Dictionary.net

A Scottish poet; born in Leadhills, Lanarkshire, Oct. 15, 1686; died in Edinburgh, Jan. 7, 1758. His fame rests largely upon his "Gentle Shepherd" (1725), a pastoral drama in the Lowland Scotch dialect, to which songs were added (1728). It is regarded as the best pastoral in any language. His principal works are: "Tartana; or, The Plaid" (1721); "Fables and Tales" (1722); "Fair Assembly" (1723); "Health" (1724); "The Tea-Table Miscellany" (1724); "The Evergreen" (1725); and "Thirty Fables" (1730).