As the nobles took the opposite side, and as the people had no in-
fluence, the success or failure of the Reformation in Scotland
was simply a question of the success or failure of the aristo-
cratic power

PAGE

215-218

218-219

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.
Directly he died, they regained authority. The clergy were dis-
placed, and measures favourable to Protestantism were adopted 219-222

In 1546, Cardinal Beaton was assassinated, and Knox began his

career

Subsequent proceedings of Knox

While Knox was abroad, the nobles established the Reformation.
He returned to Scotland in 1559, by which time the struggle was
nearly over

In 1559, the queen regent was deposed; the nobles became su-
preme; and, in 1560, the Church was destroyed
Immediately this revolution was completed, the nobles and the
preachers began to quarrel about the wealth of the Church

The nobles, thinking that they ought to have it, took it into their

own hands

223-224

225-226

227

228

229-232

232-233

233-236

Thereupon, the Protestant preachers said that the nobles were in-
stigated by the devil

Morton, who was at the head of the nobility, became enraged at

the proceedings of the new clergy, and persecuted them.

A complete rupture between the two classes
The clergy, finding themselves despised by the governing class,
united themselves heartily with the people, and advocated de-
mocratic principles.

.

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.

The first manifestation of this rebellious spirit was the attack on

the bishops

242

In 1575, the attack began. In 1580, episcopacy was abolished 243-244

But the nobles upheld that institution, because they loved in-

equality for the same reasons which made the clergy love

equality.

Struggle between the upper classes and the clergy respecting

episcopacy

In 1582, James VI. was imprisoned; and his captivity was jus-
tified by the clergy, whose democratic principles were now
openly proclaimed.

Violent language used by the clergy against the king and against

the nobles

Their leader, Melville, personally insulted the king, and they were
probably privy to the Gowrie conspiracy in 1600

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

PAGR

256

257-260

CHAPTER IV.

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 chastizing
the Scotch clergy

His cruel treatment of them.

In 1610, James, backed by the power of England, forced episco-
pacy upon Scotland. Courts of High Commission were also

set up
Tyrannical conduct of the bishops
Meanwhile, a reaction was preparing

261-267

267-269

270-271

272-274

274-276

In 1637, the reaction declared itself, and, in 1638, the bishops were
overthrown

.

276-278

280-281

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 de-
feated the king, sold him to the English, who executed him 278-280
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
But, after Charles II. mounted the throne of England, he became
powerful enough to triumph over the Scotch. He availed him-
self of that power to oppress Scotland even more grievously
than his two predecessors had done.
Happily, however, the spirit of liberty was strong enough to baffle
his attempts to establish a permanent despotism
Still, the crisis was terrible, and the people and their clergy were
exposed to every sort of outrage
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 affec-
tion towards James II., during whose reign cruelties were per-
petrated worse than any previously known

In 1688, another reaction, in which the Scotch again freed them-
selves from their oppressors

289-292

293

The only powerful friends of this bad government were the

Highlanders

Reasons which induced the Highlanders to rebel in favour of the
Stuarts

PAGE

293

293-295

The Highland rebellions of 1715 and 1745 were not the result of

loyalty

.

295-300

300

301-302

302-303

302

After 1745, the Highlanders sank into complete insignificance, and
the progress of Scotland was uninterrupted
Beginning of the trading spirit
Connexion between the rise of the trading spirit and the abolition,
in 1748, of hereditary jurisdictions
The abolition of these jurisdictions was a symptom of the declining
power of the Scotch nobles, but not a cause of it

One cause of the decline of their power was the Union with Eng-

land, in 1707

Another cause was the failure of the Rebellion of 1745.

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

This great democratic and liberating movement was aided by the

growth of the mercantile and manufacturing classes

And their growth was itself assisted by the Union with England

Evidence of the rapid progress of the industrious classes in the

first half of the eighteenth century

During the same period, a new and splendid literatur arose in

Scotland

322-323

325

But, unfortunately, this literature, notwithstanding its bold and
inquisitive spirit, was unable to diminish national superstition. 323-325

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.

The first and most essential quality of an historian, is a clear per-
ception 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

CHAPTER V.

AN EXAMINATION OF THE SCOTCH INTELLECT DURING THE

SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.

The rest of the Volume will be occupied with a still closer in-
vestigation of the double paradox presented by the history of
Scotland; namely, 1st, that the same people should be liberal

325-329

in politics, and illiberal in religion; and, 2d, that the free
and sceptical literature which they produced in the eighteenth
century, should have been unable to lessen their religious il-
liberality.

Their religious illiberality was the result of the immense power pos-
sessed by their clergy in the seventeenth century. The causes
of that power will be examined in the present chapter
The failure of their literature in diminishing this illiberality dur-
ing the eighteenth century, was the result of the peculiar
method of 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
Circumstances in the seventeenth century favourable to the influ-
ence of the Scotch clergy
While the English war against Charles I. was essentially political,
the Scotch war against him was essentially religious
Though this was the effect of Scotch superstition, it was also a
cause of its further progress
Hence, in the seventeenth century, secular interests were ne-
glected, and theological ones became supreme. Illustration
of this, from the zeal of the people to hear sermons of inordi-
nate frequency and of terrible length; so that they passed the
greater part of their lives in what were erroneously termed
religious exercises

The clergy availed themselves of these habits to extend and con-
solidate their own authority
Their great engine of power was the Kirk-Session. Tyranny of
the Kirk-Sessions .
Monstrous pretensions of the clergy

PAGE

330

331

331-332

332-335

335-338

339-340

341-343

343-344

Cases in which it was believed that these pretensions were upheld
and vindicated by miracles

The clergy, becoming elated, indulge in language of extraordinary
arrogance

They asserted that miracles were wrought in their behalf, and
often on their persons

The clergy, to intimidate the people, and bring them completely
under control, advocated horrible notions concerning evil
spirits and future punishments

With the same object they propounded notions more horrible still,
respecting the Deity, whom they represented as a cruel, pas-
sionate, and sanguinary Being

They, moreover, declared that harmless and even praiseworthy
actions were sinful, and would provoke the Divine wrath 383-392

To prevent such imaginary sins, the clergy made arbitrary regu-
lations, and punished those who disobeyed them, sometimes
by flogging, and sometimes by branding with hot irons, and
sometimes in other ways.

Specimens of the sins which the clergy invented

The result was, that all mirth, all innocent gaiety, all demonstra-

tions of happiness, and nearly all physical enjoyments, were

destroyed in Scotland

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
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.

In no Protestant country have the clergy pushed these narrow
and unsocial tenets so far as in Scotland.

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

PAGE

393

394-398

€ 398-399

399-400

401-405

405-406

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

But the peculiarity of the philosophy which now arose, is that,

instead of being an inductive philosophy, it was a deductive

one .

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

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

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

In this respect, Scotland is similar to Germany, but dissimilar to

England.