XX XIV AN ACCOUNT OF THE 



man half a year, she told me that she would 

 thenceforth trust me with being my own banker ; 

 for she had made a good deal of private enquiry 

 how I had behaved when I was out of her sight 

 through the day, and was satisfied with my 

 conduct. 



During my two years' stay at Edinburgh, I 

 somehow took a violent inclination to study ana- 

 tomy, surgery, and physic, all from reading 01 

 books, and conversing with gentlemen, on these 

 subjects ; which, for that time, put all thoughts OA 

 astronomy out of my mind, and I had no inclina- 

 tion to become acquainted with any one there who 

 taught either mathematics or astronomy : for no- 

 thing would serve me but to be a Doctor. 



At the end of the second year I left Edinburgh, 

 and went to see my father, thinking myself tole- 

 rably well qualified to be a physician in that part 

 of the country ; and I carried a good deal of me- 

 dicines, plaisters, &c. thither. But, to my mortifi- 

 cation, I soon found that all my medical theories 

 and study were of little use in practice. And 

 then, finding that very few paid me for the medi- 

 cines they had, and that I was far from being so 

 successful as I could wish, I quite left off that 

 business, and began to think of taking to the more 

 sure one of drawing pictures again. For this 

 purpose I went to Inverness, where I had eight 

 months' business. 



When I was there, I began to think of astro- 

 nomy again; and was heartily sorry for having 



