"Instrumental: Logic: Organon.Rhetoric: Ars.Rhet., Cic.Op.Rhet Poetic: De Poetica Pindar, Eschylus.""He allowed himself to be examined on more than four times the number of philosophical and didactic books ever wont to be taken up even for the highest honors; and those, likewise, authors far more abstruse than had previously been attempted in the schools; while at the same time he was examined in more than any ordinary complement of merely {424} classical works." In 1812 he went to Edinburgh, and in the following year, he became an advocate.He lived in the house of his mother, and married an estimable lady, Miss Janet Marshall, a niece of his mother's.In 1820, when Brown died, he became a candidate for his chair, and had the support of Dugald Stewart, who was greatly impressed with his learning and philosophical ability.He was not particularly successful at the bar, and every one rejoiced when, in 1821, he was appointed professor of universal history by the faculty of advocates, the patrons of the chair.His class was not a language one; but he studied and expounded rare and profound subjects.About this time phrenology, as expounded by George Combe, was favored by a considerable body of people in Edinburgh; and Hamilton set himself determinedly against it.He conducted numerous experiments with his own hands, sawing open skulls, dissecting and testing the weight of brains: he is said to have weighed one thousand brains belonging to above fifty species of animals.In 1827, he published in the "Edinburgh Review," his famous article on Cousin and the philosophy of the conditioned.This was followed in 1830 by an article on perception, and on Reid and Brown; and in 1833 by an article on Whately and on logic.In 1836 he was appointed professor of logic and metaphysics in the University of Edinburgh, in opposition to Isaac Taylor, supported by the religious public, and George Combe, supported by the phrenologists.He has now a large class of students, numbering from perhaps one hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty, and he prepared for them the courses of lectures in logic and metaphysics, which he, or his assistants for him, delivered each successive session, till his decease.Having occasion to prelect on Reid, his labors led, in 1856, to his edition of Reid's "Collected Works, with Notes and Dissertations,"which was left unfinished by him, but had additions made to it after his death by papers which he had written.In 1852the articles in the " Edinburgh were republished in the "Discussions on Philosophy," with large additions on university education, including his vehement and senseless diatribe against mathematics.Some years before his death he had a stroke of paralysis, which partially affected his speech and his power of using his pen, and his lectures had to be read in part or in whole by an assistant, {425} while his lady acted as his amanuensis.A second attack carried him off, after a few days' illness, May 6, 1856.
Mr.George Moir describes his person: "The massive though well-cut features, the firm compressed mouth, and the eagle-looking eye, of which the whole pupil was visible, created a feeling akin to awe.But in proportion to this apparent sternness was the charm of his smile and of his whole manner when animated." Though a most devoted reader, he never liked composition, and commonly wrote under pressure.There were stories told in Edinburgh of the nervous agitation into which he wrought himself when he had to prepare his lectures for his class.His style was always clear and clinching, but gives evidence that the writer composed painfully and elaborately, and was unwilling to waste a single unnecessary word.His temper was keen and vehement, but never mean or vindictive.When he could not carry his purposes, he might break off in a passion.He was appointed secretary to the college senatus, and there he had a great many projects for elevating the university scholarship, and often came into collision with his colleagues.
