and
interesting account of this last interview. It would have been still
more interesting had they afforded some indication where they found him,
whether he had some pleasant room granted to him in Holyrood, after so
many years with the King, a suitable retreat for his old age; or if he
had retired to some private lodging in the Canongate to end his days.
His visitors make no mention of such unimportant circumstances, but they
leave us a most touching and faithful picture of the end of his life.
These visitors were the famous Andrew Melville, Principal of the New
College at St. Andrews, a scholar almost as distinguished as himself,
who had at an earlier period been Buchanan's pupil, and who had acquired
his great knowledge in the same way, in the famous schools of the
continent; James Melville, his nephew, minister of Kilrenny on the
shores of Fife; and Thomas Buchanan, the cousin of the dying historian.
James Melville relates this last visit as follows:--

"That September in time of vacans, my uncle Mr. Andrew, Mr. Thomas
Buchanan and I, hearing that Mr. George Buchanan was weak, and his
Historie under the press, past over to Edinbruck annes errand
(expressly) to visit him and see the work. When we came to his
chalmer we found him sitting in his chair, teaching his young man
that servit him in his chalmer, to spell a, b, ab, and e, b, eb,
etc. Efter salutation Mr. Andro says, 'I see, sir, ye are not
idle.'--'Better this,' quoth he, 'nor stealing sheep--or sitting
idle which is as ill.' Thereafter he shew us the Epistle Dedicatorie
to the King, the which when Mr. Andro had read he told him that it
was obscure in some places, and wanted certain words to perfeyt the
sentence. Sayes he, 'I may do na mair for thinking on another
matter.'--'What is that?' sayes Mr. Andro. 'To die,' quoth he; 'but
I leave that and manie more things for you to help.'

"We went from him to the printer's workhouse, whom we found at the
end of the 17 book of his Cornicle at a place which we thought verie
hard for the tyme, which might be an occasion for staying the haill
work, anent the burial of Davie. Therefore staying the printer from
proceeding, we came to Mr. George again, and fand him bedfast by his
custom, and asking him how he did, 'Ever going the way of weilfare,'
says he. Mr. Thomas, his cousin, shawes him of the hardness of that
part of his Storie,