, professor of civil law at Poictiers, was born at Dumfermling, in Scotland,
, professor of civil law at Poictiers, was born at Dumfermling, in Scotland, in 1539,
descended of an ancient family. He was left an orphan in
the tenth year of his age, and was sent by his uncle, the
bishop of Orkney, to the university of Paris. On his
uncle’s death, by which he seems to have lost the means of
being able to remain at Paris, he returned to Scotland,
but finding no encouragement there, he went again to
Paris, where, by the liberality of Mary, queen of Scotland, he was enabled to pursue his studies in philosophy,
mathematics, and the oriental languages. He then went
to the university of Tholouse, where he studied civil law
for two years and having obtained the patronage of Beaton, archbishop of Glasgow, he was chosen by the parliament of Poictiers one of their counsellors, and afterwards
professor of civil law. He died in 1623, and was interred
at Poictiers in St. Porcharius church, near his brother
George. As a writer, he was chiefly known for his vindication of his royal mistress, when put to death by queen
Elizabeth, written with all that bitterness of resentment
which is natural for a man of spirit to feel, who, by an act
of flagrant injustice, was deprived of his mistress and his
sovereign, his friend and his benefactress. He addresses
himself, in a vehement strain of passion, to all the princes
of Europe, to avenge her death; declaring, that they are
unworthy of royalty, if they are not roused on so interesting and pressing an occasion. He laboured hard to prove
that Henry VIII.' s marriage with Anne Bolen was incestuous a calumny too gross to merit a formal refutation.
This work was entitled “Martyre de Maria Stuart Reyne
d'Escosse,
” Antwerp, Adversus G. Buchanani Dialogum de Jure Ilegni apud
Scotos, pro regibus apologia,
” Pict. De
Vinculo Religionis et Imperii,
” Paris, Sanctarum precationum prsemia,
” a manual of devotions,
Pict. Varii generis poemata,
” ibid. Jacobi I. Magnse Britanniae inauguratio,
” Paris,