e Faculty of Advocates (1834) he had acquired a strong
love of the classics and a taste for letters in general. A translation
of _Faust_, which he published in 1834, met with considerable success.
After a year or two of desultory literary work he was (May 1839)
appointed to the newly-instituted chair of Humanity (Latin) in the
Marischal College.

Difficulties arose in the way of his installation, owing to the action
of the Presbytery on his refusing to sign unreservedly the Confession of
Faith; but these were eventually overcome, and he took up his duties as
professor in November 1841. In the following year he married. From the
first his professorial lectures were conspicuous for the unconventional
enthusiasm with which he endeavoured to revivify the study of the
classics; and his growing reputation, added to the attention excited by
a translation of Aeschylus which he published in 1850, led to his
appointment in 1852 to the professorship of Greek at Edinburgh
University, in succession to George Dunbar, a post which he continued to
hold for thirty years. He was somewhat erratic in his methods, but his
lectures were a triumph of influential personality. A journey to Greece
in 1853 prompted his essay _On the Living Language of the Greeks_, a
favourite theme of his, especially in his later years; he adopted for
himself a modern Greek pronunciation, and before his death he endowed a
travelling scholarship to enable students to learn Greek at Athens.
Scottish nationality was another source of enthusiasm with him; and in
this connexion he displayed real sympathy with Highland home life and
the grievances of the crofters. The foundation of the Celtic chair at
Edinburgh University was mainly due to his efforts. In spite of the many
calls upon his time he produced a considerable amount of literary work,
usually on classical or Scottish subjects, including some poems and
songs of no mean order. He died in Edinburgh on the 2nd of March 1895.
Blackie was a Radical and Scottish nationalist in politics, but of a
fearlessly independent type; he was one of the "characters" of the
Edinburgh of the day, and was a well-known figure as he went about in
his plaid, worn shepherd-wise, wearing a broad-brimmed hat, and carrying
a big stick. His published works include (besides several volumes of
verse) _Homer and the Iliad_ (1866), maintaining the unity of the poems;
_Four Phases of Morals: Socrates, Aristotle, Christianity,
Utilitarianism_ (1