most of the houses, and covered them with lead; and Andrew Strachan, writing, while the Church was still used for the purpose of its foundation, speaks of it almost in the words of Boece, and declares that all its stones and beams proclaim Bishop Elphinstone their founder. We can fix the date of the church somewhat more accurately from a document preserved in the Burgh Records of Aberdeen, which bears, that, on the 21st October, 1506, Andrew Cullan, Provost of the Burgh, as factor for William, Bishop of Aberdeen, entered into an indenture of contract with "John Buruel, an Englishman, and plumber to the King of England,3 regarding the roofing of the church of the Bishop's new University." The windows and ceilings, the marble altars and pulpits of brass, 1" Wilhelmus initiis Aberdonensis studii delectatus, quo res firmius stabiliretur, collegium condidit, opus ædificiorum ornatu et amplitudine magnificum et dignum quod fama semper loquatur. In eo templum tabulatum polito quadratoque lapide, vitrinis, cælaturis, sellis ad sacerdotum, subselliis ad puerorum usum, mira arte fabricatis, marmoreis altaribus et imaginibus divorum, tabulis et statuaria et pictoria arte auratis, cathedris æneis, aulæis, tapetibus, quibus parietes atque pavimentum sternerentur." ... Habet campanile immensa altitudine sublatum, cui lapideus arcus instar imperialis diadematis, mira arte fabricatus, plumbeam supra tecturam adhibetur, tredecim campanas, melodiam et piam audientibus voluptatem sonantes. Hæc omnia Wilhelmi donaria. . . . Aedes singulæ condi inceptæ, Canonici juris professori, Cæsarei, Medico, Grammatico, a collegio secretæ. Has Wilhelmus non absolvit, morte correptus intempestiva. Collegii templum, turres, et ædes pene omnes tecto plumbeo operuit" Boeti Aberdon. Episc. Vitæ, p. 64-6. Cujus omnes hodie lapides, omnes trabes h Gulielmum loqui et prædicare videntur et ad ejus memoriam gestire. Et certe cum in ædes oculos converto, Solis regiam mihi videre videor. Illis nihil magnificentius, nihil augustius. Quid referam templum ex polito et quadrato lapide constructum affabre! quid in eo vitrinas, cœlaturas, quid subsellia mira arte fabricata, quid ei incumbens campanile editissimum cui arcus lapideus instar diadematis imperialis manu Dædali efformatus supereminet! quid in eo tredecim campanas quæ vel lapides dulcissima melodia ad sacra vocarent! quid aulam vel regibus invidendam quid musæa privata ! quid publica auditoria quorum vel majestas ad studia invitat! A. Strachani Panegyricus inauguralis, p. 10. Aberdoniis Excud. Ed. celebrated by the historian, are all gone, as well as the more perishable articles of pictures, and images of saints, and the carpets and hangings for decking the church on festivals. It is something that there still remains the shell of the church, with its choir used as a College chapel, and, though deformed by a pulpit thrust into the place of the high altar, still preserving the tomb of its founder and the fine oak stall-work which excited the admiration of the first Principal.' The buildings, left unfinished by Elphinstone, were completed by another munificent prelate, Bishop Gawin Dunbar; and the south side of the quadrangle, from being chiefly his work, was long known as Dunbar's buildings." We have notices of successive repairs of the College buildings in Bishop Patrick Forbes' time, but directed evidently with laudable care to replace and restore without alteration." In 1633, on the 7th February, a violent storm blew down the crown of the steeple, the wonderful structure after the manner of an imperial diadem.' "This goodlie ornament, haveing stood since the dayes of that glorious King, James IV., was by ane extraordinar tempest of stormie wind thrown downe; quherby both the The nave of the Church is shut off by a partition, and now forms the principal apartment of the library. The tomb of Elphinstone, of black marble, two feet high, with holes where the brass ornaments have been attached, stands, in the middle of the choir, the present chapel. The extremity of the three-sided apse is filled by an oak pulpit, which is now used by a Sunday lecturer. It bears the name of Bishop Patrick Forbes, with the date 1627. The Bishop would hardly have approved of its present position. Against the north wall of the Chapel, also, now stands another pulpit, lately brought from the Cathedral, which shows the arms and initial letters roofes of tymber and lead, and other adjacent workes, wer pitifullie crusched." The members of the College, with the assistance of their neighbours, in particular the burgh of Aberdeen, immediately applied themselves to repair the crown; which, Spalding assures us was re-edefeit and biggit wp litle inferior to the first.'' The church roof, which had been injured by its fall was not repaired apparently, till 1638.3 The Parson of Rothiemay's drawing' shows the University buildings as they stood after that repair, and after the erection of an unsightly edifice which he inscribes "the new works”—the new building reared up at the north-east corner of the said College," by a subscription begun in 1658, which contained lecture rooms, and an observatory at top, the latter added in 1675. The roof of the church is evidently of the middle of the seventeenth century, and the pretty lantern spire bears the cipher of Charles II. We learn from Gordon's drawing that the library, the jewelhouse, and the "second school" were then in a sort of aisle running along nearly the whole south wall of the church, the work of Bishop William Stewart.7 The common school and 'Infra, p. 309. The words are Dr. John Forbes's. The exact day of the catastrophe is recorded by Spalding-Club edit., p. 31. The architect was Dr. William Gordon, professor of medicine, "a godlie, grave, learned man, and singular in common works about the College, and putting up on the steiple thereof, most glorious as you see, ane staitlie crowne, throwne down be the wynd before."-Spalding, p. 257. 3 Infra, p. 410. "Descriptio utriusque urbis"-Spalding Club. The drawing was executed before 1661. Infra, p. 537. The list of subscriptions extends over many years, combining in the same purpose Cromwell's Captains and Co lonels, and the Bishop and Clergy after the Restoration. Orem, p. 182. On the wall is inscribed -"1658- Insignes has ædes extruendas curarunt Coll. Regii moderatores, Joa. Row Principalis. Ja. Sandilandis J.C.P. And. Moore Med. P. Pat. Sandilandis, Subpr. P.P. Joa. Brodie H.L.P. Geo. Gordon, And. Massie, Gul. Johnston, Reg. P.P.P." Slezer's view, thirty year's later than Gordon's, represents the "new work" as terminated with the minaret-looking observatory of 1675, and ornamented with balustrades and pinnacles, and much more picturesque than it appears in the earlier view, or at present. Descr. of both touns, p. 26. 7" Donaides" auctore J. Ker, 1725.-p. 15 college hall over it, then as now, occupied the east side of the quadrangle. The chambers of the students were in "Dunbar's buildings" on the side of the court opposite to the church, and, perhaps also occupied buildings on the steeple side, which have been removed within the present century to make room for a chemical class-room and a museum, together with part of the library which had outgrown its lodging. The drawing of 1660 The ends of these halls are now taken off, the lower for the Greek class, the upper for the "Senatus room" "The Kings Colledge of Aberdeene, situated at the south ende of Old Aberdene, is conspicuouse beyonde the rest of the buildings. Scotland does not boast of the edefice of any colledge more statelie or bewtifull. It is all covered with lead about, except one quarter, which is purposelie slaited; the church and great tower or steeple both builded of ashler: all the church windows of old wer of paynted glas; and ther remayns as yit a pairt of that ancient braverye. In this church Wm. Elphingstoune lyes buryed, his tombe stone of black towtch stone; the upper pairt upheld of old by thretteine statues of brasse; his statua of brasse lying betuixt the two stons; all thes robbed and sold long agoe. Ther are two ́bells (of ten in that steeple,) which are of a greater weght each of them then any in Scotland besyde. Above a double arche crossed of stone ther standeth a crowne royall octangular supported with aight pillers; upon the toppe of the crowne a stone globe; above it a double crosse guilded; intimating as it wer by such a bearing, that it is the King's Colledge. It was overthrowne anno 1631 by a furious tempest, bot quicklie afterwards restored in a better forme and conditione by the directione of Patrick For bes of Corse, then bischope of Aberdeen; Dr. Williame Gordone overseing the work, and solliciting everie quher for assistance therunto, which was contributed considerablie by the noblemen and gentlemen dwelling in the countrey and neerest shyres. The librarie or bibliotheck is joyned unto the church, at first replinished with many goodlie volumes, bot since ather robbed, or embasled, or purloyned by unfaythfull keepers. At this tyme, by the liberalitie of severall donors, it begins to be replinished of new, and accresceth daylie. Under it, hard by, is ther cabinet or jewell hous as they call it, wherin are layde ther patents and registers and publict records. Ther was much pretious stuff layde up ther of old, besyde all this, but long agoe robbed by theeves quho brack in violentlie ther. Next stoode the Chapterhous, now turned to a pri. vat schooll. The Commone Schooll and Colledge Hall above it take up a quholl syde of the base court. Ther parlour is fair and bewtifull within. The southe syde hes upon everie corner two halff round towers with leaden spires. In the yeir 1657, the square of the qukoll edifice began to be closed and compleitted by the additione of a new building, which ryses up above the rest, platformed and railed above.”— Descr. of both touns, p. 23. shows the ruins of the Canonist's and Civilist's houses, but gives no indication of the ruin which was fast impending over a great part of the collegiate buildings. Upon Candlemas day of 1715, the spire or minaret, which is seen in both views, terminating the tower at the south-eastern corner of the College buildings, was blown down.' It appears that the south side, Dunbar's buildings, had fallen into decay about the end of the seventeenth century, when the present edifice with its cloister-like arcade was commenced, but again allowed to fall to ruin. The Crown itself, the pride of the College, was cracked and in danger.3 The great patron and restorer of later times was James Fraser, an alumnus of the University, who devoted a share of his fortune to repair the ruinous buildings, to complete the unfinished, and to supply the library with valuable books. It is to him, the College 1 Orem, p. 182. From the old view, ascribed to Jamieson, in the Senate Hall, (a copy of which is prefixed to Orem's useful little book), it appears that both this and the corresponding pinnacle on the southwestern tower were made of timber. The new building was begun in 1707 at the expense of John Buchan of Auchmacoy and the officers of his regiment, (cohortis sua prefectorum) who also renewed the windows and pavement of the Hall.-(Donaides, p. 15, 23.) The same author elsewhere dates the commencement in 1723.-(Frasereides, 1732.) Either period was unfortunate for British art, and the architecture of the south side as well as the windows of the hall serve to perpetuate a mean style which was not confined to the north of Scotland. "Augusta Elphinstonii tecta casum minitabantur; Coronarium illud opus insigne et excelsum campanili impositum, hiatus secum in exitium tracturum late pandens, — Donaides, P. James Fraser, the third son of Alexander Fraser, minister at Petty, came to King's College in the year of the Restoration (1660) his fifteenth year. After taking his master's degree in 1664, he went to England and followed the custom of so many of his countrymen at that time, by becoming tutor in the families of several noblemen, and also acquired some fortune by the death of his brother, a soldier. Having been tutor to the Duke of St. Albans, (son of Charles 11.) he was appointed first Secretary to Chelsea Hospital, an office which he held for forty years. He was a diligent bookcollector, and distinguished for his knowledge of books, and was made by James II. librarian of the Royal library and licenser of printing. He is said to have been a great favourite with George I., who spoke little English, and, perhaps benefited by the Librarian's remembrance of the King's College colloquial Latin. Fraser had presented books to the Library of his old College as early as 1675. In August, |