CHARACTERS. 



'67 



iDon zeal for improving himself in 

 tbt kiiOHledgc oi 'lie Greek, might 

 be proved by a great many anec 

 dotes ; but, Blackwell's opiiiioa, or 

 ratlier derision, will produce great- 

 er conviciion upon the ninds of 

 most readers. Upon a stated and 

 fixed day. /April 3, 1730), Beat- 

 tie, accoriji'ig to an annual custom, 

 was to try his skill with his class- 

 fe!!o— i. James Beatfie bad the 

 distinguished honour of receiriug a 

 Greek grammar from principal 

 JilackweU, -vith the following 

 woids, written by the principal's 

 own hand : 



^^ Jacoho Beaftie, x^ia-rvjovn in GrcE- 

 " ck Uteris, hoc B^xQuotj dedit J. 

 " Bluckicdl.'' 



This grammar is in the possession 

 of those whom the doctor made his 

 heirs. 



In the Scotish colleges (that of 

 Edinburgh excepted) the diflerent 

 classes are examined publicly, be- 

 fore all the professors, and such of 

 the students of the other cki'^ses as 

 chuse to attend. This, in Aber- 

 deen, is called the Black-stoue les- 

 son, a name derived from a custom 

 that still exists in king's college, 

 Aberdeen. When the students are 

 examined, they sit upon the grave- 

 stone of bishop E!;;hi:istone, the 

 founder of that college. The bi- 

 t^liop is buried in the public hall. It 

 JTiay be proper to add. that the 

 dead body of every professor, both 

 in the colleges of the old and new 

 town of Aherdeen is always depo- 

 sited in the hall of that university 

 (o which he belonged, upon the 

 night before the fjineral. I have 

 not been able to ascertain the ori- 

 gin of thosi! singular institutions, but 

 \t is probable tliey may be traced 



remotely to some established forms 

 of the church of Home. 



At the Blacl: itone lesson, to 

 which the students look with great 

 anxiety, Beattie distinguished him- 

 self very much. 



Beattie's proficiency, during the 

 first year of hi^ college course, i.« 

 the more remarkable, because he 

 was thea in a ver^ delicate state of 

 health. On his return to Lau- 

 rencekirk it improved considtrabiy. 

 During the vacation, which at this 

 college is seven months of the year, 

 he applied to his studies with un- 

 remitting industry. 



At the proper period Beattie set 

 oat a second time for Aberdeen. 

 Being a bursar, it v,as absolutely 

 necessary that he should attend the 

 different classes, in the order pre- 

 scribed by the statutes of the uni- 

 versity, otherwise he could not ap- 

 ply for the degree of master of arts. 



Beattie was frequently wont to ex- 

 press himself in termsof high commen- 

 dation of professor David Verner. 

 Though this man be little known in 

 the literary world, he was a coadju- 

 tor not unworthy of Blackwell. 

 His uncommon knowledge of the 

 Latin language, and the facility with 

 which he could both write and con^ 

 verse in that tongue, with elegance, 

 was often the subject of Beattie's 

 praise. Of his general qualities, it 

 is well known that Dr. Beattie ex- 

 pressed himself in terms of more 

 unqualified panegyric, than one of 

 his prudence and judgment could be 

 expected to do, of any person of 

 moderate talents. 



Beattie, though unqucstionablv 

 posscsscd of genius, never discovered 

 any great attachment to matliema- 

 tical pursuits. He sometimes ex- 

 pressed, in conversation, his own 

 antipathy to that noble study, rathci 



in 



