22 MEMOIR OF 



horrors of civil war, and the utter forgetful ness 

 of every principle of humanity that such a contest 

 involves, that two children, the one eight and 

 the other ten years of age, should be thought fit 

 objects of attack. In returning, they were fired 

 at, but providentially, the ball missed, and 

 " lighted in the street." " I took it up," says the 

 young hero, " and brought it with me." The 

 family were so reduced by this misfortune, that 

 this child had to travel on foot to Cupar, where 

 they bent their steps, having obtained a pass by 

 the sale of some meal. 



At Cupar, the year previous to the unfortunate 

 removal to Dundee, Robert Sibbald had com- 

 menced his Latin education under Mr Andrew 

 Anderson ; but he appears not to have been 

 replaced with him, but to have been entered at 

 the High School of Edinburgh under Mr Hugh 

 Wallace, from whence, in due course, he went to 

 the university of his native city, of which the 

 celebrated Robert Leighton, afterwards Bishop 

 of Dunblane, and ultimately Archbishop of Glas- 

 gow, was at that time the principal. While 

 attending the college, he studied hard, shunning 

 all plays and amusements. He gave himself up 

 to the diligent perusal of every book that came 

 in his way, till he acquired the soubriquet of 

 " Diogenes in his tub" among his fellow students. 

 This discriminate reading was, in some respects, 



