Memorials of John Geddes

Early Days Ok Environment.
self, partly upon his co-presbyters, and, moreover, could and
did discuss with my father such literary subjects as Gawin
stay." The fun of the epitaph is that he is represented as blurting out the
formula of declinature at the gate of heaven —
"Who comes," heaven's porter cries, "to quaff our nectar?"
" 'Tis I," says Findlater, "and this is Hector."
"Come in, good sir, and take a seat, I pray."
"Na, thank you, sir," quoth Findlater, " 7 canna stay."
The only other epitaph of which any inkling known to me has been preserved
was one on Dr Patrick Forbes, first of Boharm, and thereafter of Old Aber-
deen, as also Professor of Humanity and Chemistry in King's College. As is
well known, being a strong, shrewd man, he was rather absolute in his opinions
and in his manner of expressing them, and to this the epitaph had alluded,
closing with the lines —
. . . . Superior to our hate or love,
He laughs at Newton and disputes with Jove.
How far these can all be credited to Mr Cruickshank, the minister of Glass,
may be doubtful, as some of them have been attributed to the witty and clever
Mrs Allardyce of Forgue, the authoress of the Scots poem "The Guidwife at
Hame." But, although these specimens show considerable verve, the gem of
this sort of literature belongs to Donside, not to Dcveron. It is the effusion of
Mr Reid, when provoked by the nettling of a fellow-Presbyter who had been
writing epitaphs on others. This co-Presbyter was named Alexander Low, of
the parish of Keig, who, besides being notable for a defect in the use of one of
his hands, was author of a History of Scotland in the almost prehistoric time
of Picts and other ungenial folks, which History was very dreick, though it had
the honour of a notice from Sir Walter in the Quarterly, which in this case was
not "savage and tartarly." Pluming himself thereon, Mr Low became rather
vain, and ventured on writing epitaphs on his brethren in a way to nettle the
dry and caustic Mr Reid of Kildrummy. "Here, man," said Reid, "would
you like to hear one on you ? " " Delighted," said Low, whereupon out came
the grim, tart lines —