ROBERTSON, WILLIAM, D. D. a celebrated histo rian, was the son of the Rev. Mr. Robertson, and was born at the manse of Borthwick, in Mid-Lothian, in the year 1721. He received the elements of a classical edu cation at the school of Dalkeith, under Mr. Leslie ; and in the year 1733, when his father was removed to the Greyfriars church in Edinburgh, he entered his son at the University, where he exhibited that ardour in the prosecution of his studies, and the germ of those ta lents by which he was afterwards so highly distinguish ed. He initiated himself early into the practice of lite rary composition, and with the view of improving his style, he made frequent translations from foreign au thors, and had prepared for the press, a translation of Marcus A ntoninus, which he was prevented from publish ing, by the appearance of a similar work at Glasgow.
When he had completed his course at the university, lie was licensed as a preacher of the gospel, in 1741, and in :743 lie was presented by John Earl of Hope !Dun to the • living of Gladsmuir, in East•Lothian. Having about this time lost his father and mother, his appointment to a living was a most fortunate event, as the charge of six sisters and a younger brother had thus devolved upon him. When Edinburgh was in danger ef being taken in the year 1745, Mr. Robertson' felt himself justified by the critical state of public af fairs, to quit his manse at Gladsmuir and join the volunteers in Edinburgh. Upon the surrender of the went to Haddington, and offered his services to the commander of the king's forces.
On the restoration of tranquillity in Scotland, he re turned to the duties of his parish', 'and in the year 1751, he married his cousin, Miss Nesbit, whose father was one of the ministers of Edinburgh. Amid the settled habits of domestic life, our author now devoted himself diligently to his studies, and to the duties of his office, which lie discharged to the great satisfaction of his parish. His reputation as a preacher had now become great, and from this circumstance he was invited to, preach before the Society for promoting Christian Know ledge. This sermon, which has been greatly admired, was published in 1755. It went through five editions, and was translated into German.
In the proceedings of the general assembly of our church, Mr. Robertson had already taken an active part; but in 1757, he distinguished himself by his de fence of Mr. John Home, minister of Athelstaneford, in the same presbytery with himself, who had written the tragedy of Douglas. (See HOME, JOIIN.) The lead which our author now began to take in the management of the church courts with which he \vas connected, though by no means favourable to the peaceful habits of literature, does not seem to have interfered with his studies. Soon after his settlemen* at Gladsmuir, Mr. Robertson had formed the plan of a History of Scotland, and as it was now nearly ready for press, lie went to London for the purpose of arranging with a bookseller, respecting its publica tion. It was published in 1759, in two viols, 4to. under the title of the History of Scotland during the reigns of Queen Mary, and King James VI. till his accession to the crown of England ; with a review of the Scottish history, previous to that period: and an appendix of original papers ; to which is added, a critical disserta tion concerning the murder of King Henry, and the genuineness of the Queen's letters to Bothwell.
The success of this work was great beyond all ex ample. In the course of a year it had passed through three editions, and it underwent no fewer than fourteen editions in its author's life. The beauty of the style, and the judgment and discrimination of the author, at tracted universal attention, and drew forth the praise of most of the distinguished men of the day.
In the year 1753, Dr. Robertson removed with his family to Edinburgh, in consequence of receiving a presentation to one of the churches in that city. In 1759, he was appointed chaplain to the garrison of Stirling castle. In 1761, he was made one of his ma jesty's chaplains in ordinary for Scotland. In 1762, he was chosen Principal of the University of Edinburgh ; and, in 1764, the office of historiographer to his majesty for Scotland was revived for his benefit, with a salary of 2001. per annum. These rapid promotions, so well me rited, and so judiciously conferred, served to excite our author to still higher efforts. The choice of a subject had perplexed him exceedingly, and, among many which had been suggested, that of a history of England was particularly recommended to his attention. His majes ty, George III. did him the honour to express a wish to see a history of England from his pen, and the-Earl of Bute promised him all the aid that could be desired frOm the records in the possession of government. Dr. Ro bertson was at first disposed to consider such a work as interfering with Mr. Hume's, with whom he lived in ha bits of the greatest friendship ; but when the offer of the kings's patronage, and the aid of the minister were ten dered, he seems to have seriously thought of the under taking. " The ease," he says, in a letter written at the time, "is entirely changed. His (Mr. Hume's) history will have been published several years before any work of mine on the same subject can appear; its first run will not be marred by any jostling with me, and it wilt have taken that station in the literary system which be longs to it. This objection, therefore, which I thought, and still think, to weighty at that time, makes no im pression on me at present, and I can now justify my un dertaking the English history to myself, to the world, and to him. Besides, our manner of viewing the same sub ject is so different, or peculiar, that (as was the case in our last books) both may maintain their own rank, have their own partizans, and possess their own merit, with out hurting each other." Although our author seemed from this letter to have made up his mind to compose a history of .England, yet he afterwards abandoned the idea, and we cannot doubt that this was clone principally out of regard to the feel ings of Mr. Hume ; who, notwithstanding the arguments urged in the preceding extract, could not but feel that it was an inroad upon the territory which he had so suc cessfully cultivated, and over which courtesy had as signed to him a litetary supremacy.