124 The Admirable Crichton. 



between the two might seem to find a parallel in the famous 

 lines : — 

 " When, ladling briskly from alternate tubs, 



Stubbs buttered Freeman, Freeman buttered Stubbs." 



But we know that both Crichton and Aldus were men of extra- 

 ordinary attainments, and their praise of each other may have 

 been purely the praise of the devoted friend and admirer. 

 Aldus, the grandson of the famous founder of the Aldine Press, 

 and himself a scholar and critic of no mean calibre, was well 

 qualified to form an opinion as to the genuineness or otherwise 

 of Crichton's claims and achievements. 



Another contemporary and admirer of Crichton was Sperone 

 Speroni, the great Greek and Latin scholar, who was considered 

 the most learned and acute logician and critic of his age in Italy. 

 During the period of Crichton's stay in Mantua — to which refer- 

 ence will now be made — Speroni, then 82 years of age, addressed 

 to the young Scotsman a lengthy and most commendatory epistle. 

 This is printed among other letters from the same pen in the 

 fifth volume of the " Opere di M. Sperone Speroni," published 

 in Venice in 1740. 



I have so far refrained from making any mention of Sir 

 Thomas Urquhart, the eccentric Knight of Cromarty, who, in 

 his "Jewel," has left a most fantastically-written story of a 

 portion of Crichton's life. It has been stated by historians that 

 the Admirable Crichton owes his fame entirely to the celebrated 

 translator of the work of Rabelais ; and, indeed, one well-known 

 critic, twelve months ago, caused some of us a little surprise by 

 publishing his opinion that the Admirable Crichton was purely 

 the invention of Sir Thomas Urquhart. So far from this being 

 the case, I am prepared to reject every word that Sir Thomas 

 wrote upon the subject, and to proceed on other and more direct 

 evidence — for there is plenty of it. Urquhart 's burlesque style 

 of literary craftmanship has done more harm than good to 

 Crichton's name and fame. 



And now I have arrived at the last sad stage of the life's 

 journey of a man who seems not to have been permitted his fair 

 share of human happiness. In February, 1582, Crichton 

 entered the service of the Duke of Mantua (William Gonzaga), 

 but it was not — as has been so frequently and erroneously 



