tle, on the
margin of the sea, in which the archbishops resided, and in which
cardinal Beatoun was killed.

The professors, who happened to be readout in the vacation, made a
publick dinner, and treated us very kindly and respectfully. They showed
us their colleges, in one of which there is a library that, for
luminousness and elegance, may vie, at least, with the new edifice at
Streatham. But learning seems not to prosper among them; one of their
colleges has been lately alienated, and one of their churches lately
deserted. An experiment was made of planting a shrubbery in the church,
but it did not thrive.

Why the place should thus fall to decay, I know not; for education, such
as is here to be had, is sufficiently cheap. The term, or, as they call
it, their session, lasts seven months in the year, which the students of
the highest rank and greatest expense, may pass here for twenty pounds,
in which are included board, lodging, books, and the continual
instruction of three professors.

20th. We left St. Andrew's, well satisfied with our reception, and,
crossing the frith of Tay, came to Dundee, a dirty, despicable town. We
passed, afterwards, through Aberbrothick, famous once for an abbey, of
which there are only a few fragments left; but those fragments testify
that the fabrick was once of great extent, and of stupendous
magnificence. Two of the towers are yet standing, though shattered; into
one of them Boswell climbed, but found the stairs broken: the way into
the other we did not see, and had not time to search; I believe it might
be ascended, but the top, I think, is open.

We lay at Montrose, a neat place, with a spacious area for the market,
and an elegant town-house.

21st. We travelled towards Aberdeen, another university, and, in the
way, dined at lord Monboddo's, the Scotch judge, who has lately written
a strange book about the origin of language, in which he traces monkeys
up to men, and says that, in some countries, the human species have
tails like other beasts. He inquired for these long-tailed men of Banks,
and was not well pleased, that they had not been found in all his
peregrination. He talked nothing of this to me, and I hope we parted
friends; for we agreed pretty well, only we disputed in adjusting the
claims of merit between a shopkeeper of London, and a savage of the
American wildernesses. Our opinions were, I think, maintained, on both
sides, without full conviction: Monboddo declared b