138 
ROBERTSON. 
a sentence of expulsion was pronounced. Mr. Robertson was 
satisfied of the justice of his cause, and presented a memorial 
on the subject to the duke of Argyle, through whose in¬ 
fluence an appeal was made to the king, who appointed a 
commission to visit the university of Glasgow, with full 
powers to examine into and rectify all existing abuses. As 
a result of this inquiry, the right of electing their rector was 
restored to the students: the visitors on this occasion also, 
among whom was the Earl of Hay, called the principal to a 
severe account for the public money which he had embez¬ 
zled, and ascertained the right of the university to send two 
gentlemen, upon handsome exhibitions, to Baliol college in 
Oxford: they moreover annulled the expulsion of Mr. Ro¬ 
bertson, and ordered that measure particularly to be re¬ 
corded in the proceedings of the commission; declared the 
election of the rector, who had been named by the principal, 
to be void; and assembled the students, who immediately 
chose the son of lord Ross to be their rector. 
While the visitors were exercising their powers, Mr. 
Robertson remained at London, and on the return of Lord 
Hay he introduced Mr. Robertson to Dr. Hoadly, the 
bishop of Winchester, who made him known to Dr. Wake, 
archbishop of Canterbury; and he was entertained with 
much civility by both these prelates. He had, from a 
thorough conviction of its importance, devoted himself to 
the clerical profession; but at present being too young to be 
admitted into orders, he employed himself, while in London, 
in visiting public libraries, attending lectures, and improving 
himself as opportunity offered. As soon as he was old 
enough to receive ordination, he was nominated by Dr. 
Hoadly to the cure of Tallow, in the county of Carlow. 
Here he coni inued till he was of age for priest’s orders, to 
which he was admitted on the 10th of November 1729, and 
on the next day he was presented by Lord Carteret, then 
lord lieutenant of Ireland, to the rectory of Ravilly, in the 
county of Carlow, and to another rectory in the county of 
Wicklow. In 1728 he married Elizabeth, the daughter 
of major William Baxter, by whom he had tweny-one 
children. 
Mr. Robertson first appeared as an author about the year 
1738, by a pamphlet entitled “A scheme for utterly abo¬ 
lishing the present heavy and vexatious Tax of Tythes:” 
the object of this work was to pay the clergy and impro¬ 
priators a tax upon land in lieu of tythes, and it excited so 
much attention, that several editions of it were called for in 
a short space of time. In 1739 Mr. Robertson received 
from Lord Cat heart a deputation to be his chaplain ; and in 
the year 1743, he obtained leave from his diocesan to nomi¬ 
nate a curate at Ravilly, and to reside some time in Dublin 
for the education of his children. Immediately on his settle¬ 
ment in this city he was invited to the cure of St. Luke’s 
parish, which he retained about five years, when he returned 
to Ravilly. While in that city he formed a scheme, jointly 
with Mr. Kane Percival, to raise a fund for the support of 
the widows and children of clergymen, within the diocese of 
Dublin, which has since produced very happy effects. In 
1758 he met with a severe affliction in the death of his wife, 
to whom he was most tenderly attached, but he sustained 
the loss with exemplary resignation to the will of God. 
Soon after this he found a new patron in Dr. Richard Ro¬ 
binson, who had been translated from the see of Killala to 
that of Ferns, and who presented to Mr. Robertson the 
first benefice which became vacant in his lordship’s pre¬ 
sentation. Before, however, he could be collated to it, he, 
for the first time, had the “ Free and Candid Disquisitions 
relating to the Church of England, &c.” put into his hands ; 
and, by the perusal, he was led to entertain such doubts 
respecting some points to which he would be required to 
declare his assent, as made him defer his attendance on the 
bishop. At length he received a letter from his lordship, 
calling upon him to come immediately for institution. Upon 
this he wrote a very affecting letter to the prelate, in which 
he returned the most grateful thanks for his kindness, but 
isaid he could no longer conscientiously comply with the 
terms required by law to qualify him for such preferment. 
“ In debating this matter with myself,” says he, “ besides 
the arguments directly to the purpose, several strong colla¬ 
teral considerations came in upon the positive side of the 
question. The straightness of my circumstances pressed me 
close; a numerous family, quite unprovided for, pleaded 
with the most pathetic and moving eloquence. And the 
infirmities and wants of age now coming fast upon me were 
urged feelingly. But one single consideration prevailed over 
all these—that the Creator and Governor of the universe, 
whom it is my first duty to worship and adore, being the 
God of truth, it must be disagreeable to him to profess, sub¬ 
scribe, or declare, in any matter relating to his worship and 
service, what is not believed strictly and simply to be true.” 
Mr. Robertson, though he refused to subscribe for the 
sake of preferment, did not feel it necessary to quit the 
church, and continued to perform the duties of parish priest; 
but from this time he omitted the reading of the Athanasian 
creed, and some other parts of the public service which ap¬ 
peared to him to countenance unscriptural tenets. Finding, 
however, that this mode of conduct gave offence to some per¬ 
sons, he resigned his benefices in 1764, and in 1766 he 
published, by way of apology to his friends for what he 
had done, his learned and ingenious little work, entitled 
“ An Attempt to explain the Words, Reason, Substance, 
Person, Creeds, Orthodox, &c.” to which he subjoined the 
letter written to his bishop, of which an extract has been 
given above. He now came to London, where he met with 
a very cordial and liberal reception from many excellent men, 
who generously contributed to his support. In the follow¬ 
ing year he presented a copy of his “ Attempt, &c.” to 
the university of Glasgow, and, in return, received a most 
obliging letter, accompanied with a diploma of D. D. In 
1768 he was nominated to the madership of the free grammar- 
school at Wolverhampton, in Staffordshire, by the company 
of Merchant Taylors; which, though honourable to the 
patrons, was not lucrative to the doctor, the salary being 
only £70 per ann., and this was, for some years, diminished 
by a pension of £40 to a superannuated predecessor. Dr. 
Robertson was, however, satisfied, and through the kindness 
of his friends was prevented from wanting what was neces¬ 
sary to his support. At one time he received from an un¬ 
known hand a present of £500, and from various persons 
stated assistance was sent him. In 1772 he was chosen one 
of the committee of the society of clergymen, &c. em¬ 
ployed to draw up, and present to the House of Commons, a 
petition, praying for relief from the obligation of sub¬ 
scription to the 39 articles. In the course of a few years, 
he had the misfortune to lose all his children one after an¬ 
other; and he himself died in May, 1783, in the 79th year 
of his age. Dr. Robertson was possessed of great learning 
and an excellent judgment; he had a fine imagination, and 
a temper regulated by the mild and amiable spirit of Christ; 
and in his address and manners he was at all times easy and 
cheerful. When he quitted the church he was probably of 
the Arian school, but in the latter years of his life he became 
a firm believer in the simple humanity of Christ He was 
mentioned by Mr. Lindsey, a few months before his death, 
as “ the aged and venerable father of Unitarian noncon¬ 
formity of our own days;” and in another work the same 
writer says, “ the example of an excellent person now 
living at Wolverhampton, Dr. Robertson, has been a secret 
reproaeh to me ever since I heard of it.” See Lindsey’s 
Apology for resigning the Vicarage of Catterick, his His¬ 
torical View of the Unitarian Doctrine, and Dr. Disney’s 
Communications to the Gent. Mag. 1783. 
ROBERTSON (William) D. D., a celebrated historian, 
was born in 1721 at Borthwick in Mid Lothian, of which 
parish his father was then minister. He received the early 
part of his education at the school of Dalkeith, under Mr. 
Leslie, a master of great reputation. In 1733, he accom¬ 
panied his father on his removal to Edinburgh, as minister to 
the Old Greyfriars church in that city, and soon after entered 
there upon his academical studies. Of his progress in this 
situation 
