513 
parish school of Kirkliston, and from thence went to college at Edin - 
burgh. His companion at both was Robert Liston, afterwards Sir 
Robert, the ambassador. The hoys began life together. Liston 
was just two days younger than his friend, and the intimacy of 
school and college lasted through life. It is chiefly from the cor- 
respondence kept up between them from 1766 till 1805 that the 
present Memoir has been compiled. 
On leaving college, Dalzel was for some time tutor in the family 
of Lauderdale, and the friendship so commenced also remained firm 
and unbroken through life. 
In 1772—73, partly by an arrangement with his predecessor, 
partly through the influence of the Lauderdales with the Town 
Council, Dalzel became Professor of Greek in the University. The 
study of that language had fallen much into decay in Scotland, and 
Dalzel set himself zealously to the task of restoring and promoting 
it. He devoted himself to the duties of his class, and was soon 
rewarded by its increase in numbers and improvement in study. 
Among other means for his object, he set about preparing some 
class-books for Greek students which were then unknown. His first 
publication was a little supplement to Moor's Grammar, under the 
title of Fragmenta Grammatices Greece in usum tironum in Uteris 
Greeds in Academia Edinensi , The prose volume of his well- 
known Collectanea Major a was published in 1785, and got almost 
at once into favour with the best teachers here and in England. 
In the immediate duties of his professorship Dalzel was inde- 
fatigable. Dr Monro said of him, that “ he had more to brag of 
than any man in the college, for that Greek was going fast down- 
hill till he revived it.” His second volume, the poetical portion of 
the Collectanea Maj ora, cost him great labour, and obtained the 
assistance of many friends among the best scholars of England. 
Though long promised and urgently called for by the schoolmasters 
and “ the trade,” it was not published till 1797, It was then 
received with as much favour as its predecessor ; and the two 
volumes rapidly came to supersede all other class-books for Greek 
students. Both volumes passed through many editions, and per- 
haps wanted nothing for permanent success and popularity, but that 
the valuable information conveyed in the notes should have been 
given in English instead of Latin, which the practice of the time 
seemed to require. 
