"ber of the best writers, and compare him even with Thuanus himself: Neither is he lefs happy • in his verfe than profe, for here are all thofe graces met together, that conduce any thing to⚫wards the making up a compleat and perfect poet, a decent and becoming majefty, a brave and admirable heighth, and a wit flowing.' Thus far the teftimony of Mr. Philips. In order to divert himself and his friends, he wrote a small poemwhich he called Polemio-Middinia; `tis a fort of Macronic poetry, in which the Scots words are put in Latin terminations. In Queen Anne's time it was reprinted at Oxford, with a preface concerning Macronic poetry. It has been often reprinted in Scotland, where it is thought a very humorous performance. Our author, who we have already feen, fuffered fo much by the immature fate of his first mistress, thought no more of love for many years after her deceafe, but feeing by accident one Elizabeth Logan, -grandchild to Sir Robert Logan, who by the great refemblance fhe bore to his firit favourite, rekindled again the flame of love; she was beautiful in his eyes because the recalled to his mind the dear image of her he mourned, and by this lucky fimilarity fhe captivated him. Though he was near 45 years of age, he married this lady; the bore to him several children; William, who was knighted in Charles II's time; Robert, and Elizabeth, whỏ was married to one Dr. Henderson, a physician at Edinburgh. In the time of the public troubles, Mr. Drummond, befides compofing his hiftory, wrote feveral tracts against the measures of the covenanters, and thofe engaged in the oppofition of Charles I. In a piece of his called Irene, he harangues the King, nobility, gentry, clergy and commons, about their mutual mistakes, jealoufies and fears; he lays before them the difmal confequences of a civil war, from indifputa ble ble arguments, and the hiftories of paft times. The great marquis of Montrofe writ a letter to him, defiring him to print this Irene, as the best means to quiet the minds of the distracted people; he likewife fent him a protection, dated Auguft, 1645, immediately after the battle of Kylfyth, with another letter, in which he highly commends Mr. Drummond's learning and loyalty. Befides this work of Irene, he wrote the Load Star, and an Addrefs to the Noblemen, Barons, Gentlemen, &c. who leagued themselves for the defence of the liberties and religion of Scotland, the whole purport of which is, to calm the disturbed minds of the populace, to reafon the better fort into loyalty, and to check the growing evils which he faw would be the confequence of their behaviour. Those of his own countrymen, for whom he had the greatest esteem, were Sir William Alexander, afterwards earl of Stirling, Sir Robert Carr, afterwards earl of Ancram, from whom the prefent marquis of Lothian is defcended, Dr. Arthur Johnfton, phyfician to King Charles I. and author of a Latin Paraphrafe of the Pfalms, and Mr. John Adamfon, principal of the college of Edinburgh. He had great intimacy and correfpondence with the two famous English poets, Michael Drayton, and Ben Johnson, the latter of whom travelled from London on foot, to fee him at his feat at Hawthornden. During the time Ben remained with Mr. Drummond, they often held converfation about poetry and poets, and Mr. Drummond has preferved the heads of what paffed between them; and as part of it is very curious, and ferves to illuftrate the character of Johnson, we have inferted it in his life though it perhaps was not altogether fair in Mr. Drummond, to commit to writing things that paffed over a bottle, and which perhaps were heedlefly advanced. It is certain fome of the par ticulars ticulars which Mr. Drummond has preferved, are not much in Ben's favour, and as few people are fo wife as not to speak imprudently fometimes, fo it is not the part of a man, who invites another to his table, to expofe what may there drop inadvertently; but as Mr. Drummond had only made memorandums, perhaps with no refolution to publish them, he may ftand acquitted of part of this charge. It is reported of our author that he was very fmart, and witty in his repartees, and had a moft excellent talent at extempore verfifying, above any poet of his time. In the year 1645, when the plague was raging in Scotland, our author came accidentally to Forfar, but was not allowed to enter any house, or to get lodging in the town, though it was very late; he went two miles farther to Kirrimuir, where he was well received, and kindly entertained. Being informed that the towns of Forfar and Kirrimuir had a conteft about a piece of ground called the Muirmofs, he wrote a letter to the Provoft of Forfar, to be communicated to the town-council in hafte: It was imagined this letter came from the Eftates, who were then fitting at St. Andrew's; fo the Common-Council was called with all expedition, and the minifter fent for to pray for direction and affiftance in answering the letter, which was opened in a folemn manner. It contained the following lines, The Kirrimorians and Forforians met at Muirmofs, The Karrimorians beat the Forforians back to the crofs, † Sutors ye are, and futors ye'll be Ty upon Forfar, Kirrimuir bears the gree. By this innocent piece of himself on the town of Forfar. † Shoemakers. mirth he revenged As our author was a great a great cavalier, and addicted to the King's party, he was forced by the reformers to fend men to the army which fought against the King, and his eftate lying in three different counties, he had not occafion to fend one entire man, but halves, and quarters, and fuch like fractions, that is, the money levied upon him as his fhare, did not amount to the maintaining one man, but perhaps half as much, and fo on through the feveral counties, where his eftates lay; upon this he wrote the following verfes to the King. 6 Of all thefe forces, rais'd against the King, 'Tis my ftrange hap not one whole man to bring, From diverfe parishes, yet diverfe men, But all in halves, and quarters: great king then, In halves, and quarters, if they come, 'gainst thee, In halves and quarters fend them back to me, Being reputed a malignant, he was extremely harraffed by the prevailing party, and for his verfes and difcourfes frequently fummoned before their circular tables. In the fhort account of his life written by himself, he fays, that he never en'deavoured to advance his fortune, or increase fuch things as were left him by his parents, as 'he forefaw the uncertainty and fhortnefs of life, and thought this world's advantages not worth ftruggling for.' The year 1649, remarkable for the beheading of Charles I. put likewife a period to the life of our author: Upon hearing the dismal news that his Sovereign's blood was fhed on a fcaffold, he was fo overwhelmed with grief, and being worn down with ftudy, he could not overcome the fhock, and though we find not that he ever was in arms for the King, yet he may be faid, in fome fenfe, to have fallen a facrifice to his loyalty. He was a man of fine natural endow endowments, which were cultivated by reading and travelling; he spoke the Italian, Spanish, and French languages as well as his mother tongue; he was a judicious and great hiftorian, a delicate poet, a mafter of polite erudition, a loyal fubject, a friend to his country, and to sum up all, a pious christian. Before his works are prefixed several copies of verfes in his praife, with which we fhall not trouble the reader, but conclude the life of this great man, with the following fonnet from his works, as a fpecimen of the delicacy of his mufe. I know, that all beneath the moon decays, power: Know what I lift, all this cannot me move, WILLIAM |