affairs, Monmouth referred them to the following paper which he had signed that morning: favour of his Creator. His repentance, he said, must be true, for he had no fear of dying, he should die like a lamb. Much may come unfeeling and stupid reply of one of the assistants. - Monmouth, with that modesty inseparable from true bravery, denied that he was in ge. neral less fearful than other men, maintaining that his present courage was owing to his consciousness that God had forgiven him his past transgressions, of all which generally be repented with all his soul. “I declare, that the title of King" from natural courage," was the "was forced upon me; and, that "it was very much contrary to my opinion, when I was proclaimed. "For the satisfaction of the world, "I do declare that the late King "told me, he was never married to "my mother. Having declared "this, I hope the King, who is "now, will not let my children suffer on this account. And to "this I put my hand this fifteenth day of July, 1685. “MONMOUTH." "There was nothing, they said, in that paper about resistance; nor, though Monmouth quite worn out with their importunities, said to one of them, in a most affecting manner, "I am to die,-Pray my Lord, "I refer to my paper," would these men think it consistent with their duty to desist. They were only a few words they desired on one point. The substance of these applications on one hand, and answers on the other, was repeated, over and over again, in a manner that could not be believed, if the facts were not attested by the signature of the persons principally concerned. * If the Duke, in declaring his sorrow for what had passed, used the word invasion, "give it "the true name," said they," and "call it rebellion." "What name 'you please," replied the mildtempered Monmouth. He was sure he was going to everlasting happiness, and considered the serenity of his mind in his present circumstances, as a certain earnest of the "At last the reverend assistants consented to join with him in prayer, but no sooner were they risen from their kneeling posture, than they returned to their charge. Not satisfied with what had passed, they exhorted him to a true and thorough repentance; would he not pray for the King? and send a dutiful mes sage to his Majesty, to recommend the Dutchess and his children? As 66 you please;" was the reply, "I pray for him and for all men." He now spoke to the executioner, desiring that he might have no cap over his eyes, and began undressing. One would have thought that in this last sad ceremony, the poor prisoner might have been unmolested, and that the divines would have been satisfied, that prayer was the only part of their function for which their duty now called upon them. They judged differently, and one cr them had the fortitude to request the Duke, even in this stage of the business, that he would address himself to the soldiers then present, to tell them he stood a sad example of rebellion, and entreat the people to be loyal and obedient to the King "I have said I will make no "speeches," repeated Monmouth, in a tone more peremptory than he had before been provoked to; "I "will make no speeches. I come "to die." 86 My Lord, ten words "will be enough," said the persevering divine, to which the Duke made no answer, but turning to the executioner, expressed a hope that he would do his work better now than in the case of Lord Russel. He then felt the axe, which he apprehended was not sharp enough, but being assured that it was of proper sharpness and weight, he laid down his head. In the meantime, many fervent ejaculations were used by the reverend assistants, who, it must be observed, even in these moments of horror, shewed themselves not unmindful of the points upon which they had been disputing; praying God to accept his imperfect and general repentance. "The executioner now struck the blow, but so feebly or unskilfully, that Monmouth being but slightly wounded, lifted up his head, and looked him in the face as if to upbraid him, but said nothing. The two following strokes were as ineffectual as the first, and the headsman in a fit of horror, declared he could not finish his work. The sheriffs threatened him; he was forced again to make a further trial, and in two more strokes separated the head from the body. "Thus fell, in the thirty-sixth year of his age, James, Duke of Monmouth, a man against whom all that has been said by the most inveterate enemies both to him and his party, amounts to little more than this, that he had not a mind equal to the situation in which his ambition, at different times, engaged him to place himself. But to judge him with candour, we must make great allowances, not only for the temptations into which he was led by the splendid prosperity of the earlier parts of his life, but also for the adverse prejudices with which he was regarded by almost all the cotemporary writers from whom his actions and character are described. The Tories of course are unfavourable to him; and even among the Whigs, there seems, in many, a strong inclination to disparage him; some to accuse themselves for not having joined him, others to make a display of their exclusive attachment to their more successful leader, King William. Burnet says of Monmouth, that he was gentle, brave, and sincere: to these praises, from the united testimony of all who knew him, we may add that of generosity, and surely those quali ties go a great way in making up the catalogue of all that is amiable and estimable in human nature. One of the most conspicuous features in his character, seems to have been a remarkable, and as some think, a culpable degree of flexibility. That such a disposition is preferable to its opposite extreme, will be admitted by all who think that modesty, even in excess, is more nearly allied to wisdom, than conceit and self sufficiency. He who has attentively considered the political, or indeed the general concerns of life, may possibly go still further, and rank a willingness to be convinced, or in some even without conviction, to concede our own opinion to that of other men, among the principal ingredients in the composition of practical wisdom. Monmouth had suffered this flexibility, so laudable in many cases, to degenerate into a habit, which made him often follow the advice, or yield to the entreaties, of persons whose characters by no means entitled them to C 2 cases such such deference. The sagacity of Shaftesbury, the honour of Russel, the genius of Sidney, might, in the opinion of a modest man, be safe and eligible guides. The partiality of friendship, and the conviction of his firm attachment, might be some excuse for his listening so much to Grey; but he never could, at any period of his life, have mistaken Fergusson for an honest man. There is reason to believe that the advice of the two last mentioned persons had great weight in persuading him to the unjustifiable step of declaring himself King. But far the most guilty act in this man's life, was his Jending his name to the declaration which was published at Lyme, and in this instance, Fergusson, who penned the paper, was both the adviser and the instrument. To accuse the King of having burnt London, murdered Essex in the Tower, and finally, poisoned his brother, unsupported by evidence to substantiate such dreadful charges, was calumny of the most atrocious kind; but the guilt is still heightened, when we observe, that from no conversation of Monmouth, nor indeed from, any other circumstance whatever, do we collect that he himself believed the horrid accusations to be true. With regard to Essex's death, in particular, the only one of the three charges which was believed by any man of common sense, the late King was as much implicated in the suspicion as James. That the latter should have dared to be concerned in such an act without the privacy of his brother, was too absurd an imputation to be attempted, even in the days of the Popish plot. On the other hand, it was certainly not the intention of the son to brand his father as an assassin. It is too plain, that in the instance of this declaration, Monmouth, with a facility highly crimi nal, consented to set his name to whatever. Fergusson recommended as advantageous to the cause. Among the many dreadful circumstances attending civil wars, perhaps there are few more revolting to a good mind, than the wicked calunnies with which, in the heat of contention, men, otherwise men of honour, have in all ages and countries permitted themselves to load their adversaries. It is remarkable that there is no trace of the divines who attended this unfortunate man, having ex horted him to a particular repent ance of his manifesto, or having called for a retraction or disavowal of the accusations contained in it They were so intent upon points more immediately connected with orthodoxy of Faith, that they omitted pressing their penitent to the only declaration, by which he could make any satisfactory atonement to those whom he had injured." C " Τ ANECDOTES OF BUCHANAN. [FROM MR. IRVING'S MEMOIRS OF HIS LIFE.]. Twas perhaps the alarming state of France that induced Buchanan to hasten his return to his native country. The precise period of his re turn has not been ascertained: but it is certain he was at the Scottish court in January, 1562, and that, in the month of April, he was officiating as classical classical tutor to the queen, who was then in the twentieth year of her age. Every afternoon she perused with Buchanan a portion of Livy. This author is not commonly recommended to very young scholars; and indeed the study of the Latin lan guage is known to have occupied a considerable share of her previous attention, She had been sent to France in the sixth year of her age, and had acquired every accomplish ment that could adorn her station. The charms of her person were so conspicuous as to place her above the most elegant of her fair cotem poraries; and the polish of her mind corresponded to the native elegance of her external form. She was acquainted not only with the Scottish and French, but also with the Italian and Spanish languages; and her knowledge of the Latin tongue was such as modern ladies have not very often surpassed. In the fourteenth year of her age, she pronounced, before a splendid auditory of the French court, a Latin declamation against the opinion of those who would debar the female sex from the liberal pursuits of science and literature. This oration, which she had herself composed, she afterwards translated into French; but neither the original nor the version has ever been published. Some of her Italian and French verses are however preserved. Mary was unquestionably entitled to the character of a learned princess; but her subsequent conduct rather serves to confirm than to refute the caustic observation of Muretus. "The æra at which Buchanan finally returned to his native country, was highly important. After a violent struggle between the old and the new religion, the latter had at length prevailed: its doctrines and discipline received the sanction of parliament in the year 1560. For the manly principles of the Reformation he had always cherished a secret affection; and his attachment, as he candidly owns, had been confirmed by the personal malignity of the grey friars. As he now resided in a country where he could avow his sentiments without restraint, he professed himself a member of the reformed church of Scotland; and this accession to their cause was duly appreciated by the leaders of the party. The Earl of Murray was then rising towards that summit of power which he afterwards attained." He was one of the few Scottish nobles of the age who reverenced literature, and patronized its professors. His own education had not been neglected; he had been committed to the tuition of Ramus, who then presided over the College of de Prêle at Paris. For Buchanan he soon procured a station of some dignity and importance as commendator of the priory of St. Andrews, he enjoyed the right of nominating the principal of St. Leonard's College; and a vacancy occurring about the year 1566, he placed Buchanan at the head of that seminary. The masterships of the Scottish colleges are generally conferred on ecclesiasties? this practice does not, however, in each instance, result from the fundamental statutes, but from the influence of established modes. It has indeed been asserted, that Bu chanan was not a mere layman, but a doctor and professor of divinity. This supposition is evidently devoid of foundation; and its author ought to have recollected the distinction between doctors by office, and doctors by faculty. The tenure of his appointment would seem to have imposed the task of delivering occasional lectures on theology; and the skill with which he discussed the subject of prophetic inspiration is com commemorated in the unpublished history of Calderwood. The theological prelections of a gay and satirical poet must have excited no ordinary curiosity. Buchanan was a man of universal talent: and the study of theology had recently occupied a considerable share of his attention. "On his return to Scotland, he determined to publish, in a correct manner, the poetical works which he had composed at many different periods of his variegated life. His paraphrase of eighteen psalms had already appeared as a specimen; and the whole version having received the polish of his masterly hand, he committed it to H. Stephanus. That famous printer is represented as having long deferred the impression; and it is at least certain that the ma nuscript was in his custody so early as the year 1562. Its suppression might be imputed to various causes; but according to the very learned Hadrianus Junius, he had protracted the edition with the secret view of claiming this version as his own, in the event of Buchanan's decease. Many circumstances render this supposition highly improbable: and it must be recollected that Junius regarded with manifest hostility, the man to whom he imputes so flagitious a scheme. The date of this first complete edition is uncertain; for it has been absurdly omitted in the book itself. It was printed by Henricus Stephanus and his brother Robertus. In the year 1560 they published a second edition, which includes the author's tragedy of Jephthes. Buchanan, in the title-page of both impressions, is styled "Poetarum uostri sæculi facile princeps:" and his paraphrase was recommended to the learned world by the poetical encomiums of several respectable scholars; by the Greek verses of H. Stephanus, Franciscus Partus, and Fredericus Jamotius, and by the Latin verses of Stephanus and Castelvetro. The name of Jamotius is not so familiar to learned ears, but he was a man of considerable erudition. He was a native of Bethune in Artois, and by profession a physician. Castelvetro, an Italian critic of high reputation, is still regarded as one of the most subtle commentators on Aristotle's poetics. Of Buchanan's superlative genius, Stephanus was a zealous admirer: it was he who conferred upon him the appellation of chief poet of the age; and this honourable title was afterwards recognized by the scholars of France, Italy, Germany, and other countries. Of this celebrated printer, it may be safely affirmed that he was at least as much inclined to censure as to cominend: his cotemporary Joseph Scaliger, though very willing to ap plaud his erudition, has character ized him as a man of an arrogant and morose temper; and even his son-in-law, the candid and amiable Casaubon, however anxious he might be to conceal his infirmities, has occasionally mentioned him in terms of similar import. The eru dition of Stephanus was however extensive and profound; insomuch that he is justly regarded as the most learned printer who has yet appear ed. He was one of the best Grecians of that laborious age; and was eminently skilled in the Latin as well as in his vernacular language. The Greek tongue he studied be fore the Latin; and this unusual me thod be afterwards recommended as the most eligible. The services which he rendered to the cause of literature were such as entitle him to perpetual gratitude: before his time, Greek books were extremely rare and the numerous editions which proceeded from his press, are gene rally |