His own figure and that of the Queen are those round which the drama turns.  The leading features of his character were courage and intense earnestness.  “Here,” said the Regent Morton, “lies a man who never feared the face of man.”  And with all his sternness there was in him a vein of cordial friendliness and humour.  He has been accused of intolerance, and of harshness in his dealings with the Queen.  But as Carlyle has said, as regards the second accusation, “They are not so coarse, these speeches; they seem to me about as fine as the circumstances would permit.  It was unfortunately not possible to be polite with the Queen of Scotland unless one proved untrue to the nation.”

Lives by M’Crie (1812), and Prof.  Hume Brown (1895). Works ed. by D. Laing.

KNOX, VICESIMUS (1752-1821).—­Essayist, etc., ed. at Oxf., took orders, and became Head Master of Tunbridge School.  He pub. Essays Moral and Literary (1778), and compiled the formerly well-known Elegant Extracts, often reprinted.

KNOX, WILLIAM (1789-1825).—­Poet, s. of a farmer in Roxburghshire, wrote several books of poetry, The Lonely Hearth, Songs of Israel, Harp of Zion, etc., which gained him the friendship of Scott.  He fell into dissipated habits, was latterly a journalist in Edin., and d. at 36.

KYD, THOMAS (1558-1595).—­Dramatist, s. of a London scrivener, ed. at Merchant Taylor’s School, appears to have led the life of hardship so common with the dramatists of his time, was for a short time imprisoned for “treasonable and Atheistic views,” and made translations from the French and Italian.  His drama, The Spanish Tragedy (1594), had extraordinary popularity, and was translated into Dutch and German.  Some of the scenes are believed to have been contributed by another hand, probably by Ben Jonson.  He also produced a play on the story of Hamlet, not now in existence, and he may have written the first draft of Titus Andronicus.  Other plays which have been attributed to him are The First Part of Jeronimo (1605), Cornelia (1594), The Rare Triumphs of Love and Fortune, and The Tragedye of Solyman and Perseda (1599).  But, although one of the best known dramatists in his day, very little is now certain either as to his personal history or his works.

LAIDLAW, WILLIAM (1780-1845).—­Poet, s. of a border farmer, became steward and amanuensis to Sir W. Scott, and was the author of the beautiful and well-known ballad, Lucy’s Flittin’.

LAING, DAVID (1793-1878).—­Antiquary, s. of a bookseller in Edin., with whom he was in partnership until his appointment, in 1837, as librarian of the Signet Library.  He ed. many of the publications of the Bannatyne Club, of which he was sec. (1823-61).  He was also Honorary Prof. of Antiquities to the Royal Scottish Academy.  Among the more important works which he ed. were Baillie’s Letters and Journals (1841-2), John Knox’s Works (1846-64), and the poems of Sir D. Lyndsay, Dunbar, and Henryson.