John Major

was born at Haddington, within the Province of Lothaine in Scotland, and trained up from his Youth in the Study of good Letters. For some time he heard Philosophy taught in the Universities of England, and in Cambridge by his own (a)(a) In Hist. Maj. Britan. lib. 1. cap. 5. confession he studied for three Months space in Christ’s College, but upon what account he continued there no longer, he tell us not. In a certain note (b)(b) In Archiv. tur. Schol. under the hand-writing of our Antiquary Brian Twyne, it doth appear that he was conversant among the Oxonian Muses for a time, but in what House; unless in the Abbey of Osney, whose melodious ring of Bells he doth familiarly (c)(c) Ibid. in Hist. Maj. Brit. lib. 3. cap. 1. campanis caenobii de Osneya nullae in Anglia meliores putantur. commend, I cannot tell. After he had satisfied himself with the curiosities of both the Universities, he retired to that of Paris, settled in the College of Montacute, passed his course there, became Doctor of the Arts, and of the holy Writ, a most Scholastical Doctor of the Sorbon, and in Scholastical Divinity, Philosophy and Sophistry, equal with any of his time. His works are,

Liber fallaciarum, part. 2. Par. 1516. fol. The matter of this Book, which by certain Authors is called Sophisticalia Parisiensia, and by others his Opera Logicalia, was read and discussed in publick in the Coll. of Montacute before-mention’d.

In quartum sententiarum quaestiones utilissimae, Par. 1516. and 19. fol. dedicated to Gawin Douglas Bishop of Dunkeld and Rob. Cockbourne B. of Ross.

Comment. in Mathaeum. When printed I know not.

De auctoritate concilii supra Pontificem Maximum. Par. 1518. Excerpted from his comments on Matthew, and was reprinted in the first part of Job. Gersons works at Paris 1606. fol.

In primum sententiarum. Par. 1519. fol. Dedicated to George Hepbourne Abbat of Arbroth, and of the Privy Council to the King of Scots.

Historia Majoris Britanniae, tam Angliae quam Scotiae, lib. 6. Par. 1521. qu. Written in a Sorbonick and barbarotis stile, yet very truly and with great liberty of spirit, not sparing the Usurpation of Rome, and taxing in divers places (d)(d) Dr. Joh. Sporswood in his Hist. of the Church of Scotland, lib. 2. sub. an. 1539. the laziness and superfuity of the Clergy.

In quatuor Evangelia expositiones luculentae, & disquisitiones & disputationes contra a Hereticos plurimae. Par. 1529. fol. He hath also written Placita Theologica, and Sermones per an. which I have not seen, and hath translated Will. Caxton’s Chronicle, but whether into the Scotch or English Language I know not. At length after, or about, the Year 1530. he retired into his own Country, and professed Theology in the Coll. of S. Salvator at S. Andrews, whereof he was made Provost,Clar. 1539. and died there being of good Age, but when, I cannot yet find. George Buchanan was his Scholar and bestoweth (e)(e) In Rerum Scoticarum Hist. lib. 7. on him this Charater, in studio Theologiae, magnum nomen me puero habuit, yet in his Epigrams (f)(f) Lib. 1. he speaks slightly of him and his works. Besides this Job. Major I find two of both his names, one was Author of In Psalmos Davidis Regis & Prophetae, paraphrasis heroicis versibus expressa. Witeberg. 1574. oct. and another who was a Licentiat in Grammar of this University, an. 1452, but whether he hath written any thing in his faculty I know not.