Dr. Robertson therefore proceeded in completing his History of the Reign of Charles V. for which he had collected materials, and which was published in 1769, in three volumes quarto. In order to render intelligible this portion of the history of Europe, he devoted a pre liminary volume to an account of the " Progress of So ciety in Europe, from the subversion and downfall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the sixteenth century." This volume, which may be considered as an introduction to the History of Modern Europe, re quired a degree of study and of patient research, which few men were capable of devoting to it ; and on that ac count, as Mr. Stewart remarks, " it is invaluable to the historical student, and suggests in every page matter of speculation to the politician and to the philosopher." In composing the history of Chatles V's reign, Dr. Robertson was naturally led to complete the narrative of the events connected with it, by giving an account of the affairs of Spain in the New World. As the interest of such a work, however, would naturally be much limited, he resolved to extend it so as to embrace the transactions of all the other nations of Europe in the New World ; and he had also determined to compose a volume on the history of the British empire in America. The last part of this plan he never attempted to execute, owing principally to the civil war which then raged be tween America and the mother country, but the first part appeared in 1777, in two vols. 4to, entitled The History of America, a work which was well received by the pub lic, and added greatly to the reputation of our author. It has been said, we think not with much truth, that he has shown a disposition to palliate the cruelties of the Spa niards, but this seems to have been inferred, less from the expression of his own sentiments, than from the com pliment paid to him by the Royal Academy of Madrid, who elected him, in 1777, a member of the Royal Aca demy of History in that metropolis. The Academy, at the same time, appointed one of its members to translate the work into Spanish, and a considerable progress was made in the translation, but the Spanish government in terposed its authority to stop the publication of the work. In the Preface to the History of America, Dr. Robert son mentioned his intention of resuming the subject ; but he does not seem to have advanced far in the tinder taking. A fragment of the work, however, has been published since his death, entitled, Two additional Chapters of the History if America.
Having abandoned the plan of writing a history of our own empire in America, Dr. Robertson looked out for some other subject worthy of his pen. Mr. Gibbon re commended to him a history of the Protestants in France, but several of his friends suggested the history of Great Btitain, from the Revolution to the accession of the House of Hanover, and it would appear from a letter to Dr. Waddilove, Dean of Rippon, dated July 1778, that he had made up his mind to encounter the responsibilities of such a task. It appears from a letter of Gibbon's that Dr. Robertson had abandoned this plan before the end of the year 1779 ; and Mr. Stewart remarks, that " what ever the motives were which induced him to relin guish it, it is certain that it did not long occupy his thoughts." This passage of Mr. Stewart's memoir evidently shows that he was not in possession of the correspond ence between Dr. Robertson and Mr. Macpherson, which took place respecting this projected work, and it seems quite certain that Dr. Robertson abandoned the project out of respect to the feelings of his friend Mr. Macpherson, who had published in 1775, a history of the same reigns, with the most interesting collection of original papers that had ever been given to the world. It, appears, indeed, from these unpublished letters, which are now before the writer of this article, that it was more than probable that Dr. Robertson would never
have completed the work, even if the feelings of a friend had not stood in the way of its accomplishment.* Dr. Robertson was now approaching the age of sixty, a time when laborious study ceases to be agreeable. He was independent in his circumstances, and his reputation was as high, and his fame as widely extended, as he could possibly have desired. Under these circumstan ces, his love of easy and amusing occupations had pro bably no inconsiderable share in making him abandon the project of his English History.
Notwithstanding our author's resolution to write no more for the public, he was accidentally led on to the composition of another work. In perusing Major Ren net's Memoir of a Map of Hindostan, he began to in quire into the knowledge which the ancients had of that country, solely for his own amusement and in struction. His ideas, as he himself remarks, gradually extended, and became more interesting, till he at length imagined that the result of his researches might prove amusing and instructive to others. In this way he was led to publish his Historical Disquisition con cerning the knowledge which the Ancients had of India, and the Progress of Trade with that Countru prior to the Discovery of the Cape of Good Hope, which appear ed in 1791, in 4to.
This was the last Robertson publish ed. No sooner had he finished it than his health be gan visibly to decline. Strong symptoms of jaundice showed themselves, and laid the foundation of a linger ing and fatal illness. In order to enjoy a better air, and the relaxations of the country, he removed to Grange-house in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, where he was able to walk abroad, and generally spent a portion of the day in a small garden attached to the house. In June 1793, his disease confined him to his couch, and he died on the 1 1 th of June, 1793, in the seventy-first year of his age.
It would be a waste of time to attempt to give any de tailed sketch of Dr. Robertson's literary character. His works have been translated into all the languages of Eu rope ; and his talents as a historian have every where been reckoned superior to those of any rival author. " The general strain of his composition," says Mr. Stewart," is flowery, equal, and majestic, harmonious beyond that of most English writers, yet seldom deviating in quest of harmony into inversion, redundancy, or affectation." " It may, perhaps, be questioned by some, whether Dr. Robertson has not carried to an extreme his idea of what he has himself called the dignity of history ; but whatever opinion we form on this point, it cannot be dizputed that his plan of separating the materials of historical composition from those which fall under the provinces of the antiquary and of the writer of memoirs, was on the whole happily conceived ; and that one great charm of his works arises from the taste and judgment with which he has carried it into execution. Whenever his subject admits of being enriched or adorn ed by political or philosophical disquisitions, by pic turesque description, or by the interesting details of a romantic episode, he scruples not to try his strength with those who have excelled the most in those different departments of literature." In estimating the relative merits of Dr. Robertson's different works, Mr. Stewart is of opinion that his Charles V. is that which unites the various requisites of good writing in the greatest degree. The style he considers as more natural and flowing than that of the History of Scotland. The style of his History of Ame rica he regards as less uniformly polished than that of his other works, and as less simple and concise, though it contains many passages equal, if not superior, to any thing else in his writings.