§76 
He was highly virtuous and amiable in pri- 
wate life. A ntmerous family furvive to la- 
ment his lofs:. Succefs in trade, prudent eco- 
nomy, and fome official emiolumients, have 
enabled him to leave them in a‘ condition of 
refpectable independence. His eldeft daughi- 
ter is thé lady of the reverend Dr. Baird, prin- 
cipal of the Univerfity of Edinburgh; 4 gen- 
tleman who, to very eminent accomplifh- 
ments asa fcholar and a preacher, joinsextra- 
ordinary a€tivity in-beneficence, and 4’ re- 
markable and unaffeéted difplay of that mild 
gravity and happy propriety of manners, which 
become his official fituation. Mr. Elder’s 
death has been univerfally lamented by his 
fellow-citizens ; and his obfequies have beén 
celebrated with every honourable teftimony 
of public férrow. Tp 
James Burnet, Lord Monboddo, whofe 
death was announced in our Jaft Number, 
was a defcendant from an ancient family in 
the fhire of Kincardine. He veceived his edu- 
€ation at a Scottith univerfity, at atime when 
an undiftinguifhing enthufiafm for dll that 
bore the name of the’ claffical literdture of 
‘Greece and Rome, was much moré predomi- 
nant than it is at préefent in Scotland. 
Choofing to embrace the profeffion of a law- 
yer, he paffed fuccefsfully through the érdi- 
nary courle of preliminary > Juridical ftudies 5 
and was, in due time, received a member 
of the Faculty of Advocatés at Edinburgh. 
From early youth, his application to his 
litérary and juridical {tudies, was feverely di- 
ligent. In the year 1767, he obtained a 
judges” feat, on the bench of the Scottifh 
Court of Seffion 5 and difcharged the duties of 
that high office with an affiduity ) a patience, 
a clear intelligence, and an uprightnefs, 
wiech do honour even to juice herfelf. 
The courfé of his ftudies led him to ate 
the conipofition of a work, which might faife 
his name to diftin@tion among men ar letters. 
Fie refolved that his firft work fhoutd afford, 
to the confufion and aftonifhment of the mo- 
derns, a complete vindication of the wifdcm 
and eloquence of his admired ancients. The 
firft yolumes of his Origin and Progrefs of 
Language, were, in confequen nce of this 
refolution, at leagth given to the public, 
Thefe volumes weré peruted by critics with 
fentiments of mingied refpeGt, ridicule, and 
indignation. With the philofophical hiftory 
of He aa his plan neceffatily involved 
that of civil ity and Rnowledze. 
Thofe ctitics who were partial to modern 
literature, on account of their ignorance of 
that of antiquity ; ot who, though not unac- 
quainted with the more popular of the ancient 
authors, were, liowever; ftrangers to the 
deeper myftertes of Greelé erudition, con- 
demned Lord Montoddo’s work: with bitter 
and contemptuous cenfute. . The Scottifh li- 
terati, almoft to a man, declared it to be un- 
worthy of perufal with any other view, than 
to be amufed by its ridiculousabfurdity. No- 
Account of Lord Monbodde: 
[Auguft, 
thing, it was faid, but the ftranze abfurs 
dity of his opinions, could have hindered his 
book frony falling dead-borm from the prefs. 
In England, however, its’ récepcion was 
fornewhat lefs unpropitious to the authors 
hopes. In the late My. Harris, of Malmef- 
bury, he found an admirer and literary friends 
who was himfelf deeply verfant in Grecian 
learning and philofophy, and was exceeding] 
delighted to meet with one that had-culti< 
vated thefe ftudies with equal ardour, and 
worfhipped the excellence of the ancient 
Greeks, as far above ail other .€xcellenté. 
His private ‘lifé was fpent’i in the practice’ of 
all the focial virtues; and in the enjoyment 
of much domeftic felicity. . He married Mifg 
Farquharfon, a very amiable woman, by 
whom he had a fon and two daughters. Al- 
though rigidly températe in his habits of life, 
he, however, delighted much in the convivial 
fociety of his friends: and among tkeéfe he 
could number almoft all the moft eminent of 
thofe who were diftinguithed in Scotland for 
virtue, literature, or genuine elegance’ of 
converfation and‘manners. One‘of thofe wha 
efteeméed him the moft highly, was the hte 
Lord Gardenttone; a min who, though his 
propenfities to fenfual pleafure, and hig habits 
of difipation, were very different from the 
fanétity of the manners of Monboddo, pof- 
fefied, however, no mean portion of the famé 
overfiowing benignity of difpofitions the fame 
unimpeachable i integrity as a judge, the fame 
partial fondnefs for literature and for the fine 
arts. Hisfon, avery promifing boy, in whofé 
education he took great delight; was, indeed; 
fnitched away froth his affe@tiuns by a prema 
ture death: but, whem it was too late’ for 
forrow and anxiety to avail, the affliéted fas 
ther {tified the emotions of nature im his breaft, 
and wound up the energies of his four to the 
firmeft tone of Stoical fortitude. He was, in 
like manner, bereaved of his excellent lady, 
the objet of his deare% tendernefs; and ke 
endured the lofs with a fimilar firmnefs, fit= 
ted to do honour either to philofophy or ta 
religion. 
In add'tion to his offices ds a judge in the 
fupreme Civil Court, in Scotland, an offer 
Was made to him of a featin the Court of Jat- 
ticiary,; the fupreme’ criminal court. -Buty 
though the emoluments of this place would 
have made a convenient addition té his int 
come, he refufed to accept its léft its bufiz 
nefs fhould too much detach him from the 
purfuit of his favourite itudies. His patri- 
monial eftate was {mall, not affording @ reve. 
nue of more than jool. ayear. Yet he would 
not raife the rents; would never difmifs a 
poor old tenant for the fake of any augnien- 
tation of emolument offered by 4 Tichee 
franger; and, indeed, fhewed no particular 
folicitude to decomplith any improvement 
upon his lands,—fave that of having the num- : . 
ber of perfons who fhould refide upon them, as 
tenants} and be ties fuftained by their pro= 
dyucey 
