historical lecturers and essays-第28节

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



to　bring　thither　what　French　savants　he　could　collect。　　Buchanan



went　to　Portugal　with　his　brother　Patrick；　two　more　Scotsmen；



Dempster　and　Ramsay；　and　a　goodly　company　of　French　scholars；　whose



names　and　histories　may　be　read　in　the　erudite　pages　of　Dr。　Irving；



went　likewise。　　All　prospered　in　the　new　Temple　of　the　Muses　for　a



year　or　so。　　Then　its　high…priest；　Govea；　died；　and；　by　a　peripeteia



too　common　in　those　days　and　countries；　Buchanan　and　two　of　his



friends　migrated　unwillingly　from　the　Temple　of　the　Muses　for　that



of　Moloch；　and　found　themselves　in　the　Inquisition。







Buchanan；　it　seems；　had　said　that　St。　Augustine　was　more　of　a



Lutheran　than　a　Catholic　on　the　question　of　the　mass。　　He　and　his



friends　had　eaten　flesh　in　Lent；　which；　he　says；　almost　everyone　in



Spain　did。　　But　he　was　suspected；　and　with　reason；　as　a　heretic；　the



Gray　Friars　formed　but　one　brotherhood　throughout　Europe；　and　news



among　them　travelled　surely　if　not　fast；　so　that　the　story　of　the



satire　written　in　Scotland　had　reached　Portugal。　　The　culprits　were



imprisoned；　examined；　bulliedbut　not　torturedfor　a　year　and　a



half。　　At　the　end　of　that　time；　the　proofs　of　heresy；　it　seems；　were



insufficient；　but　lest；　says　Buchanan　with　honest　pride；　〃they



should　get　the　reputation　of　having　vainly　tormented　a　man　not



altogether　unknown；〃　they　sent　him　for　some　months　to　a　monastery；



to　be　instructed　by　the　monks。　　〃The　men；〃　he　says；　〃were　neither



inhuman　nor　bad；　but　utterly　ignorant　of　religion；〃　and　Buchanan



solaced　himself　during　the　intervals　of　their　instructions；　by



beginning　his　Latin　translation　of　the　Psalms。







At　last　he　got　free；　and　begged　leave　to　return　to　France；　but　in



vain。　　And　so；　wearied　out；　he　got　on　board　a　Candian　ship　at



Lisbon；　and　escaped　to　England。　　But　England；　he　says；　during　the



anarchy　of　Edward　VI。's　reign；　was　not　a　land　which　suited　him；　and



he　returned　to　France；　to　fulfil　the　hopes　which　he　had　expressed　in



his　charming　〃Desiderium　Lutitiae；〃　and　the　still　more　charming；



because　more　simple；　〃Adventus　in　Galliam；〃　in　which　he　bids



farewell；　in　most　melodious　verse；　to　〃the　hungry　moors　of　wretched



Portugal；　and　her　clods　fertile　in　naught　but　penury。〃







Some　seven　years　succeeded　of　schoolmastering　and　verse…writing：



the　Latin　paraphrase　of　the　Psalms；　another　of　the　〃Alcestis〃　of



Euripides；　an　Epithalamium　on　the　marriage　of　poor　Mary　Stuart；



noble　and　sincere；　however　fantastic　and　pedantic；　after　the　manner



of　the　times；　〃Pomps；〃　too；　for　her　wedding；　and　for　other　public



ceremonies；　in　which　all　the　heathen　gods　and　goddesses　figure；



epigrams；　panegyrics；　satires；　much　of　which　latter　productions　he



would　have　consigned　to　the　dust…heap　in　his　old　age；　had　not　his



too　fond　friends　persuaded　him　to　republish　the　follies　and



coarsenesses　of　his　youth。　　He　was　now　one　of　the　most　famous



scholars　in　Europe；　and　the　intimate　friend　of　all　the　great



literary　men。　　Was　he　to　go　on　to　the　end；　die；　and　no　more？　　Was　he



to　sink　into　the　mere　pedant；　or；　if　he　could　not　do　that；　into　the



mere　court　versifier？







The　wars　of　religion　saved　him；　as　they　saved　many　another　noble



soul；　from　that　degradation。　　The　events　of　1560…62　forced　Buchanan；



as　they　forced　many　a　learned　man　besides；　to　choose　whether　he



would　be　a　child　of　light　or　a　child　of　darkness；　whether　he　would



be　a　dilettante　classicist；　or　a　preacherit　might　be　a　martyrof



the　Gospel。　　Buchanan　may　have　left　France　in　〃The　Troubles〃　merely



to　enjoy　in　his　own　country　elegant　and　learned　repose。　　He　may　have



fancied　that　he　had　found　it；　when　he　saw　himself；　in　spite　of　his



public　profession　of　adherence　to　the　Reformed　Kirk；　reading　Livy



every　afternoon　with　his　exquisite　young　sovereign；　master；　by　her



favour；　of　the　temporalities　of　Crossraguel　Abbey；　and　by　the　favour



of　Murray；　Principal　of　St。　Leonard's　College　in　St。　Andrew's。



Perhaps　he　fancied　at　times　that　〃to…morrow　was　to　be　as　to…day；　and



much　more　abundant；〃　that　thenceforth　he　might　read　his　folio；　and



write　his　epigram；　and　joke　his　joke；　as　a　lazy　comfortable



pluralist；　taking　his　morning　stroll　out　to　the　corner　where　poor



Wishart　had　been　burned；　above　the　blue　sea　and　the　yellow　sands；



and　looking　up　to　the　castle　tower　from　whence　his　enemy　Beaton's



corpse　had　been　hung　out；　with　the　comfortable　reflection　that



quieter　times　had　come；　and　that　whatever　evil　deeds　Archbishop



Hamilton　might　dare；　he　would　not　dare　to　put　the　Principal　of　St。



Leonard's　into　the　〃bottle　dungeon。〃







If　such　hopes　ever　crossed　Geordie's　keen　fancy；　they　were



disappointed　suddenly　and　fearfully。　　The　fire　which　had　been



kindled　in　France　was　to　reach　to　Scotland　likewise。　　〃Revolutions



are　not　made　with　rose…water；〃　and　the　time　was　at　hand　when　all



good　spirits　in　Scotland；　and　George　Buchanan　among　them；　had　to



choose；　once　and　for　all；　amid　danger；　confusion；　terror；　whether



they　would　serve　God　or　Mammon；　for　to　serve　both　would　be　soon



impossible。







Which　side；　in　that　war　of　light　and　darkness；　George　Buchanan　took；



is　notorious。　　He　saw　then；　as　others　have　seen　since；　that　the　two



men　in　Scotland　who　were　capable　of　being　her　captains　in　the　strife



were　Knox　and　Murray；　and　to　them　he　gave　in　his　allegiance　heart



and　soul。







This　is　the　critical　epoch　in　Buchanan's　life。　　By　his　conduct　to



Queen　Mary　he　must　stand　or　fall。　　It　is　my　belief　that　he　will



stand。　　It　is　not　my　intention　to　enter　into　the　details　of　a　matter



so　painful；　so　shocking；　so　prodigious；　and　now　that　that　question



is　finally　set　at　rest；　by　the　writings　both　of　Mr。　Froude　and　Mr。



Burton；　there　is　no　need　to　allude　to　it　further；　save　where



Buchanan's　name　is　concerned。　　One　may　now　have　every　sympathy　with



Mary　Stuart；　one　may　regard　with　awe　a　figure　so　stately；　so　tragic；



in　one　sense　so　heroic；for　she　reminds　one　rather　of　the　heroine



of　an　old　Greek　tragedy；　swept　to　her　doom　by　some　irresistible



fate；　than　of　a　being　of　our　own　flesh　and　blood；　and　of　our　modern



and　Christian　times。　　One　may　sympathise　with　the　great　womanhood



which　charmed　so　many　while　she　was　alive；　which　has　charmed；　in



later　years；　so　many　noble　spirits　who　have　believed　in　her



innocence；　and　have　doubtless　been　elevated　and　purified　by　their



devotion　to　one　who　seemed　to　them　an　ideal　being。　　So　far　from



regarding　her　as　a　hateful　personage；　one　may　feel　oneself　forbidden



to　hate　a　woman　whom　God　may　have　loved；　and　may　have　pardoned；　to



judge　from　the　punishment　so　swift；　and　yet　so　enduring；　which　He



inflicted。　　At　least；　he　must　so　believe　who　holds　that　punishment



is　a　sign　of　mercy；　that　the　most　dreadful　of　all　dooms　is　impunity。



Nay；　more；　those　〃Casket〃　letters　and　sonnets　may　be　a　relief　to　the



mind　of　one　who　believes　in　her　guilt　on　other　grounds；　a　relief



when　one　finds　in　them　a　tenderness；　a　sweetness；　a　delicacy；　a



magnificent　self…sacrifice；　however　hideously　misplaced；　which　shows



what　a　womanly　heart　was　there；　a　heart　which；　joined　to　that



queenly　brain；　might　have　made　her　a　blessing　and　a　glory　to



Scotland；　had　not　the　whole　character　been　warped　and　ruinate　from



childhood；　by　an　education　so　abominable；　that　anyone　who　knows　what



words　she　must　have　heard；　what　scenes　she　must　have　beheld　in



France；　from　her　youth　up；　will　wonder　that　she　sinned　so　little：



not　that　she　sinned　so　much。　　One　may　feel；　in　a　word；　that　there　is



every　excuse　for　those　who　have　asserted　Mary's　innocence；　because



their　own　high…mindedness　shrank　from　believing　her　guilty：　　　but



yet　Buchanan；　in　his　own　place　and　time；　may　have　felt　as　deeply



that　he　could　do　no　otherwise　than　he　did。







The　charges　against　him；　as　all　readers　of　Scotch　literature　know



well；　may　be　reduced　to　two　heads。　　1st。　　The　letters　and　sonnets



were　forgeries。　　Maitland　of　Lethington　may　have　forged　the　letters；



Buchanan；　according　to　some；　the　sonnets。　　Whoever　forged　them；



Buchanan　made　use　of　them　in　his　Detection；　knowing　them　to　be



forged。　　2nd。　　Whether　Mary　was　innocent　or　not；　Buchanan　acted　a



base　and　ungrateful　part　in　putting　himself　in　the　forefront　amongst



her　accusers。　　He　had　been　her　tutor；　her　pensioner。　　She　had　heaped



him　with　favours；　and；　after　all；　she　was　his　queen；　and　a



defenceless　woman：　　　and　yet　he　returned　her　kindness；　in　the　hour



of　her　fall；　by　invectives　fit　onl