And the writer will now take the liberty of saying
a few words about it on his own account.
CHAPTER VI
On Scotch Gentility-Nonsense--Charlie o'er the Waterism.
Of the literature just alluded to Scott was the inventor. It is
founded on the fortunes and misfortunes of the Stuart family, of
which Scott was the zealous defender and apologist, doing all that
in his power lay to represent the members of it as noble,
chivalrous, high-minded, unfortunate princes; though, perhaps, of
all the royal families that ever existed upon the earth, this
family was the worst. It was unfortunate enough, it is true; but
it owed its misfortunes entirely to its crimes, viciousness, bad
faith, and cowardice. Nothing will be said of it here until it
made its appearance in England to occupy the English throne.
The first of the family which we have to do with, James, was a
dirty, cowardly miscreant, of whom the less said the better. His
son, Charles the First, was a tyrant--exceedingly cruel and
revengeful, but weak and dastardly; he caused a poor fellow to be
hanged in London, who was not his subject, because he had heard
that the unfortunate creature had once bitten his own glove at
Cadiz, in Spain, at the mention of his name; and he permitted his
own bull-dog, Strafford, to be executed by his own enemies, though
the only crime of Strafford was, that he had barked furiously at
those enemies, and had worried two or three of them, when Charles
shouted, "Fetch 'em.
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