APPENDIX. 59 
which, in our country, has been fo little frequented by men of 
genius. 
Ir was probably alfo at this period of his life, that he culti- 
vated with the greateft care the ftudy of languages. The 
knowledge he poffefled of thefe, both ancient and modern, was 
uncommonly extenfive and accurate; and, in him, was fub- 
fervient, not to a vain parade of taftelefs erudition, but to a 
familiar acquaintance with every thing that could illuftrate the 
inftitutions, the manners and the ideas of different ages and 
nations. How intimately he had once been converfant with 
the more ornamental branches of learning ; in particular, with 
the works of the Roman, Greek, French and Italian poets, ap- 
peared fufficiently from the hold which they kept of his me- 
mory, after all the different occupations and enquiries in which 
his maturer faculties had been employed *. In the Englifh lan- 
guage, the variety of poetical paflages which he was not only 
accuftomed to refer to occafionally, but which he was able to 
repeat with correctnefs, appeared furprifing even to thofe, whofe 
attention had never been directed to more important acquifi- 
tions. | 
AFTER a refidence at Oxford of feven years, he returned to 
Kirkaldy, and lived two years with his mother; engaged in 
ftudy, but without any fixed plan for his future life. He had 
been originally deftined for the Church of England; and with 
that view had been fent to Oxford ; but not finding the eccle- 
fiaftical profeflion fuitable to his tafte, he chofe to confult, in 
this inftance, his own inclination, in preference to the wifhes of 
his friends; and abandoning at once all the fchemes which 
(tha): 4, their 
* THE uncommon degree in which Mr SMITH retzined poffeffion, even to the 
clofe of his life, of different branches of knowledge which he had long ceafed to 
cultivate, has been often remarked to me by my learned colleague and friend, Mr 
Daze, Profeffor of Greek in this Univerfity. Mr DatzeEL mentioned parti- 
cularly the readineis and correctnefs of Mr Smitu’s memory. on philological fub- 
jets, and the acutenefS and {kill he difplayed in various converfations with him on 
fome of the minutie of Greek grammar. 
Account of 
Dr Smith. 
