BURNETT. 



Burnett, 

 Jame--. 



sel, she and the Duchess of Hamilton and Argyle were 

 supposed to have induced their brother-in-law, Mr Se- 

 cretary Conway, to withhold for many weeks the let- 

 ter of appointment ; and is even supposed to have re- 

 presented Mr Burnett's character in such unfavour- 

 able colours to the Lord Chancellor Henley, after- 

 wards EarlofNorthington, that his lordship is reported 

 to have jocosely declared, that if she could prove her 

 allegations against that gentleman, instead of making 

 him a judge, he would hang him. This delay gave rise 

 to much idle conjecture and conversation in Edin- 

 burgh, and it was confidently reported, that Mr Bur- 

 nett's appointment would not take place until after 

 the decision of the Douglas cause. Irritated by these 

 insinuations against his integrity, he immediately 

 wrote to the Duke of Queensberry, declaring, that if 

 his uprightness as a judge could be questioned in this 

 cause, he should positively refuse to be trusted with 

 any other ; and so highly did he resent the opposi- 

 tion manifested by the secretary to his promotion, that 

 he took measures for canvassing his native county, in 

 order to oppose in parliament a ministry who had so 

 grossly affronted him. The Duke of Queensberry, 

 squally indignant at the delay, requested an audience 

 of his majesty, and tendered a surrender of his com- 

 mission, as lord justice general of Scotland, if the 

 royal promise was not fulfilled. In a few days the 

 letter was dispatched, and Lord Monboddo took his 

 seat in the court on the 12th of February, 1767. 

 Lord Monboddo's indignation at these proceedings 

 was not of long continuance, but was in a great mea- 

 sure removed with the cause that called it forth. 

 Even the injury which he had received from the noble 

 lady was soon entirely forgotten ; and on a visit to 

 Inverary castle, in 1780, he was most cordially recei- 

 ved, and entertained with the greatest attention and 

 hospitality. 



The life of a Scotch judge presents few incidents 

 for the illustration of the biographer. His attention 

 is daily called to the same routine of business ; and 

 the duties of his office ; when conscientiously fulfilled, 

 leave him but little leisure, except during the periods 

 of vacation, for following other avocations. During 

 these periods, however, Lord Monboddo's whole 

 thoughts were engaged in literary and philosophical 

 pursuits ; and so devoted was he to such studies, that 

 he declined the acceptance of a justiciary gown, 

 though pressed upon him both by his noble patron the 

 Duke of Queensberry and by Mr Dundas, afterwards 

 Viscount Melville, lest its duties should interfere 

 with his favourite pursuits. These studies were 

 his chief consolation in the midst of domestic afflic 

 tion. He had lost, in 1774-, a favourite and only sur- 

 viving son, a very promising boy, in whose education 

 he had taken particular delight ; and his lovely wife, 

 the object of his dearest tenderness, and whose exqui- 

 site beauty was the least of her attractions, was snatch- 

 ed away from his affections after an union of only six 

 years. She died in autumn 1766, in childbed of a 

 daughter, whose charms were a copy, but a very just 

 one, of those of her mother, and who grew to be the 

 pride and comfort of, her father's declining years. 



Allured by the charms of ancient learning, and en- 

 dowed with a genius peculiarly fitted for the perception 

 of its beauties, and the investigation of its doctrines, 

 he gave himself entirely up to the study of its differ- 



ent branches. Criticism, grammar, moral philoso. 

 phy, and logic, were his prevailing studies ; and, 

 in his work On the Origin and Progress of Lan- 

 guage, he has evinced a critical acuteness, a chaste- 

 ness of taste in composition, and a discrimination of 

 the various kinds of stile, and of the ornaments ap- 

 propriate to each, which have seldom been equalled ; 

 but in the midst of great erudition and gtmus, can- 

 dour must acknowledge, that there is, in some of 

 his philosophical works, an absurd mixture of whim 

 and conceit. The first volume of this work was 

 published in 1771, the second in 1773, and the 

 third in 1776. This publication was intended chiefly 

 to vindicate the honour of Grecian literature ; and, 

 with the same partiality for antiquity, he began ano- 

 ther work in 1778, entitled, Ancienf Metaphysics, in 

 which he defends the cause of Grecian philosophy. 

 As long as his Lordship has kept close to this sub- 

 ject, he has given very comprehensive views of the 

 doctrines of the ancient philosophers. On these 

 doctrines he was completely at home ; but when, in 

 the prosecution of his plan, he advanced into the 

 regions of geometry and natural philosophy, his 

 total ignorance of the modern discoveries, in those 

 sciences, led him not a little into confusion and per- 

 plexity. It must be remembered, however, that irv 

 the youth of Lord Monboddo, education consisted 

 entirely in classical learning, and in the knowledge of 

 the ancient systems of philosophy, formed by Plato, 

 Aristotle, and their followers. Geometry had not 

 then become a popular study j and natural philoso- 

 phy and chemistry were little attended to, except by 

 those who followed professions with which they 

 were particularly connected, tt was not, therefore, 

 to be expected, that he should renounce the partia- 

 lities of his youth, and, in the midst of active pro- 

 fessional employment, follow, with scientific correct- 

 ness, the progress of modern improvement in the dif- 

 ferent branches of philosophy. Let it also be consi- 

 dered, that he was now far advanced in life, and 

 though his judgment was still vigorous and unim- 

 paired, yet his memory had begun to fail him, which 

 may account for the frequent repetitions that are to 

 be found in the latter parts of his works. His wri- 

 tings, however, bear internal marks of the extensive, 

 erudition and penetrative genius of their author ; and 

 to draw their character, would requirethe pen of aphi- 

 losopher, learned as himself in all the languages and 

 systems of the ancients, which he has so ably illustra- 

 ted. His conceits are the eccentricities of genius re- 

 lying on its own energies, and despising the restraints 

 imposed by established opinions ; and, however pa- 

 radoxical, they discover a discriminating understand- 

 ing and a benevolent heart. He published, in all, six 

 volumes on language, and the same number on me- 

 taphysics ; the last volume of which came out a 

 short time before his death. 



As soon as he became an author, he found hig 

 company and conversation courted by many of the 

 most distinguished literary characters of the age. 

 Every stranger of distinction who visited the capital 

 of Scotland, had letters of introduction to Lord 

 Monboddo, and his house became the resort of ge- 

 nius, literature, and science. To resume the acquain- 

 tances of his youth, and to enjoy the conversation of 

 some eminent scholars, whom he could count in the 



Burnett, 

 James. 



