[ARISTOTLE THE BASIS OF THE TEACHING.]

THE SUBJECTS TAUGHT.

Next, as regards the Subjects taught.  To know these you have simply to know what are the writings of Aristotle.  The little work on him by Sir Alexander Grant supplies the needful information.  The records of the Glasgow University furnish the curriculum of Arts soon after its foundation.  The subjects are laid out in two heads—­Logic and Philosophy.  The Logic comprised first the three Treatises of the Old Logic; to these were now added the whole of the works making up Aristotle’s Organon.  This brought in the Syllogism, and allied matters.  There was also a selection from the work known as the Topics, not now included in Logical teaching, yet one of the most remarkable and distinctive of Aristotle’s writings.  It is a highly laboured account of the whole art of Disputation, laid out under his scheme of the Predicables.  The selection fell chiefly on two books—­the second, comprising what Aristotle had to say on Induction, and the sixth, on Definition; together with the “Logical Captions” or Fallacies.  Disputation was one of the products of the Greek mind; and Aristotle was its prophet.

Now for Philosophy.  This comprised nearly the whole of Aristotle’s Physical treatises—­his very worst side—­together with his Metaphysics, some parts of which are hardly distinguishable from the Physics.  Next was the very difficult treatise—­De Anima, on the mind, or Soul—­and some allied Psychological treatises, as that on Memory.  Such was the ordinary and sufficing curriculum.  It was allowed to be varied with a part of the Ethics; but in this age we do not find the Politics; and the Rhetoric is never mentioned.  So also, the really valuable Biological works of Aristotle, including his book on Animals, appear to have been neglected.

Certain portions of Mathematics always found a place in the curriculum.  Likewise, some work on Astronomy, which was one of the quadrivium subjects.

All this was given in Latin.  Greek was not then known (it was introduced into Scotland, in 1534).  No classical Latin author is given; the education in Latin was finished at the Grammar School.

[TEACHING EXCLUSIVELY IN TEXTS.]

MANNER OF TEACHING.

Such was the Arts’ Faculty of the 15th century; a dreary, single-manned, Aristotelian quadriennium.  The position is not completely before us, till we understand farther the manner of working.

The pupils could not, as a rule, possess the text of Aristotle.  The teacher read and expounded the text for them; but a very large portion of the time was always occupied in dictating, or “diting,” notes, which the pupils were examined upon, viva voce; their best plan usually being to get them by heart, as any one might ask them to repeat passages literally; while perhaps few could examine well upon the meaning.  The notes would be selections and abridgments from Aristotle, with the comments of modern writers.  The “diting” system was often complained of as waste of time, but was not discontinued till the third, or present, University dynasty, and not entirely then, as many of us know.