order of merit, have unfortunately been omitted in the more popular editions of
his works. This is to be regretted, as they are disfigured by none of the faults
of his larger work, and, notwithstanding their length, would be valuable
additions to the Scottish song book. It has been already mentioned, that
two editions of his work appeared in the author's lifetime; a third was
printed at Aberdeen in 1787; a fourth at Edinburgh in 1804, in the same
volume with Macneill's Will and Jean, and some other poems: and a fifth appeared at Dundee in 1812. This last has a life prefixed by his grandson; and it is to be regretted that the liberties taken with the text, the omission of the preface, songs, and glossary, should have rendered it so defective.[1] Besides these, there have appeared numerous editions, on coarse paper, and at a low price, to be hawked through the north of Scotland, where they ever find a ready sale. Of the number of these reprints, it is not easy to obtain an account; we believe the last is that published at Aberdeen in 1826. In Aberdeenshire and in Angus, the 31 earns and Moray, there is no work more popular than "The Fortunate Shepherdess." It disputes popularity with Burns and the Pilgrim's Progress ; is read, in his idle hours, by the shepherd in the glens, and wiles away the weariness of the long winter night, at the crofter's fireside. On its first appearance, Beattie predicted —
"And ilka Mearns and Angus bairn,
Thy tales and sangs by heart shall learn."
The prediction has been amply verified, and a hope which Ross expressed in one of his unpublished poems, has been realized:—
"Hence lang, perhaps, lang hence may quoted be,
My hamely proverbs lined wi' blythesome glee ;
Some reader then may say, 'Fair fa' ye, Ross,'
When, aiblins, I'll be lang, lang dead and gane,
An' few remember there was sick a ane."
ROW, John, a celebrated divine, was descended of a family of some note for the part they had borne in the ecclesiastical history of their country. His grandfather, John Row, had gone abroad in early youth, and the fame of his talents and learning having reached the Vatican, he was in 1559, selected by the Pope as an emissary to watch over the dawning reformation in Scotland. But, in a short time after his return to his native country, he embraced the principles of the reformed religion, and advocated them with much zeal and ability. He was in 1560, appointed minister of Perth, and from that time enjoyed considerable influence in the councils of the reformed clergy, sharing the friendship of Knox, and other distinguished men of that age. His eldest son was for fifty-two years minister of Carnock in Fife, and died at the advanced age of seventy-eight. He was partly author of "The Historic of the Kirk of Scotland from the year 1558, to August in Anno 1637, written by Mr John Row, late minister at Carnock, in the province of Fife and presbyterie of Dunfermline." This is preserved in MS. in the Advocates' library, and has been pronounced by one well fitted to judge, "a very valuable but rather prolix work." The date of the birth of John Row, his second son, the subject of the present memoir has not been preserved, but it may be referred to the latter
- ↑ The liberties taken with the text, which we complain of, consist in attempts to translate the more obsolete words into English, and infrequent omissions of couplets, without any discernible cause. We have 'shepherd,' for 'herding;' 'honest, ' for 'sackless;' 'liv'd,' for 'worin'd;' 'a burning coal,' for 'a clear brunt coal,' &c.
