historical lecturers and essays-第27部分

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ancient　writers　from　whom　he　took　his　manner。　　Whether　or　not　we



agree　with　his　contemporaries；　who　say　that　he　equalled　Virgil　in



Latin　poetry；　we　may　place　him　fairly　as　a　prose　writer　by　the　side



of　Demosthenes；　Cicero；　or　Tacitus。　　And　so　I　pass　from　this　painful



subject；　only　quotingif　I　may　be　permitted　to　quoteMr。　Burton's



wise　and　gentle　verdict　on　the　whole。　　〃Buchanan；〃　he　says；　〃though



a　zealous　Protestant；　had　a　good　deal　of　the　Catholic　and　sceptical



spirit　of　Erasmus；　and　an　admiring　eye　for　everything　that　was　great



and　beautiful。　　Like　the　rest　of　his　countrymen；　he　bowed　himself　in



presence　of　the　lustre　that　surrounded　the　early　career　of　his



mistress。　　More　than　once　he　expressed　his　pride　and　reverence　in



the　inspiration　of　a　genius　deemed　by　his　contemporaries　to　be



worthy　of　the　theme。　　There　is　not；　perhaps；　to　be　found　elsewhere



in　literature　so　solemn　a　memorial　of　shipwrecked　hopes；　of　a　sunny



opening　and　a　stormy　end；　as　one　finds　in　turning　the　leaves　of　the



volume　which　contains　the　beautiful　epigram　〃Nympha　Caledoniae〃　in



one　part；　the　〃Detectio　Mariae　Reginae〃　in　another；　and　this



contrast　is；　no　doubt；　a　faithful　parallel　of　the　reaction　in　the



popular　mind。　　This　reaction　seems　to　have　been　general；　and　not



limited　to　the　Protestant　party；　for　the　conditions　under　which　it



became　almost　a　part　of　the　creed　of　the　Church　of　Rome　to　believe



in　her　innocence　had　not　arisen。〃







If　Buchanan；　as　some　of　his　detractors　have　thought；　raised　himself



by　subserviency　to　the　intrigues　of　the　Regent　Murray；　the　best



heads　in　Scotland　seem　to　have　been　of　a　different　opinion。　　The



murder　of　Murray　did　not　involve　Buchanan's　fall。　　He　had　avenged



it；　as　far　as　pen　could　do　it；　by　that　〃Admonition　Direct　to　the



Trew　Lordis；〃　in　which　he　showed　himself　as　great　a　master　of



Scottish；　as　he　was　of　Latin　prose。　　His　satire　of　the　〃Chameleon；〃



though　its　publication　was　stopped　by　Maitland；　must　have　been　read



in　manuscript　by　many　of　those　same　〃True　Lords；〃　and　though　there



were　nobler　instincts　in　Maitland　than　any　Buchanan　gave　him　credit



for；　the　satire　breathed　an　honest　indignation　against　that　wily



turncoat's　misgoings；　which　could　not　but　recommend　the　author　to



all　honest　men。　　Therefore　it　was；　I　presume；　and　not　because　he　was



a　rogue；　and　a　hired　literary　spadassin；　that　to　the　best　heads　in



Scotland　he　seemed　so　useful；　it　may　be　so　worthy；　a　man；　that　he　be



provided　with　continually　increasing　employment。　　As　tutor　to　James



I。；　as　director；　for　a　short　time；　of　the　chancery；　as　keeper　of　the



privy　seal；　and　privy　councillor；　as　one　of　the　commissioners　for



codifying　the　laws；　and　againfor　in　the　semi…anarchic　state　of



Scotland；　government　had　to　do　everything　in　the　way　of



organisationin　the　committee　for　promulgating　a　standard　Latin



grammar；　in　the　committee　for　reforming　the　University　of　St。



Andrew's：　　　in　all　these　Buchanan's　talents　were　again　and　again



called　for；　and　always　ready。　　The　value　of　his　work；　especially



that　for　the　reform　of　St。　Andrew's；　must　be　judged　by　Scotsmen；



rather　than　by　an　Englishman；　but　all　that　one　knows　of　it　justifies



Melville's　sentence　in　the　well…known　passage　in　his　memoirs；



wherein　he　describes　the　tutors　and　household　of　the　young　king。



〃Mr。　George　was　a　Stoic　philosopher；　who　looked　not　far　before　him；〃



in　plain　words；　a　high…minded　and　right…minded　man；　bent　on　doing



the　duty　which　lay　nearest　him。　　The　worst　that　can　be　said　against



him　during　these　times　is；　that　his　name　appears　with　the　sum　of　100



pounds　against　it；　as　one　of　those　〃who　were　to　be　entertained　in



Scotland　by　pensions　out　of　England；〃　and　Ruddiman；　of　course；



comments　on　the　fact　by　saying　that　Buchanan　〃was　at　length　to　act



under　the　threefold　character　of　malcontent；　reformer；　and



pensioner：〃　but　it　gives　no　proof　whatsoever　that　Buchanan　ever



received　any　such　bribe；　and　in　the　very　month；　seemingly；　in　which



that　list　was　written10th　March；　1579Buchanan　had　given　a　proof



to　the　world　that　he　was　not　likely　to　be　bribed　or　bought；　by



publishing　a　book；　as　offensive　probably　to　Queen　Elizabeth　as　it



was　to　his　own　royal　pupil；　namely；　his　famous　〃De　Jure　Regni　apud



Scotos；〃　the　very　primer；　according　to　many　great　thinkers；　of



constitutional　liberty。　　He　dedicates　that　book　to　King　James；　〃not



only　as　his　monitor；　but　also　as　an　importunate　and　bold　exactor；



which　in　these　his　tender　and　flexible　years　may　conduct　him　in



safety　past　the　rocks　of　flattery。〃　　He　has　complimented　James



already　on　his　abhorrence　of　flattery；　〃his　inclination　far　above



his　years　for　undertaking　all　heroical　and　noble　attempts；　his



promptitude　in　obeying　his　instructors　and　governors；　and　all　who



give　him　sound　admonition；　and　his　judgment　and　diligence　in



examining　affairs；　so　that　no　man's　authority　can　have　much　weight



with　him　unless　it　be　confirmed　by　probable　reasons。〃　　Buchanan　may



have　thought　that　nine　years　of　his　stern　rule　had　eradicated　some



of　James's　ill　conditions；　the　petulance　which　made　him　kill　the



Master　of　Mar's　sparrow；　in　trying　to　wrest　it　out　of　his　hand；　the



carelessness　with　whichif　the　story　told　by　Chytraeus；　on　the



authority　of　Buchanan's　nephew；　be　trueJames　signed　away　his　crown



to　Buchanan　for　fifteen　days；　and　only　discovered　his　mistake　by



seeing　Bachanan　act　in　open　court　the　character　of　King　of　Scots。



Buchanan　had　at　last　made　him　a　scholar；　he　may　have　fancied　that　he



had　made　him　likewise　a　manful　man：　　　yet　he　may　have　dreaded　that；



as　James　grew　up；　the　old　inclinations　would　return　in　stronger　and



uglier　shapes；　and　that　flattery　might　be；　as　it　was　after　all；　the



cause　of　James's　moral　ruin。　　He　at　least　will　be　no　flatterer。　　He



opens　the　dialogue　which　he　sends　to　the　king；　with　a　calm　but



distinct　assertion　of　his　mother's　guilt；　and　a　justification　of　the



conduct　of　men　who　were　now　most　of　them　past　helping　Buchanan；　for



they　were　laid　in　their　graves；　and　then　goes　on　to　argue　fairly；



but　to　lay　down　firmly；　in　a　sort　of　Socratic　dialogue；　those　very



principles　by　loyalty　to　which　the　House　of　Hanover　has　reigned；　and



will　reign；　over　these　realms。　　So　with　his　History　of　Scotland；



later　antiquarian　researches　have　destroyed　the　value　of　the　earlier



portions　of　it：　　　but　they　have　surely　increased　the　value　of　those



later　portions；　in　which　Buchanan　inserted　so　much　which　he　had



already　spoken　out　in　his　Detection　of　Mary。　　In　that　book　also



liberavit　animam　suam；　he　spoke　his　mind　fearless　of　consequences；



in　the　face　of　a　king　who　he　must　have　knownfor　Buchanan　was　no



dullardregarded　him　with　deep　dislike；　who　might　in　a　few　years　be



able　to　work　his　ruin。







But　those　few　years　were　not　given　to　Buchanan。　　He　had　all　but　done



his　work；　and　he　hastened　to　get　it　over　before　the　night　should



come　wherein　no　man　can　work。　　One　must　be　excused　for　tellingone



would　not　tell　it　in　a　book　intended　to　be　read　only　by　Scotsmen；



who　know　or　ought　to　know　the　tale　alreadyhow　the　two　Melvilles



and　Buchanan's　nephew　Thomas　went　to　see　him　in　Edinburgh；　in



September；　1581；　hearing　that　he　was　ill；　and　his　History　still　in



the　press；　and　how　they　found　the　old　sage；　true　to　his



schoolmaster's　instincts；　teaching　the　Hornbook　to　his　servant…lad；



and　how　he　told　them　that　doing　that　was　〃better　than　stealing



sheep；　or　sitting　idle；　which　was　as　bad；〃　and　showed　them　that



dedication　to　James　I。；　in　which　he　holds　up　to　his　imitation　as　a



hero　whose　equal　was　hardly　to　be　found　in　history；　that　very　King



David　whose　liberality　to　the　Romish　Church　provoked　James's



witticism　that　〃David　was　a　sair　saint　for　the　crown。〃　　Andrew



Melville；　so　James　Melville　says；　found　fault　with　the　style。



Buchanan　replied　that　he　could　do　no　more　for　thinking　of　another



thing；　which　was　to　die。　　They　then　went　to　Arbuthnot's　printing…



house；　and　inspected　the　history；　as　far　as　that　terrible　passage



concerning　Rizzio's　burial；　where　Mary　is　represented　as　〃laying　the



miscreant　almost　in　the　arms　of　Maud　de　Valois；　the　late　queen。〃



Alarmed；　and　not　without　reason；　at　such　plain　speaking；　they



stopped　the　press；　and　went　back　to　Buchanan's　house。　　Buchanan　was



in　bed。　　〃He　was　going；〃　he　said；　〃the　way　of　welfare。〃　　They　asked



him　to　soften　the　passage；　the　king　might　prohibit　the　whole　work。



〃Tell　me；　man；〃　said　Buchanan；　〃if　I　have　told　the　truth。〃　　They



could　not；　or　would　not；　deny　it。　　〃Then　I　will　abide　his　feud；　and



all　his　kin's；　pray；　pray　to　God　for　me；　and　let　Him　direct　all。〃



〃So；〃　says　Melville；　〃before　the　printing　of　his　chronicle　was



ended；　this　most　learned；　wise；　and　godly　man　ended　his　mortal



life。〃







Camden　has　a　hearsay　storywritten；　it　must　be　remembered；　in　James



I。's　timethat　Buchanan；　on　his　death…bed；　repented　of　his　harsh



words　against　Queen　Mary；　and　an　old　Lady　Rosyth　is　said　to　have



said　that　when　she　was　young　a　certain　David　Buchanan　recollected



hearing　some　such　words　from　George　Buchanan's　own　mouth。　　Those　who



will；　may　read　what　Ruddiman　and　Love　have　said；　and　oversaid；　on



both　sides　of　the　question：　　　whatever　conclusion　they　come　to；　it



will　probably　not　be　that　to　which　George　Chalmers　comes　in　his　life



of　Ruddiman：　　　that　〃Buchanan；　like　other　liars；　who；　by　the



repetition　of　falsehoods　are　induced　to　consider　the　fiction　as



truth；　had　so　often　dwelt　with　complacenc