, about the year 1608,
where he studied hard and made great progress; but lest he should have
been puffed up with his proficiency (as he himself observes) the Lord
was pleased to visit him with a tertian fever, for full four months, to
the great detriment of his studies.

Nothing remarkable occurred till the 20th year of his age, when he gave
himself sometimes to the exercise of archery and the like recreations;
but lest his studies should have been hindered, he resolved to be busy
at them every other night, and for that purpose could find no place so
proper as a room whereinto none were permitted to go, by reason of an
apparition that was said to frequent it, yea, wherein it is also said,
that he himself had seen the devil, in the likeness of one of his
fellow-students[140], whom he took to be really his companion, but when
he, with a candle in his hand, chased him to the corner of the room,
offering to pull him out, he found nothing; after which he was never
more troubled, studying the one night without fear, and the other he
slept very sweetly, believing in him, who was still his great Preserver
and Protector for ever.

Having now finished his course of philosophy under the discipline of his
own brother, Mr. William Blair (who was afterwards minister at
Dumbarton). He engaged for some time to be an assistant to an aged
schoolmaster at Glasgow, who had above 300 scholars under his
instruction, the half of whom were committed to the charge of Mr. Blair.
At this time he was called, by the ministry of the famous Mr. Boyd of
Trochrigg (then principal of the college of Glasgow), in whose hand, the
Lord, as he himself observes[141], did put the key of his heart, so that
whenever he heard him in public or private he profited much, being as it
were sent to him from God to speak the words of eternal life.

Two years after he was admitted in the room of his brother Mr. William,
to be regent in the college of Glasgow, though not without the
opposition of arch-bishop Law, who had promised that place to
another.----But neither the principal nor regents giving place to his
motion, Mr. Blair was admitted. After his admission, his elder
colleagues, perceiving what great skill and insight he had in humanity,
urged him to read the classical authors; whereupon he began and read
Plautus, but the Lord, being displeased with that design, diverted him
from this, by meeting with Augustine's confession, wherein he inveighs
sharply against