dote of him. "1589, August 15, Robert Bruce, one of the four ministers of Edinburgh, threatening to leave the town (the reason, by what follows, may be easily guessed at), great endeavours were used to prevent his going, but none, it seems, so prevalent as that of the increase of his Stipend to one thousand Merks; which the good man was graciously pleased to accept, though it only amounted to one hundred and forty merks more than all the stipends of the other three ministers!"2 XLIII. RAMSAY'S GENTLE SHEPHERD. THE first draught of Ramsay's Gentle Shepherd is to be found in a pastoral of a single scene called Patie and Roger, which appears to have been written before the end of March 1720, five years previous to the publication of his drama in its present form. When he produced this first sketch he was contemplating a collected edition of his works; and a copy 1 In 1569 John Knox's stipend was 66 Quheit, ij chalderis (at £26, 13s. 4d. the chalder), Beir vj chalderis (at £21, 6s. 8d. the chalder), Aittis iiij chalderis (at xx merkis the chalder), Money, 500 merkis."-Register of Ministers, p. 2. Edinburgh, 1830. 2 Maitland's Hist. of Edinburgh, pp. 45, 55, 274. Edinburgh, 1753. of it having been sent to London,' was published there" with a view to bespeak the favour of the [English] reader to the Scots Poet's larger volume.” The editor, Dr G. Sewell, who laments his own small acquaintance with the language, says the piece had been applauded by "Pope, Hammond, and Campbell," and adds, that "the Scoticisms which perhaps may offend an over-nice ear, give new life and grace to the poetry, and become their places as well as the Doric dialect of Theocritus, so much admired by the best judges." It may be questioned, however, if the Scoticisms were understood, either by Sewell or by those whose favourable opinions he quotes; since it was considered necessary that the poem should be accompanied by an English translation, which was executed by Josiah Burchett. Ramsay gratefully speaks of this version as "just and elegant;" but an indifferent judge will hardly confess that it reaches mediocrity. There are some blunders which may perhaps amuse a Scotish reader. Ramsay writes: Patie. The bees shall loath the flowers, and quit their hive, The saughs on boggy ground shall cease to thrive, 1 Patie and Roger: A Pastoral, by Mr Allan Ramsay, in the Scots Dialect. To which is added an Imitation of the Scotch Pastorall: By Josiah Burchett, Esq. London, E'er scornfou Jiggs or loss of warldly gear Roger.-Sae I might sae, but its nae easy done By ane wha's saul's sae jingled out o' tune.” The last two lines are rendered, "So I might say, but not with so much ease, Can I, alas! shake off my sad disease." Again, the verse, "But Bauldy loos nae her, fouweel I wat He sighs for Neps-sae that may stand for that," is translated, "But Archibald loves not her,-So here's my hand For Neps he sighs,-one 'gainst the other stand." Mr Burchett has still farther mistaken his author when he renders jo by wife. "Dear Roger, when your jo puts on her gloom, Do ye sae too, and never fash ye'r thumb." This will scarcely be recognised in its English dress, "Then said she, Roger, when your wife doth frown, Though you're uncasy, let it not be known." XLIV. TITLE-PAGES. Ir would be easy to cite old books with title-pages, which it would need half-an-hour to read, though the author's name and style take up but three words, or are perhaps modestly insinuated in a couple of initials. It was left for modern writers to drag all the alphabet captive after their names, or to swell their honours by long catalogues of all the learned societies in Europe, Asia, and America. The following title-page, which a worthy Cordelier monk devised as a happy stroke of ridicule against a Calvinistic antagonist who laughed at transubstantiation, might in our days incur the danger of being mistaken for a serious compliment. 66 Réponses modestes aux aphorismes de maistre Jehan Brouaut, jadis, prieur de Saint-Ény, et à présent puisq'il lui plaist, ministre de Carentan, médecin, peintre, poëte, astrologue, philosophe académique, alchimique, mathématicien, géographe, musicien, organiste, sergent, tabellion, joueur de flute, de viole, de rebec, du tambourin, de la harpe, du manicordion, de la mandole et d'autres instruments qu'il sçait bien. Caen, Tite Haran, 1601."1 1 Curiosités Littéraires, concernant la province de Normandie, pp. 7, 8. I decline to match this from any English author; but as my little book will scarcely find its way to Denmark, I may venture to transcribe the portentous title of a thin pamphlet published there a few years ago: “Recherches sur l'origine des Ordres de Chevalerie du Royaume de Dannemarc, par le Docteur Frédéric Munter, Evêque de Sélande et des Ordres Royaux de Chevalerie, Grand Croix du Dannebrog et decoré de la croix d'argent du même Ordre, Professeur de Theologie dans l'Université de Copenhague, un des Viceprésidents de la Societé Biblique Danoise, Membre de College des Missions et de la Commission des Antiquités du Nord; des Académies des Sciences de Copenhague, Drontheim, Goettingue, Jonique, Italienne, de Munic, Naples, St Petersbourg, Prague, Stockholm, Upsal, etc. Correspondant de celle de Berlin et de l'Institut de Hollande. Copenhague, 1822, chez André Seidelin, Imprimeur de la Cour et de l'Université." XLV. A SCOTISH MAGICIAN OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. "'Sblood, he speaks terribly! but for all that, I do not greatly believe him; he looks as like a conjurer as the pope to a coster-monger."-Marlowe's Tragedy of Dr Faustus. In the year 1614, George Semple, minister of Killellan, accused of practising magic, of leading an |