Of all his works this feems to have been the moft kindly received. It embraced a portion of our national annals, which had given rife to much controverfy, and which was at this very time recommended to the public attention by Dr. Robertfon's performance. Mr. Hume, in speaking of the reception which this portion of his Hiftory experienced, tells us, that "the clamour against it was "almost equal to that against the History of the "two firft Stuarts. The reign of Elizabeth was "particularly obnoxious. But I was," fays he, "now callous against the impreffions of public folly, and continued very peaceably and con"tentedly in my retreat at Edinburgh." Induced by this detail to believe that the republic of letters had been thrown into commotion by his publication, we searched with earneftnefs into the literary hiftories of that period; but have been unable to discover any of that outcry which affailed the too fenfitive ears of Mr. Hume. In later times, indeed, his accuracy, impartiality, and political tenets have been attacked, and with justice, but without any clamour, and feldom with illiberality. Our author, although a man of the world, did not, on this vifit to the metropolis, intermingle in its learned or fashionable circles, but confined himfelf to the object of his journey. His refidence, however, was not unufeful to his literary friends at Edinburgh; and the intereft which he took in their fuccefs, will appear from the following letHe also addreffed to the editors of the Cri ters. tical 107 tical Review a long letter on the literary character and poetic merit of Mr. Wilkie's Epigoniad. It was published by them in the Review for April 1759, and is inferted in our Appendix, No. II. Mr. HUME to Dr. ROBERTSON *. "MY DEAR SIR, "London, Lifle-street, According to your permiffion I have always got your corrected fheets from Strahan; and am glad to find, that we fhall agree in almost all the material parts of our Hiftory. Your refolution to affert the authenticity of Mary's letter to Bothwel, with the confequence which must neceffarily follow, removes the chief point, in which, I apprehend, we fhould differ. There remain, however, two other points, where I have not the good fortune to agree with you, viz. the violation of the treaty of Perth by Mary of Guife, and the innocency of Mary with regard to Babington's confpiracy but as I had written notes upon these paffages, the public muft judge between us. Only allow me to fay, that even if you be in the right with regard to the laft, (of which, notwithstanding my deference to your authority, I cannot perceive the least appearance), you are certainly too fhort and abrupt in handling it. I believe you go contrary to received opinion; and the point was of confequence enough to merit a note or differtation. Prof. Stewart's Life of Dr. Robertfon, Ap. p. 235. "There "There is ftill another point, in which we differ, and which reduced me to great perplexity. You told me that all hiftorians had been mistaken with regard to James's behaviour on his mother's trial and execution; that he was not really the pious fon he pretended to be; that the appearances, which deceived the world, were put on at the folicitation of the French ambaffador, Courcelles; and that I fhould find all this proved by a manuscript of Dr. Campbell's. I accordingly fpoke of the matter to Dr. Campbell, who confirmed what you faid, with many additions and amplifications. I defired to have the manufcript, which he fent me: but great was my furprife, when I found the contrary in every page, many praises bestowed on the king's piety, both by Courcelles and the French court; his real grief and refentment painted in the ftrongest colours; refolutions even taken by him to form an alliance with Philip of Spain, in order to get re. venge; repeated advices given him, by Courcelles and the French minifters, rather to conceal his refentment till a proper opportunity offered of taking vengeance. "What moft difpleafed me in this affair was, that as I thought myfelf obliged to follow the ordinary tenor of the printed hiftorian, while you appealed to manufcript, it would be neceffary for me to appeal to the fame manufcripts, to give extracts of them, and to oppose your conclufions. Though I know that I could execute this matter in in a friendly and obliging manner for you, yet I own that I was very uneafy at finding myfelf under a neceffity of obferving any thing which might appear a mistake in your narration. But there came to me a man this morning, who, as I fancied, gave me the key of the difficulty, but without freeing me from my perplexity. This was a man commonly employed by Millar and Strahan to decypher manufcripts. He brought me a letter of yours to Strahan, where you defired him to apply to me in order to point out the paffages proper to be inferted in your Appendix, and proper to prove the affertion of your text. You add there, these letters are in the French language. I immediately concluded that you had not read the manufcripts, but had taken it on Mr. Campbell's word; for the letters are in English, tranflated, by I know not whom, from the French. stay "I could do nothing on this occafion, but defire Strahan to ftop the prefs in printing the Appendix, and flay till I wrote to you. If I could perfuade you to change the narration of the text, that sheet could be easily cancelled, and an Appendix formed proper to confirm an oppofite acIf you fill perfift in ftill perfift in your opinion, fomebody elfe whom you trufted, might be employed to find the proper paffages; for I cannot find them. count. "There is only one paffage which looks like your opinion, and which I fhall transcribe to you. It is a relation of what paffed between James and Courcelles Courcelles upon the firft rumour of the discovery of Babington's confpiracy, before James apprehend. ed his mother to be in any danger. The king faid, he loved his mother as much as nature and duty bound him; but he could not love her **: for he knew well fhe bore him no more good will than fhe did to the Queen of England: That he had feen, with his own eyes, before Foulnaye's departure out of Scotland, a letter to him, whereby he fent him word, that if he would not 'conform himself to her will, and follow her 6 6 counfels and advice, that he should content himfelf with the lordship of Darnley, which was all that appertained unto him by his father: Farther, that he had feen other letters, under her own hand, confirming her evil towards him. Befides, that he had oftentimes gone about to 'make a regency in Scotland, and to put him befide the crown; that it behoved him to think of his own affairs, and that he thought the Queen of England would attempt nothing against her person without making him acquainted: That his mother was henceforward to carry herself both towards him and the Queen of England after another fort, without bending any more C upon fuch practices and intelligences as she had • in former times: That he hoped to fet fuch perfons about her as' [Here the manuscript is not farther legible.] "But though fuch were James's fentiments, before he apprehended his mother to be in danger, he |