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WILLIAM LAUDER.

Lauder was the eldest son father demitted office in 1642. of Avoch and Chantor of Ross. Scots Worthies, pp. 90-92; Catalogue of Kirkwall Bibliotheck, p. 42).

of James Lauder, Minister of Avoch, and in his favour the He graduated at King's College in 1632, and became parson He was alive as late as 18th April, 1688 (Plura in Craven's

I. THE PERSONIFICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY TO HER DEAREST SON, ALEXANDER REID, A DOCTOR OF MEDICINE OF RARE DISTINCTION.

On the benefaction to King's College of Dr. Reid (Fasti Acad. Mar. i. 226, 234; from J. Lundie's Oratio Eucharistica, 1631, pp. 21, 22).

ARGUMENT.

Hail, thou Muses' pillar, thou son known to the mother from an unknown shore. Anxious whether heaven or earth held you, I wake afresh the shell of Arion. Our band salutes thee, the walls greet thee, the library sings thy bounteous hand. The heliotrope no more truly follows the sun than your star refreshes our lilies. So long as our pot with its comely triad flourishes, your glory, Reid, shall stand with it.

I. PROSOPOPEIA ACADEMIAE AD CARISSIMUM FILIUM REIDUM, EXIMIUM MEDICINAE

5

D. ALEXANDRUM

DOCTOREM.

Salve Thespiadum columen, lux splendida; salve

Matri ex ignoto cognite nate solo.

Anxia iampridem caelumne solumne teneres,

Nuper Arioniam pulso repulso chelyn.

Nostraque Musophilov te psallit turba, salutant

Moenia, munificum bibliotheca canit.

Solsequium Phoebum non plus sectatur amoenum,
Quam tua stella micans lilia nostra rigat.

ΙΟ

Sic quamdiu tribulis formosis floreat vrna
Nostra, simul stabit gloria, Rheide, tua.
Gulielmus Laudaervs,

Philosophiae Studiosus.

7. For the conceit of the heliotrope, see Kennedy's Aen. Brit. Epigr. 16. 9. The lilies in pot, with fishes, in the college armorial bearings. Tribulis, from tribulus, caltrop, with reference to the bough pot or, charged with three salmon fishes in fret proper.

II. TEARS OF THE MUSES OF ABERDEEN ON THE DEATH OF PATRICK FORBES, BISHOP OF ABERDEEN, THEIR PATRON AND THEIR PHOEBUS.

ARGUMENT.

Let us all that worship Apollo of Claros lament, for our father Forbes has fallen, greater than Apollo, not to say the father of wisdom, who restored us when almost dead, our own and country's father. His death is to be lamented by all the just, by us more especially. Alas, now has fallen the bright beam of the presbyters, the clergy's stay, the glory of the senate, light of the North, glory of Mar, ornament of the Forbeses. His uprightness, holiness, and faithful discharge of duty cannot be sufficiently praised. What cannot be too much or sufficiently praised cannot be too much or sufficiently lamented. Its sad memory but swells our grief. The remains of that bright beam forthwith allay our tears, and the bright virtues of his surviving son do not allow the father to die. This is something, but it was more to see him even weak with age, yet strong in mind, shewing the way of wisdom. Ah, who can make up our loss, how shall we lament him! Let our tears have no end. Our light and stay has fallen. Sooner shall the earth be moved from its centre, sooner the stars fall from heaven, than we shall cease to lament with tear-stained cheeks the death of Forbes.

II. MUSARUM ABERDONIENSIUM LACHRYMAE, IN OBITUM PATRONI ET PHOEBI SUI, PATRICII FORBESII, PRAESULIS ABREDONENSIS.

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[Forbes' Funerals, 1635.]

Plangamus Clarium quotquot Apollinem
Ardenter colimus, maior Apolline
Noster Forbesius nam pater occidit,
Ne dicam Sophiae parens.

Qui nos languidulas, et prope mortuas,
Claras omnigenis reddidit artibus.
Plangamus lachrymis non mediocribus

Et nostrum et Patriae Patrem.

ΙΟ

15

20

25

30

35

40

Cunctis ille piis flebilis occidit,

Ceu flendus potius: flendus acerbius
Nobis, ah miseris, quam perit omnibus,
Eheu Forbesius pater!

Eheu nunc cecidit Presbyterum iubar,
Mystarum columen, far quoque consulum,
Et splendor Boreae, gloria Marriae,

Ingens Forbesidum decus!
Sed vitae integritas diaque sanctitas,
In sacro officio mira fidelitas,
Necnon sedulitas Forbesii patris

Laudari nequeunt satis.

Laudari nequeunt quae nimis aut satis,
Defleri nimium vel satis haud queunt,
Illorum at gemitus moesta memoria
Nostros amplificat graves.

Tam clari iubaris reliquiae piae

Solamen lachrymis protinus adferunt;
Virtutumque viri, qui superest, nitor
Ipsum non patitur mori.

Haec sunt pulchra quidem, pulchrius at fuit
Ipsum vel senio cernere debilem,

Sed fortem ingenii dotibus, auream

Monstrantem sophiae viam.

Ah! Quis nostra potest damna rependere?
Eheu queis lachrymis, queis ululatibus
Tam cari capitis funera flebimus?

Iam ne sit lachrymis modus.
Eheu nos miseras! occidit, occidit
Lvx nostra et columen; nobilis occidit
Praesul Forbesius, doctus et inclitus.
Virtute et sapientia.

E centro citius terra movebitur,
De caelo citius sidera decident,
Quam nos Forbesii funera plangere

Cessemus madidis genis.

Condoluit idem Gul. Lauderus,
Philo-Musus.

223

14. Far. Query, 'Fax,' as continued in next line? But for far, used metaphorically for gloria, see Pliny, xviii., 3, 3; Hor. Odes, iv. 4, 41.

30-32. See preface to Shand's 1845 ed. of Funerals, lxxxvi.-xciii. Add Spalding, i. 31. "1632 suddentlie strikin in ane apoplexie and his richt syd clein takin away, and wes forsit to lerne to subscribe with his left hand: He wes careit in menis armes sumtyms to provinciall assemblies and sumtyms to sermons."

41. Lauder talks the language of the old astronomy, perpetuated down to Addison's hymn, "The spacious firmament on high". For the college curriculum of 1647-48, witnessed by the minutes of the university representatives from the four Scottish seats, see Notes on Evolution of Arts Curriculum in Universities of Aberdeen, by P. J. Anderson, 1908. The fourth year had the Aristotelian books, De Caelo, etc., the Sphere of Sacrobosco, "with some beginnings of geography and insight in the globs and mappes". For Galileo, Copernicus, and the prolonged use of Sacrobosco, "a university text-book throughout Europe for centuries," see Bain in Rectorial Addresses, p. 251.

JAMES LAWSON.

For the Sub-Principal of King's College, and the colleague of Knox, see the lines by John Johnston. For life of, see Lippe's Wodrow, 193-234.

LINES ON PATRICK ADAMSON'S LATIN VERSION OF THE CATECHISM, BY JAMES LAWSON, MINISTER OF GOD'S WORD.

From the Poet. Scot. Musae Sacrae, ii. p. vi. For Archbishop Adamson, see M'Crie's Melville, p. 461. He there says that the recommendatory lines were prefixed to the edition of 1581, issued by Lekprevik, the work being first printed at St. Andrews in 1573. Found also in Adamson's Poemata Sacra, Lond. 1619.

ARGUMENT.

The Sun and Adamson bathe the sea, the earth, and the starry sky in bright light. Phoebus illuminating the earth with his lighted torch expels the shadows from the body, but Adamson from the mind. So then rejoice sea and earth, and all ye souls in heaven, with the highest powers, that a new sun shines for you, and that the world has two suns to carry.

IACOBI LAUSONII V.D.M. IN PATRICII ADAMSONI
LATINAM CATECHISMI VERSIONEM CARMEN.

Sol et Adamsonus perfundunt luce coruscâ
Aequora, tellurem, sidereumque polum.
Ignitâ Phoebus perlustrans lampade terras
Umbras corporibus pellit, at ille animis.
Ergo mare et tellus, et quas tenet igneus orbis
Caelestes animae, et numina summa poli,
Iam gaudete novum vobis lucescere solem,
Quodque duos soles quos ferat orbis habet.

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