Hogg, Cunningham, and others. Thus thusiasm its Knox, its Buchanan, its Mackintosh was at once a historian, a Burns, its Chalmers, and its Christopher metaphysician, and a man of general lite- North. These favourites are treated in rary attainments. Thus Blair, Chalmers, a very singular way. They are at once Irving, and Wardlaw, are found in the loved and laughed at-worshipped and list both of preachers and of religious au- made topics of endless wonder and merthors. And thus George Buchanan is at riment; and it is hard to say whether once a poet, a scholar, a historian, and, their good qualities or their foibles furwe might add, a dramatist, a controver- nish matter of more delectable conversialist, a schoolmaster, and a political sation and anecdotage to their admirers. writer. The common notion is, that the Stories which would damage other chagenius of Scotland has been hard and racters are told of them in mere glee, unbending; confined to a few broad to- and held to be exceedingly characteristic, pics, and hemmed in by a few narrow like "pretty Fanny's way." They are principles, that, even when ardent, its ar- almost always called either by nickdour has been rather that of a fenced-in names, or by diminutives of their own furnace, than of a free star; but the "plain Christian names. One is amazed to find tale" we have told above should-and for ever-put this misconception down. The perfervidum ingenium Scotorum has not unfrequently been as broad in its range, as it has been burning in its radiance.

in history, that the soldiers of such awful personages, whom we look on as Angels of Destruction, as Cæsar, Suwarrow, and Napoleon, were wont to sing ridiculous and ribald songs about We come to the examination of the commanders they adored, and to give life and genius of, perhaps next to Scott, them such sobriquets as, in reference to the greatest literary character our country Napoleon, the "little corporal," till one has ever produced-the glorious gruff old remembers that similar practices occur pedant, the Dr Johnson of Scotland-every day around us. How often have we George Buchanan. Buchanan is one of heard peasant lads and lasses, with fond the greatest favourites of his country. familiarity, sitting by the ingle bleeze In every town and every land, there are talking of Rab or Rabbie Burns, recountcertain characters who, independent evening the while strange anecdotes of him, or of their works, and often even of their singing some of his songs! The common moral character, cast grappling-irons into name by which Chalmers is known and the affections, the interest, and the ad- spoken of through all Fifeshire to this miration of their fellow-citizens or fellow-hour is "Tam Chalmers." William Ancountrymen. Such men are always re-derson and Thomas Guthrie are genepresentatives of the strength and the rally talked of in the same style. And weakness, of the merits and the faults of what child has not heard of the great the classes to which they belong, and scholar, poet, and historian of Killearn, are, moreover, distinguished by some- the terror of popes and councils, the thing peculiar, compounded generally of tutor of kings, and the joint-Reformer eccentricity and bonhommie. It is not with Knox of a kingdom, as Geordie mere talent, learning, or genius that up- Buwhinan, and has not laughed itself lifts them to distinction, with their neigh-almost dead at the curious anecdotes, bours at least, unless they be bizarre or partly false and partly true, of his jests outre besides. Hence, in England, the and tricks, which still float through all great popularity of Charles James Fox; the Lowlands of Scotland? We have and in Ireland, the unbounded power of one other word to add here. Almost all Dean Swift. Hence, to come to cities, those who have thus become national faEdinburgh had its Wilson, and Aber-vourites-whether in England, Ireland, deen had its Dr Kidd; and Glasgow has or Scotland-have taken the popular its William Anderson. And hence Scot-side in politics and religion; and, perland, as a country, has admired to en-haps, this is the true way of accounting

one, but must on all the words), cannot acknowledged type of the Crucified, susbut feel more tender and awful emotions pended among the crags of the Caucasian as they contemplate this outlying and un-wilderness.

GEORGE BUCHANAN.*

arts, time would fail us to speak of the Watts and Bells, and the thousand others to whose names all our mills, and factories, and steam-ships are offering up continually their hoarse hymn of praise. And in religious literature, we have our Knox, Melville, Rutherford, Erskines, Blair, Campbell, Hill, M'Crie, Dick, Chalmers, Wardlaw, Irving, and a hundred besides.

A SCOTCHMAN has a right to be proud of, | scientific truth-we have a Nichol and a and delighted to write upon, the glories Samuel Brown. In preaching, we have a of Scottish genius. These, when we con- Knox, a Blair, a M'Laurin, an Andrew sider the comparatively recent growth of Thomson, a Wardlaw, a Chalmers, and civilisation among the Scotch, and the an Irving. In painting, we have a Ramsize of Scotland, as a country, have been say, a Wilkie, a Raeburn, a Thomson, a truly marvellous. In what department, David Scott, and more innumerable. In not merely of literature but of science, travelling, what names brighter than philosophy, invention, and manly enter- those of Bruce and Mungo Park? In prise, have not the children of the North general literature, we have a Mackintosh, excelled? In poetry, we have our Bu- a Robert Chambers, a Hugh Miller, and chanan, Thomson, Scott, Burns, Blair, very narrowly lost the opportunity of Beattie, Campbell, Hogg, Smith, Wilson, having a Macaulay. In philological lore, and a host of others. In philosophy, we we have a Pinkerton, a Sibbald, a Chalhave our Hume, our Reid, our Stew-mers, and a Jameson. In the mechanical art, our Brown, our Mackintosh, and our Hamilton. In science, we have our Napier, our Playfair, our Leslie, our Watt. In the art of instruction, one of the most valuable of all arts, have appeared our Jardines, Pillanses, and Sandfords. In the drama, we have our Lindsay, our Ramsay, and our Home. In scholarship, we have Buchanan, Johnstone, Ruddiman, Hunter, and Halley. Such is a most imperfect catalogue of In fiction, we have Smollett, Scott, Wil- our "Scots Worthies," and indeed many son, Galt, Lockhart, Ferrier, Hogg, and compartments we have altogether omitothers past all reckoning. In history, we ted. But we have enumerated enough have Buchanan, Hume, Robertson, Fer- to prove the fact, that no country in progusson, Gillies, Mackintosh, M'Crie, Laing, portion to its size has contributed so and Alison. In political science, we have much as Scotland to the great solid stock Adam Smith, Miller, and MacCulloch. of intellectual wealth which is constantly In biography, we have, besides fifty others, accumulating in the world. Another Boswell, whom Macaulay truly calls the thing must have struck the reader in best biographer that ever lived. In bril- glancing over these names. It is the liant imitation of the old, or shall we ra- versatility of the Scottish genius; a fact ther call it splendid forgery, if England proved by this-that the same names has a Chatterton, "Scotland has a thief frequently re-appear in different ex as good "-she has a M'Pherson. In ments. Thus, Hume was at on criticism, we have a Jeffrey, a Wilson, a torian and a metaphysician, bes Lockhart, an Allan Cunningham, and a a writer on general literary t Carlyle. In lecturing-the exposition of the names of Lockhart, *Irving's Life of George Buchanan. Edin- Scott appear both as ficti poets. It is the same w burgh: Blackwood.

AL

for the mighty problem, propounded by the school of Dumbarton. His maternal Mrs Stowe, in her late travels, why uncle-James Heriot by name-struck Scott's name awakened so little enthu- by the uncommon promise of his nephew, siasm at her meetings, while that of sent him at the age of fifteen to proseBurns always threatened to bring down cute his studies at the University of Paris, the house. And yet, in spite of her where he perfected his knowledge of the statement, and of his politics, Scott is Latin tongue, acquired Greek without a deeply and warmly loved by the people master, and began to cultivate his poetiof Scotland; but he, and still more Pro- cal powers. His waggery, too, was there fessor Wilson, are exceptions to the above discovered in this curious way:-Having undeniable rule. met a woman who professed to be a deGeorge Buchanan was born in the moniac, and to speak all languages, Buparish of Killearn, Stirlingshire, in Fe-chanan accosted her in Gaelic, which was bruary, 1506, of a family, as he says him- probably his own native speech, but she self, more ancient than wealthy. His returning no answer, he came to the confather was farmer at a place called the clusion that the devil had not learned Moss. The house where he was born Erse! has been frequently rebuilt, but there Two years after he came to Paris, his remained, not long ago, an inner wall uncle died, and Buchanan was cast upon and an oak beam, which had belonged to his own resources, which were absolutely the original edifice; and an enthusiastic none. To poverty, disease added its ✦ student travelled once from Glasgow, and sting, and the future pride of Scotland slept a night under the beam, hoping was nearly perishing on the streets of that he might derive inspiration from Paris. He managed, however, to crawl it! It is hardly necessary to add that home, a beggar. By his friends he was the student was an Irishman. Bucha- received kindly, and spent a year at the nan's father died prematurely, and his Moss, recovering his health. We find grandfather became a bankrupt. This him next a private soldier! What inreduced the family to a state of great duced him to list is not quite certain. poverty; and his brave, admirable mother, Whether, as in the case of Coleridge, it left with five sons and three daughters, was a love disappointment; or whether had to struggle hard ere she could bring he was simply tired of inaction, and them up to the age of maturity. She ashamed of living on his relatives; or and two of her sons continued to culti- whether, as he intimates himself, he was vate the hereditary farm. George was anxious to learn the art of war, and the third son of the family. He re- like Goethe, to know something of the ceived the rudiments of his education at "cannon-fever," certain it is, in 1523, he the parish school of Killearn, then, and joined the Duke of Albany's troops, and long after, famous. The school was two served in one campaign against the Engmiles from the Moss; and thither, day lish. He was at the unsuccessful siege after day, with his little can of milk in of Werk, and partook of the disgrace of his hand, and his satchel on his back, the Albany's retreat across the Border. schoolboy, destined to be so illustrious, left the army immediately after in dismight be seen-not "creeping like snail" gust, and was confined to bed all winter. --but wending his willing way along the Yet this little dip into warfare was of banks of the Blane. Some trees planted, service to him ultimately; and his deit is said, by his hand used to be shown scriptions of battles in the "History of -particularly a fine mountain-ash, the Scotland" are done with the force, disred berries of which were regarded with tinctness, and enthusiasm of one who had enthusiasm, and seemed to rustle out the himself fought bravely; just as Scott's name of Buchanan to the autumn winds. connection even with the sham fights It is said, but without any good autho- and mimic marches of the yeomanry was rity, that he was afterwards removed to of use to him in his "Marmion" and

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