992 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Old High School.
the great William Pitt, afterwards Lord Chatham.
My master was a great favourite of his pupils,
about sixty in number.
&cond.-Gilchrist, a good-humoured man, with
a great deal of comedy about him ; also liked by the
class, in number somewhat exceeding Farquhar's.
" Third-Rae, a severe, harsh-tempered man,
but an excellent scholar, a rigid disciplinarian, and
very frequent floggerof the school, consequently very
unpopular with the boys, though from the reputation
were then removed to the Rector's class, where
they read portions of Livy, along with the other
classics above mentioned. The hours of attendance
were from seven to nine a.m., and after an
interval of an hour for breakfast, from ten to twelve ;
then after an interval of two hours (latterly, I think,
in my time, three) for dinner, returned for two
hours in the afternoon. The scholars wrote versions,
translations from Latin into English ; and at the
annual examination in August rkited speeches, as
of his superior learning, he had more scholars than
either of the above masters.
Aurfk-Gib, an old man, short and squabby,
with a flaxen three-tailed wig, verging towards
dotage, though said to be in his younger days a
very superior scholar, and particularly conversant
in Hebrew. He had then only twenty-five or
thirty pupils, who liked him from the indulgence
which his good-natured weakness and laxity of
discipline produced.
"The scholars went through the four classes
taught by the under-masters, reading the usual
elementary Latin books-for at that time no Greek
was taught in the High School-and so up to
Virgil, Horace, Sallust, and parts of Cicero. They
they were called, being extracts of remarkable
passages from some of the Roman poets.
Of eminent men educated at the High School
were most of the leading lawyers of Scotland. In
modem times were President Hope, Mr. Brougham,
Mr. Francis Horner, Mr. Wilde, the great favourite
of Mr. Burke, hfr. Reddie, town clerk of Glasgow,
who, during the short time hewas at the Edinburgh
bar had a high reputation for his ability and
knowledge of law. Lord Woodhouselee was at the
school with me, in the class below mine; so was
Lord Meadowbank, who had for his tutor Mr.
Adam, afterwards rector. The Chief Commissioner
Adam was of the same standing and class."
In 1765 began the connection of the eminent
*
