historical lecturers and essays-第27节

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counsellor　and　spokesman　of　Scotch　statesmen　in　the　most　dangerous



of　times；　and　leaves　behind　him　political　treatises；　which　have



influenced　not　only　the　history　of　his　own　country；　but　that　of　the



civilised　world。







Such　a　success　could　not　be　attained　without　making　enemies；　perhaps



without　making　mistakes。　　But　the　more　we　study　George　Buchanan's



history；　the　less　we　shall　be　inclined　to　hunt　out　his　failings；　the



more　inclined　to　admire　his　worth。　　A　shrewd；　sound…hearted；



affectionate　man；　with　a　strong　love　of　right　and　scorn　of　wrong；



and　a　humour　withal　which　saved　himexcept　on　really　great



occasionsfrom　bitterness；　and　helped　him　to　laugh　where　narrower



natures　would　have　only　snarled；he　is；　in　many　respects；　a　type　of



those　Lowland　Scots；　who　long　preserved　his　jokes；　genuine　or



reputed；　as　a　common　household　book。　｛16｝　　A　schoolmaster　by



profession；　and　struggling　for　long　years　amid　the　temptations



which；　in　those　days；　degraded　his　class　into　cruel　and　sordid



pedants；　he　rose　from　the　mere　pedagogue　to　be；　in　the　best　sense　of



the　word；　a　courtier：　　　〃One；〃　says　Daniel　Heinsius；　〃who　seemed　not



only　born　for　a　court；　but　born　to　amend　it。　　He　brought　to　his



queen　that　at　which　she　could　not　wonder　enough。　　For；　by　affecting



a　certain　liberty　in　censuring　morals；　he　avoided　all　offence；　under



the　cloak　of　simplicity。〃　　Of　him　and　his　compeers；　Turnebus；　and



Muretus；　and　their　friend　Andrea　Govea；　Ronsard；　the　French　court



poet；　said　that　they　had　nothing　of　the　pedagogue　about　them　but　the



gown　and　cap。　　〃Austere　in　face；　and　rustic　in　his　looks；〃　says



David　Buchanan；　〃but　most　polished　in　style　and　speech；　and



continually；　even　in　serious　conversation；　jesting　most　wittily。〃



〃Rough…hewn；　slovenly；　and　rude；〃　says　Peacham；　in　his　〃Compleat



Gentleman；〃　speaking　of　him；　probably；　as　he　appeared　in　old　age；



〃in　his　person；　behaviour；　and　fashion；　seldom　caring　for　a　better



outside　than　a　rugge…gown　girt　close　about　him：　　　yet　his　inside　and



conceipt　in　poesie　was　most　rich；　and　his　sweetness　and　facilitie　in



verse　most　excellent。〃　　A　typical　Lowland　Scot；　as　I　said　just　now；



he　seems　to　have　absorbed　all　the　best　culture　which　France　could



afford　him；　without　losing　the　strength；　honesty；　and　humour　which



he　inherited　from　his　Stirlingshire　kindred。







The　story　of　his　life　is　easily　traced。　　When　an　old　man；　he　himself



wrote　down　the　main　events　of　it；　at　the　request　of　his　friends；　and



his　sketch　has　been　filled　out　by　commentators；　if　not　always



favourable；　at　least　erudite。　　Born　in　1506；　at　the　Moss；　in



Killearnwhere　an　obelisk　to　his　memory；　so　one　reads；　has　been



erected　in　this　centuryof　a　family　〃rather　ancient　than　rich；〃　his



father　dead　in　the　prime　of　manhood；　his　grandfather　a　spendthrift；



he　and　his　seven　brothers　and　sisters　were　brought　up　by　a　widowed



mother；　Agnes　Heriotof　whom　one　wishes　to　know　more；　for　the　rule



that　great　sons　have　great　mothers　probably　holds　good　in　her　case。



George　gave　signs；　while　at　the　village　school；　of　future



scholarship；　and　when　he　was　only　fourteen；　his　uncle　James　sent　him



to　the　University　of　Paris。　　Those　were　hard　times；　and　the　youths；



or　rather　boys；　who　meant　to　become　scholars；　had　a　cruel　life　of



it；　cast　desperately　out　on　the　wide　world　to　beg　and　starve；　either



into　self…restraint　and　success；　or　into　ruin　of　body　and　soul。　　And



a　cruel　life　George　had。　　Within　two　years　he　was　down　in　a　severe



illness；　his　uncle　dead；　his　supplies　stopped；　and　the　boy　of



sixteen　got　home；　he　does　not　tell　how。　　Then　he　tried　soldiering；



and　was　with　Albany's　French　Auxiliaries　at　the　ineffectual　attack



on　Wark　Castle。　　Marching　back　through　deep　snow；　he　got　a　fresh



illness；　which　kept　him　in　bed　all　winter。　　Then　he　and　his　brother



were　sent　to　St。　Andrews；　where　he　got　his　B。A。　at　nineteen。　　The



next　summer　he　went　to　France　once　more；　and　〃fell；〃　he　says；　〃into



the　flames　of　the　Lutheran　sect；　which　was　then　spreading　far　and



wide。〃　　Two　years　of　penury　followed；　and　then　three　years　of



school…mastering　in　the　College　of　St。　Barbe；　which　he　has



immortalisedat　least；　for　the　few　who　care　to　read　modern　Latin



poetryin　his　elegy　on　〃The　Miseries　of　a　Parisian　Teacher　of　the



Humanities。〃　　The　wretched　regent…master；　pale　and　suffering；　sits



up　all　night　preparing　his　lecture；　biting　his　nails　and　thumping



his　desk；　and　falls　asleep　for　a　few　minutes；　to　start　up　at　the



sound　of　the　four…o'clock　bell；　and　be　in　school　by　five；　his　Virgil



in　one　hand；　and　his　rod　in　the　other；　trying　to　do　work　on　his　own



account　at　old　manuscripts；　and　bawling　all　the　while　at　his



wretched　boys；　who　cheat　him；　and　pay　each　other　to　answer　to



truants'　names。　　The　class　is　all　wrong。　　〃One　is　barefoot；



another's　shoe　is　burst；　another　cries；　another　writes　home。　　Then



comes　the　rod；　the　sound　of　blows；　and　howls；　and　the　day　passes　in



tears。〃　　〃Then　mass；　then　another　lesson；　then　more　blows；　there　is



hardly　time　to　eat。〃　　I　have　no　space　to　finish　the　picture　of　the



stupid　misery　which；　Buchanan　says；　was　ruining　his　intellect；　while



it　starved　his　body。　　However；　happier　days　came。　　Gilbert　Kennedy；



Earl　of　Cassilis；　who　seems　to　have　been　a　noble　young　gentleman；



took　him　as　his　tutor　for　the　next　five　years；　and　with　him　he　went



back　to　Scotland。







But　there　his　plain　speaking　got　him；　as　it　did　more　than　once



afterward；　into　trouble。　　He　took　it　into　his　head　to　write；　in



imitation　of　Dunbar；　a　Latin　poem；　in　which　St。　Francis　asks　him　in



a　dream　to　become　a　Gray　Friar；　and　Buchanan　answered　in　language



which　had　the　unpleasant　fault　of　being　too　clever；　andto　judge



from　contemporary　evidenceonly　too　true。　　The　friars　said　nothing



at　first；　but　when　King　James　made　Buchanan　tutor　to　one　of　his



natural　sons；　they；　〃men　professing　meekness；　took　the　matter



somewhat　more　angrily　than　befitted　men　so　pious　in　the　opinion　of



the　people。〃　　So　Buchanan　himself　puts　it：　　　but；　to　do　the　poor



friars　justice；　they　must　have　been　angels；　not　men；　if　they　did　not



writhe　somewhat　under　the　scourge　which　he　had　laid　on　them。　　To　be



told　that　there　was　hardly　a　place　in　heaven　for　monks；　was　hard　to



hear　and　bear。　　They　accused　him　to　the　king　of　heresy；　but　not



being　then　in　favour　with　James；　they　got　no　answer；　and　Buchanan



was　commanded　to　repeat　the　castigation。　　Having　found　out　that　the



friars　were　not　to　be　touched　with　impunity；　he　wrote；　he　says；　a



short　and　ambiguous　poem。　　But　the　king；　who　loved　a　joke；　demanded



something　sharp　and　stinging；　and　Buchanan　obeyed　by　writing；　but



not　publishing；　〃The　Franciscans；〃　a　long　satire；　compared　to　which



the　〃Somnium〃　was　bland　and　merciful。　　The　storm　rose。　　Cardinal



Beaten；　Buchanan　says；　wanted　to　buy　him　of　the　king；　and　then；　of



course；　burn　him；　as　he　had　just　burnt　five　poor　souls；　so；　knowing



James's　avarice；　he　fled　to　England；　through　freebooters　and



pestilence。







There　he　found；　he　says；　〃men　of　both　factions　being　burned　on　the



same　day　and　in　the　same　fire〃a　pardonable　exaggeration〃by　Henry



VIII。；　in　his　old　age　more　intent　on　his　own　safety　than　on　the



purity　of　religion。〃　　So　to　his　beloved　France　he　went　again；　to



find　his　enemy　Beaten　ambassador　at　Paris。　　The　capital　was　too　hot



to　hold　him；　and　he　fled　south　to　Bordeaux；　to　Andrea　Govea；　the



Portuguese　principal　of　the　College　of　Guienne。　　As　Professor　of



Latin　at　Bordeaux；　we　find　him　presenting　a　Latin　poem　to　Charles



V。；　and　indulging　that　fancy　of　his　for　Latin　poetry　which　seems　to



us　nowadays　a　childish　pedantry；　which　was　thenwhen　Latin　was　the



vernacular　tongue　of　all　scholarsa　serious；　if　not　altogether　a



useful；　pursuit。　　Of　his　tragedies；　so　famous　in　their　daythe



〃Baptist；〃　the　〃Medea；〃　the　〃Jephtha；〃　and　the　〃Alcestis〃there　is



neither　space　nor　need　to　speak　here；　save　to　notice　the　bold



declamations　in　the　〃Baptist〃　against　tyranny　and　priestcraft；　and



to　notice　also　that　these　tragedies　gained　for　the　poor　Scotsman；　in



the　eyes　of　the　best　scholars　of　Europe；　a　credit　amounting　almost



to　veneration。　　When　he　returned　to　Paris；　he　found　occupation　at



once；　and；　as　his　Scots　biographers　love　to　record；　〃three　of　the



most　learned　men　in　the　world　taught　humanity　in　the　same　college；〃



viz。　　Turnebus；　Muretus；　and　Buchanan。







Then　followed　a　strange　episode　in　his　life。　　A　university　had　been



founded　at　Coimbra；　in　Portugal；　and　Andrea　Govea　had　been　invited