THE UNIVERSITY IDEAL. 4 6 5 



from the Lectures of Peter Ramus, and used in all our colleges till 

 superseded by the better compilation of the Dutch scholar, Gerard 

 John Voss. 



Melville had to contend with many opponents, among them the 

 sticklers for the infallibility of the Stagyrite. Like the German Re- 

 formers, he had accepted Aristotelianism as a basis, with a similar 

 process of reconciliation. So it was that Aristotle and Calvin were 

 brought to kiss each other. 



Melville's next proposal was all too revolutionary. It consisted 

 in restricting the regents each to a special group of subjects ; in 

 fact, anticipating our modern professoriate. He actually set up this 

 jflan in Glasgow : one regent took Greek and Latin ; another, his 

 nephew, James Melville, took mathematics, logic, and moral philos- 

 ophy ; a third, physics and astronomy. The system went on, in ap- 

 pearance, at least, for fifty years ; it is only in 1642 that we find the 

 regents given without a specific designation. Why it should have 

 gone on so long, and been then dropped, we are not informed. Mel- 

 ville's influence started it in the other universities, but it was defeated 

 in every one from the very outset. After six years at Glasgow, he 

 went to St. Andrews as Principal and Professor of Divinity, and tried 

 there the same reforms, but the resistance was too great. In spite of 

 a public enactment, the division of labor among the regents was never 

 carried out. Yet, such was Melville's authority, that the same enact- 

 ment was extended to King's College, in a scheme having a remark- 

 able history the so-called New Foundation of Aberdeen University, 

 promulgated in a royal charter of about the year 1581. The Earl 

 Marischal was a chief promoter of the plan of reform comprised in 

 this charter. The division of labor among the regents was most ex- 

 pressly enjoined. The plan fell through ; and there was a legal dis- 

 pute fifty years afterward as to whether it had ever any legal validity. 

 Charles I was made to express indignation at the idea of reducing the 

 university to a school ! 



We now approach the foundation of Marischal College. The Earl 

 Marischal may have been actuated by the failure of his attempt to re- 

 form King's College. At all events, his mind was made up to follow 

 Melville in assigning separate subjects to his regents. The charter is 

 explicit on this head. Yet, in spite of the charter and in spite of his 

 own presence, the intention was thwarted ; the old regenting lasted 

 one hundred and sixty years. 



Still the curriculum reform was gained. There was, indeed, one 

 great miss. The year before Marischal College was founded, Galileo 

 had published his work on mechanics, which, taken with what had 

 been accomplished by Archimedes and others, laid the foundations of 

 our modern physics. Copernicus had already published his work on 

 the heavens. It was now time that the Aristotelian Physics should be 

 clean swept away. In this whole department, Aristotle had made a 



VOL. XXII. 30 



