Life of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume 1 (of 2) — John Shaqi
Life of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume 1 (of 2)Bell, Henry Glassford
History
Life of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume 1 (of 2)
Bell, Henry Glassford
Mary, Queen of Scots, 1542-1587
The calamities which, after the lapse of a century, again overtook the
house of Stuart, recalled attention to the discussions concerning Mary;
and though time had softened the asperity of the disputants, the question
was once more destined to become connected with party prejudices. From the
publication of Crawford's "Memoirs," in 1705, down to the appearance of
Chalmers's "Life of Mary," in 1818, the history of the Queen of Scots has
continued one of those standard subjects which has given birth to a new
work, at least every five years. A few of the more important may be
mentioned. In 1725, Jebb published his own life of Mary, and his
collection, in two volumes folio, of works which had previously appeared
both for and against her. The former production is of little value, but
the latter is exceedingly useful, and indeed no one can write with
fairness concerning Mary, without consulting it. Lives of the Queen by
Heywood and Freebairn, shortly succeeded, both of whom were anxious to
vindicate her, but in their anxiety, overshot the mark. In 1728,
Anderson's "Collections" were presented to the public, containing many
papers of interest and value, which are not to be found elsewhere. But
they are often disingenuously garbled, that Mary may be made to appear in
an unfavourable light; and a more recent author informs us, that they
were, in consequence, "sold as waste paper, leaving the editor ruined in
his character, and injured in his prospects."
In Scotland, the Rebellion of 1715, powerfully revived the animosities
which had never lain entirely dormant since the establishment of a new
dynasty, in 1688; and the transition from Charles to his ancestor Mary,
was easy and natural. The second Rebellion in 1745, did not diminish the
interest taken in the Queen of Scots, nor the ardor with which the
question of her wrongs or crimes was agitated. In 1754, Mr Goodall,
librarian to the Faculty of Advocates, made a valuable addition to the
works already extant on the subject, in his "Examination" of the letters
attributed to Mary. His habits of laborious research, combined with no
inconsiderable powers of reasoning, enabled him not only to bring together
many original papers, not before published, but to found on these much
acute argument, and deduce from them many sound conclusions. Goodall's
work will never be popular, because it is full of ancient documents, which
one is more willing to refer to than to read; but, as may be remarked of
Jebb and Anderson, he who means to write of Mary, should not commence
until he has also carefully perused the "Examination."
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