32 EARLY LIFE. 



derived a strong tincture from both parents ; but while 

 he, like his father, was mild and gentle in his temper 

 and of an engaging demeanour, his firmness and deci- 

 sion nay, his inclination towards the Stoical system 

 of morals, and even to a certain degree of stoical feel- 

 ing, too was derived from his mother. 



The death of these two excellent persons was sin- 

 gularly melancholy, and served to impress on the 

 minds of their family a mournful recollection of their 

 virtues. Mr Eobertson had been removed to the Old 

 Greyfriars' Church of Edinburgh in 1773; and ten 

 years afterwards, both he and his wife, seized with 

 putrid fever, died within a few days of each other, 

 leaving eight children six daughters and two sons 

 of whom "William was the elder. William had been 

 educated first at the school of Dalkeith, under a very 

 able teacher of the name of Leslie, a gentleman at 

 that time of the greatest eminence in his profession. 

 On his father's removal to Edinburgh, he was taken 

 thither and placed at the University, though only 

 twelve years old. 



The age of twelve was only a year or two less 

 than usual at the Scotch universities. My contem- 

 poraries and myself were barely fourteen when we 

 entered, attending the mathematical as well as 

 the Latin and Greek classes, and next year that 

 of natural philosophy. 



His diligence in study was unremitting, and he 

 pursued his education at the different classes for 

 eight years with indefatigable zeal. He had laid 



