+Source.+--_A Journey through Scotland, in Familiar Letters from a
Gentleman here, to his Friend Abroad_, p. 65, by J. Macky. Second
edition. (London: 1729.)
The High-Street of Edinburgh, running by an easy ascent from the
Netherbow to the Castle, a good half mile, is doubtless the stateliest
street in the world, being broad enough for five coaches to drive up
abreast; and the houses on each side are proportionately high to the
broadness of the street; all of them six or seven story high, and those
mostly of free stone, makes this street very august.
Half way up this street stands St. Giles's Church, the ancient cathedral
of this city, in the form of a cross; but since the Reformation it is
turned into four convenient churches, by partitions, called the
High-Kirk, the Old-Kirk, the Tolbooth-Kirk, and Haddock's Hole. A-top of
this church is erected a large open cupola, in the shape of an imperial
crown, that is a great ornament to the city, and seen at a great
distance. King David erected a copy after this over St. Nicholas's
Church in Newcastle, but it does not near come up to it. Besides these
four churches of St. Giles's, there is in the same street a little lower
the Trone[65] Church, built after the model of Inigo Jones's St. Paul's
Covent Garden; a very handsome church at the east end of the lake,
called the Collegiate Church, built by Mary of Gelder,[66] Queen to
James the Second; a church built by a Lady Yester, a handsome new church
in the middle of the Canongate, and two good churches under the same
roof at the Grey-Friars. There are also some chapels; but they are
converted into halls for trades.
To the south of St. Giles's Church is a fine square, with an equestrian
statue of King Charles the Second in the middle. In this square stands
the Parliament-House, where their parliaments were kept: Also the
Council and Treasury, and all other publick offices. It's a fine modern
building of free-stone, finished by Charles the First in 1636.
Underneath this building is kept the lawyer's library[67]; where there
is a fine collection of books, of medals, and of ancient coins, the
largest of English and Scots coins I ever saw. I could not perceive that
the Scots bore the lion rampant in a tressor of Flower-de-Luces[68] on
the coins, till the Stewarts.
Joining to this library is the Register, where are kept all the deeds
and securities of the nation, as a common bank. Here is also a very good
bank for money,[69] whose notes go current all over the nation. There is
also a fine room in this square for the meeting of the royal boroughs,
adorned with pictures.
In this great street are several stone fountains of water, brought in
pipes at three miles distance, disposed at convenient distances to
supply the whole city with water; and on each side of this street are
lanes, or wynds as they are called here, that run down to the bottom.
This made an English gentleman, that was here with the Duke of York,
merrily compare it to a double wooden comb, the great street the wood in
the middle, and the teeth of each side the lanes.
These lanes lead you to a street below, called the Cowgate, which runs
the whole length east and west of the other, but is neither half so
broad or well built. The High Street is also the best paved street I
ever saw. I will not except Florence. One would think the stones inlaid;
they are not half a foot square; and notwithstanding the coaches and
carts, there is not the least crack in it.
South from the Cowgate lies the High-School for Latin, and in its yard
is kept a fine bagnio, in a handsome neat house, built for the Company
of Surgeons; and in their hall is the picture of the late Duke Hamilton,
Earl Finlater in his Chancellor's robes, and of all the eminent surgeons
of the town, to the number of about forty, all originals, by Sir John
Medina. There is also a pretty garden before and behind the house.
Directly north from this, on the other side of the Cowgate, is the
Physicians Hall and garden, where they have a noble museum, founded by
Sir Andrew Balfour, physician. The learned and industrious Sir Robert
Sebald has very much augmented it. It contains a treasure of curiosities
of art and nature, foreign and domestick, as appears by Sir Robert's
account, printed in four books in 1697.
A little further to the south of the Cowgate is the University, which
consists only of one college: The Magistrates of Edinburgh are governors
of it; it hath a principal or warden, and four philosophy regents or
professors. There is also a professor of Divinity, of Civil Law, of
History, Mathematicks, and Hebrew.
In studying four years at this college you commence Master of Arts: The
scholars are not in commons, and kept to strict rules as in the colleges
in England, nor wear gowns; they lodge and diet in the town, as at the
colleges in Holland, and are required to attend at their several classes
from eight in the morning till twelve, and from two to four. I wonder
how a college in a town used to so much business and diversion to take
off from the study of youth, should ever produce a good scholar.
This college consists of two lower courts, and one upper one, tolerably
well built; the upper court, to which you ascend by steps of stairs, is
larger than the other two. On the left of that court is the library, a
long spacious room, and the books neatly kept, and cloistered with doors
of wire, that none can open but the keeper, more commodious than the
multitude of chains used in the English libraries. The several
benefactions are kept in distinct apartments, with the donor's name
over them in gold letters; and over these cases of books are pictures
of most of the Kings of Scotland, and of all the reformers both at home
and abroad....
Joining to the College is a neat hospital for girls, with a pretty
garden, and bowling-green; and a little further is the churchyard of the
Grey-Friars, the burial-place of all the eminent burghers of the city;
for they don't affect so much as the English to be buried in churches;
that they think smells too much of the Popish stamp....
To the westward of this church-yard stands the most celebrated Hospital
of George Herriot, Jeweller to James the Sixth, for the bringing up of
130 poor boys, children of decayed merchants and tradesmen of this city.
The building exceeds any thing of the kind in Europe. Sutton's Hospital,
called the Charter-House at London, is a noble foundation; but the house
neither of that, Christ-Church, nor anything of the kind at Rome or
Venice, comes up to the magnificence of this building; which I suppose
is owing to Dr. Balcanqual, his executor, who was a great architect, was
Dean of Rochester, and helped King James the Sixth to write his
Basilicon Doron, and was left in full power by Mr. Herriot to build this
hospital, which he hath done more like a princely palace than a
habitation for necessitous children....
To the north of Herriot's work, from whence its fine avenue ascends, and
to the west of the Cowgate, is the Grass-Market, like Smithfield at
London, where they sell their horses, corn and hay, and is as spacious
as Smithfield is; and from it is the West Port or Gate, out of which is
a large suburb, as it is at most of the others. The City of Edinburgh is
a good English mile from the Palace to the Castle in a direct line; and
taking in the suburbs called the West-Port, Bristol,[70] Paterrow,[71]
Pleasants,[72] Canongate, and Calton, may be four miles in
circumference.
This Grass-Market, or Smithfield, lies directly under the Castle, which
is built on a high rock at the west end of the city, and over-looks and
commands it. The rock on which this castle is built is inaccessible on
all sides, except just the front from the town, which rises by an easy
ascent on the ridge of the hill all the way from the Palace: However,
this front is secured by a half-moon, at least 200 feet perpendicularly
high, well stored with artillery, besides other lower works towards the
gate, that make it impregnable. There is also a royal palace in this
castle, finely built of free-stone, with very noble apartments; in one
of which, King James the sixth of Scotland, and first of England, was
born. You may imagine the prospect, very delicious and unbounded from
such a height as this; for you not only see all Edinburgh under you, but
the whole course of the firth from the Bass to Stirling; the coasts of
Fife on the other side of the sea, and many score miles into the
country.