Cockburn, Patrick

, professor of the Oriental languages at Paris, was a son of the family of Langton in the Merse, and educated at St. Andrew’s, Scotland, where he studied the belles lettres, philosophy, the Oriental languages, and philosophy. After taking holy orders, he went to the university of Paris, where he taught the Oriental languages for several years with great applause. In 1551, he published a book on the usefulness and excellency of the word of God, “Oratio de utilitate et excellentia Verbi Dei,” Paris, 1551, 8vo; and next year another on the style of the holy Scriptures, “De vulgari Sacrae Scriptura? phrasi,” Paris, 1552, 8vo, which two brought him under the suspicion of favouring the opinions of the reformers, and rendered it necessary for him to leave Paris. The suspicion was fully confirmed when he returned home, and embraced the doctrines of the reformation. He taught the languages for some years at St. Andrew’s, and in 1555, published there some pious meditations on the Lord’s prayer, “In orationem dominicam pia meditatio,” St. And. 1555, 12mo; and afterwards he was chosen minister at Haddingdon, being the first protestant preacher in that place. He died, far advanced in years, in 1559. Dempster and Bale unite in considering him as one of the greatest scholars and ablest divines of his age, and as a reformer, attached to moderate measures. Besides his published works, he left several manuscripts on subjects of divinity, and some letters and orations, of which a treatise on the “Apostles Creed,” was published at London, 1561, 4to. ²