faithfully adhered to him. Instance the iron
belt and bitter repartee he gave the Lord Gray.
The second is, That Mr. Andrew Ramsay his great grand-chyld,
in his Latine epitaph made on him, printed amongst
his Epigrams, affirmes that he was killed att the
battell of Floudan with K.J. 4th, which, if true,
he has out-lived J. the 3d 25 years. I find
the said Sr. John Ramsay’s sone hath
lived till about the year 1567. For in the Sederunt
books that year there is ane gift of tutory dative
mentioned, making Sr Robert Carnagie of Kinnaird
tutor to Wm. Ramsay of Balinayne, left ane minor by
the death of his fayr., and this Sr Robt. did afterwards
bestow Katharine Carnagie his daughter upon the
said Wm. Ramsay. The present Earles of Southesk
are lineally descended of the said Sr Robt. bot wer
not nobilitat for 30 years after that. Of this
Wm. Ramsay and the said Katharine Mr. Andrew Ramsay
was their second sone, and being educat in literature,
wes sent abroad by his parents to the famous protestant
University of Saumur in France, where he gave such
eminent specimens of his great knowledge that in
1600 he was created professor of theologie yr.
And I have seen that printed Latine oration he had
att his inauguration, and tho the Scots wer soouner
preserved in France than any other strangers, yet
it behooved to be extraordinary merits that adjudged
the divinity chair to him befor so many candidats and
rivals of their own nation. Bot being desirous
to improve the talents heaven had bestowed on him
in his oun countrey, he returned home, and about the
year 1608 married that vertuous Gentlewoman, Mary
Frazer, daughter to the Laird of Dores, and wes
by Sr. Alexr. Arbuthnot of that ilk her
uncle by the mother called to his Church of Arbuthnot
in the Mernes, bot he being ane star of ane greater
magnitude than to be consigned to so obscure ane
place he wes, in 1613,[723] invited to the toun of
Edr. to be on of their ministers, which he accepted,
and continued their till 1649 that he was laid asyde
by that prevailling remonstrator faction in the
church, because he wold not dissown the engadgement
undertaken by James Duke of Hamilton the year befor
for procuring K. Ch. the first’s liberty,
and so continued solaceing himself with that murus
ahaeneus of a good conscience till he resigned
up his blessed soule into the hands of his merciful
creator in the end of that year 1659, having, lyke
Moses of[724] Mount-pisga, seen the designes and
inclinations of this Island to bring back their
banished King which he had much promoted by his prayers;
and so this good man, lyke ane sheaff of rype corn,
was gathered into his masters barn in the 86 year
of his age, a man who for his singular piety and
vast reading was the phenix of his tyme as his manuscripts
yet extant can prove, so that his memory is yet sweet
and fragrant, but especially to those who are descended
of him who are more particularly oblidged to imitat
his goodness, vertue and learning. Bot befor
I leave Balmaynes family I shall only tell on passage