»34 GLEANINGS OF BIOGRAPHT. 0£t. 5, 



For the Bee. 



' GLEANINGS OF BIOGRAFHY. 



I/?. From the Diary of Mr James MelvU, Sept. 1582. 



BUCHANAN. 



U.UKiNG the vacance my uncle, Mr Andrew, prin- 

 cipal of the new college, Mr Thomas Buchanan, pro- 

 voft of Kirkhaldie, and I, hearing that Maifter George 

 Buchanan was weakly, and his hiflory in the prefs, 

 pafTed over to Edenbrugh anes eirand to vifit him, and to 

 fee the wark. Whan we cam to his chalniber, we 

 fand him fitting in his chaire, teaching his young man 

 that ferved him in his chalmber to fpell AB, EB, IB, 

 Is'c, After falutation, Maiiter Andrew f;iys, " I fee. 

 Sir, you are not idle." ,« Better this, (quoth hee,) than 

 Healing fheipe, or fitting idle, whilk is als ill." 



Admirable man ! Fine image of all that was valua- 

 ble in the philofophy of Greece and of Italy ! 



2dly. Scougal, Son of Sccuga! BifJjop of Aberdeen, 



Author of that beautiful little book entitled, The 

 Life of God in the Soul of Alan, was born at Saltoun in 

 Eaft-Lothian, where his father was redlor, to whom 

 bifliop Burnet fuccecded, 



Scougal, the father, was a truly pious and excellent 

 man, and trained up his fon in the habits of virtue and 

 holinefs of life, which appeared afterwards, both in hi^i 

 Condu£l and in his writings. 



He v/as in ftri£t habits of friendfhip with Dr Burnet, 

 Andrew Fletcher of Salton, and all the belt men of his 

 jtime J but abftrafted himfelf much from the buftle of 

 ambition, and dedicated himfelf, as every good clergy- 

 man ought to do, to the duties of his function. 



After he had gone through his career of parochial 

 charges in the country he ,was made profefior of divi* 



