16 MEMOIRS or PERIOD III. whereofI loon faw the vanity, and wherein I drove but heavily, the family being altogether carnal. But while I was there, I kept up the worfhip of God in the family : neverthelefs I found that manner of life enfnaring. 1695. About January O. 1695, I went to Edinburgh to the fchool of divinity, then taught by the great Mr George Camp- bell. There was then a great form of fnow on the ground. By the way, being extremely cold, 1. alighted off my horfe, (I think it was betwixt Ridpath-edge and Red(ìone- ridge), and walked. Having walked a while, a fwoon began to feize rne, and I could walk no more. I took horfe, but was fcarcely able to fit on it. My brother, who by good Providence was with me, put a bit of bread in my mouth ; and I had fcarcely as much ítrength left as to lift my jaws and chew it. It wouldhave been defirable tome to have been near the meaneft cottage. And I recovered. At tlìai`time I took a chamber, and dieted myfelf again, about the fpace of a month : but weary of that way, Mr Ridpath aforefaid and I tabled ourfelves, as moft convenient. He beir g a fmart youth, and difpofed to profit in philofophy, Hid good to myfelf, by being fèrviceahle to him in the matter of philofophy, which was his only ftudy at that time. Having fame tafte of mufic be- fore, we went to a fchool one month, and made good proficiency ; preffing forward our teacher, and purfuing it in our chamber : fo that by that means we had the tenors, trebles, and bafes, of the common tunes, with fome other tunes, and feveral prick-fongs. My voice was good, and I had a delight in mufic. A few of us, newly entered to the fchool of divinity, were taught for a time Riiffenius's compend, in the profeffor's cham- ber. Publicly in the hall he taught Effenius's compend. For exercifes that feffion, I had a paraphrafe on If. xxxviii. 1. -9. a leóture on Prov. i. and an exegefis de certitudinej'ubjettiva elee- tionis ; and in a private fociety, another de jure divinoprefbyte- rates. I was alfa for a while, at that time, I fuppofe, with Mr Alexander Rule profeflbr of Hebrew ; but rememberno remark- able advantage I had thereby. About the latter end of April, I returned home, clothed with teftimonials from Profeffor Campbell, bearing, that I had dili- gently attended the profeflion, dexteroufly acquitted myfelf in fe- veral efl'ays prefcribed to me, behaved inoffenfrvely, gravely, and pioufly. He was a man of great learning, but exceffivelymodelt, Undervaluing himfelf, and much valuing the tolerable perform- ancesof his students. Mr James Murray, rninifter of Penpont, whofe fchool-fellow I had been at Dunfe a little while, having engaged me to embrace the grammar-fchool of Penpont, came to the Merle about the barveft, and invited me to go with him, (hewing confiderable. en- couragement. I could not then go along ; but afterwards I made ready for it, and exhaufted what remained of my burle, which was in all L. 8U Scots, in fitting out myfelf. Upon this view,
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