historical lecturers and essays-第29节

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



of　her　fall；　by　invectives　fit　only　for　a　rancorous　and　reckless



advocate；　determined　to　force　a　verdict　by　the　basest　arts　of



oratory。







Now　as　to　the　Casket　letters。　　I　should　have　thought　they　bore　in



themselves　the　best　evidence　of　being　genuine。　　I　can　add　nothing　to



the　arguments　of　Mr。　Froude　and　Mr。　Burton；　save　this：　　　that　no　one



clever　enough　to　be　a　forger　would　have　put　together　documents　so



incoherent；　and　so　incomplete。　　For　the　evidence　of　guilt　which　they



contain　is；　after　all；　slight　and　indirect；　and；　moreover；



superfluous　altogether；　seeing　that　Mary's　guilt　was　open　and



palpable；　before　the　supposed　discovery　of　the　letters；　to　every



person　at　home　and　abroad　who　had　any　knowledge　of　the　facts。　　As



for　the　alleged　inconsistency　of　the　letters　with　proven　facts：



the　answer　is；　that　whosoever　wrote　the　letters　would　be　more　likely



to　know　facts　which　were　taking　place　around　them　than　any　critic



could　be　one　hundred　or　three　hundred　years　afterwards。　　But　if



these　mistakes　as　to　facts　actually　exist　in　them；　they　are　only　a



fresh　argument　for　their　authenticity。　　Mary；　writing　in　agony　and



confusion；　might　easily　make　a　mistake：　　　forgers　would　only　take



too　good　care　to　make　none。







But　the　strongest　evidence　in　favour　of　the　letters　and　sonnets；　in



spite　of　the　arguments　of　good　Dr。　Whittaker　and　other　apologists



for　Mary；　is　to　be　found　in　their　tone。　　A　forger　in　those　coarse



days　would　have　made　Mary　write　in　some　Semiramis　or　Roxana　vein；



utterly　alien　to　the　tenderness；　the　delicacy；　the　pitiful　confusion



of　mind；　the　conscious　weakness；　the　imploring　and　most　feminine



trust　which　makes　the　letters；　to　those　whoas　I　dobelieve　in



them；　more　pathetic　than　any　fictitious　sorrows　which　poets　could



invent。　　More　than　one　touch；　indeed；　of　utter　self…abasement；　in



the　second　letter；　is　so　unexpected；　so　subtle；　and　yet　so　true　to



the　heart　of　woman；　thatas　has　been　well　saidif　it　was　invented



there　must　have　existed　in　Scotland　an　earlier　Shakespeare；　who　yet



has　died　without　leaving　any　other　sign；　for　good　or　evil；　of　his



dramatic　genius。







As　for　the　theory　（totally　unsupported）　that　Buchanan　forged　the



poem　usually　called　the　〃Sonnets；〃　it　is　paying　old　Geordie's



genius；　however　versatile　it　may　have　been；　too　high　a　compliment　to



believe　that　he　could　have　written　both　them　and　the　Detection；



while　it　is　paying　his　shrewdness　too　low　a　compliment　to　believe



that　he　could　have　put　into　them；　out　of　mere　carelessness　or



stupidity；　the　well…known　line；　which　seems　incompatible　with　the



theory　both　of　the　letters　and　of　his　own　Detection；　and　which　has



ere　now　been　brought　forward　as　a　fresh　proof　of　Mary's　innocence。







And；　as　with　the　letters；　so　with　the　sonnets：　　　their　delicacy；



their　grace；　their　reticence；　are　so　many　arguments　against　their



having　been　forged　by　any　Scot　of　the　sixteenth　century；　and　least



of　all　by　one　in　whose　characterwhatever　his　other　virtues　may



have　beendelicacy　was　by　no　means　the　strongest　point。







As　for　the　complaint　that　Buchanan　was　ungrateful　to　Mary；　it　must



be　said：　　　That　even　if　she；　and　not　Murray；　had　bestowed　on　him　the



temporalities　of　Crossraguel　Abbey　four　years　before；　it　was　merely



fair　pay　for　services　fairly　rendered；　and　I　am　not　aware　that



payment；　or　even　favours；　however　gracious；　bind　any　man's　soul　and



conscience　in　questions　of　highest　morality　and　highest　public



importance。　　And　the　importance　of　that　question　cannot　be



exaggerated。　　At　a　moment　when　Scotland　seemed　struggling　in　death…



throes　of　anarchy；　civil　and　religious；　and　was　in　danger　of



becoming　a　prey　either　to　England　or　to　France；　if　there　could　not



be　formed　out　of　the　heart　of　her　a　people；　steadfast；　trusty；



united；　strong　politically　because　strong　in　the　fear　of　God　and　the



desire　of　righteousnessat　such　a　moment　as　this；　a　crime　had　been



committed；　the　like　of　which　had　not　been　heard　in　Europe　since　the



tragedy　of　Joan　of　Naples。　　All　Europe　stood　aghast。　　The　honour　of



the　Scottish　nation　was　at　stake。　　More　than　Mary　or　Bothwell　were



known　to　be　implicated　in　the　deed；　andas　Buchanan　puts　it　in　the



opening　of　his　〃De　Jure　Regni〃〃The　fault　of　some　few　was　charged



upon　all；　and　the　common　hatred　of　a　particular　person　did　redound



to　the　whole　nation；　so　that　even　such　as　were　remote　from　any



suspicion　were　inflamed　by　the　infamy　of　men's　crimes。〃　｛17｝







To　vindicate　the　national　honour；　and　to　punish　the　guilty；　as　well



as　to　save　themselves　from　utter　anarchy；　the　great　majority　of　the



Scotch　nation　had　taken　measures　against　Mary　which　required



explicit　justification　in　the　sight　of　Europe；　as　Buchanan　frankly



confesses　in　the　opening　of　his　〃De　Jure　Regni。〃　　The　chief　authors



of　those　measures　had　been　summoned；　perhaps　unwisely　and　unjustly；



to　answer　for　their　conduct　to　the　Queen　of　England。　　Queen



Elizabetha　fact　which　was　notorious　enough　then；　though　it　has



been　forgotten　till　the　last　few　yearswas　doing　her　utmost　to



shield　Mary。　　Buchanan　was　deputed；　it　seems；　to　speak　out　for　the



people　of　Scotland；　and　certainly　never　people　had　an　abler



apologist。　　If　he　spoke　fiercely；　savagely；　it　must　be　remembered



that　he　spoke　of　a　fierce　and　savage　matter；　if　he　usedand　it　may



be　abusedall　the　arts　of　oratory；　it　must　be　remembered　that　he



was　fighting　for　the　honour；　and　it　may　be　for　the　national　life；　of



his　country；　and　strikingas　men　in　such　cases　have　a　right　to



strikeas　hard　as　he　could。　　If　he　makes　no　secret　of　his



indignation；　and　even　contempt；　it　must　be　remembered　that



indignation　and　contempt　may　well　have　been　real　with　him；　while



they　were　real　with　the　soundest　part　of　his　countrymen；　with　that



reforming　middle　class；　comparatively　untainted　by　French



profligacy；　comparatively　undebauched　by　feudal　subservience；　which



has　been　the　leaven　which　has　leavened　the　whole　Scottish　people　in



the　last　three　centuries　with　the　elements　of　their　greatness。　　If；



finally；　he　heaps　up　against　the　unhappy　Queen　charges　which　Mr。



Burton　thinks　incredible；　it　must　be　remembered　that；　as　he　well



says；　these　charges　give　the　popular　feeling　about　Queen　Mary；　and



it　must　be　remembered　also；　that　that　popular　feeling　need　not　have



been　altogether　unfounded。　　Stories　which　are　incredible；　thank　God；



in　these　milder　days；　were　credible　enough　then；　because；　alas！　they



were　so　often　true。　　Things　more　ugly　than　any　related　of　poor　Mary



were　possible　enoughas　no　one　knew　better　than　Buchananin　that



very　French　court　in　which　Mary　had　been　brought　up；　things　as　ugly



were　possible　in　Scotland　then；　and　for　at　least　a　century　later；



and　while　we　may　hope　that　Buchanan　has　overstated　his　case；　we　must



not　blame　him　too　severely　for　yielding　to　a　temptation　common　to



all　men　of　genius　when　their　creative　power　is　roused　to　its　highest



energy　by　a　great　cause　and　a　great　indignation。







And　that　the　genius　was　there；　no　man　can　doubt；　one　cannot　read



that　〃hideously　eloquent〃　description　of　Kirk　o'　Field；　which　Mr。



Burton　has　well　chosen　as　a　specimen　of　Buchanan's　style；　without



seeing　that　we　are　face　to　face　with　a　genius　of　a　very　lofty　order：



not；　indeed；　of　the　loftiestfor　there　is　always　in　Buchanan's



work；　it　seems　to　me；　a　want　of　unconsciousness；　and　a　want　of



tendernessbut　still　a　genius　worthy　to　be　placed　beside　those



ancient　writers　from　whom　he　took　his　manner。　　Whether　or　not　we



agree　with　his　contemporaries；　who　say　that　he　equalled　Virgil　in



Latin　poetry；　we　may　place　him　fairly　as　a　prose　writer　by　the　side



of　Demosthenes；　Cicero；　or　Tacitus。　　And　so　I　pass　from　this　painful



subject；　only　quotingif　I　may　be　permitted　to　quoteMr。　Burton's



wise　and　gentle　verdict　on　the　whole。　　〃Buchanan；〃　he　says；　〃though



a　zealous　Protestant；　had　a　good　deal　of　the　Catholic　and　sceptical



spirit　of　Erasmus；　and　an　admiring　eye　for　everything　that　was　great



and　beautiful。　　Like　the　rest　of　his　countrymen；　he　bowed　himself　in



presence　of　the　lustre　that　surrounded　the　early　career　of　his



mistress。　　More　than　once　he　expressed　his　pride　and　reverence　in



the　inspiration　of　a　genius　deemed　by　his　contemporaries　to　be



worthy　of　the　theme。　　There　is　not；　perhaps；　to　be　found　elsewhere



in　literature　so　solemn　a　memorial　of　shipwrecked　hopes；　of　a　sunny



opening　and　a　stormy　end；　as　one　finds　in　turning　the　l