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86 BRITISH PHYSICIANS. Under whose care lie was educated, or in wliat manner lie passed his childhood — what youthful discoveries he made of a genius peculiarly adapted to the study of nature — what presages of his future eminence in medicine he afforded — no information is to be obtained. That he gave some early indications of talent can, however, scarcely be doubted, since it has been observed, that there is no instance of any man, whose history has been minutely related, that did not in every part of his life discover the same proportion of intellectual vigour. At the age of eighteen, he was entered a commoner of Magdalen Hall^ Oxford, in mid- summer term 1642, but left the university as soon as it became a garrison for Charles L Now the battle of Edge Hill was fought in the month of October of that year, and a few days afterwards the king retired to Oxford. At this distance of time, it is curious to speculate whether the young Sydenham, a freshman at college, could by any possibility have become acquainted with the great discoverer of the circulation of the blood, then in attendance upon the unfortunate monarch : probably not. It is certain they espoused dif- ferent sides in politics : for while Harvey was a staunch royalist, Sydenham joined the army of the Parliament, though he spent a few years only in the camp, and never attained a higher rank than that of captain. His ultimate choice of a profession was determined by an accidental ac- quaintance with Dr. Coxe, a physician eminent at that time in London, who in some sickness pre- scribed for the brother of Sydenham, and, entering into conversation with him, inquired what walk of