Page:The Poetical Works of William Motherwell, 1849.djvu/44

 the ease which attaches to these figures. His handwriting likewise partook of this peculiarity. It was formal and square, and, particularly in the capital letters, resembled the Chaldee character, constituting, in fact, a variety of painting.

The winter session of 1818-19 he spent at Glasgow College, where he attended the Latin class, under the late Mr Walker, and the Greek class under the late Mr Young; but, as I have already stated, he never attained to ordinary proficiency in either language, and with the modern tongues he was wholly unacquainted. He manifested at this time a strong desire to repair the defects of his early education, and in a letter to his friend, the late Mr Robert Walkinshaw, in March, 1818, he expresses a hope that, should he succeed to the office of Sheriff-Clerk Depute, then held by Mr Walkinshaw, he might be able 'to save some little money sufficient to re-launch his frail skiff once more on the dead sea of the languages.'

As the office of Sheriff-Clerk Depute brought him a considerable income he spent the greater part of it in the purchase of books, and long before his removal to Glasgow he had collected a large and miscellaneous library. Like