20 MEMOIR OF 



How often, in perusing the biographical records 

 of eminent men, do we see that the first germ of 

 superior intellect has been detected by a mother's 

 vigilance that this has been fostered by a mother's 

 care, till it has produced a Bacon, a Sir William 

 Jones, a Cowper, and hundreds of others, who, 

 but for a mother's devotion, might have descen- 

 ded to the grave " unwept, unhonoured, and 

 unsung'* beyond their immediate connections ; 

 and were we to look into the private histories of 

 thousands who, though unknown to fame, have 

 been a blessing to their families, to their neigh- 

 bourhood, and to society at large, by their religious 

 and moral character, we should, in most instances, 

 trace th, origin of their domestic virtues to 

 education revived .V^m a mother. " She openeth 

 her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the 

 law of kindness." Such an one was Margaret 

 Boyd. " A virtuous arid pious mother of great 

 sagacity and firmness of mind," says her son, 

 " and very careful of my education? 



Robert was born April 15, 1641, at Edinburgh, 

 near to the head of Blackfriars Wynd, and was 

 baptized by Mr William Colvill, minister of the 

 Tron Church parish. He was named after his 

 mother's father; he had two elder brothers and 

 two sisters, who all died of consumptive com- 

 plaints before they had attained four years of 

 age, which circumstance induced his father's 



