gravestone and dreaming of his first love. We may pause, too, for one moment in the old chapel beneath the tower, at the spot where that good man and good antiquary Robert Chambers lies in everlasting rest. From the top of the tower I looked with pleasure on the long row of young trees planted along the main street. The reproach of bareness will not long hang over the town. Indeed, much had been done to remove it by an earlier generation, for this noble street was adorned not many years ago by a fine group of trees. Unfortunately a reforming provost arose, who swept them away. Near the cathedral I noticed an inscription which might have called forth Johnson's sarcastic wit had he chanced to see it. It bore the date of 1712, and was in memory of "John Anderson who was Minister of the Gospel of St. Andrews."
While the travellers were strolling about "dinner was mentioned. 'Ay, ay,' said Johnson. 'Amidst all these sorrowful scenes I have no objection to dinner.'" They were to be the guests of the professors, who entertained them at one of the inns.
"An ill-natured story was circulated (says Boswell) that, after grace was said in English, Johnson, with the greatest marks of contempt, as if he had held it to be no grace in an university, would not sit down till he had said grace aloud, in Latin. This would have been an insult indeed to the gentlemen who were entertaining us. But the truth was precisely thus. In the course of conversation at dinner, Dr. Johnson, in very good humour, said, 'I should have expected to have heard a Latin grace, among so many learned men: we had always a Latin grace at Oxford. I believe I can repeat it."
This grace had been written by the learned Camden for Pembroke College, "to which," to use Johnson's own words, "the zeal or gratitude of those that love it most can wish little better than that it may long proceed as it began."
In the afternoon they went to see the monument to Archbishop Sharpe. His great granddaughter they met at supper. Saint-Fond, confounding him with Cardinal Beaton, says: "Il parâit que les parens du Cardinal Beaton n'ont pas voulu déguiser la paternité du saint archevêque, puisque sa fille est représentée toute en pleurs, les bras tendus vers son père."[1]
The two colleges which formed the University greatly interested Johnson. The natural advantages of St. Andrews for a seat of learning had been pointed out by an earlier traveller, who maintained that it had the best situation he had ever seen for an University, "being out of all common roads, and having fine downs
- ↑ Voyage en Angleterre, &c., ii. 232.
