ROB 



361 



ROB 



i., 



Routine, ROANNE, a town of France, of coniderable mag- 



u '"' niludi-, -ituitcil on the Iri't bank of the Loire. The 

 Streets are very long, and in general narrow and dark. 

 M.iny o! the hoiiies are good, though of a gloomy as- 

 pect. The only public buildings are the churches, 

 which .ire f'.mr in number; the Maierie, which was 

 ily t!ie church of the Capuchins ; and the prison, 

 which is behind the market place, and near the princi- 

 .urch. In 181 1, when we visited thi* town, the 

 bridge over the river was of wood, and was connected 

 vith tin- ri^iit bank of the river by an earthen em- 

 bankment. A noble stone bridge, however, across the 

 Loire, was then begun, and promised when completed 

 to be one of the finest in France. Five arches were 

 at that time completed, and the piers of other two were 

 laid on the south side of the river, and yet these seven 

 Mi-chcs did not reach nearly to the southern extremity 

 of the present wooden bridge. Twelve at least seemed 

 to be necessary to cross the river. 



This town was only a village in the beginning of the 

 eighteenth century, and has risen to its present impor- 

 tune by being the entrepot for goods sent from the 

 east and south-east of France, to Paris, Orleans, Nantes, 

 and other towns. The manufactures of Roanne con- 

 sist of linen and cotton goods, and small articles of 

 hardware. Population, 8000. East. long. 4 4'. North 

 lat. 46 2' 



ROBERTSON, WILLIAM, D.D. a celebrated histo- 

 rian, was the son of the Rev. Mr. Robertson, and 

 was born at the manse of Borthwick, in Mid- Lo- 

 thian, in the year 1721. He received the elements 

 of a classical education at the school of Dalkeith, 

 under Mr. Leslie ; and in the year 1733, when his fa- 

 ther was removed to the Greyfriars church in Edin- 

 burgh, he entered his son at the University, where 

 he exhibited that ardour in the prosecution of his studies, 

 and the germ of those talents by which he was after- 

 wards so highly distinguished. He initiated himself 

 early into the practice of literary composition, and 

 with the view of improving his style, he made frequent 

 translations from foreign authors, and had prepared for 

 the press, a translation of Marcus Antoninus, which he 

 was prevented from publishing, by the appearance of a 

 similar work at Glasgow. 



When he had completed his course at the universi- 

 ty, he was licensed as a preacher of the gospel, in 1741, 

 and in 1743 he was presented by John Earl of Hope- 

 toun to the living of Gladsmuir, in East-LothiHii. 

 Having about this time lost his father and mother, his 

 appointment to a living was a most fortunate event, as 

 the charge of six sisters and a younger brother had 

 thus devolved upon him. When Edinburgh was in 

 danger of being taken in the year 1745, Mr. Robertson 

 felt himself justified by the critical state of public af. 

 fairs, to quit his manse at Gladsmuir and join the 

 volunteers in Edinburgh. Upon the surrender of the 

 city, he went to Haddington, and offered his services 

 to the commander of the king's forces. 



On the restoration of tranquillity in Scotland, he re- 

 turned to the duties of his parish, and in the year 1751 

 he married his cousin Miss Nesbit, whose father was 

 one of the minister^ of Edinburgh. Amid the settled 

 habits of domestic life, our author now devoted himself 

 diligently to his studies, and to the duties of his office, 

 which he discharged to the great satisfaction of his 

 parish. His reputation as a preacher had now become 

 great, and from this circumstance he was invited to 

 preach before the Society forpromotingChristian Know- 

 ledge. This sermon, which has been greatly admired, 



VOL. XVII. PART I. 



was publihed in 1755. It went through five editions, Bob*rt*ee, 

 and was translated into German. ** 



In the proceedings of the general assembly of our < * - "V" 

 church, Mr. Robertson had already taken an active 

 part; but in 1757, he distinguished himself by his de- 

 fence of Mr. John Home, minister of AtheUtaneford.'in 

 the same presbytery with himself, who had written the 

 tragedy of Douglas. (See HOME, JOHN.) 



The lead which our author now began to take in the 

 management of the church courts with which he was 

 connected, though by no means favourable to the 

 peaceful habits of literature, does not seem to have 

 interfered with his studies. Soon after his settlement 

 at Gladsmuir, Mr. Robertson had formed the plan 

 of a History of Scotland, and as it was now nearly 

 ready fcr press, he went to London for the purpose 

 of arranging with a bookseller, respecting its publica- 

 tion. It was published in 1759, in two vols. 4to. under 

 the title of the Hiilnry of Scotland during the reigm of 

 Queen Mary, and King James VI. till hit accession to the 

 c r own of England ; with a review <f the Scott it h history, 

 previous to that period : and an appendix of original pa- 

 pers ; to which is added, a critical dissertation concern- 

 ing the murder of King Henry, and the genuineness of 

 the Queen's letters to Bolhwcll. 



The success of this work was great beyond all ex- 

 ample. In the course of a year it had passed through 

 three editions, and it underwent no fewer than fourteen 

 editions in its author's life. The beauty of the style, 

 and the judgment and discrimination of the author, 

 attracted universal attention, and drew forth the praise 

 of most of the distinguished men of the day. 



In the year 1758, Dr. Robertson removed with his 

 family to Edinburgh, in consequence of receiving a 

 presentation to one of the churches in that city. In 

 1759, he was appointed chaplain to the garrison of 

 Stirling castle. In 176l, he was made one of his ma- 

 jesty's chaplains in ordinary for Scotland. In 1762, 

 he was chosen Principal of the University of Edin- 

 burgh; and, in 1764, the office of historiographer to his 

 majesty for Scotland was revived for his benefit, with 

 a salary of 200 per annum. These rapid promotions, 

 so well merited, and so judiciously conferred, served to 

 excite our author to still higher efforts. The choice of 

 a subject had perplexed him exceedingly, and, among 

 many which had been suggested, that of a history 

 of England was particularly recommended to his at- 

 tention. His majesty, George III. did him the honour 

 to express a wish to see a history of England from his 

 pen, and the Earl of Bute promised him ail the aid that 

 could be desired from the records in the possession of 

 government. Dr. Robertson was at first disposed to 

 consider such a work as interfering with Mr. Hume's, 

 with whom he lived in habits of the greatest friendship; 

 but when the offer of the king's patronage, and the aid 

 of the minister were tendered, he seems to have serious- 

 ly thought of the undertaking. " The case," he says, 

 in a letter written at the time, " is entirely changed. 

 His (Mr. Hume's) history will have been published 

 several years before any work of 1 mine on the same 

 subject can appear ; its first run will rot be marred by 

 any jostling with me, and it will have taken that sta- 

 tion in the literary system which belongs to it. This 

 objection, therefore, which I thought, and still think, 

 so weighty at that time, makes no impresMon on me at 

 present, and I can now justify my undertaking the 

 English history to myself, to the world, and to him. 

 Besides, our manner of viewing the same subject is so 

 different, or peculiar, that fas was the case in our last 



