This disability he re^:;ardecl as absurd and unjust ; and he 
 made an attempt to get it removed. He formally claimed his 
 right to be put on the roll of freeholders in the Stewartry of 
 Kirkcudbright, and a majority of the electors having supported 
 that claim, the minority, instead of acquiescing, carried the 
 question before the Court of Session. That judicatory, and 
 subsequently the House of Lords, reversed the decision to which 
 the electors had come, and continued the disability of which he 
 so justly complained. 
 
 But however enlightened, or superior to his age, were 
 the political views of this eminent person, his name is better 
 known to us in a department of less publicity perhaps, 
 but of not less importance. We refer to his public-spirited 
 exertions as an agricultural improver. In I786, his father 
 transferred to him the uncontrolled management of his estates;* 
 
 * Lord Daer was aware that even the best cultivated lands were suscep- 
 tible of great amelioration, and afforded ample scojje for the exercise of 
 agricultural skill. Having made himself master of the state of his father's 
 affiirs, and having resolved to dispose of the barony of Baldoon, the nature 
 of this sale is so honourable to his Lordship's abilities, that we cannot re- 
 sist menticming it. The lands were sold to the late Earl of Galloway for a 
 price founded on a rental of I, .5000 ; and it was farther stipulated that 
 Lord Daer should retain a lease of the estate for ten years, at a rent of 
 L.7000 per annum ; that at the expiration of that time, tiie lands were to be 
 valued by arbiters mutually chosen ; and that Lord Galloway should pay 
 twenty-five years purchase of the full surplus valued rent above L.5000. 
 This negociation was concluded about the year 1793. Unfortunately, the 
 enlightened improvements and experiments which Lord Daer contemplated, 
 he was not destined to live to superintend. But every thing he had sug- 
 gested was, so far as was possible, carried into effect. Not only was the 
 sum, realized from the estate by skilful management, soon found sufficient to 
 meet the payment of rent ; but on the termination of the lease, the value of 
 the property was ascertained to have been enhanced in so surprising a degree, 
 that Lord Galloway had to pay an'additional sum of no less than L.12.5,000 ! 
 This result was not more honourable to the penetration and talents of Lord 
 Daer, than the mode in which the money was disposed of is honourable to 
 the betievolence and liberality of his brother, Thomas, Earl of Selkirk, the 
 subject of this sketch. It was not till a'.oii;, i.he year 180G that the trans- 
 action in question was finally adji;sted. At that time Lord Selkirk had four
 
 308 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 and " the ardour with which he turned his powerful mind to 
 the investigation of every subject connected with rural economy, 
 was only equalled by the perseverance and ability which he 
 displayed in the practical execution of his plans. In the 
 management of his father ""s estates, he set an example of en- 
 lightened liberality ; and his influence was most zealously ex- 
 tended in promoting every public measure of utility. Roads and 
 bridges, as the great ground-work of other improvements, were 
 early the objects of his most anxious attention. The unex- 
 ampled success with which he applied himself to this branch 
 of rural economy, and the spirit and judgment which he dis- 
 plaved ^^•ith regard to farms, houses, and useful and ornamen- 
 tal plantations," were quite extraordinary, if not altogether unpre- 
 cedented in Scotland.* Had his valuable life been prolonged, he 
 would undoubtedly have become one of the most distinguished 
 )ioblemen of whom this country ever could boast. But his 
 days were doomed to be few. Amid his public-spirited exer- 
 tions as a landholder, and his speculations as a politician, he was 
 carr\'inir about with him the seeds of that disease which, as has 
 been beautifully .said, "indulges hopes of life atthemomentwhen 
 it destroys it." The melancholy truth is, he died of consump- 
 tion, deeply and universally regretted, on the 5th November 
 1794, at the early age of thirty-two. This event took place 
 at Ivy Bridge, Devonshire, whither he had gone for the bene- 
 fit of his health ; and his rem.ains were intened at Exeter. 
 
 He was succeeded, as Lord Daer, by his younger brother, 
 John, a member of the Scots bar ; and he also having died in 
 early life — Thomas, the subject of this brief sketch, the seventh 
 and only surviving son, became, in 17975 heir-apparent to the 
 honours of his family ; at which, on the death of his venerable 
 father, he arrived in the month of May 1799 
 
 This nobleman was born in the month of June 1771- Hav- 
 
 sistcrs alive, to uiiom lie was warmly attacliod ; an-.i instead of appropriating 
 the large ciiiti in question to liis own use, dividing it into five share."?, he 
 presented a share to each of his sisters, and only retained the remaining 
 one for himself. 
 
 • The IJcv. y\r. Smith's Agricd. Survnj nf Galloway.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 309 
 
 ing received in England an education becoming his rank, he 
 finished his studies at the university of Edinburgh. He af- 
 terwards travelled for two years on the continent ; and on his 
 return, being meant for a country life, and having perhaps im- 
 bibed a love for rural pursuits from his brother, of whom 
 we have already spoken, he studied agriculture under Mr. 
 Culley, an eminent farmer in Northumberland. Nor was it 
 long till he had an opportunity of carrying into effect the 
 knowledge which he had acquired. He received from his 
 father one of his best farms ; Kirkchrist in the vicinity of 
 Kirkcudbright. He lived on it in a house built for himself, 
 of a kind not superior to the more respectable class of such 
 buildings. He entered with enthusiasm on the duties of a 
 farmer : he was distinguished by that energy and ardour of 
 character for which his brother Basil William had been so re- 
 markable : and he afforded an example of enlightened manage- 
 ment and enterprising improvements at that time uncommon 
 at least, if not entirely unknown in that part of the country. 
 But having succeeded his father as Earl of Selkirk in 1799, a 
 new and more enlarged sphere of action was opened up to him, 
 of which he did not fail very soon to avail himself. Instead of 
 spending his time or dissipating his means in inglorious ease 
 or giddy pleasure, in imitation of too many persons of his 
 station in society, he on the contrary devoted all his resources 
 and energies to the good of his species, and to the promotion 
 of laudable objects. 
 
 Soon after his succession to the peerage, he took an active 
 interest in the state of the highlands of Scotland, (a district of 
 country, which, during the course of his academical studies, he 
 had frequently visited ; and he had thus acquired a thorough 
 knowledije of the interestinfj character of its inhabitants, and had 
 even made some progress in learning their language,) particularly 
 in regard to the extensive emigrations which were taking place 
 from that quarter of the kingdom. The feudal system in the 
 highlands had gradually been giving way since the rebellion of 
 17-t5. l^he object of landlords in these rude regions soon 
 became, not the number of dependants they could support on
 
 310 THE LITERARY HISTORY * 
 
 tlicir estates, but how to turn these estates, in a pecuniary point 
 of view, to the best advantage ; not to multiply iamilies, but to 
 increase the produce of their lands. The system of large 
 farms having been introduced, the small occupiers were dis- 
 possessed. These persons, attached by birth to the possession 
 of land, almost invariably, in their unhappy circumstances, 
 preferred emigrating to America, where land could be got in 
 abundance, to remaining at home, and dwindling down into 
 the rank, degraded in their eyes, of day-labourers or mechanics. 
 The States of America was their usual destination : British 
 America Avas seldom their choice. Lord Selkirk, perceiving 
 this, and learning that, while persons of the hardy nature and 
 industrious habits of the highlanders, were settling in a foreign 
 country, which might one day become hostile to us, our own 
 colonies were not unfrequently the resort of individuals of de- 
 praved characters or of dangerous political sentiments, stept for- 
 ward to check this evil, and to turn the tide of emigration into 
 a different channel. It was his decided opinion, as stated in 
 his work on Emigration, that " our own colonies should be 
 peopled by men whose manners and principles are consonant to 
 our own government." His object was not so much to encourage 
 emigration ; but since this step was necessary, to give it that 
 turn which might render it advantageous alike to our colonies 
 and the mother country ; for he was fully aware of the princi- 
 ple, that emigration has no tendency ultimately to decrease po- 
 pulation, as the void it occasions constitutes a stimulus to the 
 remaining inhabitants, (of which they never fail to avail them- 
 selves,) speedily to fill it up. 
 
 He was not a man to form a resolution, and not to carry 
 it into effect. Having purchased a large tract of waste 
 land on Prince Edward's Island, in the gulf of St. Law- 
 rence, he undertook to occupy it with emigrants from the 
 highlands, who had been previously destined for the United 
 States. This he at length accomplished. Three .ships, con- 
 taining altogether about 800 persons, reached the island in 
 August 180J^. He himself arrived a few days after them. 
 He directed and superintended, in person, the steps necessary
 
 * OF r.ALLOU'AY. 311 
 
 to be taken by the infant colony, namely, examining the 
 lands, laying them out in small lots, building cottages, 
 and other such operations. " The settlers," says he in his 
 excellent work already referred to, " had every incitement to vig- 
 orous exertion from the nature of their tenures. They were 
 allowed to purchase in fee-simple, and to a certain extent, on 
 credit : from fifty to an hundred acres were allowed to each fa- 
 mily at a very moderate price, but none was given gratuitously. 
 I'o accommodate those who had no super^uity of capital, they 
 were not required to pay the price in full till the third or 
 fourth year of their possession ; and, in this time, an industri- 
 ous man might have it in his power to discharge the debt out 
 of the produce of the land itself." The same principle was 
 adopted in the distribution of provisions. Nothing was given 
 in charity. " And thus," says his lordship, " the proud spi- 
 rit that characterised the ancient highlander was carefully 
 cherished among them : the near prospect of independence was 
 kept constantly within their view, to stimulate their exertions, 
 and support them in every difficulty." 
 
 Lord Selkirk, having left his colony to the charge of a con- 
 fidential agent, visited the continent of America ; and having 
 made an extensive tour there, returned at the end of a tvs'elve- 
 month, to the island, where he found every thing, with little 
 exception, satisfactory and prosperous. He soon after sailed for 
 England, where he arrived in the spring of 1805. 
 
 Soon after his return, he published Observations on the Pre- 
 sent State of the Highlands of Scotland., with a view to the 
 causes and probable consequences of Emigration. This work, 
 though written to serve a temporary object, is composed with 
 such ability and science as to be of a permanent character ; 
 and it will ever constitute a favourable memorial of the expan- 
 sive and patriotic views of its author. He seems to have been 
 intimately acquainted with the works of Adam Smith, Mal- 
 thus, and other eminent political economists ; and though a 
 very ingenious pamphlet, under the title of Strictures and Re- 
 marks on the Earl of Selkirlis Observations, <Sj-c., was publish- 
 ed by Mr. Robert Brown, yet it may be safely pronounced
 
 312 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 that none of his lorclship''s views have been repelled, and that 
 thev are unanswerable. 
 
 Lord Selkirk, ibr some time after this date, was not engag- 
 ed in any public enterprise. But he was not a man to remain 
 idle. By his influence and example, he was, in his native 
 county, teaching sound principles of agriculture. He was 
 One of the presidents of the Stewartry Agricultural Society, es- 
 tablished in 1809 ; and it was on his suggestion, that the late 
 Kev. Samuel Smith of Borgue, undertook to draw up The 
 Agricultural Survey of Gallowaj/. 
 
 In 1808, he was nominated one of the sixteen representa- 
 tive peers of Scotland ; and in the same year, was elected a 
 member of the Royal Society of London. In the House of 
 Lords, he made several respectable appearances as a speaker ; 
 and on one occasion he published a speech On the defence 
 of the countri/, delivered by him in that assembly. But he 
 was not fitted to become an eminent parliamentary orator. 
 His knowledge Avas coiTcct and minute, and his view's were 
 sound. But he was distinguished by uncommon diffidence, 
 and laboured under a slight defect in his utterance : circum- 
 stances that imparted considerable hesitation to his speech in 
 public assemblies. In the same year, he gave to the world 
 a pamphlet on the subject that his published speech had 
 embraced, namely, the establishment of a permanent local mi- 
 litia ; a project which was afterwards carried into effect. Of 
 this pamphlet the title was The Necessiti/ of a more effectual 
 system of :^I Hilary Defence^ and the means of csletblishing the 
 jurmanent security of the kin i;;dom. He also printed a tract 
 On the Scottish Pcerai^e ; but this production I have not had 
 an opportunity of seeing. 
 
 Lord Selkirk had been educated in the Whig school of poli- 
 tics ; and the attachment which he must have felt for the 
 hereditary' principles of his family, must have been not a little 
 enhanced in his eyes by the part which his brother Basil Wil- 
 liam had taken in public affairs. These sentiments, however 
 sacred they may have a])peared to him from this view, he was 
 induced to abandon, and to adopt those of a contrary tendency.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. j 313 
 
 But it must not be forgotten that, though he laid aside the 
 principles of his family and his youth, and attached himself 
 to that party which, till of late, has long guided the coun- 
 cils of the nation, he never became a violent party-politician, 
 or showed any wish, as is too often the case in similar circum- 
 stances, to expose or slander the iriends from whom he had 
 withdrawn. In 1809, he published A Letter to John Cart- 
 wright^ Esq. recalling his sentiments on Parliamentary Re- 
 form ; and whether the reasons he assigns for his change of 
 views be considered as the result of prejudice, or of sound in- 
 duction, we cannot but admit the candid manner in which 
 they are stated. " I have had an opportunity," says he, 
 " which my honoured relations never had, of seeing [in the 
 United States,] the practical application of those principles 
 from which we expected consequences so beneficial. With 
 grief and mortification I perceived that no such advantages 
 had resulted as from theory I had been led to anticipate." 
 
 He remained a bachelor till I8O7 ; on the 24th day of No- 
 vember of which year he was most happily married to Jane, 
 only daughter of James Wedderburn Colville, Esq., brother 
 of the late Sir John Wedderburn of Ballindean, Bart. 
 
 But Lord Selkirk, notwithstanding his important engage- 
 ments in his native country, and the part he took in public 
 affairs, had not withdrawn his views entirely from the New 
 World, or ceased to take an interest in colonization. His set- 
 tlement on Prince Edward's Island was prospering as well as 
 he could reasonably have expected. But he aimed at some- 
 thing still higher, as the founder of a colony, than he had yet 
 reached ; and from the time he arrived from America, he had 
 undoubtedly been laying and maturing his plans for this pur- 
 pose. In 1811, he obtained from the Hudson's Bay Com- 
 pany (of whose stock he had previously purchased cne-third,) 
 an extensive grant of land within their territories, for the pur- 
 pose of establishing an agricultural colony upon the same 
 principles as those he had adopted in his former settlement. 
 The validity of this grant was guaranteed by the opinion of 
 the most able English counsel. The situation selected for
 
 •> 
 
 14 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 his settlement was on tlie banks of the Red River, at fifty 
 degrees of north latitude, and ninety-seven west longitude, 
 about fifty miles from the entrance of that stream into Lake 
 Winnipeg. The land is level, fertile, and comparatively free 
 of wood. The river abounds with Hsh ; the extensive plains 
 with buffalo ; and the woods with elk, deer, and game. In 
 summer the climate, which is undoubtedly salubrious, is hot, 
 insomuch that melons thrive in the open air ; but in winter 
 the thermometer has been known to sink 50^ below zero. 
 The place, besides, whatever its productiveness, was regarded 
 by some as not well fitted for an infant colony. It is sur- 
 rounded by native Indians, and docs not enjoy the command 
 of a market, boing distant 7OO miles from the nearest fort on 
 Hudson's Bay, and not less than 1500 from any inhabited 
 spot in Upper Canada. Of the-je circumstances his Lordship 
 was fully aware, and in his calculations he allowed them all the 
 weight to which they were entitled. But he was also aware 
 that the Red River was the head-quarters of the numerous in- 
 land traders employed by the Hudson"'s Bay Company ; and 
 that the provisions and other articles required for their support 
 had to be brought from a great distance, even. In many in- 
 stances, from the mother country. This, therefore, he regard- 
 ed as a market already prepared for the di.sposable produce of 
 his contemplated colony ; and he hoped that the settlers would 
 ere long be able, not only to secure to themselves all the ne- 
 cessaries of life, but to supply the demand, on the part of that 
 great company, to which I have referred. 
 
 Such was the nature of the place chosen by Lord Selkirk forhis 
 new colony. In the autumn of 1812, the year after he had ob- 
 tained the grant, the Hudson's Bay Company appointed Mr. Miles 
 Macdonell governor of Ossiniboia, the district in which the 
 settlement was to be formed ; and his lordship nominated the 
 same gentleman to superintend the colony, and take charge of 
 the settlers. In the beginning of 1813, the colony could boast 
 of a hundred persons ; and in the end of the following year, 
 that number was doubled. Other emigrants, chiefly, like the 
 rest, from the higlilands of Scotland, were on their way to join
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 315 
 
 their countrymen ; and the settlers, having surmounted most of 
 the difficulties incident to a new colony, were flattering them-- 
 selves with the near prospect of prosperity and happiness. But 
 never were expectations so miserably disappointed. The cir- 
 cumstances, however, which led to this unhappy result, as they 
 belong rather to the many-coloured history of America, than to 
 that of the founder of the Red River colony, can here merely 
 be adverted to, not detailed. 
 
 The north-west fur traders of INIontreal, proceeding on the 
 belief that colonization, under any circumstances, would be fa- 
 tal to their monoply, resolved, the instant they heard of Lord Sel- 
 kirk's intended settlement, not only that it should not succeed, 
 but that it should be destroyed. So soon as they were inform- 
 ed of its successful establishment, they took the most violent 
 and unwarrantable means to carry their determination into ef- 
 fect. They stationed representatives, worthy of their mission, 
 in the immediate vicinity of the infant colony. These gained 
 over to their purposes the native Indians and the Brules or 
 half-breeds, both of whom were at first favourably disposed to 
 their new neighbours ; and 'So unwearied were they in the dis- 
 charge of the wretched duties assigned to them, that, in 1815, 
 by threats, misrepresentations, and bloodshed, they dispersed 
 the settlers, and seized upon or destroyed their effects. 
 
 The emissaries of the north-west company, flattering them- 
 selves that the obnoxious colony was for ever destroyed, return- 
 ed to Upper Canada, carrying with them no fewer than a hun- 
 dred and thirty-four of the settlers from the Red River ; and 
 on their arrival, were received with great respect and gratitude 
 by the Company, whose undisguised wishes they had been car- 
 rying into effect. But unfortunately for the character of that 
 body, the expectations they had entertained respecting the final 
 overthrow of the settlement were frustrated. The unhappy in- 
 dividuals, who had escaped, and taken refuge at the north of 
 Lake Winnipeg, at a station belonging to the Hudson's Bay 
 Company, ventured to return in the ensuing spring, and were 
 soon joined by a new detachment of emigrants, chiefly from 
 the highlands of Scotland ; so th?.^, in 1816, the colony con-
 
 318 THE LITERARY HISTORY 
 
 taineil upwards of two hundred settlers. The north-west 
 Company, having re-appointod the same representatives again 
 to repair to their former station in the near vicinity of the in- 
 fant settlement, showed their unaltered determination to extir- 
 pate it. Nor were their sanguinary intentions long in being 
 carried into execution. In the month of June 1816, the co- 
 lony was attacked by the agents of the north-west company ; 
 and Mr. Semple, (who had succeeded Mr. Macdonell as go- 
 vernor of the district,) with twenty-one of the settlers, were 
 slain ; while only one on the side of the aggressors was killed ; 
 and the colony was thus a second time destroyed. Kven in the 
 history of the Spanish colonization of the New World, there 
 occurs no event of a more treacherous and sanguinary kind than 
 the destruction of the Red River settlement, and the murder 
 of the persons who composed it. 
 
 Lord Selkirk, meanwhile, was not idle. He was not in 
 America when the new colony was planted ; but on being in- 
 formed that its prosperity was endangered, or its existence threat- 
 ened, he lost no time in repairing to that continent. But it 
 was too late, as on his arrival at New York, towards the end of 
 the year 1815, he was told of its destruction. He instantly 
 repaired to Canada to stimulate the provincial government to 
 institute judicial proceedings. He was engaged in prosecuting 
 this object, when information reached him that the settlers who 
 had escaped, had returned to the colony, and had been joined 
 by a fresh body of emigrants from Scotland. His lordship 
 thought it his duty to hasten to the spot, to afford them that 
 countenance and protection which they had reason to expect at 
 his hands. Taking with him a party of new sellers, he was 
 ])roceeding to the Red River, when he received the account of 
 the murder of Governor Semple, and the extirpation of the co- 
 lony. Never was any individual placed in more trying circum- 
 stances. But every obstacle, however unexpected or melancho- 
 ly, instead of discouraging him in the prosecution of his design, 
 ap})ears to have had the very contrary tendency. Having spent 
 the winter at Fort William, where h.e arrested several of the 
 partners or servants of the north-west Company, that had been
 
 OK GALLOWAY. .317 
 
 concerned in the death of Mr. Sample, and in the destruction 
 of the new settlement, he pursued his journey into the interior in 
 sprint^, and arrived at the Red River in June 1817- Several 
 of the old settlers, hearing that his lordship was in America, had 
 ventured to return ; he had sent a few emigrants before him, 
 and had taken with him an additional small party ; and fresh 
 detachments soon after arrived. The colony resumed with re- 
 newed vigour their agricultural labours, under better auspices 
 than before : his Lordship, making every needful arrangement, 
 and affording them every encouragement in his power, continued 
 with them for a few months, when he bade them adieu, and 
 returned to Canada. While in this latter colony, he again ex- 
 erted himself to force the government to institute the necessary 
 investigations, both into his own conduct, which had been gross- 
 ly misrepresented, and into the crimes and murders that had 
 twice led to the destruction of the settlement. But in this 
 laudable object he was lamentably unsuccessful. No represen- 
 tation, no application on his part was treated with becoming 
 respect. His motives, his conduct, his intentions, as well as 
 those of his friends and adherents, were suspected or calumni- 
 ated. Garbled statements were despatched home to the parent 
 government ; and though his lordship during the whole time 
 he was in America courted or demanded investiiration ; and 
 though, both during that period and afterwards, he made the 
 same application to the British government, yet obstacles seem 
 voluntarily to have been thrown in the way. Some prelimina- 
 ry or superficial steps indeed were taken in Canada ; and no 
 fewer than thirty-eight individuals connected with the north- 
 west ComparLj had been indicted by the grand juries of Montreal 
 for murder. Yet fev/ of these were ultimately brought to trial ; 
 and the legal steps that should have been taken, pursuant to the 
 verdict of the gi-and juries, were studiously, and against every re- 
 monstrance on the part of Lord Selkirk, avoided by the colo- 
 nial government. And the result is, that the important ques- 
 tion respecting the two successive outrages committed at the 
 Red River, and the proceedings of his lordship consequent on 
 these, so far as judicial investigation is concerned, either at
 
 318 THE LITERARY IIISTORV 
 
 home or in C anada, is yet undcterniinccl. Now that this dis- 
 tinguished nobleman is no more, History is beginning to step 
 forward, and to perform to his memory that duty which the 
 British and Canadian governments ought to have discharged 
 during his life. 
 
 Havin ^ left America, after a distracted and bu&y residence 
 there of three years, he landed in England about the beginning 
 of 1819- During his absence, namely in 1816, he had pub- 
 lished a S'hetch of the British fur trade in North America, 
 with observations relative to the north-west company of Mon- 
 treal ; a pamphlet containing a severe exposure of the proceed- 
 ings and character of that body. That this exposure was not 
 unmerited is evident from the fact that no reply was attempted 
 to be made to it, either by the company or any person in their 
 name. In 1817? his friends in Britain gave to the world a 
 Statement respecting the Earl of Selkirlcs Settlement upon the 
 Red River, in North America ; its destruction in 1815 and 
 181 G, Sf-c. This Statement was partly occasioned by a pamphlet 
 published in the same year, on the part of the Montreal Com- 
 pany, entitled A Narrative of Occurrences in the Indian coun- 
 tries of North America, since the connexion of the Right Hon- 
 ourable the Earl of Selkirk with the Hudson'' s Bay Company, 
 ^•c. In that year also, Mr. John Halkett, brother-in-law to 
 Lord Selkirk,* transmitted a copy of the Statement to Earl Ba- 
 thurst, at the head of the Colonial Department ; and at the 
 same time commenced a correspondence with the colonial of- 
 fice, respecting his celebrated friend, and his enterprises in 
 America, which continued at intervals for nearly two years, 
 and which is highly honourable to the character, judgment, 
 and talents of the writer. Lord Selkirk himself, soon after his 
 return to England, stept forward in his own cause. He ad- 
 dressed A Letter to the Earl of Liverpool, dated 19th March, 
 1819, aiid accompanied by Mr Halkett's correspondence with 
 Lord Bathurst. " The subject,'' says the author, " properly 
 
 • Mr. I'alkett and Lord .'^dkirk wcro hIso t-ousins, thpir mothers having 
 been sijitcrs ; tianicly, dan^litcrs of tlic Hon. .lolin Hamilton, second son of 
 Tiiomas, Earl of Iladdingtoti.
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 31 9 
 
 belongs to the Colonial Department ; but the conduct of that 
 Department, with respect to the matters in question, for more 
 than three years past, while I was absent in America, has 
 been such that I can have liltle expectation of redress from 
 that quarter ; and I Icel it neccosary, therefore, to appeal to 
 your lordship, at the head of his majesty's government.''" To 
 this Letter was added an appendix, consisting of informations, 
 affidavits, and official letters, addressed by Lord Selkirk to the 
 governor-general of Canada.* 
 
 Amid the harassing and laborious duties to which he had 
 been so long exposed, his health had begun to fail ; and symp- 
 toms of that disease, which had already proved fatal to severa. 
 of his family, appeared. Owing to the advice of his medica 
 attendants, he resolved to spend the winter of 1819-20, on the 
 continent ; whither he went at the end of harvest, accompa- 
 .nied by Lady Selkirk, who had also been his constant compa- 
 nion during his residence in America. He spent the winter 
 at Pau, in the south of France. But nothing could arrest the 
 progress of his disease. He breathed his last on the 8th of 
 April 1820 before he had completed the forty-ninth year of 
 his age. His remains were interred in the Protestant burial- 
 ground at Pau. He left behind him three children, a son and 
 two daughters. The character of Lady Selkirk, as a wife and 
 a mother, is above all praise. 
 
 As to stature. Lord Selkirk was fully six feet in height, 
 rather of slender form, with a gentle stoop in 'i:':; gait. His 
 hair was of an auburn colour, approaching to vCi ; his face ra- 
 ther long ; his forehead high ; his countenance mild and be- 
 nignant. Though he was capable of undergoing great fatigue, 
 he never was very athletic. In his social intercourse with the 
 
 * To the publications mentioned in the text, as also to A Letter to the 
 Earl of Selkirk, on his Settlement at the Fed Hirer, near Hudsoit's Bai/, b>/ 
 John Strackan, D. D Rector of York, Upper Canada, wliicli appeared in 
 London in 1816, and to Narratives of John Prttchard, Pierre Chri/solocpte 
 Pambrun, and Frederick JDamien Heuster, respecting the a(/(/ressors of the North 
 West Compani/, against the Earl of Selkirk's Settlement upon Red River, puli- 
 'ishi'd in London in 18 1 J), we are indebted for tiie information on which 
 lord Selkirk's American historv is founded.
 
 320 THE LITERAKY HISTORV 
 
 world, he was distinguished by conipUiisance and courteous- 
 ness of" manners ; wliich were always marked by a modesty, 
 not nntVc(|uently bordering on diffidence, most amiable under 
 any circumstances, but not usual and perhaps more ami- 
 able in his Lordship^s rank of life. 
 
 Lord Selkirk's character is of the highest kind. He may 
 be denominated a projector ; but that term is applicable to 
 him only in its best sense. His plans of colonization, instead 
 of being rashly adopted, were the result of reflection and judg- 
 ment, as well as of an ardent imajxination and a benevolent 
 heart ; and though of great magnitude, involving much ex- 
 pense, were so admirably formed that, so far as he was con- 
 cerned, they met with no interruption, but, on the contrary, he 
 was prepared, at every step, to meet the demands that might 
 be made on him. The interruption to which unfortunately they 
 were exposed, was attributable, not to any miscalculation or impru- 
 dence on his part, but to the illegal and disgraceful opposition 
 he experienced at the hands of a grasj^ing and interested com- 
 pany. His ardour and perseverance in the pursuit of any ob- 
 ject on which he had fixed his heart, were altogether uncom- 
 mon, and seem to have increased in proportion to the extent 
 of the obstacles with which he had to contend. His conduct 
 in Canada was finn, considerate, dignified, independent, busi- 
 ness-like ; of which his letters to the governor of Upper Ca- 
 nada, and to the governor-general of Canada, afford admirable 
 specimens. He may, we confess, have adopted some hasty and ap- 
 parently equivocal steps ; but the circumstances in which the 
 conduct of his enemies had placed him, not only warranted 
 them, but loudly called for them. 
 
 He was himself not only a man of genius, but an enthusias- 
 tic admirer of genius in others. The lute Professor Du"-ald 
 Stewart was, during his lordship's life, his intimate and affec- 
 tionate friend. Of learning and merit he was disposed to be 
 the patron. His habits were literary. His acquirements in 
 mathematical science were great : his reading in every depart- 
 ment exten.sive : his knowledge of the fine arts minute and 
 correct : his taste fine : his compositions logical, ingenious,
 
 OF GALLOWAY. 321 
 
 and elegant. He was, on the whole, a man of a gentle nature, 
 distinguished, not merely by his talents, but by benevolence 
 and liberality : and he enjoyed the respect, the confidence, or 
 admiration of all within the extensive sphere, either of his per- 
 sonal ac(]^uaintance, or of his influence. 
 
 I cannot close this memoir without mentioning, what must 
 be agreeable to every reader, that the two rival companies in the 
 fur trade, namely, those of Hudson''s Bay and JNIontrcal, have, 
 since the death of Lord Selkirk, been united ; that the colony 
 of the Red River consists of upwards of 4000 settlers, provided 
 with resident magistrates, a clergyman, and a surgeon ; that 
 it is happy and prosperous, answering the most sanguine ex- 
 pectations which its enlightened founder ever ventured to form 
 of it ; and that I have reason to believe that his Lordship''s 
 speculations in the Hudson's Bay Stock, combined with the 
 revenues derived from his settlements in North America, ^hile 
 his name will be honourably perpetuated there in connexion 
 with the history of colonization and the progress of society, are 
 affording ample proofs of his foresight, penetration, and wis- 
 dom. A
 
 32-2 
 
 THK LITERARY )ll!<TORY 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 LIFE OF JOHN MACTAGGART. 
 
 John Mactaggart, or M'Taggart, was born at Lennox- 
 Plunton, in the parish of Borguc, on the 26th of June 1797" 
 His father, jNIr. James M'Taggart, was tenant of that farm ; 
 his mother was IMary Sproat, both parents being connected 
 with the oldest families in their rank of life in Galloway. 
 " My father," says INIr. Mactaggart in his Gallovidian Kncij- 
 clopedia^ where he gives an account of his early life, " is a 
 farmer, and throughout my pilgrimage on earth, from the 
 cradle till this moment, I have never met with any whom I 
 considered had so much native strength of intellect." This 
 respectable person is still alive, and highly merits, I believe, 
 the character given of him by his son. But his wife died in 
 1829, after having been the parent of eleven children, of whom 
 John was the third. 
 
 Being at a considerable distance from the parish school, the 
 subject of this sketch received his elementary education at 
 home from a young man who was employed as domestic tutor. 
 Mr. M'l^iggart and a neighbouring farmer engaged this ju- 
 venile teacher in common, and he remained half of his time 
 with one of his employers and the remainder with the other ; 
 " so," says John, " my sisters and I went to this farmer's 
 house, and were taught along with his family, and they came 
 to us in return." He complained ;it this time, as he did ever
 
 OF fiALL!»\r.VY. 
 
 323 
 
 attervvards, of the severe corporal punishment arbitrarily in- 
 Hicted by his successive teachers on their pupils. I regard 
 the practice on which this just complaint is founded, as equally 
 cruel, inexpedient, and unwarrantable. This is not a place for 
 entering on the discussion of this subject ; but 1 cannot re- 
 sist the opportunity, now afforded me, of referring the reader 
 to a most interesting and important work, entitled, Priiiciplcs 
 of Elanenlary Education, c/iiefi/ in rcjcrmct to the Purocliial 
 Schools of Scotland, by Professor Pillans ; a gentleman to 
 whom the cause of education in Scotland is more Indebted than 
 perhaps to any other individual. 
 
 He ai'terwards attended Borgue academy for some time pre- 
 viously to 1805, at which date his father removed from Plun- 
 ton to Torrs, a farm in the parish of Kirkcudbright. Being 
 four miles from the excellent seminaries in the burgh of that 
 name, he attended a small school in the neighbourhood of 
 Torrs, taught by Mr. Caig ; " and if," says he, " I have any 
 learning or any genius about me, to this man am I indebted 
 for their improvement."" He was afterwards sent to the academy 
 of Kirkcudbright, where he studied mathematics ; and though 
 he was often prevented from regular attendance owing to the 
 nature of the weather and other circumstances, yet, at the exa- 
 mination, " he laid all the school below him, and so obtained the 
 premium." He afterwards commenced the study of French. 
 He was, even at this early age, fond of desultory reading, and 
 entertained an absurd aversion to tasks. 
 
 He now, being in his thirteenth year, left school " with 
 disgust." Many occupations he contemplated ; but being par- 
 tial to that of a printer, he wrote successively to three different 
 persons in that line, offering himself as an apprentice ; but none 
 of them deigned to take notice of his application. He now 
 began to feel " a melancholy working in him, which he often 
 thought was going to overset his mind altogether," but of 
 which, as he advanced in life, he got comparatively free. Not- 
 withstanding his having left school so early and abruptly, he 
 still entertained an Invincible love for books. A friend lent 
 him a copy of the Encj/lopcvdia Britannica; and " I gathered,"
 
 324 
 
 THE MTERAUY Hi5>iCRV 
 
 says he, " ten times more (nit of" that book tluin i clid at the 
 College of Kilinhurgh." 
 
 Tired ot" rural occupations, lie entered the university of 
 Edinburgh in 1{517. He had as yet no decided plan of life ; 
 but as math.ematics and physical science were his favourite 
 pursuits, he studial these branches. He returned to Edin- 
 burgh during the subsequent session of College. But he 
 states, that he " never received any good from attending the 
 university. I was there told nothing but what 1 had before 
 gathered."" 
 
 He did not, in consequence, again enter the university or 
 repeat his visit to Edinburgh, but remained at home, for a few 
 years, employed in agricultural pursuits. His habits still con- 
 tinued to be literary, and it was at this time that he composed 
 his Encyclopedia. He resolved at length to set out for Lon- 
 don to endeavour to find some occupation by which he might 
 gain a livelihood. Owing to recommendations and letters oi 
 introduction, he soon obtained, on his arrival in that city, em- 
 ployment in giving private lessons to young gentlemen in ma- 
 thematics ; a mode of life in which he was very successful. 
 
 It was at this time, (1824), that he published The Scotlinh 
 Gallovidian Encyclopedia, or the Original, Antiquated, and 
 Natural Curiosilies of the South of Scotland ; containing 
 Sketches of Eccentric Characters and Curious Places, with ex- 
 planations of singular Words, Terms, and Phrases ; inter- 
 spersed with Poems, Tales, Anecdotes, S^c. and various other 
 strange matters ; the whole illustrative of the ways of the Pea- 
 santry and manners of Caledonia. This is one of the most 
 singular works that ever issued from any press. It is unlike 
 the production of a person of reading and education. The lan- 
 guage in which it is written is of a most capricious description, 
 being more Scotch than English, and richly bcstudded with all 
 the provincial words and phrases of which he could avail himself. 
 No character, nomaxim, nocustom peculiar tohisnativeprovince, 
 has he left unexplored or unexplained. In this book, however, 
 there are many things of a personal nature which the author, it 
 is- supposed, afterwards regretted. He seems to have stated his
 
 OF GALLOM AY .'Jl?;j 
 
 opinions in the most reckless way, unonccrned whether the 
 feelings of the individuals to M'hom they referred, or of their 
 friends, were injured. In one or two instances this is the case 
 in a lamentable degree. Yet there is in this work much to 
 praise. The object, which the author had in view in composing 
 it, is laudable ; and it contains much information not elsewhere 
 to be found. " This work," says he, " will be found in many 
 a rustic library of tho south of Scotland, scores of years after I 
 am in the grave. It will be a book that will never create 
 much noise, yet still it will not be in a hurry forgotten." It is 
 dedicated " to all honest and warm-hearted Gallovidians." 
 
 About this time he, in company with a friend from Scot- 
 land, started a weekly newspaper, under the name of The Lon- 
 don Scotsman. What character this paper promised to assume 
 I have not learned. But in the course of four or five weeks 
 after the undertaking was begun, the printer of it having his 
 press and materials arrested for debts which had been previ- 
 ously contracted, it was stopt, and never resumed. 
 
 But he soon obtained employment more congenial to his 
 mind than he had yet experienced. He was employed in the 
 capacity of engineer to a gas company ; in which capacity he 
 was sent to France to make observations in that line through- 
 out the largest towns of that country. And early in the year 
 1826, Mr. Rennie, the engineer, having been applied to by go- 
 vernment to furnish a clerk of works to the Rideau canal, in 
 Upper Canada, then about to be commenced, Mr. Mactaggart 
 was selected as a proper person to fill this situation. Having 
 undertaken the arduous duties attached to it, he left England 
 in the month of June of the same year, and proceeded to the 
 scene of his important operations. 
 
 The Rideau canal is meant to connect the river Ottawa and 
 Lake Ontario, and is to extend over a space of one hundred and 
 sixty miles through an uncleared wilderness. In time of war, 
 it was found extremely dangerous, if not impossible, to get 
 stores dragged up the St. Lawrence, to supply our forces on 
 the lakes. That river forming the boundary between the 
 United States and Canada, our transports suffered no more
 
 32() Tilt; LITKUAKY HISTORY 
 
 irciu tlio rapiils than from the enemy. 1\) roniove this ohsta- 
 cle, the Kideau canal Avas proposed to be constructed. Imme- 
 diately on his arrival, Mr. Mactairtjart was ordered to make a 
 survey of the line alonij which the canal was to extend ; a 
 conunission which, after great fatigue, he executed to the per- 
 fect satisfaction of Lieutenant-Colonel By, his commanding offi- 
 cer. He was also busily employed in treating with contractors, 
 giving instructions to the workmen, and superintending the 
 operations. "While he discharged his professional duties with 
 exemplary care, he ventured occasionally to extend his re- 
 searches beyond the limits within which his official labours 
 confined him : he made various excursions into the interior of 
 the country ; and at one time he went so far as to visit the 
 r alls of Niagara. But amid his great exertions, both official 
 and otherwise, he was seized with a danoerous fever in the 
 summer of 1[{28, and his health in other respects had suffer- 
 ed from the malaria of the swampy wastes, to which he had 
 necessarily been exposed. M'ith a view of deriving benefit from 
 the change of climate and his native air, he obtained leave to 
 return to England ; and the following letter, dated 5th Au- 
 gust 1J528, addressed by his commanding officer to general 
 Mann of the Board of Ordnance, shews how highly his offi- 
 cial character was appreciated, and in what estimation he was 
 held. 
 
 " I have the honour to state, that Mr. Mactaggart, clerk 
 of works at the Kideau canal, is so much recovered of a dan- 
 gerous fever as to enable him to return to England according 
 to order. And I beg leave to report, that I have found him 
 a man of strong natural abilities, well-grounded in the practical 
 part of his profession, and a zealous, hard-working man in 
 the field. 
 
 " I most respectfully recommend him to your protection, and 
 that of the honourable board. He is fond of research, and of 
 exploring this untracked country ; his reports are faithful, and 
 I have always found him a man of honour and integrity." 
 
 Ill an iiitHKluctory letter given him at the same time, by the 
 Right Reverend Alexander Macdonell, catholic bishop of Up-
 
 OK GALLOWAY. 327 
 
 per Canada, to Sir Georges Murray, colonial secretary, it is 
 stated that " Mr Mactaggart is, perhaps, the ablest practical 
 engineer and geologist, and the properest person that has ever 
 been in these provinces for exploring the natural productions 
 and latent resources of the country." 
 
 \Y' ith a character so high, but with a broken constitution, 
 Mr. Mactaggart returned to London towards the end of the 
 year 1828. On his arrival, his first care was to publish 
 Three ijears in Canada : an aecounl of the actual state of' the 
 counlrj/ in 182G-7-8, comprehending its resources, productions, 
 improvements, and capabilities, and including sketches of the 
 state of societij, advice to emigrants, <Sfc. This work, which 
 extends to two volumes, contains his official reports, and a 
 great quantity of scientific details, relative to the department 
 in which he was employed. It teems also with information 
 regarding the state of society and natural history of these colo- 
 nies. It is, however, devoid of that warm interest which a 
 travelling journal, howe\-er ill written, would possess. It is a 
 work of science and intelligence, and will be consulted with 
 advantage in regard to the important colony to which it re- 
 lates, long after a mere ordinary book of travels would have 
 passed into oblivion. 
 
 He had not, since his arrival in England, visited his pa- 
 rents. His father had solicited him to return to see his mo- 
 ther, who seemed to be rapidly dying of con.sumption. He 
 hastened home so soon as circumstances would permit. But 
 he was too late to see his dying parent, as she was buried three 
 days before his arrival. 
 
 On his return home, in June 1829, though he made no 
 complaints as to want of health, it was evident to all that his 
 constitution was much impaired. He grew worse as winter 
 approached. In the month of December, though he had 
 caught a severe cold, and was otherwise complaining, he in- 
 sisted on going a few miles to visit a young friend, Mr. George 
 Wishart, who had gone out to Canada to him, and who had 
 recently returned, labouring under a pulmonary disease, which 
 soon ended his days. He had not arrived above two or three
 
 3:28 THE LITERARY HISTORY, ScC. 
 
 hours at the house of his friend, when he was attacked with the 
 most violent pain in his head, which no medical aid could re- 
 lieve. He lingered on for a fortnight, labouring under the 
 most excruciating agony ; and on the morning of the 8th of 
 January 1830, he was relieved from his suffering, and resign- 
 ed his spirit into the hands of his Creator. His remains were 
 reposited in the church-yard of Senwick : a parish united to 
 that of Borirue. 
 
 He was a person of stout figure, of great bodily strength, 
 and majestic size, being six feet tw-o inches in height. His 
 hair was jet black ; his complexion red. 
 
 His character was enthusiastic, generous, disinterested. Of 
 books he was very fond. His taste was not naturally good ; 
 and he seems never to have exerted himself to cultivate or im- 
 prove it. His friendships were warm and lasting. He hated 
 duplicity or dishonour. Pie was regardless of the impression 
 his opinions might make on others, provided they were the 
 real convictions of his own heart. 
 
 Poetry was one of his earliest studies ; and many specimens 
 of his compositions in this department maybe found in his 
 Encyclopedia. He left behind him a long unfinished poem in 
 blank verse, entitled The Eni^ineer, amounting to upwards of 
 two thousand lines. This production, which, among other 
 things, includes the history of science from the earliest period, 
 is not devoid of poetic merit. But it is not in a fit state to meet 
 the pu])lic eye. His Three Years in Canada^ however, not to 
 speak of his former work, will not allow his name soon to be 
 forgotten. 
 
 A
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Note A — p. 1. 
 
 The word Galloway is comparatively of recent application. The dis- 
 trict which it now designates was orijfinally inhabited by the Selgovae 
 and Novantes. The former possessed that part of it which lies west of 
 the Dee, while that on the east of the river was inhabited by the Sel- 
 govie, whose boundaries included also part of Dumfries-shire. (Chalm- 
 ers' Caledonia, i. 60, 61.) In the days of Bede, this province was not 
 known by the name of Galloway ; it then formed part of tlie Berniciau 
 or Northumbrian kingdom. (Bede, iv. 20.) The term (ialhvef,na is first 
 applied to it in 1124', in a charter granted by Earl David, (afterwards 
 David I.) to the Monks of Selkirk. (Sir James Dalrymple's Collec- 
 tions, 171.) It has, since that date, been known by a name of a slight 
 shade of difference, Gallwegia, Gallweia, Gallwallia, Galway, Galdia, 
 Galloway. Respecting the origin of Ihis appellation, there have been 
 various opinions : Nor can the point now be determined. Some have 
 supposed that the district received its name from Galdus, king of Scots, 
 Avho gained it from the Romans, and was killed in battle at Torhouse, 
 near Wigton, where his tomb is still shown. (First ed- of this History, 
 p. 330.) " It may merely," says Mr. Chalmers, on the contrary, " be 
 Galliway and Gaelway, the bay of the Gael or Irish, the Anglo-Saxon 
 wneg signifying /fwc^MS, unda, iter, via." — ( Caledonia, i. 3G0.) 
 
 With regaid to the extent of ancient Galloway, there have been 
 conflicting conjectures. Without entering on this discussion, it need 
 merely be mentioned, in the words of Mr. Chalmers, that, " as early in- 
 deed, if not earlier than the age of David I. the boundaries of Gallo- 
 way were confined within the narrow limits which have been assigned 
 to that Celtic region in modern times." In the present work, we use 
 the term as comprehending Wigtonshire, and the Stew artry of Kirk- 
 cudbright
 
 330 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 NOTK B. — p. 1. 
 
 Tho Seljrovao and .Vovantf>s, avIio, on the arrival of tlio Romans, in- 
 liabitol (ialIo^\ay, woro of Celtic origin, and not, as somo have snppos- 
 ed, of Gothic descent, f Caledonia, \. passim.) Celtic tribes, tbongh 
 thev s|)oke a comnion lanj^wajfe, and in their jreneral character were 
 similar, -were connected hut by sliglit tics. Jvach tribe felt independent 
 of the rest : and thev united only when common danofer threatened, or 
 a common enemy invaded them. Such was the state of Galloway at 
 tlie time when the Romans invaded Scotland. 
 
 This civilized and ingenious people penetrated into this province; 
 but no Roman colony seems to have been established there ; nor were 
 the oriyfinal inhal/itants driven awav. On the abdication of the Ro- 
 mans in 418, (ialloway was overrun by the Anj^lo-Saxons of Northum- 
 bria ; to ^vhom it remained ])artially subject till the beginnin<f of the 
 ninth century. To this latter people, the Gallwegians, so far as 
 we know, were under greater oblig-ations than to the Romans. They 
 introduced a rude species of architecture: they founded the burj^h of 
 Kirkcudbright; they revived, for a while, the bishoprick of St. Ninian 
 at Candida Casa. The Gallwegians, owing- to the extinction of the 
 Northumbrian dynasty in 820, having gained their independence, fell a 
 prey to the Picts; a race of men, whatever was their origin, that 
 flourished and became eminent in Galloway, after their name iiad been 
 forgotten in other districts. But notwithstanding of their successively 
 falling under the dominion of various tril»es, the original Celtic inha- 
 bitants of (ialloAAay were never entirely displaced : their customs and 
 habits continued to predominate; and remains of such may he traced 
 even at this day. They were distinguished for daring heroism and in- 
 trepidity ; insomiuih that they obtained the appellation of The Wild 
 Scots of (ialloway, and were cfranted, by the Scottish kings, the privi- 
 lege of forming tlie van in every battle at M'hich they were present. 
 Of their leaders or rulers we have, for a long time, but little account. 
 Jacobus, " the ruler of Galloway," is mentioned as one of the eight re- 
 guli who met at Cliester in 073. Ulrig and Dovenald, (M'Dowall) 
 tlie leaders of the (iallwegians, acted a conspicuous part, with their fol- 
 lowers, at the battle of the Standard in 1138, in which they were 
 slain. But the first leader or lord of (ialloway, as he is called, of whom 
 we have a full accoiuit, was Fergus, of whose parentage nothing is 
 kiiown. He seems to have succeeded Ulrig and Dovenald. Heat 
 first professed obedience to the Scottish king; but he afterwards raised 
 the standard of rel»ellion. In two attempts to reduce him, Malcolm 
 IV. wa.s repulsed: in tlie third he was successful. Fergus gave his 
 son Uchtred as a hostage, and died in 1 IGi, in the abbey of Holyrood.
 
 AVl'KNblX. 331 
 
 He fowiiilt'd monasteries at Toii;^li(ii(l, Wliithoni, Situlseat, Duiulreu- 
 jiai), ami St. M;u\v s Isle. 
 
 l$y his wife, Elizabeth, illegitimate dauj^hter of Henry I. of En;j;land, 
 he left two sons, Uehtredand (iilbcrt, who, according' to the Celtic law, 
 divided the lands of tlieir father between them. They rebelled against 
 their kin";-: they then <jnarrelled w itii each otiier; and Uchtred was 
 slain by his brother. Uchtred had established a convent at LincUiden. 
 On the death of Gilbert, in 1185, Roland, son of Uchtred, after defeat- 
 ing the adherents of his uncle, succeeded to the lordship of (nilloway. 
 Roland, having married Elena, daughter of Richard de Moreville, con- 
 stable of Scotland, was invested with that high office, as the male line 
 of that family failed. lie founded a monastery at Glenluce. lie had 
 one sou, Allan, the last of the ancient princes of Gallouay. Allan, 
 after leading a pacitic life, died in 1234, leaving behind him three daugh- 
 ters. He had been thrice mamed : his second wife was Mar'^iret, 
 daughter of David, Earl of Huntingdon. His oldest daughter, Elena» 
 was married to Roger de Quinci, earl of Winchester; Christian, mar- 
 ried to William de Fortibns, son to the Earl of Albemarle; and Dei'- 
 TOfffille, to John Baliol of Bernard Castle. The two last dauirhters 
 were born to him by his second wife, the daughter of the Earl of Hun- 
 tingdon. Dervorgille's mariiage was productive of five children; a 
 daughter married to John (Jumyn of Badenoch, and four sons, one of 
 whom, John Baliol, succeeded to the Scottish throne, as the descendant 
 of David of Huntingdon. Dervorgille survived her husband ; and 
 founded Baliol college at Oxford, and monasteries at Newabbey or 
 Sweetheart, Wigton, Dumfries and Dundee. 
 
 By the marriage of Allan's daughters, a new race of men with new 
 customs and an unknown tongue, (for the language had previously 
 been Celtic, which however continued to prevail in some districts of 
 the province till within these two centuries,) were introduced anion*'- 
 the Gaelic inhabitants of Galloway. Of this, commotion and discon- 
 tent were at first the results ; but it ultimately exercised a liberalizin<r 
 and salutary influence on their character. The arts of peace began to 
 be cultivated ; civilization to prevail. The predominance of the ambi- 
 tious and tin-bulent family of Douglas checked for a while the progress 
 of knowledge and refinement. The first of the house of Dou'das 
 styled Lord of Galloway, obtained that title and dignity by his wife 
 Dervorgille Cumyn, grand-daugliter of Lady Dervorgille and John Ba- 
 liol, the male line of the Baliol fiunily having become extinct- The 
 family of Douglas having been attainted for rebellion in 14.53, their vast 
 possessions VAere forfeited, and bestoM ed on more worthy and loval 
 barons. This was the dearest boon ever confeired on Galloway; which 
 now laid aside turbulence and disloyalty, and began to cultivate the arts 
 both of social and domestic life. (See note B in first edition of this
 
 33- APPENDIX-. 
 
 fliston/, ulicrc tiio siibjocts introduied in this note are treated at con- 
 siderable lengtJi.) /\ 
 
 Note C — p. S. 
 
 There is not a saint in the Romish calendar whose memory was 
 more venerated, and whose tomb was oftener visited, than th(tse of 
 Niiiian. In Gallouay, until this day, his name is familiar as " house- 
 hold words," even witli the most illiterate of the people. A cave (on 
 the sea coast, about two miles from Whithorn,) to whicli, amid the in- 
 tervals of his holy labours, he occasionally retired, is still pointed out 
 M ith veneration ; and traditions respcctinf^ his supposed miracles and 
 his lioliness are told and cherished with a deforce of credulity very un- 
 common. Several places and parishes both in England and Scotland 
 bear his name. Ci<jwds of pilgrims, for many ages, annually resorted 
 to his shrine ; even some of our Scottish raonarchs have visited it. 
 The (jueen of James III. undertook this pilgrimage in 1474. The fol- 
 lowing article is in the accounts of the treasurer of Scotland. — " Item, 
 to Andro Balfour, 20th August 1474, for livery gowns to six ladies of 
 the Queen's (•halmer, at her parsing to Qnhytehorn, 21 ells of grey fra 
 David (iill, price L.IO, 10s. Scots." In l.!>07, (at M'hich period, ac- 
 cording to Mackenzie, this piece of devotibu was very common,) James 
 IV. made the same pilgrimage on foot to pray for the health and reco- 
 very of his queen, ^\ ho had Ijeen alarmingly ill in child-bed ; to te^stify 
 his resignation on the death of his t« o infant children ; and to express 
 his penitence for having rebelled against his father. The queen reco- 
 vered ; a result that was attributed to the miraculous influence of the 
 .saint ; and when her health m as re-established, she and her husband, 
 as a matter of gratitude, performed tlie same pions journey in circum- 
 stances of great pomp and magnifici'nce. Seventeen horses were em- 
 ployed in transporting the queen's baggage; three in carrying the 
 king's, and one in carrying the " chapel geir." James V. also paid 
 visits to St- Ninian's tomb ; and pilgrimages continued to be made thi- 
 ther till 1581, when, the Reformation being accomplished, they were 
 j)rohibited by act of parliament- (Mackenzie's Lives of Scottish 
 Authors, ii. .jJG. Wvher's Battle of Flodden Field, 153.)
 
 APPKNDIX. 333 
 
 Note D — p. 3 j . 
 
 A Short Account of the Family of Dk Vaux, Vaus, or Vans, 
 (Lathie Da VALLiuuSy', now of Barnharroch.* 
 
 On the continent of Europe the De Vaux family liave been dukes 
 ot" Andrea, princes of Joinville, Taranto and Altamura, sovereign counts 
 of Orange and Provence, and kings of Vienne, Aries, &c. &c. as well 
 as Lords De Vaux iu Normandy, (See Moreri, Ar. Baux, Vaux, &'c. 
 &c.) 
 
 Members of the Norman family accompanied the Conqueror to Eng- 
 land iu 106G, and there their descendants became Lords De Vaux of 
 Pentney in Norfolk, of Gilsland in Cumberland, and Harrowdea iu 
 Nortliamptousliire. (See Dugdale, Collins, Banks, &c. &c.) 
 
 Nisbet saj's (Ar. Vaus of Barnbarroch,) that one of the English De 
 Vauxes came to Scotland in the reign of David I. (1124 to llo3), and 
 Sir James Dahymple (App. Col. Scots Hist.) says, " About the reigu 
 of King RIalcoim the Fourth, Willielmus de Vallibiis is to be found." 
 His descendants in the male line held the estates of Dirleton, Golyn, 
 Feuton, &c. &c. in East Lothiau until the reign of Robert the Second, 
 when two daughters, co-heiresses, married into the families of Hali- 
 burton and Hepburn. Tlie former became Lords Haliburton of Dirle- 
 ton, and the latter are but too well known from their descendant (the 
 Earl of Bothwell) unfortunately having become the husband of Queen 
 Mary. 
 
 Our public records shew, that iu 1 ITi John De Vaux was one of the 
 llfteeu barons given as hostages for the ransom of King William. (Sec 
 Prynne's Uec &c.) His grandson is mentioned as one of thg magnates 
 of Scotland in the Pope's ratification of the peace between England 
 and Scotland in 1244. He was one of tiie barons \a1io counselled, or 
 rather forced Alexander the Third to change his ministers. (See Rj- 
 mer's Fx. Vol. 1. p. 6G9, and Redpath's Border History, p. 14G.) 
 John De Vaux, grandson of the precedir.g John, appears to have been 
 the second husbaiid of the illustrious Dervorgille,the v.idowof Balioland 
 mother of King John Baliol, whose claim to the crown came to him 
 through her. This second marriage is not mentioned by Wyntoun or 
 others ; but the evidence of it is to be found in the Dryburgh Chariery, 
 where is given a charier by Alex, de Baliol of the \\ ood of Gieddis- 
 woode, " Qui quondam fuit cum Doniini JuJiunuis da Wullibus, et 
 
 • l'"oi- tills vahiablc document I um indebted to Henry J^ti wart ^'ans, L.sq. 
 advocate
 
 33^ 
 
 API'K.NDIX. 
 
 2)ua. Dtrvoryoill, spouse sue." The words are rcpoated in the Si'isine 
 >\Iiith follDWs, and another charter is <iivi'ii of Roger de Quiiiey's re- 
 l.iliiii;- to the t.;uue hiiuls. Roger de Quiiiey's lirst wife was Helen, the 
 ♦■ider, hilt half sister of Dervorgille; and his then wife was Alyenor, 
 the widow of William De Vaux of Norfolk. (See Dugdale, &c. &c ) 
 The original of the Dryburgh (^hartery is in the Advocates' Library. 
 John De Vaux sat in the Parliament of Brigham in l-29(). In 1:^91 he 
 swore fealty at Berwick to Edward 1. In 1298 he d^'fended his castle 
 of Dirleton against the famous Anthony Bek, JJishoj) of Durham. In 
 \:iO\ he \^as a iirinci})al party to the agreement hetueen Edward of 
 England and " John Comyn and his aydents;" and according to Ry- 
 ley's Placeta Par. folio 309, John Comyn, John de Graham, and John 
 de Vaux, sealed this agreement at Strathord, 9th Feb. 33d Edward I. 
 
 Thomas succeeded to John, and is mentioned by (Juthrie and Brady 
 as being one of tiu' sixty-live earls and lords \\ ho led the Scots army at 
 the battle of Ihilidon hill. Thomas was killed in 134G at the battle of 
 Neville's Cross, near Durham, where his successor, William, was taken 
 pri.><oner. After about a year's detention, William returned to Scot- 
 land, and his name ajjpears in many of the transactions of the period. 
 According to the Fued. new edition, vol. iii. pp. 133, 146, 372, 6, 7, he 
 was a party to the ransom of King David the Second, and to the truce 
 concluded in 13J7. These are but a few of tlie times that mention is 
 made of the Dirleton family in our public documents, and they are also 
 frequently mentioned in the chartularies of our ndigious houses, to 
 which they appear to have been considerable benefactors. 
 
 In his account ofthe Dirleton family, Chalmers' Caledonia, vol. ii. p. 43G, 
 omits several generations, and in vol. iii. p. 396, talking of Wigton- 
 shire, he makes a curious mistake, for l^e considers the Barubarroch 
 and Sheuchan families as distinct, whereas they are the same. On 
 the same pjige, however, he justly observes, " the name has been 
 changed from Vaus to Vans — a change pc(!uliar to this shire." And 
 although he does not dispute the Barnbarroch branch being descended 
 from a younger son of the Dirleton family, be thinks Alexander 
 Vaux, bishop of Calloway in 1426, was the lirst of his name in Wig- 
 tonshire. 
 
 Nisbet, vol. ii. Apj). p. 250, says positively, that the Barnbarroch 
 branch are the only remaining licirs-male ofthe Dirleton family, — that 
 they de.icended from a younger sou, and altiiough they have no char- 
 ter older than 1451, yet " that the Vanses of this house have subsist- 
 ed long before that." Nisbet also says that, " \ww since they repre- 
 sent the principal family, by the rules and maxims that are laid down 
 in heraldry, tliey may strike out tlie moUet, the brotherly diflerence, 
 mid wear and carry the bend-simple, as they have done for some cen- 
 turies." Tradition says the same, and tliat the first Vaux in Wigtou/- 
 shire married an h"iress tlierc.
 
 APPENDIX. 335 
 
 In " I'Histoire des Matheiues lie la Friinco, sous le Itoi Jean," pub- 
 lie a I'aris, chcz Barde, IGll, vol. ii. |». 103, it is said, talking of the 
 battle of I'oiitiers, (A. D. 1 356,) and of tlie Scots of note who fell 
 there, " et Andre Vaus de Gallovay, le Irere d'arnies du Iseij^ueur 
 Archinibald," (Donjfliis). 
 
 Barnes, HoUingslied, Abercrombie, aud others, mention Sir Andrew 
 Vaux to have been killed at the battle of J'oictiers, and this Andrew 
 is believed to have been the younger brother of Willielmusof Dirleton, 
 to have settled in Galloway, aud to have been succeeded by another 
 Sir Andrew, whose name appears in the settlement of the Scots 
 crown made at Scone, 4th April 1373, although in liobertson's Re- 
 cords the name is erroneously given Andreas de Valoniis. His 
 younger son was Alexander, bishop of Galloway from 1426 to 1451, 
 and he was succeeded by his eldest son 
 
 John, who married E. Kennedy, and was sent along with Alexander 
 dominus de Gordon, Alexander dominus de Montgomery, and Johannis 
 Methven, Clericus, as ambassadors from James II. of Scotland to 
 Henry VI, of England. Along with these persons also, he con- 
 cluded a truce with England in 1438; see Ridpath's Border History, 
 p. 404. His younger sons were Ninian, who is believed to have 
 been bishop of Galloway, and Martin, who «as confessor to James 
 III., aud ambassador to Denmark in 1468. 
 Robert succeeded his father John, and married lady Euphemia Graham 
 of the house of Menteith ; he received the charter of 1451, and his 
 younger son was Thomas, ambassador to England, (Fa>d. vol. ii. 
 p. 398,) dean of Glasgow, and secretary to the king. Robert was 
 succeeded by his eldest sou. 
 Blaize, who married Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Sir John Shaw 
 
 of IlailHe. They had a younger sou, George bishop of Galloway. 
 Patrick, their eldest son, succeeded, and married Margarot, daughter 
 of Gilbert, second lord Kennedy, by Elizabeth, daughter of Alexander 
 lord Montgomery. 
 Sir John, their son, su(;ceeded, and married Janet, daughter and heiress 
 of Sir Simon M'Cnlloch of Merton, by Marion, daughter of Gordon 
 of Lochinvar. Their sou 
 Alexander, succeeded, and married, lst,;lady Janet, daughter of David, 
 first earl of Ciissillis by Agnes, daughter of William lord Eoi'lhwick. 
 2dly, Euphemia, daughter and co-heiress of Sir John Dnnbar of 
 Mochrum, by Elizabeth, daughter of Mungo Muir of Rowallan ; 
 having no issue male, he was su(!ceeded by his brother 
 Sir Patrick, who married, 1st, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Hugh Ken- 
 nedy of Girvan-niains, by lady Janet Sttnvart, daughter of the second 
 earl of Athol. 2dly, Lady Katherine, daughter of Giii)ert, third eail 
 of Cassillis, by Margaret, daughter of Keiuiedy of Bargeny, Sir
 
 336 ArrENDi.Y. 
 
 Patriik M'asof the privy counsel, an ambassador, and a judge; and 
 liavinu' lio sons by bis first niarriag'o, \vas succeeded by 
 
 Sir John, his son by the second niarriajje, who was of the privy coun- 
 cil, and had to wife Margaret, daughter of Uchtred M'Dowal of 
 Garthhmd, by ^hirgaret, daughter of Stewart, first lord Methven. 
 Tlu'ir son 
 
 Sir Patrick succeeded, and married Grissel, widow of Sir Robert Max- 
 well of Spotts and Orchardtown, and daughter of Johnston of Annan- 
 dale, by ^largiu'ct, daughter of Sir W. Scot of Eucclengh. 
 
 John, their eldest son, dissipated the greater part of the estate, and 
 having no issue male by his wife Grissel, daughter of Sir John 
 M'Culloch of Merton, was succeeded by his brother 
 
 Alexander, who married Margaret, daughter of Sir \N'illiam Maxwell 
 of Monreith, by Ag;nes, daughter of Sir John M'Cnlloch of Merton. 
 Their sou 
 
 Patrick succeeded, and married, 1st. , daughter of Sir James 
 
 Campbell of Lawers, by whom he had a son, who died without 
 issue ; and 2dly, Barbara, daughter of Patiick M'Dowal of Freugh, 
 by , daughter of llaltridge of Dromore, in Ireland; the 
 
 son of this second marriage, 
 
 John, succeeded, and married Margaret, only child of Robert Agnew of 
 Sheuchan, by Margaret, another daughter of Patrick M'Dowall of 
 Freugh ; and a mutual entail having' been executed, the name and 
 arms of Aguew of Sheuchau were added to those of Vans of Barn- 
 barroch. 
 
 Robert succeeded his father John, and married Frances, daughter of 
 .lohn Dunlop of that Ilk, by Frances, only surviving child of Sir 
 Thomas ^^'allace of Craigie, Bart. Their son, 
 
 John, succeeded, and having died unmarried, he was followed by 
 
 Patrick, — now living. 
 
 The arras of Vans of Barnbanoch are : Ar. a Bend Gules. See 
 Sir David Lindsay of the Mount's work, p. 59. " Wauss Lord 
 Dvrlton of Auld " Crest, a lion rampant holding scales in the 
 dexter j)aw. Motto, " Be faithful." Supporters, two savages 
 with clubs in their hands, and wreathed about the middle with 
 hmrel. See Nisbet, vol. i. p. 92, and vol. ii. p. 252. 
 
 The Barnbarroch family, also, rejiresent the M'Cullochs of 
 Merton, and the Shaws of Haillie, as well as the Agnews of 
 Shcuchan: and therefore may quarter their aims. x^
 
 •• 
 
 APPENDIX. 337 
 
 Note E—p. 168. 
 
 Letter from the late John Maxwell, Esq. of Munches, to W. M. 
 UicRiiiES, Esq. oi' 8i>ottes. 
 
 Munches, Feb. 8, 1811. 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 The last time that Mr. Young- of YounglicW was here, he signified 
 to me, as y<ni IiikI previously (lone, that John Christian Curwcn 
 of Workinoton Hall, Esq. had mentioned that he was very desirous to 
 know the state of agriculture in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, and 
 in Nithsdale, as far back as my remembrance goes. 
 
 I was born at Buittle, in this parish, which in old times Avas the 
 fortress and residence of JoJm Baliol, on the 7th day of Fcl)ruary, old 
 style, 1720, and do distinctly remember several circumstances that hap- 
 pened in the year 172.3 and 1724. Of these particulars, the falling of 
 the bridge of Buittle, which Avas built by John Fre\A', in 1722, and fell 
 in the succeeding summei-, while I was in Buittle garden, seeing- my 
 father's servants gathering nettles. That same year, many of the pro- 
 prietors enclosed their grounds, to stock them with black cattle; and, 
 by that means, turned out a vast number of tenants at the term of 
 Whitsunday 1723, whereby numbers of them became destitute, and, 
 in consequence, rose in a mob, when, Avith pitchfoi'ks, gavellocks, and 
 spades, they levelled the park-dikes of Barncailzie and Munches at 
 Dalbeaty, Avhich I saAV Avith my own eyes ; the mol) passed by Dal- 
 heaty and Buittle, and did the same on the estates of NetherlaAA'-, Dun- 
 rod, &c. ; and the Laird of Murdoch, then proprietor of Kilwhaneday, 
 who turned out sixteen families at that term. The proprietors rose 
 Avith their Servants and dependents, to quell this mob, but were not of 
 sufficient force to do it, and Avere obliged to send for tAvo troops of 
 dragoons from Edinburgh, Avho, upon their appearing, the mob dis- 
 persed. After that, Avarrants Avere granted for apprehending many of 
 the tenants and persons concerned in the said mob ; several of them 
 Avere tried, those Avho had any funds were fined, some Avere banished 
 to the plantations, Avhilst others were imprisoned ; and it brought great 
 distress upon this part of the country. At that period, justice was not 
 very properly administered ; for, a respectable man, of the name of 
 M'Clacherty, avIio lived in Balmaghie parish, was concerned in the mob, 
 and, on his being brought to trial, one of the justices admired a hand- 
 some Galloway Avhich he rode, and the justice told him, if he Avould 
 give him the Galloway, he would effect his acquittal, Avhich he accord- 
 ino-ly did. This misfortune, Avith Avhat happened the Mississippi Com- 
 pany, in the year 1720, did most generally distress this quarter of the 
 
 z
 
 ^338 APPENDIX. 
 
 king^dom. 1 1 is not pleasant to represent the wretched state of indi- 
 viduals as times then went in Scotland. The tenants, in general, lived 
 very meanly on kail, groats, milk, <rraddon ground in querns, turned 
 by tlio iiand, and the grain dried in a pot, together Avith a crock ene ncv 
 and then about I\I;u-tiumas. They uere clothed very plainly, and their 
 habitations were most uncomfortable. Their general wear was of cloth, 
 made of Maull^ed plaiding, black and white ^^■ool mixed, verj'^ coarse, 
 and the cloth rarely dyed. Tiieir hose were made of white plaiding- 
 cloth, sewed together, with single soled shoes, and a black or blue bon- 
 net, none having hats but the lairds, — who thought themselves very 
 well dressed for going to church on Sunday with a black kelt-coat of 
 their wife's making. It is not proper for me here to narrate the dis- 
 tresses and poverty that were felt in the country during these times, 
 \\hich continued till about the year 1735. In 1725 potatoes were first 
 introduced into this stewartr}-, by William Hyland, from Ireland, who 
 carried tliem on horses' backs to Edinburgh, where he sold them by 
 pounds and oimces. During these times, when potatoes were not ge- 
 nerally raised in the country, there was for the most part a great 
 scarcity of food, bordering on famine ; for, in the stewartry of Kirk- 
 cudbright, and county of Dumfries, there was not as much victual pro- 
 duced as was necessary for supplying the inhabitants ; and the chief 
 part of what was required for that purpose, was brought from the Sand- 
 beds of Esk, in tumbling cars, on the Wednesdays, to Dumfries ; and 
 ■when the Maters were high by reason of spates, and there being no 
 bridges, so that these cars could not come with the meal, I have seen 
 the tradesmen's wives in the streets of Dumfries, crying, because there 
 was none to be got. At that period, there was only one baker iu 
 Dumfries, and he made bawbee baps of coarse flour, ciiiefly bran, A\'hich 
 he occasionally carried in creels to the fairs of Urr and Kirkpatrick-. 
 The produce of the country, in general, was grey corn ; and you might 
 have travelled from Dumfries to Kirkcudbright, which is twenty-seven 
 miles, without seeing any other grain, except in a gentleman's croft, 
 Avhich, in general, produced bear or big, for one-third part, another 
 third in white oats, and the remaining third iu grey oats. At that pe- 
 riod, tiiere M'as no wheat raised in the country; what was used was 
 brought from Teviot ; and it was l)elieved, that the soil would not pro- 
 duce wheat. In the year 1735, there was no mill for grinding that 
 sort of grain, and the fir.^t flour mill that was constructed within these 
 bounds, was built by ohl Heron, at Clouden, in the parish of Irongray, 
 bome years after that date. 
 
 In these times, cattle were also very low. I remember of being pre- 
 sent at the Bridjre-end of Dumfries, in 1730, when Anthony M'Kie, of 
 >'ethcrlaw, sold live score of tivo-ycar-old Galloway cattle, in good con- 
 dition, to an Englishman, at L.2, I2s. 6d. each; and old Robert Halli- 
 day, who was tenant of a great part of the Preston estate, told me,
 
 APPENDIX. 330 
 
 fliiit lie reckoned he could graze his cattle oa his farms for 2s. Gd. 
 a-head; that is to say, that his rent corresponded to that sum. 
 
 At this period, few of the proprietors frave themselves any concern 
 aneut the articles of husbandry, their chief one hein<r about black cat- 
 tie. William Craik, Esq. of Arbiy land's father, died in 17.3,5, and his 
 Son was a man of Uncommon accomplishments, who, in his younger 
 daj's, employed his tim«^ in gTazin<>- of cattle, and studying the shapes 
 of the best kinds, his father having given him the farm of Maxwell- 
 towne to live upon. The estate of Arbigland was then in its natural 
 state, very much covered with m bins and broom, and yielding little 
 rent, being only about .5000 nierks a-year. That young gentleman was 
 among the first that undertook to improve the soil ; and the practice 
 of husbandry which he pursued, together with the care and trouble he 
 took in ameliorating his fiirm, was very great. Some of it he brought 
 to such perfection, by clearing off all weeds and stones, and pulverised 
 it so completely, that I, on walking over the surface, sunk, as if I had 
 trodden on new fallen snow. 
 
 The estate of Arbigland was bought by his grandfather, iti 172-?, 
 from the Earl of Southesk, for 22,000 merks. 
 
 In 1735, there were only two carts for hire in the town of Dum- 
 fries, and one belonging to a private gentleman. 
 
 About the years 17.37 and 1738, there was almost no lime used for 
 building in Dumfries, except a little shell-lime, made of cockle-shells, 
 bnrned at Colvend, and brought to Dumfries in bags, a distance of 
 twenty miles; and, in 1740, when provost Bell built his house, the 
 under storey was built with clay, and the upper storeys with lime, 
 brought from Whitehaven, in dry-ware casks. There was then no 
 lime used for improving the land. In 1749, I had day-labourers at Gd. 
 per day, and the best masons, at Is. This was at the building of Mol- 
 lance House, the walls of which cost L.49 sterlin<r. 
 
 If you think that any thing mentioned here can be of any use or en- 
 tertainment to IVIr. Curwen, I give you full leave to make the same 
 known, with my best respects ; and, I am. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 Your's sincerely, 
 
 JoH\ Maxwell. 
 
 To W. M. Herries, Esq. of Spottes.
 
 340 APPENDIX. 
 
 Note G — p. J-^ii. 
 
 Tlio followinir is :i copy of tlie letter addrossoil by Heron, three 
 luontlis before bis death, to " Tiie Literary Fiuul :" 
 
 " Ever since I was eleven years of ;ige, I have niinf>led with my stu- 
 dies the hibour of teachiug-, or of writing, to support and educate 
 myself. 
 
 " During about twenty years, while I was in constant or occasional 
 attendance at the University of Edinburgh, I taught and assisted young- 
 persons, at all periods, in the course of education, from the alphabet to 
 the highest branches of science and literature. 
 
 " I read Lectures on the Law of Nature, the Law of Nations, the 
 Jewish, the Grecian, the Roman, and the Canon Law, and then on the 
 Feudal Law ; and on the several forms of Municipal Jurisprudence es- 
 tablished in modern Europe. I printed a syllabus of these lectures, 
 which Mas approved. They were intended as introductory to the pro- 
 fessional study of law, and to assist gentlemen who did not study it 
 professionally, in the understanding of history. 
 
 " I translated Fourcroy's Cliemistry twice, from both the second and 
 third editions of the original ; Fourcroy's Philosophy of Chemistry ; 
 Savary's Travels in Greece ; Dumourier's Letters ; Gesner's Idylls in 
 part; an abstract of Zimmerman on Solitude; and a great divereity of 
 smaller pieces. 
 
 " I wrote a Journey through the Western parts of Scotland, which 
 has past through two editions ; a History of Scotland, in six volumes, 
 8vo. ; a Topographical Account of Scotland, Mhich has been several 
 times reprinted ; a number of communications in the Edinburgh Maga- 
 zine ; many Prefaces and Critiques ; a Memoir of the Life of Burns the 
 Poet, which suggested and promoted the subscription for his family — 
 has been many times reprinted, and formed the basis of Dr. Curries 
 life of him, as I learned by a letter from the Doctor to one of his 
 friends; a variety oi jeux d" esprit, in verse and prose; and many 
 abridgments of large works. 
 
 " In the beginning of 1790, I was encouraged to come to Loudon, 
 Here I have written a great multiplicity of articles in almost every 
 branch of science and literature, my education in Edinburgh having 
 comprehended them all. The London Review, the Agricultural Ma- 
 gazine, the Anti-Jacobin Review, the ^lonthly Magazine, the Univer- 
 sal Magazine, the Public Characters, the Annual Necrology, with se- 
 veral other periodical works, contain many of my communications. In 
 such of those puljlications as have been reviewed, I can show, that my 
 anonymous pieces have been distinguished witli very high praise. I
 
 ArrENDix. 341 
 
 liave written also a short system of Clieniistry, in one volume 8vo. ; 
 and I published, a few weeks since, a small Mork called " Comforts of 
 Life," of which the first edition was sold in one week, and the second 
 edition is now in nipidsale. 
 
 " In the newspapers — the Oracle, the Porcupine ^vhen it existed, 
 the General Evening- Post, the Morning- Post, tiie British Press, the 
 Cornier, &c. I have published many reports of debates in Parliament ; 
 and, I believe, a greater variety of liglit fugitive pieces, than I know to 
 have been written by any one other person. 
 
 " I have written also a variety of compositions in the Latin and 
 Frencii languages, in favour of which I have been honoured with the 
 testimonies of liberal approbation, 
 
 " I liave invariably \\'ritten to serve the cause of religion, morality, 
 pious Christian education, and good order, in the most direct manner. 
 I have considered what I have written as mere trifles; and have inces- 
 santly studied to qualify myself for something better. I can prove 
 that I have, for many years, read and written, one day ^\'ith the other, 
 from twelve to sixteen hours a-day. As a human being-, I have not 
 been free from follies and errors. But the tenor of my life has been 
 temperate, laborious, humble, quiet, and, to the utmost of my power, 
 beneficent, I can prove the general tenor of my M'ritings to have been 
 candid, and ever adapted to exhibit the most favourable views of the 
 abilities, dispositions, and exertions of others. 
 
 " For these last ten months, I have been brought to the very extre- 
 mity of bodily and pecuniary distress. 
 
 " I shudder at the thoughts of perishing in a gaol. 
 
 02, Chancery Lane, } 
 
 Feb. 2, 1807. 3 (In confinement,") 
 
 NoTK /f— p. 254. 
 
 William Muirhead Herries of Spottes, oldest son of the Rev. Dr. 
 James Muirhead of Logan, was a most respectable and accomplished 
 man. He was a member of the Scots bar ; and had he cultivated pro- 
 fessional employment, must havo risen to eminence in that capacity. 
 In politics he was a steady and consistent Whig, and Mas regarded as 
 the head of that party in his native county. In private life he was 
 distinguished for wit, great colloquial powers, and goodness of heart. 
 He is scarcely known as au author. In April 1810 he read an Essay 
 before the Stewartry Agricultural Society, On the Connexion of 
 Agriculture with the Political Interests of Great Britain. In 1809
 
 342 APPENDIX. 
 
 lie j)ul)lislit>il an AJdrtss to (he Lnndhohlers anil Fanners of the Stew- 
 tiitn/ of Kirhcudbrighty delivered at their meeting, called by public ad- 
 vertisement, for the purpose of consider in y the giieoances sustained by 
 the Agricultural Interests of that County from the present mode of 
 Assessing the 2\t.v on Property. Residing at Spoltes, in the parish 
 of Urr, lie continued to be Dr. Murray's kindest friend till his 
 death. Ilis health having never been vigorous, he died unmarried, at 
 middle aL;e, in April 1822. His brother Ciiarles, who, had he survived 
 liiin, would have succeeded as proprietor ot" Spottos, died a few days 
 before him. The next heir of entail to this ])roperty Mas Mr. William 
 Young, only son of Alexander Young of llarburn, W. S., who, on his 
 accession to the estate, assumed the name of Merries. Michael Ilerries 
 of Spottes, having lost his only son, and having no other relations, en- 
 tailed his two properties, Greskine in Annandale, and 8pottes in Gal- 
 loway; the former on Sir Robert Herries, father to the present Right 
 iion. John Charles Ilerries, — tb.e hitter on the two oldest sons of Dr. 
 Muirliead successively, and, failing th«'m, on Mr. W. Young, the son 
 of his distant relation, and h»gal agent and adviser, Mr. Young of 
 Harburn. 
 
 Mr. Young Herries of Spottes, (I cannot resist this opportunity of 
 stating), is descended of a family, (the Youngs of Auchenskeoch,) that 
 !iad for several generations been settled in Galloway. The house of 
 Auchenskeoch was sprung from that of Leny in Linlithgowshire; 
 which latter fomily, as well as that of Anldbar, claimed descent from 
 the famous Sir Peter Young of Seton, sub-preceptor to James VI., and 
 afterwards ambassador on the part of his majesty at foreign courts. 
 The last of the family who held the estate of Auchenskeoch, (which 
 w as sold after the middle of last century), was Sir William Young, 
 <'overuor of Dominica; whose son, — the late Mr. Alexander Youuff, 
 was deputy-commissary for the Island of Mauritius. 
 
 ■Sir. llerries's grandfather and great-grandfather, — the latter descend- 
 ed of the house of Auchenskeoch, were successively ministers of the 
 united parishes of Corrie and Hutton, in Annandale. They were both 
 eminent for worth and learning. The former, the Rev. George Young, 
 married Sojihia, daughter of tiie Rev. William Mein, minister of Wes- 
 terkirk. The latter, tin; Rev. William Young, married Agnes, daughter 
 of tlie Rev. Alexander Grr of Haselside, minister of Iloddom, by Agnes, 
 daushtor of John Dalrymple of Waterside, the representative of a very 
 old family, to whose estate Mrs. Orr succeeded, along with her two 
 v<)nnger sisters, Mrs. Murray of MurraytliMaite, and Mrs. Maxwell of 
 <'owhill. Miss Gopland of Collieston (whose mother was Agnes 
 Ilairstancs of Craigs), married to John Dalrymple of Waterside, was 
 <()U^in-<rennan to ElizabetJi Ilairstancs of Craigs, who became the wife 
 of William .Maxwell of I'reston. Mr. and Mrs. MaxucU had two 
 Uaughters; the oldest married to William, Karl of Sutherland (the only
 
 APrENDIX. 313 
 
 child (if wliicli maiTia<;e is now Conntoss of .Siith<'rlau(l and iMarchio- 
 nessof Stafford ) J — the youn^a'st to Lord (ik'norcliy, and was tlie foun- 
 der of the church in Edinburgh that bears lier name. 
 
 The Rev. William Young, who died in 1761, had three children, 
 (iieorge, m ho predeceased his fathei- ; Agnes, married to the late Dr. 
 Hardy, professor of Church History in tlie University of Edinburgh ; 
 and Alexander Young of Ilarburn, father of Mr. Young Herries of 
 Spottes. A^ A 
 
 Note /—p. 200. 
 
 Of Sir Murray Maxwell, Knt- and C. B. I meant to give a full ac- 
 count. But I find his history so important, and his merits so great, 
 that I cannot think of undertaking the task in this place. A few no- 
 tices only can be given. He early entered the naval service. He was 
 engaged in many brilliant ai-tious, in various quarters of the world, — 
 in all of which he distinguished himself by that enterprise and decision 
 which marked his character. In 1815, when Lord Amherst was sent 
 as Ambassador to China, Captain INIaxwell was appointed to the Al- 
 ceste, which was ordered to convey his Excellency to that court. 
 
 " The Alceste sailed from Spithead 9th February 181G. The details 
 of the voyage to China ; the visit to the Loo Choo Islands, with the aid 
 afforded to science by her discoveries in the Yellow Sea and coast of 
 the Corea; the subsequent loss of the Alceste on the 18th February 
 1817, by striking on a sunken rock, about three miles from Pulo Leat, 
 in the Straits of Gaspar ; the sufferings of the ambassador, officers, 
 and crew, have heen so fully detailed by Capt. Basil Hall, who com- 
 manded the Lyra sloop, the consort of the Alceste, and vvhich that 
 scientitic and excellent officer dedicated to Capt. Maxwell, as to render 
 a repetition unnecessary. INIr. M'Leod, the sui-geon of the Alceste, 
 also publitihed a most interesting narrative of the cifcumstances. The 
 lustre of Capt. Maxwell's character received even an additional bril- 
 liancy from this misfortune ; for, to adopt the language of the Court 
 Martial by which he was subsequently tried, ' his coolness, self-col- 
 lectedness, and exertions were highly conspicuous, and every thing was 
 done by him and his officers within the power of man to execute.' 
 
 " The Chinese will never forget the chastisement they received when 
 the Alceste forced through the Bocca Tigris, or Canton river, to re- 
 ceive Lord i\n)herst on his return from Pekin. The officers and crew 
 were all animated with a similar feeling to that of their heroic Cap- 
 tain, and it is said that on one of the quarter-deck 32-pound shot, some 
 of the young gentlemen had A\ritten in chalk-, ' Tribute from the King
 
 S-i-t APPENDtX. 
 
 of Eiiiihind to llu> Chinese,' and whicli was actujvlly fired against their 
 tlotillii of eiiiliteeu war junks, after which their batteries were silenced 
 by a broadside. Captain Maxwell fired the first gun, thus rendering 
 himself personally amenable to the consequences of the attack, as it is 
 Mell known that the Chinese attach responsibility to the individual 
 whose hand was immediately employed in the discharge." — United 
 Service Journal for Aiujust 1831. 
 
 Captain Maxwell, on his return, had an interview with Bonaparte 
 at St. Helena. In 181 j, he had been nominated a Companion of the 
 Bath : in 1818 he was honoured with knighthood. In the latter year 
 he stood a candidate for Westminster. During the contest, which was 
 of unexampled violence, an attack was made by the mob on his life. 
 Though he polled 4800 votes, he was unsuccessful. The expenses he 
 incurred on this occasion crippled his pecuniary resources during the 
 rest of his life. As a reward for his service, the East India Company, 
 in 1819, presented him witii L. 1.500. He again entered on active ser- 
 vice ; and was present at the surrender of Callao. After the accession 
 of his present majesty, William IV., he was nominated one of his naval 
 aidc-de-camps ; and during the present year (1831) appointed Gover- 
 nor of Prince Edward's Island. On this appointment, he left Scot- 
 land in a sailing-vessel for London ; but being seized with fever on the 
 Toyage, and no medical aid being on board, he died on the 19th of 
 June, soon after his arrival in London ; aiid left behind him a name 
 for professional merit, and general honour and integrity of character, in- 
 ferior to none. Lady Maxwell survives him. One of his sons is a 
 commander in the Royal Navy. 
 
 Captain Keith- Maxwell, another brother, recently dead, also distin- 
 guisl^ed himself in the naval service. He served under Commodore 
 Owen on the coast of France. He afterwards commanded the Nyphen 
 frigate in the North Sea, and formlH one of the expedition to the 
 Scheldt : But he had previously signalized himself, in 1801, by perform- 
 ing one of the most daring acts that occur in our naval annals, namely, 
 cutting out the Cheverette from Camerel's Bay. (James's Naval His- 
 tory, iii. 214.) Captain John Maxwell (mentioned in the Life of 
 Major Maxwell) died in 1826, while commanding the Aurora frigate. 
 
 K
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Aiken, Bishop James, 57 — 9. 
 Arnot, Bishop David, 35. 
 
 Carstairs, John, 110, 11;?, 
 Chiesly, William 93—4. 
 Covvper, Bishop William, 44 — 53^ 
 Craig, Alexander, Esq. 170. 
 Croniek, R. H, 274—5. 
 Cunningham, Allan, 254, 274 — 5. 
 
 B. 
 
 Baillie, Cuthbert, 27. 
 Baird, Dr. George, 228, 250—1. 
 Banktou, Lord, 159—164. 
 Beaton, Archbishop James, 12 — 
 
 14. 
 Blair, Robert, 89, 97, 99. 
 Brown, Gilbert, 28—30, 64—5. 
 Brown, John of Wamphray, 109 
 
 —13. 
 Brown, Mr. Robert, 311. 
 Bro>vn, Dr. Thomas, 293—304. 
 
 Cameron, John, 24 — 5- 
 Candida Casa, 5 — 7. 
 Carpenter, John, 28. 
 
 D. 
 
 Daer, Basil William, Lord, 234, 
 
 306—8. 
 Dalrymple, Sir James, of Stair. 
 
 See Stair, Viscount. 
 Dalrymple, various persons of that 
 
 name, chihiren, or descendants 
 
 of Viscount Stair, 156 — 8. 
 Donnan, Rev. Andrew, 197 — 201^ 
 
 248. 
 Douglas, William of Orcliardton, 
 
 176. 
 Druidism, 1 — 2, 
 Dunbar, of Baldoon, 14, 118, 157, 
 
 305. 
 Dunbar, of Mochrum, 14, 128. 
 Dunbar, Archbishop Gavin, 1 4 — 1 7. 
 Dundrennan, Abbey of, 17 — 8.
 
 346 
 
 INDEX, ^ 
 
 Durie, Bishop Andrew, 35 — C. 
 
 H. 
 
 E. 
 
 En-art, Rov. John, 192—7. 
 Ewart, Dr. John", 196. 
 Ewart, Joseph, 196. 
 Ewart, ^Viliianl, 196. 
 
 Fleming, Robert, 112 — 11-i. 
 Forbes, John of AUord, 67 — 9. 
 Forbes. Dr. William, 55. 
 
 t^. 
 
 Ilalkett, Mr. John, 318. 
 Hamilton, Lord Basil, ^j — 6. 
 Hamilton, Bishop Gavin, 43 — 1-. 
 Hamilton, Bishop James, 56 — 7. 
 Hannay, Patrick, 268 — 9. 
 Hay, Thomas, 27- 
 Hepburn, Georg^e, 26. 
 Heron, Jbhn, 219, 242. 
 Heron, Robert, 219—27, 340-^1. 
 Herries, James, 21 — 2. 
 Herries, W. Muirhcad, 176,337, 
 . 341—2. 
 
 Herries, W. Young, 342—3. 
 Hill, James, 182—8. 
 Hog, John, 109, 112. 
 Home, David of Gfodscroft, 49. 
 
 Galloway, Bishoprick of, 31 — 
 60 ; name of, 329 ; history of, 
 330—2 ; agriculture of, 337—9, 
 ■ Garthshore, Dr. Maxwell, 194. 
 
 Gilchrist, Dr. Ebeuezer, 18G — 7. 
 
 Gilchrist, Dr. John, 187, 195. 
 
 Gillespie, Robert, Esq. 281. 
 
 Gillespie, Rev. William, 233, 275 
 —82. 
 
 Glen^uce, Abbey of, 26 — 7. 
 
 Gordon of Earlston, 61. 
 
 Gordon of Lochinvar. See Ken- 
 mure. 
 
 Gordon, Bishop Alexander, 36 — 
 40. 
 
 Gordon, John, 41 — 2* 
 
 (iordon, Lawrence, 27,40. 
 
 (Jordon, Rev. Rob<?rt. 175 — 6. 
 
 Gordon, Thomas, 179—83. 
 
 Graham, Rev.^ohn, 200—1, 206, 
 212. 
 
 Grant, William, T-ord Preston- 
 (iranfje, 16). 
 
 J. 
 
 Jameson, Dr. William, 188 — 91. 
 Johnstone, Dr. Bryce, 264 — 7. 
 JoJiostone, Rev. John, 264- 
 
 Kenmure, Lady, 83 — 6. 
 Kenmure, Lord, 77 — 85, 98. 
 Kinnear, Mr. James, 249 — 50. 
 Kirkcudbright, Priory of, 28. 
 Kirkton, James, 63, 112. 
 
 L. 
 
 Lamb, Bishop Andrew, 53. 
 Lauderdale, Duke of, 140 — 1. 
 LinchKh'ii, Provostrv of, 24 — 6.
 
 INDKX. ^ 347 
 
 Liviiijjstone, Jolin, 91, 96—106, 
 
 109. 
 Livingstone, Mrs. 103 — 4, N. 
 
 Lowe, John, 289 — 75. 
 
 Nevoy, John, 110 — 1. 
 Newahhey. See Sweetheart. 
 M. Newspaper, the first in Scotland^ 
 
 56. 
 M'Briar or IM'Bray, John, 62—3. Ninian, St. 5—9, 332, 
 M'Cartney of Blaikct, 187. * _. 
 
 Maoartnej^, Rev. William, 214— 
 
 18. P. 
 
 M'Clill, Dr. William, 202—14. 
 M'Gowau, Rev. Alexander, 280— Panthct, David, 19—21. 
 
 1. • Panther, Patrick, 20. 
 
 M'Harg, James, 246—9. ' Parishes, when established, 7. 
 
 M'Kie, Rev. Nathaniel, 265. Paterson, Bislwp John, 57. 
 
 M'Lellan, John, 99—101. Petrie, Alexander, 109. 
 
 Macraillan, AnthonJ^ 164 — 6. Pillans, Professor, ^3. 
 
 M'Naught, Marion, 80, 82. Pitcairn, Robert, 69. 
 
 M'Crae, or INI'llay, Rev. James, Porter, William, Esq. and Mrs; 
 
 259—63. " Porter, 195—7. 
 
 Mactaggart, John, 322—7. 
 lil'U'ard, Robert, 91, 93, 107—14. 
 Maitland, Rev. J. G. 228, 250. R. 
 
 Mary's Isle, St. 18—21. ^ 
 
 Maxwell, Colonel, A. M. 288— 90. Reformation, 61—2. 
 Maxwell, Edward, 18. Richardson, Robert, 21. 
 
 aiaxwell, John of Munshes, 337rRose, Rev. William, 283. 
 
 — 9. Ross, Bishop Arthur, 57. 
 
 Maxwell, Bishop John, 54, 91. Rutherford, Samuel, 76 — 95. 
 Maxwell, Captain Keith, 344. Rutherford, Mrs. 93. 
 Maxwell, Sir Murray, 290, 343 
 
 —4. 
 Maxwell, Robert <«" Arkland, 167 S. 
 
 —75. 
 Maxwell, Major Stewart, 283— Saulseat, Abbey of, 24. 
 
 92. Scot, Dr^ David, 255, 258— 9, 
 
 Melville, William, 23—4. Selkirk, Countess of, 313.319. 
 
 Monachism, 1 1—12. Selkirk, Earl of, 305— 2 L 
 
 Moncreiff, Sir Henry, 2^8. Semple, Governor, 316— 7. 
 
 Muirhead, Dr. James, 254. Smith, Rev. Samuel, 175 — 8 
 
 Miu-ray, Dr. Alexander, 228—59. Spence, Bishop Thomas, 33 — 4. 
 
 6 
 
 tip
 
 .'M8 INDEX'. 
 
 Stair, Viscount, 1 24 — oS. 
 
 Stair, Viscountess, 128, 155. V. 
 
 Steven, Rev. William, 107. 
 
 Stewart, Andrew, 25 — 6. Vaux, Bishop, Alexander, 33. 
 
 Stewart, William, 26, Vaux, Bishop (Jeorn'e, 34- — 5. 
 
 Sweetheart, Abbey of, 28—30. Vans, family of, 33.3—0. 
 
 Sydsertf, Bishop Thomas, 53 — 6, 
 
 'sT. W. 
 
 Sydserff, Thomas, 56. 
 
 Syrasou, Rev. Andrew, 115 — 23. Wallace, Col. James, 109 — 13. 
 
 Wallace, William, 96—7. 
 Waugh, Georg^e, 1 1 6 — 7. 
 T Welsh, John, 63—75. 
 
 Welsh, John , (of Irongray), 75. 
 Telfcr, Rev. Alexander, 188. Welsh, Mrs. 70, 73. 
 
 Thomson, Rev. James, of Balma- Welsh, Josiah, 75, 99. 
 
 clellan, 214, 300, 302, AVliithorn, Priory of, 12—17. 
 
 Thomson, Rev. James, of Rer- Wickliffe, John, 61. 
 
 •wick, 188—91. Wigton, Priory of, 30. 
 
 Tongland, Lord. See Melville, 
 
 William. Y. 
 
 Tongland, Priory of, 21 — 4. 
 
 Traill, Robert, 111. Young, Alexander, of Harburn, 
 
 Trenchard, Mr. 179—82. 342—3. 
 
 FINIS.
 
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