AY'TON, Sir ROBERT, a Scottish poet and favorite courtier in the reign of James VI. He was a younger son of Andrew Aytpn of Kinaldie, Fifeshire, where he was born in 1570. Ile was enrolled as a student in St. Leonard's college, St. Andrews, in 1584, and took his degree of M.A. in 1588. For purposes of study, he next visited France, from whence Le addressed, in 1603, an elegant panegyric, in Latin verse, to king James, on his acces sion to the throne of England. This poem appears to have been the making of A.'s fortune, for-we find him afterwards appointed, successively, one of the gentlemen of the bedchamber, private secretary to the queen, and master of requests. Subsequently, he held the appointment of secretary to the queen of Charles I. King James employed him to con vey copies of one of his works, conjectured to be his Apology for the Oath of Allegiance, to the German courts. A. was on terms of familiarity with all the most eminent men of his time—poets, and philosophers alike—among others, Hobbes and Ben Jonson. Ile
was himself a poet of considerable Merit; but, unfortunately, a large number of his effusions being complimentary verses to his friends, are characterized by conceit and extravagant flattery. He was one of the first Scotsmen who wrote in English with any degree of eleg,anee and purity. His verses on general topics " are conceived in a relined and tender strain of fancy, that reminds us more of the fairy strains of Herrick than anything else." Burns had a great admiration of some of A.'s pieces, two or three of which he paraphrased. A. is also said to ltave written verses in and French, as well as in English and Latin. Several of his Latin poems aro preserved in the work called Delkice Poiltarum Scotorum, prInted at Amsterdam in 1637. A. died in Whitehall palace, Mar., 1638.