SCOT, ALEXANDER, an accomplished poet, styled the Anacreon of Scotland, flourished during the reign of the unfortunate Mary, to whom he addressed ‘A New Year’s Gift, when she came first hame, 1562.’ In this poem he styles himself her “simple servant, Sanders Scot,” and strongly recommends the Reformed religion to her majesty’s protection. He appears to have been totally neglected by the court, and in a beautiful little fable, entitled ‘The Eagle and Robin Redbreast,’ he feelingly laments his own hard fate in being obliged to sing without reward or notice. His poems, which are chiefly amatory, display a delicacy of sentiment, and an ease and elegance of versification, not exceeded by any production of the sixteenth century. The best of his pieces are, ‘The Flower of Womanheid;’ ‘The Rondel of Love;’ and an address to his Heart, beginning,

“Return hameward my heart again,
An’ bide where thou was wont to be,
Thou art a fool to suffer pain,
For love o’ ane that loves not thee.”

In Allan Ramsay’s Evergreen, and in the collections of Hailes, Sibbald, and Pinkerton, will be found some pleasing specimens of his poetry. An edition of his poems was printed at Edinburgh in 1821, small 8vo.

SCOT, DAVID, M.D., an eminent oriental scholar, was born in the parish of Pennicuik, where his father occupied a small farm. He was educated at the university of Edinburgh for the ministry; but, after being licensed, having no immediate prospect of a church, he became a student of medicine, and obtained the degree of M.D. His favourite study, however, was the attainment of languages, and especially the cultivation of oriental literature. Having acquired a knowledge of most of the Eastern languages, both ancient and modern, he applied himself to the teaching and preparing young men intending to go out to India; a department in which he was eminently successful. In 1814, on a vacancy occurring, he was presented to the church of Corstorphine, near Edinburgh, in which he continued to labour for nineteen years. About 1832 he was elected professor of Hebrew in St. Mary’s college, St. Andrews; but his career there lasted only for two sessions. He had visited Edinburgh to be present at the meeting of the British Association, but was seized with a dropsical complaint; and after two or three days’ illness, died September 18, 1834. Dr. Scot edited Dr. Murray’s History of the European Languages; and published the following works:

Observations on the Propriety and Usefulness of an Establishment in Edinburgh for teaching Oriental Languages, for civil and commercial purposes, to young gentlemen going to India. Edin. 1819.
Essays on various subjects of Belles Lettres; to which are added two Dissertations, written during the late war against France. Edin. 1824, 8vo.
Discourses on some important subjects of Natural and Revealed Religion. Edin. 1825, 8vo.
A Key to the Hebrew Pentateuch. Lond. 1826, 8vo.
A Key to the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Lond. 1828, 8vo.
Lives of some of the Scottish Poets.
A Hebrew Grammar for the use of his own class.