HAMILTON, William, of Bangour, one of the minor poets of Scotland, was born in Ayrshire in 1704. He is not so much remarkable for original or strong powers of mind as for having been one of the first of native-born Scotchmen who wrote English verse with elegance, correctness, and good taste. One of his ballads, however, that entitled
Bask ye, bask ye, my bonny, bonny bride,
is in its own vein little if at all inferior to the best of the old ballads. Hamilton joined the standard of the young Chevalier in the '45, and, after Culloden, was obliged to fly to the continent. On being pardoned he returned to Scotland, but delicate health drove him once more to France, where he died in 1754. There have been numerous editions of his poems.