ame to make a
pedant of his royal pupil, answered that it was the best he could make
of him. Sir George Mackenzie relates a story of his tutelage, which
shows Buchanan's humour, and the veneration of others for royalty. The
young king being one day at play with his fellow-pupil, the master of
Erskine, Buchanan was reading, and desired them to make less noise. As
they disregarded his admonition, he told his majesty, if he did not hold
his tongue, he would certainly whip his breech. The king replied, he
would be glad to see who would _bell the cat_, alluding to the fable.
Buchanan lost his temper, and throwing his book from him, gave his
majesty a sound flogging. The old countess of Mar rushed into the room,
and taking the king in her arms, asked how he dared to lay his hands on
the Lord's anointed? Madam, replied the elegant and immortal historian,
I have whipped his a----, you may kiss it if you please!"

Many years after this was published, I discovered a curious
anecdote:--Even so late as when James I. was seated on the throne of
England, once the appearance of his _frowning tutor in a dream_ greatly
agitated the king, who in vain attempted to pacify his illustrious
pedagogue in this portentous vision. Such was the terror which the
remembrance of this inexorable republican tutor had left on the
imagination of his royal pupil.

James I. was certainly a zealous votary of literature; his wish was
sincere, when at viewing the Bodleian Library at Oxford, he exclaimed,
"Were I not a king I would be an university man; and if it were so that
I must be a prisoner, if I might have my wish, I would have no other
prison than this library, and be chained together with these good
authors."

Hume has informed us, that "his death was decent." The following are the
minute particulars: I have drawn them from an imperfect manuscript
collection, made by the celebrated Sir Thomas Browne.

"The lord keeper, on March 22, received a letter from the court, that it
was feared his majesty's sickness was dangerous to death; which fear was
more confirmed, for he, meeting Dr. Harvey in the road, was told by him
that the king used to have a beneficial evacuation of nature, a
sweating in his left arm, as helpful to him as any fontenel could be,
which of late failed.

"When the lord keeper presented himself before him, he moved to cheerful
discourse, but it would not do. He stayed by his bedside until midnight.
Upon the consultations of the phy