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Original Letters from James VI. of Scotland and Chancellor Mait- 

 land to Robert Bruce, Minister of the Gospel. — Communicated 

 by William Bruce, D. D. 



Read May 26, 1828. 



L HE documents, to which this Memoir is introductory, have been 

 in my family ever since they were written. Extracts from some of 

 them occur in Calderwood, and they are frequently mentioned by 

 later historians ; but they were never before published. Before I 

 exhibit to the reader the form and contents of these papers, I shall 

 offer some observations on the parties concerned, the times in which 

 they lived, and the occasions on which they wrote. 



SECTION 1. 



My view in enlarging on the character of James is, to relieve his 

 memory from some of that obloquy, with which it is overwhelmed 

 by historians. I have no intention to enter upon a general discus- 

 sion of his merits, nor to contest any of the crimes or vices with 

 wiiich he has been charged ; neither do I admit them all. I aban- 

 don his conduct in religion and private life to the mercy of his 

 enemies ; but I complain that his political character has been mis- 

 represented, and his merits as a king almost entirely overlooked. 

 He was, no doubt, despotic and intolerant, pedantic, pragmatical 

 and vain, and addicted to mean and contemptible habits : mv most 

 favourite principles and prepossessions he continually violated and 

 insulted ; and no one was persecuted by him with more unrelenting 



VOL. XV. K K 



