1797.) 
and tranfactions, in a Latin ftyle, fo claf- 
fically elegant, and in a tone and flow 
of compofition fo dignified, fo rich, fo 
eloquent, as are the ftyle and the genc- 
ral tenor of thought in the admirable 
Hiftories of Scotland, by Hecror 
Boece and Georce BucHaNAN. In 
the powers of Latin compofition, of every 
ftyle and charaéter, BUCHANAN was, 
perhaps, without a rival among his 
contemporaries ; yet, I am inclined to 
think, that, in tendernefs and in fancy, 
even the beft of BucHaNAN’s poetical 
compofitions are excclled by feveral La- 
tin pieces of the Italians, FRACAsTo- 
RIO and SANAZZARO, FLAMINIO the 
friend of Cardinal Pos, and, above all, 
GIoVANNE Ponranoof Naples, The 
hiftorical and controverfial writings of 
LeEsLey, bifhop of Rofs, are certainly 
no difgrace to the Scottifh literature of 
this period. That edition of the Scosti/p 
Jiatutes, which is vulgarly known by the 
Black A&s, was printed at Edinburgh, 
under Lestey’s infpection, and partly 
at his expence. It is no defpicable {pe- 
cimen of Scottifh typography. It fhould 
feem, that the alphabet, vulgarly known 
by the appellation of the black Saxo, 
pepaaiel to be the firft adopted in Bri- 
tifh printing, merely becaufe this art had 
chanced to be invented in Germany, 
and becaufe the implements of print- 
ing, the punches, matrices, and types, 
firft ufed in Britain, were imported 
from Germany, or, at leaft, made by 
German artifts. 
The reformation of religion, and. the 
acceffion of Jamfs the VIth to the 
Englifh throne, feem to have been fa- 
tally inanf{picious to the progrefs of fci- 
ence and elegart literature in Scotland, 
The Scottith reformers, and the earlier 
fucceffions of their difciples, were a Go-. 
thic race, for the greater part hoftile, 
as the anchorets of Egypt, as Pope 
GreGory the Seventh, as the meaneft 
and moft abfurd of the monkith ad- 
Verfaries of the great Erasmus, — 
to all learning but that of orthodox the- 
ology,—to almoft all fcience, fave that 
which proceeded from the infpiration of 
divine grace. Befides, they had divefted 
the church of all that fplendour, wealth, 
and magnificence, which alone could have 
encouraged and rewarded f{cience, po- 
dite literature, and the fine arts,—by 
which alone the refined luxuries thefe 
furnith, could be earneftly demanded. 
In confequence of the acceffion of the 
Scottifhy fovereign to the Englifh throne, 
greater part of what could be {pared 
s 
State of Literature in Scotland. 
263 
out of the annual produce of the country,.. 
for the ufes of luxury and refinement, 
was carried away to be confumed in 
another kingdom, whence it could not, 
as yet, readily recurn through the chan- 
nels of trafic. The fierce enthufiafm of 
Prefbyterianifm, and the ftruggle main- 
tained between it and Epifcopacy, dur- 
Ing a great part of the feventeenth cen - 
tury, were, indeed, not unfavourable to 
the infruétion of the common people in 
the arts of reading and writing, and in 
the firft principles of religion; yet were, 
in the higheft degree, adverle to every 
advancement of true fcience, and to the 
culture either of polite literature, or of 
the other fine arts. After the revolution, 
the ferment, political and_ religious, 
which pervaded the minds of the whole 
Scottith nation, was ftill too great, the 
country was ftill, for a while, too defti- 
tute of accumulated wealth, its annual 
produce was ftill too entirely drained 
away, to permit the arts of tafte and 
knowledge to revive, or to fofter them 
with that kindly warmth, and thofe ge- 
nial gales, without which they can ne- 
ver flourifh. 5 
Yet, even during this period, were 
various works produced by Scot/men, 
which deferve not to be overlooked nor 
forgotten. In confequence of the re- 
cent inftitution of the Court of Seffion, 
and of the gradual feparation of the 
piofeffion of lawyers from the military 
and the -ecelefiafiical profeffions, the mx- 
nicipal law of Scotland firft began about 
the end of the fixteenth century, to be 
embodied into a regular and diftinét 
fyftem, to be illuftrated by commentas 
ries, and taught in fyathetic Infiiutes. 
SKENE, CraiG, and Hors, in the be- 
ginning of the feventeenth century, 
MACKENZI£ and others, towards. its 
clofe, enriched the juridical literature of 
Scotland with works of high erudition 
and ufefulnefs. 
CHANAN too proceeded a number of 
writers of Latin poetry, whofe verfes 
need not fhun comparifon with thofe of 
the contemporary Latin poets of any 
other country. JOHNsToNsE, - Fir- 
CAIRNE, and the writers whofe pieces 
are coleéted in the Deka. Poetarum 
Scotia, are the moft eminent among thefe 
followers of the fteps of BUCHANAN. 
The vernacular poetry of DRUMMOND, 
of Hawthornden, and of ALEXANDER, 
Earl of Srlimg, is not without its me- 
rits, but has been perhaps too highly 
praifed by injudicious admirers. Bur- 
NET and SrorrTiswoop are the pride 
Mm 2 f 
Fram the ichool of Bue - 


