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The history of the University of Edinburgh (v. 1)
The history of the University of Edinburgh - v. 1 Author:Alexander Bower Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV. Of the foundation of the University of Edinburgh-™ Reverend James Lawson—High School—Queen Mary—James VI.—The Magistrates of Edin burgh—Mr Robert ... more »Rollock—Course of Study in 1583—The University visited with the Plague— James's Patronage--The Covenant signed—Rollock made Principal—Two Regents elected—First Lau- reation—Professor of Theology—A new Professorship founded—The Students accommodated in Trinity College Kirk. The foundation of the pthcr seminaries of learning i"n Scotland, how much soever interesting, would lead; into a digression too long for this work. It may not be improper, nevertheless, to observe, that they were all erected and endowed principally by individuals ; and that the same or a similar course was taught in all, during the term that they were contemporary. Some of the Scotish kings bad entered with great ardour into the encouragement and progress of learning. James I. distinguished himself in this respect, and set an example which could not.fail to excite emulation both in the teachers and scholars. The invention of printing, however, and the con .sequent revival of learning, and the more general dissemination f knowledge, gradually paved the way in Scotland, as well as in other countries, for public institutions, in which the youth could have an opportunity of being instructed in the learned languages and in the philosophy of the times. From many causes, chiefly from the political confusion which pervaded the whole of Scotland, but particularly Edinburgh, Httle attention was paid to the cultivation of the muses. There was another cause. Learning was almost entirely monopolized by the clergy;. and the policy of the Romish church seems universally to have been, to remove the court of the metropolitan as far as possible from the seat of gove...« less