The spectacle presented to us by the hiftory of thofe times is neither unentertaining nor uninftructive. "The view (fays the profound hiftorian of the contiguous nation,) of human manners, in all their vanity of appearances, is both profitable and agreeable; and if the afpect, in fome periods, feem horrid and deformed, we may thence learn to cherish, with the greater anxiety, that fcience and civility which has fo close a connection with virtue and humanity, and which, as it is a fovereign antidote againft fuperftition, is alfo the. molt effectual remedy againft vice and diforders of every kind."

Scottish history, at the period in queftion, exhibits the progrefs of man from barbariím towards civilization, and is thus highly deferving of the philofopher's attention. During the latter part of it, Scotland began to be intimately connected with neighbouring ftates: its affairs, as Dr. Robertfon obferves, began to be mingled fo with thofe of other European ftates; its influence on the operations of the neighbouring kingdoms was fo vifible, that its hiftory becomes an object of general attention. Although, indeed, the Doctor applies this obfervation chiefly to his own immediate fubject, it is almoft equally applicable to the reign of James V. which occupies the principal portion of Mr. Pinkerton's work. The tranfactions of the northern part of this ifland are peculiarly important to thefe kingdoms. It was, during the government of the Houfe of Stuart, that Scotland began to have a more frequent and regular intercourfe with her fouthern neighbour; and the connection of the more uncivilized and poorer country with the more civilized and richer, TENDED TO PROMOTE ITS CIVILIZATION AND ADVANTAGE. The benefits accruing to both, in a state of partial and interrupted intercourfe, were, no doubt, very inconfiderable, compared to thofe which have fince refulted from a fixed and permanent UNION ftill, however, they were confiderable, and increafed in proportion to the clofenefs of the connection.

Having made thefe few obfervations on the fubject, we fhall now proceed to the plan and execution.

As ufual with us, we fhall firft give an analyfis, illustrated by quotations; afterwards offer our opinion on the literary ability, and the literary and political ufefulness, of the work. The history is divided into fixteen books. The first nine include the reign of the first five Princes of the House of Stuart; the laft feven, which are of greater extent, the reigns of the grandfather and father of the beautiful, lovely, and unfortunate Mary,

In

In commencing the reign of Robert the IId, the first Monarch of the Stuarts, we made an observation that we afterwards found applicable to every fucceeding reign. This was, that Mr. Pinkerton had beftowed great attention on clearing the ground; in enabling the reader to perceive the ftate of affairs at the outlet. Proceeding to the narrative, he gives a fhort account of the family, whofe official fituation as High Stewards procured them the firname of Stuart. Mr. Pinkerton thinks that this illuftrious Houfe fprung from the noble and ancient English family of Fitz-Allan. For feveral generations the fame family had held the office, when Walter, then High Steward, having performed remarkable fervices in defending his country against an invading foe, at the battle of Bannockburn, the celebrated Robert Bruce rewarded him with the hand of his only daughter. David the IId, dying without iffue, Robert, fon of the Lord High Steward, and the Princefs, fucceeded to his uncle's throne, by the name of Robert Stuart. The first book is devoted to his hiftory. The military tranfactions of this monarch are more minutely known than the civil; the warlike exploits, however unimportant in themfelves, are far from being unimportant in the exhibition which they afford of the character and manners of the times. The more private and perfonal contefts of Douglas and Percy (Hotspur) are interefting, from the celebrity of thofe heroes in English hiftory; and, ftill farther, from their having exercised the magic pen of our dramatic Bard. The character of Robert the IId is well fketched, though, from want of materials, by no means equal in minutenefs and accuracy of feature, in nicenefs of colouring, to fucceeding Sovereigns. To one obfervation concerning him we cannot fubfcribe :"He is little known to history, because he was a good King. and a good man." We doubt pot that Mr. Pinkerton, on recollecting many parts of his own ftores of historical knowledge, will admit, that good Kings, who are good men, are not generally little known to history. Examples in fo obvious a cafe are unneceffary to confirm our affertion. Robert the IId, like his defcendant Charles the IId, left the most numerous monuments of his exiftence in illegitimate progeny. In the genealogical tree of the Houfe of Stuart his atchievements are very confpicuous. The next chapter contains the reign of Robert the IIId, a weak contemptible Prince, very unfit for fwaying the fceptre among turbulent Barons, powerful from their warlike characters; the extent of their poffeffions, number of their retainers, joined by the patriarchal ties of clanship, in addition to thofe of attachment to their liege Lord. It appears that he left his government to the

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Duke

Duke of Albany, an ambitious and treacherous Prince, whe caufed the murder of Robert's eldeft fon. The weakness of Robert, however, and the wickednefs of Albany, proved eventually instrumental to the melioration of Scotland. Robert, confcious of his own inability to protect his children, refolved to fend James, now his eldest fon, to his friend the King of France. The Prince, a boy of eleven years old, was captured by the English, and very difhonourably detained in confinement by Henry the IVth, and even by his celebrated fon; but very fortunately for James himself, as he received a literary education, and applied with great vigour to the principles of jurifprudence and legiflation. After nineteen years detention he was releafed, and afcended the throne of his ancestors.

Mr. Pinkerton adopts a new mode as to the difpofition of his characters of feveral Princes, giving them at the commencement instead of the conclufion of their reigns. Of this arrangement we do not approve; because the reader, when he meets a character previous to the knowledge of the counfels and actions of the conduct, fentiments, and principles, which constitute the character, he cannot determine whether the hiftorian's picture be juft or unjuft. We think the usual mode, therefore, much more judicious; as from it we have the items in detail before a fummary is attempted, and thus may be able to perceive whether they tally. Though we object to this as a point of order, we, on the other hand, admit, that the characters are skilfully and ably prefented to

us in the narrative.

The mind of James the First, naturally vigorous, and expanded by intercourse with a nation farther advanced in civilization than his own, perceived the great inferiority of his kingdom to that of England, and that the chief cause of the inferiority was, that in Scotland there was not a regular code of laws; that the Nobles were not under proper fubordination to established government. To enact good laws, to reduce the Nobles into proper fubjection, to make the administration of justice exact, were James's great objects. Mr. Pinkerton's account of his reign is, at once, concife and full. Here, indeed, as he obferves, ample materials for the hiftory of peace begin to be found. These materials are chiefly a complete feries of laws, now firft (at least fince the deftruction of the archives by Edward) regularly recorded. James appears, by this narration, to have been, in a great degree, the Juftinian of Scotland, as Edward was of England. Having reformed the government, he proceeded to punish those who had been guilty of rapine, encroachment, or any other wickedness,

wickedness, during the weakness of his father, or his own compulfory abfence. He recalled the alienations of royal revenue that had taken place. Obferving that the encroachments of the Nobles moit frequently arofe from combinations, either for the purpose of robbery, or warding off punishment, he procured a law to be enacted declaring fuch confederacies illegal. The vigour of James ftirred up a confpiracy of Nobles, who affaffinated him. From Mr. Pinkerton's narration we fee, in detail, the juftnefs of Dr. Robertfon's general obfervation," that his maxims and manners were too refined for the age in which he lived;" a remark fomewhat fimilar to that which Hume applies to Henry II. when endeavouring to reprefs the power, and expofe the impoftures, of Thomas Becket.

After the death of James, there follows a retrofpect; 1ft, of the state of the people, and of civilization; 2d, government, laws, tactics; 3d, agriculture, ufeful arts; 4th, commerce, money, navigation; 5th, ecclefiaftical history, literature, language; 6th, ornamental arts, manners, drefs. This differtation is, perhaps, too long for the body of the work, as it keeps the narration fufpended for a confiderable time. It is, however, amufing, and not devoid of inftruction.

In thefe difquifitions we think that, if Mr. Pinkerton kept more to thofe ftrong and accurate ftatements which mark his narratives, and dealt lefs in general abftract obfervations, he might please more without inftructing lefs. Of his abftractions we admit moft to be true; but then they are very obvious; for inftance, "Even infants difplay, fome a perverfe, others a placid, difpofition."-" In whatever form of administration, only a part can fhine upon the public theatre, and thus attract the notice of hiftory." This appears like an affectation of philofophy, when the propofitions are fo undoubtedly true, that every man of common fense must perceive their juftness on hearing them pronounced. Another appearance of affectation, very evident in the difquifitions, is, an attempt to raise a common, thought by figurative language. Thus, in endeavouring to prove that good rulers promote public happiness more than bad, he thinks it neceffary to use the following illuftration:-" The influence (of rulers) like that of the electric element, is rarely unveiled to the popular eye, though the fubtle fluid operate moft widely on the public health." We regret thefe little conceits the more, as the talents and knowledge of Mr. Pinkerton afford a plentiful ftore of the best materials. Why have recourfe to tinfel, when there is no want of valuable metal?

In this retrofpect the author fhews us that the English education of James contributed to the civilization of his

kingdom.

kingdom. He fhews, alfo, the efficacy and neceffity of VIGOUR in imparting tranquillity and happinefs to people who had been led to fedition and infurrection. James was the first that ordered the Statutes to be tranflated into the Scottish tongue. After fome very able obfervations on the inefficacy of laws without manners, we are fhocked by a most incongruous, pompous, metaphor, to exprefs what was very plain without one-that laws will not correct bad habits fo readily as education may. "The roots of national habits are too deep to be effected by the thunder of laws, the flow divulfion of education can alone explode them." How can divulfion EXPLODE?

Speaking of the civilization of Scotland, Mr. Pinkerton gives the following account of the diforders and depredations, which were never effectually repreffed till the regular adminiftration of law, confequent upon UNION with an induftrious and civilized ftate, foftened and gradually expelled barbarifm, introduced industry, and its attendants, knowledge and integrity. The Ketherani, or Kerns, (fays he,) or marauding Highlanders, by continual inroads into the low countries, greatly obstructed the progrefs of industry and civilization; and this inteftine evil, more pernicious than foreign invafion, continued to a late period. Strangers to that induftry which excites the Swifs peafant to cultivate the precipice, and the Norwegian to derive that fupport from the fea which the land refufes, the Highlanders fupplied their wants by rapine; and the civil animofity was increased by the difference of origin, language, and manners; fo that the difficulties with which the government had to struggle, and the obftacles against order, were, perhaps, greater in Scotland than in any other European kingdom." James himself delineated the manners of the common people in a poem called "Peblis to the Play." This delineation, however, contains nothing particularly curious. It does not convey any thing peculiarly characteristic of the barbarifm of the times. One inftance, indeed, appears of lefs progrefs in refinement than was known in the fucceeding century: the mufic at this play, or annual festival, arofe folely from the bagpipe.-In the retrofpects or digreffions Mr. Pinkerton, with great industry and ability, marks the ftruggles between the ufurpations of the feudal ariftocracy and the laws of the land; ufurpations. which were never fully overturned till after the UNION WITH ENGLAND. The abolition of heritable jurifdictions in Scotland, which a Scotch Parliament, confifting chiefly of members whofe own power and confequence was fupported by thefe, was the act of the British Parliament, from which the

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