BUCHANAN. 



Buciunau. plislied it in a manner which does infinite honour to 

 his genius, and which places him, though he had 

 written nothing else, in the very first ranks of mo- 

 <!crn Latin poets. The first specimen of it was pub- 

 liilu-d at Paris in the year !.">. 



As soon as Buchanan regained his freedom, he deter- 

 mined to set out for France, to which country he seems 

 to have cherished a warm and constant attachment, 

 and solicited the king for a sum of money sufficient 

 to defray the expence of his journey. The king was 

 unwilling to part with him ; and, in order to induce 

 liim to prolong his stay, bestowed upon him a small 

 supply, and made him a promise of future and suit- 

 able preferment. The supply being little, and the 

 promise of very doubtful performance, he embarked 

 at Lisbon, and arrived safe in England. There, 

 however, he did not long remain. The aspect of 

 political affairs was very discouraging ; and though 

 he might have received such promotion as would have 

 pleased other men, yet at that time his affections 

 were so strongly placed on France, that he almost 

 immediately (1553) departed for that favourite land. 

 The French nation were fond of him, and consider- 

 ed him in some measure as their own ; and the 

 warmth and extent of his attachment to them may 

 be seen in a poem written by him on this occasion, 

 entitled Adventus in Galliam, in wluch he praises 

 the country for every thing that is beautiful in na- 

 ture, liberal in art, refined in manners, and great in 

 arms. Soon after his return to Paris, he was made 

 a regent in the college of Boncourt. In the year 

 1555, he became preceptor to Timoleon de Cosse, 

 eon of the celebrated Comte de Brissac, who at that 

 time was invested with the government of the French 

 dominions in Italy. Marshal de Brissac was a great 

 warrior, but of liberal sentiments, and fond ol the 

 society of learned men. Buchanan resided in his fa- 

 mily for five years, conducting himself with his ac- 

 customed propriety, and at once instructing the son 

 in the elements of literature, and assisting the father 

 with his counsel, and delighting him with his conver- 

 sation. A civil war breaking, out in France, Buch- 

 anan returned in haste to his native country. There 

 he was employed at court (156'2) as classical tutor 

 to Queen Mary, who was then in her twentieth year; 

 and we find, by a letter of Randolph's, that he read 

 with her, every afternoon, a portion of Livy ; a cir- 

 cumstance which places in a very respectable light 

 the attainments of that accomplished but imprudent 

 and unfortunate princess. 



Buchanan arrived in Scotland just about the time 

 (1560) when the reformed religion had triumphed 

 over Popery, and obtained the sanction of parlia- 

 mentary enactment. To that religion he had all 

 along been secretly attached ; and though his attach- 

 ment was founded on a rational conviction of its su- 

 periority and truth, he himself acknowledged that 

 he was much confirmed in his principles by the treat- 

 ment which he had received from the grey friars. 

 He accordingly professed himself an adherent of the 

 ew doctrines. His accession to the number of the 

 reformed was considered as of sufficient importance 

 to merit their best regards -, and by the Earl of Mur- 

 ray, who was not only one of them, but a patron of 

 learning and of learned men, he was appointed prin- 



cipal of St Leonard's college in St Andrew's. In Buchanan 

 consequence of holding this office, he was obliged <*^y" J 

 to prelect on theology ; and it is recorded, that hit 

 prelection! were those of a man who had studied hi* 

 bul.iect, and that they displayed the characteristic 

 ability of their author. He had not been long in 

 Scotland, when he thought of publishing a correct 

 edition of hit various poetical works. His version 

 of the Psalms being now completed, he put it into 

 the hands of the celebrated printer Henry Stephen*, 

 who kept the manuscript BO long beaide him, that he 

 has been accused of a design to claim it as his own, 

 in the event of Buchanan's death. This accusation, 

 however, does not appear to have been well found- 

 ed. The work at length appeared, and excited ui.i- 

 versal admiration. Several attempts were made to 

 give a Latin version, or rather paraphrase of the 

 Boole of Psalms ; but though some of these, parti- 

 cularly that of Arthur Johnston, possess great me- 

 rit, and in certain points may be considered as equal, 

 if not superior, to the production of Buchanan, it 

 is the general and established opinion, that, on the 

 whole, he is quite unrivalled. Even of Johnston'* 

 Psalms, we seldom hear ; but Buchanan's Psalms 

 are known to, and spoken of by, every scholar in 

 Europe. This elegant work the author inscribed, in 

 a poetical dedication no less elegant, to Mary, whose 

 studies he was probably superintending at the time. 

 The queen rewarded him for his merits and for hit 

 compliments, by conferring on him the temporalities 

 of the abbey of Crossraguel, which were very con- 

 siderable. He also published a collection of satires, 

 entitled Fratres Fratcrrimi, which had been com- 

 posed at various periods, add were chiefly directed 

 against the doctrines of the Popish church, and the 

 licentiousness of the Popish priests. By these effu- 

 , sions of wit and ridicule, he certainly promoted the 

 cause of the Reformation. The abettors of that 

 cause were encouraged by the efforts of such an able 

 friend ; and its adversaries were put to silence and 

 to shame, by a weapon which the very nature of 

 their superstition, and the notorious practices of their 

 clergy, made it impossible for them to resist. la 

 the year 1567, he published another collection, con- 

 taining Elcgice, Silvae, Hendecasyllabi. . 



As Principal of St Leonard's College, Buchanan 

 was regarded with the highest reverence and esteem : 

 in proof of which, various marks of honour were 

 conferred upon him. He was alao repeatedly a mem- 

 ber of the General Assembly. Or that court, in 

 1567, he had, though a layman, been chosen mo- 

 derator; and he was formerly one of the conmm*ion- 

 ers appointed for revising the Book of Discipline. 

 But Buchanan was now to appear in a new charac- 

 ter, and to take an active and decided part in the 

 politics of his country, which at thai period were in 

 a very disordered and critical state. The first trans- 

 action in which he engaged, was one of a nature 

 equally extraordinary and delicate. Elizabeth hav- 

 ing required delegates to be sent from Scotland for 

 the purpose of conferring with respect to the con- 

 duct and situation of Mary, who was then a pri- 

 soner in England ; and Murray the Regent, witk 

 other distinguished persons, having gone on that ' 

 embassy) Bnchanan was one of several who were 



