James Sempill

Sir James Sempill (1566 – February, 1625/1626) was the son of John Sempill of Beltrees, and Mary Livingston, one of the "Four Marys", companions of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Life

He was brought up with James VI under George Buchanan, After a course of instruction with the young king, he completed his education at the University of St. Andrews, and later assisted the king in the preparation of his Basilikon Doron. He was on good terms with Andrew Melville, and caused a furore by showing Melville the contents of Basilikon Doron in advance. Via James Melville they reached the synod of Fife. Sempill later supported Andrew Melville when he was in 1606 committed to the Tower of London. Robert Boyd of Trochrig considered Sempill an enemy of the bishops.

Ambassador to England 1591-1600, he was made a knight bachelor, and in 1601 was sent to France. He died at Paisley in 1626.

Works

He wrote some theological works:

• Cassander Scotiana to Cassander Anglicanus (1616);
• Sacrilege sacredly handled (1619), written against Joseph Justus Scaliger and John Selden;
• Sacrilege saved by Cassander (1619);
• An Answer to Tilenus' Defence of the Bishops and the Five Articles (1622). This was written against Daniel Tilenus at the suggestion of Andrew Melville.

He is now chiefly remembered for the poem The Packmans Pater Noster, a vigorous attack on the Roman Catholic Church. An edition was published at Edinburgh in 1669 entitled A Pick-tooth for the Pope, or the Packmans Pater Noster, translated out of Dutch by S. I. S., and newly augmented and enlarged by his son R. S. (reprinted by Paterson). Seven poems, chiefly of an amorous character, are printed in T. G. Stevenson's edition of The Sempill Ballates.

Family

His wife was Egidia or Geillis Elphinstone of Blythswood. They had two sons, Robert Sempill the younger and George (who died young), and five daughters, of whom Marion was married to Colin Campbell of Ardkinlas, and Margaret to Walter Macfarlane of Macfarlane.

References

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Sempill, James". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.