1802.] 
often excited his attention, and he would 
never quit books on thefe fubjeéts till he 
made the principal incidents and charaéters 
his own. ° Nor was he lefs deferving of re- 
{peét for the qualities of his heart than for 
the powers of his mind. His moral charac- 
ter was unexceptionable ; he was remarkable 
for the peaceablenefs of his difpofition and 
the mildnefs of his behaviour. 
in his manners, he feemed unconfcious of luis 
abilities, nor would he ever allow himfelf to 
poflefs any merit but in common with his 
cotemporaries. Though the penetrating ge- 
nius of a Lavater might have difcovered in 
him certain marks which are ever. the con- 
comitants of a great mind and good heart ; 
inaccurate obfervers, judging from exterior 
appearance, may have thought him referved 
and morofe ; but his friends, and thofe who 
knew him beft, will unite in pronouncing 
him to have been free and open in his con- 
duct, *¢ ready to diftribute, willing to com- 
municate.’? Naturally of a domeftic turn of 
mind, he was never happier than when fit- 
ting round the fire with a few focial friends, 
converfing on his favourite topics. The ma- 
thematics however were not his only theme 5 
for, notwithftanding his fevere application to 
thefe abftract ftudies, he was, in the few mo- 
ments of relaxation which he allowed him- 
felf, lively and chearful, and his converfa- 
tion enlivened with remarks occafionally fa- 
tirical. The intrigues of ftatefmen excited 
his contempt ; and the intrepidity of the 
warrior received his encomiums. In fhort, 
his remarks on the occurrences of the day 
fufficiently evinced that he was not inatten- 
tive to the events which were pafling upon 
the political theatre of* Europe. His life 
was an exemplary pattern of induftry and vir- 
tue ; his death has deprived his parents of a 
tender and dutiful fon; his connettions, of 
a fteady and affectionate friend; his pupils, of a 
tutor warm and interefted in their fuccefs ; and 
the world, of a valuable member of fociety. 
At his houfe, in Efsex-ftreet, Doctor 
Grorce Forpyce, an eminent and fuccefs- 
ful teacher and practitioner of medicine. He 
was born at, or near, the city of Aberdeen, 
about the beginning of the year 1737. His 
defcent was from a family of ancient refpec- 
tability in that neighbourhood, which has 
had the honour to produce a number of per- 
fons who have been among the chief orna- 
ments ofthe church, the academical chair; the 
medica! profefsion, and ethers of the moft 
honourable and important departments of the 
buGnets of civil life. The local circumftan- 
ces ofhis birth,and the condition of his family, 
afforded every defirable advantage for his lite- 
rary education, even from his earlieft years. 
He pafsed with rapidity and _ diftinction, 
through the wonted courfe of Englith and 
Latin inftruetion at fchool. At college, he 
fgudied under teachers, fuch as Blackwall, 
Duncan, Gerrard, Beattie, Reid, Dunbar, 
&c. who have the moft fignally contributed 
A 
Account of Dr. Fordyce. 
Unafiuming 
611 
to adorn the literature and advance the 
philofophy of the age. ~Among his fellow- 
ftudents, were youngs men deftined to rival 
the emimence of their mafters. Favoured 
with thofesinfpiring and clearly informing 
Inftructions which none can give bat men of 
genius ; and roufed to ardent {tudy by the 
emulation of minds not inferior to his own; 
Fordyce foon made at College 2 proficiency 
in clafsical and philofophical ftudies, from . 
which his future fuccefs in. whatever he 
fhould chufe for his profefsional purfuits might 
have been confidently foretold. From Pavia, 
Bologna, and Pifa, from Paris, from Montpel- 
lier,’ from Leyden, the academical culture of 
the medical fciences found its way, at length, 
into Scotland. The church was-poor.: The 
bar was over{tocked with candidates for its 
honours and emoluments. Although there . 
was’ in Scotland no example of a phyfician 
getting twenty guineas a-day by his profef- 
fion, as did Radcliffe in London, from the 
year 1687 to the year 1714; yet, Sibbald, 
Pitcairne, Monro, Sir John Pringle, then 
at his higheft profefsional eminence, end 
fome other Scotfmen then in England, 
had cultivated medicine with fuccefs, in 
confequence of which it was naturally 
viewed at the Scottifh Univerfities as 
opening the faireft fcope to the ingeni- 
ous ambition of any young man whofe 
genius was too bold for the narrow pre- 
judices of Prefbyterian theology, or for 
the plodding inelegant learning of ‘the 
{chools of law, and who defired to make 
the culture of liberal and ufeful fcience 
fubfervient to his advancement in life, 
Fordyce, following the impulfe of his owa 
genius and the example of a near and emi- 
nent relation, chofe, in thefe circumftances, 
to devote himfelf to the medical profefsion. 
He purfued his medical ftndies, with due - 
zeal and diligence at Aberdeen and Edin- 
burgh. About the era of our prefent 
King’s aceefsion to the throne, Mr. Fordyce 
had finifhed his ftudies, and was preparing 
to enter the world as a practitioner, with the 
ufual academical recommendations to public 
confidence. He came in the year 1762, to 
produce his fkill and talents to public en- 
couragement on the wide and inviting field of. 
London. In London, a.man may almott 
infallibly fucceed in any honourable pre- 
fefsion, if he pofsefs.in it great fkill, un- 
wearied. diligence, patience to await chear- 
fully the flow approaches of encouragement, 
vigilance to. watch and feize its flighteft ta- 
yours, humility to difdain no honeft gain of 
which he isin want, as too mean or fmall, 
ambition at the fame,time fudiciently bold 
and lofty to afpire to all that is in honour or 
emolument the greateft, modefty to withhold 
hima from offending the pride, the prejudices, 
the jealoufies of thofe with whom he may 
have to contend and. converfe in his profei- 
fional career, yet fuch love of fame as. to 
fuffer none of his merits of any fort to mils 
of . 
