THE

ENGLISH REVIEW,

For DECEMBER 1796.

ART. I. Hiftory of Great Britain, from the Death of Henry VIII. to the Acceffion of James VI. of Scotland to the Crown of England. Being a Continuation of Dr. Henry's Hiftory of Great Britain, and written on the fame Plan. By James Pettit Andrews, F. S. A. Vol. I. pp. 468. 4to. 11. 1s. boards. Cadell and Davies. London, 1796.

TO every ingenious and cultivated mind, the hiftory of Hume, which is a philofophical view of human nature placed in various fituations, will appear, beyond all comparison, the moft pleafing and inftructive of any that have yet appeared; the hiftory of Great Britain by Cunningham, from the reign of James II. where Hume leaves off, to the acceffion of George I. alone excepted for this admirable work, in comprehenfion of views, extent of learning, profoundness of obfervation, and clearness of arrangement, is not inferior to that of our great English historian; while, in a knowledge of political details, and an acquaintance with the principal characters in the hiftoric drama, and confequently many pleafing anecdotes, it is even fuperior. In fome former volumes of our Journal we have given. our opinion of the voluminous works of Dr. Henry; for which opinion, and many extracts that might either juftify our opinion in the eyes of our readers, or enable them, in fome measure, to judge for themselves, we must refer to the indexes to those voJumes. We fhall not waste space and time with a recapitulation of our criticifms on this reverend hiftorian in this place; efpecially as our fentiments are different from thofe of fo refpectable a judge ENG. REV. VOL. XXVIII. DEC. 1796.

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and pattern of hiftorical compofition as Mr. Andrews; virtually expreffed by his doing Dr. Henry the honour of writing a continuation of his hiftory. This, however, we may be permitted to fay, that, in order to relifh the excellencies, or, we fhall fay, the peculiar vein or spirit of any compofition, there must be a certain degree of congeniality between the mind of the writer and that of the reader. Dr. Henry's hiftory feems to have obtained an acceptation little lefs favourable, in England (not either in Scotland, or on the continent of Europe), than that which is now univerfally bestowed on that of the fublime Mr. Hume.There is a research into antiquities in Henry, a minuteness of detail, and a fort of historical goffipping, mixed, here and there, with a coarse and vulgar humour, and attempt at wit, that, it feems, is in perfect unifon with the tafte of a great many readers among the good people of this country. We cannot, by any means, congratulate Mr. Andrews on abandoning or interrupting his own judicious, interefting, and really philofophical plan of connecting the hiftory of Great Britain with what is most important in that of Europe, in order to take up and carry on that of Henry; into whofe perfon and character he enters, as much as he can, by imagination; annihilating, in fome degree, in this unfortunate metamorphofis, his own perfonal identity. It was glorious for Elifha to catch and involve himfelf in the mantle of Elijah adopted, without tafting of death, among immortal and celestial beings. It is rather inglorious for Mr. Andrews to wrap himself up in the patchwork cloak of Dr. Henry. Agreeably to this act of felf-humiliation, we find Mr. Andrews, in his preface, acknowledging his obligations to certain names that cannot furely be confidered as luminaries of northern hiftory; and the mention of which, as advifers and guides, in fuch researches as those in which he was engaged, is but little calculated to produce a prepoffeffion in favour of his work. But, inftead of criticifing Mr. Andrews's defign, let us attend, according to our profeffion of analytical and critical reviewers, to the manner in which he has carried it into execution.

In the enfuing volume each track of the refpectable hiftorian above mentioned has been followed with measured steps. The titles of his books, fections, and chapters, and even most of his marginal references, have been copied with precifion. One page in the Section of Commerce, dedicated to inventions and improvements,' is the only addition which the continuator has prefumed to make; except, indeed, that of a copious index, a neceffary appendage to hiftory, although often neglected by the hiftorian as too mechanical a task.'

CONTENTS

CONTENTS OF THE SEVENTH BOOK.

CHAP. I. PART I.

The Civil and Military Hiftory of England, from the Death of Henry VIII. A. D. 1547, to the Death of Elizabeth, A. D. 1603.

Sect. 1. The Civil and Military Hiftory of England, from the Death of Henry VIII. A. D. 1547, to the Flight of Mary Stuart into England, A. D. 1569.

Sect. 2. The Civil and Military Hiftory of England, from the Flight of Mary Stuart into England, A. D. 1569, to the Death of Elizabeth, A. D. 1603.

CHAP. I. PART II.

The Civil and Military Hiftory of Scotland, from the Acceffion of Mary, A. D. 1542, to the Acceffion of fames VI. to the Crown of England, A. D. 1603.

CHAP. II.

Ecclefiaftical Hiftory of Great Britain, from A. D. 1547 to A. D. 1603.

Sect. 1. Ecclefiaftical Hiftory of England, from the Death of Henry VIII. A. D. 1547, to the Acceffion of James I. A. D. 1603.

Sect. 2. The Ecclefiaftical Hiftory of Scotland, from the Death of James V. A. D. 1542, to the Acceffion of James VI. of Scotland to the Crown of England, A. D. 1603.

CHA P. III.

Hiftory of the Conflitution, Government, and Laws, of Great Britain, from A. D. 1547 to A. D. 1603.

Sect. 1. Hiftory of the Conftitution, Government, and Laws, of England, from A. D. 1547 to A. D. 1603.

Sect. 2. Hiftory of the Conftitution, Government, and Laws, of Scotland, from A. D. 1542 to A. D. 1603.

CHA P. IV.

Hiftory of Learning, of learned Men, and of the chief Seminaries of Learning that were founded in Great Britain from A. D. 1547 to A. D. 1603

Sect. 1. Hiftory of Learning, of learned Men, and of the chief Seminaries of Learning that were founded in Great Britain from A. D. 1547 to A. D. 1603.

Sect. 2. Hiftory of the most dearned Perfons who flourished in Great Britain from A. D. 1547 to A. D. 1603.

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Sect.

Sect. 3. Hiftory of the principal Seminaries of Learning that were founded in Great Britain from A D. 1547 fo A.D. 1603. CHAP. V.

Hiftory of the Arts in Great Britain, from the Acceffion of Edward VI. A. D. 1547, to the Acceffion of James 1. A. D. 1603Sect. 1. Hiftory of the neceffary and useful Arts.

Sect. 2. History of the Fine Arts, Sculpture, Painting, Poetry, and Mufic, in Great Britain, from A. D. 1547 to A. D. 1603.

CHAP. VI. :

The History of Commerce, Coin, and Shipping, in Great Britain, from the Acceffion of Edward VI. A. D. 1547, to that of James I. A. D. 1603.

CHAP. VII.

Hiftory of the Manners, Virtues, Vices, Remarkable Cuftoms, Language, Drefs, Diet, and Diverfions, of the People of Great Britain, from the Acceffion of Edward VI. A. D. 1547, to that of James I. and VI. A. D. 1603.

APPENDIX.

EXTRACT from the History of the Manners, &c. of the People of Great Britain, from the Acceffion of Edward VI. A. D. 1547, to that of fames 1. and VI. A. D. 1603.

Thofe who have been accustomed to hear of the hardy manners of Elizabeth's age, will wonder at the following remark of Dr. Caius, which charges thofe fancied patterns of flurdy manlinefs with effeminate delicacy: The olde manly hardiness, floute courage, and painfulness of Englande, is utterly driven away; in the fteade whereof men now-a-daies receive womanlinefs, and become nice; not able to withstande a blaste of wynde,' &c.

The fashion of revenging private wrongs by fomewhat very like affaffination, was too common among the great as well as the inferior ranks of fociety..

The memoirs of Cary, Earl of Monmouth, afford an inftance of the prevalence of gaming at the court of Elizabeth. I had no mind,' fays he, to ftay in the court; but having given out fome money to go on foot in twelve days to Berwick, I performed it that fummer, which was worth to me two thoufand pounds; which bettered me to live at court a good while after.'

The probity of the inferior people appears in no favourable light; nor did the adminiflration of the police contribute much to the extirpation of profligacy.

Drinking had its votaries in abundance. Much time was spent by the citizens of London at their numerous taverns. In the country,

if

if a bitter writer of the time may find credit, every public houfe was crowded from morn to night with determined drunkards.

Camden, who allows the increate of drunkennefs among the low English, imputes it to their familiarity with the Flemings in the Low Country wars.

The practice of perpetual fwearing can only feek for extenuation in recurring to the general custom of Europe.

Credulity reigned throughout Great Britain with unlimited sway. But this was the favourite folly of Europe; and when the firm mind of Elizabeth could defcend to court the fcience of Dr. Dee; and while the column used by the wicked, wife, and accomplished Catherine di Medicis to confult her mages, till exifts; we must not wonder at the ⚫chriftened cat' of james, nor the entire belief of witchcraft, both in England and, Scotland, in the fixteenth century.

That we may not judge too hardly of the English from the foregoing picture of their manners, it were but juft to compare their faults with those of the other Europeans of the fixteenth century. Inhumanity and rapacity will then be found to have ruled the continent; and the maffacres of France, the gibbets and wheels of the Netherlands, the affaffinations countenanced by Spain, and the poifonings encouraged in many Italian ftates, will hide the foibles of Great Britain in their gloomy and murderous fhade.

In point of national character, the Scots feem, in the latter half of the fixteenth century, to have had the advantage of their fouthern neighbours. Their zeal for religion was fincere, although incor.fiderately fervent; and their blind attachment to their teachers fprung" from a laudable eagerness to hear their doctrines uninterruptedly.

The fpirit of chivalry had reigned, a very fhort time before the reformation, as decidedly in Scotland as in any part of Europe; and the war which James ¡V. waged against his brother-in-law, Henry VIII. had no foundation except his romantic and fancied attachment to the Queen of France, whom he had never feen, and yet whose letters' (as his confort, Margaret of England, tenderly urged) had more influence on his conduct than the tears of his wife, and the remonftrances of his people.'

At length the long peace which followed the acceffion of Elizabeth to the English throne, and which terminated in a fœderal union of the filter kingdoms, in tome degree changed the manners of the Scots; directed that ferocious valour which used to harafs their rival neighbours against each one's domestic foe; and kindled among the once-peaceable districts a fpirit of revenge and plunder which had hitherto only been known to the borderers, or the leaft civilifed highland clans. Murders and conflagrations, the natural confequence of deadly feuds, were now too often perpetrated; nor could the we k efforts of the pacific James VI. protect the houfes and families of his fubjects.

It was rather among the lower than the higher orders of fociety that virtue was to be fought in the North. The men of rank were almost uniformly unprincipled, ambitious, and corrupt. There was a race run between the favourites and minifters of James VI. for the

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