Gavin Douglas (c. 1474 – September 1522) was a Scottish bishop,
makar
A makar () is a term from Scottish literature for a poet or bard, often thought of as a royal court poet.
Since the 19th century, the term ''The Makars'' has been specifically used to refer to a number of poets of fifteenth and sixteenth ce ...
and translator. Although he had an important political career, he is chiefly remembered for his poetry. His main pioneering achievement was the ''
Eneados'', a full and faithful vernacular translation of the ''
Aeneid
The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who fled the fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of ...
'' of Virgil into
Scots, and the first successful example of its kind in any
Anglic language. Other extant poetry of his includes ''Palice of Honour'', and possibly ''King Hart''.
Life and career
Early life
Gavin (or Gawin, Gawane, Gawain) Douglas was born c. 1474–76, at
Tantallon Castle
Tantallon Castle is a ruined mid-14th-century fortress, located east of North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland. It sits atop a promontory opposite the Bass Rock, looking out onto the Firth of Forth. The last medieval curtain wall castle to ...
, East Lothian, the third son of
Archibald, 5th Earl of Angus by his second wife Elizabeth Boyd. A Vatican register records that Gavin Douglas was 13 in 1489, suggesting he was born in 1476. An application had been lodged to award Gavin the right to hold a Church canonry or prebend and enjoy its income. Another appeal to Rome concerning church appointments made in February 1495 states his age as 20.
He was a student at
St Andrews University
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
in 1489–94, and thereafter, it is supposed, at Paris. He chiefly studied
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ...
, but also studied other areas including Logic, Physics, Natural Philosophy, and Metaphysics.
in 1492 he received his bachelor's degree, and in 1496 was named among the ''Licentiati'', or Masters of Arts, which was regarded at the time as an advanced academic degree.
In 1496 he obtained the living of
Monymusk, Aberdeenshire, and later he became
parson of Lynton (modern
East Linton) and rector of Hauch (modern
Prestonkirk
East Linton is a village and former police burgh in East Lothian, Scotland, situated on the River Tyne and A199 road (former A1 road) five miles east of Haddington, with an estimated population of in .
During the 19th century the populati ...
), in
East Lothian
East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In 1975, the his ...
. About 1501 he was preferred to the deanery or
provostship of the
collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by ...
of
St Giles
Saint Giles (, la, Aegidius, french: Gilles), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly lege ...
, Edinburgh, which he held with his parochial charges.
Early career
Until the
Battle of Flodden
The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...
in September 1513, Gavin Douglas appears to have been occupied with his