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MAN or MAIN, JAMES
(1700-1761), philologist, born about 1700 at Whitewreath, in the parish of
Elgin, Morayshire, was educated first at the parish school of Longbride, and
afterwards at King’s College, Aberdeen, where he graduated M.A. in 1721. He
was then appointed schoolmaster of Tough, Aberdeenshire, and in 1742 master
of the poor’s hospital in Aberdeen. He proved a very useful superintendent
of the hospital, to which at his death in 1761 he left more than half the
little property he had accumulated. Man’s zeal for the character of George
Buchanan led him to join the party of Scottish scholars who were
dissatisfied with Thomas Ruddiman’s edition of Buchanan’s works published in
1715. Man exposed the errors and defects of Ruddiman’s edition in ‘A Censure
and Examination of Mr. Thomas Ruddiman’s Philological Notes on the Works of
the great Buchanan . . . more particularly on the History of Scotland . .
containing many particulars of his Life,’ 8vo, Aberdeen, 1753. This
treatise, which extends to 574 pages, is learned and acute, but very
abusive. Ruddiman replied in his ‘Anti-crisis,' 1754, and in ‘Audi alteram
partem,’ 1756 [see Ruddiman, Thomas].
Man made collections for an edition of Arthur Johnston’s poems, which were
in the possession of Professor Thomas Gordon of Aberdeen, and was encouraged
by many presbyterian ministers to undertake a history of the church of
Scotland. He only completed an edition of Buchanan’s ‘History of Scotland,’
which was issued at Aberdeen in 1762.[Chalmers’s Life of Ruddiman, p. 248.]
G. G. |
