Alexander Ross--schoolmaster, scholar and author, Anglican priest, Royalist, and defender of tradition and the "ancient wisdom" in a time of political, religious and intellectual change--is of interest today partly because of the sheer bulk and variety of his writings (some thirty-seven books, extant in nearly one hundred editions), partly because he took sides in some key controversies of his day, and partly because enough is known about his life to piece together a reasonably full picture of an individual who left his mark on an age long past.

Little is known of Ross's origins other than that he was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, on 1 January 1591, that he had two younger brothers, and that his father died about 1641. Between 1606 and 1615 he studied at Marischal College, University of Aberdeen, emerging with a master of arts degree (a four-year, first degree in Scotland).

After leaving the university Ross joined the exodus...