Rerum Scoticarum Compendium, in usum Scholarum. Per Alexandrum
Humium ex antiqua et nobili gente Humiorum in Scotia, a primâ stirpe
quinta sobole oriundum. This work is dated October 1660, and is
therefore merely a transcript. It is an epitome of Buchanan’s
History, and Chr. Irvine in Histor. Scot. Nomenclatura, calls it
Clavis in Buchananum, and Bishop Nicholson (Scottish Hist. Lib.)
praises its Latin style.
The following three works are inserted by Dr. Steven in his list of
Hume’s writings, and have been supposed to be his by M’Crie and others;
but Mr. D. Laing believes “there can be no doubt, from internal
evidence, that the true author was Alexander Hume, the poet, who became
minister of Logie, near Stirling, in 1597, and who died in December,
1609.” In Wood’s Athenæ Oxonienses, by Bliss, i., 624, it is stated that
all three of them “were printed in London in 1594, in October,” but this
must, I think, be a mistake.
Ane Treatise of Conscience, quhairin divers secreits concerning that
subject are discovered. At Edinburgh, printed by Robert Walde-grave,
Printer to the King’s Maiestie 1594. 8o.
Of the Felicitie of the world to come, unsavorie to the obstinate,
alluring to such as are gone astray, and to the faithfull full of
consolation. Edinb. 1594. 8o.
Four Discourses, of Praises unto God, to wit, 1 in Praise of the Mercy
and Goodness of God. 2 of his justice. 3 of his Power. 4 of his
Providence. Edinb. 1594. 8o.
In conclusion, my acknowledgments are due to David Laing, Esq., who
has kindly suggested some corrections in the list of Hume’s works, in
addition to what is noted above.
London, February, 1865.
* * * * *
To the maest excellent
in all princelie wisdom,
learning, and heroical
artes, JAMES,
of Great Britan,
France, and
Ireland,
King,
Defender of the faeth,
grace, mercie, peace,
honoure here and
glorie hereafter.
May it please your maest excellent M_ajestie_, I, your grace’s humble
servant, seeing sik uncertentie in our men’s wryting, as if a man wald
indyte one letter to tuentie of our best wryteres, nae tuae of the
tuentie, without conference, wald agree; and that they quhae might
perhapes agree, met rather be custom then knawlege, set my selfe, about
a yeer syne, to seek a remedie for that maladie. Quhen I had done,
refyning it, I fand in Barret’s Alvearie,[3] quhilk is a dictionarie
Anglico-latinum, that Sr. Thomas Smith,[4] a man of nae less worth
then learning, Secretarie to Queen Elizabeth, had left a learned and
judiciouse monument on the same subject. Heer consydering my aun
weaknes, and meannes of my person, began to fear quhat might betyed my
sillie boat in the same seas quhaer sik a man’s ship was sunck in the
gulf of oblivion. For the printeres and wryteres of this age, caring for
noe more arte then may win the pennie, wil not paen them selfes to knau
whither it be orthographie or skuiographie that doeth the turne: _and_
schoolmasteres, quhae’s sillie braine will reach no farther then the
compas of their cap, content them selfes with αὐτὸς ἔφη my master said
it. Quhil I thus hovered betueen hope _and_ despare, the same Barret,
in the letter E, myndes me of a star _and_ constellation to calm al
the tydes of these seaes, if it wald please the supreme Majestie to
command the universitie to censure and ratifie, and the schooles to
teach the future age right and wrang, if the present will not rectius
sapere. Heere my harte laggared on the hope of your M_ajesties_
judgement, quhom God hath indeued with light in a sorte supernatural, if
the way might be found to draue your eie, set on high materes of state,
to take a glim of a thing of so mean contemplation, and yet necessarie.
Quhiles I stack in this claye, it pleased God to bring your M_ajestie_
hame to visit your aun Ida. Quher I hard that your G_race_, in the
disputes of al purposes quherwith, after the exemple of _th_e wyse in
former ages, you use to season your moat, ne quid tibi temporis sine
fructu fluat, fel sundrie tymes on this subject reproving your
courteoures, quha on a new conceat of finnes sum tymes spilt (as they
cal it) the king’s language. Quhilk thing it is reported that your
M_ajestie_ not onlie refuted with impregnable reasones, but alsoe fel
on Barret’s opinion that you wald cause the universities mak an Inglish
gra_m_mar to repres the insolencies of sik green heades. This, quhen I
hard it, soe secunded my hope, that in continent I maed moien hou to
convoy this litle treates to your M_ajesties_ sight, to further (if
perhapes it may please your G_race_) that gud motion. In school materes,
the least are not the least, because to erre in them is maest absurd.
If the fundation be not sure, the maer gorgiouse the edifice the grosser
the falt. Neither is it the least parte of a prince’s praise, curasse
rem literariam, and be his auctoritie to mend the misses that ignorant
custom hath bred. Julius Cæsar was noe less diligent to eternize his
name be the pen then be the suord. Neither thought he it unworthie of
his paines to wryte a grammar in the heat of the civil weer, quhilk was
to them as the English gram_m_ar is to us; _and_, as it seemes noe less
then necessarie, nor our’s is now. Manie kinges since that tyme have
advanced letteres be erecting schooles, and doting revennues to their
ma_in_tenance; but few have had the knaulege them selfes to mend, or
be tuiched with, the defectes or faltes crept into the boueles of
learning, among quhom JAMES the first, ane of your M_ajesties_ worthie
progenitoures, houbeit repressed be the iniquitie of the tyme, deserved
noe smal praise; and your M_ajesties_ self noe less, co_m_manding, at
your first entrie to your Roial scepter, to reform the grammar, and to
teach Aristotle in his aun tongue, quhilk hes maed the greek almaest as
common in Scotland as the latine. In this alsoe, if it please your
M_ajestie_ to put to your hand, you have al the windes of favour in your
sail; account, that al doe follow; judgement, that al doe reverence;
wisdom, that al admire; learning, that stupified our scholes hearing
a king borne, from tuelfe yeeres ald alwayes occupyed in materes of
state, moderat in theological and philosophical disputationes, to the
admiration of all that hard him, and speciallie them quha had spent al
their dayes in those studies.
[Footnote 3: “An Alvearie or Quadruple Dictionarie, containing
four sundrie tongues, namelie, English, Latine, Greeke and French
... by Jo. Baret. _London_, 1580.” Folio. An edition was published
in 1573, with three languages only, the Greek not being included.]
[Footnote 4: “De recta et emendata Linguæ Anglicæ Scriptione
Dialogus. _Lutetiæ_, 1568.” 4to.]
Accept, dred Soveragne, your pover servantes myte. If it can confer anie
thing to the montan of your Majesties praise, and it wer but a clod, use
it _and_ the auctour as your’s. Thus beseeking your grace to accep my
mint, and pardon my miss, commites your grace to the king of grace, to
grace your grace with al graces spiritual _and_ temporal.
Your M_ajesties_
humble servant,
Alexander Hume.