I do impeach the memory of Lord Hildebrand; As to adopt his caufe, let him ftand forth, Saint Valori. Lord De Courci, Shall I reveal myfelf? I'm ftrongly tempted? De Courci. I do protest against it; and conjure you, To draw confeffion up. Saint Valori. I am content. De Courci. Montgomeri, in virtue of my charge A knight of known degree to challenge it, Say, by what ftile and title wilt thou answer? [Afide. Montgomeri. Afk that of her in whofe defence I ftand. Saint Valori. Answer to that-Tis palpable, 'tis grofs: Montgomeri. Ah, good father, Have you fo us'd confeffion as an engine To twift and torture filence to your purpose, St. Valori. The man who flies to filence for evasion, Mr. Cumberland is certainly a writer of more than vulgar abilities. In the character of Belcour in the Weft Indian, - there is a glow of irregular virtue that does equal honor to the conception and the heart of the writer. In the anecdotes of Spanish Painters, the conclufion is animated and poetical; and upon various occafions, but particularly in his letter to the Bishop of Landaff, though we by no means approve of the fpirit of the performance, we acknowledge much shrewdnefs of animadverfion and happiness of repartee. But the talents of our author, though qualified to gain him refpect among his cotemporaries, will not raise him a monument more durable than brass. They are more amusing than venerable, and rather formed to deal in the lighter fubftances that float on the furface of letters, than to dive to the treasures that are concealed in their bed; and leaft of all, if we can depend upon the obfervations we have made, did nature intend him for a writer of tragedy. R. The ART. IV. The Hiftory of Scotland, from the establishment of the Reformation till the death of Queen Mary. To which are annexed Obfervations concerning the public Law and the Conflitution of Scotland. By Gilbert Stuart, Doctor of Laws, and Member of the Society of Antiquaries at Edinburgh. In two Volumes. The fecond Edition. 8vo. 12s. Boards. Murray. E are happy to notice the fecond edition of a work WE like this; and we fhall dwell the more particularly upon it, as its first appearance was prior to the commencement of our Review; and as we with, for the fake of the public, to give fuch an important history all the advantages of a circumftantial notice. The prefent age is ftrongly marked by its rapid improvements in knowledge. ELECTRICITY broke out upon us like a stroke of its own lightening, about forty years ago, and AERIAL NAVIGATION is now riding the clouds in triumph. But the heart has not been expanded, as the head has been improved. The progrefs of liberality in thinking has not kept pace with the advances of refinement in fcience. We have been particularly tied and bound down to a system of falfhood, in the modern hiftory of our inland. Our paffions have been too much engaged to allow the exercife of candour; and Faction has been exerting an equal influence over our actions and our annals. This has been occafioned by that grand revolution in our empire, which threw off the old line of our kings for their tyranny, and adopted a new line for their religion. Such an event as this was fure to actuate our paffions warmly, and to engage our prejudices ftrongly. But it has done much more. It has generated a difhoneft fpirit of partiality in our beft writers. The exiled Family, with the natural meannefs of mankind to the unfor tunate, was to be abused at the expence of truth. Hiftory was to be warped, in order to difgrace them, and thofe low flatterers of power, who would have been the first to have complimented the Stuarts, if they had been ftill upon the throne of these kingdoms, have been officiously busy in loading their memories with unmerited reproach. Within these few years, however, a better fpirit has appeared among us: the Revolution has begun to ftand upon a firmer footing, and to difdain the wretched crutches on which it was propped before. We are no longer afraid of looking into records. We dare face the facts that we may meet with there; and our modern hiftory is beginning to be written with a fairness and an honesty that it has never known before. Yet, when we look back a few years only, we fee the ftruggles that it coft the nation to come to this. Sir John Dalrymple was arraigned and abused in every company, and B 2 in in every newspaper almoft, for prefuming to think, upon the authority of a Frenchman and a Papift, though this Frenchman was an Ambassador here at the time, and even though this Papist was the very agent by whom the bufinefs was tranfacted, that Patriots could be penfioners to France, and that Proteftants could be intriguing with the French. And, when Mr. Macpherson wanted afterwards to examine the records in the Paper-office, for his hiftory, he was refused all access to them, even by the greateft authority in the kingdom, fo high did the prejudices of the vulgar afcend! But, in fpite of all, the manlier fpirit of the nation has been gradually gaining ground ever fince. It has been gradually mounting out of the thick and grofs atmosphere of prejudice, in which it has been fo long detained, and it is daily rifing into the clear light of truth. The clamour which was fo loud against Sir John Dalrymple, was much fainter against Mr. Macpherson. The records in the Depot des affaires Etrangeres of France, are now allowed by all the thinking and candid part of the nation, to have their proper weight in afcertaining the truths of our history. The papers of King James the Second are equally with the papers of William and the Hanoverian Family, incorporated into the body of materials for our annals. Search is made on all fides for authentic information. The eagle-eye of the nation is now able to look full upon the fun; and a memorable æra has taken place among us, which may be called the æra of HisTORICAL LIBERALITY. To this great event the writer of the prefent work has particularly contributed. He has, equally with Dalrymple and Macpherfon, given us an honourable example of hiftorical probity; and the public is much obliged to him for the firm, the manly, and the dignified manner in which he has detailed to us the life and fufferings of Queen Mary. Daring to confide in his own penetration for the discovery of facts, he has examined the original authorities with a keen. eye daring to feize the truth, under whatever form he found it, he has boldly brought it forward to the view. He left Dr. Robertfon and others, who had not vigour enough to stand against the tide of popular falfhood, to fall down with it, and fo reach with eafe the intereft or the fame to which they were tending. He was fuperior to fuch conduct. He saw that the fame prejudices which had thrown a deep tinge of faction over the reigns of all the Stuarts, had even extended themselves beyond, and coloured over the annals of the unfortunate Mary. He nobly scorned to be led by them. With a juft and a decifive hand he has torn down the old fabrick of fiction, which has been reared fo long and buttreffed up fo fo often. And he has erected a fabrick in its room, which has facts for its foundation, and truth for its fuperftruc ture. We shall therefore produce fome of the moft ftriking paffages in the prefent hiftory; such as are most striking for their probity, and fuch as will beft unite together to form a whole concerning this period of our ifland annals. We fhall only obferve previously, that the act of hoftility, equally unprovoked and perfidious, in Elizabeth's fending out a squadron of fhips to intercept Mary on her way from France to Scotland, as mentioned in p. 117 and 23, fhould, in our opinion, have been more infifted upon than it is by our author, as the firft link in that chain of faithleffnefs which Elizabeth continued ever afterwards. In p. 117, we have this account of Elizabeth's conduct, a mafter-piece of finesse and knavery. 'But though he had excited them to revolt, and had not only supplied them with money, but had promifed to fupport them by her arms, he now affected difdain and fcorn. The deputies were fternly refused even the formality of an audience. But, after having operated upon their fears, fhe feduced them to contribute to her vindication, under the fecret ftipulation of her exerting the fulness of her power in behalf of their faction. The Ambaffadors of France and Spain had complained with warmth of her interference in the affairs of the Queen of Scots, and of the delight which the found in ftirring up the diffenfions of her kingdom. Having afferted her integrity, the called Murray and Hamilton before her, in their prefence, and defired them to fay, whether fhe had encouraged the rebellion against the Scottish Queen. Thefe deputies, throwing themfelves upon their knees, protested with folemnity, that she was altogether innocent of fomenting any divifions among the subjects of Scotland. "You are in the right, faid fhe to them, to tell the "truth; for neither I nor any perfon in my name ever excited you ❝to oppose your Sovereign. Your treason is most abominable, and teach rebellion to my fubjects; and as worthless traitors I com"mand you from my prefence." Murray and Hamilton departed from her covered with fhame, and ftupified with amazement. dolph, alfo, who had been refident in Scotland, in compliance with the ignoble uniformity of his conduct, expreffed roundly the innocence of his mistress. Amidst a scene of treachery which was too grofs to deceive, but which correfponded with the perfidious refinements of Elizabeth, Throgmorton alone maintained his probity and honour. He could not be prevailed upon to deny or to palliate his tranfactions to interrupt the marriage of the Queen of Scots, and to rouze up her fubjects against her; and his fincerity might have expofed him to the greatest hazard, if his forefight had not fuggefted to him that a warrant from the Privy Council might be neceffary as his authority for the part which he was inftructed to act. This warrant accordingly had been given to him, and he now expreffed his willingness may B 3 Ran willingness to produce it as the decifive voucher of the orders with which he had been entrusted *. We next turn to the rebels themfelves, and in p. 225-227, have this lively picture of them. The Earl of Murray, after he had vifited the English court, proceeded to France, where he affiduoufly diffeminated all the reports against the Queen which were injurious to her reputation; and where, without being expofed to fufpicion, he was able to maintain a clofe correfpondence with his friends, Morton and Lethington, and to inspire their machinations. His affociates, true to his ambition and their own, bad romoted all the fchemes of Bothwel upon the Queen with a power and influence which had insured their fuccefs. In confederacy with the Earl of Murray himself, they had confpired with him to murder the King. Affifted with the weight of the Earl of Murray, they had managed his trial, and operated the verdict which acquitted him. By the fame arts, and with the fame views they had joined with him to procure the bond of the nobles, recommending him to the Queen as a husband, afferting his integri ty and innocence, recounting his noble qualities, expreffing an unalterable refolution to fupport the marriage, against every oppofer and adversary, and recording a wifh that a defection from its objects and purpofes fhould be branded with everlasting ignominy, and held out as a moft faithlefs and perjured treachery. When the end, how, ever, was accomplished, for which they had been fo zealous, and when the marriage of the Queen was actually celebrated, they laid afide the fmiling and delufive vizor of friendship, and were in hafte to entitle themselves to the ignominy which they had invited to fall upon them. The murder of the King, the guilt of Bothwel, his acquittal, his divorce, and his marriage, became the topics of their complaints and declamation. Upon the foundation of this hated marriage, they even ventured privately to infer the privity of the Queen to all his iniquity and tranfactions; and this step feemed doubtlefs, to the mafs of her own fubjects, and to more distant observers, a ftrong confirmation of all the former fufpicions, to her fhame, which had been circulated with fo much artifice. The ftabbing out rage of their imputations and divifes, excited against her, both at home and abroad, the most indignant and humiliating odium. Amidst the ruins of her fame, they thought to bury for ever her tranquillity and peace; and in the convulfions they had meditated, they already were anticipating the downfal of Bothwel, and fnatching at the crown that tottered on her head †. We are foon afterwards, p. 240---241, prefented with a view of the rebels, beginning for the first time to try their hands in the forgery of letters. They had, as they told Kircaldy of Grange, recently interrupted a letter from her,' Queen Mary, to this nobleman,' Earl Bothwel, in which the expreffed, in the most glowing terms, the warmth of her love, and her fixed purpose never to forfake him, * Melvil, Memoirs, p. 118. Memoirs, p. 160. Camden, p. 404. Melvil, Kircaldy |