SIMSON. 477 



must have had a considerable turn for mechanical pur- 

 suits if the tradition in the neighbourhood of Kirton 

 Hill be well founded, which ascribes to him the mak- 

 ing, or at least designing and placing a dial of a curious 

 form (which I have seen) on a neatly ornamented pe- 

 destal in the garden of his father's house. At the usual 

 early age of matriculation in Scotland, he was sent to 

 the University of Glasgow, and he had there made con- 

 siderable progress in his studies before the love of mathe- 

 matical pursuits appeared to possess him. His atten- 

 tion was directed to theology, to logic, to Oriental 

 learning ; and in the latter he had made such progress, 

 that a relation who taught the class having fallen ill, 

 Simson easily supplied his place for part of a session, 

 the Scottish academical year. It was while engaged 

 in theological studies that the mathematics first seized 

 hold of his mind. He used in after life to relate how, 

 wearied with the controversies to which his clerical 

 studies led him, he would refresh himself with philo- 

 sophical reading; and not seldom finding himself 

 there also tossed about by conflicting dogmas, he 

 retired for peace and shelter to the certain science of 

 necessary truth ; " and then," said he, " I always 

 found myself refreshed with rest." 



It happened that no lecture or teaching of any kind 

 was given by the professor who filled the mathematical 

 chair, receiving its emoluments, and neglecting its 

 duties, when Simson went to the University. But 

 curiosity, a propensity ever strong in his nature through 

 his whole life, made him wish to see what the science 

 was, and he borrowed from a friend a copy of Euclid, 

 the work which he was destined afterwards to give 



