9258 COMPLAYNT of SCOTLAND, written in 1548, witfi a UisseffaT.. 
 ud Glossary, bj J. I. yfon, large 8vo. hf. mora gilt 
 
 «" ; Edinburgh, 1801 
 
 i lationa between the "Three Rotates" in' Scotland 
 at the end ..t the firat half ..i the 16th century, is attributed to three persona • Sir 
 1' ' *, and Wedderbnrn. 
 
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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary Library 
 
 http://archive.org/details/critiquesbOOherd 
 
CRITIQUES 
 
 BY 
 
 MR DAVID HERD AND OTHERS, 
 
 UPON THE NEW EDITION OF 
 
 "THE COMPLAYNT OF SCOTLAND;" 
 
 WITH 
 
 OBSERVATIONS IN ANSWER ; 
 BY THE EDITOR, 
 
 THE LATE DR. JOHN LEYDEN 
 
 EDINBURGH 
 
 It DCCC XXIX. 
 
.8H3H' 
 
I. A LETTER 
 
 FROM MR. DAVID HERD, 
 
 ON "THE COMPLAYNT OF SCOTLAND."* 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Having perused, with considerable attention, the new edition of 
 that curious work, " The Coraplaynt of Scotland ;" I beg lea. 
 trouble you with some observations, which occurred to me at the mo- 
 ment. 
 
 The inductive evidence by which the Editor attempts to support 
 his opinion, that this work was composed by Sir David Lindsay of 
 the Mount, does not appear to me quite satisfactory. Perhaps I have 
 received an original bias in favour of the first opinion, which attri- 
 butes that work to Sir James Inglis; but that opinion seems to be 
 encumbered with fewest difficulties. It is true, that Pinkerton, in 
 his History of Scotland, has mentioned James Inglis, who was de- 
 nominated Sir, from being a dignified priest, who was secretary to 
 Queen Margaret, afterwards Abbot of Culross, and was murdered by 
 the Baron of Tulliallan in 1531 ; but this does not prove decisively, 
 that no other Sir James Inglis existed at that period. 
 
 The design and doctrine of the Complaynt of Scotland does not 
 seem to be in favour of the Reformation, and an alteration of the 
 national religion ; but is rather written in support of the French 
 interest in Scotland ; — for rejecting the proposed alliance and mar- 
 riage between Mary and Edward ; — and maintaining the war with 
 England. 
 
 Mackenzie, vol. iii. p. 40, says, that Sir James Inglis, " upon the 
 death of James V. joined with the French faction, in opposition to 
 the pretended marriage betwixt the Infant-Queen of Scotland, and 
 the Prince of Wales :" — So that his religious sentiments were those of 
 the author of the Complaynt. 
 
 Sir David Lindsay's writings were in favour of the Reformation, 
 as appears from all his works. And Pinkerton asserts that he " was 
 more the reformer of Scotland than John Knox ; for he prepared the 
 ground, and John only sowed the seed." 
 
 List of Poets, ap. Pinkerton's Maitland Poems. 
 
 After the publication of Sir David's various treatises, didnated to 
 the King, and others, how could he have called this Tracteit (the Com- 
 playnt) " the first laubirs of his pen ;" and addressed it, as such, to the 
 Queen-Regent, with whom he was not in favour? 
 
 In p. 131. of the 'Preface to the Ciwiplai/nt, the Ekg* M the Pi: 
 Kilbarchan is ascribed to Hamilton; but in the statistical amount of 
 Kilbarchan, Vol. XV. p. *g 1, it is ascribed to .Smple ; as also m ( r.nv- 
 furd's History of Renfrewshire, published by William Simple in 
 p. 162. If you think these observations ofsutlicient import. U 
 insert them in your miscellany, they may be followed by other*. 
 
 • From tla- s^ots Magazine, to* January IttW. 
 
II. CRITIQUE ON 
 
 " THE COMPLAYNT OF SCOTLAND f 
 
 {Attributed to John Pinkerton, Esq.) 
 
 We are glad to see a republication of this curious and classical work 
 in old Scottish prose. The editor is Mr Leyden, who has shown 
 considerable talents in the execution ; and it is dedicated to Richard 
 Heber, Esq. as being- undertaken at his suggestion. It is printed in a 
 neat and accurate manner ; though we should have wished for an ink 
 of double the blackness; and request that our printers would inspect 
 the common works now published in France, which strangely contrast 
 with what are called the monks and friars of our presses. The uni- 
 form full black colour imparted by the French presses is strikingly dif- 
 ferent from the pale meagreness of our common press-work. In the 
 present production, the quarto, which should have been most carefully 
 attended to, is rather inferior to the octavo. 
 
 The first idea of a republication of the Complaynt of Scotland was 
 suggested by the editor of Poems from the Maitland Manuscript ; Lon- 
 don, 1786, vol. ii. p. 542. The opinion of that editor, that the work 
 was written by one Wedderburn, Mr Leyden attempts to controvert ; 
 but certainly without success. Mr Herbert, who republished Ame's 
 Typography, was a heavy plodding man, originally engaged in very 
 different pursuits, and wholly destitute of common literary sagacity. 
 Nor can we compliment Mr Leyden upon this occasion, whose reason- 
 ing seems to us rather grotesque. Any man of plain sense would con- 
 clude, from the double mention of this rare article in the Harleian 
 Catalogue under the name of Wedderburn, amounting to proof posi- 
 tive, especially as the name is spelt with a V instead of a W — a sin- 
 gularity which prevails throughout the book — that the copy there 
 mentioned had the title-page, which is wanting in all the others, and 
 in which the name of the author appeared. t The difference of spel- 
 ling in the two articles of that catalogue proceeds merely from greater 
 care, as usual, being employed in the first entry. Mackenzie was not 
 in the least conversant in the critical study of antiquities; and Mr 
 Leyden seems to forget that his Lives of the Scottish Authors abound 
 with the grossest errors. The doubts concerning Sir James Inglis 
 might have been done away by looking at Mr Pinkerton's History of 
 Scotland ; and our editor has certainly, in this instance, acted like a 
 mere antiquary, in throwing obscurity over a clear subject. 
 
 He proceeds (p. 17,) to offer his opinion that this singular produc- 
 tion was written by Sir David Lindsay, because, forsooth, he wrote 
 many poetical Complaints ; and both authors have thoughts in com- 
 
 • From the Critical Review, for May 1802. 
 
 •f This was Kitson's opinion. — See his Letters to Paton, p. 1C. and one of the 
 very rare instances in which he agreed with Pinkerton. 
 
raon ! The whole introduction is extremely tedious and prolix ; and 
 the most patient antiquary will find considerable difficulty in the per- 
 usal. Mr Leyden has evidently read a great number of old books ; 
 but the want of divisions and arrangement throughout two hundred 
 and ninety-two deadly pages, presents a chaos without any bridge over 
 it, and which we shall never again attempt to pervade. In the form 
 of distinct notes, and reduced to half the length, this mass might have 
 been rendered somewhat bearable ; but as long notes have justly be- 
 come an object of ridicule, they now, it seems, begin to be amassed 
 into long introductions, which can be of no possible service, as the va- 
 rious topics are utterly forgotten before we arrive at the text : 
 
 Dum vitant stulti vitia, in contraria currunt* 
 
 The glossary is ample, and in some respects curious. In p. 347 of 
 the second progress of sheets, the author expresses a strange opinion, 
 that the fishermen on the east coast of Scotland, instead of retaining 
 the rough old dialect of their fathers, are, forsooth, of Flemish and 
 Danish origin ! 
 
 With regard to the work itself — The Complaynt of Scotland, which 
 here becomes almost an appendix to Mr Leyden's prolix, digressive, 
 and retrogressive dissertation — it is printed not as a classic, but in J'ac 
 simile, wth all the confusion of the original edition. Upon this plan, 
 we might print the Greek and Roman classics, not with the elegance 
 and clearness of modern typography, but in the confused manner of 
 the manuscripts ! We suspect that the editor of the Maitland Poems 
 would have followed a different method ; but he is, we believe, suffi- 
 ciently disgusted with the barren field of Scotch history and antiqui- 
 ties, in which the greatest labours have been repaid not only with in- 
 gratitude, but with calumny. ' It is an ancient saying, that neither 
 the wealthy, nor the valiant, nor even the wise, can long flourish in 
 Scotland ; for envy obtaineth the mastery over them all ;' says Sir Da- 
 vid Dalryraple, in his Annals, vol. ii. p. 209, translating the words of 
 old Fordun. 
 
 * The Reviewer then gives a very full extract from the Introduction, which it wa» 
 judged inexpedient to reprint, 
 
III. OBSERVATIONS 
 
 ox 
 
 « THE COMPLAYNT OF SCOTLAND," 
 BY THE LATE DR. JOHN LEYDEN.* 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Permit me to thank your correspondent D. H. for his observations 
 in your Magazine for last January, on the new edition of the Com- 
 playnt of Scotland, and to assure him, that the Editor will be highly 
 gratified by the continuation of his strictures. When the Editor ar- 
 ranged the inductive arguments which induced him to conjecture, that 
 the Complaynt was the composition of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount, 
 he could scarcely flatter himself, that his proofs would make the same 
 impression on the minds of his readers, as on his own. When a per- 
 son engages in the comparative study of two authors, many minute 
 circumstances occur to him, and have a silent and imperceptible influ- 
 ence on his own judgment, which he finds himself utterly incapable of 
 stating to another, who does not subject himself to the same process of 
 study. This was what I experienced in no common degree, in col- 
 lecting my arguments concerning the author of the Complaynt ; and, 
 in attempting to state the principal grounds of my opinion, which 
 were numerous and multifarious, 1 found it extremely difficult to 
 avoid spreading them over much more paper than they at present oc- 
 cupy. Many observations were likewise hazarded, more from the de- 
 sire of inviting liberal discussion, than from a conviction that they 
 were in their own nature unanswerable. If such a discussion were to 
 throw any additional light on so obscure a subject, though at the risk 
 of overturning the hypothesis which I have endeavoured to support, I 
 am convinced, that no person would feel more gratified than myself. 
 The man who can sacrifice truth to vanity, deserves the severest mor- 
 tification, that the contempt of literary men can inflict, — a mortification 
 which envy seldom fails to make her votaries experience. 
 
 Your correspondent seems still to incline to the opinion of Mac- 
 kenzie, that the Complaynt was composed by Sir James Inglis, and 
 thinks, that this author might be a different person from the abbot of 
 Culross, who was murdered in 1531 by the Baron of Tulliallan. Now, 
 though it is possible some other person of this name might exist in the 
 period between 1531 and 1549, yet his existence ought not to be 
 presupposed, till it be demonstrated by some authentic documents. 
 But the life of Sir James Inglis, given by Mackenzie, is confessedly 
 
 • From the Scots Magazine, for July 1802. 
 
founded on no documents whatever that we are acquainted witi. 
 therefore it is of no authority. Besides, though Mackenzie says, that 
 Sir James Inglis, on the death of James V. joined the French faction, 
 in opposition to that of the English, yet he seems to identify the ab- 
 bot of Culross with his Sir James Inglis, whom he relates to have died 
 at Culross. Now, as we have said, it can be proved that the abbot of 
 Culross was murdered by the Baron of Tulliallan, 18 years before the 
 publication of the Complaynt of Scotland. 
 
 But your correspondent farther objects, that the writings of Lind- 
 say, contrary to the spirit of the Complaynt of Scotland, are in favour 
 of the Reformation. Of the force of this objection I was aware, when 
 I composed the Preliminary Dissertation of the Complaynt, and have 
 accordingly stated, that at a period of such eminent danger as that 
 which succeeded the battle of Pinky, it could not be the object of a 
 patriot to irritate any class of men, but rather to conciliate and unite 
 every class of men in the defence of their country. It still remains to 
 be proved that Lindsay, though favourably disposed to a reformation, 
 was not a patriot, or was engaged in the English interest. In his sa- 
 tire, he exhorts the Estates to provide for war in time of peace, and 
 mentions " the awld ennemeis of England." 
 
 But it farther appears to me, that the part which Lindsay took in 
 the Scotish Reformation, has been greatly misunderstood and misstated. 
 The expressions, that " Lindsay was more the reformer of Scotland 
 than John Knox," and that " he prepared the ground, and John only 
 sowed the seed," are in the highest degree vague and unmeaning. It 
 is very true, that Lindsay bitterly satirized the vices of the Scotish 
 clergy, and the abuses of religion ; but so did the author of the Com- 
 playnt of Scotland ; so did the lay writers of that period ; so did the 
 ingenuous Dunbar ; and so did the more learned ecclesiastics in almost 
 every country in Europe, for many centuries before that period. All 
 these assisted in preparing the ground, as Mr Pinkerton ph rases it, 
 accommodating themselvess to the temper of the times, and to the 
 manner of thinking among all virtuous and moderate men. The most 
 virtuous and learned of the Catholic clergy ardently desired a reforma- 
 tion, both in general morals, and in ecclesiastical institutions, but they 
 dreaded the etfect of popular enthusiasm ; and the tumultuous and 
 riotous scenes which attended the Reformation evinced, that these fears 
 were not groundless. The Scotish reformation did not start into ex- 
 istence, as a complete system of religious doctrines and institutions. 
 It was modified by particular local and temporary circumstanr 
 well as by the state of the public mind. Many things were yielded 
 to violence, and many were yielded to prejudice. But the particular 
 ecclesiastical system which was finally adopted, did not assume a defi- 
 nite form, till years after the death of Lindsay. 
 
 Your correspondent D. H. likewise asserts, that had the Complaynt 
 been the production of Lindsay, he could not have called it his first 
 Tracteit, when he addressed it to the Queen Regent. Now, had I 
 ever supposed, that the Complaynt was published with the name <j< 
 Lindsay, this objection would have had some force ; but, on the con- 
 
10 
 
 trary, I have expressly assigned various reasons of political danger to 
 account for its being originally published anonymously. 
 
 Though, from these reasons, I cannot admit the validity of your 
 correspondent's objections to my hypothesis concerning the author of 
 the Complaynt, I am inclined to pay more deference to his opinion, 
 concerning the author of the elegy on the Piper of Kilbarchan. For 
 though the authorities of the statistical account of Kilbarchan, and 
 Semple's History of Renfrewshire, had not escaped my notice, yet I 
 did not think them quite satisfactory at the time of publishing the 
 Preliminary Dissertation. On farther examination of the subject, I 
 am inclined to think my opinion rather premature ; but I am still of 
 opinion, that the subject requires and admits of illustration, and I 
 should therefore be highly gratified by any of your literary correspon- 
 dents who should bestow on it an accurate investigation. 
 
 The mention of the elegy on the Piper of Kilbarchan, suggests the 
 propriety of observing, that in this elegy, two ancient Scotish tunes 
 are mentioned, which are denominated 
 
 " Trixic, and the Maiden Trace. 
 
 Trixie is most probably the original air of the satirical song 
 
 " Hay trix, trim go trix, under the grene-wode tree." 
 
 (ap. Dalyell's Scotish Poems, vol. ii. p. 191«) 
 
 " The Maiden Trace" may be referred to a still higher antiquity ; 
 for there can be little doubt that it is referred to in that ancient and 
 curious poem " Cockelbys Sow" quoted in the preface to the Com- 
 playnt of Scotland, p. 281. 
 
 " Sum trottet Tras, and Trenass." 
 
 After these observations on the remarks of your candid correspon- 
 dent D. H. permit me to offer you some animadversions on the stric- 
 tures of the Critical Reviewer for June, on the new edition of the 
 Complaynt of Scotland. Instead of candidly appreciating the merits 
 or demerits of the edition, my Reviewer sedulously states a compari- 
 son, not between the edition of the Maitland Poems, and the new edi- 
 tion of the Complaynt, but between my edition of the Complaynt, and 
 the edition of that work which might have been given by the Editor 
 of the Maitland Poems. It is evident, nobody could be so well quali- 
 fied to state this implied comparison as the Editor of the Maitland 
 Poems himself, and this Editor was Mr Pinkerton. The stile of this 
 gentleman is admitted to possess a quality which is almost peculiar, 
 and which accords extremely well with his manner of thinking ; a 
 manner, which is characterized more by energy than originality. The 
 stile of my Reviewer too is a little peculiar in its structure ; for there 
 is an inveterate and indelible tinge of mannerism which adheres to the 
 writings of some men ; and this I doubt not, might excite suspicions 
 in the mind of a person who had studied Mr Pinkerton's stile. How'- 
 ever, though the Editor of the Complaynt may be at a loss for the 
 name of the antiquarian and historical Reviewer in the Critical Re- 
 
11 
 
 view, common fame is at none. But waving this, I cannot help de- 
 claring, that as a Tiro in Scotish antiquities, I feel highly nattered in 
 being compared to such a literary veteran as Mr Pinkerton ; and after 
 having thus made my acknowledgments, I shall proceed to offer a few 
 animadversions on the strictures of the Reviewer. 
 
 The Critical Reviewer asserts, that the first idea of a republication 
 of the Complaynt of Scotland was suggested by the Editor of Poems 
 from the Maitland manuscript, London, 1786. The assertion could 
 only be dictated by ignorance or vanity ; for Lord Hailes, the Editor 
 of the Bannatyne Poems, had, in the year 1770, declared, that the 
 person who should give a classical edition of Inglis's Complaynt, would 
 perform an acceptable service to the public. The same spirit of ap- 
 propriation is displayed in terming the assertion, that one Wedderburn 
 was the author of the Complaynt, the opinion of the Editor of the Mait- 
 land Poems. No doubt, it is the opinion of that Editor ; but, so far 
 from being exclusively his, it is only the second hand opinion of the 
 compiler of the Harleian catalogue. 
 
 The Reviewer terms my reasoning concerning the author of the 
 Complaynt rather grotesque ; I am obliged to him for using so gentle 
 an epithet ; and he asserts, that I seem to forget that Mackenzie's Lives 
 of the Scotish Authors abound with the grossest errors. This I certainly 
 did not forget, nor can it be fairly inferred from any passage in the 
 preliminary Dissertation ; but this is the general language used by the 
 Reviewer, with regard to every person that differs from him in opinion. 
 Mackenzie is not the least conversant in the critical study of anti- 
 quities, and Herbert is a heavy plodding man, wholly destitute of 
 common literary sagacity. This is precisely the stile of the Editor of 
 the Maitland Poems, concerning any author ancient or modern, who 
 may happen to be adverse to any of his particular hypotheses, though 
 that very author may suddenly recover his authority and credit in a 
 wonderful manner, if it appear that he can be quoted in his own fa- 
 vour. Mackenzie and Herbert may both be dull plodding men, 
 but surely neither genius nor ability is required to quote a title page 
 correctly, when a person has the book lying before him ; and the 
 question with respect to Mackenzie is precisely, whether he was capa- 
 ble of copying a title-page when he had the book lying before him : 
 and this principle is equally applicable to the compiler of the Har- 
 leian catalogue. It is evident, that if the one could copy a title-page, 
 so could the other, and their two authorities are therefore to be con- 
 sidered as equal and opposite, till a perfect copy of the Complaynt be 
 discovered. 
 
 The Reviewer adds, that the doubts concerning Sir James Inglis 
 might have been done away by looking at Mr Pinkerton's Histon 
 Scotland ; but what information could Mr Pinkerton's History have 
 ailbrded, except the very passage of Leslie's History which 1 have quot- 
 ed in the Preliminary Dissertation, p. 13 ; and as I have quoted this 
 very passage, it is idle to suppose, that I could ever have imagined, 
 that the same Sir James Inglis, who was murdered by the Baron of 
 Tulliallan in 1531, could be the author of the Complaynt in 1 
 
12 
 
 In discussing the claims of Wedderburn to be reckoned the author 
 of the Complaynt, I have said, that the history of this personage was 
 involved in great obscurity, and I am still of this opinion. Since 
 the publication of my Dissertation, it has been in some degree illus- 
 trated ; neither, however, by the Critical Reviewer, nor by the Editor 
 of the Maitland Poems, if they be different persons, but by the inde- 
 fatigable researches of J. Dalyell, Esq. Advocate, in the learned dis- 
 sertations, prefixed to his Scotish Poems of the sixteenth century, 
 1801. This ingenious Editor has shewn, that there were three bro- 
 thers of the name of Wedderburn, all of whom were addicted to poetry. 
 James the eldest, about the year 1540, composed plays in the Scotish 
 language, satirizing the general corruptions of religion in a tragedy on 
 the beheading of John the Baptist ; and attacking the catholics in par- 
 ticular, in a comedy, the subject of which was the History of Dionysius 
 the Tyrant, both of which were performed at Dundee. Calderwood 
 adds, that " he counterfeeted also the coniuring of a ghaist." The se- 
 cond brother being prosecuted as an heretic, retired to Germany, where 
 he attended Luther and Melancthon. He wrote Scotish religious 
 poems, and turned many obscene songs into hymns. After the death 
 of James V. he returned to Scotland ; but on account of heresy was 
 again obliged to desert his country, and retired into England, where 
 he is supposed to have died about 1556. The third brother, who sur- 
 passed both the other two in learning, was vicar of Dundee, and 
 likewise changed many profane songs into hymns, which were called 
 " The Psalms of Dundie." He is likewise said to have associated 
 with the reformers, and to have been connected with them at Paris. 
 Cursory Remarks on " am booke of' godly songs." p. 31 — 36. ap. 
 Scotish Poems of the sixteenth century. This account of the 
 Wedderburns certainly renders it more probable, if the subject be ab- 
 stractly considered, that the Complaynt of Scotland might be the pro- 
 duction of one of the brothers ; but we do not owe this information to 
 the sagacity or the research of the Editor of the Maitland Poems. Be- 
 sides, the objection that has been urged against Sir David Lindsay, 
 that he was a favourer of the Scotish Reformation, applies with equal 
 force against each of the brothers, till additional evidence be obtained. 
 Nay, this objection applies even more forcibly to the Wedderburns 
 than to Lindsay, for one of them was confessedly of the English fac- 
 tion, and died in exile in England. 
 
 My Reviewer terms the Preliminary Dissertation of the Complaynt 
 tedious, prolix, digressive, retrogressive, a chaos without any bridge 
 over it, and which he shall never again attempt to pervade. It is true, 
 this threat is very alarming, and the gentleman is certainly the best 
 judge of his own intentions: I can only therefore congratulate him 
 on the number of blunders he has detected in one perusal. That it 
 would be reckoned tedious by persons not conversant in those minute 
 pieces of information which it was intended to convey, I was well 
 aware. But I was likewise aware, that there are many minute en- 
 quiries connected with Scotish history, that many persons would be 
 glad to see illustrated, though nobody thinks them of sufficient im- 
 
13 
 
 portance to be the subject of a direct investigation. On this account, 
 I have occasionally digressed into a collateral enquiry ; but in this 
 method of discussion, there is undoubtedly nothing which can fairly 
 be termed retrogressive. 
 
 But the Dissertation is likewise " a chaos without any bridge over 
 it f and yet my Reviewer, like the Devil of Milton, has made his way 
 through it with impunity. He objects to me the want of divisions and 
 arrangement. I am ready to grant that my divisions might have been 
 more numerous, and my arrangement more clearly stated ; but does 
 he not reflect, that his favourite Greek and Roman classics always pre- 
 fer a concealed arrangement to that open and numerical distribution 
 of their materials, which palls curiosity, though it conduces to per- 
 spicuity. But the Preliminary Dissertation is not altogether defec- 
 tive in arrangement. Its two principal divisions relate, the first of 
 them to the author of the Complaynt, and the second to the subject 
 of that work. The Dissertation on the subject of the Complaynt, na- 
 turally divides itself into three sections, according to the obvious di- 
 vision of that work into three parts, which may be entitled, 1. The 
 Complaynt of the author ; 2. His Monologue ; and 3. His Dream ; 
 and to each of these parts, it forms a species of running commentary. 
 The subdivision of topics under each of these heads, arises naturally 
 from that part of the work which it is intended to illustrate. But my 
 critic is content to allow, that in the form of distinct notes, and re- 
 duced to half the length, my illustrations might have been rendered 
 " somewhat bearable." Now, if we merely consider the length, it is 
 obvious, they would be rendered just one half more bearable ; it is 
 quite a different question, whether they would have been rendered 
 less tedious ; for my Reviewer must be conscious that it is possible to 
 render a single volume more tedious than half-a-dozen. 
 
 I have stated, p. 288, that I preferred the continuous form of a dis- 
 sertation to that of separate notes, as giving a more complete view of 
 the subject, and affording an opportunity of exhibiting it in its differ- 
 ent bearings, and relations to other subjects with which it may be 
 connected. My Reviewer, on the contrary, declares, that long intro- 
 ductions can be of no possible service, as the various topics are utterly 
 forgotten before arriving at the text ; and politely concludes with 
 roundly calling me a fool in Latin, " Dum vitant stulti vitia, in con- 
 traria currunt." I have seen a treatise of Charpentier's, in which that 
 learned man asserts, that there is a certain coarseness of character, a 
 want of delicacy, and an outrageousness of invective, inherent in the 
 very structure of the Latin language, which inevitably infects thOM 
 who cultivate it. Now, to read the strictures of some periodical cri- 
 tics, and even of some modern authors, what fine Latin scholars must 
 not one imagine them to be. But literary questions are seldom de- 
 cided at present by loudness of vociferation, or virulence of abuse. 
 
 In order, however, to perceive the superior advantage of our critic's 
 system of notes, let us for a moment advert to his favourite edition 
 of the Maitland Poems, to which he so frequently and so fondly in- 
 fers. In consideration of the industrv of the Editor, let us overlook 
 
14. 
 
 his inaccuracy of quotation, especially when he quotes the outside of 
 a book instead of the inside, as when he mentions the romance of Sir 
 Tristram by Seult Labonde de Cornoalle, p. 67. who, instead of bemo- 
 an author, was the mistress of the hero, and termed Iseult la Blonde ; 
 in consideration of his learning, let us overlook his ignorance backed by 
 pedantry, as in his strange explanations of common Scotish words 
 from the Suio- Gothic, and Icelandic ; his searching Bleau's Atlas for 
 the parish of Bowden, which may be found in any common Scotish 
 almanac ; his mistaking the phrase burd alane for a proper name, and 
 his total ignorance of the story of Hector of Harlaw, the agent in de- 
 livering up the Earl of Northumberland ; in consideration of his mo- 
 desty, let us forget his shameless defence of obscenity, and for the sake 
 of his candour, let us pass over his frequent bolstering of impertinence 
 with scurrility. He found Scotish antiquities a neglected harvest 
 field, and no doubt he reaped a plentiful harvest, though he scattered 
 much grain at random, and left many corners of the field untouched 
 by the sickle. But let us consider how he has performed the duty of 
 an editor, before his work be exhibited as a perfect standard of its kind. 
 He has published 364 pages of poetry, 143 pages of dissertation, with 
 19 of preface, 160 of notes, and 20 of glossary. His dissertations 
 consist so completely of extraneous matter, that they might with equal 
 propriety be prefixed to any book of the kind ; and in p. 390, he tells 
 us, " I am glad now and then to relieve the reader and myself from 
 the dryness of these explanatory notes." This dryness I believe, has 
 never been doubted by any person who perused them ; and it was the 
 perfect conviction of this radical and incurable evil which first induced 
 me to think of throwing my observations into the form of a disserta- 
 tion. In his dissertation on the origin of Scotish Poetry, there is 
 scarcely a single remark which can be applied to illustrate the poems 
 to which it forms an introduction, and as few as possible in his list of 
 Scotish poets. The appendix contains many valuable observations, 
 many which are extremely inaccurate, and many more that have no 
 relation whatever to the proper object of the publication. Yet with 
 all these defects, and a most insolent, intolerant, and pedantic style, 
 who is there that would deny to Mr Pinkerton the praise of extensive 
 information, of indefatigable research, of wide erudition, and acute- 
 ness of observation ? Let us grant all this to the Editor of the Mart- 
 land Poems, but let not his work be proposed as a perfect model of its 
 kind, a degree of praise to which it is so little entitled. If the labours 
 of Mr Pinkerton, in the field of Scotish history and antiquities, have 
 not been repaid with gratitude, he ought to recollect, that, in literary 
 controversy, the possession of the most ample qualities of the scholar 
 will never atone for the dereliction of those of the gentleman. Arro- 
 gance and petulance, like virtue, are often their own reward. If he 
 has been assailed by calumny, as my Reviewer likewise insinuates, he 
 ought to consider whether this calumny has not been assiduously in- 
 vited by the outrageous invective in which he has too frequently in- 
 dulged. 
 
 But I am not yet done with my critic ; the Complaynt he asserts is 
 
15 
 
 not printed as a classic, but in Jac simile with all the confusion of the 
 original edition ; and, as if any doubt remained of his meaning, he 
 adds, " upon this plan, we might print the Greek and Roman classics, 
 not with the elegance and clearness of modern typography, but in the 
 confused manner of the manuscripts." For this lumping observation, 
 however, there is scarcely a shadow of truth. The Complaynt of 
 Scotland is neither printed with the confusion, of the original edition 
 nor in the confused manner of manuscripts. It is no farther a/ac 
 simile than as the pages of the new correspond to those of the original 
 edition. The punctuation of the original edition is corrected, as like- 
 wise the marginal quotations of classical authors, which, in the origi- 
 nal, were very erroneous. The orthography of the original, it is true, 
 has been constantly preserved, but typographical blunders have been 
 constantly corrected. I have not ventured to fix a standard of ortho- 
 graphy, because I am certain, that at that period, there was none in 
 either the Scotish or the English language. Had I acted otherwise, 
 I should certainly have destroyed the value of the edition. Where 
 then is the confusion of which my Reviewer speaks ? If his words have 
 any meaning, he has condemned me for having given too correct an 
 edition of the Complaynt. Is not this the precise process which has 
 been observed in all the valuable editions of the Greek and Roman 
 classics ? But it is improper to compare the Complaynt to those clas- 
 sics, which were composed when the orthography of their respective 
 languages was fixed ; it should only be compared to the Fragments of 
 the twelve Tables, or to the Fragmenta veterum Poetarum Latinorum. 
 What is it then, which my Reviewer blames ? Surely he had forgot- 
 ten, that at the very commencement of his strictures, he has declared, 
 that the work is printed in a neat and accurate manner. 
 
 The Reviewer terms the opinion, that the fishermen on the east 
 coast of Scotland, are chiefly of Flemish and Danish extraction, a 
 strange one. I have no doubt it must appear so to those, who adopt 
 the hypothesis of Mr Pinkerton. Strange as the opinion may be, 
 there is no difficulty of establishing it, both by an appeal to historical 
 documents, and by the traditions of the people. Among these fisher- 
 men, the Buchan dialect is spoken in the greatest perfection, and witli 
 as much propriety in Fife and Angus, as in Murray and Buchan. But 
 this question is connected with the origination and distinctions of the 
 different Scotish dialects ; subjects which I intended to have discus- 
 sed in an additional dissertation. An attentive examination of the 
 subject tor that purpose, convinced me, that there is no foundation 
 whatever for supposing the Scotish language to be a dialect of the Ice- 
 landic or Scano-Gothic, but that on the contrary, whether we regard 
 the derivation or the flection of words, it is more closely allied to tin- 
 Saxon as a mother-tongue, than is the English itself. That the Fng- 
 lish contains more Danish or Icelandic words than the Scotish, will 
 appear from collating and comparing the words in a common diction- 
 ary under any letter of the alphabet. The Border and western dia- 
 lects of the Scotish are almost purely Saxon in their peculiar vocable s. 
 The eastern dialect of the Scotish contains numerous Danish and Fit- 
 
16 
 
 mish words, with a considerable mixture of Celto-Gaelic ; but of the 
 ancient Pictish dialect, of which we have heard so much, the Scotish 
 does not exhibit a single vestige. On the contrary, Penvahel, the 
 only word known to be Pictish, is obviously of Celtic origin. 
 
 So far had I written before I recollected, that my critic has seriously 
 charged the learned and accurate Professor Dugald Stewart, (vid. Re- 
 view of Stewart's Life of Robertson, ap. Critical Review for July 
 1802) with ignorance of literary history. I am now convinced, I have 
 lost my labour. We have all heard with a smile, of ridicule being 
 the test of truth, but I suppose we must soon expect to hear effron- 
 tery proposed as its standard. 
 
 IV. CKITIQUE ON 
 
 "THE COMPLAYNT OF SCOTLAND/'* 
 
 It would ill become us, who consider ourselves as caterers for the 
 public, to deny or undervalue the plenty which prevails in our liter- 
 ary market, or the excellence of the articles with which it is supplied. 
 Indeed, though we cannot quite venture, with the French philoso- 
 phers, to anticipate those halcyon days when intellectual enjoyment 
 shall have no bounds, and when the grosser wants of the body shall 
 be satisfied by azote, derived from the atmosphere, we have felt great 
 pleasure in applauding the progress of our contemporaries in almost 
 every department of science. But, while the study of nature, un- 
 folding to philosophers, at every step, a more extensive prospect, daily 
 attracts fresh enquirers by the hope of new and brilliant discoveries, 
 our encouragement is particularly wanted by those humble labourers 
 in the field of literature, who, with far lower expectations, are called 
 upon to exert at least an equal share of patience and sagacity. Such 
 are our antiquaries of every . description ; and all those who are occu- 
 pied in endeavours to unravel the intricacy of general or particular 
 history. The historian, it is evident, cannot add to the stock of facts 
 already recorded ; his utmost efforts cannot diminish the distance at 
 which he is placed, from the events and characters which he under- 
 takes to describe, nor dispel the obscurity which time has cast in his 
 way. On the contrary, the few rays of light which, by a judicious 
 use of analogical reasoning, he is enabled to throw upon the distant 
 parts of the landscape, though they contribute to improve his outline, 
 will only show more distinctly the deficiencies of his colouring, which 
 has vanished through the change of language and of manners, and 
 which no diligence can enable him to supply. 
 
 We are therefore of opinion that Mr Leyden has conferred an es- 
 sential obligation on the students of Scottish history, by restoring to 
 light a tract of uncommon rarity, of which tbe learned and acccurate 
 Lord Hailes had strongly recommended the publication, and which 
 
 • From the British Critic, for July 1802. 
 
17 
 
 Mr Pinkerton had described as " a most curious piece, well written, 
 and fraught with great learning — the only classic work in old Scottish 
 prose." It certainly exhibits a curious specimen of language and or- 
 thography ; and at the same time, presents such a complete picture 
 of manners and science at the beginning of the sixteenth century, that 
 it may be justly deemed essential to the elucidation of the history of 
 that period. 
 
 The first duty of an editor is scrupulous fidelity. 
 
 " Of the Complaynt of Scotland," says Mr heyden, " only four copies are known 
 to be extant ; one of which is deposited in the British Museum ; another belongs to 
 his Grace the Duke of Roxburgh ; a third to John M'Gowan, Esq. and the fourth 
 to Mr G. Paton. All these copies were imperfect ; but three of them have been 
 completed from each other. The two last have been constantly used in this edkion ; 
 and the Museum copy has been occasionally consulted. For convenience of I 
 ence, the pages in this edition correspond exactly with those of the ancient copies. 
 The orthography of the original, however barbarous or irregular, has always been 
 preserved, except in the case of obvious typographical blunders." 
 
 The work itself may be considered as a sort of political pamphlet. 
 It was written for the purpose of proving, to the several factions by 
 which Scotland was torn to pieces during the minority of Queen Mary, 
 that the wisest method of promoting their separate interests was, to 
 unite their efforts for the security of their country, and fur the esta- 
 blishment of regular government. It is full of good sense, and 
 breathes the true spirit of patriotism ; but good sense and patriotism 
 alone would not have satisfied readers of the sixteenth century. It 
 was necessary that reasoning should assume the force of logical de- 
 monstration ; that every precept should be traced to the authority of 
 Cicero or of the Bible ; that the learning of the writer should be 
 manifested by an appeal to numerous examples drawn from profane 
 and sacred history ; and that his language should be embellished by 
 the greatest possible variety of oratorical and poetical ornaments. 
 If he could introduce a few descriptive episodes, together with a dream 
 or vision, it was so much the better ; and if to these was added a 
 treatise on some favourite science, the author might be satisfied with 
 having established every possible claim to the favour and gratitude of 
 the public. 
 
 All this has been done in the Complaynt of Scotland, which is formed 
 of three distinct parts. In the first, the author endeavours to raise 
 attention by reciting the denunciations of divine vengeance against the 
 vices of nations, and by applying to Scotland the prophecies of the 
 inspired writers. In the third part, he sees a vision, in which an 
 qffligit lady (i. e. Scotland) relates her miseries to her three sons (£ t\ 
 the three estates of the country,) arraigns the ambition and treail 
 of the English monarchs; detects the artilices employed by them lor 
 the purpose of exciting divisions in Scotland ; inveighs against the vices 
 of the three orders ; and exhorts them to unite uguin.st the common 
 enemy. The second part, which is called a monologue rtcrcativc, i> I 
 perfectly independent episode, and contains a variety of rural scenes 
 and occupations, diversified by a minute description oft lea-fightj and 
 by a long and learned dissertation on natural philosophy delivered by l 
 shepherd. Had this part been published singly, we should have 1 
 
18 
 
 almost tempted to suppose, that it was written for the express purpose 
 of exercising the ingenuity of future antiquaries ; and we confess, 
 without hesitation, that our own, even with the aid of the excellent 
 glossary subjoined by Mr Leyden, would have been insufficient to 
 guide us through such a labyrinth of obscure allusions, had we not been 
 assisted by the " Preliminary Dissertation" of the learned editor. Of 
 this elaborate treatise, we will now present to our readers a very brief 
 analysis. 
 
 Mr Leyden begins by examining the authority on which the Com- 
 playnt has been assigned to Sir James Inglis, or to Wedderburne, and 
 after having proved that the titles of these authors are supported by 
 mere allegation, proceeds to ascribe the work, on the ground of inter- 
 nal evidence, to Sir David Lindsay of the Mount. 
 
 " I am sensible," says he, •* how little confidence can be placed in any argument 
 derived from the similarity of style. But there is a style of thinking, as well as of 
 writing ; a style which every author finds infinitely more difficult to disguise, than 
 that which depends on the collocation of phrases, and the form of words. Diversity 
 of topics, or subjects of discussion, require different combinations of ideas ; but the 
 general laws of association are seldom essentially changed : the mind retraces the same 
 succession of ideas, and reverts with fondness to its favourite objects. If the Com- 
 playnt of Scotland be the solitary production of an unknown and anonymous author, 
 his memory has faded for ever ; but if it be the composition of an author, whose 
 other productions are still extant, we may expect to detect some traces of the same 
 style of thinking, and the same favourite subjects of discussion. In the compositions 
 of every author, there are many circumstances introduced which may be termed ad- 
 ventitious ; many ideas very slightly connected with the principal subjects, which are 
 linked with it by accidental association. Now the more accidental the introduction of 
 those circumstances, and the more slightly they are connected with the proper sub- 
 ject, the stronger is the argument resulting from such a coincidence." P. xvii. 
 
 We perfectly agree with Mr Leyden in these remarks, and are of 
 opinion, that the numerous instances of such coincidence which he 
 has adduced, establish the probability of his conjecture, as far as it can 
 be established by internal evidence. In the course of this discussion, 
 Mr Leyden has introduced a very curious extract from a MS. tract on 
 Heraldry, written or compiled by Sir David Lindsay. 
 
 The next division of the Preliminary Dissertation opens (p. Ixxii.) 
 with an account of the nature of the work ; the first part of which is 
 examined in the following thirty pages. Here, also, the commentary 
 is enriched with illustrations from the works of early English and 
 Scottish authors, and particularly with an extract from the theological 
 work of John de Irlandia, containing an " Orisoun to the Holy Virgin," 
 attributed by that writer to Chaucer, but more probably composed by 
 Lydgate, and never before printed. 
 
 The Editor then proceeds to examine (p. cii.) the " Monologue re- 
 creative." Here he accounts for the singularity of style adopted both 
 in the rural and natural descriptions ; the frequent use of words in- 
 tended to express by imitation the cries of birds and animals ; the long 
 vocabulary of obsolete sea-phrases; and the enumeration of the vari- 
 ous pieces of artillery employed during the fifteenth and sixteenth 
 centuries. He then compares the pastoral scene exhibited in the 
 Complaynt with the present manners of the Scottish shepherds ; after 
 which, he proceeds to examine and to explain very minutely, by means 
 
19 
 
 of apposite quotations, the curious catalogue of dances, and the list of 
 musical instruments, enumerated in this singular chapter. Passing 
 over, for the present, the similar list of romances, he is led, by the 
 philosophical Dissertation, to discuss the astrological and pharmaceu- 
 tical opinions of our ancestors; and thence proceeds (p. clxxviii.) to 
 the third division of the work, or Complaynt of Scotland, properly so 
 called. 
 
 Here, for the purpose of tracing the allusions to Roman history 
 contained in his original, he presents to us the parallel passages from 
 Bellenden's inedited translation of Livy, and adds, in a note, the me- 
 trical prologue to that work. After explaining the few allusions to 
 Scottish history, he brings together all the notices which have been 
 preserved respecting Merlin the Wild, whose pretended prophecies, as 
 we learn from the tenth chapter of the Complaynt, were circulated by 
 the English for the purpose of dispiriting the Scottish nation. He 
 then briefly describes the manners of the sixteenth century, which he 
 traces to the influence of the feudal system, and the institutions of 
 chivalry, the code of which he exhibits by means of a most curious ex- 
 tract from a cotemporary work, entitled the u Porteous* of Noble- 
 ness;" and adds, as a counterpart to these laws, a severe satire on the 
 manners of the feudal nobles, called " a disputisoun bitwen the bodi 
 and the saule," extracted from the Auchinleck MS. This leads him 
 to an inquiry into the origin of romance, in which he discusses the 
 opinions entertained by Bishop Percy, Mr Warton, and others on this 
 curious subject ; and he concludes his Dissertation by a minute ex- 
 amination of the long catalogue of metrical stories enumerated in the 
 Complaynt. 
 
 " The unexpected length to which these remarks have extended," says Mr Ley- 
 den, " renders it impossible for the editor to subjoin, as he originally intended, an 
 examination of the style of the Complaynt, with an essay on the history of the Scot- 
 tish language." 
 
 This omission, however, is in part supplied by a most valuable glos- 
 sary. 
 
 M To render this part of the work in some degree untiring, he has sometimes ad- 
 duced appo.-ite peiegei from books and MSS. which he has had an opportunity of 
 consulting; and has availed himself of every opportunity of elucidating popular opi- 
 nions and superstitions, which, from their fleering and unsubstantial nature, are sub- 
 ject to slow and almost imperceptible gradations of change. To such popular opi- 
 nions and traditions, there are numerous allusions in our oldest and most resped 
 writers, which presented no difficulty to their contemporaries; and hence, the i. 
 sity of explaining these allusions has seldom been perceived, till the Opportunity 
 lost. Though he thinks that these traditions may often illustrate both history Mid 
 literature, he is unconscious of yielding them an improper deference, where any other 
 kind of evidence could be procured. But where the steady light of history tads, the 
 dark lantern of tradition is all that remains to shed an uncertain glimmering beam 
 over the darkness of the ages that have passed away. " C'ura non deesset, si qua ad 
 vcrum via inquircntem feret : nunc, i'ama rerum standuni est, u!>i certain BBVOg Ifl 
 vetustas lidem." l.iv. 1. vii. c. (J. 
 
 From the preceding short and summary view of the materials 
 brought together by Mr Leyden, it will appear that lie il eminently 
 
 • " Porteous or pertuis, quasi porta vous ;" a catalogue, vade Mecum. or maim d. 
 
20 
 
 qualified, by the extent and variety of his studies, as well as by his 
 poetical taste, for the task which he has undertaken. The numer- 
 ous prose specimens interspersed in his Dissertation, are no less in- 
 teresting from the subjects which they illustrate, than as contribu- 
 tions to the history of our language ; and the poetical extracts possess, 
 generally, considerable merit independent of their rarity. We only 
 lament that the ingenious editor has omitted to add, to his Disserta- 
 tion, a general table of contents, for the purpose of easier reference. 
 We are aware that this omission cannot now be repaired, because the 
 commentary on the Complaynt of Scotland must probably share the 
 fate of its original, and may never reach a second edition; but we 
 conceive that the mass of materials here collected might, without much 
 difficulty, be thrown into a more popular form, and thus find access 
 to many classes of readers, whose curiosity will be instantly repressed 
 by the obsolete language and uncouth orthography of the l6th cen- 
 tury. 
 
 W. Aitken, Printer. 20, B;nik Street. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 I. A Letter from Mr David Herd, from the Scots Maga- 
 zine for January 1802. ... fage 5 
 II. Critique, from the Critical Review for May 1802. 
 
 III. Observations by Dr Leyden, from the Scots Magazine 
 
 for July 1802 8 
 
 IV. Critique, from the British Critic for July 1802. lG 
 
ri^-y