6 JULY 1872, Page 23

CURRENT LITERATURE.

The Battle of Bannockburn. By Robert White. (Edmonston and Douglas.)—A painstaking book, and we should say a labour of love, judging from the patriotic fervour of the author. It has one great defect. He relies almost wholly on the romance of Barbour, which has little authority of any sort with the learned. The consequence is that the bulk of the statements require to be tested before they can be received, and the labour is too great for ordinary mortals. Nevertheless, the book will be welcome to the Scotch, who take a rightful pride in the victory of Bruce, and do not mire much if the history of his exploits lapses into legend. The saving quality of the volume is the honesty of its laborious author.