THE ROYAL HOUSE OF STUART.
The Royal House of Stuart. By Samuel Cowan. 2 vols. (Greening and Co. 42s.)—It is certainly convenient to have the history of a famous dynasty put together in this way and pre- sented to the student in a connected form. Mr. Cowan has devoted his first volume to the Stuart rulers down to the accession of James VI. ; the second to the Sovereigns of the house whose seat was in the Southern kingdom. (He includes Mary, Queen of William III., and Anne.) He is not an indiscriminate partisan. It was to be expected that he should maintain the innocence of Mary Queen of Scots. As to the murder of Darnley, one can admit a suspension of judgment ; but as to the marriage with Bothwell, it is difficult to put oneself into the position of an apologist. If there was an outrage, how could an honest woman condone it? The estimate of the Stuarts in England is conceived in a reasonable spirit. Such proceedings as the secret Treaty of Dover are not at all to Mr. Cowan's liking. If he is Stuartianis partibus non iniquus, he keeps his power of independent judgment. He has a theory that if the "Old Pretender" had been allowed to reign he would have made an excellent King. The English and Scottish nations had strong reasons for not trying the experiment. Some good illustrations complete an attractive and useful work.
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