MUMS, Joins', LL.D., known as a classical historian, the son of Robert Gillies, esq., was b. at Brechin, Forfarshire, Jan. 18, 1747. His youngest brother, Adam, was a judge of the court of session in Scotland, under the title of lord Gillies. Gillies was educated at the university of Glasgow; and, after a time, took up his residence in Lon don, with the view of following literature as a profession. He subsequently acted for several years as traveling tutor to the sons of John, second earl of Ilopetoun, who in 1777 settled upon him an annuity for life. In 1778, he published a translation of the Ora tions of Isocrates and those of Lysias, with some Account of their Lives, 4to; and in 1786 appeared the first part of his History of Ancient Greece. This work forms 2 vols. 4to, and 4 vols. 8vo. It was extremely popular on its first appearance, and is really far from being a discreditable performance, though much disfigured by verbosity and dull and prolix disquisition; but it has dropped out of notice nearly altogether since the advance of Greek scholarship in the present century, and the publication of the histories of Thirlwall and Grote. His View of the Reign of Frederick 11. of Prussia, appeared in
1789, 8vo. In 1793, on the death of Dr. Robertson, he was appointed historiographer to the king for Scotland, with a yearly salary of £200. His other works are, a translation from the Greek of Aristotle's Ethics and Politics : comprising his Practical Philosophy, with _Notes; the Critical History of his Life; and a new Analysis of his Speculative Works. 2 vols.; Supplement to the Analysis of Aristotle's Speculative Works (1804); History of the World from Alexander to Augustus, 2 vols., 4to (1807-1810); Translation of Aristotle's Rhetoric (1823). He died Feb. 5, 1836.