BUCHANAN, QEOROE. 



BUCKINGHAM. 



Waiiam, abbot of CroeBafweU, having left him to do bii pilgrimage 

 to BOOM under a royal licence to that effect dated April Sth, 1530. 

 (Piteairn's Criminal Trials,' ToL L p. 245.) With that nobleman 

 ffnttif*" remained abroad about fire yean, and in thii period com- 

 mitted to the mm hi* first publication, which was a translation of 

 Ltnacrc'i ' Rudiment* of Latin Qrammar.' In Mar 1537 he returned 

 to Scotland in company with Lord Caatilis, who baa just attained his 

 majority ; and be was appointed tutor to James Stewart, one of the 

 natural children of James V., with a liberal allowance. 



At Lord Casailis's seat, where be seems to have continued a visitor, 

 Buchanan composed his poem entitled ' Somnium,' in derision of the 

 regular clergy. The king, who had a turn that way, baring seen the 

 poem, solicited him to write some tuoro satins of a like kind. He did 

 so accordingly, and published among others his 'Palinodia,' and 

 ' Francisoanus.' These pieces brought upon his devoted head the 

 vengeance of the tmlniiitHlTt He was seised as a heretic, and thrown 

 into prison ; and Cardinal Beaton is said to hare tendered to the king 

 a com of money to consent to his immediate death. Buchanan how- 

 ever escaped from his confinement and got to England, where, after a 

 severe struggle with want and the dread of re-imprisonment, he 

 resolved on returning to Paris. Finding on bis arrival that Cardinal 

 Beaton was living there at that time, he gladly accepted an invitation 

 from Andrew Govea to become a regent or professor of Latin in the 

 college of Quienne at Bordeaux. It appears that be was at Bordeaux 

 before the close of the year 1539, for on the 1st of December of that 

 year he presented a poem in the name of the college to Charles V. 

 when he made his solemn entry that day into Bordeaux. He remained 

 here three years, during which he published his Latin tragedy, 

 'Baptistes,' and several other minor pieces; but being continually 

 h^.^l by the clergy under letters from Cardinal Beaton, who had 

 traced his retreat, he removed to Paris, and from the year 1544 till 

 about 1547 taught Latin in the college of the Cardinal de la Moine, 

 along with the learned philologists Turnebus and Muretus. In 1547 

 Qovea was invited to become principal of the University of Coimbra 

 in Portugal, and to bring with him learned men to fill the vacant 

 chair*. Buchanan accompanied him on that occasion, and became a 

 regent in the university ; but having the misfortune to lose his friend 

 Clove* by death the following year, the inquisition assailed him as a 

 heretic, and after harassing him for nearly a year and a half, shut him 

 up in the cell of a monastery. But nothing could subdue the mind of 

 Buchanan. It was in this solitary abode he began his well-known 

 ' Version of the Psalms.' Being at last restored to liberty he embarked 

 for England in a vessel then leaving the port of Lisbon; but the 

 political state of that country bearing an unfavourable aspect, he soon 

 quitted it again for France, which he reached about the beginning of 

 the year 1563. The siege of Metz was raised about the same time; 

 and at the earnest request of some of his friend's he commemorated 

 that event in a Latin poem. Ho was soon afterwards appointed a 

 regent in the college of Boncourt ; but in the year 1555 he gave up 

 that charge for the place of domestic tutor to Timoleou de Cosed, son 

 of the celebrated Marcchal de Brissac. During his connection with 

 this family, which lasted till the year 1560, he published several 

 poetical works, among which was his translation of the ' Alceetis ' of 

 Euripides, and the earliest specimen of his paraphrase of the Psalms. 

 In 1 560 he returned to Scotland, where we find him in the beginning 

 of the year 1662 classical tutor to the young queen Mary. For his 

 services in that capacity she gave him a pension of 600i Scots a-year 

 for life out of the temporalities of the abbey of Crossragwell ; and in 

 the year 1S66 the Earl of Murray, her brother, to whom he bad dedi- 

 cated a new edition of his ' Franciscanus,' presented him with the place 

 of principal of St Leonard's College at St. Andrews. The following 

 year he was chosen Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church 

 of Scotland, which was a still more extraordinary homage to his 

 character and various abilities, as it is the only instance on record of 

 that office being held by a layman. 



In 1670 he resigned the office of principal of St Sal valor's College, 

 on being appointed one of the preceptors to the young King James, 

 then in the fourth year of his age. The aam year the place of 

 Director of the Chancery was for his services conferred upon him, and 

 soon afterwards that of Lord Privy Seal. This latter was a highly 

 honourable and lucrative office, and entitled its holder to a seat in 

 parliament. In the year 1678 ha was joined in several parliamentary 

 commissions, legal and ecclesiastical, and particularly in a commission 

 issued to visit and reform the universities and colleges of the kingdom. 

 The scheme of reformation suggested, and afterwards approved of by 

 parliament, was drawn up by him. The same year also he brought 

 forth bis celebrated treatise ' De Jure Kegni apud Sootos.' 



Continued indisposition and the advance of age now warned him of 

 his approaching dissolution. In his seventy-fourth year he wrote a 

 brief memoir of his own life. When visited a few days before his 

 death by some friends, he was found sitting in his chair teaching the 

 boy that served him in his chamber the elements of the English 

 language and grammar ; and not long afterwards ho expired, while his 

 great work, ' The Hi.tory of Scotland,' was passing through the press. 

 He died at Edinburgh, on the 28lh of September 1682, and was buried 

 at the public expense, having by his many charities and benefactions 

 left himself without means to defray the necessary charges of his 

 burial. As a man of great and various learning, and of nearly uni- 



versal talent, Buchanan was without a rival in his own day ; he is one 

 of the most elegant Latin writers that modern times have produced, 

 and he appears to have been also a good Greek scholar. 



There are two collected editions of the works of Buchanan. One 

 is by Ruddimon, published at Edinburgh in 1715, in 2 vols. folio. The 

 other is by Peter Bunuan, Lug. Bat. 17-.', in 2 vols. 4to. 



BUCKINGHAM. The county, and also the town of Buckingham 

 have given a title to many individuals distinguished in our history. 

 The first EARL or BUCKIHUHJLH appears to have been Walter Ginard, 

 created by the Conqueror, who died iu 1 102. The title having become 

 extinct was revived in 1377 in the person of Thomas Plantagenet, 

 duke of Gloucester, youngest son of Edward III., whose son Hum- 

 phrey died without issue in 1400. His heir Humphrey, earl of 

 Stafford, was created Duke of Buckingham iu 1401, and his grandson, 

 Henry Stafford, "the deep-revolving, witty Buckingham" ot Shaks- 

 pere, after assisting Itichard III. to mount the throne, was put to 

 death by him in 1483. His son, Edward Stafford, offended Wolsey, 

 fell under the suspicions of Henry VIII., and was attainted and 

 beheaded in 1521. Ha was the last nobleman who enjoyed the office 

 of Lord High Constable. The title of Earl of Buckingham was not 

 revived till 1617. 



GEOBUE VILLIEBS, DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM, third son of Sir George 

 Villiers, knight, by his second wife Mary, a lady of the ancient family 

 of Beaumont, was born August 20, 1592, at lirookealey in Leicester- 

 shire, a seat which had been in the possession of his ancestors for 

 nearly four centuries. His father died wheu George was about thirteen 

 years of age. In his eighteenth year he went to France, where he 

 resided for three years, and on his return he was well skilled in all 

 bodily exercises. As yet he was a stranger to the court, but his fine 

 person and graceful demeanour made a strong impression on James I., 

 who attached him to his own person as cup-bearer, and familiarly gave 

 him the name of Steenie. Promotion followed most rapidly, and he 

 successively became a knight and gentleman of the bed-chamber, with 

 a pension of 10001. a year out of tbe Court of Wards. On the follow- 

 ing New Year's Day he was made Master of the Horse, and installed 

 Knight of the Order of the Garter. In the next August he was 

 created Baron of Whaddon and Viscount Villiers; and in the ensuing 

 January he waa advanced to the earldom of Buckingham, and sworn 

 of his Majesty's privy council. Scarcely another year elapsed beforo 

 his patent was made out as Marqui". He was appointed Lord Admiral 

 of England, Chief Justice in Eyre of all the parks and forests on tlm 

 south of Trent, Master of the King's Bench Office, High Steward of 

 Westminster, and Constable of Windsor Castle " none of them," a* 

 Sir Hugh Wotton adds, " unprofitable pieces." 



A rise so unprecedented, and so entirely unmerited, could not fail 

 to create abundant jealousy ; and it is by no means easy at present to 

 ascertain the truth of uiany of the contemporary imputations under 

 which he laboured. One of these, which perhaps may be considered 

 most doubtful (for whatever might be bis faults, Buckingham never 

 evinced deficiency in personal coin-age), related to his marriage, in 

 1620, with the only daughter of the Karl of Uutland. It was not 

 likely that he should moke dishonourable advances to the richest 

 heiress in the kingdom, nor that he should be forced into a union with 

 her by the menaces of her injured father. Such however was the 

 scandal of the time. Three years afterwards, while negociations were 

 pending for the marriage of Charles, prince of Wales, with the Infanta 

 of Spain, Buckingham persuaded the prince to undertake a journey to 

 Madrid to carry on his suit in person. Maay of the adventures of 

 this expedition were of a romantic cost. The prince, in company with 

 the marquis, set out ou the 15th of February 1623, from New Hall in 

 Essex, " with disguised beards, and with borrowed named of Thomas 

 and John Smith. ' On ferrying over the river near Gravesend, they 

 found themselves without silver; anil the piece of gold, worth twenty- 

 two shilling!), with which they presented the boatman, created so much 

 suspicion, that he, feeling a misgiving us to their quality, and thinking 

 them gentlemen going beyond sea to settle some quarrel, laid informa- 

 tion with the officers of the town, who sent orders to stop them at 

 Rochester. The mayor of Canterbury having received information 

 detained them, till the marquis " thought it best to dismask his beard, 

 and so told them he was going covertly to take a secret view, being 

 admiral, of the forwardness of his Majesty's fleet, which was then in 

 preparation on the narrow seas." At Paris having escaped some 

 similar accidents on their route, they spent a whole day, and had a 

 close sight of the Princess Henrietta Maria, " at the practice of a 

 masquiug dance then in preparation." While in the Spanish capital 

 Buckingham made a good answer to the Condo d'Olivarez, who told 

 him of a report that the prince was secretly designing his departure 

 from Madrid. To this Buckingham replied, that " though love had 

 made his highness steal out of his own country, yet fear would never 

 cause him to leave Spain in other manner than should become a prince 

 of his noble and generous virtues." 



During his absence Buckingham had been created a duke; and upon 

 his landing be was nominated Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and 

 Steward of the Manor of Hampton Court The war with Spain which 

 ensued, the marriage with Henrietta Maria of France, and the im- 

 peachment of the Earl of Bristol, are sufficient proofs of Buckingham's 

 continued ascendancy. Charles succeeded to his father's throne iu 

 1625, and the duke still retained the high honours which he had 



