The Admirable Crichton. 121 



many strange and chimerical conjectures. He has at present 

 retired from town to a villa to extend two thousand conclusions, 

 embracing questions in all the different faculties, which he means, 

 within the space of two months, to sustain and defend in Venice, 

 in the Church of St. John and St. Paul, having found it impos- 

 sible to give attention to his studies and to comply with the wishes 

 of those persons who would eagerly listen to him through the 

 whole day." 



The single printed leaf which contained the original Italian 

 was discovered by a collector in a second Aldine folio edition 

 of the Cortegiane of Castiglione, and an account of the circum- 

 stances under which it was discovered appeared in the " Scots 

 Magazine " for July, 1818. 



Another Venetian testimony to Crichton's remarkable accom- 

 plishments is furnished by a decree of the Council of Ten at a 

 meeting on the 19th of August, 1580, that day, curiously enough, 

 being the twentieth anniversary of Crichton's birth. A few 

 months ago I had a photograph taken in Venice from the archives 

 there of the written record in the minutes book containing this 

 resolution, and I have failed to discover in the works of Tytler, 

 and others who have written about Crichton, any reference to it. 

 The original Italian begins thus : — " Adi detto in Zonta : Capitato 

 in questa citta un giovani Scocese, nominato Giacomo Critonio," 

 and a rough translation may be given in the following words: — 

 " This day in Zonta : There arrived in this city a young Scotsman, 

 named James Crichton (from what we understand of his condi- 

 tion), of noble birth, and from what one has seen clearly in 

 different trials and experiences arranged by doctors and men of 

 science, and particularly from a Latin oration delivered extem- 

 pore this morning in our College, of a very rare and singular 

 quality ; so that he, not exceeding, or little exceeding, the age 

 of twenty years, created wonder and astonishment in everyone — 

 an extraordinary thing and almost supernatural ; and therefore this 

 Council is induced to make a gift to this wonderful man, he being 

 in poverty by some accident and ill-luck having happened to him. 

 It is therefore resolved that the funds of the Council be drawn 

 upon to the extent of a hundred golden scudi to be given to the 

 above-named Crichton, a Scotti.sh gentleman." 



There are some figures at the foot of the resolution which 



