Life
Tytler was the son of a Presbyterian minister in Forfarshire, Scotland. His father taught him Greek, Latin and theology. He probably studied for the ministry but was not interested in (Orthodox) Calvinism. He became a preacher in the Church of Scotland and studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, after which he apprenticed as a ship's surgeon for one year. He may not have received a degree, or he may have, as the 11th edition of Britannica refers to him as James Tytler, M.A. He declined to practice medicine but instead opened a pharmacy in Leith, near Edinburgh, which was a financial failure, leaving him in debt. The two longest articles in the second edition of Britannica are Surgery and Pharmacy, reflecting his fields of expertise.
In 1765, Tytler married Elizabeth Rattray, the orphaned daughter of a solicitor. Soon after, he fled Scotland to escape his creditors. His financial problems may have come from his alcoholism. He went to northern England, where he again tried to make a living as an apothecary. After he became father of several children, he returned to Edinburgh in 1772 or 1773. In 1774 or 1775 Tytler separated from his wife; at the time the couple had five children.
The years when Tytler worked as editor of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1777–1784 for the second edition, and 1788-1793 for the third) were his financially luckiest. He had income also from some other editing works and translations. But in March 1785 he went bankrupt again, possibly due to the costs of his engagement in hot air ballooning. He moved to several places in Scotland and northern England. Elizabeth Rattray sued him for divorce in 1788, because he had lived with Jean Aitkenhead since about 1779 and had twin daughters with her.
He returned to Edinburgh in 1791. Because of political trouble, he was outlawed in absence by the Scottish High Court in 1793. So he moved to Belfast and in 1795 to the United States. In Salem, Massachusetts, he edited the Salem Register, published some works and sold medicines. On 9 January 1804, Tytler left his house drunk; two days later the sea returned his body.
James and Elizabeth Rattley had joined the Glasites, a radical Protestant sect. In the 70s, Tytler left the sect and denounced it together with all churches. He remained a fervent Christian without denomination. In Salem he never went to church.
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