WODROW, ROBERT, the second son of James Wodrow, professor of divinity in the university of Glasgow, was b. at Glasgow in the year 1679. He was educated at the university of his native city, and after passing through the classes in arts, studied theology under his father. At an early age he devoted a considerable- portion of his time to historical researches, and to this taste he probably owed his appointment as librarian to the university. He did not hold this office long. Having finished his theo logical studies, in the year 1703 he received a license to preach from the presbytery, and in the month of October of the same year was appointed minister of Eastwood, a parish in the co. of Renfrew. at no great distance from Glasgow. In that parish he remained till his death, faithfully discharging the duties of his office, and declining offers which were made to him of appointments to pastoral charges of more importance. He had been brought up in the strictest principles of Presbyterianism, and he zealously adhered to the party in the established church, which was most strenuous in maintaining those principles, and in resisting what were deemed to be the encroachments of the secular power. Soon after his settlement at Eastwood, he began to devote his leisure hours to what became the chief object of his life—the writing of a history of the church of Scot land from the restoration to the revolution. He spared no pains and no expense, so far as his limited means could afford, in collecting materials for this work. He corresponded with all persons who could give him any information, and transcribed with his own hand the civil and ecclesiastical records bearing on his subject. The work was pub lished in 2 folio vols., the first in 1721, and the second in the following year. It was dedicated to king George I.. whom the author styles "the best as well as the greatest of kings;" and in the year 1725 he received an order on the Scottish exchequer for £105, as a mark of the royal bounty. It is probable that this sum was the chief pecuniary recompense of his labors; but considerations of that nature formed no part of the induce ments which had led him to undertake the work. A second edition of the history, in 4 vols. 8vo. was published at Glasgow in 1828, under the editorship of Dr. Robert Burns. Wodrow contemplated other works, chiefly of a biographical character, illustrative of the ecclesiastical history of Scotland. None of these were published till the present century. Two vols. of his collections on The Lima of the Scottish Reformers and Most Eminent Ministers, and 4 vols. entitled. Analecta, or a History of Remarkable Providences, have been printed by the Maitland club. Three vols. of his correspondence were pub
lished by the Wodrow society—a literary club called after his name, and instituted in 1841 for the publication of the works of the fathers and early writers of the reformed church of Scotland. This correspondence, which extends from the year 1709 to the year 1731, throws much light on the ecclesiastical history of the time, and contains let ters addressed to persons of some notein their day, not only in Scotland, but in Eng land, Ireland, and North America. Wodrow's health was impaired by the eagerness. with which he prosecuted his laborious studies. He died Mar. 21, 1734, in the 55th year of his age. His great work—the one by which his name is generally known—is the history. It is what it professes to be iu the title-page, a "History of the Sufferings" of the Presbyterian church, rather than an ecclesiastical history of the period. This of itself implies a one-sided character, and warns its readers that they need not expect an account of events not coming within its limited range. Of its great value as a store house of materials to the student of Scottish history, no one who has examined its pages can have a doubt. As little hesitation will there be in regard to the absence of every grace of style. The only question will be as to the degree of credit to be given to the facts which the writer relates. So far as concerns his fidelity in transcribing records, and incorporating in the text the narratives furnished to him, there is no reason to doubt his general accuracy. But beyond this nothing can be said. His credulity was so great as to make him entirely unable to give anyweight to intrinsic improbabilities or the conflict of external evidence. He could rarely admit a fault in those of his own side, and it is hardly an exaggeration to say that he could never see a virtue in his opponents. Much of his history is gathered from the records of the privy council of Scotland, and an ex amination of these valuable and voluminous papers will make it pretty evident that Wodrow disingenuously neglected to extract particulars which tell against his party. It is obvious, therefore, that in the perusal of his work, allowance must be made, not only. for the absence of whatever does not come within its proper subject, but also for exaggerations of the virtues and sufferings of one party, and the crimes and errors of the other. The fullest memoir of Wodrow is that which is prefixed by Dr. Burns to his edition of the history. Interesting details of his domestic life and of his labors and studies will be found in the printed volumes of his correspondence.