Cassell's Old and new Edinburgh: its history, its people, and its places . to thespot. It was soon disco-vered that the malcontentswould not be so easilysubdued, and that theywere as much disposed toresist the civic authorities as they had alreadydisdainfully rejected the advice and commands oftheir excellent preceptor. By order of the provost, ^Villiam Little, theprincipal door was battered to pieces, the schoolentered, and the scholars were overawed, thoughfire-arms of every description, with swords andhalberds, were found in their possession; but insuch lawless proceedings the boys only imi

Cassell's Old and new Edinburgh: its history, its people, and its places . to thespot. It was soon disco-vered that the malcontentswould not be so easilysubdued, and that theywere as much disposed toresist the civic authorities as they had alreadydisdainfully rejected the advice and commands oftheir excellent preceptor. By order of the provost, ^Villiam Little, theprincipal door was battered to pieces, the schoolentered, and the scholars were overawed, thoughfire-arms of every description, with swords andhalberds, were found in their possession; but insuch lawless proceedings the boys only imi

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Cassell's Old and new Edinburgh: its history, its people, and its places . to thespot. It was soon disco-vered that the malcontentswould not be so easilysubdued, and that theywere as much disposed toresist the civic authorities as they had alreadydisdainfully rejected the advice and commands oftheir excellent preceptor. By order of the provost, ^Villiam Little, theprincipal door was battered to pieces, the schoolentered, and the scholars were overawed, thoughfire-arms of every description, with swords andhalberds, were found in their possession; but insuch lawless proceedings the boys only imitatedthe conduct of their seniors, who were daily engagedin raids, brawls, and street tulzies. As a teacher Rollock was well supported by hiscountrymen; and in 1591, by the patronage ofQueen Anne, some Danes were entrusted as pupilsto his care. Save Greek and Latin, nothing hadbeen taught as yet at the High School, but in 1593a teacher of penmanship, named William Murdoch,was appointed; yet no salary was allowed, thoughthe master was authorised to charge ten shillings85. CARVED STONE WHICH WAS OVER THE MAIN ENTRANCETO THE HIGH SCHOOL FROM 1578 TO 1777. the school was the scene of that famous barring-out and tragic tumult in which Bailie MacMorranwas shot, and of which a full relation is given inthe account of his residence. This fatal event greatly affected the sensitivemind of Rollock, while the expulsion of somescholars, and the withdrawal of others by theirparents, thinned his classes, and at the same timehe lost the favour of the Tov.n Council, andbecame involved in a litigation, which made suchinroads on his slender funds, that at his death in1599 he left his family in such poverty that theCouncil in 1600 made asmall grant to his widow. His successor was Alex-ander Hume, B.A. of St.Andrews in 1574, and forsome years a tutor at Ox-ford ; but the precise modethat was daily followed inthe High School during thesixteenth century is nowquite unknown. In 1597-8 the studiesof the