(22) HISTORT of the SOClETr. 



Acrwint of wKich nierc verbal criticlfm of the letters, or an examination of 



\V.lytler,Efq; ' 



cotemporary documents, could fupply. The firft editions of 

 the Enquiry were in one volume 8vo ; but the author afterwards 

 confiderably enlarged it, particularly in the hiftorical part, and 

 pubhfhed, in 1790, an edition (being the fourth) in two volumes 

 of the fame fize. 



The problem of Mary's guilt or innocence, (to ufe the lan- 

 guage of a near relation of Mr Tytler's, exprefTive indeed 

 of Mr Tytler's own fentiments on the fubjedl), if coniidered 

 merely as a detached hiftorical fadl, would appear an obje(ft 

 which, at this diftance of time, feems hardly to merit that la- 

 borious and earneft inveftigation to which it has given rife ; 

 though, even in this point of view, the mind is naturally fti- 

 mulated to fearch out the truth of a dark myfterious event, 

 difgraceful to human nature ; and our feelings of juftice and 

 moral recflitude are interefted to fix the guilt upon its true au- 

 thors. But when we coniider that this queftion involves a dif- 

 euflion of the politics of both England and Scotland during one 

 0f the moft interefting periods of their hiftory, and touches the 

 eharacflers, not only of the two fovereigns, but of their mini- 

 fters and ftatefmen, it muft then be regarded in the light of a 

 moft important hiftorical enquiry, without which our know- 

 ledge of the hiftory of our own country, and of that political 

 connection with England which from that time influenced all 

 State-affairs in Scotland, muft be obfcure, confufed, and unfa- 

 tisfadlory. In addition to thefe motives of enquiry, -this que- 

 ftion has exercifed fome of the ableft heads both of the former 

 and of latter times ; and it is no mean pleafurc to engage in a 

 conteft of genius and of talents, and to try our ftrength in the 

 decifion of a controverfy, which has been maintained on both 

 fides with confummate ability. 



If to perfons, however, of cooler and lefs fanguine tempers, 

 it fhould ftill appear fingular, that any ancient hiftorical difqui- 

 iition fliould fo keenly engage the minds and the pafTions of li- 

 terary 



