THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ALEXANDER HENDERSON.
THIS is nominally, but not really, a biographical work. ALEXANDER HENDERSON was an eminent Scottish divine, who took a prominent part in the controversies, negotiations, and other transactions which led to what the author calls "the Second Reformation," or the abolition of Episcopacy in Scotland, in the time of CHARLES the First. The book is merely a narrative of these transactions, with scarcely any personal biography of HEN- DERSON ; " whose life," as the author admits, " is to be found, for the most part, in the history of the Church and State." We doubt, therefore, the expediency of publishing a work under the title of "the Life and Times" of such a man, as it raises expectations which are sure to be disappointed. It raises expectations of the pleasure derived from biographical details, and from the private history of public events, upon which the personal circumstances and motives of the individuals concerned in them often throw a light which is not afforded by the historical documents of the time. In the present instance, none of these expectations are realized. The author refers to Dr. M'Crties Lives of JOHN KNox and ANDREW MELVILLE as precedents for his work. But the charm of the biography of the first Scottish Reformer consists, not in the public transactions, momentous as they were, in which he was the prime mover, but in the delightful glimpses of his private life— the love-passages of his youth, the tenderness of his domestic affections, the warmth of his friendship, and the cultivation of his taste—which soften the rugged lineaments of his portrait, and make us love as well as revere the memory of the founder of re- ligious liberty in Scotland. In like manner, though not in the same degree, the character of MELVILLE, and the events of his life, afforded matter for the graphic pen of his biographer, apart from the public transactions in which he was engaged. Under the title of the Life and Times of Alexander Henderson, Mr. AITON has given the public a history of Scottish ecclesiastical :inks during the time that ALEXANDER HENnaesoN was con- nected with them : an inconvenient plan of an historical work; fur the narrative is cut short by the death of an individual, in- stead of embracing some entire period. IIENDEesoN died in 1616; the book ends when CHARLES the First was about to take the memorable step of putting himself into the hands of the Scottish army at Newark,—thus stopping in the middle of a train of events winch were daily becoming more and more deeply interesting and pregnant with important c.Insequences. For the sake of giving his book the appearance of what it is not—a piece of biography— the author has spoiled what the French would call its totatia: as an historical work.
It is a praiseworthy' publication, notwithstanding; and,-though not calculated for general reading, will be found valuable by those t. ho bestow study upon ecclesiastical history. The style is suffi- ciently simple and clear ; and there are, occasionally, graphic pictures of the manners of the thna. Of these, the following description Of the celebrated encampment of the Covenanting army on Dunsc Law may be taken as a specimen.
From the 4rtieles of war published by the Covenanters-, and from Baillie and the other historians of this period, an interesting, picture may he given of the
encampment at Douse Law. The position is 44 a pretty round, rising in a de-
clivity, without steepness, to the height of a bow shot." The hill was gar- nished on the top with forty mounted cannons. The sides of it, round about,
were clad by the several regiments. The (Towner s had canvas tents, high and wide ; the captains lodged about them in smaller ones ; sod the soldiers occupied huts of timber, covered with divot or straw. Every company had " fleeing" at the captain's tent-door, a brave new colour stamped with the Scottish arms, and the motto "rust C1Iatsrs t KOWN Aso cover NaNr," painted in golden letters. The men were, for the most part, stout young ploughmen, vigorous, full of courage, with great cheerfulness in every countenance. They were clothed in olive or gray plaiden, with bonnets, having knots of blue rffiands. Others of them were supple fellows from the Highlands, with their plaids, target, and dorlachs. The captains were barons and country gentlemen of note. These were distinguished with blue ribands round their betty scarf-wise, or as some orders of knighthood wear them. The lieutenants were veterans, whir had lately, after a long service in Germany, been brought back to their native country to train its peasantry to arms. To every regiment there was attached a clergyman, who wore a cloak, and who carried, as the fashion was, a wbinger, or a sword, and a couple of Dutch pistols. But the business of the clergy was not so much to fight as to preach and play for the encouragement of the troops. In the military sense of the word, all was under the command of General Leslie, who was trained in the school of the greatest military, genius of the age. But besides these, the regular officers of the army, there was in each corps a parti- cular eldership or Presbytery, that Kirk discipline might be exercised and the poor cared for in every company ; and there was a general ecclesiastical judicatory, made up of every minister of the camp, and one ruling elder direct from every particular regiment. Every day a council of war was kept in the castle of Dunse and a meeting of ecclesiastics held in Bottles' tent. Morning and evening, at stated hours, the signal was given, and this army of twenty thousand men, summoned by the beat of drum or sound of trumpet, simultaneously knelt to prayers, and afterwards heard with attention earnest exhortations from beloved pastors for all to put their trust in the sword of the Lord of Gideon. One who was present, and who often east his eyes athwart the scene with great joy, mentions, that had any one lent his ear he would have heard, even in the still of midnight, the sound of some singing the sweet psalm, some praying, and others reading their Bible. " True," he adds, " there was also swearing, and occasionally cursing and brawling in some quarters; but this all regretted, and promised to ameisd."#. In these circumstances, the army improved daily in military tactics and in moral courage. Every one animated another ; and the presence of both their laird and their minister, all talking in- cessantly of the good cause, raised the heart of every man. The feeling, ever before them, that in a few hours they might die in battle, kept their mind in a better frame than the best of them had ever felt before. They looked upon themselves as men who had already taken leave of the world, and who had re- solved to die in the service of God. Many of them who were not enthusiasts even imagined that they felt the favour of the Almighty shining upon them, and declared that they were conscious of a sweet, meek, humble, yet strong and vehement spirit which led them along. lie would have been a rash man who would at this period have measured spears with such a foe.
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