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diff --git a/old/44495.txt b/old/44495.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..68c42e2 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/44495.txt @@ -0,0 +1,25172 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of History of Civilization in England, Vol. 3 +of 3, by Henry Thomas Buckle + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: History of Civilization in England, Vol. 3 of 3 + +Author: Henry Thomas Buckle + +Release Date: December 28, 2013 [EBook #44495] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION IN ENGLAND, III *** + + + + +Produced by David Clarke, Jens Nordmann and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This +file was produced from images generously made available +by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) + + + + + + + + + + HISTORY + OF + CIVILIZATION IN ENGLAND. + + + BY + HENRY THOMAS BUCKLE. + + + IN THREE VOLUMES. + VOL. III. + + + _NEW EDITION._ + + + TORONTO: + ROSE-BELFORD PUBLISHING COMPANY, + 60 YORK STREET. + 1878. + + + + + ANALYTICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. + + + CHAPTER I. + + CONDITION OF SCOTLAND TO THE END OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY. + + PAGE + + Scotland and Spain are very dissimilar in regard to loyalty 1 + + But are very similar in regard to superstition 4 + + The Scotch unite liberality in politics with illiberality in + religion. This is the largest and most important fact in their + history; and the rest of the Volume will be occupied in + investigating its causes 5 + + Influence of physical geography 5-7 + + Roman invasion of Scotland 7-9 + + Irish invasion of Scotland 9 + + Norwegian invasion of Scotland 11-12 + + English invasion of Scotland 12-17 + + The injury which these invasions inflicted upon Scotland + stopped the growth of towns, and thereby favoured the power of + the nobles 18 + + The power of the nobles was still further favoured by the + physical structure of the country 19-20 + + And by the weakness of the Crown 20-21 + + Hence their authority had, before the close of the fourteenth + century, become enormous. The Crown, completely overshadowed + by them, could derive no aid from the citizens, because, owing + to the circumstances just mentioned, there were no cities 21-23 + + For, industry was impossible, and the commonest arts were + unknown 23-26 + + Evidence of the scanty population of the Scotch towns 26-30 + + They were too feeble and insignificant to elect their own + magistrates 32-33 + + The municipal element being thus imperfect, the only ally, + which the Crown could possibly find, was the Church 34-35 + + Hence, a coalition between the kings and the clergy against + the nobles 34 + + The clergy were the only body who could withstand the nobles. + Causes of the great influence of the clergy 35-44 + + + CHAPTER II. + + CONDITION OF SCOTLAND IN THE FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH CENTURIES. + + Early in the fifteenth century, the alliance between the Crown + and the Church against the nobles, became obvious 45 + + James I. attacked the nobles, and favoured the Church; hoping + thereby to establish the supremacy of the throne 46-47 + + But his policy failed, because it was opposed by the operation + of general causes 47-48 + + Besides failing, it produced his own destruction 49 + + Power of the Douglases, who were at the head of the southern + nobility 49-50 + + James II. murdered the chiefs of that family 51-52 + + The Crown, in its efforts against the nobles, was encouraged + by the clergy; and before the middle of the fifteenth century, + the Church and the aristocracy were completely estranged from + each other 52-54 + + James III., like James II. and James I., allied himself with + the clergy against the nobles 55-56 + + Their power, however, was too deeply rooted to be shaken; and + in 1488, they put the king to death 55 + + Still, and notwithstanding these successive failures, + James IV. followed the same policy as his predecessors 56 + + So did James V. Consequently the nobles imprisoned him, and + ejected the clergy from all offices in the state 57 + + In 1528, James V. escaped; the Crown and the Church regained + the ascendant, and the principal nobles were banished 58 + + From this moment, the nobles hated the Church more than ever. + Their hatred brought about the Reformation 58-59 + + Active measures of the government against the nobles 60-61 + + The nobles revenged themselves by becoming Reformers 62 + + James V., on the other hand, threw himself entirely into the + arms of the Church 62-63 + + As the nobles took the opposite side, and as the people had no + influence, the success or failure of the Reformation in + Scotland was simply a question of the success or failure of + the aristocratic power 65-68 + + In 1542, the nobles openly refused obedience to James V.; and + their treatment of him at this critical period of his life, + broke his heart 68-69 + + Directly he died, they regained authority. The clergy were + displaced, and measures favourable to Protestantism were + adopted 69-72 + + In 1546, Cardinal Beaton was assassinated, and Knox began + his career 74-75 + + Subsequent proceedings of Knox 76-77 + + While Knox was abroad, the nobles established the Reformation 78 + + He returned to Scotland in 1559, by which time the struggle + was nearly over 79 + + In 1559, the queen regent was deposed; the nobles became + supreme; and, in 1560, the Church was destroyed 80-84 + + Immediately this revolution was completed, the nobles and the + preachers began to quarrel about the wealth of the Church 84 + + The nobles, thinking that they ought to have it, took it into + their own hands 85-88 + + Thereupon, the Protestant preachers said that the nobles were + instigated by the devil 88-90 + + Morton, who was at the head of the nobility, became enraged at + the proceedings of the new clergy, and persecuted them 91-92 + + A complete rupture between the two classes 93 + + The clergy, finding themselves despised by the governing + class, united themselves heartily with the people, and + advocated democratic principles 93 + + In 1574, Melville became their leader. Under his auspices, that + great struggle began, which never stopped until, sixty years + later, it produced the rebellion against Charles I. 94 + + The first manifestations of this rebellious spirit was the + attack on the bishops 94 + + In 1575, the attack began. In 1580, episcopacy was abolished 96-97 + + But the nobles upheld that institution, because they loved + inequality for the same reasons which made the clergy love + equality 97-100 + + Struggle between the upper classes and the clergy respecting + episcopacy 100-103 + + In 1582, James VI. was imprisoned; and his captivity was + justified by the clergy, whose democratic principles were now + openly proclaimed 103-104 + + Violent language used by the clergy against the king and + against the nobles 104-109 + + Their leader, Melville, personally insulted the king, and they + were probably privy to the Gowrie conspiracy in 1600 110 + + Still, the clergy, notwithstanding the indecency of their + conduct, conferred the greatest of all boons upon Scotland, by + keeping alive and nurturing the spirit of liberty 111-114 + + + CHAPTER III. + + CONDITION OF SCOTLAND DURING THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES. + + In 1603, the King of Scotland became also King of England, and + determined to use his new resources in curbing and chastising + the Scotch clergy 115-122 + + His cruel treatment of them 122-124 + + In 1610, James, backed by the power of England, forced + episcopacy upon Scotland. Courts of High Commission were also + set up 125-127 + + Tyrannical conduct of the bishops 127-129 + + Meanwhile, a reaction was preparing 129-132 + + In 1637, the reaction declared itself, and, in 1638, the + bishops were overthrown 132-133 + + The movement being essentially democratic, could not stop + there, but quickly spread from the Church to the State. In + 1639, war was made upon Charles I. by the Scotch, who, having + defeated the king, sold him to the English, who executed him 134-136 + + The Scotch, before they would crown Charles II., compelled him + to humble himself, and to confess his own errors and the + errors of his family 136-137 + + But, after Charles II. mounted the throne of England, he + became powerful enough to triumph over the Scotch. He availed + himself of that power to oppress Scotland even more + grievously than his two predecessors had done 137-140 + + Happily, however, the spirit of liberty was strong enough to + baffle his attempts to establish a permanent despotism 140 + + Still, the crisis was terrible, and the people and their + clergy were exposed to every sort of outrage 141-146 + + Now, as before, the bishops aided the government in its + efforts to enslave Scotland. Being hated by the people, they + allied themselves with the Crown, and displayed the warmest + affection towards James II., during whose reign cruelties + were perpetrated worse than any previously known 147-150 + + In 1688, another reaction, in which the Scotch again freed + themselves from their oppressors 151 + + The only powerful friends of this bad government were the + Highlanders 151 + + Reasons which induced the Highlanders to rebel in favour of + the Stuarts 151-153 + + The Highland rebellions of 1715 and 1745 were not the result + of loyalty 153-159 + + After 1745, the Highlanders sank into complete insignificance, + and the progress of Scotland was uninterrupted 159 + + Beginning of the trading spirit 160-161 + + Connexion between the rising of the trading spirit and the + abolition, in 1748, of hereditary jurisdictions 161-162 + + The abolition of these jurisdictions was a symptom of the + declining power of the Scotch nobles, but not a cause of it 161 + + One cause of the decline of their power was the union with + England, in 1707 162-167 + + Another cause was the failure of the Rebellion of 1745 167 + + The nobles being thus weakened, were, in 1748, easily deprived + of their right of jurisdiction. In this way, they lost the + last emblem of their old authority 169-170 + + This great democratic and liberating movement was aided by the + growth of the mercantile and manufacturing classes 171-172 + + And their growth was itself assisted by the Union with England 172 + + Evidence of the rapid progress of the industrious classes in + the first half of the eighteenth century 173-183 + + During the same period, a new and splendid literature arose in + Scotland 183-184 + + But, unfortunately, this literature, notwithstanding its bold + and inquisitive spirit, was unable to diminish national + superstition 184-186 + + It is the business of the historian to ascertain the causes of + its failure. If he cannot do this, he cannot understand the + history of Scotland 186 + + The first and most essential quality of an historian, is a + clear perception of the great scientific doctrine of Law. But + whoever seeks to apply this doctrine to the whole course of + history, and to elucidate, by its aid, the march and theory of + affairs, is met by obstacles which no single mind can remove 186-190 + + + CHAPTER IV. + + AN EXAMINATION OF THE SCOTCH INTELLECT DURING THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. + + The rest of the Volume will be occupied with a still closer + investigation of the double paradox presented by the history + of Scotland; namely, 1st, that the same people should be + liberal in politics, and illiberal in religion; and, 2nd, that + the free and sceptical literature which they produced in the + eighteenth century, should have been unable to lessen their + religious illiberality 191 + + Their religious illiberality was the result of the immense + power possessed by their clergy in the seventeenth century. + The causes of that power will be examined in the present + chapter 192 + + The failure of their literature in diminishing this + illiberality during the eighteenth century, was the result of + the peculiar method of the inquiry adopted by the Scotch + philosophers. The causes of the universal diffusion of that + method, the nature of the method, and the consequences of it, + will be examined in the next chapter, which will conclude the + Volume 192-193 + + Circumstances in the seventeenth century favourable to the + influence of the Scotch clergy 193-197 + + While the English war against Charles I. was essentially + political, the Scotch war against him was essentially + religious 197-200 + + Though this was the effect of Scotch superstition, it was also + a cause of its further progress 201-202 + + Hence, in the seventeenth century, secular interests were + neglected, and theological ones became supreme. Illustration + of this, from the zeal of the people to hear sermons of + inordinate frequency and of terrible length; so that they + passed the greater part of their lives in what were + erroneously termed religious exercises 203-206 + + The clergy availed themselves of these habits to extend and + consolidate their own authority 205-206 + + Their great engine of power was the Kirk-Session. Tyranny of + the Kirk-Sessions 206-210 + + Monstrous pretensions of the clergy 210-212 + + Cases in which it was believed that these pretensions were + upheld and vindicated by miracles 212-220 + + The clergy, becoming elated, indulge in language of + extraordinary arrogance 221-227 + + They asserted that miracles were wrought in their behalf, and + often on their persons 228-229 + + Effect of these proceedings upon the Scotch mind 230-232 + + The clergy, to intimidate the people, and bring them + completely under control, advocated horrible notions + concerning evil spirits and future punishments 232-243 + + With the same object they propounded notions more horrible + still, respecting the Deity, whom they represented as a cruel, + passionate, and sanguinary Being 245-252 + + They moreover declared that harmless and even praiseworthy + actions were sinful, and would provoke the Divine wrath 251-262 + + To prevent such imaginary sins, the clergy made arbitrary + regulations, and punished those who disobeyed them, sometimes + by flogging, and sometimes by branding with hot irons, and + sometimes in other ways 262-263 + + Specimens of the sins which the clergy invented 264-268 + + The result was, that all mirth, all innocent gaiety, all + demonstrations of happiness, and nearly all physical + enjoyments, were destroyed in Scotland 268-269 + + Hence, the national character was mutilated. For, the + pleasures of the body are, in our actual condition, as + essential a part of the great scheme of life, and are as + necessary to human affairs, as are the pleasures of the mind 269-271 + + But the clergy, by denouncing these pleasures of the senses, + do what they can, in every country, to diminish the total + amount of happiness of which humanity is susceptible, and + which it has a right to enjoy 271-275 + + In no Protestant country have the clergy pushed these narrow + and unsocial tenets so far as in Scotland 275-276 + + Indeed, in some respects, the Scotch clergy were more ascetic + than those of any branch of the Catholic Church, except the + Spanish; since they attempted to destroy the affections, and + to sever the holiest ties of domestic love 276-279 + + + CHAPTER V. + + AN EXAMINATION OF THE SCOTCH INTELLECT DURING THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. + + The Scotch philosophical literature of the eighteenth century, + was a reaction against the theological spirit of the + seventeenth 281 + + But the peculiarity of the philosophy which now arose, is + that, instead of being an inductive philosophy, it was a + deductive one 281-282 + + This is well worthy of notice; because the inductive method + being essentially anti-theological, it might have been + expected that the opponents of the theological spirit would + have followed that method 282-284 + + The truth, however, was, that the theological spirit had taken + such hold of the Scotch mind, that it was impossible for the + inductive method to gain a hearing 284-289 + + Hence, the secular philosophy of the eighteenth century, + though new in its results, was not new in the method by which + those results were obtained 289 + + In this respect, Scotland is similar to Germany, but + dissimilar to England 289-290 + + Summary of the most important distinctions between induction + and deduction 291 + + The whole of the Scotch philosophy, physical as well as + metaphysical, is deductive 291 + + Hutcheson's philosophy 292-304 + + Its results and tendency 292-299 + + Its method 299-304 + + Adam Smith's philosophy 304-330 + + His _Theory of Moral Sentiments_ and his _Wealth of + Nations_ are different parts of one subject. To understand + either, we must study both 304-305 + + His deductive method depended upon a suppression of premisses 304-309 + + Account of his _Theory of Moral Sentiments_ 309-314 + + Account of his _Wealth of Nations_ 314-330 + + Hume's philosophy 331-349 + + His want of imagination 331-332 + + Importance and novelty of his doctrines 333-337 + + His method was eminently deductive; and he, like Adam Smith, + cared little for experience 337-341 + + Hence, his injustice to Bacon, whose method was diametrically + opposed to his own 338-339 + + His _Natural History of Religion_ 342-348 + + Comparison between the method of this work, and the method + employed by Cudworth 348 + + Reid's philosophy 349-361 + + His timidity made him look at the practical tendency of + speculative doctrines, instead of confining himself to the + question of their truth or falsehood 349-354 + + But a philosopher should deem it his business to ascertain + new truths, without regard to their consequences 349-350 + + Reid attacked Hume's method, because he disliked the results + to which that method had led 354-355 + + And yet, in raising his own philosophy, he followed the very + same method himself 355-359 + + Estimate of the value of what Reid effected 359-360 + + Opposition between the method of Reid and that of Bacon 360-361 + + In physical philosophy, the deductive method was equally + prevalent in Scotland 361-seq. + + The laws of heat 362 + + Indestructibility of force. Interchange of forces 362-365 + + Black's philosophy 367-377 + + His theory of latent heat prepared the way for subsequent + discoveries 367-371 + + His method was deductive, and does not come under any of the + rules of the Baconian philosophy 371-372 + + He reasoned from his principles speculatively, instead of + occupying himself with a long course of experiments 372-377 + + To do this was to indulge the imagination, which is deemed + dangerous by the inductive school of English physicists. But, + in the pursuit of truth, we need all our powers; and the + advance of physical science is retarded by our neglect of the + imaginative and emotional faculties 377-382 + + Black, therefore, did immense service by giving free scope, to + the imagination. The same plan was pursued by his successor, + Leslie 383 + + Leslie's philosophy of heat 383-388 + + He derived great aid from poetry 385 + + And was unjust to Bacon, whose inductive views he disliked 388 + + Hutton's geological philosophy 388-402 + + Fire and water are the two causes which have altered, and are + still altering, the crust of the earth. The supposition that + volcanic action was formerly more powerful than at present, is + quite consistent with the doctrines of an unbroken sequence of + events, and of the uniformity of natural laws 388-390 + + The action of fire and water on the crust of the earth, may be + studied deductively, by computing separately the probable + operation of each. Or they maybe studied inductively, by + observing their united effects, and rising from the effects to + the causes; while the deductive plan is to descend from the + causes to the effects 390-391 + + Of these two methods, the English followed the inductive; the + Scotch and Germans followed the deductive 391 + + English geology founded by William Smith 391-393 + + German geology founded by Werner 393-395 + + Scotch geology founded by Hutton 396 + + The English observed effects in order to ascertain causes. The + Germans, assuming water to be the cause, reasoned from it to + the effects. The Scotch, assuming heat to be the cause, made + its principles the first step in their argument 391-396 + + Reasons which made the Scotch geologists argue from the + principles of heat, instead of, like the German geologists, + arguing from the principles of water 396 + + Though Hutton founded the theory of metamorphic rocks, and + ascribed such immense importance to heat, he would not take + the trouble of examining a single region of active volcanos, + where he might have seen those very operations of nature, + respecting which he speculated 398 + + But, by a deductive application of the principles unfolded by + Black, he arrived at a conclusion concerning the consolidation + of strata by heat 399-400 + + That conclusion was entirely speculative, and unsupported by + experience 399 + + Though experiment might perhaps verify it, no one had yet made + the trial; and Hutton was too averse to the inductive method + to undertake the investigation himself 400-401 + + Sir James Hall afterwards took the matter up, and empirically + verified the great idea which Hutton had propounded 401-402 + + Watt's invention of the steam-engine, and discovery of the + composition of water 402-406 + + Contrast between the method by which he, as a Scotchman, + discovered the composition of water, and the opposite method + by which the Englishman, Cavendish, made the same discovery at + the same time 404-406 + + Nature of the evidence of the supposed difference between the + organic and inorganic world. Life is probably a property of + all matter 406-410 + + Assuming, however, for the purposes of classification, that + the organic world is fundamentally different from the + inorganic, we may divide organic science into physiology and + pathology 410-412 + + The two great Scotch pathologists are Cullen and John Hunter. + Hunter, having a larger mind than Cullen, was also a + physiologist 412 + + Account of Cullen's philosophy 413-427 + + His love of theory 413 + + Theory, though necessary in science, is dangerous in practice 414-416 + + Difference between the science of pathology and the art of + therapeutics 417-418 + + Comparison between the method of Cullen's pathology and the + method employed by Adam Smith 417-419 + + Cullen's theory of the solids 420-seq. + + He refused to inquire into the truth of the principles from + which he argued 421-422 + + His conclusions, like his premisses, represent only a part of + the truth, and were extremely one-sided. Still, their value + is unquestionable, forming, as they did, a necessary part of + the general progress 423-424 + + His theory of fever 424-426 + + His nosology 426-427 + + The philosophy of John Hunter 428-458 + + His grandeur, and, unfortunately, his obscurity of language 428-430 + + In his mind, the inductive and deductive methods struggled for + mastery. Their conflict oppressed him. This is one of the + causes of the darkness of his thoughts and consequently of his + style 429-432 + + His natural disposition was towards deduction 432 + + But circumstances made him inductive, and he collected facts + with untiring industry 432-434 + + By this means he made a large number of curious physiological + discoveries 434-436 + + He traced the history of the red globules of the blood, and + arrived at the conclusion that their function is to strengthen + the system rather than to repair it 436-437 + + Long after his death, this inference was corroborated by the + progress of miscroscopical and chemical researches. It was + especially corroborated by Lecanu's comparison of the blood in + different sexes, and in different temperaments. 439 + + Hunter's inquiries concerning the movements of animals and + vegetables 439-441 + + He recognized the great truth that the sciences of the + inorganic world must be the foundation of those of the organic 443 + + His object was, to unite all the physical sciences, in order + to show that, the operations of nature being always uniform, + regularity prevails even amidst the greatest apparent + irregularity 443-444 + + Hence, aiming chiefly at a generalization of irregularities, + his favourite study was pathology 444 + + In his pathological inquiries, he took into account the + malformations of crystals 445 + + As a physiologist, he was equalled or excelled by Aristotle; + but as a pathologist, he is unrivalled for the grandeur of his + views 446-447 + + In pathology, his love of deduction was more obvious than in + physiology 447 + + His pathological speculations respecting the principles of + action and the principles of sympathy 448-452 + + But his English contemporaries, being eminently inductive, so + disliked his method, that he exercised scarcely any influence + over them 453 + + This is the more observable, because his discoveries + respecting disease have caused him to be recognized as the + founder of modern surgery, and the principal author of the + doctrines now taught in the medical profession 454-457 + + Such were the great results achieved by Scotchmen in the + eighteenth century. Difference between this splendid + literature and the wretched productions of the Scotch mind in + the seventeenth century. 458-460 + + Notwithstanding this difference, the deductive method was + supreme in both centuries 461 + + The deductive method strikes the senses less than the + inductive. Hence, induction being more accessible to average + understandings, is more popular than deduction. Hence, too, + the teachings of an inductive philosophy are more likely to + affect national character than the teaching of a deductive + philosophy 461-464 + + Theology forms the only exception to this rule 464-465 + + The Scotch literature of the eighteenth century, being + essentially deductive, was, on that account, unable to affect + the nation. It was, therefore, unable to weaken national + superstition 465-469 + + Superstition and religious illiberality still existing in + Scotland 469-471 + + The notions countenanced there respecting the origin of + epidemics. Correspondence which, in consequence of those + notions, took place, in 1853, between the Scotch Church and + the English Government 471-476 + + These superstitions are eminently irreligious, and are + everywhere becoming effaced, as physical science advances. + Nothing else can touch them. Hence the gradual liberation of + the human mind from the slavish and unmanly fears by which it + has long been oppressed 476-482 + + + + + HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION IN ENGLAND. + + + + + CHAPTER I. + + CONDITION OF SCOTLAND TO THE END OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY. + + +In the preceding view of the rise and decay of Spain, I have sought to +exhibit the successive steps by which what was formerly one of the +greatest nations of the earth, was broken, and cast down from its high +estate. As we look back on that scene, the picture is, indeed, striking. +A country rich in all natural productions, inhabited by a brave, a loyal, +and a religious people, removed, too, by its geographical position from +the hazards of European revolutions, did, by the operation of those +general causes which I have indicated, suddenly rise to unparalleled +grandeur; and then, without the occurrence of any new combination, but by +a mere continuance of the same causes, fall with an equal velocity. Yet, +these vicissitudes, strange and startling as they appear, were perfectly +regular. They were the legitimate consequence of a state of society, in +which the spirit of protection had reached its highest point, and in +which, every thing being done for the people, nothing was done by the +people. Whenever this happens, there may be great political progress, but +there can be no really national progress. There may be accessions of +territory, and vast increase of fame and of power. There may be +improvements in the practice of administration, in the management of +finances, in the organization of armies, in the art and theory of war, in +the tricks of diplomacy, and in those various contrivances by which one +nation is able to outwit and insult another. So far, however, from this +benefiting the people, it will injure them in two different ways. In the +first place, by increasing the reputation of the ruling classes, it +encourages that blind and servile respect which men are too apt to feel +for those who are above them, and which, wherever it has been generally +practised, has been found fatal to the highest qualities of the citizen, +and therefore to the permanent grandeur of the nation. And, in the second +place, it multiplies the resources of the executive government, and thus +renders the country unable, as well as unwilling, to correct the errors +of those who are at the head of affairs. Hence, in Spain, as in all +countries similarly circumstanced, it was at the very moment when things +were most prosperous at the surface, that they were most rotten at the +foundation. In presence of the most splendid political success, the +nation hastened to its downfall, and the crisis was fast approaching, in +which, the whole edifice being overturned, nothing would be left, except +a memorable warning of the consequences which must ensue, when the +people, giving themselves up to the passions of superstition and loyalty, +abdicate their own proper functions, forego their own responsibility, +renounce their highest duties, and degrade themselves into passive +instruments to serve the will of the Church and the throne. + +Such is the great lesson taught by the history of Spain. From the history +of Scotland, we may gather another lesson, of a different, and yet of a +similar, kind. In Scotland, the progress of the nation has been very +slow, but, on the whole, very sure. The country is extremely barren; the +executive government has, with rare exceptions, been always weak; and the +people have never been burdened with those feelings of loyalty which +circumstances had forced upon the Spaniards. Certainly, the last charge +that will be brought against the Scotch, is that of superstitious +attachment to their princes.[1] We, in England, have not always been very +tender of the persons of our sovereigns, and we have occasionally +punished them with what some consider excessive severity. With this, we +have been frequently taunted by the more loyal nations of the Continent; +and, in Spain in particular, our conduct has excited the greatest +abhorrence. But, if we compare our history with that of our northern +neighbours, we must pronounce ourselves a meek and submissive people.[2] +There have been more rebellions in Scotland than in any other country; +and the rebellions have been very sanguinary, as well as very numerous. +The Scotch have made war upon most of their kings, and put to death many. +To mention their treatment of a single dynasty, they murdered James I. +and James III. They rebelled against James II. and James VII. They laid +hold of James V., and placed him in confinement. Mary, they immured in a +castle, and afterwards deposed. Her successor, James VI., they +imprisoned; they led him captive about the country, and on one occasion +attempted his life. Towards Charles I., they showed the greatest +animosity, and they were the first to restrain his mad career. Three +years before the English ventured to rise against that despotic prince, +the Scotch boldly took up arms, and made war on him. The service which +they then rendered to the cause of liberty it would be hard to overrate; +but the singular part of the transaction was, that having afterwards got +possession of the person of Charles, they sold him to the English for a +large sum of money, of which they, being very poor, had pressing need. +Such a sale is unparalleled in history; and although the Scotch might +have plausibly alleged that this was the only gain they had derived, or +ever could derive, from the existence of their hereditary prince, still +the event is one which stands alone; it was unprecedented; it has never +been imitated; and its occurrence is a striking symptom of the state of +public opinion, and of the feelings of the country in which it was +permitted. + + [1] One of their own historians complacently says, 'but the Scots were + seldom distinguished for loyalty.' _Laing's History of Scotland_, + vol. iii. p. 199, edit. 1819. See also p. 366. To the same effect, + Brodie (_History of the British Empire_, Edinburgh, 1822, vol. i. p. + 388): 'The little respect paid to royalty is conspicuous in every + page of Scottish history.' Or, as Wilkes expressed himself in the + House of Commons, 'Scotland seems, indeed, the natural _foyer_ of + rebellion, as Egypt is of the plague.' _Parliamentary History_, vol. + xix. p. 810, London, 1814; and Nimmo (_History of Stirlingshire_, + Edinburgh, 1777, p. 219): 'Never was any race of monarchs more + unfortunate than the Scottish. Their reigns were generally turbulent + and disastrous, and their own end often tragical.' + + [2] Indeed, a well-known Scotchman of the seventeenth century, + scornfully says of the English, 'such is the obsequiousness, and + almost superstitious devotion of that nation towards their prince.' + _Baillie's Letters_, vol. i. p. 204, edit. Laing, Edinburgh, 1841. + This, however, was written in 1639, since which we have effectually + wiped off that reproach. On the other hand, an English writer of + the seventeenth century, indignantly, though with evident + exaggeration, imputes to the Scotch that 'forty of their kings have + been barbarously murdered by them; and half as many more have + either made away with themselves, for fear of their torturing of + them, or have died miserably in strait imprisonment.' _Account of + Scotland in_ 1670, in _Harleian Miscellany_, vol. vi. p. 140, edit. + Park, 4to, 1810. Compare two curious passages in _Shields' Hind let + loose_, 1687, pp. 8, 9, 15. + +While, however, in regard to loyalty, the opposition between Scotland and +Spain is complete, there is, strange to say, the most striking similarity +between those countries in regard to superstition. Both nations have +allowed their clergy to exercise immense sway, and both have submitted +their actions, as well as their consciences, to the authority of the +Church. As a natural consequence, in both countries, intolerance has +been, and still is, a crying evil; and in matters of religion, a bigotry +is habitually displayed, discreditable indeed to Spain, but far more +discreditable to Scotland, which has produced many philosophers of the +highest eminence, who would willingly have taught the people better +things, but who have vainly attempted to remove from the national mind +that serious blemish which mars its beauty, and tends to neutralize its +many other admirable qualities. + +Herein lies the apparent paradox, and the real difficulty, of Scotch +history. That knowledge should not have produced the effects which have +elsewhere followed it; that a bold and inquisitive literature should be +found in a grossly superstitious country, without diminishing its +superstition; that the people should constantly withstand their kings, +and as constantly succumb to their clergy; that while they are liberal in +politics, they should be illiberal in religion; and that, as a natural +consequence of all this, men who, in the visible and external department +of facts and of practical life, display a shrewdness and a boldness +rarely equalled, should nevertheless, in speculative life, and in matters +of theory, tremble like sheep before their pastors, and yield assent to +every absurdity they hear, provided their Church has sanctioned it; that +these discrepancies should coexist, seems at first sight a strange +contradiction, and is surely a phenomenon worthy of our careful study. To +indicate the causes of this anomaly, and to trace the results to which +the anomaly has led, will be the business of the remaining part of this +volume; and although the investigation will be somewhat lengthy, it will +not, I hope, be considered prolix, by those who recognise the importance +of the inquiry, and are aware how completely it has been neglected, even +by those who have written most fully on the history of the Scottish +nation. + +In Scotland, as elsewhere, the course of events has been influenced by +its physical geography; and by this I mean, not only its own immediate +peculiarities, but also its relation to adjoining countries. It is close +to Ireland; it touches England; and by the contiguity of the Orkney and +Shetland Isles, it was eminently exposed to the attacks of that great +nation of pirates, which for centuries inhabited the Scandinavian +peninsula. Considered merely by itself, it is mountainous and sterile; +nature has interposed such obstacles, that it was long impossible to open +regular communications between its different parts, which, indeed, in +regard to the Highlands, was not effected till after the middle of the +eighteenth century.[3] Finally, and this, as we shall presently see, was +a matter of great importance, the most fertile land in Scotland is in the +south, and was, therefore, constantly ravaged by the English borderers. +Hence, the accumulation of wealth was hindered; the growth of towns was +discouraged, by the serious hazards to which they were liable; and it was +impossible to develop that municipal spirit, which might have existed, if +the districts most favoured by nature had been situated in the north of +Scotland, instead of in the south. If the actual state of things had been +reversed, so that the Highlands were in the south,[4] and the Lowlands in +the north, it can hardly be doubted, that, after the cessation in the +thirteenth century of the great Scandinavian invasions, the most fertile +parts of Scotland, being comparatively secure, would have been the seat +of towns, which the active spirit of the people would have caused to +prosper, and the prosperity of which would have introduced a new element +into Scotch affairs, and changed the course of Scotch history. This, +however, was not to be; and, as we have to deal with events as they +actually are, I will now endeavour to trace the consequences of the +physical peculiarities which have just been noticed; and by cooerdinating +their results, I will, so far as I am able, show their general meaning, +and the way in which they have shaped the national character. + + [3] In England, the travelling was bad enough; in Scotland, it was far + worse. Morer, stating what he saw in 1689, says 'Stage-coaches they + have none; yet there are a few Hackney's at Edinburgh, which they + may hire into the country upon urgent occasions. The truth is, the + roads will hardly allow 'em those conveniences, which is the reason + that their gentry, men and women, chuse rather to use their horses.' + _Morer's Account of Scotland_, London, 1702, p. 24. + + As to the northern parts, we have the following account, written in + Inverness, between 1726 and 1730. 'The Highlands are but little + known even to the inhabitants of the low country of Scotland, for + they have ever dreaded the difficulties and dangers of travelling + among the mountains; and, when some extraordinary occasion has + obliged any one of them to such a progress, he has, generally + speaking, made his testament before he set out, as though he were + entering upon a long and dangerous sea-voyage, wherein it was very + doubtful if he should ever return.' _Letters from a Gentleman in the + North of Scotland_, edit. London, 1815, vol. i. p. 4. Between 1720 + and 1730, military roads were cut through parts of the Highlands, + but they were 'laid down by a practical soldier, and destined for + warlike purposes, with scarcely any view towards the ends for which + free and peaceful citizens open up a system of internal transit,' + _Burton's History of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 255. See also _Chalmers' + Caledonia_, vol. ii. p. 36. This is confirmed by the fact, that even + between Inverness and Edinburgh, 'until 1755, the mail was conveyed + by men on foot.' Account of Inverness-shire, in _M^cCulloch's + British Empire_, London, 1847, vol. i. p. 299; to which I may add, + that in _Anderson's Essay on the Highlands_, Edinburgh, 1827, pp. + 119, 120, it is stated, that 'A postchaise was first seen in + Inverness itself in 1760, and was, for a considerable time, the only + four-wheeled carriage in the district.' As to the communications in + the country about Perth, see _Penny's Traditions of Perth_, pp. 131, + 132, Perth, 1836; and as to those from Aberdeen to Inverness, and + from Aberdeen to Edinburgh, see _Kennedy's Annals of Aberdeen_, vol. + ii. pp. 269, 270, London, 4to, 1818. + + The history of the improvement of the roads during the latter half + of the eighteenth century, has never been written; but it is of the + greatest importance for its intellectual results, in causing + national fusion, as well as for its economical results, in helping + trade. Some idea may be formed of the extraordinary energy displayed + by Scotland in this matter, by comparing the following passages: + _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. ii. pp. 494, 865, 939, vol. iii. pp. + 599, 799; _Crawfurd's History of the Shire of Renfrew_, part ii. pp. + 128, 160; _Irving's History of Dumbartonshire_, pp. 245, 246; + _Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 109, 210, + 367, 430, 496; vol. ii. p. 498; vol. iii. pp. 331, 352, 353; vol. + iv. p. 313; vol. v. pp. 128, 234, 235, 315, 364, 365; vol. vi. + pp. 107, 154, 180, 458; vol. vii. pp. 135, 251, 275, 299, 417; vol. + viii. pp. 81, 243, 344, 345, 541; vol. ix. pp. 414, 530; vol. x. + pp. 221, 237, 238, 466, 618; vol. xi. pp. 127, 380, 418, 432, 522, + 541; vol. xii. p. 59; vol. xiii. pp. 42, 141, 488, 542, 663; vol. + xiv. pp. 217, 227, 413, 443, 466, 506; vol. xv. pp. 54, 88, 276; + vol. xvi. p. 120; vol. xvii. pp. 5, 267, 297, 377, 533; vol. xviii. + p. 309; vol. xx. p. 156. + + [4] I use the word Highlands, in the common, though improper, sense of + including all Scotland from the Pentland Firth to the beginning of + the mountains, a few miles north of Glasgow, Stirling, Perth, and + Dundee. All such distinctions are necessarily somewhat vague, + because the boundaries of nature are never clearly marked. Compare + _Macky's Scotland_, p. 124, London, 1732, with _Anderson's Guide to + the Highlands_, Edinburgh, 1847, pp. 17, 18. + +The earliest fact with which we are acquainted respecting the history of +Scotland, is the Roman invasion under Agricola, late in the first +century. But neither his conquests, nor those of his successors, made +any permanent impression. The country was never really subjugated, and +nothing was effected except a military occupation, which, in spite of the +erection of numerous forts, walls, and ramparts, left the spirit of the +inhabitants unbroken. Even Severus, who, in the year 209, undertook the +last and most important expedition against Scotland, does not appear to +have penetrated beyond the Firth of Moray;[5] and directly he retired, +the natives were again in arms, and again independent. After this, +nothing was attempted upon a scale large enough to give a chance of +success. Indeed, the Romans, far from being equal to such an effort, were +themselves deteriorating. In their best days, their virtues were the +virtues of barbarians, and even those they were now about to lose. From +the beginning, their scheme of life was so one-sided and imperfect, that +the increase of wealth, which improves the civilization of really +civilized countries, was to the Romans an irreparable mischief; and they +were corrupted by luxury, instead of being refined by it. In our time, if +we compare the different nations of Europe, we find that the richest are +also the most powerful, the most humane, and the most happy. We live in +that advanced state of society, in which wealth is both the cause and the +effect of progress, while poverty is the fruitful parent of weakness, of +misery, and of crime. But the Romans, when they ceased to be poor, began +to be vicious. So unstable was the foundation of their greatness, that +the very results which their power produced, were fatal to the power +itself. Their empire gave them wealth, and their wealth overthrew their +empire. Their national character, notwithstanding its apparent strength, +was in truth of so frail a texture, that it was ruined by its own +development. As it grew, it dwarfed. Hence it was, that, in the third and +fourth centuries, their hold on mankind visibly slackened. Their +authority being undermined, other nations, of course, stepped in; so that +the inroads of those strange tribes which came pouring from the north, +and to whose appearance the final catastrophe is often ascribed, were at +best the occasion, but by no means the cause, of the fall of the Roman +Empire. Towards that great and salutary event, every thing had long been +pointing. The scourgers and oppressors of the world, whom a false and +ignorant sympathy has invested with noble qualities which they never +possessed, had now to look to themselves; and when, after receding on all +sides, they, in the middle of the fifth century, withdrew their forces +from the whole of Britain, they merely executed a movement, which a train +of circumstances, continued through several generations, had made +inevitable. + + [5] Browne (_History of the Highlands_, vol. i. p. 33) says that 'he + traversed the whole of North Britain, from the wall of Antoninus to + the very extremity of the island.' The same thing is stated in + _Pennant's Scotland_, vol. i. p. 90. Neither of these writers quote + their authority for this; but they probably relied on a passage in + _Buchanan's Rerum Scoticarum Historia_, lib. iv. p. 94. 'Neque tamen + desideratis quinquaginta millibus (ut scribit Dion) prius ab + inc[oe]pto destiterunt, quam ad finem insulae penetrassent.' I + believe, however, that Scotch antiquaries are now agreed that this + is wrong, as Chalmers was one of the first to perceive. See his + _Caledonia_, vol. i. p. 187; a very valuable and learned, but + unhappily ill-arranged, book, and written in a style which is + absolutely afflicting. See also _Irving's History of + Dumbartonshire_, 4to, 1860, p. 14. + +It is at this point that we begin to discern the operation of those +physical and geographical peculiarities which I have mentioned as +influencing the fortunes of Scotland. The Romans, gradually losing +ground, the proximity of Ireland caused repeated attacks from that +fertile island, whose rich soil and great natural advantages gave rise to +an exuberant, and therefore a restless, population. An overflow, which, +in civilized times, is an emigration, is, in barbarous times, an +invasion. Hence the Irish, or Scotti as they were termed, established +themselves by force of arms in the west of Scotland, and came into +collision with the Picts, who occupied the eastern part. A deadly +struggle ensued, which lasted four centuries after the withdrawal of the +Romans, and plunged the country into the greatest confusion. At length, +in the middle of the ninth century, Kenneth M'Alpine, king of the +Scotti, gained the upper hand, and reduced the Picts to complete +submission.[6] The country was now united under one rule; and the +conquerors, slowly absorbing the conquered, gave their name to the whole, +which, in the tenth century, received the appellation of Scotland.[7] + + [6] The history of Scotland, in this period, is in great confusion, and + perhaps will never be recovered. For the statements made in the + text, I have chiefly used the following authorities: _Fordun's + Scotichronicon_, vol. i.; _Buchanan's Rerum Scoticarum Historia_, + lib. v. pp. 121-132, and the beginning of the sixth book. Also + various parts of _Bede_; _Pinkerton's Enquiry into the Early History + of Scotland_; _Chalmers' Caledonia_; the first volume of _Browne's + History of the Highlands_; and, above all, Mr. Skene's acute and + learned work on the Highlanders. In the last-named book, the western + boundary of the Picts is traced with great ingenuity, though perhaps + with some uncertainty. _Skene's Highlanders of Scotland_, vol. i. + pp. 26-33, London, 1837. + + [7] Here, again, we are involved in doubt; it being uncertain when the + name Scotia was first applied to Scotland. The date, therefore, + which I have given, is only intended as an approximative truth. In + arriving at it, I have compared the following different, and often + conflicting, passages: _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. i. p. 339. + _Browne's History of the Highlands_, vol. i. p. 34. _Pinkerton's + Enquiry into the Early History of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 253, 254, + vol. ii. pp. 151, 228, 237, 240. _Spottiswoode's History of the + Church of Scotland_, edit. Russell, 1851, vol. i. p. 16, note, + where, however, Pinkerton's authority is appealed to for an + assertion which he did not make. _Skene's Highlanders_, vol. i. pp. + 45, 61, 244. _Anderson's Prize Essay on the Highlands_, p. 34. + +But the kingdom was to have no rest. For, in the mean time, +circumstances, which it would be tedious to relate, had raised the +inhabitants of Norway to be the greatest maritime power in Europe. The +use which that nation of pirates made of their strength, forms another +and a very important link in the history of Scotland, and moreover +illustrates the immense weight, which, in an early period of society, +should be assigned to mere geographical considerations. The nearest land +to the centre of the long coast of Norway is the Shetland Isles, whence +it is an easy sail to the Orkneys. The northern pirates naturally seized +these small, but, to them, most useful islands, and, as naturally, made +them intermediate stations, from which they could conveniently pillage +the coasts of Scotland. Being constantly reinforced from Norway, they, in +the ninth and tenth centuries, advanced from the Orkneys, made permanent +settlements in Scotland itself, and occupied not only Caithness, but also +great part of Sutherland. Another body of them got possession of the +Western Islands; and as Skye is only separated from the mainland by a +very narrow channel, these pirates easily crossed over, and fixed +themselves in Western Ross.[8] From their new abodes, they waged +incessant and destructive war against every district within their reach; +and, keeping a large part of Scotland in constant alarm, they, for about +three centuries, prevented the possibility of its social improvement. +Indeed, that unhappy country was never free from the dangers of Norwegian +invasion, until the failure of the last great attack, in 1263, when Haco +left Norway with a prodigious armament, which he further strengthened by +reinforcements from the Orkneys and Hebrides. Scotland could offer but +little resistance. Haco, with his allies, sailed along the western coast +to the Mull of Kentire, wasted the country with fire and sword, took +Arran and Bute, entered the Firth of Clyde, suddenly fell upon Loch +Lomond, destroyed all the property on its shores and on its islands, +ravaged the whole county of Stirling, and threatened to descend with all +his force upon Ayrshire. Fortunately, the inclemency of the weather broke +up this great expedition, and scattered or destroyed the entire fleet.[9] +After its dispersal, the course of affairs in Norway prevented the +attempt from being renewed; and danger from that quarter being over, it +might have been hoped that Scotland would now enjoy peace, and would have +leisure to develop the natural resources which she possessed, +particularly those in the southern and more favoured districts. + + [8] _Pinkerton's Enquiry into the Early History of Scotland_, vol. i. + pp. 136, 317, vol. ii. pp. 179, 298. _Skene's Highlanders_, vol. i. + pp. 90, 91, 94, 106, 114, 258, 259. _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. i. + pp. 340-347. + + [9] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 38-54. The account in + _Hollinshead's Scottish Chronicle_, vol. i. pp. 399-403, ascribes + too much to the prowess of the Scotch, and too little to the + elements which dispersed the fleet. Compare _Irving's History of + Dumbartonshire_, second edition, 4to, 1860, pp. 48, 49. + +This, however, was not to be. For, scarcely were the attacks from Norway +at an end, when those from England began. Early in the thirteenth +century, the lines of demarcation which separated Normans from Saxons, +were, in our country, becoming so obliterated, that in many cases it was +impossible to distinguish them.[10] By the middle of the same century, +the two races were fused into one powerful nation; and, as that nation +had a comparatively feeble neighbour, it was certain that the stronger +people would try to oppress the weaker.[11] In an ignorant and barbarous +age, military success is preferred to all other kinds of fame; and the +English, greedy for conquest, set their eyes upon Scotland, which they +were sure to invade at the first opportunity. That Scotland was near, +made it tempting; that it was believed to be defenceless, made the +temptation irresistible. In 1290, Edward I. determined to avail himself +of the confusion into which Scotland was thrown by disputes respecting +the succession of the crown. The intrigues which followed, need not be +related; it is enough to say, that, in 1296, the sword was drawn, and +Edward invaded a country which he had long desired to conquer. But he +little recked of the millions of treasure, and the hundreds of thousands +of lives, which were to be squandered, before that war was over.[12] The +contest that ensued was of unexampled length and severity; and in its sad +course, the Scotch, notwithstanding their heroic resistance, and the +victories they occasionally gained, had to endure every evil which could +be inflicted by their proud and insolent neighbour. The darling object of +the English, was to subjugate the Scotch; and if anything could increase +the disgrace of so base an enterprise, it would be that, having +undertaken it, they ignominiously failed.[13] The suffering, however, was +incalculable, and was aggravated by the important fact, that it was +precisely the most fertile part of Scotland which was most exposed to the +English ravages. This, as we shall presently see, produced some very +curious results on the national character; and for that reason, I will, +without entering into many details, give a slight summary of the more +immediate consequences of this long and sanguinary struggle. + + [10] _Buckle's History of Civilization_, vol. ii. pp. 116, 117. + + [11] In _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 18, 'the early part + of the reign' of Alexander III. is indicated as the period in which + 'the first approaches were made towards the great plan for the + reduction of Scotland, by the English.' Alexander III. came to the + throne in 1249. Earlier, the feeling was very different. Thus, late + in the twelfth century, 'the two nations, according to Fordun, + seemed one people; Englishmen travelling at pleasure through all + the corners of Scotland (?); and Scotchmen in like manner through + England.' _Ridpath's Border History_, p. 76. Compare _Dalrymple's + Annals of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 158. At that time, England, being + weak, was peaceably disposed. + + [12] An old Scotch writer says, with some exaggeration, 'The year 1296, + at which tyme, the bloodyest and longest warr that ever was betwixt + two nationes fell out, and continued two hundreth and sextie years, + to the undoeing and ruineing of many noble families, with the + slaughter of a million of men.' _Somerville's Memorie of the + Somervilles_, vol. i. p. 61. + + [13] See some just and biting remarks in _Hume's History of the House + of Douglas_, vol. i. p. 85. + +In 1296, the English entered Berwick, the richest town Scotland +possessed, and not only destroyed all the property, but slew nearly all +the inhabitants.[14] They then marched on to Aberdeen and Elgin; and so +completely desolated the country, that the Scotch, flying to the +mountains, and stripped of their all, had no resource left but to wage +from their native fastnesses a war similar to that which their savage +ancestors, twelve centuries earlier, had conducted against the +Romans.[15] In 1298, the English again broke in, burnt Perth and St. +Andrews, and ravaged the whole territory south and west.[16] In 1310, +they invaded Scotland by the eastern march, and carrying off such +provisions as were left, caused so terrible a dearth, that the people +were forced to feed on horses and other carrion.[17] All over southern +Scotland, both east and west, the inhabitants were now reduced to a +horrible condition, being for the most part houseless and starved. In +1314, made desperate by their state, they rallied for a moment, and, in +the battle of Bannockburn, gloriously defeated their oppressors. But +their unrelenting enemy was at hand, and pressed them so hard, that, in +1322, Bruce, in order to baffle an English invasion, was obliged to lay +waste all the districts south of the Firth of Forth; the people taking +refuge, as before, in the mountains.[18] This time, therefore, when +Edward II. reached Edinburgh, he plundered nothing, because, the country +being a desert, there was nothing to plunder; but, on his return, he did +what he could, and meeting with some convents, which were the only signs +of life that he encountered, he fell upon them, robbed the monasteries of +Melrose and Holyrood, burnt the abbey of Dryburgh, and slew those monks +who, from age or disease, were unable to escape.[19] In 1336, the next +king, Edward III., equipped a numerous army, devastated the Lowlands, +and great part of the Highlands, and destroyed every thing he could find, +as far as Inverness.[20] In 1346, the English overran the districts of +Tweeddale, the Merse, Ettrick, Annandale, and Galloway;[21] and in 1355, +Edward, in a still more barbarous inroad, burnt every church, every +village, and every town he approached.[22] And scarcely were these +frightful losses somewhat repaired, when another storm burst upon the +devoted land. In 1385, Richard II. traversed the southern counties to +Aberdeen, scattering destruction on every side, and reducing to ashes the +cities of Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Perth, and Dundee.[23] + + [14] 'Anno gratiae MCCXCVI. tertio kalendas Aprilis, villa et castro de + Berevvico, per magnificum regem Angliae Eadvvardum captis, omnes + ibidem inuentos Angli gladio occiderunt, paucis exceptis, qui ipsam + villam postmodum abiurar[=u]t.' _Flores Historiarum per Matthaeum + Westmonasteriensem collecti_, Lond. 1570, folio, lib. ii. p. 403. + 'Atque modo praedicto villa capta, civibus prostratis, rex Angliae + praedictus nulli aetati parcens aut sexui, duobus diebus rivulis de + cruore occisorum fluentibus, septem millia et quingentas animas + promiscui sexus jusserat, in sua tyrannide desaeviens, trucidari.' + _Fordun's Scotichronicon, cura Goodall_, Edinb. 1775, folio, vol. + ii. pp. 159, 160. 'Secutus Rex cum peditum copiis miserabilem omnis + generis caedem edit.' _Buchanan's Rerum Scoticarum Historia_, + Abredoniae, 1762, lib. viii. p. 200. 'They left not one creature + alive of the Scotish blood within all that toune.' _Hollinshead's + Scottish Chronicle_, Arbroath, 1805, 4to, vol. i. p. 418. In 1286, + that is, only ten years earlier, 'No other part of Scotland, in + point of commercial importance, came near to a comparison with + Berwick.' _Macpherson's Annals of Commerce_, London, 4to, 1805, + vol. i. p. 446. Such were the brutal crimes of our wretched and + ignorant ancestors. + + [15] 'The Scots assembled in troops and companies, and betaking + themselves to the woods, mountains, and morasses, in which their + fathers had defended themselves against the Romans, prepared for a + general insurrection against the English power.' _Scott's History + of Scotland_, London, 1830, vol. i. p. 70. Elgin appears to have + been the most northern point of this expedition. See _Tytler's + History of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 119, and _Chalmers' Caledonia_, + vol. i. p. 657. The general results are summed up by Buchanan: + 'Hanc stragem ex agrorum incultu consecuta est fames, et famem + pestis, unde major quam e bello clades timebatur.' _Rerum + Scoticarum Historia_, lib. viii. p. 203. + + [16] 'The army then advanced into Scotland by moderate marches, wasting + and destroying every thing on their way.' ... 'A party of Edward's + army, sent northwards, wasted the country, and burnt Perth and + Saint Andrews.' _Ridpath's Border History_, pp. 146, 147. + + [17] 'The king entered Scotland by the eastern march with a great army.' + ... 'There was this year so terrible a dearth and scarcity of + provisions in Scotland, arising from the havoc of war, that many + were obliged to feed on the flesh of horses and other carrion.' + _Ibid._ pp. 164, 165. See also _Fordun's Scotichronicon_, vol. ii. + pp. 242, 243. 'Quo anno, propter guerrarum discrimina, tanta erat + panis inopia et victualium caristia in Scotia, quod in plerisque + locis, compellente famis necessitate, multi carnibus equorum et + aliorum pecorum immundorum vescebantur.' + + [18] Bruce 'carefully laid the whole borders waste as far as the Firth + of Forth, removing the inhabitants to the mountains, with all their + effects of any value. When the English army entered, they found a + land of desolation, which famine seemed to guard.' _Scott's History + of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 145. See also _Buchanan's Rerum Scoticarum + Historia_, lib. viii. p. 218. + + [19] 'Eadwardus, rex Angliae, intravit Scotiam cum magno exercitu equitum + et peditum, ac navium multitudine copiosa, duodecimo die mensis + Augusti, et usque villam de Edinburgh pervenit.' ... 'Spoliatis + tamen tunc in reditu Anglorum et praedatis monasteriis Sanctae Crucis + de Edinburgh et de Melros, atque ad magnam desolationem perductis. + In ipso namque monasterio de Melros dominus Willelmus de Peblis, + ejusdem monasterii Prior, unus etiam monachus tunc infirmus, et duo + conversi caeci effecti, in dormitorio eorundem ab eisdem Anglis sunt + interfecti, et plures monachi lethaliter vulnerati. Corpus + Dominicum super magnum altare fuit projectum, ablata pixide + argentea in qua erat repositum. Monasterium de Driburgh igne + penitus consumptum est et in pulverem redactum. Ac _alia pia loca + quamplurima_ per praedicti regis violentiam ignis flamma consumpsit: + quod, Deo retribuente, eisdem in prosperum non cessit.' _Fordun's + Scotichronicon_, vol. ii. p. 278. 'In redeundo sacra juxta ac + prophana spoliata. Monasteria Driburgum et Mulrossia etiam caesis + monachis infirmioribus, qui vel defectu virium, vel senectutis + fiducia soli remanserant, incensa,' _Buchanan's Rerum Scoticarum + Historia_, lib. viii. p. 219. + + [20] _Fordun's Scotichronicon_, vol. ii. pp. 322, 323. _Dalrymple's + Annals_, vol. ii. pp. 232, 447. _Scott's History of Scotland_, + vol. i. pp. 187, 188. + + [21] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 451. + + [22] _Dalrymple's Annals_, vol. ii. p. 288. _Fordun's Scotichronicon_, + vol. ii. pp. 352-354. + + [23] 'Rex Angliae, Richardus secundus aegre ferens Scotos et Francos tam + atrociter terram suam depraedare, et municipia sua assilire et ad + terram prosternere, exercitum collegit grandem, et intravit + Scotiam, aetate tunc novemdecim annorum, in multitudine superba + progrediens, omnia circumquaque perdens, et nihil salvans; templa + Dei et sanctuaria religiosorum monasteria viz. Driburgh, Melros et + Newbottel, ac nobilem villam de Edinburgh, cum ecclesia Sancti + AEgidii ejusdem, voraci flamma incineravit; et, destructione + permaxima facta per eum in Laudonia, ad propria sine damno + repatriavit' _Fordun's Scotichronicon_, vol. ii. p. 401. 'En ce + sejour que le roi Richard fit en Haindebourch les Anglois coururent + tout le pays d'environ et y firent moult de desrois; mais nullui + n'y trouverent; car tout avoient retrait ens es forts, et ens es + grands bois, et la chasse tout leur betail.' ... 'Et ardirent les + Anglois la ville de Saint-Jean-Ston en Ecosse, ou la riviere du Tay + cuert, et y a un bon port pour aller partout le monde; et puis la + ville de Dondie; et n'epargnoient abbayes ni moutiers; tout + mettoient les Anglois en feu et en flambe; et coururent jusques a + Abredane les coureurs et l'avant-garde.' _Les Chroniques de + Froissart_, edit. Buchon, vol. ii. pp. 334, 335, Paris, 1835. See + also, on this ruffianly expedition, _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. ii. + pp. 592, 593, and _Buchanan's Rerum Scoticarum Historia_, lib. ix. + p. 253: 'Nulli loco, neque sacro, neque profano, nulli homini, qui + modo militari esset aetate, parcebat.' + +By these disasters, the practice of agriculture was every where +interrupted, and in many places ceased for several generations.[24] The +labourers either fled, or were murdered; and there being no one to till +the ground, some of the fairest parts of Scotland were turned into a +wilderness, overgrown with briers and thickets. Between the invasions, a +few of the inhabitants, taking courage, issued from the mountains, and +raised wretched huts in the place of their former abodes. But, even then, +they were pursued to their very doors by wolves, searching for food, and +maddened with hunger. If they escaped from these famished and ferocious +animals, they and their families were exposed to a danger still more +horrible. For, in those terrible days, when famine stalked abroad, +despair perverted the souls of men, and drove them to new crime. There +were cannibals in the land; and we have it on contemporary authority, +that a man and his wife, who were at length brought to justice, subsisted +during a considerable period on the bodies of children, whom they caught +alive in traps, devouring their flesh, and drinking their blood.[25] + + [24] 'Agriculture was ruined; and the very necessaries of life were lost, + when the principal lords had scarcely a bed to lye on.' _Chalmers' + Caledonia_, vol. ii. p. 142. See also, in p. 867 of the same volume + of this learned work, some curious extracts from Scotch charters + and other sources, illustrating the horrible condition of the + country. And on the difficulty of obtaining food, compare _Fordun's + Scotichronicon_, vol. ii. pp. 242, 324; _Dalrymple's Annals_, vol. + i. p. 307, vol. ii. pp. 238, 330; and _Tytler's History of + Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 94. + + [25] Notices of Scotch cannibals will be found in _Lindsay of + Pitscottie's Chronicles of Scotland_, edit. 1814, vol. i. p. 163; + and in _Hollinshead's Scottish Chronicle_, 4to, 1805, vol. ii. pp. + 16, 99. In _Fordun's Scotichronicon_, vol. ii. p. 331, the + following horrible account is given: it refers to the neighbourhood + of Perth in the year 1339: 'Tota illa patria circumvicina eo + tempore in tantum fuit vastata, quod non remansit quasi domus + inhabitata, sed ferae et cervi de montanis descendentes circa villam + saepius venabantur. Tanta tunc temporis facta est caristia, et + victualium inopia, ut passim plebicula deficeret, et tanquam oves + herbas depascentes, in foveis mortua reperirentur. Prope illinc in + abditis latitabat quidam robustus rusticus, Crysticleik nomine, cum + viragine sua, qui mulierculis et pueris ac juvenibus insidiabantur, + et, tanquam lupi eos strangulantes, de ipsorum carnibus + victitabant.' + +Thus the fourteenth century passed away. In the fifteenth century, the +devastations of the English became comparatively rare; and although the +borders were the scene of constant hostilities,[26] there is no instance, +since the year 1400, of any of our kings invading Scotland.[27] An end +being put to those murderous expeditions, which reduced the country to a +desert, Scotland drew breath, and began to recover her strength.[28] But, +though the material losses were gradually repaired; though the fields +were again cultivated, and the towns rebuilt, there were other +consequences, which were less easy to remedy, and from whose effects the +people long smarted. These were inordinate power of the nobles, and the +absence of the municipal spirit. The strength of the nobles, and the +weakness of the citizens, are the most important peculiarities of +Scotland during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries; and they, as I am +about to show, were directly encouraged by the ravages committed by the +English troops. We shall, moreover, see that this combination of events +increased the authority of the clergy, weakened the influence of the +intellectual classes, and made superstition more prevalent than it would +otherwise have been. It is in this way, that in Scotland, as in all other +countries, every thing is linked together; nothing is casual or +accidental; and the whole march of affairs is governed by general causes, +which, owing to their largeness and remoteness, often escape attention, +but which, when once recognized, are found to be marked by a simplicity +and uniformity, which are the invariable characteristics of the highest +truths that the mind of man has reached. + + [26] Even when the two nations were at peace, the borderers were at war. + See _Ridpath's Border History_, pp. 240, 308, 394; and for other + evidence of this chronic anarchy, compare _Hollinshead's Scottish + Chronicle_, vol. ii. p. 30. _Lesley's History of Scotland_, pp. 40, + 52, 67. _Sadler's State Papers_, vol. i. pp. 300, 301, 444, 449. + _State Papers of the Reign of Henry VIII._, 4to, 1836, vol. iv. pp. + 366, 370, 569, 570, vol. v. pp. 17, 18, 161. _Historie of James the + Sext_, pp. 21, 91, 146. + + [27] In 1400, Henry IV. made 'the last invasion which an English monarch + ever conducted into Scotland.' _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. + ii. p. 406. It is said, however, that it was not till the reign of + Elizabeth than an English sovereign 'had the policy to disavow any + claim of sovereignty over Scotland.' _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. i. + p. 650. + + [28] But very slowly. Pinkerton (_History of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 166, + 167) says: 'The frequent wars between Scotland and England, since + the death of Alexander III., had occasioned to the former country + the loss of more than a century in the progress of civilization. + While in England, only the northern provinces were exposed to the + Scotish incursions, Scotland suffered in its most civilized + departments. It is apparent that in the reign of Alexander III., + the kingdom was more abundant in the useful arts and manufactures, + than it was in the time of Robert III.' + +The first circumstance favourable to the authority of the nobles, was the +structure of the country. Mountains, fens, lakes, and morasses, which +even the resources of modern art have only recently made accessible +supplied the great Scottish chieftains with retreats, in which they could +with impunity defy the power of the crown.[29] The poverty of the soil +also, made it difficult for armies to find means of subsistence; and from +this cause alone, the royal troops were often unable to pursue the +lawless and refractory barons.[30] During the fourteenth century, +Scotland was constantly ravaged by the English; and in the intervals of +their absence, it would have been a hopeless undertaking for any king to +try to repress such powerful subjects, since he would have had to march +through districts so devastated by the enemy, that they no longer yielded +the common necessaries of life. Besides this, the war with the English +lessened the authority of the crown, absolutely as well as relatively. +Its patrimony, lying in the south, was incessantly wasted by the +borderers, and before the middle of the fourteenth century, greatly +deteriorated in value.[31] In 1346, David II. fell into the hands of the +English, and during his captivity of eleven years, the nobles carried all +before them, and affected, says an historian, the style and title of +princes.[32] The longer the war with England continued, the more these +consequences were felt; so that before the close of the fourteenth +century, a few of the leading Scotch families had raised themselves to +such preeminence, that it was evident, either that a deadly struggle must +ensue between them and the crown, or else that the executive government +would have to abdicate its most essential functions, and leave the +country a prey to these headstrong and ferocious chiefs.[33] + + [29] Owing to this, their castles were, by position, the strongest in + Europe; Germany alone excepted. Respecting their sites, which were + such as to make them in many instances almost unassailable, see + _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. ii. pp. 122, 406, 407, 918, 919, vol. + iii. pp. 268, 269, 356-359, 864; _Pennant's Scotland_, vol. i. pp. + 175, 177; _Sinclair's Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 169, vol. vii. p. + 510, vol. xi. pp. 102, 212, 407, 408, vol. xii. pp. 25, 58, vol. + xiii. p. 598, vol. xv. p. 187, vol. xvi. p. 554, vol. xviii. p. + 579, vol. xix. p. 474, vol. xx. pp. 56, 312; _Macky's Scotland_, + pp. 183, 297; and some good remarks in _Nimmo's History of + Stirlingshire_, p. 56. Neither England, nor France, nor Italy, nor + Spain, afforded such immense natural advantages to their + aristocracy. + + [30] 'By retiring to his own castle, a mutinous baron could defy the + power of his sovereign, it being almost impracticable to lead an + army through a barren country, to places of difficult access to a + single man.' _History of Scotland_, book i. p. 59, in _Robertson's + Works_, edit. London, 1831. Notwithstanding the immense materials + which have been brought to light since the time of Robertson, his + _History of Scotland_ is still valuable; because he possessed a + grasp of mind which enabled him to embrace general views, that + escape ordinary compilers, however industrious they may be. + + [31] 'The patrimony of the Crown had been seriously dilapidated during + the period of confusion which succeeded the battle of Durham,' + _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 86. + + [32] 'During the long captivity of David,' the nobles had been completely + insubordinate, and 'affected the style and title of princes,' + _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 85. See also, on the + state of the barons under David II., _Skene's Highlanders_, + vol. ii. pp. 63-67. + + [33] In 1299, 'a superior baron was in every respect a king in + miniature.' _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 150. In + 1377, 'the power of the barons had been decidedly increasing since + the days of Robert the First,' p. 332. And, by 1398, it had risen + still higher, p. 392. + +At this crisis, the natural allies of the throne would have been the +citizens and free burgesses, who in most European countries were the +eager and resolute opponents of the nobles, whose licentious habits +interfered not only with their trade and manufactures, but also with +their personal liberty. Here again, however, the long war with England +was favourable to the aristocracy of Scotland. For, as the invaders +ravaged the southern parts of Scotland, which were also the only +tolerably fertile parts, it was impossible that towns should flourish in +the places which nature had appointed for them. There being no large +cities, there was no asylum for the citizens, and there could be no +municipal spirit. There being no municipal spirit, the crown was deprived +of that great resource, which enabled the English kings to curtail the +power of the nobles, and to punish a lawlessness which long impeded the +progress of society. + +During the middle ages, the Scotch towns were so utterly insignificant, +that but few notices have been preserved of them; contemporary writers +concentrating their attention upon the proceedings of the nobles and +clergy. Respecting the people, who found shelter in such miserable cities +as then existed, our best accounts are very imperfect; it is, however, +certain that, during the long English wars, the inhabitants usually fled +at the approach of the invaders, and the wretched hovels in which they +lived were burned to the ground.[34] Hence the population acquired a +fluctuating and vagabond character, which prevented the formation of +settled habits of industry, and thus took away one reason which men have +for congregating together. This applied more especially to the southern +Lowlands; for the north, there were other evils equally threatening. The +ferocious Highlanders, who lived entirely by plunder, were constantly at +hand; and to them were not unfrequently added the freebooters of the +Western Isles. Any thing which bore even the semblance of wealth, was an +irresistible excitement to their cupidity. They could not know that a man +had property, without longing to steal it; and, next to stealing, their +greatest pleasure was to destroy.[35] Aberdeen and Inverness were +particularly exposed to their assaults; and twice during the fifteenth +century, Inverness was totally consumed by fire, besides having to pay at +other times a heavy ransom, to save itself from a similar fate.[36] + + [34] On this burning of Scotch towns, which appears to have been the + invariable practice of our humane forefathers, see _Chalmers' + Caledonia_, vol. ii. pp. 592, 593; _Kennedy's Annals of Aberdeen_, + vol. i. pp. 18, 27, 375, vol. ii. p. 304; _Mercer's History of + Dunfermline_, pp. 55, 66; _Sinclair's Scotland_, vol. v. p. 485, + vol. x. p. 584, vol. xix. p. 161; _Ridpath's Border History_, + pp. 147, 221, 265. + + [35] A curious description of them is given in a Scotch statute, of the + year 1597. 'They hawe lykwayis throche thair barbarus inhumunitie + maid and presentlie makis the saidis hielandis and Iles qlk are + maist c[=o]modious in thame selwes alsueill be the ferteillitie of + the ground as be riche fischeingis altogidder vnproffitabill baithe + to thame selffis and to all vthuris his hienes liegis within this + realme; Thay nathair intertening onie ciuill or honest societie + amangis thame selffis neyther, zit admittit vtheris his hienesse + lieges to trafficque within thair boundis vithe saiftie of thair + liues and gudes; for remeid quhairof and that the saidis + inhabitantis of the saidis hilandeis and Iles may the better be + reduced to ane godlie, honest, and ciuill maner of living, it is + statute and ordanit,' &c. _Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, + vol. iv. p. 138, edit. folio, 1816. + + These little peculiarities of the Highlanders remained in full + force until about the middle of the eighteenth century, as will + appear in the course of this history. But without anticipating what + will be narrated in a subsequent chapter, I will merely refer the + reader to two interesting passages in _Pennant's Scotland_, vol. i. + p. 154, and in _Heron's Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 218, 219; both of + which illustrate the state of things a little before 1745. + + [36] Inverness was burned in 1429. _Gregory's History of the Western + Highlands_, p. 36; and again in 1455, _Buchanan's Rerum Scoticarum + Historia_, lib. xi. p. 322. 'The greatest part' of it was also + burned in 1411. See _Anderson on the Highlands_, Edinb. 1827, + p. 82. + + Aberdeen, being richer, was more tempting, but was likewise more + able to defend itself. Still, its burgh records supply curious + evidence of the constant fear in which the citizens lived, and of + the precautions which they took to ward off the attacks, sometimes + of the English, and sometimes of the clans. See the _Council + Register of Aberdeen_ (published by the Spalding Club, Aberdeen, + 1844-1848, 4to), vol. i. pp. 8, 19, 60, 83, 197, 219, 232, 268, + vol. ii. p. 82. The last entry, which is dated July 31, 1593, + mentions 'the disordourit and lawles helandmen in Birss, + Glentanner, and their about, nocht onlie in the onmerciful + murthering of men and bairnis, bot in the maisterfull and violent + robbing and spulzeing of all the bestiall, guidis, and geir of a + gryt pairt of the inhabitantis of theas boundis, rasing of gryt + hairschip furth of the samen, being committit to ewous and nar this + burgh, within xx mylis theirunto, deuysit and ordanit for + preservation of this burgh and inhabitantis theirof, fra the + tyrannous invasion of the saidis hieland men, quha has na respect + to God nor man; that the haill inhabitantis of this burgh, + fensiball persones als weill onfrie as frie, salbe in reddiness + weill armit for the defence of this burgh, thair awin lyvis, gudis, + and geir, and resisting and repressing of the said heland men, as + occasioun salbe offered, at all tymes and houris as thay salbe + requirt and chargit.' + + Even in 1668 we find complaints that Highlanders had forcibly + carried off women from Aberdeen or from its neighbourhood. _Records + of the Synod of Aberdeen_, p. 290. Other evidence of their attacks + in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, may be seen in + _Kennedy's Annals of Aberdeen_, vol. i. p. 133; _Spalding's History + of the Troubles_, vol. i. pp. 25, 217; _Extracts from the + Presbytery Book of Strathbogie_, pp. 62, 73. + +Such insecurity[37] both on the north and on the south, made peaceful +industry impossible in any part of Scotland. No where could a town be +built, without being in danger of immediate destruction. The consequence +was, that, during many centuries, there were no manufactures; there was +hardly any trade; and nearly all business was conducted by barter.[38] +Some of the commonest arts were unknown. The Scotch were unable to make +even the arms with which they fought. This, among such a warlike people, +would have been a very profitable labour; but they were so ignorant of +it, that, early in the fifteenth century, most of the armour which they +wore was manufactured abroad, as also were their spears, and even their +bows and arrows; and the heads of these weapons were entirely imported +from Flanders.[39] Indeed, the Flemish artizans supplied the Scotch with +ordinary farming implements, such as cart-wheels and wheel-barrows, +which, about the year 1475, used to be regularly shipped from the Low +Countries.[40] As to the arts which indicate a certain degree of +refinement, they were then, and long afterwards, quite out of the +question.[41] Until the seventeenth century, no glass was manufactured in +Scotland,[42] neither was any soap made there.[43] Even the higher class +of citizens would have deemed windows absurd in their wretched +abodes;[44] and as they were alike filthy in their persons as in their +houses, the demand for soap was too small to induce any one to attempt +its manufacture.[45] Other branches of industry were equally backward. In +1620, the art of tanning leather was for the first time introduced into +Scotland;[46] and it is stated, on apparently good authority, that no +paper was made there until about the middle of the eighteenth +century.[47] + + [37] Even Perth ceased to be the capital of Scotland, because 'its + vicinity to the Highlands' made it dangerous for the sovereign to + reside there. _Lawson's Book of Perth_, p. xxxi. + + [38] On the prevalence of barter and lack of specie, in Scotland, see the + _Spalding Club Miscellany_, vol. iv. pp. lvii.-lx., Aberdeen, 1849, + 4to. In 1492, the treasury of Aberdeen was obliged to borrow 4_l._ + 16_s._ Scots. _Kennedy's Annals of Aberdeen_, vol. i. p. 61. + Compare _Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. x. p. + 542. Fynes Moryson, who was in Scotland late in the sixteenth + century, says, 'the gentlemen reckon their revenues not by rents of + money, but by chauldrons of victuals.' _Moryson's Itinerary_, part + iii. p. 155, London, folio, 1617; a rare and extremely curious + book, which ought to be reprinted. A hundred years after Moryson + wrote, it was observed that, 'in England, the rents are paid in + money; in Scotland, they are, generally speaking, paid in kind, or + victual, as they call it.' _De Foe's History of the Union_, p. 130. + + [39] In the reign of James I. (1424-1436), 'It appears that armour, nay + spears, and bows and arrows, were chiefly imported.' ... 'In + particular, the heads of arrows and of spears seem to have been + entirely imported from Flanders,' _Pinkerton's History of + Scotland_, vol. i. p. 163. We learn from Rymer's _F[oe]dera_, that, + in 1368, two Scotchmen having occasion to fight a duel, got their + armour from London. _Macpherson's Annals of Commerce_, vol. i. + p. 575. + + [40] From the _Bibel of English Policy_, supposed to have been written in + the reign of Edward IV., we learn that 'the Scotish imports from + Flanders were mercery, but more haberdashery, cart-wheels, and + wheel-barrows,' _Pinkerton's History of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 408. + In _Mercer's History of Dunfermline_, p. 61, we are told that, in + the fifteenth century, 'Even in the best parts of Scotland, the + inhabitants could not manufacture the most necessary articles. + Flanders was the great mart in those times, and from Bruges + chiefly, the Scots imported even horse-shoes, harness, saddles, + bridles, cart-wheels, and wheel-barrows, besides all their mercery + and haberdashery.' + + [41] Aberdeen was, for a long period, one of the most wealthy, + and, in some respects, the most advanced, of all the Scotch cities. + But it appears, from the council-registers of Aberdeen, that, 'in + the beginning of the sixteenth century, there was not a mechanic in + the town capable to execute the ordinary repairs of a clock,' + _Kennedy's Annals of Aberdeen_, vol. i. p. 99. On the Scotch clocks + in the middle of the sixteenth century, compare Mr. Morley's + interesting _Life of Cardan_, London, 1854, vol. ii. p. 128. Cardan + was in Scotland in 1552. + + [42] About 1619, Sir George Hay 'set up at the village of Wemyss, in + Fife, a small glass-work, being the first known to have existed + amongst us.' _Chambers' Annals_, vol. i. p. 506. See also p. 428. + + [43] 'Before this time, soap was imported into Scotland from foreign + countries, chiefly from Flanders.' _Ibid._, vol. i. p. 507, under + the year 1619, where mention is made of the manufactory set up at + Leith. 'The sope-workes of Leith' are noticed in 1650, in + _Balfour's Annales_, vol. iv. p. 68. + + [44] Ray, who visited Scotland in 1661, says, 'In the best Scottish + houses, even the king's palaces, the windows are not glazed + throughout, but the upper part only; the lower have two wooden + shuts or folds to open at pleasure and admit the fresh air.' ... + 'The ordinary country-houses are pitiful cots, built of stone, and + covered with turves, having in them but one room, many of them no + chimneys, the windows very small holes and not glazed.' _Ray's + Itineraries_, p. 153, edited by Dr. Lankester, London, 1846. 'About + 1752, the glass window was beginning to make its appearance in the + small farm-houses.' _Brown's History of Glasgow_, vol. ii. p. 265, + Edinburgh, 1797. + + [45] In 1650, it was stated of the Scotch, that 'many of their women are + so sluttish, that they do not wash their linen above once a month, + nor their hands and faces above once a year.' _Whitelock's + Memorials_, p. 468, London, 1732, folio. Six or seven years after + this, a traveller in Scotland says, 'the linen they supplied us + with, were it not to boast of, was little or nothing different from + those female complexions that never washed their faces to retain + their christendom.' _Franck's Northern Memoirs_, edit. Edinburgh, + 1821, p. 94. A celebrated Scotchman notices, in 1698, the uncleanly + habits of his countrymen, but gives a comical reason for them; + since, according to him, they were in a great measure caused by the + position of the capital. 'As the happy situation of London has been + the principal cause of the glory and riches of England, so the bad + situation of Edinburgh has been one great occasion of the poverty + and uncleanliness in which the greater part of the people of + Scotland live.' _Second Discourse on the Affairs of Scotland_, in + _Fletcher of Saltoun's Political Works_, p. 119, Glasgow, 1749. + Another Scotchman, among his reminiscences of the early part of the + eighteenth century, says, that 'table and body linen [were] seldom + shifted.' _Memoires by Sir Archibald Grant of Monymusk_, in + _Spalding Club Miscellany_, vol. ii. p. 100, Aberdeen, 1842, 4to. + Finally, we have positive proof that in some parts of Scotland, + even at the end of the eighteenth century, the people used, instead + of soap, a substitute too disgusting to mention. See the account + communicated by the Rev. William Leslie to Sir John Sinclair, in + _Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. ix. p. 177, + Edinburgh, 1793. + + [46] _Chambers' Annals_, vol. i. p. 512. + + [47] A paper-mill was established near Edinburgh in 1675; but 'there is + reason to conclude this paper-mill was not continued, and that + paper-making was not successfully introduced into Scotland till the + middle of the succeeding century.' _Chambers' Annals_, vol. ii. p. + 399. I have met with so many proofs of the great accuracy of this + valuable work, that I should be loath to question any statement + made by Mr. Chambers, when, as in this case, I have only my memory + to trust to. But I think that I have seen evidence of paper being + successfully manufactured in Scotland late in the seventeenth + century, though I cannot recall the passages. However, Arnot, in + his _History of Edinburgh_, p. 599, edit. 4to, says, 'About forty + years ago, printing or writing paper began to be manufactured in + Scotland. Before that, papers were imported from Holland, or + brought from England,' As Arnot's work was printed in 1788, this + coincides with Mr. Chambers' statement. I may add, that, at the end + of the eighteenth century, there were 'two paper-mills near Perth.' + _Heron's Journey through Scotland_, vol. i. p. 117, Perth, 1799; + and that, in 1751 and 1763, the two first paper-mills were erected + north of the Forth. _Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland_, + vol. ix. p. 593, vol. xvi. p. 373. Compare _Lettice's Letters from + Scotland in 1792_, p. 420. + +In the midst of such general stagnation, the most flourishing towns were, +as may be easily supposed, very thinly peopled. Indeed, men had so little +to do, that if they had collected in large numbers, they must have +starved. Glasgow is one of the oldest cities in Scotland, and is said to +have been founded about the sixth century.[48] At all events, in the +twelfth century, it was, according to the measure of that age, a rich and +prosperous place, enjoying the privilege of holding both a market and a +fair.[49] It had also a municipal organization, and was governed by its +own provosts and baillies.[50] Yet, even this famous town had no kind of +trade before the fifteenth century, when the inhabitants began to cure +salmon, and export it.[51] That was the only branch of industry with +which Glasgow was acquainted. We need not, therefore, be surprised at +hearing, that so late as the middle of the fifteenth century, the entire +population did not exceed fifteen hundred persons, whose wealth consisted +of some small cattle, and a few acres of ill-cultivated land.[52] + + [48] 'This city was founded about the sixth century.' _M'Ure's History of + Glasgow_, edit. 1830, p. 120. Compare _Denholm's History of + Glasgow_, p. 2, Glasgow, 1804. + + [49] In 1172, a market was granted to Glasgow; and in 1190, a fair. See + the charters in the Appendix to _Gibson's History of Glasgow_, pp. + 299, 302, Glasgow, 1777. + + [50] 'By the sale of land made by Robert de Mythyngby to Mr. Reginald de + Irewyne, A.D. 1268, it is evident that the town was then governed + by provosts, aldermen, or wardens, and baillies, who seem to have + been independent of the bishop, and were possessed of a common + seal, distinct from the one made use of by the bishop and chapter.' + _Gibson's History of Glasgow_, p. 72. + + [51] 'A Mr. William Elphinston is made mention of as the first promoter + of trade in Glasgow, so early as the year 1420; the trade which he + promoted was, in all probability, the curing and exporting of + salmon.' _Gibson's History of Glasgow_, p. 203. See also _M'Ure's + History of Glasgow_, p. 93. + + [52] Gibson (_History of Glasgow_, p. 74), with every desire to take a + sanguine view of the early state of his own city, says, that, in + 1450, the inhabitants 'might perhaps amount to fifteen hundred;' + and that 'their wealth consisted in a few burrow-roods very + ill-cultivated, and in some small cattle, which fed on their + commons.' + +Other cities, though bearing a celebrated name, were equally backward at +a still more recent period. Dunfermline is associated with many historic +reminiscences; it was a favourite residence of Scotch kings, and many +Scotch parliaments have been held there.[53] Such events are supposed to +confer distinction; but the illusion vanishes, when we inquire more +minutely into the condition of the place where they happened. In spite of +the pomp of princes and legislators, Dunfermline, which at the end of the +fourteenth century was still a poor village, composed of wooden huts,[54] +had, by the beginning of the seventeenth century, advanced so slowly that +its whole population, including that of its wretched suburbs, did not +exceed one thousand persons.[55] For a Scotch town, that was a +considerable number. About the same time, Greenock, we are assured, was a +village consisting of a single row of cottages, tenanted by poor +fishermen.[56] Kilmarnock, which is now a great emporium of industry and +of wealth, contained, in 1668, between five and six hundred +inhabitants.[57] And, to come down still lower, even Paisley itself, in +the year 1700, possessed a population which, according to the highest +estimate, did not amount to three thousand.[58] + + [53] 'Dunfermline continued to be a favourite royal residence as long as + the Scottish dynasty existed. Charles I. was born here; as also his + sister Elizabeth, afterwards Queen of Bohemia, from whom her + present Majesty is descended; and Charles II. paid a visit to this + ancient seat of royalty in 1650. The Scottish parliament was often + held in it.' _M'Culloch's Geographical Dictionary_, London, 1849, + vol. i. p. 723. Compare _Mercer's History of Dunfermline_, 1828, + pp. 56, 58, and _Chalmers' History of Dunfermline_, 1844, p. 264. + + [54] In 1385, it was 'only a sorry wooden village, belonging to the + monastery.' _Mercer's History of Dunfermline_, p. 62. + + [55] See 'Ms. Annals,' in _Chalmers' History of Dunfermline_, p. 327. In + 1624, we learn from _Balfour's Annales_, edit. 1825, vol. ii. p. + 99, that 'the quholl bodey of the towne, which did consist of 120 + tenements, and 287 families was brunt and consumed.' + + [56] 'Greenock, which is now one of the largest shipping towns in + Scotland, was, in the end of the sixteenth century, a mean fishing + village, consisting of a single row of thatched cottages, which was + inhabited by poor fishermen.' _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. iii. + p. 806, 4to, 1824. + + [57] In May 1668, Kilmarnock was burnt; and 'the event is chiefly worthy + of notice as marking the smallness of Kilmarnock in those days, + when as yet, there was no such thing as manufacturing industry in + the country. A hundred and twenty families speaks to a population + of between five and six hundred.' _Chambers' Annals_, Edinburgh, + 1858, vol. ii. p. 320. In 1658, their houses are described by an + eye-witness as 'little better than huts.' _Franck's Northern + Memoirs_, reprinted Edinburgh, 1821, p. 101. + + [58] 'Betwixt two and three thousand souls,' _Denholm's History of + Glasgow_, p. 542, edit. Glasgow, 1804. + +Aberdeen, the metropolis of the north, was looked up to as one of the +most influential of the Scotch towns, and was not a little envied during +the Middle Ages, for its power and importance. These, however, like all +other words, are relative, and mean different things at different +periods. Certainly, we shall not be much struck by the magnitude of that +city, when we learn, from calculations made from its tables of mortality, +that so late as 1572, it could only boast of about two thousand nine +hundred inhabitants.[59] Such a fact will dispel many a dream respecting +the old Scotch towns, particularly if we call to mind that it refers to a +date, when the anarchy of the Middle Ages was passing away, and Aberdeen +had for some time been improving. That city--if so miserable a collection +of persons deserves to be termed a city--was, nevertheless, one of the +most densely peopled places in Scotland. From the thirteenth century to +the close of the sixteenth, no where else were so many Scotchmen +assembled together, except in Perth, Edinburgh, and possibly in Saint +Andrews.[60] Respecting Saint Andrews, I have been unable to meet with +any precise information;[61] but of Perth and Edinburgh, some particulars +are preserved. Perth was long the capital of Scotland, and after losing +that preeminence, it was still reputed to be the second city in the +kingdom.[62] Its wealth was supposed to be astonishing; and every good +Scotchman was proud of it, as one of the chief ornaments of his +country.[63] But, according to an estimate recently made by a +considerable authority in these matters, its entire population, in the +year 1585, was under nine thousand.[64] This will surprise many readers; +though, considering the state of society at that time, the real wonder +is, not that there were so few, but that there were so many. For, +Edinburgh itself, notwithstanding the officials and numerous hangers-on, +which the presence of a court always brings, did not contain, late in the +fourteenth century, more than sixteen thousand persons.[65] Of their +general condition, a contemporary observer has left us some account. +Froissart, who visited Scotland, and records what he saw, as well as what +he heard, gives a lamentable picture of the state of affairs. The houses +in Edinburgh were mere huts, thatched with boughs; and were so slightly +put together, that when one of them was destroyed, it only took three +days to rebuild it. As to the people who inhabited these wretched hovels, +Froissart, who was by no means given to exaggeration, assures us, that +the French, unless they had seen them, could not have believed that such +destitution existed, and that now, for the first time, they understood +what poverty really was.[66] + + [59] In 1572, the registers of Aberdeen show that seventy-two deaths + occurred in the year. An annual mortality of 1 in 40 would be a + very favourable estimate; indeed, rather too favourable, + considering the habits of the people at that time. However, + supposing it to be 1 in 40, the population would be 2880; and if, + as I make no doubt, the mortality was more than 1 in 40, the + population must of course have been less. Kennedy, in his valuable, + but very uncritical, work, conjectures that 'one fiftieth part of + the inhabitants had died annually;' though it is certain that there + was no town in Europe any thing like so healthy as that. On this + hypothesis, which is contradicted by every sort of statistical + evidence that has come down to us, the number would be 72 x 50 = + 3600. See _Kennedy's Annals of Aberdeen_, vol. i. p. 103, London, + 1818, 4to. + + [60] 'St. Andrews, Perth, and Aberdeen, appear to have been the three + most populous cities before the Reformation.' _Lawson's Roman + Catholic Church in Scotland_, 1836, p. 26. The same assertion is + made in _Lyon's History of St. Andrews_, 1843, vol. i. p. 2. But + neither of these writers appear to have made many researches on the + subject, or else they would not have supposed that Aberdeen was + larger than Edinburgh. + + [61] I have carefully read the two histories of St. Andrews, by Dr. + Grierson and by Mr. Lyon, but have found nothing in them of any + value concerning the early history of that city. Mr. Lyon's work, + which is in two thick volumes, is unusually superficial, even for a + local history; and that is saying much. + + [62] 'Of the thirteen parliaments held in the reign of King James I., + eleven were held at Perth, one at Stirling, and one at Edinburgh. + The National Councils of the Scottish clergy were held there + uniformly till 1459. Though losing its pre-eminence by the + selection of Edinburgh as a capital, Perth has uniformly and + constantly maintained the second place in the order of burghs, and + its right to do so has been repeatedly and solemnly acknowledged.' + _Penny's Traditions of Perth_, Perth, 1836, p. 231. See also p. + 305. It appears, however, from Froissart, that Edinburgh was deemed + the capital in the latter half of the fourteenth century. + + [63] I find one instance of its being praised by a man who was not a + Scotchman. Alexander Necham 'takes notice of Perth in the following + distich, quoted in Camden's Britannia: + + Transis ample Tai, per rura, per oppida, per Perth: + Regnum sustentant illius urbis opes. + + Thus Englished in Bishop Gibson's Translations of Camden's Book: + + 'Great Tay, through Perth, through towns, through country flies: + Perth the whole kingdom with her wealth supplies.' + + _Sinclair's Scotland_, vol. xviii. p. 511. + + [64] 1427 x 6 = 8562, the computed population in 1584 and 1585, exclusive + of the extraordinary mortality caused by the plague. _Chambers' + Annals of Scotland_, 1858, vol. i. p. 158. + + [65] 'The inhabitants of the capital, in the reign of Robert II., hardly + exceeded sixteen thousand.' _Pinkerton's History of Scotland_, + vol. i. p. 152. + + [66] When the French arrived in Edinburgh, the Scotch said, '"Quel diable + les a mandes? Ne savons-nous pas bien faire notre guerre sans eux + aux Anglois? Nous ne ferons ja bonne besogne tant comme ils soient + avec nous. On leur dise que ils s'en revoisent, et que nous sommes + gens assez en Escosse pour parmaintenir notre guerre, et que point + nous ne voulons leur compagnie. Ils ne nous entendent point, ni + nous eux; nous ne savons parler ensemble; ils auront tantot rifle + et mange tout ce qui est en ce pays: ils nous feront plus de + contraires, de depits, et de dommages, si nous les laissons + convenir, que les Anglois ne feroient si ils s'etoient embattus + entre nous sans ardoir. Et si les Anglois ardent nos maisons, que + peut il chaloir? Nous les aurons tantot refaites a bon marche, nous + n'y mettons au refaire que trois jours, mais que nous ayons quatre + ou six estaches et de la ramee pour lier par dessus."' + + 'Ainsi disoient les Escots en Escosse a la venue des seigneurs de + France,' ... 'Et quand les Anglois y chevauchent ou que ils y vont, + ainsi que ils y ont ete plusieurs fois, il convient que leurs + pourveances, si ils veulent vivre, les suivent toujours au dos; car + on ne trouve rien sur le pays: a grand'peine y recuevre-l'en du fer + pour serrer les chevaux, ni du cuir pour faire harnois, selles ni + brides. Les choses toutes faites leur viennent par mer de Flandre, + et quand cela leur defaut, ils n'ont nulle chose. Quand ces barons + et ces chevaliers de France qui avoient appris ces beaux hotels a + trouver, ces salles parees, ces chasteaux et ces bons mols lits + pour reposer, se virent et trouverent en celle povrete, si + commencerent a rire et a dire: "En quel pays nous a ci amenes + l'amiral? Nous ne scumes oncques que ce fut de povrete ni de durete + fors maintenant."' _Les Chroniques de Froissart_, edit. Buchon, + Paris, 1835, vol. ii. pp. 314, 315. 'The hovels of the common + people were slight erections of turf, or twigs, which, as they were + often laid waste by war, were built merely for temporary + accommodation. Their towns consisted chiefly of wooden cottages,' + ... 'Even as late as 1600, the houses of Edinburgh were chiefly + built of wood.' _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. i. p. 802. Another + account, written in 1670, says, 'The houses of the commonalty are + very mean, mudwall and thatch, the best; but the poorer sort live + in such miserable huts as never eye beheld.' ... 'In some parts, + where turf is plentiful, they build up little cabbins thereof, with + arched roofs of turf, without a stick of timber in it; when the + house is dry enough to burn, it serves them for fuel, and they + remove to another.' _Harleian Miscellany_, vol. vi. p. 139, 4to, + 1810. + +After this period, there was, no doubt, considerable improvement; but it +was very slow, and even late in the sixteenth century, skilled labour was +hardly known, and honest industry was universally despised.[67] It is +not, therefore, surprising, that the citizens, poor, miserable, and +ignorant, should frequently purchase the protection of some powerful +noble by yielding to him the little independence that they might have +retained.[68] Few of the Scotch towns ventured to elect their chief +magistrate from among their own people; but the usual course was, to +choose a neighbouring peer as provost or baillie.[69] Indeed, it often +happened that his office became hereditary, and was looked upon as the +vested right of some aristocratic family.[70] To the head of that family, +every thing gave way. His authority was so incontestable, that an injury +done even to one of his retainers was resented, as if it had been done to +himself.[71] The burgesses who were sent to parliament, were completely +dependent on the noble who ruled the town. Down to quite modern times, +there was in Scotland no real popular representation. The so-called +representatives were obliged to vote as they were ordered; they were, in +fact, delegates of the aristocracy; and as they possessed no chamber of +their own, they sat and deliberated in the midst of their powerful +masters, by whom they were openly intimidated.[72] + + [67] 'Our manufactures were carried on by the meanest of the people, who + had small stocks, and were of no reputation. These were, for the + most part, workmen for home-consumpt, such as masons, + house-carpenters, armourers, blacksmiths, taylors, shoemakers, and + the like. Our weavers were few in number, and in the greatest + contempt, as their employments were more sedentary, and themselves + reckoned less fit for war, in which all were obliged to serve, when + the exigencies of the country demanded their attendance.' _The + Interest of Scotland Considered_, Edinburgh, 1733, p. 82. Pinkerton + (_History of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 392), referring to the Sloane + manuscripts, says, 'The author of an interesting memoir concerning + the state of Scotland about 1590, observes, that the husbandmen + were a kind of slaves, only holding their lands from year to year; + that the nobility being too numerous for the extent of the country, + there arose too great an inequality of rank and revenue; and there + was no middle station between a proud landholder and those who, + having no property to lose, were ready for any tumult. A rich + yeomanry, numerous merchants and tradesmen of property, and all the + denominations of the middle class, so important in a flourishing + society, were long to be confined to England.' Thirteen years + later, we are told that the manufactures of Scotland 'were confined + to a few of the coarsest nature, without which the poorest nations + are unable to subsist.' _Laing's History of Scotland_, vol. iii. p. + 7, under the year 1603. + + [68] Thus, for instance, 'the town of Dunbar naturally grew up under the + shelter of the castle of the same name.' ... 'Dunbar became the + town, in demesn, of the successive Earls of Dunbar and March, + partaking of their influences, whether unfortunate or happy.' + _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. ii. p. 416. 'But when the regal + government became at any time feeble, these towns, unequal to their + own protection, placed themselves under the shelter of the most + powerful lord in their neighbourhood. Thus, the town of Elgyn found + it necessary, at various periods between the years 1389 and 1452, + to accept of many charters of protection, and discharges of taxes, + from the Earls of Moray, who held it in some species of vassalage.' + _Sinclair's Scotland_, vol. v. p. 3. Compare _Pinkerton's History + of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 396; and two letters, written in 1543 and + 1544, by the magistrates of Aberdeen, to the Earl of Huntly, and + printed in the _Council Register of Aberdeen_, vol. i. pp. 190, + 201, Aberdeen, 1844, 4to. They say to him, 'Ye haf our band as + protectour to wss.' + + [69] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 225. See also p. 131; + and _Pinkerton's History of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 179. Sometimes + the nobles did not leave to the citizens even the appearance of a + free election, but fought it out among themselves. An instance of + this happened at Perth, in 1544, 'where a claim for the office of + provost was decided by arms, between Lord Ruthven on the one side, + supported by a numerous train of his vassals, and Lord Gray, with + Norman Leslie, master of Rothes, and Charteris of Kinfauns, on the + other.' _Tytler_, vol. iv. p. 323. + + [70] For illustrations of this custom, see _Hollinshead's Scottish + Chronicle_, vol. ii. p. 230. _Brown's History of Glasgow_, vol. ii. + p. 154. _Denholm's History of Glasgow_, p. 249. _Mercer's History + of Dunfermline_, p. 83. + + [71] 'An injury inflicted on the "man" of a nobleman was resented as + much as if he himself had been the injured party.' _Preface to the + Council Register of Aberdeen_, vol. i. p. xii. + + [72] See, in _Macaulay's History of England_, vol. i. p. 93, 1st edit., a + spirited description of Scotland in 1639. 'The parliament of the + northern kingdom was a very different body from that which bore the + same name in England.' ... 'The three estates sat in one house. The + commissioners of the burghs were considered merely as retainers of + the great nobles,' &c. To come down much later, Lord Cockburn gives + a terrible account of the state of things in Scotland in 1794, the + year in which Jeffrey was called to the bar. 'There was then, in + this country, no popular representation, no emancipated burghs, no + effective rival of the established church, no independent press, no + free public meetings, and no better trial by jury, even in + political cases (except high treason), than what was consistent + with the circumstances, that the jurors were not sent into court + under any impartial rule, and that, when in court, those who were + to try the case were named by the presiding judge. The Scotch + representatives were only forty-five, of whom thirty were elected + for counties, and fifteen for towns. Both from its price and its + nature (being enveloped in feudal and technical absurdities), the + elective franchise in counties, where alone it existed, was far + above the reach of the whole lower, and of a great majority of the + middle, and of many even of the higher, ranks. There were probably + not above 1500 or 2000 county electors in all Scotland; a body not + too large to be held, hope included, in government's hands. The + return, therefore, of a single opposition member was never to be + expected.' ... 'Of the fifteen town members, Edinburgh returned + one. The other fourteen were produced by clusters of four or five + unconnected burghs electing each one delegate, and these four or + five delegates electing the representative. Whatever this system + may have been originally, it had grown, in reference to the people, + into as complete a mockery as if it had been invented for their + degradation. The people had nothing to do with it. It was all + managed by town-councils, of never more than thirty-three members; + and every town-council was self-elected, and consequently + perpetuated its own interests. The election of either the town or + the county member was a matter of such utter indifference to the + people, that they often only knew of it by the ringing of a bell, + or by seeing it mentioned next day in a newspaper; for the farce + was generally performed in an apartment from which, if convenient, + the public could be excluded, and never in the open air.' + _Cockburn's Life of Jeffrey_, Edinburgh, 1852, vol. i. pp. 74-76. + On the state of Scotch representation between this and the Reform + Bill, compare _Irving's History of Dumbartonshire_, 4to, 1860, pp. + 275, 276, with _Moore's Memoirs_, edited by Lord John Russell, vol. + iv. p. 268, vol. vi. p. 163, London, 1853-4. + +Under these circumstances, it would have been idle for the crown to have +expected aid from a body of men who themselves had no influence, and +whose scanty privileges existed only on sufferance. But there was another +class, which was extremely powerful, and to which the Scotch kings +naturally turned. That class was the clergy; and the interest which both +parties had in weakening the nobles, caused a coalition between the +church and the throne, against the aristocracy. During a long period, and +indeed until the latter half of the sixteenth century, the kings almost +invariably favoured the clergy, and increased their privileges in every +way they could. The Reformation dissolved this alliance, and gave rise to +new combinations, which I shall presently indicate. But while the +alliance lasted, it was of great use to the clergy, by imparting to their +claims a legitimate sanction, and making them appear the supporters of +order and of regular government. The result, however, clearly proved that +the nobles were more than equal to the confederacy which opposed them. +Indeed, looking at their enormous power, the only wonder is, that the +clergy could have prolonged the contest as they did; since they were not +actually overthrown until the year 1560. That the struggle should have +been so arduous, and should have extended over so considerable a period, +is what, on a superficial view, no one could have expected. The reason of +this, I shall now endeavour to explain; and I shall, I trust, succeed in +proving, that in Scotland there was a long train of general causes, which +secured to the spiritual classes immense influence, and which enabled +them, not only to do battle with the most powerful aristocracy in Europe, +but to rise up, after what seemed their final defeat, fresh and vigorous +as ever, and eventually to exercise, as Protestant preachers, an +authority nowise inferior to that which they had wielded as Catholic +priests. + +Of all Protestant countries, Scotland is certainly the one where the +course of affairs has for the longest period been most favourable to the +interests of superstition. How these interests were encouraged during the +seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, I shall hereafter relate. At +present, I purpose to examine the causes of their early growth, and to +show the way in which they were not only connected with the Reformation, +but gave to that great event some peculiarities which are extremely +remarkable, and are diametrically opposed to what happened in England. + +If the reader will bear in mind what I have elsewhere stated,[73] he will +remember that the two principal sources of superstition are ignorance and +danger; ignorance keeping men unacquainted with natural causes, and +danger making them recur to supernatural ones. Or, to express the same +proposition in other words, the feeling of veneration, which, under one +of its aspects, takes the form of superstition, is a product of wonder +and of fear;[74] and it is obvious that wonder is connected with +ignorance, and that fear is connected with danger.[75] Hence it is, that +whatever in any country increases the total amount of amazement, or +whatever in any country increases the total amount of peril, has a direct +tendency to increase the total amount of superstition, and therefore to +strengthen the hands of the priesthood. + + [73] _History of Civilization_, vol. i. pp. 125-129, 373-380. + + [74] _History of Civilization_, vol. ii. p. 171. + + [75] We must discriminate between wonder and admiration. Wonder is the + product of ignorance; admiration is the product of knowledge. + Ignorance wonders at the supposed irregularities of nature; science + admires its uniformities. The earlier writers rarely attended to + this distinction, because they were misled by the etymology of the + word 'admiration.' The Romans were very superficial thinkers upon + all matters except jurisprudence; and their blundering use of + 'admirari' gave rise to the error, so common among our old writers, + of 'I admire,' instead of 'I wonder.' + +By applying these principles to Scotland, we shall be able to explain +several facts in the history of that country. In the first place the +features of its scenery offer a mark contrast to those of England, and +are much more likely, among an ignorant people, to suggest effective and +permanent superstitions. The storms and the mists, the darkened sky +flashed by frequent lightning, the peals of thunder reverberating from +mountain to mountain, and echoing on every side, the dangerous +hurricanes, the gusts sweeping the innumerable lakes with which the +country is studded, the rolling and impetuous torrent flooding the path +of the traveller and stopping his progress, are strangely different to +those safer and milder phenomena, among which the English people have +developed their prosperity, and built up their mighty cities. Even the +belief in witchcraft, one of the blackest superstitions which has ever +defaced the human mind, has been affected by these peculiarities; and it +has been well observed, that while, according to the old English creed, +the witch was a miserable and decrepit hag, the slave rather than the +mistress of the demons which haunted her, she, in Scotland, rose to the +dignity of a potent sorcerer, who mastered the evil spirit, and, forcing +it to do her will, spread among the people a far deeper and more lasting +terror.[76] + + [76] 'Our Scottish witch is a far more frightful being than her + supernatural coadjutor on the south side of the Tweed. She + sometimes seems to rise from the proper sphere of the witch, who is + only the slave, into that of the sorcerer, who is master of the + demon.' ... 'In a people so far behind their neighbours in domestic + organization, poor and hardy, inhabiting a country of mountains, + torrents, and rocks, where cultivation was scanty, accustomed to + gloomy mists and wild storms, every impression must necessarily + assume a corresponding character. Superstitions, like funguses and + vermin, are existences peculiar to the spot where they appear, and + are governed by its physical accidents.' ... 'And thus it is that + the indications of witchcraft in Scotland are as different from + those of the superstition which in England receives the same name, + as the Grampian Mountains from Shooter's Hill or Kennington + Common.' _Burton's Criminal Trials in Scotland_, vol. i. pp. + 240-243. This is admirably expressed, and exhausts the general view + of the subject. The relation between the superstition of the Scotch + and the physical aspects of their country is also touched upon, + though with much inferior ability, in _Brown's History of the + Highlands_, vol. i. p. 106, and in _Sinclair's Scotland_, vol. iv. + p. 560. Hume, in his _Commentaries on the Laws of Scotland_, vol. + ii. p. 556, has an interesting passage on the high pretensions of + Scotch witchcraft, which never degenerated, as in other countries, + into a mere attempt at deception, but always remained a sturdy and + deep-rooted belief. He says, 'For among the many trials for + witchcraft which fill the record, I have not observed that there is + even one which proceeds upon the notion of a vain or cheating art, + falsely used by an impostor to deceive the weak and credulous.' + Further information respecting Scotch witchcraft will be found in + _Mackenzie's Criminal Laws of Scotland_, Edinburgh, folio, 1699, + pp. 42-56; _Correspondence of Mrs. Grant of Laggan_, London, 1844, + vol. iii. pp. 186, 187; _Southey's Life of Bell_, London, 1844, + vol. i. p. 52; _Vernon Correspondence_, edited by James, London, + 1841, vol. ii. p. 301; _Weld's History of the Royal Society_, + London, 1848, vol. i. p. 89; _Letters from a Gentleman in the North + of Scotland_, edit. 1815, vol. i. pp. 220, 221; _The Spottiswoode + Miscellany_, vol. ii. p. 41, Edinburgh, 1845; _Lyon's History of + St. Andrews_, Edinburgh, 1843, vol. ii. pp. 56, 57. The work of + James I., and that of Sir Walter Scott, need hardly be referred to, + as they are well known to every one who is interested in the + history of witchcraft; but Pitcairn's _Criminal Trials_, though + less read, are, in every respect, more valuable, on account of the + materials they contain for a study of this department of Scotch + superstition. + +Similar results were produced by the incessant and sanguinary wars to +which Scotland was exposed, and especially by the cruel ravages of the +English in the fourteenth century. Whatever religion may be in the +ascendant, the influence of its ministers is invariably strengthened by a +long and dangerous war, the uncertainties of which perplex the minds of +men, and induce them, when natural resources are failing, to call on the +supernatural for help. On such occasions, the clergy rise in importance; +the churches are more than usually filled; and the priest, putting +himself forward as the exponent of the wishes of God, assumes the +language of authority, and either comforts the people under their losses +in a righteous cause, or else explains to them that those losses are sent +as a visitation for their sins, and as a warning that they have not been +sufficiently attentive to their religious duties; in other words, that +they have neglected rites and ceremonies, in the performance of which the +priest himself has a personal interest. + +No wonder, therefore, that in the fourteenth century, when the sufferings +of Scotland were at their height, the clergy flourished more than ever; +so that as the country became poorer, the spiritual classes became richer +in proportion to the rest of the nation. Even in the fifteenth, and first +half of the sixteenth century, when industry began somewhat to advance, +we are assured that notwithstanding the improvement in the position of +laymen, the whole of their wealth put together, and including the +possessions of all ranks, was barely equal to the wealth of the +Church.[77] If the hierarchy were so rapacious and so successful during +a period of comparative security, it would be difficult to overrate the +enormous harvest they must have reaped in those earlier days, when danger +being much more imminent, hardly any one died without leaving something +to them; all being anxious to testify their respect towards those who +knew more than their fellows, and whose prayers could either avert +present evil, or secure future happiness.[78] + + [77] Pinkerton (_History of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 414) says that, in the + reigns of James II. and James III., 'the wealth of the Church was + at least equivalent to that of all the lay interest.' See also + _Life of Spottiswoode_, p. liii., in vol. i. of his _History of the + Church of Scotland_. 'The numerous devices employed by + ecclesiastics, both secular and regular, for enriching the several + Foundations to which they were attached, had transferred into their + hands more than half of the territorial property of Scotland, or of + its annual produce.' + + In regard to the first half of the sixteenth century, it is stated + by a high authority, that, just before the Reformation, 'the full + half of the wealth of the nation belonged to the clergy.' _M'Crie's + Life of Knox_, p. 10. And another writer says, 'If we take into + account the annual value of all these abbeys and monasteries, in + conjunction with the bishoprics, it will appear at once that the + Scottish Catholic hierarchy was more munificently endowed, + considering the extent and resources of the kingdom, than it was in + any other country in Europe.' _Lawson's Roman Catholic Church in + Scotland_, p. 22. See also, respecting the incomes of the Scotch + bishops, which, considering the poverty of the country, were truly + enormous, _Lyon's History of St. Andrews_, Edinburgh, 1843, vol. i. + pp. 97, 125. + + [78] 'They could employ all the motives of fear and of hope, of terror + and of consolation, which operate most powerfully on the human + mind. They haunted the weak and the credulous; they besieged the + beds of the sick and of the dying; they suffered few to go out of + the world without leaving marks of their liberality to the Church, + and taught them to compound with the Almighty for their sins, by + bestowing riches upon those who called themselves his servants.' + _History of Scotland_, book ii. p. 89, in _Robertson's Works_, + London, 1831. It is interesting to observe the eagerness with which + the clergy of one persuasion expose the artifices of those of + another. By comparing their different statements, laymen gain an + insight into the entire scheme. + +Another consequence of these protracted wars was, that a more than +ordinary proportion of the population embraced the ecclesiastical +profession, because in it alone there was some chance of safety: and the +monasteries in particular were crowded with persons who hoped, though +frequently in vain, to escape from the burnings and slaughterings to +which Scotland was exposed. When the country, in the fifteenth century, +began to recover from the effects of these ravages, the absence of +manufactures and of commerce, made the Church the best avenue to +wealth;[79] so that it was entered by peaceful men for the purpose of +security, and by ambitious men as the surest means of achieving +distinction. + + [79] Pinkerton observes, under the year 1514, that 'ecclesiastical + dignities presented almost the only path to opulence.' _History of + Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 123. + +Thus it was, that the want of great cities, and of that form of industry +which belongs to them, made the spiritual classes more numerous than they +would otherwise have been; and what is very observable is, that it not +only increased their number, but also increased the disposition of the +people to obey them. Agriculturists are naturally, and by the very +circumstances of their daily life, more superstitious than manufacturers, +because the events with which they deal are more mysterious, that is to +say, more difficult to generalize and predict.[80] Hence it is, that, as +a body, the inhabitants of agricultural districts pay greater respect to +the teachings of their clergy than the inhabitants of manufacturing +districts. The growth of cities has, therefore, been a main cause of the +decline of ecclesiastical power; and the fact that, until the eighteenth +century, Scotland had nothing worthy of being called a city, is one of +many circumstances which explain the prevalence of Scotch superstition, +and the inordinate influence of the Scotch clergy. + + [80] _Buckle's History of Civilization_, vol. i. pp. 376-380. + +To this, we must add another consideration of great moment. Partly from +the structure of the country, partly from the weakness of the Crown, and +partly from the necessity of being constantly in arms to repel foreign +invaders, the predatory habits incidental to an early state of society +were encouraged, and consequently the reign of ignorance was prolonged. +Little was studied, and nothing was known. Until the fifteenth century, +there was not even an university in Scotland, the first having been +founded at St. Andrews in 1412.[81] The nobles, when they were not making +war upon the enemy, occupied themselves in cutting each other's throats, +and stealing each other's cattle.[82] Such was their ignorance, that, +even late in the fourteenth century, there is said to be no instance of a +Scotch baron being able to sign his own name.[83] And as nothing +approaching to a middle class had been yet formed, we may from this gain +some idea of the amount of knowledge possessed by the people at +large.[84] Their minds must have been immersed in a darkness which we can +now barely conceive. No trades, or arts, being practised which required +skill, or dexterity, there was nothing to exercise their intellects. They +consequently remained so stupid and brutal, that an intelligent observer, +who visited Scotland in the year 1360, likens them to savages, so much +was he struck by their barbarism and their unsocial manners.[85] Another +writer, early in the fifteenth century, uses the same expression; and +classing them with the animals which they tended, he declares that +Scotland is fuller of savages than of cattle.[86] + + [81] Arnot (_History of Edinburgh_, p. 386) says, that the University of + St. Andrews was founded in 1412; and the same thing is stated in + _Kennedy's Annals of Aberdeen_, vol. ii. p. 83. Grierson, in his + _History of St. Andrews_, Cupar, 1838, p. 14, says, 'In 1410, the + city of St. Andrews first saw the establishment of its famous + university, the most ancient institution of the kind that exists in + Scotland;' but, at p. 144 of the same work, we are told, that the + charter, 'constituting and declaring it to be a university,' is + 'dated at St. Andrews, the 27th of February, 1411.' See also + _Lyon's History of St. Andrews_, vol. i. pp. 203-206, vol. ii. p. + 223. At all events, 'at the commencement of the fifteenth century, + no university existed in Scotland; and the youth who were desirous + of a liberal education were under the necessity of seeking it + abroad.' _M'Crie's Life of Melville_, vol. i. p. 211. The charter + granted by the Pope, confirming the university, reached Scotland in + 1413. _Lawson's Roman Catholic Church in Scotland_, Edinburgh, + 1836, p. 12. + + [82] Those were times, when, as a Scotch lawyer delicately expresses + himself, 'thieving was not the peculiar habit of the low and + indigent, but often common to them with persons of rank and landed + estate.' _Hume's Commentaries on the Law of Scotland_, 4to, 1797, + vol. i. p. 126. The usual form of robbery being cattle-stealing, a + particular name was invented for it; see p. 148, where we learn + that it 'was distinguished by the name of Hership or Herdship, + being the driving away of numbers of cattle, or other bestial, by + the masterful force of armed people.' + + [83] Tytler, who was a great patriot, and disposed to exaggerate the + merit of everything which was Scotch, does nevertheless allow that, + "from the accession of Alexander III. to the death of David II. + (_i.e._ in 1370), it would be impossible, I believe, to produce a + single instance of a Scottish baron who could sign his own name." + _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. ii. pp. 239, 240. Early in the + sixteenth century, I find it casually mentioned, that 'David + Straiton, a cadet of the house of Laureston,' ... 'could not read.' + _Wodrow's Collections_, vol. i. pp. 5, 6. The famous chief, Walter + Scott of Harden, was married in 1567; and 'his marriage contract is + signed by a notary, because none of the parties could write their + names.' _Chambers' Annals_, vol. i. p. 46. Crawfurd (_History of + Renfrew_, part iii. p. 313) says: 'The modern practice of + subscribing names to writes of moment was not used in Scotland till + about the year 1540;' but he forgets to tell us why it was not + used. In 1564, Robert Scot of Thirlstane, 'ancestor of Lord + Napier,' could not sign his name. See _Pitcairn's Criminal Trials + in Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 394. + + [84] A Scotchman, of considerable learning, says: 'Scotland was no less + ignorant and superstitious at the beginning of the fifteenth + century, than it was towards the close of the twelfth.' + _Dalrymple's Annals of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 428. + + [85] 'Et sont ainsi comme gens sauvages qui ne se savent avoir ni de + nulli accointer.' _Les Chroniques de Froissart_, edit. Buchon, + Paris, 1835, vol. ii. p. 315. + + [86] 'Plus pleine de sauvagine que de bestail.' _Hist. de Charles VI, par + Le Laboureur_, quoted in _Pinkerton's History of Scotland_, vol. i. + p. 149. + +By this combination of events, and by this union of ignorance with +danger, the clergy had, in the fifteenth century, obtained more influence +in Scotland than in any other European country, Spain alone excepted. And +as the power of the nobles had increased quite as rapidly, it was natural +that the Crown, completely overshadowed by the great barons, should turn +for aid to the Church. During the fifteenth century, and part of the +sixteenth, this alliance was strictly preserved;[87] and the political +history of Scotland is the history of a struggle by the kings and the +clergy against the enormous authority of the nobles. The contest, after +lasting about a hundred and sixty years, was brought to a close in 1560, +by the triumph of the aristocracy, and the overthrow of the Church. With +such force, however, had the circumstance just narrated, engrained +superstition into the Scotch character, that the spiritual classes +quickly rallied, and, under their new name of Protestants, they became as +formidable as under their old name of Catholics. Forty-three years after +the establishment of the Reformation in Scotland, James VI. ascended the +throne of England, and was able to array the force of the southern +country against the refractory barons of the northern. From that moment +the Scotch aristocracy began to decline; and the equipoise to the clergy +being removed, the Church became so powerful, that, during the +seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it was the most effectual obstacle +to the progress of Scotland; and even now it exercises a sway which is +incomprehensible to those who have not carefully studied the whole chain +of its antecedents. To trace with minuteness the long course of affairs +which has led to this unfortunate result, would be incompatible with the +object of an Introduction, whose only aim it is to establish broad and +general principles. But, to bring the question clearly before the mind of +the reader, it will be necessary that I should give a slight sketch of +the relation which the nobles bore to the clergy in the fifteenth and +sixteenth centuries, and of the way in which their relative positions, +and their implacable hatred of each other, brought about the Reformation. +By this means, we shall perceive, that the great Protestant movement, +which, in other countries, was democratic, was in Scotland aristocratic. +We shall also see, that, in Scotland, the Reformation, not being the work +of the people, has never produced the effects which might have been +expected from it, and which it did produce in England. It is, indeed, but +too evident, that, while in England Protestantism has diminished +superstition, has weakened the clergy, has increased toleration, and, in +a word, has secured the triumph of secular interests over ecclesiastical +ones, its result in Scotland has been entirely different; and that, in +that country, the Church, changing its form, without altering its +spirit, not only cherished its ancient pretensions, but unhappily +retained its ancient power; and that, although that power is now +dwindling away, the Scotch preachers still exhibit, whenever they dare, +an insolent and domineering spirit, which shows how much real weakness +there yet lurks in the nation, where such extravagant claims are not +immediately silenced by the voice of loud and general ridicule. + + [87] Occasionally, we find evidence of it earlier, but it was hardly + systematic. Compare _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 66, + with _Dalrymple's Annals_, vol. i. pp. 72, 110, 111, 194, vol. iii. + p. 296; _Nimmo's History of Stirlingshire_, p. 88; _Chalmers' + History of Dunfermline_, pp. 133, 134. + + + + + CHAPTER II. + + CONDITION OF SCOTLAND IN THE FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH CENTURIES. + + +Early in the fifteenth century, the alliance between the Crown and the +Church, and the determination of that alliance to overthrow the nobles, +became manifest. Indications of this may be traced in the policy of +Albany, who was Regent from 1406 to 1419, and who made it his principal +object to encourage and strengthen the clergy.[88] He also dealt the +first great blow upon which any government had ventured against the +aristocracy. Donald, who was one of the most powerful of the Scottish +chieftains, and who, indeed, by the possession of the Western Isles, was +almost an independent prince, had seized the earldom of Ross, which, if +he could have retained, would have enabled him to set the Crown at +defiance. Albany, backed by the Church, marched into his territories, in +1411, forced him to renounce the earldom, to make personal submission, +and to give hostages for his future conduct.[89] So vigorous a proceeding +on the part of the executive, was extremely unusual in Scotland;[90] and +it was the first of a series of aggressions, which ended in the Crown +obtaining for itself, not only Ross, but also the Western Isles.[91] The +policy inaugurated by Albany, was followed up with still greater energy +by James I. In 1424, this bold and active prince procured an enactment, +obliging many of the nobles to show their charters, in order that it +might be ascertained what lands they held, which had formerly belonged to +the Crown.[92] And, to conciliate the affections of the clergy, he, in +1425, issued a commission, authorizing the Bishop of Saint Andrews to +restore to the Church whatever had been alienated from it; while he at +the same time directed that the justiciaries should assist in enforcing +execution of the decree.[93] This occurred in June; and what shows that +it was part of a general scheme is, that in the preceding spring, the +king suddenly arrested, in the parliament assembled at Perth, upwards of +twenty of the principal nobles, put four of them to death, and +confiscated several of their estates.[94] Two years afterwards, he, with +equal perfidy, summoned the Highland chiefs to meet him at Inverness, +laid hands on them also, executed three, and imprisoned more than forty, +in different parts of the kingdom.[95] + + [88] 'The Church was eminently favoured by Albany.' _Pinkerton's History + of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 86. But Pinkerton misunderstands his + policy in regard to the nobles. + + [89] _Skene's Highlanders_, vol. ii. pp. 72-74; _Browne's History of the + Highlands_, vol. i. p. 162, vol. iv. pp. 435, 436. + + [90] Chalmers (_Caledonia_, vol. i. pp. 826, 827), referring to the state + of things before Albany, says, 'There is not a trace of any attempt + by Robert II. to limit the power of the nobles, whatever he may + have added, by his improvident grants, to their independence. He + appears not to have attempted to raise the royal prerogative from + the debasement in which the imprudence and misfortunes of David II. + had left it.' And, of his successor, Robert III., 'So mild a + prince, and so weak a man, was not very likely to make any attempt + upon the power of others, when he could scarcely support his own.' + + [91] In 1476, 'the Earldom of Ross was inalienably annexed to the Crown; + and a great blow was thus struck at the power and grandeur of a + family which had so repeatedly disturbed the tranquillity of + Scotland.' _Gregory's History of the Western Highlands_, Edinburgh, + 1836, p. 50. In 1493, 'John, fourth and last Lord of the Isles, was + forfeited, and deprived of his title and estates.' _Ibid._ p. 58. + + [92] As those who held crown lands were legally, though not in reality, + the king's tenants, the act declared, that 'gif it like the king, + he may ger s[=u]monde all and sindry his tenand at lauchfull day + and place to schawe thar chartis.' _The Acts of the Parliament of + Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 4, Sec. 9, edit. folio, 1814. + + [93] 'On the 8th June, 1425, James issued a commission to Henry, bishop + of St. Andrews, authorising him to resume all alienations from the + Church, with power of anathema, and orders to all justiciaries to + assist.' This curious paper is preserved in Harl. Ms. 4637, vol. + iii. f. 189. _Pinkerton's History of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 116. + Archbishop Spottiswoode, delighted with his policy, calls him a + 'good king,' and says that he built for the Carthusians 'a + beautiful monastery at Perth, bestowing large revenues upon the + same.' _Spottiswoode's History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. + p. 113. And Keith assures us that, on one occasion, James I. went + so far as to give to one of the bishops 'a silver cross, in which + was contained a bit of the wooden cross on which the apostle St. + Andrew had been crucified.' _Keith's Catalogue of Scotch Bishops_, + Edinburgh, 1755, 4to, p. 67. + + [94] Compare _Balfour's Annales_, vol. i. pp. 153-156, with _Pinkerton's + History_, vol. i. pp. 113-115. Between these two authorities there + is a slight, but unimportant, discrepancy. + + [95] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iii. pp. 95-98; _Skene's + Highlanders_, vol. ii. p. 75; and an imperfect narrative in + _Gregory's History of the Western Highlands_, p. 35. + +By these measures, and by supporting the Church with the same zeal that +he attacked the nobles, the king thought to reverse the order of affairs +hitherto established, and to secure the supremacy of the throne over the +aristocracy.[96] But herein, he overrated his own power. Like nearly all +politicians, he exaggerated the value of political remedies. The +legislator and the magistrate may, for a moment, palliate an evil; they +can never work a cure. General mischiefs depend upon general causes, and +these are beyond their art. The symptoms of the disease they can touch, +while the disease itself baffles their efforts, and is too often +exasperated by their treatment. In Scotland, the power of the nobles was +a cruel malady, which preyed on the vitals of the nation; but it had long +been preparing; it was a chronic disorder; and, having worked into the +general habit, it might be removed by time, it could never be diminished +by violence. On the contrary, in this, as in all matters, whenever +politicians attempt great good, they invariably inflict great harm. +Over-action on one side produces reaction on the other, and the balance +of the fabric is disturbed. By the shock of conflicting interests, the +scheme of life is made insecure. New animosities are kindled, old ones +are embittered, and the natural jar and discordance are aggravated, +simply because the rulers of mankind cannot be brought to understand, +that, in dealing with a great country, they have to do with an +organization so subtle, so extremely complex, and withal so obscure, as +to make it highly probable, that whatever they alter in it, they will +alter wrongly, and that while their efforts to protect or to strengthen +its particular parts are extremely hazardous, it does undoubtedly possess +within itself a capacity of repairing its injuries, and that to bring +such capacity into play, there is merely required that time and freedom +which the interference of powerful men too often prevents it from +enjoying. + + [96] Tytler (_History of Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 126), under the year + 1433, says: 'In the midst of his labours for the pacification of + his northern dominions, and his anxiety for the suppression of + heresy, the king never forgot his great plan for the diminution of + the exorbitant power of the nobles.' See also p. 84. 'It was a + principle of this enterprising monarch, in his schemes for the + recovery and consolidation of his own power, to cultivate the + friendship of the clergy, whom he regarded as a counterpoise to the + nobles.' Lord Somerville (_Memorie of the Somervilles_, vol. i. p. + 173) says, that the superior nobility were 'never or seldome called + to counsell dureing this king's reign.' + +Thus it was in Scotland, in the fifteenth century. The attempts of James +I. failed, because they were particular measures directed against general +evils. Ideas and associations, generated by a long course of events, and +deeply seated in the public mind, had given to the aristocracy immense +power; and if every noble in Scotland had been put to death, if all their +castles had been razed to the ground, and all their estates confiscated, +the time would unquestionably have come, when their successors would have +been more influential than ever, because the affection of their retainers +and dependents would be increased by the injustice that had been +perpetrated. For, every passion excites its opposite. Cruelty to-day, +produces sympathy to-morrow. A hatred of injustice contributes more than +any other principle to correct the inequalities of life, and to maintain +the balance of affairs. It is this loathing at tyranny, which, by +stirring to their inmost depth the warmest feelings of the heart, makes +it impossible that tyranny should ever finally succeed. This, in sooth, +is the noble side of our nature. This is that part of us, which, stamped +with a godlike beauty, reveals its divine origin, and, providing for the +most distant contingencies, is our surest guarantee that violence shall +never ultimately triumph; that, sooner or later, despotism shall always +be overthrown; and that the great and permanent interests of the human +race shall never be injured by the wicked counsels of unjust men. + +In the case of James I., the reaction came sooner than might have been +expected; and, as it happened in his lifetime, it was a retribution, as +well as a reaction. For some years, he continued to oppress the nobles +with impunity;[97] but, in 1436, they turned upon him, and put him to +death, in revenge for the treatment to which he had subjected many of +them.[98] Their power now rose as suddenly as it had fallen. In the south +of Scotland, the Douglases were supreme,[99] and the earl of that family +possessed revenues about equal to those of the Crown.[100] And, to show +that his authority was equal to his wealth, he, on the marriage of James +II., in 1449, appeared at the nuptials with a train composed of five +thousand followers.[101] These were his own retainers, armed and resolute +men, bound to obey any command he might issue to them. Not, indeed, that +compulsion was needed on the part of a Scotch noble to secure the +obedience of his own people. The servitude was a willing one, and was +essential to the national manners. Then, and long afterwards, it was +discreditable, as well as unsafe, not to belong to a great clan; and +those who were so unfortunate as to be unconnected with any leading +family, were accustomed to take the name of some chief, and to secure his +protection by devoting themselves to his service.[102] + + [97] Compare _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. ii. p. 263, with _Buchanan's + Rerum Scoticarum Historia_, lib. x. p. 286. + + [98] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iii. pp. 157, 158. + + [99] Lindsay of Pitscottie (_Chronicles_, vol. i. p. 2) says, that + directly after the death of James I., 'Alexander, Earle of Douglas, + being uerie potent in kine and friendis, contemned all the kingis + officeris, in respect of his great puissance.' The best account I + have seen of the rise of the Douglases is in Chalmers' learned, but + ill-digested, work, _Caledonia_, vol. i. pp. 579-583. + + [100] In 1440, 'the chief of that family had revenues perhaps equivalent + to those of the Scottish monarch.' _Pinkerton's History of + Scotland_, vol. i. p. 192. + + [101] 'It may give us some idea of the immense power possessed at this + period by the Earl of Douglas, when we mention, that on this + chivalrous occasion, the military suite by which he was + surrounded, and at the head of which he conducted the Scottish + champions to the lists, consisted of a force amounting to five + thousand men.' _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 215. + The old historian of his family says: 'He is not easy to be dealt + with; they must have mufles that would catch such a cat. Indeed, + he behaved himself as one that thought he would not be in danger + of them; he entertained a great family; he rode ever well + accompanied when he came in publick; 1000 or 2000 horse were his + ordinary train.' _Hume's History of the House of Douglas_, vol. i. + pp. 273, 274, reprinted Edinburgh, 1743. + + [102] In the seventeenth century, 'To be without a chief, involved a kind + of disrepute; and those who had no distinct personal position of + their own, would find it necessary to become a Gordon or a + Crichton, as prudence or inclination might point out.' _Burton's + Criminal Trials in Scotland_, vol. i. p. 207. Compare _Pitcairn's + Criminal Trials in Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 250, on 'the protective + surname of Douglas;' and _Skene's Highlanders_, vol. ii. p. 252, + on the extreme importance attached to the name of Macgregor. + +What the Earl of Douglas was in the south of Scotland, that were the +Earls of Crawford and of Ross in the north.[103] Singly they were +formidable; united they seemed irresistible. When, therefore, in the +middle of the fifteenth century, they actually leagued together, and +formed a strict compact against all their common enemies, it was hard to +say what limit could be set to their power, or what resource remained to +the government, except that of sowing disunion among them.[104] + + [103] 'Men of the greatest puissance and force next the Douglases that + were in Scotland in their times.' _Hume's History of the House of + Douglas_, vol. i. p. 344. The great power of the Earls of Ross in + the north, dates from the thirteenth century. See _Skene's + Highlanders_, vol. i. pp. 133, 134, vol. ii. p. 52. + + [104] In 1445, the Earl of Douglas concluded 'ane offensiue and defensiue + league and combinatione aganist all, none excepted, (not the king + himselue), with the Earle of Crawfurd, and Donald, Lord of the + Isles; wich was mutually sealled and subscriued by them three, the + 7 day of Marche.' _Balfour's Annales_, vol. i. p. 173. This + comprised the alliance of other noble families. 'He maid bandis + with the Erle of Craufurd, and with Donald lorde of the Ylis, and + Erle of Ross, to take part every ane with other, and with dyvers + uther noble men also.' _Lesley's History of Scotland_, from 1436 + to 1561, p. 18. + +But, in the mean time, the disposition of the nobles to use force against +the Crown, had been increased by fresh violence. Government, instead of +being warned by the fate of James I., imitated his unscrupulous acts, and +pursued the very policy which had caused his destruction. Because the +Douglases were the most powerful of all the great families, it was +determined that their chiefs should be put to death; and because they +could not be slain by force, they were to be murdered by treachery. In +1440, the Earl of Douglas, a boy of fifteen, and his brother, who was +still younger than he, were invited to Edinburgh on a friendly visit to +the king. Scarcely had they arrived, when they were seized by order of +the chancellor, subjected to a mock trial, declared guilty, dragged to +the castle-yard, and the heads of the poor children cut off.[105] + + [105] An interesting account of this dastardly crime is given in _Hume's + History of the House of Douglas_, vol. i. pp. 274-288, where + great, but natural, indignation is expressed. On the other hand, + Lesley, bishop of Ross, narrates it with a cold-blooded + indifference, characteristic of the ill-will which existed between + the nobles and the clergy, and which prevented him from regarding + the murder of two children as an offence. 'And eftir he was set + doun to the burd with the governour, chancellour, and otheris + noble men present, the meit was sudantlie removed, and ane bullis + heid presented, quhilk in thay daies was ane signe of executione; + and incontinent the said erle, David his broder, and Malcolme + Fleming of Cummernald, wer heidit before the castell yett of + Edenburgh.' _Lesley's History_, p. 16. + +Considering the warm feelings of attachment which the Scotch entertained +for their chiefs, it is difficult to overrate the consequences of this +barbarous murder, in strengthening a class it was hoped to intimidate. +But this horrible crime was committed by the government only, and it +occurred during the king's minority: the next assassination was the work +of the king himself. In 1452, the Earl of Douglas[106] was, with great +show of civility, requested by James II. to repair to the court then +assembled at Stirling. The Earl hesitated, but James overcame his +reluctance by sending to him a safeconduct with the royal signature, and +issued under the great seal.[107] The honour of the king being pledged, +the fears of Douglas were removed. He hastened to Stirling, where he was +received with every distinction. The evening of his arrival, the king, +after supper was over, broke out into reproaches against him, and, +suddenly drawing his dagger, stabbed him. Gray then struck him with a +battle-axe, and he fell dead on the floor, in presence of his sovereign, +who had lured him to court, that he might murder him with impunity.[108] + + [106] The cousin of the boys who were murdered in 1440. See _Hume's + History of the House of Douglas_, vol. i. pp. 297, 816. + + [107] 'With assurance under the broad seal.' _Hume's House of Douglas_, + vol. i. p. 351. See also _Nimmo's History of Stirlingshire_, + Edinb. 1777, pp. 246, 322, 323. + + [108] _Hume's House of Douglas_, vol. i. pp. 351-353. The king 'stabbed + him in the breast with a dagger. At the same instant Patrick Gray + struck him on the head with a pole-ax. The rest that were + attending at the door, hearing the noise, entred, and fell also + upon him; and, to show their affection to the king, gave him every + man his blow after he was dead.' _Compare Lindsay of Pitscottie's + Chronicles of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 103. 'He strak him throw the + bodie thairwith; and thairefter the guard, hearing the tumult + within the chamber, rusched in and slew the earle out of hand.' + +The ferocity of the Scotch character, which was the natural result of the +ignorance and poverty of the nation, was, no doubt, one cause, and a very +important one, of the commission of such crimes as these, not secretly, +but in the open light of day, and by the highest men in the State. It +cannot, however, be denied, that another cause was, the influence of the +clergy, whose interest it was to humble the nobles, and who were by no +means scrupulous as to the means that they employed.[109] As the Crown +became more alienated from the aristocracy, it united itself still closer +with the Church. In 1443, a statute was enacted, the object of which was, +to secure ecclesiastical property from the attacks made upon it by the +nobles.[110] And although, in that state of society, it was easier to +pass laws than to execute them, such a measure indicated the general +policy of the government, and the union between it and the Church. +Indeed, as to this, no one could be mistaken.[111] For nearly twenty +years, the avowed and confidential adviser of the Crown was Kennedy, +bishop of Saint Andrews, who retained power until his death, in 1466, +during the minority of James III.[112] He was the bitter enemy of the +nobles, against whom he displayed an unrelenting spirit, which was +sharpened by personal injuries; for the Earl of Crawford had plundered +his lands, and the Earl of Douglas had attempted to seize him, and had +threatened to put him into irons.[113] The mildest spirit might well have +been roused by this; and as James II., when he assassinated Douglas, was +more influenced by Kennedy than by any one else, it is probable that the +bishop was privy to that foul transaction. At all events, he expressed no +disapprobation of it; and when, in consequence of the murder, the +Douglases and their friends rose in open rebellion, Kennedy gave to the +king a crafty and insidious counsel, highly characteristic of the cunning +of his profession. Taking up a bundle of arrows, he showed James, that +when they were together, they were not to be broken; but that, if +separated, they were easily destroyed. Hence he inferred, that the +aristocracy should be overthrown by disuniting the nobles, and ruining +them one by one.[114] + + [109] In _Nimmo's History of Stirlingshire_, pp. 99, 100, the alienation + of the nobles from the Church is dated 'from the middle of the + fifteenth century;' and this is perhaps correct in regard to + general dislike, though the movement may be clearly traced fifty + years earlier. + + [110] See _Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 33, edit. + folio, 1814; respecting the 'statute of haly kirk quhilk is + oppressit and hurt.' + + [111] In 1449, James II., 'with that affectionate respect for the clergy, + which could not fail to be experienced by a prince who had + successfully employed their support and advice to escape from the + tyranny of his nobles, granted to them some important privileges.' + _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 226. See also p. 309. + Among many similar measures, he conceded to the monks of Paisley + some important powers of jurisdiction that belonged to the Crown. + Charter, 13th January, 1451-2, in _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. iii. + p. 823. + + [112] _Pinkerton's History of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 188, 209, 247, 254. + _Keith's Catalogue of Scotch Bishops_, p. 19. _Ridpath's Border + History_, p. 298. _Hollinshead's Scottish Chronicle_, vol. ii. p. + 101. In _Somerville's Memorie of the Somervilles_, vol. i. p. 213, + it is stated, under the year 1452, that fear of the great nobles + 'had once possest his majestie with some thoughts of going out of + the countrey; but that he was perswaded to the contrary by Bishop + Kennedie, then Archbishop of Saint Andrewes, whose counsell at + that tyme and eftirward, in most things he followed, which at + length proved to his majesties great advantage.' See also + _Lesley's History_, p. 23. 'The king wes put to sic a sharp point, + that he wes determinit to haif left the realme, and to haif passit + in Fraunce by sey, were not that bischop James Kennedy of St. + Androis causit him to tarrye.' + + [113] 'His lands were plundered by the Earl of Crawford and Alexander + Ogilvie of Inveraritie, at the instigation of the Earl of Douglas, + who had farther instructed them to seize, if possible, the person + of the bishop, and to put him in irons.' Memoir of Kennedy, in + _Chambers' Lives of Scotchmen_, vol. iii. p. 307, Glasgow, 1834. + 'Sed Kennedus et aetate, et consilio, ac proinde auctoritate + caeteros anteibat. In eum potissimum ira est versa. Crafordiae comes + et Alexander Ogilvius conflato satis magno exercitu, agros ejus in + Fifa late populati, dum praedam magis, quam causam sequuntur, omni + genere cladis in vicina etiam praedia grassati, nemine congredi + auso pleni praedarum in Angusiam revertuntar. Kennedus ad sua arma + conversus comitem Crafordiae disceptationem juris fugientem diris + ecclesiasticis est prosecutus.' _Buchanan_, _Rerum Scoticarum + Historia_, lib. xi. p. 306. + + [114] 'This holie bischop schew ane similitud to the king, quhilk might + bring him to experience how he might invaid againes the Douglass, + and the rest of the conspiratouris. This bischop tuik furth ane + great scheife of arrowes knitt togidder werrie fast, and desired + him to put thame to his knie, and break thame. The king said it + was not possible, becaus they war so many, and so weill fastened + togidder. The bischop answeired, it was werrie true, bot yitt he + wold latt the king sea how to break thame: and pulled out on be + on, and tua be tua, quhill he had brokin thame all; then said to + the king, "Yea most doe with the conspiratouris in this manner, + and thair complices that are risen againes yow, quho are so many + in number, and so hard knit togidder in conspiracie againes yow, + that yea cannot gett thame brokin togidder. Butt be sick pratick + as I have schowin yow be the similitud of thir arrowes, that is to + say, yea must conqueis and break lord by lord be thamselffis, for + yea may not deall with thame all at once."' _Lindsay of + Pitscottie's Chronicles of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 172, 173. + +In this he was right, so far as the interests of his own order were +concerned; but, looking at the interest of the nation, it is evident that +the power of the nobles, notwithstanding their gross abuse of it, was, on +the whole, beneficial, since it was the only barrier against despotism. +The evil they actually engendered, was indeed immense. But they kept off +other evils, which would have been worse. By causing present anarchy, +they secured future liberty. For, as there was no middle class, there +were only three orders in the commonwealth; namely, government, clergy, +and nobles. The two first being united against the last, it is certain +that if they had won the day, Scotland would have been oppressed by the +worst of all yokes, to which a country can be subjected. It would have +been ruled by an absolute king and an absolute Church, who, playing into +each other's hands, would have tyrannized over a people, who, though +coarse and ignorant, still loved a certain rude and barbarous liberty, +which it was good for them to possess, but which, in the face of such a +combination, they would most assuredly have forfeited. + +Happily, however, the power of the nobles was too deeply rooted in the +popular mind to allow of this catastrophe. In vain did James III. exert +himself to discourage them,[115] and to elevate their rivals, the +clergy.[116] Nothing could shake their authority; and, in 1482, they, +seeing the determination of the king, assembled together, and such was +their influence over their followers, that they had no difficulty in +seizing his person, and imprisoning him in the Castle of Edinburgh.[117] +After his liberation, fresh quarrels arose;[118] and in 1488, the +principal nobles collected troops, met him in the field, defeated him, +and put him to death.[119] He was succeeded by James IV., under whom the +course of affairs was exactly the same; that is to say, on one side the +nobles, and on the other side the Crown and the Church. Every thing that +the king could do to uphold the clergy, he did cheerfully. In 1493, he +obtained an act to secure the immunities of the sees of Saint Andrews and +of Glasgow, the two most important in Scotland.[120] In 1503, he procured +a general revocation of all grants and gifts prejudicial to the Church, +whether they had been made by the Parliament or by the Council.[121] And, +in 1508, he, by the advice of Elphinston, bishop of Aberdeen, ventured on +a measure of still greater boldness. That able and ambitious prelate +induced James to revive against the nobility several obsolete claims, by +virtue of which the king could, under certain circumstances, take +possession of their estates, and could, in every instance in which the +owner held of the Crown, receive nearly the whole of the proceeds during +the minority of the proprietor.[122] + + [115] 'He wald nocht suffer the noblemen to come to his presence, and to + governe the realme be thair counsell.' _Lesley's History of + Scotland_, p. 48. 'Wald nocht use the counsall of his nobilis.' p. + 55. 'Excluding the nobility.' _Hume's History of the House of + Douglas_, vol. ii. p. 33. 'The nobility seeing his resolution to + ruin them.' p. 46. 'Hes conteming his nobility.' _Balfour's + Annales_, vol. i. p. 206. + + [116] Also to aggrandize them. See, for instance, what 'has obtained the + name of the golden charter, from the ample privileges it contains, + confirmed to Archbishop Shevez by James III. on 9th July 1480.' + _Grierson's History of Saint Andrews_, p. 58, Cupar, 1838. + + [117] 'Such was the influence of the aristocracy over their warlike + followers, that the king was conveyed to the castle of Edinburgh, + without commotion or murmur.' _Pinkerton's History of Scotland_, + vol. i. p. 308. + + [118] 'The king and his ministers multiplied the insults which they + offered to the nobility.' ... 'A proclamation was issued, + forbidding any person to appear in arms within the precincts of + the court; which, at a time when no man of rank left his own house + without a numerous retinue of armed followers, was, in effect, + debarring the nobles from all access to the king.' ... 'His + neglect of the nobles irritated, but did not weaken them.' + _History of Scotland_, book i. p. 68, in _Robertson's Works_, + edit. London, 1831. + + [119] _Balfour's Annales_, vol. i. pp. 213, 214; Buchanan, _Rerum + Scoticarum Historia_, lib. xii. p. 358. Lindsay of Pitscottie + (_Chronicles_, vol. i. p. 222) says: 'This may be ane example to + all kingis that cumes heirefter, not to fall from God.' ... 'For, + if he had vsed the counsall of his wyse lordis and barrones, he + had not cum to sick disparatioun.' + + [120] _Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, folio, 1814, vol. ii. + p. 232. 'That the said abbaceis confirmit be thame sall neid na + prouisioun of the court of Rome.' + + [121] _Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 240; and the + summary of the statute (p. 21), 'Revocation of donations, + statutis, and all uthir thingis hurtand the croune or hali kirk.' + In the next year (1504), the king 'greatly augmented' the revenues + of the bishoprick of Galloway. _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. iii. p. + 417. + + [122] _Pinkerton's History of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 63; _Calderwood's + History of the Kirk of Scotland_, vol. viii. p. 135, edit. Wodrow + Society, Edinburgh, 1849. The latter authority states, that 'The + bishop devysed wayes to King James the Fourth, how he might + attaine to great gaine and profit. He advised him to call his + barons and all those that held any lands within the realme, to + show their evidents by way of recognition; and, if they had not + sufficient writings for their warrant, to dispone upon their lands + at his pleasure; for the which advice he was greatlie hated. But + the king, perceaving the countrie to grudge, agreed easilie with + the possessors.' + +To make such claims was easy; to enforce them was impossible. Indeed, the +nobles were at this time rather gaining ground than losing it; and, +after the death of James IV., in 1513, they, during the minority of James +V., became so powerful, that the regent, Albany, twice threw up the +government in despair, and at length abandoned it altogether.[123] He +finally quitted Scotland in 1524, and with him the authority of the +executive seemed to have vanished. The Douglases soon obtained possession +of the person of the king, and compelled Beaton, archbishop of Saint +Andrews, the most influential man in the Church, to resign the office of +chancellor.[124] The whole command now fell into their hands; they or +their adherents filled every office; secular interests predominated, and +the clergy were thrown completely into the shade.[125] In 1528, however, +an event occurred by which the spiritual classes not only recovered +their former position, but gained a preeminence, which, as it turned out, +was eventually fatal to themselves. Archbishop Beaton, impatient at +proceedings so unfavourable to the Church, organized a conspiracy, by +means of which James effected his escape from the Douglases, and took +refuge in the castle of Stirling.[126] This sudden reaction was not the +real and controlling cause, but it was undoubtedly the proximate cause, +of the establishment of Protestantism in Scotland. For, the reins of +government now passed into the hands of the Church; and the most +influential of the nobles were consequently persecuted, and some of them +driven from the country. But, though their political power was gone, +their social power remained. They were stripped of their honours and +their wealth. They became outcasts, traitors, and beggars. Still, the +real foundation of their authority was unshaken, because that authority +was the result of a long train of circumstances, and was based on the +affections of the people. Therefore it was, that the nobles, even those +who were exiled and attainted, were able to conduct an arduous, but +eventually a successful, struggle against their enemies. The desire of +revenge whetted their exertions, and gave rise to a deadly contest +between the Scotch aristocracy and the Scotch Church. This most +remarkable conflict was, in some degree, a continuation of that which +began early in the fifteenth century. But it was far more bitter; it +lasted, without interruption, for thirty-two years; and it was only +concluded by the triumph of the nobles, who, in 1560, completely +overthrew the Church, and destroyed, almost at a blow, the whole of the +Scotch hierarchy. + + [123] The Regency of Albany, little understood by the earlier + historians, has been carefully examined by Mr. Tytler, in whose + valuable, though too prolix, work, the best account of it will be + found. _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. pp. 98-160, + Edinburgh, 1845. On the hostility between Albany and the nobles, + see _Irving's History of Dumbartonshire_, p. 99; and, on the + revival of their power in the north, after the death of James IV., + see _Gregory's History of the Western Highlands_, pp. 114, 115. + + [124] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. pp. 180-182: 'Within a + few months, there was not an office of trust or emolument in the + kingdom, which was not filled by a Douglas, or by a creature of + that house.' See also pp. 187, 194; and _Keith's Catalogue of + Scotch Bishops_, pp. 22, 23. Beaton, who was so rudely + dispossessed of the chancellorship, that, according to Keith, he + was, in 1525, obliged 'to lurk among his friends for fear of his + life,' is mentioned, in the preceding year, as having been the + main supporter of Albany's government; 'that most hath favoured + the Duke of Albany.' _State Papers of the Reign of Henry VIII._, + vol. iv. p. 97, 4to, 1836. + + [125] The complete power of the Douglases lasted from the cessation of + Albany's regency to the escape of the king, in 1528. _Keith's + History of the Affairs of Church and State in Scotland_, edit. + Edinburgh, 1835, vol. i. pp. 33-35. Compare _Balfour's Annales_, + vol. i. p. 257. 'The Earle of Angus violentley takes one him the + gouerniment, and retanes the king in effecte a prisoner with him; + during wich tyme he, the Earle of Lennox, and George Douglas, his + auen brother, frely disposses vpone all affaires both of churche + and staite.' + + [126] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. pp. 195, 196. The curious + work, entitled _A Diurnal of Occurrents_, p. 10, says, 'In the + zeir of God 1500, tuantie aucht zeiris, the kingis grace by slicht + wan away fra the Douglassis.' From Stirling, he repaired to + Edinburgh, on 6th July 1528, and went to 'the busshop of Sainct + Andros loegeing.' See a letter written on the 18th of July 1528, + by Lord Dacre to Wolsey, in _State Papers of Henry VIII._, vol. + iv. p. 501, 4to, 1836. Compare a proclamation on 10th September + 1528, in _Pitcairn's Criminal Trials in Scotland_, vol. i. part i. + pp. 138*, 139*, Edinburgh, 4to, 1833. I particularly indicate + these documents, because Lindsay of Pitscottie (in his _Chronicles + of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 335) erroneously places the flight of + James in 1527; and he is generally one of the most accurate of the + old writers, if indeed he be the author of the work which bears + his name. + +The events of this struggle, and the vicissitudes to which, during its +continuance, both parties were exposed, are related, though somewhat +confusedly, in our common histories: it will be sufficient if I indicate +the salient points, and, avoiding needless detail, endeavour to throw +light on the general movement. The unity of the entire scheme will thus +be brought before our minds, and we shall see, that the destruction of +the Catholic Church was its natural consummation, and that the last act +of that gorgeous drama, so far from being a strained and irregular +sequence, was in fit keeping with the whole train of the preceding plot. + +When James effected his escape in 1528, he was a boy of sixteen, and his +policy, so far as he can be said to have had any mind of his own, was of +course determined by the clergy, to whom he owed his liberty, and who +were his natural protectors. His principal adviser was the Archbishop of +Saint Andrews; and the important post of chancellor, which, under the +Douglases, had been held by a layman, was now conferred on the Archbishop +of Glasgow.[127] These two prelates were supreme; while, at the same +time, the Abbot of Holyrood was made treasurer, and the Bishop of Dunkeld +was made privy seal.[128] All nobles, and even all followers, of the +house of Douglas, were forbidden to approach within twelve miles of the +court, under pain of treason.[129] An expedition was fitted out, and sent +against the Earl of Caithness, who was defeated and slain.[130] Just +before this occurred, the Earl of Angus was driven out of Scotland, and +his estates confiscated.[131] An act of attainder was passed against the +Douglases.[132] The government, moreover, seized, and threw into prison, +the Earl of Bothwell, Home, Maxwell, and two Kerrs, and the barons of +Buccleuch, Johnston, and Polwarth.[133] + + [127] _State Papers of Henry VIII._, vol. iv. p. 501. + + [128] 'Archibald was depryvit of the thesaurarie, and placit thairin + Robert Cairncorse, abbot of Halyrudhous. And als was tane fra the + said Archibald the privie seill, and was givin to the bischope of + Dunkell.' _A Diurnal of Occurrents_, p. 11. + + [129] Tytler (_History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 196) says: 'His first + act was to summon a council, and issue a proclamation, that no + lord or follower of the house of Douglas should dare to approach + within _six_ miles of the court, under pain of treason.' For this, + no authority is cited; and the historian of the Douglas family + distinctly states, 'within _twelve_ miles of the king, under pain + of death.' _Hume's House of Douglas_, vol. ii. p. 99. See also + _Diurnal of Occurrents_, p. 10: 'that nane of thame nor thair + familiaris cum neir the king be tuelf myllis.' The reason was, + that 'the said kingis grace haid greit suspicioun of the temporall + lordis, becaus thaj favourit sum pairt the Douglassis.' _Diurnal_, + p. 12. + + [130] 'The Erle of Caithnes and fyve hundreth of his men wes slayne and + drownit in the see.' _Lesley's History of Scotland_, p. 141. + + [131] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. pp. 203, 204. + + [132] _Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 324, edit. + folio, 1814. + + [133] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 207. + +All this was vigorous enough, and was the consequence of the Church +recovering her power. Other measures, equally decisive, were preparing. +In 1531, the king deprived the Earl of Crawford of most of his estates, +and threw the Earl of Argyle into prison.[134] Even those nobles who had +been inclined to follow him, he now discouraged. He took every +opportunity of treating them with coldness, while he filled the highest +offices with their rivals, the clergy.[135] Finally, he, in 1532, aimed +a deadly blow at their order, by depriving them of a large part of the +jurisdiction which they were wont to exercise in their own country, and +to the possession of which they owed much of their power. At the +instigation of the Archbishop of Glasgow, he established what was called +the College of Justice, in which suits were to be decided, instead of +being tried, as heretofore, by the barons, at home, in their castles. It +was ordered that this new tribunal should consist of fifteen judges, +eight of whom must be ecclesiastics; and to make the intention still more +clear, it was provided that the president should invariably be a +clergyman.[136] + + [134] _Tytler_, vol. iv. p. 212. + + [135] 'His preference of the clergy to the temporal lords disgusted these + proud chiefs.' _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 230. + See also p. 236. His reasons are stated by himself, in a curious + letter, which he wrote so late as 1541, to Henry VIII. 'We + persaif,' writes James, 'be zoure saidis writingis yat Ze ar + informyt yat yair suld be sum thingis laitlie attemptat be oure + kirkmen to oure hurte and skaith, and contrar oure mynde and + plesure. We can nocht understand, quhat suld move Zou to beleif + the samyn, assuring Zou _We have nevir fund bot faithfull and trew + obedience of yame at all tymes_, nor yai seik nor attemptis + nouthir jurisdictioun nor previlegijs, forthir nor yai have usit + sen the first institutioun of the Kirk of Scotland, quhilk We may + nocht apoun oure conscience alter nor change in the respect We + have to the honour and faith of God and Halikirk, and douttis na + inconvenient be yame to come to Ws and oure realme yerthrou; for + sen the Kirk wes first institute in our realme, the stait yairof + hes nevir failzeit, bot _hes remanyt evir obedient to oure + progenitouris, and in our tyme mair thankefull to Ws, nor evir yai + wer of before_.' This letter, which, in several points of view, is + worth reading, will be found in _State Papers of Henry VIII._, + vol. v. pp. 188-190, 4to, 1836. + + [136] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. pp. 212, 213, and _Arnot's + History of Edinburgh_, 4to, 1788, p. 468: 'fifteen ordinary + judges, seven churchmen, seven laymen, and a president, whom it + behoved to be a churchman.' The statute, as printed in the folio + edition of 1814 (_Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, vol. ii. + p. 335) says 'xiiij psouns half sp[=u]ale half temporall wt ane + president.' Mr. Lawson (_Roman Catholic Church in Scotland_, + Edinburgh, 1836, p. 81) supposes that it was the Archbishop of St. + Andrews who advised the erection of this tribunal. + +This gave the finishing touch to the whole, and it, taken in connexion +with previous measures, exasperated the nobles almost to madness. Their +hatred of the clergy became uncontrollable; and, in their eagerness for +revenge, they not only threw themselves into the arms of England, and +maintained a secret understanding with Henry VIII., but many of them went +even further, and showed a decided leaning towards the principles of the +Reformation. As the enmity between the aristocracy and the Church grew +more bitter, just in the same proportion did the desire to reform the +Church become more marked. The love of innovation was encouraged by +interested motives, until, in the course of a few years, an immense +majority of the nobles adopted extreme Protestant opinions; hardly caring +what heresy they embraced, so long as they were able, by its aid, to +damage a Church from which they had recently received the greatest +injuries, and with which they and their progenitors had been engaged in a +contest of nearly a hundred and fifty years.[137] + + [137] Keith, who evidently does not admire this part of the history of + his country, says, under the year 1546, 'Several of our nobility + found it their temporal interest, as much as their spiritual, to + sway with the new opinions as to religious matters.' _Keith's + Affairs of Church and State_, vol. i. pp. 112, 113. Later, and + with still more bluntness: 'The noblemen wanted to finger the + patrimony of the kirkmen.' vol. iii. p. 11. + +In the mean time, James V. united himself closer than ever with the +hierarchy. In 1534, he gratified the Church, by personally assisting at +the trial of some heretics, who were brought before the bishops and +burned.[138] The next year, he was offered, and he willingly accepted, +the title of Defender of the Faith, which was transferred to him from +Henry VIII.; that king being supposed to have forfeited it by his +impiety.[139] At all events, James well deserved it. He was a stanch +supporter of the Church, and his privy-council was chiefly composed of +ecclesiastics, as he deemed it dangerous to admit laymen to too large a +share in the government.[140] And, in 1538, he still further signalized +his policy, by taking for his second wife Mary of Guise; thus +establishing an intimate relation with the most powerful Catholic family +in Europe, whose ambition, too, was equal to their power, and who made it +their avowed object to uphold the Catholic faith, and to protect it from +those rude and unmannerly invasions which were now directed against it in +most parts of Europe.[141] + + [138] 'In the month of August (1534), the bishops having gotten fitt + opportunitie, renewed their battell aganest Jesus Christ. David + Stratilon, a gentelman of the House of Lawrestoune, and Mr. Norman + Gowrlay, was brought to judgement in the Abby of Halyrudhouse. The + king himself, all cloathed with reid, being present, grait pains + war taken upon David Stratoun to move him to recant and burn his + bill; bot he, ever standing to his defence, was in end adjudged to + the fire. He asked grace at the king. The bishops answred + proudlie, that "the king's hands war bound, and that he had no + grace to give to such as were by law condemned." So was he, with + Mr. Norman, after dinner, upon the 27th day of Agust, led to a + place beside the Rude of Greenside, between Leth and Edinbrug, to + the intent that the inhabitants of Fife, seeing the fire, might be + striken with terrour and feare.' _Pitcairn's Criminal Trials in + Scotland_, vol. i. part i. p. 210*. Also _Calderwood's History of + the Kirk of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 106, 107. + + [139] 'It appears, by a letter in the State-paper Office, that Henry + remonstrated against this title being given to James.' _Tytler's + History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 223. See also p. 258. + + [140] In 1535, 'his privy council were mostly ecclesiastics.' _Ibid._ + vol. iv. p. 222. And Sir Ralph Sadler, during his embassy to + Scotland in 1539-40, writes: 'So that the king, as far as I can + perceive, is of force driven to use the bishops and his clergy as + his only ministers for the direction of his realm. They be the men + of wit and policy that I see here; they be never out of the king's + ear. And if they smell any thing that in the least point may touch + them, or that the king seem to be content with any such thing, + straight they inculk to him, how catholic a prince his father was, + and feed him both with fair words and many, in such wise as by + those policies they lead him (having also the whole governance of + his affairs) as they will.' _State Papers and Letters of Sir Ralph + Sadler_, Edinb., 1809, 4to, vol. i. p. 47. + + [141] _State Papers of Henry VIII._, vol. v. p. 128. _A Diurnal of + Occurrents_, p. 22. The Reverend Mr. Kirkton pronounces that the + new queen was 'ane egge of the bloody nest of Guise.' _Kirkton's + History of the Church of Scotland_, edited by Sharpe, Edinburgh, + 1817, 4to, p. 7. + +This was hailed by the Church as a guarantee for the intentions of the +king. And so indeed it proved to be. David Beaton, who negotiated the +marriage, became the chief adviser of James during the rest of his reign. +He was made Archbishop of Saint Andrews in 1539,[142] and, by his +influence, a persecution hotter than any yet known, was directed against +the Protestants. Many of them escaped into England,[143] where they +swelled the number of the exiles, who were waiting till the time was ripe +to take a deadly revenge. They, and their adherents at home, coalesced +with the disaffected nobles, particularly with the Douglases,[144] who +were by far the most powerful of the Scotch aristocracy, and who were +connected with most of the great families, either by old associations, or +by the still closer bond of the interest which they all had in reducing +the power of the Church.[145] + + [142] 'At his return home, he was made coadjutor, and declared future + successor to his uncle in the primacy of St. Andrews, in which see + he came to be fully invested upon the death of his uncle the next + year, 1539.' _Keith's Catalogue of Scotch Bishops_, pp. 23, 24. + + [143] _M'Crie's Life of Knox_, p. 20. _Spottiswoode's History of the + Church of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 139. _Lawson's Roman Catholic + Church in Scotland_, p. 178. _Wodrow's Collections upon the Lives + of the Reformers_, vol. i. p. 100. + + [144] Tytler (_History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 241) says, that the + cruelties of 1539 forced 'many of the persecuted families to + embrace the interests of the Douglases.' + + [145] It is asserted of the Douglases, that, early in the sixteenth + century, their 'alliances and power were equal to one-half of the + nobility of Scotland.' _Brown's History of Glasgow_, vol. i. p. 8. + See also, on their connexions, _Hume's House of Douglas_, vol. i. + pp. xix. 252, 298, vol. ii. p. 293. + +At this juncture, the eyes of men were turned towards the Douglases, whom +Henry VIII. harboured at his court, and who were now maturing their +plans.[146] Though they did not yet dare to return to Scotland, their +spies and agents reported to them all that was done, and preserved their +connexions at home. Feudal covenants, bonds of manrent, and other +arrangements, which, even if illegal, it would have been held disgraceful +to renounce, were in full force; and enabled the Douglases to rely with +confidence on many of the most powerful nobles, who were, moreover, +disgusted at the predominance of the clergy, and who welcomed the +prospect of any change which was likely to lessen the authority of the +Church.[147] + + [146] Henry VIII., 'in the year 1532, sought it directly, among the + conditions of peace, that the Douglas, according to his promise, + should be restored. For King Henry's own part, he entertained them + with all kind of beneficence and honour, and made both the Earl + and Sir George of his Privy Council.' _Hume's History of the House + of Douglas_, vol. ii. pp. 105, 106. James was very jealous of any + communication taking place between the Douglases and his other + subjects; but it was impossible for him to prevent it. See a + letter which he wrote to Sir Thomas Erskine (in _Miscellany of the + Spalding Club_, vol. ii. p. 193, Aberdeen, 1842, 4to), beginning, + 'I commend me rycht hartly to yow, and weit ye that it is murmuryt + hyr that ye sould a spolkyn with Gorge and Archebald Dougles in + Ingland, quhylk wase again my command and your promys quhan we + departyt.' See also the cases of Lady Trakware, John Mathesone, + John Hume, and others, in _Pitcairn's Criminal Trials in + Scotland_, vol. i. part i. pp. 161*, 177*, 202*, 243*, 247*. + + [147] 'The Douglases were still maintained with high favour and generous + allowances in England; their power, although nominally extinct, + was still far from being destroyed; their spies penetrated into + every quarter, followed the king to France, and gave information + of his most private motions; their feudal covenants and bands of + manrent still existed, and bound many of the most potent nobility + to their interest; whilst the vigour of the king's government, and + his preference of the clergy to the temporal lords, disgusted + these proud chiefs, and disposed them to hope for a recovery of + their influence from any change which might take place.' _Tytler's + History of Scotland_, vol. iv. pp. 229, 230. These bonds of + manrent, noticed by Tytler, were among the most effective means by + which the Scotch nobles secured their power. Without them, it + would have been difficult for the aristocracy to have resisted the + united force of the Crown and the Church. On this account, they + deserve special attention. Chalmers (_Caledonia_, vol. i. p. 824) + could find no bond of manrent earlier than 1354; but in Lord + Somerville's _Memorie of the Somervilles_, edit. Edinburgh, 1815, + vol. i. p. 74, one is mentioned in 1281. This is the earliest + instance I have met with; and they did not become very common till + the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Compare _Hume's History of + the House of Douglas_, vol. ii. p. 19. _Somerville's Memorie of + the Somervilles_, vol. i. p. 234. _Pitcairn's Criminal Trials in + Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 83. _Irving's History of Dumbartonshire_, + pp. 142, 143. _Skene's Highlanders_, vol. ii. p. 186. _Gregory's + History of the Western Highlands_, p. 126. _Kennedy's Annals of + Aberdeen_, vol. i. p. 55. _Miscellany of the Spalding Club_, vol. + ii. pp. cvi. 93, 251, vol. iv. pp. xlviii. 179. As these covenants + were extremely useful in maintaining the balance of power, and + preventing the Scotch monarchy from becoming despotic, acts of + parliament were of course passed against them. See one in 1457, + and another in 1555, respecting 'lige' and 'bandis of manrent and + mantenance,' in _Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, folio, + 1814, vol. ii. pp. 50, 495. Such enactments being opposed to the + spirit of the age, and adverse to the exigencies of society, + produced no effect upon the general practice, though they caused + the punishment of several individuals. Manrent was still frequent + until about 1620 or 1630, when the great social revolution was + completed, by which the power of the aristocracy was subordinated + to that of the Church. Then, the change of affairs effected, + without difficulty, and indeed spontaneously, what the legislature + had vainly attempted to achieve. The nobles, gradually sinking + into insignificance, lost their spirit, and ceased to resort to + those contrivances by which they had long upheld their order. + Bonds of manrent became every year less common, and it is doubtful + if there is any instance of them after 1661. See _Chalmers' + Caledonia_, vol. iii. pp. 32, 33. It is, however, so dangerous to + assert a negative, that I do not wish to rely on this date, and + some few cases may exist later; but if so, they are very few, and + it is certain that, speaking generally, the middle of the + seventeenth century is the epoch of their extinction. + +With such a combination of parties, in a country where, there being no +middle class, the people counted for nothing, but followed wherever they +were led, it is evident that the success or failure of the Reformation in +Scotland was simply a question of the success or failure of the nobles. +They were bent on revenge. The only doubt was, as to their being strong +enough to gratify it. Against them, they had the Crown and the Church. On +their side they had the feudal traditions, the spirit of clanship, the +devoted obedience of their innumerable retainers, and, what was equally +important, that love of names, and of family associations, for which +Scotland is still remarkable, but which, in the sixteenth century, +possessed an influence difficult to exaggerate. + +The moment for action was now at hand. In 1540, the government, +completely under the control of the clergy, caused fresh laws to be +enacted against the Protestants, whose interests were by this time +identical with those of the nobles. By these statutes, no one, even +suspected of heresy, could for the future hold any office; and all +Catholics were forbidden to harbour, or to show favour to, persons who +professed the new opinions.[148] The clergy, now flushed with conquest, +and greedy for the destruction of their ancient rivals, proceeded to +still farther extremities. So unrelenting was their malice, that, in that +same year, they presented to James a list containing the names of upwards +of three hundred members of the Scotch aristocracy, whom they formally +accused as heretics, who ought to be put to death, and whose estates they +recommended the king to confiscate.[149] + + [148] _Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, vol. ii. pp. 370, 371. 'That + na man quhats[=u]euir stait or conditioun he be luge + ressauve cherish nor favor ony heretike.' ... 'And alswa that na + persoun that hes bene suspectit of heresie howbeit thai be + ressauit to p[=e]nance and grace sall in this realme exers haif + nor brouk ony honest estait degre office nor judicato^r sp[=u]all + nor t[=e]porale in burgh nor w^tout nor na salbe admittit to be + of ou[/r] counsale.' + + [149] Lindsay of Pitscottie (_Chronicles_, vol. ii. p. 383) says, that + they 'devysed to put ane discord and variance betwixt the lordis + and gentlmen with thair prince; for they delaited, and gave vp to + the king in writt, to the number of thrittie scoir of earles, + lordis, and barrones, gentlmen and craftismen, that is, as thei + alledgit, wer all heretickis, and leived not after the Pope's + lawis, and ordinance of the hollie kirk; quhilk his grace sould + esteme as ane capitall cryme, to ony man that did the same' ... + 'all thair landis, rentes, guidis, and geir apperteanis propperlie + to your grace, for thair contempt of our hollie father the Pope, + and his lawis, and high contempt of your grace's authoritie.' This + document was found among the king's papers after his death, when + it appeared that, of the six hundred names on the list, more than + three hundred belonged to the principal nobility: 'Eum timorem + auxerunt codicilli post regis interitum reperti, e quibus supra + trecentorum e prima nobilitate nomina continebantur.' _Buchanan_, + _Rerum Scoticarum Historia_, lib. xv. p. 424. Compare _Sadler's + State Papers_, 1809, vol. i. p. 94; and _Watson's Historicall + Collections of Ecclesiastick Affairs in Scotland_, 1657, p. 22. + According to Watson, it 'was called the bloudy scroll.' + +These hot and vindictive men little knew of the storm which they were +evoking, and which was about to burst on their heads, and cover them and +their Church with confusion. Not that we have reason to believe that a +wiser conduct would have ultimately saved the Scotch hierarchy. On the +contrary, the probability is, that their fate was sealed; for the general +causes which governed the entire movement had been so long at work, that, +at this period, it would have been hardly possible to have baffled them. +But, even if we admit as certain, that the Scotch clergy were doomed, it +is also certain that their violence made their fall more grievous, by +exasperating the passions of their adversaries. The train, indeed, was +laid; their enemies had supplied the materials, and all was ready to +explode; but it was themselves who at last applied the match, and sprung +the mine to their own destruction. + +In 1542, the nobles, seeing that the Church and the Crown were bent on +their ruin, took the most decisive step on which they had yet ventured, +and peremptorily refused to obey James in making war upon the English. +They knew that the war in which they were desired to participate had been +fomented by the clergy, with the twofold object of stopping all +communication with the exiles, and of checking the introduction of +heretical opinions.[150] Both these intentions they resolved to +frustrate, and, being assembled on the field, they declared with one +voice that they would not invade England. Threats and persuasions were +equally useless. James, stung with vexation, returned home, and ordered +the army to be disbanded. Scarcely had he retired, when the clergy +attempted to rally the troops, and to induce them to act against the +enemy. A few of the peers, ashamed at what seemed a cowardly desertion of +the king, appeared willing to march. The rest, however, refused; and, +while they were in this state of doubt and confusion, the English, taking +them unawares, suddenly fell upon their disorderly ranks, utterly routed +them, and made a large number prisoners. In this disgraceful action, ten +thousand Scotch troops fled before three hundred English cavalry.[151] +The news being brought to James, while he was still smarting from the +disobedience of the nobles, was too much for his proud and sensitive +mind. He reeled under the double shock; a slow fever wasted his strength; +he sunk into a long stupor; and, refusing all comfort, he died in +December 1542, leaving the Crown to his infant daughter, Mary, during +whose reign the great contest between the aristocracy and the Church was +to be finally decided.[152] + + [150] In the autumn of 1542, James 'was encouraged by the clergy to + engage in a war against King Henry, who both assured him of + victory, since he fought against an heretical prince, and advanced + an annuity of 50,000 crowns for prosecuting the war.' _Crawfurd's + History of the Shire of Renfrew_, 1782, 4to, part i. p. 48. + Compare, in _State Papers of Henry VIII._, vol. v. p. 154, a + letter written, in 1539, by Norfolk to Cromwell: 'By diverse other + waies I am advertised that the clergie of Scotlande be in such + feare that their king shold do theire, as the kinges highnes hath + done in this realme, that they do their best to bring their master + to the warr; and by many waies I am advertised that a great parte + of the temporaltie there wold their king shold followe our + insample, wich I pray God yeve hym grace to come unto.' Even after + the battle of Solway, the policy of the clergy was notoriously the + same. 'And undoubtedlie, the kyrkemen labor, by all the meanes + they can, to empeche the unitie and establishment of thiese two + realmes; uppon what groundes ye can easelie conjecture.' Letter + from Sadler to Parr, dated Edinburgh, 27th March 1543, in _State + Papers of Henry VIII._, vol. v. p. 271, 4to, 1836. + + [151] 'Ten thousand Scottish troops fled at the sight of three hundred + English cavalry, with scarce a momentary resistance.' _Tytler's + History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 264. + + [152] The best account of these events will be found in _Tytler's + History of Scotland_, vol. iv. pp. 260-267. I have also consulted + _Ridpath's Border History_, pp. 372, 373. _Hollinshead's Scottish + Chronicle_, vol. ii. pp. 207-209. _Lesley's History_, pp. 163-166. + _Lindsay of Pitscottie's Chronicles_, vol. ii. pp. 399-406. + _Calderwood's History of the Kirk of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. + 145-152. _Buchanan_, _Rerum Scoticarum Historia_, lib. xiv. pp. + 420, 421. + +The influence of the nobles was increased by the death of James V., and +yet more by the bad repute into which the clergy fell for having +instigated a war, of which the result was so disgraceful.[153] Their +party was still further strengthened by the exiles, who, as soon as they +heard the glad tidings, prepared to leave England.[154] Early in 1543, +Angus and Douglas returned to Scotland,[155] and were soon followed by +other nobles, most of whom professed to be Protestants, though, as the +result clearly proved, their Protestantism was inspired by a love of +plunder and of revenge. The late king had, in his will, appointed +Cardinal Beaton to be guardian of the queen, and governor of the +realm.[156] Beaton, though an unprincipled man, was very able, and was +respected as the head of the national church; he being Archbishop of St. +Andrews, and primate of Scotland. The nobles, however, at once arrested +him,[157] deprived him of his regency, and put in his place the Earl of +Arran, who, at this time, affected to be a zealous Protestant, though, on +a fitting occasion, he afterwards changed his opinions.[158] Among the +supporters of the new creed, the most powerful were the Earl of Angus +and the Douglases. They were now freed from a prescription of fifteen +years; their attainder was reversed, and their estates and honours were +restored to them.[159] It was evident that not only the executive +authority, but also the legislative, had passed from the Church to the +aristocracy. And they, who had the power, were not sparing in the use of +it. Lord Maxwell, one of the most active of their party, had, like most +of them, in their zeal against the hierarchy, embraced the principles of +the Reformation.[160] In the spring of 1543, he obtained the sanction of +the Earl of Arran, the governor of Scotland, for a proposal which he made +to the Lords of the Articles, whose business it was to digest the +measures to be brought before Parliament. The proposal was, that the +people should be allowed to read the Bible in a Scotch or English +translation. The clergy arrayed all their force against what they +rightly deemed a step full of danger to themselves, as conceding a +fundamental principle of Protestantism. But all was in vain. The tide had +set in, and was not to be turned. The proposition was adopted by the +Lords of the Articles. On their authority, it was introduced into +Parliament. It was passed. It received the assent of the government; and, +amid the lamentations of the Church, it was proclaimed, with every +formality, at the market-cross of Edinburgh.[161] + + [153] 'This defeat being so very dishonourable, especially to the + clergy, who stirred up the king to that attempt, and promised him + great success from it; and there being such a visible evidence of + the anger of God, fighting by his providence against them, all men + were struck with fear and astonishment; the bishops were ashamed + to show their faces for a time.' _Stevenson's History of the + Church of Scotland_, reprinted, Edinburgh, 1840, p. 30. + + [154] We may readily believe the assertion of an old chronicler, that + 'the nobilitie did not greatlie take his death grievouslie, + because he had fined manie, imprisoned more, and caused no small + few (for avoiding his displeasure) to flie into England, and + rather to commit themselves to the enemie than to his anger.' + _Hollinshead's Scottish Chronicle_, vol. ii. p. 210. + + [155] _Hume's History of the House of Douglas_, vol. ii. p. 111. + + [156] It has been often said, that this will was forged; but for such an + assertion I cannot find the slightest evidence, except the + declaration of Arran (_Sadler's State Papers_, Edinburgh, 1809, + vol. i. p. 138), and the testimony, if testimony it can be called, + of Scotch historians, who do not profess to have examined the + handwriting, and who, being themselves Protestants, seem to + suppose that the fact of a man being a cardinal, qualifies him for + every crime. There is no doubt that Beaton was thoroughly + unprincipled, and therefore was capable of the forgery. Still, we + have no proof; and the will is such as we might have expected from + the king. In regard to Arran, his affirmation is not worth the + paper it is written on: for he hated Beaton; he was himself very + unscrupulous; and he succeeded to the post which Beaton had to + vacate on the ground that the will was forged. If such + circumstances do not disqualify a witness, some of the + best-established principles of evidence are false. The reader who + cares to look further into this subject, may compare, in favour of + the will being forged, _Buchanan_, _Rerum Scoticarum Historia_, + lib. xv. p. 422, Abredoniae, 1762; _Knox's History of the + Reformation_, edit. Laing, Edinburgh, 1846, vol. i. pp. 91, 92; + _Irving's History of Dumbartonshire_, second edition, 4to, 1860, + p. 102; and, in favour of its being genuine, _Lyon's History of + St. Andrews_, Edinburgh, 1843, vol. i. pp. 304, 305. Some other + writers on the subject leave it doubtful: _Tytler's History of + Scotland_, 1845, vol. iv. p. 274; _Lawson's Roman Church in + Scotland_, 1836, p. 99; and a note in _Keith's Church and State in + Scotland_, 1844, vol. i. p. 63. + + [157] On the 26th of January 1542-3, 'the said cardinall was put in + pressoune in Dalkeith.' _A Diurnal of Occurrents_, p. 26. See + also, respecting his imprisonment, a letter written, on the 16th + of March, by Angus and Douglas, in _State Papers of Henry VIII._, + vol. v. p. 263. He was then in 'firmance.' + + [158] His appointment was confirmed by Parliament on the 12th of March. + _Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 411: 'tuto^r + lau^tfull to the quenis grace and gounour of this realme.' He + excluded the clergy from power. On 20th March, in the same year, + Sir Ralph Sadler writes to Henry VIII., that Sir George Douglas + 'brought me into the council-chamber, where I found a great number + of noblemen and others at a long board, and divers standing, but + _not one bishop nor priest among them_. At the upper end of the + board sat the governour.' _Sadler's State Papers_, vol. i. p. 78. + + [159] _Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, vol. ii. pp. 415, 419, 424, + 423*; and _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 285. + + [160] 'Had become a convert to its doctrines.' _Tytler's Hist. of + Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 286. But he, as well as the other nobles, + neither knew nor cared much about doctrines; and he was, moreover, + very venal. In April 1543, Sir Ralph Sadler writes to Henry VIII.: + 'And the lord Maxwell told me apart, "That, indeed, he lacked + silver, and had no way of relief but to your majesty;" which he + prayed me to signify unto the same. I asked him what would relieve + him? and he said, 300_l._; "for the which," he said, "as your + majesty seemed, when he was with your grace, to have him in more + trust and credit than the rest of your majesty's prisoners, so he + trusted to do you as good service as any of them; and amongst them + they will do you such service, as, if the war succeed, ye shall + make an easy conquest of this realm; as _for his part he shall + deliver into your hands, at the entry of your army, the keys of + the same on the west marches, being all the strongholds there in + his custody_." I offered him presently to write to my lord of + Suffolk for 100_l._ for him if he would; but he said, "he would + stay till he heard again from your majesty in that behalf."' + _Sadler's State Papers_, vol. i. p. 165. + + [161] _Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, vol. ii. pp. 415, 425. + _Sadler's State Papers_, vol. i. p. 83. Knox, in his _History of + the Reformation_ (edit. Laing, vol. i p. 100), archly says, 'The + cleargy hearto long repugned; butt in the end, convicted by + reassonis, _and by multitud of votes in thare contrare_, thei also + condiscended; and so, by Act of Parliament, it was maid free to + all man and woman to reid the Scriptures in thair awin toung, or + in the Engliss toung; and so war all Actes maid in the contrair + abolished.' + +Scarcely had the nobles thus attained the upper hand, when they began to +quarrel among themselves. They were resolved to plunder the Church; but +they could not agree as to how the spoil should be shared. Neither could +they determine as to the best mode of proceeding; some being in favour of +an open and immediate schism, while others wished to advance cautiously, +and to temporize with their opponents, that they might weaken the +hierarchy by degrees. The more active and zealous section of the nobles +were known as the English party,[162] owing to their intimate connexion +with Henry VIII., from whom many of them received supplies of money. But, +in 1544, war broke out between the two countries, and the clergy, headed +by Archbishop Beaton, roused, with such success, the old feelings of +national hatred against the English, that the nobles were compelled for a +moment to bend before the storm, and to advocate an alliance with France. +Indeed, it seemed for a few months as if the Church and aristocracy had +forgotten their old and inveterate hostility, and were about to unite +their strength in one common cause.[163] + + [162] Or, as Keith calls them, 'English Lords.' _History of the Affairs + of Church and State in Scotland_, vol. i. p. 80. + + [163] In May 1544 the English attacked Scotland, _Tytler's History_, + vol. iv. p. 316; and in that same month, the 'Anglo-Scottish + party' consisted only of the Earls of Lennox and of Glencairn, + since even 'Angus, George Douglas, and their numerous and powerful + adherents, joined the cardinal.' p. 319. As to the part taken by + the Scotch clergy, see, in _Sadler's State Papers_, vol. i. p. + 173, a letter to Henry VIII., written on the 1st of May 1543: 'And + as to the kirk-men, I assure your majesty they seek the war by all + the means they can, and do daily entertain the noblemen with money + and rewards to sustain the wars, rather than there should be any + agreement with your majesty; thinking, verily, that if peace and + unity succeed, that they shall be reformed, and lose their glory, + which they had rather die, and put all this realm in hazard, than + they would forego.' See also p. 184, note. + +This, however, was but a passing delusion. The antagonism between the two +classes was irreconcilable.[164] In the spring of 1545, the leading +Protestant nobles formed a conspiracy to assassinate Archbishop +Beaton,[165] whom they hated more than any one else, partly because he +was the head of the Church, and partly because he was the ablest and most +unscrupulous of their opponents. A year, however, elapsed before their +purpose could be effected; and it was not till May 1546, that Lesley, a +young baron, accompanied by the Laird of Grange, and a few others, burst +into Saint Andrews, and murdered the primate in his own castle.[166] + + [164] Buchanan records a very curious conversation between the regent and + Douglas, which, as I do not remember to have met with elsewhere, I + shall transcribe. The exact date of it is not mentioned, but, from + the context, it evidently took place in 1544 or 1545. 'Ibi cum + Prorex suam deploraret solitudinem, et se a nobilitate derelictum + quereretur, Duglassius ostendit "id ipsius culpa fieri, non + nobilium, qui et fortunas omnes et vitam ad publicam salutem + tuendam conferrent, quorum consilio contempto ad sacrificulorum + nutum circumageretur, qui foris imbelles, domi seditiosi, + omniumque periculorum expertes alieni laboris fructu ad suas + voluptates abuterentur. Ex hoc fonte inter te et proceres facta + est suspitio, quae (quod neutri alteris fidatis) rebus gerendis + maxime est impedimento."' _Rerum Scoticarum Historia_, lib. xv. p. + 435. Buchanan was, at this time, about thirty-eight years old; and + that some such conversation as that which he narrates actually + took place, is, I think, highly probable, though the historian may + have thrown in some touches of his own. At all events, he was too + great a rhetorician to invent what his contemporaries would deem + unlikely to happen; so that, from either point of view, the + passage is valuable as an evidence of the deep-rooted hostility + which the nobles bore towards the Church. + + [165] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 337. 'The plot is + entirely unknown either to our Scottish or English historians; and + now, after the lapse of nearly three centuries, has been + discovered in the secret correspondence of the State-paper + Office.' The first suggestion of the murder was in April 1544. See + _State Papers of Henry VIII._, vol. v. p. 377, and the end of the + Preface to vol. iv. But Mr. Tytler and the editor of the _State + Papers_ appear to have overlooked a still earlier indication of + the coming crime, in _Sadler's Papers_. See, in that collection, + vol. i. p. 77, a conversation, held in March 1543, between Sir + Ralph Sadler and the Earl of Arran; Sadler being conducted by the + Earl of Glencairn. On that occasion, the Earl of Arran used an + expression concerning Beaton, the meaning of which Sir Ralph + evidently understood. '"By God," quoth he, "he shall never come + out of prison whilst I may have mine own will, _except it be to + his farther mischief_." I allowed the same well' (replied Sadler), + 'and said, "It were pity, but he should receive such reward as his + merits did require."' + + [166] _State Papers of Henry VIII._, vol. v. p. 560. _A Diurnal of + Occurrents_, p. 42. _Calderwood's History of the Kirk of + Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 221-223. Lindsay of Pitscottie + (_Chronicles_, vol. ii. p. 484) relates a circumstance respecting + the murder, which is too horrible to mention, and of which it is + enough to say, that it consisted of an obscene outrage committed + on the corpse of the victim. Though such facts cannot now be + published, they are so characteristic of the age, that they ought + not to be passed over in complete silence. + +The horror with which the Church heard of this foul and barbarous +deed,[167] maybe easily imagined. But the conspirators, nothing daunted, +and relying on the support of a powerful party, justified their act, +seized the castle of Saint Andrews, and prepared to defend it to the +last. And in this resolution they were upheld by a most remarkable man, +who now first appeared to public view, and who, being admirably suited to +the age in which he lived, was destined to become the most conspicuous +character of those troublous times. + + [167] Respecting which, two Scotch Protestant historians have expressed + themselves in the following terms: 'God admonished men, by this + judgement, that he will in end be avenged upon tyranns for their + crueltie, howsoever they strenthen themselves.' _Calderwood's + History of the Kirk of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 224. And, whoever + considers all the circumstances, 'must acknowledge it was a + stupendous act of the judgment of the Lord, and that the whole was + overruled and guided by Divine Providence.' _Stevenson's History + of the Church and State of Scotland_, p. 38. + +That man was John Knox. To say that he was fearless and incorruptible, +that he advocated with unflinching zeal what he believed to be the truth, +and that he devoted himself with untiring energy to what he deemed the +highest of all objects, is only to render common justice to the many +noble attributes which he undoubtedly possessed. But, on the other hand, +he was stern, unrelenting, and frequently brutal; he was not only callous +to human suffering, but he could turn it into a jest, and employ on it +the resources of his coarse, though exuberant, humour;[168] and he loved +power so inordinately, that, unable to brook the slightest opposition, he +trampled on all who crossed his path, or stood even for a moment in the +way of his ulterior designs. + + [168] Even the editor of _M'Crie's Life of Knox_, Edinburgh, 1841, + p. xxxv., notices 'the ill-timed merriment he displays in relating + the foul deed' of Beaton's murder. + +The influence of Knox in promoting the Reformation, has indeed been +grossly exaggerated by historians, who are too apt to ascribe vast +results to individual exertions; overlooking those large and general +causes, in the absence of which the individual exertion would be +fruitless. Still, he effected more than any single man;[169] although the +really important period of his life, in regard to Scotland, was in and +after 1559, when the triumph of Protestantism was already secure, and +when he reaped the benefit of what had been effected during his long +absence from his own country. His first effort was a complete failure, +and, more than any one of his actions, has injured his reputation. This +was the sanction which he gave to the cruel murder of Archbishop Beaton, +in 1546. He repaired to the Castle of Saint Andrews; he shut himself up +with the assassins; he prepared to share their fate; and, in a work which +he afterwards wrote, openly justified what they had done.[170] For this, +nothing can excuse him; and it is with a certain sense of satisfied +justice that we learn, that, in 1547, the castle being taken by the +French, Knox was treated with great severity, and was made to work at the +galleys, from which he was not liberated till 1549.[171] + + [169] Shortly before his death, he said, with honest and justifiable + pride, 'What I have bene to my countrie, albeit, this vnthankfull + aige will not knowe, yet the aiges to come wilbe compelled to bear + witnes to the treuth.' _Bannatyne's Journal_, Edinburgh, 1806. p. + 119. Bannatyne was Knox's secretary. It is to be regretted that no + good life of Knox should have yet been published. That by M'Crie + is an undistinguishing and injudicious panegyric, which, by + provoking a reaction of opinion, has damaged the reputation of the + great reformer. On the other hand, the sect of Episcopalians in + Scotland are utterly blind to the real grandeur of the man, and + unable to discern his intense love of truth, and the noble + fearlessness of his nature. + + [170] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. pp. 374, 375. _M'Crie's + Life of Knox_, pp. 27, 28. _Lawson's Roman Catholic Church in + Scotland_, p. 154. _Presbytery Displayed_, 1663, 4to, p. 28. + _Shields' Hind let loose_, 1687, pp. 14, 39, 638. In his _History + of the Reformation_, edit. Laing, vol. i. pp. 177, 180, he calls + it a 'godly fact,' and says, 'These ar the workis of our God;' + which, in plain language, is terming the Deity an assassin. But, + bad as this is, I agree with M'Crie, that there is no trustworthy + evidence for deeming him privy to the murder. Compare, however, _A + Diurnal of Occurrents_ p. 42, with _Lyon's History of St. + Andrews_, vol. ii. p. 364. + + [171] _M'Crie's Life of Knox_, pp. 38, 43, 350. _Argyll's Presbytery + Examined_, 1848, p. 19. + +During the next five years, Knox remained in England, which he quitted in +1554, and arrived at Dieppe.[172] He then travelled abroad; and did not +revisit Scotland till the autumn of 1555, when he was eagerly welcomed by +the principal nobles and their adherents.[173] From some cause, however, +which has not been sufficiently explained, but probably from an +unwillingness to play a subordinate part among those proud chiefs, he, in +July 1556, again left Scotland, and repaired to Geneva, where he had been +invited to take charge of a congregation.[174] He stayed abroad till +1559, by which time the real struggle was almost over; so completely had +the nobles succeeded in sapping the foundations of the Church. + + [172] _M'Crie's Life of Knox_, pp. 44, 71. + + [173] _Ibid._ p. 99. As to the nobles, who received him, and heard him + preach, see p. 102. + + [174] 'Influenced by motives which have never been fully comprehended, he + departed to Geneva, where, for a time, he became pastor of a + Protestant congregation.' _Russell's History of the Church in + Scotland_, 1834, vol. i. p. 193. M'Crie, who sees no difficulty, + simply says, 'In the month of July 1556, he left Scotland, and, + having arrived at Dieppe, he proceeded with his family to Geneva.' + _Life of Knox_, p. 107. + +For, the course of events having been long prepared, was now rapid +indeed. In 1554, the queen dowager had succeeded Arran as regent.[175] +She was that Mary of Guise whose marriage with James V. we have noticed +as one of the indications of the policy then prevailing. If left alone, +she would probably have done little harm;[176] but her powerful and +intolerant family exhorted her to suppress the heretics, and, as a +natural part of the same scheme, to put down the nobles. By the advice of +her brothers, the Duke of Guise and the Cardinal of Lorraine, she, in +1555, proposed to establish a standing army, to supply the place of the +troops, which consisted of the feudal barons and their retainers. Such a +force, being paid by the Crown, would have been entirely under its +control; but the nobles saw the ulterior design, and compelled Mary to +abandon it, on the ground that they and their vassals were able to defend +Scotland, without further aid.[177] Her next attempt was to consolidate +the interests of the Catholic party, which she effected, in 1558, by +marrying her daughter to the dauphin. This increased the influence of the +Guises,[178] whose niece, already queen of Scotland, would now, in the +ordinary course of affairs, become queen of France. They urged their +sister to extreme measures, and promised to assist her with French +troops. On the other hand, the nobles remained firm, and prepared for the +struggle. In December 1557, several of them had drawn up a covenant, +agreeing to stand by each other, and to resist the tyranny with which +they were threatened.[179] They now took the name of Lords of the +Congregation, and sent forth their agents to secure the subscriptions of +those who wished for a reformation of the Church.[180] They, moreover, +wrote to Knox, whose style of preaching, being very popular, would, they +thought, be useful in stirring up the people to rebellion.[181] He was +then in Geneva, and did not arrive in Scotland till May 1559,[182] by +which time the result of the impending contest was hardly doubtful, so +successful had the nobles been in strengthening their party, and so much +reason had they to expect the support of Elizabeth. + + [175] Knox, in his savoury diction, likens her appointment to putting a + saddle on the back of a cow. 'She maid Regent in the year of God + 1554; and a croune putt upone hir head, als seimlye a sight (yf + men had eis), as to putt a sadill upone the back of ane unrewly + kow.' I copy this passage from Mr. Laing's excellent edition of + _Knox's History of the Reformation_, vol. i. p. 242; but in + _Watson's Historicall Collections of Ecclesiastick Affairs in + Scotland_, 1657, p. 73, there is a slightly different version. + '"As seemly a sight," saith John Knox, in the new gospel language, + "as to put the saddle upon the back of an unruly _sow_."' + + [176] The Duke of Argyll, in his _Presbytery Examined_, p. 9, calls her + 'ambitious and intriguing.' Not only, however, is she praised by + Lesley (_History_, pp. 289, 290), which might have been expected, + but even Buchanan does justice to her, in a passage unusually + gracious for so Protestant and democratic a writer. 'Mors ejus + varie mentes hominum affecit. Nam et apud quosdam eorum, quibuscum + armis contendit, non mediocre sui desiderium reliquit. Erat enim + singulari ingenio praedita, et animo ad aequitatem admodum + propenso.' _Buchanan_, _Rerum Scoticarum Historia_, lib. xvi. p. + 487. + + [177] _History of Scotland_, book ii. p. 91, in Robertson's Works, 1831. + _Tytler's History_, vol. v. pp. 22, 23. It appears, from Lesley + (_History_, pp. 254, 255), that some of the nobles were in favour + of this scheme, hoping thereby to gain favour. 'Albeit sum of the + lordis of the nobilitie for pleasour of the quene seamed to aggre + thairto for the tyme, yit the barronis and gentill men was nathing + content thairwith' ... 'affirming that thair foirfatheris and + predicessouris had defendit the samyn' (_i.e._ the realm) 'mony + hundreth yeris, vailyeantlie with thair awin handis.' + + [178] 'It completed the almost despotic power of the house of Guise.' + _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. v. p. 27. + + [179] This covenant, which marks an important epoch in the history of + Scotland, is dated 3rd of December 1557. It is printed in + _Stevenson's History of the Church of Scotland_, p. 47; in + _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. i. pp. 326, 327; and in + _Knox's History of the Reformation_, vol. i. pp. 273, 274. + + [180] In 1558, 'the lords of the congregation had sent agents through + the kingdom to solicit the subscriptions of those who were + friendly to a reformation.' _Stephen's History of the Church of + Scotland_, London, 1848, vol. i. p. 58. + + [181] Keith (_Affairs of Church and State in Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 82) + calls him 'a trumpeter of rebellion,' which he undoubtedly was, + and very much to his credit too, though the courtly bishop imputes + it to him as a fault. The Scotch, if it had not been for their + rebellious spirit, would long since have lost their liberties. + + [182] 'He sailed from Dieppe on the 22nd of April 1559, and landed + safely at Leith in the beginning of May.' _M'Crie's Life of Knox_, + p. 139. Knox himself says, 'the secound of Maij.' _History of the + Reformation_, edit. Laing, vol. i. p. 318. 'He was called home by + the noblemen that enterprised the Reformation.' _Spottiswoode's + History of the Church of Scotland_, edit. Russell, vol. ii. + p. 180. + +Nine days after Knox entered Scotland, the first blow was struck. On the +11th of May 1559, he preached in Perth. After the sermon, a tumult arose, +and the people plundered the churches and pulled down the +monasteries.[183] The queen-regent, hastily assembling troops, marched +towards the town. But the nobles were on the alert. The Earl of Glencairn +joined the congregation with two thousand five hundred men; and a treaty +was concluded, by which both sides agreed to disarm, on condition that no +one should be punished for what had already happened.[184] Such, however, +was the state of the public mind, that peace was impossible. In a few +days, war again broke out; and this time the result was more decisive. +The Lords of the Congregation mustered in great force. Perth, Stirling, +and Linlithgow, fell into their hands. The queen-regent retreated before +them. She evacuated Edinburgh; and, on the 29th of June, the Protestants +entered the capital in triumph.[185] + + [183] _Penny's Traditions of Perth_, p. 310. _Knox's History of the + Reformation_, vol. i. pp. 321-323. _Lyon's History of St. + Andrews_, vol. i. p. 329; and a spirited narrative in _Buchanan's + Rerum Scoticarum Historia_, lib. xvi. pp. 471, 472. Some + interesting circumstances are also preserved in _Lesley's + History_, pp. 271, 272; but, though Lesley was a contemporary, he + erroneously places the riot in 1558. He, moreover, ascribes to + Knox language more inflammatory than that which he really used. + + [184] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. v. pp. 59, 62, 63. Of the + Earl of Glencairn, Chalmers (_Caledonia_, vol. iii. p. 485) says, + that he was a 'religious ruffian, who enjoyed pensions from Henry + VIII., for injuring the country of his birth, and benefits.' This, + besides being ungrammatical, is foolish. Glencairn, like the other + aristocratic leaders of the Reformation, was, no doubt, influenced + by sordid motives; but, so far from injuring his country, he + rendered it great service. + + [185] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. v. pp. 64-73. + +All this was done in seven weeks from the breaking out of the first riot. +Both parties were now willing to negotiate, with the view of gaining +time; the queen-regent expecting aid from France, the Lords expecting it +from England.[186] But the proceedings of Elizabeth being tardy, the +Protestants, after waiting for some months, determined to strike a +decisive blow before the reinforcements arrived. In October, the +principal peers, headed by the Duke of Chastelherault, the Earl of Arran, +the Earl of Argyle, and the Earl of Glencairn, assembled at Edinburgh. A +great meeting was held, of which Lord Ruthven was appointed president, +and in which the queen-regent was solemnly suspended from the government, +on the ground that she was opposed to 'the glory of God, to the liberty +of the realm, and to the welfare of the nobles.'[187] + + [186] It is stated of the queen-regent, that, in July 1559, 'shee had + sent alreadie to France for more men of warr.' See the curious + pamphlet entitled 'A Historie of the Estate of Scotland, from July + 1558 to April 1560,' in _Miscellany of the Wodrow Society_, p. 63, + Edinburgh, 1844. All sorts of rumours were circulated; and a + letter, dated 12th October 1559, says, 'Summe thinke the regent + will departe secretlie. Summe that she will to Ynchkeith, for that + three shippes are a preparing. Summe saye that she is verie sicke. + Summe saye the devill cannot kill her.' _Sadler's State Papers_, + vol. i. p. 499. + + [187] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. v. p. 104. This was on the + 22nd of October 1559. Compare _Sadler's State Papers_, vol. i. p. + 512. 'This Mondaye, the 22 of October, was the douagier deprived + from her authoritie by commen consent of all lords and barons here + present.' On this occasion, 'Johne Willocke,' the preacher, + delivered himself of a discourse in favour of her deposition. + Among other arguments, he said, 'that in deposing of princes, and + these that have beene in authoritie, God did not alwayes use his + immediat power, but sometimes he used other meanes, which his + wisdome thought good, and justice approved. As by Asa, He removed + Maacha, his owne mother, from honour and authoritie, which before + she had used; by Jehu He destroyed Joram, and the whole posteritie + of Achab.' _Therefore_ 'he (the orator) could see no reasoun why + they, the borne counsellers, the nobilitie and barons of the + realme, might not justlie deprive her from all regiment.' + _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. i. pp. 540, 541; and + _Knox's History of the Reformation_, vol. i. pp. 442, 443. + +In the winter, an English fleet sailed into the Frith, and anchored near +Edinburgh.[188] In January 1560, the Duke of Norfolk arrived at Berwick, +and concluded, on the part of Elizabeth, a treaty with the Lords of the +Congregation, by virtue of which the English army entered Scotland on the +2nd of April.[189] Against this combination, the government could effect +nothing, and in July, was glad to sign a peace, by which the French +troops were to evacuate Scotland, and the whole power of administration +was virtually consigned to the Protestant Lords.[190] + + [188] The _Diurnal of Occurrents_, pp. 55, 272, says, that the fleet + arrived on 24th of January, 1559-60; 'aucht greit schippis of + Ingland in the raid of Leith.' And a letter (in _Sadler's State + Papers_, vol. i. p. 697) dated the 23rd of January, says, 'the + shippes arrived yesterdaye in the Frythe to the nomber of ix. or + x., as yet, and the remanent followith.' The date, therefore, of + the 10th of January, given in a note to _Keith's Church and State + in Scotland_, vol. i. p. 255, is evidently erroneous. Important as + the event was, its exact date is not mentioned either by Tytler + (_History of Scotland_, vol. v. pp. 114, 115), or by Chalmers + (_Caledonia_, vol. ii. p. 631). + + [189] _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. ii. p. 632. _Knox's History of the + Reformation_, vol. ii. p. 57. The Berwick treaty, in February, is + printed in _Keith's Church and State in Scotland_, vol. i. pp. + 258-262. So great was the influence of the nobles, that the + English troops were well received by the people, in spite of the + old and bitter animosity between the two nations. 'Especially in + Fyfe they were thankfully receaved, and well entreated, with such + quietnes and gentle entertainement betwixt our nation and them, as + no man would have thought that ever there had beine any variance.' + _A Historie of the Estate of Scotland_, from 1558 to 1560, in + _Miscellany of the Wodrow Society_, p. 78. + + [190] 'Vpoun the vi. day of Julij, it wes concludit and finallie endit + betuix the saids ambassatouris, tuitching all debaittis, + contraversies and materis concernyng the asseiging of Leith, + depairting of the Frenchemen thairfra, and randering of the same; + and the said peax daitit this said day.' _A Diurnal of + Occurrents_, pp. 277, 278. See also p. 60; and _Keith's Affairs of + Church and State in Scotland_, vol. i. p. 295. + +The complete success of this great revolution, and the speed with which +it was effected, are of themselves a decisive proof of the energy of +those general causes by which the whole movement was controlled. For more +than a hundred and fifty years, there had been a deadly struggle between +the nobles and the Church: and the issue of that struggle, was the +establishment of the Reformation, and the triumph of the aristocracy. +They had, at last, carried their point. The hierarchy was overthrown, and +replaced by new and untried men. All the old notions of apostolic +succession, of the imposition of hands, and of the divine right of +ordination, were suddenly discarded. The offices of the Church were +performed by heretics, the majority of whom had not even been +ordained.[191] Finally, and to crown the whole, in the summer of the same +year, 1560, the Scotch parliament passed two laws, which utterly +subverted the ancient scheme. By one of these laws, every statute which +had ever been enacted in favour of the Church, was at once repealed.[192] +By the other law, it was declared that whoever either said mass, or was +present while it was said, should, for the first offence, lose his goods; +for the second offence be exiled; and, for the third offence, be put to +death.[193] + + [191] 'That Knox himself was in priest's orders, is a fact which his + biographer, the late Dr. M'Crie, has placed beyond dispute; and + some of the other leaders were also priests; but the greater + number of the preachers, and all those who subsequently became + ministers, were totally without any orders whatever, not even such + as the superintendents could have given them; for their own + supposed call, the election of the people, and the _civil_ + ceremony of induction to the living, was all that was then "judged + necessary."' _Stephen's History of the Church of Scotland_, 1848, + vol. i. pp. 145, 146. 'A new-fashioned sort of ministry, unknown + in the Christian Church for all preceding generations.' _Keith's + Church and State in Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 204. Compare _Argyll's + Presbytery Examined_, pp. 34-36. + + [192] 'The thre estaitis of parliament hes [=a]nullit and declarit all + sik actes maid in tymes bipast not aggreing w^t goddis word and + now contrair to the confessioun of oure fay^t according to the + said word publist in this parliament. Tobe of nane avale force nor + effect. And decornis the said actis and every ane of thame tu haue + na effect nor strenth in tyme to cum.' _Acts of the Parliament of + Scotland_, 1814, folio, vol. ii. p. 535. This was on 24th August + 1560. + + [193] 'That na maner of person nor personis say mess nor zit heir mess + nor be pnt thairat vnder the pane of confiscatioun of all + thair gud movable and vnmovable and pvneissing of thair bodeis at + the discretioun of the magistrat within quhais jurisdictioun + sik personis happ[=y]nis to be apprehendit ffor the first falt: + Banissing of the Realme for the secund falt, and justifying to the + deid for the thrid falt.' _Ibid._, 24th August 1560, vol. ii. p. + 525. + +Thus it was, that an institution, which had borne the brunt of more than +a thousand years, was shivered, and fell to pieces. And, from its fall, +great things were augured. It was believed, that the people would be +enlightened, that their eyes were opening to their former follies, and +that the reign of superstition was about to end. But what was forgotten +then, and what is too often forgotten now, is, that in these affairs +there is an order and a natural sequence, which can never be reversed. +This is, that every institution, as it actually exists, no matter what +its name or pretences may be, is the effect of public opinion far more +than the cause; and that it will avail nothing to attack the institution, +unless you can first change the opinion. In Scotland, the Church was +grossly superstitious; but it did not, therefore, follow, that to +overthrow the establishment, would lessen the evil. They who think that +superstition can be weakened in this way, do not know the vitality of +that dark and ill-omened principle. Against it, there is only one weapon, +and that weapon is knowledge. When men are ignorant, they must be +superstitious; and wherever superstition exists, it is sure to organize +itself into some kind of system, which it makes its home. If you drive it +from that home, it will find another. The spirit transmigrates; it +assumes a new form; but still it lives. How idle, then, is that warfare +which reformers are too apt to wage, in which they slay the carcass, and +spare the life! The husk, forsooth, they seek out and destroy; but within +that husk is a seed of deadly poison, whose vitality they are unable to +impair, and which, shifted from its place, bears fruit in another +direction, and shoots up with a fresh, and often a more fatal, +exuberance. + +The truth is, that every institution, whether political or religious, +represents, in its actual working, the form and pressure of the age. It +may be very old; it may bear a venerated name; it may aim at the highest +objects: but whoever carefully studies its history, will find that, in +practice, it is successively modified by successive generations, and +that, instead of controlling society, it is controlled by it. When the +Protestant Reformation was effected, the Scotch were excessively +ignorant, and, therefore, in spite of the Reformation, they remained +excessively superstitious. How long that ignorance continued, and what +its results were, we shall presently see; but before entering into that +inquiry, it will be advisable to trace the immediate consequences of the +Reformation itself, in connexion with the powerful class by whose +authority it was established. + +The nobles, having overthrown the Church, and stripped it of a large part +of its wealth, thought that they were to reap the benefit of their own +labour. They had slain the enemy, and they wished to divide the +spoil.[194] But this did not suit the views of the Protestant preachers. +In their opinion, it was impious to secularize ecclesiastical property, +and turn it aside to profane purposes. They held, that it was right, +indeed, for the lords to plunder the Church; but they took for granted +that the proceeds of the robbery were to enrich themselves. They were the +godly men; and it was the business of the ruling classes to endow them +with benefices, from which the old and idolatrous clergy were to be +expelled.[195] + + [194] As Robertson says, in his measured, and somewhat feeble, style, + 'Among the Scottish nobility, some hated the persons, and others + coveted the wealth, of the dignified clergy; and by abolishing + that order of men, the former indulged their resentment, and the + latter hoped to gratify their avarice.' _History of Scotland_, + book iii. p. 116, in _Robertson's Works_, edit. 1831. The + contemporary narrative, in _A Diurnal of Occurrents_, p. 269, + sounds much more vigorous to my ear. 'In all this tyme' (1559), + 'all kirkmennis goodis and geir wer spoulzeit and reft fra thame, + in euerie place quhair the samyne culd be apprehendit; for euerie + man for the maist pairt that culd get any thing pertenyng to any + kirkmen, thocht the same as wele won geir.' + + [195] 'Knox never dreamed that the revenues of the Church were to be + secularized; but that he and his colleagues were simply to remove + the old incumbents, and then take possession of their benefices.' + _Stephen's History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 106. + 'The ecclesiastical revenues, which they never contemplated for a + moment were to be seized by the Protestant nobility.' _Lawson's + Roman Catholic Church in Scotland_, p. 233. + +In accordance with these opinions, Knox and his colleagues, in August +1560, presented a petition to Parliament, calling on the nobles to +restore the Church property which they had seized, and to have it +properly applied to the support of the new ministers.[196] To this +request, those powerful chiefs did not even vouchsafe a reply.[197] They +were content with matters as they actually stood, and were, therefore, +unwilling to disturb the existing arrangement. They had fought the fight; +they had gained the victory, and shared the spoil. It was not to be +supposed that they would peaceably relinquish what they had won with +infinite difficulty. Nor was it likely that, after being engaged in an +arduous struggle with the Church for a hundred and fifty years, and +having at length conquered their inveterate enemy, they should forego the +fruits of their triumph for the sake of a few preachers, whom they had +but recently called to their aid; low-born and obscure men, who should +rather deem it an honour that they were permitted to associate with their +superiors in a common enterprise, but were not to presume on that +circumstance, nor to suppose that they, who only entered the field at the +eleventh hour, were to share the booty on anything approaching to terms +of equality.[198] + + [196] Compare _Knox's History of the Reformation_, vol. ii. pp. 89-92, + with _M'Crie's Life of Knox_, p. 179. Of this document, M'Crie + says, 'There can be no doubt that it received the sanction, if it + was not the composition, of the Reformer.' ... 'It called upon + them' (the nobles) 'to restore the patrimony of the Church, of + which they had unjustly possessed themselves.' + + [197] 'Making no answer to the last point.' _Spottiswoode's History of + the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 327. 'Without taking any + notice.' _Keith's Affairs of Church and State_, vol. i. p. 321. + + [198] 'They viewed the Protestant preachers as low-born individuals, not + far raised above the condition of mechanics or tradesmen, without + influence, authority, or importance.' _Lawson's Roman Catholic + Church in Scotland_, p. 251. 'None were more unmercifull to the + poore ministers than they that had the greatest share of the kirk + rents.' _Calderwood's History of the Kirk of Scotland_, vol. ii. + p. 42. + +But the aristocracy of Scotland little knew the men with whom they had to +deal. Still less, did they understand the character of their own age. +They did not see that, in the state of society in which they lived, +superstition was inevitable, and that, therefore, the spiritual classes, +though depressed for a moment, were sure speedily to rise again. The +nobles had overturned the Church; but the principles on which Church +authority is based, remained intact. All that was done, was to change the +name and the form. A new hierarchy was quickly organized, which succeeded +the old one in the affections of the people. Indeed, it did more. For, +the Protestant clergy, neglected by the nobles, and unendowed by the +state, had only a miserable pittance whereupon to live, and they +necessarily threw themselves into the arms of the people, where alone +they could find support and sympathy.[199] Hence, a closer and more +intimate union than would otherwise have been possible. Hence, too, as we +shall presently see, the Presbyterian clergy, smarting under the +injustice with which they were treated, displayed that hatred of the +upper classes, and that peculiar detestation of monarchical government, +which they showed whenever they dared. In their pulpits, in their +presbyteries, and in their General Assemblies, they encouraged a +democratic and insubordinate tone, which eventually produced the happiest +results, by keeping alive, at a critical moment, the spirit of liberty; +but which, for that very reason, made the higher ranks rue the day, when, +by their ill-timed and selfish parsimony, they roused the wrath of so +powerful and implacable a class. + + [199] In 1561, 'Notwithstanding the full establishment of the + Reformation, the Protestant ministers were in a state of extreme + poverty, and dependent upon the precarious assistance of their + flocks.' _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. v. p. 207. Compare a + letter, written by Knox, in 1566, 'on the extreame povertie + wherein our ministers are brought.' _Knox's History of the + Reformation_, vol. ii. p. 542. + +The withdrawal of the French troops, in 1560, had left the nobles in +possession of the government;[200] and it was for them to decide to what +extent the Reformed clergy should be endowed. The first petition, +presented by Knox and his brethren, was passed over in contemptuous +silence. But the ministers were not so easily put aside. Their next step +was, to present to the Privy Council what is known as the First Book of +Discipline, in which they again urged their request.[201] To the tenets +contained in this book, the council had no objection; but they refused to +ratify it, because, by doing so, they would have sanctioned the principle +that the new church had a right to the revenues of the old one.[202] A +certain share, indeed, they were willing to concede. What the share +should be, was a matter of serious dispute, and caused the greatest +ill-will between the two parties. At length, the nobles broke silence, +and, in December 1561, they declared that the Reformed clergy should only +receive one-sixth of the property of the Church; the remaining +five-sixths being divided between the government and the Catholic +priesthood.[203] The meaning of this was easily understood, since the +Catholics were now entirely dependent on the government, and the +government was, in fact, the nobles themselves, who were, at that period, +the monopolizers of political power. + + [200] 'The limited authority which the Crown had hitherto possessed, was + almost entirely annihilated, and the aristocratical power, which + always predominated in the Scottish Government (?), became supreme + and incontrollable.' _Russell's History of the Church in + Scotland_, 1834, vol. i. p. 223. + + [201] See the _First Book of Discipline_, reprinted in _A Compendium of + the Laws of the Church of Scotland_, part i., second edition, + Edinburgh, 1837. They summed up their requests in one + comprehensive passage (p. 119), that 'the haill rentis of the Kirk + abusit in Papistrie sal be referrit againe to the Kirk.' In + another part (p. 106), they frankly admit that, 'we doubt not but + some of our petitions shall appeare strange unto you at the first + sight.' + + [202] 'The form of polity recommended in the First Book of Discipline + never obtained the proper sanction of the State, chiefly in + consequence of the avarice of the nobility and gentry, who were + desirous of securing to themselves the revenues of the Church.' + _Miscellany of the Wodrow Society_, p. 324. See also _Argyll's + Presbytery Examined_, p. 26. Many of the nobles, however, did sign + it (_Knox's History of the Reformation_, vol. ii. p. 129); but, + says Spottiswoode (_History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. p. + 373), 'Most of those that subscribed, getting into their hands the + possessions of the Church, could never be induced to part + therewith, and turned greater enemies in that point of church + patrimony than were the papists, or any other whatsoever.' + + [203] _M'Crie's Life of Knox_, p. 204. _Knox's History of the + Reformation_, vol. ii. pp. 298-301, 307-309. _Buchanan's Rerum + Scoticarum Historia_, lib. xvii. p. 500. The nominal arrangement, + which was contrived with considerable art, was, that one-third of + the church revenues should be divided into two parts; one part for + the government, and another part for the preachers. The remaining + two-thirds were gravely assigned to the Catholic priesthood, who, + at that very moment, were liable, by Act of Parliament, to the + penalty of death, if they performed the rites of their religion. + Men, whose lives were in the hands of the government, were not + likely to quarrel with the government about money matters; and the + result was, that nearly every thing fell into the possession of + the nobles. + +Such being the case, it naturally happened, that, when the arrangement +was made known, the preachers were greatly moved. They saw how +unfavourable it was to their own interests, and, therefore, they held +that it was unfavourable to the interests of religion. Hence, in their +opinion, it was contrived by the devil, whose purposes it was calculated +to serve.[204] For, now, they who travailed in the vineyard of the Lord, +were to be discouraged, and were to suffer, in order that what rightly +belonged to them might be devoured by idle bellies.[205] The nobles might +benefit for a time, but the vengeance of God was swift, and would most +assuredly overtake them.[206] From the beginning to the end, it was +nothing but spoliation. In a really Christian land, the patrimony of the +Church would be left untouched.[207] But, in Scotland, alas! Satan had +prevailed,[208] and Christian charity had waxen cold.[209] In Scotland, +property, which should be regarded as sacred, had been broken up and +divided; and the division was of the worst kind, since, by it, said Knox, +two-thirds are given to the devil, and the other third is shared between +God and the devil. It was as if Joseph, when governor of Egypt, had +refused food to his brethren, and sent them back to their families with +empty sacks.[210] Or, as another preacher suggested, the Church was now, +like the Maccabees of old, being oppressed, sometimes by the Assyrians, +and sometimes by the Egyptians.[211] + + [204] 'The Ministeris, evin in the begynnyng, in publict Sermonis + opponed thame selves to suche corruptioun, for thei foir saw the + purpose of the Devill.' _Knox's History of the Reformation_, + vol. ii. p. 310. + + [205] 'For it seemeth altogether unreasonable that idle belleis sail + devoure and consume the patrimonie of the Kirk, whill the + faithfull travellers in the Lord's vineyarde suffer extreme + povertie, and the needie members of Christ's bodie are altogether + neglected.' _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. ii. pp. 484, + 485. This was in 1569; and, in 1571, the celebrated Ferguson, in + one of his sermons, declared that the holders of church property, + most of whom were the nobility, were 'ruffians.' See an extract + from his sermon, in _Chalmers' History of Dunfermline_, p. 309, + Edinburgh, 1844. 'For this day Christ is spuilzeit amang us, quhil + y^t quhilk aucht to mantene the Ministerie of the Kirk and the + pure, is geuin to prophane men, flattereris in court, ruffianes, + and hyrelingis.' + + [206] In September 1571, John Row 'preiched, wha in plane pulpet + pronounced to the lordis, for thair covetusnes, and becaus they + wold not grant the just petitiones of the Kirk, Godis heastie + vengeance to fall upon them; and said, moreover, "I cair not, my + lordis, your displeasour; for I speik my conscience befoir God, + wha will not suffer sic wickitnes and contempt vnpunished."' + _Bannatyne's Journal_, edit. Edinburgh, 1806, p. 257. + + [207] In 1576, the General Assembly declared, that their right to 'the + patrimonie of the Kirk' was 'ex jure divino.' _Acts of the General + Assemblies of the Kirk of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 360, Edinburgh, + 1839, 4to. More than a hundred years later, a Scotch divine + evinces how deeply the members of his profession felt this + spoliation of the Church, by going out of his way to mention it. + See _Jacob's Vow, by Dr. John Cockburn_, Edinburgh, 1696, pp. 422, + 423, 425. But this is nothing in comparison to a recent writer, + the Reverend Mr. Lyon, who deliberately asserts that, because + these and similar acts occurred in the reign of Mary, therefore + the queen came to a violent end; such being the just punishment of + sacrilege. 'The practice' (of saying masses for the dead) 'ceased, + of course, at the Reformation; and the money was transferred by + Queen Mary to the civil authorities of the town. This was, + undoubtedly, an act of sacrilege; for, though sacrificial masses + for the dead was an error, yet the guardians of the money so + bequeathed, were under an obligation to apply it to a sacred + purpose. This, and other sacrilegious acts on the part of Mary, of + a still more decided and extensive character, have been justly + considered as the cause of all the calamities which subsequently + befell her.' _History of St. Andrews, by the Rev. C. J. Lyon, + M.A., Presbyter of the Episcopal Church, St. Andrews_, Edinburgh, + 1843, vol. i. p. 54. Elsewhere (vol. ii. p. 400) the same divine + mentions, that the usual punishment for sacrilege is a failure of + male issue. 'The following examples, selected from the diocese of + St. Andrews, according to its boundaries before the Reformation, + will corroborate the general doctrine contended for throughout + this work, that sacrilege has ever been punished in the present + life, and _chiefly_ by the failure of male issue.' The italics are + in the text. See also vol. i. p. 118. For the sake of the future + historian of public opinion, it may be well to observe, that the + work containing these sentiments is not a reprint of an older + book, but was published for the first time in 1843, having + apparently been just written. + + [208] 'The General Assemblie of the Kirk of Scotland, convenit at + Edinburgh the 25 of December 1566, to the Nobilitie of this Realme + that professes the Lord Jesus with them, and hes renouncit that + Roman Antichryst, desyre constancie in faith, and the spirit of + righteous judgement. Seeing that Sathan, be all our negligence, + Right Honourable, hes so farre prevailit within this Realme within + these late dayes, that we doe stand in extream danger, not only + _to lose our temporall possessions_, but also to be depryvit of + the glorious Evangell,' &c. _Keith's Church and State_, vol. iii. + pp. 154, 155. + + [209] In 1566, in their piteous communication to the English bishops and + clergy, they said 'The days are ill; iniquitie abounds; Christian + charity, alas, is waxen cold.' _Acts and Proceedings of the + General Assemblies of the Kirk of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 87, + Edinburgh, 1839, 4to. + + [210] 'I see twa partis freely gevin to the Devill, and the thrid maun be + devided betwix God and the Devill: Weill, bear witnes to me, that + this day I say it, or it be long the Devill shall have three + partis of the thrid; and judge you then what Goddis portioun + shallbe.' ... 'Who wold have thought, that when Joseph reulled + Egypt, that his brethren should have travailled for vittallis, and + have returned with empty seckis unto thair families? Men wold + rather have thought that Pharao's pose, treasure, and garnallis + should have bene diminished, or that the houshold of Jacob should + stand in danger to sterve for hungar.' _Knox's History of the + Reformation_, vol. ii. pp. 310, 311. + + [211] In May 1571, 'This Sonday, Mr. Craig teiched the 130 Psalme; and, + in his sermond, he compared the steat of the Kirk of God in this + tovne vnto the steat of the Maccabeis; wha were oppressed sumtymes + by the Assyrianis and sumtymes by the Egiptianis.' _Bannatyne's + Journal_, p. 150. + +But neither persuasions nor threats[212] produced any effect on the +obdurate minds of the Scotch nobles. Indeed, their hearts, instead of +being softened, became harder. Even the small stipends, which were +allotted to the Protestant clergy, were not regularly paid, but were +mostly employed for other purposes.[213] When the ministers complained, +they were laughed at, and insulted, by the nobles, who, having gained +their own ends, thought that they could dispense with their former +allies.[214] The Earl of Morton, whose ability, as well as connexions, +made him the most powerful man in Scotland, was especially virulent +against them; and two of the preachers, who offended him, he put to +death, under circumstances of great cruelty.[215] The nobles, regarding +him as their chief, elected him Regent in 1572;[216] and, being now +possessed of supreme power, he employed it against the Church. He seized +upon all the benefices which became vacant, and retained their profits in +his own hands.[217] His hatred of the preachers passed all bounds. He +publicly declared, that there would be neither peace nor order in the +country, until some of them were hung.[218] He refused to sanction the +General Assemblies by his presence; he wished to do away with their +privileges, and even with their name; and with such determination did he +pursue his measures, that, in the opinion of the historian of the Scotch +Kirk, nothing but the special interference of the Deity could have +maintained its existing polity.[219] + + [212] The first instance I have observed of any thing like menace, is in + 1567, when 'the Assembly of the Church being convened at + Edinburgh,' admonished all persons 'as well noblemen as barons, + and those of the other Estates, to meet and give their personal + appearance at Edinburgh on the 20th of July, for giving their + advice, counsel, and concurrence in matters then to be proponed; + especially for purging the realm of popery, the establishing of + the policy of the Church, and _restoring the patrimony thereof to + the just possessors_. Assuring those that should happen to absent + themselves at the time, due and lawful advertisement being made, + that they should be reputed hinderers of the good work intended, + and as _dissimulate professors be esteemed unworthy of the + fellowship of Christ's flock.' Spottiswoode's History of the + Church of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 64. This evidently alludes to the + possibility of excommunicating those who would not surrender to + the Protestant preachers, the property stolen from the Catholic + Church; and, in 1570, we find another step taken in the same + direction. Under that year, the following passage occurs in _Acts + and Proceedings of the General Assemblies of the Kirk of + Scotland_, vol. i. p. 181. 'Q. If those that withold the duty of + the Kirk, _wherethrough Ministers want their stipends_, may be + excommunicate? A. All things beand done that the civill ordour + requyres of them that withhaldis the duetie of the Kirk, quherby + Ministers wants their stipends; _the Kirk may proceed to + excommunication, for their contempt_.' + + [213] In 1526, 'the poore ministers, exhorters, and readers, compleaned + at church assembleis, that neither were they able to live upon the + stipends allowed, nor gett payment of that small portioun which + was allowed.' _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. ii. p. 172. + Compare _Acts of the General Assemblies_, 1839, 4to, vol. i. p. + 53; 'To requyre payment to ministers of there stipends for the + tyme by past, according to the promise made.' This was in December + 1564. In December 1565, the General Assembly said (p. 71), 'that + wher oft and divers tymes promise hes bein made to us, that our + saids brethren, travelers and preachers in the Kirk of God, sould + not be defraudit of their appointit stipends, neither zet in any + wayes sould be molestit in their functioun; zet nottheless + universallie they want ther stipends appointit for diverse tymes + by past.' On the state of things in 1566, see 'The Supplication of + the Ministers to the Queen,' in _Knox's History of the + Reformation_, vol. ii. p. 529. See also, in the _Miscellany of the + Spalding Club_, vol. iv. pp. 92-101, Aberdeen, 1849, 4to, a letter + written by John Erskine in December 1571, especially p. 97; 'the + gretest of the nobilitie haifing gretest rentis in possessione, + and plaicet of God in maist hie honouris, ceasis nocht, maist + wiolentlie blindit with awarice, to spoilye and draw to thame + selfis the possessiones of the Kirk.' + + [214] 'The ministers were called proud knaves, and receaved manie + injurious words from the lords, speciallie from Morton, who ruled + all. He said, he sould lay their pride, and putt order to them.' + _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. iii. pp. 137, 138. This + was in 1571. + + [215] _Chambers' Annals of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 79, 80. + + [216] 'The nobilitie wnderwrittin convenit in Edinburgh, and chesit and + electit James erle of Mortoun regent.' _A Diurnal of Occurrents_, + p. 320. + + [217] In 1573, 'when any benefeces of Kirk vaikit, he keapit the proffet + of thair rents sa lang in his awin hand, till he was urgit be the + Kirk to mak donatioun tharof, and that was not gevin but proffeit + for all that.' _The Historie and Life of King James the Sext_, + edit. Edinburgh, 1825, 4to, p. 147. Even in 1570, when Lennox was + regent, 'the Earle of Mortoun was the chiefe manager of every + thing under him;' and was 'master of the church rents,' and made + 'gifts of them to the nobility.' _Wodrow's Collections upon the + Lives of the Reformers of the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. part i. + pp. 27, 126, Glasgow, 1834, 4to. + + [218] 'During all these Assembleis and earnest endeavoures of the + brethrein, the regent was often required to give his presence to + the Assemblie, and further the caus of God. He not onlie refused, + but threatned some of the most zealous with hanging, alledging, + that otherwise there could be no peace nor order in the countrie.' + _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. iii. pp. 393, 394. 'Uses + grait thretning against the maist zelus breithring, schoring to + hang of thame, utherwayes ther could be na peace nor ordour in the + countrey.' _The Autobiography and Diary of James Melvill_, edited + by R. Pitcairn, Edinburgh, 1842, pp. 59, 60. + + [219] 'He mislyked the Generall Assembleis, and would have had the name + changed, that he might take away the force and priviledge thereof; + and no questioun he had stayed the work of policie that was + presentlie in hands, if God had not stirred up a factioun against + him.' _Calderwood's History of the Kirk of Scotland_, vol. iii. p. + 396. See also _The Autobiography of James Melvill_, p. 61. + +The rupture between Church and State was now complete. It remained to be +seen, which was the stronger side. Every year, the clergy became more +democratic; and, after the death of Knox, in 1572, they ventured upon a +course which even he would hardly have recommended, and which, during the +earlier period of the Reformation, would have been impracticable.[220] +But, by this time, they had secured the support of the people; and the +treatment they were receiving from the government, and from the nobles, +embittered their minds, and drove them into desperate counsels. While +their plans were yet immature, and while the future was looming darkly +before them, a new man arose, who was well qualified to be their chief, +and who at once stepped into the place which the death of Knox left +vacant. This was Andrew Melville, who, by his great ability, his boldness +of character, and his fertility of resource, was admirably suited to be +the leader of the Scottish Church in that arduous struggle in which it +was about to embark.[221] + + [220] 'During the two years following the death of Knox, each day was + ripening the more determined opposition of the Church. The breach + between the clergy with the great body of the people, and the + government or higher nobility, was widening rapidly.' _Argyll's + Presbytery Examined_, p. 70. + + [221] 'Next to her Reformer, who, under God, emancipated her from the + degrading shackles of papal superstition and tyranny, I know no + individual from whom Scotland has received such important + services, or to whom she continues to owe so deep a debt of + national respect and gratitude, as Andrew Melville.' _M'Crie's + Life of Andrew Melville_, vol. ii. p. 473, Edinburgh, 1819. His + nephew, himself a considerable person, says, 'Scotland receavit + never a graitter benefit at the hands of God nor this man.' _The + Autobiography of James Melvill_, p. 38. + +In 1574, Melville, having completed his education abroad, arrived in +Scotland.[222] He quickly rallied round him the choicest spirits in the +Church; and, under his auspices, a struggle began with the civil power, +which continued, with many fluctuations, until it culminated, sixty years +later, in open rebellion against Charles I. To narrate all the details of +the contest, would be inconsistent with the plan of this Introduction; +and, notwithstanding the extreme interest of the events which now ensued, +the greater part of them must be omitted; but I will endeavour to +indicate the general march, and to put the reader in possession of such +facts as are most characteristic of the age in which they occurred. + + [222] He left Scotland in 1564, at the age of nineteen, and returned 'in + the beginning of July 1574, after an absence of ten years from his + native country.' _M'Crie's Life of Andrew Melville_, vol. i. pp. + 17, 57. See also _Scot's Apologetical Narration of the State of + the Kirk of Scotland_, edit. Wodrow Society, p. 34; and _Howie's + Biographia Scoticana_, p. 111, Glasgow, 1781. + +Melville had not been in Scotland many months, before he began his +opposition, at first by secret intrigues, afterwards with open and avowed +hostility.[223] In the time of Knox, episcopacy had been recognized as +part of the Protestant Church, and had received the sanction of the +leading Reformers.[224] But that institution did not harmonize with the +democratic spirit which was now growing up. The difference of ranks +between the bishops and the inferior clergy was unpleasant, and the +ministers determined to put an end to it.[225] In 1575, one of them, +named John Dury, was instigated, by Melville, to bring the subject before +the General Assembly at Edinburgh.[226] After he had spoken, Melville +also expressed himself against episcopacy; but, not being yet sure of the +temper of the audience, his first proceedings were somewhat cautious. +Such hesitation was, however, hardly necessary; for, owing to the schism +between the Church and the upper classes, the ministers were becoming the +eager enemies of those maxims of obedience, and of subordination, which +they would have upheld, had the higher ranks been on their side. As it +was, the clergy were only favoured by the people; they, therefore, sought +to organize a system of equality, and were ripe for the bold measures +proposed by Melville and his followers. This was clearly shown, by the +rapidity of the subsequent movement. In 1575, the first attack was made +in the General Assembly at Edinburgh. In April 1578, another General +Assembly resolved, that, for the future, bishops should be called by +their own names, and not by their titles.[227] The same body also +declared, that no see should be filled up, until the next Assembly.[228] +Two months afterwards, it was announced that this arrangement was to be +perpetual, and that no new bishop should ever be made.[229] And, in 1580, +the Assembly of the Church at Dundee, pulling the whole fabric to the +ground, unanimously resolved that the office of bishop was a mere human +invention; that it was unlawful; that it must be immediately done away +with; and that every bishop should at once resign his office, or be +excommunicated if he refuse to do so.[230] + + [223] He appears to have first set to work in November 1574. See + _Stephen's History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 261, + London, 1848. + + [224] 'The compilers of the Book of Discipline' (_i.e._ the First Book, + in 1560) 'were distinguished by prelatical principles to the end + of their days.' ... 'That Knox himself was no enemy to prelacy, + considered as an ancient and apostolical institution, is rendered + clear by his "Exhortation to England for the speedy embracing of + Christ's Gospel."' _Russell's History of the Church in Scotland_, + 1834, vol. i. p. 240. 'The associates of Knox, it is obvious, were + not Presbyterians, and had no intention of setting up a system of + parity among the ministers of their new establishment.' p. 243. + See also p. 332. Even in 1572, the year of Knox's death, I find it + stated that 'the whole Diocie of Sanct Andrews is decerned be the + Assembly to pertain to the Bishop of the same.' _Acts and + Proceedings of the General Assemblies of the Kirk of Scotland_, + vol. i. p. 264, 4to. 1839. The Scotch Presbyterians have dealt + very unfairly with this part of the history of their Church. + + [225] Some little time after this, David Fergusson, who died in 1598, + and was minister at Dunfermline, said very frankly to James VI., + 'Yes, Sir, ye may have Bishops here, but _ye must remember to make + us all equall_; make us all Bishops, els will ye never content + us.' _Row's History of the Kirk of Scotland from 1558 to 1637_, + edit. Wodrow Society, p. 418. Compare _Calderwood's History of the + Kirk_, vol. iv. p. 214: in 1584 'these monstruous titles of + superioritie.' In 1586, 'that tyrannicall supremacie of bishops + and archbishops over ministers.' p. 604. + + [226] 'He stirred up John Dury, one of the ministers of Edinburgh, in an + Assembly which was then convened, to propound a question touching + the lawfulness of the episcopal function, and the authority of + chapters in their election. He himself, as though he had not been + acquainted with the motion, after he had commended the speaker's + zeal, and seconded the purpose with a long discourse of the + flourishing estate of the church of Geneva, and the opinions of + Calvin and Theodore Beza concerning church government, came to + affirm, "That none ought to be esteemed office-bearers in the + Church whose titles were not found in the book of God. And, for + the title of bishops, albeit the same was found in Scripture, yet + was it not to be taken in the sense that the common sort did + conceive, there being no superiority allowed by Christ amongst + ministers,"' &c. _Spottiswoode's History of the Church of + Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 200. See also _Acts of the General + Assemblies_, vol. i. p. 331, where it appears that six bishops + were present on this memorable occasion. The question raised was, + 'Whither if the Bischops, as they are now in the Kirk of Scotland, + hes thair function of the word of God or not, or if the Chapiter + appointit for creating of them aucht to be tollerated in this + reformed Kirk.' p. 340. + + [227] 'It was ordained, That Bischops and all vthers bearand + Ecclesiasticall functioun, be callit bethair awin names, or + Brethren, in tyme comeing.' _Acts of the General Assemblies of the + Kirk of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 404. + + [228] 'Therfor the Kirk hes concludit, That no Bischops salbe electit or + made heirafter, befor the nixt Generall Assemblie.' _Ibid._ + vol. ii. p. 408. + + [229] 'Anent the Act made in the last Assemblie, the 28 of Aprile 1578, + concerning the electioun of Bischops, suspendit quhill this + present Assemblie, and the farther ordour reservit thereto: The + General Assemblie, all in ane voyce, hes concludit, That the said + act salbe extendit for all tymes to come, ay and quhill the + corruptioun of the Estate of Bischops be alluterlie tane away.' + _Ibid._ vol. ii. p. 413. + + [230] 'Forsameikle as the office of a Bischop, as it is now vsit, and + commounly takin within this realme, hes no sure warrand, + auctoritie, nor good ground out of the (Book and) Scriptures of + God; but is brocht in by the folie and corruptions of (men's) + invention, to the great overthrow of the Kirk of God: The haill + Assemblie of the Kirk, in ane voyce, after libertie givin to all + men to reason in the matter, _none opponing themselves in + defending the said pretendit office_, Finds and declares the + samein pretendit office, vseit and termeit, as is above said, + vnlaufull in the selfe, as haveand neither fundament, ground nor + warrant within the word of God: and ordaines, that all sick + persons as bruiks, or sall bruik heirafter the said office, salbe + chargeit simpliciter to demitt, quyt and leave of the samein, as + ane office quhervnto they are not callit be God; and siclyke to + desist and cease from all preaching, ministration of the + sacraments, or vsing any way the office of pastors, quhill they + receive _de novo_ admission from the Generall Assemblie, vnder the + paine of excommunicatioun to be denuncit agains them; quherin if + they be found dissobedient, or contraveine this act in any point, + the sentence of excommunicatioun, after dew admonitions, to be + execute agains them.' _Acts of the General Assemblies_, vol. ii. + p. 453. + +The minister and the people had now done their work, and, so far as they +were concerned, had done it well.[231] But the same circumstances which +made them desire equality, made the upper classes desire inequality.[232] +A collision, therefore, was inevitable, and was hastened by this bold +proceeding of the Church. Indeed, the preachers, supported by the people, +rather courted a contest, than avoided it. They used the most +inflammatory language against episcopacy; and, shortly before abolishing +it, they completed, and presented to Parliament, the Second Book of +Discipline, in which they flatly contradicted what they had asserted in +their First Book of Discipline.[233] For this, they are often taunted +with inconsistency.[234] But the charge is unjust. They were perfectly +consistent; and they merely changed their maxims, that they might +preserve their principles. Like every corporation, which has ever +existed, whether spiritual or temporal, their supreme and paramount +principle was to maintain their own power. Whether or not this is a good +principle, is another matter; but all history proves that it is an +universal one. And when the leaders of the Scotch Church found that it +was at stake, and that the question at issue was, who should possess +authority, they, with perfect consistency, abandoned opinions that they +had formerly held, because they now perceived that those opinions were +unfavourable to their existence as an independent body. + + [231] As Calderwood triumphantly says, 'the office of bishops was + damned.' _History of the Kirk_, vol. iii. p. 469. 'Their whole + estat, both the spirituall and civill part, was damned.' p. 526. + James Melville (_Autobiography_, p. 52) says that, in consequence + of this achievement, his uncle Andrew 'gatt the nam of [Greek: + episkopomastix], _Episcoporum exactor_, the flinger out of + Bischopes.' + + [232] Tytler (_History of Scotland_, vol. vi. p. 302) observes that, + while 'the great body of the burghers, and middle and lower + classes of the people,' were Presbyterians, 'a large proportion of + the nobility supported episcopacy.' Instead of 'a large + proportion,' he would not have been far wrong, if he had said + 'all.' Indeed, 'Melville himself says the whole peerage was + against him.' _Stephen's History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. + i. p. 269. Forbes ascribes the aristocratic movement against + presbytery to 'godles atheists,' who insisted 'that there could be + nothing so contrair to the nature of a monarchie,' &c., 'than that + paritie of authoritie in pastours.' _Forbes_, _Certaine Records + touching the Estate of the Kirk_, p. 349, edit. Wodrow Society. + See also p. 355. 'That Democratie (as they called it) whilk + allwayes behoved to be full of sedition and troubble to ane + Aristocratie, and so in end to a Monarchie.' The reader will + observe this important change in the attitude of classes in + Scotland. Formerly, the clergy had been the allies of the crown + against the nobles. Now, the nobles allied themselves with the + crown against the clergy. The clergy, in self-defence, had to ally + themselves with the people. + + [233] On the difference between the two productions, there are some + remarks worth looking at, in _Argyll's Presbytery Examined_, 1848, + pp. 38-43. But this writer, though much freer from prejudice than + most Presbyterian authors, is unwilling to admit how completely + the Second Book of Discipline contradicts the First. + + [234] By the Scotch episcopalians. + +When the First Book of Discipline appeared, in 1560, the government was +in the hands of the nobles, who had just fought on the side of the +Protestant preachers, and were ready to fight again on their side. When +the Second Book of Discipline appeared, in 1578, the government was still +held by the nobles; but those ambitious men had now thrown off the mask, +and, having effected their purpose in destroying the old hierarchy, had +actually turned round, and attacked the new one. The circumstances having +changed, the Church changed with them; but in the change there was +nothing inconsistent. On the contrary, it would have been the height of +inconsistency for the ministers to have retained their former notions of +obedience and of subordination; and it was perfectly natural that, at +this crisis, they should advocate the democratic idea of equality, just +as before they had advanced the aristocratic idea of inequality. + +Hence it was, that, in their First Book of Discipline, they established a +regularly ascending hierarchy, according to which the general clergy owed +obedience to their ecclesiastical superiors, to whom the name of +superintendents was given.[235] But, in the Second Book of Discipline, +every vestige of this was swept away; and it was laid down in the +broadest terms, that all the preachers being fellow-labourers, all were +equal in power; that none had authority over others; and that, to claim +such authority, or to assert preeminence, was a contrivance of man, not +to be permitted in a divinely constituted Church.[236] + + [235] See the _First Book of Discipline_, reprinted in the first volume + of _A Compendium of the Laws of the Church of Scotland_, 2d edit., + Edinburgh, 1837. The superintendents were 'to set, order, and + appoint ministers,' p. 61; and it would seem (p. 88) that no + minister could be deposed without the consent of his + superintendent; but this could hardly be intended to interfere + with the supreme authority of the General Assembly. See also the + summary, p. 114, where it is said of the superintendents, that 'in + thair visitatioun thei sal not onlie preiche, but als examine the + doctrine, life, diligence, and behavior of the ministeris, + reideris, elderis, and deaconis.' According to Spottiswoode + (_History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 167), 'the + superintendents held their office during life, and their power was + episcopal; for they did elect and ordain ministers, they presided + in synods, and directed all church censures, neither was any + excommunication pronounced without their warrant.' See further, on + their authority, _Knox's History of the Reformation_, vol. ii. p. + 161. 'That punyschment suld be appointed for suche as dissobeyid + or contemned the superintendentes in thair functioun.' This was in + 1561; and, in 1562, 'It was ordained, that if ministers be + disobedient to superintendents in anything belonging to + edification, they must be subject to correction.' _Acts of the + General Assemblies of the Kirk_, vol. i. p. 14. Compare p. 131: + 'sick things as superintendents may and aught decyde in their + synodall conventiouns.' + + [236] 'For albeit the Kirk of God be rewlit and governit be Jesus Christ, + who is the onlie King, hie Priest, and Heid thereof, yit he useis + the ministry of men, as the most necessar middis for this + purpose.' ... 'And to take away all occasion of tyrannie, he + willis that they sould rewl with mutuall consent of brether and + _equality of power_, every one according to thair functiones.' + _Second Book of Discipline_, in _A Compendium of the Laws of the + Church of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 126, 127. 'As to Bischops, if the + name [Greek: episkopos] be properly taken, _they ar all ane with + the ministers_, as befoir was declairit. For it is _not a name of + superioritie and lordschip_, bot of office and watching.' p. 142. + To understand the full meaning of this, it should be mentioned, + that the superintendents, established by the Kirk in 1560, not + unfrequently assumed the title of 'Lordship,' as an ornament to + the extensive powers conferred upon them. See, for instance, the + notes to _Wodrow's Collections upon the Lives of the Reformers of + the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. part ii. p. 461. But, in the + Second Book of Discipline, in 1578, the superintendents are, if I + rightly remember, not even once named. + +The government, as may be supposed, took a very different view. Such +doctrines were deemed, by the upper classes, to be anti-social, and to be +subversive of all order.[237] So far from sanctioning them, they +resolved, if possible, to overthrow them; and, the year after the General +Assembly had abolished episcopacy, it was determined that, upon that very +point, a trial of strength should be made between the two parties. + + [237] Just as in England, we find that the upper classes are mostly + Episcopalians; their minds being influenced, often unconsciously, + by the, to them, pleasing spectacle of an inequality of rank, + which is conventional, and does not depend upon ability. On the + other hand, the strength of the Dissenters lies among the middle + and lower classes, where energy and intellect are held in higher + respect, and where a contempt naturally arises for a system, + which, at the mere will of the sovereign or minister of the day, + concedes titles and wealth to persons whom nature did not intend + for greatness, but who, to the surprise of their contemporaries, + have greatness thrust upon them. On this difference of opinion in + Scotland, corresponding to the difference of social position, see + the remarks on the seventeenth century, in _Hume's Commentaries on + the Law of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 544, Edinburgh, 1797, 4to. + +In 1581, Robert Montgomery was appointed archbishop of Glasgow. The +ministers who composed the chapter of Glasgow refused to elect him; +whereupon the Privy Council declared that the King, by virtue of his +prerogative, had the right of nomination.[238] All was now confusion and +uproar. The General Assembly forbad the archbishop to enter +Glasgow.[239] He refused to obey their order, and threw himself upon the +support of the Duke of Lennox, who had obtained the appointment for him, +and to whom he, in return, had surrendered nearly all the revenues of the +see, reserving for himself only a small stipend.[240] This was a custom +which had grown up within the last few years, and was one of many +contrivances by which the nobles plundered the Church of her +property.[241] + + [238] Record of Privy Council, in _M'Crie's Life of Melville_, vol. i. + p. 267. 'The brethrein of Glasgow were charged, under paine of + horning, to admitt Mr. Robert Montgomrie.' _Calderwood's History + of the Kirk_, vol. iii. p. 596. + + [239] 'Charges the said Mr. Robert to continue in the ministrie of the + Kirk of Striveling,' &c. _Acts of the General Assemblies_, vol. + ii. p. 547. This was in October 1581; the Record of the Privy + Council was in April 1582. Moysie, who was a contemporary, says + that, in March 1581, 2, not only the dean and chapter, but all the + clergy (the 'haill ministrie') declared from the pulpit that + Montgomery's appointment 'had the warrand of the deuill and not of + the word of God, bot wes damnit thairby.' _Moysie's Memoirs_, + Edinburgh, 1830, 4to, p. 36. + + [240] 'The title whereof the said duke had procured to him, that he, + having the name of bishop, and eight hundred merks money for his + living and sustentatioun, the whole rents, and other duteis of the + said benefice, might come to the duke's utilitie and behove.' + _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. iv. p. 111. See also p. + 401. + + [241] _Scot's Apologetical Narration of the State of the Kirk_, pp. 24, + 25. _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. iii. p. 302. + _Wodrow's Collections upon the Lives of the Reformers_, vol. i. + part i. p. 206. _Lyon's History of St. Andrews_, vol. i. p. 379. + _Gibson's History of Glasgow_, p. 59. _Hume's History of the House + of Douglas_, vol. ii. pp. 216, 217. _Chalmers' Caledonia_, + vol. iii. p. 624. + +This, however, was not the question now at issue.[242] The point to be +decided was one, not of revenue, but of power. For the clergy knew full +well, that if they established their power, the revenue would quickly +follow. They, therefore, adopted the most energetic proceedings. In April +1582, the General Assembly met at St. Andrews, and appointed Melville as +Moderator.[243] The government, fearing the worst, ordered the members, +on pain of rebellion, to take no steps respecting the archbishopric.[244] +But the representatives of the Church were undaunted. They summoned +Montgomery before them; they ratified the sentence by which he had been +suspended from the ministry; and they declared that he had incurred the +penalties of despotism and of excommunication.[245] + + [242] 'But the Church passing this point' (_i.e._ the simony) 'made + quarrel to him for accepting the bishopric.' _Spottiswoode's + History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 282. + + [243] _Acts of the General Assemblies of the Kirk_, vol. ii. p. 548. + + [244] 'A messenger-at-arms entered the house, and charged the moderator + and members of the assembly, on the pain of rebellion, to desist + from the process.' _M'Crie's Life of Melville_, vol. i. p. 268. + + [245] 'The Assemblie and brether present, after voteing in the said + matter, depryvit the said Mr. Robert from all functioun of the + Ministrie in the Kirk of God, dureing the will of the Kirk of God; + and farther, descernit the fearefull sentence of excommunicatioun + to be pronuncit against him in the face of the haill Assemblie, be + the voyce and mouth of the Moderatour present; to the effect, + that, _his proud flesh being cast into the hands of Satan_, he may + be win againe, if it be possible, to God; and the said sentence + (to) be intimat be every particular minister, at his awin + particular kirk, solemnelie in the first sermoun to be made be + them, after thair returning.' _Acts of the General Assemblies of + the Kirk_, vol. ii. p. 562. + +A sentence of excommunication was, in those days, so ruinous, that +Montgomery was struck with terror at the prospect before him. To avoid +the consequences, he appeared before the Assembly, and solemnly promised +that he would make no further attempt to possess himself of the +archbishopric.[246] By doing this, he probably saved his life; for the +people, siding with their clergy, were ripe for mischief, and were +determined, at all hazards, to maintain what they considered to be the +rights of the Church, in opposition to the encroachments of the State. + + [246] _Ibid._, vol. ii. p. 565. Calderwood (_History of the Kirk_, + vol. iii. p. 604) says, 'After long reluctatioun, at lenth he + condescended.' + +The government, on the other hand, was equally resolute.[247] The Privy +Council called several of the ministers before them; and Dury, one of the +most active, they banished from Edinburgh.[248] Measures still more +violent were about to be taken, when they were interrupted by one of +those singular events which not unfrequently occurred in Scotland, and +which strikingly evince the inherent weakness of the Crown, +notwithstanding the inordinate pretensions it commonly assumed. + + [247] M'Crie (_Life of Melville_, vol. i. p. 274) says, 'In all these + contendings, the ministers had no countenance or support from any + of the nobility.' It would have been strange if they had, seeing + that the whole movement was essentially democratic. + + [248] Melville's _Autobiography_, p. 129. _Calderwood's History of the + Kirk_, vol. iii. p. 620. _M'Crie's Life of Melville_, vol. i. + p. 270. + +This was the Raid of Ruthven, which happened in 1582, and in consequence +of which the person of James VI. was held in durance for ten months.[249] +The clergy, true to the policy which now governed them, loudly approved +of the captivity of the king, and pronounced it to be a godly act.[250] +Dury, who had been driven from his pulpit, was brought back to the +capital in triumph;[251] and the General Assembly, meeting at Edinburgh, +ordered that the imprisonment of James should be justified by every +minister to his own congregation.[252] + + [249] He was seized in August 1582, and was let loose again in June 1583. + _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. vi. pp. 321, 360. It is a + pity that this valuable, and really able, work should be so + superficial in regard to the ecclesiastical affairs of Scotland. + Mr. Tytler appears not to have studied at all the proceedings of + the presbyteries, or even of the General Assemblies; neither does + he display any acquaintance with the theological literature of his + country. And yet, from the year 1560 to about 1700, these sources + disclose more of the genuine history of the Scotch people than all + other sources put together. + + [250] 'The pulpit resounded with applauses of the godly deed.' _Arnot's + History of Edinburgh_, p. 37. + + [251] 'As he is comming from Leith to Edinburgh, upon Tuisday the 4th of + September, there mett him at the Gallow Greene two hundreth men of + the inhabitants of Edinburgh. Their number still increased, till + he came within the Neather Bow. There they beganne to sing the 124 + Psalme, "Now may Israel say," &c, and sang in foure parts, knowne + to the most part of the people. They came up the street till they + came to the Great Kirk, singing thus all the way, to the number of + two thowsand. They were muche moved themselves, and so were all + the beholders. The duke was astonished, and more affrayed at that + sight than at anie thing that ever he had seene before in + Scotland, and rave his beard for anger.' _Calderwood's History of + the Kirk_, vol. iii. pp. 646, 647. + + [252] _Acts of the General Assemblies_, vol. ii. pp. 595, 596. This was + ordered by the General Assembly which met at Edinburgh on the 9th + of October 1582, p. 585. See also _Watson's Historicall + Collections of Ecclesiastick Affairs in Scotland_, p. 192, + 'requiring the ministers in all their churches to commend it unto + the people.' + +In 1583, the king recovered his liberty, and the struggle became more +deadly than ever; the passions of both parties being exasperated by the +injuries each had inflicted on the other. The Ruthven conspiracy, having +been declared treason, as it undoubtedly was, Dury preached in its +favour, and openly defended it; and although, under the influence of +momentary fear, he afterwards withdrew what he had said,[253] it was +evident, from other circumstances, that his feelings were shared by his +brethren.[254] A number of them being summoned before the king for their +seditious language, bad him take heed what he was about, and reminded him +that no occupant of the throne had ever prospered after the ministers had +begun to threaten him.[255] Melville, who exercised immense influence +over both clergy and people, bearded the king to his face, refused to +account for what he had delivered in the pulpit, and told James that he +perverted the laws both of God and of man.[256] Simpson likened him to +Cain, and warned him to beware of the wrath of God.[257] Indeed, the +spirit now displayed by the Church was so implacable, that it seemed to +delight in venting itself in the most repulsive manner. In 1585, a +clergyman, named Gibson, in a sermon which he preached in Edinburgh, +denounced against the king the curse of Jeroboam, that he should die +childless, and that his race should end with him.[258] The year after +this happened, James, finding that Elizabeth was evidently determined to +take his mother's life, bethought him of what was valued in that age as +an unfailing resource, and desired the clergy to offer up prayers on +behalf of Mary. This, they almost unanimously refused.[259] And not only +did they abstain from supplication themselves, but they resolved that no +one else should do what they had declined. The archbishop of Saint +Andrews being about to officiate before the king, they induced a certain +John Cowper to station himself in the pulpit beforehand, so as to exclude +the prelate. Nor was it until the captain of the guard threatened to pull +Cowper from the place he had usurped, that the service could go on, and +the king be allowed to hear his own mother prayed for, in this sad crisis +of her fate, when it was still uncertain whether she would be publicly +executed, or whether, as was more generally believed, she would be +secretly poisoned.[260] + + [253] _Spottiswoode's History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. ii. + p. 308. + + [254] James, after his escape, 'convocat all his peaceabill Prelatis and + Nobles, and thair he notefeit unto thayme the greif that he + consavit of his unlaughfull detentioun the yeir bygayne, and + tharefore desyrit thame to acknawlege the same; and thay be thair + generall voittis decernit the rayd of Ruthven to be manifest + treasoun. The Ministers on the uther part, perswadit the people + that it was a godly fact, and that whasoever wald not allow + thareof in his hart, was not worthie to be estemit a Christien.' + _The Historie of King James the Sext_, p. 202, published by the + Bannatyne Club, Edinburgh, 1825, 4to. + + [255] 'Disregard not our threatening; for there was never one yet in this + realm, in the place where your grace is, who prospered after the + ministers began to threaten him.' _Tytler's History of Scotland_, + vol. vi. p. 364. See also, in _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, + vol. v. pp. 540, 541, a letter from one of the clergy in Fife, + addressed to the king, in 1597. 'And now, Sir, lett me be free + with you in writting other men's reports, and that of the wisest + politicians. They say, our bygane historeis report, and experience + teacheth, that _raro et fere nunquam_ has a king and a prince + continued long together in this realme; for _Filius ante diem + patrios inquirit in annos_. And they say, Sir, farther, that + whatsoever they were of your Majestie's predecessors in + governement that oppouned themselves directlie or indirectlie to + God's ordinance in his Kirk, it has beene their wracke and + subversioun in the end. I might herein be more particular; but I + leave it to your Majestie's owne grave and modest consideratioun, + for it concerneth you most neere.' + + [256] 'Saying, "He perverted the laws both of God and man."' + _Spottiswoode's History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. ii. + p. 309. Also _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. vi. p. 371. + + [257] 'Mr. Patrick Simson, preaching before the king upon Gen. iv. 9, + "The Lord said to Cain, Where is Abel, thy brother?" said to the + king, before the congregation, "Sir, I assure you, in God's name, + the Lord will ask at you where is the Earl of Moray, your + brother?" The king replyed, before all the congregation, "Mr. + Patrik, my chalmer doore wes never steeked upon you: ye might have + told me anything ye thought in secret." He replyed, "Sir, the + scandall is publict."' _Row's History of the Kirk_, p. 144. + 'Having occasion, _anno_ 1593, to preach before the king, he + publicly exhorted him to beware that he drew not the wrath of God + upon himself in patronizing a manifest breach of divine laws.' + _Howie's Biographia Scoticana_, p. 120. + + [258] 'Saying, "That Captain James, with his lady Jesabel, and William + Stewart (meaning the colonel), were taken to be the persecutors of + the Church; but that now it was seen to be the king himself, + against whom he denounced the curse that fell on Jeroboam--that he + would die childless, and be the last of his race."' + _Spottiswoode's History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. ii. + p. 335. + + [259] 'The king, perceiving by all these letters, that the death of his + mother was determined, called back his ambassadors, and at home + gave order to the ministers to remember her in their public + prayers, which they denied to do.' ... 'Upon their denial, charges + were directed to command all bishops, ministers, and other + office-bearers in the Church to make mention of her distress in + their public prayers, and commend her to God in the form + appointed. But of all the number only Mr. David Lindsay at Leith + and the king's own ministers gave obedience.' _Spottiswoode's + History of the Church_, vol. ii. pp. 355, 356. 'They, with only + one exception, refused to comply.' _Russell's History of the + Church in Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 23. Compare _Watson's Historicall + Collections of Ecclesiastick Affairs in Scotland_, p. 208; and + _Historie of James the Sext_, p. 225. + + [260] 'They stirred up Mr. John Cowper, a young man not entered as yet in + the function, to take the pulpit before the time, and exclude the + bishop. The king coming at the hour appointed, and seeing him in + the place, called to him from his seat, and said, "Mr. John, that + place is destined for another; yet since you are there, if you + will obey the charge that is given, and remember my mother in your + prayers, you shall go on." He replying, "that he would do as the + Spirit of God should direct him," was commanded to leave the + place: and making as though he would stay, the captain of the + guard went to pull him out; whereupon he burst forth in these + speeches: "This day shall be a witness against the king in the + great day of the Lord:" and then denouncing a wo to the + inhabitants of Edinburgh, he went down, and the bishop of St. + Andrews entering the pulpit did perform the duty required.' + _Spottiswoode's History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. + 356. 'The Kingis Majestie, to testifie his earnest and naturall + affection to his mother, causit pray for hir oppinly efter him + selff; quhairvpone arrose a great dissensioun betuix sum of the + ministrie and his Majestie, namely the ministrie of Edinburgh. + Quhairvpone the king appoynted Patrik, archbischop of St. Androis + to teache, bot he wes preuented be Mr. John Covpar minister, quho + come befoir and filled the pulpit. And as the said Mr. John wes + beginnand the prayer, the Kingis Majestie commandit him to stay: + so as Mr. John raschit michtely vpone the pulpit, saying, "This + day sail bear witnes aganis yow in the day of the lord: woe be to + ye Edinburgh, for the last of xi plaiges salbe the worst."' + _Moysie's Memoirs_, p. 59. + +In 1594, John Ross stated in the pulpit, that the advisers of the king +were all traitors, and that the king himself was likewise a traitor. He +was also a rebel and a reprobate. That such should be the case, was not +surprising, considering the parentage of James. For, his mother was a +Guise, and a persecutor of the saints. He avoided open persecution, and +spoke them fair; but his deeds did not correspond to his words; and, so +great was his dissimulation, that he was the most arrant hypocrite then +living in Scotland.[261] + + [261] See _The Historie of King James the Sext_, pp. 316-318, from 'a + just copie of his sermon' supplied by Ross himself. 'His text was + upon the 6 chapter of the Prophet Jeremias, verse 28. "Brethren, + we have manie, and almaist innumerable enormiteis in this cuntrie + to be lamentit, as the misgovernement of our king be sinistrous + counsall of sum particular men. They ar all rebellious traitors, + evin the king the maist singular person, and particularlie everie + estait of the land." ... "Our king in sindrie poyntis hes bene + rebellious aganis the Majestie of God." ... "To this howre, we gat + never gude of the Guysien blude, for Queyne Marie his mother was + an oppin persecutor of the sanctis of God, and althoght the king + be not an oppin persecutor, we have had many of his fayre wordis, + wharein he is myghtie aneugh, bot for his gude deiddis, I commend + me to thayme." ... "Admit, that our king be a Christien king, yit + but amen dement, he is a reprobat king. Of all the men in this + nation, the king himself is the maist fynest, and maist + dissembling hypocreit."' A very short notice of this sermon is + given by Calderwood (_History of the Kirk_, vol. v. p. 299), who + probably had not seen the original notes. + +In 1596, David Black, one of the most influential of the Protestant +ministers, delivered a sermon, which made much noise. He said, in his +discourse, that all kings were children of the devil; but that in +Scotland the head of the court was Satan himself. The members of the +council, he added, were cormorants, and the lords of the session +miscreants. The nobility had degenerated: they were godless; they were +dissemblers; they were the enemies of the Church. As to the queen of +England, she was nothing but an atheist. And as to the queen of Scotland, +all he would say was, that they might pray for her if they list, and +because it was the fashion to do so; but that there was no reason for +it, inasmuch as no good would ever come from her to them.[262] + + [262] The accusation, which was fully proved, was, that 'he had + publictlie sayd in pulpit, that the papist erles wes come home be + the kingis knavledge and consent, quhairin his Hienes treacherie + wes detectit; that all kingis war deuilis and come of deuilis; + that the deuill wes the head of the court and in the court; that + he pray it for the Queine of Scotland for the faschione, because + he saw na appearance of guid in hir tyme,' _Moysie's Memoirs_, p. + 128. 'Having been heard to affirm, that the popish lords had + returned into the country by the king's permission, and that + thereby the king had discovered the "treacherous hypocrisy of his + heart" that "all kings were the devil's bairns, and that the devil + was in the court, and the guiders of it." He was proved to have + used in his prayer these indecent words, when speaking of the + queen, "We must pray for her for fashion's sake; but we might as + well not, for she will never do us any good," He called the queen + of England an atheist, and the Lords of Session _bribers_; and + said that the nobility at large "were degenerate, godless, + dissemblers, and enemies to the church."' _Grierson's History of + Saint Andrews_, p. 30, Cupar, 1838. Among the charges against him + were, 'Fourthly, that he had called the queen of England an + atheist. Fifthly, that he had discussed a suspension granted by + the lords of session in pulpit, and called them miscreants and + bribers. Sixthly, that, speaking of the nobility, he said they + were "degenerated, godless, dissemblers, and enemies to the + church." Likewise, speaking of the council, that he had called + them "holiglasses, cormorants, and men of no religion."' + _Spottiswoode's History of the Church_, vol. iii. p. 21. + +For preaching this sermon, Black was summoned by the privy-council. He +refused to attend, because it was for a spiritual tribunal, and not for a +temporal one, to take notice of what was uttered in the pulpit. The +Church, to be sure, he would obey; but, having received his message from +God, he was bound to deliver it, and it would be a dereliction of duty, +if he were to allow the civil power to judge such matters.[263] The +king, greatly enraged, ordered Black to be cast into prison; and it is +difficult to see what other course was open to him; though it was certain +that neither this, nor any measure he could adopt, would tame the +indomitable spirit of the Scotch Church.[264] + + [263] See the original papers on 'The Declinatour of the King and + Counsel's Judicatour in Maters Spirituall, namelie in Preaching of + the Word,' in _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. v. pp. + 457-459, 475-480. Tytler (_History of Scotland_, vol. vii. pp. + 326-332) has given extracts from them, and made some remarks on + their obvious tendency. See also on the Declinature of + Jurisdiction claimed by the Scotch Church, _Hallam's + Constitutional History_, 4th edit. 1842, vol. ii. p. 461; and + _Mackenzie's Laws and Customs of Scotland in Matters Criminal_, + Edinburgh, 1699, folio, pp. 181, 182. + + [264] M'Crie, in his _Life of Melville_, vol. ii. pp. 70 seq., has given + an account of the punishment of Black, but, as usual, conceals the + provocation; or, at least, softens it down until it hardly becomes + a provocation. According to him, 'David Black had been served with + a summons to answer before the privy council for certain + expressions used by him in his sermons.' Certain expressions, + indeed! But why name the penalty, and suppress the offence? This + learned writer knew perfectly well what Black had done, and yet + all the information bestowed on the reader is a note at p. 72, + containing a mutilated extract from Spottiswoode. + +In December the same year, the Church proclaimed a fast; and Welsh +preached in Edinburgh a sermon, with the view of rousing the people +against their rulers. The king, he told his audience, had formerly been +possessed by a devil, and that devil being put out, seven worse ones had +come in its place. It was, therefore, evident that James was demented, +and it became lawful to take the sword of justice from his hands; just as +it would be lawful for servants or children to seize the head of their +family, if it had pleased heaven to afflict him with madness. In such +case, the preacher observed, it would be right to lay hold of the madman, +and to tie him hand and foot, that he might do no further harm.[265] + + [265] 'Saying, "He was possessed with a devil; that one devil being put + out, seven worse were entered in place; and that the subjects + might lawfully rise, and take the sword out of his hand:" which he + confirmed by the example of a father that falling into a frenzy, + might be taken by the children and servants of the family, and + tied hand and foot from doing violence.' _Spottiswoode's History + of the Church of Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 34. See also _Arnot's + History of Edinburgh_, pp. 46, 47. + +The hatred felt by the clergy was at this period so bitter, and the +democratic spirit in them so strong,[266] that they seemed unable to +restrain themselves; and Andrew Melville, in an audience with the king, +in 1596, proceeded to personal insults, and, seizing him by the sleeve, +called him God's silly vassal.[267] The large amount of truth contained +in this bitter taunt, increased its pungency. But the ministers did not +always confine themselves to words.[268] Their participation in the +Ruthven conspiracy is unquestionable; and it is probable that they were +privy to the last great peril to which James was exposed, before he +escaped from that turbulent land, which he was believed to govern. +Certain it is, that the Earl of Gowrie, who, in 1600, entrapped the king +into his castle in order to murder him, was the hope and the mainstay of +the Presbyterian clergy, and was intimately associated with their +ambitious schemes.[269] Such, indeed, was their infatuation on behalf of +the assassin, that, when his conspiracy was defeated, and he himself +slain, several of the ministers propagated a report that Gowrie had +fallen a victim to the royal perfidy, and that, in point of fact, the +only plot which ever existed was one concocted by the king, with fatal +art, against his mild and innocent host.[270] + + [266] This did not escape the attention of the English government; and + Elizabeth, who was remarkably well informed respecting Scotch + affairs, wrote to James, in 1590, a warning, which was hardly + necessary, but which must have added to his fears. 'And lest fayre + semblance, that easely may begile, do not brede your ignorance of + suche persons as ether pretend religion or dissemble deuotion, let + me warne you that ther is risen, bothe in your realme and myne, a + secte of perilous consequence, suche as wold have no kings but a + presbitrye, and take our place while the inioy our privilege, with + a shade of Godes word, wiche none is juged to folow right without + by ther censure the be so demed. Yea, looke we wel unto them.' + _Letters of Elizabeth and James VI._, edited by John Bruce, Camden + Society, 1849, 4to, p. 63. + + [267] The Reverend James Melville, who was present at the scene, + describes it with exuberant delight. 'To the quhilk, I beginning + to reply, in my maner, Mr. Andro doucht nocht abyd it, bot brak af + upon the king in sa zealus, powerfull, and unresistable a maner, + that whowbeit the king used his authoritie in maist crabbit and + colerik maner, yit Mr. Andro bure him down, and outtered the + Commission as from the mightie God, calling the king bot "God's + sillie vassall:" and taking him be the sleive,' &c. _Autobiography + and Diary of James Melvill_, p. 370. See also _Shields' Hind let + loose_, 1687, p. 52; and _M'Crie's Life of Melville_, vol. ii. + p. 66. + + [268] In 1593, 4, some of them formed a plot to seize him. See the + evidence from the State-paper Office, in _Tytler's History of + Scotland_, vol. vii. p. 249, edit. Edinburgh, 1845. + + [269] 'He was the darling hope of the Presbyterian party.' _Ibid._, + vol. vii. p. 410. + + [270] 'Gowry's conspiracy was by them charged on the king, as a + contrivance of his to get rid of that earl.' _Burnet's History of + his own Time_, edit. Oxford, 1823, vol. i. p. 31. See also + _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. vii. pp. 439, 440; and on the + diffusion of 'this absurd hallucination,' see The _Spottiswoode + Miscellany_, vol. ii. p. 320, Edinburgh, 1845. + +An absurdity of this sort[271] was easily believed in an ignorant, and, +therefore, a credulous, age. That the clergy should have propagated it, +and that in this, as in many other cases, they should have laboured with +malignant industry to defame the character of their prince,[272] will +astonish no one who knows how quickly the wrath of the Church can be +roused, and how ready the spiritual classes always are to cover, even +with the foulest calumny, those who stand in their way. The evidence +which has been collected, proves that the Presbyterian ministers carried +their violence against the constituted authorities of the state, to an +indecent, if not to a criminal, length; and we cannot absolve them from +the charge of being a restless and unscrupulous body, greedy after power, +and grossly intolerant of whatever opposed their own views. Still, the +real cause of their conduct was, the spirit of their age, and the +peculiarities of their position. None of us can be sure that, if we were +placed exactly as they were placed, we should have acted differently. +Now, indeed, we cannot read of their proceedings, as they are recorded in +their own Assemblies, and by the historians of their own Church, without +an uneasy feeling of dislike, I had almost said of disgust, at finding +ourselves in presence of so much of superstition, of chicanery, of low, +sordid arts, and yet, withal, of arrogant and unbridled insolence. The +truth, however, is, that in Scotland, the age was evil, and the evil +rose to the surface. The times were out of joint, and it was hard to set +them right. The long prevalence of anarchy, of ignorance, of poverty, of +force, of fraud, of domestic tumult, and of foreign invasion, had reduced +Scotland to a state which is scarcely possible for us to realize. +Hereafter, I shall give some evidence of the effect which this produced +on the national character, and of the serious mischief which it wrought. +In the mean time, we should, in fairness to the Scotch clergy, admit that +the condition of their country affords the best explanation of their +conduct. Everything around them was low and coarse; the habits of men, in +their daily life, were violent, brutal, and utterly regardless of common +decency; and, as a natural consequence, the standard of human actions was +so depressed, that upright and well-meaning persons did not shrink from +doing what to us, in our advanced state of society, seems incredible. Let +us, then, not be too rash in this matter. Let us not be too forward in +censuring the leading actors in that great crisis through which Scotland +passed, during the latter half of the sixteenth century. Much they did, +which excites our strongest aversion. But one thing they achieved, which +should make us honour their memory, and repute them benefactors of their +species. At a most hazardous moment, they kept alive the spirit of +national liberty.[273] What the nobles and the crown had put in peril, +that did the clergy save. By their care, the dying spark was kindled into +a blaze. When the light grew dim, and flickered on the altar, their hands +trimmed the lamp, and fed the sacred flame. This is their real glory, and +on this they may well repose. They were the guardians of Scotch freedom, +and they stood to their post. Where danger was, they were foremost. By +their sermons, by their conduct, both public and private, by the +proceedings of their Assemblies, by their bold and frequent attacks upon +persons, without regard to their rank, nay, even by the very insolence +with which they treated their superiors, they stirred up the minds of +men, woke them from their lethargy, formed them to habits of discussion, +and excited that inquisitive and democratic spirit, which is the only +effectual guarantee the people can ever possess against the tyranny of +those who are set over them. This was the work of the Scotch clergy; and +all hail to them who did it. It was they who taught their countrymen to +scrutinize, with a fearless eye, the policy of their rulers. It was they +who pointed the finger of scorn at kings and nobles, and laid bare the +hollowness of their pretensions. They ridiculed their claims, and jeered +at their mysteries. They tore the veil, and exposed the tricks of the +scene which lay behind. The great ones of the earth, they covered with +contempt; and those who were above them, they cast down. Herein, they did +a deed which should compensate for all their offences, even were their +offences ten times as great. By discountenancing that pernicious and +degrading respect which men are too apt to pay to those whom accident, +and not merit, has raised above them, they facilitated the growth of a +proud and sturdy independence, which was sure to do good service at a +time of need. And that time came quicker than any one had expected. +Within a very few years, James became master of the resources of England, +and attempted, by their aid, to subvert the liberties of Scotland. The +shameful enterprise, which he began, was continued by his cruel and +superstitious son. How their attempts failed; how Charles I., in the +effort, shipwrecked his fortune, and provoked a rebellion, which brought +to the scaffold that great criminal, who dared to conspire against the +people, and who, as the common enemy and oppressor of all, was at length +visited with the just punishment of his sins, is known to every reader of +our history. It is also well known, that, in conducting the struggle, the +English were greatly indebted to the Scotch, who had, moreover, the merit +of being the first to lift their hand against the tyrant. What, however, +is less known, but is undoubtedly true, is, that both nations owe a debt +they can never repay to those bold men who, during the latter part of the +sixteenth century, disseminated, from their pulpits and Assemblies, +sentiments which the people cherished in their hearts, and which, at a +fitting moment, they reproduced, to the dismay, and eventually to the +destruction, of those who threatened their liberties. + + [271] See a good note in _Pitcairn's Criminal Trials in Scotland_, + vol. ii. p. 179, Edinburgh, 1833, 4to. Compare _Lawson's Book of + Perth_, Edinburgh, 1847, p. xxxix. + + [272] Their language, and their general bearing, so enraged James, as to + extort from him a passionate declaration, in 1592, that 'it would + not be weill till noblemen and gentlemen gott licence to breake + ministers' heads.' _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. v. + p. 148. + + [273] 'At the period of which we speak' (about the year 1584) 'the + pulpit was, in fact, the only organ by which public opinion was, + or could be, expressed; and the ecclesiastical courts were the + only assemblies in the nation which possessed anything that was + entitled to the name of liberty or independence. Parliament had + its business prepared to its hand, and laid before it in the shape + of acts which required only its assent. Discussion and freedom of + speech were unknown in its meetings. The courts of justice were + dependent on the will of the sovereign, and frequently had their + proceedings regulated, and their decisions dictated, by letters or + messages from the throne. It was the preachers who first taught + the people to express an opinion on the conduct of their rulers; + and the assemblies of the Church set the earliest example of a + regular and firm opposition to the arbitrary and unconstitutional + measures of the court.' _M'Crie's Life of Melville_, vol. i. + p. 302. + + + + + CHAPTER III. + + CONDITION OF SCOTLAND DURING THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES. + + +Scarcely had James mounted the throne of England, when he began +seriously, and on a large scale, to attempt to subjugate the Scotch +Church, which, as he clearly saw, was the principal obstacle that stood +between him and despotic power. While he was merely King of Scotland, he +made several efforts, which were constantly baffled; but now that he +wielded the vast resources of England, the victory seemed easy.[274] As +early as 1584, he had gained a temporary triumph, by forcing many of the +clergy to recognize episcopacy.[275] But that institution was so +repugnant to their levelling and democratic principles, that nothing +could overcome their abhorrence of it;[276] and, completely overawing the +king, they compelled him to give way, and to retrace his steps. The +result was, that, in 1592, an Act of Parliament was passed, which +subverted the authority of the bishops, and established Presbyterianism; +a scheme based on the idea of equality, and, therefore, suited to the +wants of the Scotch Church.[277] + + [274] Lord Dartmouth says (Note in _Burnet's History of his own Time_, + vol. i. p. 15): 'The Earl of Seafield told me that King James + frequently declared that he never looked upon himself to be more + than King of Scotland in name, till he came to be King of England; + but now, he said, one kingdom would help him to govern the other, + or he had studied kingcraft to very little purpose from his cradle + to that time.' Compare _Burnet's Memoirs of the Dukes of + Hamilton_, Oxford, 1852, p. 36. 'No sooner was he happily settled + on the throne of England, but he went more roundly to work.' + + [275] Compare _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. vi. p. 430, with + _Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 303, Sec. 20; + also the Act (p. 293, Sec. 4), likewise in 1584, limiting the power + of the General Assemblies. James, who flattered himself that he + had now settled everything, signalized his triumph by personally + abusing the clergy; 'calling them lownes, smaicks, seditious + knaves, and so furth.' See a letter, dated 2nd of January 1585-6, + in _Miscellany of the Wodrow Society_, p. 438, Edinburgh, 1844. + + [276] 'Bishops were alwayes looked at with a frown.' _Kirkton's History + of the Church of Scotland_, p. 129. + + [277] See this remarkable statute, in _Acts of the Parliaments of + Scotland_, vol. iii. pp. 541, 2. As some of the historians of the + Scotch Church have greatly misrepresented it, I will quote that + part which expressly repeals the Act of 1584, in favour of the + bishops. 'Item oure said souerane lord and estaittis of Parliament + foirsaid, abrogatis cass and anullis the xx act of the same + pliam[=e]t haldin at Edinburgh the said zeir 1584 zeiris granting + c[=o]missioun to bishoppis and vtheris iuges constitute in + ecclesiastical causs To ressaue his hienes presentatioun to + benefices, To gif collatioun thairvpoun and to put ordo^r in all + causs ecclesiasticall qlk his Maiestie and estaittis foirsaid + declairis to be expyrit in the self and to be null in tyme cuming + and of nane availl force nor effect.' + +To this statute, James had assented with the greatest reluctance.[278] +Indeed, his feeling respecting it was so strong, that he determined, on +the first opportunity, to procure its repeal, even if he used force to +effect his purpose. The course he adopted, was characteristic both of the +man and of the age. In December 1596, one of those popular tumults arose +in Edinburgh, which are natural in barbarous times, and which, under +ordinary circumstances, would have been quelled, and nothing more thought +of it.[279] But James availed himself of this, to strike what he deemed a +decisive blow. His plan was nothing less than to turn into the capital of +his own monarchy, large bodies of armed and licensed banditti, who, by +threatening to plunder the city, should oblige the clergy and their +flocks to agree to whatever terms he chose to dictate. This magnanimous +scheme was well worthy of the mind of James, and it was strictly +executed. From the north, he summoned the Highland nobles, and from the +south, the border barons, who were to be accompanied by their fierce +retainers,--men who lived by pillage, and whose delight it was to imbrue +their hands in blood. At the express command of James, these ferocious +brigands, on the 1st of January 1597, appeared in the streets of +Edinburgh, gloating over the prospect before them, and ready, when their +sovereign gave the word, to sack the capital, and raze it to the +ground.[280] Resistance was hopeless. Whatever the king demanded, was +conceded; and James supposed that the time was now come, in which he +could firmly establish the authority of the bishops, and, by their aid, +control the clergy, and break their refractory spirit.[281] + + [278] 'The King repented after that he had agreed unto it.' _Calderwood's + History of the Kirk_, vol. v. p. 162. But this gives a faint idea + of his real feelings. It is perhaps hardly necessary to adduce + evidence of the opinions entertained on this point, by a prince, + one of whose favourite sayings was, 'No Bishop, no King.' The + reader will, however, find, in the _Clarendon State Papers_ (vol. + ii. p. 260 Oxford, 1773, folio), a letter from Charles I., which + is worth looking at, because it frankly avows that James, in + loving episcopacy and hating presbyterianism, was actuated rather + by political motives than by religious ones. Charles writes: 'The + prudentiall part of any consideration will never be found opposit + to the conscientious, nay heere, they go hand in hand; for + (according to lawyers lodgique) show me any president where ever + Presbiteriall government and Regall was together, without + perpetuall rebellions. _Which was the cause that necessitated the + King, my Father, to change that governement in Scotland._' Compare + what is said by a Scotch Presbyterian of the seventeenth century, + in _Biographies edited for the Wodrow Society_ by the Rev. W. K. + Tweedie, Edinburgh, 1845, vol. i. p. 13. 'The reason why King + James was so violent for bishops was neither their divine + institution (which he denied they had), nor yet the profit the + Church should reap by them (for he knew well both the men and + their communications), but merely because he believed they were + useful instruments to turn a limited monarchy into absolute + dominion, and subjects into slaves, the design in the world he + minded most.' + + [279] 'Had it not been laid hold of by designing politicians as a handle + for accomplishing their measures, it would not now have been known + that such an event had ever occurred.' _M'Crie's Life of + Melville_, vol. ii. p. 85. 'Harmless as this uproar was, it + afforded the court a pretext for carrying into execution its + designs against the liberties and government of the Church.' + p. 89. + + [280] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. vii. pp. 342-345. + _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. v. pp. 514, 515, 530, + 531. + + [281] 'Intimidated by these menaces, and distressed at the loss of the + courts of justice, they came to the resolution of making surrender + of their political and religious liberties to the king.' _M'Crie's + Life of Melville_, vol. ii. p. 92. This is said of the magistrates + of Edinburgh. Among other threats, one was, the 'razing and + ploughing of Edinburgh, and sowing it with salt.' _Wodrow's Life + of Bruce_, p. 48, prefixed to _Bruce's Sermons_, edited by the + Rev. William Cunningham, Edinburgh, 1843. On this occasion, + Elizabeth wrote a letter to James, which is printed in _Letters of + Queen Elizabeth and James VI._, 1849, 4to, pp. 120, 121. + +In this undertaking, three years were consumed. To insure its success, +the king, supported by the nobles, relied, not only on force, but also on +an artifice, which now seems to have been employed for the first time. +This was, to pack the General Assemblies, by inundating them with +clergymen drawn from the north of Scotland, where, the old clannish and +aristocratic spirit being supreme, the democratic spirit, found in the +south, was unknown. Hitherto, these northern ministers had rarely +attended at the great meetings of the Church; but James, in 1597, sent +Sir Patrick Murray on a special mission to them, urging them to be +present, in order that they might vote on his side.[282] They, being a +very ignorant body, knowing little or nothing of the questions really at +issue, and being, moreover, accustomed to a state of society in which +men, notwithstanding their lawlessness, paid the most servile obedience +to their immediate superiors, were easily worked upon, and induced to do +what they were bid. By their help, the crown and the nobles so +strengthened their party in the General Assembly, as to obtain in many +instances a majority; and innovations were gradually introduced, +calculated to destroy the democratic character of the Scotch Church.[283] + + [282] _M'Crie's Life of Melville_, vol. ii. p. 100. Scot (_Apologetical + Narration of the State of the Kirk_, p. 88) says, 'Sir Patrick + Murray, the diligent apostle of the North, made their acquaintance + with the King.' Also, _The Autobiography and Diary of James + Melville_, p. 403. + + [283] _Tytler's History of Scotland_, vol. vii. pp. 350, 359. But by far + the best account of the influence of these northern clergy will be + found in _M'Crie's Life of Melville_ (vol. ii. pp. 100-105, 109, + 131, 152), drawn, in several instances, from manuscript + authorities. Compare _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. v. + p. 625. + +In 1597, the movement began. From then, until 1600, successive Assemblies +sanctioned different changes, all of which were marked by that +aristocratic tendency which seemed about to carry everything before it. +In 1600, the General Assembly met at Montrose; and government determined +on making a final effort to compel the Church to establish an episcopal +polity. Andrew Melville, by far the most influential man in the Church, +and the leader of the democratic party, had been elected, as usual, a +member of the Assembly; but the king, arbitrarily interposing, refused to +allow him to take his seat.[284] Still, neither by threats, nor by force, +nor by promises, could the court carry their point. All that they +obtained was, that certain ecclesiastics should be allowed to sit in +parliament; but it was ordered that such persons should every year lay +their commissions at the feet of the General Assembly, and render an +account of their conduct. The Assembly was to have the power of deposing +them; and, to keep them in greater subjection, they were forbidden to +call themselves bishops, but were to be content with the inferior title +of Commissioners of the Church.[285] + + [284] This is related by his nephew, James Melville. 'Mr. Andro Melvill + come to the Assembly, by Commissoune of his Presbytrie, but wes + commandit to keip his ludgeing; quho, being callit to the King in + private, and demandit, Quhy he wes so trublesume as to come to the + Assembly being dischairgit? He answerit, He had a calling in the + Kirk of God, and of Jesus Chryst, the King of kings, quhilk he + behovit to dischairge at all occasiounes, being orderlie callit + thairto, as he wes at this tyme; and that for feir of a grytter + punischment then could any earthly King inflict.' _The + Autobiography and Diary of James Melvill_, p. 542. + + [285] As, owing to the passions of the rival classes, every step of this + part of Scotch history is the subject of angry controversy, and as + even Mr. Tytler (_History of Scotland_, vol. vii. p. 360) asserts + that 'the final establishment of Episcopacy' took place at the + Assembly of Montrose, in 1600. I subjoin a few extracts from the + enactments of that Assembly, in order that the reader may judge + for himself, and may test the accuracy of what I have stated in + the text. 'Concerning the maner of choosing of him that sall have + vote in Parliament in name of the Kirk: It is condiscendit vpon, + that _he sall first be recommendit be the Kirk to his Majestie_; + and that the Kirk sall nominat sixe for every place that sall have + neid to be filled, of quhom his Majestie sall choose ane, of quhom + he best lykes; and his Majestie promises, obleises, and binds + himselfe to choose no vther but ane of that number: And in cace + his Majestie refuses the haill vpon ane just reason of ane + insufficiency, and of greater sufficiencie of vthers that are not + recommendit, the Kirk sall make ane new recommendatioun of men + according to the first number, of the quhilk, ane salbe chosin be + his Majestie without any farther refuisall or new nominatioun; and + he that salbe chosin be his Majestie, salbe admittit be the + Synods.' _Acts of the General Assemblies of the Kirk of Scotland_, + vol. iii. p. 954. 'As to the cautions to keip him, that sall have + vote in Parliament, from corruptiouns: They be these following: + 1. _That he presume not, at any tyme, to propone at Parliament, + Counsell or Conventioun, in name of the Kirk, any thing without + expresse warrand and directioun from the Kirk_, and sick things as + he sall answer (for) to be for the weill of the Kirk, vnder the + paine of depositioun from his office.' ... 2. 'He sall be bound at + every Generall Assemblie, to give ane accompt anent the discharge + of his commissioun sen the Assemblie gangand befor; _and sall + submitt himselfe to thair censure, and stand at thair + determinatioun quhatsumever, without appellatioun; and sall seik + and obtain ratificatioun of his doings at the said Assemblie, + vnder the paine of infamie and excommunicatioun_.' ... 6. 'In the + administration of discipline, collatioun of benefices, + visitatioun, and all vther points of ecclesiasticall government, + he sall neither vsurpe nor acclaime to himselfe _any power or + jurisdictioun farther than any vther of the rest of his breither_, + unlesse he be imployit be his breither, vnder the paine of + deprivatioun.' p. 955. 'Anent his name that for the Kirk sall + (have) vote in Parliament: It is advyseit, be vniforme consent of + the haill brether, that he salbe callit Commissioner of such a + place.' p. 956. 'Therfor the Generall Assemblie having reasonit at + length the said questioun, tuiching the continuance of him that + sall have vote in Parliament, after votting of the same, finds and + decernes, that _he sall annuatim give count of his commission + obtainit from the Assemblie, and lay downe the samein at thair + feitt_, to be continuit or alterit therfra be his Maiestie and the + Assemblie, as the Assemblie, with consent of his Maiestie, sall + think most expedient for the weill of the Kirk.' p. 959. + +After sustaining this repulse, James seems to have been disheartened; as +he made no further effort, though he still laboured underhand at the +restoration of episcopacy.[286] If he had persevered, it might have cost +him his crown. For, his resources were few; he was extremely poor;[287] +and recent events had shown that the clergy were stronger than he had +supposed. When he thought himself most sure of success, they had +subjected him to a mortifying defeat; and this was the more remarkable, +as it was entirely their own work; they being by this time so completely +separated from the nobles, that they could not rely upon even a single +member of that powerful body. + + [286] 'While James remained in Scotland, the scheme of introducing + episcopacy, though never lost sight of, was cautiously + prosecuted.' _M'Crie's Life of Melville_, vol. ii. p. 178. + + [287] James, during the whole of his reign, was chiefly dependent on the + money which Elizabeth gave him, and which she dealt out rather + niggardly. Such were his necessities, that he was forced to pawn + his plate, and, even then, he was often unable to defray his + ordinary household expenses. See _Tytler's History of Scotland_, + vol. vi. pp. 265, 266, 272, vol. vii. pp. 158, 378-380. + _Miscellany of the Spalding Club_, vol. ii. pp. xlv. 114. + _Gregory's History of the Western Highlands_, pp. 241, 277. See + also a clamorous begging-letter from James to Elizabeth, written + in 1591, in _Letters of Queen Elizabeth and James VI._, 1849, 4to, + pp. 68, 69. In 1593, she apologizes for sending him only a small + sum: 'The small token you shall receave from me I desire yt may + serve to make you remember the tyme and my many weighty affaires, + wich makes it les than else I would, and I dowt nothing but when + you heare all, yow will beare with this.' p. 84. A letter from + James Hudson, written about the year 1591, states that 'both the + king's table and queen's had like to have been unserved by want; + and that the king had nothing he accounted certain to come into + his purse, but what he had from the Queen of England.' _Ridpath's + Border History_, p. 465, Berwick, 1848, 4to. + +While affairs were in this state, and while the liberties of Scotland, of +which the Church was the guardian, were trembling in the balance, +Elizabeth died, and the King of Scotland became also King of England. +James at once determined to employ the resources of his new kingdom to +curb his old one. In 1604, that is, only the year after his accession to +the English throne, he aimed a deadly blow at the Scotch Church, by +attacking the independence of their Assemblies; and, by his own +authority, he prorogued the General Assembly of Aberdeen.[288] In 1605, +he again prorogued it; and, to make his intentions clear, he, this time, +refused to fix a day for its future meeting.[289] Hereupon, some of the +ministers, deputed by presbyteries, took upon themselves to convene it, +which they had an undoubted right to do, as the act of the king was +manifestly illegal. On the day appointed, they met in the session-house +of Aberdeen. They were ordered to disperse. Having, as they conceived, by +the mere fact of assembling, sufficiently asserted their privileges, they +obeyed. But James, now backed by the power of England, resolved that they +should feel the change of his position, and, therefore, of theirs. In +consequence of orders which he sent from London, fourteen of the clergy +were committed to prison.[290] Six of them, who denied the authority of +the privy-council, were indicted for high treason. They were at once put +upon their trial. They were convicted. And sentence of death was only +deferred, that the pleasure of the king might first be taken, as to +whether he would not be satisfied with some punishment that fell short of +sacrificing the lives of these unhappy men.[291] + + [288] _Laing's History of Scotland_, edit. 1819, vol. iii. p. 28. + _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. vi. pp. 264, 323. + _Bower's History of the University of Edinburgh_, vol. i. p. 175, + Edinburgh, 1817. _Stevenson's History of the Church of Scotland_, + p. 88. + + [289] 'Adde thereunto, that the letter of the commissioner and last + moderator, conteaned no certane tyme nor day whereto the said + Assemblie sould be prorogued; so that it imported a casting loose + and deserting, yea, and tyning of the possessioun of our + Assemblie; than the which what could be more dangerous to the + libertie and freedom of the Kirk of Jesus Christ, at suche a tyme, + namelie of the treatie of the Unioun, when all the estates of the + realme, and everie particular are zealous and carefull of their + rights and possessiouns?' _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, + vol. vi. pp. 309, 310. + + [290] See a list of them in _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. vi. + p. 347, where the fourteen names are preserved with pious care. + + [291] _Pitcairn's Criminal Trials in Scotland_, vol. ii. pp. 494-502. + _Forbes' Certaine Records touching the Estate of the Kirk_, edit. + Wodrow Society, Edinburgh, 1846, pp. 463-496. 'Delayed the giving + forth of the sentence of condemnation till the King's mind were + further knowne.' See also _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. + vi. pp. 434, 449. When they were found guilty, 'the peiple said, + "Certainely this wes a worke of darknes, to mak Chrystis faithfull + Ministeres tratouris to the King! God grant he be niver in greater + dangeris nor off sic traitouris."' _Melvill's Autobiography and + Diary_, p. 626. + +Their lives, indeed, were spared; but they were subjected to a close +imprisonment, and then condemned to perpetual exile.[292] In other parts +of the country, similar measures were adopted. Nearly all over Scotland, +numbers of the clergy were either imprisoned or forced to fly.[293] +Terror and proscription were universal. Such was the panic, that it was +generally believed that nothing could prevent the permanent establishment +of despotism, unless there were some immediate and providential +interference on behalf of the Church and the people.[294] + + [292] _M'Crie's Life of Melville_, vol. ii. pp. 207, 208. _Pitcairn's + Criminal Trials_, vol. ii. p. 504. In connexion with these + transactions, a letter is preserved in the Winwood Papers, which + is much too curious to be passed over in silence. It is addressed + by the Earl of Salisbury to Sir Charles Cornwallis, and is dated + 12th September 1605. Salisbury, who was then at the head of + affairs, writes, 'True it is that his Majestie seeking to _adorne + that kingdome of Scotland with Prelates as they are in England_, + some of the Ministers have spurned against it; and althouge his + Majestie had ever warranted their calling of General Assemblies + upon no other condition, then that they should make him + acquainted, receive his warrant, and a commissioner for his + Majestie resident in their councells, yet have they (followed with + some poor plebecall numbers) presumed to hold their General + Assemblies in some parte of the Realme contrarie to his + commandement. Whereupon his Majestie hath shewed himself + displeased, and cyted divers of them before his councell,' &c. + _Memorials of Affairs of State, from the Papers of Sir Ralph + Winwood_, London, 1725, folio, vol. ii. p. 132. And yet the man + who could write such nonsense as this, and who could only see, in + the great democratic movement of the Scotch mind, a disinclination + to the _adornment_ of episcopacy, was deemed one of the most + eminent statesmen of his time, and his reputation has survived + him. If great statesmen discern so little of what is before them + and around them, we are tempted to inquire, how much confidence + ought to be placed in the opinions of those average statesmen by + whom countries are ruled. For my own part, I can only say, that I + have had occasion to read many thousand letters written by + diplomatists and politicians, and I have hardly ever found an + instance of one of them who understood the spirit and tendency of + the age in which he lived. + + [293] 'Ministers in all parts of the country were thrown into prison, or + declared rebels, and forced to abscond.' _M'Crie's Life of + Melville_, vol. ii. p. 250. Liberty of speech was so completely + suppressed, that, in 1605, when the most zealous and intelligent + clergy were banished, 'a strait command' (was) 'gevin to + magistrats, and uther officiers of burrowis, that in cace any + preacher sould speik opinlie aganis that baneisment, or for + defence or mentenence of that assemblie, or pray publiklie for + ther saiftie, that they sould be noted and manifested to the + secret counsell, and corrected for their fault.' _The Historie of + King James the Sext_, p. 380. + + [294] See an eloquent and touching passage, in _Calderwood's History of + the Kirk_, vol. vi. pp. 696, 697. + +Nor can it be denied that there were plausible grounds for these +apprehensions. The people had no friends except among the clergy, and the +ablest of the clergy were either in prison or in exile.[295] To deprive +the Church entirely of her leaders, James, in 1606, summoned to London, +Melville and seven of his colleagues, under pretence of needing their +advice.[296] Having got possession of their persons, he detained them in +England.[297] They were forbidden to return to Scotland; and Melville, +who was most feared, was committed to custody. He was then imprisoned in +the Tower, where he remained four years, and from which he was only +liberated on condition of living abroad, and abandoning altogether his +native country.[298] The seven ministers who had accompanied him to +London were also imprisoned; but, being considered less dangerous than +their leader, they, after a time, were allowed to return home. The nephew +of Melville was, however, ordered not to travel more than two miles from +Newcastle; and his six companions were confined in different parts of +Scotland.[299] + + [295] 'The godliest, wisest, learnedest, and most zealous men of the + ministrie in Scotland, were either banished, warded, or detained + in Ingland, of purpose that they might not be a lett to the grand + designe in hand.' _Row's History of the Kirk_, p. 238. + + [296] _Scot's Apologetical Narration of the State of the Kirk_, pp. 164, + 165. Compare _The Autobiography and Diary of James Melvill_, + pp. 642-645. + + [297] 'Quhen we wer gone out of the Palice a lytle way towards + Kingstoune, Mr. Alexander Hay sendis back for us, and withall, in + the Uttir Court, reidis to us a chairge from the King not to + returne to Scotland, nor to com neire the King, Quein, nor Prince + their Courtis, without a speciall calling for and licence.' + _Melvill's Autobiography_, p. 661. + + [298] _M'Crie's Life of Melville_, vol. ii. pp. 246, 252, 260, 337-339, + 403, 407-411, 414. This truly great and fearless man died in + exile, in 1622. p. 458. + + [299] _Melvill's Autobiography and Diary_, p. 709. _Scot's Apologetical + Narration_, p. 194. _M'Crie's Life of Melville_, vol. ii. pp. 252, + 253, 267, 268. + +Everything now seemed ripe for the destruction of those ideas of equality +of which, in Scotland, the Church was the sole representative. In 1610, a +General Assembly was held at Glasgow; and, as the members of it were +nominated by the crown,[300] whatever the government wished was conceded. +By their vote, episcopacy was established, and the authority of the +bishops over the ministers was fully recognized.[301] A little earlier, +but in the same year, two courts of High Commission were erected, one at +Saint Andrews, and one at Glasgow. To them, all ecclesiastical courts +were subordinate. They were armed with such immense power, that they +could cite any one they pleased before them, could examine him respecting +his religious opinions, could have him excommunicated, and could fine or +imprison him, just as they thought proper.[302] Finally, and to complete +the humiliation of Scotland, the establishment of episcopacy was not +considered complete, until an act was performed, which nothing but its +being very ignominious, could have saved from being ridiculed as an idle +and childish farce. The archbishop of Glasgow, the bishop of Brechin, and +the bishop of Galloway, had to travel all the way to London, in order +that they might be touched by some English bishops. Incredible as it may +appear, it was actually supposed that there was no power in Scotland +sufficiently spiritual to turn a Scotchman into a prelate. Therefore it +was, that the archbishop of Glasgow and his companions performed what was +then an arduous journey to a strange and distant capital, for the sake of +receiving some hidden virtue, which, on their return home, they might +communicate to their brethren. To the grief and astonishment of their +country, these unworthy priests, abandoning the traditions of their +native land, and forgetting the proud spirit which animated their +fathers, consented to abjure their own independence, to humble themselves +before the English Church, and to submit to mummeries, which, in their +hearts, they must have despised, but which were now inflicted upon them +by their ancient and inveterate foes.[303] + + [300] 'Royal missives were sent to the presbyteries, nominating the + individuals whom they should chuse as their representatives to + it.' _M'Crie's Life of Melville_, vol. ii. pp. 387, 388. On the + character of its members, compare _Wodrow's History of the + Sufferings of the Church of Scotland_, edit. Glasgow, 1838, vol. + i. p. 256. _Stevenson's History of the Church of Scotland_, pp. + 320, 321. _Crookshank's Church of Scotland_, Edinburgh, 1812, vol. + i. p. 28; and _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. vii. + pp. 97, 98. + + [301] _Acts of the General Assemblies of the Kirk_, vol. iii. pp. 1096, + 1097. The Assembly even forbad the democratic notion of equality + to be advocated. See p. 1101. 'Because it is vncivill that laws + and constitutiouns, either Civill or Ecclesiasticall, being anes + establischit and in force, by publick and opin consent, sould be + controllit and callit in questioun by any person: therfor, it is + statute by vniforme consent of this haill Assemblie, that none of + the Ministrie either in pulpitt in his preaching, or in the + publick exercise, speake and reason against the acts of this + present Assemblie, nor dissobey the same, vnder the paine of + deprivatioun, being tryit and convict thereof; and _speciallie, + that the questioun of equalitie and inequalitie in the Kirk, be + not treattit in pulpitt vnder the said paine_.' + + [302] Mr. Russell (_History of the Church in Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 88), + misled, probably, by a passage in _Spottiswoode's History of the + Church_, vol. iii. p. 210, says, 'A Court of High Commission was + instituted.' But it is certain that there were two such courts; + one for the diocese of Saint Andrews, and one for that of Glasgow. + See the 'commissioun givin under the great seale to the two + archbishops,' dated 15th of February 1610, in _Calderwood's + History of the Kirk_, vol. vii. pp. 57-62. See also p. 210. They + were not united till December 1615. See _Scot's Apologetical + Narration of the State of the Kirk_, pp. 218, 239; and + _Crookshank's History of the Sufferings of the Church of + Scotland_, vol. i. p. 28. By the royal commission, these despotic + tribunals were authorized (_Calderwood_, vol. vii. p. 59) 'to call + before them at suche tymes and places as they salle thinke meete, + anie person or persons dwelling and remaining within their + provinces respective above writtin of St. Andrews or Glasgow, or + within anie dioceis of the same, being offenders ather in life or + religioun, whom they hold anie way to be scandalous, and that they + take tryell of the same; and if they find them guiltie and + impenitent, refusing to acknowledge their offence, they sall give + command to the preacher of that parish where they dwell, to + proceed with sentence of excommunication against them; which, if + it be protracted, and their command by that minister be not + presentlie obeyed, they sall conveene anie suche minister before + them, and proceed in censuring of him for his disobedience, ather + by suspensioun, deprivatioun, or wairding, according as in their + discretioun they sall hold his obstinacie and refuse of their + directioun to have deserved. And further, to fyne at their + discretiouns, imprisoun, or warde anie suche persoun, who being + convicted before them, they sall find upon tryell to have deserved + anie suche punishment.' Hereupon, Calderwood justly remarks, p. + 62: 'This commissioun and executioun thereof, as it exalted the + aspyring bishops farre above any prelat that ever was in Scotland, + so it putt the king in possessioun of that which he had long tyme + hunted for; to witt, of the royall prerogative, and absolute power + to use the bodeis and goods of the subjects at pleasure, without + forme or processe of the commoun law, even then when the Lower + Hous in England was compleaning in their parliament upon the + injurie therof. So our bishops were fitt instruments to overthrow + the liberteis both of the Kirk and countrie.' + + [303] See _Stevenson's History of the Church of Scotland_, p. 93, and + _Kirkton's History_, p. 15. Kirkton indignantly says, that James + 'perswaded a few unworthy men to perjure themselves, and after + their episcopall consecration by the English bishops in England, + to exercise that odious office in Scotland against their own oath + and the consciences of their brethren.' Compare the contemptuous + notice, in _Row's History of the Kirk_, p. 283, on the 'anoynting + of oyle and other ceremonies,' and on 'the foolish guyses in it.' + Indeed, on this subject, every Scotch writer who cared for the + liberty of his country, expressed himself either with contempt or + indignation. + +We may easily imagine what would be the future conduct of men, who, +merely for their own aggrandizement, and to please their prince, could +thus renounce the cherished independence of the Scotch Church. They who +crouch to those who are above them always trample on those who are below +them. Directly they returned to Scotland, they communicated the +consecration they had received in England to their fellow-bishops,[304] +who were of the like mould to themselves, in so far as all of them aided +James in his attempt to subjugate the liberties of their native country. +Being now properly ordained, their spiritual life was complete; it +remained for them to secure the happiness of their temporal life. This +they did, by gradually monopolizing all authority, and treating with +unsparing severity those who opposed them. The fall triumph of the +bishops was reserved for the reign of Charles I., when a number of them +obtained seats in the privy-council, where they behaved with such +overbearing insolence, that even Clarendon, notwithstanding his +notorious partiality for their order, censures their conduct.[305] In the +time, however, of James I., they carried nearly everything before +them.[306] They deprived the towns of their privileges, and forced them +to receive magistrates of their own choosing.[307] They accumulated +wealth, and made an ostentatious display of it; which was the more +disgraceful, as the country was miserably poor, and their fellow-subjects +were starving around them.[308] The Lords of the Articles, without whose +sanction no measure could be presented to parliament, had been hitherto +elected by laymen; but the bishops now effected a change, by virtue of +which the right of nomination devolved on themselves.[309] Having thus +gained possession of the legislature, they obtained the enactment of +fresh penalties against their countrymen. Great numbers of the clergy +they suspended; others they deprived of their benefices; others they +imprisoned. The city of Edinburgh, being opposed to the rites and +ceremonies lately introduced, and being, like the rest of the country, +hostile to episcopacy, the bishops fell on it also, displaced several of +its magistrates, seized some of the principal citizens, and threatened to +deprive it of the courts of justice, and of the honour of being the seat +of government.[310] + + [304] Calderwood, with ill-suppressed bitterness, says, 'efter the same + maner that they were consecrated themselfs, _als neere as they + could imitate_.' _History of the Kirk_, vol. vii. p. 152. Compare + _Wodrow's Collections_, vol. i. part i. p. 293. 'The Bishops + ordeaned in England keeped as near the manner taken with + themselves there as they could.' + + [305] 'Some of them, by want of temper, or want of breeding, did not + behave themselves with that decency in their debates, towards the + greatest men of the kingdom, as in discretion they ought to have + done, and as the others reasonably expected from them.' + _Clarendon's History of the Rebellion_, edit. Oxford, 1843, p. 35. + In 1633, 'nine of them were privy councillors;' and 'their pride + was cried out upon as unsupportable.' _Burnet's Memoirs of the + Dukes of Hamilton_, p. 38. Sir John Scot imputes to them + 'insolence, pride, and avarice.' _Scot's Staggering State of the + Scots Statesmen_, Edinburgh, 1754, p. 41. See also _Spalding's + History of the Troubles_, vol. i. pp. 46, 47, Edinburgh, + 1828, 4to. + + [306] So early as 1613, a letter from James Inglish (preserved in + _Wodrow's Collections_, vol. ii. part i. p. 110, Glasgow, 1845, + 4to) complains that 'the libertys of the Lord's Kirk are greatly + abridged by the pride of Bishops, and their power daily increases + over her.' Civil rights were equally set at nought by the bishops; + and, among other enactments which they obtained, one was, 'that no + man should be permitted to practise or profess any physic, unless + he had first satisfied the bishop of the diocese touching his + religion.' _Spottiswoode's History of the Church of Scotland_, + vol. iii. p. 236. This at once gave them the control of the whole + medical profession. + + [307] 'Not satisfied with ruling the church-courts, they claimed an + extensive civil authority within their dioceses. The burghs were + deprived of their privileges, and forced to receive such + magistrates as their episcopal superiors, in concert with the + court, were pleased to nominate.' ... 'Archbishop Gladstanes, in a + letter to the King, June the 9th 1611, says: "It was your pleasure + and direction, that I sould be possessed with the like privileges + in the electione of the magistrats there (in St. Andrews), as my + lord of Glasgow is endued with in that his city. Sir, whereas they + are troublesome, I will be answerable to your Majesty and Counsell + for them, after that I be possessed of my right." Ms. in Bibl. + Jurid. Edin. M. 6, 9. n^o. 72.' _M'Crie's Life of Melville_, + vol. ii. p. 422. + + [308] And their prodigality was equal to their rapacity. When Archbishop + Gladstanes died, in 1615, it was ascertained that, + 'notwithstanding of the great rent of his bishoprick, he died in + the debt of twentie thowsand pounds.' _Calderwood's History of the + Kirk_, vol. vii. p. 197. See also p. 303. Also the case of the + Bishop of Galloway, who died in 1619, and of whom Calderwood says + (_History of the Kirk_, vol. vii. p. 350), 'It is thought, that if + just calculation were made of the commoditie extorted by him + through his diocie, by advice of his two covetous counsellours, + Andro Couper, his brother, and Johne Grilmour, wrytter in + Edinburgh, for his use and theirs, by racting of rents, getting of + grassoumes, setting of tacks, of teithes, and other like meanes, + wold surmount the soume of an hundreth thousand merks, or, in the + opinion of others, almost the double; so that manie within that + diocie, and the annexed prelacies, sall hardlie recover their + estates in their time.' Compare _Stevenson's History of the + Church_, pp. 212, 392. + + [309] On this change, which was completed in 1621, see _Laing's History + of Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 88; _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, + vol. vii. p. 490; and _Baillie's Letters and Journals_, vol. i. + p. 486, edit. Laing, Edinburgh, 1841. + + [310] _Calderwood's History of the Kirk_, vol. vii. pp. 472-474, 507, + 509, 511, 517-520, 530-543, 549-553, 566, 567, 614, 621. _Laing's + History of Scotland_, vol. iii. pp. 90, 91. Laing, very unjustly, + accuses the bishops of being so merciful as to disapprove of some + of these transactions. But whoever has read much of the Scotch + literature of the seventeenth century, will cheerfully exonerate + the bishops from a charge, which they would themselves have + repelled, and to which they are nowise amenable. + +In the midst of all this, and while things seemed to be at their worst, a +great reaction was preparing. And the explanation of the reaction is to +be found in that vast and pregnant principle, on which I have often +insisted, but which our common historians are unable to understand; +namely, that a bad government, bad laws, or laws badly administered, are, +indeed, extremely injurious at the time, but can produce no permanent +mischief; in other words, they may harm a country, but can never ruin it. +As long as the people are sound, there is life, and while there is life, +there will be reaction. In such case, tyranny provokes rebellion, and +despotism causes freedom. But if the people are unsound, all hope is +gone, and the nation perishes. In both instances, government is, in the +long run, inoperative, and is nowise responsible for the ultimate result. +The ruling classes have, for the moment, immense power, which they +invariably abuse, except when they are restrained, either by fear, or by +shame. The people may inspire them with fear; public opinion may inspire +them with shame. But whether or not that shall happen, depends on the +spirit of the people, and on the state of opinion. These two +circumstances are themselves governed by a long chain of antecedents, +stretching back to a period, always very distant, and sometimes so remote +as to baffle observation. When the evidence is sufficiently abundant, +those antecedents may be generalized; and their generalization conducts +us to certain large and powerful causes, on which the whole movement +depends. In short periods, the operation of these causes is +imperceptible, but in long periods, it is conspicuous and supreme; it +colours the national character; it controls the great sweep and average +of affairs. In Scotland, as I have already shown, general causes made the +people love their clergy, and made the clergy love liberty. As long as +these two facts coexisted, the destiny of the nation was safe. It might +be injured, insulted, and trampled upon. It might be harmed in various +ways; but the greater the harm, the surer the remedy, because the higher +the spirit of the country would be roused. All that was needed was, a +little more time, and a little more provocation. We, who, standing at a +distance, can contemplate these matters from an elevation, and see how +events pressed on and thickened, cannot mistake the regularity of their +sequence. Notwithstanding the apparent confusion, all was orderly and +methodical. To us, the scheme is revealed. There is the fabric, and it is +of one hue, and one make. The pattern is plainly marked, and fortunately +it was worked into a texture, whose mighty web was not to be broken, +either by the arts, or the violence, of designing men. + +It was, therefore, of no avail that tyranny did her utmost. It was of no +avail that the throne was occupied by a despotic and unscrupulous king, +who was succeeded by another, more despotic and more unscrupulous than +himself. It was of no avail that a handful of meddling and intrusive +bishops, deriving their consecration from London, and supported by the +authority of the English church, took counsel together, and conspired +against the liberties of their native land. They played the part of spies +and of traitors, but they played it in vain. Yet, everything that +government could give them, it gave. They had the law on their side, and +they had the right of administering the law. They were legislators, +councillors, and judges. They had wealth; they had high-sounding titles; +they had all the pomp and attributes for which they bartered their +independence, and with which they hoped to dazzle the eyes of the vulgar. +Still, they could not turn back the stream; they could not even stop it; +they could not prevent it from coming on, and swallowing them up in its +course. Before that generation passed away, these little men, big though +they were in their own conceit, succumbed, and fell. The hand of the age +was upon them, and they were unable to resist. They were struck down, and +humbled; they were stripped of their offices, their honours, and their +splendour: they lost all which minds like theirs hold most dear. Their +fate is an instructive lesson. It is a lesson, both to the rulers of +nations, and to those who write the history of nations. To rulers, in so +far as it is one of many proofs how little they can do, and how +insignificant is the part which they play in the great drama of the +world. To historians, the result should be especially instructive, as +convincing them that the events on which they concentrate their +attention, and which they believe to be of supreme importance, are in +reality of trifling value, and, so far from holding the first rank, ought +to be made subservient to those large and comprehensive studies, by whose +aid alone, we can ascertain the conditions which determine the tread and +destiny of nations. + +The events that now happened in Scotland, may be quickly told. The +patience of the country was well-nigh exhausted, and the day of reckoning +was at hand.[311] In 1637, the people began to rise. In the summer of +that year, the first great riot broke out in Edinburgh.[312] The flame +quickly spread, and nothing could stop it. By October, the whole nation +was up, and an accusation was preferred against the bishops, which was +signed by nearly every corporation, and by men of all ranks.[313] In +November, the Scotch, in defiance of the Crown, organized a system of +representation of their own, in which every class had a share.[314] Early +in 1638, the National Covenant was framed; and the eagerness with which +it was sworn to, showed that the people were determined, at all hazards, +to vindicate their rights.[315] It was now evident that all was over. +During the summer of 1638, preparations were made, and, in the autumn, +the storm broke. In November, the first General Assembly seen in Scotland +for twenty years, met at Glasgow.[316] The Marquis of Hamilton, the +king's commissioner, ordered the members to separate.[317] They +refused.[318] Nor would they disband, until they had done the work +expected from them.[319] By their vote, the democratic institution of +presbyteries was restored to its old power; the forms of consecration +were done away with; the bishops were degraded from their functions, and +episcopacy was abolished.[320] + + [311] In October 1637, Baillie, who was carefully watching the course of + affairs, writes, 'No man may speak any thing in publick for the + king's part, except he would have himself marked for a sacrifice + to be killed one day. I think our people possessed with a bloody + devill, farr above any thing that ever I could have imagined, + though the masse in Latine had been presented.' And, in a + postscript, dated 3rd October, he adds: 'My fears in my former + went no farther then to ane ecclesiastik separation, but now I am + more affrayit for a bloudie civill warr.' _Baillie's Letters and + Journals_, edit. Laing, Edinburgh, 1841, vol. i. pp. 23, 25. + + [312] _Laing's History of Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 131. _Chambers' + Annals_, vol. ii. pp. 101-104. _Spalding's History of the Troubles + in Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 47, 48. + + [313] 'The accusation, among themselves a bond of union, and to their + enemies a signal of hostility, was subscribed by the nobility, the + gentry, the clergy, and afterwards by all ranks, and almost by + every corporation in the kingdom.' _Laing's History of Scotland_, + vol. iii. p. 137. + + [314] _Ibid._, vol. iii. p. 138. + + [315] 'It was signed by a large majority of the people, in a paroxysm of + enthusiasm beyond all example in our history.' _Chambers' Annals_, + vol. ii. p. 105. Kirkton, who was a contemporary, says, 'And + though only eleven private men (and some of them very + inconsiderable) had the boldness first to begin this work, without + ever asking leave of king or council, yet was it very quickly + taken by all the people of Scotland, with hands lifted up in most + solemn manner.' _Kirkton's History of the Church of Scotland_, p. + 33. Lord Somerville, taking a somewhat different view of affairs, + remarks, that 'the generalitie of the natione entered into a + hellish covenant, wherein they mutually obleidged themselves to + extirpate episcopacy, and to defend each other against all + persones whatsoever, noe not excepting the persone of his sacred + majestie; but upon conditiones of ther oune frameing.' + _Somerville's Memorie of the Somervilles_, vol. ii. p. 187. + + [316] There had been no General Assembly since 1618. _Argyll's + Presbytery Examined_, p. 102; and the _Spottiswoode Miscellany_, + vol. i. p. 88. But 'the provincial synods, presbyteries, and + sessions still remained, and in these, good men mutually comforted + one another.' _Stevenson's History of the Church of Scotland_, + p. 162. + + [317] 'The assembly went on at such a rate, that the marquis judged it + no longer fit to bear with their courses.' _Burnet's Memoirs of + the Dukes of Hamilton_, p. 128. 'In end, seeing nothing said in + reason did prevail, he, in his majesty's name, dissolved the + assembly, and discharged their further proceeding under pain of + treason.' p. 135. + + [318] _Stevenson's History of the Church of Scotland_, p. 310. + + [319] 'Notwithstanding the Proclamation, the Assembly presently + thereafter met, and sat daily for divers weeks, until they had + done their affairs, and were themselves pleas'd to dissolve.' + _Guthry's Memoirs_, p. 41, edit. London, 1702. + + [320] _Acts of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland_, from + 1638 to 1842, Edinburgh, 1843, pp. 9-18. _Stevenson's History of + the Church of Scotland_, pp. 332, 338. + +Thus, the bishops fell, even more rapidly than they had risen.[321] As, +however, their fall was merely a part of the democratic movement, +matters could not stop there.[322] Scarcely had the Scotch expelled their +bishops, when they made war upon their king. In 1639, they took up arms +against Charles. In 1640, they invaded England. In 1641, the king, with +the hope of appeasing them, visited Scotland, and agreed to most of their +demands. It was too late. The people were hot, and a cry for blood had +gone forth. War again broke out. The Scotch united with the English, and +Charles was every where defeated. As a last chance, he threw himself upon +the mercy of his northern subjects,[323] But his offences were of that +rank and luxuriant growth, that it was impossible to forgive them. +Indeed, the Scotch, instead of pardoning him, turned him to profit. He +had not only trampled on their liberties, he had also put them to an +enormous expense. For the injury, he could offer no adequate atonement; +but the expense they had incurred, might be defrayed. And as it is an old +and recognized maxim, that he who cannot pay with his purse, shall pay +with his body, the Scotch saw no reason why they should not derive some +advantage from the person of their sovereign, particularly as, hitherto, +he had caused them nothing but loss and annoyance. They, therefore, gave +him up to the English, and, in return, received a large sum of money, +which they claimed as arrears due to them for the cost of making war on +him.[324] By this arrangement, both of the contracting parties benefited. +The Scotch, being very poor, obtained what they most lacked. The +English, a wealthy people, had indeed to pay the money, but they were +recompensed by getting hold of their oppressor, against whom they +thirsted for revenge; and they took good care never to let him loose, +until they had exacted the last penalty of his great and manifold +crimes.[325] + + [321] See, on their fall, some highly characteristic remarks in + _Baillie's Letters and Journals_, vol. i. p. 168. In 1639, Howell + writes from Edinburgh, 'The Bishops are all gone to wrack, and + they have had but a sorry funeral; the very name is grown so + contemptible, that a black dog, if he hath any white marks about + him, is called _Bishop_. Our Lord of Canterbury is grown here so + odious, that they call him commonly in the pulpit, the Priest of + Baal, and the Son of Belial.' _Howell's Letters_, edit. London, + 1754, p. 276. + + [322] 'That people, after they had once begun, pursued the business + vigorously, and with all imaginable contempt of the government.' + _Clarendon's History of the Rebellion_, p. 45. Now, for the first + time, the English government began to tremble. On 13th December + 1639, Secretary Windebank writes, 'His Majesty near these six + weeks last past hath been in continual consultations with a select + Committee of some of his Council (of which I have had the honour + to be one), how to redress his affairs in Scotland, the fire + continuing there, and growing to that danger, that _it threatens + not only the Monarchical Government there, but even that of this + kingdom_.' _Clarendon State Papers_, vol. ii. p. 81, Oxford, 1773, + folio. This is the earliest intimation I have met with of Charles + and his advisers being aware of their real peril. But though the + king was capable of fear, he was incapable of compunction. There + is no evidence on record, to show that he even felt remorse for + having planned and executed those arbitrary and unprincipled + measures, by which he inflicted immense misery upon Scotland and + England, but more especially upon Scotland. + + [323] 'The kinge was now so waik, haueing nether toune, fort, nor armie, + and Oxford being a waik and onfortified toune, from whence he + looked daylie to be taken perforce, he therefor resolues to cast + himself into the arms of the Scots; who, being his natine people, + and of late so ongratfullie dealt with by the Inglish, he hoped + their particular credit, and the credit of the wholl natione + depending thereupon, they would not baslie rander him to the + Inglish.' _Gordon's Britane's Distemper_, p. 193, published by the + Spalding Club, Aberdeen, 1844, 4to. + + [324] That it may not be supposed, that, as an Englishman, I + misrepresent this transaction by looking at it from an English + point of view, I will merely quote what Scotch writers have said + respecting it. 'Giveing up the king to the will and pleasure of + the English parliament, that soe they might come by ther money.' + _Somerville's Memorie of the Somervilles_, vol. ii. p. 366. 'The + Scots sold their unfortunate king, who had fled to them for + protection, to the commissioners of the English Parliament, for + 200,000_l._ sterling.' _Lyon's History of St. Andrews_, vol. ii. + p. 38. 'The incident itself was evidence of a bargain with a _quid + pro quo_.' _Burton's History of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 493. 'The + sale of the king to the parliament.' _Napier's Life of Montrose_, + Edinburgh, 1840, p. 448. 'The king was delivered up, or rather + sold, to the parliament's commissioners.' _Brown's History of + Glasgow_, vol. i. p. 91. 'Their arrears were undoubtedly due; the + amount was ascertained before the dispute concerning the disposal + of his person, and the payment was undertaken by the English + parliament, five months previous to the delivery, or surrender of + the king. But the coincidence, however unavoidable, between that + event and the actual discharge and departure of their army, still + affords a presumptive proof of the disgraceful imputation of + having sold their king; "as the English, unless previously assured + of receiving his person, would never have relinquished a sum so + considerable as to weaken themselves, while it strengthened a + people with whom such a material question remained to be + discussed."' _Laing's History of Scotland_, vol. iii. pp. 369, + 370. + + [325] A letter from Sir Edw. Hyde to Lord Hatton, dated April 12, 1649 + (in the _Clarendon State Papers_, vol. ii. p. 479, Oxf. 1773, + fol.), says of Charles II., that the Scotch 'sold his father to + those who murdered him.' But this is not true. Charles I., though + certainly bought by the English, was not murdered by them. He was + tried in the face of day; he was found guilty; he was executed. + And most assuredly never did a year pass, without men far less + criminal than he, suffering the same fate. Possibly, they are + right who deem all capital punishment needless. That, however, has + never been proved; and if this last and most terrible penalty is + ever to be exacted, I cannot tell where we should find a more + fitting subject to undergo it, than a despot who seeks to + subjugate the liberties of the people over whom he is called to + rule, inflicts cruel and illegal punishment on those who oppose + him, and, sooner than renounce his designs, engages in a civil + war, setting fathers against their children, disorganizing + society, and causing the land to run with blood. Such men are + outlaws; they are the enemies of the human race; who shall wonder + if they fall, or, having fallen, who shall pity them? + +After the execution of Charles I., the Scotch recognized his son as his +successor. But before they would crown the new king, they subjected him +to a treatment which hereditary sovereigns are not much accustomed to +receive. They made him sign a public declaration, expressing his regret +for what had happened, and acknowledging that his father, moved by evil +counsels, had unjustly shed the blood of his subjects. He was also +obliged to declare, that by these things he felt humbled in spirit. He +had, moreover, to apologize for his own errors, which he ascribed partly +to his inexperience, and partly to the badness of his education.[326] To +evince the sincerity of this confession, and in order that the confession +might be generally known, he was commanded to keep a day of fasting and +humiliation, in which the whole nation would weep and pray for him, in +the hope that he might escape the consequences of the sins committed by +his family.[327] + + [326] The declaration was signed by Charles on the 16th August 1650. An + abridgment of it is given in _Balfour's Annales of Scotland_, vol. + iv. pp. 92-94; but the entire document is preserved by Sir Edward + Walker. See _Journal of Affairs in Scotland_, in _Walker's + Historical Discourses_, London, folio, 1705, pp. 170-176. In it + Charles is made to state that, 'though his Majesty as a dutiful + son be obliged to honour the memory of his Royal Father, and have + in estimation the person of his Mother; yet doth he desire to be + deeply humbled and afflicted in spirit before God, because of his + Father's hearkening unto and following evil councils, and his + opposition to the work of reformation, and to the solemn league + and covenant by which so much of the blood of the Lord's people + hath been shed in these kingdoms.' He went on to say, that though + he might palliate his own misconduct by pleading 'his education + and age,' he thinks it better to 'ingeniously acknowledge all his + own sins and the sins of his father's house.' Burnet (_History of + his own Time_, vol. i. p. 97) says of this declaration: 'In it + there were many hard things. The king owned the sin of his father + in marrying into an idolatrous family: he acknowledged the + bloodshed in the late wars lay at his father's door: he expressed + a deep sense of his own ill education,' &c. + + [327] In reference to this event the following entry occurs in Lamont's + Journal: '1650, Dec. 22.--The fast appointed by the commission of + the kirke to be keiped througe the kingdome before the + coronatione, was keiped att Largo the forsaide day by Mr. Ja. + Magill; his lecture, Reu. 3. from v. 14 to the end of the chapt.; + his text Reu. 2. 4, 5. Vpon the Thursday following, the 26 of this + instant, the fast was keiped in likemaner; his lecture 2. Chro. 29 + to v. 12; his text 2. Chron. 12, 12. The causes of the first day + (not read) was, the great contempt of the gospell, holden forth in + its branches; of the second day (which were read), the sinns of + the king, and of his father's house, where sundry offences of K. + James the 6 were aknowledged, and of K. Charles the 1, and of K. + Ch. the 2, nowe king.' _The Diary of Mr. John Lamont of Newton_, + p. 25, Edinburgh, 1830, 4to. See also _Baillie's Letters and + Journals_, vol. iii. p. 107; _Nicoll's Diary_, Edinburgh, 4to, + 1836, p. 38; _Row's Continuation of Blair's Autobiography_, edit. + Wodrow Society, p. 255; _Bower's History of the University of + Edinburgh_, vol. i. p. 253; _Presbytery Book of Strathbogie_, + edit. Spalding Club, p. 169; and, above all, the _Registers of the + Presbytery of Lanark_, published by the Abbotsford Club, + Edinburgh, 1839, 4to, pp. 88, 89. + +The spirit, of which acts like these are but symptoms, continued to +animate the Scotch during the rest of the seventeenth century. And +fortunately for them it did so. For, the reigns of Charles II. and James +II. were but repetitions of the reigns of James I. and Charles I. From +1660 to 1688, Scotland was again subjected to a tyranny, so cruel, and +so exhausting, that it would have broken the energy of almost any other +nation.[328] The nobles, whose power had been slowly but constantly +declining,[329] were unable to resist the English, with whom, indeed, +they rather seemed willing to combine, in order that they might have a +share in plundering and oppressing their own country.[330] In this, the +most unhappy period through which Scotland had passed since the +fourteenth century, the government was extremely powerful; the upper +classes, crouching before it, thought only of securing their own safety; +the judges were so corrupt, that justice, instead of being badly +administered, was not administered at all;[331] and the parliament, +completely overawed, consented to what was termed the recissory act, by +which, at a single stroke, all laws were repealed which had been enacted +since 1633; it being considered that those twenty-eight years formed an +epoch of which the memory should, if possible, be effaced.[332] + + [328] Wodrow, who had before him the records of the Privy Council, + besides other evidence now lost, says, that the period from 1660 + to 1688 was 'a very horrid scene of oppression, hardships, and + cruelty, which, were it not incontestably true, and well vouched + and supported, could not be credited in after ages.' _Wodrow's + History of the Church of Scotland from the Restoration to the + Revolution_, vol. i. p. 57. And the Reverend Alexander Shields, + quaintly, but truly, observes, 'that the said Government was the + most untender, unpeaceable, tyrannical, arbitrary and wicked, that + ever was in Scotland in any age or period.' _Shields' Scots + Inquisition_, Edinburgh, 1745, p. 24. + + [329] When James I. ascended the throne of England, 'the principal + native nobility' accompanied him; and 'the very peace which ensued + upon the union of the crowns, may be considered as the + commencement of an era in which many of our national strongholds + were either transformed into simple residences or utterly + deserted.' _Irving's History of Dumbartonshire_, 4to, 1860, pp. + 137, 166. The nobles 'had no further occasion to make a figure in + war, their power in vassalage was of little use, and their + influence of course decayed. They knew little of the arts of + peace, and had no disposition to cultivate them.' _The Interest of + Scotland Considered_, Edinburgh, 1733, p. 85. Under Charles I., + the movement continued; 'which fell out, partly through the + giddiness of the times, but more by the way his Majesty had taken + at the beginning of his reign; at which time he did recover from + divers of them their hereditary offices, and also pressed them to + quit their tithes (which formerly had kept the gentry in a + dependance upon them), whereby they were so weaken'd that now when + he stood most in need of them (except the chief of the clans) they + could command none but their vassals.' _Guthry's Memoirs_, edit. + 1702, pp. 127, 128. Then came the civil wars, and the rule of + Cromwell, during which they suffered both in person and in + property. Compare _Chambers' Annals_, vol. ii. p. 225, with + _Laing's History of Scotland_, vol. iii. pp. 515, 516. In 1654, + Baillie writes (_Letters and Journals_, vol. iii. p. 249): 'Our + nobilitie, weell near all, are wracked.' In 1656, 'Our nobles + lying up in prisons, and under forfaultries, or debts, private or + publict, are for the most part either broken or breaking.' + _Ibid._, p. 317. And, in 1658, the same observer writes (vol. iii. + p. 387): 'Our noble families are almost gone: Lennox hes little in + Scotland unsold; Hamilton's estate, except Arran and the Baronrie + of Hamilton, is sold; Argyle can pay little annuelrent for seven + or eight hundred thousand merks; and he is no more drowned in debt + than publict hatred, almost of all, both Scottish and English; the + Gordons are gone; the Douglasses little better; Eglintoun and + Glencairn on the brink of breaking; many of our chief families + estates are cracking; nor is there any appearance of any human + relief for the tyme.' + + The result of all this is thus described by Wodrow, under the year + 1661: 'Our nobility and gentry were remarkably changed to the + worst: it was but few of such, who had been active in the former + years, were now alive, and those few were marked out for ruin. A + young generation had sprung up under the English government, + educated under penury and oppression; their estates were under + burden, and many of them had little other prospect of mending + their fortunes, but by the king's favour, and so were ready to act + that part he was best pleased with.' _Wodrow's History of the + Church of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 89. + + [330] 'At the Restoration, Charles II. regained full possession of the + royal prerogative in Scotland; and the nobles, whose estates were + wasted, or their spirit broken, by the calamities to which they + have been exposed, were less able and less willing than ever to + resist the power of the crown. During his reign, and that of James + VII., the dictates of the monarch were received in Scotland with + most abject submission. The poverty to which many of the nobles + were reduced, rendered them meaner slaves and more intolerable + tyrants than ever. The people, always neglected, were now odious, + and loaded with every injury, on account of their attachment to + religious and political principles, extremely repugnant to those + adopted by their princes.' _Robertson's History of Scotland_, book + viii. pp. 257, 258. + + [331] A writer of great authority, speaking of the time of William III., + says: 'It is scarcely possible to conceive how utterly polluted + the fountain of justice had become during the two preceding + reigns. The Scottish bench had been profligate and subservient to + the utmost conceivable extent of profligacy and subserviency.' + _Burton's History of Scotland_, from 1689 to 1748, London, 1853, + vol. i p. 72. See also vol. ii. p. 37; and _Brown's History of + Glasgow_, vol. i. p. 194, Glasgow, 1795. + + [332] _Laing's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 10. _Baillie's Letters + and Journals_, vol. iii. p. 458. As few persons take the trouble + to read Scotch Acts of Parliament, I will extract from this one, + its most argumentative passage. 'And forasmuch as now it hath + pleased Almighty God, by the power of his oune right hand, so + miracoulously to restore the Kings Maiestie to the Government of + his Kingdomes, and to the exercise of his Royall power and + Soveranity over the same: The estates of Parlia^t doe conceave + themselffs obleidged in dischairge of ther duetie and conscience + to God and the Kings Maiestie, to imploy all their power and + interest for vindicateing his Maiesties Authority from all these + violent invasions that have been made upon it; And so far as is + possible to _remove out of the way every thing that may retaine + any remembrance of these things_ which have been so enjurious to + his Matie and his Authority, so prejudiciall and dishonourable to + the kingdome, and distructive to all just and true interests + within the same.' ... 'Not to retaine any remembrance thairof, but + that the same shall be held in _everlasting oblivion_.' _Acts of + the Parliaments of Scotland_, vol. vii. p. 87, edit. folio, 1820. + The date of this Act is 28th March 1661. + +But, though the higher ranks ignominiously deserted their post, and +destroyed the laws which upheld the liberties of Scotland, the result +proved that the liberties themselves were indestructible. This was +because the spirit remained, by which the liberties had been won. The +nation was sound at the core; and while that was the case, legislators +could, indeed, abolish the external manifestations of freedom, but could +by no means touch the causes on which the freedom depended. Liberty was +prostrate, but yet it lived. And the time would surely come, when a +people, who loved it so dearly, would vindicate their rights. The time +would come, when, in the words of the great poet of English liberty, the +nation would rouse herself like a strong man after sleep, and, shaking +her invincible locks, would be as an eagle muing her mighty youth, +kindling her undazzled eyes at the midday beam, and purging and unscaling +her sight at the heavenly fountain; while the timorous birds of her evil +destiny, loving the twilight, should flutter about, amazed at what she +meant. + +Still, the crisis was sad and dangerous. The people, deserted by every +one except their clergy, were ruthlessly plundered, murdered, and hunted, +like wild-beasts, from place to place. From the tyranny of the bishops, +they had so recently smarted, that they abhorred episcopacy more than +ever; and yet that institution was not only forced upon them, but +government put at its head Sharp, a cruel and rapacious man, who, in +1661, was raised to the archbishopric of St. Andrews.[333] He set up a +court of ecclesiastical commission, which filled the prisons to +overflowing; and when they would hold no more, the victims were +transported to Barbadoes, and other unhealthy settlements.[334] The +people, being determined not to submit to the dictation of government +respecting their religious worship, met together in private houses; and, +when that was declared illegal, they fled from their houses to the +fields. But there, too, the bishops were upon them.[335] Lauderdale, who, +for many years, was at the head of affairs, was greatly influenced by the +new prelates, and aided them with the authority of the executive.[336] +Under their united auspices, a new contrivance was hit upon; and a body +of soldiers, commanded by Turner, a drunken and ferocious soldier, was +let loose upon the people.[337] The sufferers, galled to madness, rose +in arms. This was made the pretence, in 1667, for fresh military +executions, by which some of the fairest parts of western Scotland were +devastated, houses burned, men tortured, women ravished.[338] In 1670, an +act of parliament was passed, declaring that whoever preached in the +fields without permission should be put to death.[339] Some lawyers were +found bold enough to defend innocent men, when they were tried for their +lives; it was therefore determined to silence them also, and, in 1674, a +great part of the Faculty of Advocates was expelled from Edinburgh.[340] +In 1678, by the express command of government, the Highlanders were +brought down from their mountains, and, during three months, were +encouraged to slay, plunder, and burn at their pleasure, the inhabitants +of the most populous and industrious parts of Scotland. For centuries, +the bitterest animosity had existed between the Highlanders and +Lowlanders; and now these savage mountaineers were called from their +homes, that they might take full revenge. And well they glutted their +ire. During three months, they enjoyed every license. Eight thousand[341] +armed Highlanders, invited by the English government, and receiving +beforehand an indemnity for every excess,[342] were left to work their +will upon the towns and villages of Western Scotland. They spared neither +age nor sex. They deprived the people of their property; they even +stripped them of their clothes, and sent them out naked to die in the +fields. Upon many, they inflicted the most horrible tortures. Children, +torn from their mothers, were foully abused; while both mothers and +daughters were subjected to a fate, compared to which death would have +been a joyful alternative.[343] + + [333] He was made 'primate' in 1661, but did not arrive in Scotland till + April 1662. _Wodrow's History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. + pp. 236, 247; and _Nicoll's Diary_, pp. 363, 364. 'That he was + decent, if not regular, in his deportment, endued with the most + industrious diligence, and not illiterate, was never disputed; + that he was vain, vindictive, perfidious, at once haughty and + servile, rapacious and cruel, his friends have never attempted to + disown.' _Laing's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. pp. 98, 99. The + formal establishment of episcopacy was in the autumn of 1661, as + we learn from an entry in Lamont's Diary. '1661. Sept. 5 being + Thursday, (the chancelour, Glencairne, and the E. of Rothes, + haueing come downe from court some dayes before,) the cownsell of + state satt att Edb., and the nixt day, being Fryday, they caused + emitte and be proclaimed ouer the Crosse, a proclamation in his + Maj. name, for establishing Episcopacie againe in the church of + Scotlande; which was done with great solemnitie, and was + afterwarde printed. _All persons, wither men or weomen, were + discharged to speake against that office, under the paine of + treason._' _The Diary of Mr. John Lamont_, p. 140. This, as we + learn from another contemporary, was on account of 'the Kinges + Majestie having stedfastlie resolvit to promove the estait, power, + and dignitie of Bischops, and to _remove all impedimentes contrary + thairto_.' _Nicoll's Diary_, 4to, p. 353; on 21st November 1661. + This curious diary, written by John Nicoll, and extending from + 1650 to 1667, was printed at Edinburgh, in 1836, by the Bannatyne + Club, and is now not often met with. + + [334] _Wodrow's History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 383, + 390-395. _Laing's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 38: 'A court + of ecclesiastical commission was procured by Sharp.' See also p. + 41: 'Under the influence of Sharp and the prelates, which + Lauderdale's friends were unable to resist, the government seemed + to be actuated by a blind resentment against its own subjects.' + Compare _Burnet's History of his own Time_, vol. i. p. 365. 'The + truth is, the whole face of the government looked liker the + proceedings of an inquisition than of legal courts; and yet Sharp + was never satisfied.' Another contemporary, Kirkton, says of these + Commissioners: 'For ought I could hear, never one appeared before + them that escapt without punishment. Their custom was without + premonition or lybell, to ask a man a question, and judge him + presently, either upon his silence or his answer.' ... 'They many + times doubled the legal punishment; and not being satisfied with + the fyne appointed by law, they used to add religation to some + remote places, or deportation to Barbadoes, or selling into + slavery.' _Kirkton's History of the Church of Scotland_, p. 206. + See also _Naphtali, or the Wrestlings of the Church of Scotland_, + 1667, pp. 126-130. But as particular cases bring such matters more + clearly before the mind, I will transcribe, from _Crookshank's + History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 154, the sentences + pronounced on a single occasion by this episcopal court. 'The + treatment of some of the parishioners of Ancrum is not to be + omitted. When their excellent minister, Mr. Livingstone, was taken + from them, one Mr. James Scot, who was under the sentence of + excommunication, was presented to that charge. On the day fixed + for his settlement, several people did meet together to oppose it; + and particularly a country woman, desiring to speak with him in + order to dissuade him from intruding himself upon a reclaiming + people, pulled him by the cloak, intreating him to hear her a + little; whereupon he turned and beat her with his staff. This + provoked two or three boys to throw a few stones, which neither + touched him nor any of his company. However, it was presently + looked upon as a treasonable tumult, and therefore the sheriff and + justices of the peace in that bounds fined and imprisoned some of + these people, which, one would think, might atone for a crime of + this nature. But the high-commission, not thinking that + sufficient, ordered those criminals to be brought before them. + Accordingly, the four boys and this woman, with two brothers of + hers of the name of Turnbull, were brought prisoners to Edinburgh. + The four boys confessed, that, upon Scot's beating the woman, they + had thrown each his stone. The commissioner told them that hanging + was too good for them. However, the sentence of this merciless + court only was, that they should be scourged through the city of + Edinburgh, burnt in the face with a hot iron, and then sold as + slaves to Barbadoes. The boys endured their punishment like men + and Christians, to the admiration of multitudes. The two brothers + were banished to Virginia; and the woman was ordered to be whipped + through the town of Jedburgh. Burnet, bishop of Glasgow, when + applied to that she might be spared lest she should be with child, + mildly answered, That he would make them claw the itch out of her + shoulders.' + + [335] They were invested with such immense power, that 'the old set of + bishops made by the parliament, 1612, were but pigmies to the + present high and mighty lords.' _Wodrow's History of the Church of + Scotland_, vol. i. p. 262. See also, at p. 286, the remarks of + Douglas: 'It is no wonder then the complaint against their bishops + be, that their little finger is thicker than the loins of the + former.' + + [336] In 1663, Middleton was dismissed; and was succeeded by Lauderdale, + who 'was dependent upon the prelates, and was compelled to yield + to their most furious demands.' _Laing's History of Scotland_, + vol. iv. p. 33. 'The influence, or rather the tyranny, which was + thus at the discretion of the prelates, was unlimited; and they + exercised it with an unsparing hand.' _Bower's History of the + University of Edinburgh_, vol. i. p. 284. + + [337] 'Sir James Turner, that commanded them, was naturally fierce, but + was mad when he was drunk; and that was very often.' _Burnet's + History of his own Time_, vol. i. p. 364. Kirkton (_History of the + Church_, p. 221) says: 'Sir James Turner hade made ane expedition + to the west countrey _to subdue it to the bishops_, in the year + 1664; another in the year 1665; and a third in the year 1666; and + this was the worst.' Full particulars will be found in _Wodrow's + History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 373-375, 411, vol. + ii. pp. 8, 17, vol. iii. pp. 264, 265. 'This method of dragooning + people to the church, as it is contrary to the spirit of + Christianity, so it was a stranger in Scotland, till Bishop Sharpe + and the prelates brought it in.' vol. i. p. 401. + + Sir James Turner, whose Memoirs, written by himself, were not + published till thirty years ago, relates an anecdote of his own + drunkenness in a strain of maudlin piety well worthy of his + career. _Turner's Memoirs of his own Life_, Edinburgh, 1829, 4to, + pp. 42, 43. At p. 206, this impudent man writes: 'And yet I + confesse, my humour never was, nor is not yet, one of the calmest; + when it will be, God onlie knoues; yet by many sad passages of my + life, I know that _it hath beene good for me to be afflicted_.' + Perhaps, however, he may take the benefit of his assertion (p. + 144), 'that I was so farre from exceeding or transgressing my + commission and instructions, that I never came the full length of + them.' Considering the cruelties he committed, what sort of + instructions could his superiors have given to him? + + [338] 'Sir James Turner lately had forced Galloway to rise in arms, by + his cruelty the last and former years; but he was an easy master, + compared with General Dalziel, his ruffians, and Sir William + Bannatyne, this year.' _Wodrow's Church of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. + 62. Dalziel 'cruelly tortured whom he would.' p. 63. One woman 'is + brought prisoner to Kilmarnock, where she was sentenced to be let + down to a deep pit, under the house of the dean, full of toads and + other vile creatures. Her shrieks thence were heard at a great + distance.' p. 64. Two countrymen were 'bound together with cords, + and hanged up by their thumbs to a tree, there to hang all night.' + _Ibid._ Sir William Bannatyne's soldiers seized a woman, 'and + bound her, and put lighted matches betwixt her fingers for several + hours; the torture and pain made her almost distracted; she lost + one of her hands, and in a few days she died.' _Ibid._ + 'Oppressions, murders, robberies, rapes.' p. 65. 'He made great + fires, and laid down men to roast before them, when they would + not, or could not, give him the money he required, or the + information he was seeking.' p. 104. See also _Crookshank's + History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 204-207. The + History is based upon Wodrow's great work, but contains many facts + with which Wodrow was unacquainted. See _Crookshank_, vol. i. p. + 11. Respecting the outrages in 1667, there are some horrible + details in a book published in that very year, under the title of + _Naphtali, or the Wrestlings of the Church of Scotland_. See, + especially, the summary at p. 174: 'wounding, beating, stripping + and imprisoning mens persons, violent breaking of their houses + both by day and night, and beating and wounding of wives and + children, ravishing and deflowring of women, forcing wives and + other persons by fired matches and other tortures to discover + their husbands and nearest relations, although it be not within + the compass of their knowledge, and driving and spoiling all their + goods that can be carried away, without respect to guilt or + innocency.' + + [339] 'That whosoever without licence or authoritie forsaid shall preach, + expound Scripture, or pray at any of these meetings in the ffeild, + or in any house wher ther be moe persons nor the house contains, + so as some of them be without doors (which is hereby declared to + be a feild conventicle), or who shall convocat any number of + people to these meetings, shall be punished with death and + confiscation of ther goods.' _Acts of the Parliaments of + Scotland_, vol. viii. p. 9, edit. 1820, folio. This was on the + 13th August 1670. + + [340] The immediate pretence being, to do away with appeals. See + _Laing's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. pp. 72-74. + + [341] 'Savage hosts of Highlanders were sent down to depopulate the + western shires, to the number of ten or eleven thousand, who acted + most outrageous barbarities, even almost to the laying some + counties desolate.' _A Cloud of Witnesses for the Royal + Prerogatives of Jesus Christ_, edit. Glasgow, 1779, p. 18. But + most authorities state the number to have been eight thousand. See + _Kirkton's History_, p. 386; _Arnot's History of Edinburgh_, p. + 154; _Burnet's History of his own Time_, vol. ii. p. 134; + _Denholm's History of Glasgow_, p. 67; and _Life and Sufferings of + John Nisbet_, in _Select Biographies_, published by the Wodrow + Society, vol. ii. p. 381. Chalmers, however, in his _Caledonia_, + vol. iii. p. 592, says 10,000. + + [342] 'They were indemnified against all pursuits, civil and criminal, + on account of killing, wounding, apprehending, or imprisoning, + such as should oppose them.' _Crookshank's History of the Church + of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 337, 338. + + [343] Short and imperfect notices of this 'Highland Host,' as it was + called at the time, may be found in _Kirkton's History_, pp. + 385-390, and in _Crookshank's History_, vol. i. pp. 354, 355. But + the fullest account of the enormities committed by these + barbarians, is in Wodrow's great work, collected from authentic + and official documents. See his _History of the Church of + Scotland_, vol. ii. pp. 375-413, 421-432, vol. iii. pp. 76, 79, + 486. They were provided beforehand with implements of torture. + 'They had good store of iron shackles, as if they were to lead + back vast numbers of slaves, and thumb-locks, as they call them' + (_i.e._ thumb-screws), 'to make their examinations and trials + with.' vol. ii. p. 389. 'In some places they tortured people, by + scorching their bodies at vast fires, and other wise,' vol. ii. p. + 422. Compare _Laing's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 88. + 'Neither age nor sex was exempt from outrage, and torture was + freely employed to extort a confession of hidden wealth.' And, at + p. 91, 'The Highlanders, after exacting free quarters, and wasting + the country for three months, were dismissed to their hills with + impunity and wealth.' + +It was in this way, that the English government sought to break the +spirit, and to change the opinions, of the Scotch people. The nobles +looked on in silence, and, so far from resisting, had not even the +courage to remonstrate. The parliament was equally servile, and +sanctioned whatever the government demanded. Still, the people were firm. +Their clergy, drawn from the middle classes, clung to them; they clung to +their clergy, and both were unchanged. The bishops were hated as allies +of the government, and were with reason regarded as public enemies. They +were known to have favoured, and often to have suggested, the atrocities +which had been committed;[344] and they were so pleased with the +punishment inflicted upon their opponents, that no one was surprised, +when, a few years later, they, in an address to James II., the most cruel +of all the Stuarts, declared that he was the darling of heaven, and hoped +that God might give him the hearts of his subjects, and the necks of his +enemies.[345] + + [344] 'Indeed, the whole of the severity, hardships, and bloodshed from + this year' (1661), 'until the revolution, was either actually + brought on by the bishops, procured by them, or done for their + support.' _Wodrow's History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. p. + 223. 'It was our prelates who pushed the council to most of their + severities.' p. 247. 'The bishops, indeed, violently pushed + prosecutions.' _Crookshank's History of the Church_, vol. i. + p. 298. In 1666, 'As to the prelates, they resolved to use all + severities, and to take all imaginable cruel and rigorous ways and + courses, first against the rest of the prisoners, and then against + the whole west of Scotland.' _Row's Continuation of Blair's + Autobiography_, pp. 505, 506, edit. Edinburgh, 1848. This + interesting work is edited by Dr. M'Crie, and published by the + Wodrow Society. + + [345] In 1688, 'the bishops concurred in a pious and convivial address to + James, as the darling of heaven, that God might give him the + hearts of his subjects and the necks of his enemies.' _Laing's + History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 193. + +The character of the prince, whom the bishops thus delighted to honour, +is now well understood. Horrible as were the crimes which had been +perpetrated, they were surpassed by what occurred, when he, in 1680, +assumed the direction of affairs.[346] He had worked himself to that +pitch of iniquity, as to derive actual enjoyment from witnessing the +agonies of his fellow-creatures. This is an abyss of wickedness, into +which even the most corrupt natures rarely fall. There have been, and +always will be, many men who care nothing for human suffering, and who +will inflict any amount of pain, in order to gain certain ends. But to +take delight in the spectacle, is a peculiar and hideous abomination. +James, however, was so dead to shame, that he did not care even to +conceal his horrible tastes. Whenever torture was inflicted, he was sure +to be present, feasting his eyes, and revelling with a fiendish joy.[347] +It makes our flesh creep to think that such a man should have been the +ruler of millions. But what shall we say to the Scotch bishops, who +applauded him, of whose conduct they were daily witnesses? Where can we +find language strong enough to stigmatize those recreant priests, who, +having passed years in attempting to subjugate the liberties of their +country, did, towards the close of their career, and just before their +final fall, band together, and employ their united authority, as +ministers of a holy and peaceful religion, to stamp with public approval, +a prince, whose malignant cruelty made him loathed by his contemporaries, +and whose revolting predilections, unless we ascribe them to a diseased +brain, are not only a slur upon the age which tolerated them, but a +disgrace to the higher instincts of our common nature? + + [346] 'After the Duke of York came down in October'(1680), 'the + persecution turned yet more severe.' _Wodrow's History of the + Church of Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 225. 'Persecution and tyranny, + mainly promoted by the Duke of York's instigation.' _Shields' Hind + let loose_, p. 147. 'Immediately upon his mounting the throne, the + executions and acts prosecuting the persecution of the poor + wanderers, were more cruel than ever.' p. 200. + + [347] This was well known in Scotland; and is evidently alluded to by a + writer of that time, the Rev. Alexander Shields, who calls James, + not a man, but a monster. See _Shields' Hind let loose_, 1687, p. + 365. 'This man, or monster rather, that is now mounted the + throne.' And a monster surely he was. Compare _Crookshank's + History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 66, where it is + mentioned that, when Spreul was tortured, 'the Duke of York was + pleased to gratify his eyes with this delightful scene.' Also, + _Wodrow's History_, vol. iii. p. 253, and _Laing's History of + Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 116. According to Burnet, 'the duke's + pleasure at witnessing human agony was a cold, and, as it were, a + speculative pleasure, as if he were present for the purpose of + contemplating some curious experiment. But James was so excitable + a man, that this is hardly likely. At all events, the remarks of + Burnet have a painful interest for those who study these dark, + and, as we may rejoice to think, these very rare, forms of human + malignity.' 'When any are to be struck in the boots, it is done in + the presence of the council; and upon that occasion, almost all + offer to run away. The sight is so dreadful, that without an order + restraining such a number to stay, the board would be forsaken. + But the duke, while he had been in Scotland, was so far from + withdrawing, that he looked on all the while with an unmoved + indifference, and _with an attention, as if he had been to look on + some curious experiment_. This gave a terrible idea of him to all + that observed it, as of a man that had no bowels nor humanity in + him.' _Burnet's History of his own Time_, vol. ii. pp. 416, 417. + +So utterly corrupt, however, were the ruling classes in Scotland, that +such crimes seem hardly to have excited indignation. The sufferers were +refractory subjects, and against them every thing was lawful. The usual +torture, which was called the torture of the boots, was to place the leg +in a frame, into which wedges were driven, until the bones were +broken.[348] But when James visited Scotland, an opinion began to grow +up, that this was too lenient, and that other means must be devised. The +spirit which he communicated to his subordinates, animated his immediate +successors, and, in 1684, during his absence, a new instrument was +introduced, termed the thumbikins. This was composed of small steel +screws, arranged with such diabolical art, that not only the thumb, but +also the whole hand, could be compressed by them, producing pain more +exquisite than any hitherto known, and having, moreover, the advantage of +not endangering life; so that the torture could be frequently repeated on +the same person.[349] + + [348] Shields (_A Hind let loose_, p. 186) describes the boots, as 'a + cruel engine of iron, whereby, with wedges, the leg is tortured, + until the marrow come out of the bone.' Compare _Naphtali, or the + Wrestlings of the Church of Scotland_, 1667, p. 268: 'the + extraordinary compression both of flesh, sinews, and bones, by the + force of timber wedges and hammer.' + + [349] In 1684, Carstairs was subjected to this torture. See his own + account, in a letter printed in _Wodrow's History of the Church of + Scotland_, vol. iv. pp. 96-100. He writes (p. 99): 'After this + communing, the king's smith was called in, to bring in a new + instrument to torture by the thumbkins, that had never been used + before. For whereas the former was only to screw on two pieces of + iron above and below with finger and thumb, these were made to + turn about the screw with the whole hand. And under this torture, + I continued near an hour and a half.' See also the case of Spence, + in the same year, in _Burnet's History of his own Time_, vol. ii. + p. 418. 'Little screws of steel were made use of, that screwed the + thumbs with so exquisite a torment, that he sunk under this; for + Lord Perth told him, they would screw every joint of his whole + body, one after another, till he took the oath.' Laing (_History + of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 143) says, 'the thumbikins; small screws + of steel that compressed the thumb and the whole hand with an + exquisite torture;' an invention brought by Drummond and Dalziel + from Russia. For other notices, see _Fountainhall's Notes of + Scottish Affairs_ from 1680 till 1701, Edinburgh, 4to, 1822, pp. + 41, 97, 101; _Bower's History of the University of Edinburgh_, + vol. ii. p. 30; _Crookshank's History of the Church of Scotland_, + vol. ii. p. 192; _A Cloud of Witnesses for the Royal Prerogatives + of Jesus Christ_, edit. Glasgow, 1779, p. 371; and _Life of Walter + Smith_, p. 85, in the second volume of _Walker's Biographia + Presbyteriana_, Edinburgh, 1827. + +After this, little more need be said.[350] From the mere mention of such +things, the mind recoils with disgust. The reader of the history of that +time sickens and faints at the contrivances by which these abject +creatures sought to stifle public opinion, and to ruin, for ever, a +gallant and high-spirited people. But now, as before, they laboured in +vain. More yet was, however, to be borne. The short reign of James II. +was ushered in by an act of singular barbarity. A few weeks after this +bad man came to the throne, all the children in Annandale and Nithsdale, +between the ages of six and ten, were seized by the soldiers, separated +from their parents, and threatened with immediate death.[351] The next +step was, to banish, by wholesale, large numbers of adults, who were +shipped off to unhealthy settlements; many of the men first losing their +ears, and the women being branded, some on the hand, some on the +cheek.[352] Those, however, who remained behind, were equal to the +emergency, and were ready to do what remained to be done. In 1688, as in +1642, the Scotch people and the English people united against their +common oppressor, who saved himself by sudden and ignominious flight. He +was a coward as well as a despot, and from him there was no further +danger. The bishops, indeed, loved him; but they were an insignificant +body, and had enough to do to look to themselves. His only powerful +friends were the Highlanders. That barbarous race thought, with regret, +of those bygone days when the government had not only allowed them, but +had ordered them, to plunder and oppress their southern neighbours. For +this purpose, Charles II. had availed himself of their services; and it +could hardly be doubted, that if the Stuart dynasty were restored, they +would be again employed, and would again enrich themselves by pillaging +the Lowlanders.[353] War was their chief amusement; it was also their +livelihood; and it was the only thing that they understood.[354] Besides +this, the mere fact that James no longer possessed authority, +wonderfully increased their loyalty towards him. The Highlanders +flourished by rapine, and traded in anarchy.[355] They, therefore, hated +any government which was strong enough to punish crime; and the Stuarts +being now far away, this nation of thieves loved them with an ardour +which nothing but their absence could have caused. From William III., +they feared restraint; but the exiled prince could do them no hurt, and +would look on their excesses as the natural result of their zeal. Not +that they cared about the principle of monarchical succession, or +speculated on the doctrine of divine right.[356] The only succession that +interested them, was that of their chiefs. Their only notion of right, +was to do what those chiefs commanded. Being miserably poor,[357] they, +in raising a rebellion, risked nothing except their lives, of which, in +that state of society, men are always reckless. If they failed, they +encountered a speedy, and, as they deemed it, an honourable death. If +they succeeded, they gained fame and wealth. In either case, they were +sure of many enjoyments. They were sure of being able, for a time at +least, to indulge in pillage and murder, and to practise, without +restraint, those excesses which they regarded as the choicest guerdon of +a soldier's career. + + [350] 'In 1684, the Scottish nation was in the most distressing and + pitiable situation that can be imagined.' ... 'The state of + society had now become such, that, in Edinburgh, attention to + ordinary business was neglected, and every one was jealous of his + neighbour.' _Bower's History of the University of Edinburgh_, + vol. i. p. 307. + + [351] 'Upon the 10th of March, all freeholders, heritors, and gentlemen + in Nithsdale and Annandale, and, I suppose, in most other shires + of the kingdom, but I name those as being the scene of the + severities now used, were summoned to attend the king's standard; + and the militia in the several shires were raised. Wherever + Claverhouse came, he resolved upon narrow and universal work. He + used to set his horse upon the hills and eminences, and that in + different parties, that none might escape; and there his foot went + through the lower, marshy, and mossy places, where the horse could + not do so well. The shire he parcelled out in so many divisions, + and six or eight miles square would be taken in at once. In every + division, the whole inhabitants, men and women, young and old, + without distinction, were all driven into one convenient place.' + ... 'All the children in the division were gathered together by + themselves, under ten years, and above six years of age, and a + party of soldiers were drawn out before them. Then they were bid + pray, for they were going to be shot. Some of them would answer, + Sir, we cannot pray.' ... 'At other times, they treated them most + inhumanly, threatening them with death, and at some little + distance would fire pistols without ball in their face. Some of + the poor children were frighted almost out of their wits, and + others of them stood all out with a courage perfectly above their + age. These accounts are so far out of the ordinary way of mankind, + that I would not have insert them, had I not before me several + informations agreeing in all these circumstances, written at this + time by people who knew the truth of them.' _Wodrow's History of + the Church of Scotland_, vol. iv. pp. 255, 256. + + [352] 'Numbers were transported to Jamaica, Barbadoes, and the North + American settlements; but the women were not unfrequently burnt in + the cheek, and the ears of the men were lopt off, to prevent, or + to detect, their return,' _Laing's History of Scotland_, vol. iv. + p. 162. 'Great multitudes banished,' _Wodrow's History of the + Church_, vol. iv. p. 211. In July 1685, 'the men are ordered to + have their ears cropt, and the women to be marked in their hand.' + p. 217. 'To have the following stigma and mark, that they may be + known as banished persons if they shall return to this kingdom, + _viz._ that the men have one of their ears cut off by the hand of + the hangman, and that the women be burnt by the same hand on the + cheek with a burned iron.' p. 218. These are extracts from the + proceedings of the privy-council. + + [353] 'James II. favoured the Highland clans,' Note in _Fountainhall's + Scottish Affairs_ from 1680 till 1701, p. 100. He could hardly do + otherwise. The alliance was natural, and ready-made for him. + + [354] Except robbing, which, however, in one form or other, is always a + part of war. In this, they were very apt. Burnet (_History of his + own Time_, vol. i. p. 67) pithily describes them as 'good at + robbing;' and Burton (_Lives of Lovat and Forbes_, p. 47) says, + 'To steal even vestments was considerably more creditable than to + make them.' Otherwise, they were completely absorbed by their + passion for war. See _Thomson's Memoirs of the Jacobites_, + vol. ii. pp. 175, 176, London, 1845. + + [355] 'Revenge was accounted a duty, the destruction of a neighbour a + meritorious exploit, and rapine an honourable employment.' + _Browne's History of the Highlands_, vol. iv. p. 395. 'The spirit + of rivalry between the clans kept up a taste for hostility, and + converted rapine into a service of honour.' _Thomson's Memoirs of + the Jacobites_, vol. ii. p. 229. + + [356] Hence, looking, as they did, merely at the physical qualities of + individuals, the appearance of the Pretender in 1715 disgusted + them, notwithstanding his splendid lineage. See some excellent + remarks in _Burton's History of Scotland_, from 1689 to 1748, + London, 1853, vol. ii. pp. 198, 199. At p. 383, Mr. Burton justly + observes, that 'those who really knew the Highlanders were aware + that the followers were no more innate supporters of King James's + claim to the throne of Britain, than of Maria Theresa's to the + throne of Hungary. They went with the policy of the head of the + clan, whatever that might be; and though upwards of half a + century's advocacy of the exiled house' (this refers to the last + rebellion in 1745) 'had made Jacobitism appear a political creed + in some clans, it was among the followers, high and low, little + better than a nomenclature, which might be changed with + circumstances.' Since Robertson, Mr. Burton and Mr. Chambers are, + I will venture to say, the two writers who have taken the most + accurate and comprehensive views of the history of Scotland. + Robertson's History stops short where the most important period + begins; and his materials were scanty. But what he effected with + those materials was wonderful. To my mind, his History of Scotland + is much the greatest of his works. + + [357] A curious description of their appearance, given by the _Derby + Mercury_ in 1746 (in _Thomson's Memoirs of the Jacobites_, vol. + iii. p. 115), may be compared with the more general statement in + _Anderson's Prize Essay on the Highlands_, Edinburgh, 1827, p. + 128. 'Cattle were the main resources of the tribe--the acquisition + of these the great object of their hostile forrays. The precarious + crops gave them wherewithal to bake their oaten cakes, or distil + their ale or whisky. When these failed, the crowded population + suffered every extreme of misery and want. At one time in + particular, in Sutherland, they were compelled to subsist on broth + made of nettles, thickened with a little oatmeal. At another, + those who had cattle, to have recourse to the expedient of + bleeding them, and mixing the blood with oatmeal, which they + afterwards cut into slices and fried.' + +So far, therefore, from wondering at the rebellions of 1715 and +1745,[358] the only wonder is, that they did not break out sooner, and +that they were not better supported. In 1745, when the sudden appearance +of the rebels struck England with terror, and when they penetrated even +to the heart of the kingdom, their numbers, even at their height, +including Lowland and English recruits, never reached six thousand men. +The ordinary amount was five thousand;[359] and they cared so little +about the cause for which they professed to fight, that, in 1715, when +they numbered much stronger than in 1745, they refused to enter England, +and make head against the government, until they were bribed by the +promise of additional pay.[360] So, too, in 1745, after they had won the +battle of Preston-pans, the only result of that great victory was, that +the Highlanders, instead of striking a fresh blow, deserted in large +bodies, that they might secure the booty they had obtained, and which +alone they valued. They heeded not whether Stuart or Hanoverian gained +the day; and at this critical moment, they were unable, says the +historian, to resist their desire to return to their glens, and decorate +their huts with the spoil.[361] + + [358] Several writers erroneously term them 'unnatural.' See, for + instance, _Rae's History of the Rebellion_, London, 1746, pp. 158, + 169: and _Home's History of the Rebellion_, London, 1802, 4to, + p. 347. + + [359] 'When the rebels began their march to the southward, they were not + 6000 men complete,' _Home's History of the Rebellion in the Year + 1745_, 4to, p. 137. At Stirling, the army, 'after the junction was + made, amounted to somewhat more than 9000 men, the greatest number + that Charles ever had under his command,' p. 164. But the actual + invaders of England were much fewer. 'The number of the rebels + when they began their march into England was a few above 5000 + foot, with about 500 on horseback.' _Home_, p. 331. Browne + (_History of the Highlands_, vol. iii. p. 140) says: 'When + mustered at Carlisle, the prince's army amounted only to about + 4500 men;' and Lord George Murray states that, at Derby, 'we were + not above five thousand fighting men, if so many.' _Jacobite + Memoirs of the Rebellion of 1745_, edited by Robert Chambers, + Edinburgh, 1834, p. 54. Another writer, relying mainly on + traditional evidence, says, 'Charles, at the head of 4000 + Highlanders, marched as far as Derby.' _Brown's History of + Glasgow_, vol. ii. p. 41, Edinburgh, 1797. Compare _Johnstone's + Memoirs of the Rebellion_, 3rd edit., London, 1822, pp. xxxvii. + xxxviii. 30-32, 52. Johnstone says, p. 60, 'M. Patullo, our + muster-master, reviewed our army at Carlisle, when it did not + exceed four thousand five hundred men.' Afterwards, returning to + Scotland, 'our army was suddenly increased to eight thousand men, + the double of what it was when we were in England.' p. 111. + + [360] 'Orders were given to proceed in the direction of Carlisle, and + recall the detachment sent forward to Dumfries. The Highlanders, + still true to their stagnant principles, refused obedience.' ... + 'Pecuniary negotiations were now commenced, and they were offered + sixpence a day of regular pay--reasonable remuneration at that + period to ordinary troops, but to the wild children of the + mountain a glittering bribe, which the most steady obstinacy would + alone resist. It was partly effective.' _Burton's History of + Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 168. 'And from this day, the Highlanders + had sixpence a head per day payed them to keep them in good order + and under command.' _Patten's History of the late Rebellion_, + London, 1717, p. 73. See also, on the unwillingness of the + Highlanders to enter England, _Rae's History of the Rebellion_, + London, 1746, 2d edit. pp. 270, 271. Browne says (_History of the + Highlands_, vol. ii. pp. 300, 304): 'The aversion of the + Highlanders, from different considerations, to a campaign in + England, was almost insuperable;' but 'by the aid of great + promises and money, the greater part of the Highlanders were + prevailed upon to follow the fortunes of their commander.' + + [361] 'Few victories have been more entire. It is said that scarcely two + hundred of the infantry escaped.' ... 'The Highlanders obtained a + glorious booty in arms and clothes, besides self-moving watches, + and other products of civilisation, which surprised and puzzled + them. Excited by such acquisitions, a considerable number could + not resist the old practice of their people to return to their + glens, and decorate their huts with their spoil.' _Burton's + History of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 465. Compare _Home's History of + the Rebellion_, p. 123. This was an old practice of theirs, as + Montrose found out, a century earlier, 'when many of the + Highlanders, being loaded with spoil, deserted privately, and soon + after returned to their own country.' _Wishart's Memoirs of the + Marquis of Montrose_, Edinburgh, 1819, p. 189. So, too, Burnet + (_Memoirs of the Dukes of Hamilton_, p. 272): 'Besides, any + companies could be brought down from the Highlands might do well + enough for a while, but no order could be expected from them, for + as soon as they were loaded with plunder and spoil, they would run + away home to their lurking holes, and desert those who had trusted + them.' See also p. 354. A more recent writer, drawing a veil over + this little infirmity, remarks, with much delicacy, that 'the + Highlanders, brave as they were, had a custom of returning home + after a battle.' _Thomson's Memoirs of the Jacobites_, London, + 1845, vol. i. p. 122. Not unfrequently they first robbed their + fellow-soldiers. In 1746, Bisset writes: 'The Highlanders, who + went off after the battel, carried off horses and baggage from + their own men, the Lowlanders.' _Diary of the Reverend John + Bisset_, in _Miscellany of the Spalding Club_, vol. i. p. 377, + Aberdeen, 1841, 4to. + +There are, indeed, few things more absurd than that lying spirit of +romance, which represents the rising of the Highlanders as the outburst +of a devoted loyalty. Nothing was further from their minds than this. The +Highlanders have crimes enough to account for, without being burdened by +needless reproach. They were thieves and murderers; but that was in their +way of life, and they felt not the stigma. Though they were ignorant and +ferocious, they were not so foolish as to be personally attached to that +degraded family, which, before the accession of William III., occupied +the throne of Scotland. To love such men as Charles II. and James II., +may, perhaps, be excused as one of those peculiarities of taste of which +one sometimes hears. But to love all their descendants; to feel an +affection so comprehensive as to take in the whole dynasty, and, for the +sake of gratifying that eccentric passion, not only to undergo great +hardships, but to inflict enormous evil upon two kingdoms, would have +been a folly as well as a wickedness, and would convict the Highlanders +of a species of insanity alien to their nature. They burst into +insurrection, because insurrection suited their habits, and because they +hated all government and all order.[362] But, so far from caring for a +monarch, the very institution of monarchy was repulsive to them. It was +contrary to that spirit of clanship to which they were devoted; and, from +their earliest childhood, they were accustomed to respect none but their +chiefs, to whom they paid a willing obedience, and whom they considered +far superior to all the potentates of the earth.[363] No one, indeed, who +is really acquainted with their history, will think them capable of +having spilt their blood on behalf of any sovereign, be he whom he might; +still less can we believe that they would quit their native land, and +undertake long and hazardous marches, with the object of restoring that +corrupt and tyrannical dynasty, whose offences smelt to heaven, and whose +cruelties had, at length, kindled the anger even of humble and +meek-minded men. + + [362] 'Whoever desired, with the sword, to disturb or overturn a fixed + government, was sure of the aid of the chiefs, because a settled + government was ruinous to their power, and almost inimical to + their existence. The more it cultivated the arts of peace, and + throve on industrially created well-being, the more did it drive + into an antagonist position a people who did not change their + nature, who made no industrial progress, and who lived by the + swords which acquired for them the fruits of other men's industry. + With their interests, a peaceful, strong government was as + inconsistent as a well-guarded sheepfold with the interest of + wolves.' _Burton's History of Scotland_, vol. i. pp. 105, 106. + 'The Highlanders, in all reigns, have been remarkable for + disturbing the established government of Scotland by taking up + arms on every invasion for the invaders.' _Marchant's History of + the present Rebellion_, London, 1746, p. 18. See also _Macky's + Journey through Scotland_, London, 1732, p. 129; and a short, but + very curious, account of the Highlanders, in 1744, in _The + Miscellany of the Spalding Club_, vol. ii. pp. 87-89. + + [363] An observer, who had excellent opportunities of studying their + character between the rebellion of 1715 and that of 1745, writes, + 'The ordinary Highlanders esteem it the most sublime degree of + virtue to love their chief, and pay him a blind obedience, + although it be in opposition to the government, the laws of the + kingdom, or even to the law of God. He is their idol; and as _they + profess to know no king but him_ (I was going farther), so will + they say, they ought to do whatever he commands, without inquiry.' + _Letters from a Gentleman in the North of Scotland_, edit. London, + 1815, vol. ii. pp. 83, 84. 'The Highlanders in Scotland are, of + all men in the world, the soonest wrought upon to follow their + leaders or chiefs into the field, having a wonderful veneration + for their Lords and Chieftains, as they are called there: _Nor do + these people ever consider the validity of the engaging cause_, + but blindly follow their chiefs into what mischief they please, + and that with the greatest precipitation imaginable.' _Patten's + History of the Rebellion_, London, 1717, p. 151. 'The power of the + chiefs over their clans was the true source of the two rebellions. + The clansmen cared no more about the legitimate race of the + Stuarts, than they did about the war of the Spanish succession.' + ... 'The Jacobite Highland chiefs ranged their followers on the + Jacobite side--the Hanoverians ranged theirs on the side of + government. Lovat's conduct was a sort of _experimentum crucis_; + he made his clan Hanoverian in one rebellion, and Jacobite in + another.' _Burton's Lives of Lovat and Forbes_, p. 150. Compare + the change of side of the Mackintoshes, in _Browne's History of + the Highlands_, vol. ii. p. 285. Even so late as the American war, + the sovereign was deemed subordinate to the chief. 'One Captain + Frazer from the northern district, brought down a hundred of his + clan, all of the name of Frazer. Few of them could understand a + word of English; and the only distinct idea they had of all the + mustering of forces which they saw around them, was that they were + going to fight for King Frazer and George ta Three.' _Penny's + Traditions of Perth_, pp. 49, 50, Perth, 1836. + +The simple fact is, that the outbreaks of 1715 and 1745 were, in our +country, the last struggle of barbarism against civilization. On the one +side, war and confusion. On the other side, peace and prosperity. These +were the interests for which men really fought; and neither party cared +for Stuarts or for Hanoverians. The result of such a contest in the +eighteenth century, could hardly be doubtful. At the time, the +rebellions caused great alarm, both from their suddenness, and from the +strange and ferocious appearance of the Highland invaders.[364] But the +knowledge we now possess, enables us to see, that, from the beginning, +success was impossible. Though the government was extremely remiss, and, +notwithstanding the information it received, allowed itself on both +occasions to be taken by surprise, there was no real danger.[365] The +English, not being particularly enamoured either with the Highlanders or +with the Stuarts, refused to rise;[366] and it cannot be seriously +supposed, that a few thousand half-naked banditti had it in their power +to prescribe to the people of England what sovereign they should obey, +and under what sort of government they should live. + + [364] Which gave rise to a report that they were cannibals. 'The late + Mr. Halkston of Rathillet, who had been in this expedition' (the + Rebellion of 1745), 'told Mr. Young that the belief was general + among the people of England, that the Highlanders ate children.' + _Johnstone's Memoirs of the Rebellion_, 3rd edit. London, 1822, + p. 101. Such a rumour, notwithstanding its absurdity, was made + somewhat plausible by the revolting conduct of the Highlanders in + the first rebellion of 1715, when they committed, in the Lowlands, + horrible outrages on corpses which they dug up. See the + contemporary evidence, in _Correspondence of the Rev. Robert + Wodrow_, published by the Wodrow Society, vol. ii. pp. 86, 87, 93. + 'They have even raised up some of my Lord Rothes's children and + mangled their dead bodies' ... 'till the stench put them away.' In + 1745, they signalized their entrance into England in the following + manner. 'The rebels, during their stay in Carlisle, committed the + most shocking detestable villanies; for, not contented with + robbing families of their most valuable effects, they scrupled not + to act their brutal insolence on the persons of some young ladies, + even in the presence of their parents. A gentleman, in a letter to + his friend in London, writes thus: "That, after being in a manner + stripped of every thing, he had the misery to see three of his + daughters treated in such a manner that he could not relate it."' + _Marchant's History of the present Rebellion_, London, 1746, + pp. 181, 182. + + [365] Even when they had penetrated to Derby, the best informed of their + own party despaired of success. See the Jacobitical account in + _The Lockhart Papers_, London, 4to, 1817, vol. ii. p. 458: 'The + next thing to be considered of, was what was now to be done; they + were now at Derby, with an army not half the number of what they + were reported to be, surrounded in a manner with regular troops + on all sides, and more than double their number. To go forward, + there was no encouragement, for their friends (if they had any) + had kept little or no correspondence with them from the time they + entered England.' The Chevalier de Johnstone, who took an active + part in the Rebellion, frankly says, 'If we had continued to + advance to London, and had encountered all the troops of England, + with the Hessians and Swiss in its pay, there was every + appearance of our being immediately exterminated, without the + chance of a single man escaping.' _Johnstone's Memoirs of the + Rebellion in 1745 and 1746_, p. 79. + + [366] Lord George Murray, the commander-in-chief in 1745, was unwilling + to advance far south of Carlisle, 'without more encouragement from + the country than we had hitherto got.' See his own account, in + _The Jacobite Memoirs of the Rebellion of 1745_, edited by R. + Chambers, Edinburgh, 1834, p. 48. But his prudent advice was + overruled. The Highlanders pressed on; and that happened, which + any one, tolerably acquainted with England, might have foreseen. + Johnstone (_Memoirs of the Rebellion_, p. 70) says, 'In case of a + defeat in England, no one in our army could by any possibility + escape destruction, as the _English peasants were hostile towards + us in the highest degree_; and, besides, the army of Marshal Wade + was in our rear, to cut us off from all communication with + Scotland.' And at p. 81, 'In every place we passed through, we + found the English very ill disposed towards us, except at + Manchester, where there appeared some remains of attachment to the + house of Stuart.' The champion of arbitrary power would find a + different reception now, in that magnificent specimen of English + prosperity, and of true, open-mouthed, English fearlessness. But a + century ago, the men of Manchester were poor and ignorant; and the + statement of Johnstone respecting them is confirmed by Home, who + says, 'At Manchester, several gentlemen, and about 200 or 300 of + the common people, joined the rebel army; _these were the only + Englishmen (a few individuals excepted) who joined Charles in his + march through the country of England_.' _Home's History of the + Rebellion in 1745_, London, 1802, 4to, p. 145. In 1715, the + English equally held back, except at Manchester. See _Patten's + History of the late Rebellion_, London, 1717, pp. 89, 108. + +After 1745, there was no further interruption. The interests of +civilization, that is, the interests of knowledge, of liberty, and of +wealth, gradually assumed the upper hand, and reduced men like the +Highlanders to utter insignificance. Roads were cut through their +country; and, for the first time, travellers from the south began to +mingle with them in their hitherto inaccessible wilds.[367] In those +parts, the movement was, indeed, very slow; but, in the Lowlands, it was +much more rapid. For, the traders and inhabitants of towns were now +becoming prominent, and their authority helped to neutralize the old +warlike and anarchical habits. Towards the end of the seventeenth +century, a taste for commercial speculation sprung up, and a large amount +of the energy of Scotland was turned into this new channel.[368] Early in +the eighteenth century, the same tendency was displayed in literature; +and works on mercantile and economical subjects became common.[369] A +change in manners was also perceptible. About this period, the Scotch +began to lose something of that rugged ferocity which had distinguished +them of old. This improvement was evinced in several ways; one of the +most remarkable being an alteration, which was first observed in 1710, +when it was noticed that men were leaving off armour, which had hitherto +been worn by every one who could afford it, as a useful precaution in a +barbarous, and therefore a warlike society.[370] + + [367] The establishment of roads caused great displeasure. Pennant, who + visited Scotland in 1769, says, 'These publick works were at first + very disagreeable to the old chieftains, and lessened their + influence greatly: for by admitting strangers among them, their + clans were taught that the Lairds were not the first of men.' + _Pennant's Tour in Scotland_, 4th edit. Dublin, 1775, vol. i. + p. 204. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, this feeling + began to die away. 'Till of late, the people of Kintail, as well + as other Highlands, had a strong aversion to roads. The more + inaccessible, the more secure, was their maxim.' _Sinclair's + Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. vi. p. 244, Edinburgh, + 1793. + + [368] 'Soon after the establishment of the revolution settlement, the + ardent feelings of the Scottish people were turned out of their + old channels of religious controversy and war in the direction of + commercial enterprise.' _Burton's Criminal Trials in Scotland_, + vol. i. p. 104. Compare _Burnet's History of his own Time_, vol. + iv. pp. 286, 287, 418; and the note (at p. 419): 'The lords and + commons of Scotland were then desirous of getting into trade.' + This is under the year 1699. In 1698, Fletcher of Saltoun writes: + 'by no contrivance of any man, but by an unforeseen and unexpected + change of the genius of this nation, all their thoughts and + inclinations, as if united and directed by a higher power, seemed + to be turned upon trade, and to conspire together for its + advancement.' _First Discourse on the Affairs of Scotland_, in + _Fletcher of Saltoun's Political Works_, Glasgow, 1749, p. 57. At + this, the clergy were uneasy. In 1709, the Reverend Robert Wodrow + expresses an opinion, in one of his letters, that 'the sin of our + too great fondness for trade, to the neglecting of our more + valuable interests, I humbly think will be written upon our + judgment.' _Wodrow's Correspondence_, Edinburgh, 1842, 8vo, vol. + i. p. 67. In the same year, some ships being taken by the French, + part of the loss fell upon Glasgow. Thereupon, Wodrow writes: + 'It's said that in all there is about eighty thousand pound + sterling lost there, whereof Glasgow has lost ten thousand pound. + I wish trading persons may see the language of such a Providence. + I am sure the Lord is remarkably frouning upon our trade, in more + respects than one, since it was put in the room of religion, in + the late alteration of our constitution.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, + vol. i. p. 218, 4to, published by the Maitland Club. + + [369] Laing (_History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 296), under the year + 1703, says: 'Ever since the projected settlement at Darien, the + genius of the nation had acquired a new direction; and as the + press is the true criterion of the spirit of the times, the + numerous productions on political and commercial subjects, with + which it daily teemed, had supplanted the religious disputes of + the former age.' Unfortunately for Scotland, they were by no means + supplanted. Still, the movement was great, and not to be mistaken. + + [370] 'It was only in 1710, that they began to throw off their armour, + and allow the soldier to merge into the quiet and industrious + craftsman.' _Penny's Traditions of Perth_, p. 335, Perth, 1836. + This particularly applies to the citizens of Perth. + +To trace the general progress in its various parts, or even to indicate +the immediate consequences, would require a separate volume. One of the +results is, however, too conspicuous to be passed over in silence, though +it does not deserve all the importance that has been attached to it. This +is, the abolition of hereditary jurisdictions, which, after all, was but +a symptom of the great movement, and not a cause of it; being itself due, +partly to the growth of the industrial spirit, and partly to that +diminution of the power of the aristocracy, which had been visible as +early as the beginning of the seventeenth century. During many ages, +certain persons of noble birth had enjoyed the privilege of trying +offences, and even of inflicting capital punishment, simply because their +ancestors had done so before them; the judicial power being, in fact, +part of their patrimony, and descending to them like the rest of their +property.[371] An institution of this sort, which made a man a judge, +not because he was apt for the office, but because he was born under +particular circumstances, was a folly which the revolutionary temper of +the eighteenth century was not likely to spare. The innovating spirit for +which that age was remarkable, could hardly fail to attack so +preposterous a custom; and its extinction was facilitated, both by the +decline of the nobles who possessed the privilege, and by the rise of +their natural opponents, the trading and commercial classes. The decay of +the Scotch nobility, in the eighteenth century, may be traced to two +special causes, in addition to those general causes, which were weakening +the aristocracy nearly all over Europe. With the general causes, which +were common to England and to most parts of the Continent, we are not now +concerned. It is enough to say, that they were entirely dependent on that +advance of knowledge, which, by increasing the authority of the +intellectual class, undermines, and must eventually overthrow, mere +hereditary and accidental distinctions. But those causes which were +confined to Scotland, had a more political character, and though they +were purely local, they harmonized with the whole train of events, and +ought to be noticed, as links of a vast chain, which connects the present +state of that singular country with its past history. + + [371] On these 'hereditary or proprietary jurisdictions,' which conferred + the right, or, I would rather say, the power, of putting people to + death, see _Burton's History of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 425, vol. + ii. p. 402. The technical term for so monstrous a privilege, was + the right 'of pit and gallows.' _Pitcairn's Criminal Trials in + Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 94; and _Mackenzie's Laws and Customs of + Scotland in Matters Criminal_, pp. 70, 100, 187, 210. This meant, + that men were to be hung, and women to be drowned. See also + _Arnot's History of Edinburgh_, p. 224; _Fountainhall's Notes of + Scottish Affairs_, p. 139; _Hume's History of the House of + Douglas_, vol. i. p. 346; _Lettice's Scotland_, p. 271; + _Sinclair's Scotland_, vol. i. p. 417, vol. iv. p. 478, vol. vi. + pp. 195, 258, vol. viii. pp. 129, 348, vol. xiii. p. 563, + vol. xiv. p. 34, vol. xvii. pp. 442, 600, vol. xviii. p. 473. + +The first cause was the union of Scotland with England, in 1707, which +struck a heavy blow at the Scotch aristocracy. By it, the legislature of +the smaller country was absorbed in that of the larger, and the +hereditary legislators suddenly sunk into insignificance. In the Scotch +parliament, there were a hundred and forty-five peers, all of whom, +except sixteen, were, by the Act of Union, deprived of the power of +making laws.[372] These sixteen were sent off to London, and took their +seats in the House of Lords, of which they formed a small and miserable +fraction. On every subject, however important to their own country, they +were easily outvoted; their manners, their gesticulations, and +particularly their comical mode of pronouncing English, were openly +ridiculed;[373] and the chiefs of this old and powerful aristocracy found +themselves, to their utter amazement, looked on as men of no account, and +they were often obliged to fawn and cringe at the levee of the minister, +in order to procure a place for some needy dependent. Their friends and +relations applied to them for offices, and generally applied in vain. +Indeed, the Scotch nobles, being very poor, wanted for themselves more +than the English government was inclined to give, and, in the eagerness +of their clamour, they lost both dignity and reputation.[374] They were +exposed to mortifying rebuffs, and their true position being soon known, +weakened their influence at home, among a people already prepared to +throw off their authority. To this, however, they were comparatively +indifferent, as they looked for future fortune, not to Scotland, but to +England. London became the centre of their intrigues and their +hopes.[375] Those who had no seat in the House of Lords, longed to have +one, and it was notorious, that the darling object of nearly every Scotch +noble was to be made an English peer.[376] The scene of their ambition +being shifted, they were gradually weaned from their old associations. +Directly this was apparent, the foundation of their power was gone. From +that moment, their real nationality vanished. It became evident that +their patriotism was but a selfish passion. They ceased to love a country +which could give them nothing, and, as a natural consequence, their +country ceased to love them. + + [372] Laing (_History of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 345) says, that in 1706, + 'the commons in the Scottish parliament were 160; the peers 145.' + Of these peers, the Treaty of Union declared that 'sixteen shall + be the number to sit and vote in the House of Lords.' _De Foe's + History of the Union between England and Scotland_, London, 1786, + 4to, pp. 205, 538. The English House of Lords consisted of 179 + members. See _The Lockhart Papers_, London, 1817, 4to, vol. i. pp. + 343, 547. It was impossible to mistake the result of this sweeping + measure, by which, as was said at the time, 'Scotland was to + retrench her nobility.' _De Foe's History of the Union_, p. 495. + Compare p. 471: 'The nobility being thereby, as it were, degraded + of their characters.' In 1710, a Scotchman writes in his journal: + 'It was one of the melancholyest sights to any that have any sense + of our antient Nobility, to see them going throu for votes, and + making partys, and giving their votes to others who once had their + oun vote; and I suspect many of them reu the bargain they made, in + giving their oun pouer away.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. i. p. 308. + + [373] The Scotch, consequently, became so eager to do away with this + source of mirth, that even as late as the year 1761, when the + notorious lecturer, Sheridan, visited Edinburgh, 'such was the + rage for speaking with an English accent, that more than three + hundred gentlemen, among whom were the most eminent in the country + for rank and learning, attended him.' _Ritchie's Life of Hume_, + London, 1807, p. 94. It was, however, during about twenty years + immediately after the Union, that the Scotch members of + Parliament, both Lords and Commons, were most jeered at in London, + and were treated with marked disrespect, socially and politically. + Not only were they mocked and lampooned, but they were also made + tools of. In September 1711, Wodrow writes (_Analecta_, vol. i. p. + 348, 4to, 1842): 'In the beginning of this (month), I hear a + generall dissatisfaction our Nobility, that wer at last + Parliament, have at their treatment at London. They complean they + are only made use of as tools among the English, and cast by when + their party designes are over.' The next year (1712), the Scotch + members of the House of Commons met together, and expressed their + 'high resentment of the uncivil, haughty treatment they mett with + from the English.' _The Lockhart Papers_, London, 1817, 4to, vol. + i. p. 417. See, further, _Burton's History of Scotland_, vol. ii. + p. 27. 'Without descending to rudeness, the polished + contemporaries of Wharton and St. John could madden the sensitive + and haughty Scots by light shafts of raillery, about their + pronunciation or knowledge of parliamentary etiquette.' Some + curious observations upon the way in which the Scotch pronounced + English, late in the seventeenth century, will be found in + _Morer's Short Account of Scotland_, London, 1702, pp. 13, 14. The + author of this book was chaplain to a Scotch regiment. + + [374] Among many illustrations with which contemporary memoirs abound, + the following is by no means the worst. Burnet, as a Scotchman, + thinks proper to say that those of his countrymen who were sent to + parliament, 'were persons of such distinction, that they very well + deserved' the respect and esteem with which they were treated. To + which, Lord Dartmouth adds: 'and were very importunate to have + their deserts rewarded. A Scotch earl pressed Lord Godolphin + extremely for a place. He said there was none vacant. The other + said, his lordship could soon make one so, if he pleased. Lord + Godolphin asked him, if he expected to have any body killed to + make room? He said, No; but Lord Dartmouth commonly voted against + the court, and every body wondered that he had not been turned out + before now. Lord Godolphin told him, he hoped his lordship did not + expect that he should be the person to propose it; and advised him + never to mention it any more, for fear the queen should come to + hear of it; for if she did, his lordship would run great risk + never to have a place as long as she lived. But he could not + forbear telling every where, how ill the lord treasurer had used + him.' _Burnet's History of his own Time_, vol. v. p. 349, Oxford, + 1823. Compare the account, in 1710, in _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. + i. p. 293. 'Argyle is both picked (_i.e._ piqued) at Marlburrou, + and his brother Yla, for refusing him a regiment; and Godolphin + should have said to the queen that my Lord Yla was not to be + trusted with a regiment! The Earl of Marr was one of the greatest + cronnies Godolphine had, till the matter of his pension, after the + Secretary office was taken from him, came about. Godolphine caused + draw it during pleasure; Marr expected it during life, which the + Treasurer would not yield to, and therefore they brake.' The + history of the time is full of these wretched squabbles, which + show what the Scotch nobles were made of. Indeed, their rapacity + was so shameless, that, in 1711, several of them refused to + perform their legislative duties in London, unless they received + some offices which they expected. 'About the midle of this moneth, + I hear ther was a meeting of severall of our Scots Peers, at the + Viscount of Kilsyth's, where they concerted not to goe up to this + parliament till peremptorly writ for; and (also) some assurance be + given of the places they were made to hope for last session and + have missed.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. i. p. 365. In 1712, the + same Scotchman writes (_Analecta_, vol. ii. p. 8): 'Our Scots + Peers' secession from the House of Peers makes much noise; but + they doe not hold by it. They sometimes come and sometimes goe, + and _they render themselves base in the eyes of the English_.' See + also a letter 'concerning the Scots Peerage,' in _Somers' Tracts_, + vol. xii. p. 607, edit. Scott, London, 1814, 4to. + + [375] A Scotch writer, twenty years after the Union, says: 'Most of our + gentlemen and people of quality, who have the best estates in our + country, live for the most part at London.' _Reasons for improving + the Fisheries and Linen Manufacture of Scotland_, London, 1727, p. + 22. I do not know who wrote this curious little treatise; but the + author was evidently a native of Scotland. See p. 25. I have, + however, still earlier evidence to adduce. A letter from Wodrow, + dated 9th of August 1725, complains of 'the general sending our + youth of quality to England:' and a letter to him, in 1716, + describes the Anglicizing process going on among the Scotch + aristocracy, only nine years after the Union. 'Most of our Lords + and others here do so much depend on the English for their posts, + and _seeking somewhat or other_, that their mouths are almost + quite stopped; and really _most of them go into the English way in + all things_.' _Wodrow's Correspondence_, vol. ii. p. 196, vol. + iii. p. 224. The Earl of Mar lost popularity in Scotland, on + account of the court he paid to Lord Godolphin; for, he 'appears + to have passed much more time in intrigues in London than among + the gardens of Alloa.' _Thomson's Memoirs of the Jacobites_, vol. + i. p. 36. Even Earl Ilay, in his anxiety to advance himself at the + English court, 'used to regret his being a Scots peer, and to wish + earnestly he was a commoner.' _Letters of Lord Grange_, in _The + Miscellany of the Spalding Club_, vol. iii. p. 39, Aberdeen, 4to, + 1846. + + [376] Indeed, their expectation ran so high, as to induce a hope, not + only that those Commissioners of the Union who were Scotch peers + should be made English ones, but that 'the whole nobility of + Scotland might in time be admitted.' _Laing's History of + Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 346. Compare _The Lockhart Papers_, vol. i. + pp. 298, 343: 'the Scots Peerage, many of whom had been bubled + with the hopes of being themselves created British Peers.' Also + _The Gordon Letters_, in _The Miscellany of the Spalding Club_, + vol. iii. pp. 227, 228. + +Thus it was that this great tie was severed. In this, as in all similar +movements, there were, of course, exceptions. Some of the nobles were +disinterested, and some of their dependents were faithful. But, looking +at the Lowlands as a whole, there can be no doubt that, before the middle +of the eighteenth century, that bond of affection was gone, which, in +former times, made tens of thousands of Scotchmen ready to follow their +superiors in any cause, and to sacrifice their lives at a nod. That +spirit, which was once deemed ardent and generous, but which a deeper +analysis shows to be mean and servile, was now almost extinct, except +among the barbarous Highlanders, whose ignorance of affairs long +prevented them from being influenced by the stream of events. That the +proximate cause of this change was the Union, will probably be denied by +no one who has minutely studied the history of the period. And that the +change was beneficial, can only be questioned by those sentimental +dreamers, with whom life is a matter rather of feeling than of judgment, +and who, despising real and tangible interests, reproach their own age +with its material prosperity, and with its love of luxury, as if they +were the result of low and sordid desires unknown to the loftier temper +of bygone days. To visionaries of this sort, it may well appear that the +barbarous and ignorant noble, surrounded by a host of devoted retainers, +and living with rude simplicity in his own dull and wretched castle, +forms a beautiful picture of those unmercenary and uncalculating times, +when men, instead of seeking for knowledge, or for wealth, or for +comfort, were content with the frugal innocence of their fathers, and +when, protection being accorded by one class, and gratitude felt by the +other, the subordination of society was maintained, and its different +parts were knit together by sympathy, and by the force of common +emotions, instead of, as now, by the coarse maxims of a vulgar and +selfish utility. + +Those, however, whose knowledge gives them some acquaintance with the +real course of human affairs, will see that in Scotland, as in all +civilized countries, the decline of aristocratic power forms an essential +part of the general progress. It must, therefore, be esteemed a fortunate +circumstance, that, among the Scotch, where that power had long been +enormous, it was weakened in the eighteenth century, not only by general +causes, which were operating elsewhere, but also by two smaller and more +special causes. The first of these minor causes was, as we have just +seen, the Union with England. The other cause was, comparatively +speaking, insignificant, but still it produced decided effect, +particularly in the northern districts. It consisted in the fact, that +some of the oldest Highland nobles were concerned in the rebellion of +1745, and that, when that rebellion was put down, those who escaped from +the sword were glad to save their lives by flying abroad, leaving their +dependents to shift for themselves.[377] They became attached to the +court of the Pretender, or, at all events, intrigued for him. That, +indeed, was their only chance, their estates at home being forfeited. For +nearly forty years, several great families were in exile, and although, +about 1784, they began to return,[378] other associations had been formed +during their absence, and new ideas had arisen, both in their own minds, +and in the minds of their retainers. A fresh generation had grown up, and +fresh influences had been brought to bear. Strangers, with whom the +people had no sympathy, had intruded upon the estates of the nobles, and +though they might receive obedience, it was an obedience unaccompanied by +deference. The real reverence was gone; the homage of the heart was no +more. And as this state of things lasted for about forty years, it +interrupted the whole train of thought; and the former habits were so +completely broken, that, even when the chiefs were restored to their +forfeited honours, they found that there was another part of their +inheritance which they were unable to recover, and that they had lost for +ever that unreserved submission, which, in times of yore, had been +willingly paid to their fathers.[379] + + [377] The Chevalier de Johnstone, in his plaintive remarks on the battle + of Culloden, says: 'The ruin of many of the most illustrious + families in Scotland immediately followed our defeat.' + _Johnstone's Memoirs of the Rebellion in 1745_, p. 211. He, of + course, could not perceive that, sad as such ruin was to the + individual sufferers, it was an immense benefit to the nation. Mr. + Skene, referring to the year 1748, says of the Highlanders: 'their + long-cherished ideas of clanship gradually gave way under the + absence and ruin of so many of their chiefs.' _Skene's + Highlanders_, vol. i. p. 147. + + [378] 'About 1784, the exiled families began to return.' _Penny's + Traditions of Perth_, p. 41. See also _Macpherson's Annals of + Commerce_, vol. iv. p. 53. In 1784, 'a bill passed the Commons + without opposition,' to restore the 'Forfeited Estates' in the + north of Scotland. See _Parliamentary History_, vol. xxiv. pp. + 1316-1322. On that occasion, Fox said (p. 1321) the proprietors + 'had been sufficiently punished by forty years' deprivation of + their fortunes for the faults of their ancestors.' + + [379] Dean Ramsay, in his _Reminiscences_ (5th edit. Edinburgh, 1859, + p. 57), notices that, owing to 'transfers of property and + extinction of old families in the Highlands, as well as from more + general causes,' the old clannish affection 'is passing away.' But + this intelligent observer has not indicated the connexion between + so important a fact and the Rebellion of 1745. In 1792, Heron + writes: 'The prejudices of clanship have almost died away.' ... + 'The dependents of the family of Kenmure are still attached to its + representative with much of that affection and respect with which + the tribes of the Highlands have _till lately_ been accustomed to + adhere to their lord.' _Heron's Journey through the Western + Counties of Scotland_, 2nd edit. Perth, 1799, vol. i. p. 248, + vol. ii. p. 154. See also the remarks made, in the same year, in + _Lettice's Letters on a Tour through various parts of Scotland_, + London, 1794, p. 340. To trace the movement back still further, + Pennant writes, in 1769: 'But in many parts of the Highlands, + their character begins to be more faintly marked; they mix more + with the world; and _become daily less attached to their chiefs_.' + ... 'During the feudal reign, their love for their chieftain + induced them to bear many things, at _present intolerable_.' These + two important passages are in the 4th edition of _Pennant's Tour + in Scotland_, vol. i. p. 194, vol. ii. p. 307, Dublin, 1775. They + prove that, twenty-four years after the Rebellion of 1745, the + decay of affection was so manifest, as to strike a candid and + careful, but by no means philosophic, observer. For Pennant to + have discerned these changes, they must already have risen to the + surface. Other and corroborative evidence will be found in + _Sinclair's Account of Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 545, Edinburgh, + 1792; and vol. iii. pp. 377, 437, vol. xiii. p. 310, vol. xv. + p. 592, vol. xx. p. 33. + +Owing to these circumstances, the course of affairs in Scotland, during +the eighteenth century, and especially during the first half of it, was +marked by a more rapid decline of the influence of the higher ranks than +was seen in any other country. It was, therefore, an easy task for the +English government to procure a law, which, by abolishing hereditary +jurisdictions, deprived the Scotch aristocracy, in 1748, of the last +great ensign of their power.[380] The law, being suited to the spirit of +the times, worked well; and in the Highlands, in particular, it was one +immediate cause of the establishment of something like the order of a +settled state.[381] But in this instance, as in every other, the real +and overruling cause is to be found in the condition of the surrounding +society. A few generations earlier, hardly any one would have thought of +abolishing these mischievous jurisdictions, which were then deemed +beneficial, and were respected, as belonging to the great families by +natural and inalienable right. Such an opinion was the inevitable result +of the state of things then existing. This being the case, it is certain +that, if the legislature had, at that time, been so rash as to lay its +hand on what the nation respected, popular sympathy would have been +aroused, and the nobles would have been strengthened by what was intended +to weaken them.[382] In 1748, however, matters were very different. +Public opinion had changed; and this change of opinion was not only the +cause of the new law, but was the reason of the new law being effective. +And so it always is. They, indeed, whose knowledge is almost confined to +what they see passing around them, and who, on account of their +ignorance, are termed practical men, may talk as they will about the +reforms which government has introduced, and the improvement to be +expected from legislation. But whoever will take a wider and more +commanding view of affairs, will soon discover that such hopes are +chimerical. They will learn that lawgivers are nearly always the +obstructors of society, instead of its helpers; and that, in the +extremely few cases in which their measures have turned out well, their +success has been owing to the fact, that, contrary to their usual custom, +they have implicitly obeyed the spirit of their time, and have been, as +they always should be, the mere servants of the people, to whose wishes +they are bound to give a public and legal sanction. + + [380] _Burton's History of Scotland_, vol. ii. pp. 535-537. _Struthers' + History of Scotland_, Glasgow, 1828, vol. ii. pp. 519-525. + + [381] Macpherson (_Annals of Commerce_, vol. iii. p. 259) says, 'This + excellent statute may not unfitly be termed a new magna charta to + the free people of Scotland.' + + [382] I cannot, therefore, agree with Macpherson, who asserts, in his + valuable work, that the abolition of these jurisdictions 'should + undoubtedly have been made an essential preliminary of the + consolidating union of the two kingdoms of England and Scotland, + concluded forty years before.' _Macpherson's Annals of Commerce_, + vol. iii. p. 257. Compare _De Foe's History of the Union between + England and Scotland_, pp. 458, 459, London, 1786, 4to. + +Another striking peculiarity of Scotland, during the remarkable period +we are now considering, was the sudden rise of trading and manufacturing +interests. This preceded, by a whole generation, the celebrated statute +of 1748, and was one of the causes of it, in so far as it weakened the +great families, against whom that statute was directed. The movement may +be traced back, as I have already noticed, to the end of the seventeenth +century, and it was in active operation before the first twenty years of +the eighteenth century had passed away. A mercantile and money-making +spirit was diffused to an extent formerly unknown, and men becoming +valued for their wealth as well as for their birth, a new standard of +excellence was introduced, and new actors appeared on the scene. +Heretofore, persons were respected solely for their parentage; now they +were also respected for their riches. The old aristocracy, made uneasy by +the change, did every thing they could to thwart and discourage these +young and dangerous rivals.[383] Nor can we wonder at their feeling +somewhat sore. The tendency which was exhibited, was, indeed, fatal to +their pretensions. Instead of asking who was a man's father, the question +became, how much he had got. And certainly, if either question is to be +put, the latter is the more rational. Wealth is a real and substantial +thing, which ministers to our pleasures, increases our comfort, +multiplies our resources, and not unfrequently alleviates our pains. But +birth is a dream and a shadow, which, so far from benefiting either body +or mind, only puffs up its possessor with an imaginary excellence, and +teaches him to despise those whom nature has made his superiors, and who, +whether engaged in adding to our knowledge or to our wealth, are, in +either case, ameliorating the condition of society, and rendering to it +true and valuable service. + + [383] In 1740, 'the rising manufacturing and trading interests of the + country' were 'looked down upon and discouraged by the feudal + aristocracy.' _Burton's Lives of Lovat and Forbes_, p. 361. + +This antagonism between the aristocratic and trading spirit, lies in the +nature of things, and is essential, however it may be disguised at +particular periods. Therefore it is, that the history of trade has a +philosophic importance in reference to the progress of society, quite +independent of practical considerations. On this account I have called +the attention of the reader to what otherwise would be foreign to the +objects of the present Introduction; and I will now trace, as briefly as +possible, the beginning of that great industrial movement, to the +extension of which the overthrow of the Scotch aristocracy is to be +partly ascribed. + +The Union with England, which was completed in 1707, produced immediate +and striking effects on trade. Its first effect was, to throw open to the +Scotch a new and extensive commerce with the English colonies in America. +Before the Union, no goods of any kind could be landed in Scotland from +the American plantations, unless they had first been landed in England, +and paid duty there; nor even, in that case, might they be conveyed by +any Scotch vessel.[384] This was one of many foolish regulations by which +our legislators interfered with the natural course of affairs, and +injured the interests of their own country, as well as those of their +neighbours. Formerly, however, such laws were considered to be extremely +sagacious, and politicians were constantly contriving protective schemes +of this sort, which, with the best intentions, inflicted incalculable +harm. But if, as seems probable, one of their objects, in this instance, +was to retard the improvement of Scotland, they were more than usually +successful in effecting the purpose at which they aimed. For, the whole +of the western coast, being cut off from direct intercourse with the +American colonies, was debarred from the only foreign trade it could +advantageously follow; since the European ports lay to the east, and +could not be reached by the inhabitants of Western Scotland without a +long circumnavigation, which prevented them from competing, on equal +terms, with their countrymen, who, sailing from the other side, were +already near the chief seats of commerce. The consequence was, that +Glasgow and the other western ports remained almost stationary; having +comparatively few means of gratifying that enterprising spirit, which +rose among them late in the seventeenth century, and not daring to trade +with those prosperous colonies which were just before them across the +Atlantic, but from which they were entirely excluded by the jealous +precautions of the English parliament.[385] + + [384] 'Whereas Scotland had, before this, prohibited all the English + woollen manufactures, under severe penalties, and England, on the + other hand, had excluded the Scots from trading with Scots ships + to their colonies in America, directly from Scotland, and had + confiscated even their own English ships trading to the said + colonies from England, if navigated or manned with above one-third + Scots seamen,' &c. _De Foe's History of the Union_, p. 603. In + 1696, the wise men in our English Parliament passed a law, 'that + on no pretence whatever any kind of goods from the English + American plantations should hereafter be put on shore, either in + the kingdoms of Ireland or Scotland, without being first landed in + England, and having also paid the duties there, under forfeiture + of ship and cargo.' _Macpherson's Annals of Commerce_, vol. ii. + p. 684. Certainly, the more a man knows of the history of + legislation, the more he will wonder that nations should have been + able to advance in the face of the formidable impediments which + legislators have thrown in their way. + + [385] 'A spirit for commerce appears to have been raised among the + inhabitants of Glasgow between the periods of 1660 and 1707, when + the union with England took place.' ... But, 'whatever their trade + was, at this time, it could not be considerable; the ports to + which they were obliged to trade, lay all to the eastward; the + circumnavigation of the island would, therefore, prove an almost + insurmountable bar to the commerce of Glasgow; the people upon the + east coast, from their situation, would be in possession of almost + the whole commerce of Scotland.' _Gibson's History of Glasgow_, + p. 205, Glasgow, 1777. + +When, however, by the Act of Union, the two countries became one, these +precautions were discontinued, and Scotland was allowed to hold direct +intercourse with America and the West India Islands. The result which +this produced on the national industry, was almost instantaneous, because +it gave vent to a spirit which had begun to appear among the people late +in the seventeenth century, and because it was aided by those still more +general causes, which, in most parts of Europe, predisposed that age to +increased industry. The west of Scotland, being nearest to America, was +the first to feel the movement. In 1707, the inhabitants of Greenock, +without the interference of government, imposed on themselves a voluntary +assessment, with the object of constructing a harbour. In this +undertaking, they displayed so much zeal, that, by the year 1710, the +whole of the works were completed; a pier and capacious harbour were +erected, and Greenock was suddenly raised from insignificance to take an +important part in the trade of the Atlantic.[386] For a while, the +merchants were content to carry on their traffic with ships hired from +the English. Soon, however, they became bolder; they began to build on +their own account; and, in 1719, the first vessel belonging to Greenock +sailed for America.[387] From that moment, their commerce increased so +rapidly, that, by the year 1740, the tax which the citizens had laid on +themselves sufficed, not only to wipe off the debt which had been +incurred, but also to leave a considerable surplus available for +municipal purposes.[388] At the same time, and by the action of the same +causes, Glasgow emerged from obscurity. In 1718, its enterprising +inhabitants launched in the Clyde the first Scotch vessel which ever +crossed the Atlantic; thus anticipating the people of Greenock by one +year.[389] Glasgow and Greenock became the two great commercial outlets +of Scotland, and the chief centres of activity.[390] Comforts, and, +indeed, luxuries, hitherto only attainable at enormous cost, began to be +diffused through the country. The productions of the tropics could now be +procured direct from the New World, which, in return, offered a rich and +abundant market for manufactured goods. This was a further stimulus to +Scotch industry, and its effects were immediately apparent. The +inhabitants of Glasgow, finding a great demand among the Americans for +linen, introduced its manufacture into their city in 1725, whence it +extended to other places, and, in a short time, gave employment to +thousands of workmen.[391] It is also from the year 1725, that Paisley +dates its rise. So late as the beginning of the eighteenth century, this +rich and prosperous city was still a straggling village, containing only +a single street.[392] But, after the Union, its poor, and hitherto idle, +inhabitants began to be moved by the activity which they saw on every +side. Gradually, their views expanded; and the introduction among them, +in 1725, of the manufacture of thread, was the first step in that great +career in which they never stopped, until they had raised Paisley to be a +vast emporium of industry, and a successful promoter of every art by +which industry is nurtured.[393] + + [386] 'The importance of the measure induced the inhabitants of Greenock + to make a contract with the superior, by which they agreed to an + assessment of 1_s._ 4_d._ sterling on every sack of malt, brewed + into ale, within the limits of the town; the money so levied to be + applied in liquidating the expence of forming a proper harbour at + Greenock. The work was begun at the epoch of the Union, in 1707; + and a capacious harbour, containing upwards of ten Scottish acres, + was formed by building an extensive circular pier, with a straight + pier, or tongue, in the middle, by which the harbour was divided + into two parts. This formidable work, the greatest of the kind, at + that time, in Scotland, incurred an expence of more than 100,000 + marks Scots.' _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. iii. p. 807, London, + 1824, 4to. _In M'Culloch's Geographical and Statistical + Dictionary_, London, 1849, vol. i. p. 930, it is stated, that 'the + inhabitants took the matter (1707) into their own hands, and + agreed with their superior to assess themselves at a certain rate, + to build a proper pier and harbour. The work was finished in 1710, + at an expence of 5,555_l._' + + [387] 'The trade of Greenock has kept pace with the improvements made on + its harbour. The union of the kingdoms (1707) opened the colonies + to the enterprising inhabitants of this town, and generally of the + west of Scotland; but it was not till 1719 that the first vessel + belonging to Greenock crossed the Atlantic.' _M'Culloch's + Geographical and Statistical Dictionary_, vol. i. p. 930. + + [388] 'Such was the effect of the new harbour in increasing the trade, + and the population, of the town, that the assessment, and port + dues, cleared off the whole debt before 1740, and left, in that + year, a clear surplus of 27,000 marks Scots, or 1,500_l._ + sterling.' _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. iii. p. 807. 'After the + Union, however, the trade of the port increased so rapidly, that, + in the year 1740, the whole debt was extinguished, and there + remained a surplus, the foundation of the present town's funds, of + 27,000 marks.' _Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. + v. p. 576, Edinburgh, 1793. + + [389] 'By the Union, however, new views were opened up to the merchants + of the city; they thereby obtained the liberty of a free commerce + to America and the West Indies, from which they had been before + shut out; they chartered English vessels for these voyages, having + none at first fit for the purpose; sent out cargoes of goods for + the use of the colonies, and returned home laden with tobacco. The + business doing well, vessels were built belonging to the city, and + in the year 1718, the first ship, the property of Glasgow, crossed + the Atlantic.' _Denholm's History of Glasgow_, p. 405, 3rd edit. + Glasgow, 1804. Brown (_History of Glasgow_, vol. ii. p. 330, + Edinburgh, 1797) says, that the Glasgow merchants 'chartered + Whitehaven ships for many years:' but that, 'in 1716, a vessel of + sixty tons burden was launched at Crawford's dike, being the first + Clyde ship that went to the British Settlements in America with + goods and a supercargo.' But this date is probably two years too + early. Mr. M'Culloch, in his excellent _Geographical and + Statistical Dictionary_, London, 1849, vol. ii. p. 659, says: 'But + for a while, the merchants of Glasgow, who first embarked in the + trade to America, carried it on by means of vessels belonging to + English ports; and it was not till 1718 that a ship built in + Scotland (in the Clyde), the property of Scotch owners, sailed for + the American colonies.' Gibson, also (_History of Glasgow_, 1777, + p. 206), says: 'In 1718, the first vessel of the property of + Glasgow crossed the Atlantic.' And, to the same effect, + _Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. v. p. 498, + Edinburgh, 1793. + + [390] The progress was so rapid, that, in a work printed in 1732, it is + stated, that 'this city of Glasgow is a place of the greatest + trade in the kingdom, especially to the Plantations; from whence + they have twenty or thirty sail of ships every year, laden with + tobacco and sugar; an advantage this kingdom never enjoyed till + the Union. They are purchasing a harbour on the Frith, near + Alloway, to which they have but twelve miles by land; and then + they can re-ship their sugars and tobacco, for Holland, Germany, + and the Baltick Sea, without being at the trouble of sailing round + England or Scotland.' _Macky's Journey through Scotland_, pp. 294, + 295, 2nd edit. London, 1732. The first edition of this book was + also printed in 1732. See _Watt's Bibliotheca Britannica_, vol. i. + p. 631 m., Edinburgh, 1824, 4to. + + [391] Gibson, who was a Glasgow merchant, says, in his _History of + Glasgow_, p. 236, 'that the commerce to America first suggested + the idea of introducing manufactures into Glasgow, is to me very + evident; and that they were only attempted to be introduced about + the year 1725 is apparent.' Denholm (_History of Glasgow_, p. 412) + says: 'The linen manufacture, which began here in the year 1725, + was, for a long time, the staple, not only of this city, but of + the west of Scotland.' Compare _Heron's Journey through the + Western Counties of Scotland_, Perth, 1799, vol. ii. p. 412. + + [392] 'Consisting only of one principal street about half a mile in + length.' _Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. vii. + p. 62. But the local historian mentions, with evident pride, that + this one street contained 'handsome houses.' _Crawfurd's History + of the Shire of Renfrew_, part iii. p. 305, edit. Paisley, 1782, + 4to. + + [393] _Denholm's History of Glasgow_, pp. 546, 547; and _Sinclair's + Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. vii. pp. 62-64. See also, + on the rise of Paisley, _Heron's Journey through the Western + Counties of Scotland_, vol. ii. pp. 399, 400; _Pennant's Tour in + Scotland_, vol. ii. p. 144; and _Crawfurd's History of the Shire + of Renfrew_, part iii. p. 321. At an earlier period, Paisley was + famous in a different way. In the middle ages it swarmed with + monks. Keith (_Catalogue of Scotch Bishops_, p. 252, Edinburgh, + 1755, 4to) tells us that, 'it formerly was a Priory, and + afterwards changed into an Abbey of Black Monks.' + +Nor was it merely in the west, that this movement was displayed. In +Scotland generally, the spirit of trade became so rife, that it began to +encroach on the old theological spirit, which had long been supreme. +Hitherto, the Scotch had cared for little except religious polemics. In +every society, these had been the chief subjects of conversation; and on +them, men had wasted their energies, without the least benefit either to +themselves or to others. But, about this time it was observed, that the +improvement of manufactures became a common topic of discourse.[394] Such +a statement, made by a well-informed writer, who witnessed what he +relates, is a curious proof of the change which was beginning, though +very faintly, to steal over the Scotch mind. It shows that there was, at +all events, a tendency to turn aside from subjects which are inaccessible +to our understanding, and the discussion of which has no effect except to +exasperate those who dispute, and to make them more intolerant than ever +of theological opinions different from their own. Unhappily, there were, +as I shall presently point out, other causes at work, which prevented +this tendency from producing all the good that might have been expected. +Still, so far as it went, it was a clear gain. It was a blow to +superstition, inasmuch as it was an attempt to occupy the human mind with +mere secular considerations. In a country like Scotland, this alone was +extremely important. We must also add, that, though it was the effect of +increased industry, it, as often happens, reacted upon, and +strengthened, its cause. For, by diminishing, however little, the +inordinate respect formerly paid to theological pursuits, it was, in the +same proportion, an inducement to ambitious and enterprising men to +abstain from those pursuits, and to engage in temporal matters, where +ability, being less fettered by prejudice, has more scope, and enjoys +more freedom of action. Of those men, some rose to the first rank in +literature; while others, taking a different but equally useful turn, +became as eminent in trade. Hence, Scotland, during the eighteenth +century, possessed, for the first time, two powerful and active classes, +whose aim was essentially secular--the intellectual class, and the +industrial class. Before the eighteenth century, neither of these classes +exercised an independent sway, or could, indeed, be said to have a +separate existence. The intellect of the country was absorbed by the +church; the industry of the country was controlled by the nobles. The +effect which this change produced on the literature of Scotland will be +traced in the last chapter of the present volume. Its effect on industry +was equally remarkable, and, for the well-being of the nation, was +equally valuable. But it does not possess that general scientific +interest which belongs to the intellectual movement; and I shall, +therefore, in addition to the evidence already given, confine myself to a +few more facts illustrative of the history of Scotch industry down to the +middle of the eighteenth century, by which time there was no longer any +doubt that the flood of material prosperity had fairly set in. + + [394] The author of _The Interest of Scotland Considered_, Edinburgh, + 1733, says (p. xvi.) that since 1727, 'we have happily turned our + eyes upon the improvement of our manufactures, which is now a + common subject in discourse, and this contributes not a little to + its success.' + +During the seventeenth century, the only Scotch manufacture of any +importance was that of linen, which, however, like every other branch of +industry, was very backward, and was exposed to all sorts of +discouragement.[395] But, after the Union, it received a sudden impetus, +from two causes. One of these causes, as I have already noticed, was the +demand from America, consequent upon the trade of the Atlantic being +thrown open. The other cause was, the removal of the duty which England +had imposed upon the importation of Scotch linen. These two +circumstances, occurring nearly at the same time, produced such effect on +the national industry, that De Foe, who had a wider knowledge of the +details of trade than any man of that age, said that it seemed as if, for +the future, the Scotch poor could never lack employment.[396] +Unfortunately, this was not the case, and never will be, until society is +radically changed. But the movement which provoked so bold a remark from +so cautious an observer as De Foe, must have been very striking; and we +know, from other sources, that, between 1728 and 1738, the manufacture of +linen for exportation alone was more than doubled.[397] After that +period, this and other departments of Scotch industry advanced with a +constantly accelerating speed. It is mentioned, by a contemporary who was +likely to be well informed, that, between 1715 and 1745, the trade and +manufactures of Scotland increased more than they had done for ages +before.[398] Such a statement, though valuable as corroborating other +evidence, is too vague to be entirely relied on; and historians, who +usually occupy themselves with insignificant details about courts and +princes and statesmen, desert us in matters which are really important, +so that it is now hardly possible to reconstruct the history of the +Scotch people during this, the first epoch of their material prosperity. +I have, however, gathered a few facts, which appear to rest on good +authority, and which supply us with something like precise information as +to dates. In 1739, the manufacture of linen was introduced into +Kilbarchan,[399] and, in 1740, into Arbroath.[400] From the year 1742, +the manufactures of Kilmarnock date their rise.[401] In 1748, the first +linen was manufactured in Cullen;[402] and in the same year in +Inverary.[403] In 1749, this great branch of industry and source of +wealth was established, on a large scale, in Aberdeen;[404] while, about +1750, it began to diffuse itself in Wemyss, in the county of Fife.[405] +These things happening, within eleven years, in parts of the country so +distant from each other, and so totally unconnected, indicate the +existence of general causes, which governed the whole movement; though in +this, as in all instances, every thing is popularly ascribed to the +influence of a few powerful individuals. We have, however, other proofs +that the progress was essentially national. Even in Edinburgh, where +hitherto no claims had been respected except those of the nobles or +clergy, the voice of this new trading interest began to be heard. In that +poor and warlike capital, a society was now first established for the +encouragement of manufactures; and we are assured that this was but a +single manifestation of the enthusiasm which was generally felt on the +subject.[406] Coinciding with this movement, and indeed forming part of +it, we can discern the earliest symptoms of a monied class, properly so +called. In 1749, there was established, at Aberdeen, the first county +bank ever seen in Scotland; and, in the very same year, a similar +establishment was formed at Glasgow.[407] These represented the east and +the west, and, by the advances which they were able to make, each +assisted the trade of its own district. Between eastern and western +Scotland, the intercourse, as yet, was difficult and costly. But this +likewise was about to be remedied by an enterprise, the mere conception +of which would formerly have excited ridicule. After the Union, the idea +arose of uniting the east with the west by a canal, which should join the +Forth to the Clyde. The plan was deemed chimerical, and was abandoned. As +soon, however, as the manufacturing and commercial classes had gained +sufficient influence they adopted it, with that energy which is +characteristic of their order, and which is more common among them than +among any other rank of society. The result was, that, in 1768, the great +work was fairly begun;[408] and the first step was taken towards what, in +a material point of view, was an enterprise of vast importance, but, in a +social and intellectual point of view, was of still superior value, +inasmuch as, by supplying a cheap and easy transit through the heart of +the most populous part of Scotland, it had a direct tendency to make +different districts and different places feel that each had need of +others, and thus encouraging the notion that all belonged to one common +scheme, it assisted in diminishing local prejudice and assuaging local +jealousy; while, in the same proportion, by enticing men to move out of +the narrow circle in which they had habitually lived, it prepared them +for a certain enlargement of mind, which is the natural consequence of +seeing affairs under various aspects, and which is never found in any +country in which the means of travelling are either very hazardous or +very expensive. + + [395] Morer, who was in Scotland in 1688 and 1689, says: 'But that which + employs great part of their land is hemp, of which they have + mighty burdens, and on which they bestow much care and pains to + dress and prepare it for making their linen, the most noted and + beneficial manufacture of the kingdom.' _Morer's Short Account of + Scotland_, London, 1702, pp. 3, 4. + + [396] 'The duties upon linen from Scotland being taken off in England, + made so great a demand for Scots linen more than usual, that it + seemed the poor could want no employment.' _De Foe's History of + the Union between England and Scotland_, p. 604. Compare + _Macpherson's Annals of Commerce_, vol. ii. p. 736: 'a prodigious + vent, not only in England, but for the American plantations.' This + concerns a later period. + + [397] 'The surplus of linen made above the consumption, was, in 1728, + 2,183,978 yards; in 1738, 4,666,011.' _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. + i. p. 873. On the increase between 1728 and 1732, see the Table in + _The Interest of Scotland Considered_, Edinburgh, 1733, p. 97. In + a work published in 1732, it is stated that 'they make a great + deal of linnen all over the kingdom, not only for their own use, + but export it to England, and to the Plantations. In short, the + women are all kept employ'd, from the highest to the lowest of + them.' _Macky's Journey through Scotland_, London, 1732, p. 271. + This refers merely to the women of Scotland, whom Macky represents + as much more industrious than the men. + + [398] In 1745, Craik writes to Lord Nithisdale, 'The present family have + now reigned over us these thirty years, and though during so long + a time they may have fallen into errors, or may have committed + faults, (as what Government is without?) yett I will defy the most + sanguine zealot to find in history a period equal to this in which + Scotland possessed so uninterrupted a felicity, in which liberty, + civil and religious, was so universally enjoyed by all people of + whatever denomination--nay, by the open and avowed ennemys of the + family and constitution, or a period in which all ranks of men + have been so effectually secured in their property. Have not + trade, manufactures, agriculture, and the spirit of industry in + our country extended themselves further during this period and + under this family than for ages before?' _Thomson's Memoirs of the + Jacobites_, London, 1845, vol. ii. pp. 60, 61. + + [399] _Crawfurd's History of the Shire of Renfrew_, part ii. p. 114. + + [400] _Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. vii. p. 341, + compared with vol. xii. pp. 176, 177. + + [401] _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol. iii. p. 483. + + [402] _Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. xii. p. 145. + + [403] _Ibid._ vol. v. p. 297. + + [404] _Kennedy's Annals of Aberdeen_, vol. ii. pp. 199, 200. + + [405] _Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. xvi. p. 520: + 'About the year 1750.' I need hardly say, that some of these + dates, depending upon tradition, are given by the authors + approximatively. + + [406] 'Betwixt the year 1750 and 1760, a great degree of patriotic + enthusiasm arose in Scotland to encourage arts and manufactures; + and the _Edinburgh Society_ was established in 1755 for the + express purpose of improving these.' _Bower's History of the + University of Edinburgh_, vol. iii. pp. 126, 7. + + [407] 'The first county-bank that anywhere appeared, was the Aberdeen + Bank, which was settled in 1749: it was immediately followed by a + similar establishment in Glasgow during the same year.' _Chalmers' + Caledonia_, vol. iii. p. 9, 4to, 1824. Kennedy (_Annals of + Aberdeen_, 4to, 1818, vol. ii. p. 195) says: 'Banking was + originally projected in Aberdeen about the year 1752, by a few of + the principal citizens who were engaged in commerce and + manufactures. They commenced business, upon a limited scale, in an + office on the north side of the Castle Street, issued notes of + hand, of five pounds and of twenty shillings sterling, and + discounted bills and promissory notes, for the accommodation of + the public.' It is uncertain if Chalmers knew of this passage; but + he was a more accurate writer than Kennedy, and I, therefore, + prefer his authority. Besides, Kennedy vaguely says, 'about the + year 1752.' + + [408] 'After having been frequently proposed, since the Union, this + canal was at length begun in 1768, and finished in 1790. The trade + upon it is already great, and is rapidly increasing.' _Sinclair's + Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. ii. pp. 279, 280, + Edinburgh, 1792. See also vol. xii. p. 125; _Irving's History of + Dumbartonshire_, 1860, 4to, p. 247; and an interesting + contemporary notice in _Nimmo's History of Stirlingshire_, + Edinburgh, 1777, pp. 468-481. In 1767, Watt was employed as a + surveyor. See _Muirhead's Life of Watt_, 2nd edit. London, 1859, + p. 167. + +Such was the state of Scotland towards the middle of the eighteenth +century; and surely a fairer prospect was never opened to any country. +The land was at peace. It had nothing to fear, either from foreign +invasion, or from domestic tyranny. The arts, which increase the comfort +of man, and minister to his happiness, were sedulously cultivated; wealth +was being created with unexampled speed, and the blessings which follow +in the train of wealth were being widely diffused; while the insolence of +the nobility was so effectually curbed, that industrious citizens could, +for the first time, feel their own independence, could know that what +they earned, that likewise they should enjoy, and could hold themselves +erect, and with a manly brow, in the presence of a class before whom they +had long crouched in abject submission. + +Besides this, a great literature now arose, a literature of rare and +surpassing beauty. To narrate the intellectual achievements of the Scotch +during the eighteenth century, in a manner at all commensurate with their +importance, would require a separate treatise, and I cannot now stop even +to mention what all educated persons are at least partly acquainted with; +each student recognizing the value of what was done in his own pursuit. +In the last chapter of this volume, I shall, however, attempt to give +some idea of the general results considered as a whole; at present, it is +enough to say, that in every branch of knowledge this once poor and +ignorant people produced original and successful thinkers. What makes +this the more remarkable, is its complete contrast to their former state. +Down even to the beginning of the eighteenth century, Scotland could only +boast of two authors whose works have benefited mankind. They were +Buchanan and Napier. Buchanan was the first political writer who held +accurate views respecting government, and who clearly defined the true +relation between the people and their rulers. He placed popular rights on +a solid basis, and vindicated, by anticipation, all subsequent +revolutions. Napier, equally bold in another department, succeeded, by a +mighty effort of genius, in detecting, and pushing to its extreme +consequence, a law of the progression of numbers, which is so simple and +yet so potent, that it unravels the most tedious and intricate +calculations, and, thus economizing the labours of the brain, has saved +an enormous and incalculable waste. These two men were, indeed, great +benefactors of their species; but they stand alone, and if all the other +authors Scotland produced down to the close of the seventeenth century +had never been born, or if, being born, they had never written, society +would have lost nothing, but would be in exactly the same position as it +now is. + +Early, however, in the eighteenth century, a movement was felt all over +Europe, and in that movement Scotland participated. A spirit of inquiry +was abroad, so general and so searching, that no country could entirely +escape from its action. Sanguine men were excited, and even grave men +were stirred. It seemed as if a long night were about to close. Light +broke forth where before there was nothing but darkness. Opinions which +had stood the test of ages were suddenly questioned; and in every +direction doubts sprung up, and proofs were demanded. The human mind, +waxing bold, would not be satisfied with the old evidence. Things were +examined at their foundation, and the basis of every belief was jealously +scrutinized. For a time, this was confined to the higher intellects; but +soon the movement spread, and, in the most advanced countries, worked +upon nearly all classes. In England and in France, the result was +extremely beneficial. It might have been hoped, that in Scotland +likewise, the popular mind would gradually have become enlightened. But +not so. Time rolled on; one generation succeeded another; the eighteenth +century passed away; the nineteenth century came; and still the people +made no sign. The gloom of the middle ages was yet upon them. While all +around was light, the Scotch, enveloped in mist, crept on, groping their +way, dismally and with fear. While other nations were shaking off their +old superstitions, this singular people clung to theirs with undiminished +tenacity. Now, indeed, their grasp is gradually slackening, but with +extreme slowness, and threatening reactions frequently appear. This, as +it always has been, and still is, the curse of Scotland, so also is it +the chief difficulty with which the historian of Scotland has to contend. +Everywhere else, when the rise of the intellectual classes, and that of +the trading and manufacturing classes, have accompanied each other, the +invariable result has been, a diminution of the power of the clergy, and, +consequently, a diminution of the influence of superstition. The +peculiarity of Scotland is, that, during the eighteenth century, and even +down to the middle of the nineteenth century, the industrial and +intellectual progress has continued without materially shaking the +authority of the priesthood.[409] Strange and unequal combination! The +country of bold and enterprising merchants, of shrewd manufacturers, of +far-seeing men of business, and of cunning artificers; the country, too, +of such fearless thinkers as George Buchanan, David Hume, and Adam Smith, +is awed by a few noisy and ignorant preachers, to whom it allows a +license, and yields a submission, disgraceful to the age, and +incompatible with the commonest notions of liberty. A people, in many +respects very advanced, and holding upon political subjects enlightened +views, do, upon all religious subjects, display a littleness of mind, an +illiberality of sentiment, a heat of temper, and a love of persecuting +others, which shows that the Protestantism of which they boast has done +them no good; that, in the most important matters, it has left them as +narrow as it found them; and that it has been unable to free them from +prejudices which make them the laughing-stock of Europe, and which have +turned the very name of the Scotch Kirk into a by-word and a reproach +among educated men. + + [409] I will quote, in a single passage, the opinions of an eminent + German and of an eminent Scotchman. 'Dr. Spurzheim, when he last + visited Scotland, remarked that the Scotch appeared to him to be + the most priest-ridden nation in Europe; Spain and Portugal not + excepted. _After having seen other countries, I can understand the + force of this observation._' _Notes on the United States of North + America by George Combe_, vol. iii. p. 32, Edinburgh, 1841. + +I shall now endeavour to explain how all this arose, and how such +apparent inconsistencies are to be reconciled. That they may be +reconciled, and that the inconsistencies are merely apparent and not +real, will be at once admitted by whoever is capable of a scientific +conception of history. For, in the moral world, as in the physical world, +nothing is anomalous; nothing is unnatural; nothing is strange. All is +order, symmetry, and law. There are opposites, but there are no +contradictions. In the character of a nation, inconsistency is +impossible. Such, however, is still the backward condition of the human +mind, and with so evil and jaundiced an eye do we approach the greatest +problems, that not only common writers, but even men from whom better +things might be hoped, are on this point involved in constant confusion, +perplexing themselves and their readers by speaking of inconsistency, as +if it were a quality belonging to the subject which they investigate, +instead of being, as it really is, a measure of their own ignorance. It +is the business of the historian to remove this ignorance, by showing +that the movements of nations are perfectly regular, and that, like all +other movements, they are solely determined by their antecedents. If he +cannot do this, he is no historian. He may be an annalist, or a +biographer, or a chronicler, but higher than that he cannot rise, unless +he is imbued with that spirit of science which teaches, as an article of +faith, the doctrine of uniform sequence; in other words, the doctrine +that certain events having already happened, certain other events +corresponding to them will also happen. To seize this idea with firmness, +and to apply it on all occasions, without listening to any exceptions, is +extremely difficult, but it must be done by whoever wishes to elevate the +study of history from its present crude and informal state, and do what +he may towards placing it in its proper rank, as the head and chief of +all the sciences. Even then, he cannot perform his task unless his +materials are ample, and derived from sources of unquestioned +credibility. But if his facts are sufficiently numerous; if they are very +diversified; if they have been collected from such various quarters that +they can check and confront each other, so as to do away with all +suspicion of their testimony being garbled; and if he who uses them +possesses that faculty of generalization, without which nothing great can +be achieved, he will hardly fail in bringing some part of his labours to +a prosperous issue, provided he devotes all his strength to that one +enterprise, postponing to it every other object of ambition, and +sacrificing to it many interests which men hold dear. Some of the most +pleasurable incentives to action, he must disregard. Not for him, are +those rewards which, in other pursuits, the same energy would have +earned; not for him, the sweets of popular applause; not for him, the +luxury of power; not for him, a share in the councils of his country; not +for him, a conspicuous and honoured place before the public eye. Albeit +conscious of what he could do, he may not compete in the great contest; +he cannot hope to win the prize; he cannot even enjoy the excitement of +the struggle. To him, the arena is closed. His recompense lies within +himself, and he must learn to care little for the sympathy of his +fellow-creatures, or for such honours as they are able to bestow. So far +from looking for these things, he should rather be prepared for that +obloquy which always awaits those, who, by opening up new veins of +thought, disturb the prejudices of their contemporaries. While ignorance, +and worse than ignorance, is imputed to him, while his motives are +misrepresented, and his integrity impeached, while he is accused of +denying the value of moral principles, and of attacking the foundation of +all religion, as if he were some public enemy, who made it his business +to corrupt society, and whose delight it was to see what evil he could +do; while these charges are brought forward, and repeated from mouth to +mouth, he must be capable of pursuing in silence the even tenor of his +way, without swerving, without pausing, and without stepping from his +path to notice the angry outcries which he cannot but hear, and which he +is more than human if he does not long to rebuke. These are the +qualities, and these the high resolves, indispensable to him, who, on the +most important of all subjects, believing that the old road is worn out +and useless, seeks to strike out a new one for himself, and, in the +effort, not only perhaps exhausts his strength, but is sure to incur the +enmity of those who are bent on maintaining the ancient scheme +unimpaired. To solve the great problem of affairs; to detect those +hidden circumstances which determine the march and destiny of nations; +and to find, in the events of the past, a key to the proceedings of the +future, is nothing less than to unite into a single science all the laws +of the moral and physical world. Whoever does this, will build up afresh +the fabric of our knowledge, re-arrange its various parts, and harmonize +its apparent discrepancies. Perchance, the human mind is hardly ready for +so vast an enterprise. At all events, he who undertakes it will meet with +little sympathy, and will find few to help him. And let him toil as he +may, the sun and noontide of his life shall pass by, the evening of his +days shall overtake him, and he himself have to quit the scene, leaving +that unfinished which he had vainly hoped to complete. He may lay the +foundation; it will be for his successors to raise the edifice. Their +hands will give the last touch; they will reap the glory; their names +will be remembered when he is forgotten. It is, indeed, too true, that +such a work requires, not only several minds, but also the successive +experience of several generations. Once, I own, I thought otherwise. +Once, when I first caught sight of the whole field of knowledge, and +seemed, however dimly, to discern its various parts and the relation they +bore to each other, I was so entranced with its surpassing beauty, that +the judgment was beguiled, and I deemed myself able, not only to cover +the surface, but also to master the details. Little did I know how the +horizon enlarges as well as recedes, and how vainly we grasp at the +fleeting forms, which melt away and elude us in the distance. Of all that +I had hoped to do, I now find but too surely how small a part I shall +accomplish. In those early aspirations, there was much that was fanciful; +perhaps there was much that was foolish. Perhaps, too, they contained a +moral defect, and savoured of an arrogance which belongs to a strength +that refuses to recognize its own weakness. Still, even now that they are +defeated and brought to nought, I cannot repent having indulged in them, +but, on the contrary, I would willingly recall them, if I could. For, +such hopes belong to that joyous and sanguine period of life, when alone +we are really happy; when the emotions are more active than the judgment; +when experience has not yet hardened our nature; when the affections are +not yet blighted and nipped to the core; and when the bitterness of +disappointment not having yet been felt, difficulties are unheeded, +obstacles are unseen, ambition is a pleasure instead of a pang, and the +blood coursing swiftly through the veins, the pulse beats high, while the +heart throbs at the prospect of the future. Those are glorious days; but +they go from us, and nothing can compensate their absence. To me, they +now seem more like the visions of a disordered fancy, than the sober +realities of things that were, and are not. It is painful to make this +confession; but I owe it to the reader, because I would not have him to +suppose that either in this, or in the future volumes of my History, I +shall be able to redeem my pledge, and to perform all that I promised. +Something, I hope to achieve, which will interest the thinkers of this +age; and something, perhaps, on which posterity may build. It will, +however, only be a fragment of my original design. In the two last +chapters I have attempted, and in the two next chapters I shall still +further attempt, to solve a curious problem in the history of Scotland, +which is intimately connected with other problems of a yet graver import: +but though the solution will, I believe, be complete, the evidence of the +solution will, most assuredly, be imperfect. I regret to add, that such +imperfection is henceforth an essential part of my plan. It is essential, +because I despair of supplying those deficiencies in my knowledge, of +which I grow more sensible in proportion as my views become more +extensive. It is also essential, because, after a fair estimate of my own +strength, of the probable duration of my life, and of the limits to which +industry can safely be pushed, I have been driven to the conclusion, that +this Introduction, which I had projected as a solid foundation on which +the history of England might subsequently be raised, must either be +greatly curtailed, and consequently shorn of its force, or that, if not +curtailed, there will hardly be a chance of my being able to narrate, +with the amplitude and fulness of detail which they richly deserve, the +deeds of that great and splendid nation with which I am best acquainted, +and of which it is my pride to count myself a member. It is with the +free, the noble, and the high-minded English people, that my sympathies +are most closely connected; on them my affections naturally centre; from +their literature, and from their example, my best lessons have been +learnt; and it is now the most cherished and the most sacred desire of my +heart, that I may succeed in writing their history, and in unfolding the +successive phases of their mighty career, while I am yet somewhat equal +to the task, and before my faculties have begun to dwindle, or the power +of continuous attention has begun to decay. + + + + + CHAPTER IV. + + AN EXAMINATION OF THE SCOTCH INTELLECT DURING THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. + + +The remaining part of this volume, I purpose to devote to an attempt to +unravel still further that two-fold paradox, which forms the prominent +peculiarity of the history of Scotland. The paradox consists, as we have +seen, in the fact, first, that the same people have long been liberal in +politics, and illiberal in religion; and, secondly, that the brilliant, +inquisitive, and sceptical literature which they produced in the +eighteenth century, was unable to weaken their superstition, or to instil +into them wiser and larger maxims on religious matters. From an early +period, there were, as I have endeavoured to show, many circumstances +which predisposed the Scotch to superstition, and, so far, had a general +connexion with the subject before us. But the remarkable phenomenon with +which we are immediately concerned, may, I think, be traced to two +distinct causes. The first cause was, that, for a hundred and twenty +years after the establishment of Protestantism, the rulers of Scotland +either neglected the Church or persecuted it, thereby driving the clergy +into the arms of the people, from whom alone they could obtain sympathy +and support. Hence an alliance between the two parties, more intimate +than would otherwise have been possible; and hence, too, the rise of that +democratic spirit which was the necessary consequence of such an union, +and which the clergy encouraged, because they were opposed and thwarted +by the upper classes. So far, the result was extremely beneficial, as it +produced a love of independence and a hatred of tyranny, which, twice +during the seventeenth century, saved the country from the yoke of a +cruel despotism. But these very circumstances, which guarded the people +against political despotism, exposed them all the more to ecclesiastical +despotism. For, having no one to trust except their preachers, they +trusted them entirely and upon all subjects. The clergy gradually became +supreme, not only in spiritual matters, but also in temporal ones. Late +in the sixteenth century, they had been glad to take refuge among the +people; before the middle of the seventeenth century, they ruled the +people. How shamefully they abused their power, and how, by encouraging +the worst kind of superstition, they prolonged the reign of ignorance, +and stopped the march of society, will be related in the course of this +chapter; but, in fairness to them, we ought to acknowledge, that the +religious servitude into which the Scotch fell during the seventeenth +century, was, on the whole, a willing one, and that, mischievous as it +was, it had at least a noble origin, inasmuch as the influence of the +Protestant clergy is mainly to be ascribed to the fearlessness with which +they came forward as leaders of the people, at a period when that post +was full of danger, and when the upper classes were ready to unite with +the crown in destroying the last vestiges of national liberty. + +To trace the operation of this cause of Scotch superstition, will be the +business of the present chapter; while, in the next and concluding +chapter, I shall examine the other cause, which I have as yet hardly +mentioned. This latter inquiry will involve some considerations +respecting the philosophy of method, still imperfectly appreciated among +us, and on which the history of the Scotch mind will throw considerable +light. For, it will appear, that, during the eighteenth century, the +ablest Scotchmen, with hardly an exception, adopted a method of +investigating truth, which cut them off from the sympathies of their +countrymen, and prevented their works from producing the effect which +they might otherwise have done. The result was, that though a very +sceptical literature was produced, scepticism made no progress, and +therefore superstition was undiminished. The highly-educated minds, +indeed, were affected; but they formed a class apart, and there were no +means of communication between them and the people. That this was owing +to the method which literary men employed, I hope to prove in the next +chapter; and if I succeed in doing so, it will be evident, that I have +been guilty of no exaggeration in terming this the second great cause of +the prolongation of Scotch superstition, since it was sufficiently +powerful to prevent the intellectual classes from exercising their +natural functions as the disturbers of old opinions. + +We have already seen, that almost immediately after the Reformation, +ill-feeling arose between the upper classes and the spiritual leaders of +the Protestant church, and that this ill-feeling increased until, in +1580, it vented itself by the abolition of episcopacy. This bold and +decisive measure made the breach irreparable. The preachers had now +committed themselves too far to recede, even if they had desired to do +so; and from that moment, uniting themselves heartily with the people, +they took up a position which they have never since abandoned. During the +remaining twenty-three years that James was in Scotland, they were +occupied in exciting the people against their rulers; and as they became +more democratic, so did the crown and nobles grow more hostile, and +display, for the first time, a disposition to combine together in defence +of their common interests. In 1603, James ascended the throne of England, +and the struggle began in earnest. It lasted, with few interruptions, +eighty-five years, and, during its continuance, the Presbyterian clergy +never wavered; they were always steady to the good cause; always on the +side of the people. This greatly increased their influence; and what +favoured it still more was, that, besides being the champions of popular +liberty, they were also the champions of national independence. When +James I. and the two Charles's attempted to force episcopacy upon +Scotland, the Scotch rejected it, not only because they hated the +institution, but also because they looked on it as the mark of a foreign +domination, which they were determined to resist. Their nearest and most +dangerous enemy was England; and they spurned the idea of receiving +bishops who must, in the first instance, be consecrated in London, and +who, it was certain, would never have been admitted into Scotland unless +England had been the stronger country. It was, therefore, on patriotic, +as well as religious, grounds, that the Scotch clergy, during the +seventeenth century, struggled against episcopacy;[410] and when they +overthrew it, in 1638, their bold and determined conduct associated, in +the popular mind, the love of country with the love of the church. +Subsequent events strengthened this association.[411] In 1650, Cromwell +invaded Scotland, overthrew the Scotch in the battle of Dunbar, and +intrusted to Monk the task of curbing their spirit, by building +fortresses, and establishing a long chain of military posts.[412] The +nation, cowed and broken, gave way, and, for the first time for three +centuries, felt the pressure of a foreign yoke. The clergy alone remained +firm.[413] Cromwell, who knew that they were the chief obstacle to +completing his conquest, hated them, and did every thing he could to ruin +them.[414] But their power was too deeply seated to be shaken. From their +pulpits, they continued to influence and animate the people. In face of +the invaders, and in spite of them, the Scotch church continued to hold +its General Assemblies, until the summer of 1653. Then, indeed, they had +to yield to brute force; and the people, to their unutterable grief, +beheld the venerated representatives of the Scotch kirk driven from their +place of meeting by English soldiers, and led like criminals through the +streets of Edinburgh.[415] + + [410] In 1638, one of the most eminent of the Scotch clergy writes: 'Our + maine feare' is 'to have our religion lost, our throats cutted, + our poore countrey made ane English province, to be disposed upon + for ever hereafter at the will of a Bishope of Canterburie.' + _Baillie's Letters and Journals_, vol. i. p. 66. Compare p. 450. + 'This kirk is a free and independant kirk, no less then the + kingdom is a free and independant kingdom; and as our own Patriots + can best judge what is for the good of the kingdom, so our own + Pastors should be most able to judge what form of worship + beseemeth our Reformation, and what serveth most for the good of + the People.' Two generations later, one of the most popular + arguments against the Union was, that it might enable the English + to force episcopacy upon Scotland. See _De Foe's History of the + Union between England and Scotland_, pp. 222, 284, 359. 'The + danger of the Church of Scotland, from the suffrages of English + bishops,' &c. + + [411] The hatred which the Scotch naturally felt against the English for + having inflicted so much suffering upon them, was intense about + the middle of the seventeenth century, notwithstanding the + temporary union of the two nations against Charles. In 1652, 'the + criminal record is full of cases of murder of English soldiers. + They were cut off by the people whenever a fitting opportunity + occurred, and were as much detested in Scotland as the French + soldiers were in Spain during the Peninsular war.' _The + Spottiswoode Miscellany_, vol. ii. p. 98, Edinburgh, 1845. See + also p. 167: 'a nationall quarrell, and not for the Stuarts.' + + [412] _Browne's History of the Highlands_, vol. ii. pp. 75-77: 'the + English army was augmented to twenty thousand men, and citadels + erected in several towns, and a long train of military stations + drawn across the country to curb the inhabitants.' + + [413] Clarendon, under the year 1655, says, 'Though Scotland was + vanquished, and subdued, to that degree, that there was no place + nor person who made the least show of opposing Cromwell; who, by + the administration of Monk, made the yoke very grievous to the + whole nation; yet the preachers kept their pulpit license; and, + more for the affront that was offered to presbytery, than the + conscience of what was due to majesty, many of them presumed to + pray for the king; and generally, though secretly, exasperated the + minds of the people against the present government.' _Clarendon's + History of the Rebellion_, p. 803. + + [414] And, what they must have felt very acutely, he would not go to hear + them preach. A writer of that time informs us that, even in 1648, + when Cromwell was in Edinburgh, 'he went not to their churches; + but it is constantle reported that ewerie day he had sermons in + his oune ludginge, himself being the preacher, whensoewer the + spirit came upon him; which took him lyk the fitts of an ague, + somtyms twise, sometyms thryse in a day.' _Gordon's Britane's + Distemper_, p. 212. In 1650, according to another contemporary, + 'he made stables of all the churches for hes horsses quhersoeuer + he came, and burned all the seatts and pewes in them; riffled the + ministers housses, and distrayed ther cornes.' _Balfour's Annales + of Scotland_, vol. iv. p. 88. The clergy, on the other hand, + employing a resource with which their profession has always been + familiar, represented Cromwell as opposing Providence, because he + was opposing them. Rutherford (_Religious Letters_, reprinted + Glasgow, 1824, p. 346) says, that he fought 'against the Lord's + secret ones;' and Row (_Continuation of Blair's Autobiography_, p. + 335), under the year 1658, triumphantly observes: 'In the + beginning of September this year, the Protector, that old fox, + died. It was observed, as a remarkable cast of divine providence, + that he died upon the 3d of September, which he, glorying of + routing of our armies at Dunbar and Worcester on that day, used to + call _his day_. On that same very day the Just Judge called him to + an account,' &c. + + [415] See contemporary notices of this, in _Nicoll's Diary_, p. 110; and + in _The Diary of Mr. John Lamont of Newton_, pp. 56, 57. But the + best account is that given by Baillie, in a letter to Calamy, + dated Glasgow, 27th July 1653. He writes: 'That on the 20th of + July last, when our Generall Assemblie was sett in the ordinarie + tyme and place, Lieutenant-Colonell Cotterall besett the church + with some rattes of musqueteirs and a troup of horse; himself + (after our fast, wherein Mr. Dickson and Mr. Dowglas had two + gracious sermons) entered the Assemblie-house, and immediately + after Mr. Dickson the Moderator his prayer, required audience; + wherein he inquired, If we did sitt there by the authority of the + Parliament of the Commonwealth of England? or of the + Commanders-in-chiefe of the English forces? or of the English + Judges in Scotland? The Moderator replyed, That we were ane + Ecclesiasticall synod, ane Spirituall court of Jesus Christ, which + medled not with anything Civile; that our authoritie wes from God, + and established by the lawes of the land yet standing unrepealed; + that, by the Solemn League and Covenant, the most of the English + army stood obliedged to defend our Generall Assemblie. When some + speeches of this kind had passed, the Lieutenant-Colonell told us, + his order was to dissolve us; whereupon he commanded all of us to + follow him, else he would drag us out of the rowme. When we had + entered a Protestation of this unheard-of and unexampled violence, + we did ryse and follow him; he ledd us all through the whole + streets a myle out of the towne, encompassing us with + foot-companies of musqueteirs, and horsemen without; all the + people gazing and mourning as at the saddest spectacle they had + ever seen. When he had ledd us a myle without the towne, he then + declared what further he had in commission, That we should not + dare to meet any more above three in number; and that against + eight o'clock to-morrow, we should depart the towne, under paine + of being guiltie of breaking the publick peace: And the day + following, by sound of trumpet, we were commanded off towne under + the paine of present imprisonment. Thus our Generall Assemblie, + the glory and strength of our Church upon earth, is, by your + souldiarie, crushed and trod under foot, without the least + provocatione from us, at this time, either in word or deed.' + _Baillie's Letters and Journals_, vol. iii. pp. 225, 226. + +Thus it was that in Scotland, after the latter part of the sixteenth +century, every thing tended to increase the reputation of the clergy, by +raising them to the foremost rank among the defenders of their country. +And it was but natural that the spiritual classes, finding themselves in +the ascendant, should conduct the contest according to views habitual to +their profession, and should be anxious for religious advantages, rather +than for temporal benefits. The war which the Scotch waged against +Charles I. partook more of the character of a crusade than any war ever +carried on by a Protestant nation.[416] The main object was, to raise up +presbyters, and to destroy bishops. Prelacy was the accursed thing, and +that must be rooted out at every hazard. To this, all other +considerations were subordinate.[417] The Scotch loved liberty, and hated +England. Yet, even these two passions, notwithstanding their strength, +were as nothing, in comparison with their intense desire to extend and to +propagate, if need be at the point of the sword, their own Presbyterian +polity. This was their first and paramount duty. They fought, indeed, for +freedom, but, above all, they fought for religion. In their eyes, Charles +was the idolatrous head of an idolatrous church, and that church they +were resolved to destroy. They felt that their cause was holy, and they +went forth full of confidence, convinced that the sword of Gideon was +drawn on their side, and that their enemies would be delivered up to +them. + + [416] In August 1640, the army marched into England; and 'it was very + refreshfull to remark, that after we came to ane quarter at night, + there was nothing almost to be heard throughout the whole army but + singing of Psalms, prayer, and reading of Scripture by the + souldiers in their severall hutts.' _Select Biographies_, edited + by Mr. Tweedie for the Wodrow Society, vol. i. p. 163. 'The most + zealous among them boasted, they should carry the triumphant + banners of the covenant to Rome itself.' _Arnot's History of + Edinburgh_, p. 124. In 1644, the celebrated divine, Andrew Cant, + was appointed by the Commissioners of the General Assembly, 'to + preach at the opening of the Parliament, wherein he satisfied + their expectation fully. For, the main point he drove at in his + sermon, was to state an opposition betwixt King Charles and King + Jesus (as he was pleased to speak) and upon that account to press + resistance to King Charles for the interest of King Jesus. It may + be wondered that such doctrine should have relish'd with men + brought up in the knowledge of the Scriptures; and yet, such was + the madness of the times, that none who preach'd in public since + the beginning of the Troubles, had been so cried up as he was for + that sermon.' _Guthry's Memoirs_, pp. 136, 137. + + [417] 'The rooting out of prelacy and the wicked hierarchy therein so + obviously described, is the main duty.' _Naphtali, or the + Wrestlings of the Church of Scotland_, pp. 53, 54. This refers to + the Covenant of 1643. So, too, the continuator of _Row's History + of the Kirk_, p. 521, says, under the year 1639, that the object + of the war was, 'to withstand the prelaticall faction and + malignant, countenanced by the kinge in his owne persone.' Compare + the outbreak of the Reverend Samuel Rutherford, against 'the + accursed and wretched prelates, the Antichrist's first-born, and + the first fruit of his foul womb.' _Rutherford's Religious + Letters_, p. 179. + +The rebellion, therefore, against Charles, which, on the part of the +English, was essentially secular,[418] was, on the part of the Scotch, +essentially religious. This was because with us, the laymen were stronger +than the clergy; while with them, the clergy were stronger than the +laymen. In 1643, both nations having united against the king, it was +thought advisable that an intimate alliance should be concluded; but, in +the negotiations which followed, it is noticed, by a contemporary +observer, that though the English merely wished for a civil league, the +Scotch demanded a religious covenant.[419] And as they would only +continue the war on condition that this was granted, the English were +obliged to give way. The result was the Solemn League and Covenant, by +which what seemed a cordial union was effected between the two +countries.[420] Such a compact was, however, sure to be short-lived, as +each party had different objects; the aim of the English being +political, while that of the Scotch was religious. The consequences of +this difference were soon apparent. In January 1645, negotiations having +been opened with the king, commissioners met at Uxbridge, with the view +of concluding a peace. The attempt failed, as might have been expected, +seeing that, not only were the pretensions of the king irreconcilable +with those of his opponents, but that the pretensions of his opponents +were irreconcilable with each other. At Uxbridge, during the conferences, +the Scotch expressed their readiness to concede to him what he required, +if he would gratify them in regard to the Church; while the English, +occupying themselves with civil and political questions, cared less, says +Clarendon, for what concerned the Church than for anything else.[421] A +better illustration could hardly be found of the secular character of the +English rebellion, as compared with the spiritual character of the Scotch +rebellion. Indeed, the Scotch, so far from concealing this, boasted of +it, and evidently thought that it proved how superior they were to their +worldly-minded neighbours. In February 1645, the General Assembly issued +an address to the nation, including not only those who were at home, but +also those who served in armies out of Scotland. In this document, which, +proceeding from such a quarter, necessarily exercised great influence, +political considerations, as having to do merely with the temporal +happiness of men, are treated as insignificant, and almost despicable. +That Rupert was defeated, and that York and Newcastle were taken, were +but trifling matters. They were only the means of accomplishing an end, +and that end was the reformation of religion in England, and the +establishment there of the pure Presbyterian polity.[422] + + [418] Our civil war was not religious; but was a struggle between the + Crown and the Parliament. See a note in _Buckle's History of + Civilization_, vol. i. p. 359. + + [419] In September 1643, Baillie, writing an account of the proceedings + of the Westminster Assembly in the preceding month, says, 'In our + committees also we had hard enough debates. The English were for a + civill League, we for a religious Covenant.' Letter to Mr. William + Spang, dated 22nd September 1643, in _Baillie's Letters and + Journals_, vol. ii. p. 90. + + [420] 'The Solemn League and Covenant,' which 'is memorable as the first + approach towards an intimate union between the kingdoms, but, + according to the intolerant principles of the age, a federal + alliance was constructed on the frail and narrow basis of + religious communion.' _Laing's History of Scotland_, vol. iii. pp. + 258, 259. The passage, however, which I have quoted, in the last + note, from Baillie, shows that England was not responsible for the + intolerant principles, or, consequently, for the narrow basis. + + [421] The Chancellor of Scotland 'did as good as conclude "that if the + king would satisfy them in the business of the Church, they would + not concern themselves in any of the other demands."' ... 'And it + was manifest enough, by the private conferences with other of the + commissioners, that the parliament took none of the points in + controversy less to heart, or were less united in, than in what + concerned the Church.' _Clarendon's History of the Rebellion_, + edit. Oxford, 1843, p. 522. See also p. 527: 'that the Scots would + insist upon the whole government of the Church, and in all other + matters would defer to the king.' + + [422] See this extraordinary document in _Acts of the General Assembly of + the Church of Scotland from 1638 to 1842_, pp. 122-128, Edinburgh, + 1843. It is entitled 'A solemne and seasonable warning to the + noblemen, barons, gentlemen, burrows, ministers, and commons of + Scotland; as also to armies without and within this kingdom.' In + it (p. 123) occurs the following passage: 'And for our part, our + forces sent into that kingdom, in pursuance of that Covenant, have + been so mercifully and manifestly assisted and blessed from heaven + (though in the mids of many dangers and distresses, and much want + and hardship), and have been so farre instrumentall to the foyling + and scattering of two principall armies; first, the Marquesse of + Newcastle his army; and afterwards Prince Rupert's and his + together; and to the reducing of two strong cities, York and + Newcastle, that we have what to answer the enemy that reproacheth + us concerning that businesse, and that which may make iniquitie it + self to stop her mouth. But which _is more unto us than all + victories or whatsomever temporall blessing_, the reformation of + religion in England, and uniformity therein between both kingdoms + (a principal end of that Covenant), is so far advanced, that the + English Service-Book with the Holy-Dayes and many other ceremonies + contained in it, together with the Prelacy, the fountain of all + these, are abolished and taken away by ordinance of parliament, + and a directory for the worship of God in all the three kingdoms + agreed upon in the Assemblies, and in the Parliaments of both + kingdoms, without a contrary voice in either; the government of + the kirk by congregational elderships, classical presbyteries, + provincial and national assemblies, is agreed upon by the Assembly + of Divines at Westminster, which is also voted and concluded in + both Houses of the Parliament of England.' + +A war, undertaken with such holy objects, and conceived in so elevated a +spirit, was supposed to be placed under the immediate protection of the +Deity, on whose behalf it was carried on. In the language of the time, it +was a war for God, and for God's church. Every victory that was obtained, +was the result, not of the skill of the general, nor of the valour of +the troops, but was an answer to prayer.[423] When a battle was lost, it +was either because God was vexed at the sins of the people,[424] or else +to show them that they must not trust to the arms of the flesh.[425] +Nothing was natural; all was supernatural. The entire course of affairs +was governed, not by their own antecedents, but by a series of miracles. +To assist the Scotch, winds were changed, and storms were lulled. Such +intelligence as was important for them to receive, was often brought by +sea; and, on those occasions, it was expected that, if the wind were +unfavourable, Providence would interfere, would shift it from one quarter +to another, and, when the news had safely arrived, would allow it to +return to its former direction.[426] + + [423] In 1644, 'God ansuered our Wednesday's prayers: Balfour and Waller + had gotten a glorious victorie over Forth and Hopton, and routed + them totallie, horse and foot.' _Baillie's Letters and Journals_, + vol. ii. p. 155. In the same year, thanksgivings being offered at + Aberdeen for the victory of Leslie over Rupert, 'oure minister Mr. + William Strathauchin declairit out of pulpit that this victory wes + miraculous, wrocht by the fynger of God.' _Spalding's History of + the Troubles_, vol. ii. p. 254. In 1648, the Commissioners of the + General Assembly, in an address to the Prince of Wales, stated + that the Deity had been 'fighting for his people;' meaning by his + people, the Scotch people. They added, that the fact of their + enemies having been repulsed, was a proof of 'how sore the Lord + hath been displeased with their way.' _Clarendon State Papers_, + vol. ii. p. 424, Oxford, 1773, folio. + + [424] Two Scotch notices are now before me of the fatal battle of Dunbar. + According to one, the defeat was intended to testify against 'the + great sin and wickedness' of the people. _Naphtali, or the + Wrestlings of the Church of Scotland_, p. 75. According to the + other, it was owing to the anger of the Deity at the Scotch + showing any favour to the partizans of Charles. For, says the + Reverend Alexander Shields, 'both at that time, and since that + time, the Lord never countenanced an expedition where that + malignant interest was taken in unto the state of the quarrel. + Upon this, our land was invaded by Oliver Cromwell, who defeat our + army at Dunbar, where the anger of the Lord was evidently seen to + smoke against us, for espousing that interest.' _Shields' Hind let + loose_, p. 75. These opinions were formed after the battle. Before + the battle, a different hypothesis was broached. Sir Edward + Walker, who was in Scotland at the time, tells us, that the clergy + assured the people that 'they had an army of saints, and that they + could not be beaten.' _Journal of Affairs in Scotland in 1650_, in + _Walker's Historical Discourses_, London, 1705, folio, p. 165. + + [425] 'Each new victory of Montrose was expressly attributed to the + admonitory "indignation of the Lord" against his chosen people for + their sin, in "trusting too much to the arm of flesh."' _Napier's + Life of Montrose_, Edinburgh, 1840, p. 283. Compare _Guthrie's + Considerations contributing unto the Discovery of the Dangers that + threaten Religion_, pp. 274, 275, reprinted Edinburgh, 1846. + Guthrie was at the height of his reputation in the middle of the + seventeenth century. Lord Somerville says of the Scotch, when they + were making war against Charles I., that it was 'ordinary for + them, dureing the wholl tyme of this warre, to attribute ther + great successe to the goodnesse and justice of their cause, untill + Divyne Justice trysted them with some crosse dispensatione, and + then you might have heard this language from them, that it pleased + the Lord to give his oune the heavyest end of the tree to bear, + that the saints and people of God must still be sufferers while + they are here away; that that malignant party was God's rod to + punish them for their unthankfullnesse,' &c. _Somerville's Memorie + of the Somervilles_, vol. ii. pp. 351, 352. + + [426] Baillie mentions, in 1644, an instance of these expectations being + fulfilled. He says (_Letters and Journals_, vol. ii. p. 138), + 'These things were brought in at a very important nick of time, by + God's gracious providence: Never a more quick passage from Holy + Island to Yarmouth in thirtie houres; they had not cast anchor + halfe an houre till the wind turned contrare.' Compare p. 142: 'If + this were past, we look for a new lyfe and vigoure in all + affaires, especiallie if it please God to send a sweet northwind, + carrying the certain news of the taking of Newcastle, which we + dailie expect.' + +It was in this way that, in Scotland, every thing conspired to strengthen +that religious element which the force of circumstances had, at an early +period, made prominent, and which now threatened to absorb all the other +elements of the national character. The clergy were supreme; and habits +of mind natural and becoming to themselves, were diffused among all +classes. The theories of a single profession outweighed those of all +other professions; and not only war, but also trade, literature, science, +and art, were held of no account unless they ministered to the general +feeling. A state of society so narrow and so one-sided, has never been +seen in any other country equally civilized. Nor did there appear much +chance of abating this strange monopoly. As the seventeenth century +advanced, the same train of events was continued; the clergy and the +people always making common cause against the crown, and being, by the +necessity of self-preservation, forced into the most intimate union with +each other. Of this, the preachers availed themselves to strengthen their +own influence; and for upwards of a century their exertions stopped all +intellectual culture, discouraged all independent inquiry, made men in +religious matters fearful and austere, and coloured the whole national +character with that dark hue, which, though now gradually softening, it +still retains. + +The Scotch, during the seventeenth century, instead of cultivating the +arts of life, improving their minds, or adding to their wealth, passed +the greater part of their time in what were called religious exercises. +The sermons were so long and so frequent, that they absorbed all leisure, +and yet the people were never weary of hearing them. When a preacher was +once in the pulpit, the only limit to his loquacity was his strength. +Being sure of a patient and reverential audience, he went on as long as +he could. If he discoursed for two hours without intermission, he was +valued as a zealous pastor, who had the good of his flock at heart; and +this was about as much as an ordinary clergyman could perform, because, +in uttering his sentiments, he was expected to display great vehemence, +and to evince his earnestness by toiling and sweating abundantly.[427] +This boundary was, however, often passed by those who were equal to the +labour; and Forbes, who was vigorous as well as voluble, thought nothing +of preaching for five or six hours.[428] But, in the ordinary course of +nature, such feats were rare; and, as the people were in these matters +extremely eager, an ingenious contrivance was hit upon whereby their +desires might be satisfied. On great occasions, several clergymen were +present in the same church, in order that, when one was fatigued, he +might leave the pulpit, and be succeeded by another, who, in his turn, +was followed by a third; the patience of the hearers being apparently +inexhaustible.[429] Indeed, the Scotch, by the middle of the seventeenth +century, had grown accustomed to look up to their minister as if he were +a god, and to dwell with rapture upon every word that dropt from his +lips. To hear a favourite preacher, they would incur any fatigue, and +would undertake long journeys without sleep or food.[430] Their power of +attention was marvellous. The same congregation would sometimes remain +together for ten hours, listening to sermons and prayers, interspersed +with singings and readings.[431] In an account of Scotland in 1670, it is +stated that, in a single church in Edinburgh, thirty sermons were +delivered every week.[432] Nor is this at all unlikely, considering the +religious enthusiasm of the age. For, in those times, the people +delighted in the most harassing and ascetic devotions. Thus, for +instance, in 1653, when the sacrament was administered, they pursued the +following course. On Wednesday, they fasted, and listened to prayers and +sermons for more than eight hours. On Saturday they heard two or three +sermons; and on Sunday, the number of sermons was so great that they +stayed in church more than twelve hours; while, to conclude the whole, +three or four additional ones were preached on Monday by way of +thanksgiving.[433] + + [427] No one, perhaps, carried this further than John Menzies, the + celebrated professor of divinity at Aberdeen. 'Such was his + uncommon fervour in the pulpit, that, we are informed, he "used to + change his shirt always after preaching, and to wet two or three + napkins with tears every sermon."' Note in _Wodrow's + Correspondence_, vol. ii. p. 222. James Forbes, also, was 'an able + and zealous preacher, who after every sermon behooved to change + his shirt, he spoke with such vehemency and sweating.' _Select + Biographies_, published by the Wodrow Society, vol. i. p. 333. + Lord Somerville, who wrote in 1679, mentions 'their thundering + preachings.' _Memorie of the Somervilles_, vol. ii. p. 388. A + traditionary anecdote, related by the Dean of Edinburgh, refers to + a later period, but is characteristic of the class. 'Another + description I have heard of an energetic preacher more forcible + than delicate--"Eh, our minister had a great power o' watter, for + he grat, and spat, and swat like mischeef."' _Reminiscences of + Scottish Life and Character_, by E. B. Ramsay, Dean of Edinburgh, + p. 201. + + [428] He 'was a very learned and pious man; he had a strange faculty of + preaching five or six hours at a time.' _Burnet's History of his + own Time_, vol. i. p. 38. Even early in the eighteenth century, + when theological fervour was beginning to decline, and sermons + were consequently shorter, Hugh Thomson came near to Forbes. 'He + was the longest preacher ever I heard, and would have preached + four (or) five hours, and was not generally under two hours; that + almost every body expected.' ... 'He was a piouse good man, and a + fervent affectionat preacher, and, when I heard him, he had a vast + deal of heads, and a great deal of matter, and generally very good + and practicall, but very long.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. iv. + p. 203. + + [429] In 1653, Lamont casually mentions, in his journal, that 'the one + came doune from the pulpit and the other went vp, in the tyme that + the psalme after the first sermon was singing, so that ther was no + intermission of the exercise, nether were the peopell dismissed + till both sermons were ended.' _The Diary of Mr. John Lamont of + Newton_, p. 58. Burnet (_History of his own Time_, vol. i. p. 92) + says, 'I remember in one fast day there were six sermons preached + without intermission. I was there myself, and not a little weary + of so tedious a service.' + + [430] When Guthrie preached at Fenwick, 'his church, although a large + country one, was overlaid and crowded every Sabbath-day, and very + many, without doors, from distant parishes, such as Glasgow, + Paisley, Hamilton, Lanerk, Kilbryde, Glasford, Strathaven, + Newmills, Egelsham and many other places, who hungered for the + pure gospel preached, and got a meal by the word of his ministry. + It was their usual practice to come to Fenwick on Saturday, and to + spend the greatest part of the night in prayer to God, and + conversation about the great concerns of their souls, to attend + the public worship on the Sabbath, to dedicate the remainder of + that holy day in religious exercises, and then to go home on + Monday the length of ten, twelve or twenty miles without grudging + in the least at the long way, want of sleep or other refreshments; + neither did they find themselves the less prepared for any other + business through the week.' _Howie's Biographia Scoticana_, 2nd + edit., Glasgow, 1781, p. 311. One woman went forty miles to hear + Livingstone preach. See her own statement, in _Wodrow's Analecta_, + vol. ii. p. 249. + + [431] Spalding gives the following account of what happened at Aberdeen + in 1644. 'So heir in Old Abirdene, upone the sevint of July, we + had ane fast, entering the churche be nyne houris, and continewit + praying and preiching whill tua houris. Efter sermon, the people + sat still heiring reiding whill efternone's sermon began and + endit, whiche continewit till half hour to sex. Then the prayer + bell rang to the evening prayeris, and continewit whill seven.' + _Spalding's History of the Troubles_, vol. ii. p. 244, edit. + Edinburgh, 1829, 4to. See also p. 42: 'the people keipit churche + all day.' This was also at Aberdeen, in 1642. + + [432] 'Out of one pulpit now they have thirty sermons per week, all + under one roof.' _A Modern Account of Scotland_, in _The Harleian + Miscellany_, vol. vi. p. 138, edit. Park, London, 1810, 4to. + + [433] 'But where the greatest part was more sound, they gave the + sacrament with a new and unusual solemnity. On the Wednesday + before, they held a fast day, with prayers and sermons for about + eight or ten hours together: on the Saturday they had two or three + preparation sermons: and on the Lord's day they had so very many, + that the action continued above twelve hours in some places: and + all ended with three or four sermons on Monday for thanksgiving.' + _Burnet's History of his own Time_, vol. i. p. 108. + +Such eagerness, and yet such patience, indicate a state of society +altogether peculiar, and for which we find no parallel in the history of +any civilized country. This intense desire to hear whatever the preachers +had to say, was, in itself, a homage of the most flattering kind, and was +naturally accompanied by a belief that they were endowed with a light +which was withheld from their less gifted countrymen. It is not +surprising that the clergy, who, at no period, and in no nation, have +been remarkable for their meekness, or for a want of confidence in +themselves, should, under circumstances so eminently favourable to their +pretensions, have been somewhat elated, and should have claimed an +authority even greater than that which was conceded to them. And as this +is intimately connected with the subsequent history of Scotland, it will +be necessary to collect some evidence respecting their conduct, which +will have the further advantage of exhibiting the true character of +spiritual domination, and of showing how it works, not only on the +intellectual, but also on the practical, life of a people. + +According to the Presbyterian polity, which reached its height in the +seventeenth century, the clergyman of the parish selected a certain +number of laymen on whom he could depend, and who, under the name of +elders, were his councillors, or rather the ministers of his authority. +They, when assembled together, formed what was called the Kirk-Session, +and this little court, which enforced the decisions uttered in the +pulpit, was so supported by the superstitious reverence of the people, +that it was far more powerful than any civil tribunal. By its aid, the +minister became supreme. For, whoever presumed to disobey him was +excommunicated, was deprived of his property, and was believed to have +incurred the penalty of eternal perdition.[434] Against such weapons, in +such a state of society, resistance was impossible. The clergy interfered +with every man's private concerns, ordered how he should govern his +family, and often took upon themselves the personal control of his +household.[435] Their minions, the elders, were everywhere; for each +parish was divided into several quarters, and to each quarter one of +these officials was allotted, in order that he might take special notice +of what was done in his own district.[436] Besides this, spies were +appointed, so that nothing could escape their supervision.[437] Not only +the streets, but even private houses, were searched, and ransacked, to +see if any one was absent from church while the minister was +preaching.[438] To him, all must listen, and him all must obey. Without +the consent of his tribunal, no person might engage himself, either as a +domestic servant, or as a field labourer.[439] If any one incurred the +displeasure of the clergy, they did not scruple to summon his servants +and force them to state whatever they knew respecting him, and whatever +they had seen done in his house.[440] To speak disrespectfully of a +preacher was a grievous offence;[441] to differ from him was a +heresy;[442] even to pass him in the streets without saluting him, was +punished as a crime.[443] His very name was regarded as sacred, and not +to be taken in vain. And that it might be properly protected, and held in +due honour, an Assembly of the Church, in 1642, forbad it to be used in +any public paper unless the consent of the holy man had been previously +obtained.[444] + + [434] 'The power of those kirk-sessions, which are now private + assemblages, in whose meetings and proceedings the public take no + interest whatever, is defined to be the cognizance of parochial + matters and cases of scandal; but in the sixteenth and seventeenth + centuries, especially during the Covenanting reign of terror after + the outbreak of the Civil War against Charles I., the + kirk-sessions of Scotland were the sources of excessive tyranny + and oppression--were arbitrary, inquisitorial, and revengeful, to + an extent which exceeds all belief. It is truly stated by the + author of the "Memoirs of Locheill"--"Every parish had a tyrant, + who made the greatest Lord in his district stoop to his authority. + The kirk was the place where he kept his court; the pulpit his + throne or tribunal from whence he issued out his terrible decrees; + and twelve or fourteen sour ignorant enthusiasts, under the title + of Elders, composed his council. If any, of what quality soever, + had the assurance to disobey his orders, the dreadful sentence of + excommunication was immediately thundered out against him, his + goods and chattels confiscated and seized, and he himself being + looked upon as actually in the possession of the devil, and + irretrievably doomed to eternal perdition."' Introduction to _The + Kirk-Session Register of Perth_, in _The Spottiswoode Miscellany_, + vol. ii. pp. 229-230, Edinburgh, 1845. In regard to the perdition + which the sentence of excommunication was supposed to involve, one + of the most influential Scotch divines of that time merely + expresses the prevailing notion, when he asserts, that whoever was + excommunicated was thereby given up to Satan. 'That he who is + excommunicated may be truly said to be delivered to Sathan is + undeniable.' _Gillespie's Aaron's Rod Blossoming, or the Divine + Ordinance of Church Government Vindicated_, 1646, 4to, p. 239. + 'Excommunication, which is a shutting out of a Church-member from + the Church, whereby Sathan commeth to get dominion and power over + him.' _Ibid._ p. 297. 'Sure I am an excommunicate person may truly + be said to be delivered to Sathan.' p. 424. + + [435] Clarendon, under the year 1640, emphatically says (_History of the + Rebellion_, p. 67), 'The preacher reprehended the husband, + governed the wife, chastised the children, and insulted over the + servants, in the houses of the greatest men.' The theory was, that + 'ministers and elders must be submitted unto us as fathers.' + _Shields' Enquiry into Church Communion_, 2nd edit., Edinburgh, + 1747, p. 66. In the middle of the seventeenth century, one of the + most famous of the Scotch preachers openly asserted the right of + his profession to interfere in family matters, on the ground that + such was the custom in the time of Joshua. 'The Ministers of God's + house have not only the ministry of holy things, as Word and + Sacraments, committed to their charge, but also the power of + ecclesiastical government to take order with scandalous offences + within the familie; both these are here promised to Joshua and the + Priests.' _Hutchison's Exposition of the Minor Prophets_, vol. + iii. p. 72, London, 1654. In 1603, the Presbytery of Aberdeen took + upon themselves to order that every master of a house should keep + a rod, that his family, including his servants, might be beaten if + they used improper language. 'It is concludit that thair salbe in + ewerie houss a palmar.' _Selections from the Records of the Kirk + Session, Presbytery, and Synod of Aberdeen_, printed for the + Spalding Club, 4to, Aberdeen, 1846, p. 194. It also appears + (p. 303) that, in 1674, the clergyman was expected to exercise + supervision over all visitors to private houses; since he ought to + be informed, 'iff ther be anie persone receaved in the familie + without testimoniall presented to the minister.' + + [436] In 1650, it was ordered, 'That everie paroche be divydit in + severall quarteris, and each elder his owne quarter, over which he + is to have speciall inspectioun, and that everie elder visit his + quarter once everie month at least, according to the act of the + Generall Assemblie, 1649, and in thair visitatioun tak notice of + all disorderlie walkeris, especiallie neglectouris of God's + worship in thair families, sueareris, haunteris of aill houses, + especiallie at vnseasonable tymes, and long sitteris thair, and + drinkeris of healthis; and that he dilate these to the Sessioun.' + _Selections from the Minutes of the Synod of Fife_, printed for + the Abbotsford Club, Edinburgh, 1837, 4to, p. 168. 'The elders + each one in his own quarter, for trying the manners of the + people.' _The Government and Order of the Church of Scotland_, + Edinburgh, 1690, p. 14. This scarce little volume is reprinted + from the edition of 1641. See the advertisement at the beginning. + + [437] In 1652, the Kirk-Session of Glasgow 'brot boyes and servants + before them, for breaking the Sabbath, and other faults. They had + clandestine censors, and gave money to some for this end.' + _Wodrow's Collections_, vol. ii. part ii. p. 74, Glasgow, 1848, + 4to. + + [438] 'It is thocht expedient that ane baillie with tua of the sessioun + pas throw the towne everie Sabboth day, and nott sic as thay find + absent fra the sermones ather afoir or efter none; and for that + effect that thay pas and _sersche sic houss as they think maist + meit_, and pas athort the streittis.' _Selections from the Records + of the Kirk Session, Presbytery, and Synod of Aberdeen_, p. 26. + 'To pas throw the towne to caus the people resort to the hering of + the sermones.' p. 59. 'Ganging throw the towne on the ordinar + preiching dayes in the weik, als weill as on the Saboth day, to + caus the people resort to the sermones.' p. 77. See also p. 94; + and _Wodrow's Collections_, vol. ii. part ii. p. 37: 'the Session + allous the searchers to go into houses and apprehend absents from + the kirk.' + + [439] 'Another peculiarity was the supervision wielded over the movements + of people to such a degree that they could neither _obtain lodging + nor employment_ except by a licence from the Kirk-Session, or, by + defying this police court, expose themselves to fine and + imprisonment.' _Lawson's Book of Perth_, p. xxxvii. Edinburgh, + 1847. + + [440] In 1652, Sir Alexander Irvine indignantly writes, that the + presbytery of Aberdeen, 'when they had tried many wayes, bot in + vaine, to mak probable this their vaine imaginatione, they, at + lenthe, when all other meanes failed thame, by ane unparalelled + barbaritie, enforced my serwandis to reweall upon oathe what they + sawe, herd, or knewe done within my house, beyond which no + Turkische inquisitione could pase.' _The Miscellany of the + Spalding Club_, vol. iii. p. 206, Aberdeen, 1846, 4to. + + [441] In 1656, a servant was ordered to be brought before the + Kirk-Session of Aberdeen 'for her rayleing againest Mr. Andrew + Cant, minister, in saying that becaus the said Mr. Andrew spak + againest Yuill, he spak lyke ane old fool.' _Selections from the + Records of the Kirk Session, Presbytery, and Synod of Aberdeen_, + p. 138. In 1642, the Presbytery of Lanark had up a certain James + Baillie, because he stated the extremely probable circumstance, + 'that two fooles mett togither, when the Minister and his sone + mett togither.' _Selections from the Registers of the Presbytery + of Lanark_, printed for the Abbotsford Club, Edinburgh, 1839, 4to, + p. 30. + + [442] In 1644, 'If you dissent from them in a theological tenet, it is + heresy.' _Presbytery Displayed_, 1644, p. 39, reprinted London, + 1663, 4to. In 1637, 'If ye depart from _what I taught you in a + hair-breadth_ for fear or favour of men, or desire of ease in this + world, I take heaven and earth to witness, that ill shall come + upon you in end.' _Rutherford's Religious Letters_, p. 116. In + 1607, 'Mr. William Cowper, Minister, complained upon Robert Keir + that he had disdainfully spoken of his doctrine. The (Kirk) + Session ordained him to be warned to the morrow.' _Lawson's Book + of Perth_, p. 247. + + [443] In 1619, a man was summoned before the Kirk-Session of Perth, + because, among other things, he would not perform 'that civil duty + of salutation, as becomes him to his pastor;' but 'passed by him + without using any kind of reverence.' _The Chronicle of Perth_, + Edinburgh, 1831, 4to, p. 80. The complaint was preferred by the + minister himself. Indeed, the Scotch clergy took these things so + much to heart, that they set up a theory to the effect that + whoever showed them any disrespect, was prompted thereto by Satan. + 'It is Satan's great engine to draw men to contemne God and his + word, under pretext of disrespect and prejudice against the + Messengers only.' ... 'It may let us see their guilt who despise + most eminent ordinary Messengers.' _Hutcheson's Exposition of the + Minor Prophets_, vol. i. pp. 205, 233. + + [444] The General Assembly of Saint Andrews, in 1642, passed 'an act + against using ministers' names in any of the public papers, + without their own consent.' _Stevenson's History of the Church of + Scotland_, p. 503. + +These and similar proceedings, being upheld by public opinion, were +completely successful. Indeed, they could hardly have been otherwise, +seeing that it was generally believed that whoever gainsaid the clergy, +would be visited, not only with temporal penalties, but also with +spiritual ones. For such a crime, there was punishment here, and there +was punishment hereafter. The preachers willingly fostered a delusion by +which they benefited. They told their hearers, that what was spoken in +the pulpit was binding upon all believers, and was to be regarded as +immediately proceeding from the Deity.[445] This proposition being +established, other propositions naturally followed. The clergy believed +that they alone were privy to the counsels of the Almighty, and that, by +virtue of this knowledge, they could determine what any man's future +state would be.[446] Going still further, they claimed the power, not +only of foretelling his future state, but also of controlling it; and +they did not scruple to affirm that, by their censures, they could open +and shut the kingdom of heaven.[447] As if this were not enough, they +also gave out that a word of theirs could hasten the moment of death, and +by cutting off the sinner in his prime, could bring him at once before +the judgment-seat of God.[448] + + [445] 'Directions for a believer's walk, given by Christ's ministers from + his word, are his own, and are accounted by him as if he did + immediately speak them himself.' _Durham's Exposition of the Song + of Solomon_, p. 102. I quote from the Glasgow reprint of 1788. + That my references may be easily verified, and any error, if error + there be, detected, I mention that the exact edition used will, in + every case, be found specified in the List of Authors at the + beginning of this work. But, if it will give the reader any + additional confidence, I will venture to observe, that I am always + scrupulously careful in reference to quotations, having looked out + each passage afresh, as the sheets came from the printers hands. + Some of the circumstances narrated in this chapter are so + monstrous, that I hope to be excused in saying that I have taken + all possible pains to secure their literal accuracy. + + [446] 'Yea, such was their arrogance, that, as if they had been privy to + the councils of God, or the dispensers of his vengeance to the + world, they presumed to pronounce upon their future state, and + doomed them, both body and soul, to eternal torments.' _Wishart's + Memoirs of the Marquis of Montrose_, p. 237. 'Ye heard of me the + whole counsel of God. _Rutherford's Religious Letters_, p. 16. 'I + am free from the blood of all men; for I have communicated to you + the whole counsel of God.' _Ibid._ p. 191. 'This is the great + business of Gospel Ministers, to declare the whole counsel of + God.' _Halyburton's Great Concern of Salvation_, p. 4. 'Asserting + that he had declared the whole counsel of God, and had keeped + nothing back.' _Life of the Rev. A. Peden_, p. 41, in vol. i. of + _Walker's Biographia Presbyteriana_. + + [447] 'The power of the keys is given to the Ministers of the church, + wherewith not only by the preaching of the word, but also to + church censures (sic) they open and shut the kingdom of heaven.' + _Dickson's Truth's Victory over Error_, p. 282. 'To preach the + Word, impugne, rebuik, admonishe, exhort and correct, and that + under no less paine then casting both bodie and soull into + eternall hell's fire.' _Forbes' Certaine Records touching the + Estate of the Kirk_, p. 519. 'The next words, "Whatsoever ye shall + bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven," being spoken to the + Apostles, and in them to other Ministers of Jesus Christ.' + _Gillespie's Aaron's Rod Blossoming_, p. 366. 'The keys of the + kingdom of Heaven' ... 'are committed and intrusted to the pastors + and other ruling officers of the Church.' _Ibid._ p. 260. + + [448] 'Gird up the loins of your mind, and make you ready for meeting + the Lord; I have often summoned you, and now I summon you again, + to compear before your Judge, to make a reckoning of your life.' + _Rutherford's Religious Letters_, p. 235. 'Mr. Cameron, musing a + little, said, "You, and all who do not know my God in mercy, shall + know him in his judgments, which shall be sudden and surprising in + a few days upon you; and I, as a sent servant of Jesus Christ, + whose commission I bear, and whose badge I wear upon my breast, + give you warning, and leave you to the justice of God." + Accordingly, in a few days after, the said Andrew, being in + perfect health, took his breakfast plentifully, and before he rose + fell a-vomiting, and vomited his heart's blood in the very vessel + out of which he had taken his breakfast; and died in a most + frightful manner.' _Howie's Biographia Scoticana_, p. 406. + +Utterly horrible as such a pretension now appears, it was made, not only +with impunity, but with advantage; and numerous instances are recorded, +in which the people believed that it was strictly enforced. The +celebrated John Welsh, sitting one night at table, round which a party +were assembled at supper, began to discourse to the company respecting +the state of their souls. Those who were present listened with humility; +but to this general feeling there was one exception. For, it so happened +that a Roman Catholic was in the room, and he, of course, disagreed with +the opinions expressed by the Presbyterian divine. If he had been a +cautious man, he would have kept his disagreement to himself; but being a +hot-headed youth, and being impatient at seeing a single person engross +the conversation, he lost his temper, and not only ridiculed Welsh, but +actually made faces at him. Thereupon, Welsh charged the company to take +heed, and see what the Lord was about to do to him who mocked. Scarcely +had this threat been uttered, when it was carried into execution. He who +had dared to jest at the minister, suddenly fell, sank under the table, +and died there in presence of the whole party.[449] + + [449] 'Sitting at supper with the Lord Ochiltree (who was uncle to + Mr. Welsh's wife), as his manner was, he entertained the company + with godly and edifying discourse, which was well received by all + the company save only one debauched Popish young gentleman, who + sometimes laughed, and sometimes mocked and made faces; whereupon + Mr. Welsh brake out into a sad abrupt charge upon all the company + to be silent, and observe the work of the Lord upon that profane + mocker, which they should presently behold; upon which immediately + the profane wretch sunk down and died beneath the table, but never + returned to life again, to the great astonishment of all the + company.' _History of Mr. John Welsh, Minister of the Gospel at + Ayr_, in _Select Biographies_, vol. i. p. 29. 'Mr. Welsh being by + the Captaine, set at the upper end, intertained the company with + grave and edifying discourse which all delighted to hear, save + this young Papist, who, with laughter and derision, laboured to + silence him, which was little regarded by Mr. Welsh. But after + supper, while the guests sate a little, this youth stood up at the + lower end of the table, and while Mr. Welsh proceeded from grave + to gracious entertainment of his company, the youth came to that + height of insolence as with the finger to point at him and with + the face to make flouting grimaces, whereby he grieved the holy + man, so as on a suddain he was forced to a silence. The whole + company, who had heard him with delight, were silent with him. + Within a little, Mr. Welsh, as moved by the spirit of God, broke + forth into these words: "Gentlemen, the spirit of God is provoked + against us, and I shall intreat you not to be afraid to see what + God shall do among you before you rise from the table, for he will + smite some of you with death before you go hence." All were + silently astonished, waiting to see the issue with fear. And while + every man feared himselfe, except the insolent youth, he fel down + dead suddenly at the foot of the table to shew the power of God's + jealousie against the mockers of his Spirit and the offers of his + grace.' _Fleming's Fulfilling of the Scripture_, pp. 374, 375. + +This happened early in the seventeenth century, and being bruited abroad, +it became a great terror to all evil-doers. But, after a time, its effect +appears to have been weakened; since another man was equally rash some +forty or fifty years afterwards. It seems that a Scotch clergyman of +considerable repute, Mr. Thomas Hog, was, like Welsh, sitting at supper, +when it so chanced that the servants forgot to lay the knives. Mr. Hog, +thinking the opportunity a favourable one, observed that such +forgetfulness was of little moment, and that, while we thought so much of +our comforts here, it was far more necessary to consider our condition +hereafter. A gentleman present, amused, either by the manner of Mr. Hog, +or by the skill with which he introduced the topics of his own +profession, was unable to restrain himself, and burst out into a violent +fit of laughter. The minister, however, was not to be checked, and he +continued after such a fashion, that the laughter was repeated louder +than ever. At length Mr. Hog turned round, and told his merry comrade +that very shortly he should seek for mercy, but find it not. That same +night, the scoffer was taken ill, and in great alarm sent for Mr. Hog. It +was, however, useless. Before the clergyman could reach his room, the +sinner was lying dead, a lost and ruined man.[450] + + [450] 'When they sat doun to supper, it seems, knives were forgote; and + when the servant was rebuked, Mr. Hogg said, there was noe matter, + for he had one in his pocket, and it was a necessary companion for + a travailer; and, as his use was upon evry thing, he took occasion + to raise a spirituall discourse from it: "If we wer soe carefull + about accommodations in our way here, what care should we take in + our spirituall journey!" and the like; at which the factour takes + a kink of laughing. Mr. Hogg looked at him with a frown, and went + on in his discourse. Within a little, at somewhat or other, he + laughed out yet louder, and Mr. Hogg stoped a litle, and looked + him very stern in the face, and went on in his discourse, upon the + free grace of God; and, at some expression or other, the man fell + a laughing and flouting very loud: Upon which Mr. Hogg stoped, and + directed his discourse to him, to this purpose: "Alace!" sayes he, + "my soul is afflicted to say what I must say to you, sir, and I am + constrained and pressed in spirit to say it, and cannot help it. + Sir, you nou dispise the grace of God, and mock at it; but I tell + you, in the name of the Lord, that the time is coming, and that + very shortly, when you (will) seek ane offer of grace, but shall + not find it!" Upon which the man arose, laughing and flouting, and + went to his room. After he was away, the lady asked Mr. Hogg, What + he thought would come upon him? He answered, he kneu noe more then + he had said, and that he was constrained and oblidged to say it + against his inclination; and he could not accompt for some of + these impressions he sometimes felt, and after Providences would + clear, and that shortly; but what it was, when, or where, he kneu + not. The man told some of the servants that a phanatick Minister + had been pronouncing a curse on him, but he did not value him nor + it either. After Mr. Hogg had been somtime with the lady, he went + to his room; and after he had, as he used to doe, spent some time + in prayer, he putt off his cloaths, and just as he was stepping + into his bedd, a servant comes and knocks at the dore and cryes, + "For the Lord's sake, Mr. Hogg, come doun staires, presently, to + the factour's room!" He put on his cloaths, as quickly as + possible, and came doun, but the wretch was dead before he reached + him!' _Analecta, or Materials for a History of Remarkable + Providences, mostly relating to Scotch Ministers and Christians_, + by the Rev. Robert Wodrow, vol. i. pp. 265, 266. Compare _The Life + of Mr. Thomas Hog_, in _Howie's Biographia_, p. 543, where a + version is given, slightly different, but essentially the same. + +Nor was it merely in private houses that such examples were made. +Sometimes the clergyman denounced the offender from the pulpit, and the +punishment was as public as the offence. It is said that Gabriel Semple, +when preaching, had a strange habit of putting out his tongue, and that +this excited the mirth of a drunken man, who went into the church, and, +by way of derision, put out his tongue also. But, to his horror, he +found that, though he could put it out, he could not draw it in again. +The result was, that the tongue stiffened; it lost all sensibility; +and, paralysis coming on, the man died a few days after his +transgression.[451] + + [451] 'He tells me, that when in the South country, he heard this story, + which was not doubted about Geddart' (i.e. Jedburgh): 'Mr. Gabriel + Semple had gote a habite, when speaking and preaching, of putting + out his tongue, and licking his lipps very frequently. Ther was a + fellou that used to ape him, in a way of mock; and one day, in a + druken caball, he was aping him and putting out his tongue; and it + turned stiffe and sensless, and he could not drau it in again, but + in a feu dayes dyed. This accompt is soe odd, that I wish I may + have it confirmed from other hands.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. ii. + p. 187. + +Occasionally, the penalty was less severe, though the miracle was equally +conspicuous. In 1682, a certain woman took upon herself to scold the +famous divine, Peden, who was justly regarded as one of the great lights +of the Scotch Church. 'I wonder,' said that eminent man, 'I wonder your +tongue is not sore with so much idle clatter.' She indignantly replied, +that she had never suffered, either from a sore tongue, or from a sore +mouth. He told her that she soon would. And the consequence of his saying +so was, that her tongue and gums swelled to that degree, that for some +days she was unable to take her usual food.[452] + + [452] 'About the same time, wading Douglas-water very deep,' (he) 'came + to a house there; the good wife of the house insisted (as most + part of women do not keep a bridle-hand) in chiding of him; which + made him to fret, and said, I wonder that your tongue is not sore + with so much idle clatter. She said, I never had a sore tongue nor + mouth all my days. He said, It will not be long so. Accordingly, + her tongue and gooms swelled so, that she could get no meat taken + for some days.' _Account of the Life and Death of Mr. Walter + Smith_, p. 93, in vol. ii. of _Walker's Biographia Presbyteriana_. + +She escaped with her life; others were more sharply handled. A clergyman +was interrupted in the midst of his sermon by three gentlemen leaving the +church. It is not stated that there was any thing offensive in their +manner; but their object in going was to amuse themselves at some fair or +race, and the minister, no doubt, thought that they should have been +content with the gratification of hearing him. At all events, he was +dissatisfied, and, after the sermon was over, he censured their conduct, +and threatened them with the divine displeasure. His words were +remembered, and, to the awe of his parishioners, every tittle was +fulfilled. Of the three gentlemen, all died violent deaths; one of them +broke his neck by falling from his horse, and another was found in his +room with his throat cut.[453] + + [453] 'I hear from Lady Henriett Campbell, who was present at a + Communion at Jeddart (Jedburgh), some years before Mr. Gabriel + Semple's death, that, either on the fast day, or Saturnday, ther + wer three gentlmen either in the parish or noturely knouen + thereabout, who rose in the time of the last sermon, and with + their servants went out of (the church), either to some fair or + some race, not farr off. After sermon, when Mr. Semple rose to + give the ordinary advertisments, he began with taking nottice of + this, and said, he had remarked three gentlmen rise in time of + sermon, and contemptuously and boldly leave God's service to goe + to a fair, or race, as he supposed; but sayes, "It's born in upon + me, and I am perswaded of it, the Lord will not suffer them to goe + off time, without some remarkable judgment, and I am much mistaken + if the most part that have seen them committ the sin, will not + hear of the punishment of such open despite to the ordinances of + Christ." This peremptoryness did very much surprize Lady + H(enriett), and coming home from sermon with my Lord Lothian and + his Lady, in coach, she expressed her surprize at it. My Lord + Lothian said, "The Minister is a man of God, and I am perswaded + not one word of his will fall to the ground!" Within some feu + moneths, my Lord or my Lady, writing to Lady H(enriett), signifyed + to her, that one of these gentlmen was found in his room, (if I + forgett not), with his throat cutt; and a second, being drunk, + fell off his horse, and broke his neck; and some while after, shee + heard the third had dyed some violent death.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, + vol. i. pp. 344, 345. + +Cases of this sort were frequent during the seventeenth century; and as +in that credulous age they were firmly believed and widely circulated, +the power of the clergy was consolidated by them. The Laird of Hilton +once ventured to pull a minister out of a pulpit which was not his own, +and into which he had unlawfully intruded. 'For the injury you have done +to the servant of God,' cried the enraged preacher, 'you shall be brought +into this church like a sticked sow.' And so indeed he was. Yet a little +while, and Hilton became entangled in a quarrel, was run through the +body, and his corpse, still bleeding, was carried into the very church +where the outrage had been committed.[454] + + [454] 'In the time of sermon, the Laird of Hiltoun comes in, and charges + him in the midst of his work, to come out of (the) pulpite, in the + king's name. Mr. Douglasse refused; whereupon the Laird comes to + the pulpit, and pulls him out by force! When he sau he behoved to + yeild, he said, "Hiltoun, for this injury you have done to the + servant of God, knou what you are to meet with! In a litle time + you shall be brought into this very church, like a sticked sou!" + And in some litle time after, Hilton was run throu the body, and + dyed by, if I mistake not, Annandale's brother, either in a douell + or a drunken toilzie, and his corpes wer brought in, all bleeding, + into that church. "Touch not mine annoynted, and doe my prophets + noe harm!"' _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. ii. p. 154. In the same work + (vol. iv. p. 268) the Reverend Mr. Wodrow writes, that he had been + subsequently informed, 'that the story is very true about the + denuntiation upon the Laird of Hiltoun, as I have (I think) + published it; and ther is a man yet alive who was witness to it, + and in the church at the time.' + +Even when a clergyman was in prison, he retained the same power. His +authority was delegated to him from on high, and no temporal misfortune +could curtail it. In 1673, the Reverend Alexander Peden, when in +confinement, heard a young girl laughing at him outside the door of his +room, while he was engaged in those vociferous devotions for which he was +celebrated. The mirth of the poor child cost her dear. Peden denounced +against her the judgment of God. In consequence of that denunciation, the +wind blew her from a rock on which she was walking, and swept her into +the sea, where she was quickly drowned.[455] + + [455] 'While prisoner in the Bass, one Sabbath morning, being about the + publick worship of God, a young lass, about the age of thirteen or + fourteen years, came to the chamber-door, mocking with loud + laughter: He said, Poor thing, thou mocks and laughs at the + worship of God; but ere long, God shall write such a sudden, + surprising judgment on thee, that shall stay thy laughing, and + thou shalt not escape it. Very shortly thereafter, she was walking + upon the rock, and there came a blast of wind, and sweeped her off + the rock into the sea, where she was lost.' _Life and Death of Mr. + Alexander Peden_, p. 43, in vol. i. of _Walker's Biographia + Presbyteriana_. See also _Howie's Biographia Presbyteriana_, + p. 487. + +Sometimes the vengeance of the clergy extended to the innocent offspring +of the man who had offended them. A certain minister, whose name has not +been preserved, met with opposition in his parish, and fell into +pecuniary and other difficulties. He applied for aid to a trader, who, +being wealthy, ought, he thought, to afford him assistance. The trader, +however, thought otherwise, and refused. Upon this, the clergyman +declared that God would visit him. The result was, that his business not +only declined, but his mind became impaired, and he died an idiot. He had +two sons and two daughters. Both his sons went mad. One of his daughters, +likewise, lost her reason. The other daughter being married, even her +husband became destitute, and the children of that marriage became +beggars, that the heinous crime might be visited to the third +generation.[456] + + [456] 'He (Mr. Fordyce, in Aberdeen) tells me this following accompt, + which he had from personall observation: When he lived near + Frazerburge, in the North, there was a minister settled there, + _jure devoluto_, the toun being biggotted against Presbytery to a + pitch, and only two or three that had any seeming liking that way. + After the Minister is setled, he expected much encouragement from + one Ougstoun, I think his name was, who had professed much respect + for him in that way. A while after, in some difficulty, the + Minister came to him, and desired his countenance and assistance + in the difficulty. He at first put the Minister off with delay: + and within a litle plainly mocked him, and would doe nothing. The + Minister came from him to my informer, who lived a litle from the + place, and gave him ane account (of) what had befallen him, and + said, "I expected much from that man, and reaconed upon his help + and assistance, in soe comfortless a setlement as I have ventured + on; and he has not only disappointed me, but mocked me!" And the + Minister was like to sink under the thoughts of this carriage; and + after some silence, he said, very peremptorly, "I am much + mistaken, yea, I'le say it, God hath sent me, and spoken by me. + God will visite that man, and something more than ordinary will + befall him and his!" My informer was very much stunned and greived + at such a peremptory declaration. However, it was accomplished, to + my informer's personall knowledge. The man was a trader, who was + very rich, worth near four or five thousand pounds sterling in + stock. He had two sons and two daughters. Within some litle time, + one of his sons turned distracted, and I think continues soe + still. The other son, in some distemper, turned silly, and litle + better, and dyed. His daughters, one was maryed, and her husband + lost all his stock at sea, twice or thrice; his goodfather stocked + him once or twice, and all was still lost, and they and their + children are miserable. The other daughter fell into a distemper, + wherein she lost her reason. The man himself, after that time, + never throve; his means wasted away insensibly; and throu all + things, he fell under melancholy, and turned silly, and dyed + stupide. All this fell out in some feu years after what passed + above; and my relator kneu all this particularly, and had occasion + to be upon the man's bussiness and affairs.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, + vol. ii. pp. 175, 176. See also, in another work by this eminent + Scotch divine, an account of what happened, when 'a rash young + man' having destroyed the property of a clergyman, named Boyd, 'it + was observed that that family did never thrive afterwards, but + were in a decaying condition till they are reduced almost to + nothing.' _Wodrow's Collections upon the Lives of Ministers of the + Church of Scotland_, vol. ii. part. i. p. 215. + +To prosecute a minister, or even to assert one's rights against him +before a civil tribunal, was not only a hazard, but a certain ruin. About +the year 1665, James Fraser was sued in a court of law for a large sum of +money, said to be due from his father's estate. As usually happens in +these cases, the party sued, considered that he was unjustly treated, and +that his opponent had no right to make the claim. So far, all was +natural. But the peculiarity was, that Fraser, against whom the action +was brought, was a young man preparing for the ministry, and, therefore, +under the immediate protection of Providence. Such an one was not to be +vexed with impunity; and we are assured by Fraser himself that God +specially interposed to prevent his ruin; that one of his opponents was +made unable to appear in court, and that the Lord, laying his hand upon +the others, put them to death, in order that every obstacle might be at +once removed.[457] + + [457] See Fraser's Life of Himself, in vol. ii. of _Select Biographies_, + edited by the Rev. W. K. Tweedie. 'Nothing now remained of all my + father's great fortune but a small wadset of sixteen chalders, + liferented likewise by my mother. And about the same time a new + (though an unjust) adversary charges both her and me for 36,000 + merks, and a reduction of our rights; so that our whole livelihood + was either gone or at the stake. For four years did this adversary + vex us, and was like to have undone us as to our temporal + condition, had not the Lord prevented.' p. 196. 'I, ignorant what + defences to make, had in my company a registrate horning, which I + accidentally and without premeditation (God putting it in my mind + at the same time) did cast in, by which he, being the king's + rebel, was incapacitate from pursuing me. And the Lord so ordered + it that he never after compeared to trouble me, by which means I + was delivered from a loss and a fashery, and had but one court to + wait upon.' p. 202. 'My condition during this time was a wrestling + condition with the sons of Zeruiah that were too strong for me; + little or no overcoming, yet violent wrestling.' ... 'For I + humbled myself under the sense of the calamities of our family, + and my own particular wants; I besought him to keep us from utter + destruction. And the Lord was pleased to hear; _he destroyed by + death my chief adversaries_, I found shifts to pay my many petty + debts, gained our law-action, and was restored to some of my + ancient possessions again.' pp. 227, 228. + +While stories of this sort were generally believed, it was but natural +that an opinion should grow up that it was dangerous to meddle with a +minister, or in any way to interfere with his conduct.[458] The clergy, +intoxicated by the possession of power, reached to such a pitch of +arrogance, that they did not scruple to declare, that whoever respected +Christ, was bound, on that very account, to respect them.[459] They +denounced the judgments of God upon all who refused to hear the opinions +they propounded in their pulpits.[460] Nor did this apply merely to +persons who usually formed their audience. Such was their conceit, and so +greedy were they after applause, that they would not allow even a +stranger to remain in their parish, unless he, too, came to listen to +what they chose to say.[461] Because they had adopted the Presbyterian +polity, they asserted that the Almighty had never failed to punish every +one who tried to supersede it;[462] and as this was the perfection of the +church, those who were blind to its merits, were given over to wrath, and +were, indeed, the slaves of Satan.[463] The clergy, who held this +language respecting their opponents, exhausted the choicest epithets of +praise on themselves, and on their own pursuits. When one of them got +into the pulpit, or took a pen in his hand, he seemed as if he could not +find words strong enough to express his sense of the surpassing +importance of that class of which he was himself a member.[464] They +alone knew the truth; they alone were able to inform and enlighten +mankind. They had their instruction direct from heaven; they were, in +fact, the ambassadors of Christ; from him they received their +appointment; and since no one else could reward them, so no one else had +a right to rule them.[465] As they were messengers sent by the Almighty, +they were rightly termed angels, and it was the duty of the people to +listen to their minister, as if he really were an angel who had descended +upon earth.[466] His parishioners, therefore, were bound, not only to +acknowledge him and provide for him, but also to submit to him.[467] +Indeed, no one could refuse obedience, who considered who the clergy +were, and what functions they performed. Besides being ambassadors and +angels, they were watchmen, who spied out every danger, and whose +sleepless vigilance protected the faithful.[468] They were the joy and +delight of the earth. They were musicians, singing the songs of +sweetness; nay, they were sirens, who sought to allure men from the evil +path, and save them from perishing.[469] They were chosen arrows, stored +up in the quiver of God.[470] They were burning lights and shining +torches. Without them, darkness would prevail; but their presence +illumined the world, and made things clear.[471] Hence they were called +stars, which title also expressed the eminence of their office, and its +superiority over all others.[472] To make this still more apparent, +prodigies were vouchsafed, and strange lights might occasionally be seen, +which, hovering round the form of the minister, confirmed his +supernatural mission.[473] The profane wished to jest at these things, +but they were too notorious to be denied; and there was a well-known +case, in which, at the death of a clergyman, a star was miraculously +exhibited in the firmament, and was seen by many persons, although it was +then midday.[474] + + [458] 'So hazardous a thing it is to meddle with Christ's sent + servants.' _Life of Mr. William Guthrie, Minister at Fenwick_, by + the Rev. William Dunlop, reprinted in _Select Biographies_, vol. + ii. p. 62. To arrest a clergyman on a civil or criminal process, + was an act full of danger, inasmuch as the Deity would hardly fail + to avenge it. This applied even to the officers who executed the + arrest, as well as to him by whom it was ordered. See, for + instance, _Some Remarkable Passages of the Life and Death of Mr. + John Semple, Minister of the Gospel_, p. 171 (in _Walker's + Biographia Presbyteriana_, vol. i.). 'Some time thereafter, he gat + orders to apprehend Mr. Semple; he intreated to excuse him, for + Mr. Semple was the minister and man he would not meddle with; for + he was sure, if he did that, some terrible mischief would suddenly + befal him. Mr. Arthur Coupar, who was Mr. Semple's precentor, told + these passages to a Reverend Minister in the church, yet alive, + worthy of all credit, who told me.' Durham boasts that, 'when + Ministers have most to do, and _meet with most opposition_, God + often furnisheth them accordingly with more boldnesse, gifts, and + assistance than ordinary. Christ's witnesses are a terrible party; + for as few as these witnesses are, none of their opposits do gain + at their hand; _whoever hurteth them shall in this manner be + killed_. Though they be despicable in sackcloth, yet _better + oppose a king in his strength, and giving orders from his throne + covered in cloath of state, than them_: though they may burn some + and imprison others, yet their opposers will pay sickerly for it. + This is not because of any worth that is in them, or for their own + sake; But 1. for His sake and for His authority that sendeth them. + 2. for the event of their word, which will certainly come to + passe, and that more terribly, and as certainly, as ever any + temporall judgement was brought on by Moses or Elias.' _Durham's + Commentarie upon the Book of the Revelation_, p. 416. + + [459] 'These who are trusted by Christ to be keepers of the vineyard, + and his ministers, ought also to be respected by the people over + whom they are set; and Christ allows this on them. Where Christ is + respected and gets his due, there the keepers will be respected + and get their due.' _Durham's Exposition of the Song of Solomon_, + pp. 450, 451. Fergusson complacently says, that to affront a + clergyman by not believing his statement, or 'message,' as he + terms it, is a 'dishonour done to God.' _Fergusson's Exposition of + the Epistles of Paul_, p. 422. + + [460] 'As it is true concerning vs, that necessitie lyeth vpon vs to + preach, and woe will bee to vs if wee preach not; so it is true + concerning you, that a necessitie lyeth vpon you to heare, and + _woe will be to you if you heare not_.' _Cowper's Heaven Opened_, + p. 156. + + [461] The following order was promulgated by the Kirk-Session of Aberdeen + on the 12th July 1607. 'The said day, in respect it wes delatit to + the sessioun that thair is sindrie landvart gentillmen and vtheris + cum to this towne, quha mackis thair residence thairin, and + resortis not to the preching nather on Saboth nor vlk dayes; + thairfor, it is ordanit that thrie elderis of everie quarter + convene with the ministrie in the sessioun hous, immediatlie efter + the ending of the sermone on Tuysday nixt, and thair tak vp the + names of the gentillmen and vtheris skipperis duelling in this + burgh, quha kepis nocht the Kirk, nor resortis not to the hering + of Godis word; and thair names being taken vp, ordains ane off the + ministeris, with a baillie, to pas vnto thame and admoneis thame + to cum to the preichingis, and keip the Kirk, vthervayes to remowe + thame aff the towne.' _Selections from the Records of the Kirk + Session, Presbytery, and Synod of Aberdeen_, p. 58. It was not + enough to go occasionally to church; the attendance must be + regular; otherwise the clergy were dissatisfied, and punished the + delinquents. In the Presbytery Book of Strathbogie it is recorded + that, on the 29th September 1649, 'Mr. Johne Reidfurd being posed + quhat diligence he had vsed to the Lady Frendraught, reported, + shoe had hard three sermons, and so, as he thought, shoe intended + to continow ane hearer. The bretheren, considering her long + continowed contumacie and delay of her process, by _heiring a + sermon now and then_, thought not _that kind of heiring + satufactorie_, quherfor Mr. Robert Watson, and Mr. Robert Irving, + ver ordained to goe with Mr. Johne Reidfurd, and requyre the said + Lady to subscryv the Covenant, quherby shoe might testifie her + conformitie vith the Kirk of Scotland, quhilk, if shoe refused, + the said Mr. Johne vas ordained to pronounce the sentence of + excommunicatioun against hir before the Provinciall Assemblie, as + he vold be answerable therto.' _Extracts from the Presbytery Book + of Strathbogie_, p. 115. Neither distance, nor illness, might be + pleaded as a valid excuse. Under no circumstances, would the + preachers tolerate the affront of any one displaying an + unwillingness to hear their sermons. In 1650, 'compeired the Lord + Oliphant, being summondit for not keeping his parish kirk of + Abercherdour, vho declared his inabilitie of bodie many tymes, and + the want of houses for accommodating him and his familie so farr + distant from the same, vas the onlie caus, quhilk he promised to + amend in tym comming. Mr. John Reidfurd ordained to report the + same to the presbytrie, and vpon his continowed absence, to + processe him.' _Presbytery Book of Strathbogie_, p. 149. See more + on this subject in _Registers of the Presbytery of Lanark_, pp. 5, + 33, 67; _Minutes of the Presbyteries of St. Andrews and Cupar_, + pp. 67, 68, 90, 153; _Minutes of the Synod of Fife_, pp. 18, 55, + 132; and _Spalding's History of the Troubles_, vol. ii. p. 57. + Spalding also mentions (p. 114) that at Aberdeen, in 1643, the + clergy discoursed every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, in the + afternoon; on which occasions, 'the people is compellit to attend + their Lectureis, or ther cryit out against.' + + [462] 'And it may be truly said, as the Church of Scotland hath had no + detractors, but such as were ignorant of her, or misinformed about + her, or whom faction, partiality, prejudice, wickedness, or love + of unlawful liberty did inspire; so no person or party hath + endeavoured hithertil to root out Presbytery, but the Lord hath + made it a burdensome stone unto them.' _Naphtali_, sig. B 2 rev. + 'The Lord's wrath shall so meet his enemies in the teeth, + wheresoever they turn, that they shall be forced to forsake their + pursuing of the Church.' _Dickson's Explication of the First Fifty + Psalms_, p. 115. + + [463] 'The true children of the Kirk are indeed the excellent ones of + the earth, and princes indeed, wherever they live, in comparison + of all other men who are but the beastly slaves of Satan.' + _Dickson's Explication of the First Fifty Psalms_, p. 312. Another + high authority carefully identifies 'the true religion' with 'the + true presbyterial profession.' See _An Enquiry into Church + Communion by Mr. Alexander Shields, Minister of the Gospel at + Saint Andrews_, p. 126. His remark applies to the 'Burgess-oaths.' + + [464] Fergusson gives an ingenious turn to this, and says that it was + their duty to praise their own profession, not for their own sake, + but for the sake of others. 'It is the duty of Christ's ministers + to commend and magnify their office, not for gaining praise and + esteem to themselves, 2 Cor. iii. 1, but that the malice of Satan + and his instruments may be hereby frustrated, 2 Cor. xi. 12, who + labours to bring that sacred calling into contempt; that so it may + have the less of success upon people's hearts.' _Fergusson's + Exposition of the Epistles of Paul_, p. 180. + + [465] 'Neither is there any mediate authoritie betweene the Lord and his + ambassadours, in the affaires of their message; he only sendeth + them; he alone gives them to be pastors and doctors, etc.; he + alone shall judge them; he alone shall reward them; to him alone + they must give an accompt of their dispensation; and he himselfe + alone doth immediatlie rule them by his spirit and word.' _Forbes' + Certaine Records touching the Estate of the Kirk_, p. 435. In + reference to these amazing pretensions, the Scotch clergy were + constantly terming themselves the ambassadors of the Deity; + thereby placing themselves infinitely above all other men. See, + for instance, _Durham's Commentarie upon the Book of the + Revelation_, pp. 86, 100, 160. _Durham's Law Unsealed_, pp. 85, + 96. _Halyburton's Great Concern of Salvation_, p. 402. + _Fergusson's Exposition of the Epistles of Paul_, pp. 17, 273. + _Shields' Enquiry into Church Communion_, p. 72. _Binning's + Sermons_, vol. ii. p. 118, vol. iii. p. 178. _Abernethy's Physicke + for the Soule_, p. 122. _Monro's Sermons_, p. 207. _Gillespie's + Aaron's Rod Blossoming_, pp. 240, 413. _Cowper's Heaven Opened_, + p. 166. _Rutherford's Free Disputation against Pretended Liberty + of Conscience_, p. 41. _Dickson's Truth's Victory over Error_, p. + 274. _Gray's Great and Precious Promises_, pp. 50, 74. _Fleming's + Fulfilling of the Scripture_, p. 429. _Cockburn's Jacob's Vow, or + Man's Felicity and Duty_, p. 401. _Hutcheson's Exposition of the + Book of Job_, pp. 461, 479. + + [466] 'Ministers are called Angels, because they are God's Messengers, + intrusted by Him with a high and heavenly imployment; and it is a + title that should put Ministers in mind of their duty, to do God's + will on earth as the Angels do it in heaven, in a spiritual and + heavenly way, cheerfully, willingly and readily: and it _should + put people in mind of their duty, to take this word off Ministers + hands, as from Angels_.' _Durham's Commentarie upon the Book of the + Revelation_, p. 496. 'Therefore are Ministers called Angels, and + Angels, Ministers,' p. 596. Cockburn says that this is the reason + why 'we should behave ourselves decently and reverently' in + church; 'for if the presence of Kings overawe us, how much more + should the presence of God and Angels.' _Cockburn's Jacob's Vow, + or Man's Felicity and Duty_, p. 356. Another Scotch divine asserts + that he and his brethren are able to instruct the angels, and free + them from their ignorance. See the audacious passage in + _Fergusson's Exposition of the Epistles of Paul_, p. 180: '_This + may commend the ministers of the gospel not a little unto men_, + and beget reverence in them towards the same, that even the + blessed angels are in some sort bettered by it, and that it is + therefore respected by them: for Paul commendeth his office from + this, that by occasion thereof "unto the principalities and + powers, was made known the manifold wisdom of God." Though angels + be most knowing creatures, as enjoying the immediate sight and + presence of God, Matt. xviii. 10, yet _they are ignorant of some + things, which, by God's way of dispensing the Gospel to his + church, they come to a more full knowledge off_.' After this, it + is a slight matter to find Monro insisting that 'the people should + consider our character as the most difficult and most sacred.' + _Monro's Sermons_, p. 202. + + [467] 'He is obliged to minister unto them in the gospel; and they are + obliged to submit to him, strengthen him, acknowledge him, + communicate to him in all good things, and to provide for him,' + &c. _Durham's Commentarie upon the Book of the Revelation_, p. 90. + That the clergy are 'rulers and governors,' and that their + business is 'ruling and watching over the flock,' is likewise + affirmed in _Gillespie's Aaron's Rod Blossoming_, pp. 172, 313. + Compare _The Correspondence of the Rev. Robert Wodrow_, vol. i. p. + 181: 'rule over the people and speak the word;' and _Rutherford's + Free Disputation against Pretended Liberty of Conscience_, p. 41: + 'the commanding power in the Ambassadour of Christ.' See also the + 'reverential estimation' inculcated in _Boston's Sermons_, p. 186. + + [468] 'Called watchmen by a name borrowed from the practice of centinels + in armies or cities.' They are 'Satan's greatest eyesores.' + _Hutcheson's Exposition of the Minor Prophets_, vol. ii. p. 158, + vol. iii. p. 208. 'They being made watchmen, do thereby become the + butt of Satan's malice.' ... 'The Enemy's principal design is sure + to be against the watchman, because he prevents the surprising of + his people by Satan,' at least 'tis his business to do so.' + _Halyburton's Great Concern of Salvation_, p. 24. Compare + _Guthrie's Considerations contributing unto the Discovery of the + Dangers that threaten Religion_, p. 259; _Fergusson's Exposition + of the Epistles of Paul_, pp. 97, 106; _Durham's Exposition of the + Song of Solomon_, pp. 278, 443, and _Wodrow's Correspondence_, + vol. i. pp. 84, 244. + + [469] One of the most popular of the Scotch preachers in the seventeenth + century, actually ranks himself, in this respect, as doing the + same work as the Son of God. 'Christ and his ministers are the + musicians that do apply their songs to catch men's ears and + hearts, if so be they may stop their course and not perish. These + are blessed syrens that do so.' _Binning's Sermons_, vol. iii. p. + 265. + + [470] Rutherford terms himself, 'a chosen arrow hid in his quiver.' + _Howie's Biographia Scoticana_, p. 230. To read the coarse + materialism contained in this and other extracts, will, I know, + shock, and so far offend, many pure and refined minds, whose + feelings I would not needlessly wound. But no one can understand + the history of the Scotch intellect, who refuses to enter into + these matters; and it is for the reader to choose whether or not + he will remain ignorant of what I, as an historian, am bound to + disclose. His remedy is easy. He has only either to shut the book, + or else to pass on at once to the next chapter. + + [471] 'The Lord calleth men to be preachers, and hath them in his hand + as starres, holding them out sometime to one part of the world, + and sometime to another, that we may communicate light to them + that are sitting in darkness.' _Cowper's Heaven Opened_, p. 360. + + [472] 'Ministers are called Stars, for these reasons: I. To signifie and + point out the eminence and dignity of the office, that it is a + glorious and shineing office. II. To point out what is the + especiall end of this office; It is to give light: as the use of + Stars is to give light to the world; so it's Ministers main + imployment to shine and give light to others; to make the world, + which is a dark night, to be lightsome.' _Durham's Commentarie + upon the Book of the Revelation_, p. 43. See also pp. 151, 368; + and _Dickson's Truth's Victory over Error_, p. 176. + + [473] The Rev. James Kirton says of the Rev. John Welsh, that some one + who observed him walking, 'saw clearly a strange light surround + him, and heard him speak strange words about his spiritual joy.' + _Select Biographies_, edited by the Rev. W. K. Tweedie, vol. i. + p. 12. But more than this remains to be told. The hearts of the + Scotch clergy were so lifted up with pride, that they + believed--horrible to relate--that they had audible and verbal + communications from the Almighty God, which bystanders could hear. + One of these stories, relating also to Welsh, will be found, as + tradition handed it down, in _Howie's Biographia Scoticana_, + p. 148. I cannot quote such blasphemy; and those who doubt my + statement had better refer to the second edition of Howie's work, + published at Glasgow in 1781. It may probably be met with in the + British Museum. + + [474] 'Mr. Johne M'Birnie at Aberdeen, (but first at the South Ferrie, + over aganis the Castell of Broughtie,) a most zealous and painfull + pastor, a great opposer of hierarchie. He was a shyning torch and + a burning starre; wherefore the Lord miraculouslie made, at his + death, a starre to appeare in heaven at the noonetyde of the day; + whilk many yit alive testifies that they did evidentlie see it (at + Whitsunday 1609).' _Row's History of the Kirk of Scotland_, + p. 421. + +Nor was this to be regarded as a solitary occurrence. On the contrary, it +usually happened, that when a Scotch minister departed from this life, +the event was accompanied by portents, in order that the people might +understand that something terrible was going on, and that they were +incurring a serious, perhaps an irretrievable, loss. Sometimes the +candles would be mysteriously extinguished, without any wind, and without +any one touching them.[475] Sometimes, even when the clergyman was +preaching, the supernatural appearance of an animal would announce his +approaching end in face of the congregation, who might vainly mourn what +they were unable to avert.[476] Sometimes the body of the holy man would +remain for years unchanged and undecayed; death not having the power over +it which it would have had over the corpse of a common person.[477] On +other occasions, notice was given to him of his death, years before it +occurred;[478] and, to strike greater awe into the public mind, it was +remarked, that when one minister died, others were taken away at the same +time, so that, the bereavement being more widely felt, men might, by the +magnitude of the shock, be rendered sensible of the inestimable value of +those preachers whose lives were happily spared.[479] + + [475] Mr. James Stirling, minister of Barony, Glasgow, writes respecting + his father, Mr. John Stirling, minister at Kilbarchan, that the + 'day he was burryed ther wer two great candles burning in the + chamber, and they did go out most surprisingly without any wind + causing them to go out.' _Analecta, or Materials for a History of + Remarkable Providences_, by the Rev. Robert Wodrow, vol. iii. + p. 37. + + [476] 'This night, Glanderston told me, that it was reported for a truth + at Burroustoness, that about six weeks since Mr. David Williamson + was preaching in his own church in Edinburgh, and in the midle of + the sermon, a ratton came and sat doun on his Bible. This made him + stope; and after a little pause, he told the congregation that + this was a message of God to him, and broke off his sermon, and + took a formall fareweel of his people, and went home, and + continoues sick.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. i. p. 12. + + [477] 'The same person' (_i.e._ the Rev. Mr. White) 'adds, that some + years ago, when Mr. Bruce's grave was opened, to lay in his + grandchild, his body was almost fresh and uncorrupted, to the + great wonder of many; and if I right remember, the grave was again + filled up, and another made. The fresh body had no noisome smell. + It was then nearly eighty years after he was buried. My informer + was minister of Larbert when this happened.' _Wodrow's Life of + Bruce_, p. 150, prefixed to _Bruce's Sermons_. + + [478] 'He' (John Lockhart) 'tells me Mr. Robert Paton, minister at + Barnweel, his father-in-lau, had a particular for-notice, seven or + eight years before, of his death: That he signifyed so much to my + informer.' ... 'When my informer came, he did not apprehend any + hazard, and signifyed so much to his father-in-lau, Mr. Paton. He + answered, 'John, John, I am to dye at this time; and this is the + time God warned me of, as I told you.' In eight or ten dayes he + dyed. Mr. Paton was a man very much (beloved) and mighty in + prayer.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. iii. p. 451. Compare the case + of Henderson (in _Wodrow's Correspondence_, vol. iii. p. 33), + where the notice was much shorter, but 'all fell out as he had + foretold.' + + [479] 'Generally, I observe that Ministers' deaths are not single, but + severall of them together.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. iii. p. 275. + +It was, moreover, generally understood, that a minister, during his abode +in this world, was miraculously watched over and protected. He was +peculiarly favoured by angels, who, though they did good offices to all +members of the true church, were especially kind to the clergy;[480] and +it was well known, that the celebrated Rutherford, when only four years +old, having fallen into a well, was pulled out by an angel, who came +there for the purpose of saving his life.[481] Another clergyman, who was +in the habit of oversleeping himself, used to be roused to his duty in +the morning, by three mysterious knocks at his door, which, if they did +not produce a proper effect, were repeated close to his bed. These knocks +never failed on Sunday, and on days when he had to administer the +communion; and they lasted during the whole of his ministry, until he +became old and infirm, when they entirely ceased.[482] + + [480] The Rev. William Row (in his _Continuation of Blair's + Autobiography_, p. 153) says, 'Without all doubt, though it cannot + be proven from Scripture, that every one has a tutelar angel, yet + it is certain that the good angels do many good offices to the + people of God, _especially to his ministers and ambassadors_, + which we do not see, and do not remark or know.' + + [481] 'Mr. James Stirling, and Mr. Robert Muir, and severall others in + the company, agreed on this accompt of Mr. Rutherford. When about + four years old, he was playing about his father's house, and a + sister of his, somewhat older than he, with him. Mr. Rutherford + fell into a well severall fathoms deep, and not full, but faced + about with heuen stone, soe that it was not possible for any body + to get up almost, far less a child. When he fell in, his sister + ran into the house near by, and told that Samuell was fallen into + the well; upon which his father and mother ran out, and found him + sitting on the grasse beside the well; and when they asked him, + Hou he gote out? he said, after he was once at the bottome, he + came up to the tope, and ther was a bonny young man pulled him out + by the hand. Ther was noe body near by at the time; and soe they + concluded it was noe doubt ane angell. The Lord had much to doe + with him.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. i. p. 57. See also vol. iii. + pp. 88, 89, where this circumstance is again mentioned as 'a + tradition anent him' in the place of his birth. + + [482] 'Mr. William Trail, minister at ****, tells me that his father, + Mr. William Trail, minister at Borthwick, used every morning, when + he had publick work on his hand, to hear three knocks at his + chamber dore; and if, throu wearynes, or heaviness, he did sitt + these, ther wer ordinarily three knocks at his bed-head, which he + never durst sitt, but gott up to his work. This was ordinarily + about three in the morning. This, at first, in his youth, frighted + him; but at lenth it turned easy to him, and he believed these + knocks and awaknings proceed from a good art. That these never + failed him on Sabbaths and at Communions, when he was obliged to + rise early: That when he turned old and infirm, towards the close + of his dayes, they intirely ceased and left him.' _Wodrow's + Analecta_, vol. ii. p. 307. This work, in four quarto volumes, is + invaluable for the history of the Scotch mind; being a vast + repertory of the opinions and traditions of the clergy, during the + seventeenth, and early part of the eighteenth, century. Wodrow was + a man of ability, certainly above the average; his honesty is + unimpeachable, as the jealous scrutiny which the episcopalians + have made of his great work on the History of the Church of + Scotland, decisively proves; and he was in the constant habit of + personal and epistolary communication with the leading characters + of his age. I have, therefore, freely used his _Analecta_; also + his _Collections upon the Lives of Ministers_, which is likewise + in four quarto volumes; and his _Correspondence_, in three thick + octavo volumes. It would be difficult to find a more competent + witness respecting the sentiments of his ecclesiastical brethren. + It would be impossible to find a more candid one. + +By the propagation of these and similar stories, in a country already +prepared for their reception, the Scotch mind became imbued with a belief +in miraculous interposition, to an extent which would be utterly +incredible if it were not attested by a host of contemporary and +unimpeachable witnesses. The clergy, partly because they shared in the +general delusion, and partly because they derived benefit from it, did +every thing they could to increase the superstition of their countrymen, +and to familiarize them with notions of the supernatural world, such as +can only be paralleled in the monastic legends of the middle ages.[483] +How they laboured to corrupt the national intellect, and how successful +they were in that base vocation, has been hitherto known to no modern +reader; because no one has had the patience to peruse their interminable +discourses, commentaries, and the other religious literature in which +their sentiments are preserved. As, however, the preachers were, in +Scotland, more influential than all other classes put together, it is +only by comparing their statements with what is to be found in the +general memoirs and correspondence of the time, that we can at all +succeed in reconstructing the history of a period, which, to the +philosophic student of the human mind, is full of great, though +melancholy, interest. I shall, therefore, make no apology for entering +into still further details respecting these matters; and I hope to put +the reader in possession of such facts as will connect the past history +of Scotland with its present state, and will enable him to understand why +it is, that so great a people are, in many respects, still struggling in +darkness, simply because they still live under the shadow of that long +and terrible night, which for more than a century, covered the land. It +will also appear, that their hardness and moroseness of character, their +want of gaiety, and their indifference to many of the enjoyments of life, +are traceable to the same cause, and are the natural product of the +gloomy and ascetic opinions inculcated by their religious teachers. For, +in that age, as in every other, the clergy, once possessed of power, +showed themselves harsh and unfeeling masters. They kept the people in a +worse than Egyptian bondage, inasmuch as they enslaved mind as well as +body, and not only deprived men of innocent amusements, but taught them +that those amusements were sinful. And so thoroughly did they do their +work, that, though a hundred and fifty years have elapsed since their +supremacy began to wane, the imprint of their hands is everywhere +discernible. The people still bear the marks of the lash; the memory of +their former servitude lives among them; and they crouch before their +clergy as they did of old, abandoning their rights, sacrificing their +independence, and yielding up their consciences, to the dictates of an +intolerant and ambitious priesthood. + + [483] In illustration of this, a volume might be filled with extracts + from the writings of the Scotch divines of the seventeenth + century. The following passage is, perhaps, as good as any. 'Yea, + it can hardly be instanced any great change, or revolution in the + earth, which hath not had some such extraordinary herald going + before. Can the world deny how sometimes these prodigious signes + have been shaped out to point at the very nature of the stroke + then imminent, by a strange resemblance to the same, such as a + flaming sword in the air, the appearance of armies fighting even + sometimes upon the earth, to the view of many most sober and + judicious onlookers, also showers of blood, the noise of drummes, + and such like, which are known usually to go before warr and + commotions.' _Fleming's Fulfilling of the Scripture_, 1681, + p. 216. + +Of all the means of intimidation employed by the Scotch clergy, none was +more efficacious than the doctrines they propounded respecting evil +spirits and future punishment. On these subjects they constantly uttered +the most appalling threats. The language, which they used, was calculated +to madden men with fear, and to drive them to the depths of despair. That +it often had this consequence, and produced most fatal results, we shall +presently see. And, what made it more effectual was, that it completely +harmonized with those other gloomy and ascetic notions which the clergy +inculcated, and according to which, pleasures being regarded as sinful, +sufferings were regarded as religious. Hence that love of inflicting +pain, and that delight in horrible and revolting ideas, which +characterized the Scotch mind during the seventeenth century. A few +specimens of the prevailing opinions will enable the reader to understand +the temper of the time, and to appreciate the resources which the Scotch +clergy could wield, and the materials with which they built up the fabric +of their power. + +It was generally believed, that the world was overrun by evil spirits, +who not only went up and down the earth, but also lived in the air, and +whose business it was to tempt and hurt mankind.[484] Their number was +infinite, and they were to be found at all places and in all seasons. At +their head was Satan himself, whose delight it was to appear in person, +ensnaring or terrifying every one he met.[485] With this object, he +assumed various forms. One day, he would visit the earth as a black +dog;[486] on another day, as a raven;[487] on another, he would be heard +in the distance, roaring like a bull.[488] He appeared sometimes as a +white man in black clothes;[489] and sometimes he came as a black man in +black clothes, when it was remarked that his voice was ghastly, that he +wore no shoes, and that one of his feet was cloven.[490] His stratagems +were endless. For, in the opinion of divines, his cunning increased with +his age; and having been studying for more than five thousand years, he +had now attained to unexampled dexterity.[491] He could, and he did, +seize both men and women, and carry them away through the air.[492] +Usually, he wore the garb of laymen, but it was said, that, on more than +one occasion, he had impudently attired himself as a minister of the +gospel.[493] At all events, in one dress or other, he frequently appeared +to the clergy, and tried to coax them over to his side.[494] In that, of +course, he failed; but, out of the ministry, few, indeed, could withstand +him. He could raise storms and tempests; he could work, not only on the +mind, but also on the organs of the body, making men hear and see +whatever he chose.[495] Of his victims, some he prompted to commit +suicide,[496] others to commit murder.[497] Still, formidable as he was, +no Christian was considered to have attained to a full religious +experience, unless he had literally seen him, talked to him, and fought +with him.[498] The clergy were constantly preaching about him, and +preparing their audience for an interview with their great enemy. The +consequence was, that the people became almost crazed with fear. Whenever +the preacher mentioned Satan, the consternation was so great, that the +church resounded with sighs and groans.[499] The aspect of a Scotch +congregation in those days, is, indeed, hard for us to conceive. Not +unfrequently the people, benumbed and stupefied with awe, were rooted to +their seats by the horrible fascination exercised over them, which +compelled them to listen, though they are described as gasping for +breath, and with their hair standing on end.[500] Such impressions were +not easily effaced. Images of terror were left on the mind, and followed +the people to their homes, and in their daily pursuits. They believed +that the devil was always, and literally, at hand; that he was haunting +them, speaking to them, and tempting them. There was no escape. Go where +they would, he was there. A sudden noise, nay, even the sight of an +inanimate object, such as a stone, was capable of reviving the +association of ideas, and of bringing back to the memory the language +uttered from the pulpit.[501] + + [484] Durham, after mentioning 'old abbacies or monasteries, or castles + when walls stand and none dwelleth in them,' adds, 'If it be + asked, If there be such a thing, as the haunting of evill spirits + in these desolate places? We answer 1. That there are evill + spirits rangeing up and down through the earth is certain, even + though hell be their prison properly, yet have they a sort of + dominion and abode both in the earth and air; partly, as a piece + of their curse, this is laid on them to wander; partly as their + exercise to tempt men, or bring spirituall or temporall hurt to + them,' &c. _Durham's Commentarie upon the Book of the Revelation_, + p. 582. So, too, Hutcheson (_Exposition of the Book of Job_, p. + 9): 'We should remember that we sojourn in a world where Devils + are, and do haunt among us;' and Fleming (_Fulfilling of the + Scripture_, p. 217): 'But the truth itself is sure, that such a + party is at this day, encompassing the earth, and trafficking up + and down there, to prove which by arguments were to light a candle + to let men see that it is day, while it is known what _ordinary + familiar converse many have therewith_.' One of their favourite + abodes was the Shetland Islands, where, in the middle of the + seventeenth century, 'almost every family had a Brouny or evil + spirit so called.' See the account given by the Rev. John Brand, + in his work entitled _A Brief Description of Orkney, Zetland, + Pightland-Firth, and Caithness_, pp. 111, 112, Edinburgh, 1701. + + [485] 'There is not one whom he assaulteth not.' _Abernethy's Physicke + for the Soule_, p. 101. 'On the right hand and on the left.' + _Cowper's Heaven Opened_, p. 273. Even early in the eighteenth + century, the 'most popular divines' in Scotland, affirmed that + Satan 'frequently appears clothed in a corporeal substance.' + _Memoirs of Charles Lee Lewes, written by Himself_, vol. iii. + pp. 29, 30, London, 1805. + + [486] 'This night James Lochheid told me, that last year, if I mistake + not, at the Communion of Bafrou, he was much helped all day. At + night, when dark somewhat, he went out to the feilds to pray; and + a terrible slavish fear came on him, that he almost lost his + senses. Houever, he resolved to goe on to his duty. By (the time) + he was at the place, his fear was off him; and lying on a + knou-side, a black dogg came to his head and stood. He said he + kneu it to be Satan, and shooke his hand, but found nothing, it + evanishing.' ... 'Lord help against his devices, and strenthen + against them!' _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. i. p. 24. The _Registers + of the Presbytery of Lanark_, p. 77, contain a declaration, in + 1650, that 'the devill appeared like a little whelpe,' and + afterwards, 'like a brown whelpe.' + + [487] The celebrated Peden was present when 'there came down the + appearance of a raven, and sat upon one man's head.' ... + Thereupon, 'going home, Mr. Peden said to his land-lord, I always + thought there was Devilry among you, but I never thought that he + did appear visibly among you, till now I have seen it. O, for the + Lord's sake quit this way,' _The Life and Death of Mr. Alexander + Peden, late Minister of the Gospel at New Glenluce in Galloway_, + pp. 111, 112, in vol. i. of _Walker's Biographia Presbyteriana_. + + [488] 'I heard a voice just before me on the other side of the hedge, + and it seemed to be like the groaning of an aged man. It continued + so some time. I knew no man could be there; for, on the other side + of the hedge, where I heard the groaning, there was a great stank + or pool. I nothing doubted but it was Satan, and I guessed his + design; but still I went on to beg the child's life. At length he + roared and made a noise like a bull, and that very loud. From all + this I concluded, that I had been provoking God some way or other + in the duty, and that he was angry with me, and had let the enemy + loose on me, and might give him leave to tear me in pieces. This + made me intreat of God, to shew me wherefore he contended, and + begged he would rebuke Satan. The enemy continued to make a noise + like a bull, and seemed to be coming about the hedge towards the + door of the summer-seat, bellowing as he came along.' _Stevenson's + Rare, Soul-Strengthening, and Comforting Cordial for Old and Young + Christians_, p. 29. This book was published, and prepared for the + press, by the Rev. William Cupples. See Mr. Cupples' letter at the + beginning. + + [489] In 1684, with 'black cloaths, and a blue band, and white + handcuffs.' _Sinclair's Satan's Invisible World Discovered_, p. 8. + + [490] 'He observed one of the black man's feet to be cloven, and that the + black man's apparel was black, and that he had a blue band about + his neck, and white hand-cuffs, and that he had hoggers upon his + legs without shoes; and that the black man's voice was hollow and + ghastly.' _Satan's Invisible World Discovered_, p. 9. 'The devil + appeared in the shape of a black man,' p. 31. See also _Brand's + Description of Orkney_, p. 126: 'all in black.' + + [491] 'The acquired knowledge of the Devill is great, hee being an + advancing student, and still learning now above five thousand + yeares.' _Rutherford's Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to + Himselfe_, p. 204. 'He knowes very well, partly by the quicknesse + of his nature, and partly by long experience, being now very neere + six thousand yeeres old.' _Cowper's Heaven Opened_, p. 219. 'Hee, + being compared with vs, hath many vantages; as that he is more + subtill in nature, being of greater experience, and more ancient, + being now almost sixe thousand yeeres old.' _Ibid._ p. 403. 'The + diuell here is both diligent and cunning, and (now almost of sixe + thousand yeeres) of great experience.' _Abernethy's Physicke for + the Soule_, p. 142. 'Satan, such an ingenious and experimented + spirit.' _Binning's Sermons_, vol. i. p. 67. 'His great sleight + and cunning.' _Ibid._ p. 110. Other eulogies of his skill may be + seen in _Fergusson's Exposition of the Epistles of Paul_, p. 475; + and in _Fleming's Fulfilling of the Scripture_, p. 45. A + 'minister,' whose name is not mentioned, states that he is 'of an + excellent substance, of great natural parts, long experience, and + deep understanding.' _Sinclair's Satan's Invisible World + Discovered_, p. 78. + + [492] In Professor Sinclair's work (_Satan's Invisible World + Discovered_, p. 141), we find, in 1684, 'an evident instance, that + the devil can transport the bodies of men and women through the + air. It is true, he did not carry her far off, but not for want of + skill and power.' Late in the seventeenth century, it was + generally believed that one of Satan's accomplices was literally + 'strangled in his chair by the devil, least he should make a + confession to the detriment of the service.' _Crawfurd's History + of the Shire of Renfrew_, part iii. p. 319. + + [493] See the account of a young preacher being deceived in this way, in + _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. i. pp. 103, 104. The Rev. Robert Blair + detected the cheat, and 'with ane awful seriousness appearing in + his countenance, began to tell the youth his hazard, and that the + man whom he took for a Minister was the Divel, who had trepanned + him, and brought him into his net; advised him to be earnest with + God in prayer, and likewise not to give way to dispair, for ther + was yet hope.' The preacher had, on this occasion, been so far + duped as to give the devil 'a written promise' to do whatever he + was requested. As soon as the Rev. Mr. Blair ascertained this + fact, he took the young man before the Presbytery, and narrated + the circumstance to the members. 'They were all strangely affected + with it, and resolved unanimously to dispatch the Presbitry + business presently, and to stay all night in town, and on the + morrow to meet for prayer in one of the most retired churches of + the Presbitry, acquainting none with their business, (but) taking + the youth alongst with them, whom they keeped alwise close by + them. Which was done, and after the Ministers had prayed all of + them round, except Mr. Blair, who prayed last, in time of his + prayer there came a violent rushing of wind upon the church, so + great that they thought the church should have fallen down about + their ears, and with that the youth's paper and covenant' (_i.e._ + the covenant which he had signed at the request of Satan) 'droops + down from the roof of the church among the Ministers.' + + [494] 'The devil strikes at them, that in them he may strike at the + whole congregation.' _Boston's Sermons_, p. 186. Fleming + (_Fulfilling of the Scripture_, p. 379) gives an account of his + appearing to one of the Scotch clergy. Compare _Wodrow's + Analecta_, vol. iv. p. 110. In 1624, Bruce writes, 'I heard his + voice as vively as ever I heard any thing, not being sleeping, but + waking.' _Life of Bruce_, p. 8, prefixed to _Bruce's Sermons_. The + only remedy was immediate resistance. 'It is the duty of called + ministers to go on with courage in the work of the Lord, + notwithstanding of any discouragement of that kind, receiving + manfully the first onset chiefly of Satan's fury, as knowing their + ceding to him will make him more cruel.' _Fergusson's Exposition + of the Epistles of Paul_, p. 74. In the seventeenth century, the + Scotch clergy often complimented each other on having baffled him, + and thereby put him in a passion. Thus, in 1626, Dickson writes to + Boyd: 'The devil is mad against you, he fears his kingdom.' _Life + of Robert Boyd, in Wodrow's Collections upon the Lives of + Ministers_, vol. ii. part i. p. 238. See also pp. 165, 236. + + [495] 'He can delude ears, eyes, &c., either by misrepresenting external + objects, or by inward disturbing of the faculties and organes, + whereby men and women may, and do often, apprehend that they hear, + see, &c. such and such things, which, indeed, they do not.' + _Durham's Commentarie upon the Book of the Revelation_, p. 128. + 'Raise tempests.' _Binning's Sermons_, vol. i. p. 122. 'His power + and might, whereby through God's permission, he doth raise up + storms, commove the elements, destroy cattle,' &c. _Fergusson's + Exposition of the Epistles of Paul_, p. 264. 'Hee can work + curiously and strongly on the walls of bodily organs, on the shop + that the understanding soule lodgeth in, and on the necessary + tooles, organs, and powers of fancie, imagination, memory, + humours, senses, spirits, bloud,' &c. _Rutherford's Christ Dying_, + p. 212. Semple, giving notice of his intention to administer the + sacrament, told the congregation 'that the Devil would be so + envious about the good work they were to go about, that he was + afraid he would be permitted to raise a storm in the air with a + speat of rain, to raise the waters, designing to drown some of + them; but it will not be within the compass of his power to drown + any of you, no not so much as a dog.' _Remarkable Passages of the + Life and Death of Mr. John Semple_, _Minister of the Gospel_, pp. + 168, 169, in vol. i. of _Walker's Biographia Presbyteriana_. + + [496] _Sinclair's Satan's Invisible World Discovered_, p. 137. _Memoirs + of the Life and Experiences of Marion Laird of Greenock, with a + Preface by the Rev. Mr. Cock_, pp. 43, 44, 45, 84, 85, 172, 222, + 223. + + [497] 'I shall next show how the murderer Satan visibly appeared to a + wicked man, stirred him up to stab me, and how mercifully I was + delivered therefrom.' _The Autobiography of Mr. Robert Blair, + Minister of St. Andrews_, p. 65. See also _Fleming's Fulfilling of + the Scripture_, pp. 379, 380. + + [498] 'One Mr. Thomas Hogg, a very popular presbyterian preacher in the + North, asked a person of great learning, in a religious + conference, whether or not he had seen the Devil? It was answered + him, "That he had never seen him in any visible appearance." + "Then, I assure you," saith Mr. Hogg, "that you can never be happy + till you see him in that manner; that is, until you have both a + personal converse and combat with him."' _Scotch Presbyterian + Eloquence_, pp. 28, 29. + + [499] 'Ye go to the kirk, and when ye hear the devil or hell named in + the preaching, ye sigh and make a noise.' _The Last and Heavenly + Speeches of John, Viscount Kenmure_, in _Select Biographies_, + vol. i. p. 405. + + [500] Andrew Gray, who died in 1656, used such language, 'that his + contemporary, the foresaid Mr. Durham, observed, That many times + he caused the very hairs of their head to stand up.' _Howie's + Biographia Scoticana_, p. 217. James Hutcheson boasted of this + sort of success. 'As he expressed it, "I was not a quarter of ane + hour in upon it, till I sau a dozen of them all gasping before + me." He preached with great freedome _all day_, and fourteen or + twenty dated their conversion from that sermon.' _Wodrow's + Analecta_, vol. i. p. 131. When Dickson preached, 'many were so + choaked and taken by the heart, that through terrour, the spirit + in such a measure convincing them of sin, in hearing of the word + they have been made to fall over, and thus carried out of the + church.' _Fleming's Fulfilling of the Scripture_, p. 347. There + was hardly any kind of resource which these men disdained. + Alexander Dunlop 'entered into the ministry at Paislay, about the + year 1643 or 1644.' ... 'He used in the pulpit, to have a kind of + a groan at the end of some sentences. Mr. Peebles called it a holy + groan.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. iii. pp. 16, 21. + + [501] A schoolmaster, recording his religious experiences (_Wodrow's + Analecta_, vol. i. p. 246), says: 'If any thing had given a knock, + I would start and shiver, the seeing of a dogg made me affrayed, + the seeing of a stone in the feild made me affrayed, and as I + thought a voice in my head saying, "It's Satan."' + +Nor is it strange that this should be the case. All over Scotland, the +sermons were, with hardly an exception, formed after the same plan, and +directed to the same end. To excite fear, was the paramount object.[502] +The clergy boasted, that it was their special mission to thunder out the +wrath and curses of the Lord.[503] In their eyes, the Deity was not a +beneficent being, but a cruel and remorseless tyrant. They declared that +all mankind, a very small portion only excepted, were doomed to eternal +misery. And when they came to describe what that misery was, their dark +imaginations revelled and gloated at the prospect. In the pictures which +they drew, they reproduced and heightened the barbarous imagery of a +barbarous age. They delighted in telling their hearers, that they would +be roasted in great fires, and hung up by their tongues.[504] They were +to be lashed with scorpions, and see their companions writhing and +howling around them.[505] They were to be thrown into boiling oil and +scalding lead.[506] A river of fire and brimstone, broader than the +earth, was prepared for them;[507] in that, they were to be immersed; +their bones, their lungs, and their liver, were to boil, but never be +consumed.[508] At the same time, worms were to prey upon them; and while +these were gnawing at their bodies, they were to be surrounded by devils, +mocking and making pastime of their pains.[509] Such were the first +stages of suffering, and they were only the first. For the torture, +besides being unceasing, was to become gradually worse. So refined was +the cruelty, that one hell was succeeded by another; and, lest the +sufferer should grow callous, he was, after a time, moved on, that he +might undergo fresh agonies in fresh places, provision being made that +the torment should not pall on the sense, but should be varied in its +character, as well as eternal in its duration.[510] + + [502] Only those who are extensively read in the theological literature + of that time, can form an idea of this, its almost universal + tendency. During about a hundred and twenty years, the Scotch + pulpits resounded with the most frightful denunciations. The sins + of the people, the vengeance of God, the activity of Satan, and + the pains of hell, were the leading topics. In this world, + calamities of every kind were announced as inevitable; they were + immediately at hand; that generation, perhaps that year, should + not pass away without the worst evils which could be conceived, + falling on the whole country. I will merely quote the opening of a + sermon which is now lying before me, and which was preached, in + 1682, by no less a man than Alexander Peden. 'There is three or + four things that I have to tell you this day; and the first is + this, A bloody sword, a bloody sword, a bloody sword, for thee, O + Scotland, that shall reach the most part of you to the very heart. + And the second is this, Many a mile shall ye travel in thee, O + Scotland! and shall see nothing but waste places. The third is + this, The most fertile places in thee, O Scotland! shall be waste + as the mountain tops. And fourthly, The women with child in thee, + O Scotland! shall be dashed in pieces. And fifthly, There hath + been many conventicles in thee, O Scotland! but ere it be long, + God shall have a conventicle in thee, that shall make thee + Scotland tremble. Many a preaching hath God wared on thee, O + Scotland! but ere it be long God's judgments shall be as frequent + in Scotland as these precious meetings, wherein he sent forth his + faithful servants to give faithful warning in his name of their + hazard in apostatizing from God, and in breaking all his noble + vows. God sent out a Welsh, a Cameron, a Cargill, and a Semple to + preach to thee; but ere long God shall preach to thee by a bloody + sword.' _Sermons by Eminent Divines_, pp. 47, 48. + + [503] To 'thunder out the Lord's wrath and curse.' _Durham's Commentarie + upon the Book of the Revelation_, p. 191. 'It is the duty of + Ministers to preach judgments.' _Hutcheson's Exposition on the + Minor Prophets_, vol. i. p. 93. 'If ministers when they threaten + be not the more serious and fervent, the most terrible threatening + will but little affect the most part of hearers.' _Fergusson's + Exposition of the Epistles of Paul_, p. 421. + + [504] The clergy were not ashamed to propagate a story of a boy who, in + a trance, had been mysteriously conveyed to hell, and thence + permitted to revisit the earth. His account, which is carefully + preserved by the Rev. Robert Wodrow (_Analecta_, vol. i. p. 51) + was, that 'ther wer great fires and men roasted in them, and then + cast into rivers of cold water, and then into boyling water; + others hung up by the tongue.' + + [505] 'Scortched in hell-fire and hear the howling of their + fellow-prisoners, and see the ugly devils, the bloody scorpions + with which Satan lasheth miserable soules.' _Rutherford's Christ + Dying_, pp. 491, 492. + + [506] 'Boiling oil, burning brimstone, scalding lead.' _Sermons by + Eminent Divines_, p. 362. + + [507] 'A river of fire and brimstone broader than the earth.' + _Rutherford's Religious Letters_, p. 35. 'See the poor wretches + lying in bundles, boiling eternally in that stream of brimstone.' + _Halyburton's Great Concern of Salvation_, p. 53. + + [508] 'Tongue, lungs, and liver, bones and all, shall boil and fry in a + torturing fire.' _Rutherford's Religious Letters_, p. 17. 'They + will be universal torments, every part of the creature being + tormented in that flame. When one is cast into a fiery furnace, + the fire makes its way into the very bowels, and leaves no member + untouched: what part then can have ease, when the damned swim in a + lake of fire burning with brimstone?' _Boston's Human Nature in + its Four-fold State_, p. 458. + + [509] 'While wormes are sporting with thy bones, the devils shall make + pastime of thy paines.' _Abernethy's Physicke for the Soule_, p. + 97. 'They will have the society of devils in their torments, being + shut up with them in hell.' _Boston's Human Nature in its + Four-fold State_, p. 442. 'Their ears filled with frightful + yellings of the infernal crew.' _Ibid._ p. 460. + + [510] This fundamental doctrine of the Scotch divines is tersely summed + up in _Binning's Sermons_, vol. iii. p. 130: 'You shall go out of + one hell into a worse; eternity is the measure of its continuance, + and the degrees of itself are answerable to its duration.' The + author of these sermons died in 1653. + +All this was the work of the God of the Scotch clergy.[511] It was not +only his work, it was his joy and his pride. For, according to them, hell +was created before man came into the world; the Almighty, they did not +scruple to say, having spent his previous leisure in preparing and +completing this place of torture, so that, when the human race appeared, +it might be ready for their reception.[512] Ample, however, as the +arrangements were, they were insufficient; and hell, not being big enough +to contain the countless victims incessantly poured into it, had, in +these latter days, been enlarged.[513] There was now sufficient room. But +in that vast expanse there was no void, for the whole of it reverberated +with the shrieks and yells of undying agony.[514] They rent the air with +horrid sound, and, amid their pauses, other scenes occurred, if possible, +still more excruciating. Loud reproaches filled the ear: children +reproaching their parents, and servants reproaching their masters. Then, +indeed, terror was rife, and abounded on every side. For, while the child +cursed his father, the father, consumed by remorse, felt his own guilt; +and both children and fathers made hell echo with their piercing screams, +writhing in convulsive agony at the torments which they suffered, and +knowing that other torments more grievous still were reserved for +them.[515] + + [511] And, according to them, the barbarous cruelty was the natural + result of His Omniscience. It is with pain, that I transcribe the + following impious passage. 'Consider, Who is the contriver of + these torments. There have been some very exquisite torments + contrived by the wit of men, the naming of which, if ye understood + their nature, were enough to fill your hearts with horror; but + _all these fall as far short of the torments ye are to endure, as + the wisdom of man falls short of that of God_.' ... '_Infinite + wisdom has contrived that evil_.' _The Great Concern of Salvation, + by the late Reverend Mr. Thomas Halyburton_, edit. Edinburgh, + 1722, p. 154. + + [512] 'Men wonder what he could be doing all that time, if we may call + it time which hath no beginning, and how he was employed.' ... + 'Remember that which a godly man answered some wanton curious wit, + who, in scorn, demanded the same of him--"He was preparing hell + for curious and proud fools," said he.' _Binning's Sermons_, + vol. i. p. 194. + + [513] 'Hell hath inlarged itselfe.' _Abernethy's Physicke for the + Soule_, p. 146. + + [514] 'Eternal shriekings.' _Sermons by Eminent Divines_, p. 394. + 'Screakings and howlings.' _Gray's Great and Precious Promises_, + p. 20. 'O! the screechs and yels that will be in hell.' _Durham's + Commentarie upon the Book of the Revelation_, p. 654. 'The + horrible scrieches of them who are burnt in it.' _Cowper's Heaven + Opened_, p. 175. + + [515] 'When children and servants shall go, as it were, in sholes to the + Pit, cursing their parents and their masters who brought them + there. And parents and masters of families shall be in multitudes + plunged headlong in endless destruction, because they have not + only murdered their own souls, but also imbrued their hands in the + blood of their children and servants. O how doleful will the + reckoning be amongst them at that day! When the children and + servants shall upbraid their parents and masters. "Now, now, we + must to the Pit, and we have you to blame for it; your cursed + example and lamentable negligence has brought us to the Pit."' ... + 'And on the other hand, how will the shrieks of parents fill every + ear? "I have damn'd myself, I have damn'd my children, I have + damn'd my servants. While I fed their bodies, and clothed their + backs, I have ruined their souls, and brought double damnation on + myself."' _Halyburton's Great Concern of Salvation_, pp. 527, 528. + See this further worked out in _Boston's Human Nature in its + Four-fold State_, pp. 378, 379: 'curses instead of salutations, + and tearing of themselves, and raging against one another, instead + of the wonted embraces.' + +Even now such language freezes the blood, when we consider what must have +passed through the minds of those who could bring themselves to utter it. +The enunciation of such ideas unfolds the character of the men, and lays +bare their inmost spirit. We shudder, when we think of the dark and +corrupted fancy, the vindictive musings, the wild, lawless, and uncertain +thoughts which must have been harboured by those who could combine and +arrange the different parts of this hideous scheme. No hesitation, no +compunction, no feelings of mercy, ever seem to have entered their +breasts. It is evident, that their notions were well matured; it is +equally evident, that they delighted in them. They were marked by a unity +of conception, and were enforced with a freshness and vigour of language, +which shows that their heart was in their work. But before this could +have happened, they must have been dead to every emotion of pity and +tenderness. Yet, they were the teachers of a great nation, and were, in +every respect, the most influential persons in that nation. The people, +credulous and grossly ignorant, listened and believed. We, at this +distance of time, and living in another realm of thought, can form but a +faint conception of the effect which these horrible conceits produced +upon them. They were convinced that, in this world, they were incessantly +pursued by the devil, and that he, and other evil spirits, were +constantly hovering around them, in bodily and visible shape, tempting +them, and luring them on to destruction. In the next world, the most +frightful and unheard-of punishments awaited them; while both this world +and the next were governed by an avenging Deity, whose wrath it was +impossible to propitiate. No wonder that, with these ideas before them, +their reason should often give way, and that a religious mania should set +in, under whose influence they, in black despair, put an end to their +lives.[516] + + [516] William Vetch, 'preaching in the town of Jedburg to a great + congregation, said, "There are two thousand of you here to day, + but I am sure fourscore of you will not be saved;" upon which, + three of his ignorant hearers being in despair, despatch'd + themselves soon after.' _Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence_, p. 23. + See also the life, or rather panegyric, of Vetch in _Howie's + Biographia Scoticana_, where this circumstance is not denied, but, + on the contrary, stated to be no 'disparagement to him,' p. 606. + The frame of mind which the teachings of the clergy encouraged, + and which provoked self-murder, is vividly depicted by Samuel + Rutherford, the most popular of all the Scotch divines of the + seventeenth century. 'Oh! hee lieth down, and hell beddeth with + him; hee sleepeth, and hell and hee dreame together; hee riseth, + and hell goeth to the fields with him; hee goes to his garden, + there is hell.' ... 'The man goes to his table, O! hee dare not + eat, hee hath no right to the creature; to eat is sin and hell; so + hell is in every dish. To live is sinne, _hee would faine chuse + strangling_; every act of breathing is sin and hell. Hee goes to + church, there is a dog as great as a mountaine before his eye: + Here be terrors.' _Rutherford's Christ Dying_, 1647, 4to, pp. 41, + 42. Now, listen to the confessions of two of the tortured victims + of the doctrines enunciated by the clergy; victims who, after + undergoing ineffable agony, were more than once, according to + their own account, tempted to put an end to their lives. 'The + cloud lasted for two years and some months.' ... 'The arrows of + the Almighty did drink up my spirits; night and day his hand lay + heavy upon me, so that even my bodily moisture was turned into the + drought of summer. When I said sometimes that my couch would ease + my complaint, I was filled with tossings to the dawning of the + day.' ... 'Amidst all my downcastings, I had the roaring lion to + grapple with, who likes well to fish in muddy waters. He strongly + suggested to me that I should not eat, because I had no right to + food; or if I ventured to do it, the enemy assured me, that the + wrath of God would go down with my morsel; and that I had + forfeited a right to the divine favour, and, therefore, had + nothing to do with any of God's creatures.' ... 'However, so + violent were the temptations of the strong enemy, that I + frequently forgot to eat my bread, and durst not attempt it; and + when, through the persuasion of my wife, I at any time did it, the + enemy through the day did buffet me in a violent way, assuring me + that the wrath of God had gone over with what I had taken.' ... + 'The enemy after all did so pursue me, that he violently suggested + to my soul, that, some time or other, God would suddenly destroy + me as with a thunderclap: which so filled my soul with fear and + pain, that, every now and then, I looked about me, to receive the + divine blow, still expecting it was a coming; yea, many a night I + durst not sleep, lest I had awakened in everlasting flames.' + _Stevenson's Rare Cordial_, pp. 11-13. Another poor creature, + after hearing one of Smiton's sermons, in 1740, says, 'Now, I saw + myself to be a condemned criminal; but I knew not the day of my + execution. I thought that there was nothing between me and hell, + but the brittle thread of natural life.' ... 'And in this dreadful + confusion, I durst not sleep, lest I had awakened in everlasting + flames.' ... 'And Satan violently assaulted me to take away my own + life, seeing there was no mercy for me.' ... 'Soon after this, I + was again violently assaulted by the tempter to take away my own + life; he presented to me a knife therewith to do it; no person + being in the house but myself. The enemy pursued me so close, that + I could not endure so much as to see the knife in my sight, but + laid it away.' ... 'One evening, as I was upon the street, Satan + violently assaulted me to go into the sea and drown myself; it + would be the easiest death. Such a fear of Satan then fell upon + me, as made my joints to shake, so that it was much for me to walk + home; and when I came to the door, I found nobody within; I was + afraid to go into the house, lest Satan should get power over me.' + _Memoirs of the Life and Experiences of Marion Laird of Greenock_, + pp. 13, 14, 19, 45, 223, 224. + +Little comfort, indeed, could men then gain from their religion. Not only +the devil, as the author of all evil, but even He whom we recognise as +the author of all good, was, in the eyes of the Scotch clergy, a cruel +and vindictive being, moved with anger like themselves. They looked into +their own hearts, and there they found the picture of their God. +According to them, He was a God of terror, instead of a God of love.[517] +To Him they imputed the worst passions of their own peevish and irritable +nature. They ascribed to Him, revenge, cunning, and a constant +disposition to inflict pain. While they declared that nearly all mankind +were sinners beyond the chance of redemption, and were, indeed, +predestined to eternal ruin, they did not scruple to accuse the Deity of +resorting to artifice against these unhappy victims; lying in wait for +them, that He might catch them unawares.[518] The Scotch clergy taught +their hearers, that the Almighty was so sanguinary, and so prone to +anger, that He raged even against walls and houses and senseless +creatures, wreaking His fury more than ever, and scattering desolation on +every side.[519] Sooner than miss His fell and malignant purpose, He +would, they said, let loose avenging angels, to fall upon men and upon +their families.[520] Independently of this resource, He had various ways +whereby He could at once content Himself and plague His creatures, as was +particularly shown in the devices which He employed to bring famine on a +people.[521] When a country was starving, it was because God, in His +anger, had smitten the soil, had stopped the clouds from yielding their +moisture, and thus made the fruits of the earth to wither.[522] All the +intolerable sufferings caused by a want of food, the slow deaths, the +agony, the general misery, the crimes which that misery produced, the +anguish of the mother as she saw her children wasting away and could give +them no bread, all this was His act, and the work of His hands.[523] In +His anger, He would sometimes injure the crops by making the spring so +backward, and the weather so cold and rainy, as to insure a deficiency in +the coming harvest.[524] Or else, he would deceive men, by sending them a +favourable season, and, after letting them toil and sweat in the hope of +an abundant supply, He would, at the last moment, suddenly step in, and +destroy the corn just as it was fit to be reaped.[525] For, the God of +the Scotch Kirk was a God who tantalized His creatures as well as +punished them; and when He was provoked, He would first allure men by +encouraging their expectations, in order that their subsequent misery +might be more poignant.[526] + + [517] Binning says, that 'since the first rebellion' (that is, the fall + of Adam), 'there is nothing to be seen but the terrible + countenance of an angry God.' _Binning's Sermons_, vol. iii. + p. 254. + + [518] 'He will, as it were, lie in wait to take all advantages of + sinners to undo them.' _Hutcheson's Exposition on the Minor + Prophets_, vol. i. p. 247. + + [519] 'His wrath rages against walls, and houses, and senselesse + creatures more now then at that time' (_i.e._ at the time when the + Old Testament was written). 'See what desolation he hath wrought + in Ireland, what eating of horses, of infants, and of killed + souldiers, hath beene in that land, and in Germany.' _Rutherford's + Free Disputation against Pretended Liberty of Conscience_, + pp. 244, 245. + + [520] 'Albeit there were no earthly man to pursue Christ's enemies; yet + avenging angels, or evil spirits shall be let forth upon them and + their families to trouble them.' _Dickson's Explication of the + First Fifty Psalms_, p. 229. + + [521] 'God hath many wayes and meanes whereby to plague man, and _reach + his contentments_.' _Hutcheson's Exposition on the Minor + Prophets_, vol. i. p. 286. 'God hath variety of means whereby to + plague men, and to bring upon them any affliction he intendeth + against them; and particularly he hath several wayes whereby to + bring on famine. He can arme all his creatures to cut off men's + provision, one of them after another; he can make the change of + aire, and small insects do that worke when he pleaseth.' _Ibid._, + vol. i. p. 422. The same divine, in another elaborate treatise, + distinctly imputes to the Deity a sensation of pleasure in + injuring even the innocent. 'When God sends out a scourge, of + sword, famine, or pestilence, suddenly to overthrow and cut people + off, not only are the wicked reached thereby (which is here + supposed), but even the innocent, that is such as are righteous + and free of gross provocations; for, in any other sense, none are + innocent, or free of sin, in this life. Yea, further, in trying of + the innocent by these scourges, _the Lord seems to act as one + delighted with it_, and little resenting the great extremities + wherewith they are pressed.' _Hutcheson's Exposition of the Book + of Job_, 1669, folio, p. 123. Compare p. 359. 'It pleaseth the + Lord to exercise great variety in afflicting the children of men,' + &c. But, after all, mere extracts can give but a faint idea of the + dark and malignant spirit which pervades these writings. + + [522] 'The present dearth and famine quhilk seases vpon many, quhairby + God his heavie wrath is evidentlie perceaved to be kindlit against + vs.' _Selections from the Minutes of the Synod of Fife_, p. 98. + 'Smiting of the fruits of the ground.' _Hutcheson's Exposition on + the Minor Prophets_, vol. i. p. 277. 'Makes fruits to wither.' + _Ibid._, vol. ii. p. 183. 'Hee restraines the clouds, and bindeth + up the wombe of heaven, in extreme drought.' _Rutherford's Christ + Dying_, p. 52. 'Sometime hee maketh tho heauen aboue as brasse, + and the earth beneath as iron; so that albeit men labour and sow, + yet they receiue no increase: sometime againe hee giues in due + season the first and latter raine, so that the earth renders + abundance, but the Lord by blasting windes, or by the caterpillar, + canker-worme and grasse-hopper doth consume them, who come out as + exacters and officers sent from God to poind men in their goods.' + _Cowper's Heaven Opened_, p. 433. + + [523] 'Under the late dearth this people suffered greatly, the poor were + numerous, and many, especially about the town of Kilsyth, were at + the point of starving; yet, as I frequently observed to them, I + could not see any one turning to _the Lord who smote them_, or + crying to him because of their sins, while _they howled upon their + beds for bread_.' _Robe's Narratives of the Extraordinary Work of + the Spirit of God_, p. 68. + + [524] _Nicoll's Diary_, pp. 152, 153. Much rain in the autumn, was 'the + Lord's displeasure upon the land.' _Minutes of the Presbyteries of + Saint Andrews and Cupar_, p. 179. + + [525] 'Men sweat, till, sow much, and the sun and summer, and clouds, + warme dewes and raines smile upon cornes and meddowes, yet God + steppeth in betweene the mouth of the husbandman and the sickle, + and blasteth all.' _Rutherford's Christ Dying_, p. 87. Compare + _Baillie's Letters_, vol. iii. p. 52, on the 'continuance of very + intemperate rain upon the corns,' as one of the 'great signs of + the wrath of God.' + + [526] 'When the Lord is provoked, he can not only send an affliction, + but so order it, by faire appearances of a better lot, and + heightening of the sinners expectation and desire, as may make it + most sad.' _Hutcheson's Exposition on the Minor Prophets_, + vol. iii. pp. 9, 10. + +Under the influence of this horrible creed, and from the unbounded sway +exercised by the clergy who advocated it, the Scotch mind was thrown into +such a state, that, during the seventeenth, and part of the eighteenth, +century, some of the noblest feelings of which our nature is capable, the +feelings of hope, of love, and of gratitude, were set aside, and were +replaced by the dictates of a servile and ignominous fear. The physical +sufferings to which the human frame is liable, nay, even the very +accidents to which we are casually exposed, were believed to proceed, not +from our ignorance, nor from our carelessness, but from the rage of the +Deity. If a fire chanced to break out in Edinburgh, the greatest alarm +was excited, because it was the voice of God crying out against a +luxurious and dissolute city.[527] If a boil or a sore appeared on your +body, that, too, was a divine punishment, and it was more than doubtful +whether it might lawfully be cured.[528] The small-pox, being one of the +most fatal as well as one of the most loathsome of all diseases, was +especially sent by God; and, on that account, the remedy of inoculation +was scouted as a profane attempt to frustrate His intentions.[529] Other +disorders, which, though less terrible, were very painful, proceeded from +the same source, and all owed their origin to the anger of the +Almighty.[530] In every thing, His power was displayed, not by increasing +the happiness of men, nor by adding to their comforts, but by hurting and +vexing them in all possible ways. His hand, always raised against the +people, would sometimes deprive them of wine by causing the vintage to +fail;[531] sometimes, would destroy their cattle in a storm;[532] and +sometimes, would even make dogs bite their legs when they least expected +it.[533] Sometimes, He would display His wrath by making the weather +excessively dry;[534] sometimes, by making it equally wet.[535] He was +always punishing; always busy in increasing the general suffering, or, to +use the language of the time, making the creature smart under the +rod.[536] Every fresh war was the result of His special interference; it +was not caused by the meddling folly or insensate ambition of statesmen, +but it was the immediate work of the Deity, who was thus made responsible +for all the devastations, the murders, and other crimes more horrible +still, which war produces.[537] In the intervals of peace, which, at that +period, were very rare, He had other means of vexing mankind. The shock +of an earthquake was a mark of His displeasure;[538] a comet was a sign +of coming tribulation;[539] and when an eclipse appeared, the panic was +so universal, that persons of all ranks hastened to church to deprecate +His wrath.[540] What they heard there, would increase their fear, instead +of allaying it. For the clergy taught their hearers, that even so +ordinary an event as thunder, was meant to excite awe, and was sent for +the purpose of showing to men with how terrible a master they had to +deal.[541] Not to tremble at thunder, was, therefore, a mark of impiety; +and, in this respect, man was unfavourably contrasted with the lower +animals, since they were invariably moved by this symptom of divine +power.[542] + + [527] In 1696, there was a fire in Edinburgh; whereupon Moncrief, in his + sermon next day, 'told us, "That God's voice was crying to this + city, and that he was come to the very ports, and was crying over + the walls to us; that we should amend our ways, lest he should + come to our city, and consume us in a terrible manner." I cannot + tell what this Dispensation of Providence wrought on me,' &c. + _Memoirs or Spiritual Exercises of Elizabeth West, written by her + own Hand_, pp. 41, 42. See also, at pp. 122, 123, the account of + another conflagration, where it is said, 'there was much of God to + be seen in this fire.' Compare a curious passage in _Calderwood's + History of the Kirk of Scotland_, vol. vii. pp. 455, 456. + + [528] The Rev. James Fraser had a boil, and afterwards a fever. 'During + this sickness he miraculously allayed the pain of my boil, and + speedily, and that without means, cured it; for however I bought + some things to prevent it, yet, looking on it as a punishment from + God, I knew not if I could be free to take the rod out of his + hand, and to counterwork him.' _Memoirs of the Rev. James Fraser + of Brea, Minister of the Gospel at Culross, written by Himself_, + in _Select Biographies_, vol. ii. p. 223. Durham declaims against + 'Sinful shunning and shifting off suffering;' and Rutherford says, + 'No man should rejoice at weakness and diseases; but I think we + may have a sort of gladness at boils and sores, because, without + them, Christ's fingers, as a slain Lord, should never have touched + our skin.' _Durham's Law Unsealed_, p. 160; _Rutherford's + Religious Letters_, p. 265. I do not know what effect these + passages may produce upon the reader; but it makes my flesh creep + to quote them. Compare _Stevenson's Rare, Soul-strengthening, and + Comforting Cordial_, p. 35. + + [529] It was not until late in the eighteenth century, that the Scotch + clergy gave up this notion. At last, even they became influenced + by the ridicule to which their superstition exposed them, and + which produced more effect than any argument could have done. The + doctrines, however, which they and their predecessors had long + inculcated, had so corrupted the popular mind, that instances + will, I believe, be found even in the nineteenth century, of the + Scotch deeming precautions against small-pox to be criminal, or, + as they called it, flying in the face of Providence. The latest + evidence I can at this moment put my hand on, is in a volume + published in 1797. It is stated by the Rev. John Paterson, that, + in the parish of Auldearn, in the county of Nairn, 'Very few have + fallen a sacrifice to the small-pox, though the people are in + general averse to inoculation, from the general gloominess of + their faith, which teaches them, that all diseases which afflict + the human frame are instances of the Divine interposition, for the + punishment of sin; any interference, therefore, on their part, + they deem an usurpation of the prerogative of the Almighty.' + _Sinclair's Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. xix. p. 618, + Edinburgh, 1797. See also vol. xiv. p. 52, Edinburgh, 1795. This + is well said. No doubt, so abject, and so pernicious, a + superstition among the people, was the result of 'the general + gloominess of their faith.' But the Rev. John Paterson has + forgotten to add, that the gloominess of which he complains, was + in strict conformity with the teachings of the most able, the most + energetic, and the most venerated of the Scotch clergy. Mr. + Paterson renders scant justice to his countrymen, and should + rather have praised the tenacity with which they adhered to the + instructions they had long been accustomed to receive. + + [530] The Rev. John Welsh, when suffering from a painful disorder, and + also from other troubles, writes: 'My douleurs ar impossible to + expresse.' ... 'It is the Lord's indignation.' See his letter, in + _Miscellany of the Wodrow Society_, vol. i. p. 558. See also + _Cowper's Heaven Opened_, p. 128. A pain in one's side was the + work of 'the Lord' (_Memoirs of Marion Laird_, p. 95); so was a + sore throat (_Wast's Memoirs_, p. 203); and so was the fever in + pleurisy. _Robe's Narratives of the Extraordinary Work of the + Spirit of God_, p. 66. + + [531] In January 1653, 'This tyme, and mony monethis befoir, thair wes + great skairshtie of wynes. In this also appered Godis justice + toward this natioun for abusing of that blissing many yeiris + befoir.' _Nicoll's Diary_, p. 105. + + [532] This idea was so deeply rooted, that we actually find a public + fast and humiliation ordered, on account of 'this present uncouth + storme of frost and snaw, quhilk hes continewit sa lang that the + bestiall ar dieing thik fauld.' _Records of the Kirk Session, + Presbytery, and Synod of Aberdeen_, p. 82. + + [533] 'There was a dog bit my leg most desperately. I no sooner received + this, but I saw the hand of God in it.' _Wast's Memoirs_, p. 114. + + [534] 'The evident documentis of Goddis wrath aganes the land, be the + extraordinarie drouth.' _Records of the Kirk Session, Presbytery, + and Synod of Aberdeen_, p. 78. + + [535] 'The hynous synnes of the land produced much takines of Godis + wraith; namelie, in this spring tyme, for all Februar and a great + pairt of Marche wer full of havie weittis.' _Nicoll's Diary_, + p. 152. + + [536] _Halyburton's Great Concern of Salvation_, p. 85. _Fleming's + Fulfilling of the Scripture_, pp. 101, 149, 176. _Balfour's _, + vol. i. p. 169. _Boston's Sermons_, p. 52. _Boston's Human Nature + in its Four-fold State_, pp. 67, 136. _Memoirs of Marion Laird_, + pp. 63, 90, 113, 163. _Hutcheson's Exposition of the Book of Job_, + pp. 62, 91, 140, 187, 242, 310, 449, 471, 476, 527, 528. + + [537] 'War is one of the sharp scourges whereby God punisheth wicked + nations; and it cometh upon a people, not accidentally, but _by + the especial providence of God_, who hath peace and war in his own + hand.' _Hutcheson's Exposition on the Minor Prophets_, vol. ii. + p. 3. In 1644, 'Civill war wracks Spaine, and lately wracked + Italie: it is coming by appearance shortlie upon France. The just + Lord, who beholds with patience the wickednesse of nations, at + last _arises in furie_.' ... 'The Swedish and Danish fleets, after + a hott fight, are making for a new onsett: great blood is feared + shall be shortly shed there, both by sea and land. The _anger of + the Lord_ against all christendome is great.' _Baillie's Letters + and Journals_, vol. ii. pp. 190, 223. + + [538] 'Earthquakes, whereby God, when he is angry, overthrows and + overturns very mountains.' _Hutcheson's Exposition of the Book of + Job_, p. 114. 'The ministris and sessioun convening in the + sessioun hous, considdering the fearfull erthquak that wes + yisternicht, the aucht of this instant, throughout this haill + citie about nine houris at evin, to be a document that God is + angrie aganes the land and aganes this citie in particular, for + the manifauld sinnis of the people,' &c. _Records of the Kirk + Session, Presbytery, and Synod of Aberdeen_, p. 64. + + [539] 'Whatever natural causes may be adduced for those alarming + appearances, the system of comets is yet so uncertain, and they + have so frequently preceded desolating strokes and turns in public + affairs, that they seem designed in providence to stir up sinners + to seriousness. Those preachers from heaven, when God's messengers + were silenced, neither prince nor prelate could stop.' _Wodrow's + History of the Church of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 421. + + [540] 'People of all sortes rane to the churches to deprecat God's + wrath.' _Balfour's Annales_, vol. i. p. 403. This was in 1598. + + [541] 'By it, he manifests his power and shows himself terrible.' + _Durham's Commentarie upon the Book of the Revelation_, p. 33. + Compare _Row's History of the Kirk_, p. 333; and a passage in + _Laird's Memoirs_, p. 69, which shows how greedily their credulous + hearers imbibed such notions: 'There were several signal evidences + that the Lord's righteous judgments were abroad in the earth; + great claps of thunder,' &c. + + [542] 'The stupidity and senselessnesse of man is greater than that of + the brute creatures, which are all more moved with the thunder, + then the hearts of men for the most part.' _Dickson's Explication + of the First Fifty Psalms_, p. 193. Hutcheson makes a similar + remark concerning earthquakes. 'The shaking and trembling of + insensible creatures, when God is angry, serves to condemn men, + who are not sensible of it, nor will stoop under his hand.' + _Hutcheson's Exposition of the Book of Job_, p. 115. + +These visitations, eclipses, comets, earthquakes, thunder, famine, +pestilence, war, disease, blights in the air, failures in the crops, cold +winters, dry summers, these, and the like, were, in the opinion of the +Scotch divines, outbreaks of the anger of the Almighty against the sins +of men; and that such outbreaks were incessant is not surprising, when we +consider that, in the same age, and according to the same creed, the most +innocent, and even praiseworthy, actions were deemed sinful, and worthy +of chastisement. The opinions held on this subject are not only curious, +but extremely instructive. Besides forming an important part of the +history of the human mind, they supply decisive proof of the danger of +allowing a single profession to exalt itself above all other professions. +For, in Scotland, as elsewhere, directly the clergy succeeded in +occupying a more than ordinary amount of public attention, they availed +themselves of that circumstance to propagate those ascetic doctrines, +which, while they strike at the root of human happiness, benefit no one +except the class which advocates them. That class, indeed, can hardly +fail to reap advantage from a policy, which, by increasing the +apprehensions to which the ignorance and timidity of men make them too +liable, does also increase their eagerness to fly for support to their +spiritual advisers. And the greater the apprehension, the greater the +eagerness. Of this, the Scotch clergy, who were perfect masters of their +own art, were well aware. Under their influence, a system of morals was +established, which, representing nearly every act as sinful, kept the +people in perpetual dread, lest unwittingly they were committing some +enormous offence, which would bring upon their heads a signal and +overwhelming punishment. + +According to this code, all the natural affections, all social pleasures, +all amusements, and all the joyous instincts of the human heart were +sinful, and were to be rooted out. It was sinful for a mother to wish to +have sons;[543] and, if she had any, it was sinful to be anxious about +their welfare.[544] It was a sin to please yourself, or to please others; +for, by adopting either course, you were sure to displease God.[545] All +pleasures, therefore, however slight in themselves, or however lawful +they might appear, must be carefully avoided.[546] When mixing in +society, we should edify the company, if the gift of edification had been +bestowed upon us; but we should by no means attempt to amuse them.[547] +Cheerfulness, especially when it rose to laughter, was to be guarded +against; and we should choose for our associates grave and sorrowful men, +who were not likely to indulge in so foolish a practice.[548] Smiling, +provided it stopped short of laughter, might occasionally be allowed; +still, being a carnal pastime, it was a sin to smile on Sunday.[549] Even +on week-days, those who were most imbued with religious principles hardly +ever smiled, but sighed, groaned, and wept.[550] A true Christian would +be careful, in his movements, to preserve invariable gravity, never +running, but walking soberly, and not treading out in a brisk and lively +manner, as unbelievers are wont to do.[551] So, too, if he wrote to a +friend, he must beware lest his letter should contain any thing like +jocoseness; since jesting is incompatible with a holy and serious +life.[552] + + [543] Lady Colsfeild 'had born two or three daughters, and was sinfully + anxious after a son, to heir the estate of Colsfeild.' _Wodrow's + Analecta_, vol. iii. p. 293. + + [544] Under the influence of this terrible creed, the amiable mother of + Duncan Forbes, writing to him respecting his own health and that + of his brother, speaks 'of my sinful God-provoking anxiety, both + for your souls and bodies.' _Burton's Lives of Lovat and Forbes_, + p. 724. The theological theory, underlying and suggesting this, + was, that 'grace bridles these affections.' _Boston's Human Nature + in its Four-fold State_, p. 184. Hence its rigid application on + days set apart for religious purposes. The Rev. Mr. Lyon (_History + of Saint Andrews_, vol. i. p. 458) mentions that some of the + Scotch clergy, in drawing up regulations for the government of a + colony, inserted the following clause: 'No husband shall kiss his + wife, and no mother shall kiss her child on the Sabbath day.' + + [545] 'The more you please yourselves and the world, the further you are + from pleasing God.' _Binning's Sermons_, vol. ii. p. 55. Elsewhere + (vol. ii. p. 45): 'Amity to ourselves is enmity to God.' + + [546] 'Pleasures are most carefully to be auoided: because they both + harme and deceiue.' _Abernethy's Physicke for the Soule_, p. 251. + At p. 268, the same authority says, 'Beate downe thy body, and + bring it to subiection by abstaining, not only from vnlawfull + pleasures, but also from lawfull and indifferent delights.' + + [547] According to _Hutcheson's Exposition of Job_, p. 6, 'there is no + time wherein men are more ready to miscarry, and discover any + bitter root in them, then when they are about the liberal use of + the creatures, and amidst occasions of mirth and cheerfulness.' + How this doctrine ripened, cannot be better illustrated than from + the sentiments entertained, so late as the early part of the + eighteenth century, by Colonel Blackader, a Scotch officer, who + was also an educated man, who had seen much of the world, and + might, to some degree, be called a man of the world. In December + 1714, he went to a wedding, and, on his return home, he writes: 'I + was cheerful, and perhaps gave too great a swing to raillery, but + I hope not light or vain in conversation. I desire always to have + my speech seasoned with salt, and ministering profit to the + hearers. Sitting up late, and merry enough, though I hope + innocent; but I will not justify myself.' _The Life and Diary of + Lieut.-Col. J. Blackader, by Andrew Crichton_, p. 453. On another + occasion (p. 511), in 1720, he was at an evening party. 'The young + people were merry. I laid a restraint upon myself for fear of + going too far, and joined but little, only so as not to show + moroseness or ill-breeding. We sat late, but the conversation was + innocent, and no drinking but as we pleased. However, much time is + spent; which I dare not justify. _In all things we offend._' At p. + 159, he writes, 'I should always be mixing something that may + edify in my discourse;' and, says his biographer (p. 437), + 'Conversation, when it ceased to accomplish this object, he + regarded as _degenerating into idle entertainment_, which ought to + be checked rather than encouraged.' + + [548] 'Frequent the gravest company, and the fellowship of those that are + sorrowfull.' _Abernethy's Physicke for the Soule_, p. 416. Compare + the attacks on 'too much carnal mirth and laughter,' in _Durham's + Law Unsealed_, p. 323; in _Fleming's Fulfilling of the Scripture_, + p. 226; and in _Fergusson's Exposition of the Epistles of Paul_, + p. 227. See also _Gray's Spiritual Warfare_, p. 42. Cowper says, + 'Woe be unto them that now laugh, for assuredly they shall weepe, + the end of their joy shall be endleese mourning and gnashing of + teeth, they shall shed tears abundantly with Esau, but shall find + no place for mercy.' _Cowper's Heaven Opened_, p. 271. Hutcheson, + in a train of unusual liberality, permits occasional laughter. He + says, 'There is a faculty of laughing given to men, which + certainly is given for use, at least at sometimes; and diversions + are sometime needfull for men who are serious and employed in + weighty affairs.' ... 'And particularly, laughter is sometimes + lawful for magistrates and others in publick charge, not only that + they may recreate themselves, but that, thereby, and by the like + insinuating carriage, they may gain the affection of the people.' + _Hutcheson's Exposition of the Book of Job_, edit. folio, 1669, + pp. 389, 390. + + [549] In 1650, when Charles II. was in Scotland, 'the clergy reprehended + him very sharply, if he smiled on those days' (Sundays). + _Clarendon's History of the Rebellion_, book xiii. p. 747, edit. + Oxford, 1843. + + [550] It is said of Donald Cargill, that, 'his very countenance was + edifying to beholders; often sighing with deep groans.' _A Cloud + of Witnesses for the Royal Prerogatives of Jesus Christ_, p. 423. + The celebrated James Durham was 'a person of the utmost gravity, + and scarce smiled at anything.' _Howie's Biographia Scoticana_, p. + 226. Of Livingston, we are told 'that he was a very affectionate + person, and weeped much; that it was his ordinary way, and might + be observed almost every Sabbath, that when he came into the + pulpite he sate doun a litle, and looked first to the one end of + the kirk, and then to the other; and then, ordinarly, the tear + shott in his eye, and he weeped, and oftimes he began his preface + and his work weeping.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, vol. ii. p. 249. James + Alexander 'used to weep much in prayer and preaching; he was every + way most savoury.' _Ibid._, vol. iii. p. 39. As to the Rev. John + Carstairs, 'his band in the Sabbath would have been all wett, as + if it had been douked, with tears, before he was done with his + first prayer.' p. 48. Aird, minister of Dalserf, 'weeping much' + (_Ibid._, vol. iii. p. 56), 'Mr. James Stirling tells me he was a + most fervent, affectionat, weeping preacher.' p. 172; and the Rev. + Alexander Dunlop was noted for what was termed 'a holy groan,' + vol. iii. p. 21. See also, on weeping as a mark of religion, + _Wast's Memoirs_, pp. 83, 84; and _Robe's Narrative of the + Extraordinary Work of the Spirit of God_, pp. 21, 31, 75, 150. One + passage from the most popular of the Scotch preachers, I hesitate + as to the propriety of quoting; but it is essential that their + ideas should be known, if the history of Scotland is to be + understood. Rutherford, after stating whom it is that we should + seek to imitate, adds: 'Christ did never laugh on earth that we + read of, but he wept.' _Rutherford's Christ Dying_, 1647, 4to, p. + 525. I publish this with no irreverent spirit; God forbid that I + should. But I will not be deterred from letting this age see the + real character of a system which aimed at destroying all human + happiness, exciting slavish and abject fear, and turning this + glorious world into one vast theatre of woe. + + [551] 'Walk with a sober pace, not "tinkling with your feet."' _Memoirs + of the Rev. James Fraser, written by Himself_, in _Select + Biographies_, vol. ii. p. 280. 'It is somewhat like this, or less + than this, which the Lord condemneth, _Isa._ iii. 16, 'Walking + and mincing, or tripping and making a tinkling with their feet.' + What is that but disdaining the grave way of walking, to affect + an art in it? as many do now in our days; and shall this be + displeasing to the Lord, and not the other? seeing he loveth, and + is best pleased with, the native way of carrying the body.' + _Durham's Law Unsealed_, p. 324. 'The believer hath, or at least + ought to have, and, if he be like himself, will have, a well + ordered walk, and will be in his carriage stately and princely.' + _Durham's Exposition of the Song of Solomon_, p. 365. + + [552] 'At home, writing letters to a friend. My vein is inclined to jest + and humour. The letter was too comical and jocose; and after I had + sent it away, I had a check that it was too light, and jesting + foolishly. I sent and got it back, and destroyed it. My temper + goes too far that way, and I ought to check it, and be more on my + guard, and study edification in every thing.' _Crichton's Life and + Diary of Blackader_, pp. 536, 537. Even amongst young children, + from eight years old and upwards, toys and games were bad; and it + was a good sign when they were discarded. 'Some very young, of + eight and nine years of age, some twelve and thirteen. They still + inclined more and more to their duty, so that they meet three + times a day, in the morning, at night, and at noon. Also they have + forsaken all their childish fancies and plays; so these that have + been awakened are known by their countenance and conversation, + their walk and behaviour.' _Robe's Narratives of the Extraordinary + Work of the Spirit of God_, pp. 79, 80. + +It was, moreover, wrong to take pleasure in beautiful scenery; for a +pious man had no concern with such matters, which were beneath him, and +the admiration of which should be left to the unconverted.[553] The +unregenerate might delight in these vanities, but they who were properly +instructed, saw Nature as she really was, and knew that as she, for about +five thousand years, had been constantly on the move, her vigour was +well-nigh spent, and her pristine energy had departed.[554] To the eye +of ignorance, she still seemed fair and fresh; the fact, however, was, +that she was worn out and decrepit; she was suffering from extreme old +age; her frame, no longer elastic, was leaning on one side, and she soon +would perish.[555] Owing to the sin of man, all things were getting +worse, and nature was degenerating so fast, that already the lilies were +losing their whiteness, and the roses their smell.[556] The heavens were +waxing old;[557] the very sun, which lighted the earth, was becoming +feeble.[558] This universal degeneracy was sad to think of; but the +profane knew it not. Their ungodly eyes were still pleased by what they +saw. Such was the result of their obstinate determination to indulge the +senses, all of which were evil; the eye being, beyond comparison, the +most wicked. Hence, it was especially marked out for divine punishment; +and, being constantly sinning, it was afflicted with fifty-two different +diseases, that is, one disease for each week in the year.[559] + + [553] 'To the unmortified man, the world smelleth like the garden of + God' ... 'the world is not to him an ill-smelled stinking corps.' + _Rutherford's Christ Dying_, p. 498. But those who were properly + mortified, knew that 'the earth is but a potter's house' (_Ibid._, + p. 286); 'an old thred-bare-worn case' (_Ibid._, p. 530); a 'smoky + house' (_Rutherford's Religious Letters_, p. 100); a 'plaistered, + rotten world' (_Ibid._, p. 132); and 'an ashy and dirty earth' + (_Ibid._, p. 169). 'The earth also is spotted (like the face of a + woman once beautifull, but now deformed with scabs of leprosie) + with thistles, thornes, and much barren wilderness.' _Cowper's + Heaven Opened_, p. 255. + + [554] 'Wearinesse and motion is laid on Moon and Sunne, and all + creatures on this side of the Moon. Seas ebbe and flow, and that's + trouble; winds blow, rivers move, heavens and stars these five + thousand yeares, except one time, have not had sixe minutes rest.' + ... 'The Sunne that never rests, but moves as swiftly in the night + as in the day.' _Rutherford's Christ Dying_, pp. 12, 157. 'This is + the world's old age; it is declining; albeit it seem a fair and + beautiful thing in the eyes of them who know no better, and unto + them who are of yesterday and know nothing, it looks as if it had + been created yesterday; yet the truth is, and a believer knows, it + is near the grave.' _Binning's Sermons_, vol. iii. p. 372. + + [555] 'This, then, I say, is the state all things ye see are in,--it is + their old age. The creation now is an old rotten house that is all + dropping through and leaning to the one side.' _Binning's + Sermons_, vol. iii. p. 398. + + [556] 'The lilies and roses, which, no doubt, had more sweetnesse of + beauty and smell, before the sin of man made them vanity-sick.' + _Rutherford's Christ Dying_, p. 185. + + [557] 'The heavens that are supposed to be incorruptible, yet they wax + old as doth a garment.' _Binning's Sermons_, vol. i. p. 95. + + [558] 'The neerer the sun drawes to the end of his daily course, the + lesse is his strength, for we see the Sunne in the evening decayes + in heat; so it is, the longer by reuolution he turnes about in his + sphere, he waxes alway the weaker; and, to vse the similitude of + the holy spirit, as a garment the older it groweth becomes the + lesse beautifull.' _Cowper's Heaven Opened_, p. 255. + + [559] 'It is so delicate by nature, that since it was the first sense + that offended, it is, aboue all the rest, made subject (as a + condigne punishment) to as many maladies, as there are weekes in a + yeere.' _Abernethy's Physicke for the Soule_, p. 501. The Scotch + divines were extremely displeased with our eyes. Rutherford + contemptuously calls them 'two clay windows.' _Rutherford's Christ + Dying_, p. 570. Gray, going still further, says, 'these cursed + eyes of ours.' _Gray's Great and Precious Promises_, p. 53. + +On this account, it was improper to care for beauty of any kind; or, to +speak more accurately, there was no real beauty. The world afforded +nothing worth looking at, save and except the Scotch Kirk, which was +incomparably the most beautiful thing under heaven.[560] To look at that +was a lawful enjoyment, but every other pleasure was sinful. To write +poetry, for instance, was a grievous offence, and worthy of especial +condemnation.[561] To listen to music was equally wrong; for men had no +right to disport themselves in such idle recreation. Hence the clergy +forbade music to be introduced even during the festivities of a +marriage;[562] neither would they permit, on any occasion, the national +entertainment of pipers.[563] Indeed, it was sinful to look at any +exhibition in the streets, even though you only looked at it from your +own window.[564] Dancing was so extremely sinful, that an edict, +expressly prohibiting it, was enacted by the General Assembly, and read +in every church in Edinburgh.[565] New Year's Eve had long been a period +of rejoicing in Scotland, as in other parts of Europe. The Church laid +her hands on this also, and ordered that no one should sing the songs +usual on that day, or should admit such singers into his own private +house.[566] + + [560] 'The true visible Kirk where God's ordinances are set up, as he + hath appointed, where his word is purely preached, is the most + beautifull thing under heaven.' _Dickson's Explication of the + First Fifty Psalms_, p. 341. + + [561] I have one very late, and, on that account, very curious, instance + of the diffusion of this feeling in Scotland. In 1767, a vacancy + occurred in the mastership of the grammar-school of Greenock. It + was offered to John Wilson, the author of 'Clyde.' But, says his + biographer, 'the magistrates and minister of Greenock thought fit, + before they would admit Mr. Wilson to the superintendance of the + grammar school, to stipulate that he should abandon "the profane + and unprofitable art of poem-making."' _Lives of Eminent Scotsmen + by the Society of Ancient Scots_, 1821, vol. v. p. 169. + + [562] 'Sept. 22. 1649.--The quhilk day the Sessioune caused mak this + act, that ther sould be no pypers at brydels, and who ever sould + have a pyper playing at their brydell on their mariage day, sall + loose their consigned money, and be farder punisched as the + Sessioune thinks fitt.' _Extracts from the Registers of the + Presbytery of Glasgow, and of the Kirk Sessions of the Parishes of + Cambusnethan Humbie and Stirling_, p. 34. This curious volume is a + quarto, and without date; unless, indeed, one of the title-pages + is wanting in my copy. + + [563] See the Minutes of the Kirk Session of Glasgow, in _Wodrow's + Collections upon the Lives of Ministers_, vol. ii. part ii. p. 76; + also the case of 'Mure, pyper,' in _Selections from the Minutes of + the Presbyteries of Saint Andrews and Cupar_, p. 72. + + [564] This notion lingered on, probably to the beginning of this + century; certainly to late in the last. In a work published in + Scotland in 1836, it is stated, that a clergyman was still alive, + who was 'severely censured,' merely because, when Punch was + performing, 'the servant was sent out to the showman to request + him to come below the windows of her master's house, that the + clergyman and his wife might enjoy the sight.' _Traditions of + Perth by George Penny_, Perth, 1836, p. 124. + + [565] '17 Feb. 1650. Ane act of the commissioun of the Generall Assemblie + wes red in all the churches of Edinburgh dischargeing promiscuous + dansing.' _Nicoll's Diary_, p. 3. See also _Acts of the General + Assembly of the Church of Scotland_, 1638-1842, p. 201; _Register + of the Kirk Session of Cambusnethan_, p. 35; _Minutes of the + Presbyteries of St. Andrews and Cupar_, pp. 55, 181; _Minutes of + the Synod of Fife_, pp. 150, 169, 175; and a choice passage in _A + Collection of Sermons by Eminent Divines_, p. 51. + + [566] See _Selections from the Records of the Kirk Session, Presbytery, + and Synod of Aberdeen_, pp. 77, 78, forbidding any one to 'giwe + ony meatt or drink to these sangsteris or lat thame within thair + houss.' The singers were to be 'put in prisoun.' + +At the christening of a child, the Scotch were accustomed to assemble +their relations, including their distant cousins, in whom, then as now, +they much abounded. But this caused pleasure, and pleasure was sinful. It +was, therefore, forbidden; the number of guests was limited; and the +strictest supervision was exercised by the clergy, to prevent the +possibility of any one being improperly happy on such occasions.[567] + + [567] In 1643 the Presbytery of St. Andrews ordered that 'because of the + great abuse that is likewayes among them by conveening multitudes + at baptismes and contracts, the ministers and sessions are + appointed to take strict order for restraineing these abuses, that + in number they exceid not sixe or seven. As also ordaines that the + hostlers quho mak such feists salbe censured by the sessions.' + _Minutes of the Presbyteries of St. Andrews and Cupar_, p. 11. See + also _Records of the Kirk Session, Presbytery, and Synod of + Aberdeen_, pp. 109, 110, complaining of the custom 'that everie + base servile man in the towne, when he has a barne to be baptesed, + invitis tuelff or sextene persones to be his gossopes and + godfatheris to his barne,' &c.; and enacting 'that it shall not be + lesume to any inhabitant within this burt quhasoever, to invite + any ma persones to be godfatheris to thair barne in ony tyme + cumming bot tua or four at the most, lyk as the Kirk officier is + expresslie commandit and prohibitt that from hence furth he tak vp + no ma names to be godfatheris, nor giwe any ma vp to the redar bot + four at the most, vnder all hiest censure he may incur be the + contrairie, and this ordinance to be intimat out of pulpitt, that + the people pretend no ignorance thairof.' + +Not only at baptisms, but also at marriages, the same spirit was +displayed. In every country, it has been usual to make merry at +marriages; partly from a natural feeling, and partly, perhaps, from a +notion that a contract so often productive of misery, might, at all +events, begin with mirth. The Scotch clergy, however, thought otherwise. +At the weddings of the poor, they would allow no rejoicing;[568] and at +the weddings of the rich, it was the custom for one of them to go for the +express purpose of preventing an excess of gaiety. A better precaution +could hardly be devised; but they did not trust exclusively to it. To +check the lusts of the flesh, they, furthermore, took into account the +cookery, the choice of the meats, and the number of the dishes. They +were, in fact, so solicitous on these points, and so anxious that the +nuptial feast should not be too attractive that they fixed its cost, and +would not allow any person to exceed the sum which they thought proper +to name.[569] + + [568] They forbade music and dancing; and they ordered that not more + than twenty-four persons should be present. See the enactment, in + 1647, respecting 'Pennie bryddells,' in _Minutes of the + Presbyteries of St. Andrews and Cupar_, p. 117. In 1650, 'The + Presbyterie being sadly weghted with the report of the + continwance, and exhorbitant and unnecessarly numerous confluences + of people at pennie brydles, and of inexpedient and wnlawfull + pypeing and dancing at the same, so scandalous and sinfull in this + tyme of our Churches lamentable conditioun; and being apprehensive + that ministers and Kirk Sessiouns have not bein so vigilant and + active (as neid werre), for repressing of these disorders, doe + therfor most seriously recommend to ministers and Kirk Sessiouns + to represse the same.' _Ibid._ pp. 169, 170. See, further, + _Registers of the Presbytery of Lanark_, p. 29; and _Extracts from + the Presbytery Book of Strathbogie_, pp. 4, 144. + + [569] See two curious instances of limitation of price, in _Irving's + History of Dumbartonshire_, p. 567; and in _Wodrow's Collections + upon the Lives of Ministers_, vol. ii. part ii. p. 34. + +Nothing escaped their vigilance. For, in their opinion, even the best man +was, at his best time, so full of turpitude, that his actions could not +fail to be wicked.[570] He never passed a day without sinning, and the +smallest sin deserved eternal wrath.[571] Indeed, every thing he did was +sinful, no matter how pure his motives.[572] Man had been gradually +falling lower and lower, and had now sunk to a point of debasement, which +made him inferior to the beasts that perish.[573] Even before he was +born, and while he was yet in his mother's womb, his guilt began.[574] +And when he grew up, his crimes multiplied thick and fast; one of the +most heinous of them being the practice of teaching children new +words,--a horrible custom, justly visited by divine wrath.[575] This, +however, was but one of a series of innumerable and incessant offences; +so that the only wonder was, that the earth could restrain herself at the +hideous spectacle which man presented, and that she did not open her +mouth, as of old, and swallow him even in the midst of his +wickedness.[576] For, it was certain, that in the whole creation, there +was nothing so deformed and monstrous as he.[577] + + [570] 'What a vile, haughty, and base creature he is--how defiled and + desperately wicked his nature--how abominable his actions; in a + word, what a compound of darkness and wickedness he is--a heap of + defiled dust, and a mass of confusion--a sink of impiety and + iniquity, _even the best of mankind_, those of the rarest and most + refined extraction, _take them at their best estate_.' _Binning's + Sermons_, vol. ii. p. 302. Compare _Boston's Human Nature in its + Four-fold State_, pp. 26, 27. + + [571] 'The least sin cannot but deserve God's wrath and curse eternally.' + _Dickson's Truth's Victory over Error_, p. 71. 'All men, even the + regenerate, sin daily.' _Ibid._ p. 153. + + [572] 'Our best works have such a mixture of corruption and sin in them, + that they deserve his curse and wrath.' _Ibid._ p. 130. + + [573] 'But now, falling away from God, hee hath also so farre degenerated + from his owne kind, that he is become inferiour to the beasts.' + _Cowper's Heaven Opened_, p. 251. 'O! is not man become so brutish + and ignorant, that he may be sent unto the beasts of the field to + be instructed of that which is his duty?' _Gray's Spiritual + Warfare_, p. 28. 'Men are naturally more bruitish than beasts + themselves.' _Boston's Human Nature in its Four-fold State_, + p. 58. 'Worse than the beast of the field.' _Halyburton's Great + Concern of Salvation_, p. 71. + + [574] 'Infants, even in their mother's belly, have in themselves + sufficient guilt to deserve such judgments;' _i.e._ when women + with child are 'ript up.' _Hutcheson's Exposition on the Minor + Prophets_, vol. i. p. 255. + + [575] 'And in our speech, our Scripture and old Scots names are gone out + of request; instead of _Father_ and _Mother_, _Mamma_ and _Papa_, + training children to speak nonsense, and what they do not + understand. These few instances, amongst many that might be given, + are additional causes of God's wrath.' _The Life and Death of Mr. + Alexander Peden, late Minister of the Gospel at New Glenluce, in + Galloway_, in _Walker's Biographia Presbyteriana_, vol. i. p. 140. + + [576] 'Yea, if the Lord did not restraine her, shee would open her mouth + and swallow the wicked, as she did Corah, Dathan, and Abiram.' + _Cowper's Heaven Opened_, p. 257. Compare _Hutcheson's Exposition + on the Minor Prophets_, vol. i. p. 507. + + [577] 'There is nothing so monstrous, so deformed in the world, as man.' + _Binning's Sermons_, vol. i. p. 234. 'There is not in all the + creation such a miserable creature as man.' _Ibid._ vol. iii. p. + 321. 'Nothing so miserable.' _Abernethy's Physicke for the Soule_, + p. 37. + +Such being the case, it behoved the clergy to come forward, and to guard +men against their own vices, by controlling their daily actions, and +forcing them to a right conduct. This they did vigorously. Aided by the +elders, who were their tools and the creatures of their power, they, all +over Scotland, organized themselves into legislative bodies, and, in the +midst of their little senate, they enacted laws which the people were +bound to obey. If they refused, woe be to them. They became unruly sons +of the Church, and were liable to be imprisoned, to be fined, or to be +whipped,[578] or to be branded with a hot iron,[579] or to do penance +before the whole congregation, humbling themselves, bare-footed, and +with their hair cut on one side,[580] while the minister, under pretence +of rebuking them, enjoyed his triumph.[581] All this was natural enough. +For the clergy were the delegates of heaven, and the interpreters of its +will. They, therefore, were the best judges of what men ought to do; and +any one whom they censured was bound to submit with humility and +repentance.[582] + + [578] 'December 17th, 1635. Mention made of a correction house, which + the Session ordeans persons to be taken to, both men and women, + and appoints them to be whipt every day during the Session's + will.' _Wodrow's Collections upon the Lives of Ministers_, vol. + ii. part ii. p. 67. + + [579] On the 22nd October 1648, the Kirk Session of Dunfermline ordered + that a certain Janet Robertson 'shall be cartit and scourged + through the town, and markit with an hot iron.' _Chalmers' History + of Dunfermline_, p. 437. + + [580] 'As they punish by pecuniary fines, so corporally too, by + imprisoning the persons of the delinquents, using them + disgracefully, carting them through cities, making them stand in + logges, as they call them, pillaries (which in the country + churches are fixed to the two sides of the main door of the Parish + Church), cutting the halfe of their hair, shaving their beards, + &c., and it is more than ordinary, by their "original" and "proper + power," to banish them out of the bounds and limits of the parish, + or presbytery, as they list to order it.' _Presbytery Displayd_, + p. 4. + + [581] The Scotch clergy of the seventeenth century were not much given + to joking; but on one of these occasions a preacher is said to + have hazarded a pun. A woman, named Ann Cantly, being made to do + penance, 'Here' (said the minister), 'Here is one upon the stool + of repentance, they call her _Cantly_; she saith herself, she is + an honest woman, but I trow _scantly_.' _Scotch Presbyterian + Eloquence_, p. 125. From what I have read of Scotch theology, I + can bear testimony to the accuracy of this book, so far as its + general character is concerned. Indeed, the author, through fear + of being entirely discredited, has often rather understated his + case. + + [582] As Durham says, in his _Exposition of the Song of Solomon_, + p. 451, 'It is no burden to an honest believer to acknowledge + Christ's ministers, to obey their doctrine, and submit to their + censures.' + +The arbitrary and irresponsible tribunals, which now sprung up all over +Scotland, united the executive authority with the legislative, and +exercised both functions at the same time. Declaring that certain acts +ought not to be committed, they took the law into their own hands, and +punished those who had committed them. According to the principles of +this new jurisprudence, of which the clergy were the authors, it became a +sin for any Scotchman to travel in a Catholic country.[583] It was a sin +for any Scotch innkeeper to admit a Catholic into his inn.[584] It was a +sin for any Scotch town to hold a market either on Saturday or on Monday, +because both days were near Sunday.[585] It was a sin for a Scotch woman +to wait at a tavern;[586] it was a sin for her to live alone;[587] it was +also a sin for her to live with unmarried sisters.[588] It was a sin to +go from one town to another on Sunday, however pressing the business +might be.[589] It was a sin to visit your friend on Sunday;[590] it was +likewise sinful either to have your garden watered,[591] or your beard +shaved.[592] Such things were not to be tolerated in a Christian land. No +one, on Sunday, should pay attention to his health, or think of his body +at all. On that day, horse-exercise was sinful;[593] so was walking in +the fields, or in the meadows, or in the streets, or enjoying the fine +weather by sitting at the door of your house.[594] To go to sleep on +Sunday, before the duties of the day were over, was also sinful, and +deserved church censure.[595] Bathing, being pleasant as well as +wholesome, was a particularly grievous offence; and no man could be +allowed to swim on Sunday.[596] It was, in fact, doubtful whether +swimming was lawful for a Christian at any time, even on week-days, and +it was certain that God had, on one occasion, shown His disapproval, by +taking away the life of a boy while he was indulging in that carnal +practice.[597] + + [583] A man, named Alexander Laurie, was brought before the Kirk Session + of Perth, 'and being inquired by the minister if, in his last + being out of this country, he had been in Spain, answered that he + was in Portugal, but was never present at mass, neither gave + reverence to any procession, and that he was never demanded by any + concerning his religion. The said Alexander being removed and + censured, it was thought good by the (Kirk) Session that he should + be admonished not to travel in these parts again, except that they + were otherwise reformed in religion.' _Extracts from the + Kirk-Session Register of Perth_, in _The Spottiswoode Miscellany_, + vol. ii. p. 274. Still earlier, that is, in 1592, the clergy + attempted to interfere even with commerce, 'allegeing that the + marchands could not mak vayage in Spayne without danger of their + sawlis, and tharefore willit thayme in the nayme of God to + absteyne.' _The Historie of King James the Sext_, p. 254. + + [584] See the case of Patrick Stewart, and Mr. Lawson's note upon it, in + _Lawson's Book of Perth_, p. 238. In this instance, the 'Roman + Catholic gentleman' had been excommunicated, which made matters + still worse. + + [585] The Presbytery of Edinburgh, 'by their transcendent sole + authority, discharged any market to be kept on Monday; the reason + was, because it occasioned the travelling of men and horse the + Lord's-day before, which prophaned the Sabbath.' _Presbytery + Displayd_, p. 10. In 1650, Saturday was also taken in by another + ecclesiastical senate. 'The Presbyterie doe appoint the severall + brethren in burghes, to deale with such as have not changed ther + Mondayes and Satterdayes mercats to other dayes of the weeke, that + they may doe the same _primo quoque tempore_.' _Minutes of the + Presbyteries of St. Andrews and Cupar_, p. 53. + + [586] In 1650, 'For "the down-bearing of sin," women were not allowed to + act as waiters in taverns, but "allenarly men-servands and boys."' + _Chambers' Annals_, vol. ii. p. 196. This order 'wes red and + publictlie intimat in all the kirkis of Edinburgh.' _Nicoll's + Diary_, p. 5. + + [587] 'Forsameikle as dilatation being made, that Janet Watson holds an + house by herself where _she may give occasion of slander_, + therefore Patrick Pitcairn, elder, is ordained to admonish her in + the session's name, either to marry, or then pass to service, + otherwise that she will not be suffered to dwell by herself.' + _Kirk-Session Records of Perth_, in _The Chronicle of Perth_, + p. 86. + + [588] 'Ordains the two sisters, Elspith and Janet Stewart, that they be + not found in the house again with their sister, but every one of + them shall go to service, or where they may be best entertained + without slander, under the penalty of warding their persons and + banishment of the town.' _Kirk-Session Register_, in _Lawson's + Book of Perth_, p. 169. + + [589] 'Compeirit William Kinneir, and confest his travelling on the + Sabbath day, which he declairit was out of meer necessitie, + haveing two watters to croce, and ane tempestuos day, quhilk + moowit him to fear that he wold not get the watters crost, and so + his credit might faill. He was sharpelie admonished, and promist + newer to doe the lyke again.' _Selections from the Records of the + Kirk-Session of Aberdeen_, p. 136. + + [590] 'Compearit Thomas Gray, and confest that one Sunday in the + morning, he went to Culter to visit a friend, and stayed thair all + night. The sessioune warnit him, _apud acta_, to the next day, and + appointed Patrick Gray, his master, to be cited to the next day, + to give furder informatioune in the matter. (Sharply rebuked + before the pulpit.)' _Selections from the Records of the + Kirk-Session of Aberdeen_, p. 146. + + [591] 'It was reported that Margaret Brotherstone did water her kaill + wpon the Sabbath day, and thairwpon was ordained to be cited.' ... + 'Compeired Margaret Brotherstone, and confessed her breach of + Sabbath in watering of her kaill, and thairwpon ordained to give + evidence in publick of her repentance the next Lord's day.' + _Extracts from the Register of the Kirk-Session of Humbie_, p. 42. + + [592] Even so late as the middle of the eighteenth century, 'clergymen + were sometimes libelled' ... 'for shaving' on Sunday. _Sinclair's + Statistical Account of Scotland_, vol. xvi. p. 34, Edinburgh, + 1795. At an earlier period, no one might be shaved on that day. + See _The Spottiswoode Miscellany_, vol. ii. p. 276; and _Lawson's + Book of Perth_, pp. 224, 225. + + [593] 'Compeired John Gordon of Avachie, and confessed that he had + transgressed in travailing on the Sabbath day with horse, going + for a milston. Referred to the session of Kinor for censure.' + _Extracts from the Presbytery Book of Strathbogie_, p. 236. See + also the case mentioned in _Letters from a Gentleman in the North + of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 172; 'This riding on horseback of a + Sunday was deemed a great scandal.' + + [594] In 1647, the punishment was ordered of whoever was guilty of + 'sitting or walking idle upon the streetes and feildes' on Sunday. + _Selections from the Minutes of the Synod of Fife_, p. 152. In + 1742, 'sitting idle at their doors' and 'sitting about doors' was + profane. _Robe's Naratives of the Extraordinary Work of the Spirit + of God_, pp. 109, 110. In 1756, at Perth, 'to stroll about the + fields, or even to walk upon the inches, was looked upon as + extremely sinful, and an intolerable violation of the fourth + commandment.' _Penny's Traditions of Perth_, p. 36. + + [595] In 1656, 'Cite Issobell Balfort, servand to William Gordone, + tailyeor, beeing found sleeping at the Loche side on the Lord's + day in tyme of Sermon.' _Selections from the Records of the + Kirk-Session of Aberdeen_. p. 137. It was a sin even for children + to feel tired of the interminable sermons which they were forced + to hear. Halyburton, addressing the young people of his + congregation, says, 'Have not you been glad when the Lord's day + was over; or, at least, _when the preaching was done_, that ye + might get your liberty. Has it not been a burden to you, to sit so + long in the church? Well, _this is a great sin_.' See this + noticeable passage, in _Halyburton's Great Concern of Salvation_, + p. 100. + + [596] In 1719, the Presbytery of Edinburgh indignantly declares, 'Yea, + some have arrived at that height of impiety, as not to be ashamed + of washing in waters, and swimming in rivers upon the holy + Sabbath.' _Register of Presbytery of Edinburgh, 29th April 1719_, + in _Arnot's History of Edinburgh_, p. 204. + + [597] So late as 1691, the Kirk-Session of Glasgow attempted to prevent + all boys from swimming, whatever the day might be. But as the + Church was then on the decline, it was necessary to appeal to the + civil authority for help. What the result was, I have not been + able to ascertain. There is, however, a curious notice, in + _Wodrow's Collections upon the Lives of Ministers_, vol. ii. part + ii. p. 77, stating that, on 'August 6th, 1691, the Session + recommends it to the magistrates to think on some overtures for + discharging boyes from swimming, in regard one was lately lost.' I + have met with other evidence respecting this; but I cannot + remember the passages. + +That it was a sin to cleanse one's body, might, indeed, have been taken +for granted; seeing that the Scotch clergy looked on all comforts as +sinful in themselves, merely because they were comforts.[598] The great +object of life was, to be in a state of constant affliction.[599] +Whatever pleased the senses, was to be suspected.[600] A Christian must +beware of enjoying his dinner; for none but the ungodly relished their +food.[601] By a parity of reasoning, it was wrong for a man to wish to +advance himself in life, or in any way to better his condition.[602] +Either to make money, or to save it, was unsuited to Christians; and even +to possess much of it was objectionable, because it not only ministered +to human pleasures, but encouraged those habits of foresight and of +provision for the future, which are incompatible with complete +resignation to the Divine will. To wish for more than was necessary to +keep oneself alive, was a sin as well as a folly, and was a violation of +the subjection we owe to God.[603] That it was contrary to His desire, +was, moreover, evident, from the fact that He bestowed wealth liberally +upon misers and covetous men; a remarkable circumstance, which, in the +opinion of Scotch divines, proved that He was no lover of riches, +otherwise He would not give them to such base and sordid persons.[604] + + [598] The Rev. James Fraser says, 'The world is a dangerous thing and a + great evil, and the comforts of it a hell.' _Select Biographies_, + vol. ii. p. 220. Compare _Gray's Spiritual Warfare_, p. 22. + + [599] 'It is good to be continually afflicted here.' _Select + Biographies_, vol. ii. p. 220. Gray, advocating the same doctrine, + sums up his remarks by a suggestion, that, 'I think David had + never so sweet a time as then, when he was pursued as a partridge + by his son Absalom.' _Gray's Great and Precious Promises_, p. 14. + + [600] 'Suspect that which pleaseth the senses.' _Abernethy's Physicke + for the Soule_, p. 63. + + [601] Durham, in his long catalogue of sins, mentions as one, 'the + preparing of meat studiously, that is, when it is too riotously + dressed, for pleasing men's carnal appetite and taste, or palate, + by the fineness of it, and other curiosities of that kind.' + _Durham's Law Unsealed_, p. 333. See also p. 48, on + 'palate-pleasers;' and Dickson's opinion of the 'rarest dishes and + best meats.' _Dickson's Explication of the Psalms_, p. 84. + According to another of the Scotch divines, whoever makes one good + meal and has enough left for a second, is in imminent peril. 'He + that is full, and hath enough to make him fuller, will easily deny + God, and be exalted against him: his table shall be a snare to his + body, and a snare to his soule.' _Abernethy's Physicke for the + Soule_, p. 421. + + [602] For, says Abernethy (_Physicke for the Soule_, p. 488), 'men are + loth to lend their eare to the Word, when they abound in + prosperity.' So, too, Hutcheson, in his _Exposition of the Book of + Job_, p. 387: 'Such is the weakness even of godly men, that they + can hardly live in a prosperous condition, and not be overtaken + with some security, carnal confidence, or other miscarriage.' + + [603] See this theory worked out in _Cockburn's Jacob's Vow, or Man's + Felicity and Duty_, pp. 71-75. He says, 'And certainly to crave + and be desirous of more than what is competent for the maintenance + and support of our lives, is both inconsistent with that + dependence and subjection we owe to God, and doth also bespeak a + great deal of vanity, folly, and inconsiderateness.' Boston, + striking at the very foundation of that practice of providing for + the future, which is the first and most important maxim in all + civil wisdom, and which peculiarly distinguishes civilized nations + from barbarians, asks his hearers, 'Why should men rack their + heads with cares how to provide for to-morrow, while they know not + if they shall then need anything?' _Boston's Human Nature in its + Four-fold State_, p. 300. Hutcheson thinks that those who are + guilty of such impious prudence, deserve to be starved. 'When men + are not content with food and rayment, but would still heap up + more, it is just with God to leave them not so much as bread; and + to suffer men to have an evil eye upon them, and to pluck at them, + even so long as they have meat.' _Hutcheson's Exposition of the + Book of Job_, p. 296. Binning, going still further, threatens + eternal ruin. 'Ye may have things necessary here,--food and + raiment; and if ye seek more, if ye will be rich, and will have + superfluities, then ye shall fall into many temptations, snares, + and hurtful lusts which shall drown you in perdition.' _Binning's + Sermons_, vol. iii. p. 355. + + [604] 'If God loved riches well, do ye think he would give them so + liberally, and heap them up upon some base covetous wretches? + Surely no.' _Binning's Sermons_, vol. iii. p. 366. Gray, in his + zeal against wealth, propounds another doctrine, which I do not + remember to have seen elsewhere. He says, 'All that the owner of + riches hath, is, the seeing of them; which a man, who is a passer + by, may likeways have, though he be not possessor of them.' + _Gray's Spiritual Warfare_, p. 128. I hope that the reader will + not suspect me of having maliciously invented any of these + passages. The books from which they are quoted, are, with only two + or three exceptions, all in my library, and may be examined by + persons who are curious in such matters. + +To be poor, dirty, and hungry, to pass through life in misery, and to +leave it with fear, to be plagued with boils, and sores, and diseases of +every kind, to be always sighing and groaning, to have the face streaming +with tears, and the chest heaving with sobs, in a word, to suffer +constant affliction, and to be tormented in all possible ways; to undergo +these things was deemed a proof of goodness, just as the contrary was a +proof of evil. It mattered not what a man liked; the mere fact of his +liking it, made it sinful. Whatever was natural, was wrong. The clergy +deprived the people of their holidays, their amusements, their shows, +their games, and their sports; they repressed every appearance of joy, +they forbade all merriment, they stopped all festivities, they choked up +every avenue by which pleasure could enter, and they spread over the +country an universal gloom.[605] Then, truly, did darkness sit on the +land. Men, in their daily actions and in their very looks, became +troubled, melancholy, and ascetic. Their countenance soured, and was +downcast. Not only their opinions, but their gait, their demeanour, their +voice, their general aspect, were influenced by that deadly blight which +nipped all that was genial and warm. The way of life fell into the sear +and yellow leaf; its tints gradually deepened; its bloom faded, and +passed off; its spring, its freshness, and its beauty, were gone; joy and +love either disappeared or were forced to hide themselves in obscure +corners, until at length the fairest and most endearing parts of our +nature, being constantly repressed, ceased to bear fruit, and seemed to +be withered into perpetual sterility. + + [605] 'The absence of external appearances of joy in Scotland, in + contrast with the frequent holidayings and merry-makings of the + continent, has been much remarked upon. We find in the records of + ecclesiastical discipline clear traces of the process by which + this distinction was brought about. To the puritan kirk of the + sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, every outward demonstration + of natural good spirits was a sort of sin, to be as far as + possible repressed.' ... 'The whole sunshine of life was, as it + were, squeezed out of the community.' _Chambers' Annals of + Scotland_, vol. i. p. 336, vol. ii. p. 156. + +Thus it was, that the national character of the Scotch was, in the +seventeenth century, dwarfed and mutilated. With nations, as with +individuals, the harmony and free development of life can only be +attained by exercising its principal functions boldly and without fear. +Those functions are of two kinds; one set of them increasing the +happiness of the mind, another set increasing the happiness of the body. +If we could suppose a man completely perfect, we should take for granted +that he would unite these two forms of pleasure in the highest degree, +and would extract, both from body and mind, every enjoyment consistent +with his own happiness, and with the happiness of others. But, as no such +character is to be found, it invariably occurs, that even the wisest of +us are unable to hold the balance; we, therefore, err, some in +over-indulging the body, some in over-indulging the mind. Comparing one +set of indulgences with the other, there can be no doubt that the +intellectual pleasures are, in many respects, superior to the physical; +they are more numerous, more varied, more permanent, and more ennobling; +they are less liable to cause satiety in the individual, and they produce +more good to the species. But for one person who can enjoy intellectual +pleasures, there are at least a hundred who can enjoy physical pleasures. +The happiness derived from gratifying the senses, being thus diffused +over a wider area, and satisfying, at any given moment, a greater number +of persons than the other form of happiness is capable of, does, on that +account, possess an importance which many who call themselves +philosophers are unwilling to recognize. Too often have philosophic and +speculative thinkers, by a foolish denunciation of such pleasures, done +all in their power to curtail the quantity of happiness of which humanity +is susceptible. Forgetting that we have bodies as well as minds, and +forgetting, too, that in an immense majority of instances the body is +more active than the mind, that it is more powerful, that it plays a more +conspicuous part, and is fitted for greater achievements, such writers +commit the enormous error of despising that class of actions to which +ninety-nine men out of every hundred are most prone, and for which they +are best fitted. And for committing this error they pay the penalty of +finding their books unread, their systems disregarded, and their scheme +of life adopted, perhaps, by a small class of solitary students, but shut +out from that great world of reality for which it is unsuited, and in +which it would produce the most serious mischief. + +If, then, we review the history of opinion in connexion with the history +of action, we may probably say, that the ascetic notions of philosophers, +such, for instance, as the doctrines of the Stoics, and similar theories +of mortification, have not worked the harm which might have been +expected, and have not succeeded in abridging, to any perceptible extent, +the substantial happiness of mankind. There are, I apprehend, two reasons +why they have failed. In the first place, these philosophers have, with +hardly an exception, had little real acquaintance with human nature, and +have, therefore, been unable to touch those chords, and appeal to those +hidden motives, by influencing which one man gains over another to his +side. And, in the second place, they, fortunately for us, have never +possessed authority, and have, therefore, been unable either to enforce +their doctrine by penalties, or to recommend it by rewards. + +But, though philosophers have failed in their effort to lessen the +pleasures of mankind, there is another body of men, who, in making the +same attempt, have met with far greater success. I mean, of course, the +theologians, who, considered as a class, have, in every country and in +every age, deliberately opposed themselves to gratifications which are +essential to the happiness of an overwhelming majority of the human race. +Raising up a God of their own creation, whom they hold out as a lover of +penance, of sacrifice, and of mortification, they, under this pretence, +forbid enjoyments which are not only innocent, but praiseworthy. For, +every enjoyment by which no one is injured, is innocent; and every +innocent enjoyment is praiseworthy, because it assists in diffusing that +spirit of content and of satisfaction which is favourable to the practice +of benevolence towards others. The theologians, however, for reasons +which I have already stated, cultivate an opposite spirit, and, whenever +they have possessed power, they have always prohibited a large number of +pleasurable actions, on the ground that such actions are offensive to the +Deity. That they have no warrant for this, and that they are simply +indulging in peremptory assertions on subjects respecting which we have +no trustworthy information, is well known to those who, impartially, and +without preconceived bias, have studied their arguments, and the evidence +which they adduce. On this, however, I need not dilate; for, inasmuch as +men are, almost every year, and certainly every generation, becoming more +accustomed to close and accurate reasoning, just in the same proportion +is the conviction spreading, that theologians proceed from arbitrary +assumptions, for which they have no proof, except by appealing to other +assumptions, equally arbitrary and equally unproven. Their whole system +reposes upon fear, and upon fear of the worst kind; since, according to +them, the Great Author of our being has used His omnipotence in so cruel +a manner as to endow his creatures with tastes, instincts, and desires, +which He not only forbids them to gratify, but which, if they do gratify, +shall bring on themselves eternal punishment. + +What the theologians are to the closet, that are the priests to the +pulpit. The theologians work upon the studious, who read; the clergy act +upon the idle, who listen. Seeing, however, that the same man often +performs both offices, and seeing, too, that the spirit and tendency of +each office are the same, we may, for practical purposes, consider the +two classes as identical; and, putting them together, and treating them +as a whole, it must be admitted by whoever will take a comprehensive view +of what they have actually done, that they have been, not only the most +bitter foes of human happiness, but also the most successful ones. In +their high and palmy days, when they reigned supreme, when credulity was +universal and doubt unknown, they afflicted mankind in every possible +way; enjoining fasts, and penances, and pilgrimages, teaching their +simple and ignorant victims every kind of austerity, teaching them to +flog their own bodies, to tear their own flesh, and to mortify the most +natural of their appetites. This was the state of Europe in the middle +ages. It is still the state of every part of the world where the +priesthood are uncontrolled. Such ascetic and self-tormenting observances +are the inevitable issue of the theological spirit, if that spirit is +unchecked. Now, and owing to the rapid march of our knowledge, it is +constantly losing ground, because the scientific and secular spirit is +encroaching on its domain. Therefore, in our time, and especially in our +country, its most repulsive features are disguised, and it is forced to +mask its native ugliness. Among our clergy, a habit of grave and decent +compromise has taken the place of that bold and fiery war which their +predecessors waged against a sensual and benighted world. Their threats +have perceptibly diminished. They now allow us a little pleasure, a +little luxury, a little happiness. They no longer tell us to mortify +every appetite, and to forego every comfort. The language of power has +departed from them. Here and there, we find vestiges of the ancient +spirit; but this is only among uneducated men, addressing an ignorant +audience. The superior clergy, who have a character to lose, are grown +cautious; and, whatever their private opinion may be, they rarely venture +on those terrific denunciations with which their pulpits once resounded, +and which, in times of yore, made the people shrink with fear, and +humbled every one except him by whom the denunciation was uttered. + +Still, though much of this has vanished, enough remains to show what the +theological spirit is, and to justify a belief, that nothing but the +pressure of public opinion prevents it from breaking out into its former +extravagance. Many of the clergy persist in attacking the pleasures of +the world, forgetting that, not only the world, but all which the world +contains, is the work of the Almighty, and that the instincts and +desires, which they stigmatise as unholy, are part of his gifts to man. +They have yet to learn, that our appetites, being as much a portion of +ourselves as any other quality we possess, ought to be indulged, +otherwise the whole individual is not developed. If a man suppresses part +of himself, he becomes maimed and shorn. The proper limit to +self-indulgence is, that he shall neither hurt himself nor hurt others. +Short of this, everything is lawful. It is more than lawful; it is +necessary. He who abstains from safe and moderate gratification of the +senses, lets some of his essential faculties fall into abeyance, and +must, on that account, be deemed imperfect and unfinished. Such an one is +incomplete; he is crippled; he has never reached his full stature. He may +be a monk; he may be a saint; but a man he is not. And now, more than +ever, do we want true and genuine men. No previous age has had so much +work to do, and, to accomplish that work, we need robust and vigorous +natures, whose every function has been freely exercised without let or +hindrance. Never before, was the practice of life so arduous; never were +the problems presented to the human mind so numerous, or so complicated. +Every addition to our knowledge, every fresh idea, opens up new +difficulties, and gives birth to new combinations. Under this accumulated +pressure, we shall assuredly sink, if we imitate the credulity of our +forefathers, who allowed their energies to be cramped and weakened by +those pernicious notions, which the clergy, partly from ignorance, and +partly from interest, have, in every age, palmed on the people, and have, +thereby, diminished the national happiness, and retarded the march of +national prosperity. + +In the same way, we constantly hear of the evils of wealth, and of the +sinfulness of loving money; although it is certain that, after the love +of knowledge, there is no one passion which has done so much good to +mankind as the love of money. It is to the love of money that we owe all +trade and commerce; in other words, the possession of every comfort and +luxury which our own country is unable to supply. Trade and commerce have +made us familiar with the productions of many lands, have awakened +curiosity, have widened our ideas by bringing us in contact with nations +of various manners, speech, and thought, have supplied an outlet for +energies which would otherwise have been pent up and wasted, have +accustomed men to habits of enterprise, forethought, and calculation, +have, moreover, communicated to us many arts of great utility, and have +put us in possession of some of the most valuable remedies with which we +are acquainted, either to save life or to lessen pain. These things we +owe to the love of money. If theologians could succeed in their desire to +destroy that love, all these things would cease, and we should relapse +into comparative barbarism. The love of money, like all our appetites, is +liable to abuse; but to declaim against it as evil in itself, and, above +all, to represent it as a feeling, the indulgence of which provokes the +wrath of God, is to betray an ignorance, natural, perhaps, in former +ages, but shameful in our time, particularly when it proceeds from men +who give themselves out as public teachers, and profess that it is their +mission to enlighten the world. + +Injurious, however, as all this is to the best interests of society, it +is nothing in comparison with the doctrines formerly advocated by the +Scotch divines. What their ideas were, I have shown from their own +sermons, the reading of which has been the most painful literary task I +ever undertook, since, in addition to the narrowness and the dogmatism +which even the best of such compositions contain, there is, in these +productions, a hardness of heart, an austerity of temper, a want of +sympathy with human happiness, and a hatred of human nature, such as have +rarely been exhibited in any age, and, I rejoice to think, have never +been exhibited in any other Protestant country. These things, I have +resuscitated from the oblivion in which they had long been buried, partly +because it was necessary to do so in order to understand the history of +the Scotch mind, and partly because I desired to show what the tendency +of theologians is, when that tendency is uncontrolled. Protestants, +generally, are too apt to suppose that there is something in their creed +which protects them against those hurtful extravagances which have been, +and, to a certain extent, still are, practised in the Catholic Church. +Never was a greater mistake. There is but one protection against the +tyranny of any class; and that is, to give that class very little power. +Whatever the pretensions of any body of men may be, however smooth their +language, and however plausible their claims, they are sure to abuse +power, if much of it is conferred on them. The entire history of the +world affords no instance to the contrary. In Catholic countries, France +alone excepted, the clergy have more authority than in Protestant +countries. Therefore, in Catholic countries, they do more harm than in +Protestant countries, and their peculiar views are developed with greater +freedom. The difference depends, not on the nature of the creed, but on +the power of the class. This is very apparent in Scotland, where the +clergy, being supreme, did, Protestants though they were, imitate the +ascetic, the unsocial, and the cruel doctrines, which, in the Catholic +Church, gave rise to convents, fastings, scourgings, and all the other +appliances of an uncouth and ungenial superstition. + +Indeed, the Scotch divines, in some of their theories, went beyond any +section of the Catholic Church, except the Spanish. They sought to +destroy, not only human pleasures, but also human affections. They held +that our affections are necessarily connected with our lusts, and that we +must, therefore, wean ourselves from them as earthly vanities.[606] A +Christian had no business with love or sympathy. He had his own soul to +attend to, and that was enough for him. Let him look to himself. On +Sunday, in particular, he must never think of benefiting others; and the +Scotch clergy did not hesitate to teach the people, that on that day it +was sinful to save a vessel in distress, and that it was a proof of +religion to leave ship and crew to perish.[607] They might go; none but +their wives and children would suffer, and that was nothing in comparison +with breaking the Sabbath. So, too, did the clergy teach, that on no +occasion must food or shelter be given to a starving man, unless his +opinions were orthodox.[608] What need for him to live? Indeed, they +taught that it was a sin to tolerate his notions at all, and that the +proper course was, to visit him with sharp and immediate punishment.[609] +Going yet further, they broke the domestic ties, and set parents against +their offspring. They taught the father to smite the unbelieving child, +and to slay his own boy sooner than allow him to propagate error.[610] As +if this were not enough, they tried to extirpate another affection, even +more sacred and more devoted still. They laid their rude and merciless +hands on the holiest passion of which our nature is capable, the love of +a mother for her son. Into that sanctuary, they dared to intrude; into +that, they thrust their gaunt and ungentle forms. If a mother held +opinions of which they disapproved, they did not scruple to invade her +household, take away her children, and forbid her to hold communication +with them.[611] Or if, perchance, her son had incurred their displeasure, +they were not satisfied with forcible separation, but they laboured to +corrupt her heart, and harden it against her child, so that she might be +privy to the act. In one of these cases, mentioned in the records of the +church of Glasgow, the Kirk-Session of that town summoned before them a +woman, merely because she had received into her house her own son, after +the clergy had excommunicated him. So effectually did they work upon her +mind, that they induced her to promise, not only that she would shut her +door against her child, but that she would aid in bringing him to +punishment. She had sinned in loving him; she had sinned, even, in giving +him shelter; but, says the record, 'she promised not to do it again, and +to tell the magistrates when he comes next to her.'[612] + + [606] 'A Christian should mortifie his affections, which are his + predominant lusts, to which our affections are so much joined, and + our soul doth so much go out after.' _Gray's Spiritual Warfare_, + p. 29. 'That blessed work of weaning of affections from all things + that are here.' _Gray's Great and Precious Promises_, p. 86. + + [607] 'One of our more northern ministers, whose parish lies along the + coast between Spey and Findorn, made some fishermen do penance for + sabbath-breaking, in going out to sea, though purely with + endeavour to save a vessel in distress by a storm.' _Letters from + a Gentleman in the North of Scotland_, vol. i. p. 173. + + [608] 'The master of a family may, and ought to, deny an act of humanity + or hospitality to strangers that are false teachers.' + _Rutherford's Free Disputation against Pretended Liberty of + Conscience_, p. 176. 'The Holy Ghost forbiddeth the master of + every Christian family to owne a hereticke as a guest.' _Ibid._, + p. 219. See also p. 235. + + [609] 'We hold that tolleration of all religions is not farre from + blasphemy.' _Rutherford's Free Disputation against Pretended + Liberty of Conscience_, p. 20. 'If wolves be permitted to teach + what is right in their own erroneous conscience, and there be no + "Magistrate to put them to shame," _Judg._ xviii. 7, and no King + to punish them, then godlinesse and all that concernes the first + Table of the Law must be marred.' _Ibid._, p. 230. 'Wilde and + atheisticall liberty of conscience,' p. 337. 'Cursed toleration,' + p. 400. See also, in the same work (pp. 110, 244), Rutherford's + remarks on the murder of Servetus. In 1645, Baillie, who was then + in London, writes, 'The Independents here plead for a tolleration + both for themselfes and other sects. My Dissuasive is come in time + to doe service here. We hope God will assist us to remonstrate the + wickedness of such an tolleration.' And on account of the + Independents wishing to show common charity towards persons who + differed in opinions from themselves, Baillie writes next year + (1646), 'The Independents has the least zeale to the truth of God + of any men we know.' _Baillie's Letters and Journals_, vol. ii. + pp. 328, 361. Blair, who was in London in 1649, was sorely vexed + with 'the most illegal, irreligious, and wicked proceedings and + actings of the sectarian army;' one of their crimes being the + attempt 'to ruin religion by their toleration.' _Continuation of + the Autobiography of Mr. Robert Blair, Minister of St. Andrews_, + p. 213. For other evidence of this persecuting spirit, see + _Dickson's Truth's Victory over Error_, pp. 159, 163, 199-202; + _Abernethy's Physicke for the Soule_, p. 215; _Durham's Exposition + of the Song of Solomon_, p. 147; _Durham's Commentarie upon the + Book of the Revelation_, pp. 141, 143, 330; and _Shields' Hind let + loose_, p. 168. + + [610] 'A third benefit (which is a branch of the former), is zeal in the + godly against false teachers, who shall be so tender of the truth + and glory of God, and the safety of the Church (all which are + endangered by error), that it shall overcome natural affection in + them; so that parents shall not _spare their own children_, being + seducers, but shall either by an heroick act (such as was in + Phinehas, _Numb._ XXV. 8), _themselves judge him worthy to die, + and give sentence and execute it_, or cause him to be punished, by + bringing him to the Magistrate,' &c.... 'The toleration of a false + religion in doctrine or worship, and the exemption of the + erroneous from civil punishment, is no more lawful under the New + Testament than it was under the Old.' _An Exposition of the + Prophecie of Zechariah_, in _Hutcheson's Exposition on the Minor + Prophets_, vol. iii. p. 203, 8vo. 1654. + + [611] _Selections from the Registers of the Presbytery of Lanark_, + pp. x. 33, 56, 63, 65, 73. + + [612] I copy the exact words from _Wodrow's Collections upon the Lives + of Ministers of the Church of Scotland_, vol. ii. part ii. p. 71. + An order had been previously obtained from the government, + 'requiring the magistrates to expell furth of the Toun all + excomunicated persons.' + +She promised not to do it again. She promised to forget him, whom she had +born of her womb and suckled at her breast. She promised to forget her +boy, who had ofttimes crept to her knees, who had slept in her bosom, and +whose tender frame she had watched over and nursed. All the dearest +associations of the past, all that the most exquisite form of human +affection can give or receive, all that delights the memory, all that +brightens the prospect of life, all vanished, all passed away from the +mind of this poor woman, at the bidding of her spiritual masters. At one +fell swoop, all were gone. So potent were the arts of these men, that +they persuaded the mother to conspire against her son, that she might +deliver him up to them. They defiled her nature, by purging it of its +love. From that day her soul was polluted. She was lost to herself, as +well as lost to her son. To hear of such things is enough to make one's +blood surge again, and raise a tempest in our inmost nature. But to have +seen them, to have lived in the midst of them, and yet not to have +rebelled against them, is to us utterly inconceivable, and proves in how +complete a thraldom the Scotch were held, and how thoroughly their minds, +as well as their bodies, were enslaved. + +What more need I say? What further evidence need I bring to elucidate the +real character of one of the most detestable tyrannies ever seen on the +earth? When the Scotch Kirk was at the height of its power, we may search +history in vain for any institution which can compete with it, except the +Spanish Inquisition. Between these two, there is a close and intimate +analogy. Both were intolerant, both were cruel, both made war upon the +finest parts of human nature, and both destroyed every vestige of +religions freedom. One difference, however, there was, of vast +importance. In political matters, the Church, which was servile in Spain, +was rebellious in Scotland. Hence the Scotch always had one direction in +which they could speak and act with unrestrained liberty. In politics, +they found their vent. There, the mind was free. And this was their +salvation. This saved them from the fate of Spain, by securing to them +the exercise of those faculties which otherwise would have lain dormant, +if, indeed, they had not been entirely destroyed by that long and +enfeebling servitude in which their clergy retained them, and from which, +but for this favourable circumstance, no escape would have been open. + + + + + CHAPTER V. + + AN EXAMINATION OF THE SCOTCH INTELLECT DURING THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. + + +To complete the history and analysis of the Scotch mind, I have now to +examine the peculiar intellectual movement which appeared in the +eighteenth century, and which, for several reasons, deserves careful +attention. It was essentially a reaction against that theological spirit +which predominated during the seventeenth century. Such a reaction would +hardly have been possible, except for the fact which I have already +noticed, namely, that the political activity which produced the rebellion +against the Stuarts, saved the Scotch mind from stagnating, and prevented +that deep slumber into which the progress of superstition would naturally +have thrown it. The long and stubborn conflict with a despotic +government, kept alive a certain alertness and vigour of understanding, +which survived the struggle that gave it birth. When the contest was +ended, and peace was restored, the faculties which, for three +generations, had been exercised in resisting the executive authority, +sought other employment, and found another field in which they could +disport themselves. Hence it was, that the boldness which, in the +seventeenth century, was practical, became, in the eighteenth century, +speculative, and produced a literature, which attempted to unsettle +former opinions, and to disturb the ancient landmarks of the human mind. +The movement was revolutionary, and bore the same relation to +ecclesiastical tyranny, which the previous movement had borne to +political tyranny. But this new rebellion had one striking +characteristic. In nearly every other country, when the intellect has +fairly arrayed itself against the exclusive pretensions of the Church, +it has happened that the secular philosophy, which has been engendered, +has been an inductive philosophy, taking for its basis individual and +specific experience, and seeking, by that means, to overthrow the general +and traditional notions, on which all church power is founded. The plan +has been, to refuse to accept principles which could not be substantiated +by facts; while the opposite and theological plan is, to force the facts +to yield to the principles. In the former case, experience precedes +theory; in the latter case, theory precedes experience, and controls it. +In theology, certain principles are taken for granted; and, it being +deemed impious to question them, all that remains for us is to reason +from them downwards. This is the deductive method. On the other hand, the +inductive method will concede nothing, but insists upon reasoning +upwards, and demands that we shall have the liberty of ascertaining the +principles for ourselves. In a complete scheme of our knowledge, and when +all our resources are fully developed and marshalled into order, as they +must eventually be, the two methods will be, not hostile, but +supplementary, and will be combined into a single system. At present, +however, we are very far from such a result; and not only is every mind +more prone to one method than to another, but we find, historically, that +different ages and different countries have been characterised by the +extent to which one of these two schemes has predominated; and we also +find, that a study of this antagonism is the surest way of understanding +the intellectual condition of any period. + +That the inductive philosophy is even more marked by its secular +tendencies than by its scientific ones, will be evident to whoever +observes the epochs in which it has been most active, and has possessed +most adherents. Of this, the history of the French mind, in the +eighteenth century, affords a good instance, where, after the death of +Louis XIV., we may clearly trace the connexion between the growth of the +inductive method, and the subsequent overthrow of the Gallican Church. In +England, too, the rise of the Baconian philosophy, with its determination +to subordinate ancient principles to modern experience, was the heaviest +blow which has ever been inflicted on the theologians, whose method is to +begin, not with experience, but with principles, which are said to be +inscrutable, and which we are bound to believe without further +difficulty. And I need hardly remind the reader, that scarcely was that +philosophy established among us, when it produced those bold inquiries +which quickly ended in the downfall of the English Church under Charles +I. From that terrible defeat, our clergy did, for a time, partly rally; +but as their apparent success, in the reign of Charles II., was owing to +political changes, and not to social ones, they were unable to recover +their hold over society, and, unless the nation should retrograde, there +is no possibility that they ever should recover it. Over the inferior +order of minds, they still wield great influence; but the Baconian +philosophy, by bringing their favourite method into disrepute, has sapped +the very base of their system. From the moment that their mode of +investigation was discredited, the secret of their power was gone. From +the moment that men began to insist on inquiring into the validity of +first principles, instead of accepting them without inquiry, and humbly +submitting to them as matters of faith and of necessary belief; from that +moment, the theologians, driven from one post to another, and constantly +receding before the pressure of advancing knowledge, have been forced to +abandon entrenchment after entrenchment, until what they have retained of +their former territory is hardly worth the struggle. As a last resource, +they, at the close of the eighteenth century, determined to use the +weapons of their opponents; and Paley and his successors, enlarging the +scheme which Ray and Derham had feebly sketched, endeavoured, by a +skilful employment of the inductive method, to compensate their party for +the failure of the deductive one. But their project, though ably +conceived, has come to naught. It is now generally admitted, that nothing +can be made of it, and that it is impossible to establish the old +theological premises by a chain of inductive reasoning. Respecting this, +the most eminent philosophers agree with the most eminent theologians; +and, since the time of Kant in Germany, and of Coleridge in England, +none of our ablest men, even among divines themselves, have recurred to a +plan which Paley, indeed, pursued with vigour, but of which our +Bridgewater Treatises, our Prize-Essays, and such schoolboy productions, +are poor and barren imitations.[613] No great thinkers now follow this +course in matters of religion. On the contrary, they prefer the safer, as +well as the more philosophic, method, of dealing with these subjects on +transcendental grounds, frankly confessing that they elude the grasp of +that inductive philosophy which, in the department of science, has +achieved such signal triumphs. + + [613] Of course, I say this merely in reference to their theological + bearings. Some of the Bridgewater Treatises, such as Bell's, + Buckland's, and Prout's, had great scientific merit at the time of + their appearance, and may even now be studied with advantage; but + the religious portion of them is pitiable, and shows either that + their heart was not in their work, or else that the subject was + too wide for them. At all events, it is to be hoped that we shall + never again see men of equal eminence hiring themselves out as + paid advocates, and receiving fees to support particular opinions. + It is truly disgraceful that such great speculative questions, + instead of being subjected to fair and disinterested argument, + with a view of eliciting the truth, should be turned into a + pecuniary transaction, in which any one of much money and little + wit, can bribe as many persons as he likes, to prejudice the + public ear in favour of his own theories. + +The opposition of these two methods, and the inapplicability of the +inductive method to theological pursuits being thus apparent, it is not +strange that the Scotch should have adopted one of the methods with great +zeal, and to the almost complete exclusion of the other. Scotland, being +essentially theological, followed the theological plan. The intellectual +history of that country, in the seventeenth century, is almost entirely +the history of theology. With the single exception of Napier, who was +born in the middle of the sixteenth century, all the most vigorous +thinkers were divines. In physical science, scarcely anything was +done.[614] There was no poetry, no drama, no original philosophy, no +fine compositions, no secular literature, now worth reading.[615] The +only men of real influence were the clergy. They governed the nation and +the pulpit was the chief engine of their power. From the pulpit, they +moved all classes and all sorts intellects; the highest as well as the +lowest. There, they instructed them, and threatened them; saying whatever +they liked, and knowing that what they said would be believed.[616] But +all their sermons, and all their controversial writings, are eminently +deductive; not of them attempts an inductive argument. The idea of such a +thing never entered their heads. They assumed the truth of their own +religion and moral notions, most of which they had borrowed from +antiquity; they made those notions the major premises of their +syllogisms, and from them they reasoned downwards till they obtained +their conclusions. They never suspected that premises, taken from ancient +times might be the result of the inductions of those times and that, as +knowledge advanced, the inductions might need revising. They assumed, +that God has given us first principles, and that He, having revealed them +it would ill become us to scrutinize them. That He had revealed them, +they took for granted, and deemed it unnecessary to prove.[617] Their +method being entirely deductive, all they were concerned with was to +beware that no error crept in between the premises and the conclusions. +And this part of their task they accomplished with great ability. They +were acute dialecticians, and rarely blundered in what is termed the +formal part of logic. In dealing with their premises after they obtained +them, they were extremely skilful; how they obtained them, they were very +heedless. That was a point they never examined with anything approaching +to impartiality. According to their method, all that was requisite was, +to draw inferences from what had been supernaturally communicated. On the +other hand, the inductive method would have taught them that the first +question was, whether or not they had been supernaturally communicated? +They, as deductive reasoners, assumed the very preliminaries which +inductive reasoners would have disputed. They proceeded from generals to +particulars, instead of from particulars to generals. And they would not +allow either themselves or others to sift the general propositions, which +were to cover and control the particular facts. It was enough for them +that the wider propositions were already established, and were to be +treated according to the rules of the old and syllogistic logic. Indeed, +they were so convinced of the impropriety of the inductive method, that +they did not hesitate to assert, that it was by means of the syllogism +that the Deity communicated His wishes to man.[618] + + [614] 'It is humiliating to have to remark, that the notices of comets + which we derive from Scotch writers down to this time (1682) + contain nothing but accounts of the popular fancies regarding + them. Practical astronomy seems to have then been unknown in our + country; and hence, while in other lands, men were carefully + observing, computing, and approaching to just conclusions + regarding these illustrious strangers of the sky, our diarists + could only tell us how many _yards_ long they seemed to be, what + _effects_ were apprehended from them in the way of war and + pestilence, and how certain pious divines "improved" them for + spiritual edification. Early in this century Scotland had produced + one great philosopher, who had supplied his craft with the + mathematical instruments by which complex problems, such as the + movement of comets, were alone to be solved. It might have been + expected that the country of Napier, seventy years after his time, + would have had many sons capable of applying his key to such + mysteries of nature. But no one had arisen--nor did any rise for + fifty years onward, when at length Colin Maclaurin unfolded in the + Edinburgh University the sublime philosophy of Newton. There could + not be a more expressive signification of the character of the + seventeenth century in Scotland. Our unhappy contentions about + external religious matters had absorbed the whole genius of the + people, rendering to us the age of Cowley, of Waller, and of + Milton, as barren of elegant literature, as that of Horrocks, of + Halley, and of Newton, was of science.' _Chambers' Domestic Annals + of Scotland_, vol. ii. pp. 444, 445. + + [615] 'Thus, during the whole seventeenth century, the English were + gradually refining their language and their taste; in Scotland, + the former was much debased, and the latter almost entirely lost.' + _History of Scotland_, book viii., in _Robertson's Works_, p. 260. + + 'But the taste and science, the genius and the learning of the + age, were absorbed in the gulph of religious controversy. At a + time when the learning of Selden, and the genius of Milton, + conspired to adorn England, the Scots were reduced to such writers + as Baillie, Rutherford, Guthrie, and the two Gillespies.' _Laing's + History of Scotland_, vol. iii. p. 510. 'From the Restoration down + to the Union, the only author of eminence whom Scotland produced + was Burnet.' _Ibid._, vol. iv. p. 406. + + 'The seventeenth century, fatal to the good taste of Italy, threw + a total night over Scotland.' ... 'Not one writer who does the + least credit to the nation flourished during the century from 1615 + to 1715, excepting Burnet, whose name would, indeed, honour the + brightest period. In particular, no poet whose works merit + preservation arose. By a singular fatality, the century which + stands highest in English history and genius, is one of the + darkest in those of Scotland.' _Ancient Scotish Poems, edited by + John Pinkerton_, vol. i. pp. iii. iv., London, 1786. + + [616] Ray, who visited Scotland in 1661, could not suppress a little + professional envy, when he saw how much higher ecclesiastics were + rated there than in England. He says, 'the people here frequent + their churches much better than in England, and have their + ministers in more esteem and veneration.' _Ray's Memorials, edited + by Dr. Lankester for the Ray Society_, p. 161. + + [617] 'Believing ignorance is much better than rash and presumptuous + knowledge. Ask not a reason of these things, but rather adore and + tremble at the mystery and majesty of them.' _Binning's Sermons_, + vol. i. p. 143. Even Biblical criticism was prohibited; and + Dickson says of the different books of the Bible, 'We are not to + trouble ourselves about the name of the writer, or time of writing + of any part thereof, especially because God of set purpose + concealeth the name sundry times of the writer, and the time when + it was written.' _Dickson's Explication of the Psalms_, p. 291. + + [618] 'Christ from heaven proposeth a syllogism to Saul's fury.' + _Rutherford's Christ Dying_, p. 180. 'The conclusion of a + practical syllogism, whereby the believer concluded from the + Gospel that he shall be saved.' _Durham's Law Unsealed_, p. 97. + 'All assurance is by practical syllogism, the first whereof must + needs be a Scripture truth.' _Gray's Precious Promises_, p. 139. + +It was naturally to be expected, that the clergy, holding these views +respecting the best means of arriving at truth, should do all in their +power to bring over the nation to their side, and should labour to make +their own method of investigation entirely supersede the opposite method. +Nor was this a very difficult task. The prevailing credulity was one +great point in their favour, inasmuch as it made men more willing to +accept propositions than to scrutinise them. When the propositions were +accepted, nothing was left but to reason from them; and the most active +intellects in Scotland, being constantly engaged in this process, +acquired complete mastery over it, and the dexterity they displayed +increased its repute. Besides this, the clergy, who were its zealous +champions, had monopolized all the sources of education, both public and +private. In no other Protestant country, have they exercised such control +over the universities; not only the doctrines taught, but also the mode +of teaching them, being, in Scotland, placed under the supervision of the +Church.[619] This power they, of course, used to propagate their own plan +of obtaining truth; and, as long as their power remained undiminished, it +was hardly possible that the opposite, or inductive, plan should gain a +hearing. Over grammar-schools, the clergy possessed an authority fully +equal to that which they had in the universities.[620] They also +appointed and removed, at their own pleasure, teachers of every grade, +from village schoolmasters to tutors in private families.[621] In this +way, each generation, as it arose, was brought under their influence, and +made subject to their notions. Taking the mind of Scotland while it was +young and flexible, they bent it to their own method. Hence, that method +became supreme; it reigned every where; not a voice was lifted up against +it; and no one had an idea that there was more than one path by which +truth could be reached, or that the human understanding was of any use, +except to deal deductively with premisses, which were not to be +inductively examined. + + [619] Bower (_History of the University of Edinburgh_, vol. i. p. 217) + says, 'The history of the universities and of the church is, in + modern Europe, and perhaps in every other civilized portion of the + globe, very nearly connected. They are more nearly connected in + Scotland than in any other civilized country called Protestant; + because the General Assembly have the legal power of inquiring + into the economy of the institutions, both as it respects the mode + of teaching, and the doctrines, whether religious, moral, or + physical, which are taught.' Spalding, under the year 1639, gives + an instance of the power of the General Assembly in 'the College + of Old Aberdeen.' _Spalding's History of the Troubles_, vol. i. p. + 178. See also, on the authority exercised by the General Assembly + over the universities, a curious little book, called _The + Government and Order of the Church of Scotland_, Edinburgh, 1690, + p. 25. + + [620] In 1632, the 'ministers' of Perth were greatly displeased because + John Row was made master of the grammar-school without their + consent. _The Chronicle of Perth_, p. 33, where it is stated that, + consequently, 'thair wes much outcrying in the pulpett.' + + [621] See, for instance, _Minutes of the Presbyteries of St. Andrews and + Cupar_, pp. 66, 83, 84, 118. One of the entries is, that in + January 1648, 'The Presbyterie ordained that all young students, + who waittes on noblemen or gentlemen within thir bounds, aither to + teach ther children, or catechise and pray in ther families, to + frequent the Presbyterie, that the brether may cognosce what they + ar reading, and what proficiencie they make in ther studies, and + to know also ther behaviour in the said families, and of their + affectione to the Covenant and present religione.' p. 118. Compare + _Selections from the Registers of the Presbytery of Lanark_, + pp. 56, 65. + +The inductive or analytic spirit being thus unknown, and the deductive or +synthetic spirit being alone favoured, it happened that, when, early in +the eighteenth century, the circumstances already mentioned gave rise to +a great intellectual movement, that movement, though new in its results, +was not new in the method by which the results were obtained. A secular +philosophy was, indeed, established, and the ablest men, instead of being +theological, became scientific. But so completely had the theological +plan occupied Scotland, that even philosophers were unable to escape from +its method, and, as I am about to show, the inductive method exercised no +influence over them. This most curious fact is the key to the history of +Scotland in the eighteenth century, and explains many events which would +otherwise appear incompatible with each other. It also suggests an +analogy with Germany, where the deductive method has, for a long period, +been equally prevalent, owing to precisely the same causes. In both +countries, the secular movement of the eighteenth century was unable to +become inductive; and this intellectual affinity between two such +otherwise different nations, is, I have no doubt, the principal reason +why the Scotch and German philosophies have so remarkably acted and +reacted upon each other; Kant and Hamilton being the most finished +specimens of their intercourse. To this, England forms a complete +contrast. For more than a hundred and fifty years after the death of +Bacon, the greatest English thinkers, Newton and Harvey excepted, were +eminently inductive; nor was it until the nineteenth century that signs +were clearly exhibited of a counter-movement, and an attempt was made to +return in some degree to the deductive method.[622] This we are, in many +respects, justified in doing, because, in the progress of our knowledge, +we have, by a long course of induction, arrived at several conclusions +which we may safely treat deductively; that is to say, we may make them +the major premisses of new arguments. The same process has been seen in +France, where the exclusively inductive philosophy of the eighteenth +century preceded a partial resuscitation of deductive philosophy in the +nineteenth century. In Scotland, however, there have been no such +vicissitudes. In that country, men have always been deductive; even the +most original thinkers being unable to liberate themselves from the +universal tendency, and being forced to accept a method which time had +consecrated, and which was interwoven with all the associations of the +national mind. + + [622] This I have already touched upon in the first volume, pp. 808, + 809. Hereafter, and in my special history of the English mind, I + shall examine it carefully and in detail. The revival of the old + logic is a great symptom of it. Works like those of Whately, De + Morgan, and Mansel, could not have been produced in tho eighteenth + century, or, at all events, if by some extraordinary combination + of events they had been produced, they would have found no + readers. As it is, they have exercised a very extensive and very + salutary influence; and, although Archbishop Whately was not well + acquainted with the history of formal logic, his exposition of its + ordinary processes is so admirably clear, that he has probably + contributed more than any other man towards impressing his + contemporaries with a sense of the value of deductive reasoning. + He has, however, not done sufficient justice to the opposite + school, and has, indeed, fallen into the old academical error of + supposing that all reasoning is by syllogism. We might just as + well say that all movement is by descent. + +To understand the investigation into which we are about to enter, the +reader must firmly seize, and keep before his eyes, the essential +difference between deduction, which reasons from principles, and +induction, which reasons to principles. He must remember, that induction +proceeds from the smaller to the greater; deduction, from the greater to +the smaller. Induction is from particulars to generals, and from the +senses to the ideas; deduction is from generals to particulars, and from +the ideas to the senses. By induction, we rise from the concrete to the +abstract; by deduction, we descend from the abstract to the concrete. +Accompanying this distinction, there are certain qualities of mind, +which, with extremely few exceptions, characterize the age, nation, or +individual, in which one of these methods is predominant. The inductive +philosopher is naturally cautious, patient, and somewhat creeping; while +the deductive philosopher is more remarkable for boldness, dexterity, and +often rashness. The deductive thinker invariably assumes certain +premisses, which are quite different from the hypotheses essential to the +best induction. These premisses are sometimes borrowed from antiquity; +sometimes they are taken from the notions which happen to prevail in the +surrounding society; sometimes they are the result of a man's own +peculiar organization; and sometimes, as we shall presently see, they are +deliberately invented, with the object of arriving, not at truth, but at +an approximation to truth. Finally, and to sum up the whole, we may say +that a deductive habit, being essentially synthetic, always tends to +multiply original principles or laws; while the tendency of an inductive +habit is to diminish those laws by gradual and successive analysis. + +These being the two fundamental divisions of human inquiry, it is surely +a most remarkable fact in the history of Scotland, that, during the +eighteenth century, all the great thinkers belonged to the former +division, and that, in the very few instances of induction which their +works contain, it is evident, from the steps they subsequently took, that +they regarded such inductions as unimportant in themselves, and as only +valuable in so far as they supplied the premisses for another and +deductive investigation. As the various departments of our knowledge have +never yet been co-ordinated and treated as a whole, probably no one is +aware of the universality of this movement in Scotland, and of the extent +to which it pervaded every science, and governed every phase of thought. +To prove, therefore, the force with which it acted, I now purpose to +examine its working in all the principal forms of speculation, whether +physical or moral, and to show that in each the same method was adopted. +In doing this, I must, for the sake of clearness, proceed according to a +natural arrangement of the different topics; but I will, whenever it is +possible, also follow the chronological order in which the Scotch mind +unfolded itself; so that we may understand, not only the character of +that remarkable literature, but likewise the steps of its growth, and the +astonishing vigour with which it emancipated itself from the shackles +which superstition had imposed. + +The beginning of the great secular philosophy of Scotland is undoubtedly +due to Francis Hutcheson.[623] This eminent man, though born in Ireland, +was of Scotch family, and was educated in the University of Glasgow, +where he received the appointment of Professor of Philosophy in the year +1729.[624] By his lectures, and by his works, he diffused a taste for +bold inquiries into subjects of the deepest importance, but concerning +which it had previously been supposed nothing fresh was to be learned; +the Scotch having hitherto been taught, that all truths respecting our +own nature, which were essential to be known, had been already revealed. +Hutcheson, however, did not fear to construct a system of morals +according to a plan entirely secular, and no example of which had been +exhibited in Scotland before his time. The principles from which he +started, were not theological, but metaphysical. They were collected from +what he deemed the natural constitution of the mind, instead of being +collected, as heretofore, from what had been supernaturally communicated. +He, therefore, shifted the field of study. Though he was a firm believer +in revelation, he held that the best rules of conduct could be +ascertained without its assistance, and could be arrived at by the +unaided wit of man; and that, when arrived at, they were, in their +aggregate, to be respected as the Law of Nature.[625] This confidence in +the power of the human understanding was altogether new in Scotland, and +its appearance forms an epoch in the national literature. Previously, men +had been taught that the understanding was a rash and foolish thing, +which ought to be repressed, and which was unfit to cope with the +problems presented to it.[626] Hutcheson, however, held that it was quite +able to deal with them, but that, to do so, it must be free and +unfettered. Hence, he strenuously advocated that right of private +judgment which the Scotch Kirk had not only assailed, but had almost +destroyed. He insisted that each person had a right to form his opinion +according to the evidence he possessed, and that, this right being +inalienable, none but weak minds would abstain from exercising it.[627] +Every one was to judge according to his own light, and nothing could be +gained by inducing men to profess sentiments contrary to their +convictions.[628] So far, however, was this from being understood, that +we found all the little sects quarrelling among themselves, and abusing +each other, merely because their views were different. It was strange to +hear how the professors of one creed would stigmatize the professors of +other creeds as idolatrous, and would demand that penalties should be +inflicted on them. In point of fact, all had much that was good; and +their only real evil was, this love of persecution.[629] But the vulgar +deemed every one a heretic who did not believe what they believed; and +this way of thinking had been too much countenanced by the clergy, many +of whom felt their vanity offended at the idea of laymen pretending to be +wiser than their spiritual teachers, and venturing to disagree with what +they said.[630] + + [623] See a letter from Sir James Mackintosh to Parr, in _Mackintosh's + Memoirs_, London, 1835, vol. i. p. 334. 'To Hutcheson the taste + for speculation in Scotland, and all the philosophical opinions + (except the Berkleian Humism) may be traced.' M. Cousin (_Histoire + de la Philosophie_, premiere serie, vol. iv. p. 35, Paris, 1846) + observes, that before Hutcheson 'il n'avait paru en Ecosse ni un + ecrivain ni un professeur de philosophie un peu remarquable.' + + [624] _Tytler's Memoirs of Kames_, Edinburgh, 1814, vol. i. p. 223. + _Hutcheson's Moral Philosophy_, vol. i. p. iii. London, 1755, 4to. + + [625] 'The intention of Moral Philosophy is to direct men to that course + of action which tends most effectually to promote their greatest + happiness and perfection; as far as it can be done by observations + and conclusions discoverable from the constitution of nature, + without any aids of supernatural revelation: these maxims or rules + of conduct are therefore reputed as laws of nature, and the system + or collection of them is called the LAW OF NATURE.' _Hutcheson's + Moral Philosophy_, vol. i. p. 1. + + [626] 'The natural understanding is the most whorish thing in the + world.' ... 'The understanding, even in the search of truth + amongst the creatures, is a rash, precipitate, and unquiet thing.' + _Rutherford's Christ Dying_, p. 181. 'Innocent Adam,' indeed, says + Boston, 'Innocent Adam had a stock of gracious abilities, whereby + he might have, by the force of moral considerations, brought + himself to perform duty aright. But where is that with us?' + _Boston's Sermons_, p. 65. + + [627] 'A like natural right every intelligent being has about his own + opinions, speculative or practical, to judge according to the + evidence that appears to him. This right appears from the very + constitution of the rational mind, which can assent or dissent + solely according to the evidence presented, and naturally desires + knowledge. The same considerations show this right to be + unalienable: it cannot be subjected to the will of another: though + where there is a previous judgment formed concerning the superior + wisdom of another, or his infallibility, the opinion of this + other, to a weak mind, may become sufficient evidence. As to + opinions about the Deity, religion, and virtue, this right is + further confirmed by all the noblest desires of the soul; as there + can be no virtue, but rather impiety in not adhering to the + opinions we think just, and in professing the contrary.' + _Hutcheson's Moral Philosophy_, vol. i. pp. 295, 296. See also + vol. ii. p. 311. 'Every rational creature has a right to judge for + itself in these matters: and as men must assent according to the + evidence that appears to them, and cannot command their own assent + in opposition to it, this right is plainly unalienable.' + + [628] 'Thus no man can really change his sentiments, judgments, and + inward affections, at the pleasure of another, nor can it tend to + any good to make him profess what is contrary to his heart.' + _Hutcheson's Moral Philosophy_, vol. i. pp. 261, 262. + + [629] 'Arians and Socinians are idolaters and denyers of God, say the + orthodox. They retort upon the orthodox, that they are Tritheists; + and so do other sects; and thus they spirit up magistrates to + persecute. While yet it is plain that in all these sects there are + all the same motives to all social virtues from a belief of a + moral providence, the same acknowledgments that the goodness of + God is the source of all the good we enjoy or hope for, and the + same gratitude and resignation to him recommended. Nor do any of + their schemes excite men to vices, except that horrid tenet, too + common to most of them, the right of persecuting.' _Hutcheson's + Moral Philosophy_, vol. ii. p. 316. See also vol. i. p. 160; and + _Hutcheson's Inquiry into our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue_, London, + 1738, p. 283. + + [630] 'We all know the notions entertained by the vulgar concerning all + hereticks; we know the pride of schoolmen and many ecclesiasticks; + how it galls their insolent vanity that any man should assume to + himself to be wiser than they in tenets of religion by differing + from them.' _Hutcheson's Moral Philosophy_, vol. i. p. 167. + +Such large views of liberty were far in advance of the country in which +they were propounded, and could exercise no influence, except over a few +thinking men. These, and similar doctrines, were, however, repeated by +Hutcheson, in his lectures, every year.[631] And strange, indeed, they +must have seemed. To those who received them, they were utterly +subversive of the prevailing theological spirit, which regarded +toleration as impious, and which, seeking to confine the human mind +within the limits of foregone conclusions, deemed it a duty to chastise +those who overstepped them. In opposition to this, Hutcheson let in the +elements of inquiry, of discussion, and of doubt. There is also another +point in which his philosophy is memorable, as the beginning of the great +rebellion of the Scotch intellect. We saw, in the last chapter, how +successfully the teachers of the people had inculcated doctrines of the +darkest asceticism, and how naturally those doctrines had arisen out of +the enormous authority possessed by the Church. Against such notions, +Hutcheson set his face strenuously. He rightly supposed, that an +admiration of every kind of beauty, so far from being sinful, is +essential to a complete and well-balanced mind; and the most original +part of his philosophy consists of the inquiries which he made into the +working and origin of our ideas on that subject. Hitherto, the Scotch +had been taught that the emotions which beauty excites, were owing to the +corruption of our nature, and ought to be repressed. Hutcheson, on the +other hand, insisted that they were good in themselves; that they were +part of the general scheme of human affairs, and that they deserved a +special and scientific study.[632] And with such skill did he investigate +them, that, in the opinion of one of the highest living authorities, he +is the originator of all subsequent inquiries into these matters; his +being the first attempt to deal with the subject of beauty in a broad and +comprehensive spirit.[633] + + [631] 'As he had occasion every year in the course of his lectures to + explain the origin of government, and compare the different forms + of it, he took peculiar care, while on that subject, to inculcate + the importance of civil and religious liberty to the happiness of + mankind.' _Leechman's Life of Hutcheson_, p. xxxv., prefixed to + Hutcheson's Moral Philosophy. + + [632] 'The ideas of beauty and harmony, like other sensible ideas, are + necessarily pleasant to us, as well as immediately so.' + _Hutcheson's Inquiry into our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue_, p. 11. + 'Our sense of beauty seems designed to give us positive pleasure.' + p. 71. 'Beauty gives a favourable presumption of good moral + dispositions.' p. 257. 'But it is plain we have not in our power + the modelling of our senses or desires, to form them for a private + interest; they are fixed for us by the Author of our nature, + subservient to the interest of the system; so that each individual + is made, previously to his own choice, a member of a great body, + and affected with the fortunes of the whole; or at least of many + parts of it; nor can he break himself off at pleasure.' + _Hutcheson's Essay on the Passions_, pp. 105, 106. + + [633] 'Fille de la scholastique, la philosophie moderne est demeuree + longtemps etrangere aux graces, et les _Recherches_ d'Hutcheson + presentent, je crois, le premier traite special sur le beau, ecrit + par un moderne. Elles ont paru en 1725. Cette date est presque + celle de l'avenement de l'esthetique dans la philosophie + europeenne. L'ouvrage du pere Andre, en France, est de 1741, celui + de Baumgarten, en Allemagne, est de 1750. Ce n'est pas un petit + honneur a Hutcheson d'avoir le premier soumis l'idee du beau a une + analyse methodique et reguliere.' _Cousin, Histoire de la + Philosophie_, premiere serie, vol. iv. p. 84. + +Not only in speculative views, but also in practical recommendations, +Hutcheson displayed the same tendency; every where endeavouring to break +down that gloomy fabric which superstition had built up.[634] His +predecessors, and, indeed, nearly all his contemporaries who exercised +much influence, represented pleasure as immoral, and opposed themselves +to the fine arts, which they considered dangerous, as ministering to our +pleasures, and thereby distracting our minds from serious concerns. +Hutcheson, however, declared that the fine arts were to be cherished; +for, he said, they are not only agreeable, but also reputable, and to +employ our time with them is honourable.[635] That such is the case is +obvious enough to us, but it was long, indeed, since similar language had +been heard in Scotland from a great public teacher, and it was completely +opposed to the prevailing notions. But Hutcheson went even further. Not +content with raising his voice in favour of wealth,[636] which the Scotch +clergy stigmatized as one of the most pernicious and carnal of all +things, he fearlessly asserted that all our natural appetites are lawful, +and that the gratification of them is consistent with the highest +virtue.[637] In his eyes, they were lawful, because they were natural; +while, according to the theological theory, their being natural made them +unlawful. And here lies the fundamental difference between the practical +views of Hutcheson and those previously received. He, like every great +thinker since the seventeenth century, loved human nature, and respected +it; but he neither loved nor respected those who unduly trammelled it, +and thereby weakened its vigour, as well as impaired its beauty. He +placed more confidence in mankind, than in the rulers of mankind. The +Scotch divines, who preceded him, were the libellers of their species; +they calumniated the whole human race. According to them, there was +nothing in us but sin and corruption; and, therefore, all our desires +were to be checked. It is the peculiar glory of Hutcheson, that he was +the first man in Scotland who publicly combated these degrading notions. +With a noble and lofty aim did he undertake his task. Venerating the +human mind, he was bent on vindicating its dignity against those who +disputed its titles. Unhappily, he could not succeed; the prejudices of +his time were too strong. Still, he did all that was in his power. He +opposed the tide which he was unable to stem; he attacked what it was +impossible to destroy; and he cast from his philosophy, with vehement +scorn, those base prejudices, which, by aspersing all that is great and +magnanimous, had long blinded the eyes of their contemporaries, and, by +bringing into fresh prominence the old and mischievous dogma of moral +degeneracy, had represented our nature as a compound of vices, and had +been unable to see how many virtues we really possess, how much of the +spirit of self-sacrifice, and of free disinterested benevolence has +always existed; how much of good even the worst of us retain; and how, +among the ordinary and average characters of whom the world is composed, +the desire of benefiting others is more frequent than the desire of +hurting them, kindness is more common than cruelty, and the number of +good deeds does, on the whole, far outweigh the number of bad ones.[638] + + [634] In his _Inquiry into Beauty and Virtue_, p. 107, he so completely + opposed the prevailing notions, as to assert that 'our perception + of pleasure is necessary, and nothing is advantageous or naturally + good to us, but what is apt to raise pleasure, mediately, or + immediately.' Compare what he says at p. 91 respecting + 'superstitious prejudices against actions apprehended as offensive + to the Deity.' + + [635] 'Hence a taste for the ingenious arts of musick, sculpture, + painting, and even for the manly diversions, is reputable.' + _Hutcheson's Moral Philosophy_, vol. i. p. 83. At p. 129 he says, + that in them 'our time is agreeably and honourably employed.' See + also vol. ii. p. 115. + + [636] 'Wealth and power are truly useful, not only for the natural + conveniences or pleasures of life, but as a fund for good + offices.' _Hutcheson's Moral Philosophy_, vol. i. p. 104. Compare + _Hutcheson on Beauty and Virtue_, pp. 93-95; and his _Essay on the + Passions and Affections_, pp. 8, 9, 99. 'How weak also are the + reasonings of some recluse moralists, who condemn in general all + pursuits of wealth or power, as below a perfectly virtuous + character; since wealth and power are the most effectual means, + and the most powerful instruments, even of the greatest virtues, + and most generous actions.' + + [637] 'The chief happiness of any being must consist in the full + enjoyment of all the gratifications its nature desires and is + capable of.' _Hutcheson's Moral Philosophy_, vol. i. p. 100. 'The + highest sensual enjoyments may be experienced by those who employ + both mind and body vigorously in social virtuous offices, and + allow all the natural appetites to recur in their due seasons.' p. + 121. 'Nay, as in fact it is for the good of the system that every + desire and sense natural to us, even those of the lowest kinds, + should be gratified as far as their gratification is consistent + with the nobler enjoyments, and in a just subordination to them; + there seems a natural notion of _right_ to attend them all.' pp. + 254, 255. + + [638] ''Tis pleasant to observe how those authors who paint out our + nature as a compound of sensuality, selfishness, and cunning, + forget themselves on this subject in their descriptions of youth, + when the natural temper is less disguised than in the subsequent + parts of life. 'Tis made up of many keen, inconstant passions, + many of them generous; 'tis fond of present pleasure, but 'tis + also profusely kind and liberal to favourites; careless about + distant interests of its own; full of confidence in others; + studious of praise for kindness and generosity; prone to + friendships, and void of suspicion.' _Hutcheson's Moral + Philosophy_, vol. ii. p. 11. 'Men are often subject to anger, and + upon sudden provocations do injuries to each other, and that only + from self love without malice; but the greatest part of their + lives is employed in offices of natural affection, friendship, + innocent self love, or love of a country.' _Hutcheson's Essay on + the Passions_, pp. 97, 98. And at p. 165: 'There are no doubt many + furious starts of passion, in which malice may seem to have place + in our constitution; but how seldom and how short, in comparison + of years spent in fixed kind pursuits of the good of a family, a + party, a country?' ... 'Here men are apt to let their imaginations + run out upon all the robberies, piracies, murders, perjuries, + frauds, massacres, assassinations, they have ever either heard of, + or read in history; thence concluding all mankind to be very + wicked; as if a court of justice were the proper place for making + an estimate of the morals of mankind, or an hospital of the + healthfulness of a climate. Ought they not to consider that the + number of honest citizens and farmers far surpasses that of all + sorts of criminals in any state; and that the innocent or kind + actions of even criminals themselves, surpass their crimes in + numbers? That it is the rarity of crimes, in comparison of + innocent or good actions, which engages our attention to them, and + makes them be recorded in history; while incomparably more honest, + generous, domestic actions are overlooked, only because they are + so common; as one great danger, or one month's sickness, shall + become a frequently repeated story, during a long life of health + and safety.' + +Thus much as to the tendency of Hutcheson's philosophy.[639] We have now +to ascertain his method, that is to say, the plan which he adopted in +order to obtain his results. This is a very important part of our present +inquiry; and we shall find that, in the study of moral philosophy, as in +the study of all subjects not yet raised to sciences, there are not only +two methods, but that each method leads to different consequences. If we +proceed by induction, we arrive at one conclusion; if we proceed by +deduction, we arrive at another. This difference in the results, is +always a proof that the subject, in which the difference exists, is not +yet capable of scientific treatment, and that some preliminary +difficulties have to be removed, before it can pass from the empirical +stage into the scientific one. As soon as those difficulties are got rid +of, the results obtained by induction, will correspond with those +obtained by deduction; supposing, of course, that both lines of argument +are fairly managed. In such case, it will be of no importance whether we +reason from particulars to generals, or from generals to particulars. +Either plan will yield the same consequences, and this agreement between +the consequences, proves that our investigation is, properly speaking, +scientific. Thus, for instance, in chemistry, if, by reasoning +deductively from general principles, we could always predict what would +happen when we united two or more elements, even supposing those elements +were new to us; and if, by reasoning inductively from each element, we +could arrive at the same conclusion, one process would corroborate the +other, and, by their mutual verification, the science would be complete. +In chemistry, we cannot do this; therefore, chemistry is not yet a +science, although, since the introduction into it, by Dalton, of the +ideas of weight and number, there is every prospect of its becoming one. +On the other hand, astronomy is a science, because, by employing the +deductive weapon of mathematics, we can compute the motions and +perturbations of bodies; and, by employing the inductive weapon of +observation, the telescope reveals to us the accuracy of our previous, +and, as it were, foregone, inferences. The fact agrees with the idea; the +particular event confirms the general principle; the principle explains +the event; and their unanimity authorizes us to believe that we must be +right, since, proceed as we may, the conclusion is the same; and the +inductive plan, of striking averages, harmonizes with the deductive plan, +of reasoning from ideas. + + [639] In 1731, Wodrow, who was the last really great specimen of the old + Presbyterian divines, and who was not a little shocked at the + changes he saw going on around him, writes: 'When Dr. Calamy heard + of Mr. Hutcheson's being called to Glasgow, he smiled, and said, I + think to Thomas Randy, that he was not for Scotland, as he thought + from his book; and that he would be reckoned there as unorthodox + as Mr. Simson. The Doctor has a strange way of fishing out privat + storyes and things that pass in Scotland.' _Wodrow's Analecta_, + vol. iv. p. 227. It is interesting to compare with this, the + remarks which that worldly-minded clergyman, the Rev. Alexander + Carlyle, has made upon Hutcheson. See _Carlyle's Autobiography_, + Edinburgh, 1860, 2d edit. pp. 82-85. + +But, in the study of morals there is no such harmony. Partly from the +force of prejudice, and partly from the complexity of the subject, all +attempts at a scientific investigation of morals have failed. It is not, +therefore, surprising that, in this field, the inductive inquirer arrives +at one conclusion, and the deductive inquirer at another. The inductive +inquirer endeavours to attain his object by observing the actions of men, +and subjecting them to analysis, in order to learn the principles which +regulate them. The deductive inquirer, beginning at the other end, +assumes certain principles as original, and reasons from them to the +facts which actually appear in the world. The former proceeds from the +concrete to the abstract; the latter, from the abstract to the concrete. +The inductive moralist looks at the history of past society, or at the +condition of the present, and takes for granted that the first step is, +to assemble the facts, and then to generalize them. The deductive +inquirer, using the facts rather to illustrate his principles, than to +suggest them, appeals, in the first place, not to external facts, but to +internal ideas, and he makes those ideas the major premiss of a +syllogistic argument. Both parties agree, that we have the power of +judging some actions to be right, and others to be wrong. But as to how +we get that power, and as to what that power is, they are at utter +variance. The inductive philosopher says, that its object is happiness, +that we get it by association, and that it is due to the action and +reaction of social causes, which are susceptible of analysis. The +deductive philosopher says, that this power of distinguishing between +right and wrong, aims, not at happiness, but at truth; that it is +inherent, that it cannot be analyzed, that it is a primary conviction, +and that we may assume it and reason from it, but can never hope to +explain it by reasoning to it. + +It requires but a slight acquaintance with the works of Hutcheson to see +that he belongs to the latter of these two schools. He assumes, that all +men have what he terms a moral faculty, which, being an original +principle, does not admit of analysis.[640] He further assumes, that the +business of this faculty is to regulate all our powers.[641] From these +two assumptions, he reasons downwards to the visible facts of our +conduct, and deductively constructs the general scheme of life. His plan +being entirely synthetic, he depreciates the analytic method, and +complains of it as an artful attempt to diminish the number of our +perceptive powers.[642] The truth is, that every such diminution would +have taken away some of his original principles, and would thereby have +prevented him from using them as the major premisses of separate +arguments. And if you deprive a deductive reasoner of his major +premisses, you leave him nothing on which to stand. Hutcheson, therefore, +like all the philosophers of his school, was extremely jealous of the +invasions of the inductive spirit, with its constant tendency to attack +convictions supposed to be primary, and seek to resolve them into their +elements. He repulsed such encroachments upon his major premisses, +because the power and beauty of his method were displayed in reasoning +from the premisses, and not in reasoning to them. According to him, the +moral faculty, and the authority which it exercised, were impervious to +analysis; it was impossible to track them higher, or to resolve them into +simpler constituents; and it was in vain that many attempted to refer +them to circumstances external to themselves, such as education, custom, +or the association of ideas.[643] + + [640] In his _Moral Philosophy_, vol. i. p. 52, he calls it 'an original + determination or sense in our nature, not capable of being + referred to other powers of perception.' + + [641] 'This moral sense from its very nature appears to be designed for + regulating and controlling all our powers.' _Hutcheson's Moral + Philosophy_, vol. i. p. 61. + + [642] See, in his _Moral Philosophy_, vol. i. p. 79, his complaint + against those who 'would reduce all our perceptive powers to a + very small number, by one artful reference or another.' + + [643] ''Tis in vain here to alledge instruction, education, custom, or + association of ideas, as the original of moral approbation.' + _Hutcheson's Moral Philosophy_, vol. i. p. 57. Compare his work on + _Beauty and Virtue_, p. 84. + +Hence, the judgments which men pass upon the conduct of others, or of +themselves, are, in their origin, altogether inexplicable; each judgment +being merely a different form of one great moral faculty. Inasmuch, +however, as that faculty escapes observation, and is only known by its +results, it is evident that, for all purposes of reasoning, the judgments +must be deemed primary, and arguments are to be constructed from them, as +if they were the ultimate and highest conditions of our nature. In this +way, Hutcheson was led to that love of multiplying original principles, +which Sir James Mackintosh has justly noticed as a characteristic of his +philosophy, and, after him, of the Scotch philosophy in general;[644] +though the distinguished author of this remark has failed to perceive +that such characteristic was but a single part of a far larger scheme, +and was intimately connected with those habits of deductive thought which +a long train of preceding circumstances had indelibly imprinted on the +Scotch mind. + + [644] 'To him may also be ascribed that proneness to multiply ultimate + and original principles in human nature, which characterised the + Scottish School till the second extinction of a passion for + metaphysical speculation in Scotland.' _Mackintosh's Dissertation + on Ethical Philosophy_, edit. Whewell, Edinburgh, 1837, p. 208. + +In Hutcheson, the tendency was so strong, as to make him believe, that, +by arguing from a certain number of original principles, he could +construct the theory and explain the march of human affairs, with little +or no aid from the experience of the past, or, indeed, of the present. +His views, for instance, respecting the nature and objects of +legislation, criminal, as well as civil, might have been written by a +recluse who had never quitted his hermitage, and whose purity was still +unsoiled by the realities of the world. Starting from the so-called +nature of things, his first steps were ideal, and from them he sought to +advance to the actual. In his account of the duties of life, as they +existed before the power of government was consolidated, he quotes no +evidence to show what really happened among barbarous tribes who were in +that state; but he contents himself with deductive inferences from the +principles he had previously laid down.[645] Difficult questions relating +to the laws of property, are treated in the same manner; that is to say, +the conclusions respecting them are arrived at on speculative grounds, +and not by comparing how the different enactments have worked in +different countries.[646] Experience is either shut out, or made +subordinate to theory; and facts are adduced to illustrate the inference, +but not to suggest it. So, too, the proper relation between the people +and their rulers, and the amount of liberty which the people should +possess, instead of being inductively generalized from an historical +inquiry into the circumstances which had produced most happiness, might, +in the opinion of Hutcheson, be ascertained by reasoning from the nature +of government, and from the ends for which it was instituted.[647] + + [645] See his ingenious chapter, entitled 'A deduction of the more + special laws of nature and duties of life, previous to civil + government, and other adventitious states.' _Moral Philosophy_, + vol. i. p. 227; and compare vol. ii. pp. 294-309, 'How civil power + is acquired.' + + [646] See, for example, his remarks on 'the right of possession.' _Moral + Philosophy_, vol. i. p. 344; on 'rights by mortgage,' p. 350; and + on inheritance, p. 356. + + [647] In his _Moral Philosophy_, vol. ii. pp. 346, 347, he sums up a + long argument on 'the nature of civil laws,' by saying: 'Thus the + general duties of magistrates and subjects are discoverable from + the nature of the trust committed to them, and the end of all + civil power.' + +The next great attempt to study the actions of men scientifically, and to +generalize the principles of their conduct without the intervention of +supernatural ideas, was made by Adam Smith, who, in 1759, published his +_Theory of Moral Sentiments_, and, in 1776, his _Wealth of Nations_. To +understand the philosophy of this, by far the greatest of all the Scotch +thinkers, both works must be taken together, and considered as one; +since they are, in reality, the two divisions of a single subject. In +the _Moral Sentiments_, he investigates the sympathetic part of human +nature; in the _Wealth of Nations_, he investigates its selfish part. And +as all of us are sympathetic as well as selfish; in other words, as all +of us look without as well as within, and as this classification is a +primary and exhaustive division of our motives to action, it is evident, +that if Adam Smith had completely accomplished his vast design, he would +at once have raised the study of human nature to a science, leaving +nothing for subsequent inquirers except to ascertain the minor springs of +affairs, all of which would find their place in this general scheme, and +be deemed subordinate to it. In his attempt to perform this prodigious +task, and to traverse the enormous field which he saw lying before him, +he soon perceived that an inductive investigation was impossible, because +it would require the labour of many lives even to assemble the materials +from which the generalization was to be made. Moved by this reflection, +and, probably, moved still more by the intellectual habits which +prevailed around him, he resolved on adopting the deductive method +instead of the inductive; but, in seeking for the premisses from which he +was to reason, and on which his structure was to be built, he resorted to +a peculiar artifice, which is perfectly valid, and which he had an +undoubted right to employ, though, to make it available, requires such +delicate tact, and involves so many refinements, that extremely few +writers have used it with effect on social questions either before or +since. + +The plan to which I allude is, that when any subject becomes unmanageable +by the inductive method, whether from the impossibility of experimenting +upon it, or from its extreme natural complexity, or from the presence of +immense and bewildering details collected around it, we may, in all such +cases, make an imaginary separation of inseparable facts; and reason upon +trains of events which have no real and independent existence, and which +are nowhere to be found except in the mind of the inquirer. A result +obtained in this way, cannot be strictly true; but, if we have reasoned +accurately, it will be as near truth as were the premisses from which we +started. To make it perfectly true, we must confront it with other +results, which we have arrived at in a similar way, and from the same +subject. These separate inferences may eventually be cooerdinated into a +single system; so that, while each inference contains only an imperfect +truth, the whole of the inferences, when put together, will contain +perfect truth. + +Such hypothetical arguments are evidently based upon an intentional +suppression of facts; and the artifice is necessary, because, without the +suppression, the facts would be unmanageable. Each argument leads to a +conclusion which approximates to truth; hence, whenever the premisses are +so comprehensive as almost to exhaust the facts to which they refer, the +conclusion will be so near to complete truth as to be of the greatest +value, even before it is cooerdinated with other conclusions drawn from +the same department of inquiry. + +Geometry exhibits the most perfect example of this logical stratagem. The +object of the geometrician is, to generalize the laws of space; in other +words, to ascertain the necessary and universal relations of its various +parts. Inasmuch, however, as space would have no parts unless it were +divided, the geometrician is forced to assume such a division; and he +takes the simplest possible form of it, a division by lines. Now, a line +considered as a fact, that is, as it is found in the actual world, must +always have two qualities, length and breadth. However slight these +qualities may be, every line has them both. But if the geometrician took +both into consideration, he would find himself in the presence of a +problem too complicated for the resources of the human understanding to +deal with; or, at all events, too complicated for the present resources +of our knowledge. He, therefore, by a scientific artifice, deliberately +strikes off one of these qualities, and asserts that a line is length +without breadth. He knows that the assertion is false, but he also knows +that it is necessary. For, if you deny it, he can prove nothing. If you +insist upon his letting into his premisses the idea of breadth, he is +unable to proceed, and the whole fabric of geometry falls to the ground. +Since, however, the breadth of the faintest line is so slight as to be +incapable of measurement, except by an instrument used under the +microscope, it follows that the assumption, that there can be lines +without breadth, is so nearly true, that our senses, when unassisted by +art, cannot detect the error. Formerly, and until the invention of the +micrometer, in the seventeenth century, it was impossible to detect it at +all. Hence, the conclusions of the geometrician approximate so close to +truth, that we are justified in accepting them as true. The flaw is too +minute to be perceived. But that there is a flaw, appears to me certain. +It appears certain, that whenever something is kept back in the +premisses, something must be wanting in the conclusion. In all such +cases, the field of inquiry has not been entirely covered; and part of +the preliminary facts being suppressed, it must, I think, be admitted, +that complete truth is unattainable, and that no problem in geometry has +yet been exhaustively solved.[648] + + [648] That is, so far as the facts are concerned. Geometry, considered + in the most elevated manner, rests on ideas, and from that point + of view is impregnable, unless the axioms can be overthrown. But + if geometricians will insist on having definitions as well as + axioms, they gain, no doubt, increased clearness, but they lose + something in accuracy. I apprehend that, without definitions, + geometry could not be a science of space, but would be a science + of magnitudes, ideally conceived and consequently as pure as + ratiocination could make it. This does not touch the question as + to the empirical origin of the axioms. + +Still, the amazing triumphs effected in this branch of mathematics, show +how powerful a weapon that form of deduction is, which proceeds by an +artificial separation of facts, in themselves inseparable. So little, +however, is the philosophy of the method understood, that when, late in +the eighteenth century, political economy assumed a scientific form, many +persons, who were otherwise well instructed, reproached its cultivators +with their hard-heartedness; such objectors being unable to see, that the +science could not be constructed if it were necessary to take in the +whole range of generous and benevolent affections. The political +economist aims at discovering the laws of wealth, which are far too +complicated to be studied under every aspect. He, therefore, selects one +of those aspects, and generalizes the laws as they are exhibited in the +selfish parts of human nature. And he is right in doing so, simply +because men, in the pursuit of wealth, consider their own gratification +oftener than the gratification of others. Hence, he, like the +geometrician, blots out one part of his premisses, in order that he may +manipulate the remaining part with greater ease. But we must always +remember, that political economy, though a profound and beautiful +science, is only a science of one department of life, and is founded upon +a suppression of some of the facts in which all large societies abound. +It suppresses, or, what comes to the same thing, it ignores, many high +and magnanimous feelings which we could ill afford to lose. We are not, +therefore, to allow its conclusions to override all other conclusions. We +may accept them in science, and yet reject them in practice. Thus, the +political economist, when confining himself to his own department, says, +with good reason, that it is both absurd and mischievous for government +to undertake to supply the working-classes with employment. This +assertion, he, as a political economist, can prove; and yet, +notwithstanding its scientific truth, it may be practically right for a +government to do the exact opposite. It may be right for a government to +supply the employment, when the people are so ignorant as to demand it, +and when, at the same time, they are so powerful as to plunge the country +into anarchy if the demand is refused. Here, the view of the politician +takes in all the premisses of which the political economist had only +taken in a portion. In the same way, as a matter of economic science, it +is wrong for any one to relieve the poor; since nothing is better +established, than that to relieve poverty increases it, by encouraging +improvidence. But, in spite of this, the antagonistic principle of +sympathy will come into play, and will, in some minds, operate with such +force, as to make it advisable, that he who feels it should give alms, +because, if he abstains from giving them, the violence which he does to +his own nature may inflict more mischief on himself, than his bestowal of +charity would inflict on the general interests of society. + +It will not, I hope, be considered that, in these remarks, I have +digressed from the main argument of the present chapter, since, although, +in making them, I have aimed at clearing up a general question respecting +the nature of scientific proof, I have only done so with the more +particular object of illustrating the philosophy of Adam Smith, and of +explaining the method which that most profound and original thinker +pursued. We shall now be able to see how entirely his plan was deductive, +and what a peculiar form of deduction it was. In his two great works, he +first lays down certain ideas, and from them he marches on to the facts +of the external world. And, in each work, he reasons from only part of +his premisses; supplying the other part in the other work. None of us are +exclusively selfish, and none of us are exclusively sympathetic. But Adam +Smith separates in speculation qualities which are inseparable in +reality. In his _Moral Sentiments_, he ascribes our actions to sympathy; +in his _Wealth of Nations_, he ascribes them to selfishness. A short view +of these two works will prove the existence of this fundamental +difference, and will enable us to perceive that each is supplementary to +the other; so that, in order to understand either, it is necessary to +study both. + +In the _Theory of Moral Sentiments_, Adam Smith lays down one great +principle from which he reasons, and to which all the others are +subordinate. This principle is, that the rules which we prescribe to +ourselves, and which govern our conduct, are solely arrived at by +observing the conduct of others.[649] We judge ourselves, because we had +previously judged them. Our notions are obtained from without, and not +from within. If, therefore, we lived entirely alone, we could have no +idea of merit or demerit, and it would be impossible for us to form an +opinion as to whether our sentiments were right or wrong.[650] To acquire +this knowledge, we must look abroad. Inasmuch, however, as we have no +direct experience of what other persons actually feel, we can only gain +the information by conceiving what we should feel if we were in their +place.[651] Hence, all men are, in imagination, constantly changing +situations with others; and though the change is ideal, and lasts but for +a moment, it is the foundation of that great and universal impulse which +is called Sympathy.[652] + + [649] 'Our continual observations upon the conduct of others, insensibly + lead us to form to ourselves certain general rules concerning what + is fit and proper either to be done or to be avoided.' ... 'It is + thus that the general rules of morality are formed. They are + ultimately founded upon experience of what, in particular + instances, our moral faculties, our natural sense of merit and + propriety, approve or disapprove of. We do not originally approve + or condemn particular actions; because, upon examination, they + appear to be agreeable or inconsistent with a certain general + rule. The general rule, on the contrary, is formed by finding from + experience that all actions of a certain kind, or circumstanced in + a certain manner, are approved of or disapproved of.' _Smith's + Theory of Moral Sentiments_, vol. i. pp. 219, 220. At p. 153: 'We + either approve or disapprove of our own conduct according as we + feel that, when we place ourselves in the situation of another + man, and view it, as it were, with his eyes and from his station, + we either can or cannot entirely enter into and sympathize with + the sentiments and motives which influenced it.' + + [650] 'Were it possible that a human creature could grow up to manhood + in some solitary place, without any communication with his own + species, he could no more think of his own character, of the + propriety or demerit of his own sentiments and conduct, of the + beauty or deformity of his own mind, than of the beauty and + deformity of his own face.' _Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments_, + vol. i. p. 154. 'Our first moral criticisms are exercised upon the + characters and conduct of other people.' p. 156. + + [651] 'As we have no immediate experience of what other men feel, we can + form no idea of the manner in which they are affected, but by + conceiving what we ourselves should feel in the like situation.' + _Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments_, vol. i. p. 2. + + [652] 'That imaginary change of situation, upon which their sympathy is + founded, is but momentary.' _Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments_, + vol. i. p. 21. Compare vol. ii. p. 206. + +By proceeding from these premisses, a vast number of social phenomena may +be explained. We naturally sympathize with joy more than with +sorrow.[653] Hence, that admiration for prosperous and successful +persons, which is quite independent of any benefit we expect from them; +and hence, too, the existence of different ranks and of social +distinctions, all of which emanate from the same source.[654] Hence, +also, the feeling of loyalty, which is a product, not of reason, nor of +fear, nor of a sense of public convenience, but rather of sympathy with +those above us, begetting an extraordinary compassion for even their +ordinary sufferings.[655] Custom and fashion play a great part in the +world, but they owe their origin entirely to sympathy;[656] and so do the +various systems of philosophy which have flourished at different times, +the disagreement between which depends on the fact, that each philosopher +has sympathized with different ideas, some sympathizing with the notion +of fitness or congruity, some with that of prudence, some with that of +benevolence, and every one developing the conception paramount in his own +mind.[657] To sympathy, again, we must ascribe the establishment of +rewards and punishments, and the whole of our criminal laws, none of +which would have existed but for our disposition to sympathize with those +who either do good or suffer harm; for the circumstance of society being +protected by penal laws, is a subsequent and subordinate discovery, +which confirms our sense of their propriety, but did not suggest it.[658] +The same principle causes the difference of character exhibited by +different classes, such as the irritability of poets, compared with the +coolness of mathematicians;[659] it likewise causes that social +difference between the sexes, which makes men more remarkable for +generosity, and women for humanity.[660] All these results illustrate the +workings of sympathy, and are the remote, but still the direct, +operations of that principle. Indeed, we can trace to it some of the +minutest divisions of character; pride and vanity, for instance, being +dependent on it, although those two passions are often confused together, +and are sometimes strangely blended in the same mind.[661] + + [653] 'I will venture to affirm that, when there is no envy in the case, + our propensity to sympathize with joy is much stronger than our + propensity to sympathize with sorrow.' _Smith's Theory of Moral + Sentiments_, vol. i. p. 58. 'It is because mankind are disposed to + sympathize more entirely with our joy than with our sorrow, that + we make parade of our riches, and conceal our poverty.' p. 65. + + [654] 'Upon this disposition of mankind to go along with all the + passions of the rich and the powerful, is founded the distinction + of ranks, and the order of society. Our obsequiousness to our + superiors more frequently arises from our admiration for the + advantages of their situation, than from any private expectations + of benefit from their good will.' _Smith's Theory of Moral + Sentiments_, vol. i. p. 69. See also vol. ii. p. 72. + + [655] See the striking remarks in _Theory of Moral Sentiments_, vol. i. + p. 70-72. + + [656] _Theory of Moral Sentiments_, vol. ii. pp. 23 seq. + + [657] _Theory of Moral Sentiments_, vol. ii. pp. 131-244. This sketch of + the different systems of philosophy is perhaps the ablest part of + the book, notwithstanding two or three errors which it contains. + + [658] _Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments_, vol. i. pp. 89, 92, 115, + 116. The utmost which he will concede to the notion of social + convenience, is that 'we frequently have occasion to confirm our + natural sense of the propriety and fitness of punishment, by + reflecting how necessary it is for preserving the order of + society.' p. 122. + + [659] _Theory of Moral Sentiments_, vol. i. pp. 172-174. + + [660] 'Humanity is the virtue of a woman, generosity of a man. The fair + sex, who have commonly much more tenderness than ours, have seldom + so much generosity.' _Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments_, vol. + ii. p. 19. Sufficient facts have not yet been collected to enable + us to test the truth of this remark, and the loose experience of + individual observers is worth very little on so wide a subject. + Still, I venture to doubt the truth of Adam Smith's distinction. I + suspect that women are, on the whole, more generous than men, as + well as more tender. But to establish a proposition of this sort, + would require the most extensive research, made by a careful and + analytic mind; and, at present, there is not even any tolerably + good work on the mental characteristics which distinguish the + sexes, and there never will be one until physiology is united with + biography. + + [661] _Theory of Moral Sentiments_, vol. ii. pp. 115-122. + +Sympathy, then, is the main-spring of human conduct. It arises, not so +much from witnessing the passions of other persons, as from witnessing +the situation which excites those passions.[662] To this single process +we are indebted, not only for the highest principles, but also for the +deepest emotions. For, the greatest affection of which we are capable, is +merely sympathy fixed into habit; and the love which exists between the +nearest relations, is not inherent, but is derived from this mighty and +controlling principle, which governs the whole course of affairs.[663] + + [662] 'Sympathy, therefore, does not arise so much from the view of the + passion, as from that of the situation which excites it.' _Smith's + Theory of Moral Sentiments_, vol. i. p. 6. + + [663] 'What is called affection, is, in reality, nothing but habitual + sympathy.' _Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments_, vol. ii. p. 63. + 'In some tragedies and romances, we meet with many beautiful and + interesting scenes, founded upon what is called the force of + blood, or upon the wonderful affection which near relations are + supposed to conceive for one another, even before they know that + they have any such connection. This force of blood, however, I am + afraid, exists nowhere but in tragedies and romances.' p. 66. + +By this bold hypothesis, Adam Smith, at one stroke, so narrowed the field +of inquiry, as to exclude from it all considerations of selfishness as a +primary principle, and only to admit its great antagonist, sympathy. The +existence of the antagonism, he distinctly recognizes. For, he will not +allow that sympathy is in any way to be deemed a selfish principle.[664] +Although he knew that it is pleasurable, and that all pleasure contains +an element of selfishness, it did not suit the method of his philosophy +to subject the principle of sympathy to such an inductive analysis as +would reveal its elements. His business was, to reason from it, and not +to it. Concentrating his energy upon the deductive process, and +displaying that dialectic skill which is natural to his countrymen, and +of which he himself was one of the most consummate masters the world has +ever seen, he constructed a system of philosophy, imperfect indeed, +because the premisses were imperfect, but approaching truth as closely as +it was possible for any one to do who abstained from giving due +consideration to the selfish part of human nature. Into the workings of +its sympathetic part, he looked with a minuteness, and he reasoned from +it with a subtlety, which make his work the most important that has ever +been written on this interesting subject. But, inasmuch as his plan +involved a deliberate suppression of preliminary and essential facts, the +results which he obtained do not strictly correspond to those which are +actually observed in the world.[665] This, however, as I have shown, is +not a valid objection; since such discrepancy between the ideal and the +actual, or between the abstract and the concrete, is the necessary +consequence of that still early condition of our knowledge, which forces +us to study complicated questions piecemeal, and to raise them to +sciences by separate and fragmentary investigations. + + [664] 'Sympathy, however, cannot, in any sense, be regarded as a selfish + principle.' _Theory of Moral Sentiments_, vol. ii. p. 206. In + vol. i. p. 9, he complains of 'those who are fond of deducing all + our sentiments from certain refinements of self-love.' + + [665] This is noticed by Sir James Mackintosh, whose sketch of Adam Smith + is hasty, and somewhat superficial, but who, nevertheless, truly + observes, that Smith 'has exposed himself to objections founded on + experience, to which it is impossible to attempt any answer.' + _Mackintosh's Dissertation on Ethical Philosophy_, pp. 239, 240. + See also a letter from Hume to Adam Smith, in _Burton's Life and + Correspondence of Hume_, vol. ii. p. 60. + +That Adam Smith saw this necessity, and that his seeing it was the cause +of the method he pursued, is evident from the fact, that in his next +great work he followed the same plan, and, though he argued from new +premisses, he carefully avoided arguing from any of the old ones. +Convinced that, in his theory of morals, he had reasoned as accurately as +possible from the principles supplied by sympathy, his capacious and +insatiable mind, deeming that nothing had been done while aught remained +to do, urged him to pass on to the opposite passion of selfishness, and +treat it in the same manner, so that the whole domain of thought might be +covered. This he did in his _Wealth of Nations_, which, though even a +greater work than his _Moral Sentiments_, is equally one-sided, in +reference to the principles which it assumes. It assumes that selfishness +is the main regulator of human affairs, just as his previous work had +assumed sympathy to be so. Between the two works there elapsed an +interval of seventeen years; the _Wealth of Nations_ not being published +till 1776. But what shows that to their author both were part of a single +scheme, is the notable circumstance, that, so early as 1753, he had laid +down the principles which his later work contains.[666] This was while +his former work was still in meditation, and before it had seen the +light. It is, therefore, clear, that the study which he made, first of +one passion, and then of its opposite, was not a capricious or accidental +arrangement, but was the consequence of that vast idea which presided +over all his labours, and which, when they are rightly understood, gives +to them a magnificent unity. And a glorious object of ambition it was. +His aspiring and comprehensive genius, sweeping the distant horizon, and +taking in the intermediate space at a glance, sought to traverse the +whole ground in two separate and independent directions, indulging the +hope, that, by supplying in one line of argument the premisses which were +wanting in the other, their opposite conclusions would be compensatory +rather than hostile, and would serve as a broad and permanent basis on +which one great science of human nature might be safely built. + + [666] 'Mr. Smith's political lectures, comprehending the fundamental + principles of his "Inquiry," were delivered at Glasgow as early as + the year 1752 or 1753.' _Dugald Stewart's Life of Adam Smith_, + p. lxxviii., prefixed to _Smith's Posthumous Essays_, London, 4to, + 1795. + +The _Wealth of Nations_ is, as I have elsewhere observed,[667] probably +the most important book which has ever been written, whether we consider +the amount of original thought which it contains, or its practical +influence. Its practical recommendations were extremely favourable to +those doctrines of freedom which the eighteenth century ushered in; and +this secured to them an attention which otherwise they would not have +received. While, therefore, the _Wealth of Nations_ was the proximate +cause of a great change in legislation,[668] a deeper analysis will show, +that the success of the book, and, consequently, the alteration of the +laws, depended upon the operation of more remote and general causes. It +must also be confessed, that those same causes predisposed the mind of +Adam Smith to the doctrines of liberty, and gave him a sort of prejudice +in favour of conclusions which limited the interference of the +legislator. Thus much he borrowed from his age; but one thing he did not +borrow. His wide and organizing mind was all his own. This would have +made him great under any circumstances; to make him powerful, required a +peculiar conjunction of events. That conjunction he enjoyed, and he +turned it to good account. The influence of his contemporaries was enough +to make him liberal; his own capacity was enough to make him +comprehensive. He had, in a most remarkable degree, that exuberance of +thought, which is one of the highest forms of genius, but which leads +those who possess it into distant excursions, which, though they have one +common aim, are often stigmatized as digressions, simply because they who +criticize are unable to discern the great principle which pervades the +whole, and unites the various parts into a single scheme. This has been +especially the case with Adam Smith, whose immortal work has often been +exposed to such shallow objections. And certainly, the _Wealth of +Nations_ displays a breadth of treatment which those who cannot +sympathize with, are very likely to ridicule. The phenomena, not only of +wealth, but also of society in general, classified and arranged under +their various forms; the origin of the division of labour, and the +consequences which that division has produced; the circumstances which +gave rise to the invention of money, and to the subsequent changes in its +value; the history of those changes traced in different ages, and the +history of the relations which the precious metals bear to each other; an +examination of the connection between wages and profits, and of the laws +which govern the rise and fall of both; another examination of the way in +which these are concerned, on the one hand, with the rent of land, and, +on the other hand, with the price of commodities; an inquiry into the +reason why profits vary in different trades, and at different times; a +succinct, but comprehensive, view of the progress of towns in Europe +since the fall of the Roman Empire; the fluctuations, during several +centuries, in the prices of the food of the people, and a statement of +how it is, that, in different stages of society, the relative cost of +land and of meat varies; the history of corporation laws and of municipal +enactments, and their bearing on the four great classes of apprentices, +manufacturers, merchants, and landlords; an account of the immense power +and riches formerly enjoyed by the clergy, and of the manner in which, as +society advances, they gradually lose their exclusive privileges; the +nature of religious dissent, and the reason why the clergy of the +established Church can never contend with it on terms of equality, and, +therefore, call on the State to help them, and wish to persecute when +they cannot persuade; why some sects profess more ascetic principles, and +others more luxurious ones; how it was, that, during the feudal times, +the nobles acquired their power, and how that power has, ever since, been +gradually diminishing; how the rights of territorial jurisdiction +originated, and how they died away; how the sovereigns of Europe obtained +their revenue, what the sources of it are, and what classes are most +heavily taxed in order to supply it; the cause of certain virtues, such +as hospitality, flourishing in barbarous ages, and decaying in civilized +ones; the influence of inventions and discoveries in altering the +distribution of power among the various classes of society; a bold and +masterly sketch of the peculiar sort of advantages which Europe derived +from the discovery of America and of the passage round the Cape; the +origin of universities, their degeneracy from their original plan, the +corruption which has gradually crept over them, and the reason why they +are so unwilling to adopt improvements, and to keep pace with the wants +of the age; a comparison between public and private education, and an +estimate of their relative advantages;--these, and a vast number of other +subjects, respecting the structure and development of society, such as +the feudal system, slavery, emancipation of serfs, origin of standing +armies, and of mercenary troops, effects produced by tithes, laws of +primogeniture, sumptuary laws, international treaties concerning trade, +rise of European banks, national debts, influence of dramatic +representations over opinions, influence of foreign travels over +opinions, colonies, poor-laws,--all topics of a miscellaneous character, +and many of them diverging from each other,--all are fused into one great +system, and irradiated by the splendour of one great genius. Into that +dense and disorderly mass, did Adam Smith introduce symmetry, method, and +law. At his touch, anarchy disappeared, and darkness was succeeded by +light. Much, of course, he took from his predecessors, though nothing +like so much as is commonly supposed. On this sort of borrowing, the best +and strongest of us are dependent. But, after making every possible +allowance for what he gathered from others, we must honestly say, that no +single man ever took so great a step upon so important a subject, and +that no single work which is now preserved, contains so many views, which +were novel at the time, but which subsequent experience has ratified. +What, however, for our present purpose, is most important to observe, is, +that he obtained these results by arguing from principles which the +selfish part of human nature exclusively supplied, and that he omitted +those sympathetic feelings of which every human being possesses at least +some share, but which he could not take into consideration, without +producing a problem, the number of whose complications it would have been +hopeless to unravel. + + [667] _History of Civilization_, vol. i. p. 214. + + [668] 'Perhaps the only book which produced an immediate, general, and + irrevocable change in some of the most important parts of the + legislation of all civilized states.' _Mackintosh's Ethical + Philosophy_, p. 232. But this is too strongly expressed, as the + economical history of France and Germany decisively proves. + +To avoid, therefore, being baffled, he simplified the problem, by erasing +from his view of human nature those premisses which he had already +handled in his _Theory of Moral Sentiments_. At the beginning of the +_Wealth of Nations_, he lays down two propositions: 1st, that all wealth +is derived, not from land, but from labour; and 2d, that the amount of +the wealth depends, partly on the skill with which the labour is +conducted, and partly on the proportion between the number of those who +labour and the number of those who do not labour. The rest of the work, +is an application of these principles, to explain the growth and +mechanism of society. In applying them, he everywhere assumes, that the +great moving power of all men, all interests, and all classes, in all +ages, and in all countries, is selfishness. The opposite power of +sympathy he entirely shuts out; and I hardly remember an instance in +which even the word occurs in the whole course of his work. Its +fundamental assumption is, that each man exclusively follows his own +interest, or what he deems to be his own interest. And one of the +peculiar features of his book is, to show that, considering society as a +whole, it nearly always happens that men, in promoting their own +interest, will unintentionally promote the interest of others. Hence, the +great practical lesson is, not to restrain selfishness, but to enlighten +it; because there is a provision in the nature of things, by which the +selfishness of the individual accelerates the progress of the community. +According to this view, the prosperity of a country depends on the amount +of its capital; the amount of its capital depends on the habit of saving, +that is, on parsimony, as opposed to generosity; while the habit of +saving is, in its turn, governed by the desire we all feel of bettering +our condition,--a desire so inherent in our nature, that it comes with us +from the womb, and only leaves us in the grave.[669] + + [669] 'Parsimony, and not industry, is the immediate cause of the + increase of capital. Industry, indeed, provides the subject which + parsimony accumulates; but whatever industry might acquire, if + parsimony did not save and store up, the capital would never be + the greater.' ... 'But the principle which prompts to save, is the + desire of bettering our condition; a desire which, though + generally calm and dispassionate, comes with us from the womb, and + never leaves us till we go into the grave.' _Smith's Wealth of + Nations_, book ii. chap. iii. pp. 138, 140, edit. Edinb. 1839. + +This constant effort of every man, to better his own condition, is so +salutary, as well as so powerful, that it is often capable of securing +the progress of society, in spite of the folly and extravagance of the +rulers of mankind.[670] If it were not for this propensity, improvement +would be impossible. For human institutions are constantly stopping our +advance, by thwarting our natural inclinations.[671] And no wonder that +this should be the case, seeing that the men who are at the head of +affairs, and by whom the institutions are contrived, have, perhaps, a +certain rough and practical sagacity; but being, from the narrowness of +their understandings, incapable of large views, their councils are +determined by those mere casual fluctuations which alone they are able to +perceive.[672] They do not see that we have prospered, not on account of +their enactments, but in the teeth of them; and that the real cause of +our prosperity is the fact that we enjoy undisturbed the fruit of our own +labour.[673] Whenever this right is tolerably secure, every man will be +bent on procuring for himself either present enjoyment or future profit; +and if he does not aim at one of these objects, he is void of common +understanding.[674] If he possess capital, he will probably aim at both, +but, in doing so, he will never consider the interest of others; his sole +motive will be his own private profit.[675] And it is well that such +should be the case. For, by thus pursuing his personal interest, he aids +society more than if his views were generous and exalted. Some people +affect to carry on trade for the good of others; but this is mere +affectation, though, to say the truth, it is an affectation not very +common among merchants, and many words are not needed to dissuade them +from so foolish a practice.[676] + + [670] 'The uniform, constant, and uninterrupted effort of every man to + better his condition, the principle from which public and + national, as well as private, opulence is originally derived, is + frequently powerful enough to maintain the natural progress of + things towards improvement, in spite both of the extravagance of + government and of the greatest errors of administration. Like the + unknown principle of animal life, it frequently restores health + and vigour to the constitution, in spite not only of the disease, + but of the absurd prescriptions of the doctor.' _Wealth of + Nations_, book ii. chap. iii. p. 141. 'The natural effort of every + individual to better his own condition, when suffered to exert + itself with freedom and security, is so powerful a principle, that + it is alone, and without any assistance, not only capable of + carrying on the society to wealth and prosperity, but of + surmounting a hundred impertinent obstructions with which the + folly of human laws too often encumbers its operations.' Book iv. + chap. v. p. 221. + + [671] See an admirable passage, p. 156, too long to quote, beginning, + 'If human institutions had never thwarted those natural + inclinations,' &c. + + [672] 'That insidious and crafty animal, vulgarly called a statesman or + politician, whose councils are directed by the momentary + fluctuations of affairs.' _Wealth of Nations_, book iv. chap. ii. + p. 190. + + [673] 'That security which the laws in Great Britain give to every man, + that he shall enjoy the fruits of his own labour, is alone + sufficient to make any country flourish, notwithstanding these and + twenty other absurd regulations of commerce.' _Wealth of Nations_, + book iv. chap. v. p. 221. + + [674] 'In all countries where there is a tolerable security, every man + of common understanding will endeavour to employ whatever stock he + can command, in procuring either present enjoyment or future + profit.' _Wealth of Nations_, book ii. chap. i. p. 115. + + [675] 'The consideration of his own private profit is the sole motive + which determines the owner of any capital to employ it either in + agriculture, in manufactures, or in some particular branch of the + wholesale or retail trade.' _Wealth of Nations_, book ii. chap. v. + p. 154. + + [676] 'By pursuing his own interest, he frequently promotes that of the + society more effectually than when he really intends to promote + it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to + trade for the public good. It is an affectation, indeed, not very + common among merchants, and very few words need be employed in + dissuading them from it.' _Wealth of Nations_, book iv. chap. ii. + p. 184. + +In this way, Adam Smith completely changes the premisses which he had +assumed in his earlier work. Here, he makes men naturally selfish; +formerly, he had made them naturally sympathetic.[677] Here, he +represents them as pursuing wealth for sordid objects, and for the +narrowest personal pleasures; formerly he represented them as pursuing it +out of regard to the sentiments of others, and for the sake of obtaining +their sympathy.[678] In the _Wealth of Nations_, we hear no more of this +conciliatory and sympathetic spirit; such amiable maxims are altogether +forgotten, and the affairs of the world are regulated by different +principles. It now appears that benevolence and affection have no +influence over our actions. Indeed, Adam Smith will hardly admit common +humanity into his theory of motives. If a people emancipate their slaves, +it is a proof, not that the people are acted on by high moral +considerations, nor that their sympathy is excited by the cruelty +inflicted on these unhappy creatures. Nothing of the sort. Such +inducements to conduct are imaginary, and exercise no real sway. All that +the emancipation proves, is, that the slaves were few in number, and, +therefore, small in value. Otherwise, they would not have been +emancipated.[679] + + [677] In his _Theory of Moral Sentiments_, vol. i. p. 21, he says that + mankind are 'naturally sympathetic.' + + [678] 'Nay, it is chiefly for this regard to the sentiments of mankind, + that we pursue riches and avoid poverty.' _Theory of Moral + Sentiments_, vol. i. p. 66. 'To become the natural object of the + joyous congratulations and sympathetic attentions of mankind, is, + in this manner, the circumstance which gives to prosperity all its + dazzling splendour.' p. 78. + + [679] 'The late resolution of the Quakers in Pennsylvania, to set at + liberty all their negro slaves, may satisfy us that their number + cannot be very great. Had they made any considerable part of their + property, such a resolution could never have been agreed to.' + _Wealth of Nations_, book iii. chap. ii. p. 159. + +So, too, while in his former work, he had ascribed the different systems +of morals to the power of sympathy, he, in this work, ascribes them +entirely to the power of selfishness. He observes, that, among the lower +ranks of society, dissipation is more fatal to individuals, than it is +among the higher ranks. The extravagance which dissipation produces, may +injure the fortune of a wealthy man, but the injury is usually capable of +being repaired, or, at all events, he can indulge his vices for years +without completely destroying his fortune, and without bringing himself +to utter ruin. To the labourer, a similar indulgence would be fatal in a +single week; it would not merely reduce him to beggary, and perhaps send +him to jail, but it would destroy his future prospects, by taking away +that character for sobriety and regularity on which his employment +depends. Hence, the better class of common people, guided by their +interest, look with aversion on excesses which they know to be fatal; +while the upper ranks finding that a moderate amount of vice hurts +neither their purse nor their reputation consider such license to be one +of the advantages which their fortune confers, and they value, as one of +the privileges belonging to their station, the liberty of indulging +themselves without being censured. Therefore it is, that they who dissent +from the established Church have a purer system of morals, or, at all +events, an austerer one, than they who agree with it. For, new religious +sects usually begin among the common people, the thinking part of whom +are, by their interest, driven to strict views of the duties of life. +Consequently, the advocates of the new opinion profess a similar +strictness, seeing that it is the surest means of increasing their +proselytes. Thus it is that sectaries and heretics, governed by interest +rather than by principle, adopt a code of morals which is suited to their +own purpose, and the rigidity of which is strongly contrasted with the +laxer code of more orthodox believers.[680] Owing to the operation of the +same principle, we also find, that, among the orthodox themselves, the +clergy embrace a stricter system of morals in countries where church +benefices are nearly equal than they do in countries where the benefices +are very unequal. This is because, when all the benefices are nearly +equal, none can be very rich, and, consequently, even the most +conspicuous among the clergy will have but small incomes. But a man who +has little to spend can have no influence, unless his morals are +exemplary. Having no wealth to give him weight the vices of levity would +make him ridiculous. To avoid contempt, and also to avoid the expense +which a looseness of conduct occasions, and which his narrow +circumstances cannot afford, he has but one remedy, and that remedy he +adopts. He retains his influence, and saves his pocket, by protesting +against pleasures which he cannot conveniently enjoy; in this, as in all +other cases, pursuing that plan of life which his own interest urges him +to follow.[681] + + [680] 'In every civilized society, in every society where the + distinction of ranks has once been completely established, there + have been always two different schemes or systems of morality + current at the same time; of which the one may be called the + strict or austere; the other the liberal, or, if you will, the + loose system. The former is generally revered and admired by the + common people; the latter is commonly more esteemed and adopted by + what are called the people of fashion. The degree of + disapprobation with which we ought to mark the vices of levity, + the vices which are apt to arise from great prosperity, and from + the excess of gaiety and good humour, seems to constitute the + principal distinction between those two opposite schemes or + systems. In the liberal, or loose system, luxury, wanton, and even + disorderly mirth, the pursuit of pleasure to some degree of + intemperance, the breach of chastity, at least in one of the two + sexes, provided they are not accompanied with gross indecency, and + do not lead to falsehood and injustice, are generally treated with + a good deal of indulgence, and are easily either excused or + pardoned altogether. In the austere system, on the contrary, these + excesses are regarded with the utmost abhorrence and detestation. + The vices of levity are always ruinous to the common people, and a + single week's thoughtlessness and dissipation is often sufficient + to undo a poor workman for ever, and to drive him, through + despair, upon committing the most enormous crimes. The wiser and + better sort of the common people, therefore, have always the + utmost abhorrence and detestation of such excesses, which their + experience tells them are so immediately fatal to people of their + condition. The disorder and extravagance of several years, on the + contrary, will not always ruin a man of fashion; and people of + that rank are very apt to consider the power of indulging in some + degree of excess, as one of the advantages of their fortune; and + the liberty of doing so without censure or reproach, as one of the + privileges which belong to their station. In people of their own + station, therefore, they regard such excesses with but a small + degree of disapprobation, and censure them either very slightly or + not at all. + + 'Almost all religious sects have begun among the common people, + from whom they have generally drawn their earliest as well as + their most numerous proselytes. The austere system of morality + has, accordingly, been adopted by those sects almost constantly, + or with very few exceptions; for there have been some. It was the + system by which they could best recommend themselves to that order + of people, to whom they first proposed their plan of reformation + upon what had been before established. Many of them, perhaps the + greater part of them, have even endeavoured to gain credit by + refining upon this austere system, and by carrying it to some + degree of folly and extravagance; and this excessive rigour has + frequently recommended them, more than any thing else, to the + respect and veneration of the common people.' ... 'In little + religious sects, accordingly, the morals of the common people have + been almost always remarkably regular and orderly; generally much + more so than in the established church. The morals of those little + sects, indeed, have frequently been rather disagreeably rigorous + and unsocial.' _Wealth of Nations_, book v. chap. i. pp. 332, 333. + + [681] 'Where the church benefices are all nearly equal, none of them can + be very great; and this mediocrity of benefice, though it may, no + doubt, be carried too far, has, however, some very agreeable + effects. Nothing but exemplary morals can give dignity to a man of + small fortune. The vices of levity and vanity necessarily render + him ridiculous, and are, besides, almost as ruinous to him as they + are to the common people. In his own conduct, therefore, he is + obliged to follow that system of morals which the common people + respect the most. He gains their esteem and affection, by that + plan of life which his own interest and situation would lead him + to follow.' _Wealth of Nations_, book v. chap. i. p. 340. + +In these striking generalizations, which, though they contain a large +amount of truth, are far from containing the whole truth, no room is left +for the magnanimous parts of our nature to act; but the system of morals, +prevailing at any one time or in any one class, is solely ascribed to the +dictates of unalloyed selfishness. Adam Smith, by reasoning from this +principle, with that exquisite subtlety which characterized his mind, +explains many other circumstances which society presents, and which at +first sight appear incongruous. According to the old notions, which, +indeed, are not yet quite extinct, those who received wages were under a +personal obligation to those who paid them; that is to say, they were +under a moral obligation, over and above the obligation of performing +certain services. It was believed that a master could not only select +what servants he chose, but could pay them what he chose; or, at all +events, that it was the will of the masters, considered as a body, which +fixed the usual and average rate of wages.[682] The lower classes were, +therefore, much indebted to the higher ones for giving them so much as +they did; and it was incumbent upon all persons, who received wages, to +take them with humble thankfulness, and with a feeling of gratitude, on +account of the favour bestowed upon them by the generosity of their +superiors. + + [682] Besides the evidence supplied by economical treatises, the laws in + our statute-book, respecting wages, show the general conviction, + that their rate could be fixed by the upper classes. + +This doctrine, so convenient to the upper classes of society, and so +natural to the universal ignorance which formerly prevailed on these +matters, began to be shaken by the speculative thinkers of the +seventeenth century; but it was reserved for the eighteenth century to +overthrow it, by letting in the great idea of necessity, and proving, +that the rate of wages established in a country, was the inevitable +consequence of the circumstances in which that country was placed, and +had no connexion with the wishes of any individual, or, indeed, with the +wishes of any class. To all instructed persons, this is now a familiar +truth. Its discovery has excluded the notion of gratitude from the +pecuniary relation between employers and employed, and has made known +that servants or workmen who receive wages, have no more reason to be +grateful than those who pay them. For, no choice having been exercised in +fixing the wages, no favour can be conferred in their payment. The whole +process is compulsory, and is the result of what had previously happened. +Scarcely had the eighteenth century passed away, when this most important +discovery was completed. It was decisively proved, that the reward of +labour depends solely on two things; namely, the magnitude of that +national fund out of which all labour is paid, and the number of the +labourers among whom the fund is to be divided. + +This vast step in our knowledge is due, mainly, though not entirely, to +Malthus, whose work on Population, besides marking an epoch in the +history of speculative thought, has already produced considerable +practical results, and will probably give rise to others more +considerable still. It was published in 1798; so that Adam Smith, who +died in 1790, missed what to him would have been the intense pleasure of +seeing how, in it, his own views were expanded rather than corrected. +Indeed, it is certain, that without Smith there would have been no +Malthus; that is, unless Smith had laid the foundation, Malthus could not +have raised the superstructure. It was Adam Smith, who, far more than any +other man, introduced the conception of uniform and necessary sequence +into the apparently capricious phenomena of wealth, and who studied those +phenomena by the aid of principles, of which selfishness alone supplied +the data. According to his view, the employers of labour have, as +employers, no benevolence, no sympathy, no virtue of any kind. Their sole +aim is, their own selfish interest. They are constantly engaged in a +tacit, if not in an open, combination, to prevent the lower ranks from +being benefited by a rise of wages; and they sometimes combine for the +purpose even of depressing those wages below their actual rate.[683] +Having no bowels, they think only of themselves. The idea of their +wishing to mitigate the inequalities of fortune, is to be exploded as one +of the chimeras of that protective spirit, which imagined that society +could not go on, unless the richer classes relieved the poorer ones, and +sympathized with their troubles. This antiquated notion is further +rebutted by the fact, that wages are always higher in summer than in +winter, although the expenses which a labourer incurs in winter, being +heavier than in summer, he ought, on principles of common humanity, to +receive more money during the more expensive season.[684] In the same +way, in years of scarcity, the dearness of food causes many persons to go +to service, in order to support their families. The masters, instead of +charitably paying such servants more on account of the unfortunate +position in which they are placed, avail themselves of that position to +pay them less. They make better terms for themselves; they lower wages +just at the moment when sympathy for misfortune would have raised them; +and, as they find that their servants, besides being worse remunerated, +are, by poverty, made more submissive, they consider that scarcity is a +blessing, and that dear years are to be commended as more favourable to +industry than cheap ones.[685] + + [683] 'We rarely hear, it has been said, of the combinations of masters, + though frequently of those of workmen. But whoever imagines, upon + this account, that masters rarely combine, is as ignorant of the + world as of the subject. Masters are always and every where in a + sort of tacit, but constant and uniform, combination, not to raise + the wages of labour above their actual rate. To violate this + combination is every where a most unpopular action, and a sort of + reproach to a master among his neighbours and equals. We seldom, + indeed, hear of this combination, because it is the usual, and, + one may say, the natural state of things which nobody ever hears + of. Masters, too, sometimes enter into particular combinations to + sink the wages of labour even below this rate.' _Wealth of + Nations_, book i. chap. viii. p. 28. + + [684] 'First, in almost every part of Great Britain, there is a + distinction, even in the lowest species of labour, between summer + and winter wages. Summer wages are always highest. But, on account + of the extraordinary expense of fuel, the maintenance of a family + is most expensive in winter. Wages, therefore, being highest when + this expense is lowest, it seems evident that they are not + regulated by what is necessary for this expense, but by the + quantity and supposed value of the work.' _Wealth of Nations_, + book i. chap. viii. p. 31. + + [685] 'In years of scarcity, the difficulty and uncertainty of + subsistence make all such people eager to return to service. But + the high price of provisions, by diminishing the funds destined + for the maintenance of servants, disposes masters rather to + diminish than to increase the number of those they have.' ... + 'Masters of all sorts, therefore, frequently make better bargains + with their servants in dear than in cheap years, and find them + more humble and dependent in the former than in the latter. They + naturally, therefore, commend the former as more favourable to + industry.' _Wealth of Nations_, book i. chap. viii. p. 35. + +Adam Smith, therefore, though he failed in grasping the remote cause of +the rate of wages, clearly saw that the approximate cause was, not the +generosity of human nature, but its selfishness, and that the question +was one of supply and demand; each side striving to extract as much as +possible from the other.[686] By the aid of the same principle, he +explained another curious fact, namely, the extravagant rewards bestowed +on some of the most despicable classes of society, such, for instance, as +opera-dancers, who always receive enormous pay for insignificant +services. He observes, that one of the reasons why we pay them so highly, +is, because we despise them. If to be a public dancer were a creditable +occupation, more persons would be brought up to it, and the supply of +public dancers becoming greater, competition would lower their wages. As +it is, we look on them disdainfully. By way of compensating the disdain, +we have to bribe them largely to induce them to follow their +pursuit.[687] Here we see, that the reward which one class bestows on +another, instead of being increased by sympathy, is increased by scorn; +so that the more we contemn the tastes and the way of life of our +fellow-creatures, the more liberal we are in recompensing them. + + [686] 'The workmen desire to get as much, the masters to give as little, + as possible. The former are disposed to combine in order to raise, + the latter in order to lower, the wages of labour.' _Wealth of + Nations_, b. i. c. viii. p. 27. + + [687] 'It seems absurd at first sight, that we should despise their + persons, and yet reward their talents with the most profuse + liberality. While we do the one, however, we must of necessity do + the other. Should the public opinion, or prejudice, ever alter + with regard to such occupation, their pecuniary recompense would + quickly diminish. More people would apply to them, and the + competition would quickly reduce the price of their labour. Such + talents, though far from being common, are by no means so rare as + imagined. Many people possess them in great perfection, who + disdain to make this use of them; and many more are capable of + acquiring them, if any thing could be made honourably by them.' + _Wealth of Nations_, book i. ch. x. p. 44. + +Passing to another, and somewhat different, class, Adam Smith threw new +light on the cause of that hospitality for which the clergy were famous +during the Middle Ages, and for the magnificence of which they have +received great praise. He shows that, although they undoubtedly relieved +a large amount of distress, this is not to be ascribed to them as a +merit, since it resulted from the peculiarity of their position, and +since, moreover, they did it for their own advantage. In the Middle Ages, +the clergy possessed enormous wealth, and their revenues were mostly +paid, not in money, but in kind, such as corn, wine, and cattle. Trade +and manufactures being hardly known, the clergy could find no use for +these commodities except to feed other people. By employing them in that +way, they benefited themselves in the most effectual manner. They gained +a reputation for extensive charity; they increased their influence; they +multiplied the number of their adherents; and they not only advanced +themselves to temporal power, but they secured to their spiritual threats +a respect, which, without this contrivance, it would have been impossible +for them to obtain.[688] + + [688] 'Over and above the rents of those estates, the clergy possessed + in the tithes a very large portion of the rents of all the other + estates in every kingdom of Europe. The revenues arising from both + those species of rents were, the greater part of them, paid in + kind, in corn, wine, cattle, poultry, &c. The quantity exceeded + greatly what the clergy could themselves consume; and there were + neither arts nor manufactures, for the produce of which they could + exchange the surplus. The clergy could derive advantage from this + immense surplus in no other way than by employing it, as the great + barons employed the like surplus of their revenues, in the most + profuse hospitality, and in the most extensive charity. Both the + hospitality and the charity of the ancient clergy, accordingly, + are said to have been very great.' ... 'The hospitality and + charity of the clergy, too, not only gave them the command of a + great temporal force, but increased very much the weight of their + spiritual weapons. Those virtues procured them the highest respect + and veneration among all the inferior ranks of people, of whom + many were constantly, and almost all occasionally, fed by them.' + _Wealth of Nations_, book v. chap. i. p. 336. + +The reader will now be able to understand the nature of that method of +investigation which is adopted in the _Wealth of Nations_, and of which I +have given more instances than I should otherwise have done, partly +because the question of philosophic method lies at the very root of our +knowledge, and partly because no attempt has hitherto been made to +analyze the intellect of Adam Smith, by considering his two great works +as the opposite, but yet the compensatory, parts of a single scheme. And, +as he is by far the greatest thinker Scotland has produced, I need hardly +apologize, in a history of the Scotch mind, for devoting so much +attention to his system, and endeavouring to examine it at its base. But, +having done so, it would be a needless prolixity to treat with equal +fulness the productions of those other eminent Scotchmen who lived at the +same time, and nearly all of whom pursued a method essentially, though +not entirely, the same; that is to say, they preferred the deductive +process of reasoning from principles, to the inductive process of +reasoning to them. In that peculiar form of deduction which consists in a +deliberate suppression of part of the principles, Adam Smith stands +alone. For, though others attempted to follow that plan, they did so +irregularly, and at intervals, and did not, like him, see the importance +of keeping close to their method, and of invariably abstaining from +letting into the premisses of their arguments, considerations which would +complicate the problem that they wished to solve. + +Among the contemporaries of Adam Smith, one of the first, in eminence, as +well as in reputation, is David Hume. His views respecting political +economy were published in 1752,[689] that is, the very year in which Adam +Smith taught the principles subsequently unfolded in the _Wealth of +Nations_. But Hume, though a most accomplished reasoner, as well as a +profound and fearless thinker, had not the comprehensiveness of Adam +Smith, nor had he that invaluable quality of imagination without which no +one can so transport himself into past ages as to realize the long and +progressive movements of society, always fluctuating, yet, on the whole, +steadily advancing. How unimaginative he was, appears, not only from the +sentiments he expressed, but likewise from many traits in his private +life.[690] It appears, also, in the very colour and mechanism of his +language; that beautiful and chiselled style in which he habitually +wrote, polished as marble, but cold as marble too, and wanting that fiery +enthusiasm and those bursts of tempestuous eloquence, which, ever and +anon, great objects naturally inspire, and which rouse men to their +inmost depths. This it was, which, in his _History of England_,--that +exquisite production of art, which, in spite of its errors, will be +admired as long as taste remains among us,--prevented him from +sympathizing with those bold and generous natures, who, in the +seventeenth century, risked their all to preserve the liberty of their +country. His imagination was not strong enough to picture the whole of +that great century, with its vast discoveries, its longings after the +unknown, its splendid literature, and what was better than all these, its +stern determination to vindicate freedom, and to put down tyranny. His +clear and powerful understanding saw these things separately, and in +their various parts, but could not fuse them into a single form, because +he lacked that peculiar faculty which assimilates the past to the +present, and enables the mind to discern both with almost equal ease. +That Great Rebellion, which he ascribed to the spirit of faction, and the +leaders of which he turned into ridicule, was but the continuation of a +movement which can be clearly traced to the twelfth century, and of which +such events as the invention of printing, and the establishment of the +Reformation, were merely successive symptoms. For all this, Hume cared +nothing. In regard to philosophy, and in regard to the purely speculative +parts of religious doctrines, his penetrating genius enabled him to +perceive that nothing could be done, except by a spirit of fearless and +unrestrained liberty. But this was the liberty of his own class; the +liberty of thinkers, and not of actors. His absence of imagination +prevented him from extending the range of his sympathy beyond the +intellectual classes, that is, beyond the classes of whose feelings he +was directly cognizant. It would, therefore, appear, that his political +errors were due, not, as is commonly said, to his want of research, but +rather to the coldness of his temperament.[691] It was this which made +him stop where he did, and which gave to his works the singular +appearance of a profound and original thinker, in the middle of the +eighteenth century, advocating practical doctrines, so illiberal, that, +if enforced, they would lead to despotism, and yet, at the same time, +advocating speculative doctrines, so fearless and enlightened, that they +were not only far in advance of his own age, but have, in some degree, +outstripped even the age in which we live. + + [689] _Burton's Life of Hume_, vol. i. p. 354. + + [690] See Mr. Burton's valuable _Life of Hume_, Edinburgh, 1846, vol. i. + pp. 58, 267, vol. ii. pp. 14, 134. + + [691] What confirms me in this view, is the fact, that the older Hume + grew, and the more he read on history, the more he became imbued + with these errors; which would not have been the case if the + errors had, as many of his critics say, been the result of an + insufficient acquaintance with the evidence. Mr. Burton, by + comparing the different editions of his _History of England_, has + shown that he gradually became less favourable to popular liberty; + softening, or erasing, in later editions, those expressions which + seemed favourable to freedom. _Burton's Life of Hume_, vol. ii. + pp. 74-77. See also pp. 144, 434. In his _Own Life_, p. xi (in + vol. i. of _Hume's Works_ Edinb. 1826), he says: 'In a hundred + alterations, which farther study, reading, or reflection engaged + me to make in the reigns of the two first Stuarts, I have made all + of them invariably the Tory side.' In one of his essays, he + observes (_Philosophical Works_, vol. iv. p. 172) that 'there is + no enthusiasm among philosophers;' a remark perfectly true, so far + as he was concerned, but very unjust towards the class of men to + whom it refers. + +Among his speculative views, the most important are his theory of +causation as discarding the idea of power, and his theory of the laws of +association. Neither of these theories are, in their primary conception, +quite original, but his treatment made them as valuable as if they had +been entirely his own. His theory of miracles, in connexion, on the one +hand, with the principles of evidence, and, on the other hand, with the +laws of causation, is worked out with consummate skill, and, after having +received the modifications subsequently imposed by Brown, has now become +the foundation on which the best inquirers into these matters take their +stand.[692] His work on the principles of morals, by generalizing the +laws of expediency, prepared the way for Bentham, who afterwards +incorporated with them an estimate of the more remote consequences of +human actions; Hume, having chiefly confined himself to their more +immediate consequences. The doctrine of utility was common to each; but +while Hume applied it mainly to the individual, Bentham applied it to the +surrounding society. Though Bentham was more comprehensive, yet Hume, +having come first, was more original. The praise of originality must also +be accorded to his economical theories, in which he advocated those +principles of free trade, which politicians began to adopt many years +after his death.[693] In opposition to the notions then prevailing, he +distinctly asserted, that all commodities, though apparently bought by +money, are in reality bought by labour.[694] Money, therefore, is not the +subject of commerce, and is of no use except to facilitate it.[695] +Hence, it is absurd for a nation to trouble itself about the balance of +trade, or to make regulations to discourage the exportation of the +precious metals.[696] Neither does the average rate of interest depend on +their scarcity or abundance, but upon the operation of more general +causes.[697] As a necessary consequence of these positions, Hume inferred +that the established policy was wrong, which made trading states look +upon each other as rivals, while, in point of fact, the question, if +considered from a certain height, was one, not of rivalry, but of +cooeperation; every country being benefited by the increasing wealth of +its neighbours.[698] Those who know the character of commercial +legislation, and the opinions of even the most enlightened statesmen a +century ago, will consider these views as extremely remarkable to have +been propounded in the year 1752. But what is more remarkable still, is, +that their author subsequently detected the fundamental error which Adam +Smith committed, and which vitiates many of his conclusions. The error +consists in his having resolved price into three components, namely, +wages, profit, and rent; whereas it is now known that price is a compound +of wages and profit, and that rent is not an element of it, but a result +of it. This discovery is the corner-stone of political economy; but it is +established by an argument so long and so refined, that most minds are +unable to pursue it without stumbling, and the majority of those who +acquiesce in it are influenced by the great writers to whom they pay +deference, and whose judgment they follow. It is, therefore, a striking +proof of the sagacity of Hume, that in an age when the science was but +dawning, and when he could receive little help from his predecessors, he +should have discovered a mistake of this sort, which lies so far beneath +the surface. Directly the _Wealth of Nations_ appeared, he wrote to Adam +Smith, disputing his position that rent is a part of price;[699] and this +letter, written in the year 1776, is the first indication of that +celebrated theory of rent, which, a little later, Anderson, Malthus, and +West, saw, and imperfectly developed, but which it was reserved for the +genius of Ricardo to build up on a broad and solid foundation. + + [692] Brown, in his great work,--one of the greatest which this century + has produced,--candidly confesses that his own book is 'chiefly + reflective of the lights, which he' (Hume) 'has given.' _Brown's + Inquiry into the Relation of Cause and Effect_, London, 1835, p. + 253. See also p. vii. + + [693] While the politicians of his own time despised his views, the + politicians of our time seem inclined to overrate them. Lord + Brougham, for instance, in his Life of Hume, says, of his + political economy, 'Mr. Hume is, beyond all doubt, the author of + the modern doctrines which now rule the world of science.' + _Brougham's Works_, Glasgow, 1856, vol. ii. p. 176. But so far + from this being the case, the science of political economy has, + since the time of Hume, received such additions, that if that + illustrious philosopher were to rise from the dead, he would + hardly be able to recognize it. To him, many of its largest and + most fundamental principles were entirely unknown. Hume knew + nothing of the causes which govern the accumulation of wealth, and + compel that accumulation to proceed with different speed in + different states of society; a fruitful and important study almost + entirely neglected until entered upon by Rae. Neither did Hume + know anything of the law of the ratio between population and + wages; nor of the ratio between wages and profits. He even + supposes (_Philosophical Works_, vol. iii. p. 299, Edinburgh, + 1826) that it is possible for the labouring classes by combination + 'to heighten their wages;' and again (p. 319) that the richer a + nation is, and the more trade it has, the easier it will be for a + poor country to undersell its manufactures, because the poor + nation enjoys the advantage of a 'low price of labour.' Elsewhere, + he asserts that coin can be depreciated without raising prices, + and that a country, by taxing a foreign commodity, could increase + its own population. 'Were all our money, for instance, recoined, + and a penny's worth of silver taken from every shilling, the new + shilling would probably purchase every thing that could have been + bought by the old; the prices of every thing would thereby be + insensibly diminished; foreign trade enlivened; and domestic + industry, by the circulation of a great number of pounds and + shillings, would receive some increase and encouragement.' + _Philosophical Works_, vol. iii. p. 324. 'A tax on German linen + encourages home manufactures, and thereby multiplies our people + and industry.' p. 365. These are cardinal errors, which go to the + very root of political economy; and when we fairly estimate what + has been done by Malthus and Ricardo, it will be evident that + Hume's doctrines do not 'rule the world of science.' This is no + disparagement of Hume, who, on the contrary, effected wonderful + things, considering the then state of knowledge. The mistake is, + in imagining that such a rapidly advancing science as political + economy can be governed by doctrines propounded more than a + century ago. + + [694] 'Every thing in the world is purchased by labour, and our passions + are the only causes of labour.' _Essay I. on Commerce, in Hume's + Philosophical Works_, vol. iii. p. 294. Hence, he saw the fallacy + of the assertion of the French economists, 'that all taxes fall + ultimately upon land.' p. 388. + + [695] 'Money is not, properly speaking, one of the subjects of commerce, + but only the instrument which men have agreed upon to facilitate + the exchange of one commodity for another.' _Essay on Money in + Philosophical Works_, vol. iii. p. 317. 'It is, indeed, evident + that money is nothing but the representation of labour and + commodities, and serves only as a method of rating or estimating + them.' p. 321. + + [696] See _Essay V. on the Balance of Trade_, in _Hume's Philosophical + Works_, vol. iii. pp. 348-367. + + [697] _Hume's Philosophical Works_, vol. iii. pp. 333-335. Even now, a + knowledge of this truth is so little diffused, that, lately, when + Australia and California began to yield immense quantities of + gold, a notion was widely circulated that the interest of money + would consequently fall; although nothing can be more certain than + that if gold were to become as plentiful as iron, the interest of + money would be unaffected. The whole effect would fall upon price. + The remarks on this subject in _Ritchie's Life of Hume_, London, + 1807, pp. 332, 333, are interesting, as illustrating the slow + progress of opinion, and the difficulty which minds, not specially + trained, experience when they attempt to investigate these + subjects. + + [698] 'Nothing is more usual, among states which have made some advance + in commerce, than to look on the progress of their neighbours with + a suspicious eye, to consider all trading states as their rivals, + and to suppose that it is impossible for any of them to flourish, + but at their expense. In opposition to this narrow and malignant + opinion, I will venture to assert, that the increase of riches and + commerce in any one nation, instead of hurting, commonly promotes + the riches and commerce of all its neighbours.' ... 'I go farther, + and observe, that where an open communication is preserved among + nations, it is impossible but the domestic industry of every one + must receive an increase from the improvements of the others.' + _Essay on the Jealousy of Trade_, in _Hume's Philosophical Works_, + vol. iii. pp. 368, 369. + + [699] This letter, which I have referred to in my first volume, p. 229, + was published, for, I believe, the first time, in 1846, in + _Burton's Life and Correspondence of Hume_, vol. ii. p. 486. It + is, however, very difficult to determine what Adam Smith's opinion + really was upon this subject, and how far he was aware that rent + did not enter into price. In one passage in the _Wealth of + Nations_ (book i. chap. vi. p. 21) he says of wages, profit, and + rent, 'in every society, the price of every commodity finally + resolves itself into some one or other, or all of those three + parts; and _in every improved society, all the three enter, more + or less, as component parts, into the price of the far greater + part of commodities_.' But in book i. chap. xi. p. 61, he says, + 'High or low wages and profit are the causes of high or low price; + high or low rent is the effect of it.' This latter opinion we now + know to be the true one; it is, however, incompatible with that + expressed in the first passage. For, if rent is the effect of + price, it cannot be a component of it. + +It is very observable, that Hume and Adam Smith, who made such immense +additions to our knowledge of the principles of trade, had no practical +acquaintance with it.[700] Hume had, at an early period of his life, been +in a mercantile house; but he threw up that employment in disgust, and +buried himself in a provincial town, to think, rather than to +observe.[701] Indeed, one of the capital defects of his mind, was a +disregard of facts. This did not proceed, as is too often the case, from +that worst form of moral obliquity, an indifference to truth; since he, +on the contrary, was an ardent lover of it, and was, moreover, a man of +the purest and most exemplary character, utterly incapable of falsehood, +or of prevarication of any kind.[702] In him, a contempt for facts was +merely the exaggerated result of a devotion to ideas. He not only +believed, with perfect justice, that ideas are more important than facts, +but he supposed that they should hold the first place in the order of +study, and that they should be developed before the facts are +investigated. The Baconian philosophy, which, though it allows a +preliminary and tentative hypothesis, strongly insists upon the necessity +of first collecting the facts, and then proceeding to the ideas, excited +his aversion; and this, I have no doubt, is the reason why he, who was +usually so lenient in his judgments, and was so keen an admirer of +intellectual greatness is, nevertheless, grossly unfair towards Bacon, +with whose method it was impossible for him to sympathize, though he +could not deny its utility, in physical science.[703] If Hume had +followed the Baconian scheme, of always rising from particulars to +generals, and from each generalization to that immediately above it, he +would hardly have written one of his works. Certainly, his economical +views would never have appeared, since political economy is as +essentially a deductive science as geometry itself.[704] Reversing the +inductive process, he was in favour of beginning with what he termed +general arguments, by which he hoped to demonstrate the inaccuracy of +opinions which facts were supposed to have proved.[705] He did not stop +to investigate the facts from which the inference had been drawn, but he +inverted the order by which the inference was to be obtained. The same +dislike to make the facts of trade the basis of the science of trade, was +displayed by Adam Smith, who expresses his want of confidence in +statistics, or, as it was then termed, political arithmetic.[706] It is, +however, evident, that statistical facts are as good as any other facts, +and, owing to their mathematical form, are very precise.[707] But when +they concern human actions, they are the result of all the motives which +govern those actions; in other words, they are the result, not merely of +selfishness, but also of sympathy. And as Adam Smith, in the _Wealth of +Nations_, dealt with only one of these passions, namely, selfishness, he +would have found it impossible to conduct his generalization from +statistics, which are necessarily collected from the products of both +passions. Such statistical facts were, in their origin, too complex to be +generalized; especially as they could not be experimented upon, but could +only be observed and arranged. Adam Smith, perceiving them to be +unmanageable, very properly rejected them as the basis of his science, +and merely used them by way of illustration, when he could select what he +liked. The same remark applies to other facts which he drew from the +history of trade, and, indeed, from the general history of society. All +of these are essentially subsequent to the argument. They make the +argument more clear, but not more certain. For, it is no exaggeration to +say, that, if all the commercial and historical facts in the _Wealth of +Nations_ were false, the book would still remain, and its conclusions +would hold equally good, though they would be less attractive. In it, +every thing depends upon general principles, and they, as we have seen, +were arrived at in 1752, that is, twenty-four years before the work was +published in which those principles were applied. They must, therefore, +have been acquired independently of the facts which Adam Smith, +subsequently incorporated with them, and which he learnt during that long +period of twenty-four years. And the ten years which he employed in +composing his great work, were not spent in one of those busy haunts of +men, where he might have observed all the phenomena of industry, and +studied the way in which the operations of trade affect human character, +and are affected by it. He did not resort to one of those vast marts and +emporiums of commerce, where the events were happening which he was +seeking to explain. That was not his method. On the contrary, the ten +years, during which he was occupied in raising to a science the most +active department of life, were passed in complete seclusion in +Kirkaldy, his quiet little birthplace.[708] He had always been remarkable +for absence of mind, and was so little given to observation, as to be +frequently oblivious of what was passing around him.[709] In that +obliviousness, he, amid the tranquil scenes of his childhood, could now +indulge without danger. There, cheered, indeed, by the society of his +mother, but with no opportunity of observing human nature upon a large +scale, and far removed from the hum of great cities, did this mighty +thinker, by the force of his own mind, unravel the numerous and +complicated phenomena of wealth, detect the motives which regulate the +conduct of the most energetic and industrious portion of mankind, and lay +bare the schemes and the secrets of that active life from which he was +shut out, while he, immured in comparative solitude, was unable to +witness the very facts which he succeeded in explaining. + + [700] Hence, when the _Wealth of Nations_ appeared, one of our wise men + gravely said that 'Dr. Smith, who had never been in trade, could + not be expected to write well on that subject, any more than a + lawyer upon physic.' See _Boswell's Life of Johnson_, edit. + Croker, 1848, p. 478, where this remark is ascribed to Sir John + Pringle. + + [701] 'He was sent to a mercantile house at Bristol in 1734; but he + found the drudgery of this employment intolerable, and he retired + to Rheims.' _Brougham's Life of Hume_, Glasgow, 1856, p. 169. See + also _Ritchie's Life of Hume_, p. 6. In _Roberts' Memoirs of + Hannah More_, 2d ed. 1834, vol. i. p. 16, it is said that 'two + years of his life were spent in a merchant's counting-house in + Bristol, whence he was dismissed on account of the promptitude of + his pen in the correction of the letters intrusted to him to + copy.' The latter part of this story is improbable; the former + part is certainly incorrect; since Hume himself says, 'In 1734, I + went to Bristol, with some recommendations to eminent merchants, + but _in a few months_ found that scene totally unsuitable to me. I + went over to France, with a view of prosecuting my studies in a + country retreat.' _Own Life_, p. v. + + [702] What Sir James Mackintosh says of him is only a faint echo of the + general voice of his contemporaries. 'His temper was calm, not to + say cold; but though none of his feelings were ardent, all were + engaged on the side of virtue. He was free from the slightest + tincture of malignity or meanness; his conduct was uniformly + excellent.' _Mackintosh's Memoirs_, vol. ii. p. 162. A greater + than Mackintosh, and a man who knew Hume intimately, expresses + himself in much warmer terms. 'Upon the whole,' writes Adam + Smith,--'Upon the whole, I have always considered him, both in his + lifetime and since his death, as approaching as nearly to the idea + of a perfectly wise and virtuous man as perhaps the nature of + human frailty will permit.' _Hume's Philosophical Works_, vol. i. + p. xxv. Some notices of Hume will be found in an interesting work + just published. _Autobiography of Alexander Carlyle_, Edinburgh, + 1860, pp. 272-278. But Carlyle, though a man of considerable + practical skill, was incapable of large views, and was, therefore, + unable, I will not say to measure, but even to conceive, the size + of such an understanding as that possessed by David Hume. Of his + want of speculative power, a decisive instance appears in his + remarks on Adam Smith. He gravely says (_Autobiography_, p. 281), + 'Smith's fine writing is chiefly displayed in his book on _Moral + Sentiments_, which is the pleasantest and most eloquent book on + the subject. His _Wealth of Nations_, from which he was judged to + be an inventive genius of the first order, is tedious and full of + repetition. His separate essays in the second volume have the air + of being occasional pamphlets, without much force or + determination. On political subjects, his opinions were not very + sound.' It is rather too much when a village-preacher writes in + this strain of the greatest man his country has ever produced. + + [703] He speaks of him in the following extraordinary terms. 'If we + consider the variety of talents displayed by this man; as a public + speaker, a man of business, a wit, a courtier, a companion, an + author, a philosopher; he is justly the object of great + admiration. If we consider him merely as an author and + philosopher, the light in which we view him at present, though + very estimable, _he was yet inferior to his contemporary Galileo, + perhaps even to Kepler_.' ... 'The national spirit which prevails + among the English, and which forms their great happiness, is the + cause why they bestow on all their eminent writers, and on Bacon + among the rest, such praises and acclamations as may often appear + partial and excessive.' _Hume's History of England_, vol. vi. pp. + 194, 195, London, 1789. + + [704] See the note in vol. i. p. 250, of _Buckle's History of + Civilization_. + + [705] Thus, for instance, in his remarkable _Essay on the Balance of + Trade_, he says (_Philosophical Works_, vol. iii. p. 349), 'Every + man who has ever reasoned on this subject, has always _proved his + theory, whatever it was, by facts and calculations_, and by an + enumeration of all the commodities sent to all foreign kingdoms;' + therefore (p. 350), 'It may here be proper to form a general + argument to prove the impossibility of this event, so long as we + preserve our people and our industry.' + + [706] 'I have no great faith in political arithmetic.' _Wealth of + Nations_, book iv. chap. v. p. 218. + + [707] Indeed, the only possible objection to them is that the language + of their collectors is sometimes ambiguous; so that, by the same + return, one statistician may mean one thing, and another + statistician may mean something quite different. This is well + exemplified in medical statistics; whence several writers, + unacquainted with the philosophy of scientific proof, have + supposed that medicine is incapable of mathematical treatment. In + point of fact, however, the only real impediment is the shameful + state of clinical and pathological terminology, which is in such + confusion as to throw doubt upon all extensive numerical + statements respecting disease. + + [708] 'Upon his return to England in the autumn of 1766, he went to + reside with his mother at his native town of Kirkaldy, and + remained there for ten years. All the attempts of his friends in + Edinburgh to draw him thither were vain; and from a kind and + lively letter of Mr. Hume upon the subject, complaining that, + though within sight of him on the opposite side of the Frith of + Forth, he could not have speech of him, it appears that no one was + aware of the occupations in which those years were passed.' + _Brougham's Life of Adam Smith_, p. 189. Occasionally, however, he + saw his literary friends. See _Dugald Stewart's Biographical + Memoirs_, p. 73, Edinb. 1811, 4to. + + [709] 'He was certainly not fitted for the general commerce of the + world, or for the business of active life. The comprehensive + speculations with which he had been occupied from his youth, and + the variety of materials which his own invention constantly + supplied to his thoughts, rendered him habitually inattentive to + familiar objects and to common occurrences; and he frequently + exhibited instances of absence, which have scarcely been surpassed + by the fancy of La Bruyere.' _Stewart's Biographical Memoirs_, p. + 113. See also _Ramsay's Reminiscences_, 5th edit. Edinb. 1859, p. + 236. Carlyle, who knew him well, says, 'he was the most absent man + in company that I ever saw, moving his lips, and talking to + himself, and smiling, in the midst of large companies.' + _Autobiography of the Rev. Alexander Carlyle_, 2nd edit. Edinb. + 1860, p. 279. + +The same determination to make the study of principles precede that of +facts, is exhibited by Hume in one of his most original works, the +_Natural History of Religion_. In reference to the title of this +treatise, we must observe that, according to the Scotch philosophers, the +natural course of any movement is by no means the same as its actual +course. This discrepancy between the ideal and the real, was the +unavoidable result of their method.[710] For, as they argued deductively +from fixed premisses, they could not take into account the perturbations +to which their conclusions were liable, from the play and friction of the +surrounding society. To do that, required a separate inquiry. It would +have been needful to investigate the circumstances which caused the +friction, and thus prevented the conclusions from being, in the world of +fact, the same as they were in the world of speculation. What we call +accidents, are constantly happening, and they prevent the real march of +affairs from being identical with the natural march. And, as long as we +are unable to predict those accidents, there will always be a want of +complete harmony between the inferences of a deductive science and the +realities of life; in other words, our inferences will tend towards +truth, but never completely attain it.[711] + + [710] A Scotch philosopher of great repute, but, as it appears to me, of + ability not quite equal to his repute, has stated very clearly and + accurately this favourite method of his countrymen. 'In examining + the history of mankind, as well as in examining the phenomena of + the material world, when we cannot trace the process by which an + event _has been_ produced, it is often of importance to be able to + show how it _may have been_ produced by natural causes.' ... 'To + this species of philosophical investigation, which has no + appropriated name in our language, I shall take the liberty of + giving the title of _Theoretical_ or _Conjectural History_; an + expression which coincides pretty nearly in its meaning with that + of _Natural History_ as employed by Mr. Hume, and with what some + French writers have called Histoire Raisonnee.' _Dugald Stewart's + Biographical Memoirs_, pp. 48, 49. Hence (p. 53), 'in most cases, + it is of more importance to ascertain the progress that is most + simple, than the progress that is most agreeable to fact; for, + paradoxical as the proposition may appear, it is certainly true, + that _the real progress is not always the most natural_. It may + have been determined by particular accidents, which are not likely + again to occur, and which cannot be considered as forming any part + of that general provision which nature has made for the + improvement of the race.' + + [711] Part of this view is well expressed in _Hume's Treatise of Human + Nature_, book iii. part ii. 'This, however, hinders not but that + philosophers may, if they please, extend their reasoning to the + supposed _state of nature_; provided they allow it to be a mere + philosophical fiction, which never had, and never could have, any + reality.' ... 'The same liberty may be permitted to moral, which + is allowed to natural philosophers; and 'tis very usual with the + latter to consider any motion as compounded and consisting of two + parts separate from each other, though, at the same time, they + acknowledge it to be in itself uncompounded and inseparable.' + _Philosophical Works_, vol. ii. p. 263. + +With peculiar propriety, therefore, did Hume term his work a _Natural +History of Religion_. It is an admirable specimen of the deductive +method. Its only fault is that he speaks too confidently of the accuracy +of the results to which, on such a subject, that method could attain. He +believed, that, by observing the principles of human nature, as he found +them in his own mind, it was possible to explain the whole course of +affairs, both moral and physical.[712] These principles were to be +arrived at by experiments made on himself; and having thus arrived at +them, he was to reason from them deductively, and so construct the entire +scheme. This he contrasts with the inductive plan, which he calls a +tedious and lingering process; and while others might follow that slow +and patient method of gradually working their way towards first +principles, his project was, to seize them at once, or, as he expresses +himself, not to stop at the frontier, but to march directly on the +capital, being possessed of which, he could gain an easy victory over +other difficulties, and could extend his conquests over the +sciences.[713] According to Hume, we are to reason, not in order to +obtain ideas, but we are to have clear ideas before we reason.[714] By +this means, we arrive at philosophy; and her conclusions are not to be +impugned, even if they do happen to clash with science. On the contrary, +her authority is supreme, and her decisions, being essentially true, must +always be preferred to any generalization of the facts which the external +world presents.[715] + + [712] And, conversely, that whatever was 'demonstratively false,' could + 'never be distinctly conceived by the mind.' _Philosophical + Works_, vol. iv. p. 33. Here, and sometimes in other passages, + Hume, though by no means a Cartesian, reminds us of Descartes. + + [713] 'Here, then, is the only expedient from which we can hope for + success in our philosophical researches, _to leave the tedious, + lingering method_, which we have hitherto followed, and instead of + taking now and then a castle or a village on the frontier, to + march up directly to the capital, or centre of these sciences, to + human nature itself; which, being once masters of, we may every + where else hope for an easy victory. From this station we may + extend our conquests over all those sciences which more + immediately concern human life, and may afterwards proceed, at + leisure, to discover more fully those which are the objects of + pure curiosity.' _Hume's Philosophical Works_, vol. i. p. 8. See + also, in vol. ii. pp. 73, 74, his remarks on the way 'to consider + the matter _a priori_.' + + [714] 'No kind of reasoning can give rise to a new idea, such as this of + power is; but wherever we reason, we must antecedently be + possessed of clear ideas, which may be the objects of our + reasoning.' _Hume's Philosophical Works_, vol. i. p. 217. Compare + vol. ii. p. 276, on our arriving at a knowledge of causes 'by a + kind of taste or fancy.' Hence, the larger view preceding the + smaller, and being essentially independent of it, will constantly + contradict it; and he complains, for instance, that 'difficulties, + which seem unsurmountable in theory, are easily got over in + practice.' vol. ii. p. 357; and again, in vol. iii. p. 326, on the + effort needed to 'reconcile reason to experience.' But, after all, + it is rather by a careful study of his works, than by quoting + particular passages, that his method can be understood. In the two + sentences, however, just cited, the reader will see that theory + and reason represent the larger view; while practice and + experience represent the smaller. + + [715] ''Tis certainly a kind of indignity to philosophy, whose sovereign + authority ought every where to be acknowledged, to oblige her on + every occasion to make apologies for her conclusions, and justify + herself to every particular art and science, which may be offended + at her. This puts one in mind of a king arraigned for high treason + against his subjects.' _Hume's Philosophical Works_, vol. i. + pp. 318, 319. + +Hume, therefore, believed that all the secrets of the external world are +wrapped up in the human mind. The mind was not only the key by which the +treasure could be unlocked; it was also the treasure itself. Learning and +science might illustrate and beautify our mental acquisitions, but they +could not communicate real knowledge; they could neither give the prime +original materials, nor could they teach the design according to which +those materials must be worked. + +In conformity with these views, the _Natural History of Religion_ was +composed. The object of Hume in writing it, was, to ascertain the origin +and progress of religious ideas; and he arrives at the conclusion, that +the worship of many Gods must, every where, have preceded the worship of +one God. This, he regards as a law of the human mind, a thing not only +that always has happened, but that always must happen. His proof is +entirely speculative. He argues that the earliest state of man is +necessarily a savage state; that savages can feel no interest in the +ordinary operations of nature, and no desire to study the principles +which govern those operations; that such men must be devoid of curiosity +on all subjects which do not personally trouble them; and that, +therefore, while they neglect the usual events of nature, they will turn +their minds to the unusual ones.[716] A violent tempest, a monstrous +birth, excessive cold, excessive rain, sudden and fatal diseases, are the +sort of things to which the attention of the savage is confined, and of +which alone he desires to know the causes. Directly he finds that such +causes are beyond his control, he reckons them superior to himself, and, +being incapable of abstracting them, he personifies them; he turns them +into deities; polytheism is established; and the earliest creed of +mankind assumes a form which can never be altered, as long as men remain +in this condition of pristine ignorance.[717] + + [716] 'A barbarous, necessitous animal (such as a man is on the first + origin of society), pressed by such numerous wants and passions, + has no leisure to admire the regular face of nature, or make + inquiries concerning the cause of those objects to which, from his + infancy, he has been gradually accustomed. On the contrary, the + more regular and uniform, that is the more perfect, nature + appears, the more is he familiarized to it, and the less inclined + to scrutinize and examine it. A monstrous birth excites his + curiosity, and is deemed a prodigy. It alarms him from its + novelty, and immediately sets him a trembling, and sacrificing, + and praying. But an animal complete in all its limbs and organs is + to him an ordinary spectacle, and produces no religious opinion or + affection. Ask him whence that animal arose? He will tell you, + from the copulation of its parents. And these, whence? From the + copulation of theirs. A few removes satisfy his curiosity, and set + the objects at such a distance that he entirely loses sight of + them. Imagine not that he will so much as start the question, + whence the first animal, much less whence the whole system, or + united fabric of the universe arose. Or, if you start such a + question to him, expect not that he will employ his mind with any + anxiety about a subject so remote, so uninteresting, and which so + much exceeds the bounds of his capacity.' _Natural History of + Religion_, in _Hume's Philosophical Works_, vol. iv. p. 439. See + also pp. 463-465. + + [717] 'By degrees, the active imagination of men, uneasy in this + abstract conception of objects, about which it is incessantly + employed, begins to render them more particular, and to clothe + them in shapes more suitable to its natural comprehension. It + represents them to be sensible, intelligent beings like mankind; + actuated by love and hatred, and flexible by gifts and entreaties, + by prayers and sacrifices. Hence the origin of religion. And hence + the origin of idolatry, or polytheism.' _Hume's Philosophical + Works_, vol. iv. p. 472. 'The primary religion of mankind arises + chiefly from an anxious fear of future events,' p. 498. + +These propositions, which are not only plausible, but which are probably +true, ought, according to the inductive philosophy, to have been +generalized from a survey of facts; that is, from a collection of +evidence respecting the state of religion and of the speculative +faculties among savage tribes. But this, Hume abstains from doing. He +refers to none of the numerous travellers who have visited such people; +he does not, in the whole course of his work, mention even a single book +where facts respecting savage life are preserved. It was enough for him, +that the progress from a belief in many Gods to a belief in one God, was +the natural progress; which is saying, in other words, that it appeared +to his mind to be the natural progress.[718] With that, he was satisfied. +In other parts of his essay, where he treats of the religious opinions +of the ancient Greeks and Romans, he displays a tolerable, though by no +means remarkable, learning; but the passages which he cites, do not refer +to that entirely barbarous society in which, as he supposes, polytheism +first arose. The premisses, therefore, of the argument are evolved out of +his own mind. He reasons deductively from the ideas which his powerful +intellect supplied, instead of reasoning inductively from the facts which +were peculiar to the subject he was investigating. + + [718] '_It seems certain, that, according to the natural progress of + human thought_, the ignorant multitude must first entertain some + grovelling and familiar notion of superior powers, before they + stretch their conception to that perfect Being who bestowed order + on the whole frame of nature. _We may as reasonably imagine, that + men inhabited palaces before huts and cottages_, or studied + geometry before agriculture, as assert that the Deity appeared to + them a pure spirit, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, + before he was apprehended to be a powerful though limited being, + with human passions and appetites, limbs and organs. The mind + rises gradually from inferior to superior. By abstracting from + what is imperfect, it forms an idea of perfection; and slowly + distinguishing the nobler parts of its own frame from the grosser, + it learns to transform only the former, much elevated and refined, + to its divinity. Nothing could disturb this _natural progress of + thought_, but some obvious and invincible argument, which might + immediately lead the mind into the pure principles of theism, and + make it overleap, at one bound, the vast interval which is + interposed between the human and the Divine nature. But though I + allow, that the order and frame of the universe, when accurately + examined, affords such an argument, yet _I can never think_ that + this consideration could have an influence on mankind, when they + formed their first rude notions of religion.' _Natural History of + Religion_, in _Philosophical Works_, vol. iv. p. 438. + +Even in the rest of his work, which is full of refined and curious +speculation, he uses facts, not to demonstrate his conclusions, but to +illustrate them. He, therefore, selected those facts which suited his +purpose, leaving the others untouched. And this, which many critics would +call unfair, was not unfair in him; because he believed, that he had +already established his principles without the aid of those facts. The +facts might benefit the reader, by making the argument clearer, but they +could not strengthen the argument. They were more intended to persuade +than to prove; they were rather rhetorical than logical. Hence, a critic +would waste his time if he were to sift them with a minuteness which +would be necessary, supposing that Hume had built an inductive argument +upon them. Otherwise, without going far, it might be curious to contrast +them with the entirely different facts which Cudworth, eighty years +before, had collected from the same source, and on the same subject. +Cudworth, who was much superior to Hume in learning, and much inferior to +him in genius,[719] displayed, in his great work on the _Intellectual +System of the Universe_, a prodigious erudition, to prove that, in the +ancient world, the belief in one God was a prevailing doctrine. Hume, who +never refers to Cudworth, arrives at a precisely opposite conclusion. +Both quoted ancient writers; but while Cudworth drew his inferences from +what he found in those writers, Hume drew his from what he found in his +own mind. Cudworth, being more learned, relied on his reading; Hume, +having more genius, relied on his intellect. Cudworth, trained in the +school of Bacon, first collected the evidence, and then passed the +judgment. Hume, formed in a school entirely different, believed that the +acuteness of the judge was more important than the quantity of the +evidence; that witnesses were likely to prevaricate; and that he +possessed, in his own mind, the surest materials for arriving at an +accurate conclusion. It is not, therefore, strange, that Cudworth and +Hume, pursuing opposite methods, should have obtained opposite results, +since such a discrepancy is, as I have already pointed out, unavoidable, +when men investigate, according to different plans, a subject which, in +the existing state of knowledge, is not amenable to scientific treatment. + + [719] Not that he was by any means devoid of genius, though he holds a + rank far below so great and original a thinker as Hume. He had, + however, collected more materials than he was able to wield; and + his work on the _Intellectual System of the Universe_, which is a + treasure of ancient philosophy, is badly arranged, and, in many + parts, feebly argued. There is more real power in his posthumous + treatise on _Eternal and Immutable Morality_. + +The length to which this chapter has already extended, and the number of +topics which I have still to handle, will prevent me from examining, in +detail, the philosophy of Reid, who was the most eminent among the +purely speculative thinkers of Scotland, after Hume and Adam Smith, +though, in point of merit, he must be placed far below them. For, he had +neither the comprehensiveness of Smith, nor the fearlessness of Hume. The +range of his knowledge was not wide enough to allow him to be +comprehensive; while a timidity, almost amounting to moral cowardice, +made him recoil from the views advocated by Hume, not so much on account +of their being false, as on account of their being dangerous. It is, +however, certain, that no man can take high rank as a philosopher, who +allows himself to be trammelled by considerations of that kind. A +philosopher should aim solely at truth, and should refuse to estimate the +practical tendency of his speculations. If they are true, let them stand; +if they are false, let them fall. But, whether they are agreeable or +disagreeable, whether they are consolatory or disheartening, whether they +are safe or mischievous, is a question, not for philosophers, but for +practical men. Every new truth which has ever been propounded, has, for a +time, caused mischief; it has produced discomfort, and often unhappiness, +sometimes by disturbing social or religious arrangements, and sometimes +merely by the disruption of old and cherished associations of thought. It +is only after a certain interval, and when the framework of affairs has +adjusted itself to the new truth, that its good effects preponderate; and +the preponderance continues to increase, until, at length, the truth +causes nothing but good. But, at the outset, there is always harm. And, +if the truth is very great, as well as very new, the harm is serious. Men +are made uneasy; they flinch; they cannot bear the sudden light; a +general restlessness supervenes; the face of society is disturbed, or +perhaps convulsed; old interests, and old beliefs, are destroyed, before +new ones have been created. These symptoms are the precursors of +revolution; they have preceded all the great changes through which the +world has passed; and while, if they are not excessive, they forebode +progress, so if they are excessive, they threaten anarchy. It is the +business of practical men to moderate such symptoms, and to take care +that the truths which philosophers discover, are not applied so rashly as +to dislocate the fabric, instead of strengthening it. But the philosopher +has only to discover the truth, and promulgate it; and that is hard work +enough for any man, let his ability be as great as it may. This division +of labour, between thinkers and actors, secures an economy of force, and +prevents either class from wasting its power. It establishes a difference +between science, which ascertains principles, and art, which applies +them. It also recognizes, that the philosopher and the practical man, +having each a separate part to play, each is, in his own field, supreme. +But it is a sad confusion for either to interfere with the other. In +their different spheres, both are independent, and both are worthy of +admiration. Inasmuch, however, as practical men should never allow the +speculative conclusions of philosophers, whatever be their truth, to be +put in actual operation, unless society is, in some degree, ripe for +their reception; so, on the other hand, philosophers are not to hesitate, +and tremble, and stop short in their career, because their intellect is +leading them to conclusions subversive of existing interests. The duty of +a philosopher is clear. His path lies straight before him. He must take +every pains to ascertain the truth; and, having arrived at a conclusion, +he, instead of shrinking from it because it is unpalatable, or because it +seems dangerous, should on that very account, cling the closer to it, +should uphold it in bad repute, more zealously than he would have done in +good repute; should noise it abroad far and wide, utterly regardless what +opinions he shocks, or what interests he imperils; should, on its behalf, +court hostility and despise contempt, being well assured, that, if it is +not true, it will die, but that, if it is true, it must produce ultimate +benefit, albeit unsuited for practical adoption by the age or country in +which it is first propounded. + +But Reid, notwithstanding the clearness of his mind and his great powers +of argument, had so little of the real philosophic spirit, that he loved +truth, not for its own sake, but for the sake of its immediate and +practical results. He himself tells us, that he began to study +philosophy, merely because he was shocked at the consequences at which +philosophers had arrived. As long as the speculations of Locke and of +Berkeley were not pushed to their logical conclusions, Reid acquiesced in +them, and they were good in his eyes.[720] While they were safe and +tolerably orthodox, he was not over-nice in inquiring into their +validity. In the hands of Hume, however, philosophy became bolder and +more inquisitive; she disturbed opinions which were ancient, and which it +was pleasant to hold; she searched into the foundation of things, and by +forcing men to doubt and to inquire, she rendered inestimable service to +the cause of truth. But this was precisely the tendency at which Reid was +displeased. He saw that such disturbance was uncomfortable; he saw that +it was hazardous; therefore, he endeavoured to prove that it was +groundless. Confusing the question of practical consequences with the +totally different question of scientific truth, he took for granted that, +because to his age the adoption of those consequences would be +mischievous, they must be false. To the profound views of Hume respecting +causation, he gravely objects, that if they were carried into effect, the +operation of criminal law would be imperilled.[721] To the speculations +of the same philosopher concerning the metaphysical basis of the theory +of contracts, he replies, that such speculations perplex men, and weaken +their sense of duty; they are, therefore, to be disapproved of, on +account of their tendency.[722] With Reid, the main question always is, +not whether an inference is true, but what will happen if it is true. He +says, that a doctrine is to be judged by its fruits;[723] forgetting that +the same doctrine will bear different fruits in different ages, and that +the consequences which a theory produces in one state of society, are +often diametrically opposed to those which it produces in another. He +thus made his own age the standard of all future ones. He also trammelled +philosophy with practical considerations; diverting thinkers from the +pursuit of truth, which is their proper department, into the pursuit of +expediency, which is not their department at all. Reid was constantly +stopping to inquire, not whether theories were accurate, but whether it +was advisable to adopt them; whether they were favourable to patriotism, +or to generosity, or to friendship;[724] in a word, whether they were +comfortable, and such as we should at present like to believe.[725] Or +else, he would take other ground, still lower, and still more unworthy of +a philosopher. In opposing, for instance, the doctrine, that our +faculties sometimes deceive us,--a doctrine which, as he well knew, had +been held by men whose honesty was equal to his own, and whose ability +was superior to his own,--he does not scruple to enlist on his side the +prejudices of a vulgar superstition; seeking to blacken the tenet which +he was unable to refute. He actually asserts, that they who advocate it, +insult the Deity, by imputing to the Almighty that He has lied. Such +being the consequence of the opinion, it of course follows that the +opinion must be rejected without further scrutiny, since, to accept it, +would produce fatal results on our conduct, and would, indeed, be +subversive of all religion, of all morals, and of all knowledge.[726] + + [720] 'I once believed this doctrine of ideas so firmly, as to embrace + the whole of Berkeley's system in consequence of it; till, finding + other consequences to follow from it, which gave me more + uneasiness than the want of a material world, it came into my mind + more than 40 years ago, to put the question, What evidence have I + for this doctrine that all the objects of my knowledge are ideas + in my own mind? From that time to the present, I have been + candidly and impartially, as I think, seeking for the evidence of + this principle but can find none, excepting the authority of + philosophers.' _Reid's Essays on the Powers of the Human Mind_, + edit. Edinburgh, 1808, vol. i. p. 172. And, in a letter which he + wrote to Hume in 1763, he, with a simple candour which must have + highly amused that eminent philosopher, confesses that 'your + system appears to me not only coherent in all its parts, but + likewise justly deduced from principles commonly received among + philosophers; principles which I never thought of calling in + question, until the conclusions you draw from them in the + "Treatise on Human Nature" made me suspect them.' _Burton's Life + and Correspondence of Hume_, vol. ii. p. 155. + + [721] 'Suppose a man to be found dead on the high-way, his skull + fractured, his body pierced with deadly wounds, his watch and + money carried off. The coroner's jury sits upon the body, and the + question is put, What was the cause of this man's death, was it + accident, or _felo de se_, or murder by persons unknown? Let us + suppose an adept in Mr. Hume's philosophy to make one of the jury, + and that he insists upon the previous question, whether there was + any cause of the event, or whether it happened without a cause.' + _Reid's Essays on the Powers of the Mind_, vol. ii. p. 286. + Compare vol. iii. p. 33: 'This would put an end to all + speculation, as well as to all the business of life.' + + [722] 'The obligation of contracts and promises is a matter so sacred, + and of such consequence to human society, that speculations which + have a _tendency to weaken that obligation_, and to perplex men's + notions on a subject so plain and so important, ought to _meet + with the disapprobation of all honest men_. Some such + speculations, I think, we have in the third volume of Mr. Hume's + "Treatise of Human Nature," and in his "Enquiry into the + Principles of Morals;" and my design in this chapter is, to offer + some observations on the nature of a contract or promise, and on + two passages of that author on this subject. I am far from saying + or thinking, that Mr. Hume meant to weaken men's obligations to + honesty and fair dealing, or that he had not a sense of these + obligations himself. It is not the man I impeach, but his + writings. Let us think of the first as charitably as we can, while + we freely examine the import and _tendency_ of the last.' _Reid's + Essays on the Powers of the Mind_, vol. iii. p. 444. In this, as + in most passages, the italics are my own. + + [723] 'Without repeating what I have before said of causes in the first + of these Essays, and in the second and third chapters of this, I + shall here mention some of the consequences that may be justly + deduced from this definition of a cause, that we may judge of it + by its fruits.' _Reid's Essays_, vol. iii. p. 339. + + [724] 'Bishop Berkeley surely did not duly consider that it is by means + of the material world that we have any correspondence with + thinking beings, or any knowledge of their existence, and that by + depriving us of the material world, he deprived us at the same + time of family, friends, country, and every human creature; of + every object of affection, esteem or concern, except ourselves. + The good bishop surely never intended this. He was too warm a + friend, too zealous a patriot, and too good a Christian to be + capable of such a thought. _He was not aware of the consequences + of his system_' (poor, ignorant Berkeley), 'and therefore they + ought not to be imputed to him; but we must impute them to the + system itself. It stifles every generous and social principle.' + _Reid's Essays_, vol. ii. pp. 251, 252. + + [725] In his _Essays_, vol. i. p. 179, he says of Berkeley, one of the + deepest and most unanswerable of all speculators, 'But there is + one _uncomfortable consequence_ of his system which he seems not + to have attended to, and from which it will be found difficult, if + at all possible, to guard it.' + + [726] 'This doctrine is dishonourable to our Maker, and lays a foundation + for universal scepticism. It supposes the Author of our being to + have given us one faculty on purpose to deceive us, and another by + which we may detect the fallacy, and find that he imposed upon + us.' ... 'The genuine dictate of our natural faculties is the + voice of God, no less than what he reveals from heaven; and to say + that it is fallacious, is to impute a lie to the God of truth.' + ... 'Shall we impute to the Almighty what we cannot impute to a + man without a heinous affront? Passing this opinion, therefore, as + shocking to an ingenuous mind, and, in its consequences, + subversive of all religion, all morals, and all knowledge,' &c. + _Reid's Essays_, vol. iii. p. 310. See also vol. i. p. 313. + +In 1764, Reid published his _Inquiry into the Human Mind_; and in that, +and in his subsequent work, entitled _Essays on the Powers of the Mind_, +he sought to destroy the philosophy of Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. And as +Hume was the boldest of the three, it was chiefly his philosophy which +Reid attacked. Of the character of this attack, some specimens have just +been given; but they rather concern his object and motives, while what we +have now to ascertain is, his method, that is, the tactics of his +warfare. He clearly saw, that Hume had assumed certain principles, and +had reasoned deductively from them to the facts, instead of reasoning +inductively from the facts to them. To this method, he strongly, and +perhaps fairly, objects. He admits that Hume had reasoned so accurately, +that if his principles were conceded, his conclusions must likewise be +conceded.[727] But, he says, Hume had no right to proceed in such a +manner. He had no right to assume principles, and then to argue from +them. The laws of nature were to be arrived at, not by conjecturing in +this way, but by a patient induction of facts.[728] Discoveries depended +solely on observation and experiment; and any other plan could only +produce theories, ingenious, perhaps, and plausible, but quite +worthless.[729] For, theory should yield to fact, and not fact to +theory.[730] Speculators, indeed, might talk about first principles, and +raise a system by reasoning from them. But, the fact was, that there was +no agreement as to how a first principle was to be recognized; since a +principle which one man would deem self-evident, another would think it +necessary to prove, and a third would altogether deny.[731] + + [727] 'His reasoning appeared to me to be just; there was, therefore, a + necessity to call in question the principles upon which it was + founded, or to admit the conclusion.' _Reid's Inquiry into the + Human Mind_, p. v. 'The received doctrine of ideas is the + principle from which it is deduced, and of which, indeed, it seems + to be a just and natural consequence.' p. 53. See also _Reid's + Essays_, vol. i. pp. 199, 200, vol. ii. p. 211. + + [728] 'The laws of nature are the most general facts we can discover in + the operations of nature. Like other facts, they are not to be hit + upon by a happy conjecture, but justly deduced from observation. + Like other general facts, they are not to be drawn from a few + particulars, but from a copious, patient, and cautious induction.' + _Reid's Inquiry into the Human Mind_, pp. 262, 263. + + [729] 'Such discoveries have always been made by patient observation, by + accurate experiments, or by conclusions drawn by strict reasoning + from observations and experiments; and such discoveries have + always tended to refute, but not to confirm, the theories and + hypotheses which ingenious men had invented.' _Reid's Essays_, + vol. i. p. 46. + + [730] 'This is Mr. Hume's notion of a cause.' ... 'But theory ought to + stoop to fact, and not fact to theory.' _Reid's Essays_, vol. iii. + p. 276. + + [731] 'But yet there seems to be great difference of opinions among + philosophers about first principles. What one takes to be + self-evident, another labours to prove by arguments, and a third + denies altogether.' _Reid's Essays_, vol. ii. p. 218. 'Mr. Locke + seems to think first principles of very small use.' p. 219. + +The difficulties of deductive reasoning are here admirably portrayed. It +might have been expected, that Reid would have built up his own +philosophy according to the inductive plan, and would have despised that +assumption of first principles, with which he taunts his opponents. But +it is one of the most curious things in the history of metaphysics, that +Reid after impeaching the method of Hume, follows the very same method +himself. When he is attacking the philosophy of Hume, he holds deduction +to be wrong. When he is raising his own philosophy, he holds it to be +right. He deemed certain conclusions dangerous, and he objects to their +advocates, that they argued from principles, instead of from facts: and +that they assumed themselves to be in possession of the first principles +of truth, although people were not agreed as to what constituted a first +principle. This is well put, and hard to answer. Strange, however, to +say, Reid arrives at his own conclusions, by assuming first principles to +an extent far greater than had been done by any writer on the opposite +side. From them, he argues; his whole scheme is deductive; and his works +scarcely contain a single instance of that inductive logic, which, when +attacking his opponents, he found it convenient to recommend. It is +difficult to conceive a better illustration of the peculiar character of +the Scotch intellect in the eighteenth century, and of the firm hold, +which, what may be called, the anti-Baconian method, had upon that +intellect. Reid was a man of considerable ability, of immaculate honesty, +and was deeply convinced that it was for the good of society that the +prevailing philosophy should be overthrown. To the performance of that +task, he dedicated his long and laborious life; he saw that the +vulnerable point of the adverse system was its method; he indicated the +deficiencies of that method, and declared, perhaps wrongly, but at all +events sincerely, that it could never lead to truth. Yet, and +notwithstanding all this, such was the pressure of the age in which he +lived, and so completely did the force of circumstances shape his +understanding, that, in his own works, he was unable to avoid that very +method of investigation which he rebuked in others. Indeed, so far from +avoiding it, he was a slave to it. The evidence of this I will now give, +because, besides its importance for the history of the Scotch mind, it is +valuable as one of many lessons, which teach us how we are moulded by the +society which surrounds us; how even our most vigorous actions are +influenced by general causes of which we are often ignorant, and which +few of us care to study; and, finally, how lame and impotent we are, +when, as individuals, we try to stem the onward current, resisting the +great progress instead of aiding it, and vainly opposing our little +wishes to that majestic course of events, which admits of no +interruption, but sweeps on, grand and terrible, while generation after +generation passes away, successively absorbed in one mighty vortex. + +Directly Reid, ceasing to refute the philosophy of Hume, began to +construct his own philosophy, he succumbed to the prevailing method. He +now assures us, that all reasoning must be from first principles, and +that, so far from reasoning to those principles, we must at once admit +them, and make them the basis of all subsequent arguments.[732] Having +admitted them, they become a thread to guide the inquirer through the +labyrinth of thought.[733] His opponents had no right to assume them, but +he might do so, because to him they were intuitive.[734] Whoever denied +them, was not fit to be reasoned with.[735] Indeed, to investigate them, +or to seek to analyze them, was wrong as well as foolish, because they +were part of the constitution of things; and of the constitution of +things no account could be given, except that such was the will of +God.[736] + + [732] 'All reasoning must be from first principles; and for first + principles no other reason can be given but this, that, by the + constitution of our nature, we are under a necessity of assenting + to them.' _Reid's Inquiry_, p. 140. 'All reasoning is from + principles.' ... 'Most justly, therefore, do such principles + disdain to be tried by reason, and laugh at all the artillery of + the logician when it is directed against them.' p. 372. 'All + knowledge got by reasoning must be built upon first principles.' + _Reid's Essays_, vol. ii. p. 220. 'In every branch of real + knowledge there must be first principles, whose truth is known + intuitively, without reasoning, either probable or demonstrative. + They are not grounded on reasoning, but all reasoning is grounded + on them.' p. 360. + + [733] 'For, when any system is grounded upon first principles, and + deduced regularly from them, we have a thread to lead us through + the labyrinth.' _Reid's Essays_, vol. ii. p. 225. + + [734] 'I call these "first principles," because they _appear to me_ to + have in themselves an intuitive evidence which _I cannot resist_.' + _Reid's Essays_, vol. iii. p. 375. + + [735] 'If any man should think fit to deny that these things are + qualities, or that they require any subject, _I leave him to enjoy + his opinion, as a man who denies first principles, and is not fit + to be reasoned with_.' _Reid's Essays_, vol. i. p. 38. + + [736] 'No other account can be given of the constitution of things, but + the will of Him that made them.' _Reid's Essays_, vol. i. p. 115. + +As Reid obtained his first principles with such ease, and as he carefully +protected them by forbidding any attempt to resolve them into simpler +elements, he was under a strong temptation to multiply them almost +indefinitely, in order that, by reasoning from them, he might raise a +complete and harmonious system of the human mind. To that temptation he +yielded with a readiness, which is truly surprising, when we remember how +he reproached his opponents with doing the same thing. Among the numerous +first principles which he assumes, not only as unexplained, but as +inexplicable, are the belief in Personal Identity;[737] the belief in the +External World;[738] the belief in the Uniformity of Nature;[739] the +belief in the Existence of Life in Others;[740] the belief in +Testimony;[741] also in the power of distinguishing truth from +error,[742] and even in the correspondence of the face and voice to the +thoughts.[743] Of belief generally, he asserts that there are many +principles,[744] and he regrets that any one should have rashly attempted +to explain them.[745] Such things are mysterious, and not to be pried +into. We have also other faculties, which being original and +indecomposable, resist all inductive treatment, and can neither be +resolved into simpler elements, nor referred to more general laws. To +this class, Reid assigns Memory,[746] Perception,[747] Desire of +Self-Approbation,[748] and not only Instinct, but even Habit.[749] Many +of our ideas, such as those concerning Space and Time, are equally +original;[750] and other first principles there are, which have not been +enunciated, but from which we may reason.[751] They, therefore, are the +major premisses of the argument; no reason having yet been given for +them, they must be simple; and not having yet been explained, they are, +of course, inexplicable.[752] + + [737] _Reid's Essays_, vol. i. pp. 36, 37, 340, 343, vol. ii. p. 245. + + [738] _Reid's Essays_, vol. i. pp. 115, 116, 288-299, vol. ii. p. 251. + + [739] Or, as he expresses it, 'our belief of the continuance of the laws + of nature.' _Reid's Inquiry_, pp. 426-435; also his _Essays_, vol. + i. p. 305, vol. ii. p. 268. + + [740] _Reid's Essays_, vol. ii. p. 259. + + [741] _Reid's Inquiry_, p. 422; and his _Essays_, vol. ii. p. 266. + + [742] 'Another first principle is, "That the natural faculties by which + we distinguish truth from error are not fallacious."' _Reid's + Essays_, vol. ii. p. 256. + + [743] 'Another first principle I take to be, "That certain features of + the countenance, sounds of the voice, and gestures of the body, + indicate certain thoughts and dispositions of mind."' _Reid's + Essays_, vol. ii. p. 261. Compare his _Inquiry_, p. 416. + + [744] 'We have taken notice of several original principles of belief in + the course of this inquiry; and when other faculties of the mind + are examined, we shall find more, which have not occurred in the + examination of the five senses.' _Reid's Inquiry_, p. 471. + + [745] 'And if no philosopher had attempted to define and explain belief, + some paradoxes in philosophy, more incredible than ever were + brought forth by the most abject superstition, or the most frantic + enthusiasm, had never seen the light.' _Reid's Inquiry_, p. 45. + + [746] _Reid's Essays_, vol. i. p. 329, 334, vol. ii. p. 247. + + [747] _Reid's Essays_, vol. i. pp. 9, 71, 303, 304. + + [748] _Reid's Essays_, vol. ii. p. 60. + + [749] 'I see no reason to think, that we shall ever be able to assign + the physical cause, either of instinct, or of the power of habit. + Both seem to be parts of our original constitution. Their end and + use is evident; but we can assign no cause of them, but the will + of Him who made us.' _Reid's Essays_, vol. iii. p. 119. + + [750] 'I know of no ideas or notions that have a better claim to be + accounted simple and original, than those of space and time.' + _Reid's Essays_, vol. i. p. 354. + + [751] 'I do not at all affirm that those I have mentioned are all the + first principles from which we may reason concerning contingent + truths. Such enumerations, even when made after much reflection, + are seldom perfect.' _Reid's Essays_, vol. ii. p. 270. + + [752] 'Why sensation should compel our belief of the present existence of + the thing, memory a belief of its past existence, and imagination + no belief at all, _I believe no philosopher can give a shadow of + reason_, but that such is the nature of these operations. They are + all simple and original, and _therefore inexplicable_ acts of the + mind.' _Reid's Inquiry_, p. 40. 'We can _give no reason_ why the + retina is, of all parts of the body, the only one on which + pictures made by the rays of light cause vision; and _therefore we + must resolve this solely into a law of our constitution_' p. 258. + +All this is arbitrary enough. Still, in justice to Reid, it must be said, +that, having made these assumptions, he displayed remarkable ability in +arguing from them, and that, in attacking the philosophy of his time, he +subjected it to a criticism, which has been extremely serviceable. His +lucidity, his dialectic skill, and the racy and masculine style in which +he wrote, made him a formidable opponent, and secured to his objections +a respectful hearing. To me, however, it appears, that notwithstanding +the attempts, first of M. Cousin, and afterwards of Sir William Hamilton, +to prop up his declining reputation, his philosophy, as an independent +system, is untenable, and will not live. In this I may be mistaken; but +what is quite certain is, that nothing can be more absurd than to +suppose, as some have done, that he adopted the inductive, or, as it is +popularly called, Baconian method. Bacon, indeed, would have smiled at +such a disciple, assuming all sorts of major premisses, taking general +principles for granted with the greatest recklessness, and reserving his +skill for the task of reasoning from propositions for which he had no +evidence, except that on a cursory, or, as he termed it, a common-sense, +inspection, they appeared to be true.[753] This refusal to analyze +preconceived notions, comes under the head of what Bacon stigmatized as +the _anticipatio naturae_, and which he deemed the great enemy of +knowledge, on account of the dangerous confidence it places in the +spontaneous and uncorrected conclusions of the human mind. When, +therefore, we find Reid holding up the Baconian philosophy, as a pattern +which it behoves all inquirers to follow;[754] and when we, moreover, +find Dugald Stewart, who, though a somewhat superficial thinker, was, at +all events, a careful writer, supposing that Reid had followed it,[755] +we meet with fresh proof of how difficult it was for Scotchmen of the +last age to imbibe the true spirit of inductive logic, since they +believed, that a system which flagrantly violated its rules, had been +framed in strict accordance with them. + + [753] In a recent work of distinguished merit, an instance is given of + the loose manner in which he took for granted that certain + phenomena were ultimate, in order that, instead of analyzing them, + he might reason from them. 'Dr. Reid has no hesitation in classing + the voluntary command of our organs, that is, the sequence of + feeling and action implied in all acts of will, among instincts. + The power of lifting a morsel of food to the mouth, is, according + to him, an instinctive or pre-established conjunction of the wish + and the deed; that is to say, the emotional state of hunger, + coupled with the sight of a piece of bread, is associated, through + a primitive link of the mental constitution, with the several + movements of the hand, arm, and mouth, concerned in the act of + eating. _This assertion of Dr. Reid's may be simply met by + appealing to the facts._ It is not true that human beings possess, + at birth, any voluntary command of their limbs whatsoever. A babe + of two months old cannot use its hands in obedience to its + desires. The infant can grasp nothing, hold nothing, can scarcely + fix its eyes on anything.' ... 'If the more perfect command of our + voluntary movements implied in every art be an acquisition, so is + the less perfect command of these movements that grows upon a + child during the first year of life.' _Bain on the Senses and the + Intellect_, London, 1855, pp. 292, 293. + + [754] See _Reid's Inquiry_, pp. 436, 446, as well as other parts of his + works: see also an extract from one of his letters to Dr. Gregory, + in _Stewart's Biographical Memoirs_, p. 432. + + [755] 'The idea of prosecuting the study of the human mind on a plan + analogous to that which had been so successfully adopted in + physics by the followers of Lord Bacon, if not first conceived by + Dr. Reid, was, at least, first carried successfully into execution + in his writings.' _Stewart's Biographical Memoirs_, p. 419. 'The + influence of the general views opened in the _Novum Organon_, may + be traced in almost every page of his writings; and, indeed, the + circumstance by which they are so strongly and characteristically + distinguished, is that they exhibit the first systematical attempt + to exemplify, in the study of human nature, the same plan of + investigation which conducted Newton to the properties of light, + and to the law of gravitation.' p. 421. From this passage one + might hazard a supposition that Dugald Stewart did not understand + Bacon much better than he did Aristotle or Kant. Of the two last + most profound thinkers, he certainly knew little or nothing, + except what he gathered secondhand. Consequently, he underrates + them. + +Leaving mental philosophy, I now come to physical science, in which, if +anywhere, we might expect that the inductive plan would predominate, and +would triumph over the opposite, or deductive, one. How far this was the +case, I will endeavour to ascertain, by an examination of the most +important discoveries which have been made by Scotchmen concerning the +organic and inorganic world. And, as my object is merely to indicate the +turn and character of the Scotch mind, I shall avoid all details +respecting the practical effects of those discoveries, and shall confine +myself to such a narration as will exhibit their purely scientific +aspect, so as to enable the reader to understand what additions were +made to our knowledge of the laws of nature, and in what way the +additions were made. The character of each discovery, and its process, +will be stated, but nothing more. Neither here, nor in any part of this +Introduction, do I pretend to investigate questions of practical utility, +or to trace the connexion between the discoveries of science and the arts +of life. That I shall do in the body of the work itself, where I hope to +explain a number of minute social events, many of which are regarded as +isolated, if not incongruous. For the present, I solely aim at those +broad principles, which, by marking out the epochs of thought, underlie +the whole fabric of society, and which must be clearly apprehended before +history can cease to be a mere empirical assemblage of facts, of which +the scientific basis being unsettled, the true order and coherence must +be unknown. + +Among the sciences which concern the inorganic world, the laws of heat +occupy a conspicuous place. On the one hand, they are connected with +geology, being intimately allied, and, indeed, necessarily bound up, with +every speculation respecting the changes and present condition of the +crust of the earth. On the other hand, they touch the great questions of +life, both animal and vegetable; they have to do with the theory of +species, and of race; they modify soil, food, and organization; and to +them we must look for valuable help towards solving those great problems +in biology, which, of late years, have occupied the attention of the +boldest and most advanced philosophers. + +Our present knowledge of the laws of heat, may be briefly stated as +branching into five fundamental divisions. These are: latent heat; +specific heat; the conduction of heat; the radiation of heat; and, +finally, the undulatory theory of heat; by which last, we are gradually +discarding our old material views, and are accustoming ourselves to look +upon heat as simply one of the forms of force, all of which, such as +light, electricity, magnetism, motion, gravitation, and chemical +affinity, are constantly assuming each other's shape, but, in their total +amount, are incapable either of increase or of diminution.[756] This +grand conception, which is now placing the indestructibility of force on +the same ground as the indestructibility of matter, has an importance far +above its scientific value, considerable as that undoubtedly is. For, by +teaching us, that nothing perishes, but that, on the contrary, the +slightest movement of the smallest body, in the remotest region, produces +results which are perpetual, which diffuse themselves through all space, +and which, though they may be metamorphosed, cannot be destroyed, it +impresses us with such an exalted idea of the regular and compulsory +march of physical affairs, as must eventually influence other and higher +departments of inquiry. Our habits of thought are so connected and +interwoven, that notions of law and of the necessary concatenation of +things, can never be introduced into one field of speculation, without +affecting other fields which lie contiguous to it. When, therefore, the +modern doctrine of conservation of force,[757] becomes firmly coupled +with the older doctrine of conservation of matter, we may rest assured +that the human mind will not stop there, but will extend to the study of +Man, inferences analogous to those already admitted in the study of +Nature. Having once recognized that the condition of the material +universe, at any one moment, is simply the result of every thing which +has happened at all preceding moments, and that the most trivial +disturbance would so violate the general scheme, as to render anarchy +inevitable, and that, to sever from the total mass even the minutest +fragment, would, by dislocating the structure, bury the whole in one +common ruin, we, thus admitting the exquisite adjustment of the different +parts, and discerning, too, in the very beauty and completeness of the +design, the best proof that it has never been tampered with by the +Divine Architect, who called it into being, in whose Omniscience both +the plan, and the issue of the plan, resided with such clearness and +unerring certainty, that not a stone in that superb and symmetrical +edifice has been touched since the foundation of the edifice was laid, +are, by ascending to this pitch and elevation of thought, most assuredly +advancing towards that far higher step, which it will remain for our +posterity to take, and which will raise their view to so commanding a +height, as to insure the utter rejection of those old and eminently +irreligious dogmas of supernatural interference with the affairs of life, +which superstition has invented, and ignorance has bequeathed, and the +present acceptance of which betokens the yet early condition of our +knowledge, the penury of our intellectual resources, and the inveteracy +of the prejudices in which we are still immersed. + + [756] The theory of the indestructibility of force has been applied to + the law of gravitation by Professor Faraday, in his _Discourse on + the Conservation of Force_, 1857; an essay full of thought and + power, and which should be carefully studied by every one who + wishes to understand the direction which the highest speculations + of physical science are now taking. I will quote only one passage + from the opening, to give the reader an idea of its general scope, + irrespective of the more special question of gravitation. 'The + progress of the strict science of modern times has tended more and + more to produce the conviction that force can neither be created + nor destroyed; and to render daily more manifest the value of the + knowledge of that truth in experimental research.' ... 'Agreeing + with those who admit the conservation of force to be a principle + in physics, as large and sure as that of the indestructibility of + matter, or the invariability of gravity, I think that no + particular idea of force has a right to unlimited or unqualified + acceptance, that does not include assent to it.' + + [757] As an illustration of this doctrine, I cannot do better than quote + the following passage from one of the most suggestive and clearly + reasoned books which has been written in this century by an + English physicist: 'Wave your hand; the motion which has + apparently ceased, is taken up by the air, from the air by the + walls of the room, &c., and so by direct and reacting waves, + continually comminuted, but never destroyed. It is true that, at a + certain point, we lose all means of detecting the motion, from its + minute subdivision, which defies our most delicate means of + appreciation, but we can indefinitely extend our power of + detecting it accordingly as we confine its direction, or increase + the delicacy of our examination. Thus, if the hand be moved in + unconfined air, the motion of the air would not be sensible to a + person at a few feet distant; but if a piston of the same extent + of surface as the hand be moved with the same rapidity in a tube, + the blast of air may be distinctly felt at several yards' + distance. There is no greater absolute amount of motion in the air + in the second than in the first case, but its direction is + restrained, so as to make its means of detection more facile. By + carrying on this restraint, as in the air-gun, we get a power of + detecting the motion, and of moving other bodies at far greater + distances. The puff of air which would in the air-gun project a + bullet a quarter of a mile, if allowed to escape without its + direction being restrained, as by the bursting of a bladder, would + not be perceptible at a yard's distance, though the same absolute + amount of motion be impressed on the surrounding air.' _Grove's + Correlation of Physical Forces_, London, 1855, pp. 24, 25. In a + work now issuing from the press, and still unfinished, it is + suggested, with considerable plausibility, that Persistence of + Force would be a more accurate expression than Conservation of + Force. See Mr. Herbert Spencer's _First Principles_, London, 1861, + p. 251. The title of this book gives an inadequate notion of the + importance of the subjects with which it deals, and of the reach + and subtlety of thought which characterize it. Though some of the + generalizations appear to me rather premature, no well-instructed + and disciplined intellect can consider them without admiration of + the remarkable powers displayed by their author. + +It is, therefore, natural, that the physical doctrine of +indestructibility applied to force as well as to matter, should be +essentially a creation of the present century, notwithstanding a few +allusions made to it by some earlier thinkers, all of whom, however, +groped vaguely, and without general purpose. No preceding age was bold +enough to embrace so magnificent a view as a whole, nor had any preceding +philosophers sufficient acquaintance with nature to enable them to defend +such a conception, even had they desired to entertain it. Thus, in the +case now before us, it is evident, that while heat was believed to be +material, it could not be conceived as a force, and therefore no one +could grasp the theory of its metamorphosis into other forces; though +there are passages in Bacon which prove that he wished to identify it +with motion. It was first necessary to abstract heat into a mere property +or affection of matter, and there was no chance of doing this until heat +was better understood in its immediate antecedents, that is, until, by +the aid of mathematics, its proximate laws had been generalized. But, +with the single exception of Newton, whose efforts, notwithstanding his +gigantic powers, were, on this subject, very unsatisfactory, and who, +moreover, had a decided leaning towards the material theory, no one +attempted to unravel the mathematical laws of heat till the latter half +of the eighteenth century, when Lambert and Black began the career which +Prevost and Fourier followed up. The mind, having been so slow in +mastering the preliminaries and outworks of the inquiry, was not ripe for +the far more difficult enterprise of idealizing heat itself, and so +abstracting it, as to strip it of its material attributes, and leave it +to nothing but the speculative notion of an immaterial force. + +From these considerations, which were necessary to enable the reader to +appreciate the value of what was done in Scotland, it will be seen how +essential it was that the laws of the movement of heat should be studied +before its nature was investigated, and before the emission theory could +be so seriously attacked as to allow of the possibility of that great +doctrine of the indestructibility of force, which, I make no doubt, is +destined to revolutionize our habits of thought, and to give to future +speculations a basis infinitely wider than any previously known. In +regard to the movements of heat, we owe the laws of conduction and of +radiation chiefly to France and Geneva, while the laws of specific heat, +and those of latent heat, were discovered in Scotland. The doctrine of +specific heat, though interesting, has not the scientific importance +which belongs to the other departments of this great subject; but the +doctrine of latent heat is extremely curious, not only in itself, but +also on account of the analogies it suggests with various branches of +physical inquiry. + +What is termed latent heat, is exhibited in the following manner. If, in +consequence of the application of heat, a solid passes into a liquid, as +ice, for instance, into water, the conversion occupies a longer time than +could be explained by any theory which had been propounded down to the +middle of the eighteenth century. Neither was it possible to explain how +it is, that ice never rises above the temperature of 32 deg. until it is +actually melted, no matter what the heat of the adjacent bodies may be. +There were no means of accounting for these circumstances. And though +practical men, being familiar with them, did not wonder at them, they +caused great astonishment among thinkers, who were accustomed to analyze +events, and to seek a reason for common and every-day occurrences. + +Soon after the middle of the eighteenth century, Black, who was then one +of the professors in the University of Glasgow, turned his attention to +this subject.[758] He struck out a theory which, being eminently +original, was violently attacked, but is now generally admitted. With a +boldness and reach of thought not often equalled, he arrived at the +conclusion, that whenever a body loses some of its consistence, as in the +case of ice becoming water, or water becoming steam, such body receives +an amount of heat which our senses, though aided by the most delicate +thermometer, can never detect. For, this heat is absorbed; we lose all +sight of it, and it produces no palpable effect on the material world, +but becomes, as it were, a hidden property. Black, therefore, called it +latent heat, because, though we conceive it as an idea, we cannot trace +it as a fact. The body is, properly speaking, hotter; and yet its +temperature does not rise. Directly, however, the foregoing process is +inverted, that is to say, directly the steam is condensed into water, or +the water hardened into ice, the heat returns into the world of sense; it +ceases to be latent, and communicates itself to the surrounding objects. +No new heat has been created; it has, indeed, appeared and disappeared, +so far as our senses are concerned; but our senses were deceived, since +there has, in truth, been neither addition nor diminution.[759] That +this remarkable theory paved the way for the doctrine of the +indestructibility of force, will be obvious to whoever has examined the +manner in which, in the history of the human mind, scientific conceptions +are generated. The process is always so slow, that no single discovery +has ever been made, except by the united labours of several successive +generations. In estimating, therefore, what each man has done, we must +judge him, not by the errors he commits, but by the truths he propounds. +Most of his errors are not really his own. He inherits them from his +predecessors; and if he throws some of them off, we should be grateful, +instead of being dissatisfied that he has not rejected all. Black, no +doubt, fell into the error of regarding heat as a material substance, +which obeys the laws of chemical composition.[760] But this was merely an +hypothesis, which was bequeathed to him, and with which the existing +state of thought forced him to encumber his theory. He inherited the +hypothesis, and could not get rid of his troublesome possession. The real +service which he rendered is, that, in spite of that hypothesis, which +clung to him to the last, he, far more than any of his contemporaries, +contributed towards the great conception of idealizing heat, and thus +enabled his successors to admit it into the class of immaterial and +supersensual forces. Once admitted into that class, the list of forces +became complete; and it was comparatively easy to apply to the whole body +of force, the same notion of indestructibility, which had previously been +applied to the whole body of matter. But it was hardly possible to effect +this object, while heat stood, as it were, midway between force and +matter, yielding opposite results to different senses; amenable to the +touch, but invisible to the eye. What was wanting, was to remove it +altogether out of the jurisdiction of the senses, and to admit that, +though we experience its effects, we can only conceive its existence. +Towards accomplishing this, Black took a prodigious stride. Unconscious, +perhaps, of the remote tendency of his own labours, he undermined that +doctrine of material heat, which he seemed to support. For, by his +advocacy of latent heat, he taught that its movements constantly baffle, +not only some of our senses, but all of them; and that, while our +feelings make us believe that heat is lost, our intellect makes us +believe that it is not lost. Here, we have apparent destructibility, and +real indestructibility. To assert that a body received heat without its +temperature rising, was to make the understanding correct the touch, and +defy its dictates. It was a bold and beautiful paradox, which required +courage as well as insight to broach, and the reception of which marks an +epoch in the human mind, because it was an immense step towards +idealizing matter into force. Some, indeed, have spoken of invisible +matter; but that is a contradiction in terms, which will never be +admitted, as long as the forms of speech remain unchanged. Nothing can be +invisible, except force, mind, and the Supreme Cause of all. We must, +therefore, ascribe to Black the signal merit that he first, in the study +of heat, impeached the authority of the senses, and thereby laid the +foundation of every thing which was afterwards done. Besides the relation +which his discovery bears to the indestructibility of force, it is also +connected with one of the most splendid achievements effected by this +generation in inorganic physics; namely, the establishment of the +identity of light and heat. To the senses, light and heat, though in some +respects similar, are in most respects dissimilar. Light, for instance, +affects the eye, and not the touch. Heat affects the touch, but, under +ordinary circumstances, does not affect the eye. The capital difference, +however, between them is, that heat, unlike light, possesses the property +of temperature; and this property is so characteristic, that until our +understandings are invigorated by science, we cannot conceive heat +separated from temperature, but are compelled to confuse one with the +other. Directly, however, men began to adopt the method followed by +Black, and were resolved to consider heat as supersensual, they entered +the road which led to the discovery of light and heat being merely +different developments of the same force. Ignoring the effects of heat on +themselves, or on any part of the creation, which was capable of feeling +its temperature, and would therefore be deceived by it, nothing was left +for them to do, but to study its effects on the inanimate world. Then, +all was revealed. The career of discovery was fairly opened; and +analogies between light and heat, which even the boldest imagination had +hardly suspected, were placed beyond a doubt. To the reflection of heat, +which had been formerly known, were now added the refraction of heat, its +double refraction, its polarization, its depolarization, its circular +polarization, the interference of its rays, and their retardation; while, +what is more remarkable than all, the march of our knowledge on these +points was so swift, that before the year 1836 had come to a close, the +chain of evidence was completed by the empirical investigations of Forbes +and Melloni, they themselves little witting that every thing which they +accomplished was prepared before they were born, that they were but the +servants and followers of him who indicated the path in which they trod, +and that their experiments, ingenious as they were, and full of resource, +were simply the direct practical consequence of one of those magnificent +ideas which Scotland has thrown upon the world, and the memory of which +is almost enough so to bribe the judgment, as to tempt us to forget, +that, while the leading intellects of the nation were engaged in such +lofty pursuits, the nation itself, untouched by them, passed them over +with cold and contemptuous indifference, being steeped in that deadening +superstition, which turns a deaf ear to every sort of reason, and will +not hearken to the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely. + + [758] He was appointed professor in 1756; and 'it was during his + residence in Glasgow, between the years 1759 and 1763, that he + brought to maturity those speculations concerning the combination + of heat with matter, which had frequently occupied a portion of + his thoughts.' _Thomson's History of Chemistry_, vol. i. pp. 319, + 320. + + [759] _Black's Lectures on Chemistry_, vol. i. pp. 116, 117; and in + various places. Dr. Robison, the editor of these Lectures, says, + p. 513, 'Nothing could be more simple than his doctrines of latent + heat. The experience of more than a century had made us consider + the thermometer as a sure and accurate indicator of heat, and of + all its variations. We had learned to distrust all others. Yet, in + the liquefaction and vaporization of bodies, we had proofs + uncontrovertible of the entrance of heat into the bodies. And we + could, by suitable processes, get it out of them again. Dr. Black + said that it was concealed in them,--_latent_,--it was as much + concealed as carbonic acid is in marble, or water in zeolite,--it + was concealed till Dr. Black detected it. He called it Latent + Heat. He did not mean by this term that it was a different kind of + heat from the heat which expanded bodies, but merely that it was + concealed from our sense of heat, and from the thermometer.' See + also p. xxxvii.: 'Philosophers had long been accustomed to + consider the thermometer as the surest means for detecting the + presence of heat or fire in bodies, and they distrusted all + others.' + + [760] 'Fluidity is the consequence of a certain combination of calorific + matter with the substance of solid bodies,' &c. _Black's + Lectures_, vol. i. p. 133. Compare p. 192, and the remarks in + _Turner's Chemistry_, 1847, vol. i. p. 31, on Black's views of the + 'chemical combination' of heat. Among the backward chemists, we + still find traces of the idea of heat obeying chemical laws. + +By thus considering the descent and relationship of scientific +conceptions, we can alone understand what we really owe to Black's +discovery of latent heat. In regard to the method of the discovery, +little need be said, since every student of the Baconian philosophy must +see, that the discovery was of a kind for which none of the maxims of +that system had provided. As latent heat escapes the senses, it could not +obey the rules of a philosophy, which grounds all truth on observation +and experiment. The subject of the inquiry being supersensual, there was +no scope for what Bacon called crucial experiments and separations of +nature. The truth was in the idea; experiments, therefore, might +illustrate it, might bring it up to the surface, and so enable men to +grasp it, but could not prove it. And this, which appears on the very +face of the discovery, is confirmed by the express testimony of Dr. +Thomson, who knew Black, and was, indeed, one of the most eminent of his +pupils. We are assured by this unimpeachable witness, that Black, about +the year 1759 began to speculate concerning heat; that the result of +those speculations was the theory of latent heat; that he publicly taught +that theory in the year 1761; but that the experiments which were +necessary to convince the world of it were not made till 1764,[761] +though, as I need hardly add, according to the inductive method, it was a +breach of all the rules of philosophy to be satisfied with the theory +three years before the experiments were made, and it was a still greater +breach, not only to be satisfied with it, but to have openly promulgated +it as an original and unquestionable truth, which explained, in a new +manner, the economy of the material world. + + [761] 'So much was he convinced of this, that he taught the doctrine in + his lectures in 1761, before he had made a single experiment on + the subject.' ... 'The requisite experiments were first attempted + by Dr. Black in 1764.' _Thomson's History of Chemistry_, vol. i. + p. 324. See also pp. 319, 320; and on the history of the idea in + Black's mind as early as the year 1754, see the interesting + extracts from his note-books in Robison's appendix to _Black's + Lectures_, vol. i pp. 525, 526. + + The statement of Dr. Thomson refers to the completion, or last + stage, of the discovery, namely the vaporific combination of heat. + But from a letter which Black wrote to Watt in 1780 (_Muirhead's + Life of Watt_, London, 1859, p. 303), it appears that Thomson has + even understated the question, and that Black, instead of first + teaching his theory in 1761, taught it three years earlier, that + is, _six_ years before the decisive experiments were made. 'I + began,' writes Black, 'to give the doctrine of latent heat in my + lectures at Glasgow in the winter 1757-58, which, I believe, was + the first winter of my lecturing there; or if I did not give it + that winter, I certainly gave it in the 1758-59; and I have + delivered it every year since that time in my winter lectures, + which I continued to give at Glasgow until winter 1766-67, when I + began to lecture in Edinburgh.' + +The intellect of Black belonged to a class, which, in the eighteenth +century, was almost universal in Scotland, but was hardly to be found in +England, and which, for want of a better word, we are compelled to call +deductive, though fully admitting that even the most deductive minds have +in them a large amount of induction, since, indeed, without induction, +the common business of life could not be carried on. But for the purposes +of scientific classification, we may say, that a man or an age is +deductive, when the favourite process is reasoning from principles +instead of reasoning to them, and when there is a tendency to underrate +the value of specific experience. That this was the case with the +illustrious discoverer of latent heat, we have seen, both from the nature +of the discovery, and from the decisive testimony of his friend and +pupil. And a further confirmation may be found in the circumstance, that, +having once propounded his great idea, he, instead of instituting a long +series of laborious experiments, by which it might be verified in its +different branches, preferred reasoning from it according to the general +maxims of dialectic; pushing it to its logical consequences, rather than +tracking it into regions where the senses might either confirm or refute +it.[762] By following this process of thought, he was led to some +beautiful speculations, which are so remote from experience, that even +now, with all the additional resources of our knowledge, we cannot tell +whether they are true or false. Of this kind were his views respecting +the causes of the preservation of man, whose existence would, he thought, +be endangered, except for the power which heat possesses of lying latent +and unobserved. Thus, for example, when a long and severe winter was +followed by sudden warmth, it appeared natural that the ice and snow +should melt with corresponding suddenness; and if this were to happen, +the result would be such terrible inundations, that it would be hardly +possible for man to escape from their ravages. Even if he escaped, his +works, that is, the material products of his civilization, would perish. +From this catastrophe, nothing saves him but the latent power of heat. +Owing to this power, directly the ice and snow begin to melt at their +surface, the heat enters their structure, where a large part of it +remains in abeyance, and thus losing much of its power, the process of +liquefaction is arrested. This dreadful agent is lulled, and becomes +dormant. It is weakened at the outset of its career, and is laid up, as +in a storehouse, from which it can afterwards emerge, gradually, and with +safety to the human species.[763] + + [762] And he distinctly states that, even in other matters, when he did + make experiments, their object was to confirm theory, and not to + suggest it. Thus, to give one of many instances, in his + _Lectures_, vol. i. p. 354, he says, respecting salts, 'When we + examine the solidity of this reasoning by an experiment, _we have + the pleasure to find facts agree exactly with the theory_.' + + [763] See a good summary of this idea in _Black's Lectures on + Chemistry_, vol. i. p. 118. Contrasting his theory of heat with + that previously received, he says, 'But, were the ice and snow to + melt as suddenly as they must necessarily do, were the former + opinion of the action of heat in melting them well founded, the + torrents and inundations would be incomparably more irresistible + and dreadful. They would tear up and sweep away every thing, and + that so suddenly, that mankind should have great difficulty to + escape from their ravages.' + +In this way, as summer advances, a vast magazine of heat is accumulated, +and is preserved in the midst of water, where it can do man no injury, +since, indeed, his senses are unable to feel it. There the heat remains +buried, until, in the rotation of the seasons, winter returns, and the +waters are congealed into ice. In the process of congelation, that +treasury of heat, which had been hidden all the summer, reappears; it +ceases to be latent; and now, for the first time, striking the senses of +man, it tempers, on his behalf, the severity of winter. The faster the +water freezes, the faster the heat is disengaged; so that, by virtue of +this great law of nature, cold actually generates warmth, and the +inclemency of every season, though it cannot be hindered, is softened in +proportion as the inclemency is more threatening.[764] + + [764] 'Dr. Black quickly perceived the vast importance of this + discovery; and took a pleasure in laying before his students a + view of the extensive and beneficial effects of this habitude of + heat in the economy of nature. He made them remark how, by this + means, there was accumulated, during the summer season, a vast + magazine of heat, which, by gradually emerging, during + congelation, from the water which covers the face of the earth, + serves to temper the deadly cold of winter. Were it not for this + quantity of heat, amounting to 145 degrees, which emerges from + every particle of water as it freezes, and which diffuses itself + through the atmosphere, the sun would no sooner go a few degrees + to the south of the equator, than we should feel all the horrors + of winter.' _Robison's Preface to Black's Lectures_, vol. i. + p. xxxviii. + +Thus, again, inasmuch as heat becomes latent, and flies from the senses, +not only when ice is passing into water, but also when water is passing +into steam, we find in this latter circumstance, one of the reasons why +man and other animals can live in the tropics, which, but for this, would +be deserted. They are constantly suffering from the heat which is +collected in their bodies, and which, considered by itself, is enough to +destroy them. But this heat causes thirst, and they consequently swallow +great quantities of fluid, much of which exudes through the pores of the +skin in the form of vapour. And as, according to the theory of latent +heat, vapour cannot be produced without a vast amount of heat being +buried within it, such vapour absorbs and carries off from the body, +that which, if left in the system, would prove fatal. To this we must +add, that, in the tropics, the evaporation of water is necessarily rapid, +and the vapour which is thus produced, becomes another storehouse of +heat, and a vehicle by which it is removed from the earth, and prevented +from unduly interfering with the economy of life.[765] + + [765] As I am writing an account of Black's views, and not a criticism + of them, I shall give them, without comment, in his own words, and + in the words of one of his pupils. 'Here we can also trace another + magnificent train of changes, which are nicely accommodated to the + wants of the inhabitants of this globe. In the equatorial regions, + the oppressive heat of the sun is prevented from a destructive + accumulation by copious evaporation. The waters, stored with their + vaporific heat, are thus carried aloft into the atmosphere, till + the rarest of the vapour reaches the very cold regions of the air, + which immediately forms a small portion of it into a fleecy cloud. + This also further tempers the scorching heat by its opacity, + performing the acceptable office of a screen. From thence the + clouds are carried to the inland countries, to form the sources in + the mountains, which are to supply the numberless streams that + water the fields. And, by the steady operation of causes, which + are tolerably uniform, the greater part of the vapours pass on to + the circumpolar regions, there to descend in rains and dews; and + in this beneficent conversion into rain, by the cold of those + regions, each particle of steam gives up the 700 or 800 degrees of + heat which were latent in it. These are immediately diffused, and + soften the rigour of those less comfortable climates.' ... 'I am + persuaded that the heat absorbed in spontaneous evaporation + greatly contributes to enable animals to bear the heat of the + tropical climates, where the thermometer frequently continues to + show the temperature of the human body. Such heats, indeed, are + barely supportable, and enervate the animal, making it lazy and + indolent, indulging in the most relaxed postures, and avoiding + every exertion of body or mind. The inhabitants are induced to + drink large draughts of diluting liquors, which transude through + their pores most copiously, carrying off with them a vast deal of + this troublesome and exhausting heat. There is in the body itself + a continual laboratory, or manufacture of heat, and, were the + surrounding air of such a temperature as not to carry it off, it + would soon accumulate so as to destroy life. The excessive + perspiration, supplied by diluting draughts, performs the same + office as the cold air without the tropics, in guarding us from + this fatal accumulation.' _Black's Lectures_, vol. i. pp. xlvi. + 214. + +From these and many other arguments, all of which were so essentially +speculative, and dealt with such hidden processes of nature, that even +now we are not justified either in confidently admitting them or in +positively denying them, Black was led to that great doctrine of the +indestructibility of heat,[766] which, as I have pointed out, has, in its +connexion with the indestructibility of force, a moral and social +importance even superior to its scientific value. Though the evidence of +which he was possessed was far more scanty than what we now have, he, by +the reach of his commanding intellect, rather than by the number and +accuracy of his facts, became so penetrated with a conviction of the +stability of physical affairs, that he not only applied that idea to the +subtle phenomena of heat, but, what was much harder to do, he applied it +to cases in which heat so entirely escapes the senses, that man has no +cognizance of it, except through the medium of the imagination. According +to his view, heat passes through an immense variety of changes, during +which it appears to be lost; changes which no eye can ever see, which no +touch can ever experience, and which no instrument can ever measure. +Still, and in the midst of all these changes, it remains intact. From it +nothing can be taken, and to it nothing can be added. In one of those +fine passages of his Lectures, which, badly reported as they are,[767] +bear the impress of his elevated genius, Black, after stating what would +probably happen, if the total amount of heat existing in the world were +to be diminished, proceeds to speculate on the consequences of its being +increased. Were it possible for any power to add to it ever so little, +it would at once overstep its bounds; the equilibrium would be disturbed; +the framework of affairs would be disjointed. The evil rapidly +increasing, and acting with accumulated force, nothing would be able to +stop its ravages. It must continue to gain ground, till all other +principles are absorbed and conquered. Sweeping on, unhindered, and +irresistible, before it, every animal must perish, the whole vegetable +world must disappear, the waters must pass into vapour, and the solid +parts of the globe be merged and melted, until, at length, the glorious +fabric, loosened and dissolved, would fall away, and return to that +original chaos out of which it had been evolved.[768] + + [766] See his strong protest against the notion that heat is ever + destroyed, in his _Lectures_, vol. i. pp. 125, 126, 164, 165. + + [767] They were published after his death from such scanty materials, + that their editor, Dr. Robison, says (_Preface to Black's + Lectures_, vol. i. p. x.): 'When I then entered seriously on the + task, I found that the notes were (with the exception of perhaps a + score of lectures) in the same imperfect condition that they had + been in from the beginning, consisting entirely of single leaves + of paper, in octavo, full of erasions, interlinings, and + alterations of every kind; so that, in many places, it was not + very certain which of several notes was to be chosen.' + + [768] 'On the other hand, were the heat which at present cherishes and + enlivens this globe, allowed to increase beyond the bounds at + present prescribed to it; beside the destruction of all animal and + vegetable life, which would be the immediate and inevitable + consequence, the water would lose its present form, and assume + that of an elastic vapour like air; the solid parts of the globe + would be melted and confounded together, or mixed with the air and + water in smoke and vapour; and nature would return to the original + chaos.' _Black's Lectures_, vol. i. pp. 246, 247. + +These, like many other of the speculations of this great thinker, will +find small favour with those purely inductive philosophers, who not only +suppose, perhaps rightly, that all our knowledge is in its beginning +built upon facts, but who countenance, what seems to me, the very +dangerous opinion, that every increase of knowledge must be preceded by +an increase of facts. To such men it will appear, that Black had far +better have occupied himself in making new observations, or devising new +experiments, than in thus indulging his imagination in wild and +unprofitable dreams. They will think, that these flights of fancy are +suitable, indeed, to the poet, but unworthy of that severe accuracy, and +of that close attention to facts, which ought to characterize a +philosopher. In England, especially, there is, among physical inquirers, +an avowed determination to separate philosophy from poetry, and to look +upon them, not only as different, but as hostile. Among that class of +thinkers, whose zeal and ability are beyond all praise, and to whom we +owe almost unbounded obligations, there does undoubtedly exist a very +strong opinion, that, in their own pursuit, the imagination is extremely +dangerous, as leading to speculations, of which the basis is not yet +assured, and generating a desire to catch too eagerly at distant glimpses +before the intermediate ground has been traversed. That the imagination +has this tendency is undeniable. But they who object to it on this +account, and who would, therefore, divorce poetry from philosophy, have, +I apprehend, taken a too limited view of the functions of the human mind, +and of the manner in which truth is obtained. There is, in poetry, a +divine and prophetic power, and an insight into the turn and aspect of +things, which, if properly used, would make it the ally of science +instead of the enemy. By the poet, nature is contemplated on the side of +the emotions; by the man of science, on the side of the understanding. +But the emotions are as much a part of us as the understanding: they are +as truthful; they are as likely to be right. Though their view is +different, it is not capricious. They obey fixed laws; they follow an +orderly and uniform course; they run in sequences; they have their logic +and method of inference. Poetry, therefore, is a part of philosophy, +simply because the emotions are a part of the mind. If the man of science +despises their teaching, so much the worse for him. He has only half his +weapons; his arsenal is unfilled. Conquests, indeed, he may make, because +his native strength may compensate the defects of his equipment. But his +success would be more complete and more rapid, if he were properly +furnished and made ready for the battle. And I cannot but regard as the +worst intellectual symptom of this great country, what I must venture to +call the imperfect education of physical philosophers, as exhibited both +in their writings and in their trains of thought. This is the more +serious, because they, as a body, form the most important class in +England, whether we look at their ability, or at the benefits we have +received from them, or at the influence they are exercising, and are +likely to exercise, over the progress of society. It cannot, however, be +concealed, that they display an inordinate respect for experiments, an +undue love of minute detail, and a disposition to overrate the inventors +of new instruments, and the discoverers of new, but often insignificant, +facts. Their predecessors of the seventeenth century, by using hypotheses +more boldly, and by indulging their imagination more frequently, did +certainly effect greater things, in comparison with the then state of +knowledge, than our contemporaries, with much superior resources, have +been able to achieve. The magnificent generalizations of Newton and +Harvey could never have been completed in an age absorbed in one +unvarying round of experiments and observations. We are in that +predicament, that our facts have outstripped our knowledge, and are now +encumbering its march. The publications of our scientific institutions, +and of our scientific authors, overflow with minute and countless +details, which perplex the judgment, and which no memory can retain. In +vain do we demand that they should be generalized, and reduced into +order. Instead of that, the heap continues to swell. We want ideas, and +we get more facts. We hear constantly of what nature is doing, but we +rarely hear of what man is thinking. Owing to the indefatigable industry +of this and the preceding century, we are in possession of a huge and +incoherent mass of observations, which have been stored up with great +care, but which, until they are connected by some presiding idea, will be +utterly useless. The most effective way of turning them to account, would +be to give more scope to the imagination, and incorporate the spirit of +poetry with the spirit of science. By this means, our philosophers would +double their resources, instead of working, as now, maimed, and with only +half their nature. They fear the imagination, on account of its tendency +to form hasty theories. But, surely, all our faculties are needed in the +pursuit of truth, and we cannot be justified in discrediting any part of +the human mind. And I can hardly doubt, that one of the reasons why we, +in England, made such wonderful discoveries during the seventeenth +century, was because that century was also the great age of English +poetry. The two mightiest intellects our country has produced are +Shakspeare and Newton; and that Shakspeare should have preceded Newton, +was, I believe, no casual or unmeaning event. Shakspeare and the poets +sowed the seed, which Newton and the philosophers reaped. Discarding the +old scholastic and theological pursuits, they drew attention to nature, +and thus became the real founders of all natural science. They did even +more than this. They first impregnated the mind of England with bold and +lofty conceptions. They taught the men of their generation to crave after +the unseen. They taught them to pine for the ideal, and to rise above the +visible world of sense. In this way, by cultivating the emotions, they +opened one of the paths which lead to truth. The impetus which they +communicated, survived their own day, and, like all great movements, was +felt in every department of thought. But now it is gone; and, unless I am +greatly mistaken, physical science is at present suffering from its +absence. Since the seventeenth century, we have had no poet of the +highest order, though Shelley, had he lived, would perhaps have become +one. He had something of that burning passion, that sacred fire, which +kindles the soul, as though it came fresh from the altar of the gods. But +he was cut off in his early prime, when his splendid genius was still in +its dawn. If we except his immature, though marvellous, efforts, we may +assuredly say, that, for nearly two hundred years, England has produced +no poetry which bears those unmistakable marks of inspiration which we +find in Spenser, in Shakspeare, and in Milton. The result is, that we, +separated by so long an interval from those great feeders of the +imagination, who nurtured our ancestors, and being unable to enter fully +into the feelings of poets, who wrote when nearly all opinions, and, +therefore, nearly all forms of emotion, were very different to what they +now are, cannot possibly sympathize with those immortal productions so +closely as their contemporaries did. The noble English poetry of the +sixteenth and seventeenth centuries is read more than ever, but it does +not colour our thoughts; it does not shape our understandings, as it +shaped the understandings of our forefathers. Between us and them is a +chasm, which we cannot entirely bridge. We are so far removed from the +associations amid which those poems were composed, that they do not flash +upon us with that reality and distinctness of aim, which they would have +done, had we lived when they were written. Their garb is strange, and +belongs to another time. Not merely their dialect and their dress, but +their very complexion and their inmost sentiments, tell of bygone days, +of which we have no firm hold. There is, no doubt, a certain ornamental +culture, which the most highly educated persons receive from the +literature of the past, and by which they sometimes refine their taste, +and sometimes enlarge their ideas. But the real culture of a great +people, that which supplies each generation with its principal strength, +consists of what is learnt from the generation immediately preceding. +Though we are often unconscious of the process, we build nearly all our +conceptions on the basis recognized by those who went just before us. Our +closest contact is, not with our forefathers, but with our fathers. To +them we are linked by a genuine affinity, which, being spontaneous, costs +us no effort, and from which, indeed, we cannot escape. We inherit their +notions, and modify them, just as they modified the notions of their +predecessors. At each successive modification, something is lost and +something is gained, until, at length, the original type almost +disappears. Therefore it is, that ideas entertained several generations +ago, bear about the same relation to us, as ideas preserved in a foreign +literature. In both cases, the ideas may adorn our knowledge, but they +are never so thoroughly incorporated with our minds, as to be the +knowledge itself. The assimilation is incomplete, because the sympathy is +incomplete. We have now no great poets; and our poverty in this respect +is not compensated by the fact, that we once had them, and that we may, +and do, read their works. The movement has gone by; the charm is broken; +the bond of union, though not cancelled, is seriously weakened. Hence, +our age, great as it is, and, in nearly all respects, greater than any +the world has yet seen, has, notwithstanding its large and generous +sentiments, its unexampled toleration, its love of liberty, and its +profuse, and almost reckless, charity, a certain material, unimaginative, +and unheroic character, which has made several observers tremble for the +future. So far as I can understand our present condition, I do not +participate in these fears, because I believe that the good we have +already gained, is beyond all comparison greater than what we have lost. +But that something has been lost, is unquestionable. We have lost much of +that imagination, which, though, in practical life, it often misleads, +is, in speculative life, one of the highest of all qualities, being +suggestive as well as creative. Even practically, we should cherish it, +because the commerce of the affections mainly depends on it. It is, +however, declining; while, at the same time, the increasing refinement of +society accustoms us more and more to suppress our emotions, lest they +should be disagreeable to others. And as the play of the emotions is the +chief study of the poet, we see, in this circumstance, another reason +which makes it difficult to rival that great body of poetry which our +ancestors possessed. Therefore, it is doubly incumbent on physical +philosophers to cultivate the imagination. It is a duty they owe to their +own pursuits, which would be enriched and invigorated by such an +enlargement of their resources. It is also a duty which they owe to +society in general; since they, whose intellectual influence is already +greater than that of any other class, and whose authority is perceptibly +on the increase, might have power enough to correct the most serious +deficiency of the present age, and to make us some amends for our +inability to produce such a splendid imaginative literature as that which +our forefathers created, and in which the choicest spirits of the +seventeenth century did, if I may so say, dwell and have their being. + +If, therefore, Black had done nothing more than set the example of a +great physical philosopher giving free scope to the imagination, he would +have conferred upon us a boon, the magnitude of which it is not easy to +overrate. And it is very remarkable, that, before he died, that +department of inorganic physics, which he cultivated with such success, +was taken up by another eminent Scotchman, who pursued exactly the same +plan, though with somewhat inferior genius. I allude, of course, to +Leslie, whose researches on heat are well known to those who are occupied +with this subject; while, for our present purpose, they are chiefly +interesting as illustrating that peculiar method which, in the eighteenth +century, seemed essential to the Scotch mind. + +About thirty years after Black propounded his famous theory of heat, +Leslie began to investigate the same topic, and, in 1804, published a +special dissertation upon it.[769] In that work, and in some papers in +his _Treatises on Philosophy_, are contained his views, several of which +are now known to be inaccurate,[770] though some are of sufficient value +to mark an epoch in the history of science. Such was his generalization +respecting the connexion between the radiation of heat, and its +reflection; bodies which reflect it most, radiating it least, and those +which radiate it most, reflecting it least. Such, too, was another wide +conclusion, which the best inquirers have since confirmed, namely, that, +while heat is radiating from a body, the intensity of each ray is as the +sine of the angle which it makes with the surface of that body. + + [769] Mr. Napier, in his _Memoirs of Leslie_, pp. 16, 17 (prefixed to + _Leslie's Treatises on Philosophy_, Edinb. 1838), says, that he + 'composed the bulk of his celebrated work on Heat in the years + 1801 and 1802;' but that, in 1793, he propounded 'some of its + theoretical opinions, as well as the germs of its discoveries.' It + appears, however, from his own statement, that he was making + experiments on heat, at all events, as early as 1791. See + _Leslie's Experimental Inquiry into the Nature and Propagation of + Heat_, London, 1804, p. 409. + + [770] For specimens of some of his most indefensible speculations, see + _Leslie's Treatises on Philosophy_, pp. 38, 43. + +These were important steps, and they were the result of experiments, +preceded by large and judicious hypotheses. In relation, however, to the +economy of nature, considered as a whole, they are of small account in +comparison with what Leslie effected towards consolidating the great idea +of light and heat being identical, and thus preparing his contemporaries +for that theory of the interchange of forces, which is the capital +intellectual achievement of the nineteenth century. But it is interesting +to observe, that, with all his ardour, he could not go beyond a certain +length. He was so hampered by the material tendencies of his time, that +he could not bring himself to conceive heat as a purely supersensual +force, of which temperature was the external manifestation.[771] For +this, the age was barely ripe. We accordingly find him asserting, that +heat is an elastic fluid, extremely subtle, but still a fluid.[772] His +real merit was, that, notwithstanding the difficulties which beset his +path, he firmly seized the great truth, that there is no fundamental +difference between light and heat. As he puts it, each is merely a +metamorphosis of the other. Heat is light in complete repose. Light is +heat in rapid motion. Directly light is combined with a body, it becomes +heat; but when it is thrown off from that body, it again becomes +light.[773] + + [771] Though he clearly distinguishes between the two. 'It is almost + superfluous to remark, that the term heat is of ambiguous import, + denoting either a certain sensation, or the external cause which + excites it.' _Leslie on Heat_, p. 137. + + [772] 'Heat is an elastic fluid extremely subtle and active.' _Leslie on + Heat_, p. 150. At p. 31, 'calorific and frigorific fluid.' See + also pp. 143, 144; and the attempt to measure its elasticity, in + pp. 177, 178. + + [773] 'Heat is only light in the state of combination.' _Leslie on + Heat_, p. 162. 'Heat in the state of emission constitutes light.' + p. 174. 'It is, therefore, the same subtle matter, that, according + to its different modes of existence, constitutes either heat or + light. Projected with rapid celerity, it forms light; in the state + of combination with bodies it acts as heat.' p. 188. See also p. + 403, 'different states of the same identical substance.' + +Whether this is true or false, we cannot tell; and many years, perhaps +many generations, will have to elapse before we shall be able to tell. +But the service rendered by Leslie is quite independent of the accuracy +of his opinion, as to the manner in which light and heat are +interchanged. That they are interchanged, is the essential and paramount +idea. And we must remember, that he made this idea the basis of his +researches, at a period when some very important facts, or, I should +rather say, some very conspicuous facts, were opposed to it; while the +main facts which favoured it were still unknown. When he composed his +work, the analogies between light and heat, with which we are now +acquainted, had not been discovered; no one being aware, that double +refraction, polarization, and other curious properties, are common to +both. To grasp so wide a truth in the face of such obstacles, was a rare +stroke of sagacity. But, on account of the obstacles, the inductive mind +of England refused to receive the truth, as it was not generalized from a +survey of all the facts. And Leslie, unfortunately for himself, died too +soon to enjoy the exquisite pleasure of witnessing the empirical +corroboration of his doctrine by direct experiment, although he clearly +perceived that the march of discovery, in reference to polarization, was +leading the scientific world to a point, of which his keen eye had +discerned the nature, when, to others, it was an almost invisible speck, +dim in the distant offing.[774] + + [774] In 1814, that is ten years after his great work was published, and + about twenty years after it was begun, he writes from Paris: 'My + book on heat is better known' here 'than in England. I was even + reminded of some passages in it which in England were considered + as fanciful, but which the recent discoveries on the polarity of + light have confirmed.' _Napier's Memoirs of Leslie_, p. 28, + prefixed to _Leslie's Philosophical Treatises_, edit. Edinb. 1838. + Leslie died in 1832 (p. 40); and the decisive experiments of + Forbes and Melloni were made between 1834 and 1836. + +In regard to the method adopted by Leslie, he assures us, that, in +assuming the principles from which he reasoned, he derived great aid from +poetry; for he knew that the poets are, after their own manner, +consummate observers, and that their united observations form a treasury +of truths, which are nowise inferior to the truths of science, and of +which science must either avail herself, or else suffer from neglecting +them.[775] To apply these truths rightly, and to fit them to the +exigencies of physical inquiry, is, no doubt, a most difficult task, +since it involves nothing less than holding the balance between the +conflicting claims of the emotions and the understanding. Like all great +enterprises, it is full of danger, and, if undertaken by an ordinary +mind, would certainly fail. But there are two circumstances which make it +less dangerous in our time, than in any earlier period. The first +circumstance is, that the supremacy of the human understanding, and its +right to judge all theories for itself, is now more generally admitted +than ever; so that there can be little fear of our leaning to the +opposite side, and allowing poetry to encroach on science. The other +circumstance is, that our knowledge of the laws of nature is much greater +than that possessed by any previous age; and there is, consequently, less +risk of the imagination leading us into error, inasmuch as we have a +large number of well-ascertained truths, which we can confront with every +speculation, no matter how plausible or ingenious it may appear. + + [775] 'The easiest mode of conceiving the subject, is to consider the + heat that permeates all bodies, and unites with them in various + proportions, as merely the subtle fluid of light in a state of + combination. When forcibly discharged, or suddenly elicited from + any substance, it again resumes its radiant splendour.' ... 'The + same notion was embraced by the poets, and gives sublimity to + their finest odes.' ... 'Those poetical images which have + descended to our own times, were hence founded on a close + observation of nature. Modern philosophy need not disdain to adopt + them, and has only to expand and reduce to precision the original + conceptions.' _Leslie's Treatises on Philosophy_, pp. 308, 309. + Again, at p. 416: 'This is not the first occasion in which we have + to admire, through the veil of poetical imagery, the sagacity and + penetration of those early sages. It would be weakness to expect + nice conclusions in the infancy of science; but it is arrogant + presumption to regard all the efforts of unaided genius with + disdain.' + +On both these grounds, Leslie was, I apprehend, justified in taking the +course which he did. At all events, it is certain, that, by following it, +he came nearer than would otherwise have been possible, to the +conceptions of the most advanced scientific thinkers of our day. He +distinctly recognized that, in the material world, there is neither break +nor pause; so that what we call the divisions of nature have no +existence, except in our minds.[776] He was even almost prepared to do +away with that imaginary difference between the organic and inorganic +world, which still troubles many of our physicists, and prevents them +from comprehending the unity and uninterrupted march of affairs. They, +with their old notions of inanimate matter, are unable to see that all +matter is living, and that what we term death is a mere expression by +which we signify a fresh form of life. Towards this conclusion, all our +knowledge is now converging; and it is certainly no small merit in +Leslie, that he, sixty years ago, when really comprehensive views, +embracing the whole creation, were scarcely known among scientific men, +should have strongly insisted that all forces are of the same kind, and +that we have no right to distinguish between them, as if some were +living, and others were dead.[777] + + [776] 'We should recollect that, in all her productions, Nature exhibits + a chain of perpetual gradation, and that the systematic divisions + and limitations are entirely artificial, and designed merely to + assist the memory and facilitate our conceptions.' _Leslie on + Heat_, p. 506. + + [777] 'All forces are radically of the same kind, and the distinction of + them into _living_ and _dead_ is not grounded on just principles.' + _Leslie on Heat_, p. 133. Compare p. 299: 'We shall perhaps find, + that this prejudice, like many others, has some semblance of + truth; and that even dead or inorganic substances must, in their + recondite arrangements, exert such varying energies, and _so like + sensation itself_, as if fully unveiled to our eyes, could not + fail to strike us with wonder and surprise.' + +We owe much to him, by whom such views were advocated. But they were +then, and in a certain, though far smaller degree, they are now, so out +of the domain of physical experience, that Leslie never could have +obtained them by generalizing in the way which the inductive philosophy +enjoins. His great work on heat was executed, as well as conceived, on +the opposite plan;[778] and his prejudices on this point were so strong, +that we are assured by his biographer, that he would allow no merit to +Bacon, who organized the inductive method into a system, and to whose +authority we in England pay a willing, and I had almost said a servile, +homage.[779] + + [778] Mr. Napier, in his _Life of Leslie_, p. 17, says of it, very + gravely, 'Its hypotheses are not warranted by the sober maxims of + inductive logic.' + + [779] 'Notwithstanding the contrary testimony, explicitly recorded by + the founders of the English experimental school, he denied all + merit and influence to the immortal delineator of the inductive + logic.' _Napier's Life of Leslie_, p. 42. + +Another curious illustration of the skill with which the Scotch mind, +when once possessed of a principle, worked from it deductively, appears +in the geological speculations of Hutton, late in the eighteenth century. +It is well known, that the two great powers which have altered the +condition of our planet, and made it what it is, are fire and water. Each +has played so considerable a part, that we can hardly measure their +relative importance. Judging, however, from the present appearance of the +crust of the earth, there is reason to believe, that the older rocks are +chiefly the result of fusion, and that the younger are aqueous deposits. +It is, therefore, not unlikely, that, in the order in which the energies +of nature have unfolded themselves, fire preceded water, and was its +necessary precursor.[780] But, all that we are as yet justified in +asserting is, that these two causes, the igneous and the aqueous, were in +full operation long before man existed, and are still busily working. +Perhaps they are preparing another change in our habitation, suitable to +new forms of life, as superior to man, as man is superior to the beings +who occupied the earth before his time. Be this as it may, fire and water +are the two most important and most general principles with which +geologists are concerned; and though, on a superficial view, each is +extremely destructive, it is certain that they can really destroy +nothing, but can only decompose and recompose; shifting the arrangements +of nature, but leaving nature herself intact. Whether one of these +elements will ever again get the upper hand of its opponent, is a +speculation of extreme interest. For, there is reason to suspect, that, +at one period, fire was more active than water, and that, at another +period, water was more active than fire. That they are engaged in +incessant warfare, is a fact with which geologists are perfectly +familiar, though, in this, as in many other cases, the poets were the +first to discern the truth. To the eye of the geologist, water is +constantly labouring to reduce all the inequalities of the earth to a +single level; while fire, with its volcanic action, is equally busy in +restoring those inequalities, by throwing up matter to the surface, and +in various ways disturbing the crust of the globe.[781] And as the beauty +of the material world mainly depends on that irregularity of aspect, +without which scenery would have presented no variety of form, and but +little variety of colour, we shall, I think, not be guilty of too refined +a subtlety, if we say that fire, by saving us from the monotony to which +water would have condemned us, has been the remote cause of that +development of the imagination which has given us our poetry, our +painting, and our sculpture, and has thereby not only wonderfully +increased the pleasures of life, but has imparted to the human mind a +completeness of function, to which, in the absence of such a stimulus, it +could not have attained. + + [780] The supposition, that volcanic agencies were formerly more potent + than they are now, is by no means inconsistent with the scientific + doctrine of uniformity, though it is generally considered to be + so. It is one thing to assert the uniformity of natural laws; it + is quite another thing to assert the uniformity of natural causes. + Heat may once have produced far greater effects than it can do at + present, and yet the laws of nature be unchanged, and the order + and sequence of events unbroken. What I would venture to suggest + to geologists is, that they have not taken sufficiently into + account the theory of the interchange of forces, which seems to + offer a solution of at least part of the problem. For, by that + theory, a large portion of the heat which formerly existed may + have been metamorphosed into other forces, such as light, chemical + affinity, and gravitation. The increase of these forces consequent + on the diminution of heat, would have facilitated the + consolidation of matter; and until such forces possessed a certain + energy, water, which afterwards became so prominent, could not + have been formed. If the power of chemical affinity, for instance, + were much weaker than it is, water would assuredly resolve itself + into its component gases. Without wishing to lay too much stress + on this speculation, I submit it to the consideration of competent + judges, because I am convinced that any hypothesis, not absolutely + inconsistent with the known laws of nature, is preferable to that + dogma of interference, which what may be called the miraculous + school of geologists wish to foist upon us, in utter ignorance of + its incompatibility with the conclusions of the most advanced + minds in other departments of thought. + + The remarks in Sir Roderick Murchison's great work (_Siluria_, + London, 1854, pp. 475, 476) on the 'grander intensity of former + causation,' and on the difficulty this opposes to the + 'uniformitarians,' apply merely to those who take for granted that + _each_ force has always been equally powerful: they do not affect + those who suppose that it is only the _aggregate_ of force which + remains unimpaired. Though the distribution of forces may be + altered, their gross amount is not susceptible of change, so far + as the highest conceptions of our actual science extend. + Consequently, there is no need for us to believe that, in + different periods, the intensity of causation varies; though we + may believe that some one agent, such as heat, had at one time + more energy than it has ever had since. + + [781] 'The great agents of change in the inorganic world may be divided + into two principal classes, the aqueous and the igneous. To the + aqueous belong rain, rivers, torrents, springs, currents, and + tides; to the igneous, volcanos and earthquakes. Both these + classes are instruments of decay as well as of reproduction; but + they may also be regarded as antagonist forces. For the aqueous + agents are incessantly labouring to reduce the inequalities of the + earth's surface to a level; while the igneous are equally active + in restoring the unevenness of the external crust, partly by + heaping up new matter in certain localities, and partly by + depressing one portion, and forcing out another, of the earth's + envelope.' _Lyell's Principles of Geology_, 9th edit., London, + 1853, p. 198. + +When geologists began to study the laws according to which fire and water +had altered the structure of the earth, two different courses were open +to them, namely, the inductive and the deductive. The deductive plan was +to compute the probable consequences of fire and water, by reasoning from +the sciences of thermotics and hydrodynamics; tracking each element by an +independent line of argument, and afterwards cooerdinating into a single +scheme the results which had been separately obtained. It would then only +remain to inquire, how far this imaginary scheme harmonized with the +actual state of things; and if the discrepancy between the ideal and the +actual were not greater than might fairly be expected from the +perturbations produced by other causes, the ratiocination would be +complete, and geology would, in its inorganic department, become a +deductive science. That our knowledge is ripe for such a process, I am +far, indeed, from supposing; but this is the path which a deductive mind +would take, so far as it was able. On the other hand, an inductive mind, +instead of beginning with fire and water, would begin with the effects +which fire and water had produced, and would first study these two +agents, not in their own separate sciences, but in their united action as +exhibited on the crust of the earth. An inquirer of this sort would +assume, that the best way of arriving at truth would be to proceed from +effects to causes, observing what had actually happened, and rising from +the complex results up to a knowledge of the simple agents, by whose +power the results have been brought about. + +If the reader has followed the train of thought which I have endeavoured +to establish in this chapter, and in the first volume, he will be +prepared to expect that when, in the latter half of the eighteenth +century, geology was first seriously studied, the inductive plan of +proceeding from effects to causes became the favourite one in England; +while the deductive plan of proceeding from causes to effects, was +adopted in Scotland and in Germany. And such was really the case. It is +generally admitted, that, in England, scientific geology owes its origin +to William Smith, whose mind was singularly averse to system, and who, +believing that the best way of understanding former causes was to study +present effects, occupied himself, between the years 1790 and 1815, in a +laborious examination of different strata.[782] In 1815, he, after +traversing the whole of England on foot, published the first complete +geological map which ever appeared, and thus took the first great step +towards accumulating the materials for an inductive generalization.[783] +In 1807, and, therefore, before he had brought his arduous task to an +end, there was formed in London the Geological Society, the express +object of which, we are assured, was, to observe the condition of the +earth, but by no means to generalize the causes which had produced that +condition.[784] The resolution was, perhaps, a wise one. At all events, +it was highly characteristic of the sober and patient spirit of the +English intellect. With what energy and unsparing toil it has been +executed, and how the most eminent members of the Geological Society +have, in the pursuit of truth, not only explored every part of Europe, +but examined the shell of the earth in America and in Northern Asia, is +well known to all who are interested in these matters; nor can it be +denied, that the great works of Lyell and Murchison prove that the men +who are capable of such laborious enterprises, are also capable of the +still more difficult achievement of generalizing their facts and refining +them into ideas. They did not go as mere observers, but they went with +the noble object of making their observations subservient to a discovery +of the laws of nature. That was their aim; and all honour be to them for +it. Still, it is evident, that their process is essentially inductive; it +is a procedure from the observation of complex phenomena, up to the +elements to which those phenomena are owing; it is, in other words, a +study of natural effects, in order to learn the operation of natural +causes. + + [782] Dr. Whewell, comparing him with his great German contemporary, + Werner, says, 'In the German, considering him as a geologist, the + ideal element predominated.' ... 'Of a very different temper and + character was William Smith. No literary cultivation of his youth + awoke in him the _speculative love of symmetry and system_; but a + singular clearness and precision of the classifying power, which + he possessed as a native talent, was exercised and developed by + exactly those geological facts among which his philosophical task + lay.' ... 'We see great vividness of thought and activity of mind, + _unfolding itself exactly in proportion to the facts with which it + had to deal_.' ... 'He dates his attempts to discriminate and + connect strata from the year 1790.' _Whewell's History of the + Inductive Sciences_, London, 1847, vol. iii. pp. 562-564. + + [783] 'The execution of his map was completed in 1815, and remains a + lasting monument of original talent and extraordinary + perseverance; for he had explored the whole country on foot + without the guidance of previous observers, or the aid of + fellow-labourers, and had succeeded in throwing into natural + divisions the whole complicated series of British rocks.' _Lyell's + Principles of Geology_, p. 58. Geological maps of parts of England + had, however, been published before 1815. See _Conybeare on + Geology_, in _Second Report of the British Association_, p. 373. + + [784] 'A great body of new data were required; and the Geological + Society of London, founded in 1807, conduced greatly to the + attainment of this desirable end. To multiply and record + observations, and patiently to await the result at some future + period, was the object proposed by them; and it was their + favourite maxim, that the time was not yet come for a general + system of geology, but that all must be content for many years to + be exclusively engaged in furnishing materials for future + generalizations.' _Lyell's Principles of Geology_, p. 59. Compare + _Richardson's Geology_, 1851, p. 40. + +Very different was the process in Germany and Scotland. In 1787, that is, +only three years before William Smith began his labours, Werner, by his +work on the classification of mountains, laid the foundation of the +German school of geology.[785] His influence was immense; and among his +pupils we find the names of Mohs, Raumer, and Von Buch, and even that of +Alexander Humboldt.[786] But the geological theory which he propounded, +depended entirely on a chain of argument from cause to effect. He +assumed, that all the great changes through which the earth had passed, +were due to the action of water. Taking this for granted, he reasoned +deductively from premisses with which his knowledge of water supplied +him. Without entering into details respecting his system, it is enough to +say, that, according to it, there was originally one vast and primeval +sea, which, in the course of time, deposited the primitive rocks. The +base of all was granite; then gneiss; and others followed in their +order. In the bosom of the water, which at first was tranquil, agitations +gradually arose, which, destroying part of the earliest deposits, gave +birth to new rocks, formed out of their ruins. The stratified thus +succeeded to the unstratified, and something like variety was +established. Then came another period, in which the face of the waters, +instead of being merely agitated, was convulsed by tempests, and, amid +their play and collision, life was generated, and plants and animals +sprung into existence. The vast solitude was slowly peopled, the sea +gradually retired; and a foundation was laid for that epoch, during which +man entered the scene, bringing with him the rudiments of order and of +social improvement.[787] + + [785] Cuvier, in his Life of Werner, says (_Biographie Universelle_, + vol. i. pp. 376, 377), 'La connaissance des positions respectives + des mineraux dans la croute du globe, et ce que l'on peut en + conclure relativement aux epoques de leur origine, forment une + autre branche de la science qu'il appelle Geognosie. Il en + presenta les premieres bases en 1787, dans un petit ecrit intitule + "Classification et description des Montagnes."' + + [786] _Whewell's History of the Inductive Sciences_, vol. iii. p. 567. + + [787] 'Une mer universelle et tranquille depose en grandes masses les + roches primitives, roches nettement cristallisees, ou domine + d'abord la silice. Le granit fait la base de tout; au granit + succede le gneiss, qui n'est qu'un granit commencant a se + feuilleter.' ... 'Des agitations intestines du liquide detruisent + une partie de ces premiers depots; de nouvelles roches se forment + de leurs debris reunis par des cimens. C'est parmi ces tempetes + que nait la vie.' ... 'Les eaux, de nouveau tranquillisees, mais + dont le contenu a change, deposent des couches moins epaisses et + plus variees, ou les debris des corps vivans s'accumulent + successivement dans un ordre non moins fixe que celui des roches + qui les contiennent. Enfin, la derniere retraite des eaux repand + sur le continent d'immenses alluvions de matieres meubles, + premiers sieges de la vegetation, de la culture et de la + sociabilite.' _Eloge de Werner_, in _Cuvier_, _Recueil des Eloges + Historiques_, vol. ii. pp. 321-323. + +These were the leading views of a system which, we must remember, +exercised great sway in the scientific world, and won over to its side +minds of considerable power. Erroneous and far-fetched though it was, it +had the merit of calling attention to one of the two chief principles +which have determined the present condition of our planet. It had the +further merit of provoking a controversy, which was eminently serviceable +to the interests of truth. For, the great enemy of knowledge is not +error, but inertness. All that we want is discussion, and then we are +sure to do well, no matter what our blunders may be. One error conflicts +with another; each destroys its opponent, and truth is evolved. This is +the course of the human mind, and it is from this point of view that the +authors of new ideas, the proposers of new contrivances, and the +originators of new heresies, are benefactors of their species. Whether +they are right or wrong, is the least part of the question. They tend to +excite the mind; they open up the faculties; they stimulate us to fresh +inquiry; they place old subjects under new aspects; they disturb the +public sloth; and they interrupt, rudely, but with most salutary effect, +that love of routine, which, by inducing men to go grovelling on in the +ways of their ancestors, stands in the path of every improvement, as a +constant, an outlying, and, too often, a fatal obstacle. + +The method adopted by Werner was evidently deductive, since he argued +from a supposed cause, and reasoned from it to the effects. In that +cause, he found his major premiss, and thence he worked downwards to his +conclusion, until he reached the world of sense and of reality. He +trusted in his one great idea, and he handled that idea with consummate +skill. On that very account, did he pay less attention to existing facts. +Had he chosen, he, like other men, could have collected them, and +subjected them to an inductive generalization. But he preferred the +opposite path. To reproach him with this is irrational; for, in his +journey after truth, he chose one of the only two roads which are open to +the human mind. In England, indeed, we are apt to take for granted that +one road is infinitely preferable to the other. It may be so; but on +this, as on many other subjects, assertions are current which have never +been proved. At all events, Werner was so satisfied with his method, that +he would not be at the pains of examining the position of rocks and their +strata, as they are variously exhibited in different countries; he did +not even explore his own country, but, confining himself to a corner of +Germany, he began and completed his celebrated system, without +investigating the facts on which, according to the inductive method, that +system should have been built.[788] + + [788] 'If it be true that delivery be the first, second, and third + requisite in a popular orator, it is no less certain that to + travel is of first, second, and third importance to those who + desire to originate just and comprehensive views concerning the + structure of our globe. Now, Werner had not travelled to distant + countries: he had merely explored a small portion of Germany, and + conceived, and persuaded others to believe, that the whole surface + of our planet, and all the mountain chains in the world, were made + after the model of his own province.' ... 'It now appears that he + had misinterpreted many of the most important appearances even in + the immediate neighbourhood of Freyberg. Thus, for example, within + a day's journey of his school, the porphyry, called by him + primitive, has been found not only to send forth veins, or dykes, + through strata of the coal formation, but to overlie them in + mass.' _Lyell's Principles of Geology_, p. 47. + +Exactly the same process, on the same subject, and at the same time, was +going on in Scotland. Hutton, who was the founder of Scotch geology, and +who, in 1788, published his _Theory of the Earth_, conducted the inquiry +just as Werner did; though, when he began his speculations, he had no +knowledge of what Werner was doing.[789] The only difference between them +was, that while Werner reasoned from the agency of water, Hutton reasoned +from the agency of fire. The cause of this may, I think, be explained. +Hutton lived in a country where some of the most important laws of heat +had, for the first time, been generalized, and where consequently, that +department of inorganic physics had acquired great reputation. It was +natural for a Scotchman to take more than ordinary interest in a subject +in which Scotland had been so successful, and had obtained so much fame. +We need not, therefore, wonder that Hutton, who, like all men, felt the +intellectual bent of the time in which he lived, should have yielded to +an influence of which he was, perhaps, unconscious. In obedience to the +general mental habits of his country he adopted the deductive method. In +further obedience to the more special circumstances connected with his +own immediate pursuits, he gathered the principles from which he reasoned +from a study of fire, instead of gathering them, as Werner did, from a +study of water. + + [789] Though Hutton's _Theory of the Earth_ was first published in 1788, + the edition of 1795, which is the one I have used, contains a + great number of additional illustrations of his views, and was + evidently re-written. But the main features are the same; and we + learn from his friend, Playfair, that 'the great outline of his + system' was completed 'several years' before 1788. _Life of + Hutton_, in _Playfair's Works_, vol. iv. p. 50, Edinburgh, 1822. + +Hence it is, that, in the history of geology, the followers of Werner are +known as Neptunists, and those of Hutton as Plutonists.[790] And these +terms represent the only difference between the two great masters. In the +most important points, namely their method, they were entirely agreed. +Both were essentially one-sided; both paid a too exclusive attention to +one of the two principal agents which have altered, and are still +altering, the crust of the earth; both reasoned from those agents, +instead of reasoning to them; and both constructed their system without +sufficiently studying the actual and existing facts; committing, in this +respect, an error which the English geologists were the first to rectify. + + [790] Kirwan appears to have been the first who called Hutton's theory + 'the Plutonic System.' See _Illustrations of the Huttonian + Theory_, in _Playfair's Works_, vol. i. p. 145. On the distinction + between Neptunists and Plutonists, see the same work, pp. 504, + 505. + +As I am writing a history, not of science, but of scientific method, I +can only briefly glance at the nature of those services which Hutton +rendered to geology, and which are so considerable, that his system has +been called its present basis.[791] This, however, is too strongly +expressed; for, though Hutton was far from denying the influence of +water,[792] he did not concede enough to it, and there is a tendency +among several geologists to admit that the system of Werner considered +as an aqueous theory, contains a larger amount of truth than the +advocates of the igneous theory are willing to allow. Still, what Hutton +did was most remarkable, especially in reference to what are now termed +metamorphic rocks, the theory of whose formation he was the first to +conceive.[793] Into this, and into their connexion, on the one hand, with +the sedimentary rocks, and, on the other hand, with those rocks whose +origin is perhaps purely igneous, I could not enter without treading on +debatable ground. But, putting aside what is yet uncertain, I will +mention two circumstances respecting Hutton which are undisputed, and +which will give some idea of his method, and of the turn of his mind. The +first circumstance is, that, although he ascribed to subterranean heat, +as exhibited in volcanic action, a greater and more constant energy than +any previous inquirers had ventured to do,[794] he preferred speculating +on the probable consequences of that action, rather than drawing +inferences from the facts which the action presented; he being on this +point so indifferent, that he arrived at his conclusions without +inspecting even a single region of active volcanoes, where he might have +watched the workings of nature, and seen what she was really about.[795] +The other circumstance is equally characteristic. Hutton, in his +speculations concerning the geological effects of heat, naturally availed +himself of the laws which Black had unfolded. One of those laws was, that +certain earths owe their fusibility to the presence of fixed air in them +before heat has expelled it; so that if it were possible to force them to +retain their fixed air, or carbonic acid gas, as we now call it, no +amount of heat could deprive them of the capability of being fused. The +fertile mind of Hutton saw, in this discovery, a principle from which he +could construct a geological argument. It occurred to him, that great +pressure would prevent the escape of fixed air from heated rocks, and +would thus enable them to be fused, notwithstanding their elevated +temperature. He then supposed that, at a period anterior to the existence +of man, such a process had taken place under the surface of the sea, and +that the weight of so great a column of water had prevented the rocks +from being decomposed while they were subjected to the action of fire. In +this way, their volatile parts were held together, and they themselves +might be melted, which could not have happened except for this enormous +pressure. By following this line of argument, he accounted for the +consolidation of strata by heat; since, according to the premisses from +which he started, the oily, or bituminous parts, would remain, in spite +of the efforts of heat to disperse them.[796] This striking speculation +led to the inference, that the volatile components of a substance, and +its fixed components, may be made to cohere, in the very teeth of that +apparently irresistible agent whose business it is to effect their +separation. Such an inference was contrary to all experience; or, to say +the least, no man had ever seen an instance of it.[797] Indeed, the +event was only supposed to happen in consequence of circumstances which +were never met with on the surface of the globe, and which, therefore, +were out of the range of all human observation.[798] The utmost that +could be expected was, that, by means of our instruments, we might, +perhaps, on a small scale, imitate the process which Hutton had imagined. +It was possible, that a direct experiment might artificially combine +great pressure with great heat, and that the result might be, that the +senses would realize what the intellect had conceived.[799] But the +experiment had never been tried, and Hutton, who delighted in reasoning +from ideas rather than from facts, was not likely to undertake it.[800] +He cast his speculation on the world, and left it to its fate.[801] +Fortunately, however, for the reception of his system, a very ingenious +and skilful experimenter of that day, Sir James Hall, determined to test +the speculation by an appeal to facts; and as nature did not supply the +facts which he wanted, he created them for himself. He applied heat to +powdered chalk, while, at the same time, with great delicacy of +manipulation, he subjected the chalk to a pressure about equal to the +weight of a column of water half a mile high. The result was, that, under +that pressure, the volatile parts of the chalk were held together; the +carbonic acid gas was unable to escape; the generation of quicklime was +stopped; the ordinary operations of nature were baffled, and the whole +composition, being preserved in its integrity, was fused, and, on +subsequently cooling, actually crystallized into solid marble.[802] +Never was triumph more complete. Never did a fact more fully confirm an +idea.[803] But, in the mind of Hutton, the idea preceded the fact by a +long interval; since, before the fact was known, the theory had been +raised, and the system which was built upon it had, indeed, been +published several years. It, therefore, appears that one of the chief +parts of the Huttonian Theory, and certainly its most successful part, +was conceived in opposition to all preceding experience; that it +pre-supposed a combination of events which no one had ever observed, and +the mere possibility of which nothing but artificial experiment could +prove; and, finally, that Hutton was so confident of the validity of his +own method of inquiry, that he disdained to make the experiment himself, +but left to another mind that empirical branch of the investigation which +he deemed of little moment, but which we, in England, are taught to +believe is the only safe foundation of physical research.[804] + + [791] 'Has not only supplanted that of Werner, but has formed the + foundation of the researches and writings of our most enlightened + observers, and is justly regarded as the basis of all sound + geology at the present day.' _Richardson's Geology_, London, 1851, + p. 38. + + [792] _Hutton's Theory of the Earth_, Edinb. 1795, vol. i. pp. 34, 41, + 192, 290, 291, 593, vol. ii. pp. 236, 369, 378, 555. + + [793] 'In his writings, and in those of his illustrator, Playfair, we + find the germ of the metamorphic theory.' _Lyell's Manual of + Geology_, London, 1851, p. 92. + + [794] The shortest summary of this view is in his _Theory of the Earth_, + Edin. 1795, vol. ii. pp. 556. 'The doctrine, therefore, of our + Theory is briefly this; that whatever may have been the operation + of dissolving water, and the chemical action of it upon the + materials accumulated at the bottom of the sea, the general + solidity of that mass of earth, and the placing of it in the + atmosphere above the surface of the sea, has been the immediate + operation of fire or heat melting and expanding bodies.' + + [795] 'Although Hutton had never explored any region of active volcanos, + he had convinced himself that basalt and many other trap rocks + were of igneous origin.' _Lyell's Principles of Geology_, London, + 1853, p. 51. To this I may add, that he wrote his work without + having examined granite. He says (_Theory of the Earth_, vol. i. + p. 214), 'It is true, I met with it on my return by the east + coast, when I just saw it, and no more, at Peterhead and Aberdeen; + but that was all the granite I had ever seen when I wrote my + _Theory of the Earth_. I have, since that time, seen it in + different places; because I went on purpose to examine it, as I + shall have occasion to describe in the course of this work.' + Hutton's theory of granite is noticed in _Bakewell's Geology_, + London, 1838, p. 101: but Mr. Bakewell does not seem to be aware + that the theory was formed before the observations were made. + + [796] _Huttonian Theory_, in _Playfair_, vol. i. pp. 38-40, 509, 510. + Compare _Playfair's Life of Hutton_, p. 61. + + [797] Hence, the objections of Kirwan were invalid; because his argument + against Hutton was 'grounded on experiments, where that very + separation of the volatile and fixed parts takes place, which it + excluded in that hypothesis of subterraneous heat.' HUTTONIAN + THEORY, in _Playfair_, vol. i. p. 193, Edinb. 1822. + + [798] Hutton says (_Theory of the Earth_, Edinb. 1795, vol. i. p. 94), + 'The place of mineral operations is not on the surface of the + earth; and we are not to limit nature with our imbecility, or + estimate the powers of nature by the measure of our own.' See also + p. 159, 'mineral operations proper to the lower regions of the + earth.' And p. 527, 'The mineral operations of nature lie in a + part of the globe which is necessarily inaccessible to man, and + where the powers of nature act under very different conditions + from those which we find take place in the only situation where we + can live.' Again, in vol. ii. p. 97, 'The present Theory of the + Earth holds for principle that the strata are consolidated in the + mineral regions far beyond the reach of human observation.' + Similarly, vol. ii. p. 484, 'we judge not of the progress of + things from the actual operations of the surface.' + + [799] Hutton, however, did not believe that this could be done. 'In the + Theory of the Earth which was published, I was anxious to warn the + reader against the notion that subterraneous heat and fusion could + be compared with that which we induce by our chemical operations + on mineral substances here upon the surface of the earth.' + _Hutton's Theory of the Earth_, vol. i. p. 251. + + [800] See, in the _Life of Hutton_, in _Playfair's Works_, vol. iv. + p. 62 note, a curious remark on his indifference to experimental + verification. Innumerable passages in his work indicate this + tendency, and show his desire to reason immediately from general + principles. Thus, in vol. i. p. 17, 'Let us strictly examine our + principles in order to avoid fallacy in our reasoning.' ... 'We + are now, in reasoning from principles, come to a point decisive of + the question.' vol. i. p. 177. 'Let us now reason from our + principles.' vol. ii. p. 308. Hence, his constantly expressed + contempt for experience; as in vol. ii. p. 367, where he says that + we must 'overcome those prejudices which contracted views of + nature and _magnified opinions of the experience of man_ may have + begotten.' + + [801] Playfair (_Life of Hutton_, p. 64) says that it drew 'their + attention' (_i.e._ the attention of 'men of science'), 'very + slowly, so that several years elapsed before any one showed + himself publicly concerned about it, either as an enemy or a + friend.' He adds, as one of the reasons of this, that it contained + 'too little detail of facts for a system which involved so much + that was new, and opposite to the opinions generally received.' + + [802] The account of these experiments was read before the Royal Society + of Edinburgh in 1805, and is printed in their _Transactions_, vol. + vi. pp. 71-185, Edinb. 1812, 4to. The general result was (pp. 148, + 149), 'That a pressure of 52 atmospheres, or 1700 feet of sea, is + capable of forming a limestone in a proper heat; That under 86 + atmospheres, answering nearly to 3000 feet, or about half a mile, + a complete marble may be formed; and lastly, That, with a pressure + of 173 atmospheres, or 5700 feet, that is little more than one + mile of sea, the carbonate of lime is made to undergo complete + fusion, and to act powerfully on other earths.' See also p. 160: + 'The carbonic acid of limestone cannot be constrained in heat by a + pressure less than that of 1708 feet of sea.' There is a short, + and not very accurate, notice of these instructive experiments in + _Bakewell's Geology_, London, 1838, pp. 249, 250. + + [803] As Sir James Hall says, 'The truth of the most doubtful principle + which Dr. Hutton has assumed, has thus been established by direct + experiment.' _Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh_, + vol. vi. p. 175. + + [804] See the remarks of Sir James Hall, in _Transactions_, vol. vi. + pp. 74, 75. He observes that Hutton's 'system, however, involves + so many suppositions, apparently in contradiction to common + experience, which meet us on the very threshold, that most men + have hitherto been deterred from an investigation of its + principles, and only a few individuals have justly appreciated its + merits.' ... 'I conceived that the chemical effects ascribed by + him to compression, ought, in the first place, to be + investigated.' ... 'It occurred to me that this principle was + susceptible of being established in a direct manner by experiment, + and _I urged him to make the attempt; but he always rejected this + proposal_, on account of the immensity of the natural agents, + whose operation he supposed to lie far beyond the reach of our + imitation; and he seemed to imagine that any such attempt must + undoubtedly fail, and thus _throw discredit on opinions, already + sufficiently established, as he conceived, on other principles_.' + +I have now given an account of all the most important discoveries made by +Scotland, in the eighteenth century, respecting the laws of the inorganic +world. I have said nothing of Watt, because, although the steam-engine, +which we owe to him, is of incalculable importance, it is not a +discovery, but an invention. An invention it may justly be termed, rather +than an improvement.[805] Notwithstanding what had been effected in the +seventeenth century, by De Caus, Worcester, Papin, and Savery, and +notwithstanding the later additions of Newcomen and others, the real +originality of Watt is unimpeachable. His engine was, essentially, a new +invention; but, under its scientific aspect, it was merely a skilful +adaptation of laws previously known; and one of its most important +points, namely, the economy of heat, was a practical application of ideas +promulgated by Black.[806] The only discovery made by Watt, was that of +the composition of water. Though his claims are disputed by the friends +of Cavendish, it would appear that he was the first who ascertained that +water, instead of being an element, is a compound of two gases.[807] This +discovery was a considerable step in the history of chemical analysis, +but it neither involved nor suggested any new law of nature, and has, +therefore, no claim to mark an epoch in the history of the human +mind.[808] There is, however, one circumstance connected with it which is +too characteristic to be passed over in silence. The discovery was made +in 1783, by Watt, the Scotchman, and by Cavendish, the Englishman, +neither of whom seems to have been aware of what the other was +doing.[809] But between the two there was this difference. Watt, for +several years previously, had been speculating on the subject of water in +connexion with air, and having, by Black's law of latent heat, associated +them together, he was prepared to believe that one is convertible into +the other.[810] The idea of an intimate analogy between the two bodies +having once entered his mind, gradually ripened; and when he, at last, +completed the discovery, it was merely by reasoning from data which +others possessed besides himself. Instead of bringing to light new facts, +he drew new conclusions from former ideas.[811] Cavendish, on the other +hand, obtained his result by the method natural to an Englishman. He did +not venture to draw a fresh inference, until he had first ascertained +some fresh facts. Indeed, his discovery was so completely an induction +from his own experiments, that he omitted to take into consideration the +theory of latent heat, from which Watt had reasoned, and where that +eminent Scotchman had found the premisses of his argument.[812] Both of +these great inquirers arrived at truth, but each accomplished his journey +by a different path. And this antithesis is accurately expressed by one +of the most celebrated of living chemists, who, in his remarks on the +composition of water, truly says, that while Cavendish established the +facts, Watt established the idea.[813] + + [805] It may be traced back, certainly to the beginning of the + seventeenth century, and probably still higher. Yet the popular + opinion seems to be correct, that Watt was its real inventor; + though, of course, he could not have done what he did, without his + predecessors. This, however, may be said of all the most eminent + and successful men, as well as of the most ordinary men. + + [806] On the obligations of Watt to Black, compare _Brougham's Life of + Watt_ (_Brougham's Works_, vol. i. pp. 25, 36-38, edit. Glasgow, + 1855), with _Muirhead's Life of Watt_, second edit. London, 1859, + pp. 66, 83. At p. 301, Mr. Muirhead says of Watt, that 'his + principal inventions connected with the steam-engine, with all + their prodigious results, were founded, as we have seen, on the + attentive observation of great philosophical truths; and the + economy of fuel, increase of productive power, and saving of + animal labour, which gradually ensued, all originated in the + sagacious and careful thought with which he investigated the + nature and properties of heat.' But whatever investigations Watt + made into heat, he discovered no new law respecting it, or, at all + events, no new law which is large enough to be noted in the + history of thermotics, considered purely as a science, and apart + from practical application. Mr. Muirhead, in his interesting work + which I have just quoted, has published (pp. 484-486) some remarks + made on the subject by Watt, several years after the death of + Black, which, though perfectly fair and candid, show that Watt had + a rather confused notion of the real difference between an + invention and a discovery. + + [807] Mr. Muirhead, in his _Life of Watt_, pp. 301-370, seems to have + put the priority of Watt beyond further doubt; though he is + somewhat hard upon Cavendish, who, there can be little question, + made the discovery for himself. + + [808] I would not wish to diminish one jot of the veneration in which + the great name of Watt is justly held. But when I find the opinion + of Dr. Withering, the botanist, quoted, to the effect that his + 'abilities and acquirements placed him next, if not superior, to + Newton.' (_Muirhead's Life of Watt_, p. 302), I cannot but protest + against such indiscriminate eulogy, which would rank Watt in the + same class as one of those godlike intellects of which the whole + world has not produced a score, and which are entitled to be + termed inspired, if ever human being was so. Another instance of + this injudicious panegyric will be found in the same otherwise + excellent work (_Muirhead_, pp. 324, 325), where we read that + Watt's discovery that water consists of oxygen and hydrogen, was + 'the commencement of a new era, the dawn of a new day in physical + inquiry, the real foundation of the new system of chemistry; nay, + even a discovery "perhaps of greater importance than any single + fact which human ingenuity has ascertained either before or + since."' + + [809] That there was no plagiarism on the part of Watt, we know from + positive evidence; that there was none on the part of Cavendish, + may be fairly presumed, both from the character of the man, and + also from the fact that in the then state of chemical knowledge + the discovery was imminent, and could not have been long delayed. + It was antecedently probable that the composition of water would + be ascertained by different persons at the same time, as we have + seen in many other discoveries which have been simultaneously + made, when the human mind, in that particular department of + inquiry, had reached a certain point. We are too apt to suspect + philosophers of stealing from each other, what their own abilities + are sufficient to work out for themselves. It is, however, certain + that Watt thought himself ill-treated by Cavendish. See _Watt's + Correspondence on the Composition of Water_, London, 1846, + pp. 48, 61. + + [810] On 26th November 1783, he writes: 'For many years I have + entertained an opinion that air was a modification of water; which + was originally founded on the facts, that in most cases where air + was actually made, which should be distinguished from those + wherein it is only extricated from substances containing it in + their pores, or otherwise united to them in the state of air, the + substances were such as were known to contain water as one of + their constituent parts, yet no water was obtained in the + processes, except what was known to be only loosely connected with + them, such as the water of the crystallization of salts. _This + opinion arose from a discovery that the latent heat contained in + steam diminished, in proportion as the sensible heat of the water + from which it was produced, increased_; or, in other words, that + the latent heat of steam was less when it was produced under a + greater pressure, or in a more dense state, and greater when it + was produced under a less pressure, or in a less dense state; + which led me to conclude, that when a very great degree of heat + was necessary for the production of the steam, the latent heat + would be wholly changed into sensible heat; and that, in such + cases, the steam itself might suffer some remarkable change. I now + abandon this opinion, in so far as relates to the change of water + into air, as I think that may be accounted for on better + principles.' See this remarkable passage, which is quite decisive + as to the real history of Watt's discovery, in _Correspondence of + James Watt on the Composition of Water_, London, 1846, pp. 84, 85. + Compare p. cxxiv. and p. 248 note. + + [811] In the paper which he communicated to the Royal Society, announcing + his discovery, he, well knowing the empirical character of the + English mind, apologizes for this; and says, 'I feel much + reluctance to lay my thoughts on these subjects before the public + in their present indigested state, and _without having been able + to bring them to the test of such experiments as would confirm or + refute them_.' _Watt's Correspondence on the Discovery of the + Composition of Water_, pp. 77, 78. Eleven months earlier, that is + in December 1782, he writes (_Ibid._ p. 4): 'Dr. Priestley has + made a most surprising discovery, which _seems to confirm my + theory_ of water's undergoing some very remarkable change at the + point where all its latent heat would be changed into sensible + heat.' + + [812] 'He' (_i.e._ Cavendish) 'here omits entirely the consideration of + latent heat; an omission which he even attempts to justify, in one + of the passages interpolated by Blagden. But it is well known to + every one acquainted with the first principles of chemical + science, even as it was taught in the days of Black, and it was + indisputably familiar to Mr. Watt, that no aeriform fluid can be + converted into a liquid, nor any liquid into a solid, without tho + evolution of heat, previously latent. This essential part of the + process, Mr. Cavendish's theory does not embrace; but without it, + no theory on the subject can be complete; and it will presently be + seen, that Mr. Watt took it fully into account.' _Muirhead's Life + of Watt_, p. 315. + + [813] 'Cavendish and Watt both discovered the composition of water. + Cavendish established the facts; Watt the idea.' ... '_The + attaching too high a value to the mere facts, is often a sign of a + want of ideas._' _Liebig's Letters on Chemistry_, London, 1851, p. + 48. The last sentence of this illustrious philosopher, which I + have put in italics, should be well pondered in England. If I had + my way, it should be engraved in letters of gold over the portals + of the Royal Society and of the Royal Institution. + +Thus much, as to what was effected by the Scotch in the department of +inorganic science. If we now turn to organic science, we shall find that, +there also, their labours were very remarkable. To those who are capable +of a certain elevation and compass of thought, it will appear, in the +highest degree, probable, that, between the organic and inorganic world, +there is no real difference. That they are separated, as is commonly +asserted, by a sharp line of demarcation, which indicates where one +abruptly ends, and the other abruptly begins, seems to be a supposition +altogether untenable. Nature does not pause, and break off in this fitful +and irregular manner. In her works there is neither gap nor chasm. To a +really scientific mind, the material world presents one vast and +uninterrupted series, gradually rising from the lowest to the highest +forms, but never stopping. In one part of that series, we find a +particular structure, which, so far as our observations have yet +extended, we, in another part, cannot find. We also observe particular +functions, which correspond to the structure, and, as we believe, result +from it. This is all we know. Yet, from these scanty facts, we, who, at +present, are still in the infancy of knowledge, and have but skimmed the +surface of things, are expected to infer, that there must be a point, in +the chain of existence, where both structure and function suddenly cease, +and, after which, we may vainly search for signs of life. It would be +difficult to conceive a conclusion more repugnant to the whole march and +analogy of modern thought. In every department, the speculations of the +greatest thinkers are constantly tending to cooerdinate all phenomena, and +to regard them as different, indeed, in degree, but by no means as +different in kind. Formerly, men were content to ground their conviction +of this difference in kind, on the evidence of the eye, which, on a +cursory inspection, saw an organization in some bodies, and not in +others. From the organization, they inferred the life, and supposed that +plants, for instance, had life, but that minerals had none. This sort of +argument was long deemed satisfactory; but, in the course of time, it +broke down; more evidence was required, and, since the middle of the +seventeenth century, it has been universally admitted, that the eye, by +itself, is an untrustworthy witness, and that we must employ the +microscope, instead of relying on the unaided testimony of our own puny +and precarious senses. But the microscope is steadily improving, and we +cannot tell what limits there are to its capacity for improvement. +Consequently, we cannot tell what fresh secrets it may disclose. Neither +can we say, that it may not be altogether superseded by some new +artificial resource, which shall furnish us with evidence, as superior to +any yet supplied, as our present evidence is superior to that of the +naked eye. Even already, and notwithstanding the shortness of time during +which the microscope has been a really effective instrument, it has +revealed to us organizations, the existence of which no one had +previously suspected. It has proved, that what, for thousands of years, +had been deemed mere specks of inert matter, are, in truth, animals +possessing most of the functions which we possess, reproducing their +species in regular and orderly succession, and endowed with a nervous +system, which shows that they must be susceptible of pain and enjoyment. +It has detected life hidden in the glaciers of Switzerland; it has found +it embedded in the polar ice, and, if it can flourish there, it is hard +to say from what quarter it can be shut out. So unwilling, however, are +most men to relinquish old notions, that the resources of chemistry have +been called in, to ascertain the supposed difference between organic and +inorganic matter: it being asserted, that, in the organic world, there is +a greater complexity of molecular combination, than in the +inorganic.[814] Chemists further assert, that, in organic nature, there +is a predominance of carbon, and, in inorganic, a predominance of +silicon.[815] But chemical analysis, like microscopic observation, is +making such rapid strides, that each generation, I had almost said each +year, is unsettling some of the conclusions previously established; so +that, now, and for a long time hence, we must regard those conclusions as +empirical, and, indeed, as merely tentative. Surely a permanent and +universal inference cannot be drawn from shifting and precarious facts, +which are admitted to-day, and may be overthrown to-morrow. It would, +therefore, appear that, in favour of the opinion, that some bodies are +living, and that others are dead, we have nothing, except the +circumstance, that our researches, so far as they have yet gone, have +shown that cellular structure, growth, and reproduction, are not the +invariable properties of matter, but are excluded from a large part of +the visible world, which, on that account, we call inanimate. This is the +whole of the argument on that side of the question. On the other side, we +have the fact, that our sight, and the artificial instruments, by whose +aid we have arrived at this conclusion, are confessedly imperfect; and we +have the further fact, that, imperfect as they are, they have proved, +that the organic kingdom is infinitely more extensive than the boldest +dreamer had ever imagined, while they have not been able to enlarge the +boundaries of the inorganic kingdom to any thing like the same amount. +This shows, that, so far as our opinions are concerned, the balance is +steadily inclining in one given direction; in other words, as our +knowledge advances, a belief in the organic is encroaching upon a belief +in the inorganic.[816] When we, moreover, add, that all science is +manifestly converging towards one simple and general theory, which shall +cover the whole range of material phenomena, and that, at each successive +step, some irregularities are explained away, and some inequalities are +reduced, it can hardly be doubted, that such a movement tends to weaken +those old distinctions, the reality of which has been too hastily +assumed; and that, in their place, we must, sooner or later, substitute +the more comprehensive view, that life is a property of all matter, and +that the classification of bodies into animate and inanimate, or into +organic and inorganic, is merely a provisional arrangement, convenient, +perhaps, for our present purposes, but which, like all similar divisions, +will eventually be merged in a higher and wider scheme. + + [814] 'Organic substances, whether directly derived from the vegetable + or animal kingdom, or produced by the subsequent modification of + bodies which thus originate, are remarkable as a class for a + degree of complexity of constitution far exceeding that observed + in any of the compounds yet described.' _Fownes' Chemistry_, 3rd + edit., London, 1850, p. 353. I quote this, as the first authority + at hand, for a doctrine which is universally admitted by chemists, + and which is indubitably true, _so far as our experiments have at + present extended_. + + [815] 'As the organic world is characterized by the predominance, in + quantity, of carbon, so the mineral or inorganic world is marked + by a similar predominance of silicon.' _Turner's Chemistry_, + edited by Liebig and Gregory, vol. ii. p. 678, London, 1847. + + [816] I mean, of course, to apply this remark only to the globe we + inhabit, and not to extra-terrestrial phenomena. Respecting the + organization or non-organization of what exists out of this earth, + we have no evidence, and can hardly expect to have any for + centuries. Inferences have, indeed, been drawn from telescopic + observations; and attempts are now being made, abroad, to + determine, by a still more refined process, the physical + composition of some of the heavenly bodies. But without venturing, + in this note, to enter into such discussions, or even to state + their purport, I may say, that the difficulty of _verification_ + will long prove an insuperable barrier to our knowledge of the + truth or falsehood of any results which may be obtained. + +Until, however, that step is taken, we must be content to reason +according to the evidence supplied by our imperfect instruments, or by +our still more imperfect senses. We, therefore, recognize the difference +between organic and inorganic nature, not as a scientific truth, but as a +scientific artifice, by which we separate in idea, what is inseparable in +fact; hoping, in this way, to pursue our course with the greater ease, +and ultimately to obtain results, which will make the artifice needless. +Assuming, then, this division, we may refer all investigations of organic +bodies to one of two objects. The first object is, to ascertain the law +of those bodies, in their usual, healthy, or, as we somewhat erroneously +phrase it, normal course. The other object is, to ascertain their law, in +their unusual, unhealthy, or abnormal course. When we attempt to do the +first of these things, we are physiologists. When we attempt to do the +second, we are pathologists.[817] + + [817] Mr. Simon, in his thoughtful and suggestive Lectures, says, 'We + may describe Pathology to consist in the Science of Life under + other conditions than those of ideal perfection.' _Simon's + Lectures on Pathology_, London, 1850, p. 14. This is by far the + best description I have met with; though, as it involves a + negative, it cannot be accepted as a definition. Indeed, the + context shows that Mr. Simon does not suppose it to be one. + +Physiology and pathology are thus the two fundamental divisions of all +organic science.[818] Each is intimately connected with the other; and +eventually, no doubt, both will be fused into a single study, by +discovering laws which will prove that here, as elsewhere, nothing is +really abnormal, or irregular. Hitherto, however, the physiologists have +immeasurably outstripped the pathologists in the comprehensiveness of +their views, and, therefore, in the value of their results. For, the +best physiologists distinctly recognize that the basis of their science +must include, not only the animals below man, but also the entire +vegetable kingdom, and that, without this commanding survey of the whole +realm of organic nature, we cannot possibly understand even human +physiology, still less general physiology. The pathologists, on the other +hand, are so much in arrear, that the diseases of the lower animals +rarely form part of their plan; while the diseases of plants are almost +entirely neglected, although it is certain that, until all these have +been studied, and some steps taken to generalize them, every pathological +conclusion will be eminently empirical, on account of the narrowness of +the field from which it is collected. + + [818] I formerly adopted the commonly received division of organic + statics, and organic dynamics; the statics being anatomy, and the + dynamics being physiology. But, I now think that our knowledge is + not sufficiently advanced to make this so convenient as the + division into physiological and pathological, or into normal and + abnormal, provided we remember that in reality nothing is + abnormal. The practically useful, but eminently unscientific, + doctrine, that there can be alteration of function without + alteration of structure, has effaced some of the most essential + distinctions between anatomy and physiology, and especially + between morbid anatomy and morbid physiology. Until those + distinctions are recognized, the scientific conceptions of + professional writers must be confused, however valuable their + practical suggestions may be. While men are capable of believing + that it is _possible_ for variations of function to proceed from + any cause except variations of structure, the philosophic + importance of anatomy will be imperfectly appreciated, and its + true relation to physiology will remain undefined. Inasmuch, + however, as, with our actual resources, the most careful + dissection is often unable to detect (in insanity, for instance) + those changes of structure which produce changes of function, + superficial thinkers are placed under a strong temptation to deny + their invariable connexion; and while the microscope is so + imperfect, and chemistry so backward, it is impossible that + experiments should always convince them of their mistake. Hence, I + believe that until our means of empirical research are greatly + improved, all such investigations, notwithstanding their immense + value in other respects, will tend to lead mere inductive minds + into error, by making them rely too much on what they call the + facts of the case, to the prejudice of the reason. This is what I + mean by saying, that our knowledge is not sufficiently advanced to + make it advisable to divide the sciences of organic bodies into + physiological and anatomical. At present, and probably for some + time yet, the humbler division into physiological and + pathological, may be deemed safer, and more likely to produce + solid results. + +The science of pathology being still so backward in the conception as +well as in the execution, that even men of real ability believe that it +can be raised from a mere study of the human frame, it will hardly be +expected that the Scotch, notwithstanding the marvellous boldness of +their speculations, should have been able, in the eighteenth century, to +anticipate a method which the nineteenth century has yet to employ. But +they produced two pathologists of great ability, and to whom we owe +considerable obligations. These were, Cullen and John Hunter.[819] Cullen +was eminent only as a pathologist; but Hunter, whose fine and discursive +genius took a much wider range, was great both in physiology and in +pathology. A short account of their generalizations respecting organic +science, will be a fitting sequel to the notices I have already given of +what was done by their countrymen for inorganic science, during the same +period. It will complete our survey of the Scotch intellect, and will +enable the reader to form some idea of the brilliant achievements of that +most remarkable people, who, contrary to the course of affairs in all +other modern nations, have shown that scientific discoveries do not +necessarily weaken superstition, and that it is possible for two hostile +principles to flourish side by side, without ever coming into actual +collision, or without sensibly impairing each other's vigour. + + [819] Hunter, as we shall presently see, did take an extraordinarily + comprehensive view of pathology, including the whole of the + organic world and even the aberrations of form in the inorganic. + +In 1751, Cullen was appointed professor of medicine in the University of +Glasgow;[820] from which, however, in 1756, he was removed to the +University of Edinburgh,[821] where he delivered those celebrated +lectures, on which his fame now depends. During the early part of his +career, he paid great attention to inorganic physics, and propounded some +remarkable speculations, which are supposed to have suggested the theory +of latent heat to Black, who was his pupil.[822] But, to follow out those +views, would have required a number of minute experiments, which it did +not suit the habit of his mind to make. Having, therefore, put forth his +ideas, he left them to germinate, and passed on to his arduous attempt to +generalize the laws of disease as they are exhibited in the human frame. +In the study of disease, the phenomena being more obscure and less +amenable to experiment, there was greater latitude for speculation; +hence, he could more easily indulge in that love of theory, which was his +ruling passion, and with an extreme devotion to which he has been +reproached.[823] That the reproach is not altogether unjust, must, I +think, be admitted, since we find him laying down the doctrine, that, +inasmuch as, in the treatment of disease, theory could not be separated +from practice, it was unimportant which came first.[824] This was +tantamount to saying, that a medical practitioner might allow his +theories to control his observations; for it is certain that, in an +immense majority of cases, men are so tenacious of the opinions they +imbibe, that whatever, in any pursuit, first occupies their +understanding, is likely to mould all that comes afterwards. In ordinary +minds, associations of ideas, if firmly established, become indissoluble; +and the power of separating them, and of arranging them in new +combinations, is one of the rarest of our endowments. An average +intellect, when once possessed by a theory, can hardly ever escape from +it. Hence, in practical matters, theory should be feared, just as, in +scientific matters, it should be cherished; because practical pursuits +are chiefly engrossed by the lower class of minds, where associations and +the force of prejudice are extremely strong, while scientific pursuits +concern the higher class, where such prepossessions are comparatively +weak, and where close associations are more easily severed. The most +powerful intellects are most accustomed to new arrangements of thought, +and are, therefore, most able to break up old ones. On them, belief sits +lightly, because they well know how little evidence we have for many of +even our oldest beliefs. But the average, or, as we must say, without +meaning offence, the inferior, minds, are not disturbed by these +refinements. Theories, which they have once heartily embraced, they can +hardly ever get rid of, and they often dignify them with the name of +essential truths, and resent every attack upon them as a personal injury. +Having inherited such theories from their fathers, they regard them with +a sort of filial piety, and cling to them as if they were some rich +acquisition, which no one has a right to touch. + + [820] _Thomson's Life of Cullen_, vol. i. p. 70, Edinburgh, 1832. + + [821] _Thomson's Life of Cullen_, vol. i. p. 96. Bower states that + Cullen 'was appointed to the chair in 1755.' _Bower's History of + the University of Edinburgh_, vol. ii. p. 216, Edinburgh, 1817. + + [822] 'It seems impossible to peruse the passages I have quoted from + Dr. Cullen's manuscript lectures and papers, and from his Essay on + Evaporation, without perceiving that his investigations with + regard to the heat and cold occasioned by the combination, + liquefaction, and evaporation of bodies, must not only have + assisted to direct the attention of his pupil Dr. Black to similar + inquiries, but must also have furnished him with several of the + data from which his simple and comprehensive theory of Latent Heat + was afterwards so philosophically deduced.' _Thomson's Life of + Cullen_, vol. i. p. 56. + + [823] 'It is allowed by the admirers of this great man, that he was + perhaps too fond of theory.' _Bower's History of the University of + Edinburgh_, vol. iii. p. 273 + + [824] In 1759, he wrote to Dr. Balfour Russell, one of his favourite + pupils: 'You will not find it possible to separate practice from + theory altogether; and therefore, if you have a mind to begin with + the theory, I have no objection.' _Thomson's Life of Cullen_, vol. + i. p. 130. Compare his _Introductory Lectures to the Practice of + Physic_, where, asserting truly, 'that reasoning in physic is + unavoidable' (_Cullen's Works_, vol. i. p. 417), he boldly infers, + 'that to render it safe, it is _necessary to cultivate theory in + its full extent_.' + +To this latter class, nearly all men belong, who are more engaged in +practical pursuits than in speculative ones. Among them, are the ordinary +practitioners, whether in medicine or in any other department, extremely +few of whom are willing to break up trains of thought to which they are +inured.[825] Though they profess to despise theory, they are, in reality, +enslaved by it. All that they can do, is to conceal their subjection, by +terming their theory a necessary belief. It must, therefore, be deemed a +remarkable proof of Cullen's love of deductive reasoning, that he, +sagacious and clear-sighted as he was, should have supposed that, in so +practical an art as medicine, theory could, with impunity, precede +practice. For, it is most assuredly true, that, taking men in the +average, their minds are so constructed, that it cannot precede it +without controlling it. It is equally true, that such control must be +hurtful. Even now, and notwithstanding the great steps which have been +taken in morbid anatomy, in animal chemistry, and in the microscopic +investigation both of the fluids and solids of the human frame, the +treatment of disease is a question of art, far more than a question of +science. What chiefly characterizes the most eminent physicians, and +gives them their real superiority, is not so much the extent of their +theoretical knowledge,--though that, too, is often considerable,--but it +is that fine and delicate perception which they owe, partly to +experience, and partly to a natural quickness in detecting analogies and +differences which escape ordinary observers. The process which they +follow, is one of rapid, and, in some degree, unconscious, induction. And +this is the reason why the greatest physiologists and chemists, which the +medical profession possesses, are not, as a matter of course, the best +curers of disease. If medicine were a science, they would always be the +best. But medicine, being still essentially an art, depends mainly upon +qualities which each practitioner has to acquire for himself, and which +no scientific theory can teach. The time for a general theory has not yet +come, and probably many generations will have to elapse before it does +come. To suppose, therefore, that a theory of disease should, as a matter +of education, precede the treatment of disease, is not only practically +dangerous, but logically false. With its practical danger I am not now +concerned; but its logical aspect is a curious illustration of that +passion for systematic and dialectic reasoning which characterized +Scotland. It shows that Cullen, in his eagerness to argue from principles +to facts, instead of from facts to principles, could, in the most +important of all arts, recommend a method of procedure, for which even +our knowledge is not ripe, but which, in his time, was so singularly rash +and immature, that nothing can explain its adoption by a man of such +vigorous understanding, except the circumstance of his living in a +country in which that peculiar method reigned supreme. + + [825] Even Cullen himself says, rather roughly, 'The great horde of + physicians are always servile imitators, who can neither perceive + nor correct the faults of their system, and are always ready to + growl at, and even to worry, the ingenious person that could + attempt it. Thus was the system of Galen secured in the possession + of the schools of physic, till soon after the irruption of the + Goths and Vandals destroyed every vestige of literature in the + western parts of Europe, and drove all that remained of it to seek + a feeble protection at Constantinople.' _Lectures Introductory to + the Practice of Physic_, in _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. p. 386, + Edinburgh, 1827. + +It must, however, be admitted that Cullen wielded the method with great +ability, especially in his application of it to the science of pathology, +to which it was far better suited than to the art of therapeutics. For, +we must always remember, that the science which investigates the laws of +disease, is quite a different thing from the art which cures it. The +science has a speculative interest, which is irrespective of all +practical considerations, and which depends simply on the fact, that, +when it is completed, it will explain the aberrations of the whole +organic world. Pathology aims at ascertaining the causes which determine +every departure from the natural type, whether of form or of function. +Hence it is, that no one can take a comprehensive view of the actual +state of knowledge, without studying the theoretic relations between +pathology and other departments of inquiry. To do this, is the business, +not of practical men, but of philosophers, properly so called. The +philosophic pathologist is as different from the physician, as a jurist +is different from an advocate, or as an agricultural chemist is different +from a farmer, or as a political economist is different from a statesman, +or as an astronomer, who generalizes the laws of the heavenly bodies, is +different from a captain, who navigates his ship by a practical +application of those laws. The two sets of functions may be united, and +occasionally, though very rarely, they are, but there is no necessity for +their being so. While, therefore, it would be absurdly presumptuous for +an unprofessional person to pass judgment on the therapeutical system of +Cullen, it is perfectly legitimate for any one, who has studied the +theory of these matters, to examine his pathological system; because +that, like all scientific systems, must be amenable to general +considerations, which are to be taken, partly from the adjoining +sciences, and partly from the universal logic of philosophic method. + +It is from this latter, or logical, point of view, that Cullen's +pathology is interesting for the purposes of the present chapter. The +character of his investigations may be illustrated by saying, that his +method in pathology is analogous to that which Adam Smith adopted at the +same time, though in a very different field. Both were deductive; and +both, before arguing deductively, suppressed some of the premisses from +which they reasoned. That this suppression is the key to Adam Smith's +method, and was an intentional part of his plan, I have already shown; as +also that, in each of his two works, he supplied the premisses in which +the other work was deficient. In this respect, he was far superior to +Cullen. For, though Cullen, like Smith, began by mutilating his problem +in order to solve it more readily, he, unlike Smith, did not see the +necessity of instituting another and parallel inquiry, which should +complete the scheme, by starting from the premisses that had been +previously omitted. + +What I have termed the mutilation of the problem, was effected by Cullen +in the following manner. His object was, to generalize the phenomena of +disease, as they are exhibited in the human frame; and it was obvious to +him, as to every one else, that the human frame consists partly of solids +and partly of fluids. The peculiarity of his pathology is, that he +reasons almost entirely from the laws of the solids, and makes so little +account of the fluids, that he will only allow them to be the indirect +causes of disease, which, in a scientific view, are to be deemed strictly +subordinate to the direct causes, as represented by the solid +constituents of our body.[826] This assumption, though false, was +perfectly justifiable, since, by curtailing the problem, he simplified +its study; just as Adam Smith, in his _Wealth of Nations_, simplified the +study of human nature, by curtailing it of all its sympathy. But this +most comprehensive thinker was careful, in his _Theory of Moral +Sentiments_, to restore to human nature the quality of which the _Wealth +of Nations_ had deprived it; and, by thus establishing two different +lines of argument, he embraced the whole subject. In the same way, it was +incumbent on Cullen, after having constructed a theory of disease by +reasoning from the solids, to have constructed another theory by +reasoning from the fluids; so that a cooerdination of the two theories +might have raised a science of pathology, as complete as the then state +of knowledge allowed.[827] But to this, his mind was unequal. Able though +he was, he lacked the grasp of intellect which characterized Adam Smith, +and which made that great man perceive, that every deductive argument +which is founded on a suppression of premisses, must be compensated by a +parallel argument, which takes those premisses into account.[828] So +little was Cullen aware of this, that, having built up that system of +pathology which is known to medical writers as Solidism, he never took +the pains to accompany it by another system, which gave the first rank to +the fluids. On the contrary, he believed that his plan was complete and +exhaustive, and that what is termed Humoral Pathology was a fiction, +which had too long usurped the place of truth.[829] + + [826] This idea runs through the whole of his writings. In the following + passage, it is more succinctly stated than in any other: 'In + pathology, and in the prognosis of particular diseases, it is + absolutely necessary to enter into the distinction of these + causes. I call the one _direct_ causes, those which act upon the + nervous system directly; and the other _indirect_ causes, those + which produce the same effect, but by destroying those organs + which are necessary to the support of the excitement, viz. the + whole system of circulation.' _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. p. 135. + Even this passage, clear as it seems, can only be rightly + interpreted by taking the context into consideration. + + [827] For, as is truly observed by probably the greatest pathologist of + our time, 'Humoral pathology is simply a requirement of common + practical sense; and it has always held a place in medical + science, although the limits of its domain have, no doubt, been + variously circumscribed or interpreted at different times. Of late + years, it has met with a new basis and support in morbid anatomy, + which, in the inadequacy of its discoveries in the solids to + account for disease and death, has been compelled to seek for an + extension of its boundary through a direct examination of the + blood itself.' _Rokitansky's Pathological Anatomy_, vol. i. p. + 362, London, 1854. + + [828] Unless, as is the case in geometry, the premisses, which are + suppressed, are so slight as to be scarcely perceptible. + + [829] He was so indignant at the bare idea of a humoral pathology, that + even Hoffmann, who before himself was the most eminent advocate of + solidism, fell under his displeasure for allowing some little + weight to the humoral doctrines. He says that Hoffmann 'has not + applied his fundamental doctrine so extensively as he might have + done; and he has everywhere intermixed an humoral pathology, as + incorrect and hypothetical as any other.' _Cullen's Works_, vol. + i. p. 410. At p. 470, 'I have, therefore, assumed the general + principles of Hoffmann. And, if I have rendered them more correct, + and more extensive in their application, and, _more particularly, + if I have avoided introducing the many hypothetical doctrines of + the Humoral Pathology which disfigured both his and all the other + systems that have hitherto prevailed_, I hope I shall be excused + for attempting a system, which, upon the whole, may appear new.' + +Several of the views advocated by Cullen were taken from Hoffmann, and +several of the facts from Gaubius; but that his pathology, considered as +a whole, is essentially original, is evident from a certain unity of +design which is inconsistent with extensive plagiarism, and which proves +that he had thoroughly thought out his subject for himself. Without, +however, stopping to inquire how much he borrowed from others, I will +briefly indicate a few of the salient points of his system, in order to +enable the reader to understand its general character. + +According to Cullen, all the solids in the human body are either simple +or vital. The simple solids retain, after death, the properties which +they possessed during life. But the vital solids, which form the +fundamental part of the nervous system, are marked by properties, which +disappear directly death occurs.[830] Hence, the simple solids, having +fewer functions than the vital, have also fewer diseases; and the +maladies to which they are liable admit of easy classification.[831] The +real difficulty lies in the vital solids, because on their peculiarities +the whole nervous system depends, and nearly all disorders are +immediately due to changes in them. Cullen, therefore, made the nervous +system the basis of his pathology; and, in speculating on its functions, +he assigned the chief place to an occult principle, which he termed the +Animal Power, or Energy, of the brain.[832] This principle acted on the +vital solids. When the principle worked well, the body was healthy; when +it worked ill, the body was unhealthy. Since, then, the state of the +vital solids was the main cause of disorder, and since the Energy of the +brain was the main cause of the state of the vital solids, it became +important to know what the influences were which acted on the Energy, +because in them we should find the beginning of the series. Those +influences were divided by Cullen into physical and mental. The physical +were, heat, cold, and effluvia, the three most potent of the material +disturbers of the human frame.[833] The mental influences, which excited +the brain to act on the solids, were comprised under six different heads, +namely, the will, the emotions, the appetites, the propensities, and, +finally, the two great principles of habit and of imitation, on which he, +with good reason, laid considerable stress.[834] In arguing from these +mental causes, and in generalizing the relations between them and the +sensations of the body, he, faithful to his favourite method, proceeded +deductively from the metaphysical principles then in vogue, without +inquiring inductively into their validity, such an induction being, he +thought, no part of his duty.[835] He was too anxious to get on with his +dialectic, to be interrupted by so trifling a matter as the truth or +falsehood of the premisses on which the reason rested. What he did in the +metaphysical part of his pathology, he also did in its physical part. +Although the blood and the nerves are the two leading features of the +human economy, he did not search into them by a separate induction; he +subjected them neither to chemical experiments in order to learn their +composition, nor to microscopic observations in order to learn their +structure.[836] This is the more observable, because though we must admit +that animal chemistry was then generally neglected, and that its real +meaning was scarcely understood until the wonderful labours of Berzelius +revealed its importance, still the microscope was ready to Cullen's +hands; it having been invented a hundred and fifty years before he +completed his pathology, and having been in common scientific use for +about a hundred years. But his love of synthesis overcame him. His system +is constructed by reasoning from general principles; and of that process, +he certainly was a consummate master. Between the premisses and the +conclusion, he hardly ever lets error creep in. And, in reference to the +results of his speculations, he had one immense merit, which will always +secure to him a conspicuous place in the history of pathology. By +insisting on the importance of the solids, he, one-sided though he was, +corrected the equal one-sidedness of his predecessors; for, with +extremely few exceptions, all the best pathologists, from Galen +downwards, had erred in ascribing too much to the fluids, and had upheld +a purely humoral pathology. Cullen turned the minds of men in the other +direction; and though, in teaching them that the nervous system is the +sole primary seat of disease, he committed a great mistake, it was a +mistake of the most salutary kind. By leaning on that side, he restored +the balance. Hence, I have no doubt, he indirectly encouraged those +minute researches into the nerves, which he would not himself stop to +make, but which, in the next generation, gave rise to the capital +discoveries of Bell, Shaw, Mayo, and Marshall Hall. At the same time, the +old humoral pathology, which had prevailed for many centuries, was +practically pernicious, because, assuming that all diseases are in the +blood, it produced that constant and indiscriminate venesection, which +destroyed innumerable lives, besides the irreparable injury it often +inflicted both on body and mind; weakening those whom it was unable to +slay. Against this merciless onslaught, which made medicine the curse of +mankind, the Solid Pathology was the first effective barrier.[837] +Practically, therefore, as well as speculatively, we must hail Cullen as +a great benefactor of his species; and we must regard his appearance as +an epoch in the history of human comfort, as well as in the history of +human thought. + + [830] 'The solid parts of the body seem to be of two kinds: one whose + properties are the same in the dead as in the living, and the same + in the animate as in many inanimate bodies; the other, whose + properties appear only in living bodies. In the last, a peculiar + organization, or addition, is supposed to take place; in + opposition to which the first are called the simple solids. Of + these only, we shall treat here; and of the others, which may be + called vital solids, being the fundamental part of the nervous + system, we shall treat under that title in the following section.' + _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. p. 10. + + [831] These diseases are laxity, flaccidity, &c. See the enumeration of + 'the diseases of the simple solids,' in _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. + p. 14. + + [832] _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. pp. 65, 600, vol. ii. p. 364. + Dr. Thomson, who had access to papers and lectures of Cullen's, + which have never been published, says (_Life of Cullen_, vol. i. + p. 265), 'His speculations with regard to the different functions + of the nervous system, but more particularly with regard to that + of the Animal Power or Energy of the brain, were incorporated with + every opinion which he taught concerning the phenomena of the + animal economy, the causes of diseases, and the operation of + medicines; and they may be said to constitute a most important + part, if not the sole basis, of that system of the Practice of + Physic, which he made the subject of prelection, as well as of + study, for a period of nearly forty years, before he ventured to + give it to the public.' I should mention, that Cullen, under the + term 'brain,' included the contents of the vertebral column as + well as of the cranium. + + [833] _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. pp. 40, 546, 558, 648, vol. ii. p. 321. + + [834] _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. pp. 86, 91, 100, 101, 108, 115, 116, + 553, 592, vol. ii. pp. 35, 366. Compare the summary of causes in + _Thomson's Life of Cullen_, vol. i. p. 289. + + [835] He says (_Works_, vol. i. pp. 31, 32), 'Whoever has the smallest + tincture of metaphysics will know the distinction pointed at here + between the qualities of bodies as primary and secondary.' ... + '_Whether these distinctions be well or ill founded, it is not my + business to inquire._' But though he did not deem it his business + to inquire into the accuracy of these and similar distinctions, he + thought himself justified in assuming them, and reasoning from + them as if they could explain the working of those sensations, + whose perversion formed the point of contact between metaphysics + and pathology. See, for instance, in his _Works_, vol. i. p. 46, + the long series of unproved and improvable assertions respecting + the combination and comparison of sensations giving rise to + memory, imagination, and the like. + + [836] Cullen, with that admirable candour which was one of the most + attractive peculiarities of his fine intellect, confesses his want + of acquaintance with the microscope: 'It leaves me, who am not + conversant in such observations, altogether uncertain with respect + to the precise nature of this part of the blood.' _Cullen's + Works_, vol. i. p. 195. A pathologist without a microscope is an + unarmed man, indeed. In regard to his animal chemistry, one + passage may be quoted as a specimen of the manner in which he + arrived at conclusions speculatively, instead of subjecting the + phenomena to experimental investigation. 'We may remark it to be + highly probable, that all animal matter is originally formed of + vegetable; because all animals either feed directly and entirely + on vegetables, or upon other animals that do so. From hence it is + probable, that all animal substances may be traced to a vegetable + origin; and _therefore_, if we would inquire into the production + of animal matter, we _must first inquire_ in what manner vegetable + matter may be converted into animal?' _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. + pp. 177, 178. The _therefore_ and the _must_, resulting merely + from an antecedent probability, are characteristic of that + over-boldness, into which deduction is apt to degenerate, and + which is strongly contrasted with the opposite vice of + over-timidity, by which inductive reasoners are tainted. + + [837] Dr. Watson (_Principles and Practice of Physic_, 4th edit. London, + 1857, vol. i. p. 41) says of the humoral pathology, that, 'the + absurdity of the hypothesis, and _still more the dangerous + practice which this doctrine generated_, began to be manifest, and + led to its total abandonment.' But, with every respect for this + eminent authority, I venture to observe, that this supposition of + Dr. Watson's is contradicted by the whole history of the human + mind. There is no well-attested case on record of any theory + having been abandoned, because it produced dangerous results. As + long as a theory is believed, men will ascribe its evil + consequences to any cause except the right one. And a theory which + is once established, will always be believed, until there is some + change in knowledge which shakes its foundation. Every practical + change may, by careful analysis, be shown to depend, in the first + instance, on some change of speculative opinions. Even at the + present day, many doctrines are generally held in the most + civilized countries, which are producing dangerous practical + consequences, and have produced those consequences for centuries. + But the mischief which the doctrine engenders does not weaken the + doctrine itself. Nothing can do that, but the general progress of + knowledge, which, by altering former opinions, modifies future + conduct. + +It may, perhaps, facilitate the conceptions of unprofessional readers, if +I give, in as few words as possible, a specimen of the way in which +Cullen employed his method, in investigating the theory of some one class +of diseases. For this purpose, I will select his doctrine of fever, +which, though now generally abandoned, once exercised more influence than +any other part of his pathology. Here, as elsewhere, he reasons from the +solids.[838] Disregarding the state of the blood, he says, that the cause +of all fever is a diminished energy of the brain.[839] Such diminution +may be produced by various sedatives, the most common of which are +effluvia, whether marsh or human, intemperance, fear, and cold.[840] +Directly the energy of the brain is impaired, the disease begins. Rapidly +passing through the nervous system, its first palpable effect is a chill, +or cold fit, which is accompanied by a spasm on the extremities of the +arteries, particularly where they touch the surface of the body.[841] +This spasm on the extreme vessels, irritates the heart and arteries, and +the irritation continues till the spasm is relaxed.[842] At the same +time, the increased action of the heart restores the energy of the brain; +the system rallies; the extreme vessels are relieved; while, as a +consequence of the whole movement, sweat is excreted, and the fever +abates.[843] Shutting out, therefore, all consideration of the fluids of +the body, the successive stages of languor, cold fit, and hot fit, might, +in Cullen's opinion, be generalized by reasoning merely from the solids, +which, furthermore, produced his well-known distinction between fevers, +the continuance of which is owing to an excess of spasm, and those, the +continuance of which is owing to an excess of debility.[844] + + [838] Some writers, who have taken notice of Cullen, have been deceived + in this respect by his occasional use of the expression 'nervous + fluid,' as if he were willing to let in the idea of humorism. But, + in one place, he distinctly guards himself against such + misconstruction. 'Now, to avoid determining any thing with regard + to these opinions, I have used the term of _nervous power_; but as + this is a little ambiguous, I choose to express it by _nervous + fluid_; not that I suppose, with Dr. Boerhaave, that the brain is + an excretory, and that a fluid is secreted from it: _I mean + nothing more than that there is a condition of the nerves which + fits them for the communication of motion_. But I defer the + consideration of these opinions for the present, and perhaps _ad + Graecas calendas_; but nothing shall be rested upon the nervous + fluid, it shall be considered merely as _a power_ fitted for + communicating motions.' _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. p. 17. Without + this passage, his remarks on 'the nervous fluid in the brain' + (_Works_, vol. i. p. 129), might easily be misunderstood. + + [839] 'Together with this, the languor, inactivity, and debility of the + animal motions, the imperfect sensations, the feeling of cold, + while the body is truly warm, and some other symptoms, all show + that the energy of the brain is, on this occasion, greatly + weakened; and I presume that, as the weakness of the action of the + heart can hardly be imputed to any other cause, this weakness also + is a proof of the diminished energy of the brain. So I conclude, + that a debility of the nervous power forms the beginning of the + cold fit, and lays the foundation of all the other phenomena.' + _Practice of Physic_, in _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. p. 492. + + [840] 'To render our doctrine of fever consistent and complete, it is + necessary to add here, that these remote causes of fever, human + and marsh effluvia, seem to be of a debilitating or sedative + quality.' ... 'Though we have endeavoured to show that fevers + generally arise from marsh or human effluvia, we cannot, with any + certainty, exclude some other remote causes, which are commonly + supposed to have at least a share in producing those diseases. And + I proceed, therefore, to inquire concerning these causes; the + first of which that merits attention, is the power of cold applied + to the human body.' ... 'Besides cold, there are other powers that + seem to be remote causes of fever; such as fear, intemperance in + drinking, excess in venery, and other circumstances, which + evidently weaken the system. But whether any of these sedative + powers be alone the remote cause of fever, or if they only operate + either as concurring with the operation of marsh or human + effluvia, or as giving an opportunity to the operation of cold, + are questions not to be positively answered.' _Practice of + Physic_, in _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. pp. 546, 552. One part of + this view has been corroborated, since the time of Cullen. 'The + experiments of Chossat and others clearly prove cold to be a + direct sedative.' _Williams' Principles of Medicine_, 2nd edit. + London, 1848, p. 11. Compare _Watson's Principles and Practice of + Physic_, 4th edit. London, 1857, vol. i. pp. 87-92, 249. Hence, + perhaps, the 'irresistible tendency to sleep caused by exposure to + severe or long-continued cold.' _Erichsen's Surgery_, 2nd edit. + London, 1857, p. 336; but as to this, Dr. Watson (_Principles of + Physic_, vol. i. p. 89) is sceptical, and thinks that, in those + cases which are recorded, the drowsiness ascribed to cold, is, in + a great measure, the result of fatigue. + + [841] _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. p. 493. Compare, respecting his general + theory of spasm, p. 84, and vol. ii. p. 400. + + [842] 'The idea of fever, then, may be, that a spasm of the extreme + vessels, however induced, proves an irritation to the heart and + arteries; and that this continues till the spasm is relaxed or + overcome.' _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. p. 494. + + [843] 'Such, however, is, at the same time, the nature of the animal + economy, that this debility proves an indirect stimulus to the + sanguiferous system; whence, by the intervention of the cold stage + and spasm connected with it, the action of the heart and larger + arteries is increased, and continues so till it has had the effect + of restoring the energy of the brain, of extending this energy to + the extreme vessels, of restoring, therefore, their action, and + thereby especially overcoming the spasm affecting them; upon the + removing of which, the excretion of sweat, and other marks of the + relaxation of excretories, take place.' _Practice of Physic_, in + _Cullen's Works_, vol. i. pp. 501, 502. See also p. 636, Sec. cciii. + Or, as he elsewhere expresses himself (vol. i. p. 561): 'With + regard to the event of fevers, this is the fundamental principle: + _in fevers, nature cures the disease_; that is, certain motions + tending to death continue the disease, but, in consequence of the + laws of the animal economy, other motions are excited by these + which have a tendency to remove it.' + + [844] 'If we may trust to our conclusions with respect to the proximate + cause, it follows, most naturally, from the view there given, that + the continued fever is always owing to an excess of spasm, or to + an excess of debility: as the one or other of these prevails, it + will give one or other of the two forms, either the Synocha or + inflammatory fever, or the Typhus or nervous fever.' _Cullen's + Works_, vol. i. p. 518. + +A similar process of thought gave birth to his _Nosology_, or general +classification of diseases, which some have regarded as the most valuable +part of his labours;[845] though, for reasons already mentioned, we +must, I think, reject all such attempts as premature, and as likely to +work more harm than good, unless they are simply used as a contrivance to +aid the memory. At all events, the _Nosology_ of Cullen, though it +exhibits clear traces of his powerful and organizing mind, is fast +falling into disrepute, and we may be sure, that, for a long time yet, a +similar fate will await its successors. Our pathological knowledge is +still too young for so great an enterprise.[846] We have every reason to +expect, that, with the aid of chemistry, and of the microscope, it will +continue to grow more rapidly than it has hitherto done. Without +venturing to predict the rate of its increase, we may form some idea of +it, by considering what has been effected with resources very inferior to +those we now possess. In a work of great authority, published in the year +1848, it is stated, that since the appearance of Cullen's _Nosology_, our +mere enumeration of diseases has almost doubled, while our knowledge of +the facts relating to disease has more than doubled.[847] + + [845] 'Cullen's most esteemed work is his _Nosology_.' _Hamilton's + History of Medicine_, London, 1831, vol. ii. p. 279. 'His + _Nosology_ will probably survive all his other works; it is + indisputably the best system which has yet appeared.' _Lives of + British Physicians_, London, 1830, p. 213. 'Celle de Cullen, qui + parut en 1772, et qui constitue un veritable progres.' _Renouard_, + _Histoire de la Medecine_, Paris, 1846, vol. ii. p. 231. See also + _Hooper's Medical Dictionary_, edited by Dr. Grant, London, 1848, + p. 937. But, in the most celebrated medical works which have + appeared in England during the last twelve or fifteen years, I + doubt if there is any instance of the adoption of Cullen's + nosological arrangement. Abroad, and particularly in Italy, it is + more valued. + + [846] 'I had rather not be cramped and hampered by attempting what abler + heads than mine have failed to achieve, and what, in truth, I + believe, in the present state of our science, to be impossible, a + complete methodical system of nosology.' _Watson's Principles and + Practice of Physic_, London, 1857, vol. i. p. 9. This is the + wisdom of a powerful understanding. + + [847] 'Now, when the diseases of Cullen's nosology have been almost + doubled, and the facts relating to them have been more than + doubled.' _Williams' Principles of Medicine_, London, 1848, + p. 522. + +I have now only one more name to add to this splendid catalogue of the +great Scotchmen of the eighteenth century.[848] But it is the name of a +man, who, for comprehensive and original genius, comes immediately after +Adam Smith, and must be placed far above any other philosopher whom +Scotland has produced. I mean, of course, John Hunter, whose only fault +was, an occasional obscurity, not merely of language, but also of +thought. In this respect, and, perhaps, in this alone, Adam Smith had the +advantage; for his mind was so flexible, and moved so freely, that even +the vastest designs were unable to oppress it. With Hunter, on the +contrary, it sometimes seemed as if the understanding was troubled by the +grandeur of his own conceptions, and doubted what path it ought to take. +He hesitated; the utterance of his intellect was indistinct.[849] Still, +his powers were so extraordinary, that, among the great masters of +organic science, he belongs, I apprehend, to the same rank as Aristotle, +Harvey, and Bichat, and is somewhat superior either to Haller or Cuvier. +As to this classification, men will differ, according to their different +ideas of the nature of science, and, above all, according to the extent +to which they appreciate the importance of philosophic method. It is from +this latter point of view that I have, at present, to consider the +character of John Hunter; and, in tracing the movements of his most +remarkable mind, we shall find, that, in it, deduction and induction were +more intimately united than in any other Scotch intellect, either of the +seventeenth or eighteenth century. The causes of this unusual +combination, I will now endeavour to ascertain. When they are understood, +they will not only explain many peculiarities in his works, but will +afford materials for speculation, to those who love to examine the +development of ideas, and who are able to discern the way in which +different schemes of national thought have given different shapes to +national character, and have thereby modified the whole course of human +affairs, to an extent of which the ordinary compilers of history have not +the slightest suspicion. + + [848] I had intended giving some account of the once celebrated + Brunonian system, which was founded by Dr. John Brown, who was + first the pupil of Cullen, and afterwards his rival. But a careful + perusal of his works has convinced me that the real basis of his + doctrine, or the point from which he started, was not pathology, + but therapeutics. His hasty division of all diseases into sthenic + and asthenic, has no claim to be deemed a scientific + generalization, but was a mere artificial arrangement, resulting + from a desire to substitute a stimulating treatment in the place + of the old lowering one. He, no doubt, went to the opposite + extreme; but that being a purely practical subject, this + Introduction has no concern with it. For the same reason, I omit + all mention of Currie, who, though an eminent therapeutician, was + a commonplace pathologist. That so poor and thinly-peopled a + country as Scotland, should, in so short a period, have produced + so many remarkable men, is extremely curious. + + [849] Mr. Ottley (_Life of Hunter_, p. 186) says, 'In his writings we + occasionally find an obscurity in the expression of his thoughts, + a want of logical accuracy in his reasonings, and an incorrectness + in his language, resulting from a deficient education.' But, a + deficient education will never make a man obscure. Neither will a + good education make him lucid. The only cause of clearness of + expression is clearness of thought; and clearness of thought is a + natural gift, which the most finished and systematic culture can + but slightly improve. Uneducated men, without a thousandth part of + John Hunter's intellect, are often clear enough. On the other + hand, it as frequently happens that men, who have received an + excellent education, cannot speak or write ten consecutive + sentences which do not contain some troublesome ambiguity. In + Hunter's works such ambiguities are abundant; and this is probably + one of the reasons why no one has yet given a connected view of + his philosophy. On his obscurity, compare _Cooper's Life of Sir + Astley Cooper_, London, 1843, vol. i. pp. 151, 152; _Paget's + Lectures on Surgical Pathology_, London, 1853, vol. i. p. 419; and + the remarks of his enemy, Foot, in _Foot's Life of Hunter_, + London, 1794, p. 59. + +Hunter remained in Scotland till the age of twenty, when he settled in +London; and, though he was abroad for about three years, he abandoned his +own country, and became, socially and intellectually, a native of +England.[850] Hence, the early associations of his mind were formed in +the midst of a deductive nation; the later associations, in the midst of +an inductive one. For twenty years he lived among a people, who are, +perhaps, the acutest reasoners in Europe, if you concede to them the +principles from which they reason; but who, on the other hand, owing to +their proneness to this method, are so greedy after general principles, +that they will accept them on almost any evidence, and are, therefore, at +once very credulous and very logical. In that school, and surrounded by +those habits, the intellect of John Hunter was nurtured during the most +impressible period of his life. Then the scene suddenly shifted. Coming +to England, he passed forty years in the heart of the most empirical +nation in Europe; a nation utterly abhorring all general principles, +priding itself on its common sense, boasting, and with good reason too, +of its practical sagacity, proclaiming aloud the superiority of facts +over ideas, and despising every theory, unless some direct and immediate +benefit could be expected to accrue from it. The young and ardent +Scotchman found himself transplanted into a country totally different +from that which he had just quitted; and such a difference could not fail +to influence his mind. He saw, on every side, marks of prosperity, and of +long and uninterrupted success, not only in practical, but also in +speculative, life; and he was told that these things were effected by a +system which made facts the first consideration. He was ambitious of +fame, but he perceived that the road to fame was not the same in England +as in Scotland. In Scotland, a great logician would be deemed a great +man; in England, little account would be made of the beauty of his logic, +unless he was careful that the premisses from which he argued, were +trustworthy, and verified by experience. A new machine, a new experiment, +the discovery of a salt, or of a bone, would, in England, receive a wider +homage, than the most profound speculation from which no obvious results +were apprehended. That this way of contemplating affairs has produced +great good, is certain. But it is also certain, that it is a one-sided +way, and satisfies only part of the human mind. Many of the noblest +intellects crave for something which it cannot supply. In England, +however, during the greater part of the eighteenth century, it was even +more supreme than it is now, and was, indeed, so universal, that, from +the year 1727 until nearly the close of the century, our country did not +possess, in any branch of science, a speculator who had sufficient force +to raise himself above those narrow views which were then deemed the +perfection of wisdom.[851] Much was added to our knowledge, but its +distant boundaries were not enlarged. Though there was an increase of +curious and valuable details, and though several of the small and +proximate laws of nature were generalized, it must be admitted, that +those lofty generalizations, which we owe to the seventeenth century, +remained stationary, and that no attempt was made to push beyond them. +When John Hunter arrived in London, in 1748, Newton had been dead more +than twenty years, and the English people, absorbed in practical +pursuits, and now beginning, for the first time, to enter into political +life, had become more averse than ever to inquiries which aimed at truth +without regard to utility, and had accustomed themselves to value science +chiefly for the sake of the direct and tangible benefit which they might +hope to derive from it. + + [850] He was born in 1728, and came to London in 1748. _Adams' Life of + John Hunter_, 2nd edit. London, 1818, pp. 20, 203. According to + Adams (pp. 30-35), he was abroad as surgeon in the English army + from 1761 to 1763; though, in _Foot's Life of Hunter_, London, + 1794, p. 78, he is said to have returned to England in 1762. Mr. + Ottley says that he returned in 1763. _Ottley's Life of Hunter_, + p. 22, in vol. i. of _Hunter's Works_, edited by Palmer, London, + 1835. + + [851] See _Buckle's History of Civilization_, vol. ii. pp. 374, 375. + +That Hunter must have been influenced by these circumstances, will be +obvious to whoever considers how impossible it is for any single mind to +escape from the pressure of contemporary opinion. But, inasmuch as all +his early associations had inclined him in another direction, we perceive +that, during his long residence in England, he was acted on by two +conflicting forces. The country of his birth made him deductive; the +country of his adoption made him inductive. As a Scotchman, he preferred +reasoning from general principles to particular facts; as an inhabitant +of England, he became inured to the opposite plan of reasoning from +particular facts to general principles. In every country, men naturally +give the first place to what is most valued. The English respect facts +more than principles, and therefore begin with the facts. The Scotch +consider principles as most important, and therefore begin with the +principles. And, I make no doubt that one of the reasons why Hunter, in +investigating a subject, is often obscure, is that, on such occasions, +his mind was divided between these two hostile methods, and that, leaning +sometimes to one and sometimes to the other, he was unable to determine +which he should choose. The conflict darkened his understanding. Adam +Smith, on the other hand, in common with all the great Scotchmen who +remained in Scotland, was remarkably clear. He, like Hume, Black, and +Cullen, never wavered in his method. These eminent men were not acted on +by English influence. Of all the most illustrious Scotchmen of the +eighteenth century, Hunter alone underwent that influence, and he alone +displayed a certain hesitation and perplexity of thought, which seems +unnatural to so great a mind, and which, as it appears to me, is best +explained by the peculiar circumstances in which he was placed. + +One of the ablest of his commentators has justly observed, that his +natural inclination was, to conjecture what the laws of nature were, and +then reason from them, instead of reasoning to them by slow and gradual +induction.[852] This process of deduction was, as I have shown, the +favourite method of all Scotchmen, and, therefore, was precisely the +course which we should have expected him to adopt. But, inasmuch as he +was surrounded by the followers of Bacon,[853] this natural bias was +warped, and a large part of his marvellous activity was employed in +observations and experiments, such as no Scotch thinker, living in +Scotland, would ever have engaged in. He himself declared, that thinking +was his delight;[854] and there can be no doubt that, had he been +differently situated, thinking would have been his principal pursuit. As +it was, the industry with which he collected facts, is one of the most +conspicuous features in his career. His researches covered the whole +range of the animal kingdom, and were conducted with such untiring zeal, +that he dissected upwards of five hundred different species, exclusive of +dissections of different individuals, and exclusive, too, of dissections +of a large number of plants.[855] The results were carefully arranged and +stored up in that noble collection which he formed, and of the magnitude +of which we may gain some idea from the statement, that, at his death, it +contained upwards of ten thousand preparations illustrative of the +phenomena of nature.[856] By this means, he became so intimately +acquainted with the animal kingdom, that he made a vast number of +discoveries, which, considered singly, are curious, but which, when put +together, constitute an invaluable body of new truths. Of these, the most +important are, the true nature of the circulation in crustacea and +insects;[857] the organ of hearing in cephalopods;[858] the power +possessed by mollusks of absorbing their shells;[859] the fact that bees +do not collect wax, but secrete it;[860] the semicircular canals of the +cetacea;[861] the lymphatics of birds;[862] and the air-cells in the +bones of birds.[863] We are also assured, that he anticipated the recent +discoveries respecting the embryo of the kangaroo;[864] and his published +works prove, that, in the human subject, he discovered the muscularity of +the arteries,[865] the muscularity of the iris,[866] and the digestion +of the stomach after death by its own juice.[867] Although, in his time, +animal chemistry was not yet raised to a system, and was consequently +little heeded by physiologists, Hunter endeavoured, by its aid, to search +out the qualities of the blood, so as to ascertain the properties of its +constituents.[868] He also examined it in different stages of embryonic +life, and by minutely tracking it through its periods of development, he +made the capital discovery, that the red globules of the blood are formed +later than its other components. His contemporaries, however, were so +little alive to the importance of this great physiological truth, that it +fell dead upon them, and, being forgotten, it was, about fifty years +afterwards, rediscovered, and was announced, in 1832, as a law of nature +which had just been brought to light.[869] This is one of many instances +in the history of our knowledge, which proves how useless it is for a man +to advance too far beyond the age in which he lives.[870] But Hunter, +besides making the discovery, also saw its meaning. From it, he inferred +that the function of the red globules is to minister to the strength of +the system, rather than to its repair.[871] This is now universally +admitted; but it was not admitted till long after his death. Its +recognition is chiefly owing to the rapid advance of animal chemistry, +and to improvements in the microscope. For, by the employment of these +resources, it has become manifest, that the red globules, the respiratory +process, the production of animal heat, and the energy of the locomotive +organs, are but different parts of a single scheme.[872] Their connexion +with each other is established, not only by a comparison of different +species, but also by a comparison of different members of the same +species. In human beings, for example, the locomotive and other animal +functions are more active in persons of a sanguine temperament than in +those of a lymphatic temperament; while, in sanguine temperaments, the +globules are more numerous than in lymphatic ones. The knowledge of this +fact we owe to Lecanu;[873] and to him we are also indebted for an +analogous fact, corroborating the same view. He has shown, that the blood +of women contains more water and fewer red globules than the blood of +men;[874] so that here again we discern the relation between these +globules and the energy of animal life. Inasmuch, however, as these +researches were not made until many years after the death of Hunter, the +coincidence between them and his speculative conclusions is a striking +instance of his power of generalization, and of that unrivalled knowledge +of comparative anatomy, which supplied him with materials from which, in +spite of the backwardness of animal chemistry, he was able to draw an +inference, which later and minuter researches have decisively +verified.[875] + + [852] 'He followed his natural inclination. He preferred the more + delusive, apparently the more direct, road, which has seduced so + many philosophers. He sought to arrive at the general laws of + nature at once by conjecture: rather than, by a close and detailed + study of her inferior operations, to ascend, step by step, through + a slow and gradual induction to those laws which govern her + general procedure.' Babington's Preface to Hunter's _Treatise on + the Venereal Disease_, in _Hunter's Works_, vol. ii. p. 129. + Compare the narrow and carping criticism in _Foot's Life of + Hunter_, p. 163. + + [853] That I may not be suspected of exaggeration, I will quote what by + far the greatest of all the historians of medicine has said upon + this subject. 'La majorite des medecins qui pretendaient s'etre + formes d'apres Bacon, n'avaient herite de lui qu'une repugnance + invincible pour les hypotheses et les systemes, une grande + veneration pour l'experience, et un desir extreme de multiplier le + nombre des observations. Ce fut chez les Anglais que la methode + empirique en medecine trouva le plus de partisans, et c'est + principalement aussi chez eux qu'elle s'est repandue jusqu'aux + temps les plus rapproches de nous. Sa propagation y fut favorisee, + non-seulement par le profond respect que les Anglais continuent + toujours de porter a l'immortel chancelier, mais encore par la + haute importance que la nation entiere attache au sens commun, + _common sense_, et elle y demeura l'ennemie irreconciliable de + tous les systemes que ne reposent pas sur l'observation.' + _Sprengel, Histoire de la Medecine_, vol. v. p. 411, Paris, 1815. + + [854] Clive says, 'Much as Mr. Hunter did, he thought still more. He has + often told me, his delight was, to think.' _Abernethy's Hunterian + Oration_, London, 1819, p. 26. + + [855] Mr. Owen, in his interesting Preface to the fourth volume of + _Hunter's Works_, says (p. vii.), 'There is proof that Hunter + anatomized at least five hundred different species of animals, + exclusive of repeated dissections of different individuals of the + same species, besides the dissections of plants to a considerable + amount.' + + [856] 'Some idea may be formed of Hunter's extraordinary diligence, by + the fact, that his museum contained, at the time of his death, + upwards of 10,000 preparations, illustrative of human and + comparative anatomy, physiology, and pathology, and natural + history.' _Weld's History of the Royal Society_, London, 1848, + vol. ii. p. 92. + + [857] 'I have tested the conflicting evidence of these observers by + dissection of the heart in the lobster; and you will perceive by + this preparation that it is more complicated than even the Danish + naturalist supposed, and fully bears out the opinion of Hunter in + regard to the mixed nature of the circulation in the crustacea.' + _Owen's Lectures on the Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of the + Invertebrate Animals_, 2nd edit. London, 1855, p. 318. 'Cuvier, + misled by the anomalous diffused condition of the venous system, + supposed that there was no circulation of the blood in insects; + yet the dorsal vessel was too conspicuous a structure to be + overlooked. Such, however, was the authority of the great + anatomist, that the nature of the heart began to be doubted, and + the strangest functions to be attributed to it. Hunter, however, + who was prepared to appreciate the true state of the circulating + system in insects, by his discovery of the approximately diffused + and irregular structure of the veins in the crustacea, has + described, in his work on the blood, all the leading characters of + the circulation in insects as it is recognized by comparative + physiologists of the present day.' _Ibid._ p. 383. Compare + _Hunter's Essays and Observations on Natural History_, London, + 1861, vol. i. p. 108. + + [858] 'The class called Sepia has the organ of hearing, though somewhat + differently constructed from what it is in fishes.' _An Account of + the Organ of Hearing in Fishes_, in _Hunter's Works_, vol. iv. p. + 294. At the bottom of the page Mr. Owen observes, in a note, 'This + is the first announcement of the existence of an organ of hearing + in the Cephalopoda.' + + [859] 'Hunter discovered that the molluscous inhabitant of a shell had + the power of absorbing part of its dwelling.' _Owen's Lectures on + the Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of the Invertebrate + Animals_, London, 1855, p. 544. 'Every shell-fish has the power of + removing a part of its shell, so as to adapt the new and the old + together, which is not done by any mechanical power, but by + absorption.' _Anatomical Remarks on a New Marine Animal_, in + _Hunter's Works_, vol. iv. p. 469, edit. Palmer. In a note to this + passage, it is said, that 'the doctrine of the absorption of shell + has been lately' (_i.e._ in 1833) 'adduced as a new discovery.' + + [860] 'His keen observation did not fail to detect several errors which + preceding naturalists had fallen into, especially with regard to + the formation of the wax, which he proved to be secreted, not + collected, by the animal.' _Ottley's Life of Hunter_, p. 122. 'The + wax is formed by the bees themselves; it may be called an external + secretion of oil, and I have found that it is formed between each + scale of the under side of the belly.' _Observations on Bees_, in + _Hunter's Works_, vol. iv. p. 433. + + [861] 'In the terminating part there are a number of perforations into + the cochlea, and one into the semicircular canals, which afford a + passage to the different divisions of the auditory nerve.' + _Observations on the Structure and [OE]conomy of Whales_, in + _Hunter's Works_, vol. iv. pp. 383, 384. 'The semicircular canals + of the cetacea, described by Hunter in the paper on Whales, a + structure which Cuvier rightly states that Camper overlooked, but + incorrectly claims the discovery as his own.' Preface to vol. iv. + of _Hunter's Works_, p. xxi. + + [862] Dr. Adams, in his somewhat hasty _Life of Hunter_, says (pp. 27, + 28), 'Mr. Hewson always claimed the discovery of lymphatics in + birds.' But the truth is, that Hewson never claimed it. He says, + 'It may be necessary to mention here, that the dispute between Dr. + Monro and me is, who first discovered the lacteals of birds? for + as to the lymphatics in their necks (mentioned in this gentleman's + note), these we both allow were discovered by Mr. John Hunter, + about ten years ago.' And, again, 'These lymphatics in the necks + of fowls were first discovered by Mr. John Hunter.' _Hewson's + Works_, edit. Gulliver (Sydenham Soc.), pp. 102, 145. + + [863] _Hunter's Works_, vol. iv. pp. xxi. 176. + + [864] 'See Nos. 3731, 3734, 3735, in the Physiological series of the + Hunterian Museum, in which there are evidences that Mr. Hunter had + anticipated most of the anatomical discoveries which have + subsequently been made upon the embryo of the Kangaroo.' _Rymer + Jones' Organization of the Animal Kingdom_, London, 1855, pp. 829, + 830. + + [865] 'The muscularity of arteries, of which John Hunter made + physiological proof, is now a matter of eyesight.' _Simon's + Pathology_, London, 1850, p. 69. 'To prove the muscularity of an + artery, it is only necessary to compare its action with that of + elastic substances.' ... 'When the various uses of arteries are + considered, such as their forming different parts of the body out + of the blood, their performing the different secretions, their + allowing at one time the blood to pass readily into the smaller + branches, as in blushing, and at another, preventing it + altogether, as in paleness from fear: and if to these we add the + power of producing a diseased increase of any or every part of the + body, we cannot but conclude that they are possessed of muscular + powers.' _Hunter's Works_, vol. iii. p. 157. See also vol. iv. + p. 254. Mr. Gulliver, in his edition of _Hewson's Works_, London, + 1846, says (p. 125), that Hunter's 'experiments on the functions + of the arteries are supported by the latest and best observations + on their structure.' + + [866] 'The fact of the muscularity of the iris, which is here presumed + from analogy by Mr. Hunter, has been since directly proved by the + observations of Bauer and Jacob (_Phil. Trans._ 1822), and + indirectly by Berzelius, who found that the iris possesses all the + chemical properties of muscle.' Palmer's note in _Hunter's Works_, + vol. iii. p. 146, London, 1837. + + [867] _Adams' Life of Hunter_, pp. 59, 60, 245. _Hunter's Works_, vol. i. + p. 43, vol. iv. pp. 116-121. _Watson's Principles of Physic_, + vol. ii. p. 440. + + [868] 'Hunter subjects the blood to both mechanical and chemical + analysis, and endeavours to determine the characteristic + properties of its different constituents.' Owen's Preface to vol. + iv. of _Hunter's Works_, p. xii. But this gives, perhaps, rather + too high an idea of his animal chemistry; for such was then the + miserable state of this extremely important branch of knowledge, + that he arrived at the conclusion that 'blood gives no analysis + excepting that of common animal matter.' _Principles of Surgery_, + chap. iii. in _Hunter's Works_, vol. i. p. 229. + + [869] 'In seeking to determine the respective importance of the different + constituents of the blood, by the philosophical and most difficult + inquiry into their respective periods of formation in the + development of the embryo, Hunter made the interesting discovery + that the vessels of the embryo of a red-blooded animal circulated + in the first instance colourless blood, as in the invertebrate + animals. 'The red globules,' he observes, 'seemed to be formed + later in life than the other two constituents, for we see while + the chick is in the egg the heart beating, and it then contains a + transparent fluid before any red globules are formed, which fluid + we may suppose to be the serum and the lymph.' I well remember the + feelings of surprise with which I listened, while at Paris in + 1832, to a memoir read before the Academy of Science, by MM. + Delpech and Coste, the object of which was the announcement of the + same fact as a novel and important discovery. The statement of the + French observers was received with all the consideration which its + importance justly merited, without its being suspected that our + great physiologist had, half a century before, embraced it, with + all its legitimate deductions, in the extended circle of his + investigations.' Owen's Preface to vol. iv. of _Hunter's Works_, + p. xiii. + + [870] Indeed, if we may rely on the references recently given by Mr. + Gulliver, which, from his great general accuracy, there seems no + reason to question, the fact that the pale blood precedes the red, + was known even in the time of Glisson. See Gulliver's learned + edition of _Hewson's Works_, London, 1846, p. 222. But, to the + contemporaries of Glisson, such a fact was isolated, and + consequently useless. Nothing is valuable while it appears to + stand alone. + + [871] 'From the above account, it appears that whatever may be their + utility in the machine, the red globules certainly are not of such + universal use as the coagulating lymph, since they are not to be + found in all animals, _nor so early in those that have them_; nor + are they pushed into the extreme arteries, where we must suppose + the coagulating lymph reaches; neither do they appear to be so + readily formed. This being the case, _we must conclude them not to + be the important part of the blood in contributing to growth, + repair, &c. Their use would seem to be connected with strength._' + _A Treatise on the Blood, Inflammation, and Gunshot Wounds_, in + _Hunter's Works_, vol. iii. p. 68. In another remarkable passage, + he touches on the possibility of an increase in the amount of red + globules being connected with an increase in the amount of heat. + 'I will not pretend to determine how far this may assist in + keeping up the animal heat.' _Observations on the Structure and + [OE]conomy of Whales_, in _Hunter's Works_, vol. iv. p. 364. + + [872] The evidence of this is collected in the notes to _Buckle's + History of Civilization_, vol. i. pp. 58-61. + + [873] 'According to Lecanu, temperament has an influence upon the + composition of the blood. He infers from his analyses that the + blood of lymphatic persons is poorer in solid constituents, and + especially in blood corpuscules, than that of persons of + sanguineous temperament, while the quantity of albumen is much the + same in both.' _Simon's Animal Chemistry with reference to the + Physiology and Pathology of Man_, London, 1845, vol. i. p. 236. + Compare _Thomson's Chemistry of Animal Bodies_, Edinburgh, 1843, + p. 370. + + [874] _Simon's Animal Chemistry_, vol. i. pp. 234, 235. Subsequent + experiments have confirmed this. 'The proportion of red globules + _dried_ to 1000 parts of blood, is in healthy males estimated at + 127 parts by Andral and Gavarret; lower and higher figures have + been given by other analysts, but this probably is the result of + somewhat different modes of proceeding. _In females the proportion + of globules is lower._ Becquerel and Rodier make the difference to + be about 15 parts per 1000.' _Jones and Sieveking's Pathological + Anatomy_, London, 1854, p. 23. Hence, the greater specific gravity + of male blood. See the interesting results of Dr. Davy's + experiments in _Davy's Physiological and Anatomical Researches_, + London, 1839, vol. ii. p. 32. + + [875] Hunter died in 1793. The researches of Lecanu were published in + 1831. + + Another, and still more remarkable proof of the extent to which + Hunter outstripped his own age, appears in the following passage, + which has just been published in his posthumous works, and in + which he anticipates the grandest and most suggestive of all the + ideas belonging to the physiology of the nineteenth century. 'If + we were capable of following the progress of increase of the + number of the parts of the most perfect animal, as they first + formed in succession, from the very first to its state of full + perfection, we should probably be able to compare it with some one + of the incomplete animals themselves, of every order of animals in + the Creation, being at no stage different from some of the + inferior orders. Or, in other words, if we were to take a series + of animals, from the more imperfect to the perfect, we should + probably find an imperfect animal, corresponding with some stage + of the most perfect.' _Essays and Observations by John Hunter, + being his Posthumous Papers_, London, 1861, vol. i. p. 203. + +Having thus, by a comprehensive survey of the animal world, associated +its remarkable faculty of movement with the state of its blood, Hunter +turned his attention to another aspect of the question, and took into +consideration the movements of the vegetable world, in the hope that, by +comparing these two divisions of nature, he might detect some law, which, +being common to both, should unite into one study all the principles of +organic motion. Though he failed in this great undertaking, some of his +generalizations are very suggestive, and well illustrate the power and +grasp of his mind. Looking at the organic kingdom as a whole, he supposed +that its capacity of action, both in animals and in vegetables, was of +three kinds. The first kind, was the action of the individual upon the +materials it already possessed; and this gave rise to growth, secretion, +and other functions, in which the juice of the plant was equivalent to +the blood of the animal.[876] The second kind of action had for its +object to increase these materials; it was always excited by want, and +its result was, to nourish and preserve the individual.[877] The third +kind was entirely due to external causes, including the whole material +world, all the phenomena of which were a stimulus to some kind of +action.[878] By combining, in different ways, these different sources of +motion, and by studying every incitement to action, first, in reference +to one of the three great divisions just indicated, and, secondly, in +reference to the _power_ of action, as distinguished from the _quantity_ +of action,[879] Hunter believed that some fundamental truths might be +obtained, if not by himself, at all events by his successors. For, he +thought that, though animals can do many things which plants cannot, +still, the immediate cause of action is in both cases the same.[880] In +animals, there is more variety of motion, but in plants there is more +real power. A horse is certainly far stronger than a man. Yet a small +vine cannot only support, but can raise, a column of fluid five times +higher than a horse can. Indeed, the power which a plant exercises of +holding a leaf erect during an entire day, without pause and without +fatigue, is an effort of astonishing vigour, and is one of many proofs, +that a principle of compensation is at work, so that the same energy +which, in the animal world, is weakened by being directed to many +objects, is, in the vegetable world, strengthened by being concentrated +on a few.[881] + + [876] 'The natural salutary actions, arising from stimuli, take place + both in animals and vegetables, and may be divided into three + kinds. The first kind of action, or self-motion, is employed + simply in the economical operations, by which means the immediate + functions are carried on, and the necessary operations performed, + with the materials the animal or vegetable is in possession of, + such as growth, support, secretion, &c. The blood is disposed of + by the actions of the vessels, according to their specific + stimulus, producing all the above effects. The juices of a plant + are disposed of according to the different actions of the + sap-vessels, arising also from their specific stimulus, which is + different from that of blood-vessels, but equally produces growth; + but a vine will grow twenty feet in one summer, while a whale, + probably, does not grow so much in as many years.' _Croonian + Lectures on Muscular Motion_, in _Hunter's Works_, vol. iv. + p. 199. + + [877] 'The second kind of action is in pursuit of external influence, and + arises from a compound of internal and external stimulus; it is + excited by the state of the animal or vegetable, which gives the + stimulus of want, and being completed by external stimulus, + produces the proper supplies of nourishment. It produces motions + of whole parts: thus we see the _Hedysarum gyrans_ moving its + lesser foliola. This is an action apparently similar to breathing + in animals, though, perhaps, it does not answer the same purpose; + yet there is an alternate motion in both.' _Croonian Lectures_, in + _Hunter's Works_, vol. iv. p. 200. + + [878] 'The third kind of motion is from external stimulus, and consists + principally of the motion of whole parts, which is not + inconsiderable in vegetables, as in the _Dionaea muscipula_ and + _Mimosa pudica_ is very evident.' ... 'These actions are similar + to what arise in many animals from external stimulus.' _Ibid._ + vol. iv. p. 201. + + [879] 'I make a material difference between the power and the quantity of + action. Some motions may be very small, yet act with great force; + while others are of considerable extent, although very weak.' + _Ibid._ vol. iv. p. 204. + + [880] 'The immediate cause of motion in all vegetables is most probably + the same, and it is probably the same in all animals; but how far + they are the same in both classes, has not yet been determined. + But I think it will appear, in the investigation of this subject, + that vegetables and animals have actions evidently common to both, + and that the causes of these actions are apparently the same in + both; and most probably there is not an action in the vegetable, + which does not correspond or belong to the animal, although the + mode of action in the parts may not be the same, or muscular, in + both.' _Croonian Lectures_, in _Hunter's Works_, vol. iv. p. 196. + Compare the section 'Of Motion in Vegetables,' in _Hunter's + Essays_, London, 1861, vol. i. p. 24. + + [881] 'The variety of motions is greater in animals, and more purposes + are answered by them.' ... 'The first kind of action appears to be + stronger in its power, although less in quantity, in vegetables + than in animals; for a small vine was capable of sustaining, and + even of raising, a column of sap 43 feet high, while a horse's + heart was only capable of supporting a column of blood 8 feet 9 + inches high; both of which columns must have been supported by the + action of the internal parts, for we must suppose the heart equal, + or nearly so, to the strength or action of the other parts of the + vascular system; and when we consider that the sap of the tallest + tree must be supported, and even raised from the root to the most + distant branches, it must appear that the power of such vegetables + far exceeds the power of any animal, and, indeed, it is such as + the texture of a vegetable only can support. The power of + supporting a leaf erect for a whole day is as great an effort of + action as that of the elevator palpebrarum muscle of the eye of an + animal.' _Hunter's Works_, vol. iv. pp. 203, 204. See also + _Hunter's Essays_, vol. i. p. 342: 'It is probable that the + vegetable which can the least bear a suspension of its actions, + can do so more than the animal which can bear it longest.' + +In pursuing these speculations, which, amid much that is uncertain, +contain, I firmly believe, a large amount of important, though neglected, +truth, Hunter was led to consider how motion is produced by various +forces, such as magnetism, electricity, gravitation, and chemical +attraction.[882] This carried him into inorganic science, where, as he +clearly saw, the foundation of all organic science must be laid. Just as, +on the one hand, the human frame could never be successfully studied, +except by the aid of principles which had been collected from an +investigation of animals below man,[883] so, on the other hand, the laws +of those very animals must, he said, be approached through the laws of +common or inorganic matter.[884] He, therefore, aimed at nothing less +than to unite all the branches of physical science, taking them in the +order of their relative complexity, and proceeding from the simplest to +the most intricate. With this view, he examined the structure of the +mineral kingdom, and, by an extensive comparison of crystals, he sought +to generalize the principles of form, in the same way as, by a comparison +of animals, he sought to generalize the principles of function. And, in +doing this, he took into account, not only regular crystals, but also +irregular ones.[885] For, he knew that, in nature, nothing is really +irregular or disorderly; though our imperfect apprehension, or rather the +backwardness of our knowledge, prevents us from discerning the symmetry +of the universal scheme. The beauty of the plan, and the necessity of the +sequence, are not always perceptible. Hence, we are too apt to fancy that +the chain is broken, because we cannot see every link in it. From this +serious error, Hunter was saved by his genius, even more than by his +knowledge. Being satisfied that every thing which happens in the material +world, is so connected and bound up with its antecedents, as to be the +inevitable result of what had previously occurred, he looked with a true +philosophical eye at the strangest and most capricious shapes, because to +him they had a meaning and a necessary purpose. To him, they were neither +strange nor capricious. They were deviations from the natural course; but +it was a fundamental tenet of his philosophy, that nature, even in the +midst of her deviations, still retains her regularity.[886] Or, as he +elsewhere expresses it, deviation is, under certain circumstances, part +of the law of nature.[887] + + [882] _Hunter's Works_, vol. iv. p. 255. + + [883] In his _Principles of Surgery_, he says (_Hunter's Works_, vol. i. + p. 220), 'The human body is what I mean chiefly to treat of; but I + shall often find it necessary to illustrate some of the + propositions which I shall lay down from animals of an inferior + order, in whom the principles may be more distinct and less + blended with others, or where the parts are differently + constructed, in order to show, from many varieties of structure, + and from many different considerations, what are the uses of the + same parts in man; or, at least, to show that they are not for the + uses which have been commonly assigned to them; and, as man is the + most complicated part of the whole animal creation, it will be + proper, in the first place, to point out general principles, + common to all this species of matter, that I may be better + understood when I come to the more complicated machine, namely, + the human.' + + [884] 'Before we endeavour to give an idea of an animal, it is necessary + to understand the properties of that matter of which an animal is + composed; but the better to understand animal matter, it is + necessary to understand the properties of common matter; else we + shall be often applying our ideas of common matter, which are + familiar to us, to animal matter, an error hitherto too common, + but which we should carefully avoid.' _Principles of Surgery_, in + _Hunter's Works_, vol. i. p. 211. 'In the natural history of + vegetables and animals, therefore, it will be necessary to go back + to the first or common matter of this globe, and give its general + properties; then see how far these properties are introduced into + the vegetable and animal operations; or rather, perhaps, how far + they are of use or subservient to their actions.' _Hunter's + Essays_, vol. i. p. 4. 'Every property in man is similar to some + property, either in another animal, or probably in a vegetable, or + even in inanimate matter. Thereby (man) becomes classible with + those in some of his parts.' _Ibid._ p. 10. + + [885] He made 'a valuable collection of crystallizations, both of + regular and irregular forms, which he was accustomed to use in his + lectures to exemplify the difference between the laws which + regulate the growth of organic and the increase of inorganic + bodies.' _Ottley's Life of Hunter_, p. 138. + + [886] 'Nature is always uniform in her operations, and when she deviates + is still regular in her deviations.' _Principles of Surgery_, in + _Hunter's Works_, vol. i. p. 485; see also vol. iv. pp. 44, 45. + + [887] 'It certainly may be laid down, as one of the principles or laws + of nature, to deviate under certain circumstances.' _Hunter's + Works_, vol. iv. p. 278. + +To generalize such irregularities, or, in other words, to show that they +are not irregularities at all, was the main object of Hunter's life, and +was the noblest part of his mission. Hence, notwithstanding his vast +achievements in physiology, his favourite pursuit was pathology,[888] +where, the phenomena being more complex, the intellect has more play. In +this great field, he studied the aberrations of structure and of +function, in the vegetable, as well as in the animal, world;[889] while, +for the aberrations of form, which are the external manifestations of +disturbed structure, he took into consideration the appearances presented +by the mineral kingdom. There, the power of crystallization is the +leading feature, and there, violations of symmetry constitute the +essential disorder, whether the deformity of the crystal is subsequent to +its production, or whether, being the result of what happened before its +production, it is an original, and, if we may so say, congenital, defect. +In either case, it is a deviation from the normal type, and, as such, is +analogous to the monstrosities, both of animals and of vegetables.[890] +The mind of Hunter, by sweeping through this immense range of thought, +attained to such commanding views of the philosophy of disease, that, in +that department, he is certainly without a rival. As a physiologist, he +was equalled, or perhaps excelled, by Aristotle; but as a pathologist, he +stands alone, if we consider what pathology was when he found it, and +what it was when he left it.[891] Since his death, the rapid advance of +morbid anatomy and of chemistry has caused some of his doctrines to be +modified, and some of them to be overturned. This has been the work of +inferior men, wielding superior chemical and microscopical resources. To +say that the successors of John Hunter are inferior to him, is no +disparagement to their abilities, since he was one of those extremely +rare characters who only appear at very long intervals, and who, when +they do appear, remodel the fabric of knowledge. They revolutionize our +modes of thought; they stir up the intellect to insurrection; they are +the rebels and demagogues of science. And though the pathologists of the +nineteenth century have chosen a humbler path, this must not blind us to +their merits, or prevent us from being grateful for what they have done. +We cannot, however, be too often reminded, that the really great men, and +those who are the sole permanent benefactors of their species, are not +the great experimenters, nor the great observers, nor the great readers, +nor the great scholars, but the great thinkers. Thought is the creator +and vivifier of all human affairs. Actions, facts, and external +manifestations of every kind, often triumph for a while; but it is the +progress of ideas which ultimately determines the progress of the world. +Unless these are changed, every other change is superficial, and every +improvement is precarious. It is, however, evident that, in the present +state of our knowledge, all ideas respecting nature must refer either to +the normal or to the abnormal; that is to say, they must be concerned +either with what is regular, uniform, and obedient to recognized +principles, or else with what is irregular, perturbed, and disobedient. +Of these two divisions, the first belongs to science; the second, to +superstition. John Hunter formed the superb conception of merging both +classes of ideas into one, by showing that nothing is irregular, that +nothing is perturbed, that nothing is disobedient. Centuries, perhaps, +may elapse before that conception will be consummated. But what Hunter +effected towards it, places him at the head of all pathologists, ancient +or modern. For, with him, the science of pathology did not mean the laws +of disease in man alone, or even in all animals, or even in the whole +organic kingdom; but it meant the laws of disease and of malformation in +the entire material world, organic and inorganic. His great object was, +to raise a science of the abnormal. He determined to contemplate nature +as a vast and united whole, exhibiting, indeed, at different times +different appearances, but preserving, amidst every change, a principle +of uniform and uninterrupted order, admitting of no deviation, undergoing +no disturbance, and presenting no real irregularity, albeit to the common +eye, irregularities abound on every side. + + [888] Dr. Adams, who knew him personally, says that he studied + 'physiology, more particularly as connected with pathology.' + _Adams' Life of Hunter_, p. 77. + + [889] His _Principles of Surgery_ contain some curious evidence of his + desire to establish a connexion between animal and vegetable + pathology. See, for instance, his remarks on 'local diseases' + (_Works_, vol. i. p. 341); on the influence of the seasons in + producing diseases (vol. i. pp. 345, 346); and on the theory of + inflammation exhibited in an oak-leaf (vol. i. p. 391). But even + now, too little is known of the diseases of the vegetable world to + enable their study to be incorporated with the science of the + diseases of the animal world; and, in the time of Hunter, the + attempt was still less promising. Still, the effort shows the + grandeur and range of the man's mind; and though little was + effected, the method was right. So, too, in one of his essays on + the _Power of Producing Heat_, he says, 'In the course of a + variety of experiments on animals and vegetables, I have + frequently observed that the result of experiments in the one has + explained the economy of the other, and pointed out some principle + common to both.' _Hunter's Works_, vol. iv. p. 136. + + [890] 'Nature being pretty constant in the kind and number of the + different parts peculiar to each species of animal, as also in the + situation, formation, and construction of such parts, we call + every thing that deviates from that uniformity a "monster," + whether (it occur in) crystallization, vegetation, or + animalization. There must be some principle for those deviations + from the regular course of nature, in the economy of such species + as they occur in. In the present inquiry it is the animal creation + I mean to consider. Yet, as there may be in some degree an analogy + between all the three (kingdoms of nature), I shall consider the + other two, so far as this analogy seems to take place.' ... + 'Monsters are not peculiar to animals: they are less so in them, + perhaps, than in any species of matter. The vegetable (kingdom) + abounds with monsters; and perhaps the uncommon formation of many + crystals may be brought within the same species of production, and + accounted for upon the same principle, viz. some influence + interfering with the established law of regular formation. + Monsters in crystals may arise from the same cause, as mentioned + in the "Introduction;" viz. either a wrong arrangement of the + parts of which the crystal is to be composed, or a defect in the + formation, from the first setting out being wrong, and (the + formation) going on in the same (wrong) line. The principle of + crystallization is in the solution; yet it requires more to set it + agoing, or into action, such, _e.g._, as a solid surface. The + deficiency in the production of a true crystal may be in the + solution itself; or, I can conceive, that a very slight + circumstance might alter the form of a crystal, and even give the + disposition for one (crystal) to form upon another. Quickness in + the progress of crystallization produces irregularity and + diminution in size.' _Hunter's Essays_, London, 1861, vol. i. + pp. 239-241. The reader must remember, that, when these remarks + were written, the phenomena of crystallization had not been + subjected to that exact mathematical treatment which subsequently + revealed so many of their laws. Indeed, the goniometer was then so + coarse an instrument, that it was impossible to measure the angles + of crystals with accuracy. + + [891] Abernethy says, 'He appears to me as a new character in our + profession; and, briefly to express his peculiar merit, I may call + him the first and great physionosologist, or expositor of the + nature of disease.' _Abernethy's Hunterian Oration_, p. 29, + London, 1819. 'He may be regarded as the first who applied the + great truths of anatomical and physiological science to these most + important subjects, by tracing the processes which nature employs + in the construction of organic changes, in building up new + formations, and in repairing the effects of injury or disease.' + _Hodgson's Hunterian Oration_, 1855, p. 32. + +As pathology was the science to which Hunter was most devoted, so also +was it that in which his natural love of deduction was most apparent. +Here, far more than in his physiological inquiries, do we find a desire +to multiply original principles from which he could reason; in opposition +to the inductive method, which always aims at diminishing these +principles by gradual and successive analysis. Thus, for instance, in +his animal pathology, he attempted to introduce, as an ultimate principle +from which he could argue, the idea that all diseases move more rapidly +towards the skin than towards internal parts, by virtue of some hidden +force, which also obliges vegetables to approach the surface of the +earth.[892] Another favourite proposition, which he often used as a major +premiss, and by its aid constructed deductively a pathological argument, +was, that in no substance, be it what it may, can two processes go on in +the same part at the same time.[893] By applying this universal +proposition to the more limited phenomena of animal life, he inferred +that two general diseases cannot co-exist in the same individual; and he +relied so much on this ratiocination, that he refused to credit any +testimony by which it was impugned.[894] There is reason to believe that +his conclusion is erroneous, and that different diseases can so accompany +each other, as to be united in the same individual, at the same time, and +in the same part.[895] Whether or not this be the case, it is equally +interesting to notice the process of thought which led Hunter to bestow +infinitely more pains in arguing from the general theory, than in arguing +to it. Indeed, he can hardly be said to have argued to it at all, since +he obtained it by a rough and hasty generalization from what seemed to be +the obvious properties of inorganic matter. Having thus obtained it, he +applied it to the pathological phenomena of the organic world, and +especially of the animal world. That he should have adopted this course, +is a curious proof of the energy of his deductive habits, and of the +force of mind which enabled him so to set at naught the traditions of his +English contemporaries, as to follow a method which, in the opinion of +every one who surrounded him, was not only full of danger, but could +never lead to truth. + + [892] 'The specific qualities in diseases also tend more rapidly to the + skin than to the deeper-seated parts, except the cancer; although, + even in this disease, the progress towards the superficies is more + quick than its progress towards the centre.' ... 'In short, this + is a law of nature, and it probably is upon the same principle by + which vegetables always approach the surface of the earth.' _A + Treatise on the Blood, Inflammation, and Gunshot Wounds_, in + _Hunter's Works_, vol. iii. p. 285. 'Granulations always tend to + the skin, which is exactly similar to vegetation, for plants + always grow from the centre of the earth towards the surface; and + this principle was taken notice of when we were treating of + abscesses coming towards the skin.' _Ibid._ pp. 489, 490. + + [893] 'It may be admitted as an axiom, that two processes cannot go on + at the same time in the same part of any substance.' _Hunter's + Works_, vol. iv. p. 96. Compare _Hunter's Essays_, vol. ii. p. + 333: 'As it appears, in general, that Nature can hardly make one + part perform two actions with advantage.' + + [894] 'Thus, we hear of pocky itch and of scurvy and the venereal + disease combined; but this supposition appears to me to be founded + in error. I have never seen any such cases, _nor do they seem to + be consistent with the principles of morbid action_ in the animal + economy. It appears to me beyond a doubt that no two actions can + take place in the same constitution, or in the same part, at one + and the same time.' _Hunter's Works_, vol. ii. p. 132. 'As I + reckon every operation in the body an action, whether universal or + partial, _it appears to me beyond a doubt_ that no two actions can + take place in the same constitution, nor in the same part, at one + and the same time; the operations of the body are similar in this + respect to actions or motions in common matter. _It naturally + results from this principle_, that no two different fevers can + exist in the same constitution, nor two local diseases in the same + part, at the same time. There are many local diseases which have + dispositions totally different, but having very similar + appearances, have been supposed by some to be one sort of disease, + by others to be a different kind, and by others again a compound + of two diseases.' ... 'These, therefore, are often supposed to be + mixed, and to exist in the same part. Thus we hear of a + pocky-scurvy, a pocky-itch, rheumatic-gout, &c. &c., which names, + _according to my principle_, imply a union that cannot possibly + exist.' _Ibid._ vol. iii. pp. 3, 4. + + [895] Dr. Robert Williams (_Encyclopaedia of the Medical Sciences_, + London, 1847, 4to, p. 688) says, 'The diagnosis between gout and + rheumatism is often exceedingly difficult, so much so that + nosologists have given a mixed class, or rheumatic gout. Mr. + Hunter warmly opposed this compound appellation, for, in his + opinion, no two distinct diseases, or even distinct diatheses, can + co-exist in the same constitution; a law, it must be admitted, to + have many exceptions.' Compare _Watson's Principles and Practice + of Physic_, London, 1857, vol. i. p. 312; 'acting upon the + aphorism of John Hunter (an aphorism, however, which requires some + qualification), that two diseases or actions cannot go on in a + part at the same time.' According to another authority, 'There can + be little doubt that two or more zymotic processes do often go on + simultaneously in the blood and body; a fact of profound interest + to the pathologist, and worthy of attentive investigation.' + _Report on the Public Health for 1847_, in _Journal of the + Statistical Society_, vol. xi. p. 168, London, 1848. See also, on + the co-existence of specific poisons, _Erichsen's Surgery_, 2nd + edit., London, 1857, p. 430. Mr. Paget, in his striking and + eminently suggestive _Lectures on Pathology_, London, 1853, vol. + ii. pp. 537, 538, has made some interesting remarks on one part of + the theory of co-existence; and his observations, so far as they + go, tend to corroborate Hunter's view. He has put very forcibly + the antagonism between cancer and other specific diseases; and + especially between the cancerous diathesis and the tuberculous. + +Other parts of his pathology abound with similar instances, which show +how anxious he was to assume principles on which he could build +arguments. Of this kind were his ideas respecting sympathy, as connected +with action. He suggested, that the simplest forms of sympathy would +probably be found in the vegetable world, because there, the general +arrangements are less intricate than in the animal world.[896] On this +supposition, he constructed a series of curious and refined speculations, +of which, however, I must confine myself to giving a very short summary. +As animals sympathize more than vegetables, this helps us to understand +why it is that their movements are more numerous. For, sympathy, being a +susceptibility to impression, is also a principle of action.[897] Like +other principles of action, it may be either natural or diseased.[898] +But, whichever it be, it can, in plants, have only one mode of +development, because, in them, it can only be influenced by stimulus; +while in animals, which have sensation, it has necessarily three modes, +one from stimulus, one from sensation, and a third compounded of the +other two.[899] These are the largest divisions of sympathy, if we +consider the organic world as a whole. In single cases, however, sympathy +admits of still further subdivision. We may reason from it, in reference +to the age of the individual;[900] we may also reason from it in +reference to temperament, since, in point of fact, temperament is nothing +but susceptibility to action.[901] And when sympathy is in action, we +may, by analyzing our idea of it, reduce it to five different heads, and +may classify it as continued, or contiguous, or remote, or similar, or +dissimilar.[902] All these supplied Hunter with principles from which, by +reasoning deductively, he attempted to explain the facts of disease; for, +according to him, disease merely consists in a want of combination of +actions.[903] By this process of thought, he was induced to neglect +those predisposing causes, to which inductive pathologists pay great +attention, and with which the works of his English contemporaries were +much occupied. Such causes could only be generalized from observation, +and Hunter made no account of them. Indeed, he even denies their real +existence, and asserts that a predisposing cause is simply an increased +susceptibility to form disposition to action.[904] + + [896] 'The most simple sympathy is perhaps to be found in vegetables, + these being much more simple than the most simple animal.' + _Principles of Surgery_, in _Hunter's Works_, vol. i. p. 327. + + [897] 'This principle of action, called sympathy,' &c. _Ibid._ vol. i. + p. 318. + + [898] 'Sympathy may be divided into two kinds, the natural and the + diseased.' _Principles of Surgery_, in _Hunter's Works_, vol. i. + p. 320; see also _A Treatise on the Blood, Inflammation, &c._, in + _Works_, vol. iii. p. 6. + + [899] _Croonian Lectures on Muscular Motion_, in _Hunter's Works_, + vol. iv. p. 207; and exactly the same words in his _Phytology_, in + _Hunter's Essays_, London, 1861, vol. i. p. 361. + + [900] 'Local or partial sympathy is found more in old than in young; + whereas universal sympathy is more in young than in old. Sympathy + is less determined in young persons, every part being then ready + to sympathize with other parts under disease.' ... 'As the child + advances, the power of sympathy becomes partial, there not being + now, in the constitution, that universal consent of parts, but + some part, which has greater sympathy than the rest, falls into + the whole irritation; therefore the whole disposition to sympathy + is directed to some particular part. The different organs acquire + more and more of their own independent actions as the child grows + older.' _Hunter's Works_, vol. i. pp. 322, 323. + + [901] 'Susceptibilities for dispositions and actions appear to me to be + the same with what are usually understood by temperament. + Temperament is the state of the body fitting it for the + disposition or action it is then in.' _Hunter's Works_, vol. i. + p. 307. + + [902] _Hunter's Works_, vol. iii. p. 393. + + [903] 'As every natural action of the body depends, for its perfection, + on a number of circumstances, we are led to conclude, that all the + various combining actions are established while the body is in + health, and well disposed; but this does not take place in + diseased actions, for disease, on the contrary, consists in the + want of this very combination.' _Hunter's Works_, vol. iii. p. 10. + Compare vol. i. p. 310: 'I have explained that a disease is a + disposition for a wrong action, and that the action is the + immediate effect of the disposition, and that either the actions + or the effects of those actions, _produce the symptoms which are + generally called the disease_; such as sensations, which are + commonly pain of all kinds, sickness, alteration visible or + invisible in the structure of the part or parts that act, and + sympathy.' + + [904] 'There is no such thing, strictly speaking, as a predisposing + cause. What is commonly understood by a predisposing cause is an + increased susceptibility to form disposition to action. When I say + I am predisposed for such and such actions, it is only that I am + very susceptible of such and such impressions.' _Hunter's Works_, + vol. i. p. 303. See also p. 301: 'The most simple idea I can form + of an animal being capable of disease is, that every animal is + endued with a power of action, and a susceptibility of impression, + which impression forms a disposition, which disposition may + produce action, which action becomes the immediate sign of the + disease; all of which will be according to the nature of the + impression and of the part impressed.' + +By reasoning from the twofold ideas of action and of sympathy, Hunter +constructed the deductive or synthetic part of his pathology. This he did +as a Scotchman, and to this, had he always lived in Scotland, he would +probably have confined himself. But being for forty years surrounded by +Englishmen, and having his mind impregnated by English habits, he +contracted something of their mode of thought. We, accordingly, find that +a considerable portion of his pathology is as inductive as the most eager +disciple of Bacon could desire; forming, in this respect, a striking +contrast to the purely synthetic method of Cullen, the other great +pathologist of Scotland. In the attempt, however, which Hunter made to +mix these two methods, he perplexed both himself and his readers. Hence +that obscurity, which even his warmest admirers have noticed, though they +have not perceived its cause. Vast as his powers were, he was unable to +effect a complete union between induction and deduction. That this should +have happened, will not surprise any one, who considers how some of the +greatest thinkers have failed in this, the most difficult of all +enterprises. Among the ancients, Plato failed in induction, and all his +followers failed with him; since none of them have placed sufficient +confidence in facts, and in the process of reasoning from particulars to +generals. Among the moderns, Bacon was deficient in deduction, and every +Baconian has been similarly deficient; it being the essential vice of +that school to despise reasoning from general propositions, and to +underrate the value of the syllogism. It may, indeed, be doubted if the +history of the world supplies more than two instances of physical +philosophers being as great in one form of investigation as in the other. +They are Aristotle and Newton, who wielded each method with equal ease, +combining the skill and boldness of deduction with the caution and +perseverance of induction, masters alike of synthesis and of analysis, as +capable of proceeding from generals to particulars, as from particulars +to generals, sometimes making ideas precede facts, and sometimes making +facts precede ideas, but never faltering, never doubting which course to +take, and never allowing either scheme unduly to encroach on its +opposite. That Hunter should be unable to perform this, merely proves +that he was inferior to these two men, whose almost incredible +achievements entitle them to be termed the prodigies of the human race. +But what he did was wonderful, and, in his own department, has never been +rivalled. Of the character and extent of his inquiries, I have given a +sketch, which, notwithstanding its imperfections, may serve to illustrate +the antagonism of the Scotch and English intellects, by showing how the +methods peculiar to each nation struggled for mastery in that great mind, +which was exposed to the action of both. Which method predominated in +Hunter, it would be hard to say. But it is certain, that his +understanding was troubled by their conflict. It is also certain, that, +owing to his love of deduction, or of reasoning from general ideas, he +exercised much less sway over his English contemporaries, than he would +have done if he had exclusively followed their favourite method of +reasoning from particular facts. Hence, the disproportion between his +influence and his merits. As to his merits, it is now admitted that, in +addition to his physiological discoveries, and the great pathological +views which he propounded, we may trace to him nearly all the surgical +improvements which were introduced within about forty years after his +death.[905] He was the first who explained, and, indeed, the first who +recognized, the disease of inflammation of the veins, which is of +frequent occurrence, and, under the name of phlebitis, has latterly been +much studied, but which, before his time, had been ascribed to the most +erroneous causes.[906] On general inflammation, he threw so much light, +that the doctrines which he advocated, and which were then ridiculed as +whimsical novelties, are now taught in the schools, and have become part +of the common traditions of the medical profession.[907] He, moreover, +introduced what is probably the most capital improvement in surgery ever +effected by a single man; namely, the practice in aneurism of tying the +artery at a distance from the seat of disease. This one suggestion has +saved thousands of lives; and both the suggestion, and the first +successful execution of it, are entirely owing to John Hunter, who, if he +had done nothing else, would, on this account alone, have a right to be +classed among the principal benefactors of mankind.[908] + + [905] Hunter died in 1793. In 1835, Mr. Palmer writes: 'Those who have + traced the progress of modern surgery to its true source, will not + fail to have discerned, in the principles which Hunter + established, the germs of almost all the improvements which have + been since introduced.' _Hunter's Works_, vol. i. p. vii. Eighteen + years later, Mr. Paget says of Hunter's views respecting the + healing of injuries: 'In these sentences, Mr. Hunter has embodied + the principle on which is founded the whole practice of + subcutaneous surgery; a principle of which, indeed, it seems + hardly possible to exaggerate the importance.' _Paget's Lectures + on Surgical Pathology_, London, 1853, vol. i. p. 170. At pp. 197, + 198: 'After what I have said respecting the process of immediate + union, it may appear that Mr. Hunter was more nearly right than + his successors.' + + [906] 'Inflammation of the veins, originally studied by Hunter, has of + late years attracted the attention of many distinguished + Continental and British pathologists.' _Erichsen's Surgery_, + London, 1857, p. 475. 'No subject more amply illustrates the + essential services which the science and art of medicine have + derived from pathological anatomy than that of phlebitis. By this + study many a dark point in the phenomena of disease has been + either thoroughly elucidated, or, at all events, rendered more + comprehensible. We need only refer to the so-termed malignant + intermittents, consequent upon wounds and surgical operations,--to + certain typhoid conditions, puerperal diseases, and the like, John + Hunter, the elder Meckel, and Peter Frank, were the first to + commence the investigation.' _Hasse's Anatomical Description of + the Diseases of the Organs of Circulation and Respiration_, + London, 1846, p. 10. 'Hunter was the first to open the way, and + since that period the scalpel has shown that many previously + unintelligible malignant conditions are attributable to + phlebitis.' _Jones and Sieveking's Pathological Anatomy_, London, + 1854, p. 362. On the application of this discovery to the theory + of inflammation of the spleen, see _Rokitansky's Pathological + Anatomy_, vol. ii. p. 173, London, 1849; compare vol. iv. p. 335. + + [907] Sir Benjamin Brodie says: 'It is true that the essential parts of + John Hunter's doctrines as to inflammation and its consequences + are now so incorporated with what is taught in the schools, that + to be acquainted with them you need not seek them in his works; + but I recommend you, nevertheless, to make these your especial + study, for the sake of the other valuable information which they + contain, and the important views in physiology and pathology + which, in almost every page, are offered to your contemplation.' + _Brodie's Lectures on Pathology and Surgery_, London, 1846, p. 25. + 'John Hunter, whose treatise on Inflammation is a mine in which + all succeeding writers have dug.' _Watson's Principles and + Practice of Physic_, London, 1857, vol. i. p. 146. 'The appeal to + philosophical principles in Hunter's works was, indeed, the cause + of their being a closed volume to his less enlightened + contemporaries; but, though the principles implied or expressed, + subjected them to the scorn and neglect of those less imbued with + the spirit of philosophy, the results of those principles, + verified as they were by facts, have gradually and insensibly + forced themselves on the conviction of the profession; and though + adopted silently, and without acknowledgment, as if the authors + themselves had forgotten or were ignorant from whence they were + derived, they now form the very groundwork of all books, + treatises, and lectures on professional subjects.' _Green's Vital + Dynamics_, London, 1840, p. 81. Finally, I will quote the very + recent testimony of Mr. Simon, who, in his masterly, and + singularly beautiful, essay on Inflammation, has not only brought + together nearly every thing which is known on that interesting + subject, but has shown himself to be possessed of powers of + generalization rare in the medical profession, or, indeed, in any + other profession. 'Without undue partiality, an Englishman may be + glad to say that the special study of Inflammation dates from the + labours of John Hunter. An indefatigable observer of nature, + untrammelled by educational forms, and thoroughly a sceptic in his + method of study, this large-minded surgeon of ours went to work at + inflammation with a full estimate of the physiological vastness of + his subject. He saw that, in order to understand inflammation, he + must regard it, not as one solitary fact of disease, but in + connexion with kindred phenomena--some of them truly morbid in + their nature, but many of them within the limits of health. He saw + that, for any one who would explain inflammation, all inequalities + of blood supply, all periodicities of growth, all actions of + sympathy, were part of the problem to be solved.' ... 'He cannot + be understood without more reflection than average readers will + give; and only they who are content to struggle through a veil of + obscure language, up to the very reality of his intent, can learn + with how great a master they are communing.' ... 'Doubtless, he + was a great discoverer. But it is for the spirit of his labours, + even more than for the establishment of new doctrine, that English + surgery is for ever indebted to him. Of facts in pathology, he + may, perhaps, be no permanent teacher; but to the student of + medicine he must always be a noble pattern. Emphatically, it may + be said of him, that he was the physiological surgeon. Others, + before him (Galen, for instance, eminently), had been at once + physiologists and practitioners; but science, in their case, had + come little into contact with practice. Never had physiology been + so incorporated with surgery, never been so applied to the + investigation of disease and the suggestion of treatment, as it + was by this master-workman of ours. And to him, so far as such + obligations can be personal, we assuredly owe it that, for the + last half-century, the foundations of English surgery have, at + least professedly, been changing from a basis of empiricism to a + basis of science.' _Simon on Inflammation_, in _A System of + Surgery_, edited by T. Holmes, London, 1860, vol. i. pp. 134-136. + + [908] Mr. Bowman, in his _Principles of Surgery_ (_Encyclopaedia of the + Medical Sciences_, London, 4to, 1847) says (p. 831): 'Before the + time of Hunter, the operation was performed by cutting into the + sac of the aneurism, and tying the vessel above and below. So + formidable was this proceeding in its consequences, that + amputation of the limb was frequently preferred, as a less + dangerous and fatal measure. The genius of Hunter led him to tie + the femoral artery, in a case of popliteal aneurism, leaving the + tumour untouched. The safety and efficacy of this mode of + operating have now been fully established, and the principle has + been extended to all operations for the cure of this formidable + disease.' See also p. 873; _Paget's Surgical Pathology_, vol. i. + pp. 36, 37; and _Erichsen's Surgery_, pp. 141, 142, 508, 509. + +But, so far as his own immediate reputation was concerned, all was in +vain. He was in the midst of a people who had no sympathy with that mode +of thought which was most natural to him. They cared nothing for ideas, +except with a few to direct and tangible results; he valued ideas for +themselves, and for the sake of their truth, independently of all other +considerations. His English contemporaries, prudent, sagacious, but +short-sighted, seeing few things at a time, but seeing those things with +admirable clearness, were unable to appreciate his comprehensive +speculations. Hence, in their opinion, he was little else than an +innovator and an enthusiast.[909] Hence, too, even the practical +improvements which he introduced were coldly received, because they +proceeded from so suspicious a source. The great Scotchman, thrown among +a nation whose habits of mind were uncongenial to his own, stood, says +one of the most celebrated of his disciples, in a position of solitary +and comfortless superiority.[910] Indeed, so little was he regarded by +that very profession of which he was the chiefest ornament, that, during +the many years in which he delivered lectures in London on anatomy and on +surgery, his audience never amounted to twenty persons.[911] + + [909] 'The majority of Hunter's contemporaries considered his pursuits to + have little connexion with practice, charged him with attending to + physiology more than surgery, and looked on him as little better + than an innovator and an enthusiast.' _Ottley's Life of Hunter_, + p. 126. In a work, which was written by a surgeon only the year + after Hunter died, the reader is told, in regard to his remarkable + inquiries respecting animal heat, that 'his experiments, if they + be true, carry with them no manner of information:--if they be + true, no effect for the benefit of man can possibly be derived + from them.' _Foot's Life of Hunter_, London, 1794, p. 116. At p. + 225, the same practitioner reproaches the great philosopher with + propounding 'purely a piece of theory, without any practical + purpose whatever.' Foot, indeed, wrote under the influence of + personal feelings, but he rightly judged that these were the sort + of charges which would be most likely to prejudice the English + public against Hunter. It never occurred to Foot, any more than it + would occur to his readers, that the quest of truth, as truth, is + a magnificent object, even if its practical benefit is + imperceptible. One other testimony is worth quoting. Sir Astley + Cooper writes of Cline: 'His high opinion of Mr. Hunter shows his + judgment; for almost all others of Mr. Hunter's contemporaries, + although they praise him now, abused him while he lived.' _The + Life of Sir Astley Cooper, by Bransby Blake Cooper_, London, 1843, + vol. ii. p. 337. + + [910] 'Those who far precede others, must necessarily remain alone; and + their actions often appear unaccountable, nay, even extravagant, + to their distant followers, who know not the causes that give rise + to them, nor the effects which they are designed to produce. In + such a situation stood Mr. Hunter, with relation to his + contemporaries. It was a comfortless precedence, for it deprived + him of sympathy and social co-operation.' _Abernathy's Hunterian + Oration_, p. 49. + + [911] 'These he continued for several years; but so far were his + talents, and his enlightened views, from exciting the attention + they merited, that his hearers never amounted to twenty,' + _Ottley's Life of Hunter_, p. 28. + + * * * * * + +I have now completed my examination of the Scotch intellect as it +unfolded itself in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The +difference between those two periods must strike every reader. In the +seventeenth century, the ablest Scotchmen wasted their energies on +theological subjects, respecting which we have no trustworthy +information, and no means of obtaining any. On these topics, different +persons and different nations, equally honest, equally enlightened, and +equally competent, have entertained, and still entertain, the most +different opinions, which they advocate with the greatest confidence, and +support by arguments, perfectly satisfactory to themselves, but +contemptuously rejected by their opponents. Each side deeming itself in +possession of the truth, the impartial inquirer, that is, he who really +loves truth, and knows how difficult it is to obtain it, seeks for some +means by which he may fairly adjudicate between these conflicting +pretensions, and determine which is right and which is wrong. The further +he searches, the more he becomes convinced that no such means are to be +found, and that these questions, if they do not transcend the limits of +the human understanding, do, certainly, transcend its present resources, +and have no chance of being answered, while other and much simpler +problems are still unsolved. It would be strange, indeed, if we, ignorant +of so many lower and subordinate matters, should be able to reach and +penetrate these remote and complicated mysteries. It would be strange if +we, who, notwithstanding the advances we have made, are still in the +infancy of our career, and who, like infants, can only walk with unsteady +gait, and are scarce able to move without stumbling, even on plain and +level ground, should, nathless, succeed in scaling those dizzy heights, +which, overhanging our path, lure us on where we are sure to fall. +Unfortunately, however, men are, in every age, so little conscious of +their deficiencies, that they not only attempt this impossible task, but +believe they have achieved it. Of those who are a prey to this delusion, +there are always a certain number, who, seated on their imaginary +eminence, are so inflated by the fancied superiority, as to undertake to +instruct, to warn, and to rebuke the rest of mankind. Giving themselves +out as spiritual advisers, and professing to teach what they have not yet +learned, they exhibit in their own persons that most consistent of all +combinations, a combination of great ignorance with great arrogance. From +this, other evils inevitably follow. The ignorance produces superstition; +the arrogance produces tyranny. Hence it is, that, in a country like +Scotland, where the pressure of long-continued and adverse circumstances +has consolidated the power of these pretenders to wisdom, such sad +results become conspicuous in every direction. Not only the national +character, but also the national literature, feel their influence, and +are coloured by them. It was, therefore, natural that, in Scotland, in +the seventeenth century, when the authority of the clergy was most +uncontrolled, the consequences of that authority should be most apparent. +It was natural that a literature should be created such as that of which +I have given some account; a literature which encouraged superstition, +intolerance, and bigotry; a literature full of dark misgivings, and of +still darker threats; a literature which taught men that it was wrong to +enjoy the present, and that it was right to tremble at the future; a +literature, in a word, which, spreading gloom on every side, soured the +temper, corrupted the affections, numbed the intellect, and brought into +complete discredit those bold and original inquiries, without which there +can be no advance in human knowledge, and consequently no increase of +human happiness. + +To this, the literature of the eighteenth century offered a striking and +most exhilarating contrast. It seemed as if, in a moment, all was +changed. The Baillies, the Binnings, the Dicksons, the Durhams, the +Flemings, the Frasers, the Gillespies, the Guthries, the Halyburtons, the +Hendersons, the Rutherfords, and the rest of that monkish rabble, were +succeeded by eminent and enterprising thinkers, whose genius lighted up +every department of knowledge, and whose minds, fresh and vigorous as the +morning, opened for themselves a new career, and secured for their +country a high place in the annals of European intellect. Something of +what they effected, I have endeavoured to narrate; much, however, has +been left untold. But I have brought forward sufficient evidence to +convince even the most sceptical reader of the splendour of their +achievements, and of the difference between the noble literature which +they produced, and those wretched compositions which disfigured the +preceding century. + +Still, great as the difference was, the two literatures had, as I have +shown, one important point in common. Both were essentially deductive; +and the proof of this I have given at considerable length, because, +though it has, so far as I am aware, escaped the attention of all +previous inquirers, its consequences were of the utmost moment to the +fortunes of Scotland, and are, moreover, full of interest to those who, +in their investigations of human affairs, desire to penetrate below the +mere surface and symptoms of things. + +If we take a general view of those countries where science has been +cultivated, we shall find that, wherever the deductive method of inquiry +has predominated, knowledge, though often increased and accumulated, has +never been widely diffused. On the other hand, we shall find that, when +the inductive method has predominated, the diffusion of knowledge has +always been considerable, or, at all events, has been beyond comparison +greater than when deduction was prevalent. This holds good, not only of +different countries, but also of different periods in the same country. +It even holds good of different individuals in the same period, and in +the same country. If, in any civilized nation, two men, equally gifted, +were to propound some new and startling conclusion, and one of these men +were to defend his conclusion by reasoning from ideas or general +principles, while the other man were to defend his by reasoning from +particular and visible facts, there can be no doubt that, supposing all +other things the same, the latter man would gain most adherents. His +conclusion would be more easily diffused, simply because a direct appeal, +in the first instance, to palpable facts, strikes the vulgar with +immediate effect; while an appeal to principles is beyond their ken, and +as they do not sympathize with it, they are apt to ridicule it. Facts +seem to come home to every one, and are undeniable. Principles are not so +obvious, and, being often disputed, they have, to those who do not grasp +them, an unreal and illusory appearance, which weakens their influence. +Hence it is that inductive science, which always gives the first place to +facts, is essentially popular, and has on its side those innumerable +persons, who will not listen to the more refined and subtle teachings of +deductive science. Hence, too, we find historically that the +establishment of the modern inductive philosophy, with its varied and +attractive experiments, its material appliances, and its constant appeal +to the senses, has been intimately connected with the awakening of the +public mind, and coincides with that spirit of inquiry, and with that +love of liberty, which have been constantly advancing since the +sixteenth century. We may assuredly say, that scepticism and democracy +are the two leading features of this great scientific movement. The +seventeenth century, which ushered in the Baconian philosophy, was +remarkable for its insubordinate spirit, especially in the country where +that philosophy originated, and where it most flourished. In the next +age, it was transplanted into France, and there, too, it worked upon the +popular mind, and, was, as I have already pointed out, one of the +principal causes of the French Revolution. + +If we look still closer into this interesting question, we shall find +further corroboration of the view, that the inferences of an inductive +philosophy are more likely to be diffused than those of a deductive one. +Inductive science rests immediately upon experience, or, at all events, +upon experiment, which is merely experience artificially modified. Now, +an immense majority of mankind, even in the most advanced countries, are, +by the constitution of their minds, incapable of seizing general +principles and applying them to daily affairs, without doing serious +mischief, either to themselves, or to others. Such an application +requires not only great dexterity, but also a knowledge of those +disturbing causes which affect the operation of all general theorems. The +task, being so difficult to perform, is rarely attempted; and average +men, possessed of a tolerably sound judgment, do, with good reason, rely +mainly on experience, which is to them a safer and more useful guide than +any principle, however accurate and scientific it might be. This begets +in their minds a prejudice on behalf of experimental inquiries, and a +corresponding dislike of the opposite and more speculative method. And it +can, I think, hardly be doubted, that one of the causes of the triumph of +the Baconian philosophy, is the growth of the industrious classes, whose +business-like and methodical habits are eminently favourable to empirical +observations of the uniformities of sequence, since, indeed, on the +accuracy of such observations the success of all practical affairs +depends. Certainly, we find that the overthrow of the purely deductive +scholasticism of the Middle Ages has been everywhere accompanied by the +spread of trade; and whoever will carefully study the history of Europe, +will discern many traces of a connexion between the two movements, both +of which are marked by an increasing respect for material and empirical +interests, and a disregard of ideal and speculative pursuits. + +The relation between all this and the popular tendency of induction is +obvious. For one person who can think, there are at least a hundred +persons who can observe. An accurate observer is, no doubt, rare; but an +accurate thinker is far rarer. Of this the proofs are too abundant to be +disputed. Indeed, no one can mix with his fellow-creatures, without +seeing how much more natural it is for them to notice than to reflect; +and how extremely unusual it is to meet with any one whose conversation, +or whose writings, bear marks of patient and original thought. And, +inasmuch as thinkers are more prone to accumulate ideas, while observers +are more prone to accumulate facts, the overwhelming predominance of the +observing class is a decisive reason why induction, which begins with +facts, is always more popular than deduction, which begins with ideas. It +is often said, and probably with truth, that all deduction is preceded by +induction; so that, in every syllogism, the major premiss, however +obvious and necessary it may appear, is merely a generalization of facts, +or record of what the senses had already observed. But this opinion, +whether true or false, does not affect what I have just stated, because +it concerns the origin of our knowledge, and not its subsequent +treatment; that is to say, it is a metaphysical opinion, rather than a +logical one. For, even supposing that all deduction rests ultimately on +induction, it is, nevertheless, certain that there are innumerable cases +in which the induction takes place at so early a period of life that we +are unconscious of it, and can by no effort recall the process. The +axioms of geometry afford a good specimen of this. No one can tell when +or how he first believed that the whole is greater than its part, or that +things which are equal to the same thing are equal to one another. All +these preliminary steps are concealed from us, and the strength and +dexterity of deduction are displayed in the subsequent steps by which the +major premiss is adjusted, and, as it were, fitted to the minor. This +often requires great subtlety of thought, and, in every instance, the +external world is put aside, and lost sight of. The process, being ideal, +has no concern, either with observations or experiments. The suggestions +of the senses are shut out, while the mind passes through a long train of +successive syllogisms, in which each conclusion is turned into the +premiss of a new argument, until, at length, an inference is deductively +obtained, which, to those who merely hear it enunciated, seems to have no +connexion with the first premisses, though, in reality, it is the +necessary consequence of them. + +A method, so recondite, and so hidden from the public gaze, can never +command the public sympathy. Unless, therefore, the human mind should +undergo some remarkable change in its nature as well as in its resources, +the sensuous process of working upwards from particular facts to general +principles, will always be more attractive than the ideal process of +working downwards from principles to facts. In both cases, there is, no +doubt, a line of argument essentially ideal; just as, in both cases, +there is an assemblage of facts essentially sensuous. No method is pure, +or stands entirely by itself. But, inasmuch as, in induction, the facts +are more prominent than the ideas, while, in deduction, the ideas are +more prominent than the facts, it is evident that conclusions arrived at +by the former plan will, as a general rule, obtain a wider assent than +conclusions arrived at by the latter plan. Obtaining a wider assent, they +will produce more decisive results, and will be more likely to shape the +national character and influence the course of national affairs. + +The only exception to this, is theology. There, the inductive method, as +I have already observed, is inapplicable, and nothing remains but +deduction, which is quite sufficient for the purposes of the theologian. +For, he has a peculiar resource which supplies him with general +principles, from which he can argue; and the possession of this resource +forms the fundamental difference between him and the man of science. +Science is the result of inquiry; theology is the result of faith. In the +one, the spirit of doubt; in the other, the spirit of belief. In science, +originality is the parent of discovery, and is, therefore, a merit; in +theology, it is the parent of heresy, and is, therefore, a crime. Every +system of religion the world has yet seen, recognizes faith as an +indispensable duty; but to every system of science it is a hindrance, +instead of a duty, inasmuch as it discourages those inquisitive and +innovating habits on which all intellectual progress depends. The +theologian, thus turning credulity into an honour, and valuing men in +proportion as they are simple-minded and easy of belief, has little need +to trouble himself with facts, which, indeed, he sets at open defiance, +in his eagerness to narrate portentous, and often miraculous, events. To +the inductive philosopher such a license is forbidden. He is obliged to +ground his inferences on facts which no one disputes, or which, at all +events, any one can either verify for himself, or see verified by others. +And if he does not adopt this course, his inferences, be they ever so +true, will have the greatest difficulty in working themselves into the +popular mind, because they will savour of a subtlety and refinement of +thought, which, more than any thing else, predisposes common +understandings to reject the conclusions at which philosophers arrive. + +From the facts and arguments contained in this and the preceding chapter, +the reader will, I trust, be able to see why it was that the Scotch +intellect, during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, was +preeminently deductive; and also why it was that, in the eighteenth +century, the Scotch literature, notwithstanding its brilliancy, its +power, and the splendid discoveries of which it was the vehicle, produced +little or no effect on the nation at large. That literature, by its bold +and innovating character, seemed peculiarly fitted to disturb ancient +prejudices, and to rouse up a spirit of inquiry. But its method, both of +investigation and of proof, was too refined to suit ordinary +understandings. Therefore, upon ordinary understandings it was +inoperative. In Scotland, as in ancient Greece, and in modern Germany, +the intellectual classes, being essentially deductive, have been unable +to influence the main body of the people. They have considered things at +too great an altitude, and at too great a remove. In Greece, Aristotle +alone had a true idea of what induction really was. But even he knew +nothing of crucial instances and the theory of averages, the two capital +resources of that inductive philosophy which we now possess. Neither did +he, nor any of the great German philosophers, nor any of the great Scotch +philosophers, attach sufficient importance to the slow and cautious +method of gradually rising from each generalization to the one +immediately above it, without omitting any intermediate generalizations. +On this method, Bacon, indeed, insists too strongly, since many most +important discoveries have been made independently of it, or, I should +rather say, in contradiction to it. But it is a wonderful weapon, and +none except men of real genius can dispense with its use. And when they +do dispense with it, they cut themselves off from the general sympathies +of their age and country. For, these small and proximate generalizations, +which they neglect, are precisely those parts of philosophy which, being +least removed from the region of visible facts, are best understood by +the people, and, therefore, form the only common ground between thinkers +and practitioners. They are a sort of middle term, which, being +comprehended by both classes, is accessible to either. In all deductive +reasoning, this intermediate, and, if I may so say, neutral, territory +disappears, and the two classes have no meeting-place. Hence it is, that +the Scotch philosophy, like the German philosophy, and like the Greek +philosophy, has had no national influence. But in England, since the +seventeenth century, and in France, since the eighteenth century, the +prevailing philosophy has been inductive, and has, therefore, not only +affected the intellectual classes, but also moved the public mind. The +German philosophers are far superior, both in depth and in +comprehensiveness, to the philosophers either of France or of England. +Their profound researches have, however, done so little for their +country, that the German people are every way inferior to the French and +English people. So, too, in the philosophy of ancient Greece, we find a +vast body of massive and original thought, and, what is infinitely +better, we find a boldness of inquiry and a passionate love of truth, +such as no modern nation has surpassed, and few modern nations have +equalled. But the method of that philosophy was an insuperable barrier to +its propagation. The people were untouched, and went grovelling on in +their old folly, a prey to superstitions, most of which the great +thinkers despised, and often attacked, but could by no means root out. +Bad, however, as those superstitions were, we may confidently say that +they were less noxious, that is, less detrimental to the happiness of +man, than the repulsive and horrible notions advocated by the Scotch +clergy, and sanctioned by the Scotch people. And on those notions the +Scotch philosophy could make no impression. In Scotland, during the +eighteenth century, superstition and science, the most irreconcilable of +all enemies, flourished side by side, unable to weaken each other, and +unable, indeed, to come into collision with each other. There was +co-existence without contact. The two forces kept apart, and the result +was, that, while the Scotch thinkers were creating a noble and most +enlightened literature, the Scotch people, refusing to listen to those +great masters of wisdom which their country possessed, remained in +darkness, leaving the blind to follow the blind, and no one there to help +them. + +It is, indeed, curious to observe how little effect was produced by the +many great works written by Scotchmen in the eighteenth century. If we +except the _Wealth of Nations_, I can hardly call to mind one which has +perceptibly influenced public opinion. The reason of this exception may +be easily explained. The _Wealth of Nations_ restricted the action of +government within narrower limits than had ever been assigned to it by +any other book of great merit. No previous political writer of admitted +genius, had left so much to the people, and had demanded for them so much +liberty in managing their own affairs, as Adam Smith did. The _Wealth of +Nations_, being thus eminently a democratic book, was sure to find favour +in Scotland, which was eminently a democratic country. Directly men heard +its conclusions, they were prejudiced in favour of its arguments. So, +too, in England, that love of liberty, which for many centuries has been +our leading characteristic, and which does us more real honour than all +our conquests, all our literature, and all our philosophy put together, +invariably causes a popular bias on behalf of any claim to freedom. We, +therefore, notwithstanding the activity of interested parties, were +predisposed to the side of free trade, as one of the means of letting +each man do what he liked with his own. But to imagine that ordinary +minds are capable of mastering such a work as the _Wealth of Nations_, +and of following without confusion its long and intricate arguments, is +simply absurd. It has been read by tens of thousands of persons, who +accept its conclusions because they like them; which is merely saying, +because the movement of the age tends that way. The other great work of +Adam Smith, namely, the _Theory of Moral Sentiments_, has had no +influence except on a very small class of metaphysicians, although its +style is, as some think, superior to the _Wealth of Nations_, and it is +certainly easier to understand. It is, moreover, much shorter, which, to +most readers, is no small recommendation; and it deals with subjects of +great interest, which come home to the feelings of all. But the age, not +caring for its conclusions, neglected its arguments. On the other hand, +the _Wealth of Nations_ harmonized with the general tendency, and its +success was supreme. It quickly moved, not only philosophers, but even +statesmen and politicians, who eventually put into force its leading +recommendations, though, as their laws and their speeches abundantly +prove, they have never succeeded in mastering those great principles +which underlie it, and of which the freedom of trade is but a minor +accessory. + +Putting aside the _Wealth of Nations_, we shall find that the Scotch +literature of the eighteenth century did scarcely any thing for Scotland, +considered as a whole. How it has failed in its great aim of weakening +superstition, is but too apparent to whoever has travelled in that +country, and observed the habits and turn of mind still predominant. Many +able and enlightened men who lived there, are so cowed by the general +spirit, that, for their own comfort, and for the peace of their families, +they make no resistance, but tacitly comply with what they heartily +despise. That they err in doing so, I, at least, firmly believe; though I +know that many honest, and in every respect competent, judges are of +opinion, that no man is bound to be a martyr, or to jeopardize his +personal interests, unless he clearly sees his way to some immediate +public good. To me, however, it appears that this is a narrow view, and +that the first duty of every one is to set his face in direct opposition +to what he believes to be false, and, having done that, leave the results +of his conduct to take care of themselves. Still, the temptation to a +contrary course is always very strong, and, in a country like Scotland, +is by many deemed irresistible. In no other Protestant nation, and, +indeed, in no Catholic nation except Spain, will a man who is known to +hold unorthodox opinions, find his life equally uncomfortable. In a few +of the large towns, he may possibly escape animadversion, if his +sentiments are not too bold, and are not too openly expressed. If he is +timid and taciturn, his heresy may, perchance, be overlooked. But even in +large towns, impunity is the exception, and not the rule. Even in the +capital of Scotland, in that centre of intelligence which once boasted of +being the Modern Athens, a whisper will quickly circulate that such an +one is to be avoided, for that he is a free-thinker; as if free-thinking +were a crime, or as if it were not better to be a free-thinker than a +slavish thinker. In other parts, that is, in Scotland generally, the +state of things is far worse. I speak, not on vague rumour, but from what +I know as existing at the present time, and for the accuracy of which I +vouch and hold myself responsible. I challenge any one to contradict my +assertion, when I say that, at this moment, nearly all over Scotland, the +finger of scorn is pointed at every man, who, in the exercise of his +sacred and inalienable right of free judgment, refuses to acquiesce in +those religious notions, and to practise those religious customs, which +time, indeed, has consecrated, but many of which are repulsive to the eye +of reason, though to all of them, however irrational they maybe, the +people adhere with sullen and inflexible obstinacy. Knowing that these +words will be widely read and circulated in Scotland, and averse as I +naturally am to bring on myself the hostility of a nation, for whose many +sterling and valuable qualities I entertain sincere respect, I do, +nevertheless, deliberately affirm, that in no civilized country is +toleration so little understood, and that in none is the spirit of +bigotry and of persecution so extensively diffused. Nor can any one +wonder that such should be the case, who observes what is going on there. +The churches are as crowded as they were in the Middle Ages, and are +filled with devout and ignorant worshippers, who flock together to listen +to opinions of which the Middle Ages alone were worthy. Those opinions +they treasure up, and, when they return to their homes, or enter into the +daily business of life, they put them in force. And the result is, that +there runs through the entire country a sour and fanatical spirit, an +aversion to innocent gaiety, a disposition to limit the enjoyments of +others, and a love of inquiring into the opinions of others, and of +interfering with them, such as is hardly anywhere else to be found; +while, in the midst of all this, there flourishes a national creed, +gloomy and austere to the last degree, a creed which is full of +forebodings and threats and horrors of every sort, and which rejoices in +proclaiming to mankind how wretched and miserable they are, how small a +portion of them can be saved, and what an overwhelming majority is +necessarily reserved for excruciating, unspeakable, and eternal agony. + +Before bringing this volume to a close, it may be fitting that I should +narrate an event, which, notwithstanding its recent occurrence, and the +great attention it excited at the time, has, amid the pressure of +weightier matters, fallen into comparative oblivion, although it is full +of interest to those who study the various forms of national character, +while it, moreover, supplies an admirable illustration of the essential +antagonism which still exists between the Scotch and English minds; an +antagonism extremely remarkable, when found among nations, both of whom, +besides being contiguous, and constantly mixing together, speak the same +language, read the same books, belong to the same empire, and possess the +same interests, and yet are, in many important respects, as different as +if there had never been any means of their influencing each other, and as +if they had never had any thing in common. + +In the year 1853, the cholera, after having committed serious ravages in +many parts of Europe, visited Scotland. There, it was sure to find +numerous victims among a badly fed, badly housed, and not over-cleanly +people. For, if there is one thing better established than another +respecting this disease, it is that it invariably attacks, with the +greatest effect, those classes who, from poverty or from sloth, are +imperfectly nourished, neglect their persons, and live in dirty, +ill-drained, or ill-ventilated dwellings. In Scotland, such classes are +very numerous. In Scotland, therefore, the cholera must needs be very +fatal. In this, there was nothing mysterious. On the contrary, the +mystery would have been if an epidemic, like the Asiatic cholera, had +spared a country like Scotland, where all the materials were collected on +which pestilence feeds, and where filth, penury, and disorder, abound on +every side. + +Under these circumstances, it must have been evident, not merely to men +of science, but to all men of plain, sound understanding, who would apply +their minds to the matter without prejudice, that the Scotch had only one +way of successfully grappling with their terrible enemy. It behoved them +to feed their poor, to cleanse their cesspools, and to ventilate their +houses. If they had done this, and done it quickly, thousands of lives +would have been spared. But they neglected it, and the country was thrown +into mourning. Nay, they not only neglected it, but, moved by the dire +superstition which sits like an incubus upon them, they adopted a course +which, if it had been carried into full operation, would have aggravated +the calamity to a frightful extent. It is well known that, whenever an +epidemic is raging, physical exhaustion and mental depression make the +human frame more liable to it, and are, therefore, especially to be +guarded against. But, though this is a matter of common notoriety, the +Scotch clergy, backed, sad to say, by the general voice of the Scotch +people, wished the public authorities to take a step which was certain to +cause physical exhaustion, and to encourage mental depression. In the +name of religion, whose offices they thus abused and perverted to the +detriment of man, instead of employing them for his benefit, they +insisted on the propriety of ordering a national fast, which, in so +superstitious a country, was sure to be rigidly kept, and, being rigidly +kept, was equally sure to enfeeble thousands of delicate persons, and, +before twenty-four hours were passed, prepare them to receive that deadly +poison which was already lurking around them, and which, hitherto, they +had just strength enough to resist. The public fast was also to be +accompanied by a public humiliation, in order that nothing might be +wanting to appal the mind and fill it with terror. On the same occasion, +the preachers were to thunder from their pulpits and proclaim aloud the +sins of the land; while the poor benighted people, panic-struck, were to +sit in awe, were to remain the whole day without proper nourishment, and +retire to their beds, weeping and starved. Then it was hoped that the +Deity would be propitiated, and the plague be stayed. As soon as the +entire nation had taken the course, which, of all others, was most +certain to increase the mortality, it was believed that man having done +his worst, the Almighty would interpose, would violate the laws of +nature, and, by working a miracle, would preserve his creatures from +what, without a miracle, would be the inevitable consequence of their +own deliberate act. + +This was the scheme projected by the Scotch clergy, and they were +determined to put it into execution. To give greater effect to it, they +called upon England to help them, and, in the autumn of 1853, the +Presbytery of Edinburgh, thinking that from their position they were +bound to take the lead, caused their Moderator to address a letter, +ostensibly to the English Minister, but in reality to the English nation. +In this choice production, a copy of which is now lying before me, the +Home Secretary is assured that the members of the Presbytery had delayed +appointing a day for fasting and humiliation on their own ecclesiastical +authority, because they thought it likely that one would be appointed by +the royal authority. But as this had not been done, the Presbytery +respectfully requested to be informed if it was intended to be done. They +apologized for the liberty they were taking; they had no desire unduly to +intrude themselves; neither did they wish the Home Secretary to answer +their question unless he felt himself justified in doing so. Still, if he +were able to answer it, they would be glad. For, there was no doubt that +Asiatic cholera was in the country; and such being the case, the +Presbytery of Edinburgh were interested in knowing if the appointment by +the Queen of a national fast was in contemplation.[912] + + [912] 'The members were of opinion,' writes the Moderator, 'that it + was likely, in the circumstances, that a national fast would be + appointed on royal authority. For this reason, they delayed + making an appointment for this locality, and directed me, in the + meantime, respectfully to request that you would be pleased to + say--if you feel yourself at liberty to do so--whether the + appointment of a national fast by the Queen is in contemplation. + The Presbytery hope to be excused for the liberty they use in + preferring this request.' + +This letter, which, through the medium of the press, was sure to become +well known and to be widely read, was evidently intended to act on public +opinion in England. It was, in fact, a covert reproach on the English +Government for having neglected its spiritual duties, and for not having +perceived that fasting was the most effectual way of stopping an +epidemic. In Scotland, generally, it received great praise, and was +regarded as a dignified rebuke addressed to the irreligious habits of the +English people, who, seeing the cholera at their doors, merely occupied +themselves with sanatory measures, and carnal devices to improve the +public health, showing thereby that they trusted too much to the arms of +the flesh. In England, on the other hand, this manifesto of the Scotch +Church was met with almost universal ridicule, and, indeed, found no +favourers except among the most ignorant and credulous part of the +nation. The minister to whom it was addressed, was Lord Palmerston, a man +of vast experience, and perhaps better acquainted with public opinion +than any politician of his time. He, being well aware of the difference +between Scotland and England, knew that what was suitable for one country +was not suitable for the other, and that notions which the Scotch deemed +religious, the English deemed fanatical. On a former occasion, the +imperial government, yielding to the clamour which a few active and +interested men succeeded in raising, had been foolish enough to set +themselves in this matter in opposition to the temper of the age, and to +enjoin public observances which, happily, were not strictly obeyed, but +which, in so far as they were obeyed, heightened the general terror by +reinforcing natural fears with supernatural ones, and thus, depressing +the nervous system, increased the chance of mortality from the +pestilence. To have the plague in our country is bad enough, since, do +what we may, many victims will be struck down by it. But a fearful +responsibility is entailed upon those who, at such a period, instead of +exerting themselves to check its ravages, either by precautionary +measures, or by soothing and re-assuring the people, do every thing in +their power to aggravate the calamity, by encouraging that superstitious +dread which weakens the popular energy at the very moment when energy is +most requisite, and troubles the coolness, the self-reliance, and +self-possession, without which no crisis of national danger can ever be +averted. + +This time, however, there was no risk of the government committing so +serious a blunder. Lord Palmerston, who knew that the sound sense of the +English people would support him in what he was doing, directed a letter +to be sent to the Presbytery of Edinburgh, which, unless I am greatly +mistaken, will, in future ages, be quoted as an interesting document for +illustrating the history of the progress of public opinion. A century +ago, any statesman who had written such a letter, would have been driven +from office by a storm of general indignation. Two centuries ago, the +consequences to him would have been still more disastrous, and would, +indeed, have ruined him socially, as well as politically. For, in it, he +sets at defiance those superstitious fancies respecting the origin of +disease, which were once universally cherished as an essential part of +every religious creed. Traditions, the memory of which is preserved in +the theological literature of all Pagan countries, of all Catholic +countries, and of all Protestant countries, are quietly put aside, as if +they were matters of no moment, and as if it were not worth while to +discuss them. The Scotch clergy, occupying the old ground on which the +members of their profession had always been accustomed to stand, took for +granted that the cholera was the result of the divine anger, and was +intended to chastise our sins. In the reply which they now received from +the English Government, a doctrine was enunciated, which to Englishmen +seems right enough, but which to Scotchmen sounded very profane. The +Presbytery were informed, that the affairs of this world are regulated by +natural laws, on the observance or neglect of which the weal or woe of +mankind depends.[913] One of those laws connects disease with the +exhalations of bodies; and it is by virtue of this law that contagion +spreads, either in crowded cities, or in places where vegetable +decomposition is going on. Man, by exerting himself, can disperse or +neutralize these noxious influences. The appearance of the cholera proves +that he has not exerted himself. The towns have not been purified; hence +the root of the evil. The Home Secretary, therefore, advised the +Presbytery of Edinburgh, that it was better to cleanse than to fast. He +thought that the plague being upon them, activity was preferable to +humiliation. It was now autumn, and before the hot weather would return, +a considerable period must elapse. That period should be employed in +destroying the causes of disease, by improving the abodes of the poor. If +this were done, all would go well. Otherwise, pestilence would be sure to +revisit them, 'in spite'--I quote the words of the English minister--'in +spite of all the prayers and fastings of a united, but inactive +nation.'[914] + + [913] 'The weal or woe of mankind depends upon the observance or neglect + of those laws.' + + [914] 'Lord Palmerston would, therefore, suggest that the best course + which the people of this country can pursue to deserve that the + further progress of the cholera should be stayed, will be to + employ the interval that will elapse between the present time and + the beginning of next spring in planning and executing measures by + which those portions of their towns and cities which are inhabited + by the poorest classes, and which, from the nature of things, must + most need purification and improvement, may be freed from those + causes and sources of contagion which, if allowed to remain, will + infallibly breed pestilence, and be fruitful in death, in spite of + all the prayers and fastings of a united, but inactive nation.' + +This correspondence between the Scotch clergy and the English statesman, +is not to be regarded as a mere passing episode of light or temporary +interest. On the contrary, it represents that terrible struggle between +theology and science, which, having begun in the persecution of science, +and in the martyrdom of scientific men, has, in these later days, taken a +happier turn, and is now manifestly destroying that old theological +spirit, which has brought so much misery and ruin upon the world. The +ancient superstition, which was once universal, but is now slowly though +surely dying away, represented the Deity as being constantly moved to +anger, delighting in seeing His creatures abase and mortify themselves, +taking pleasure in their sacrifices and their austerities, and, +notwithstanding all they could do, constantly inflicting on them the most +grievous punishments, among which the different forms of pestilence were +conspicuous. It is by science, and by science alone, that these horrible +delusions are being dissipated. Events, which formerly were deemed +supernatural visitations, are now shown to depend upon natural causes, +and to be amenable to natural remedies. Man can predict them, and man can +deal with them. Being the inevitable result of their own antecedents, no +room is left for the notion of their being special inflictions. This +great change in our opinions is fatal to theology, but is serviceable to +religion. For, by it, science, instead of being the enemy of religion, +becomes its ally. Religion is to each individual according to the inward +light with which he is endowed. In different characters, therefore, it +assumes different forms, and can never be reduced to one common and +arbitrary rule. Theology, on the other hand, claiming authority over all +minds, and refusing to recognize their essential divergence, seeks to +compel them to a single creed, and sets up one standard of absolute +truth, by which it tests every one's opinions; presumptuously condemning +those who disagree with that standard. Such arrogant pretensions need +means of support. Those means are threats, which, in ignorant times, are +universally believed, and which, by causing fear, produce submission. +Hence it is, that the books of every theological system narrate acts of +the grossest cruelty, which, without the least hesitation, are ascribed +to the direct interposition of God. Humane and gentle natures revolt at +such cruelties, even while they try to believe them. It is the business +of science to purify theology, by showing that there has been no cruelty, +because there has been no interposition. Science ascribes to natural +causes, what theology ascribes to supernatural ones. According to this +view the calamities with which the world is afflicted, are the result of +the ignorance of man, and not of the interference of God. We must not, +therefore, ascribe to Him what is due to our own folly, or to our own +vice. We must not calumniate an all-wise and all-merciful Being, by +imputing to Him those little passions which move ourselves, as if He were +capable of rage, of jealousy, and of revenge, and as if He, with +outstretched arm, were constantly employed in aggravating the sufferings +of mankind, and making the miseries of the human race more poignant than +they would otherwise be. + +That this remarkable improvement in religious ideas is due to the +progress of physical science, is apparent, not only from general +arguments which would lead us to anticipate that such must be the case, +but also from the historical fact, that the gradual destruction of the +old theology is everywhere preceded by the growth and diffusion of +physical truths. The more we know of the laws of nature, the more clearly +do we understand that every thing which happens in the material world, +pestilence, earthquake, famine, or whatever it may be, is the necessary +result of something which had previously happened. Cause produces effect, +and the effect becomes, in its turn, a cause of other effects. In that +operation, we see no gap, and we admit of no pause. To us, the chain is +unbroken; the constancy of nature is unviolated. Our minds become +habituated to contemplate all physical phenomena as presenting an +orderly, uniform, and spontaneous march, and running on in one regular +and uninterrupted sequence. This is the scientific view. It is also the +religious view. Against it, we have the theological view; but that which +has already lost its hold over the intellect of men is now losing its +hold over their affections, and is so manifestly perishing, that at +present no educated person ventures to defend it, without so limiting and +guarding his meaning, as to concede to its opponents nearly every point +which is really at issue. + +While, however, in regard to the material world, the narrow notions +formerly entertained, are, in the most enlightened countries, almost +extinct, it must be confessed that, in regard to the moral world, the +progress of opinion is less rapid. The same men who believe that Nature +is undisturbed by miraculous interposition, refuse to believe that man +is equally undisturbed. In the one case, they assert the scientific +doctrine of regularity; in the other, they assert the theological +doctrine of irregularity. The reason of this difference of opinion is, +that the movements of nature are less complex than the movements of man. +Being less complex, they are more easily studied, and more quickly +understood. Hence we find, that while natural science has long been +cultivated, historical science hardly yet exists. Our knowledge of the +circumstances which determine the course of mankind, is still so +imperfect, and has been so badly digested, that it has produced scarcely +any effect on popular ideas. Philosophers, indeed, are aware, that here, +as elsewhere, there must be a necessary connexion between even the most +remote and dissimilar events. They know that every discrepancy is capable +of being reconciled, though we, in the present state of knowledge, may be +unequal to the task. This is their faith, and nothing can wean them from +it. But the great majority of people have a different faith. They believe +that what is unexplained is inexplicable, and that what is inexplicable +is supernatural. Science has explained an immense number of physical +phenomena, and therefore, even to the vulgar, those phenomena no longer +seem supernatural, but are ascribed to natural causes. On the other hand, +science has not yet explained the phenomena of history; consequently, the +theological spirit lays hold of them, and presses them into its own +service. In this way there has arisen that famous and ancient theory, +which has received the name of the moral government of the world. It is a +high-sounding title, and imposes on many, who, if they examined its +pretensions, would never be duped by them. For, like that other notion +which we have just considered, it is not only unscientific, but it is +eminently irreligious. It is, in fact, an impeachment of one of the +noblest attributes of the Deity. It is a slur on the Omniscience of God. +It assumes that the fate of nations, instead of being the result of +preceding and surrounding events, is specially subject to the control and +interference of Providence. It assumes that there are great public +emergencies, in which such interference is needed. It assumes, that, +without the interference, the course of affairs could not run smoothly; +that they would be jangled and out of tune; that the play and harmony of +the whole would be incomplete. And thus it is, that the very men who, at +one moment, proclaim the Divine Omniscience, do, at the next moment, +advocate a theory which reduces that Omniscience to nothing, since it +imputes to an All-wise Being, that the scheme of human affairs, of which +He must, from the beginning, have foreseen every issue and every +consequence, is so weakly contrived as to be liable to be frustrated; +that it has not turned out as He could have wished; that it has been +baffled by His own creatures, and that, to preserve its integrity, its +operations must be tampered with, and its disorders redressed. The great +Architect of the universe, the Creator and Designer of all existing +things, is likened to some clumsy mechanic, who knows his trade so ill, +that he has to be called in to alter the working of his own machine, to +supply its deficiencies, to fill up its flaws, and to rectify its errors. + +It is time that such unworthy notions should come to an end. It is time +that what has long been known to philosophers, should also be known to +historians, and that the history of mankind should cease to be troubled +by what, to those who are imbued with the scientific spirit, must seem +little better than arrant trifling. Of two things, choose one. Either +deny the Omniscience of the Creator, or else admit it. If you deny it, +you deny what, to my mind at least, is a fundamental truth, and, on these +matters, there can be no sympathy between us. But if you admit the +Omniscience of God, beware of libelling what you profess to defend. For +when you assert what is termed the moral government of the world, you +slander Omniscience, inasmuch as you declare that the mechanism of the +entire universe, including the actions both of Nature and of Man, planned +as it is by Infinite Wisdom, is unequal to its duties, unless that same +Wisdom does from time to time interfere with it. You assert, in fact, +either that Omniscience has been deceived, or that Omnipotence has been +defeated. Surely, they who believe, and whose pride and happiness it is +to believe, that there is a Power above all and before all, knowing all +and creating all, ought not to fall into such a snare as this. They who, +dissatisfied with this little world of sense, seek to raise their minds +to something which the senses are unable to grasp, can hardly fail, on +deeper reflection, to perceive how coarse and material is that +theological prejudice, which ascribes to such a Power the vulgar +functions of a temporal ruler, arrays him in the garb of an earthly +potentate, and represents him as meddling here and meddling there, +uttering threats, inflicting punishments, bestowing rewards. These are +base and grovelling conceptions, the offspring of ignorance and of +darkness. Such gross and sordid notions are but one remove from actual +idolatry. They are the draff and offal of a bygone age, and we will not +have them obtruded here. Well suited they were to those old and barbarous +times, when men, being unable to refine their ideas, were, therefore, +unable to purify their creed. Now, however, they jar upon us; they do not +assimilate with other parts of our knowledge; they are incongruous; their +concord is gone. Every thing is against them. They stand alone; there is +nothing left with which they harmonize. The whole scope and tendency of +modern thought force upon our minds conceptions of regularity and of law, +to which they are diametrically opposed. Even those who cling to them, do +so from the influence of tradition, rather than from complete and +unswerving belief. That child-like and unhesitating faith, with which the +doctrine of interposition was once received, is succeeded by a cold and +lifeless assent, very different from the enthusiasm of former times. +Soon, too, this will vanish, and men will cease to be terrified by +phantoms which their own ignorance has reared. This age, haply, may not +witness the emancipation; but, so surely as the human mind advances, so +surely will that emancipation come. It may come quicker than any one +expects. For, we are stepping on far and fast. The signs of the time are +all around, and they who list may read. The handwriting is on the wall; +the fiat has gone forth; the ancient empire shall be subverted; the +dominion of superstition, already decaying, shall break away, and crumble +into dust; and new life being breathed into the confused and chaotic +mass, it shall be clearly seen, that, from the beginning, there has been +no discrepancy, no incongruity, no disorder, no interruption, no +interference; but that all the events which surround us, even to the +furthest limits of the material creation, are but different parts of a +single scheme, which is permeated by one glorious principle of universal +and undeviating regularity. + + + + + INDEX. + + + Aberdeen, burnt by the Highlanders, iii. 22. Population of, in the + sixteenth century, 28. Linen manufacturers of, 180. The first county + bank in Scotland established in, 181. Tyranny of the Kirk session + of, 222 + + Abyssinians, their superstition as to the hyaena, i. 126 _note_. Causes + of the corruptions of the Christianity of the, i. 265 _note_ + + Academies, why favoured in France, ii. 127 _note_ + + Achenwall, considered to be the first writer on systematic statistics, + i. 33 _note_ + + Acoustics, creation of the science of, ii. 190 + + Adam of Bremen, cause of his error as to Turks in Finland, i. 299. His + authority in Northern geography, 299 _note_ + + Adanson, his botanical discoveries, ii. 397 + + Addison, Joseph, his establishment of the easy and democratic style of + writing, i. 437 _note_ + + Advocates, Faculty of, great part of the, expelled from Edinburgh, + iii. 145 + + Africa, condition of, in the desert of Sahara, i. 47, 48. Causes of its + stationary condition, 49 + + Agassiz, his classification of fossil ichthyology, ii. 383, 384 + + Ages, the Dark, ii. 108. Supremacy of the clergy at this period, 108 + + Agricola, Roman invasion of Scotland under, iii. 7 + + Agriculture, system of, of the Arabs of Spain, ii. 497 + + Agriculturists, causes of the superstitions of, i. 376, 379 + + Air, Boyle's discovery of the law of the elasticity of the, i. 368. + Marriott's confirmation of this law, 368 _note_ + + Albany, Regent of Scotland, his vigorous measures against the nobles, + iii. 45. Leaves Scotland, 57 + + Alberoni, his services to Spain, ii. 519, 522, 523 + + Alexander IV., Pope, his the first formal call to the secular power to + punish heretics, ii. 109 _note_ + + Alexandrian doctrine of development in religion, ii. 21 _note_ + + Alfred of Beverley, his abridgment of the history of Geoffrey of + Monmouth, i. 324 + + Alfred, King, causes of our admiration of, ii. 249 _note_. The + institutions popularly ascribed to him, 249 _note_ + + Alison, Sir A., his eulogy of William III., i. 403 _note_ + + Almansa, battle of, ii. 516 + + Alva, number of persons put to death by, in the Netherlands, ii. 451 + + Amazon river, extent of the, i. 97 _note_. Area drained by the, + 97 _note_. Origin of the name, i. 299 _note_ + + Amazons, origin in the North of Europe of the fable of the nation of, + i. 298, 299 + + Amboise, conspiracy of, predominance of the theological spirit shown in + the, ii. 10 + + Ambrose, St., his statement of the doctrine of predestination, + i. 13 _note_ + + America, policy of the Spaniards in, in the eighteenth century, ii. 557 + + America, Central, ancient civilization of, i. 93. Ruins and statues + extant in, 93 _note_. Evidences of the unequal distribution of wealth + in, 94. Question as to the races which formerly inhabited it, 94. + Character of the national religion of, 147 + + America, North, rivers of importance to be found almost wholly on the + eastern side of, i. 97. Causes of this, 97 _note_. Extent of the Amazon + alone, 97 _note_. Area drained by the Mississippi, 97. The Oregon the + boundary of the Californian flora, 97 _note_. One of the main causes of + the fertility of America, heat, 98. Difference between the heat of the + eastern and western coasts, 98. Early state of the North American + tribes, 99 _note_. Intercourse between the north-east of Asia and the + north-west of America, 99 _note_. Another main cause of fertility of, + irrigation, 97. Calvinism the popular creed of the republics of, + ii. 339 + + America, South, no great river on the western side of, i. 97, 98. + Difference between the heat and moisture of the eastern and western + coasts of, 100. Way in which the trade-wind is connected with the + civilization of, 103. Physical condition of Brazil, 103-107. And of + Peru, 107 _et seq._ Exuberance of the maize plant in Mexico and Peru, + 109. And of the banana, 111. The Mexican and Peruvian kingdoms, and + the effect of the physical laws under which they existed, 113-117 + + America, United States of. See United States + + Anabaptists, number of, put to death in Holland, i. 189 _note_ + + Anatomy, experiments of Descartes in, ii. 80. State of the study of, + in the reign of Louis XIV., 197 _note_. Daubenton's union of + comparative anatomy with geology, 371. Cuvier's system, 376, 377. + Bichat's labours, 378. Results of the study of the tissues, 383. Value + of the examination of the teeth of animals, 384 + + Andrews, St., burnt by the English, iii. 14. The University of, + founded, 40 _note_ + + Aneurism, Hunter's improvement in the practice of, iii. 456 + + Anglo-Saxons, free men of the, all trained to the use of arms, i. 203 + _note_. War and religion the absorbing subjects among the, 204 _note_ + + Animal life, examination of Bichat's work on, ii. 390 + + Anne, Queen, effects of her love for the clergy, i. 419. Her want of + abilities, as shown in her letters, 419 _note_ + + Antichrist, Audigier's statement respecting, ii. 281 + + Antinomianism, principles of Calvin leading to, ii. 338 + + Antiquities, study of, i. 2 + + Antiquity, harm worked by veneration of, i. 134. Marvellous feats of the + ancients as recorded in Sanscrit works, 135. The Hindu poets' + statements as to the duration of life in the early age of the world, + 135. Undue reverence for antiquity, ii. 139. Voltaire's attack on the + admiration entertained for old writers, 306 + + Antonio, Spanish bibliographer, ii. 480 + + Apostates, number of, produced by religious persecution, i. 189 + + Aquinas, Thomas, on the doctrine of providential interference, i. 19 + + Arabs, causes of their permanent barbarism in Arabia, i. 45. Their + foundation of empires in Europe and Asia, 46. Their cultivation of + astronomy, 47 _note_. Their conquests in Spain, ii. 439. The struggles + which ensued between the Spaniards and Arabians, 439. Re-establishment + of the Spanish Christian monarchy, and extinction of the Arab power, + 440. Their expulsion from Spain, 485 _et seq._ Number expelled, 494. + Their manufactures and system of husbandry, 497 + + Aranda, his attacks on the Inquisition, ii. 547 + + Archery, attempts to revive, in the reign of Elizabeth, i. 205 _note_ + + Architecture, condition of, in the reign of Louis XIV., ii. 209 + + Argensola, Spanish poet, ii. 480 + + Arian controversy, the, at the beginning of the last century, i. 427 + + Arianism established in Spain by the Visigoths, ii. 434 + + Aristocracy, commencement of hereditary, in Europe, ii. 112. Reason + why the aristocracy possessed more power in France than in England, + 113. Policy of William the Conqueror and of Henry II. in reducing the + power of the nobles, 114 and _note_. Right of the nobles in France to + wage private war, 115. But in England they were glad to ally + themselves with the people against the Crown, 116. Instances of the + power of the French nobles, 128. Effect of the Wars of the Roses upon + the English nobles, 138. Aversion of the aristocracy to innovation, + and reverence for antiquity, 139. Causes of the alliance between the + nobles and clergy, 140. The noble class weakened in the reign of + Elizabeth, 143, 145. Aristocratic characters of the rebellion of 1569, + 144. Abeyance of the ducal order, 146. Attempts made by James I. and + Charles I. to revive the power of the nobles, 147. Conduct of the + nobles in the Great English Rebellion, 152. Determination of the + rebels as to the nobles, 153. The House of Peers abolished, 153. + Vanity and imbecility of the French nobles, 162. Instances of this, + 164 _et seq._ Arminianism always connected with aristocracy, 339. + Reasons for this, 341. Causes of the power of the nobles of Scotland, + iii. 19. Coalition of the Crown and clergy in Scotland against the + nobles, 34. Ignorance of the Scotch nobles, 40, 41. Causes of the + decline of the power of the Scotch nobles, 162, 167 + + Aristotle, authority of, overthrown by Descartes, ii. 91, 92 + + Ark, the, of Auriol, i. 331 + + Armada, the Spanish, ii. 453 + + Armies, origin of standing, i. 206, 207, 397. And of the custom of + employing mercenaries, 207. Computation of the proportion of soldiers + to civilians which a country can bear, 208 _note_ + + Arminianism, connexion of free will with, i. 14. Its feud with + Calvinism, ii. 338. Arminianism always aristocratic, 339. Arminianism + the popular creed in England at the beginning of the seventeenth + century, 339, 340. This doctrine one for the rich, 340. Causes of + this, 341, 342. Arminianism more favourable to the arts than to the + sciences, 342 + + Armorial bearings, origin of, in Europe, ii. 112 + + Arran, Earl of, regent of Scotland, iii. 70 + + Art, condition of, in the reign of Louis XIV., ii. 206-208 + + Arthur, King, history of, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, i. 321 + + Aselli, his discovery of the lacteals, ii. 81 + + Asia, region of, in which wealth and progress can alone exist, i. 44, + 45. The birthplace of almost all the cruel diseases now prevalent in + Europe, 130 + + Asser, question of the genuineness of his Life of Alfred, ii. 249 + + Astronomy, the only branch of knowledge raised to a science by the + Arabs, i. 47 _note_. Success with which it was cultivated by the + ancient Mexicans, 112. Encouraged by Louis XIV., ii. 191. His eminent + astronomers not French but foreigners, 191. Newton's discoveries, 191. + Practical astronomy unknown in Scotland in the seventeenth century, + iii. 285 _note_ + + Atomic theory, importance of the, ii. 364 _note_ + + Atheism, rise and progress of, in France, ii. 351. Publication of the + 'Encyclopaedia,' 351. The 'System of Nature,' 351. French atheists in + 1623, 95 _note_ + + Atmosphere, consequences resulting from the weight of the, pointed out + by Descartes, ii. 78 + + Atomic doctrine, the natural precursor of Platonism, i. 10. The doctrine + of Chance of the atomists, 10 + + Atterbury, Bishop, his remarks on the condition of the Church in the + time of Anne and George I., i. 442 _note_ + + Audigier, examination of his 'Origin of the French,' ii. 279 + + Audra, his 'Abridgment of General History,' suppressed, ii. 238. His + death, 239 + + Augustin, St., the doctrine of predestination first systematically + methodized by, i. 13 + + Aurelius, Marcus, the Emperor, causes of his violent persecution of the + Christians, i. 186 + + Averages, doctrine of, its importance, i. 23 _note_ + + Avocats-generaux, of the eighteenth century, their functions, ii. 245 + _note_ + + + Bacon, Lord, effect of his secular philosophy, i. 329. Translation of + his works into French, ii. 218 + + Baikal, dangers of the Lake of, and their effect on the Baikal sailors, + i. 376 _note_ + + Baillou, his advancement of pathology, ii. 195 + + Bali, Javanese traditions preserved in the island of, i. 306 + + Ballads the form and groundwork of early history, i. 291. National + bards, 292. Antiquity of rhyme, 293 _note_. General accuracy of the + early ballads, 295 _note_ + + Balls forbidden by the French Protestants, ii. 70 + + Banana, extraordinary reproductive powers of the, i. 111. Its nutritive + powers as compared with those of potatoes and wheat, 111 + + Bangorian controversy, effect of the, i. 427 + + Bank, the first County, in Scotland, iii. 181 + + Bannockburn, battle of, iii. 15 + + Bards known in almost all nations, i. 292, 293. Those of Gaul, + Scotland, and Ireland, 292 _note_. Cause of the extinction of the + class of bards, 296 + + Bargeton, suppression of the 'Letters' of, ii. 238 + + Bark, its discredit in France as a 'remede anglais,' ii. 214 _note_ + + Baron, different meanings attached to the word, ii. 114 + + Barrow, Isaac, his virtues and abilities, i. 393. Neglect with which + he was treated by Charles II., 393 + + Barter, misconception of the true nature of barter in early times, + i. 210-212 + + Bartholomew, St., massacre of, predominance of the theological spirit + shown in the, ii. 11 + + Basilides, his views of predestination, i. 13 _note_ + + Baxter, Richard, persecution of, i. 398 + + Beaton, Archbishop of St. Andrew's, compelled to resign his office of + Chancellor, iii. 57. His conspiracy, 58 + + Beaton, Cardinal, his persecution of the Protestants, iii. 63. + Arrested, 70. Conspiracy to assassinate him, 73, 74 + + Beaumarchais, his 'Memoirs' burned, ii. 237 + + Beauvais, Bishop of, his proposal to the Dutch, ii. 38 _note_ + + Bedford, Earl of, joins the Parliamentary forces, but deserts them, + ii. 151, 152 + + Being, obscurities of our, solved by the doctrines of free will and + predestination, i. 12 + + Benares, cases of suicide by drowning at, i. 26 _note_ + + Bentham, Jeremy, his demolition of the usury laws, i. 214 _note_. His + method of investigating speculative jurisprudence, i. 426 + + Bentley, Richard, his corrupt English style, ii. 307 + + Berkeley, Bishop, his erroneous notions of trade, i. 212 _note_ + + Berthault, his method of writing history, ii. 270 + + Berwick, Duke of, appointed Generalissimo of the Spanish army, ii. 515. + Gains the battle of Almansa, 516 + + Berwick destroyed by the English, iii. 13 + + Berwick, treaty of, iii. 81 + + Berzelius, his attempts to reduce mineralogical phenomena, ii. 399 + + Bichat, impetus given to the study of zoology by, ii. 376. Sketch of + his method of investigation of the human frame, 379. His views + respecting the tissues, 379. Publication of his great work, 380. + Connexion between his views and subsequent discoveries, 380-388. + Immense importance of his method of investigation, 388. Examination of + his work on life, 390 + + Birmingham, establishment of the first circulating library in, i. 431 + _note_. Not a bookseller in the town in the reign of Anne, 422 _note_. + First printing office in, 432 _note_ + + Bishops, precarious tenure with which they hold their seats in the House + of Lords, i. 418 + + Black, David, his violent sermon against James VI., iii. 107. Thrown + into prison, 108, 109 + + Black, Joseph, examination of his theory of latent heat, iii. 367. And + of his method of physical philosophy, 368 + + Blackburne on 'The Confessional' ferment caused by, i. 428 + + Blackstone, Sir W., his 'Commentaries' translated into French, ii. 219 + + Blanca, Florida, prime minister of Spain, his reforms, ii. 548. + Concludes a treaty with Turkey, 549 + + Blood, discovery of the circulation of the, by Harvey, neglected by + his contemporaries, ii. 80. But recognized by Descartes, 81. Hunter's + discovery as to the red globules of the, iii. 436. Corroboration of + his views after his death, 438 + + Bodin, John, his character as a historian, i. 326 + + Boileau, pensioned to write a History of France for Louis XIV., ii. 277 + + Bombs, invention of, i. 206 _note_ + + Boncerf, his treatise on 'Feudal Law' burned, ii. 237 + + Book Clubs and Book Societies, establishment of, i. 433 + + Books, only use of, i. 267 + + Boots, the torture of the, iii. 148 + + Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux, character of his 'Universal History,' ii. + 282. Connexion between his opinions and the despotism of Louis XIV., + 289. Character of his writings, 290. His singular arrogance, 290. His + works compared with those of Voltaire, 291 + + Botany, importance of the study of, ii. 197, 198. First steps in the + study of, 198. Discoveries of the seventeenth century, 199. Nothing + done in France in botanical discovery during the reign of Louis XIV., + 200. Labours of the French in, 395. Goethe's discoveries, 396. Number + of known species, 396 _note_ + + Botany. The natural method superseding the artificial one of Linnaeus, + ii. 397. Jussieu's generalizations, 397, 398. Phyllotaxis, 399 _note_ + + Boucquet, suppression of the 'Letters' of, ii. 208 + + Boyle, Robert, his doubts as to the theological and scientific + theories of diseases, i. 128 _note_. Influence of the spirit of + opposition to unsupported authority on, 367. His great discoveries, + 368. His view of the importance of individual experiments, and + disregard of ancient authority, 369. His doubts and caution as shown + in his works, 370 + + Brahmanism, remote period of its establishment in India, i. 301. + Introduction of a form of, into China, 302 + + Brain, amount of phosphorus in the, i. 57 _note_. Excretion of the + phosphorus under certain circumstances, 57 _note_. Doctrines of the + improvement of the human brain by transmission, 176 _note_ + + Brazil, causes of the gorgeousness of the fauna and flora of, i. 103, + 104. Description of the rainy season of, 103 _note_. Inveterate + barbarism of the natives of, 105 _note_. Smallness of the population + of, 107 + + Brissot, his knowledge of the English language and literature, ii. 225. + His admiration for the English Constitution, 229 + + Bristol, Earl of, his notions of political economy, i. 212 _note_ + + Brougham, Lord, his life of Robert Simson, i. 248 _note_ + + Browne, Sir Thomas, influence of the spirit of opposition to + unsupported authority on, i. 365. His 'Vulgar and Common Errors' and + 'Religio Medici,' 365. His love of botany, 200 + + Brunfels, his investigations in the vegetable kingdom, ii. 198 _note_ + + Buchanan, George, character of his works, iii. 183 + + Buffier, the only Jesuit whose name has a place in abstract philosophy, + ii. 342 + + Buffon, his knowledge of the English language and literature, ii. 218. + His translations of Newton and Hales, 218. Compelled to publish a + recantation of some of his views on geology, 236. His geological + theory, 368 + + Burgos, decay of, in the seventeenth century, ii. 503 + + Burke's, Edmund, his remarks on the decline of the abilities of + official men under George III., i. 449. His great ability and + accomplishments, 455, 456. His practical political principles, 458. + His view of the true end of legislation, 459 _note_. Effect which his + profound views produced in the House of Commons, 460 _note_. His + attack on the delusions of his time, 461. His opposition to the views + of George III., and consequent neglect, 461. His anticipation and + defence of most of the great measures of the present generation, 462, + 463. His subsequent hallucinations and violence, 467. His rupture with + Fox, 469. His hostility to Condorcet and La Fayette, 470, 471. + Favoured in his degeneracy by George III., 476, 477 + + Burnet, Bishop, offer to him of a pension for a history of France, + ii. 277, 278 + + + Caithness seized by the Norwegians, iii. 11 + + Calderon, his fanaticism for the Inquisition, ii. 481 + + Californian flora, the Oregon or Columbia river the boundary of the, + i. 97 _note_ + + Calonne, M., his attack on the church property, ii. 333 + + Calvin, John, his doctrine of predestination, i. 13 + + Calvinism, its feud with Arminianism, ii. 338. Calvinism always + democratic, 339. This doctrine one for the poor, 340. Animosity of the + Church of Rome against it, 341. Reasons why it is the doctrine of the + poor, 341, 342. More favourable to the sciences than to the arts, 342. + Reasons why the professors of this religion are likely to acquire + habits of independent thinking, 342, 343. The doctrine of necessity, + 343. Alliance of Jansenism with Calvinism, 343 + + Campbell, Lord, character of his 'Lives of the Chancellors,' + i. 441 _note_ + + Camus, his Jansenism, ii. 345 + + Cannibalism in Scotland, iii. 17 + + Canons, invention of, i. 206 _note_ + + Capital, Adam Smith's views as to, iii. 327 + + Carbon, in food, i. 55 _et seq._ + + Carolan, the last Irish bard, i. 292 _note_ + + Carra, his familiarity with the English language and literature, ii. 224 + + Carrillo, Martin, Spanish jurisconsult and historian, ii. 480 + + Cartaud, suppression of his 'Essay on Taste,' ii. 237 + + Cartwright, Dr., the nonjuring bishop, i. 412 _note_ + + Cashmere, rent paid by the cultivator to the sovereign in, i. 76 _note_ + + Casualties, diminution of, one cause of the increased duration of life, + i. 153 + + Catholics, Roman, their doctrines compared with those of Protestants, + i. 261. Importance of the Toleration Act to them, 402 _note_. Causes + which led to the feeling in favour of Catholic Emancipation, 426. + Burke's advocacy of Roman Catholic claims, 462. Importance of the + Emancipation Bill, 502. Obligations Europe is under to the Catholic + clergy, ii. 5 _note_. Intolerance of Roman Catholics compared with + that of Protestants, 51. Pliancy of the Roman Church against morals, + and its inflexibility in regard to dogmas, 52 _note_. Theory of + indulgences, 339. Animosity of the Church of Rome against Calvinism, + ii. 341 + + Causes, final, the study of, abandoned by Descartes, ii. 91. And by + Bacon and Auguste Comte, 91 _note_. Authorities for the injury it has + wrought, 91 _note_ + + Caussin, 'le petit pere,' exiled by Richelieu, ii. 29, 30 + + Cavaliers, the name and the English civil war, ii. 149 + + Cavendish, Henry, method employed by him in the discovery of the + composition of water, iii. 403 + + Celibacy of the clergy, opposed by the principle of hereditary rank, + ii. 113. Period of the first general and decisive movement in its + favour, 113 _note_ + + Centralization, in France, the natural successor of feudality, ii. + 122. Its baneful effects, 123. How the system actually works, 123 + _note_. Its results in France compared with the freedom of England, + 126, 127 + + Certainty contrasted with precision in writing history, ii. 325 + + Cervantes, becomes a monk, ii. 479. His joy at the expulsion of the + Moors from Spain, 496 _note_ + + Chance, doctrine of, i. 8. Causes of its displacement by the doctrine + of Necessary Connection, 9. The doctrine of Chance of the atomists, 10 + + Chancery, Court of, early exertion of its powers against persecution, + i. 345 _note_ + + Chantilly, the actress, story of, ii. 243 + + Character, knowledge of, a key to results and action, i. 18, 19 + + Charlemagne. His droves of pigs, i. 314 _note_. His history as related + by Archbishop Turpin, 318 + + Charles I., character of the opposition to ecclesiastical authority in + the reign of, i. 359. This king's attempts to revive the power of the + aristocracy, and adopt the superannuated theories of protection, ii. + 147. How treated by his Scottish subjects, iii. 4, 134. Sold by the + Scotch to the English, 135. His execution, 136. Character of the war + against him in England compared with that of the Scotch, 197 + + Charles II., frivolous form of the opposition to ecclesiastical + authority in the reign of, i. 362. His deism, 362 _note_. His last + refuge in superstition, 362 _note_. Antagonism in his reign between + the physical sciences and the theological spirit, 372. Legislative + improvements of this reign in spite of political degradation, 381. + Character of Charles II., and condition of the kingdom in his reign, + 381, 382. Aid given by his vices to the comprehensive reforms of his + reign, 388. And by his dislike of the clergy, 389. Character of this + king's ecclesiastical appointments, 391. His inability to do permanent + harm to English institutions, ii. 466. Compelled by the Scotch to sign + a public declaration, iii. 136. His oppressions of the Scotch, + 137-139. His attempted despotism baffled by the Scotch, 140 + + Charles II. of Spain, his character, ii. 468-470. Misery of Spain during + his reign, 501-510. His death, 513 + + Charles III. of Spain, vigour and success of his rule, ii. 552 _et seq._ + His death, 571 + + Charles IV. of Spain, his accession, ii. 571. Reaction begun by him, 571 + + Charles V. the Emperor, his domestic and foreign policy, ii. 446. His + humiliation of the Protestant princes in Germany, 446. His repulse of + the Turks before Vienna, 446. Number of heretics put to death in the + Netherlands during his reign, 447. His codicil to his will as to + dealing with heretics, 448. Causes of his barbarous policy, 449 + + Charles IX., his massacre of St. Bartholomew, ii. 13 + + 'Charles XII., History of,' Voltaire's, ii. 292. Charles's only + merits, 293. Voltaire's admiration of him, 293. His murder of Patkul, + 293 + + Charles the Bald, initiates a hereditary aristocracy in Europe, ii. 112 + + Charron, Pierre, reputation of his 'De la Sagesse,' ii. 19. Its purity + and systematic completeness, 19. Analysis of the work, 20, 21 + + Charta, Magna, peculiar beauty of, ii. 117 + + Chateaubriand, his method, ii. 389 _note_ + + Chatillon, Marshal, ii. 43 + + Chauvelin, his Jansenism, ii. 345 + + Chemistry, the law of definite proportions in as laid down by Turner, + i. 59 _note_. Boyle's discoveries in, 369. His 'Sceptical Chemist,' + 370. Study of, forbidden by the French Protestants, ii. 69. State of + the science of, in the reign of Louis XIV., 197. Causes of its great + progress in modern times, 365. The existence of chemistry as a science + due to France, 366. Discoveries of Lavoisier, 367. Formation of a + chemical nomenclature, 368. Inability of chemistry to reduce + mineralogical phenomena, 399. Popularity of Fourcroy's lectures, + 407 _note_ + + Childebert, King of the Franks, attacks the Arian Visigoths, + ii. 435 _note_ + + Chillingworth, William, his 'Religion of Protestants,' i. 347. His + connexion and correspondence with Laud, 347. His work compared with + those of Hooker and Jewel, 348. The right of private judgment held + sacred by him, 349, 352. Popularity of his work, 352 _note_. His + scepticism compared with that of Hooker, ii. 86 + + China, gunpowder said to have been used at an early period in, i. 203 + _note_. Causes of the trustworthiness of the early annals of, 302. + Antiquity of the history of, 302 _note_. Early knowledge of printing + in, 302 _note_ + + Chivalry, origin of, ii. 131. Influence of, on the nobles, 132. + Results of the institution of, 132. Origin of the orders of chivalry, + 133. Merits ascribed to chivalry, 133 _note_. Small influence of + chivalry in England, 134. The ballad of the 'Turnament of Tottenham,' + 136 _note_. Extinct in England in the fifteenth century, 135. Relation + between chivalry and duelling, 136 + + Choiseul, De, his anti-ecclesiastical policy, ii. 333. Openly protects + the Jansenists, 345 + + Cholera, attempts made to revive the theological theory of disease on + the first outbreak of the, i. 128 _note_. And again in Scotland, + iii. 473 + + Christianity, influence of religion on the progress of society + illustrated by the early history of, i. 258. And by the history of + Catholicism and Protestantism, 261. Baneful effects of the + interference of governments with the opinions of the people, 261, 262. + Causes of the corruptions of the Christianity of the Abyssinians and + of the Oguiche Indians, 265 _note_. The crusade against Christianity + one of the antecedents of the French Revolution, ii. 247-257. Causes + of the Roman persecutions, i. 185 + + Church property, Vattel's opinions respecting, quoted, ii. 31 _note_ + + Church, the revenues of the, seized and appropriated by the contracting + parties to the peace of Westphalia, ii. 41 + + Church of England. See Clergy, English + + Chyle, discovery of the, ii. 194 + + Circular progression, doctrine of, ii. 377 + + Clanship, in Scotland, causes of the abolition of, iii. 167, 168 + + Clarke, Adam, the last scholar of European repute amongst the + Dissenters, i. 422 + + Classes, the two, in France, before the Revolution, ii. 128 _et seq._ + The Great Rebellion of England a war of, 150. Opposite character of + the Fronde in France, 150 + + Classical scholars and commentators, Locke and Voltaire's attacks on, + ii. 306-308 + + Clergy, the influence of the, the cause of the corruption of early + history, i. 307. Their meddling, inquisitive, and vexatious spirit, + ii. 72. Supremacy of the clergy in the Dark Ages, 108. Period when the + spirit of inquiry began to weaken the church, 108, 109. And when the + clergy began to punish men for thinking for themselves, 109. The first + constitution addressed 'inquisitoribus haereticae pravitatis,' 109 + _note_. Connection between the feudal system and the ecclesiastical + spirit, 110, 111. Causes of the alliance between the clergy and the + nobles, 140. The clergy weakened in the reign of Elizabeth, 143 + + Clergy, English, attempts of the, in the reign of Charles II. to oppose + the spread of physical science, i. 372. Reasons for their hostility, + 373. Destruction of the privileges of the clergy to burn heretics and + tax themselves, 383. The tender of the ex-officio oath prevented by + law, 384. Dislike of Charles II. of the clergy, 389. Causes of this + dislike, 389. Character of his ecclesiastical appointments, 391. + Efforts of the clergy in this reign to revive the doctrines of passive + obedience and divine right, 394. Good churchmen always bad citizens, + 395 _note_. Alliance between the Protestant clergy and the Roman + Catholic king James II., 395. Dissolution of this compact, 397. And + union of the clergy with the Dissenters, 399. Which union produces the + Revolution of 1688, 400. Sudden repentance of the clergy of their own + act, 403. Hostility between them and William III., 405. Their growing + unpopularity, 409. King William's deprivation of six of the prelates, + 410. The consequent schism in the church, 411. Origin of the term + 'high church' and 'low church' parties, 412 _note_. Adoption of the + theory of the sovereign _de facto_ and _de jure_, 413. Encouragement + which the clergy thus give to scepticism, 414. The church avoided by + the ablest men, who prefer secular professions, 415, 416. The most + honourable and lucrative posts formerly occupied by ecclesiastics, + 416. Loss of the clergy of all offices out of the church, and + diminution of their number in both Houses of Parliament, 416, 417. The + last ecclesiastic who held any of the high offices of state, + 417 _note_. Final expulsion of the clergy from the House of Commons, + 418. Temporary rally of the church in the reign of Anne, 419. + The clergy weakened by the Dissenters, headed by Wesley and Whitefield, + 419-424. Effects of the separation of theology from morals and from + politics, 424-427. Rapid succession of sceptical controversies, 427. + Diffusion of knowledge, and the popular form taken by it, 430. + Opposition of the clergy to the establishment of Sunday schools, 431. + Their factious and disloyal conduct during the reign of the first two + Georges, 442. Joy of the clergy at the attachment of George III. to + the church, 445. Their support of the policy of George III. against, + and bitterness towards, the Americans, 479 _note_ + + Clergy, the French, greater power possessed by them than by the + English clergy, ii. 3, 4. Their endeavours to suppress the progress of + secular enquiry, 22. Their alarm at the protection given to the + Protestants by Henry IV., Catherine de Medici, and Louis XIII., 26. + Richelieu's treatment of the Clergy, and of the Protestants, 28-31. + Animosity between the clergy and the secular tribunals, 32. Archbishop + Sourdis ignominiously beaten, 32. Reasons why French literary men + attacked the Church and not the Government, 247. And therefore to + assail Christianity, 247. Personal character of the hierarchy during + the reign of Louis XIV., 252. And during the reign of his successor, + 252. Attack of the Government on the clergy, 332. Machault's edict + against mortmain, 332. Anti-ecclesiastical policy of Machault's + successors, 333. Machault hated by the clergy, 333 _note_. The power + of the clergy weakened by the two hostile parties among themselves, + 335. Decline of the respect entertained for the clergy, 348. Reasons + why their fall was averted for a time, 349, 350 + + Clergy, Scottish, causes of the union of the Crown and the, iii. 34. + Causes of the flourishing state of the clergy in the fourteenth and + fifteenth centuries, 38. And of their great influence, 43. The Church + favoured by James I., 46. Struggle between the Crown and clergy on + one side and the nobles on the other, 55 _et seq._ Destruction of the + Church, and supremacy of the nobles, 81. Abolition of episcopacy, 94. + Struggle between the upper classes and the clergy as to episcopacy, + 100. Violence of the clergy, 105 _et seq._ Boons conferred by them + upon their country, 112. Attempts of the King to subjugate the clergy, + 115. His cruel treatment of them, 117-123. Tyrannical conduct of the + bishops, 128. The bishops overthrown, 133. But again forced upon the + people, 141. Alliance between the Crown and the clergy, and its + consequences, 147. The struggle of the clergy with Cromwell, 194. And + with Charles I., 197. Causes which produced the Solemn League and + Covenant, 198. Character of the sermons and zeal of the people in + hearing them in the seventeenth century, 203 _et seq._ The consequent + extension and consolidation of the authority of the clergy, 206. Their + great engine of power, the Kirk-session, and its tyranny, 206-210. + Cases in which it was believed that their pretensions were upheld and + vindicated by miracles, 212, 229. Their consequent arrogance, 220. + Effect of their advocacy of horrible notions concerning evil spirits + and future punishments, 232. And concerning the Deity, 239. Harmless + and praiseworthy actions declared to be sinful, 252. Specimens of the + sins invented by them, 261, 263. Their arbitrary regulations for + punishing disobedience, 262. Their deductive method in philosophy, 286 + + Clergy, Spanish, rise of the influence of the, ii. 436-444. Proofs of + their power, 437, 438. Consequences of the reverence for them, 461 + _et seq._ Causes of their increasing influence, 472. Hold of the + Church over all, high or low, 478-481. Use made by the clergy of + their power in obtaining the expulsion of the whole of the Spanish + Moors, 483. Forced to contribute to the support of the state, 522, + 523. Deprived of their wealth by Mendizabal, 590. But re-endowed soon + after, 591. The Concordat of 1851, 591, 592 + + Climate, its influence on the condition of the human race, i. 40. Its + effect on the regularity and energy with which labour is conducted, + 42, 43. Tartary, 45. Arabia, 45. The civilization of Europe governed + by climate, 50. Influence of climate on the kind of food necessary for + man, 56. And on his ease or difficulty in procuring it, 58. Modes in + which the average temperature of a country affects its civilization, + 95. Difference between the eastern and western coasts of North + America, 97. Character of the climate of Spain, ii. 427 + + Clotaire, his attacks of the Visigoth Arians, ii. 435 _note_ + + Clovis, King of the Franks, his attack of the Visigoths, ii. 435 + + Clubs, establishment of, in France, at the end of the last century, + ii. 412, 414 + + Cobbett, William, his racy and idiomatic English, ii. 307 _note_ + + Codification, causes of the French love of, ii. 127 _note_ + + Coffee, its discredit in France as an English drink, ii. 214 _note_ + + Colours, Boyle's experiments in, i. 368 _note_ + + Comedies of Racine, character of the period in which they appeared, + ii. 208 + + Comets, feelings of terror inspired by the presence of, i. 376, + 377 _note_ + + Comines, Philip de, credulity shown in his history, i. 327; + ii. 265 _note_ + + Commerce. See Trade + + Commerce; Rise of trading interests in Scotland in the eighteenth + century, iii. 171. See Trade; Trade, Free + + Commission, High Court of, established in Scotland, iii. 125. Cruelty + of the, 142 _note_ + + Commons, House of, origin of the, ii. 117. Causes of the increase of + the authority of the, 121 + + Comte, M., remarks on his 'Philosophie Positive,' i. 5 _note_ + + Condillac, his metaphysical work, the 'Traite des Sensations,' ii. 357. + Essential positions upon which the work is based, 358 + + Condorcet, his character and abilities, i. 470. Burke's remarks on, + 471. His proposal of English criminal jurisprudence as a model for + France, ii. 226. His professed atheism, 352 + + Conjurors, tricks of, forbidden to be seen by the French Protestants, + ii. 70 + + Conquest, Norman, Sir F. Palgrave on the results produced by the, + ii. 116 _note_ + + Consciousness, faculty or state of the mind so called, i. 14. + Different opinions respecting, 14 _note_. Its fallibility, 15. + Authorities as to the preservation of consciousness in dreams and in + insanity, 17 _note_ + + Constant, M., his adoption of a remark of Voltaire, ii. 303 + + Converts, fickleness of, i. 255, 256 + + Convocation, falls into general contempt, i. 414. Final prorogation + of, by an act of the Crown, 415. Permitted recently to re-assemble, + 415 + + Copyhold rights in England, ii. 119. Not recognised by the French + laws, 120 + + Coquereau, suppression of his 'Memoirs of Terrai,' ii. 238 + + Corn, free trade in, proposed by Stafford in 1581, i. 213 _note_. The + real cause of the abolition of the, 273. Merits of the Anti-Corn-Law + League, 274. Importance of the repeal of the Corn-laws, 502 + + Corneille, period in which his tragedies appeared, ii. 209 + + Cornwall, hardly a bookseller in, in 1780, i. 432 _note_ + + Corporation Act, i. 396. Suspended by James II., i. 397 + + Corvee, the, in France, ii. 129. Authorities respecting the, 129 _note_ + + Coulumb, his experiments on electrical phenomena, ii. 362 + + Councils, authority of, despised by Chillingworth, i. 349 + + Courrayeur, suppression of the 'Dissertations' of, ii. 237 + + Cousin, M., on free will, quoted, i. 14 _note_ + + Covenant, Solemn League and, framed, iii. 132. Causes which produced + the, 198 + + Coyer, his knowledge of the English language and literature, ii. 219 + + Credulity of Asiatics as compared with that of Europeans, i. 134. + Instances of the credulity of the sixteenth century, 330. This + credulity the natural result of the state of the age, 333 + + Crime, uniform reproduction of, i. 24, 25, 31 _notes_. Crime the + result of the state of society into which the criminal is thrown, 29. + Rawson on the possibility of arriving at certain constants with regard + to crime, quoted, 31 _note_. Mode of preventing crime in France, + ii. 125 + + Criminals, mode of examining, in France, ii. 124 + + Cromwell, Oliver, his alliance with Cardinal Mazarin, ii. 98. Irritation + of the orthodox with their union, 98. His hostility to the Church not + theological, but political, 361 _note_. His plebeian origin, ii. 156. + Capacity of his lieutenants, 156, 157. His chain of fortresses in + Scotland, iii. 194. His treatment of the Scotch people, 195 _note_ + + Crusades, theological feeling of the English as to the, ii. 6 _note_ + + Crystallography, discoveries of De Lisle and Hauey in, ii. 400, 401. + Power of crystals, in common with animals, of repairing their own + injuries, 403 _note_. Hunter's inquiries into the malformation of + crystals, iii. 443 + + Cudworth, comparison of the method employed by Hume in his 'Natural + History of Religion' compared with that of Cudworth's 'Intellectual + System,' iii. 348 + + Cullen, William, account of his generalizations respecting pathology, + iii. 413. His love of theory, 414. His method of studying pathology + compared with that of Adam Smith, 417. His theory of the solids, 418. + Character of his premisses and conclusions, 418-421. His theory of + fever, 424. His nosology, 426 + + Culloden, results of the battle of, to the Highland Chieftains, + iii. 168 _note_ + + Cumberland, Dr., Bishop of Peterborough, his system of morals without + the aid of theology, i. 425. Relation between Hume and Cumberland, + 426 _note_ + + Cuvier, Baron, his labours in geology, ii. 369. Impetus given by him + to the study of zoology, 376. His overthrow of the Linnaean system, + 376, 377 + + + D'Alembert, his professed atheism, ii. 352 + + D'Alibard, his experiments on electricity, ii. 362 + + Damiens, his attempted assassination of Louis XV., ii. 345 + + Dancing forbidden by the French Protestants, ii. 69, 70. And by the + Scotch clergy, iii. 258 + + Darigrand, suppression of his work on 'Finance,' ii. 238 + + Dates, effect of the cheapness and abundance of, in Egypt, i. 83 + + David IV. of Scotland, his imprisonment by the English, iii. 20 + + Daubenton, his application of the principles of comparative anatomy to + the study of fossil bones, ii. 371 + + Dead, adoration of the, i. 145 _note_ + + Death, influence of the fear of, on the imagination, i. 127 + + Debating clubs, establishment of, i. 433. Authorities as to, 433 _note_ + + Deccan, bards of the, i. 292 _note_ + + Dedications, servility of the, in books of the sixteenth and seventeenth + centuries, i. 438. Abolition of mean and crouching, 438 + + Defender of the Faith, title of the, conferred on James V. of Scotland, + iii. 6 + + De Grana, entrusted by the King of Spain with the defence of the + Netherlands, ii. 515 + + De Lisles, Rome, his studies in crystallography, ii. 400 + + Deluge, the predicted, of St[oe]ffler, i. 330 + + De Maistre, his method, ii. 389 _note_ + + Democracy, Calvinism always connected with, ii. 339. Physical science + essentially democratic, 409. Democratic tendency, observable in France + in the change of dress just before the Revolution, 410. And in the + establishment of clubs, 412 + + Denmark, Mallet's 'History' of, ii. 299 + + Desaguliers, Dr., his success in popularizing physical truths, + i. 432 _note_ + + Descartes, Rene, his military genius and learning, i. 200. Effect of his + secular philosophy, 329. His profundity, ii. 77. His physical + discoveries and speculations, 78, 79. Recognizes Harvey's discovery of + the circulation of the blood and Aselli's discovery of the lacteals, + 81. His origination of the modern method of philosophy, 81, 82. + Reasons why he deserves the gratitude of posterity, 82. Account of his + philosophy as showing its analogy with the anti-theological policy of + Richelieu, 83, 92. His words of wisdom addressed to his countrymen, + 85. Compared with Montaigne, 86. Eminent characteristic of his + philosophy, 87. Analysis of his principles, 88, 89. Mischief done by + his principles to the old theology, 90. And to the inordinate respect + with which antiquity was regarded, 91. Period in which he flourished, + 189 + + Desfontaines, his botanical discoveries, ii. 397 + + Desforges, imprisoned for his work respecting the Pretender, ii. 238 + + Desmarest, his geological labours, ii. 368 + + Desmoulins, Camille, his knowledge of the English language and + literature, ii. 224 + + De Thou, raised to the presidency of parliament in France, ii. 26. His + great French historical work, 266 + + Devil, horrible notions of the Scotch clergy concerning, iii. 232 + + Dhourra of Upper Egypt, its cheapness and abundance, i. 86 + + Diderot, his knowledge of the English language and literature, + ii. 218. His talents, 240. His imprisonment in Vincennes, 242. His + professed atheism, 352 + + Diogenes Laertius, on the physical which preceded metaphysical + inquiries, i. 10 _note_. On the preservation of consciousness in + dreams and in insanity, 17 _note_ + + Diplomacy, commencement of a purely secular era in the history of, + ii. 41 + + Disease, theological theory of, in the middle ages and in our own + times, i. 127, 128 _note_. Authorities as to the nature and treatment + of a disease and the belief that such disease is caused by + supernatural power, and is to be cured by it, 129 _note_. The origin + of almost all the cruel diseases of Europe to be found in Asia, 130. + Hunter's theories of diseases, iii. 448 + + Dissenters, persecution of the, in England, in the reign of James II., + i. 397. Union of the clergy and dissenters and its result, 399, 400. + Authorities for the cruelties inflicted upon them in the reign of + Charles II. and James II., 419. Principles avowed by the clergy in + justification of the persecution, 419 _note_. Persecutions in the + reign of Anne, 419, 420. Repeal of the laws against them, 420. The + Toleration Act regarded by the Dissenters as their Magna Charta, 402 + _note_. Favour shown to them by William III., 405, 406. Their struggle + with the clergy, 420. Wesley and Whitefield, 421. Loss of their + intellectual vigour, 422. Causes of their recent mental penury, 422. + Nonconformist statistics, from the reign of William III. to the + present time, 423 _note_. Treatment which the Wesleyans received from + the clergy, 423 _note_, 424 _note_. Combination of the Dissenters with + the Government against the clergy and the Pretender, 443 _note_. + Passing of the Schism Bill, 452. Burke's support of measures for the + relief of the, 463 + + Divine right of Kings, results of the abandonment of the theological + fiction of, ii. 182 + + Dolben, John, his character as Archbishop of York, i. 392 + + Dolomieu, his geological labours, ii. 368 + + 'Domat, Life of,' by Prevost de la Jannes, suppressed, ii. 237 + + Douglas, Earls of, treacherously murdered by James II., iii. 49-52. + Subsequent power of the family, 57. Driven into exile, 60. Harboured + by Henry VIII. in England, 64. Return home, 69 + + Dramas, French, of the seventeenth century, ii. 208 + + Dreams, Plato's conclusion as to the truth or falsehood of, + i. 16 _note_ + + Dress, interference of the French Protestants with, ii. 60, 71. Dress + of the French during the reign of Louis XIV., Louis XV., and just + before the Revolution, 411 + + Droughts, frequency of, in Spain, ii. 427 + + Dryburgh Abbey, burnt by the English, iii. 15 + + Dryden, John, little effect of the intellect of France on his works, + i. 235. His satires, 235 _note_ + + Duclos, his 'History of Louis XI.' suppressed, ii. 238. His method of + writing history, 300 + + Duellings, causes of the greater popularity of, in France than in + England, ii. 136. Relation between chivalry and duelling, 137 _note_ + + Duhamel de Monceau, his botanical discoveries, ii. 397 + + Dukes, the order of, in abeyance in England for fifty years, ii. 146 + + Dumouriez, his familiarity with the English language and literature, + ii. 224 + + Dunbar, town of, iii. 32 _note_. Scotch presbyterian view of the + battle of, 201 _note_ + + Dundee burnt by the English, iii. 16 + + Dunfermline burnt by the English, iii. 16. Scanty population of the + town up to the seventeenth century, 27 + + Dupleix, Scipio, his new method of writing history, ii. 268. His + system of philosophy, 269 + + Dury, John, opposes episcopacy in Scotland, iii. 95. Banished from + Edinburgh, 102. Brought back in triumph, 103. Preaches in favour of + the Ruthven conspiracy, 104 + + Duvernet, his punishment for having written a history of the + Sorbonnes, ii. 237 + + + Earthquakes, tendency of the fear of, to inflame the imagination, i. + 122. Effect of the atmospherical changes preceding earthquakes upon + the nervous system of man, 122. Physiological effects of the fear of + earthquakes, 122, 123. Effect of earthquakes in encouraging + superstition, 123. The great earthquake at Sumbawa in 1815, 126 + _note_. Frequency of earthquakes in Spain, ii. 428 + + Eclipses, feelings with which our fathers regarded, i. 376. + Authorities as to the superstition excited by, 377 + + Edda, compilation of the elder and younger, i. 301 + + Edinburgh burnt by Richard II., iii. 16. Population of, in the + sixteenth century, 30. Houses of the poorer classes at this time, 31 + _note_. Riot of 1637, 132. Foundation of the 'Edinburgh Society' for + the improvement of manufactures, 181 _note_ + + Edward I. of England, his invasion of Scotland, iii. 12 + + Edward III. of England, his attacks on Scotland, iii. 16. His cruelty + there, 16 + + Egypt, causes of its wealth and civilization, i. 48, 49. Area of the + cultivable land of, 49 _note_. Science unknown to the Egyptians, 49. + Causes of their civilization as compared with the condition of the + other races in Africa, 82. Fertility of the soil, and abundance of the + national food, dates, 83-86. Cheapness of the dhourra of Upper Egypt, + 86. Lotos bread, 87. The [Greek: kyamos] of Herodotus, 87 _note_. + Encouragement given to the increase of Egyptian population by the + fertility of the Nile, 87 _note_. Evidence of Diodorus Siculus and + Herodotus, 88, 89. Testimony of the condition of the people afforded + by the existing costly and stupendous ruins, 90, 92. The two ranks of + society in Egypt, 91. Tenacity with which old manners and customs were + adhered to by them, 116. Forms of the incarnation of the Deity + presented by their artists, 143 _note_. Fifty-three cities of Egypt + bearing the same name, 298 _note_ + + Election, doctrine of. See Predestination + + Electricity, experiments of [OE]pinus, D'Alibard, and Coulumb, + ii. 362. Popularity of electricity in France at the latter part of the + last century, 407 _note_ + + Elizabeth, Queen, feelings of the nobility in the reign of, ii. 139. + Her conduct towards the nobility and clergy, 143. Character of her + government, 146 + + Emilius, Paulus, his 'Actions of the French,' ii. 264 + + 'Encylopaedia,' publication of the, in France, ii. 351 + + Encylopaedias, invention of, i. 433. Harris's 'Dictionary' the first, + 433 _note_ + + England, rent paid by the cultivator in proportion to the gross + produce in, i. 75. Causes of the extinction of the love of war in, + 198. The military classes in the twelfth century, 205 _note_. And in + the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, 205 _note_. Reasons why the + present history is confined to that of England, 231. Characteristics + of the history of England compared with those of France, 232-236. With + those of Germany, 237. And with those of America, 240. Reasons why the + history of England is more valuable than any other to the philosopher, + 242, 252. England less interfered with by Government, and therefore + more prosperous than other nations, 286. Popular belief in the Trojan + descent of the English Kings, 309 _note_. Secular philosophy of the + seventeenth century, 329. Legislative improvements in the reign of + Charles II. in spite of the political degradation of the age, 381-386. + These improvements due to the sceptical and inquiring spirit, 388. And + to the vices and prejudices of Charles II., 388, 389. Proximate causes + of the Revolution of 1688, 399, 400. Importance of this Revolution, + 402. War between England and the American Colonies, 477-481. + Importance of the success of the Americans to the preservation of the + liberties of England, 482, 483. The unjust war against France in 1793, + 486. And its effect in England in producing arbitrary laws, 487. + Obligations England is under to the Roman Catholic clergy, ii. 5 + _note_. Feeling of the English people as to theological disputes in + the twelfth as compared with the sixteenth centuries 6, 7. Secular + character of the civil wars in England, 7. Indifference of the people + to the rapid changes in the national faith under Henry VIII., Edward + VI., Mary, and Elizabeth, 7. Contempt into which excommunication fell + in England, 59 _note_. Importance of the press in England in the + middle of the seventeenth century, 99. Analogy between the great Civil + war and the war of the Fronde, 99, 100. Summary of the progress of + toleration in England, 102. Point at which a marked divergence between + England and France begins, 105. Causes of this difference, 106. + Comparison of the protective spirit in France and England, 108 _et + seq._ The first instance in England of the execution of an apostate, + 109, 110 _note_. Reasons why the aristocracy in France were more + powerful than in England, 113. Period of the union of Normans and + Saxons, 116. Union of the nobles and people in forcing the Crown to + concede popular privileges, 116, 117. Origin of the House of Commons, + 117. Sources whence the people imbibed their tone of independence, + 118. Consequences of the social divergence between France and England + in the fourteenth century, 119. The three most important guarantees + for the liberties of England, 119, 120. The state of France under + centralization contrasted with that of England under municipal + government, 126, 127. Extinction of villenage in England, 128. + Illustration of the early and radical difference between France and + England, 131. Feeble influence of chivalry in England, 134. The + Reformation encouraged by the pride of Englishmen, 137. Effect of the + Wars of the Roses upon the nobles, 138. The clergy and nobles both + weakened by Elizabeth, 143. Aristocratic character of the rebellion of + 1569, 144. Character of the reign of Elizabeth, 146. Attempts of James + I. and Charles I. to revive the power of the nobles and the old + protective spirit, 147. Difference between the great English Rebellion + and the Fronde, 140, 150. Abolition of the house of Peers, 153. The + self-denying ordinance, 153. The leaders of the Rebellion, 155, 159. + Barbarism and ferocity of the English people of the seventeenth + century, according to the French writers, 214, 215. The results of the + suppression of religious scepticism in England and France compared, + 257. Prejudice existing in England against Voltaire, 313. Arminianism + the popular creed at the beginning of the seventeenth century, 340. + But it gives way to Calvinism at the death of Charles I., 340. + Singular dearth of great thinkers in England during the eighteenth + century, 374. Progress of England, notwithstanding the unskilfulness + of her rulers, 466. Amazement of Frenchmen at the liberty enjoyed by + Englishmen at the beginning of the eighteenth century, 237 + + Enlistment for life, Burke's opposition to, i. 463. Enlistment for a + term of years first authorized, 463 _note_ + + Ensenada, his endeavours to improve the state of Spain, ii. 535 + + Episcopacy, abolition of, in Scotland, iii. 94 _et seq._ Andrew + Melville called [Greek: hepiskopomastix], 97 _note_. Struggle between + the upper classes and clergy as to episcopacy, 100, 191 + + Erskine, Lord, his idiomatic English, ii. 307 _note_ + + Essex, Earl of, joins the parliamentary forces, but suspected by the + democrats, ii. 151, 152 + + Europe, the civilization of, governed by climates, i. 50. Social and + political consequences of the high rate of wages in Europe, 65. + Influence of physical causes in accelerating the progress of man in + Europe, 82. Differences between the civilizations in and out of, 152. + The energies of nature tamed by man in, 154. The country outstripped + by the populations of the towns in, 156. Mental laws more important + than physical for the history of, 156. Contrast between ancient and + modern military genius in, 199-202 + + Europe, remarks on the origin of the ecclesiastical establishments of, + i. 259-263. Benefits conferred by literature on, 267. Condition of + the mind of, from the sixth to the tenth centuries, 269 + + Excommunication, a French Protestant, ii. 59. Notions of theologians + respecting, 59 _note_. Contempt into which excommunication fell in + England, 59 _note_ + + Expediency, doctrine of, i. 425, 426. Its gradual diffusion amongst + us, 426 _note_ + + Eye, discoveries of Descartes respecting the, ii. 78 + + + Fables, Voltaire's demolition of the belief in national, ii. 312 + + Falkirk, first printing office in, i. 432 _note_ + + Famines, impossibility of the return of, in Europe, i. 155. List of, + 155 _note_. Frequency of, in Spain, ii. 427 + + Fathers, authority of the, according to Jewel and Hooker, i. 340. + Chillingworth's contempt for their authority, 349. Exposure of the + gross absurdities of the, 428 + + Favart, Madame, story of, ii. 243 + + Fear, special tendency of, to inflame the imagination, i. 120 + + Fenacute, story of the giant, i. 320 + + Fenelon, treatment of, by Louis XIV., ii. 276. His 'Telemachus,' 276 + + Ferdousi, his 'Shah Nameh,' and its authority in Persian history, + i. 303 + + Fermat, his services to geometry, ii. 190 + + Fernel, his eminence in medicine, ii. 195 + + Ferrier, excommunicated by the French Protestants, ii. 58. Result of + this measure, 59, 60 + + Fetichism, the predecessor of monotheism, according to Comte, + i. 251 _note_ + + Feud, feudum, first use of the words, ii. 110 _note_ + + Feudal incidents, destruction of, in England, i. 386 + + Feudal system, origin of the, in Europe, ii. 110. Connexion between it + and the ecclesiastical spirit, 110, 111. Does not destroy the spirit + of protection, but only compels it to assume a new form, 111. + Commencement of the European hereditary aristocracy, 112. The power of + the English and French aristocracy compared, 113 _et seq._ + Sub-infeudation in France and in England, 119. Boncerf's treatise on + feudal law, 237. Voltaire's, the first historical endeavour to explain + the origin of feudality, 302 + + Fever, Cullen's theory of, iii. 424 + + Finance, suppression of the works of Darigrand and Le Trosne on, + ii. 238. Sudden eagerness in France in the eighteenth century for + inquiries relating to, 328, 329. Necker's celebrated Report, 329. + Burke's the first financial reforms, 464 + + Fire-arms, invention of, i. 206 + + Flanders, exports from, into Scotland, iii. 24 + + Food, effect of the supply of, among wandering and agricultural + tribes, i. 8. Moral consequences of diminishing the precariousness of + food, 9. Influence of food on the human race, 40. The two effects of + food necessary to existence, 55. Influence of climate on the necessary + kind of food, 56, 60. Connexion between food and the laws of + population, 57, 66, 88. Carbon and oxygen in food, 60-62. Amount of + carbon required in food in summer and in winter, 63. The potato, the + principal food of the labouring class in Ireland, 65. Countries + asserted to be more populous when the ordinary food is vegetable than + when it is animal, 68 _note_. Character of the general food of the + people of India, rice, 70. And of that of Egypt, dates, 83. + Extraordinary fecundity of the maize and banana plants in America, + 109-111. Instances from the animal kingdom, proving the connexion + between carbonized food and the respiratory functions, 148. French and + German discoveries as to the functions of food, 367 + + Forbes, James, the Presbyterian preacher, iii. 203 _note_ + + Force, indestructibility of, iii. 363 + + Forces, theory of the parallelogram of, i. 30 + + Forestalling and regrating, Burke's attack of the laws against, i. 462 + + Forgetfulness, laws regulating, i. 32 + + Fornication made a felony by the English Commonwealth, i. 361 _note_. + Repeal of the law by Charles II., 362 _note_ + + Fossils, Daubenton's labours respecting fossil bones, ii. 371. + Previous opinions as to, 371 _note_. Researches of Agassiz in fossil + ichthyology, 383 + + Fourcroy, popularity of his lectures on chemistry, ii. 407 _note_ + + Fourier, his views as to the laws of the conduction of heat, ii. 362. + His mathematical theory, 362 + + Fox, Charles James, his remark on good churchmen, i. 395 _note_. His + declaration in the House of Commons against the arbitrary laws + proposed for extinguishing the liberties of the country, 493 + + Fox, Henry his eminent statesmanship, i. 450. Causes of George III.'s + dislike of him, 450. Burke's character of Fox, 450 _note_. Burke's + rupture with him, 469 + + France, rent paid by the cultivator, in proportion to the gross + produce of the land, i. 75. French notions of the English people + previous to the application of steam to purposes of travelling, 219. + The history of England compared with that of France, 234. Debt which + French owes to English civilization, 236. Effects of the interference + of the government with the people, 236. The results of the suppression + of scepticism in France compared with the exercise of individual + judgment in England, 257. How and when the political institutions of + France might have been saved, 258. Condition of historical literature + in France in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, 261-273. + Proximate causes of the French Revolution after the middle of the + eighteenth century, 325 _et seq._ The social changes of the French + people immediately preceding the Revolution, 405. Instances of this, + 406-412. Tolerance and freedom from superstition of the French, 263. + Great numbers of smugglers in France in the last century, 279. The + bards of ancient Gaul, 292 _note_. Corruption of Druidical traditions + in Gaul by Christian priests, 306. Popular belief in the middle ages + of the Trojan descent of the French kings, 309. Pork a common food in + France in the time of Charlemagne, 314 _note_. Effects of the writings + of Descartes, 329. Detestation of George III. of the French people, + 448. Burke's epithets applied to France and the French at the time of + the Revolution, 472. Effects produced by the French Revolution upon + the policy of the English government, 484. First step towards an open + rupture between England and France, 485. Effects of the execution of + Louis XVI., 485 + + France, Causes which gave rise to the civil wars of the seventeenth + century, ii. 56 _et seq._ Conde's rebellion in 1615, 61. Rebellion of + the Protestants in Bearn, 61, 62. And at La Rochelle, 63-66. Results + which would have happened if the Protestants had gained the upper + hand, 67-72. Breaking out of the war of the Fronde, 99. Importance of + the press in the middle of the seventeenth century, 95. Analogy + between the great civil war of England and the war of the Fronde, 99, + 100. Summary of the progress of toleration in France, 102. Point at + which a marked divergence between England and France begins, 105. + Causes of this difference, 106. Comparison of the protective spirit in + France and England, 108 _et seq._ Reasons why the feudal aristocracy + were more powerful in France than in England, 113-118. In France every + man either a tyrant or a slave, 119. System of subinfeudation, 119. + Consequences of the early social divergence between England and France + in the fourteenth century, 119-121. Futility of French municipal + institutions, 121. Feebleness of the States-General, 121. Beginning of + the tendency to centralization in France, 122. Its baneful effects, + 122, 123. Machinery by which it is worked, 123. Number of civil + functionaries in the country, 123 _note_. Mode of examining criminals + in France, 124. And of preventing crime, 125. The education of the + people controlled by the government, 125. The worst kind of monopoly + established by the government, and its effects on the people, 126. The + great power and tyranny of the nobles, 128. Slavery in France, 129. + The inequality of taxation, 129. Privileges reserved to themselves by + the nobles, 130. Illustration of the early and radical difference + between France and England, from the history of chivalry, 131-134. + From the vanity of the French, 136. And from the practice of duelling, + 136. Difference between the Fronde and the great English rebellion, + 149. Objects of the Fronde, 149, 150. Causes why a war of classes was + impossible, 150. Results of the energy of the protective spirit and + power of the nobles on the issue of the Fronde, 160. Vanity and + imbecility of the French nobles, 162, 163. Examination of the + consequences of the protective spirit being carried into literature by + Louis XIV., 176. Servility of the people at this period, 177. + Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV., 178. The subsequent + dragonnades, 179. And their disastrous effects on the prosperity of + France, 181. Universal decline of France during the latter part of the + reign of Louis XIV., 210. Joy of the people at his death, 213. + Indignities to which French literary men were subject in the + eighteenth century, one of the precursors of the revolution, 230-242. + Outrages committed by the upper classes in the same period, 243. + Stringent cruelty of the French laws, 244. Proposal of the French + avocat-general in 1780 respecting new books, 245. The crusade against + Christianity in the last century, 247. Causes of the excessive loyalty + of the French people, 249. War of opinion between France and Spain in + the fifth and sixth centuries, 435 + + Francis I. of France, his zeal against heresy, ii. 12 + + Franks, their conversion to Christianity and attack of their Visigoth + neighbours, ii. 435 + + Frauds and Perjuries, security to private property effected by the + Statute of, i. 385 + + Frederick the Great, contrast between his warlike and domestic policy, + i. 201 + + Free Trade. See Trade. + + Free will, probable origin of the dogma of, i. 9. Foundation of the + theory of, 13. Connexion of free will with Arminianism, 14 + + Feret, causes of his imprisonment in the Bastille, ii. 235 + + Fresnel, his researches into the laws of light, ii. 362 + + Frewen, Dr., Archbishop of York, his character, i. 392 + + Froissart, his the earliest instance in the Middle Ages of an + improvement in writing history, i. 325 + + Fronde, war of the, analogy between it and the civil war in England, + ii. 99. Difference between the Fronde and the great English Rebellion, + 149. Character and position of the leaders of the Fronde, 160. And + consequent failure of the rebellion, 168-173 + + Fruit, amount of carbon in, i. 61 + + Fuch's, his investigations in the vegetable kingdom, ii. 198 _note_ + + + Gaimar, his translation into Anglo-Norman of Geoffrey Monmouth's + history, i. 325 + + Garlon, suppression of the 'Therapeutics' of, ii. 238 + + Garrows, cause of their superstitions respecting the tiger, + i. 125 _note_ + + Gascoigne, his invention of the micrometer, ii. 192 + + Gassion, raised to the dignity of French marshal, ii. 98. Authorities + respecting him, 98 _note_ + + Gaul, origin of the name of, according to the historians of the Middle + Ages, i. 311 + + Genard, suppression of his 'School of Man,' ii. 238 + + Geoffrey, Archdeacon of Monmouth, his history of King Arthur, i. 321. + Translations of the work, 324, 325 + + Geography, physical, study of, i. 2 + + Geology, first exhibition of the sceptical character of, i. 429 + _note_. Views of Dr. Arnold and Mr. Baden Powell, 430 _note_. Buffon's + recantation of some of his views on, ii. 236. Causes of its great + progress in modern times, 365. Labours of French geologists at the + latter part of the last century, 368. Cuvier's foundation of + palaeontological science, 369 _note_. Remains of organic and inorganic + life in the secondary and tertiary strata, 370. The doctrine of + universal changes, 369, 371. Daubenton's union of comparative anatomy + with geology, 371. Character of Hutton's geological speculations, iii. + 388, 396. Causes which have altered and are still altering the crust + of the earth, 388. The deductive and inductive methods of studying + geology, 390. William Smith's foundation of English geology, 391. + Werner's foundation of the German school, 393. Hall's verification of + Hutton's views, 401 + + Geometry, algebra first successfully applied to, by Descartes, ii. 77. + Who is regarded as the first geometrician of the age, 80. Ages of + Descartes and Fermat, 189, 190. Hypothetical arguments as exhibited + by, iii. 306 + + George I., his utter ignorance of the English language, i. 441 + + George II., his indifferent knowledge of the English language, i. 441. + His ignorance of English politics, 442. His highest ambition, + 442 _note_ + + George III., fortunate circumstances which surrounded his accession, i. + 444. Revival of the doctrine of divine right, 445. The king's respect + for church ceremonies, 445 _note_. Alliance between the Crown and the + clergy, 445. The king's ignorance, 446. And hatred of great statesmen, + 446, 447. Favour with which he regarded slavery, 447. His hatred of + the French, 448. The 'King's Friends,' 448, 449. Notorious incapacity + of his ministers, 449. His hatred of the elder Pitt and of Fox, 449, + 450. Mode in which he brought the House of Lords into disrepute, 453. + His hatred of the Americans, 466. Favours Burke in his violent old + age, 476, 477. His policy respecting the American colonies, 477, 479. + Reaction of this policy upon England, 481, 482. His policy towards the + French republic, 484 _et seq._ His monstrous principles, 466. His + inability however, to do harm to English institutions, 466 + + George IV., his character, ii. 466 + + Germany, Comparison of the history of England and, i. 237. + Interference of the German governments with the people, 237. Origin of + German literature, 237. Character of German intellect among the + highest and lowest minds, 238, 239. Process through which the esoteric + literature of Germany is passing at the present time, 267. Cultivation + of metaphysics in Germany in the latter part of the last century, + ii. 373 + + Gervaise, suppression of the 'Letters' of, ii. 237 + + Gibbon, Edward, fame of his 'Decline and Fall,' i. 429 _note_. His + fifteenth and sixteenth chapters, 429 + + Gipsies, origin of the, according to the writers of the middle ages, + i. 312 + + Glasgow in the fifteenth century, iii. 26, 27. Rise and progress of, + 175. The first bank at, 181 + + Gloves, Spanish manufacture of, in the sixteenth and seventeenth + centuries, ii. 502 + + Goblets, game of, forbidden to be seen by French Protestants, ii. 70 + + God, Cartesian method of the ultimate proof of the existence of, + ii. 89. Horrible notions of the Scotch clergy respecting, iii. 239 + + Gomberville, his refutation of the idle stories as to the extreme + antiquity of the French, ii. 270 + + Gongora, the Spanish poet, ii. 480 + + Goethe, his obligations to Mallet's 'History of Denmark,' ii. 299 + + Gordon, Dr., the nonjuring bishop, i. 412 _note_ + + Government, inquiry into the influence of, on the progress of society, + i. 272. Illustrated by the abolition of the corn laws, 273. The most + important measures of modern British legislation the result of + pressure from without, 275. The best legislation the result of the + abrogation of former legislation, 275. Injuries caused to trade by the + interference of politicians, 276. Smuggling, with all its attendant + crimes, caused by legislation, 277. Baneful effects of legislative + attempts to encourage religious truth, and discourage religious error, + 281. Consequent increase of hypocrisy and perjury, 281, 282. And of + usury by the laws against usury, 283. Effects of legislation in + hindering the advance of knowledge, 284. England less interfered with + by government than other nations, 286. True duties of legislators, + 287. Attempts to make politics a mere branch of theology, 326-328. + Legislative improvements in the reign of Charles II. in spite of + political degradation, 381 + + Gowrie conspiracy, the, iii. 110 + + Gracian, the Spanish Jesuit and prose writer, ii. 480 + + Granada, capture of, from the Arabs, ii. 440 + + Gravitation, Newton's discovery of the law of, ii. 191. Tardy + reception of the law in France, 191, 192 + + Greece, condition of, contrasted with that of India, i. 138. Its area, + 138. Its material phenomena, 139. Comparison of the Greek and Hindu + divinities, 140. The hero-worship of the Greeks, 144. Statesmen, + orators, and authors of ancient, 199. Reason of the evanescence of the + civilization of ancient Greece, 267 + + Greek language forbidden by the French Protestants to be taught, + ii. 69 + + Greek Church, cause of the small amount of authority possessed by the + head of the, compared with that of the Latin Church, ii. 303 + + Greenock, state of, in the seventeenth century, iii. 28. Rise and + progress of, 174 + + Grenobles, insolence of the Protestant assembly of, ii. 60 + + Grew, Dr. Nathaniel, his botanical discoveries, ii. 199, 200 + + Grey, Mr. (afterwards Earl), his remarks in the House on the + subservient conduct of Pitt, i. 447 _note_ + + Grimaldi, prime minister of Spain, ii. 545 + + Grosley, his admiration for England, ii. 228. Suppression of his + 'Memoirs on Troyes,' 238 + + Grotius, his principles of foreign policy compared with those of + Vattel, ii. 40 _note_ + + Guibert, suppression of his work on 'Military Tactics,' ii. 238 + + Guise, the murder of, predominance of the theological spirit shown in + the, ii. 11 + + Guises, their influence in Scotland, iii. 77, 78 + + Guizot, his republication of Mably's 'Observations,' ii. 236 + + Gunpowder, invention of, i. 203. And of fire-arms, 204. Gunpowder + first used in mining towns, 206 _note_. Influence of the invention of, + in lessening the warlike spirit, 206-209 + + Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, his domestic and warlike policy + contrasted, i. 200 + + Guthrie, the Scotch preacher, iii. 202 _note_, 204 _note_ + + + Habeas Corpus Act, passing of the, i. 385. Effect of the suspension of + the, in 1794, 496 + + Haco, his invasion of Scotland, iii. 11 + + Haillan, Du, his the first history of France, ii. 264. Character of + his work, 264, 265 + + Hajin tribe, cause of their worship of the tiger, i. 125 _note_ + + Hall, Chief Baron, his charge to the jury in a case of witchcraft in + 1665, i. 363 _note_ + + Hall, Sir James, his verification of the geological speculations of + Hutton, iii. 401 + + Hardwicke, Lord, his notions of political economy, i. 211 _note_ + + Harris, his account of the extinction of feudalism, i. 386 + + Harriss's 'Dictionary of Arts and Sciences,' the origin of + Encyclopaedias, i. 433 _note_ + + Harvey, his discovery of the circulation of the blood, ii. 80. Denies + the existence of the lacteals, 81 _note_ + + Hauey, his studies in crystallography, ii. 401 + + Heat, together with moisture, the causes which regulate the fertility + of every country, i. 96. Difference between the heat of the eastern + and western coasts of North America, 98; and of South America, 100. + French researches on the phenomena of heat in the last century, ii. + 361. The laws of heat, iii. 362. The indestructibility of force and + interchange of forces, 363. Black's theory of latent heat, 367. + Leslie's philosophy, 383 + + Heat, animal food necessary for keeping up the, i. 55, 58. The + blood-corpuscles and animal heat, 58 _note_. Heat disengaged by the + union of carbon and oxygen, 58, 59 _note_ + + Heavenly witnesses, controversy on the text of the, i. 429 + + Helvetius, his knowledge of the English language and literature, + ii. 218. His admiration for England, 229. Persecuted by the + government, 236. His professed atheism, 352. Analysis of his essay + 'On the Mind,' 353 + + Henault, his method of writing history, ii. 300 + + Henrion, his views as to fossil bones, ii. 371 _note_ + + Henry II. of England, his destruction of the baronial castles, + ii. 114 _note_ + + Henry II. of France, his zeal against heresy, ii. 12 + + Henry III. of England, his inability to do permanent harm to English + institutions, ii. 466 + + Henry III. of France, murder of, predominance of the theological + spirit shown in the, ii. 11. His zeal against heresy, 13. His + affection for monks, 29 _note_ + + Henry IV. of France, his accession, ii. 12. His character as a ruler, + 12. His apostasies, 13, 14. Publishes the Edict of Nantes, 14. Refuses + to accede to the pope's request to punish the Protestants, 22, 23. His + measures for their protection, 23, 24. His death, 24. Henry the first + French sovereign stained with the imputation of heresy, 267 + + Henry IV. of England, his invasion of Scotland, iii. 18 _note_ + + Henry VII. of England, his establishment of the Yeomen of the Guard, + ii. 7 _note_ + + Henry VIII. of England, indifference of the people to his arrangement + of the formularies of the Church, ii. 7. His bodyguard, 7 _note_. + Character of his reign, 138 + + Henshaw, his discoveries in the vegetable world, ii. 199 + + Herculaes, origin of the story of the exploits of, i. 297 + + Hereditary descent connected with the formation of character, question + of, i. 176 _note_. Hereditary talents, vices, and virtues, 177 _note_ + + Heresies, the great religious, founded on previous philosophies, i. 11 + _note_. Destruction by the legislature of the writ 'De Haeretico + Comburendo,' 383. The first papal call on the secular power to punish, + ii. 109 _note_. Harshness of the early Spanish laws for the punishment + of heresy, 438 + + Hero-worship, ancient Greek, causes of the, i. 144 + + 'High-church' and 'low-church,' origin of the terms, i. 412 _note_ + + Highlanders, their ferocity, iii. 21, 22. Let loose upon the + Lowlanders in 1678, 145. The only powerful friends of James II., 151. + Their love of war and rapine, 151, 152. Reasons which induced them to + rebel in favour of the exiled Stuarts, 152. Their rebellions of 1715 + and 1745 not the result of loyalty, 153. Their veneration for their + chieftains, 156 _note_. Their insignificance after 1745, 157, 168 + + Hill, Sir John, his the first publication of popular scientific works + in numbers, i. 432 _note_. His great success, 432 _note_ + + Hilton, Laird of, story of the, and the minister, iii. 217 + + Hindostan, Persian origin of the word, i. 69 _note_ + + History, statement of the resources for investigating, i. 1. + Confidence in the value of, 1. Use made of the materials for + investigating, 3. Instances of endeavours to remedy the backwardness + of history, 4. Present prospects of historical literature, 5. + Inferiority of the most celebrated historians to the most successful + cultivators of physical science, 7. Materials from which a philosophic + history can alone be composed, 20, 33. Reasons why historians have not + yet collected materials for writing history, 229. Reasons why the + present history is restricted to that of England, 231, 242. Hume's + method of treating history, 251 _note_. Why the history of England is + eminently valuable, 252. Origin of history, and state of historical + literature during the Middle Ages, 288. Value of historical inquiries + in throwing light on the changes in society, 290, 291. The ballad form + of the earliest histories, 291. Error in history caused by the + invention of writing, 296. Corruptions in early history caused by + changes in religion, 300. Illustration of this from Scandinavian + history, 301. Trustworthiness of histories where there has been no + change in religion, 301-304. The influence of the clergy the most + active cause of the corruption of early history, 307. Absurdities + believed in consequence, 309-325. Beginning of the first improvement + in writing modern history, 325. Prevalence of credulity in the time of + Comines, 326, 327. Character of Bodin's historical work, 326. + Intellectual regeneration of the seventeenth century, 329. Instances + of the credulity of the sixteenth century, 330. This absurd way of + writing history the natural result of the spirit of the age, 333. The + history of every civilized country the history of its intellectual + development, 387. Importance to history of the question whether normal + phenomena should or should not precede the study of abnormal ones, ii. + 1, 2 _note_. Condition of historical literature in France before the + end of the sixteenth century, 261. The Middle Age historians of France + merely annalists, 263. Du Haillan's the first French history, 264. De + Thou's work, 266. Sully's history, 266. Serres' view of the importance + of correct dates in history, 267. Dupleix's 'History of France,' 268. + La Popeliniere's 'History of Histories,' 269. Improvement in the + method of writing history in the seventeenth century, 270. De Rubis's + work, 270. Gomberville's, 270. Berthault's, 270. Mezeray's great work, + 271. The retrograde movement under Louis XIV., 273. As illustrated in + the works of Audigier and Bossuet, 279. Reasons why history is + superior to theology, 289. Bossuet's method of writing history + compared with that of Voltaire, 291. Other historians by whom + Voltaire's views were adopted, 299 _et seq._ His opinions as to + feudality, 302. As to free trade, 304. As to political economy, 304. + His demolition of the admiration entertained for classical works, and + for the fables of early history, 306-312. Value of Montesquieu's + method, 315. History separated from biography by him, 316, 317. + Turgot's views of the duties of a historian, 321. Difference between + certainty and precision in writing history, 325. The first and most + essential quality of an historian, iii. 186 + + Hobbes, Thomas, his works, i. 390. Animosity of the clergy against + him, 390. Encouraged by Charles II., 391. Popularity of his works at + this time, 391 _note_ + + Hogg, Thomas, story of, and the 'factour,' iii. 214 + + Holbach, his knowledge of the English language and literature, ii. 219 + + Holcus arundinaceus, use of, as food by the Egyptians, i. 87 + + Holland, rescued by man from the grasp of the sea, i. 154. Number of + Anabaptists put to death in, 186 _note_. The Dutch fleet in the Thames + and Medway, 382. Proposal of the Bishop of Beauvais, ii. 38 _note_. + Calvinism the popular creed of, 339. The war carried on by Philip II. + against the Dutch Protestants, 451. Number of heretics put to death by + Alva, 451 + + Holyrood robbed by the English, iii. 15 + + Homer, his investigations of the human mind, i. 23 _note_ + + Hooke, his discoveries in the vegetable world, ii. 199 + + Hooker, Richard, his 'Ecclesiastical Polity' compared with Jewel's + 'Apology for the Church of England,' i. 339, 340. And with + Chillingworth's 'Religion of Protestants,' 348. Connexion between the + Reformation and the views advocated by Hooker, 351. Locke's opinion of + his philosophy, 351. Compared with Chillingworth, ii. 86. His + scepticism, 86 + + Horst, Dr., his work on the Golden tooth, i. 332 + + Howe, John, his exile, i. 398 + + Huguenots. See Protestants, French + + Humber, origin of the name of the, according to the historians of the + Middle Ages, i. 311 + + Hume, David, his method of metaphysical investigation, i. 250, 426 + _note_. His 'Natural History of Religion' and 'History of England,' + 251. His views as to monotheism, 251 _note_. His 'Political + Discourses' translated into French by Le Blanc, ii. 219. Examination + of his philosophy, iii. 331. His want of imagination, 331. Importance + and novelty of his doctrines, 333. His disregard of facts, 337. His + method, 338. His injustice to Bacon, 338. His 'Natural History of + Religion,' 343. Comparison between his method and that employed by + Cudworth, 348 + + Humidity, together with heat, the causes which regulate fertility, + i. 96. Difference between the humidity of the eastern and western + coasts of North America, 98. And of South America, 100. Relation + between the amount of rain and the extent of coast, 99. The heavy + rains of Brazil, 103 + + Hungary, disease in, from eating pork, i. 314 _note_ + + Hunter, John, account of his generalizations, iii. 428. His grandeur + and obscurity of language, 428. Conflict of the methods employed by + him, and the consequent result, 429-432. His industry in collecting + facts, 433. His discovery as to the red globules of the blood, 436. + His inquiries as to the movements of animals and vegetables, 439. His + idea of uniting all the physical sciences, 443. His inquiry into the + malformation of crystals, 443. His physiological and pathological + inquiries, 447. His pathological speculations respecting the + principles of action and the principles of sympathy, 450 _et seq._ + Causes of the little influence which he exercised over his English + contemporaries, 457 + + Hutcheson, Francis, his method of metaphysical investigation, i. 248. + Remarks of Sir J. Mackintosh and M. Cousin, 248 _note_. Notice of him, + iii. 292. Examination of his philosophy, 292. Its results, tendency, + and method, 295-300 + + Hutton, James, his attempts to explain the former changes of the + earth's crust by reference solely to natural causes, i. 429 _note_. + Establishes the first library in Birmingham, 431 _note_. Character of + his geological speculations, iii. 388, 396. Verification of his views, + 401 + + Hyaenas regarded by the Abyssinians as enchanters, i. 126 _note_ + + Hydrostatics, Boyle's discoveries in, i. 368 _note_ + + Hypocrisy, cause of the increase of, due to evil legislation, i. 281 + + + Idolatry, the natural fruit of ignorance, i. 258 + + Ichthyology, fossil, researches of Agassiz in, ii. 383 + + Ignorance and idolatry, i. 258. The 'learned ignorance' for which many + men are remarkable, 269 + + Imagination, special tendency of fear to inflame the, i. 120. Triumph + of the imagination in the tropics, from this cause, 121. Instances in + the case of earthquakes, 122. And in disease, 127. Imaginative + character of the literature of ancient India, 132. The imagination + controlled by the understanding in Greece 138-146 + + Imbert, his French translation of Clarke's 'Letters on Spain' + suppressed, ii. 234 + + Impeachments, general effect of the abolition of, i. 386 + + Independence, personal, idea of, takes root, i. 436. First occurrence + of the word 'independence,' in the modern acceptation of the word, + 436 _note_ + + India, fertility and civilization of, i. 69. Character of the food of + the people of, 70, 71. Causes of the unequal distribution of wealth in + India in all ages, 72. Amount of rent paid by the cultivator in India + in proportion to the gross produce of the land, 76. Testimony of + Bishop Heber to the poverty of the labouring classes, 77 _note_. + Provisions of the native laws respecting the caste of the Sudras, 78. + And of the Brahmins, 79, 80. Character of the ancient Indian + literature, 132. And of the religion and art of, 137. Contrasted with + Greece in these conditions, 137. Absence of harbours in India, 138. + Antiquity of the worship of Siva in, 141. The bards of, 292 _note_. + Causes of trustworthiness in the early history of, 301 _note_. + Antiquity of the history of, 302 _note_. Cause of the existence of + this history, 303 _note_ + + 'Individualisme,' De Tocqueville on the word, i. 436 _note_ + + Indulgence, Declaration of, of James II., i. 397. Refusal of the + clergy to read it in their churches, 399 + + Indulgences, theory of, of the Church of Rome, ii. 339 + + Innovation, aversion of the aristocracy for, ii. 139 + + Inquisition in Spain, character of the founders of the, i. 187. + Establishment of the, in Spain, ii. 446. The different punishments for + heresy, 448. Attacked by Aranda, 547. The last heretic burned by the + Inquisition, 548 + + 'Inquisitoribus haereticae pravitatis,' the first constitution + addressed, ii. 109 + + Insanity, former notions respecting, ii. 404. Pinel's views of the + aberrations of the human mind, 404 + + Insects, incredible number of, in Brazil, i. 106 + + Insolvents, Burke's opposition to the cruel laws against, i. 463 + + Intellect, English; English literature unknown in France in the reign + of Louis XIV., ii. 213. Causes of the junction of English and French + intellects after this king's death, 214. Essential difference between + the civilization of England and Spain, 465. Outline of the history of + the English intellect from the middle of the sixteenth to the end of + the eighteenth century, 333. Origin of religious toleration in + England, 337. Hooker contrasted with Jewel, 339, 340. Theology and + persecution, 344. Scepticism and the spirit of inquiry on other + subjects, 340. Chillingworth's 'Religion of Protestants,' 347. The + rapid increase of heresy in the middle of the seventeenth century, 347 + _note_. Increasing indifference to theological matters, 350. The work + of Chillingworth a vindication of religious dissent, 352. Political + character of the opposition to ecclesiastical authority in the reigns + of James I. and Charles I., 359. Its frivolous form in the reign of + Charles II., 362. Progress of the English intellect in the seventeenth + century towards shaking off ancient superstitions, 363. Destruction of + the old notions as to witchcraft, 363 _note_. Sir Thomas Browne's + works, 365. Boyle's discoveries, 368. Foundation of the Royal Society, + 371. Ecclesiastical opposition to physical science in the reign of + Charles II., 372. Popular belief in supernatural causation, 373. + Improvements in legislation in the reign of Charles II., and the + causes which produced them, 388, 389. Hobbists, 390. Effects of the + alliance of the clergy with James II., 395. Dissolution of this + alliance, 396. Union of the clergy and dissenters, 399. Causes which + produced the revolution of 1688, 400. Effects of the expulsion of the + Stuarts on English civilization, 402. Struggle between William III. + and the clergy, 405. Loss of the clergy of all power out of the + Church, 416-418. The clergy weakened by the founders of Wesleyanism, + 419-424. Loss of the intellectual vigour of the dissenters, 422. But + increase in their numbers, 423 _note_. Final separation of theology + from morals and politics, 424-427. Discoveries of geologists, 429. + Diffusion of knowledge among the people, 430. Sunday schools, 430. + Sunday newspapers, 431. Country printing offices, 431. Popular works + on physical truth first published, 432. Invention of encyclopaedias, + 433. Literary periodical reviews, 433. Reading clubs, 433. Debating + societies, 433. Right of public meeting, and publication of + parliamentary debates, 434, 435. Doctrine of personal representation + and of personal independence, 436. Change in the style of authors, + 436. Review of the reactionary and retrogressive period of English + history, 441. Political degeneracy of England during the reign of + George III., 446-455. Sketch of the career of Edmund Burke, 455 _et + seq._ Arbitrary laws of George III. against the liberties of his + country, 487, 488. Gloomy prospects of the people late in the + eighteenth century, 494. Secret imprisonment of opponents of the + government, 494. Effect of the suspension of the habeas corpus act in + 1794, 496. Preparation for a counter reaction, owing to the progress + of knowledge, 498. To which, and to the power of public opinion, + England owes her reforms of the present century, 498. The Scotch and + English methods of philosophy contrasted, iii. 290. + + Intellect, French, outline of the history of the, from the middle of + the sixteenth century to the accession to power of Louis XIV., ii. 1. + Greater power of the Church in France than in England, 4. As shown by + the successful efforts of the clergy to withstand the Reformation, 4. + This influence greater in France than in England during the sixteenth + century, 6. Hence the impossibility of toleration in France, 7, 8. The + civil wars in France conducted in the name of Christianity, 8. + Internal condition of the country before the accession of Henry IV., + 11. Beginning of toleration by the publication of the Edict of Nantes, + 14. Appearance of scepticism, 14, 15. Rabelais and Montaigne, 15. + Charron, 19. The party of the 'Politiques', 22 _note_. Decline of the + ecclesiastical power in France, 26. Richelieu's endeavours to humble + the French nobles, 28. Fails, but effectually humbles the clergy, 29. + Favour shown by Richelieu to the Protestants, 37-39. Causes of the + religious feuds of the seventeenth century, 55. Character of the civil + war raised by the Protestants, 63-66. Efforts of the Protestants to + suppress the thirst for knowledge, 69, 70. And to hamper and vex the + people, 71, 72. The liberal policy of Richelieu only part of a much + larger movement, 76. Illustration of this from the philosophy of + Descartes, 77. Who is regarded as one of the founders of French prose, + 80. His origination of the modern method of philosophy, 81, 82. + Progress of the French mind as shown in the very existence of the + ideas of Descartes and Richelieu, 93. Spread of scepticism in France + in the reign of Louis XIII. and during the minority of Louis XIV., 95. + The anti-ecclesiastical spirit exhibited by Mazarin, 96. Injurious + effects of the protective spirit carried by Louis XIV. into + literature, 176-188. Proof that the literary splendour of his reign + was not his work, 188. Effect of his protection in stopping the + progress of science, 190. In mathematics, 191. And in astronomy, 191. + Newton's discoveries neglected for forty-five years, 191. Absence of + mere practical ingenuity in the reign of Louis XIV., 192. Few and + insignificant improvements effected during this period in + manufactures, 193. Decline at the same time in physiology, surgery, + and medicine, 194-196. In zoology and chemistry, 197. And in botany, + 197. Results which followed the decline of the national intellect in + the reign of Louis XIV., 203 _et seq._ Reaction against the protective + spirit on the death of Louis XIV., and preparations for the French + Revolution, 213. Ignorance of the English language and literature at + the end of the seventeenth century, 214. Causes of the junction of the + French and English intellect after the death of Louis XIV., 215. + Voltaire and his works, 216. Other authors, 216 _et seq._ Admiration + for England expressed by Frenchmen, 222. Who disseminate liberal + opinions which the government attempts to stifle, 228, 229. + Persecution of literary men, 230-242. The avocat-general's proposition + as to the publication of new works, 245. Reasons why French literary + men at first attacked the Church and not the government, 247-251. + Effects of the hostility of the French intellect against the state, + 258. Rise and extent of scepticism in France, 261 _et seq._ The two + epochs through which the French intellect passed during the eighteenth + century, 327. Inquiries respecting political economy, 327-329. + Eagerness of the French for economical and financial inquiries, 329. + Influence of Rousseau, 330-332. Anti-ecclesiastical policy of Machault + and his successors, 332-334. Concession of civil rights to + Protestants, 335. Revival of Jansenism, and consequent overthrow of + the Jesuits, 344, 345. Destruction of the French Church, 347. Rise and + progress of atheistical opinions, 351. Tendency of the French + intellect during the latter half of the eighteenth century to withdraw + from the internal, and concentrate attention upon the external world, + 351-353. Works of Helvetius and Condillac, 353-360. Researches as to + the laws of heat, light, and electricity, 361-363. And in chemistry + and geology, 364. The study of physical phenomena in connexion with + the French Revolution, 375. Impetus given to zoology by Cuvier, 375. + And by Bichat, 376. Reaction in France at the commencement of the + present century, 388, 389. Researches in botany and mineralogy at the + end of the last century, 395. And in the aberrations of the human + mind, 404 + + Intellect, German. The Scotch method of philosophy compared with that + of Germany, iii. 289 + + Intellect, human, sole source of the, ii. 89 + + Intellect, Scotch, examination of the, during the seventeenth century, + iii. 191-280. And during the eighteenth century, 281-482. Barrenness + of the Scotch mind in science in the seventeenth century, 284. Causes + of this, 287. Results of the ignorance of the inductive or analytical + method, 289. Scotland in this respect compared and contrasted with + Germany and England, 288. Hutcheson, Adam Smith, Hume, and Reid, + 292-360. Examination of Scotch physical philosophy, 361 _et seq._ + Difference between the results achieved by Scotchmen in the + seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, 458. The deductive method + supreme in both centuries, 462. Reasons why the Scotch literature of + the eighteenth century affected the nation so little, 465. + Superstition and illiberality still existing in Scotland, + 471 _et seq._ + + Intellect, Spanish, outline of the history of the, from the fifth to + the middle of the nineteenth century, ii. 425 _et seq._ Influence of + the clergy over the Spanish intellect, high and low, 479 + + Intellectual progress of man, i. 174. Progressive aspect of + intellectual truths, 181. Mischievousness of ignorant men in + proportion to their sincerity, 183 + + Interest, in what it consists, i. 52. Rate of interest in India in + 900 B.C., 74. And in 1810 A.D., 75 + + Inverness burnt by the Highlanders, iii. 22 + + Ireland, the potato the principal food of the people of, for above two + hundred years, i. 65. Period of its introduction into that country, 65 + _note_. Potato crops as compared with those of wheat, 65. Daily + average consumption of potatoes in Ireland, 66 _note_. Evil + consequences of the cheapness and abundance of food, 67. Idleness of + the Irish at home compared with their industry abroad, 68 _note_. The + bards of Ireland, 292 _note_. Their contributions to the early history + of their country, 292 _note_. Injuries done to the traditions of the + bards of, by clerical historians, 306. Pork the chief food of the + Irish in the twelfth century, 314 _note_. Causes which have produced + the present superstition of the Irish Catholics, ii. 53, 54. The Irish + invasion of Scotland, iii. 9 + + Irritability, Glisson's anticipation of the truth respecting, + ii. 196 _note_ + + Isomorphism, Mitscherlich's discovery of, in minerals, ii. 400 + + Italy, physical causes of the superstition existing in, i. 123. + Triumph of the imaginative and small proportion of scientific men in, + 124 + + + Jacobites, extinction of the hopes of the, i. 444 + + James I., political character of the opposition to ecclesiastical + authority in the reign of, i. 359. His attempts to revive the power of + the nobles, ii. 147. His imprisonment in Scotland, iii. 103. Recovers + his liberty, 104. Bearded by the ministers, 104. The Gowrie + Conspiracy, 110. Ascends the throne of England, 115. Attempts to + subjugate the Scotch Church, 115. His cruelties, 117. Forces + episcopacy upon Scotland, 117. And sets up High Courts of Commission, + 125 + + James I. of Scotland, attacks the nobles, and favours the Church, iii. + 46, 47. Causes of his failure, 47, 48. Put to death by his + aristocracy, 49 + + James II. of England, his accession, i. 395. Attempts of Archbishop + Sancroft to convert him to Protestantism, 395 _note_. Services + rendered to him by the Protestant clergy, 396. Alliance between the + Roman Catholic King and the Protestant clergy, 396. Causes of the + dissolution of this alliance, 397. His declaration of indulgence, 397. + Establishes the first standing army in England, 397 _note_. + Persecutions in his reign, 397, 398. Union of the Churchmen and + Dissenters, and production of the revolution, 400. His character, iii. + 147. His fiendish cruelty, 147-149. His ignominious flight, 151 + + James II. of Scotland, his treachery, iii. 49-52 + + James IV. of Scotland, his policy, iii. 56 + + James V. of Scotland, seized by the Douglases, iii. 57. His escape, + 58, 59. Favours the Church, and punishes the nobles, 59, 60. Who bring + about the Reformation, 62. Accepts the title of 'Defender of the + Faith,' 62. His marriage with Mary of Guise, 63. Cause of his death, + 69 + + Jamin's 'Thoughts,' suppression of, ii. 238 + + Jansenism, tenets of, ii. 343. Its introduction into France, previous + to the time of Louis XIV., but suppression by him, 344. Its revival in + the eighteenth century, and its effect on the democratic movement, + 344. Its overthrow of the Jesuits, 344, 345 + + Java, early civilization of, i. 305. Causes of the loss of the + historical traditions of, 305. Establishment of Mohammedanism in, 305 + _note_. Period of the Indian colonization of, 305 _note_. Traditions + of Java preserved in the island of Bali, 306 + + Jefferson, Thomas, his part in the French Revolution, ii. 418 + + Jeffreys, Lord, his cruelty, i. 397 + + Jehangueir, the emperor, his extraordinary wealth, i. 77 _note_ + + Jerusalem, origin of the name of, according to the historians of the + Middle Ages, i. 311 + + Jesuits, the, banished from France by Henry IV., ii. 23. Recalled, 23, + 24 _note_. Services of the early Jesuits to civilization, 336. Their + system of education, 336. Their incompatibility with the opinions of + the eighteenth century, 337. Buffier the only Jesuit name in the + history of abstract philosophy, 342 _note_. The order overthrown in + France in the last century, 345, 346. Regarded as the instigators of + Damiens' attempted assassination of Louis XV., 345. Expelled from + Spain, 546 + + Jewel, Bishop, his 'Apology for the Church of England' compared with + Hooker's 'Ecclesiastical Polity,' i. 340. And with Chillingworth's + 'Religion of Protestants,' 348 + + Jews, influence of religion on the progress of society illustrated by + the history of the, i. 257, 258. Importance of the history of the, + according to Bossuet, ii. 285. Harshness of the early Spanish laws + against them, 438. Decree of expulsion of Ferdinand and Isabella, 445. + Number of Jews expelled from Spain, 446 _note_ + + Johnson, Dr., on free will, i. 14 _note_ + + Joubert, his eminence in medicine, ii. 195 + + Jousse, suppression of his 'Treatise on Presidial jurisdiction,' + ii. 238 + + Joyce, Cornet, his origin, ii. 155 + + Judas, history of, according to Matthew of Westminster, i. 316 + + Judges in France, ii. 124. Period when judges were first knighted in + England, 135 _note_ + + Julian, the emperor, causes of his persecution of the Christians, + i. 186 + + Jurisdictions, hereditary, abolition of, in Scotland, iii. 161, 169 + + Jury, origin of trial by, ii. 117 _note_ + + Jussieu, his botanical generalizations, ii. 397 + + Justice, permanent improvement in the administration of, in England, + i. 402 + + Juxon, William, his character as archbishop of Canterbury, i. 391 + + + Kamtschatkans, religious regard they pay to some animals, + i. 126 _note_ + + Kant, his views as to the scientific conception of the understanding, + i. 18 _note_; quoted, 35-38 + + Ken, Bishop, deprived, i. 408, 410. Refuses to admit in the secular + power the right of deprivation, 410 + + Kennedy, Bishop of St. Andrew's, his power in Scotland, iii. 53. His + counsel to the king, 53, 54 + + Kilmarnock, state of, in the seventeenth century, iii. 28. Rise of the + manufactures of, 180 + + 'King's Friends,' the party so called, i. 448 + + Kings, causes of the diminution of the respect formerly felt for, ii. + 182. Reasons why their information is inaccurate, and their prejudices + numerous, 183. Their nonsensical or blasphemous titles, 183 _note_ + + Kirke, Colonel, his cruelty, i. 397 + + Kirk-sessions in Scotland, in the seventeenth century, iii. 206, 207. + Their tyranny, 209, 210 + + Knights Templars, discourse of St. Bernard on the, quoted, + ii. 133 _note_ + + Knighthood, bane of the order of, in France, ii. 133, 134. Little + respect paid to it in England, 135. Compulsory knighthood in that + country, 135 + + Knowledge, influence of the progress of, in diminishing religious + persecution, i. 189. And in diminishing war, 190. The three ways in + which the progress of knowledge has lessened the warlike spirit, + 203-223. The totality of human actions governed by the totality of + human knowledge, 229. Remarkable diffusion of knowledge in the United + States, 243. Books the storehouse of knowledge, 267. In what the + knowledge in which all civilization consists is based, 268. The + 'learned ignorance' for which many men are remarkable, 269. Condition + and results of the literature of Europe from the sixth to the tenth + centuries, 269. Endeavours of governments to hinder the advance of + knowledge, 284. Craving of the people after knowledge, 430. Popular + form taken by the diffusion of knowledge, 430, 431. Simplicity of the + style of the authors of the last century, 437. The increase and + diffusion of knowledge in England at the latter part of the eighteenth + century antagonistic to the political events of the same period, 498. + Efforts of the French Protestant clergy to suppress the pursuit of + knowledge, ii. 70. Sudden craving after knowledge in France at the + latter part of the last century, 407 + + Knox, John, commencement of his career, iii. 74, 75. His influence in + promoting the Reformation, 75. His part in the murder of Beaton, 76. + Goes to Geneva, 76. Returns, 79. His petition to Parliament as to the + Church revenues, 84, 85. His death, 93 + + Konigseg, his services to Spain, ii. 519 + + + La Bletterie, cause of his expulsion from the French Academy, ii. 235 + + Labour, effect of climate on the energy and regularity with which it + is conducted, i. 42, 43. See Wages + + Labourers and employers, their wages and profits, i. 52. Effect of the + supply of food on the labouring classes, 54. Native laws respecting + the Sudras or labourers of India, 79, 80 + + La Bruyere, his 'Characteres,' ii. 209 + + Lacteals, Aselli's discovery of the, ii. 81. Recognized by Descartes, + but denied by Harvey, 81 and _note_ + + La Fayette, character and abilities of, i. 470. Burke's hostility to, + 471. His familiarity with English language and literature, ii. 224. + His introduction of democratic opinions into France, 417 + + La Fontaine, 'Fables' of, ii. 209 + + La Force, Marshal, ii. 43 + + La Harpe, his 'Eloge sur Fenelon' suppressed, ii. 237 + + Laing, Mr., his remarks on the German literary class, quoted, + i. 239 _note_ + + Laland, his advocacy of atheism, ii. 352 + + Lamplugh, translated from Exeter to the see of York, i. 404 + + Lanjuinais, his work on Joseph II. ordered to be burned, ii. 236 + + Lanthenas, his familiarity with the English language and literature, + ii. 224 + + Laplace, his professed atheism, ii. 352 + + La Popeliniere, his French historical works, ii. 269 + + Lateran, Matthew of Westminster's etymology of the name, i. 317 + + Latin, a vernacular dialect in the Middle Ages, i. 271. Results of + Latin being colloquially employed by the monks, 271 _note_ + + Laverdy, openly protects the Jansenists, ii. 345 + + Lavoisier, his discoveries in chemistry, ii. 367 + + Law courts, first publication of the proceedings in the, i. 434 + + Layamon, his translation into English of the history of Geoffrey of + Monmouth, i. 324 + + Le Blanc, his knowledge of the English language and literature, + ii. 219. His admiration for England, 228 + + Le Brun, his knowledge of the English language and literature, ii. 225 + + Legat, one of the last English martyrs to religious opinions, + i. 345 _note_ + + Legislation, main object of, i. 23. Burke's views as to the true end + of, 459. The safest course for a legislator to pursue, 504. See + Government + + Leicester, Earl of, the founder of the House of Commons, ii. 117 + + Lenglet du Fresnoy, his imprisonment in the Bastille, ii. 235 + + Lens, the crystalline, discoveries of Descartes respecting the, ii. 78 + + Leprosy, superstitions respecting, i. 127. The leprosy of the Middle + Ages extirpated from modern Europe, 155 + + Lerma, Duque de, prime minister of Spain, ii. 473, 474. His alliance + with the clergy, 474. And its consequences, 475-477. His part in the + expulsion of the Moriscoes, 493 + + Lesdiguieres, Marshal, ii. 43. His apostacy, 48 + + Leslie, his philosophy of heat, iii. 383. Aid which he derived from + poetry, 385. His injustice to Bacon, 388 + + Le Trosne, suppression of his work on 'Finance,' ii. 238 + + Lettes, their fondness for pork, i. 314 _note_ + + Le Vassor, his 'Histoire de Louis XIII.,' ii. 30 _note_ + + L'Hopital, his recommendation of religious toleration, ii. 10. His + failure to effect any of his noble schemes, 10 + + Libel, Burke's attack of the power exercised by judges in trials for, + i. 464 + + Libraries, circulating, first establishment of, i. 431. Licences + required by Act of Parliament for keeping reading-rooms or circulating + libraries, i. 490 + + Lichfield, first printing office in, i. 432 _note_ + + Life, statements of Hindu poets as to the ancient duration of, i. 135. + Active causes of the increased duration of, 153. Examination of + Bichat's work on Life, ii. 390 + + Light, French researches as to the phenomena of, in the eighteenth + century, ii. 362 + + Lindsey, Mr. his establishment of Sunday schools, i. 430 _note_ + + Linen, manufacture, rise of in Glasgow, iii. 176, 179. And in other + parts of Scotland, 180 + + Linguet, his works suppressed and their author imprisoned, + ii. 236, 237 + + Linnaeus, his artificial botanical system superseded by the French + natural method, ii. 376, 397 + + Literature, American, characteristics of, i. 241 + + Literature, influence of on the progress of society, i. 266. Result + which is sure to happen to a literature above the level of its age, + 266, 267. Illustrations from Greece, Rome, and Germany, 267. In what + real knowledge consists, 268. Men and countries where erudition merely + ministers to ignorance, 269. Condition and effects of the literature + of Europe from the sixth to the tenth centuries, 269, 270. Effect of + the monopoly of literature by the clergy, 307. Character of the + literature of India, 132. And of ancient Greece, 137 + + Literature, English--characteristics of, in the reign of Charles II., + i. 234. Influence of the intellect of France on Dryden's plays, 235 + _note_. Causes which have maintained the independence, and increased + the value of English literature, 235 _note_. Change in the form and + make of English literature in the last century, 436. Coleridge's + lamentations of this change, 437 _note_. Addison's establishment of + the easy and democratic style, 437. Failure of an attempt to revive + the pedantic style, 437 _note_. Abolition of servile dedications, 438. + Introduction of the plan of publishing books by subscription, 439. + First instance of a popular writer attacking public men by name, 439. + English literature unknown to the French at the end of the seventeenth + century, ii. 214 _note_. But begun to be studied after the death of + Louis XIV., 215. Its services to French, and thence to European + liberty, 227 + + Literature, French, effect of, on English writings, i. 235. + Characteristics of French literature at the time of Descartes and + Richelieu, ii. 93, 94. The protective spirit carried by Louis XIV. + into literature, 176. Result in an alliance between literature and + government, 176, 177. Servility of men of letters at this time, 177. + Injurious effects of the protective system of Louis XIV. upon + literature, 182. And of pensions to literary men, 183, 187. The + literary splendour of the reign of Louis XIV. not of his creation, + 188, 189. Causes of its decay in his reign, 208. Causes of the + junction of English and French intellects after the death of Louis + XIV. Systematic and prolonged persecution to which literature was + exposed in the eighteenth century, 230-242. Proposal of the + avocat-general as to the publication of new works, 245. Why the + Church, and not the government, was first attacked by literary men, + 247. State of French historical literature from the end of the + sixteenth to the end of the eighteenth century, 261 _et seq._ + + Literature, German, since the middle of the eighteenth century, + i. 237. Origin of, 237. Remarks on Mr. Kay's picture of German + education, 238 _note_. Mr. Laing's observations on the German + literary class, 239 _note_ + + Literature, Scotch, poverty of, down to the commencement of the + eighteenth century, iii. 183. Buchanan and Napier, 183. Character of + the Scotch philosophical literature of the eighteenth century, 281. + Reasons why the Scotch literature of the eighteenth century was unable + to affect the nation, iii. 465 + + Literature, Spanish, causes which gave it its adventurous and romantic + tone, ii. 433, 434. Hold retained by the Spanish Church over the + highest and lowest intellects, 479 + + Liver, business of the, i. 148. The liver and lungs always + compensatory, 148. Size of the f[oe]tal liver, 149 _note_ + + Locke, John, his views as to the use of money in trade, i. 212 _note_. + Causes of his Socinian views, 363. His death, ii. 374 + + Locomotion, effect of improved means of, in weakening the love of war, + i. 221-223 + + Logarithms, discovery of, iii. 183 + + Logos, influence of the Platonism of Alexandria in developing the idea + of the, ii. 286 + + London, the Great Plague and Fire of, i. 387 + + Lords, House of, abandons its pretensions to an original jurisdiction + in civil suits, i. 384. Origin of the disrepute into which the, fell + in the reign of George III., 451-453. Abolished, ii. 153 + + Lotos bread of Egypt, i. 87. Herodotus on the lotos, quoted, 87 _note_ + + Loudun, insolence of the Protestant assembly of, ii. 61 + + Louis, Saint, of France, his etymology of the word Tartar, + i. 313 _note_ + + Louis, suppression of his thesis on 'Generation,' ii. 238 + + Louis IX. of France, recognizes the right of the nobles to wage + private war, ii. 116 + + Louis XIII., his protection of the French protestants, ii. 25. Le + Vassor's 'Histoire de Louis XIII.,' 30 _note_. Heretics not only + protected during his reign, but openly rewarded, 43. Illtreated by the + Protestants whom he had protected, 57, 58, 60 + + Louis XIV., his accession, ii. 96. The protective spirit carried into + literature during his reign, 176. Character of the King's private life + and public career, 178. His revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and the + results, 178-181. His reign notwithstanding held up by some to + admiration, 181. Gratitude of men of letters to him, 181. Injurious + effect of his system of protection upon literature, 182-187. The + literary glory of his reign not his work, 188. Scarcely anything added + during his reign to the sum of human knowledge, 189-202. Causes of + this intellectual decay, 202. Universal decline of France in every + department during the latter part of his reign, 210-212. His death, + 213. The retrograde movement in historical literature in the reign of, + 273. Causes of this, 273. His treatment of literary men, 274-277. His + thirst for glory, 277. Voltaire's 'Age of Louis XIV.,' 296. His + disposition to favour the King, 297 + + Louis XVI., rupture between England and France caused by the execution + of, i. 485. His edict granting civil rights to the Huguenots, ii. 335 + + Loyalty, causes which weakened, in the reign of Charles II., i. 388. + Origin of the deep feelings of loyalty among the French people, ii. + 249. And among the Spaniards, 249 _note_. The loyalty of the English + and French compared, 250, 251. Causes of the loyalty of the Spaniards, + 455 _et seq._ Connexion between loyalty and superstition, 455. Old + punishments for disloyalty in Spain, 458. The loyalty of Spain + contrasted with that of Scotland, iii. 2 + + Lulli, the French musician, ii. 207 + + Lungs, connexion between carbonized food and the respiratory + functions, i. 148. The lungs and liver always compensatory, 148 + + + Mably, his admiration for England, ii. 229. Suppression of his + 'Observations on the History of France,' 236. Guizot's edition of this + work, 236. Character of his 'History of France,' 300 + + Macaulay, Mr., character of his 'History of England,' i. 394 _note_ + + Macchiavelli, his views as to the real history of Rome, ii. 314 _note_ + + Machault, controller-general of France, his edict against mortmain, + ii. 332. Dislike of the clergy for him, 333. Favour with which he + regarded the Jansenists, 344 + + Madden, Sir F., his edition of Wace's 'Brut,' i. 325 _note_ + + Madrid, decline in the population of, in the seventeenth century, + ii. 501. Starving condition of the people of, 505, 509. Scenes of + robbery and murder in consequence, 509-511. No public library in, + in 1679, 527. Beautified by Charles III., 561 + + Magendie, his division of food into azotized and non-azotized, + i. 55 _note_ + + Maize, its extraordinary fecundity in Mexico and Peru, i. 109. Most + probably peculiar to the American continent, 109 + + Malaga captured from the Arabs, ii. 440 + + Malayo-Polynesian race, causes of the corruption of the early + histories of the, i. 305. Eastern and western limits of the, 304, + 305 _note_ + + Malebranches, his 'Inquiry respecting Truth,' ii. 209 + + Malesherbes, M., his attack on church property in France, ii. 333 + + Mallet, character of his 'History of Denmark,' ii. 299 + + Malus, his researches into the laws of light, ii. 362 + + Malthus, principle of his work anticipated by Voltaire, ii. 304 + + Man modified by nature and nature modified by man, i. 20. Inquiry into + the laws of this double modification, 20. Inferences respecting human + actions, 21. Two classes of actions, 22. The powers of man unlimited, + 51. Modes in which his energies are checked by the energies of nature, + 119. Laws of the process by which the mind of man is influenced by the + aspects of nature, 119. Effects of the force and majesty of nature in + the tropics, 120. Causes which give birth to superstition, 122, 123. + Fictions in Sanscrit literature as to the longevity of the human race + at an early period of the world, 135. Moral and intellectual progress + of man, 174. No evidence of the improvement of the natural faculties + of man, 176. Dependence of his progress on an improvement of the + circumstances under which his faculties come into play, 178. The + standard of action having varied in every age, the causes of action + must be variable, 179. Stationary character of moral principles, 180. + Progressive aspect of intellectual truths, 181. Ignorant men always + mischievous in proportion to their sincerity, 183. Religious + persecutions in Rome and Spain, 185-188. More virtue than vice in + every country, 221. Inferences to be drawn as to the causes of social + progress, 224. The totality of human actions governed by the totality + of human knowledge, 229 + + Manchester, Earl of, joins the Parliamentary forces, ii. 151 + + Manichaeans, their doctrine of predestination, i. 13 + + Manrent, in Scotland, iii. 65 _note_ + + Mansfield, Lord, his speech on the Theological Society, i. 436 _note_ + + Manufactures, few and insignificant improvements made in, in France + during the reign of Louis XIV., ii. 193. Sudden rise of the + manufactures in Scotland, in 1707, iii. 171, 172 + + Marat, his knowledge of the English language and literature, ii. 224 + + Marchand, Prosper, his 'Dictionnaire Historique,' ii. 267 _note_ + + Margat, suppression of his 'History of Tamerlane,' ii. 235 + + Marlborough, Duke of, character of, i. 201 + + Marmontel, how treated by a French noble, ii. 239, 240 + + Marriages, determined by uniformity of sequence, and not by the temper + and wishes of individuals, i. 32. Effects of the price of food upon + marriages, 32 + + Marsy, his 'Analysis of Bayle' suppressed, ii. 236 + + Martin, bishop of Tours, Bossuet's estimate of, ii. 287. The + Benedictines' life of, 288. His miracles, 288 _note_ + + Martyrs, adoration of, in the early ages of the Church, i. 145 _note_ + + Mary, Queen, restores England to Catholicism, ii. 7. But fails to + effect a restoration of church property, 7 _note_ + + Mary of Guise, her marriage with James V. of Scotland, iii. 63. Her + attempt to establish a standing army, 77. Becomes regent, 77. Deposed, + 80 + + Masillon, the last of the great French pulpit orators, ii. 348 + + Masquerades forbidden by the French Protestants, ii. 70 + + Mathematicians, their pretence to certainty in their own pursuits, + ii. 326. The study of mathematics in France in the seventeenth + century, 189 + + Mathew of Westminster, his history of Judas, i. 316. His origin of the + custom of kissing the Pope's toe, 317. His etymology of the Lateran, + 317 + + Maxwell, Lord, iii. 71. His venality, 71 _note_ + + Mazarin, Cardinal, his anti-ecclesiastical policy, ii. 96. His + toleration, 96, 97. His alliance with Oliver Cromwell, 98. Signs the + treaty of the Pyrenees, 98 + + Mechanics, why less superstitious than agriculturists, i. 376-379 + + Medici, Catherine de', her protection of the French Protestants, + ii. 25. Her foreign policy, 35 + + Medicine, decline of the science of, in the reign of Louis XIV., + ii. 195, 196 + + Meetings, public political, establishment of the right of, i. 434. + Passing of an Act intended to stifle religious or political meetings, + 489 + + Melrose Abbey robbed by the English, iii. 15 + + Melville, Andrew, takes the lead of the Scotch reformed church, + iii. 93. Begins a struggle with the State, which lasted for sixty + years, 94. His name of [Greek: episkopomastix], 97 _note_. Appointed + moderator at St. Andrew's in 1582, 101. His personal insult to the + king, 110. Summoned by the king to England, 124. Imprisoned in the + Tower, 124 + + Memory, aberrations of, the laws respecting the, i. 32 + + Mental laws, examination of the method employed by metaphysicians for + discovering, i. 152. Failure of their two methods, 164. Mental laws + either moral or intellectual, 168. Comparison between moral and + intellectual laws, 168, 175. Necessity of ascertaining the fundamental + laws of intellectual progress, 242. Advantages to be gained in that + respect from studying the histories of Germany, America, France, + Spain, and Scotland, 243 + + 'Mence, Institutes of,' authority of in India, i. 75. Vast antiquity + of the, according to the Hindu writers, 137 + + Menzies, John, the Aberdeen preacher, iii. 203 _note_ + + Mercenaries employed by William the Conqueror and his immediate + successors, ii. 114 + + Mercury, mine of, at Almaden, ii. 540 + + Mescua, Mira de, the Spanish dramatist, ii. 479 + + Metaphysics; metaphysical inquiry preceded and often controlled by the + physical, i. 10 _note_. The only successful mode of prosecuting the + study of metaphysics, 17. Examination of the two metaphysical methods + of generalizing mental laws, 156. Definition of the term metaphysics, + 164 _note_. The English inductive and the Scotch deductive methods, + 245 _et seq._ Robert Simson and Matthew Stewart, 247. Adam Smith, 249. + David Hume, 250. Examination of the method employed by metaphysicians + for discovering mental laws, 152. Failure of their two methods, 164. + Descartes, the originator of the modern method of philosophy, ii. 81, + 82. Analogy of his philosophy with the anti-theological policy of + Richelieu, 83. The eminent characteristic of the philosophy of + Descartes, 87. Analysis of his principles, 88, 89. Services which + metaphysicians formerly rendered to the Church, 262. Analysis of the + works of Helvetius and Condillac, 353-360. Rise of the reactionary + party in France at the beginning of the present century, 389. See also + Philosophy + + Meteorology, causes which have retarded the progress of, + i. 377 _note_. Supernatural causes attributed by ignorance to changes + in the weather, 378 _note_ + + Method, importance of the philosophy of, ii. 387 + + Mey, suppression of his treatise on 'French Law,' ii. 237 + + Mexico, authentic existing materials for forming an opinion on the + ancient state of, i. 95. Characteristics of the climate of, and + reasons for its early civilization, 99. Exuberance of the maize plant + in, 109. The potato introduced by the Spaniards into, 110, 111. + Extraordinary fecundity of the banana in, 111. Success with which + astronomy was cultivated in, 112. Condition of the upper and lower + classes of the inhabitants of, when discovered by the Europeans, 114. + Custom of caste in Mexico, 115. Frivolous waste of labour of the + Mexicans, 116. Their immense buildings, 117 + + Mezeray, character of his 'History of France,' ii. 270, 271. How + treated by Louis XIV., 274, 275. His 'Abrege Chronologique,' + 275 _note_ + + Michael, St., foundation of the order of, i. 313 _note_ + + Micrometer, discovery of the, ii. 192 + + Microscope, invention of the, ii. 198, 199 + + Middle Ages, the childish admiration of the, dispelled by Voltaire, + ii. 305 + + Middleton, Dr., ferment caused by his 'Free Inquiry,' i. 428 + + Mill, James, his method of investigating speculative jurisprudence, + i. 426 + + Mill, John, his inquiry into the method of investigation which + political economists ought to follow, i. 250 _note_ + + Millet, use of, as food in India, i. 71 _note_ + + Millington, Sir Thomas, his botanical discoveries, ii. 200. Causes of + his opposition to ecclesiastical authority, i. 363 + + Milton, John, parts of his works translated into French by Mirabeau, + ii. 225 + + Minana, Spanish historian, ii. 480 + + Mineralogy, French researches in, at the end of the eighteenth + century, ii. 399. Doubts as to the true method of investigating, 399. + The discovery of isomorphism, 400 + + Mines, military employment of gunpowder in, i. 206 _note_ + + Mirabeau, his knowledge of the English language and literature, + ii. 225. His professed atheism, 352 + + Miracles, the celebrated dispute respecting, i. 428 + + Missionaries, influence of religion on the progress of society + illustrated by the efforts of the, i. 255 + + Mississippi, area drained by the, i. 97 _note_ + + Mohammed, cause of his death, according to Mathew Paris, i. 315. And + cause of his becoming a heretic, 316. How regarded by Bossuet, + ii. 286 + + Mohammedanism, area of the countries in which it is professed, + ii. 286. Lofty ideas of the Mohammedan writers on the oneness of God, + 287 _note_. The Mohammedans in Spain, 439 + + Molina, Tirso de, the Spanish dramatist, ii. 480 + + Monboddo, Lord, his lamentation over the extinction of pedantry in + English literature, i. 437 _note_ + + 'Monconys, Voyages de,' i. 371 _note_ + + Money, notions of the use of, in trade, in the seventeenth and + eighteenth centuries, i. 210-212. Right of coining allowed to the + aristocracy of France, but never in England, ii. 115 + + Monks, results of Latin being colloquially employed by the, of the + Middle Ages, i. 271 _note_ + + Monotheism, forms of religion preceding, according to Hume and Comte, + i. 250 _note_ + + Monsoons, causes of the, i. 102 _note_ + + Monstrosities, animal, discoveries respecting, ii. 396 _note_ + + Montaigne, Michel de, first appearance of his essays, ii. 16. + Difference between him and Rabelais, 16. Regarded as the first French + sceptic, 16. Opinions of Dugald Stewart and Rousseau of his writings, + 18 _note_. Immense influence of his works, 18 _note_. Compared with + Charron, 19. His scepticism compared with that of Descartes, 86. His + the first sceptical work published in France, 266 + + Montalvan, Spanish dramatist, his office in the Inquisition, ii. 479 + + Montbarey, Prince de, character of his censures of Louis XV., + ii. 406 _note_ + + Montesquieu, his erroneous notions as to political economy, i. 212 + _note_. His knowledge of the English language and literature, ii. 218. + His admiration for England, 228. His the first information concerning + the real history of Rome, 314. Character of his 'Spirit of Laws,' 314. + His method, and its value, 315 + + Montgomery, Robert, appointed Archbishop of Glasgow, iii. 100. + Excommunicated by the General Assembly, 100. Submits, 100. + + Montgon, suppression of the 'Letters' of, ii. 237 + + Montlosier, his geological labours, ii. 368 + + Moral truths, little changes which they have undergone, i. 180. Moral + truths in the New Testament quoted from pagan authors, 180 _note_. + Influence of moral feelings on individuals, but not on society in the + aggregate, 228. Separation of theology from morals, 424. Consequences + of this separation, 425-427 + + Morals, Charron's, the first attempt to create a system of morals + independent of theology, ii. 19 + + Morellet, l'Abbe, his translation of the 'Wealth of Nations' into + French, ii. 219, 239. His punishment in the Bastille, 240 + + Moriscoes, their expulsion from Spain, ii. 485 _et seq._ Number + expelled, 494 + + Morris-dances forbidden by the French Protestants, ii. 70 + + Mortmain, Machault's edict against, in France, ii. 332 + + Morton, the Regent, his persecution of the reformed clergy of + Scotland, iii. 91 + + Mosaic cosmogony first impugned, i. 429 + + Mounier, his familiarity with the English language and English + institutions, ii. 225. His proposal for the establishment of two + Chambers in France, 225 + + Muhlberg, results of the battle of, ii. 446 + + Municipal privileges in England, ii. 119. Futility of, in France, 121 + + Murder, uniform reproduction of the crime of, i. 24, 25 + + Muscular system, waste or decomposition of the, i. 56 _note_ + + Music forbidden by the Scotch clergy, iii. 258 + + Muskets, the, of the fifteenth century, i. 206 _note_ + + + Names, origin of the habit of generalizing, i. 297 _note_ + + Nantes, edict of, confirmed by Catherine de' Medici, ii. 25. By her + son Louis XIII., 25. And by Mazarin, 96 + + Napier, Sir William, his military genius and works, i. 200 + + Napier, John, his discovery of logarithms, iii. 183 + + Naples, foundation of the city of, according to the writers of the + Middle Ages, i. 313 + + Napoleon I., compared with Richelieu, ii. 27 + + Nasmyth, his researches into the structure of the teeth, ii. 385 + + 'Nations, Morals, Manners, and Character of,' Voltaire's, ii. 297 + + Nature, laws of, origin of the perception of the, i. 9. Causes of the + disturbances in the laws of, 30. Influence and results of the general + aspects of, on the human race in its infancy, 39, 118. Modes in which + the energies of Nature hamper the energies of Man in South America, + 106. Laws of the process by which the aspects of Nature influence the + human mind, its natural movements, and natural progress, 119. Feelings + inspired by the force and majesty of natural phenomena in tropical + regions, 120, 121. Physiological effects of the fear of earthquakes, + 122, 123. Comparison of the material phenomena of Greece and India, + 139, 140. Instance in the proportion of births of the sexes of the + regularity of natural laws, 168 + + 'Nature, the System of,' publication of, ii. 351 + + Necessity, doctrine of, its displacement of the doctrine of Chance, + i. 9. Origin of the doctrine, ii. 343 + + Necker, M., his Report on the Finances of France, ii. 329. Eagerness + of the French to read it, 329. Character of the work, 330. His + anti-ecclesiastical policy, 333. His Calvinist opinions, 345. + + Newspapers, first publication of, on Sundays, i. 431. Establishment of + political ones, 434. And of the right to publish parliamentary + debates, 435. Vast increase in the circulation of newspapers in the + latter half of the last century, 439 _note_ + + Newton, Sir Isaac, his imagination i. 124 _note_. His death, ii. 374 + + Niebuhr, his arguments as to the early history of Rome anticipated by + Voltaire, ii. 311. The three principles fundamental to his history + which it is impossible to refute, 311 + + Nile, effects of the overflow of the, on the civilization of Egypt, i. + 48, 49. Herodotus's expression [Greek: doron tou potamou], 49 _note_ + + Nimes, insolence of the Protestant assembly of, ii. 60 + + Nobles. See Aristocracy + + Nonconformists. See Dissenters + + Nonjurors, the, amongst the bishops and inferior clergy, i. 408-412. + The last of the nonjuring bishops, 412 _note_ + + Norfolk, Duke of, concludes the treaty of Berwick, iii. 81 + + North, Lord, overpersuaded by George III. to engage in war with + America, i. 480 _note_ + + Norwegians, their invasion of Scotland, iii. 10 + + Nosology, the, of Cullen, iii. 426 + + Nutrition, M. Chevreul's generalizations of the laws of, + ii. 198 _note_ + + + Oaths, causes which have given rise to, in England, of every kind and + in every direction, i. 282. Amount of perjury in England caused by + legislation, 282 _note_ + + [OE]pinus, his experiments on electricity, ii. 362 + + Oils, amount of carbon in, i. 61 + + Okey, the fifth-monarchy man, ii. 155 + + Opinion, public, origin of the supremacy of, i. 209. The real cause of + the abolition of the corn-laws, 273 + + Optics, discoveries of Descartes in, ii. 78 + + Orders of chivalry, origin of the, ii. 132, 133 + + Ordinance, the Self-denying, passed, ii. 153 + + Oregon or Columbia river, the only river of importance on the western + coast of North America, i. 97 + + Orkney Isles, seized by the Norwegians, iii. 10 + + Orleans, Duke of, his residence in England, ii. 226 + + Osteology, comparative, Ambrose Pare's contributions to, ii. 195 + + Owen, Professor, his researches into the structure of the teeth, + ii. 384, 385. His services to comparative anatomy, 386 + + Oxford, effort of the clergy to instil their principles at, i. 442 + _note_. Pitt's denunciation, 442 _note_. Execution of the first + heretic at, ii. 109 + + Oxygen in food, i. 55 _et seq._ + + + Paganism, large amount of, existing in every Christian sect, + i. 260 _note_ + + Paisley, population of, in 1700, iii. 28. Rise and progress of, 176 + + Palaeontology, Cuvier the founder of, ii. 369. Its importance to + geology, 369 _note_. Daubenton's labours, 371. Owen's, 386 + + Palatine, endeavours of Richelieu to save the, ii. 38 _note_ + + Paley, Dr., effect of his utilitarian moral system, i. 426 _note_ + + Palm-tree, the date, its importance in Africa, i. 83, 84 + + Palm-wine, of Africa, i. 84 _note_ + + Paravicino, Spanish poet, his sermons, ii. 480 + + Pare, Ambroise, his eminence in surgery, ii. 195. One of the founders + of comparative osteology, 195 + + Paris, origin of the name of, according to the historians of the + Middle Ages, i. 310. State of the pulpit oratory of, in 1771, ii. 348 + + Paris, Mathew, his statement as to the reason why Mohammedans refuse + to eat pork, i. 315. Sismondi's eulogy of him as an historian, + 315 _note_ + + Parliament, gradual diminution of the number of ecclesiastics in, + i. 416, 417. Final expulsion of the clergy from the House of Commons, + 418. Establishment of the right to publish the debates in Parliament, + 435. And of the doctrine of personal representation, 435 + + Parr, Dr., classical style of his English, ii. 307 + + Pascal, Blaise, period in which he flourished, ii. 189. His great + works, 189. His 'Provincial Letters,' 209 + + Pathology, characteristics of, iii. 410. Compared with Physiology, + 411. Account of the generalizations of Cullen and of Hunter, 413. + Difference between the science of pathology and the art of + therapeutics, 416. Cullen's theory of the solids and fluids, 418. His + theory of fever, 424. His nosology, 426. His services to pathology, + 429, 447 + + Patin, his opinion of the English of the seventeenth century, + ii. 214 _note_ + + Patronage of literature. See Protective spirit + + Pecquet, his discovery of the chyle, ii. 194 + + Pedantry of ancient English authors, i. 436. Discarded for a lighter + style, 437 + + Pelagius, his doctrines as to free will, ii. 338. Absence of the + speculative spirit in, 342. His learning, 342 + + Penal code, increasing severity of the, in the reign of George III., + i. 463 + + Pensions, literary, injurious effect of, ii. 183-187 + + Perjury, cause of the increase of, i. 281. Amount of, in England, + 282 _note_ + + Persecution of the Christians under the Roman Emperors, causes of, + i. 185. And of those of Spain, 187. Causes of the diminution of + religious persecution, 188. Number of persons put to death in Holland + and Spain, 189. Old theological theory of the justification of + persecution, 344 + + Persia, Arab conquest of, i. 46. Causes of the absence of authentic + information respecting the early history of, 303. The 'Shah Nameh' of + Ferdousi, 303. Antagonism between Mohammedanism and the old Persian + history, 303. Results anticipated from a decipherment of the Persian + cuneiform inscriptions, 304 _note_ + + Perth burnt by the English, iii. 14, 16. Population of, in the + sixteenth century, 30 + + Peru, physical condition of, i. 107. Exuberance of maize of, 109. And + of the banana of, 111. Condition of the upper and lower classes of the + people of, when discovered by the Europeans, 113. Rigid enforcement of + caste in Peru, 114 _note_. Frivolous waste of labour of the Peruvians, + 117. Their immense buildings, 117. The effect of earthquakes in Peru + in encouraging superstition, 122, 123 + + Pestilence, superstitions respecting, i. 127. Pestilences 'the + harvests of the ministers of God,' 130 _note_ + + Petit, Antoine, popularity of his lectures on anatomy, ii. 406 _note_ + + Pharamond, authorities for the existence of, ii. 265 _note_ + + Philip Augustus, his policy in regard to the French aristocracy, + ii. 115 + + Philip II. of Spain, his fondness for bacon, i. 314 _note_. His hatred + of the Calvinists, ii. 341. His character, 449, 450. His war against + the Dutch Protestants, 451. Object of all his wars and negotiations, + 452. His celebrated Armada, 453. Supported in everything by his loyal + subjects, 453. Ascendancy retained by him over the ecclesiastical + hierarchy, 473 _note_. His cruelty to the Moriscoes, 485, 486. His + character as a ruler, 468, 473. His part in the extension of the + influence of the Church, 475 + + Philip III. of Spain, his cruelty to the Moriscoes, ii. 489 + + Philip IV. of Spain, his character, ii. 468 + + Philip V. of Spain, his accession, ii. 513. His policy, 513. Attacks + the inquisition, but is unable to abolish it, 521. Opposed by his + people in everything, 522 _note_ + + Philip the Fair, recognizes the right of the nobles to wage private + war, ii. 116 + + Philippine Islands, pure form of the Polytheism of the, i. 305. + Spanish conquest of the, ii. 464 + + Philology, study of, i. 2. Buffier the only Jesuit whose name has a + place in the history of abstract philosophy, ii. 342 _note_. + Examination of the Scotch philosophy of the eighteenth century, iii. + 281. Causes of the success of the deductive and not of the inductive + method in Scotland, 282. The Scotch method compared and contrasted + with those of Germany and England, 289, 290. Summary of the most + important distinctions between deduction and induction, 290. + Hutcheson's philosophy, 292. Adam Smith's, 304. Hume's, 331. Reid's, + 348. See also Metaphysics + + Phlebitis first recognized by Hunter, iii. 454 + + Phosphorus, amount of, in the brain, i. 57 _note_. First announced by + Hensing, 57 _note_ + + Phrenologists, the principal obstacle in the way of the, i. 176 _note_ + + Phyllotaxis, ii. 397 _note_ + + Physical science, present state of, compared with history, i. 7. + Physical, the natural precursor of metaphysical inquiries, 10 _note_. + Remarks on the influence exercised by physical laws over the + organization of society and over the character of individuals, 39. + Effects of food, climate, and soil, 40 _et seq._ Democratic character + of the physical sciences, ii. 409. Popular works of Desaguliers and + Hill on physical truth, 432 _note_. Examination of the Scotch method + employed in physical philosophy, iii. 361. The laws of heat, 362. + Black's philosophy of latent heat, 367. Reasons why it is incumbent on + physical philosophers to cultivate the imagination, 381, 382. Leslie's + philosophy of heat, 383. Geological speculations in Scotland, England, + and Germany, 388-393. Watt's invention of the steam-engine, 402. + Methods employed by Watt and Cavendish in the discovery of the + composition of water, 403. Nature of the supposed difference between + the organic and inorganic world, 407. Life probably a property of all + matter, 408. Division of organic science into physiology and + pathology, 411. Theory in science, 414. Hunter's idea of uniting all + the physical sciences, 443. The deductive method supreme in Scotland + in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, 462. The two methods + compared, 462-464. Science the ally of religion, 477. Attempts of the + clergy of the reign of Charles II. to oppose the spread of physical + science, i. 372. The term _natural_ science, in contradistinction to + _supernatural_, as used at this period, 372 _note_ + + Physiologists, view taken by, of the origin of the sexes, i. 170. + Probable causes of the small contributions of physiologists towards + the power of predicting events, 171 _note_ + + Physiology, decline of the science of, in the reign of Louis XIV., + ii. 194. Glisson's services to, 196. Characteristics of the science + of, iii. 410. Compared with pathology, 411. John Hunter's + generalizations, 428 _et seq._ + + Piracy of the Rochellois, in the seventeenth century, ii. 63 + + Pistols, invention of, i. 206 _note_ + + Pitt, William, the elder, his reputation as a statesman, i. 449. + Reason why he was hated by George III., 450 + + Pitt, William, his subserviency to George III., i. 447, 448. His + abandonment of liberal principles, 447. Prosecutes and persecutes his + brother reformers, 447 _note_ + + Plague, the Great, i. 387 + + Plants, effects of heat and moisture on, the geographical distribution + of, i. 96 + + Plato, his conclusion as to the truth or falsehood of spectral + phenomena or dreams, i. 16 _note_ + + Platonism, its natural precursor the atomic doctrine, i. 10 _note_. + Influence of the Platonism of Alexandria in developing the idea of the + Logos, ii. 286 + + Poetry cultivated solely by the ancient Sanscrit authors, i. 132, 133. + Indian metres, 133. Cause of the reverence felt for great poets, + 294 _note_ + + Poisons, general theory of, i. 56 _note_ + + Poissy, conference of, predominance of the theological spirit shown in + the, ii. 10 + + Political economy, study of, i. 2. Influence of the discoveries made + in, in lessening the warlike spirit, 209. Misconception of the true + nature of barter in early times, 210-212. Movement of the eighteenth + century, 213. Smith's 'Wealth of Nations,' 214. His method of treating + the laws of wealth, 249. Mr. John Mill's and Mr. Rae's inquiry into + the proper method of investigation, 250 _note_. French translations of + the 'Wealth of Nations' in the eighteenth century, ii. 219. Voltaire's + opinions respecting, 304. Rise of the French political economists in + the middle of the eighteenth century, 327. The revolutionary tendency + of this economical movement, 327. Schism effected between the nation + and government by the economists, 328. Influence exercised shortly + before the revolution by the economists, 329. Examination of Adam + Smith's 'Wealth of Nations,' iii. 314. Salutary effects of man's + constant endeavours to better his condition, 319. Malthus's work on + population, 326. Constant struggle between capital and labour, + according to Adam Smith, 326, 327. Views of David Hume, 333 + + Politics, separation of theology from, i. 424. Consequences of this + separation, 425-427. Effect of the protective spirit carried into + politics, ii. 107 + + Polytheism, the predecessor of monotheism, according to Hume, + i. 251 _note_. Natural creed of the Romans, 252. The religion of the + Malayo-Polynesians, 304, 305 + + Pope, origin of kissing his toe, according to Mathew of Westminster, + i. 317. Voltaire's Reasons for the unity and consolidation of the + power of the popes as compared with that of the Greek patriarchs, + ii. 303 + + Population, connexion between food and the laws of, i. 57. Case of the + potato and Irish population, 66. A poor diet said to be more + favourable to fecundity than a rich one, 68 _note_. Voltaire's ideas + respecting the ratios by which population and food increase, ii. 304. + Malthus's work on, iii. 326 + + Pork, in general use in Europe as food, for centuries, i. 314. Cause + of the refusal of the Mohammedans to eat pork, according to Mathew + Paris, 315. Eaten in Asia and Africa, 315 _note_ + + Porson, Richard, his letter on the texts of the Heavenly Witnesses, + i. 429. His appreciation of the beauties of the English language, + ii. 307 + + Portugal, physical causes of the superstition existing in, i. 123. + Absence of science and triumph of the imagination in, 124 + + Potato, the principal food of the labouring classes in Ireland, i. 65. + Time of its introduction into that country, 65 _note_. The potato crop + compared with that of wheat, 65. Used as food by the ancient + Peruvians, 110. Introduced into Mexico by the Spaniards, 110, 111. The + starch of the potato frozen into saccharine in Southern Peru, + 111 _note_ + + Pouissin, his works of art, ii. 209 _note_ + + Prathama-Raja, the Hindu poets' account of, i. 136 + + Precision contrasted with certainty in writing history, ii. 325 + + Predestination, probable origin of the dogma of, i. 9. Foundation of + the theory, 13. Calvin, Augustin, and the Manichaeans, 13. Ambrose, 13 + _note_. Writers on the absurdity of 'an omnipotent arbitrary deity,' + 13 _note_. Barrenness of the hypothesis of predestination in a + scientific investigation, 14. The doctrine of providential + interference bound up with that of predestination, 19 _note_ + + Preemption, destruction of the prerogative of, i. 385 + + Prerogative, royal limits set to the, after the expulsion of the + Stuarts, i. 402. None of our sovereigns since Queen Anne allowed to be + present at state deliberations, 442 _note_. Reaction in favour of + divine right, 445 + + Prescription, old customary French law of, ii. 115 + + 'Presidial Jurisdiction,' by Jousse, suppressed, ii. 238 + + Press, efforts made by governments to destroy the liberty of the, i. + 284, 285. Foundation of the public press in England, and its effect on + English civilization, 386. Final abolition of the censorship over the, + in England, 402. Practice of the English clergy of censuring all books + that encouraged free inquiry, 414. First publication of Sunday + newspapers, 431. Speech of Danvers as to the power of the press in his + time, 484 _note_. War carried on in the reign of George III. against + free discussion of the acts of the government, 488, 491. Vindictive + prosecutions and persecutions of eminent men, 488. Importance of the + press in England and France in the middle of the seventeenth century, + 99 + + Preston-pans, battle of, iii. 154 + + Prevost de la Jannes, his 'Life of Domat' suppressed, ii. 237 + + Prevost, his views as to the laws of the radiation of heat, ii. 362 + + Priapus, Voltaire's remarks on the worship of, quoted, ii. 303 _note_ + + Pride compared with vanity, ii. 163 + + Pride, Colonel, his origin, ii. 155 + + Primi, the Abbe, his 'History of Louis XIV.,' ii. 276. Thrown into the + Bastille, 277 + + Printing, early knowledge of, in China, i. 302 _note_. Legislative + restrictions in former times on, 386 _note_. When first generally + practised in country towns, 431, 432 _note_ + + Probability, Romish doctrine of, i. 22 _note_ + + Profits, in what they consist, i. 52. Always reduced by high wages, + 74 + + Progress, moral and intellectual, i. 174. Comparison of the moral with + the intellectual element, 175. See Knowledge; Intellect; Man + + Progress, social, inferences to be drawn as to the causes of, i. 224 + + Proselytism, why opposed by Charron, ii. 20 _note_ + + Protective spirit, effect of the prevalence of the, in France, in + trade and in politics, ii. 106, 107. History of the protective spirit, + and comparison of it in France and England, 108. This spirit not + destroyed by the feudal system, but only assumed a new shape, 111. New + form of the protective spirit which continues in France to the present + time, 122. The results compared in France and England, 126. Activity + of the protective spirit in France, as shown by the history of + chivalry, 131-134. Effect of this spirit carried into religion at the + period of the Reformation, 137. Attempts of Charles I. to revive the + old protective spirit, 147. Results of the energy of the protective + spirit on the issue of the Fronde, 160-174. The protective spirit + carried by Louis XIV. into literature, and its result, 176 _et seq._ + Lamentable results of the system of patronage in the reign of Louis + XIV., 202. Reasons why government patronage should take a wrong + course, 203. Illustrations of, 206. Reaction against the protective + spirit in France, and preparations for the French Revolution, 213, 226 + + Protestantism, compared with Roman Catholicism, i. 261. Intolerance, + bigotry, and persecution of the Protestantism of Sweden, 264. + Intolerance of Protestants compared with that of the Catholics, ii. + 51. Policy of Mazarin as to the French Protestants, 96 _et seq._ The + war of Philip II. against the Dutch Protestants, 451. Refusal of Henry + IV. of France to punish them at the request of the pope, 22, 23. The + King's measures for their protection, 23, 24. The Edict of Nantes + confirmed by Catherine de Medici and by Louis XIII., 25. Richelieu's + liberal treatment of the Protestants, 37-39, 42. The Protestant + Confederation of 1633, 39. Desertion of the Protestant leaders, and + consequent fall of the Protestant party into the hands of the clergy, + 47-50. De Rohan and his brother the only staunch Protestant leaders in + 1621, 49. Causes of the intolerance of the French Protestants, 50, 51. + Causes which produced their former superstition, 52-54. Evidence of + their intolerance, 55. Decisions of the assembly at Saumur, 56. And of + other assemblies, 57. Their interference in the functions of + government and in other matters, 60. Bitterness of feeling exhibited + in the works put forth by them, 61. Join the rebellion under Conde, + and are defeated, 61. Their rebellion in Bearn, 61, 62. Civil war + raised by them, and its character, 63. Their wealth, accumulated by + industry and piracy, 63. The General Assembly of La Rochelle and its + decisions, 64, 65. The consequent civil war, 66. Treaties of + Montpelier and La Rochelle, 66. Interference of the Protestants in the + commonest occurrences of life, 68. Results which would have happened + to France if the Protestants had gained the upper hand, 71, 72. The + rebellion of the Protestants put down by Richelieu, who, however, + refuses to persecute them, 73. Siege of La Rochelle, 74. Civil rights + conceded to Protestant by a royal edict, 335 + + Providential interference, doctrine of, i. 19 _note_ + + Prussia, Extent of popular superstitions in, i. 238 _note_. Origin of + the name of, according to the historians of the Middle Ages, i. 311 + + Punishments future, Charron's views as to the doctrine of, + ii. 22 _note_ + + Punjab, Arab conquest of the, i. 46. + + Puppet-shows forbidden by the French Protestants, ii. 70 + + Puritans, their government of England, i. 360. Their fanaticism, and + little superstition, 361. Instances of their ignorance of the real + principles of government, 361 + + Purveyance, destruction of the prerogative of, i. 385 + + Pyramids of Egypt, a testimony of the degraded condition of the + people, i. 90, 92. Weight of the great pyramid, 90 _note_. Hypotheses + as to the purposes for which they were built, 90 _note_. Estimate of + the expense of building one of the pyramids, 91 _note_ + + Pyrenees, treaty of the, signed by Cardinal Mazarin, ii. 98 + + + Quaens, historical error to which their name gave rise, i. 298 + + Quid emptores, statute of, ii. 119 + + Quiche Indians, corrupt Christianity of the, i. 265 _note_ + + Quinault, the poet of French music, ii. 207 + + + Rabelais, not the first French sceptic, ii. 15, 16. His ridicule of + the clergy, 15. Difference between him and Montaigne, 16 + + Racine, his works, ii. 208. Pensioned to write a history of France for + Louis XIV., ii. 277 + + Rae, Mr., his inquiry into the method of investigation which political + economists ought to follow, i. 250 _note_ + + Ragi, use of the grain called, in the south of India, i. 71 + + Ragnar Lodbrok, confusion in Saxo-Grammaticus's life of, i. 298 + + Raikes, Robert, his organization of Sunday schools, i. 430 _note_ + + Railways, effect of, in correcting national prejudices, and in + diffusing desires for peace, i. 221-223 + + Rainbow, the causes of the, detected by Descartes, ii. 79. Notions of + the Hebrews and of other nations respecting the, 79 _note_ + + Raleigh, Sir Walter, his military genius and works, i. 200 + + Ravaillac, murders Henry IV. of France, ii. 24. Accounts of him, + 24 _note_ + + Raynal, l'Abbe, suppression of his work on the Indies, ii. 236 + + Reading clubs, formation of, i. 433 + + Reaumur, appearance of his work on the natural history of animals, + ii. 197 _note_ + + Rebellion, the Great English, causes which gave rise to, ii. 147. + Characteristics of the, 148. Difference between it and the Fronde, + 149. Conduct of the nobles, 151, 152. The true character of the + Rebellion, 154. Plebeian origin of the leaders, 155-159. Causes of its + success, 174, 175 + + Reboulet, suppression of his 'History of Clement XI.,' ii. 238 + + Red Sea Canal, number of lives sacrificed in the construction of the, + i. 93 + + Reform, the principle of, abandoned by William Pitt, i, 447. Mr. + Grey's remarks on Pitt's conduct, 447 _note_ + + Reformation, connexion between the, and the views advocated by Richard + Hooker, i. 351 _note_. Immediate fall of the Church in England at the + first assault of the Reformation, ii. 4. Influence of the Reformation + generally in increasing the power of the Catholic clergy, 5 _note_. + The Reformation encouraged by the pride of Englishmen, 137. Analogy + between the Reformation and the Revolutions of the seventeenth + century, 138-140. Short existence of the Reformation in Spain, 450. + Causes which brought about the Reformation in Scotland, iii. 62. John + Knox, 75. The Reformation established, 78 + + Reform Bill, important effects of the, i. 502 + + Reid, Thomas, examination of his philosophy, iii. 348. Estimate of the + value of what he effected, 353. Opposition between his method and that + of Bacon, 356 + + Religion; views of Hume and Comte respecting monotheism, i. 251 + _note_. Influence of religion on the progress of society, 254. + Illustration from the efforts of the missionaries, 255. From the + history of the Jews, 257, 258. From the early history of Christianity, + 259. And from Sweden and Scotland, 263-266. Baneful results of + legislative attempts to encourage religious truth and discourage + religious error, 281-285. Origin of religious toleration in England, + 337. The last executions in England for heresy, 345. The right of + private judgment held sacred by Chillingworth, 349. Whose work formed + a decisive vindication of religious dissent, 352. Passing of the + Toleration Act, 402. Easy and rapid changes in the national faith + under Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary and Elizabeth, ii. 7. Charron's + the first instance in modern language of the doctrine of religious + development, 21. An end put to religious wars by Richelieu, 40. + Authorities respecting religious wars, 40 _note_. Effect of the peace + of Westphalia, 42. Origin of the difference between religious theory + and religious practice, 51. Eagerness of the clergy rather directed + against error than against virtue, 52 _note_. Causes of the energy and + vitality of a religion not protected by the government, 53, 54. + Descartes' remarks on the slaves to form in religion, 85. Causes which + lessen the disposition to form new creeds, 263 _note_. Religious wars, + massacres, and persecutions, the result of ignorance of the duties of + governments, i. 262 + + Rent, theory of, i. 51 _note_. Considered as a division of wealth, 53 + _note_. Rent in England, Scotland, France, and the United States, 75. + In India, 76. Mode of ascertaining the true theory of rent, + 250 _note_. Remarks on the theory of, iii. 336 + + Representation, personal establishment of the political doctrine of, + i. 435 + + Reptiles, noxious, worship of, i. 126 _note_ + + Respiration, theory of, ii. 367 + + Retz, Cardinal de, character of, ii. 102. Secular view taken by him of + political affairs, 102 + + Reviews, literary periodical, origin of, i. 433 + + Revolution of 1688, proximate cause of the, i. 399, 400. Importance + of the, to England, 402. Sudden repentance of the clergy in having + promoted it, 403 + + Revolution, the French, preparations for the, ii. 213. Precursors of + the, 230, 247. Causes of the hideous peculiarities of the, 248. Its + proximate causes, after the middle of the eighteenth century, 323. The + first epoch through which the French intellect passed in the + eighteenth century, viz., the attack on the Church, 323. The second + epoch, viz., the attack on the State, 327. Rise of the political + economists, 327. Sudden increase of works relating to finance and + other questions of government, 328. Influence of Rousseau, 330, 331. + Attack of the government on the Church, 332. Machault's edict against + mortmain, 332. Excitement caused by the edict, 333 _note_. The + anti-ecclesiastical policy of Machault's successors, 333. Religious + toleration of the government, 434. Revival of Jansenism in France, and + consequent overthrow of the Jesuits, 344, 345. After the fall of the + Jesuits, the fall of the clergy inevitable, 347. Reasons for this, + 349. Rise and progress of atheistical opinions in France, 351. Study + of physical phenomena in France in connexion with the Revolution, + 375-404. Effect of the American Rebellion in hastening the Revolution + in France, 416, 417. Jefferson's part in the final blow dealt to the + French government, 418. Summary of the causes of the French + Revolution, 418 + + Revolution, the Scottish, of 1559, iii. 81 + + Rey, the first European philosophic chemist, ii. 197 + + Rhyme, antiquity of, i. 293 _note_ + + Rice, the general food of the people of India, i. 70. Nutritive + qualities of, 70, 71. Immense yield of a rice-crop, 71 + + Richard I. of England, historical error as to his appellation of the + Lion, i. 299 + + Richardson, admiration of Diderot for the works of, ii. 218 + + Richelieu, Cardinal, his character, ii. 27, 29. Compared with + Napoleon, 27. Fails to diminish the power of the French nobility, 28. + Effectually humbles the clergy, 29-31. His treatment of the clergy how + regarded by them, 33. Charges brought against him, 34. Review of his + career, 34, 35. Supports the new secular scheme of government against + the old ecclesiastical schemes, 36. His liberal treatment of the + Protestants, 37-42. His endeavours to save the Palatine, 38. The + peculiar glory of his administration, 39. Correspondence of his policy + in regard to the French Protestant and Catholic Churches, 42 _et seq._ + Puts down the rebellion of the Protestants, but abstains from + persecuting them, 73. Confirms the Edict of Nantes, 74. Determines on + the siege of Rochelle, 74. Reasons why he put down the Protestant + party, 75, 76. His liberal policy part only of a much larger movement, + 76. Analogy of the philosophy of Descartes with Richelieu's + anti-theological policy, 83, 92 + + Rio de Janeiro, vigour and profusion of the vegetation near, + i. 103 _note_ + + Rioja, Spanish poet, ii. 480 + + Riolan, period in which he flourished, ii. 194 + + Ripperda, his services to Spain, ii. 519, 542 + + Roads in Scotland in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, iii. 5, + 6 _note_. Aversion of the Highlanders to roads, 159, 160 _note_ + + Robertson, Dr., value of his 'History of Scotland,' iii. 19 _note_ + + Robinson, John, Bishop of Bristol, the last ecclesiastic who held any + of the high offices of state, i. 417 _note_ + + Rochelle, La, intolerance of the Protestants in the town of, ii. 57. + Determinations of the general assembly of 1620, ii. 63, 64. The civil + war and its character, 63-66. Peace of La Rochelle, 66. The great + siege of, 74 + + Rochester, first printing office in, i. 432 _note_ + + Rohan, Duc de, employed by Richelieu, ii. 44. De Rohan and his brother + Soubise the only staunch Protestant leaders in 1621, 49. An amnesty + granted to him by Richelieu, 75 + + Rohan, Chevalier de, his ill-treatment of Voltaire, ii. 231 + + Roland, Madame, her knowledge of the English language and literature, + ii. 226 + + Rolle, his remark on the peers created by George III., i. 454 + + Romans, the, in Scotland, iii. 7. Character of their civilization in + their best days, 8. Cause of their decline, 8, 9 + + Rome, causes of the persecutions of the Christians by the Emperors of, + i. 185. Reason of the evanescence of the civilization of ancient, 267. + Voltaire's services in purging the early history of Rome of its + absurdities, 309, 310. Niebuhr's arguments anticipated by Voltaire, + 310, 311. Montesquieu's the first account of the real history of Rome, + 314. Machiavelli's views, 314 _note_. Vico's opinions, 314 _note_ + + Roses, wars of the, effect of the, upon the English nobles, ii. 138 + + Ross, Western, seized by the Norwegians, ii. 11. Annexed to the Crown + of Scotland, 46 + + Ross, John, his violent sermon against James VI., iii. 107. + + Rouelle, his geological labours, ii. 368 + + Roundheads, title first bestowed, ii. 149 + + Rousseau, J. J., his opinion of the works of Montaigne, ii. 18 _note_. + Persecuted by the Government, 236. Influence of his works, 330. + Enthusiasm of the nation in his favour, 331 _note_. Immense demand for + his works, 331 _note_. Belongs to the Calvinistic sect, 345 + + Royal Society, avowed object of the establishment of the, i. 371 + + Rubis, De, his work on the European monarchies, ii. 270 + + Russia, cause of the war between Turkey and, i. 195. And of Russian + predilection for war, 196 + + Ruthven, Raid of, iii. 103, 104 + + + Sabbath, the Scotch, iii. 265 + + Sahara desert, its extent, i. 47. Condition of its inhabitants, 48 + + Sailors, causes of the superstitions of, i. 375, 379 + + Saint-Fargeau, Pelletier de, his Jansenism, ii. 345 + + Saint Lambert, his professed atheism, ii. 352 + + Salamanca, reply of the University of, when urged to teach the + physical sciences, i. 125 _note_ + + Sales, Delisle de, persecuted for his writings, ii. 237 + + Sancroft, William, his character as archbishop of Canterbury, i. 392. + Dr. Birch's opinion of him, 392 _note_. His attempts to convert James + II. to Protestantism, 395 _note_. His open disloyalty, 401, 407, 408 + + Sandoval, Spanish historiographer, ii. 480 + + Sanscrit, character of the works written in, i. 132, 133. And of the + Sanscrit language, 134 _note_ + + Saracens, origin of the name of, according to the historians of the + Middle Ages, i. 312 + + Saragossa besieged by Childebert and Clotaire, ii. 435 _note_ + + Saumaise, his opinion of the English people of the seventeenth + century, ii. 214 _note_ + + Saumur, decisions of the Protestant assembly at, ii. 56 + + Saveur, considered as the inventor of acoustics, ii. 190 _note_ + + Saxe, Maurice de, his treatment of the actress Chantilly, ii. 243 + + Saxo Grammaticus, confusion in his life of Ragnar Lodbrok, i. 298 + + Scandinavia, causes of error in the early history of, i. 300. The + elder and younger Eddas, 301. Pork the chief food of the Scandinavians + in early times, 314 _note_. Scandinavian pirates in Scotland, iii. 5 + + Scepticism; the spirit of doubt the necessary precursor of + improvement, i. 334. Hence the immense importance of scepticism, 335. + First open appearance of scepticism in England and France, 336. + Authorities as to the increase of scepticism in England since the + latter part of the eighteenth century, 356 _note_. What the author + means by the term scepticism, 357 _note_. Degree of suffering produced + on some minds, 357. Legislative improvements of the reign of Charles + II. caused by the sceptical and inquiring spirit, 388. Encouragement + given to scepticism by the conduct of the clergy, 414. Rapid + succession of sceptical controversies early in the eighteenth century, + 427. First appearance of scepticism in France, ii. 14. Rabelais, 15. + Intimate connexion between scepticism and toleration in France, 16. + Montaigne, the first systematic sceptic in that country, 16. The first + open declaration of scepticism in France, 18. Reason why scepticism + was favoured by Henry IV. of France, 23. Scepticism of Hooker and + Chillingworth, and of Montaigne and Descartes, 86, 87. Spread of + scepticism in France in the middle of the seventeenth century, 95 + _note_. Analogy between the progress of scepticism in England and + France, 103, 104. Period when the spirit of inquiry began to weaken + the church, 109. Commencement of the struggle between the advocates of + inquiry and the advocates of belief, 109, 110. Rise and extent of + historical scepticism, 261. The first sceptical book in the French + language, by Montaigne, 266 + + Schism Act, passing of the, i. 452 + + Scholastic prejudices overthrown by Descartes, ii. 92 + + Science unknown to the Egyptians, i. 49. Relation between inventions, + discoveries, and method, ii. 386, 387 + + Scotland, rent paid by the cultivator in proportion to the gross + produce, i. 75. Character of the method of investigation of the great + thinkers of, 245. Cause and effect of the divergence and hostility + between the practical and speculative classes of, 246. Robert Simson + and Matthew Stewart, 247. Superstition, intolerance and bigotry of the + clergy and people, 264, 265. The bards of Scotland, 292 _note_. Origin + of the Scotch people, according to the writers of the Middle Ages, + 312. Abolition of episcopacy in Scotland, by William III., 406. + Condition of Scotland to the end of the fourteenth century, iii. 1 _et + seq._ Scotland and Spain compared as to loyalty, 2. Similarity of the + two countries as to superstition, 4. Investigation of the causes of + Scotch liberality in politics united with illiberality in religion, 4 + _et seq._ Influence of the physical geography of the country on the + course of events, 5. Scotch roads in the seventeenth century, 5 + _note_. The Roman invasion, 7. The Irish invasion, 9. The Norwegian + invasion, 10. Attacks of the English, 12. Immediate consequences of + their struggle with the English in the Scottish character, 13. + Agriculture stopped, 16. Cannibalism, 17. Wars on the borders, 18. The + growth of towns stopped by the wars, and the power of the nobles + thereby increased, 18. Circumstances favourable to the authority of + the nobles, 19. Weakness of the Crown, 20, 21. Ravages of the + Highlanders, 21, 22. Prevalence of barter, 23. Industry impossible, + and the commonest arts unknown, 23, 24. Dirty habits of the people, 25 + _note_. Scanty population of the Scotch towns, 26 _et seq._ Their + utter feebleness, 32. Causes of the alliance of the Crown with the + Church, 34. Superstition of Scotland, and its causes, 35, 36. + Witchcraft, 37. Ignorance of the upper and lower classes, 41, 42. + Triumph of the aristocracy over the Church and Crown, 43. Their + subsequent decline, 43. Condition of Scotland in the fifteenth and + sixteenth centuries, 45. Vigorous measures of Albany against the + nobles, 45. And of James I., 46. And of James II., 49. Clanship, 50. + The Crown encouraged by the clergy against the nobles, 54. Struggle in + consequence, 55 _et seq._ The Reformation in Scotland the result of + this struggle, 62. Battle of Solway and death of James V., 68, 69. + Murder of Cardinal Beaton, 74. Career of John Knox, 75. Influence of + the Guises, 77, 78. Mary of Guise deposed from the Regency, 80. Treaty + of Berwick, 81. Supremacy of the nobles established, and destruction + of the Church, 81. Quarrel between the nobles and the preachers about + the wealth of the Church, 84. Presentation of the First Book of + Discipline, 87. The shares of the new and old clergy, 87. The nobles + said to have been instigated by the devil, 88. Persecution of the new + clergy by Morton, at the head of the nobles, 91. The consequent + rupture between Church and State, 93. The struggle under the leader, + ship of Andrew Melville, 94. Attack on the bishops, ending with the + abolition of episcopacy, 94 _et seq._ The Second Book of Discipline, + 98. Struggle between the upper classes and clergy as to episcopacy, + 100. Violent language used by the clergy, Melville's personal insult + to the King, 110. The Gowrie conspiracy, 110. Boons conferred upon + their country by the clergy, 112. Condition of Scotland during the + seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, 115 _et seq._ Attempts of James + VI. (now James I. of England) to subjugate the clergy, 115. He forces + episcopacy upon them, 117. And sets up High Courts of Commission, 125. + Tyrannical conduct of the bishops, 128. The reaction, and its causes, + 129. Framing of the National Covenant, 132. Overthrow of the Bishops, + 133. Oppressions of Charles II., 137-139. His attempts to establish a + permanent despotism baffled, 140. Episcopacy re-established, 141. + Dragonnades in the west, 143, 144. Cruelties of James II., 147. + Consequences of the alliance between the Crown and the clergy, 147. + The reaction of 1688, 151. Causes of the rebellion of the Highlanders + in 1715 and 1745 in favour of the Stuarts, 153. Insignificance into + which the Highlanders sank after 1745, 157. Beginning of the trading + spirit, 160. Connexion between the rise of the trading spirit and the + abolition of hereditary jurisdictions, 161, 162. Armour ceased to be + worn, 161. Causes of the decline of the power of the nobles, 162, 167. + Treatment which they received in London, 163, 164. Rage in Scotland + for speaking with an English accent, 163 _note_. Causes of the + abolition of clanship, 167, 168. Sudden rise of trading and + manufacturing interests, 171. Their growth assisted by the union with + England, 172. Facts illustrative of the history of Scotch industry + down to the middle of the eighteenth century, 178 _et seq._ The first + banks in Scotland, 181. Rise of a new and splendid literature, 183. + Which, however, fails to diminish the national superstition, 184. + Recapitulation of the history of the struggle with episcopacy, 191 _et + seq._ Cromwell's chain of fortresses in Scotland, 194. Causes of the + war of the people against Charles I., 197. Events which produced the + solemn League and Covenant, 198. Effect and cause of Scotch + superstition, 203. Zeal of the people to hear sermons of inordinate + frequency and of terrible length, 203. Effect of the pretensions and + arrogance of the clergy on the Scotch mind, 203, 269 _et seq._ + Examination of Scotch philosophical literature of the eighteenth + century, 281. And of Scotch physical philosophy, 361. Superstition and + illiberality in religion still existing in Scotland, 469. Notions + countenanced there respecting the origin of epidemics, 471. + Correspondence between the Presbytery of Edinburgh and Lord Palmerston + on the origin of the cholera in 1853, 473 + + Sculpture, condition of, in the reign of Louis XIV., ii. 209 + + Segovia, appearance of, in 1659, ii. 503 _note_. Decline of the silk + and wool manufactures of, 503 _note_ + + Seiks, cause of their superstition respecting the wounds inflicted by + the tiger, i. 125 _note_ + + Serpent, worship of the, i. 126 _note_ + + Serra, his views as to the exportation of the precious metals, + i. 212 _note_ + + Serres, historiographer of France, importance attached by him to + correct dates in history, ii. 267 + + Severus, his expedition against Scotland, iii. 8 + + Sevigne, Madame, her name for Queen Mary, consort of William III., + ii. 214 _note_ + + Seville, decline of, in the seventeenth century, ii. 501 + + Sewell, Mr., his remarks on the doctrines of passive obedience and + divine right, i. 394 _note_ + + Sexes, proportion kept up by the law of Nature in the births of the, + i. 168. Opinions respecting the origin of the, 170 _note_, 173 _note_. + Method by which the discovery of the proportion has been made, 172 + + Shaftesbury, Earl of, Lord Chancellor, his notions of political + economy, i. 211 _note_ + + Shakspeare, his investigations of the human mind, i. 23 _note_. His + pure English, ii. 307 _note_ + + Sharp, archbishop of St. Andrews, iii. 141. His cruelty and rapacity, + 141 + + Sheldon, Gilbert, his character as archbishop of Canterbury, i. 391, + 392 + + Shetland Isles, seized by the Norwegians, iii. 10 + + 'Siam, History of,' by Turpin, ii. 238 + + Silk trade of Toledo, lost, ii. 502 + + Sinclair, Sir John, his services to statistical science, i. 33 _note_ + + Sion College, the only public library in London at the end of the + seventeenth century, i. 431 _note_ + + Sigfussen Saemund, his compilation of the Elder Edda, i. 301 + + Silesia, origin of the name of, i. 312 + + Simson, Professor Robert, his efforts to revive the pure Greek + geometry, i. 247. Notice of him, 247 _note_. His reasons for + recommending the old analysis, 248 _note_ + + Sines, law of the, pointed out by Descartes, ii. 278 + + Sins, specimens of the, invented by the Scotch clergy, iii. 261 + + Siva, antiquity of the worship of, in India, i. 141. How represented + by the Hindus, 141. His wife Doorga or Kali, 141 + + Skye, Isle of, seized by the Norwegians, iii. 11 + + Slavery, favour with which it was regarded by George III., i. 447, + 463. Burke's attack on, 463. Extinction of slavery in England, + ii. 128. Its recent extinction in France, 129 + + Small-pox, extra European origin of, i. 130 _note_ + + Smith, Adam, publication of his 'Wealth of Nations,' i. 214. Its + influence in a few years, 214, 215. His views as to the usury laws, + 214 _note_. His services to mankind, 216. His method of metaphysical + investigation, 249. French translations of his 'Theory of the Moral + Sentiments,' ii. 219. And of his 'Wealth of Nations,' 219. Examination + of his philosophy, as shown together in the 'Moral Sentiments' and in + the 'Wealth of Nations,' iii. 305. His obliviousness and disregard of + facts, 340, 341. His method of studying pathology compared with that + of Cullen, 417 + + Smith, William, character of his geological speculations, iii. 391 + + Smuggling, the only means of keeping up trade during the evil + interference of legislation, i. 277. Moral evils of smuggling, 278, + 279 + + Social laws, triumph of, over every obstacle, i. 31. Best method of + arriving at social truth, ii. 1 + + Socrates, effect produced by his method of dialectics upon some Greek + minds, i. 357 + + Soil, influence of, on the human race, i. 40. The Great Sahara, 47. + The valley of the Nile, 48, 49. Heat and moisture the causes which + regulate the fertility of every country, 96 + + Soldiers, why less superstitious than sailors, i. 376, 379 + + Solids, Cullen's theory of the, iii. 418 + + Solis, the Spanish historian, ii. 480 + + Solway, battle of, iii. 68 + + Somers, Lord, prosecution instituted against him by the House of + Commons, i. 452. Protected by the House of Lords, 452 + + Sorbonne, Duvernet's history of the, ii. 237 + + Sowrdis, Archbishop of Bordeaux, ignominiously beaten, ii. 32. Flies + to Carpentras, 33 + + Space, the idea of, of the metaphysicians, i. 160. Authorities on the + different theories of space, 161 _note_ + + Spain, Arab conquest of, i. 46. Physical causes of the superstition + existing in, 123. Triumph of the imagination, and absence of science + in, 124. Causes of the persecutions in, 187. Numbers of persons put to + death by the inquisition in, 189. Pork, a common food in, in former + ages, 314 _note_. Archbishop Turpin's account of Charlemagne's + conquest of, 319, 320. Scepticism punished, and its promulgation + prevented in, 336. Influence of French literature in, in diffusing + scepticism late in the last century, 336 _note_. Outline of the + history of the intellect of, from the fifth to the middle of the + nineteenth century, 425. Heat and dryness of the climate, 427. And + therefore droughts and famines frequent and serious, 427. Earthquakes, + 428. Causes of the prevalence of a pastoral life in Spain, 432. + Settlement of the Visigoths and establishment of their opinions, 434. + Attacks of the Franks upon their Arian neighbours, 435. Rise of the + influence of the Spanish priesthood, 436. Character of Durham's + 'History of Spain and Portugal,' 438 _note_. Proofs of the power of + the Spanish clergy, 437, 438. Harsh character of the Spanish laws + against heresy and the Jews, 438. The eight centuries of struggle + between the Arabs and Spaniards, 439, 440. Effect of the dangers of + the Spaniards in exciting their superstitious feelings, 441. Their + chest of relics in the Asturias, 441. Their miracles and dreams, 442. + The three ways in which the Mohammedan invasion strengthened the + devotional feelings of the Spanish people, 444. Capacity and honesty + of Isabella in the war with the Arabs, 444. Ferdinand and Isabella's + decree against the Jews, 445. The number of Jews actually expelled + from Spain, 446 _note_. Domestic and foreign policy of Charles V., + 446. His obedience to the tendencies of his age, 447-449. Character of + Philip II., 449, 450. His war against the Dutch Protestants, 451. + Number of persons put to Death by Alva, 451. Object of all the wars + and negotiations of Philip II., 452. The Armada prepared to humble + England, 453. Unshaken loyalty of Philip's subjects, 454, 455. Causes + of the spirit of loyalty which has distinguished the Spanish above + every other European nation, 455. The Arab invasion one of the causes, + 456. The old ballads, 456. The poem of 'The Cid,' 457. Loyalty of the + Spanish codes, 458. Consequences of Spanish loyalty and superstition, + 461 _et seq._ Rapid progress of Spain in the fifteenth and sixteenth + centuries, 463. Her territories in America and in other parts of the + world, 464. Her military superiority over her contemporaries, 464. Her + eminent literary men who were also soldiers, 464. Causes of her + decline, 465, 467. Essential difference between English and Spanish + civilization, 465, 466. The decay of Spain in the seventeenth century + due to the weakness of her people, 470. The declining energy of the + government the cause of the increasing influence of the clergy, 472. + Davila's statement of the Spanish theory of government, 472 _note_. + Flourishing state of the Church, 475. Her hold over the highest as + well as the lowest intellects, 478, 479. Great numbers of works on + Spanish ecclesiastical history, 483. Expulsion of the Moors from + Spain, 483-485. Cruelty with which they were treated, 485-494. Effect + of the expulsion of the Moors in impoverishing the country, 497. Steps + which mark the decline of Spain, 500. Loss of population and of + manufactures, 501-504. Increase of poverty, 504-506. Destruction of + the military reputation of Spain, 506, 515. The whole kingdom + unprotected, 509. Gangs of robbers and murderers in the capital, 510 + _note_. The Austrian dynasty succeeded by the Bourbons, 513. Policy of + the first Bourbon, Philip V., 513. The Dukes of Berwick and Vendome, + 515-517. The finances of Spain administered by Orry, 518. Alberoni + Ripperda, and Konigseg, 519. Endeavours of foreigners to improve the + country by weakening the Church, 521. The clergy forced to contribute + to the taxes, 523. Alliances formed between Spain and the Mohammedans, + 525, 549. Inertness and ignorance of the people, high and low, at this + period, 526. State of medical science in the seventeenth century, 532. + Foreign aid called in to remedy native ignorance, 536. Expulsion of + the Jesuits, 546. Attacks made on the Inquisition, 547. Foreign policy + of Spain under the influence of foreigners, 549. A prospect of the + return of wealth opened up, 550, 551. Effects of the vigour displayed + by Charles III., 552 _et seq._ Causes of his failure to produce + permanent good, 553. Decline of Spain under Charles IV., 571. + Endeavours in the nineteenth century to improve the country, 574. + Causes of their failure, 575. Immense natural advantages of Spain, + 583. Her great men, 585. Her progress prevented by national ignorance, + 589. The essential vice of the Spanish people, 592, 593. Causes which + keep Spain in her miserable condition, 593 _et seq._ Scotland + contrasted with Spain as to loyalty and superstition, iii. 1 + + Stafford, William, his work on the theory of politics, 'A Brief + Conceipt of English Policy,' i. 212 _note_ + + Stanyan's 'History of Greece,' ii. 218 + + Starch, amount of oxygen in, i. 62 + + Starvation, proximate causes of, i. 58 _note_ + + States-General of France, feebleness of the, ii. 121 + + Statesmen, why as a body they are always in the rear of their age, + i. 213 + + Statistics, study of, i. 2. Importance of, 23 _note_. Of murder and + other crimes, 24-29. Value of statistics in the light thrown upon the + study of human nature, 33. Early writers on statistics, 33 _note_. + Dislike of Adam Smith and David Hume for statistics, iii. 339. + Objections to them, 339 _note_ + + Steam, effect of the application of, to purposes of travelling, in + weakening the love of war, i. 219-221 + + Steam-engine, Watt's invention of the, iii. 402 + + Stearn, Richard, his character as Archbishop of Canterbury, i. 392 + + Stepney, Mr., his notions of political economy, i. 211 _note_ + + Stewart, Professor Matthew, his crusade against the algebraic or + symbolical analysis, i. 247 + + St[oe]ffler, John, his predictions as to the deluge of 1524, i. 330 + + Stoics, the, on the preservation of consciousness in dreams and in + insanity, i. 17 _note_ + + Stuart, Charles, the young Pretender, his stupidity and drunkenness, + i. 444 _note_ + + Subinfeudation, effects of, in France, ii. 119 + + Suicide, the crime of, dependent upon the individual, i. 26. Futility + of endeavours to diminish, by legislation, 26 _note_. Bentham on the + perjury of English juries in cases of, 26 _note_. Regularity of the + recurrence of, 28. Causes of, 28. Supposed effect of gloomy weather on + the love of, 220 _note_. Statistics of, 28, 29 + + Sully, Marshal, ii. 43. His historical work, 266 + + Sumatra, superstitions of the people of, respecting tigers, + i. 126 _note_ + + Sumbawa, the great earthquake and volcanic eruption of 1815 at, + i. 126 _note_ + + Sunday schools begun, i. 430. Opposition of the clergy to their + establishment, 431 _note_ + + Superstition, physical causes which give birth to, i. 122, 123. + Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, 123, 126. The worship of ferocious + animals, 125, 126. The fear of death, 127. Pestilences, 127. Extent of + popular superstition in Prussia, 238 _note_. Progress of the English + intellect in the seventeenth century in shaking off ancient + superstitions, 363. Instance in Scotland of the popular belief in + supernatural causation, 373. Causes of the superstitions of sailors + and agriculturists, 375. Terror inspired by comets and eclipses, 376. + The study of final causes abandoned by Descartes, ii. 91. Connexion + between loyalty and superstition, 455. Similarity between Scotland and + Spain as to superstition, iii. 4. Scotland favourable to superstition, + 35. Sources of superstition, 35. Cause and effect of Scotch + superstition, 203. Superstition of the Scotch still existing, 471. + Superstitions every day becoming effaced as physical science advances, + 477 + + Surgery, decline of the science of, in the reign of Louis XIV., + ii. 195 + + Surnames, origin of, in Europe, ii. 112 + + Sweden, intolerance, bigotry, and persecution of the Protestantism of, + i. 264. Swedish heroes of antiquity, 298 + + Switzerland, Calvinism the popular creed of, ii. 339 + + Sydenham, Thomas, his reformation in therapeutics, ii. 196 + + Sympathy, examination of, iii. 310. Hunter's pathological speculations + respecting the principles of, 450 + + + Taille, the, in France, ii. 129. Authorities respecting the, + 129 _note_. The diminution of the, proposed by the Fronde, 150 _note_ + + Talleyrand, M. de, his admiration for Charron's 'De la Sagesse,' + ii. 19 _note_ + + 'Tamerlane, History of,' by Margat, suppressed, ii. 237 + + Tarrega, the Spanish dramatist, ii. 479 + + Tartars, origin of the, according to the writers of the Middle Ages, + i. 313. And according to Whiston, 313 _note_. Effects of the + barrenness of the steppes of, in keeping the people uncivilized, 45 + + 'Taste, Essay on,' by Cartaud, suppressed, ii. 237 + + Taxation; settlement of the right of the people of England to be taxed + entirely by their own representatives, i. 384. Disputes between the + two Houses of Parliament respecting taxation, 384 _note_ + + Taylor, Jeremy, his abilities and virtues, i. 393. Marked neglect with + which he was treated by Charles II., 393. His assertion of the + doctrine of passive obedience, 401 _note_ + + Teeth of animals, researches of Nasmyth and Owen on the structure of, + ii. 384, 385 + + Temperaments, the theory of, the principal stumbling-block of the + phrenologists, i. 176 _note_ + + Teratology, formation of the science of, ii. 396, 397 _note_ + + Terray, M., his attack on Church property in France, ii. 333. His open + protection of the Jansenists, 345 + + Test Act, the, i. 396. Suspended by James II., 397. Repealed, + 426 _note_ + + Theology, state of the, of Europe from the sixth to the tenth + centuries, i. 270. Attempts to make politics a mere branch of + theology, 326-328. Theological justification of persecution, 344. + Increasing indifference to theological matters in England in the + seventeenth century, 350. Chillingworth's views, 350, 351. Connexion + between the Reformation and the dogma of an infallible church, 350, + 351. The authority of private judgment recognized, 352. Ecclesiastical + power almost extinct in Europe, 354 _note_. Decline in British + theology at the present time, 355 _note_. Efforts of the clergy to + check the progress of scepticism, 356. Political character of the + opposition to ecclesiastical authority in the reigns of James I. and + Charles I., 359. Antagonism in the reign of Charles II. between the + physical sciences and the theological spirit, 372. Reasons of the + hostility of the clergy, 373. Separation of theology from morals and + politics, 424. Effect of this separation, 425. Attempts to put down + the Theological Society, 436 _note_. Theological influence greater in + France in the sixteenth century than in England, ii. 6. Charron's the + first attempt made in a modern language to construct a system of + morals without the aid of theology, 19. Preparation of the way for the + separation of theology from politics, 40, 41. Analogy of the + anti-theological policy of Richelieu with the philosophy of Descartes, + 83. Mischief done to the old theology by Descartes' principles, 90. + Effect of the protective spirit carried into theology, 107. Former + subservience of philosophy to theology, and universal interest which + theological discussions once inspired, 262. Exactness of the knowledge + of theologians on subjects on which nothing is known, 284 _note_. + Reasons why theology is inferior to history, 289. Voltaire's attack on + mere theologians, 308, 309. The question of free will taken up by + theologians, 338. De Maistre's method of investigation, 389 _note_. + Reasons why the theological or deductive method of philosophy was + followed in Scotland, iii. 284. The deductive method of philosophy + only applicable to theology, 464 + + Theory, necessity of, in science, but dangerous in practice, iii. 414 + + Thermotics, attention given to, in France, in the eighteenth century, + ii. 361, 362 + + Therapeutics, Sydenham's reformations in, ii. 196. Difference between + the art of, and the science of, pathology, iii. 416 + + Thibet, bards of, i. 292 _note_ + + Thomas, suppression of his 'Eloge on Marcus Aurelius,' ii. 238 + + Thomson, Hugh, the Presbyterian preacher, iii. 204 _note_ + + Thread manufacture of Paisley, rise of the, iii. 176 + + Thumb-screw, torture of the, iii. 149 + + Tigers worshipped by the Hajin tribe, i. 125 _note_. Superstitions of + the Garrows and Seiks respecting them, 125 _note_. How regarded by the + Malasir, 125 _note_. And by the inhabitants of Sumatra, 126 _note_ + + Tissues, food necessary for repairing the waste of the, i. 55, 58. + Bichat's views respecting the, ii. 379-382. The degenerations of, + 382 _note_. The study of, neglected by Cuvier, 383 _note_ + + Toledo, power of the clergy at, in the seventeenth century, ii. 437. + Captured from the Arabs, 440. Decline of, in the seventeenth century, + 502 + + Toleration, religious, origin of, in England, i. 337. Unusual amount + of toleration in Holland two centuries back, 337 _note_. State of the + two hostile creeds in England in the reign of Elizabeth, 338. Hooker's + 'Ecclesiastical Polity' compared with Jewel's 'Apology for the Church + of England,' 340. Causes which always hasten the march of toleration, + 53, 54. Summary of the progress of toleration in England and France, + 102. The religious toleration of the French government in the middle + of the eighteenth, century, 334 + + Toleration Act, passing of the, i. 402 + + Toolholos, or bards of Thibet, i. 292 _note_ + + Tooth, golden, work of Dr. Horst on the, i. 332 + + Tories, the, re-established in power under George III., i. 443, 446 + + Tournaments, origin of, ii. 134. Extinction of, 134 + + Tournefort, his inferiority as a botanist, ii. 201 + + Townsend, his views respecting political economy, ii. 304 + + Tracheae of plants, discovery of the, ii. 199 + + Trade-wind, tract north and south of the equator covered by the, + i. 101. Causes of the, 192. Way in which the trade-wind is connected + with the civilization of South America, 103 + + Trade, absurd notions respecting, in the 17th and 18th centuries, + i. 213. Number of laws passed by the English legislature respecting, + 213 _note_. Struggles of Parliament against the principles of free + trade, 215. Objects of early commercial treaties, 216 _note_. Why the + commercial spirit, formerly warlike, is now pacific, 218. Injuries + inflicted upon trade by the interference of legislators, 276. + Uncertainty of legislation the bane of commerce, 277, 278. Burke's + advocacy of free trade, 462. Effect of the protective spirit carried + into trade, ii. 107. Voltaire the first historian to recommend free + trade, iii. 304. The free trade of the American colonies in the + eighteenth century, 186 + + Tragedies of Corneille, period in which they appeared, ii. 209 + + Transubstantiation, relation of the Cartesian philosophy to the + doctrine of, ii. 90. Development of the doctrine of, by the + metaphysicians, 262 + + Travelling, advantages of, in producing contact and respect, and in + weakening the love of war, i. 219-221 + + Travis, George, his letters on the text of the Heavenly Witnesses, + i. 429 + + Trojan origin of different nations, believed in, in the Middle Ages, + i. 309 + + Tuffnel, the fifth-monarchy man, ii. 155 + + Turenne, created a marshal, ii. 98 + + Turgot, M., his lectures and their influence, ii. 320. Sir James + Mackintosh's opinion of his writings, 321. Influence he exercised + shortly before the Revolution, 329. His anti-ecclesiastical policy, + 333. Said to have been a Jansenist, 345 + + Turkey, causes of the war between Russia and, i. 95 + + Turks, their defeat before Vienna, ii. 447 + + Turku, the ancient name of Abo, i. 299 + + Turner, Sir James, his cruelties in Scotland, iii. 143, 144 _note_ + + Turpin, Archbishop of Rheims, his absurd history of Charlemagne, + i. 318 + + Turpin, M., suppression of his 'History of Siam,' ii. 238 + + + Understanding, Kant's views as to the scientific conception of the, + i. 18 _note_. Why controlled by the imagination in India, and + paramount in Greece, 138-146 + + United States of North America, rent paid by the cultivator in, in + proportion to the gross produce of the land, i. 75. Causes of low + rent, 76 _note_. Comparison of the history of England with that of the + United States, 240. Characteristics of American literature, 241. Love + of the people for the study of the law, 241 _note_. Policy of George + III. respecting, 477, 479. His hatred of the Americans, 480 _note_. + Effect of the Declaration of Independence in hastening the French + Revolution, ii. 416 + + Usury-laws, Adam Smith's views as to the, i. 214 _note_. Jeremy + Bentham's demolition of the, 214 _note_. Increase of usury due to the + attempts of legislators to keep it down, 283. Efforts of the Church to + suppress it, 283 _note_. Jeremy Bentham's treatment of the usury-laws + referred to, 284 _note_ + + + Vanity compared with pride, ii. 163 + + Vassy, massacre of, predominance of the theological spirit shown in + the, ii. 11 + + Vattel, his views as to political economy, i. 212 _note_. His + principles of foreign policy compared with those of Grotius, + ii. 40 _note_ + + Vega, Lope de, his offices in the Church and in the Inquisition, + ii. 479. His joy at the expulsion of the Moors from Spain, 496 _note_ + + Velly, character of his 'History of France,' ii. 300 + + Vendome, Duc de, his command of the Spanish army, ii. 517 + + Veneration, origin of, ii. 171 + + Venner, the fifth-monarchy man, ii. 155 + + Vergil, Polydore, his attack of the popular belief in the Trojan + descent of the English kings, i. 309 _note_ + + Verse, historical and scientific works written in, i. 293, 294 _note_. + See Poetry + + Vico, his opinions as to the real history of Rome, ii. 314 + + Villaret, character of his 'History of France,' ii. 300 + + Villaviciosa, Spanish poet, his office in the Inquisition, ii. 481 + + Vienna, defeat of the Turks before, ii. 447 + + Villenage, extinction of, in England, ii. 128 + + Visigoths, their settlement in Spain, and establishment of their Arian + opinions there, ii. 434. Attacked by the orthodox Franks, under Clovis + and his successors, 435 + + Voisins, Gilbert des, his Jansenism, ii. 345 + + Volcanic eruption of 1815 at Sumbawa, i. 126 _note_ + + Voltaire, his visit to England and study of its language and + literature, ii. 216-218. His admiration for England, 228. Persecutions + to which he was exposed, 231. His method of writing history compared + with that of Bossuet, 291. As instanced in his 'History of Charles + X.,' 292. Turns his attention to physical and speculative science, + 295. Returns to history, 295. His 'Age of Louis XIV.,' 296. His + 'Morals, Manners, and Character of Nations,' 297. His intellect, 301. + His habit of looking at epochs, and not at the character of the men by + whom a country is governed, 301. His tragedies, 302. His endeavours to + explain the origin of feudality, 302. His remark on licentious + religious ceremonies, 303. The first historian to recommend free + trade, 304. His anticipation of Malthus's principle, 304. His attack + on the admiration entertained for the Middle Ages, 305. And for the + pedantic admirers of antiquity and classical models, 306-308. Ignorant + prejudice against him in England, 313. His vast labours aided by + Montesquieu, 314 + + + Wace, his translation into Anglo-Norman of Geoffrey of Monmouth's + history, i. 325 + + Wages, in what they consist, i. 52. And on what they depend, 53. + Enquiry into the physical conditions which over supply the labour + market and keep the average rate of wages at a low point, 54 _et seq._ + Effects of climate on wages, 62-64. Social and political consequences + of the high rate of wages in Europe, 65. Highest, lowest, and average + rates of wages in England during the last few years, 66 _note_. Rates + of wages in Ireland, 67. And in India, 73, 74. Adam Smith's views as + to the conflict between capital and, iii. 327 + + Wales, injuries done by clerical historians to the traditions of the + bards of, i. 306 + + Wall, his part in Spanish affairs, ii. 544 + + Walpole, Sir Robert, endeavours of the House of Commons to hunt him to + the death, i. 452. His refusal to tax the colonies, 478 + + War, decline of the practice of, i. 190. Causes of this, 190, 191, + 198. Military spirit of Russia and Turkey, and its causes, 195, 196. + Love of war extinct in England, 198. Contrast between the military + genius of ancient and modern Europe, 199-202. Causes of the decay of + this genius in modern times, 202-223. The right of private war allowed + to the French nobles, ii. 115. Early extinction of private war in + England, 138 + + Warburton, Dr., Bishop of Gloucester, his separation of theology from + politics, i. 425. Effect of his opinions, 426 + + Watches, superiority of the English in the seventeenth century, + ii. 193 _note_ + + Water, methods employed by Watt and Cavendish in the discovery of, + iii. 403 + + Watson's 'History of Philip II.,' translated by Mirabeau, ii. 225 + + Watt, James, his invention of the steam-engine, iii. 402. His + discovery of the composition of water, and the method employed, 403 + + Wealth, effects of climate, food, and soil on the accumulation of, + i. 41. Effects of wealth on the existence of an intellectual class, + 42. Physical causes by which the creation of wealth is governed, + 42 _et seq._ Laws of the distribution of wealth, 51. Interest, + profits, and wages, 52. Causes of the unequal distribution of wealth + in India in all ages, 72-77 + + Weather, alleged effect of gloomy, on the love of suicide, + i. 220 _note_ + + Wellington, Duke of, his character as a warrior and statesman, i. 201, + 202 + + Welsh, John, story of, and the Popish mocker, iii. 212 + + Werner, A. G., character of his method of geological speculation, + iii. 393 + + Wesley, John, his abilities as a theological statesman, i. 421, 422. + Calumnies and insults to which he and his followers were subjected by + the clergy, 423. His ambitious views as to his sect, 424 _note_ + + Westphalia, Congress of, purely secular policy of the, ii. 41. The + revenues of the Church seized by the contracting parties, 41. + Indignation of the pope at the treaty, 41 _note_ + + Whewell, Dr., his errors, ii. 401 _note_ + + Whigs, their long monopoly of power, i. 443. Displaced by the Tories + in the reign of George III., 443, 446 + + Whitby, first printing office in, i. 432 _note_ + + White, Blanco, on free will, quoted, i. 15 _note_ + + Whitefield, George, his career, i. 421 _note_. Character of his + sermons, 421 _note_. Excitement produced by him, 421 _note_. + Opposition of the clergy to him, 423, 424 _note_ + + Wightman, one of the last English martyrs to religious opinions, + i. 345 _note_ + + Will, free, controversies of the Calvinists and Arminians as to, + ii. 338 + + William the Conqueror, his modification of the feudal system in + England, ii. 114 + + William III., main characteristics of the reign of, i. 402, 403. + Eulogy of Sir A. Alison, 403 _note_. Hostility between the King and + the clergy, 405. His abolition of episcopacy in Scotland, 406. His + deprivation of the Archbishop of Canterbury and six of his brethren, + 410 + + Williams, John, Bishop of Lincoln, the last ecclesiastical lord + keeper, i. 417 _note_ + + Witchcraft, period of the destruction of the old notions respecting, + i. 363 _note_. Charge of Chief Baron Hale in 1665, 363 _note_. The + last witches executed in England and in Spain, 364 _note_. John + Wesley's belief in the existence of witches, 364 _note_. Repeal of the + statutes against witchcraft, 364 _note_. Witchcraft in Scotland, + iii. 37 + + Woodrow, value of his 'Analecta,' iii. 230 _note_ + + Wool manufactures of Spain in the eighteenth century, ii. 542 + + Writing, invention of, a cause of error in history, i. 296. Modes in + which it effects this, 296, 297 + + + Yeomanry, rights of English, ii. 119. Unknown in France, 120. Decay of + the Yeomanry in England, 120 _note_ + + Yeomen of the Guard, establishment of the, ii. 7 _note_ + + + Zamora, Spanish poet, ii. 480 + + Zoology, state of the science of, in France under Louis XIV., ii. 197 + + Zoology, generalizations in, of Frenchmen in the eighteenth century, + ii. 375. The statical and dynamical parts of, 375. Impetus given to + the science by Cuvier and Bichat, 376-381 + + Zurich, antiquity of, according to Swiss authorities, i. 312 + + + THE END. + + * * * * * + + LONDON: PRINTED BY + SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE + AND PARLIAMENT STREET + + * * * * * + + + + +Transcriber's Notes: + +The original spelling and minor inconsistencies in the spelling and +formatting have been maintained. + +Inconsistent hyphenation and accents are as in the original if not marked +as a misprint. + +Index entries out of sequence have not been corrected. + +Text in italics has been marked with underscores (_text_). + +The ligatures OE and oe have been marked as [OE] and [oe], the acute +accent above r as [/r] and the macron above a letter as [=letter]. + +The sign ^ has been used as a superscript. + +The table below lists all corrections applied to the original text. + + p. xii: 361-sqq. -> 361-seq. + p. xiv: 420-sqq. -> 420-seq. + p. 7: vol iv. p. 313: -> p. 313; + p. 7: vol. xviii. p, 309 -> p. 309 + p. 12: by the English. -> by the English.' + p. 13: Somerville's Memoire -> Memorie + p. 18: sovereignty over Scotland. -> Scotland.' + p. 18: Chalmer's Caledonia -> Chalmers' Caledonia + p. 20: days of Robert the First, -> First,' + p. 21: 18, 27, 375; vol. -> 18, 27, 375, vol. + p. 21: 485; vol. x. p. 584; vol. -> 485, vol. x. p. 584, vol. + p. 23: Extract from the -> Extracts from the + p. 24: mercery and haberdashery. -> haberdashery.' + p. 25: vol. i. p. 512 -> 512. + p. 26: the bishop and chapter. -> chapter.' + p. 29: though it is is -> though it is + p. 30: Great Tay, through Perth, -> 'Great + p. 31: ces salles parees. -> parees, + p. 37: the Spottiswoode -> The Spottiswoode + p. 41: could sign his own name.' -> name." + p. 46: justiciaries to assist. -> assist.' + p. 50: not the king himselue -> himselfe + p. 62: Calderwood's Historie -> History + p. 64: Henry VIII., "in -> 'in + p. 65: Pitcairn's Criminal Trials of -> in + p. 66: favor ony heretike. -> heretike.' + p. 78: 'the secound of Maij. -> 'the secound of Maij.' + p. 80: he (the orator)' -> he (the orator) + p. 86: on the extreame povertie -> 'on + p. 91: "To requyre payment -> 'To + p. 94: _Church and State in Scotland_ vol. -> _Scotland_, vol. + p. 95: in this reformed Kirk. -> Kirk.' + p. 97: and ordaines, That -> that + p. 106: miscreants and bribers -> bribers. + p. 107: salbe the worst.' -> worst."' + p. 111: Edinburgh, 1847. p. xxxix. -> Edinburgh, 1847, p. xxxix. + p. 119: of Montrose, in 1600 -> 1600. + p. 121: pp. 265, 266, 272; vol. -> 272, vol. + p. 129: twentie thowsand pounds." -> twentie thowsand pounds.' + p. 137: The Diary of Mr. John Lamont, -> Lamont + p. 147: Duke of York's instigation. -> instigation.' + p. 147: instigation.' _Shield's Hind let loose_ -> Shields' Hind + p. 147: See _Shield's Hind let loose_ -> Shields' Hind + p. 148: According to Burnet, the -> 'the + p. 149: with an exquisite torture; -> torture;' + p. 152: greatest of his works -> works. + p. 154: to about 4500 men; -> men;' + p. 158: London, 4to, 1817, vol ii. p -> vol. ii. p. + p. 162: Fountainhall's Notes on -> Notes of + p. 204: _Burnet's History of his own Time_, vol -> vol. + p. 211: whole counsel of God. -> God.' + p. 215: before he reached him!"' -> him!' + p. 218: p. 43, in vol i. -> vol. i. + p. 224: _Binning's Sermons_, vol. ii. p. 118; vol. -> 118, vol. + p. 226: his people by Satan, -> Satan,' + p. 228: and continoues sick." -> sick.' + p. 228: when this happened. -> happened.' + p. 250: Fleming's Fulfilling of -> of the + p. 250: Balfour's Annals -> Annales + p. 253: then when they are are -> then when they are + p. 254: and we should chose -> choose + p. 262: On the 22d October -> On the 22nd October + p. 264: The History -> Historie + p. 280: _Chalmers' Caledonia_, vol -> vol. + p. 287: _Gray's Precious Promises_, p. 139 -> p. 139. + p. 288: _of Edinburgh_,, -> _of Edinburgh_, + p. 311: vol. ii. p. 23, seqq. -> vol. ii. pp. 23 seq. + p. 312: united with biography, -> biography. + p. 313: vol. ii. p: 206. -> p. 206. + p. 328: the wages of labour. -> labour.' + p. 333: _Brougham's Works_, Glasgow, 1856. -> 1856, + p. 336: to determine what Adam's -> Adam + p. 338: Moral Sentiment -> Sentiments + p. 349: of Smith, not -> nor + p. 352: murder by persons unknown?' -> unknown? + p. 358: pp. 36, 37, 340, 343; vol. -> 343, vol. + p. 358: pp. 115, 116, 288-299; vol. -> 288-299, vol. + p. 358: vol. i. p. 305; vol. -> 305, vol. + p. 359: vol. i. p. 329, 334; vol. -> 334, vol. + p. 361: into execution in his writings. -> writings.' + p. 368: concealed in them,--_latet_ -> _latent_ + p. 387: says of it, very grvaely -> gravely + p. 392: strata from the year 1790. -> 1790.' + p. 398: were of igneous origin. -> origin.' + p. 410: if not superior, to Newton. -> Newton.' + p. 436: _Hunter's Works_, vol. i. p. 43; vol. -> 43, vol. + p. 473: 'The members were of opinion that it was -> 'that it was + p. 483: Geoffrey of Monmouth, i. 324. -> i. 324 + p. 484: statement respecting, ii. 281. -> ii. 281 + p. 488: one of Linnaeus, -> one of Linnaeus, ii. + p. 490: civil war, ii, -> ii. + p. 491: at an early period in, -> at an early period in, i. + p. 492: peace of Westphalia, ii, -> ii. + p. 494: they appeared, ii. 208. -> 208 + p. 496: his secular philosophy, 329 -> 329. + p. 497: with the clergy, 420, -> 420. + p. 497: for the relief of the, 463. -> 463 + p. 498: Dryburgh Abbey -> Abbey, + p. 498: sixteenth century, iii. 30. -> sixteenth century, 30. + p. 500: term of years first authorized. -> authorized, + p. 501: establishments of, -> establishments of, i. + p. 502: first financial reforms, i. -> first financial reforms, + p. 502: Fossils; -> Fossils, + p. 504: Francis 1. of France -> Francis I. of France + p. 505: surrounded his accession, -> surrounded his accession, i. + p. 505: 'Letters' of, ii, -> ii. + p. 506: of political degradation. -> degradation, + p. 506: admiration for England, ii, -> ii. + p. 507: studies in crystallography -> crystallography, + p. 508: causes of the, i. 144. -> i. 144 + p. 510: French by Le Blanc, ii, -> ii. + p. 511: in the reign of Louis XIV., -> in the reign of Louis XIV., ii. + p. 512: of the government, 494, -> 494. + p. 514: Ismorphism -> Isomorphism + p. 515: his accession, -> his accession, i. + p. 515: 'Ecclesiastical Polity,' -> 'Ecclesiastical Polity,' i. + p. 519: literary class, 239 _note_. -> _note_ + p. 520: to favour the King, 297. -> 297 + p. 520: the Jansenists, ii. 344 -> the Jansenists, 344 + p. 521: of human knowledge, 229. -> 229 + p. 523: drained by the, 97 -> drained by the, i. 97 + p. 524: literature, i. 437 _note_. -> _note_ + p. 525: Calvinist opinions, 345. -> 345 + p. 530: Mathew Paris, i. 315. -> Mathew Paris, 315. + p. 533: theory of rent, i. 250 -> theory of rent, 250 + p. 534: Religious teleration -> toleration + p. 534: clergy inevitable, ii. 347. -> clergy inevitable, 347. + p. 535: pointed out by Descartes, -> pointed out by Descartes, ii. + p. 543: once inspired, ii. 262. -> once inspired, 262. + p. 544: in the eighteenth century, 558 -> 186 + p. 545: conception of the, 18 -> conception of the, i. 18 + p. 546: aided by Montesquieu, 314. -> 314 + p. 546: tax the colonies, 478 -> 478 + p. 547: office in, i 432 -> office in, i. 432 + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of History of Civilization in England, +Vol. 3 of 3, by Henry Thomas Buckle + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION IN ENGLAND, III *** + +***** This file should be named 44495.txt or 44495.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/4/9/44495/ + +Produced by David Clarke, Jens Nordmann and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This +file was produced from images generously made available +by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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