ADAM SMITH, 101 



It is clearly proved by the course and by the tone of 

 his remarks on English universities,* that the discipline 

 and habits of Oxford had in no way gained either his 

 affection or his respect. Probably he could not easily 

 forget the silly bigotry which caused his superiors to 

 seize his copy of Hume's ' Treatise of Human Nature' 

 when he was surprised reading it, and to administer a 

 reprimand for the offence. 



In 1748 he removed to Edinburgh, accompanied by 

 his mother; and he read for about three years a course 

 of Lectures on Rhetoric under the patronage of Lord 

 Kames, himself a very successful follower of critical 

 studies, and whose writings were the first to introduce in 

 this island a sound philosophy upon those subjects. Dr. 

 Smith also became intimately acquainted with the emi- 

 nent men of letters who then adorned the Scottish 

 capital, and some of whom were not yet well known to 

 the world. Mr. Hume, Dr. Robertson, Dr. Blair, were 

 among those literary men ; Mr. Wedderburne afterwards 

 Lord Loughborough, and Mr. Johnstone afterwards Sir 

 William Pulteney, were severally members of the Scot- 

 tish Bar. In 1751 he was elected to the Professorship 

 of Logic in the University of Glasgow, which he ex- 

 changed the year after for that of Moral Philosophy. It 

 had till four years before been filled by Hutcheson, 

 under whom he had studied with all the admiration 

 which the ingenuity and eloquence of that great teacher 

 so naturally inspired, and with the affection which was 

 commanded by his amiable character. 



This important situation of a public teacher, one 



Wealth of Nations/ b. v., c. 1. 



