complexion of the transactions in which they were en gaged. This inquiry, however, is nearly as obscure' as the original one. If Mackenzie was not solely guided by vague conjecture, or obscure tradition, he has neglected to cite any authority on which he founded. What he terms the life of Sir James Inglis, Knight, besides a careless analysis of the Complaynt itself, in which the orthography of the passages he cites is partly modernized, contains few incidents, except a meagre narrative of the battle of Pinky, compiled from Leslie, Drake, Goodwin and Speed. He asserts, that Sir James Inglis was born in Fife, of an ancient family; studied at St Andrews; finished his education at Paris ; and afterwards, returning to Scotland, by his skill in poetry, ingratiated himself with James V. At the death of that prince, he became an abettor of the French faction; but, after the disastrous battle of Pinky, in which he commanded a troop of cavalry, he retired to Fife, where," amid the innocent amuse"ments of a country life," says Mackenzie, he composed several treatises, both in prose and verse, "of "which we have still extant, one called Scotland's "Complaint, printed at St Andrews in 1548; by which "it appears, that he was well seen in the Grecian and "Roman histories; and was a great mathematician "and philosopher; a most faithful and loyal subject; "and a great lover of his country. The author farther relates, that he died at Culross in 1554; and attributes to him "Poems, consisting of songs, bal"lads, plays and farces, in MS." This assertion, however, with another, " that he composed several "tragedies, comedies, and other poems, that were highly applauded by the best judges of the age, apparently apparently rest on no other authority than that of Lindsay, in the Prolog to the Complaint of the Papin "And in the Court bin present in thir dayis, That ballattis breuis lustely, and layis; The general satire published by Lord Hailes, is attributed to Schir James Inglis by the Maitland folio Ms., though the Bannatyne Ms. ascribes it to Dunbar. * A person of this name appears to have been secretary to Queen Margaret in 1515, and is probably the same who is styled Chancellor of the Royal Chapel of Stirling, in a charter of 19th February 1527, Scotst. Cal.; to whom a letter of James V, requesting to borrow a book on alchemy, still exists, and who was murdered by the Baron of Tulliallan in 1531, Leslie, p.. 433.; at which period he seems to have been Abbot of Culross. As the incidents in the life of this person, which can be determined by historical evidence, are so widely different from those related by Mackenzie, had this author cited any historical documents in his narration, it might have been presumed, that the Sir James Inglis, whose life he affects to write, was quite a different person from the Abbot of Culross. He positively denominates Sir James C Lindesay's Warkis, p. 185. Edin. 1592, 4to. 2 Bannatyne Poems, p. 41. James Inglis a Knight; and if this could be depended on, it would prove him to have been a secular man, and a different character from the Abbot of Culross. But it is very probable, that Mackenzie only subjoined this title, because he found him denominated knight, without considering that "The pure priest thinkis he gettis na richt, Be he nocht stilit like ane knicht, And callit Schir befoir his name; As Schir Thomas, and Schir Williame." If Mackenzie's relation was derived from tradition, or from any species of vague memorandums, perhaps the history of the Abbot may have been unconsciously confounded with that of John Inglis, whose company acted plays and interludes at the marriage of James IV. in 1503; Leland's Collect. vol. iv. 258. This John Inglis, who, in Lindsay of Pitscottie's history, has the title of Marshal, is recorded to have been present, while a young man, along with Sir David Lindsay, Lyon Herauld, when the apparition appeared to James IV. at Linlithgow. In an extract from Sir Henry Herbert's book of Offices, published in Chalmers' Apology for the believers in the Shakespear papers (p. 617.), this person is said to be the same with John English the player, to whom an entry is recorded of 10s. paid by order of Henry VII. It is added, that he is the most ancient manager of players on record. The history of Vedderburn, or Wedderburne, mentioned as author of The Complaynt, by the Compiler of the Harleian Catalogue, is still more obscure, if possible, than that of Sir James Inglis. His very In very name is unknown; and the only circumstance that can be supposed to relate to him, is solely founded on the trivial coincidence of surname. a мs. history of the estate of the Kirk of Scotland, (penes Mr Paton), written by Mr Row, minister of Perth, the contemporary of Sir David Lindsay, Sir David Lindsayes Poesies, Wedderburnes Psalmes and Godlie Ballands, &c. are mentioned. Now, it is presumed, in the first place, that by Wedderburne's Psalms and Godlie Ballands, is intended-A Compen-. dious Book of Godlie and Spiritual Sangis and Ballatis, printed by Andro Hart in 1621: and, secondly, it is presumed, upon the same degree of evidence, that this Wedderburne mentioned in Row's MS., is the Vedderburne of the Compiler of the Harleian Catalogue. This conjecture is likewise thought to be confirmed by allusions in the "Godlie Ballatis to some of the songs mentioned in the Complaynt of Scotland; but it is evident that so trivial a coincidence can never amount to a proof. In the Bannatyne мs. occur three poems attributed to Wedderburn; but, whether the same person with the preceding, is quite uncertain. They are the following My luve was fals, and full of flatterie I think thir men are very fals and vane. The late Mr Plummer of Middlestead, an able antiquary, fuggested, in a letter to Mr D. Herd, that Wedderburn might as probably be the name of the printer of the Complaynt of Scotland, as of the author. It is true, this is only a conjecture; but when a subject is entirely devoid of positive evidence, one conjecture is nearly as good as another. In this state of uncertainty with respect to external evidence, perhaps we are justified in having recourse to that internal evidence, which arises from an examination of the work itself; especially as it is scarcely possible that any thing in the form of evidence can have less weight than those arguments which have already been adduced. Though aware of the fallacious nature of such speculations, their frequent futility, and the slight degree of conviction which they are calculated to produce, I am not deterred from hazarding an opinion, which early occurred to my own mind, and which successive inquiries have tended to confirm. It is true, that when a person has inadvertently adopted an opinion, the bias which his mind receives, represents objects in a proportion and colouring, which, in the eyes of another, they never affume. As I have therefore reason to suspect, that some arguments, which, to me, appear to possess considerable force, may, by others, be deemed wholly unsatisfactory, it is with considerable diffidence that I propose my opinion, especially as the discovery of a single copy, with the author's name on the title page, would essentially injure any inductive argument of the following species. That roughness of style, which characterizes the compositions of an early period, is often united with strength of colouring, energy of sentiment, and peculiarity of manner. From the want of native models, too, even the first translations exhibit an air of originality. In the selection, and collocation of words, a singularity of manner is perceptible; and compositions are characterized by peculiarities of idiom and phrascology. From such peculiarities of style, when verse is compared with verse, and prose with prose, it is often. practicable |