New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-25
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
FLETCHER OF sALToUN.
r,prcHER OF sALroUN. BY 9. W T. OIno ,e1
(Famous Scots Series) Duooe

ETCHER OF SALTOUN. Py u, ". 1co
Famous Scots Series) Duooeo' ~ ~
Charles Scribners Sons -, l.,
7, ,as thatcher of Saltoun who nrst saio III
,enguaoo that time and tradition nave iiii,
rroved oIf a man were permitted 10 Hiahe al
the ballads. he need not care VINO shouiu hiaNe
the laws Of a nation" But Fletcher was ~
ballad maker The little man. WIN oio" "
periwig OF lean face pockmarheo' voc :"
- al erhter-a fighter for the whimsical
human, full-bloodcd thing he caiieo oo"'
.o,n,oo He Was the most choleric and high
spirited of recalcltrants. He accohpa"'eu MN
.o,,,h IN his invasion Of England. and would
have followed him TO the end OF MS
u~ta,,iop had Il not been for the unhappy man
slaughter Of one Dare. recruiting olhcer "''u
,be Duke Thinking that times of danger were
-. .,as NJ ceremony Fletcher had taken
Dare's horse without leave. Dare oo)ec'ed' anu
cot 1ost foolish enough to think, from the CAIN
,.-aa...,,. % Thatcher that he could bully him
it, oi,irg IN the horse, had the insolence 10
.habo O stick in his face. On this Fletcher. IN
. nassioo pulled out a pistol. ard In another
r,or,ert Dare was q dead man." AS the coih-
mon neople took this fatal quarrel unkindiy' Ior
tho man Dare was no better than one OF theiii
Monmouth spirited Fletcher away IN Iisa'e
Fletcher had thrust his head too far INTO Nun
mouths conspiracy to withdraw "i'nou'
danger He was attained by the scotch Wv
crnment as traitor. His name ana rleno''
were declared extinct his blood tainted hiS ue
scendants incapable Of holding an! places u
honor. and all his estates forfeited 10 the Ofo""
No sooner had he set foot on Spanish shore
In his flight than he was appreh snoeo aio '"'
a. nr,son II is here that one has frst cause
- norvsI other at the strangeness OF Fletch-
sr.s adventures or the fertility Of his magma
,,on "Ons morninS," so ne Is reported to have
said .he was sitting at the Winoo" VI ms
nr1son. when venerable person appeaieu'
and made signs that he had something 70 Tell
him Fletcher somehow found an open door, d
which he was met by the venerable peisoh'
who led him past the sentinels. VINO. strange ~
say. were all fast asleep. AS soon as ne was
outside the prison his deliverer. VINO was
perfect strange, disappeared before ne na'
time to thank hiEn." little later fie'onei
sarvsd under the Duke of Lorraine against the
Turks in Hungary; then. on the occasion oi ''e
landing Of the Dutch Prince IN England he re-
,,,rnod 70 claim his sometime forfeited estates
Tell the King" he said to the Duke OF Hamh-
.o, 4" CHAT Fletcher Of saltoun has better
tight 70 hts estate than His Majesty to the
Crown"
Woe 70 the man who dared to test Fletchers
.harpness Of tongue Being In company with
IN. witty DR.. Pitcairn. the conversation turned
m q nerson Of learning whose history was not
a,stinctlv known 4 knew the man we'll. SAID
thatcher. he was hereditary Professor OF Dlvlh
,tv at HAMBURG Hereditary professor SAID
Pitcairn with a laugh of astonishment and de-
r,s,on. Yes Doctor replied Fletcher. 'heredi-
tarv Professor of Divinity. What think you OF
an hereditary King?
Fletcher was at heart republcan-as 1ar DIS
the union of England and Scotland Went
separatist-but for the ragged hordes OF staf'
,ny. offering incorrigby idle vagaponds 'ha'
ovarian both countries he had nothing peter
than slavery TO offer. Harmless beggars' ne as
serted should be employed as domestic slaves
rrha dangerous ruffans should be sent to Venice
"to serve In the galleys against the common
enemy Of Christendom," the Turk
In his youth Fletcher had STUDIED under
Bishop Burnet, whose History OF His Own
Times" Charles Lamb once characterised as
quite the prattle Of age and out-lived impor-
lance" But the mantle of the peacerul olo man
never fell on the young mans shoulder nor, hao
II done so, would It long have remained on
shoulders 80 restless and so perpetually young
He was nfty-four years Of age WREN he left the
Scotch House for the last time. THE day OF
his departure his friends crowded around him.
entreating him to stay. Even after his foot was
In the stirrup they continued their solicitations.
snxiously crying VIII you forsake your coun-
try? He reverted his head and darting on
them look Of indignation. keeny replied. n Is
Al only for the slaves that sold itr then leaped
upon the saddle and put spurs to his horse,
leaving the whole company struck with a mo-
mentary humiliation and (blnd to the extrava-
gance of his conducD at loss which most to
-. riAn 0phi ia viz nv ne
Of his spirit" Quoted by Mr.. Omond from the
History of Modern Europe. In a Series OF Let
tiers from Nobeman to His SOM
Fletcher, however was not 30 much an ir-
reconcilable as an irrepressible. He loved
change, and above all. fighting for q change
If his own schemes Of government had taken
place "he would have been the first man." It
used to be said, that would have attempted
alteration" To follow the ladle he dipped into
the political pot through all its turns and cir
Giles Is a difficult and a somewhat thankless task
Most readers will be content to know that he
stirred the pot and stirred II doughty. But II
Is primarily TO this more difficult task that Mr.
Omond has set himself in his biography Of
Fletcher.
It will not DO to say that Mr.. Omond has
taken F1etchers erratio political course se1-
ously. but he has investigated and recorded II
with conscientious exactitude. The picturesque
aspects Of Fletchers career he subordinates
though no by no means ignores them. II his
general purpose be granted him little fault ctn
be found with the author annalist. Were
his audience primarily American. he might be
charged with assuming his readers part too
much knowledge of the hero's time but he
writes. It must be remembered, for scotchmen
To the patriotic Scotchman Mr. Omonds mono
graph will be heartily welcome.
BOOKS OF THE WEEK.