The cunning Clerk, who evidently speaks the sentiments of the author, offers many solid reasons against such a measure, and pleads very strenuously for the rights of the church. In the midst of his zeal to protect the spiritual interests of the people, he does not entirely neglect the temporal interests of their pastors. He maintains one position of a very dubious nature; namely, that "the patrymonie of the kirk," that is, whatever valuable property had been vested in the Catholic clergy, belonged to the Protestant clergy by whom they had been supplanted. Whether it might have been competent for the Legislature to make such a plenary transfer, is not the present question; for the Clerk's argument proceeds on the supposition of such a transfer being unnecessary with respect to "thair awin just patrimony."

The Clerk said tak the superplus,

Quhen Kirk and pure ar weill prouydit,
And let the mater sa be gydit,

That thay of kirk do not abuse it,
Bot be controllit how thay vse it,
Becaus thay ar bot mortall men,
That na wayis thay thair selfis misken.
The Courteour answerit fra hand,
It will be countit to thair hand;
The teindis will not cum in thair neuis
Sa lang as ony of vs leuis.

The Clerk said, Goddis curs thairfoir
Sall not depart quhill thay restoir
The Kirk agane to hir awin richt,
Thocht of the mater they pas licht.1

1 In his Memorial of Campbell, he likewise denounces the vengeance of heaven against those who detain the popish tithes from the Presbyterian clergy.

The half teinds of hale Vchiltrie
He did giue ouer most willinglie,
Quhilk his forbears had possest,
For sacriledge he did detest;
The minister he put therein:
God grant that as he did begin,
That all the rest that dois possesse
The teinds of Scotland more and lesse,
Maist wrangouslie, wald them restore,
As gude Robert hes gone before:
Bot no appearance we can see,
That they will do it willinglie,

For all the summoning hes bene
By Gods heraulds these yeares fyftene;
Though I think they should feare to touch
them,

Because that teinds did neuer rich them,
That hes meld with them to this day;
Yet no appearance is, I say,
That euer they shall with them twin,
While God of heauen himselfe begin,
With force quhilk no man may withstand,
To pluck them cleane out of their hand,
Quhilk shall be to their wrak and wo,
Because they would not let them go,
For no forewarning he could send,
When they had time and space to mend.

A passage in this poem gave great offence to the head of one of the houses at St. Andrews: John Rutherford, provost of St. Salvator's College, conceived himself to be the subject of a satirical allusion contained in the following lines :—

Thair is sum Collages, we ken,

Weill foundit to vphald leirnit men,
To teiche the youth in letters gude,
And vtheris also that ar rude.
Amang the rest foundit we se
The teiching of theologie,

With rentis sum studentis to sustene,
To that science to giue thame clene.
Lat anis the counsell send and se

Gif thir places weill gydit be,

And not abusit with waist rudis,

That dois nathing bot spendis the gudis,
That was maid for that haly vse,

And not to feid ane crukit guse.

Soon after the appearance of his dialogue, Davidson composed "A Memorial of Robert Campbel and his Wife Elizabeth Campbel," which was not however printed till the year 1595.1 If it does not excite any high idea of his poetical talents, it is at least creditable to his feelings. Campbell had cherished and protected him during his concealment in the West: having accompanied Davidson to Rusko, a seat belonging to Gordon of Lochinvar, he was attacked with an illness which speedily proved fatal, and within the space of two months his wife followed him to the grave. The Earl of Morton terminated his career on the scaffold; and Davidson returned to his native country, where he long continued to be a zealous and disinterested supporter of the Presbyterian discipline. For several years he officiated as minister of Prestonpans without receiving any stipend, and he there built a church and a parsonage house at his own expense. He died in the year 1604, having bequeathed the whole of his estate for the foundation of a grammar-school in that parish.

1 A Memorial of the Life and Death of two worthye Christians, Robert Campbel of the Kinyeancleugh, and his Wife Elizabeth Campbel. In English meter. Edinburgh, printed by Robert Walde-graue, Printer to the Kings Maiestie, 1595, Svo.

2 Davidson's catechism was printed by Waldegrave in 1602, under the title of Some Helpes for young Schollers in Christianity. It was long afterwards republished, with a preface by Mr. Jameson, lecturer on History in the University of Glasgow. Edinb. 1708, 8vo.

1

The master was bound to teach the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin languages. The same spirit which produced a reformation of religion had likewise produced a reformation of learning. "The Greek language," says the able and indefatigable biographer of Knox, "long after it had been enthusiastically studied on the Continent, and after it had become a fixed branch of education in the neighbouring kingdom, continued to be almost unknown in Scotland. Individuals acquired the knowledge of it abroad: but the first attempts to teach it in this country were of a private nature, and exposed their patrons to the suspicion of heresy. The town of Montrose is distinguished by being the first place, as far as I have been able to discover, in which Greek was taught in Scotland; and John Erskine of Dun is entitled to the honour of being regarded as the first of his countrymen who patronized the study of that elegant and useful language. As early as the year 1534, this enlightened and public-spirited baron, on returning from his travels, brought with him a Frenchman skilled in the Greek tongue, whom he settled in Montrose; and, upon his removal, he liberally encouraged others to come from France and succeed to his place. From this private seminary, many Greek scholars proceeded, and the knowledge of the language was gradually diffused over the kingdom."2 A knowledge of the Hebrew tongue was likewise introduced by the reformers. The first professed teacher of Hebrew in Scotland was John Row, LL.D., who after having practised as an advocate at St. Andrews, visited the Continent in order to improve himself in professional learning, but was induced to apply himself with zeal and success to the study of the Greek and Hebrew languages. In his capacity of a lawyer, he was intrusted by the Scotish clergy with the management of some of their causes at Rome; but having returned to his native country, he became a convert to the reformed religion, and in 1560 was appointed minister of Perth, where he began to teach, what had not hitherto been taught in the universities, the original language of the Old Testament.3

1 M'Crie's Life of Melville, vol. ii. p. 301. 2 M'Crie's Life of Knox, vol. i. p. 5.

3 Ibid. vol. ii. p. 16.

CHAPTER XVIII.

SIR RICHARD MAITLAND is entitled to the remembrance of posterity, both as a cultivator and as a preserver of Scotish poetry. He descended from an ancient family; and one of his ancestors, who appears to have lived about the year 1250, is celebrated in the popular strains of his country under the name of Auld Maitland. The poet was the son of William Maitland of Lethington, and of Martha the daughter of George Lord Seaton, and was born in the year 1496. We are informed by Dr. Mackenzie, that he completed his course of literature and philosophy in the University of St. Andrews, and afterwards visited France in order to prosecute the study of the law: it seems however to have been a common practice of this biographer to substitute conjecture for facts; and although it is sufficiently probable that this may be a true account of Maitland's academical studies, we cannot safely receive it without better evidence. On his return to Scotland, he is said to have recommended himself to the favour of James the Fifth. Sir John Scot affirms that he was appointed Lord Privy Seal during the regency of the Queen-dowager;3 and from his own congratulatory poem on the arrival of Queen Mary, it would at least appear that he had borne some office.

Madame, I was trew servand to thy mother,

And in hir favour stud ay thankfullie

Of my estait alls weil as ony other :
Prayand thy Grace I may resavit be.

1 Scott's Minst. of Scottish Border, i. p. 15. 2 Mackenzie's Lives of Scots Writers, vol. iii. p. 207.

3 Scot's Staggering State of the Scots Statesmen, p. 108.

In siclyk favour with thy Majestie,
Inclynand ay to me thy gracious eiris,

And amang other servands think on me.—
This last request I lernit at the freiris.

In the year 1554, he was appointed an Extraordinary Lord of Session. As early at least as the year 1561, he was deprived of his sight; for in the poem addressed to the Queen on her arrival, an event which happened during that year, he thus speaks of his situation ::

And thoch that I to serve be nocht sa abil

As I wes wont, becaus I may not see,
Yet in my hairt I sall be firme and stabil.

But he was possessed of an active and cheerful mind, nor did his blindness render him incapable of public business. In 1561, he was admitted an Ordinary Lord of Session by the title of Lethington, and in the following year he was nominated Lord Privy Seal. The latter office he resigned in 1567 in favour of his second son; but notwithstanding his infirmities, he retained his seat on the bench till he reached the eighty-eighth year of his age. The king's letter respecting his resignation is dated on the 1st of July 1584, and states "that Sir Richard Maitland had served his grandsire, goodsire, goodame, mother, and himself in many public charges, whereof he dutifully and honestly acquitted himself; and having been many years a senator, he has with much sincerity and integrity served therein; and being grown greatly debilitated through age, though nothing in spirit and judgment : whereupon the Lords have granted him immunity and license to attend when he pleases, having all commodities as if he were present, yet moved in conscience, lest judgment should be retarded by his absence, he has willingly demitted his room in our hands in favour of Sir Lewis Ballenden." The salary was reserved to Maitland during his life, which was prolonged till the 20th of March 1586, when he died at the mature age of ninety. His wife died on the day of his interment. By this lady, Mary the daughter of Sir Thomas Cranston of Corsby, he

1 Hailes's Catalogue of the Lords of Session, notes, p. 4.

2 Sir Richard's sister, Janet Maitland, was the second wife of Hugh fifth Lord Somerville.

See Lord Somerville's Memorie of the Somervilles, vol. i. p. 334, where the noble author gives a circumstantial account of her reception at the tower of Carnwath.