22 
MEMOIIl OF 
horrors of civil war, and the utter forgetfulness 
of every principle of humanity that such a contest 
involves, that two children, the one eight and 
the other ten years of age, should be thought fit 
objects of attack. In returning, they were fired 
at, but providentially, the ball missed, and 
“ lighted in the street.” “ I took it up,” says the 
young hero, “ and brought it with me.” The 
family were so reduced by this misfortune, that 
this child had to travel on foot to Cupar, where 
they bent their steps, having obtained a pass by 
the sale of some meal. 
At Cupar, the year previous to the unfortunate 
removal to Dundee, Robert Sibbald had com- 
menced his Latin education under Mr Andrew 
Anderson ; but he appears not to have been 
replaced with him, but to have been entered at 
the High School of Edinburgh under Mr Hugh 
Wallace, from whence, in due course, he went to 
the university of his native city, of which the 
celebrated Robert Leighton, afterwards Bishop 
of Dunblane, and ultimately Archbishop of Glas- 
gow, was at that time the principal. While 
attending the college, he studied hard, shunning 
all plays and amusements. He gave himself up 
to the diligent perusal of every book that came 
in his way, till he acquired the soubriquet of 
“ Diogenes in his tub” among his fellow students. 
This indiscriminate reading was, in some respects. 
