“Your father’s death had every circumstance that could enable you to bear it; it was at a mature age, and it was expected; and as his general life had been pious, his thoughts had doubtless for many years past been turned upon eternity. That you did not find him sensible must doubtless grieve you; his disposition towards you was undoubtedly that of a kind, though not of a fond father. Kindness, at least actual, is in our power, but fondness is not; and if by negligence or imprudence you had extinguished his fondness, he could not at will rekindle it. Nothing then remained for you but mutual forgiveness of each other’s faults, and mutual desire of each other’s happiness. I shall long to know his final disposition of his fortune.” At Auchinleck the deceased judge was deeply revered. In the Kirk-Session Records of that parish, Mr. David Murdoch,[70] schoolmaster and session clerk, has accompanied the entry of his death with the following lines, entitled “Essay towards a character of Lord Auchinleck:”— “For every sovereign virtue much renowned, Of judgment steady, and in wisdom sound, Through a long life in active bus’ness spent, For justice and for prudence eminent; Well qualified to occupy the line Allotted him by Providence divine; Employed with indefatigable pains In very num’rous and important scenes; And as his fame for justice was well known, His clemency no less conspicuous shone; Reliever of the needful and opprest, The gen’rous benefactor of distrest, Ready to hear and rectify a wrong, To re-establish harmony among Contending friends, or such as disagreed, And of his interposing aid had need; Successfully he laboured much and long As healer of the breaches us among; And still from jarring order brought about, Carefully searching unknown causes out. A foe to vice, detesting liars much, Of shrewd acuteness in discerning such; Averse to flattery, hating all deceit, Though in resentment mod’rate and discreet; And ready still, with sympathizing grace, To wipe the tear from every mourning face. Whether we see him talking at the Bar, Or on the Bench, a step exalted far, Display the spirit of his country’s laws, Or ruminate the merits of a cause; Or in retirement from such legal strife View him a gentleman in private life,— In all connections, and in him we find The husband loving and the parent kind, The easy master and the faithful friend, The honest counsellor, as all will own, And most indulgent landlord ever known. In all departments on the earthly stage, In every scene in which he did engage, Such steadiness, such truth and candour shone, As equalled is by few, surpassed by none; In everything important less or more, Supporting well the character he bore. A person thus disposed and thus endowed Must have been universally allowed The tribute of our praises heretofore, And claims our tears when now he is no more.