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"alect he wrote in; his defcriptions lively and "full, his narrations clear and pertinent, his ora"tions eloquent, and fit for the perfons who speak, " and his reflections folid and mature, fo that it cannot be expected that these leaves can be "turned over without as much pleafure as profit, especially meeting with fo many glories, "and trophies of our ancestors." In this hifto. ry Mr. Drummond has chiefly followed bishop Elphifton, and has given a different turn to things from Buchanan, whom a party of the Scotch accufe of being a penfioner of Queen Elizabeth's, and as he joined intereft with the earl of Murray, who wanted to disturb the reign of his much injured fifter Mary Queen of Scots, he is ftrongly fufpected of being a party writer, and of having mifreprefented the Scotch tranfactions of old, in order to ferve some scheme of policy.

In the fhort notes which Mr. Drummond has left behind him in his own life, he says, that he was the first in the island that ever celebrated a dead miftrefs; his poems confift chiefly of Love-Verfes, Madigrals, Epigrams, Epitaphs, &c. they were highly esteemed by his contemporaries both for the wit and learning that fhone in them. Edward Philips, Milton's nephew, writes a preface to them, and obferves, that his poems are the effects of genius, the most polite and verdant that ever the Scots nation produced, and fays, that if he fhould affirm, that neither Taffo, Guarini, or any of the moft neat and refined fpirits of Italy, nor even the choiceft of our English poets can challenge any advantage above him, it could not be judged any attribute fuperior to what he deferves; and for his hiftory he fays, had there been nothing else extant of his writings, confider but the language how florid and ornate it is; confider the order and prudent conduct of the story, and you will rank him in the num

• ber

ber of the best writers, and compare him even with Thuanus himfelf: Neither is he lefs happy in his verse than profe, for here are all those graces met together, that conduce any thing towards the making up a compleat and perfect poet, a decent and becoming majefly, 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 finall 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 firft 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 the bore to his first 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; fhe bore to him feveral children; William, who was knighted in Charles II's time; Robert, and Elizabeth, who was married to one Dr. Henderson, a physician at Edinburgh.

In the time of the public troubles, Mr. Drummond, befides compofing his hiftory, wrote several tracts against the measures of the covenanters, and those 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 miftakes, 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 beft 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 Johnston, 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 cha racter 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

1

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 expose 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 verifying, above any post 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 houfe, or to get lodging in the town, though it was very late; he went two miles further 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 Provost 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 minister sent for to pray for direction and affiftance in anfwering the letter, which was opened in a folemn manner. It contained the following

lines,

The Kirrimorians and Forforians met at Muir

mofs,

The Kirrimorians beat the Forforians back to the

crofs,

+ Sutors ye are, and futors

T

ye'll be

-y 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 estate 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 verses to the King.

Of all thefe forces, rais'd against the King, "Tis my ftrange hap not one whole man to bring, From diverse parishes, yet diverse 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 endeavoured to advance his fortune, or increase fuch things as were left him by his parents, as he forefaw the uncertainty and shortnefs of life, and thought this world's advantages not worth ftruggling for.' The year 1649, remarkable for the beheading of Charles I. put likewise a period to the life of our author: Upon hearing the difmal 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 shock, and though we find not that he ever was in arms for the King, yet he may be faid, in some sense, to have fallen a facrifice to his loyalty. He was a man of fine natural

endow