STONE, Jerome, the son of a seaman, was born in the parish of Seonnie, Fifeshire. His father died abroad when he was but three years of age, and his mother, with her young family, was left in very narrow circumstances. Jerome having obtained the ordinary school education, reading English, writing, and arithmetic, betook himself to the business of a pedlar. He began his philological pursuits with the study of the Hebrew and Greek tongues, and made himself so far master of these, without any assistance, as to be able to interpret the Hebrew Bible and Greek Testament into English ad aperturam libri. At this time he did not know one word of Latin. Some time afterwards, he was encouraged to prosecute his studies at the university of St Andrews; and an unexampled proficiency in every branch of literature recommended him to the esteem of the professors. Having finished his studies, he settled as schoolmaster at Dunkeld, where he died in 1757, in the 30th year of his age.