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BOYD, MARK, an
extraordinary genius, who assumed the additional name of ALEXANDER, from a
desire of assimilating himself to the illustrious hero of Macedon, was a
younger son of Robert Boyd of Pinkell in Ayrshire, who was great-grandson
to Robert Boyd, great Chamberlain of Scotland. Mark Boyd was born on the
13th of January, 1562. His father having died while he was a child, he was
educated under the care of his uncle, James Boyd of Trochrig, titular
Archbishop of Glasgow. His headstrong temper showed itself in early youth,
in quarrels with his instructors, and before he had finished his
academical course, he left the care of his friends, and endeavoured to
obtain some notice at court. It affords a dreadful picture of the
character of Boyd, that, even in a scene ruled by such a spirit as Stuart,
Earl of Arran, he was found too violent: one duel and numberless broils,
in which he became engaged, rendered it necessary that he should try his
fortune elsewhere. By the advice of his friends, who seem to have given up
all hope of his coming to any good in his own country, he travelled to
France, in order to assume the profession of arms. While lingering at
Paris, he lost his little stock of money at dice. This seems to have
revived better feelings in his breast. He began to study under various
teachers at Paris; then went to the university of Orleans, and took
lessons in civil law from Robertus; lastly, he removed to Bourges, where
he was received with kindness by the celebrated Cujacius. This
great civilian happening to have a crazy fondness for the writings of the
early Latin poets, Boyd gained his entire favour by writing a few poems in
the barbarous style of Ennius. The plague breaking out at Bourges, he was
obliged to fly to Lyons, whence he was driven by the same pestilence into
Italy. After spending some time in this country, he returned to France,
and is supposed to have there acted for some time as private tutor to a
young gentleman named Dauconet. In 1587, commenced the famous wars of the
League. Boyd, though a protestant, or afterwards professing to be so,
joined with the Catholic party, in company with his pupil, and for some
time led the life of a soldier of fortune. His share in the mishaps of
war, consisted of a wound in the ankle. In 1588, the Germans and Swiss
being driven out of France, the campaign terminated, and Boyd retired to
Thoulouse, where he re-commenced the study of civil law. His studies were
here interrupted by a popular insurrection in favour of the Catholic
interest, but in which he took no part. Having fallen under some
suspicion, probably on account of his country, he was seized by the
insurgents, and thrown into prison. By the intercession of some of his
learned friends, he was relieved from this peril, and permitted to make
his escape to Bourdeaux. He has left a most animated account of the
insurrection, from which it may be gathered that the expedients assumed in
more recent periods of French history, for protecting cities by
barricades, chains, and other devices, were equally familiar in the reign
of Henry the Great. For several years, Boyd lived a party-coloured life,
alternating between study and war. He had a sincere passion for arms, and
entertained a notion that to live entirely without the knowledge and
practice of military affairs was only to be half a man. It is to be
regretted, that his exertions as a soldier were entirely on the
side adverse to his own and his country’s faith; a fact which proves how
little he was actuated by principle. In the midst of all the broils of the
League, he had advanced considerably in the preparation of a series of
lectures on the civil law; but he never found an opportunity of delivering
them. He also composed a considerable number of Latin poems, which were
published in one volume at Antwerp, in 1592. Having now turned his
thoughts homewards, he endeavoured, in this work, to attract the
favourable attention of James VI., by a very flattering dedication. But it
does not seem to have had any effect. He does not appear to have returned
to his native country for some years after this period. In 1595, when his
elder brother died, he was still in France. Returning soon after, he is
said to have undertaken the duty of travelling preceptor to John, Earl of
Cassillis; and when his task was accomplished, he returned once more. He
died, of a slow fever, April 10th, 1601, and was buried in the church of
Daily.
Mark Alexander Boyd left
several compositions behind him, of which a few have been published. The
most admired are his "Epistolae Heroidum," and his "Hymni,"
which are inserted in the "Deliciae Poetarum Scotorum,"
published at Amsterdam, in 1637. His style in Latin poetry is shown
by Lord Hailes to be far from correct, and his ideas are often impure and
coarse. Yet when regarded as the effusions of a soaring genius, which
seems to have looked upon every ordinary walk of human exertion as beneath
it, we may admire the general excellence, while we overlook mean defects.
The Tears of Venus on the Death of Adonis, which has been often extracted
from his Epistolae, seems to me to be a beautiful specimen of Latin
versification, and in impassioned feeling almost rivaling Pope’s Eloise.
An exact list of the remainder of his compositions, which still lie in
manuscript in the Advocates’ Library, is given in his life by Lord
Hailes, which was one of the few tentamina contributed by that
great antiquary towards a Scottish Biographical Dictionary. Lord Hailes
represents the vanity of Boyd as having been very great; but it is obvious
that he could offer a high incense to others as to himself. He has the
hardihood to compliment the peaceful James VI. as superior to Pallas or
Mars: in another place, he speaks of that monarch as having distinguished
himself at battles and sieges. It is well known that neither the praise
nor the facts were true; and we can only account for such inordinate
flattery, by supposing, what there is really much reason to believe, that
panagyric is those days was a matter of course, and not expected to
contain any truth, or even vraisemblance. This theory receives some
countenance from a circumstance mentioned by Lord Hailes. The dedication,
it seems, in which King James was spoken of as a hardy warrior, was
originally written for a real warrior; but the name being afterwards
changed, it was not thought necessary to alter the praise; and so the good
Solomon, who is said to have shrunk from the very sight of cold iron,
stands forth as a second Agamemnon.
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