ROBERTSON. 305 



ever regarded Queen Mary's honour as an integral 

 part of their political faith ; and they could not forgive 

 any one who, with whatever leaning towards a prin- 

 cess the victim of such cruel treatment, and the 

 sufferer under misfortunes so long and so heavy, and 

 with whatever disposition to free her from any charges 

 unsupported by evidence, had yet performed faithfully 

 his duty as an historian and as a moralist, of condemn- 

 ing profligate conduct, and exposing gross imprudence 

 amounting to absolute infatuation even if guilt be 

 denied. Nothing could have satisfied the blind zeal 

 of this faction, neither respectable from number, nor 

 distinguished for ability, but acquitting Mary of every 

 charge that she did not herself confess, and then 

 approving of her marriage with the murderer of her 

 husband within three months of his assassination. 

 By far the ablest of the writings which the contro- 

 versy produced, was the f Inquiry' of Mr. Tytler, a 

 lawyer by profession, a man of strong prejudices, but 

 equally strong understanding, and a very diligent and 

 accurate investigator of particular facts. The most 

 learned, but the most repulsive from its dogmatism 

 and its overbearing tone, was the 'Vindication' of 

 Mr. Whittaker, a clergyman of the Church of Eng- 

 land, settled in Cornwall, and remarkable for his 

 industrious study of ancient British antiquities. With 

 Mr. Hume Dr. Robertson likewise differed, but it 

 was in an opposite direction : he could not yield 

 to that able writer's arguments in proof of Mary's 

 having been accessary to the Babington conspiracy ; 

 and though he minutely considered both the new 



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