University, and particularly those of the bishopric of Galloway, adding thereto, for seven years to come, the vacant stipends of the parishes which had been in the patronage of the bishop of Galloway, also in perpetuity, the revenues of the deanery and sub-deanery of Glasgow. This last gift, however, was under several restrictions, by which the University had not the possession of the subjects while his power lasted; and as his acts were rescinded at the Restoration, it fell and had no effect.30 At the Restoration, the universities were as far as possible made subservient to the government and its principles. When Episcopacy was re-established, the funds which the universities were receiving from the revenues of the bishoprics, as above indicated, were at once withdrawn. This crippled them for some time. At this time there were eight chairs in the University of Glasgow, but three of them had to be given up, and the five which remained were reduced to very low salaries; while the College buildings were still in an unfinished condition. According to the report of a visitation appointed by parliament in 1664, an annual sum of three thousand nine hundred and forty-one pounds Scots must speedily be provided for the University, otherwise it would quickly decay and go to ruin; for it had a great load of debt, and many chairs wanting which it should have, but cannot for want of revenue. In this state, however, it remained till after the Revolution. But in 1693, each of the Scotch universities received a grant of three hundred pounds annually out of the bishops' rents in Scotland, and continued to struggle on, but none of them have yet become very rich institutions.31 After the Revolution, of course, the universities had to be purged, and in 1690, parliament passed an act authorising the 30 Acts Parl. Scot., Vol. V., p. 566; Dr. Reid's Account of the University of Glasgow. The same year the Estates passed an act assigning the revenues of the bishopric of Aberdeen to the Colleges of Old and New Aberdeen. Acts Parl. Scot., Vol. V., p. 565. 31 Acts Parl. Scot., Vol. VII., p. 498. Dr. Reid's Account of the University of Glasgow. visitation of all the educational establishments of the kingdom. A long list of commissioners were named in the act, and empowered to proceed, and to see that no person disaffected to the government, or otherwise disqualified, should be permitted to remain in any of the universities or schools, upon the grounds. of its being necessary "for the advancement of religion and learning, the good of the Church, and the peace of the kingdom, that the universities, colleges, and schools be provided and served with pious, able, and qualified principals, professors, regents, masters, and others bearing office therein, well affected to their majesties, and the established government of Church and State". Therefore it was enacted that henceforward "no professors, principals, regents, masters, or others bearing office in any university, college, or school, in this kingdom, be permitted to continue in the exercise of their functions, but such as shall acknowledge and profess, and subscribe, the Confession of Faith, ratified by this parliament; and also swear and subscribe the oath of allegiance to their majesties: and withal shall be found of a pious, loyal, and peaceable conversation, and of good and sufficient literature and abilities for their respective employments; and submitting to the government of the Church now settled by law" 32 In 1695, the commissioners of the universities had arrived at the conclusion that none of the text-books should be of foreign origin. They tell the commissioners of parliament that it is altogether dishonourable to the universities, and the famed learning of the nation, that a course of philosophy should be made the standard of authority, which none belonging to the universities have composed. They criticise the existing books and systems of logic and philosophy. The existing courses of philosophy are either not intended and suited for students, or they are in themselves objectionable. The course that runs the fairest is, "Philosophia Vetus et Nova," which is done by a popish 32 Acts Parl. Scot., Vol. IX., pp. 163-164. author, and bears marks of that religion; but therein the logics are barren, the ethics erroneous, and the physics too prolix, Henry Moir's ethics cannot be admitted; they are grossly Arminian, particularly in his opinion 'de libero arbitrio'. The determinations and pneumatology of De Vries are too short. Le Clerc is merely sceptical and Socinian. For Cartesius, Rohault, and others of his gang, besides what may be said against their doctrine, they all labour under this inconvenience-that they give not any sufficient account of the other hypotheses, and the old philosophy, which must not be ejected." 33 In accordance with this conclusion, the University of St. Andrews was ordered to draw up the logics and general metaphysics; to that of Edinburgh was given the pneumatology; to Glasgow, the general and special ethics; and to the two Colleges of Aberdeen, the general and special physics. The treatises were written and placed before the commissioners of parliament in 1697, who were empowered to revise thera. Two of these productions were printed in London in 1701. The one produced in Edinburgh is entitled "An Introduction to Metaphysics," and contains fifty-six pages; the other from St. Andrews," An Introduction to Logic," of the same size. But no more is heard of the project, and it produced no practical effect on the course of university education. Indeed, these compends, and the views which they expressed, may be regarded as the closing words of the regenting system, and of the older mode of philosophical teaching in the Scotch universities. The leading peculiarity of this method was pointed out in the last volume. The professorial system was finally instituted in Glasgow in 1727: it was introduced there by Melville in 1577, but regenting was resumed in 1642; in Edinburgh in 1708; in St. Andrews, 1747; but in Aberdeen the regenting continued till 1754. The chief point of difference between this system and that 33 Printed Mun. of the Univ. of Glasgow, Vol. II., p. 531. of the regents is the limiting of the teaching of the professor to a special subject, out of the many subjects which the regent had to teach. Then in the newer system, the professor is not usually restricted to the teaching of specific books, but may arrange and develop his subject as he thinks fit, and in his lectures contribute what he can to its progress. Thus the professorial system allows the instructor every liberty to exert his powers in presenting the various points and the bearings of his subject, as well as its special exposition. But the mode of instruction in the universities will be fully explained in the next volume, in connection with the history of Scotch philosophy. In what is usually termed the fine arts, Scotland long remained behind other modern nations. Indeed the circumstances of the nation were exceptionally unfavourable to the growth of art. There was too much internal strife, too few of the elements of wealth, too little culture or love of refinement, or elevated ideal feeling, among the Scotch aristocracy, to prompt and encourage art; even though the Scots had naturally possessed greater aptitude for art than they have ever manifested. Hence the seventeenth century produced only one solitary Scottish artist, George Jamesone. Jamesone was born in Aberdeen about the year 1586, and is the first Scottish painter who has attained a historical character.35 He settled as a portrait-painter in his native city about 1620, and several references to him occur in the borough records. He wrought in a pavilion within a garden on the banks of the Denburn. He was employed by the magistrates of Edinburgh in 1633, to paint portraits, as nearly resembling probable likeness as he could devise, of some of the supposed early kings of Scotland. These productions pleased Charles I., who sat for his own por 35 It has been reported that Jamesone studied and wrought along with Vandyke under Rubens; but there is no sufficient evidence of this. I have much pleasure in stating that an Account of the Life and Works of Jamesone, by Mr. Bullock, Aberdeen, is in preparation. trait, and rewarded Jamesone with a diamond ring from his own finger. After this he was more employed among the nobility; and a number of his portraits are preserved among the Scottish families in different parts of the country. Jamesone's earlier productions are done on boards, but his later works are painted on canvass. His early paintings of the human figure are remarkable for the stiffness of the heads, and the awkwardness of the drapery, but these defects he subsequently overcame. His chief merit lay in portraying the human countenance, in reproducing the likeness of flesh and blood upon the surface of the canvass, making them to stand out as if animated by a soul within. He seems to have chiefly concentrated his powers on the face and the head; the background presents nothing to arrest attention, and the outlines of the features are usually drawn on a ground of dark brown or deep gray. |