VII

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WRITINGS OF DR. SMITH.

more ornamental branches of learning; in particu-lar, with the works of the Roman, Greek, French ,and Italian poets, appeared fufflciently fromthe hold which they kept of his memory, afterall the different occupations and inquiries in whichhis maturer faculties had been employed *. Inthe Englifli language , the variety of poetical paf-fages which he was not only accuftomed to referto occafionally, but which he was able to repeatwith correftnefs, appeared furprifmg even to thofe,v^ofe attention had never been directed to moreimportant acquifitions.

After a relidence at Oxford of feven years, hereturned to Kirkaldy, and lived two years withhis mother; engaged in ftudy, but without anyfixed plan for his future life, hfe had been ori-ginally deftined for the Church of England , andwith that view had been fent to Oxford; but notfinding the ecclefiaftical profefhon fuitable to histafle, he chofe to confult, in this inftance, hisown inclination, in preference to the wifhes of his

* The uncommon degree in which Mr. Smith retained pof-feffion, even to the clofe of his life, of different branches ofknowledge which he had long ceafed to cultivate, has been of-ten remarked to me by my learned colleague and friend, Mr.

Dalzel, Profeffor of Greek in this Univerfity. - Mr. Dalzel

mentioned particularly the readinefs and correftnefs of Mr,Smith’s memory on philological fubjefts, and the acutenefsand skill he difplayed in various conventions with him onfome of the minutite of Greek grammar.