CURRENT LITERATURE.
History of the Scottish Nation. Vol. III. By the Rev. J. A. Wylie, LL.D. (Simpkin, Marshall, and Co.)—The author of this book, who was a very ardent Protestant, has died before its com- pletion. It is a painstaking work, as is very well shown by this volume, which covers the period between the union of Scots and Picts in 843, and the death of Alexander III. in 1286. But it lras been planned and written on strictly conventional lines. Dr. Wylie has, in fact, read very carefully the ordinary and non- -rationalising Histories of early Scotland, and has constructed out of them a tolerably readable narrative, the accuracy of many -portions of which, however, will be questioned by critical readers. At the same time, Dr. Wylie does not hesitate to air his own views of the history, and especially of the religious history, of Scotland,—as, for example, when he says :—" Scotland was not destined to build up a great Empire by arms like Rome. Its mission came nearer to that of Greece; it came still nearer to that
of Judrea ; only it was greatly more intellectual and spiritual than that of either. The special mission of Scotland was to apprehend and hold forth to the world Christianity—the last and perfected form of Divine Revelation—in all the simplicity and spirituality in which man on earth is able to receive it." Taken with a few grains of salt, however, Dr. Wylie's work will be found useful as well as readable. His account in this volume of the final struggle of the Scotch with the Vikings under Haco, is a fair specimen of graphic writing.
Previous page
