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fiim in the country, ffranted him a fmall penfion. But hav- 

 ing no ftrong inducements to prolong his ftay in this coun- 

 try, he embarked for England ; where, notwithllanding 

 fome advantageous offers were made to him, public afl'airs 

 were in an unfettled ftate ; and he thought it niotl advifablc 

 to remove to France, in 155,;. Although he feems to have 

 been fond of this country, he deplores in fome of his elegies 

 the miftrable condition of thofc who were employed in the 

 department of inftrudlion at Paris. In il^f,, he was entruftcd 

 by Marflial de Brifac, who then commanded in Piedmont, 

 wich the education of his fon ; and having continued in this 

 ftation for five years, he devoted liis intervals of leifure to 

 the ftudy of the facred writings, and alfo to fome poetical 

 compofitions, viz. his " Ode" upon the capture of Calais 

 by the duke of Guife, his " Epithalamium," on the marriage 

 of Mary queen of Scots to the dauphin of France, and part 

 of his poem on the "Sphere." In 1560, he returned to 

 Scotland, and avowed hisconverfion to Proteftantifm, which 

 was then the eilabhflied religion of the country. He was 

 foon after appointed principal of St. Leonard's college in 

 the univerfity of St. Andrew's ; where he alfo for fome 

 time taught philofophy ; and at this period he made a col- 

 leftion of his Latin poems. Such was the refpeft enter- 

 tained for his uncommon abilities and learning, that, in 

 1567, hi was appointed, thougii a layman, moderator of the 

 general affembly of the church of Scotland. When his 

 former pupil, the earl of Murray, came into power, he 

 formed an intimate conneftion with him and with the party, 

 that was adverfe to queen Mary. He accompanied this 

 nobleman to York, and to Hampton court, where he aifled 

 as an afliftafit to the commiflioners that were deputed from 

 Scotland to conduft the accufations againft the queen. 

 Previous to this period he had been appointed by an alfem- 

 bly of the Scots nobility preceptor to the young king 

 James VL It was under his tuition, which continued 

 for feveral years, that James acquired that fcholaftic know- 

 ledge, on which he fo much prided himfelf ; and it is faid, 

 that when Buchanan was afterwards reproached with having 

 made his majelly a pedant, he replied, " that it was the 

 beft he could make of him." It is moreover reported, that 

 Buchanan's reverence for his royal pupil did not prevent his 

 giving him a fevere whipping, when he perCfted againft rc- 

 inonftrance in difturbing hira whilft he was reading. In 

 1571, Buchanan publifhed his " Dtteftio Mariac Reginae," 

 arraigning the charafler and conduft of queen Mary, and 

 cxprefsly charging her wth being concerned in the murder 

 of her hufband, lord Damly ; and of all our hiftorians he 

 alone avowedly accufes the queen of a criminal paffion for 

 David Rizzio. On this fubjeft it will be fuffiqient to ob- 

 fei ve in this place, that admitting, with the moll refpeft- 

 able and impartial judges, the general guilt of Mar)', Bucha- 

 nan difcuffes the queftion and enforces the charge alleged 

 againft her with the vehemence and acrimony of a partizan. 

 Such was the high eftimation in which Buchanan was held. 



naturally imagine, was highly extolled hy fome, and as 

 violently ccnfurcd and condemned by others. The author, 

 however, ventured to dedicate it to his royal pupil, althouT;h 

 the doclrinc it contains was not very conformable to hir. 

 views and inclination^. Whatever may be thought by con- 

 tending parties of the principles which Buchanan has ad- 

 vanced in this publication, the avowal of them precludes 

 the fufpicion of his having been afluated by mercenary 

 motives. During the lalt twelve or thirteen years of hid 

 life he was employed in compoling his hillory of Scotland ; 

 and for the fake of obtaining greater k-ifure he retired from 

 court and pafRd fome of his lall years at Stirling. This 

 work, entitled " Rerum Scoticarum Hiftoria," and com- 

 prifed in 20 books, was publiflied at Edinburgh in 1582, 

 not long before his death, which happened on the 5th of 

 December in the fame year. Towards the clofe of his life, 

 his circumllances were much reduced ; and it is faid, that 

 when he was dying, he ordered the fmall fum of money that 

 remained, and which was infufficient for defraying the tx- 

 pences of his funeral, to be given to the poor, exprcfling at 

 the fame time great inelifference ahe.ut the fate of his corpfc. 

 Accordingly, he was buried at the expence of the city of 

 Edinburgh. The manner of his death has given occaiion 

 to his enemies for calumniating him as a libertine and an 

 alhcift ; but for charges of this kind, chiefly adduced by 

 bigotted Catholics, there is no jull foundation. Sir James 

 Melvil, differing with him in his political feiitiinents and 

 conneftions, has neverthelefs done him the juftice to declare, 

 that he died a fincere member of the reformed church. 

 Againft hismoral charafter, it hasbeen alledged, that he redu- 

 ced himftlf by extravagance and debauchery to penury and in- 

 digence, at the dole of iiislife ; but to this charge it has been 

 replied, that his inattention to pecuniary matters, and the 

 profufenefs of his charity, might account for his indigence, 

 without afcribing it to culpable prodigality. His advocates, 

 however, allow, that when he poffcfied wealth, he was, to 

 an extreme degree, carclefs of the future, and that he made 

 no provifion for the feafon of dotage and helpleffnefs. It 

 has been further urged againft him, that feveral of his poems 

 indicate indelicacy and licentioufnefs ; but his advocates 

 have fought an apology for him from the age in which he 

 lived, the talle of wliich was in this refpeft very different 

 from that of a later period. The ancient fatirifts, fays Mr. 

 Hume, often ufed great liberties in their expreflions ; but 

 their freedom no more refcmbles the licentioufnefs of Rochef- 

 ter, than the nakedncfs of an Indian does that of a common 

 proftitute. With regard to his temper, Buchanan feems to 

 have been harfh and unamiable ; and, as a party-man, viru- 

 lent and little inclined to indulge fcruples. The perfecu- 

 tions of priefts, and the oppreffion of misfortune, ferved to 

 augment the natural fretfulncfs and afperity of his dipofl- 

 tion, and gave an edge to his fpleen. However, in his con- 

 duA he frequently exhibits a noble independence; and with 

 rcfpcft to the public principles which he adopted, there is 



that after the affaflination of his patron, the earl of Murray, no reafon to iufpeft in his avowal of them want of integrity ; 



in 1570, he continued in favour with thofe who polfcffed however he might have been influenced in fome degree by 



power in the country, and was appointed one of the lords partiality to his parly, or deceived by the reports of others, 



of the council, and lord privy feal. He had alfo a pcnfion The learned John Le Clerc has vciy ably (hewn (Biblio« 



of J ooL a year fettled on him by queen Elizabeth; which theque Choifie), that there is much reafon to conclude, 



can hardly be confidered as an adequate recompence for the that many of the fevere cenfures which have been thrown 



fervices rendered by him, or fuitable to the high offices out againft Buchanan, were the refult of ignorance, of pre* 



which he fuftained, and of which his tenure was precarious judice, and of party animohty. Sir John Melvil, who was 



and of no long continuance. In 1579, he pubUihed his of the oppofite party, allows, that as far as he was concerned 



famous treatife " De Jure Regni apud Scotos," written in in public affairs, he diftinguiflied himfelf by his probity, 



the form of a dialogue, and containing an explicit avowal of and by his moderation. But whatever different opinions 



the right of fubjefts to decide upon and controul may have been entertained by perfons of oppofite parties 



the conduft of their rulers. This work, as we may concerning his difpohtion and moral character, all concur in 

 Vol. V. ' 3 M applaud- 



