112 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



fresh upon them, its people had asked for a university in place 

 of the proffered exemption from taxation ; in Leyden, which, 

 when Scaliger was invited to a professorship, had ordered a ship 

 of war to receive him, a helping hand was always outstretched 

 to aid the meritorious student. Trigland, one of the divinity 

 professors of the university, who had been a friend of Boer- 

 haave's father, and who entertained great expectations as to the 

 boy's future, procured for him the patronage of Van Alphen, the 

 burgomaster, to whose paternal, continuous, and benevolent in- 

 terest Boerhaave renders grateful tribute. 



While a student at the university, by the advice of his in- 

 structors, in addition to studies in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and 

 Chaldee he attended lectures on natural philosophy and mathe- 

 matics. During his undergraduate course he was often called 

 upon by Siguerd, his professor, to take part in discussions upon 

 the latter subjects. The study of algebra, geometry, and trigo- 

 nometry he tells us he found most entertaining. In his twenty- 

 first year he delivered the academic oration upon the subject 

 that " the Doctrine of Epicurus concerning the Chief Good was 

 well understood by Cicero," for which he received the gold 

 medal. 



It may perhaps be of interest to recall at this time the digni- 

 fied formalities with which the competition for university honors 

 was then surrounded.* The candidate first announced his inten- 

 tions to the rector and senators, and these in turn informed the 

 curators, who appointed the day for the oration. Then the appli- 

 cant waited on each of the curators, and on the chief magistrate 

 and sheriff of the city, to desire their presence. If the oration 

 gave satisfaction to the curators, their secretary was sent to his 

 habitation to thank him in their name, and to acquaint him that 

 he should be presented with the gold medal. This was worth 

 thirteen pounds, and bore a Pallas in relief on the front, and an 

 engraved inscription relating the name of the person and the 

 occasion on the reverse. 



" The University of Leyden," Thorold Rogers tells us, " was 

 far more renowned in the seventeenth century than Oxford, Cam- 

 bridge, or Paris, and students from all countries crowded into 

 this the youngest of the great universities. The student was 

 exempted from taxation ; he received his wine, beer, tea, coffee, 

 salt, soup, and books free ; and when once his name had been on 

 the university rolls he was amenable for all offenses to a special 

 court composed of the rector, four professors, and a representa- 

 tion in the city magistracy. One of the gravest punishments 

 with which he could be visited, in the popular apprehension, 



* Burton's Life and Writings of Boerhaave, 174G, p. 9. 



