Page:A biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen, vol 2.djvu/290

4 the words of Imperialis, talking of him on this occasion, "he was esteemed a prodigy of nature." Here, he likewise disputed upon different subjects in theology, philosophy and the mathematics, before the most eminent professors, in large assemblies. Many people from a distance came to hear and see him; and as a late biographer has alleged, "lives of him were drawn up and published." His visit to Venice was, it is conjectured, in the year 1580.

After a residence of about four months in Venice, during the latter part of which time, he was afflicted with a severe illness, Crichton repaired to Padua, where was a university, whose fame, in that age, was spread over Europe. The day after his arrival, there was convened in honour of him at the house of Jacobus Aloisius Cornelius, a meeting of all the learned men of the place, when Crichton opened the assembly with an encomiastic poem in praise of the city, the university, and the persons present. He then disputed for the space of six hours on matters in general; and, in particular exposed with great judgment the errors of Aristotle and his commentators, which lie did, nevertheless, with such engaging modesty, as excited universal admiration. In conclusion, he thought proper to deliver an extempore oration in verse, in praise of ignorance, which was conducted with so much ingenuity, ("in order," says one of his biographers "to reconcile his audience to their comparative inferiority,") that his hearers were astonished, and no doubt highly gratified. Another disputation was to have been held in the bishop of Padua's palace, which some unforeseen circumstances, according to Manutius, prevented. Imperialis, however, differs from this statement; and relates that his father, (then thirteen years of age) had witnessed Crichton upon such an occasion ; that he was opposed by Archangelus Mercenarius, a famous philosopher; and that he acquitted himself so well as to obtain the approbation of a very honourable company, and even of his antagonist himself. In the midst of the great reputation which Crichton now enjoyed, there were not wanting many persons who took occasion to detract from it, affecting to consider him as a literary impostor, whose acquirements were totally superficial. To put an end, at once, to all such cavils or invidious reflections, he caused a challenge, similar to the others already made mention of, to be fixed on the gates of St John and St Paul's church. The chief novelty on this occasion was, that he engaged, at the pleasure of his opponents, to answer them, either in the common logical way, or by numbers and mathematical figures, or in a hundred different sorts of verse. According to Manutius, Crichton sustained this contest without fatigue, for three days ; during which time he supported his credit and maintained his propositions with such spirit and energy, that from an unusual concourse of people, he obtained acclamations and praises than which none more magnificent were ever heard by men. It by much exceeded any of his former contests of a similar nature; and it is the last of them, of which we have any account.

To Sir Thomas Urquhart, posterity is alone indebted for the next incident recorded in the life of the Admirable Crichton, and its interest has certainly suffered little in coming from the graphic pen of that redoubted fabler. We cannot do better than give the exordium in his own words:—"A certain Italian gentleman, of a mighty, able, strong, nimble, and vigorous body, by nature fierce, cruel, warlike, and audacious, and in the gladiatory art so superlatively expert and dextrous, that all the most skilful teachers of escrime, and fencing-masters of Italy (which, in matter of choice professors in that faculty needed, never as yet to yield to any nation in the world). were by him beaten to their good behaviour, and, by blows and thrusts given in, which they could not avoid, enforced to acknowledge him their overcomer: bethinking himself, how, after