EARLY LIFE. 2? 



the events then passing on the Continent as the fore- 

 runners of far greater ones which he saw casting 

 their shadows before. He certainly had no appre- 

 hensions of mischief, but he was full of hope for the 

 future, and his exultation was boundless in contem- 

 plating the deliverance of "so many millions of so 

 great a nation from the fetters of arbitrary govern- 

 ment." His sister and I often afterwards reflected on 

 this extraordinary discourse with wonder, and I feel 

 quite certain of some such expressions as these hav- 

 ing been used, and of his foretelling that our neigh- 

 bours would one day have to celebrate such an event 

 as had now called us together. We dined with him 

 the same day on leaving the church, for it was the 

 afternoon service that he had performed. His eldest 

 son, afterwards Lord Eobertson, was of the company ; 

 and when the Principal expressed his satisfaction at 

 having had his presence at church (a thing by no 

 means of weekly occurrence), the answer was : " Ay, 

 sir, if you'll always give us such sermons, you may 

 make it worth our while." "Ah!" answered he, 

 " you would like it, as the boys say," referring to a 

 vulgar taunt. I have again and again asked my 

 learned kinsman to show me the sermon, which he 

 admitted he possessed among his father's papers, 

 fairly written out. His answer was that he wished 

 to avoid giving it publicity, because, in the violence 

 of the times, the author would be set down for a 

 Jacobin, how innocent soever he was at the date of 

 its being preached. Those times have happily long 

 since passed away ; and the sermon having been found 



