MEMOIR. ly 



wards, even before my health became in- 

 firm in 1800, desert this practice, except 

 I was in society. 



My father, though naturally a passionate 

 man, in all the ordinary affairs of life con- 

 ducted himself with the greatest prudence, 

 except in the case already mentioned, when 

 he was induced, by too great ease of tem- 

 per, to swerve from it. My mother was 

 much his inferior in point of common sense, 

 and had a strong tendency to act a little 

 romantically. 



I .resembled them both, not only in per- 

 son but disposition ; and, in consequence 

 of my resemblance to my mother in this 

 latter circumstance, began early to show 

 signs of a certain waywardness of dispo- 

 sition. 



When I was a boy at Dumfries school, 

 1 used to wander on foot during the 



