ROBERTSON, William, one of the greatest historians of modern times, was the son of the Rev. William Robertson, minister of Borthwick, in the county of Edinburgh, and of Eleanor, the daughter of David Pitcairne, Esq. of Dreghorn. He was descended from the Robertsons of Gladney, a branch of the family which for many fenerations has possessed the estate of Struan in Perthshire.

He was born at Borthwick in the year 1721, and received his early education at Dalkeith school, under Mr Leslie, a classical teacher of much reputation. In 1733 his father became one of the ministers of Old Greyfriar’s Church in Edinburgh, and towards the close of the same year, the son commenced his academical studies. He speedily distinguished himself as a young man of superior talents and attainments. He obtained his license in 1741, and in 1743 he was appointed minister of Gladsmuir in the county of Haddington. In 1758 he was translated to Lady Yester’s parish in Edinburgh, and other preferments speedily followed. In 1759 he was appointed chaplain of Stirling Castle; in 1761, one of his Majesty’s chaplains in ordinary; and in 1762 he was elected principal of the university. In 1764 the office of historiographer to the king for Scotland was revived in his favour, and was accompanied with a salary of two hundred pounds a year. The emoluments arising from this accumulation of offices far exceeded what any Presbyterian clergyman in Scotland had previously enjoyed. About the period of his translation to Edinburgh he was created D. D.

We find it difficult to ascertain at what period were first unfolded the great and singular talents which destined Dr Robertson to be one of the first writers that rescued this island from the reproach of not having any good historians. We are, however, assured, that before the publication of any of his literary performances, even from his first appearance in public life, his abilities had begun to attract the notice of observing men; and to his more intimate friends he discovered marks of such high-minded ambition, as, seconded by those abilities, could not have failed to carry him to tile first honours of his profession, in whatever sphere he had been placed, and whatever opposition he might have had to encounter.

The first theatre that offered for the display of his talents was the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. It is the annual meetings of this court that produce to view men who would otherwise remain in the deepest obscurity. There the humble pastor, whose lot has been cast in the remotest corner of the Highland wilds, feels himself, for a time, on a footing of equality with the first citizen in the kingdom: he can there dispute with him the prize of eloquence, the most flattering distinction to a liberal mind; a distinction which is naturally sought after with the greater eagerness in that assembly, as the simple establishment of the Church of Scotland has rendered it the only pre-eminence to which the greatest part of its members can ever hope to attain.

From the moment Dr Robertson first appeared in this assembly, he became the object of universal attention and applause. His speeches were marked with the same manly and persuasive eloquence that distinguishes his historical compositions; and it was observed by all, that while his young rivals in oratory contented themselves with opening a cause, or delivering a studied harangue, he showed equal ability to start objections or to reply; and that even his most unpremeditated effusions were not unadorned with those harmonious and seemingly measured periods which have been so much admired in his works of labour and reflection. He soon came to be considered as the ablest supporter of the cause which he chose to espouse, and was now the unrivalled leader of one of the great parties which have long divided the church of which he was a member. When we reflect upon this circumstance, and consider how much mankind are the same in every society, we shall be the less surprised to find in the literary works of Dr Robertson an acquaintance with the human heart, and a knowledge of the world, which we in vain look for in many other historians. The man who has spent his life in the difficult task of conducting the deliberations of a popular assembly, in regulating the passions, the interests, the prejudices, of a numerous faction, has advantages over the mere man of letters, which no ability, no study, no second-hand information, can ever compensate.

The first work which extended his reputation beyond the walls of the General Assembly was a sermon preached at Edinburgh in 1758 before the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge, the subject of which was, “The State [7:19:301]of the World at the Appearance of Jesus Christ.” The ingenuity with which a multiplicity of detached circumstances are there collected, and shown to tend to one single point, afforded a fair promise of those peculiar powers which he so conspicuously displayed in his historical works. This sermon, which was immediately published, did great honour to the author; and it is probably to the reputation which he thus acquired, that we are to attribute the unanimity with which he was called to be one of the ministers of Edinburgh.

In 1759, he published, in two volumes quarto, “The History of Scotland during the reigns of Queen Mary, and of King James VI. till his accession to the Crown of England, with a Review of the Scots History previous to that period.” This work, in its structure, is one of the most complete of all modern histories. It is not a dry jejune narrative of events, destitute of ornament; nor is it a mere frothy relation, all glow and colouring. The historian discovers sufficient powers of imagination to engage the reader’s attention, with a due proportion of judgment to check the exuberance of fancy. The arrangement of his work is admirable, and his descriptions are animated. His style is copious, nervous, and correct. He has displayed consummate skill in rendering such passages of our history as are familiar to our recollection agreeable and entertaining. He has embellished old materials with all the elegance of modern dress. He has very judiciously avoided too circumstantial a detail of trite facts. His narratives are succinct and spirited; his reflections copious, frequent, and generally pertinent. His sentiments respecting the guilt of Mary have indeed been warmly controverted by Tytler, Stuart, and Whitaker; and, till the publication of Mr Laing’s Dissertation on the same subject, the general opinion seemed to be that their victory was complete. Dr Robertson was no rancorous or malignant enemy of the unfortunate queen. While relating what he doubtless believed, he makes every possible allowance for Mary from the circumstances in which she was placed; and his history will be read with pleasure by candid men of all parties as long as the language in which it is composed shall continue to be understood.

In 1769, Dr Robertson published, in three volumes quarto, “The History of the Reign of the Emperor Charles V. with a View of the Progress of Society in Europe from the Subversion of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the sixteenth century.” The vast and general importance of the period which this history comprises, together with the reputation which the historian had deservedly acquired, cooperated to raise such high expectations in the public, that no work perhaps was ever more impatiently expected, or perused with greater avidity. The first volume, which contains an able and eloquent view of the progress of society, is a very valuable part of the work; for it serves not only as a key to the pages that follow, but may be considered as a general introduction to the stu<ly of the history of that period, in which the several powers of Europe were formed into one great political system, in which each took a station, in which it long remained, with less alterations than could have been expected, after the shocks occasioned by so many internal revolutions and so many foreign wars. Of the history itself, it may be sufficient to observe, that it has secured to the author a place among the greatest historians of modern times. It is distinguished by elegance of expression, depth of discernment, and correctness of judgment. The characters are drawn with singular skill. They are not contrasted by a studied antithesis, but by an opposition which results from a very acute and penetrating insight into the real merits of each character, fairly deduced from the several circumstances of his conduct exemplified in the history. For this work the author received L.4500 sterling.

In 1779, Dr Robertson published “The History of America,” in two volumes quarto. This celebrated work may with great propriety be considered as a sequel to the preceding history. From the close of the fifteenth century we date the most splendid era in the annals of modern times. Discoveries were then made, the influence of which descended to posterity; and events happened that gave a new direction to the spirit of nations. To the inhabitants of Europe, America was in every respect a new world. There the face of the earth changed its appearance. The plants and trees and animals were strange, and nature seemed no longer the same. A continent opened that appeared to have recently come from the hands of the Creator, and which showed lakes, rivers, and mountains on a grander scale, and the vegetable kingdom in greater magnificence, than in the other quarters of the globe, but the animal tribes in a state of degradation, few in number, degenerated in kind, imperfect, and unfinished. The human species in the earliest stage of its progress, vast and numerous nations in the rudest form of the savage state which philosophers have contemplated, and two great empires in the lowest degree of civilization which any records have transmitted to our review, presented to the philosophic eye at this period the most fruitful subject of speculation that was to be found in the annals of history. The discovery of the New World, moreover, was not only a curious spectacle to the philosopher, but, by the change which it effected, an interesting spectacle to the human race. When Columbus set sail for unknown lands, he little expected that he was to make a revolution in the system of human affairs, and to influence the future destiny of Europe. The importance and celebrity therefore of the subject bad attracted the attention of philosophers and historians. Views and sketches of the New World had been given by able writers, and splendid portions of the American story had been adorned with all the beauties of eloquence. But previously to the appearance of Dr Robertson’s history, no author had bestowed the mature and profound investigation which such a subject required, or had exhibited that complete narration and perfect whole which it is the province of the historian to transmit to posterity. And as the subject upon which the author entered was grand, his execution was masterly. The character of his former works was immediately discerned in this. They had been read with uncommon admiration. When the History of Scotland was first published, and the author altogether unknown, Lord Chesterfield pronounced it to be equal in eloquence and beauty to the production of Livy, the purest and most classical of all the Roman historians. His literary reputation was not confined to his own country: the testimony of Europe was soon added to the voice of Britain. It may indeed be mentioned, as the characteristic quality of the author’s manner, that he possessed in no common degree that supported elevation which is suitable to compositions of the higher class; and in his History of America he displayed that happy union of strength and grace which becomes the majesty of the historic muse. In the fourth book of his first volume, which contains a description of America when first discovered, and a philosophical inquiry into the manners and policy of its ancient inhabitants, he displays moreover so much patient investigation and sound philosophy, abounds in such beautiful or interesting description, and exhibits such variety and copiousness of elegant writing, that future times will probably refer to it as that part of his works which gives the best idea of his genius, and is the most finished of all his productions.

In 1787 appeared a translation of Clavigero’s History of Mexico in which work the author hazarded various reflections, tending in several instances to impeach the credit of Dr Robertson’s History of America. This attack induced the learned historian to revise his work, and to in[7:19:302]quire into the truth of the charges brought against it by the historian of New Spain; and this he appears to have done with a becoming attention to the importance of the facts that are controverted, and to the common interests of truth. The result he published in 1788, under the title of “Additions and Corrections to the former Editions of Dr Robertson’s History of America.” In many of the disputed passages, he fully answered Clavigero and vindicated himself; in others he candidly submitted to correction, and thus gave additional value to his own work.

The literary labours of Dr Robertson appear to have been terminated in 1791, by the publication of “An Historical Disquisition concerning the Knowledge which the Ancients had of India, and the Progress of Trade with that country prior to the Discovery of the Passage to it by the Cape of Good Hope; with an Appendix, containing Observations on the Civil Polity, the Laws, and Judicial Proceedings, the Arts, the Sciences, and Religious Institutions of the Indians.” The perusal of Major Rennell’s Memoir, for illustrating his map of Hindustan, suggested to Robertson the design of examining more fully than he had done in his History of America, into the knowledge which the ancients had of India, and of considering what is certain, what is obscure, and what is fabulous, in their accounts of that remote country. Of his various performances, this is not that of which the design is the most extensive, or the execution the most elaborate; but in his historical disquisition we perceive the same patient assiduity in collecting his materials, the same discernment in arranging them, the same perspicuity of narrative, and the same power of illustration, which so eminently distinguish his other writings, and which have long rendered them the delight of the British reader at home, and an honour to British literature abroad.

His truly useful life was closed on the 11th of June 1793, at Grange-House near Edinburgh, after a lingering illness, which be endured with exemplary fortitude and resignation. He had attained the age of seventy-two. It may be justly observed of him, that no man lived more respected, or died more sincerely lamented. Indefatigable in his literary researches, and possessing from nature a sound and vigorous understanding, he acquired a store of useful knowledge, which afforded ample scope for the exertion of his extraordinary abilities, and raised him to the most distinguished eminence in the republic of letters. As a minister of the gospel, he was a faithful pastor, and justly merited the esteem and veneration of his flock. In a word, he may be pronounced to be one of the most perfect characters of the age; and his name will be a lasting honour to the island that gave him birth. His conversation was cheerful, entertaining, and instructive; his manners affable, pleasing, and endearing.

The account of his Life and Writings, published by Mr Dugald Stewart, is one of the noblest pieces of biography that any language can boast of. It was published in a separate form, and likewise accompanies the later editions of his works.

Dr Robertson left a widow and a numerous family in prosperous circumstances. In 1751 he had married Mary the daughter of Mr Nisbet, one of the ministers of Edinburgh, and this domestic union had been productive of much happiness. His eldest son, the late Lord Robertson, was for many years a judge of the Court of Session. Two of his sons belonged to the military profession. His eldest daughter was the wife of Mr Brydone the celebrated traveller, and the mother of the present Countess of Minto. Another daughter married John Russell, Esq. writer to the signet. Lord Brougham is the grandson of Dr Robertson’s sister.