POLLOK, ROBERT, a Scottish poet, was b. in 1799 at Muirhouse, in the parish of Eaglesham, in the co. of Renfrew. After receiving the ordinary course of instruction in country schools, he was sent to the university of Glasgow, and on the completion of his curriculum in arts, he entered the divinity hall of the secession church, where he studied 5 years. In 1827 he was licensed to preach. By this time he had written the Course of Time, and its composition, together with the ardor with which he pursued his studies, brought on consumption. The poem was published by Mr. Blackwood in the same year in which the author received license. It was highly praised, but the voice of praise fell on a dying ear. In his critical state, his medical attendants recommended residence for a time in Italy, and in compliance with their advice, he set out, accompanied by his sis ter. On his arrival in London, his symptoms became suddenly worse, and unable to
prosecute his journey, he went to reside at Shirley common, near Southampton, where he died on Sept. 17, 1827. Ile was interred in the churchyard at Millbrook, and over his grave an obelisk has been erected.
The Course of Time has run through more than 20 editions, and is extremely popular in Scotland. It is a work of genius, but curiously unequal in merit. It contains eloquent and spirited passages, but considerable portions of it read like a dull sermon turned into blank verse. The writer drew his inspiration from nature, from Milton, and the shorter catechism—from the last, perhaps, most of all. His memoir, written by a brother, was published in 1843. Pollak also wrote Tales of the Covenanters, which .were published anonymously.