John Gillies (historian)

John Gillies FRSE FRS FSA (/ˈɡɪliːz/; 1747–1836) was a Scottish tutor, historian and man of letters.

He was educated in Brechin and then sent to the University of Glasgow, where, at the age of twenty, he acted for a short time as substitute for the professor of Greek.

[4] His History of Ancient Greece, its Colonies and Conquests was published in 1786; it was translated into French and German.

See for instance the opening 'dedication to the king': 'The history of Greece exposes the dangerous turbulence of democracy, and arraigns the despotism of tyrants.

By describing the incurable evils inherent in every form of Republican policy, it evinces the inestimable benefits resulting to liberty itself from the lawful dominion of hereditary kings, and the steady operation of well-regulated monarchy'.