BUCHANAN. 



Buchanan, tyrant. He therefore went again to Paris, where 

 * "" ->\r*' there was more of that civilization which his mind 

 relished where he had a great number of literary 

 associates and where he could hope to enjoy a lar- 

 ger share of personal safety : but, on his arrival at 

 Paris (1539), he found Cardinal Beaton living there 

 in the capacity of ambassador ; and knowing well 

 both the power and the temper of that relentless per- 

 secutor, he embraced an opportunity which imme- 

 diately occurred, of retreating to Bourdeaux, and 

 fixing bis residence there, as a professor of the La- 

 tin language in the college of Guienne, which had 

 been lately founded, and became, chiefly through 

 his exertions, one of the most distinguished schools 

 of learning in France. In Bourdeaux, Buchanan 

 was respected and happy. His accomplishments, 

 both as a scholar and as a poet, were such as to in- 

 sure the esteem of all with whom he associated, or 

 to whom he was known : and not only in the col- 

 lege and the city, but also in the neighbourhood, he 

 found a considerable number of men, whose taste and 

 pursuits and attainments were similar to his own, and 

 whose society, therefore, he enjoyed with a peculiar 

 relish. Among these, the elder Scaliger, who re- 

 sided at Ageri, deserves to be particularly mentioned, 

 as one who was himself a great scholar, and whose 

 admiration of the Scotish poet was high and perma- 

 nent ; who entertained Buchanan, and other enlight- 

 ened inhabitants of Bourdeaux, with the utmost hospi- 

 tality ; and who, in the company of such men of learn- 

 ing, equally forgot the tortures of the gout and his 

 natural love of dogmatism and contradiction, for his 

 own personal satisfaction, and the advantage of 

 athers. 



While Buchanan paid every attention to the duties 

 of his official situation, (though, by the way, he does 

 not seem to have been much in love with the labo- 

 rious and ill rewarded profession of a teacher), he 

 continued to court the muses, and at once to im- 

 prove and to display those great talents which he pos- 

 sessed as a Latin poet. To correct and refine the 

 dramatic taste of the French nation, so far as his of- 

 ficial influence and individual efforts enabled him to 

 go, he applied himself to the composition of trage- 

 dies for the academical stage, and drew off the at- 

 tention of the students from the rude and absurd re- 

 presentations to which they had been accustomed, to 

 those more correct and polished models which had 

 been exhibited by the ancient theatre. His success 

 in this department of literature was equal to his ex- 

 pectations. In the course of three years, in the 

 midst of his fatiguing avocations, and in continual 

 apprehensions of the enmity of Cardinal Beaton, who 

 was using every method of getting him apprehend- 

 ed, he wrote four tragedies, which, notwithstanding 

 many faults, are, on the whole, admirable specimens 

 of a poetical mind, and especially of skill in the La- 

 tin language. Two of them were translations of the 

 Akestis and the Medea of Euripides, who was his 

 favourite author ; the other two were original, and 

 entitled JepJithes and Baptistes, both of which have 

 been translated into several languages. Of these, 

 Jephthes is distinguished by considerable interest of 

 subject, and many beauties in delineation ; but Bap- 

 tistes contains more of the characteristic marks of 



Buchanan's mind, as it declaims boldly against priest- Buckmas. 

 craft and tyranny, and inculcates, throughout, the " -j-j-y-^*^ 

 love of civil and religious liberty. 



While in Bourdeaux, Buchanan wrote various o- 

 ther poems, and particularly devoted one to the laud- 

 able purpose of securing the substantial patronage of 

 Olivier, chancellor of the kingdom, to the college ' 

 of Guienne. In this he succeeded, and then inscrib- 

 ed an elegant tribute of gratitude to the chancellor 

 for his liberality. He also addressed a Sapphic ode 

 to the youth of Bourdeaux, in order to recommend 

 to them the study of the liberal arts ; and in this al- 

 so, he appears to have attained his object. Having 

 to the best instructions, united the most brilliant and 

 winning example, he at once stimulated to the pur- 

 suit, and promoted the acquirement, of elegant lite- 

 rature. 



After residing for three years at Bourdeaux, Bu- 

 chanan went to Paris, where he officiated as a regent 

 in the college of Cardinal le Moine till the year 1547. 

 It appears from one of his elegies, that for a consi- 

 derable time he was dreadfully afflicted with the gout. 

 The elegy, however, in which he records the fact, 

 shews that the disease had not impaired the vigour of 

 his imagination. His associates in this new situa- 

 tion, were worthy of being connected with him ; 

 and it has been remarked, that humanity was taught 

 in the same college, at the same period, by three of 

 the most learned men in the world, Turnebus, Bu- 

 chanan, and Muretus. From Paris he went to Co- 

 imbra, where the king of Portugal had lately esta- 

 blished a university ; and there he had for his col- 

 leagues, Govea, to whose friendship he had been 

 formerly indebted, Gelida, Tevius, and many other 

 celebrated scholars. Gevea, however, dying unex- 

 pectedly in 1518, and the protection which he had 

 hitherto afforded to his learned coadjutors being of 

 course withdrawn, they were most bitterly persecu- 

 ted by the .Portuguese. Buchanan, in particular, 

 was marked out for a victim. The most foolish and 

 unjust accusations were preferred against him. Two 

 individuals formally deponed to his being inimical to 

 the Romish faith. It was known that he had writ- 

 ten a poem in ridicule of the Franciscans, and, be- 

 sides some uncatholic notions concerning the Eucha- 

 rist, he had been guilty of a crime no less heinous 

 than that of eating flesh in Lent. In these circum- 

 stances, it was wonderful that the Inquisition, be- 

 fore which he had been brought, permitted him to 

 escape with his life. The termination, however, of 

 that harassing trial to which he had been subjected 

 for a year and a half by the inquisitors, was neither 

 severe nor unfortunate. He was sentenced to be 

 confined in a monastery, that he might enjoy the 

 privilege of being edified by monks, much more ig- 

 norant of religion than destitute of kindness. Un- 

 der their tuition, he continued for several months, 

 and it was during that period that he commenced 

 his beautiful version of the Psahns of David a task 

 which some allege was imposed upon him as a pe- 

 nance by his ghostly instructors, but which, it is 

 more probable, he imposed upon himself, for the 

 purpose of solacing his pious spirit amidst the evils 

 of his condition. Whatever was his motive for be- 

 ginning this work, it is certain that he has accora- 



