Basilikon Doron: The King's Gift

James Stuart---King James VI of Scotland---wrote Basilikon Doron (&'grave;Kingly Gift'') for his then six-year-old son, Henry. The book was meant to distill all of James' knowledge about king-craft, both practical and theoretical, into a brief primer. In 1599 James had seven copies printed, which he entrusted to reliable servants to be given to Henry when he was old enough, even if James did not survive so long---a reasonable precaution, given the short average lifespans of Elizabethan men,...