WILLIAM ALEXANDER, the Earl of Stirling, was born about the year 1580. In his fifteenth year, he became the enthusiastic admirer of a lady, whose real name has never reached us; and, though she appears to have been little moved by his solicitations, and though he travelled on the continent, for some time, as tutor to the Earl of Argyle, his flame was not abated, on his return, and he retired from the world, to ease his heart by writing sonnets. At length, the lady was married to another; and Alexander, not long after, found more effectual relief, by obtaining the hand of Janet, the daughter and heiress of Sir William Erskine. He now appeared as a private gentleman, at the palace of James VI.; but, instead of employing his time in the light amusements of a court, he began the composition of prolix tragedies upon the vanity of power, and the burthen of wealth. Darius, Crasus, Alexander, and Julius Cæsar, were summoned to inculcate these truths; and so greatly was James delighted with his monarchic tragedies,' that he called the author his philosophical poet, and made him gentleman-usher to his son, Henry. His next ambition was to be a divine 300 LIFE OF STIRLING. poet; and, in 1614, his immense poem of Doomsday was published, in quarto, both at Edinburgh and London. The king now appointed him master of requests, and conferred on him the order of knighthood. Alexander had still some thoughts upon the present world; and, resolving to plant a colony in Nova Scotia, James made him a grant of that province, on the 21st of September, 1621. But the last years of this king were not propitious to such undertakings; and, though Sir William, in 1625, attempted to gain the co-operation of his countrymen, by a pan.phlet, entitled An Encouragement to Colonies, it was not until the accession of Charles, that the scheme arrived at maturity. The new monarch constituted Sir William, Lieutenant of Nova Scotia; and created an order of 150 baronets, whose dignity was to be hereditary, and who were each to possess a liberal apportionment of lands. Several attempts were made to carry the project into execution; but, for reasons, which we have never seen developed, it finally proved abortive, and our author parted with his share of the province. In 1626, he was appointed secretary of state for Scotland; created, in 1630, a peer of the same kingdom, with the style of Viscount Canada, Lord Alexander of Menstrie; and was advanced, three years after, to the title of the Earl of Stirling. He died the 12th of February, 1640. All that can be said in praise of Stirling's poetry, is, that it furnishes some of the earliest specimens of smooth versification in language. He has nothing, which strikes the imagination, or warms the heart; and we read on, in a smooth and even course, without knowing either why we should stop, or why we should proceed. Doomsday, perhaps, must be excepted. A few graceful lines may be read even though the matter be dull; but who can tolerate 13,000? Besides his poetry, Stirling wrote, among other prose works, a Brief Relation of the discovery and plantation of New England, in 1622; and, in 1630, a Map and Description of the same province, with a discourse of the colonies. |