historical lecturers and essays-第31节

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repetition　of　falsehoods　are　induced　to　consider　the　fiction　as



truth；　had　so　often　dwelt　with　complacency　on　the　forgeries　of　his



Detections；　and　the　figments　of　his　History；　that　he　at　length



regarded　his　fictions　and　his　forgeries　as　most　authentic　facts。〃







At　all　events　his　fictions　and　his　forgeries　had　not　paid　him　in



that　coin　which　base　men　generally　consider　the　only　coin　worth



having；　namely；　the　good　things　of　this　life。　　He　left　nothing



behind　himif　at　least　Dr。　Irving　has　rightly　construed　the



〃Testament　Dative〃　which　he　gives　in　his　appendixsave　arrears　to



the　sum　of　100　pounds　of　his　Crossraguel　pension。　　We　may　believe　as



we　choose　the　story　in　Mackenzie's　〃Scotch　Writers〃　that　when　he



felt　himself　dying；　he　asked　his　servant　Young　about　the　state　of



his　funds；　and　finding　he　had　not　enough　to　bury　himself　withal；



ordered　what　he　had　to　be　given　to　the　poor；　and　said　that　if　they



did　not　choose　to　bury　him　they　might　let　him　lie　where　he　was；　or



cast　him　in　a　ditch；　the　matter　was　very　little　to　him。　　He　was



buried；　it　seems；　at　the　expense　of　the　city　of　Edinburgh；　in　the



Greyfriars'　Churchyardone　says　in　a　plain　turf　graveamong　the



marble　monuments　which　covered　the　bones　of　worse　or　meaner　men；　and



whether　or　not　the　〃Throughstone〃　which；　〃sunk　under　the　ground　in



the　Greyfriars；〃　was　raised　and　cleaned　by　the　Council　of　Edinburgh



in　1701；　was　really　George　Buchanan's；　the　reigning　powers　troubled



themselves　little　for　several　generations　where　he　lay。







For　Buchanan's　politics　were　too　advanced　for　his　age。　　Not　only



Catholic　Scotsmen；　like　Blackwood；　Winzet；　and　Ninian；　but



Protestants；　like　Sir　Thomas　Craig　and　Sir　John　Wemyss；　could　not



stomach　the　〃De　Jure　Regni。〃　　They　may　have　had　some　reason　on　their



side。　　In　the　then　anarchic　state　of　Scotland；　organisation　and



unity　under　a　common　head　may　have　been　more　important　than　the



assertion　of　popular　rights。　　Be　that　as　it　may；　in　1584；　only　two



years　after　his　death；　the　Scots　Parliament　condemned　his　Dialogue



and　History　as　untrue；　and　commanded　all　possessors　of　copies　to



deliver　them　up；　that　they　might　be　purged　of　〃the　offensive　and



extraordinary　matters〃　which　they　contained。　　The　〃De　Jure　Regni〃



was　again　prohibited　in　Scotland；　in　1664；　even　in　manuscript；　and



in　1683；　the　whole　of　Buchanan's　political　works　had　the　honour　of



being　burned　by　the　University　of　Oxford；　in　company　with　those　of



Milton；　Languet；　and　others；　as　〃pernicious　books；　and　damnable



doctrines；　destructive　to　the　sacred　persons　of　Princes；　their　state



and　government；　and　of　all　human　society。〃　　And　thus　the　seed　which



Buchanan　had　sown；　and　Milton　had　wateredfor　the　allegation　that



Milton　borrowed　from　Buchanan　is　probably　true；　and　equally



honourable　to　bothlay　trampled　into　the　earth；　and　seemingly



lifeless；　till　it　tillered　out；　and　blossomed；　and　bore　fruit　to　a



good　purpose；　in　the　Revolution　of　1688。







To　Buchanan's　clear　head　and　stout　heart；　Scotland　owes；　as　England



owes　likewise；　much　of　her　modern　liberty。　　But　Scotland's　debt　to



him；　it　seems　to　me；　is　even　greater　on　the　count　of　morality；



public　and　private。　　What　the　morality　of　the　Scotch　upper　classes



was　like；　in　Buchanan's　early　days；　is　too　notorious；　and　there



remains　proof　enoughin　the　writings；　for　instance；　of　Sir　David



Lindsaythat　the　morality　of　the　populace；　which　looked　up　to　the



nobles　as　its　example　and　its　guide；　was　not　a　whit　better。　　As



anarchy　increased；　immorality　was　likely　to　increase　likewise；　and



Scotland　was　in　serious　danger　of　falling　into　such　a　state　as　that



into　which　Poland　fell；　to　its　ruin；　within　a　hundred　and　fifty



years　after；　in　which　the　savagery　of　feudalism；　without　its　order



or　its　chivalry；　would　be　varnished　over　by　a　thin　coating　of　French



〃civilisation；〃　and；　as　in　the　case　of　Bothwell；　the　vices　of　the



court　of　Paris　should　be　added　to　those　of　the　Northern　freebooter。



To　deliver　Scotland　from　that　ruin；　it　was　needed　that　she　should　be



united　into　one　people；　strong；　not　in　mere　political；　but　in　moral



ideas；　strong　by　the　clear　sense　of　right　and　wrong；　by　the　belief



in　the　government　and　the　judgments　of　a　living　God。　　And　the　tone



which　Buchanan；　like　Knox；　adopted　concerning　the　great　crimes　of



their　day；　helped　notably　that　national　salvation。　　It　gathered



together；　organised；　strengthened；　the　scattered　and　wavering



elements　of　public　morality。　　It　assured　the　hearts　of　all　men　who



loved　the　right　and　hated　the　wrong；　and　taught　a　whole　nation　to



call　acts　by　their　just　names；　whoever　might　be　the　doers　of　them。



It　appealed　to　the　common　conscience　of　men。　　It　proclaimed　a



universal　and　God…given　morality；　a　bar　at　which　all；　from　the



lowest　to　the　highest；　must　alike　be　judged。







The　tone　was　stern：　　　but　there　was　need　of　sternness。　　Moral　life



and　death　were　in　the　balance。　　If　the　Scots　people　were　to　be　told



that　the　crimes　which　roused　their　indignation　were　excusable；　or



beyond　punishment；　or　to　be　hushed　up　and　slipped　over　in　any　way；



there　was　an　end　of　morality　among　them。　　Every　man；　from　the



greatest　to　the　least；　would　go　and　do　likewise；　according　to　his



powers　of　evil。　　That　method　was　being　tried　in　France；　and　in　Spain



likewise；　during　those　very　years。　　Notorious　crimes　were　hushed　up



under　pretence　of　loyalty；　excused　as　political　necessities；　smiled



away　as　natural　and　pardonable　weaknesses。　　The　result　was　the　utter



demoralisation；　both　of　France　and　Spain。　　Knox　and　Buchanan；　the



one　from　the　standpoint　of　an　old　Hebrew　prophet；　the　other　rather



from　that　of　a　Juvenal　or　a　Tacitus；　tried　the　other　method；　and



called　acts　by　their　just　names；　appealing　alike　to　conscience　and



to　God。　　The　result　was　virtue　and　piety；　and　that　manly



independence　of　soul　which　is　thought　compatible　with　hearty



loyalty；　in　a　country　labouring　under　heavy　disadvantages；　long



divided　almost　into　two　hostile　camps；　two　rival　races。







And　the　good　influence　was　soon　manifest；　not　only　in　those　who



sided　with　Buchanan　and　his　friends；　but　in　those　who　most　opposed



them。　　The　Roman　Catholic　preachers；　who　at　first　asserted　Mary's



right　to　impurity　while　they　allowed　her　guilt；　grew　silent　for



shame；　and　set　themselves　to　assert　her　entire　innocence；　while　the



Scots　who　have　followed　their　example　have；　to　their　honour；　taken



up　the　same　ground。　　They　have　fought　Buchanan　on　the　ground　of



fact；　not　on　the　ground　of　morality：　　　they　have　allegedas　they



had　a　fair　right　to　dothe　probability　of　intrigue　and　forgery　in



an　age　so　profligate：　　　the　improbability　that　a　Queen　so　gifted　by



nature　and　by　fortune；　and　confessedly　for　a　long　while　so　strong



and　so　spotless；　should　as　it　were　by　a　sudden　insanity　have　proved



so　untrue　to　herself。　　Their　noblest　and　purest　sympathies　have　been



enlistedand　who　can　blame　them？in　loyalty　to　a　Queen；　chivalry



to　a　woman；　pity　for　the　unfortunate　andas　they　conceivedthe



innocent；　but　whether　they　have　been　right　or　wrong　in　their　view　of



facts；　the　Scotch　partisans　of　Mary　have　alwaysas　far　as　I　know



been　right　in　their　view　of　morals；　they　have　never　deigned　to　admit



Mary's　guilt；　and　then　to　palliate　it　by　those　sentimental；　or



rather　sensual；　theories　of　human　nature；　too　common　in　a　certain



school　of　French　literature；　too　common；　alas！　in　a　certain　school



of　modern　English　novels。　　They　have　not　said；　〃She　did　it；　but



after　all；　was　the　deed　so　very　inexcusable？〃　　They　have　said；　〃The



deed　was　inexcusable：　　　but　she　did　not　do　it。〃　　And　so　the　Scotch



admirers　of　Mary；　who　have　numbered　among　them　many　a　pure　and



noble；　as　well　as　many　a　gifted　spirit；　have　kept　at　least



themselves　unstained；　and　have　shown；　whether　consciously　or　not；



that　they　too　share　in　that　sturdy　Scotch　moral　sense　which　has　been



so　much　strengthenedas　I　believe　by　the　plain　speech　of　good　old



George　Buchanan。















Footnotes：







｛1｝　　This　lecture　was　delivered　in　America　in　1874。







｛2｝　　Black；　translator　of　Mallett's　〃Northern　Antiquities；〃



Supplementary　Chapter　I。；　and　Rafn's　〃Antiquitates　Americanae。〃







｛3｝　　On　the　Fiftieth　Birthday　of　Agassiz。







｛4｝　　This　lecture　was　given　in　America　in　1874。







｛5｝　　This　lecture　was　given　in　America　in　1874。







｛6｝　　This　lecture　and　the　two　preceding　ones；　being　published　after



the　author's　death；　have　not　had　the　benefit　of　his　corrections。