RUDDIMAN, Titomits, a celebrated Scottish wri ter, was born at Raggel, in the parish of Boyndie, in Banffshire, in Oct. 1674. After receiving a good clas sical education at the parish school, young Ruddiman was ambitious of pushing his education at college. He had heard of the annual competition at King's College, Aberdeen, for bursaries; and his father, from thinking him too young, had opposed his wishes; he resolved, without his knowledge, with only a guinea in his pocket, which his sister had privately given him, to set out for that literary city. On his road to Aberdeen he was met by a gang of gypseys, who robbed him of his coat, his stockings, his shoes, and his only guinea. Undismayed at these losses, he continued his journey, and presented himself as a candidate for one of the university bursaries; and though without friends, and almost without clothes, he succeeded in gaining the firs4.prize.
After studying five years at the university, he took his degree of M. A. in 1694, and after spending a short time as tutor to the son of Mr. Young of Auldbar, he was appointed schoolmaster of the parish of Laurence kirk, a situation which Ile held for three years.
The celebrated Dr. Pitcairne happening to arrive at Laurencekirk, he was detained there the whole day by a violent storm, and inquiring of the landlady if there was any agreeable person in the village who would take part of his dinner, she recommended Mr. Ruddi man as both learned and social. The learned doctor was so much pleased with the information and man ners of his guest, that he invited him to Edinburgh, and promised him his friendship and patronage.
Induced by this invitation, Ruddiman went to Edin burgh in 1700; and two years afterwards he was ap pointed assistant librarian to the Faculty of Advocates, with a salary of £8, 6s. 8d. Although he had some employment as a teacher, and was engaged by book sellers to assist in different literary undertakings, yet his income was so small that he commenced the busi ness of an auctioneer in 1707. He still, however, con tinued his literary labours; and in the same year her published an edition of Voluseni de dnimi Tranquilli tate hialogus, with a life of the author. In 1709 he published Johnstoni Cantici Solomonis Paraphrasis Poetiea, and also Johnstoni Cantica, with notes; a work which he inscribed in verse to his patron Dr. Pitcairne. His next literary work was a new edition of Bishop Gawin Douglas's Translation of the Eneid, for which he wrote the glossary, and probably the forty-two gen eral rules for enabling the reader to understand the language.
Ruddiman was now invited to the rectorship of the grammar school of Dundee; but the Faculty of Advo cates anxious to retain him, increased his salary to R30, and thus induced him to decline the offer.
In 1714, he published his Rudiments of the Latin Tongue, which superseded all other books of the kind in Scotland. It was taught even in England, and still retains its place in the Scottish seminaries. In 1715, he edited Buchanani Opera Omnia, in 2 vols. folio, which he enriched with critical and explanatory notes, a preface, and a dissertation entitled Dc Maris Bu chananreis Libellus.
In the year 1715, he commenced the business of a printer, in company with his brother, who had been regularly brought up to the profession ; and some years afterwards he was appointed printer to the uni versity.
In 1720, Ruddiman published the first part of his Grammaticie Latinx Institutiones, which was soon followed by his Grammatical Exercises; a work which is still used in teaching Latin in Scotland. The second part of the first of these works appeared in 1731.
In 1739, he published Seleetus Diplomatum et Nit 9nismatunt Scotia- Thesaurus, which was a continuation of Anderson's Diplomat(' ct Numismata Ruddiman and his brother became proprietors of the' Caledonian Mercury newspaper in 1729, and it continued in the family till 1772. • Although our author was zealously attached to the house of Stewart, yet he took no part in the rebellion; and in 1745 he retired to the country, and occupied himself in writing Critical Observations on Burman's Commentary on Luean's Pharsalia, which was soon afterwards published.
During the last years of his life, Ruddiman was al most constantly engaged in literary disputes; but he performed his part in these discussions with prudence and temper, and he considered the cause of truth to be too sacred to be abandoned, merely because he himself might be involved in controversy. His eye sight having begun to fail, he resigned the situation of librarian to the Faculty of Advocates, in 1752. He died at Edinburgh on the 19th of January, 1757, in his 83d year, and was buried in the Grey-Friars church-yard, where no monument records his talents and his virtues.