LIT E RAR Y.

MASSON'S DRUMMOND OF HAWTHORNDEN. Drummond of Hawthorsden: the Story of his Life and Writings. By David Masson, M.A., LL.D., &c. Macmillan and Co. 1873. Many people have formed their notion of the subject of this interesting biography from Gifford's 'Memoir of Ben Jonson.' Drummond has been amply vindicated by Mr David Laing and Mr Peter Cunningham from Gifford's ferocious accusations, but the accusations are, from the nature of the case, better known to the general reader than the vindications. Nine out of ten people that know anything of Drummond remember only that Jonson visited him at Hawthornden-perhaps, also, they believe that the burly dramatist journeyed to Scotland on foot for that purpose, and that Drummond preserved notes of the conversations of his distinguished guest, and wrote down an unfavourable estimate of his character. Perhaps also they retain from Gifford a hazy notion that this was an ugly breach of hospitality. Gifford uses very strong language about the act. He regards Jonson's visit to Scotland as the most unfortunate period of his life. He speaks of Drummond as a " bird of prey," who decoyed Jonson under his roof for the express purpose of trying to tear his reputation in pieces; a '.cankered hypocrite," who encouraged his guest in effusions of tenderness, and sat on the watch for the softest moment with a settled determination to betray his confidence. Whatever may be thought of the correctness of Drummond's estimate of Jonson-and, like most other literary valuations, it is of interest chiefly as the expression of the opinion of the valuator-there can be no doubt that Gifford grossly misunderstood and misrepresented his motives. This much is apparent upon the slightest knowledge of the habits of the studious laird of Hawthornden. Drummond was a peculiarly fine character of the contemplative type, and was well worthy of such a complete and appreciative biography as Professor Masson has now written. Left master of himself and a sufficient property at the age of twenty-four, in the year 1609, after an education at Edinburgh University, and two years at London and Paris by way of seeing the world, he did not follow King James to England like some of his ambitious and necessitous countrymen, nor did he carry out the profession of the Law for which he had been destined, but " retired to his own house at Hawthornden, a sweet and solitary seat, and very fit and proper for the Muses, and fell again to the studying the Greek and Latin authors." At Hawthornden, a romantic and picturesque place, of which we have a graphic description in the present work, Drummond had accumulated a small library in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, French, and English. Gifford speaks contemptuously of the books that Drummond gave to the University of Edinburgh as " a collection of rubbish not worth the hire of the cart that took it away;" but the studious laird would seem to have possessed for...