Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Lundie, John
LUNDIE, JOHN (d. 1652?), poet, was elected a regent in King's College, Aberdeen, in 1626, was humanist in 1629 (Fasti Aberd. lxxxiv.), and was advanced in 1631 to be professor of humanity in the university of Aberdeen. This was, at least, his official style, though Gordon says he was ‘raither maister of the grammar schoole.’ In November 1638 he represented his university at the general assembly at Glasgow (Bailie, Correspondence, Bannatyne Club, i. 135, 169), having already in July secretly subscribed the covenant, but refused the king's covenant of October 1638. He appears to have received small powers from the university, ‘for if,’ says Gordon, ‘they meant him a voice ther, they would have sent a divyne, not a grammarier.’ Getting wind that he was a covenanter, however, the assembly gave him that power which the university of Aberdeen withheld, with the result that he exceeded his powers, and got into trouble on his return with the Aberdeen authorities, to whom he subsequently ‘pleaded guiltie and confessed his error’ (Spalding, Hist.)
According to Charters (Cat. of Scotish Writers) Lundie wrote ‘very many poems and the comedie of the 12 patricians in the Latin tongue.’ Besides the ‘Oratio Eucharistica et encomiastica in benevolos Vniversitatis Aberdonenses benefactores fautores et patrones … habita xxvii. Jul. 1631,’ Aberdeen, 4to (Marischal College Library), he wrote the ‘Carmen dedicatorium in commendationem totius libri,’ prefixed to Bishop Patrick Forbes's ‘Funeralls,’ in which are other verses from his pen both in English and Latin (pp. 370, 414). He married on 12 July 1647, at Gordon's Mill, Margaret Gordon (Prof. Thomas Gordon's MSS. in Aberd. Univ. Library), by whom he had a son, John, who predeceased him (Poems, p. 29). From the ‘Epicedium’ on p. 30 of his selected ‘Poems, Latin and English’ (reprinted by the Abbotsford Club in 1845) it appears that his wife was a sister of Elizabeth Gardyne, formerly wife of Alexander Morisone of Bognor. He seems to have been familiar with John Leech (Leochæus) (fl. 1623) [q. v.], and with the more celebrated David Leech [q. v.], to whom he addressed one of his poems. To his brother-in-law(?), Alexander Gardyne [q. v.], the poet, he states that he gave one New-year's day, ‘ane Dictionar of 400 languages’! But of this ‘treasure of four hundreth tongs’ nothing further seems known. Lundie probably died in 1652, when eighteen of his books were bought ‘for the use of the bibliotheck’ for 91l. (Scots) (Fasti Aberd. p. 599). His poems are of small account.
[Gordon's Hist. of Scots Affairs (Spalding Club), i. 155; Fasti Aberdonenses, passim; Spalding's Hist. of Troubles, i. 58, 74, 88, 117; Notes and Queries, 2nd ser. i. 45; information kindly supplied by P. J. Anderson, esq.; Lowndes's Bibl. Man.]