A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen, In
Description:... Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ANDREW HART.HENRY (blind Harrt). 15 The birks on Yarrow now deplore, Thy mournful muse has left the shore; Near what bright burn, or chrystal spring, Did you your winsome whistle King ? The Muse shall there, wi' wat'ry e'e, Gie the dank swalrd a tear for thee; And Yarrow's genius, dowy dame! Shall there forget her blood-stain'd stream, On thy sad grave to seek repov, Wha mourn'd her fate, oondol'd her woes. Mr Hamilton of Bangour is sometimes mistaken for and identified with another poet of the same name, William Hamilton of Gilbertfteld in Ianark- shire, a lieutenant in the nary, who was the friend and correspondent of Allan Hainsay, and the modernizer of Blind Harry's poem of Wallace. The compositions of this gentleman display much beauty, simplicity, and sweetness; but he is neither so well known, nor entitled to be so, as the Bard of Yarrow. Mr Hamilton's private virtues were no less eminent than his poetical abilities. His piety, though fervent, was of that quiet and subdued cast that does good by stealth, and blushes to find it fame. His manners were accomplishedindeed so much so, as to earn for him the title of the elegant and amiable William Hamilton of Bangour.' 1IAHT, Andrew, deserves a place in this record, as one of the most distinguished of our early typographers. He flourished in the reign of James VI. Previous to 1600, he was in the habit of importing books from abroad; he wa at this lime exclusively a bookseller. From a mere bookseller he seems to have gradually become a publisher: several books were printed in Holland about the years 1600 and 1601, at his expense. Finally, he added the business of printing to his other dealings. The productions of his press specify that his shop was in the High Street of Edinburgh, on the north side, ...
Show description