Memoirs of John Napier of MerchisUm. ^6^ 



qu'k Edinibourg. Auquel lieu ledit Jean se trouvant revenu 

 sans enconibre, il devra, en presence dudil Robert, effacer et 

 d^truire le present contrat, pour pleine decharge des deux par- 

 ties ayant honnHement satisfait et accompli leur engagement 

 Tune en vers Tautre. Et il est arrete qu"'aucune autre decharge 

 . que la destruction du present contrat ne sera d'aucune valeur, 

 force ou effet. Et dans le cas ou ledit Jean ne trouverait pas 

 de tresor cache, apres tous ses efforts et diligence, il s'en rappor- 

 terait pour le dedommagement de ses peines et travail a la dis- 

 cretion dudit Robert. En temoignage du present et pour 

 marque de toute honnetete, foi et fidelite k Tobserver dans toutes 

 ses conditions, relativement k chacune des deux parties, ils ont 

 Tun et Tauire souscrit le present de leurs propres mains, a Edini- 

 bourg, les jour et an que dessus. 



Signe " Robert Logan ue Restalrig. 

 " Jean Neper, sieur de Merchiston.*" 



How could the great theologian of Scotland, the marvellous 

 Napier, as his biographer calls him — how could he have the 

 conscience to enter into such a contract — a contract, moreover, 

 almost of pure necromancy — with a bandit and notorious cut- 

 throat — he who had evinced horror so excessive, and indignation 

 so scrupulous, against the temporal depravities of the Papists, 

 and against those eight-and-twenty Popes reputed to be necro- 

 mancers ? Our biographer does not dissemble the difficulty of 

 this question, and he gets out of it the best way he can, by 

 referring the act in question to the savage rudeness of the times, 

 and the simplicity of our philosopher'' s character. (P. 223.) 

 There may be found, in our opinion, an explication nearer the 

 truth, and more serious, in the doctrine admitted at that time in 

 Scotland, among the casuists of the puritanical league, and 

 revived in the present by another sect, who appear to be making 

 rapid strides in England, — and that is, that all means are good 

 in the hands of the Saints, as they are called, or, in other words, 

 that the Saints cannot sin. The Scotch biographer passes dex- 

 terously over the moral consequences of that act, and only takes 

 occasion to call our admiring attention to " the undaunted cour- 

 age of the man who was willing to go alone with the robbfer to 

 his cave ;"' after which he adds, " to pronounce the transaction 



