The Reverend Alexander Carlyle was born on January 26, 1772. Known as Jupiter, from his striking profile, Carlyle rose to a very high position in the Church of Scotland. From his autobiography comes the following, concerning Sir Walter Scott:
‘Sir Walter Scott has left a colloquial sketch of him, which, though of the briefest, is broad and colossal as a scrap from the pencil of Michael Angelo. He is discoursing of the countenances of poets; some that represented the divinity of genius, and others that signally failed in that respect. " Well," said he, " the grandest demigod I ever saw was Dr Carlyle, minister of Musselburgh, commonly called Jupiter Carlyle, from having sat more than once for the king of gods and men to Gavin Hamilton ; and a shrewd clever old carle was he, no doubt, but no more a poet than his precentor."…’
