diff options
Diffstat (limited to '47617.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 47617.txt | 9170 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 9170 deletions
diff --git a/47617.txt b/47617.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 40aaed8..0000000 --- a/47617.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9170 +0,0 @@ - EDINBURGH UNDER SIR WALTER SCOTT - - - - -This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. If you are not located in the United -States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are -located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Edinburgh Under Sir Walter Scott -Author: W. T. Fyfe -Release Date: December 09, 2014 [EBook #47617] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EDINBURGH UNDER SIR WALTER -SCOTT *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - - - *EDINBURGH* - - UNDER SIR WALTER SCOTT - - - BY - - W. T. FYFE - - WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY - - R. S. RAIT - - - - LONDON - ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE - AND COMPANY, LTD. - 1906 - - - - - Edinburgh: T. and A. CONSTABLE, Printers to His Majesty - - - - - *INTRODUCTION* - - -In the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the -nineteenth--from, approximately, the death of Samuel Johnson in 1784 to -that of Walter Scott in 1832--Edinburgh, rather than London, was the -intellectual centre of the kingdom. It would, of course, be easy to -show that London has never lacked illustrious men of letters among her -citizens, and, in this very period, the names of Sheridan, Bentham, -Blake, Lamb, and Keats at once occur to memory as evidence against our -thesis. It must also be admitted that Edinburgh shares some of her great -names with London, and that many of the writers of the time are -associated with neither capital. The name of William Cowper recalls the -village of Olney; the English Lakes claim their great poets; and Byron -and Shelley call to mind Greece and Italy, as, in the earlier part of -our period, Gibbon is identified with Lausanne. But the Edinburgh -society which Scott remembered in his youth or met in his prime included -a long series of remarkable men. Some of them, like Robertson the -historian; Hugh Blair; John Home, the author of _Douglas_; Henry -Mackenzie, 'The Man of Feeling'; John Leyden; Dugald Stewart; and John -Wilson, 'Christopher North,' were more or less permanent residents. -Others, like Adam Smith, Thomas Campbell, Lady Nairne, Thomas De -Quincey, Sir James Mackintosh, and Sydney Smith, spent a smaller portion -of their lives in Edinburgh. Not only was the city full of great -writers; it produced also a series of great publishers--the Constables -and the Blackwoods. The influence of the _Edinburgh Review_ can -scarcely be realised in these days of numberless periodicals, and it was -from Edinburgh that its great rival, the _Quarterly_, drew much of its -early support, and one of its great editors, John Gibson Lockhart. -Edinburgh, moreover, was still a national metropolis, for the railway -systems had not yet brought about the real union of England and -Scotland, and it possessed a society not less distinctively Scots than -the Established Church or the code of law. The judges who administered -that law add still further to the interest of the scene. Some were men -of great intellectual force, whose names still live in the history of -English thought. Lord Hailes, the antagonist of Gibbon, and Lord -Monboddo, who, in some sense, anticipated a discovery of Mr. Darwin, -lived on to the close of the eighteenth century, and, in the early -nineteenth, their reputation was sustained by Lord Woodhouselee, Lord -Jeffrey, and Lord Cockburn. Others of the judges were notable for force -of character, like Lord Braxfield, now familiar as 'Weir of Hermiston,' -or for mere eccentricity, like Lord Eskgrove, one of the strangest -beings who ever added to the gaiety of mankind. - -The natural centre of this remarkable society is the great figure of Sir -Walter Scott, who dominated Edinburgh during a large portion of the -period, and the story of whose life has made so many Edinburgh names -household words for all time. Lockhart's _Life of Scott_ gives an -interesting, though by no means a complete, picture of this society. -There are many other sources of information: the _Scots Magazine_, the -_Annual Register_, and so forth. Most important of all are the -autobiographies of Alexander Carlyle and Lord Cockburn, two books which -it is becoming more and more difficult to obtain. 'Jupiter' Carlyle of -Inveresk was born in 1722, and lived until 1805. He could thus -recollect the Porteous Mob; he had seen Prince Charlie in Edinburgh, -and, from the garden of his father's manse at Prestonpans, he had -watched the flight of General Cope's defeated troops. He had been the -friend of David Hume, who died just before our period begins, of -Smollett, and of Robertson and Adam Smith. Such a man had much to tell, -and, fortunately for posterity, he chose to tell it. Not less -interesting or important is the volume known as _Memorials of his Time_, -by Henry Cockburn, who, from 1834 to his death in 1854, was a Scottish -judge. He was born in 1779, and had been a member of a famous Edinburgh -debating society--the 'Spec'--along with Henry Brougham, Francis Horner, -Walter Scott, and Francis Jeffrey. He shared Jeffrey's politics, aided -him in defending Radicals charged with sedition, and wrote his -biography. His _Memorials_ are by far the best source of our knowledge -of social life in Scotland in the early years of the nineteenth century. -Carlyle and Cockburn both wrote freely and without reserve, and each -possessed an accurate memory and an appreciation of the picturesque. -From these and similar materials Mr. W. T. Fyfe, an Edinburgh citizen, -who possesses a wide and affectionate knowledge of his home and its -history, has skilfully drawn his picture of Edinburgh under Sir Walter -Scott. His book is no mere addition to the numerous lives of Sir -Walter. It takes the well-known incidents of his career as affording -some guiding lines for the grouping of the varied details, and the -reader of Lockhart will find here fresh light upon some familiar names. -The personality of the best-loved Scotsman who ever lived dominates this -book as it dominated the real life of which it tells. The cords of a -man and the bands of love still bind us to the Shirra o' the Forest, and -even to the Laird of Abbotsford; there is none other among the mighty -dead whose ways and whose home we know so well as those of the Great -Unknown. He is not to be envied who can resist the personal spell of the -Wizard:-- - - 'O great and gallant Scott, - True Gentleman, heart, blood, and bone, - I would it had been my lot - To have seen thee, and heard thee, and known.' - - -Even those who are wise enough to read their Lockhart and the _Letters_ -and the _Journals_ once a year will learn something about Scott from -this book, and much about the friends whom he has immortalised in some -of the sweetest strains that friendship ever inspired. - -ROBERT S. RAIT. - -NEW COLLEGE, OXFORD, -_September_ 1906. - - - - - *DESCRIPTION OF EDINBURGH* - - (From _The Abbot_, Chapter XVII.) - - -'The principal street of Edinburgh was then, as now, one of the most -spacious in Europe. The extreme height of the houses, and the variety -of Gothic gables and battlements, and balconies, by which the skyline on -each side was crowned and terminated, together with the width of the -street itself, might have struck with surprise a more practised eye than -that of young Graeme. The population, close packed within the walls of -the city, and at this time increased by the number of the lords of the -King's party who had thronged to Edinburgh to wait upon the Regent -Murray, absolutely swarmed like bees on the wide and stately street. -Instead of the shop-windows, which are now calculated for the display of -goods, the traders had their open booths projecting on the street, in -which, as in the fashion of the modern bazaars, all was exposed which -they had upon sale. And though the commodities were not of the richest -kinds, yet Graeme thought he beheld the wealth of the whole world in the -various bales of Flanders cloths, and the specimens of tapestry; and, at -other places, the display of domestic utensils, and pieces of plate, -struck him with wonder. The sight of cutlers' booths, furnished with -swords and poniards, which were manufactured in Scotland, and with -pieces of defensive armour, imported from Flanders, added to his -surprise; and at every step, he found so much to admire and to gaze -upon, that Adam Woodcock had no little difficulty in prevailing on him -to advance through such a scene of enchantment. - -'The sight of the crowds which filled the streets was equally a subject -of wonder. Here a gay lady, in her muffler, or silken veil, traced her -way delicately, a gentleman-usher making way for her, a page bearing up -her train, and a waiting gentlewoman carrying her Bible, thus intimating -that her purpose was towards the church. There he might see a group of -citizens bending the same way, with their short Flemish cloaks, wide -trowsers, and high-caped doublets, a fashion to which, as well as to -their bonnet and feather, the Scots were long faithful. Then, again, -came the clergyman himself, in his black Geneva cloak and band, lending -a grave and attentive ear to the discourse of several persons who -accompanied him, and who were doubtless holding serious converse on the -religious subject he was about to treat of.' - - - - - *DESCRIPTION OF EDINBURGH* - - (From _Marmion_, Canto IV.) - - 'Still on the spot Lord Marmion stay'd, - For fairer scene he ne'er surveyed. - When sated with the martial show - That peopled all the plain below, - The wandering eye could o'er it go, - And mark the distant city glow - With gloomy splendour red; - For on the smoke-wreaths, huge and slow, - That round her sable turrets flow, - The morning beams were shed, - And tinged them with a lustre proud, - Like that which streaks a thunder-cloud. - Such dusky grandeur clothed the height - Where the huge Castle holds its state, - And all the steep slope down, - Whose ridgy back heaves to the sky, - Piled deep and massy, close and high, - Mine own romantic town!' - - - - - *CONTENTS* - - - CHAPTER I - -Edinburgh in 1773--General Features of the Old City--Its Site and -Plan--Flodden Wall--Nor' Loch--'Meadows'--Old -Suburbs--Canongate--Portsburgh--'Mine own romantic Town'--College Wynd, -Birthplace of Scott--Improvements in the Old Town - - - CHAPTER II - -The Scotts in George Square--Walter's -Lameness--Sandyknowe--Bath--Edinburgh--Changes in the City, -1763-1783--Migrations to the New Town--The Mound--New Manufactures and -Trades--The first Umbrella - - - CHAPTER III - -School-days--The High School--Old Methods of Teaching--Luke Fraser--Tone -of the School--Brutal Masters--Schoolboy's Dress--Boyish Ideas--Scott's -Pride of Birth--The 'Harden' Family--'Beardie'--The Dryburgh Lands - - - CHAPTER IV - -Dr. Adam, Rector of High School--Walter Scott's first Lines--Influence -of Adam--Persecution by Nicol--Death-scene of the Rector--Home Life in -George Square--Walter Scott the 'Writer'--Anecdotes of his Character - - - CHAPTER V - -At Edinburgh University--Holidays at Kelso--Home--First University -Class--Professor Hill--Professor Dalzell--The 'Greek -Blockhead'--Anecdotes of Dalzell--His History of Edinburgh University - - - CHAPTER VI - -Scott's University Studies--The old Latin Chronicles--Dugald Stewart, -His Success described--His elegant Essays--Popular Subjects--Picture of -Stewart by Lord Cockburn--His Lectures--Anecdote of Macvey Napier--Meets -Robert Burns--The Poet's 'Pocket Milton' - - - CHAPTER VII - -Old Edinburgh Society--Manners of the older Generation--St. Cecilia's -Hall--Buccleuch Place Rooms--Rules of the Assemblies---Drinking -Customs--Recollections of Lord Cockburn - - - CHAPTER VIII - -Description of St. Cecilia's Hall--Concerts--Old-fashioned Contempt for -'Stars'--Former Assembly Rooms--The George Street Rooms--Scott and the -old Social Ways--Simplicity and Friendliness--His Picture of the -Beginnings of Fashion in the New Town - - - CHAPTER IX - -Manners and Social Customs--Cockburn's Sketches--The Dinner-hour--The -Procession--The Viands--Drinking--Claret--Healths and Toasts--Anecdote -of Duke of Buccleuch--'Rounds' of Toasts--'Sentiments'--The Dominie of -Arndilly--Scott's Views of the old Customs--Decline of 'friendly' -Feeling - - - CHAPTER X - -Religious Observances--Sunday Attendance at Church--Sunday -Books--Breakdown of the System--Alleged Infidelity among Professors--Low -State of Morality--Increase of mixed Population--Provincialism - - - CHAPTER XI - -Scott apprenticed to the Law--Copying Money and _menus -plaisirs_--Novels--Romances--Early Attempts--John Irving--Sibbald's -Library--Sees Robert Burns--The Parliament House--The 'Krames' - - - CHAPTER XII - -Topics of Talk--Religion--Scott's Freedom from Fanaticism--Dilettantism -of the 'liberal young Men'--Politics--Basis of Scott's -Toryism--Cockburn's Anecdote of Table-talk--Men of the Old -School--Robertson the Historian--His _History of Charles V._--His noble -Generosity--Closing Years--Anecdotes - - - CHAPTER XIII - -More Men of the Old School--Dr. Erskine--Scott on Church Disputes--His -Admiration of Erskine's Character--Anecdote of Erskine's Walk to -Fife--Professor Ferguson--His _History of Rome_--Abstainer and -Vegetarian--Picture of Ferguson's Appearance--Odd Habits--Travels to -Italy - - - CHAPTER XIV - -'Jupiter' Carlyle--Noble Looks--Friend of Robertson and John Home--The -Play of Douglas--Anecdote of Dr. Carlyle--Dr. Joseph Black--Latent -Heat--His personal Appearance--Anecdote of last Illness--His _History of -Great Britain_--Forerunner of the Modern School - - - CHAPTER XV - -The 'Meadows' one Hundred Years ago--A Resort of great Men--_Vixerunt -fortes_--Their Intimacy and Quarrels--Hume and Ferguson--Home, the -happy--His boundless Generosity--Sympathy with Misfortune--Home and -Edinburgh Society--Sketch by Scott--'The Close of an Era' - - - CHAPTER XVI - -Ladies of the Old School--Anecdotes told by Scott, Dr. Carlyle, and Lord -Cockburn--Their Speech--'Suphy' Johnston--Anecdote of Suphy and Dr. -Gregory--Miss Menie Trotter--Her Dream--Views of Religion - - - CHAPTER XVII - -Scott's Contemporaries in Edinburgh--Local 'Societies'--The -Speculative--Scott's Explosion--Visit of Francis Jeffrey to the -'Den'--Anecdote of Murray of Broughton--General View of the youthful -Societies - - - CHAPTER XVIII - -The Scottish Bar--Two Careers open--Walter's Choice--Studies with -William Clerk--The Law Professors--Hume's Lectures--Hard -Study--Beginnings of social Distinction--Influence of Clerk--Early -Love-story--Description of Walter Scott at Twenty - - - CHAPTER XIX - -The Advocate's 'Trials'--Scott and Clerk admitted to the Bar--Walter's -first Fee--Connection of the Scotts with Lord Braxfield--Scottish -Judges--Stories of Braxfield - - - CHAPTER XX - -Stories of the Judges--Lord Eskgrove--His Appearance--The Trials for -Sedition--Anecdotes of Circuit Dinners--'Esky' and _the Harangue_--The -Soldier's Breeches--Esky and the Veiled Witness--Henderson and the -Fine--The Luss Robbers--Death of Eskgrove - - - CHAPTER XXI - -Scott's Anecdote of Lord Kames--Judicial Cruelty--Lord Meadowbank's -Marriage--'Declaim, Sir'--Judges and Drinking--Hermand and the -Pope--Bacchus on the Bench--Hermand and the Middy - - - CHAPTER XXII - -Political Lawyers--Politics an 'accident' in Scott's History--Early Days -at the Bar--Peter Peebles--_The Mountain_--Anecdote of Scott and -Clerk--The German Class--Friendship with William Erskine--German -Romance--Seniors of the Bar--Robert Blair--Greatest of Scottish -Judges--Anecdote of Hermand and Henry Erskine - - - CHAPTER XXIII - -Seniors (_continued_)--Charles Hope--His Voice--Tribute by -Cockburn--Robert Dundas, Nephew of Henry, Lord Melville--His Manner and -Moderation--Anecdote of Lords Blair and Melville--Lord Melville's -Son--Scott's Project of Emigration - - - CHAPTER XXIV - -Henry Erskine--His Ability and Wit--Tributes to his Character--Dismissal -as Dean of Faculty--John Clerk--Reputation at the Bar--His Private -Tastes--Art and Literature--Odd Habits--Anecdotes of Clerk and his -Father - - - CHAPTER XXV - -Scott's Border 'Raids'--Shortreed--Scott's Circuit Work--Jedburgh -Anecdotes--Edinburgh Days--Fortune's--The Theatre Royal--Oyster -Parties--Social Functions--General Reading - - - CHAPTER XXVI - -The Edinburgh Environment--Talk of French Revolution--The -'Jacobins'--The Volunteers--Irish Row in the Theatre---Mrs. Barbauld's -Visit--Taylor's Lenore--Scott's Version--Anecdote of the Skull--End of -Love Affair--Reference in _Peveril of the Peak_ - - - CHAPTER XXVII - -Friendship with Skene of Rubislaw--Skene's Account of the Edinburgh -Light Horse--'Earl Walter'--Marriage of Walter Scott and Charlotte -Carpenter--The Edinburgh Home--Edinburgh Friends--The Cottage at -Lasswade - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - -The Mercantile Class in Edinburgh--The Town Council--Political -Corruption--Petty Tyranny--The Town Clerk--James Laing, Head of the -Police--His Methods with Disturbers of the Peace--Anecdotes of Laing and -Dugald Stewart - - - CHAPTER XXIX - -Public Condition of Edinburgh in 1800--Ostracism of Dugald Stewart--The -Whigs--Their Struggle for Power--The Infirmary Incident--Dr. -Gregory--His Pamphlets--Characteristics--Family Connection with Rob Roy - - - CHAPTER XXX - -Strongest 'Impressions' from the Waverley Novels--Special Charm of Death -of the old Lawyer in Chrystal Croftangry's Recollections--Death of -Walter Scott the Elder--The 'very scene' described--Scott appointed -Sheriff--Independence from Court Work - - - CHAPTER XXXI - -Scott settled in Edinburgh--Defacement of City--Wrytte's -House--Gillespie the Snuff-seller--Erskine's Joke--The Woods of -Bellevue--Scott's ideal _rus in Urbe_ - - - CHAPTER XXXII - -Richard Heber in Edinburgh--Friendship with Scott--'Discovers' John -Leyden--Leyden's Education--His Appearance, Oddities--Love of -Country--His Help in _Border Minstrelsy_--Anecdote told by Scott--Leyden -a Man of Genius - - - CHAPTER XXXIII - -The 'Young Men of Edinburgh'--Their Whiggery--Anecdote of Jeffrey and -Bell--James Graham, Author of _The Sabbath_--Sydney Smith--His Liking -for Scotland--Whig Dread of Wit--Lord Webb Seymour--Horner's Analysis of -him--Friendship with Playfair--His Anecdote of Horner - - - CHAPTER XXXIV - -M. G. Lewis--Seeks out Scott--_The Monk_--Translation by Scott of -_Goetz_--Anecdote of Lewis--James Ballantyne--Prints _Apology for Tales -of Terror_--William Laidlaw--James Hogg--Character and Talents - - - CHAPTER XXXV - -Failure of Lewis's _Tales_--Scott's _Border Minstrelsy_--Ballantyne's -Printing--His Conceit--Removal of Chief Baron from Queensberry -House--His odd Benevolence--Anecdote of Charles Hope--The Schoolmasters -Act - - - CHAPTER XXXVI - -Anecdotes of R. P. Gillies--His Picture of Scott--'Border Press' at -Abbeyhill--Britain armed for Defence--Scenes in Edinburgh--'Captain' -Cockburn - - - CHAPTER XXXVII - -Enthusiasm of Volunteers--Drill and Sham Fights--Scott's -Letters--Quartermaster--Anecdote by Cockburn--Recruiting for the -Army--Indifference to Fear of Invasion--Greatness of the Danger--War -Song of 1802 - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII - -Ashestiel--39 Castle Street--'Honest Tom Purdie'--Associations of -Scott's Work with Edinburgh Home--First Lines of the _Lay_--Abandons the -Bar for Literature--Story of Gilpin Horner--Progress of the Poem - - - CHAPTER XXXIX - -Edinburgh Literary Society--The Men of 1800-1820--Revelation of Scott's -Poetical Genius--Effect in Edinburgh--Local Pride in his -Greatness--Anecdote of Pitt--Success of _Lay of the Last -Minstrel_--Connection with Ballantyne--Secrecy of the Partnership - - - CHAPTER XL - -Scott and Jeffrey--Founding of _Edinburgh Review_--Impression in -Edinburgh--Its Political and Literary Pretences--Review of _Lay_ by -Jeffrey--Strange Mistake--Beautiful Appreciation by Mr. Gladstone -quoted--The _Dies Irae_ - - - CHAPTER XLI - -Town and Country--Scott's Ideal--Reversion of Clerkship--Impeachment of -Lord Melville--Acquittal--The Edinburgh Dinner--Scott's Song of -Triumph--Nature of his Professional Duties--Social Claims and Literary -Industry - - - CHAPTER XLII - -Colleagues at the Clerks' Table--Morritt on Scott's Conversation--His -Home Life--Treatment of his Children--Ideas on Education--Knowledge of -the Bible--Horsemanship, Courage, Veracity--Success of the Training - - - CHAPTER XLIII - -_Marmion_--Published by Constable--Misfortunes of Thomas Scott--George -Ellis on _Marmion_--Hostile Review by Jeffrey--Charge of Want of -Patriotism--Mrs. Scott and Jeffrey--Extraordinary Success of the Poem - - - CHAPTER XLIV - -John Murray--Share in _Marmion_--Reverence for Scott--_The Quarterly -Review_--The 'Cevallos' Article--Jeffrey's Pessimism--Contemplated -Flight to America--Anecdotes of Earl of Buchan - - - CHAPTER XLV - -The Gallon Jail--Opening of Waterloo Place--Removal of Old -Tolbooth--Scott purchases Land at Abbotsford--Professional -Income--Correspondence with Byron--Anecdote of the 'Flitting' from -Ashestiel - - - CHAPTER XLVI - -Scott and the Actors--Kemble, Siddons, Terry--Terry's Imitation of 'the -Shirra'--Anecdote of Terry and C. Mathews--Mathews in Edinburgh--'The -Reign of Scott'--Anecdotes of his Children--Excursion to the Western -Isles - - - CHAPTER XLVII - -_Waverley_ laid aside--_Rokeby_--Excitement at Oxford--Ballanyne's -Dinner--Scott's Idea of Byron as a Poet--Ballantyne's Mismanagement--Aid -from Constable--Loan from the Duke--Scott decides to finish _Waverley_ - - - CHAPTER XLVIII - -Success of the Allies--Address to the King--Freedom of -Edinburgh--Edition of Swift--Printing of _Waverley_--Mystery of -Authorship--Edinburgh Guesses--Excellent Review by Jeffrey--Scott's -'gallant composure'--Success of the Novel - - - CHAPTER XLIX - -_The Lord of the Isles_--_Guy Mannering_--Universal Delight--Effects of -Peace in Scotland--Awakening of Public Opinion in Edinburgh--'Civic -War'--Professor Duncan--Sketch by Lord Cockburn - - - CHAPTER L - -The New Town of Edinburgh in 1815--Effects of the 'Plan'--The Earthen -Mound--Criticisms by Citizens after the War--The New -Approaches--Destruction of City Trees--Lord Cockburn's Lament - - - CHAPTER LI - -The 'Jury Court'--Chief-Commissioner Adam--His Work and -Success--Friendship with Scott--Character of Adam by Scott--The -Blairadam Club--Anecdotes--Death of Lord Adam - - - CHAPTER LII - -1816--The _Antiquary_--Death of Major John Scott--The Aged -Mother--Buying Land--The Ballantynes--The _Black Dwarf_ and -Blackwood--Scott and a Judgeship--Anecdote of Authorship of _Waverley_ - - - CHAPTER LIII - -1817--Overwork and Illness--Kemble's 'Farewell Address'--The Kemble -Dinner--_Blackwood's Magazine_ and the Reign of Terror in Edinburgh - - - CHAPTER LIV - -Personal Anecdotes of Scott--Washington Irving--The Minister's -Daughter--J. G. Lockhart--His Introduction to Scott--_Annual -Register_--39 Castle Street--Scott's 'Den'--Animal Favourites - - - CHAPTER LV - -Scott and Edinburgh Society--Lockhart's Opinion--Scott's Drives in -Edinburgh--Love of Antiquities--The Sunday Dinners at 39 Castle -Street--The Maclean Clephanes--Erskine, Clerk, C. K. Sharpe, Sir A. -Boswell, W. Allan,--Favourite Dishes - - - CHAPTER LVI - -The National Monument--Still incomplete--The Salisbury Crags---Danger of -their Destruction--The Path impassable--Construction of the Radical -Road--National Distress--Trials for Sedition--Anecdote of John -Clerk--The City Guard - - - CHAPTER LVII - -Scott and the Ballantynes--James in the Canongate--Ceremonies at the -'Waverley' Dinners--Reading of Scenes from the New Volume--John at -Trinity--His 'Bower of Bliss'--Anecdote by C. Mathews - - - CHAPTER LVIII - -Anecdotes of Constable--'The Czar'--Plans the _Magnum Opus_--Anecdote of -Longmans and Co.--Constable's House and Equipage--John Ballantyne's -Habits--Horses and Dogs--Anecdote by Scott of his Liberality--Scott's -Sorrow at his Death - - - CHAPTER LIX - -The Baronetcy--Reasons for accepting--Marriage of Sophia Scott to John -Gibson Lockhart--Charles Scott and Archdeacon Williams--Improvements in -Edinburgh--The 'Water Caddies'--Drama of _Rob Roy_--The Burns -Dinner--Henry Mackenzie - - - CHAPTER LX - -The Commercial Disaster--Ruin of Ballantyne (Scott) and -Constable--Scott's Feeling--Universal Sympathy--Offer of Help--Brave -Reply--Cheerful Spirit--Constable--The Agreement--Removal from Castle -Street--Death of Lady Scott--The Visit to Paris - - - CHAPTER LXI - -House in Walker Street--Ill-health--Extraordinary Labours--Article on -Hoffman--Kindness to Literary People--Murray's Party--Theatrical Fund -Dinner--_Life of Napoleon_--Payment of L28,000 to Creditors--The -Lockharts at Portobello--Grandfather's Tales--Domestic Happiness--Visit -of Adolphus - - - CHAPTER LXII - -Incident of Gourgaud---Expected Duel--Scott's Preparations--Tired of -Edinburgh--Changing Aspect of New Town--The 'Markets' superseded by -Shops--The Female Poisoner--Scott's Opinion of 'Not Proven'--Points in -its Favour - - - CHAPTER LXIII - -Visit of Richardson and Cockburn to Abbotsford--Sir Walter at -Home--Anecdote of Cranstoun--Patterson's Anecdotes--The Burke and Hare -Murders--Anecdote of Cockburn--Dr. Knox--Catholic Emancipation -Bill--Meeting in Edinburgh--Death of Terry and Shortreed--Severe Illness -of Scott--Death of Tom Purdie - - - CHAPTER LXIV - -Last Winter in Edinburgh--The _Ayrshire Tragedy_--Apoplectic -Stroke--Retirement from the Clerkship--Visit to Edinburgh--Refusal to -stop Literary Work--John Nicolson--Scott at Cadell's House--His Will - - - CHAPTER LXV - -The Paralytic Stroke--The Last Novels--Election Meetings--Disgraceful -Conduct of Radical Gangs--Scott's Journey for Health--The -Return--Collapse and Stupor--The Last Stay in Edinburgh--Death of Sir -Walter Scott - - - - - *EDINBURGH - UNDER SIR WALTER SCOTT* - - - - *CHAPTER I* - -Edinburgh in 1773--General Features of the Old City--Its Site and -Plan--Flodden Wall--Nor' Loch--'Meadows'--Old -Suburbs--Canongate--Portsburgh--'Mine own romantic Town'--College Wynd, -Birthplace of Scott--Improvements in the Old Town. - - -The Edinburgh of Walter Scott's infancy was still the old, romantic, -medieval city. It was almost wholly confined within the city wall, a -result of the adherence to customs sanctioned by tradition, long after -the causes which first established them have ceased to operate. The -constantly recurring danger from English invasions was, in early times, -a full and sufficient reason for dwelling inside the fortification. Of -course, from the earliest times there was a tendency, especially among -the leading and wealthy families, to build dwelling-houses and lay out -gardens among the fields. Yet, on the whole, the increasing population -sought its accommodation within the limits of the town. This is why -Edinburgh citizens, following the old fashion of Paris, built their -houses of an enormous height, some of them as high as twelve stories or -more. The ground space available was, of course, limited by the extent -of the wall, and on one side by the water of the Nor' Loch. Hence the -necessity for making good use of every possible site. Social -arrangements of a singular and quaint simplicity were the not unnatural -result. In each gigantic barrack might be found ever so many different -families, each occupying its own independent dwelling, sometimes -consisting of only two or three rooms. The social dignity of the tenant -increased with the height of his quarters. In the cellars and on the -street floor were the humble members of the business and manual-working -classes; professional persons went a story higher; and the nobility and -gentry overlooked the whole from the upper half of the mansion. In -modern times these houses, so far as they still exist, have been handed -over almost entirely to the lower orders: they are, in fact, the slums -of Edinburgh. But the quaint old arrangements had hardly been impaired -even up to the year of _Marmion_ and 'mine own romantic town.' - -The site of the old city is as singular a site as could have been -chosen, but it was selected with the one view of enjoying the very -necessary protection of its citadel, the Castle. Its main street -extends over the long backbone of the famous ridge which slopes from the -Castle to Holyrood. The steep northern side of the ridge was bounded by -the long sheet of water called the Nor' Loch, which formed a natural -defence from the Castle Hill to a point called Halkerston's Wynd. The -contour of the city has been compared to the figure of a turtle, the -Castle being taken for the head, the High Street for the ridge of the -back, and the numerous wynds and closes for the ribs: the analogy being -completed by adding Canongate and Holyrood Palace for the tail. In -similar figure, Carlyle graphically presents the sloping street and its -wynds as 'covering like some rhinoceros skin, with many a gnarled -embossment, church steeple, chimney head, Tolbooth and other ornament or -indispensability, back and ribs of the slope.' The old city wall, built -by James II., had fallen into ruin and disrepair by the year of Flodden, -1513. On that disastrous occasion there was built in hot haste and -panic, of which even the surviving fragments give proof, the famous -'Flodden Wall,' which formed the city boundary till the time of Scott. -The north side being almost entirely defended by the Nor' Loch, the wall -extended from the Castle round the south and east sides of the city. -Beside the Castle rock the first entrance to the city was the West Port, -a gate which stood at the foot of the Grassmarket. We may judge how -greatly the presence of the walls affected the life of the citizens from -the fact that a small wicket-gate had to be constructed in the wall some -distance from this Port in the year 1744. Twenty-two years before this, -Thomas Hope of Rankeillor had drained the Borough Loch, and planted -trees, made a walk, and laid down turf on its side, thus forming the -park known as 'The Meadows.' It was to afford 'a more commodious egress -to the elegant walks in the meadows' that the wicket was eventually -opened. From the West Port the wall ran half-way along the east side of -the steep lane called the Vennel, where a portion of it is still -existent, thence turning south-east to Bristo Port. The next gate -eastward was the Potterrow Port, originally Kirk-of-Field Port, at the -head of the Horse Wynd, a lane leading down into the Cowgate. The Horse -Wynd was, in fact, the principal access to the town in this quarter, and -got its name from being, unlike the others, safe for horses. By the -line of Drummond Street the wall proceeded to the Pleasance and the foot -of St. Mary Wynd, which the Nether Bow joined to Leith Wynd. The Nether -Bow, which was not built till 1616, was the chief entrance of the city, -separating it from the Burgh of Canongate. The part of the wall which -ran from the Nether Bow to the point at which Leith Wynd crossed the -Nor' Loch was added in the year 1540. - -Such were the walled boundaries of Edinburgh, within which the city made -shift to contain its increasing population during a period of about two -hundred and fifty years. Practically the Edinburgh of these centuries -lay between the Castle and Holyrood lengthwise, and in breadth between -the Nor' Loch and some distance beyond the Cowgate on the south. There -was no lack, however, at any period of persons who preferred to live -outside the city walls. In fact, old writers are continually remarking -on such a strange and perverse disposition, for which they cannot -account, especially in those old days when the danger from England was a -very grim reality. The propensity led to the gradual growth of a few -suburban hamlets, and the only wonder is that they were not larger and -more numerous. Of these outside regions the Canongate was the largest, -but it was really at first an independent ecclesiastical burgh, -established by David I. in 1128 under the Abbey of Holyrood. It did not -come under the jurisdiction of the city till the year 1636, when the -Town Council bought it from the Earl of Roxburgh. Another 'burgh' of -ancient fame was 'Portsburgh' at the other end of the city, extending -from the West Port to Toll Cross. Straggling houses belonging to -citizens were also to be found farther afield on the Glasgow Road, and -in the district now named Dairy. The suburb of Bristo Street, as we -have seen, adjoined one of the city gates, and beyond it were the -grounds of Ross House, which about 1764 supplied a site for George -Square, named after the reigning monarch, George III. - -Within these bounds, then, is all that Scott meant when he wrote the -words, 'mine own romantic town.' And indeed it was full of romance in -every quarter. To him the New Town was but an appendage, a fast-growing -appendage of the city itself--a fringe which set off the beauty of the -general view. From his Castle Street mansion he looked across to the -city of his imagination, and had he lived to see the beginning of the -twentieth century, he might have gone farther afield. The city -improvements of a large and important provincial centre could hardly -have consoled his outraged spirit for the ruthless and needless -destruction of priceless relics of the past in which he lived. - -Edinburgh University, that is, the old University building, stands in a -busy street, without any 'grounds' to remove it from the outside noise -and distinguish it from the line of shops and shabby houses. The city -of Edinburgh has always been celebrated for its unhappiness in the -matter of selecting 'sites.' Why, therefore, the University was put in -this unfortunate corner, need not be discussed. The Town Council, it -seems, was responsible for the building, and the architect employed was -Robert Adam. This edifice, according to a contemporary, was considered -by many 'as the masterpiece of Mr. Adam,' but for lack of money the -original plans were modified by W. H. Playfair. To make way for this -great city improvement, one of the most characteristic 'bits' of old -Edinburgh was cleared away. This was College Wynd, now known as Guthrie -Street. The picturesque medieval lane, with its jutting balconies, -battlemented roofs and charming old windows, had for nearly two -centuries been a kind of University, or College, 'Close,' practically -reserved for the residence of the learned Regents or Professors from -generation to generation. One of the houses at the top of the Wynd -demolished on this occasion belonged to Mr. Walter Scott, W.S., who -resided in it with his family. Here happened the greatest event in the -history of Edinburgh, the birth of _our_ Walter Scott, on the 15th of -August 1771. - -The locality was not even at that time considered quite a desirable one, -but socially it was regarded as satisfactory, even for a family of -gentle birth. The fact is that about this time certain new ideas -regarding health and fresh air were beginning to excite attention among -the inhabitants of the old city. The rate of infant mortality was -frightfully high, and the doctors began to ascribe it to the closeness -and damp of the nurseries. In the lofty old mansions these were -frequently located, for obvious reasons of convenience, in the 'laigh -rooms' or sunk floors below the level of the street. The time was ripe -for a great change. Building had already been begun on the site of -Princes Street and George Street. Plans for a New Town had been -approved in 1761, the architect being Mr. James Craig, who was a nephew -of Thomson the poet. The North Bridge, which was to connect the New -Town with the Old, was finished in 1772. At the same time a more -conservative policy led others to try to confine the desired improvement -to the Old Town. Brown's Square, part of which still may be seen at the -top of Chambers Street, was built, and this was for the time the -exclusively fashionable quarter of the city. It was to Brown's Square, -as we read in _Redgauntlet_ (_Letter_ II.), that the Fairfords removed, -when, as Alan relates to his friend Darsie Latimer, 'the leaving his old -apartments in the Luckenbooths was to him' (the elder Fairford) 'like -divorcing the soul from the body; yet Dr. R---- did but hint that the -better air of this new district was more favourable to my health, as I -was then suffering under the penalties of too rapid a growth, when he -exchanged his old and beloved quarters, adjacent to the very Heart of -Midlothian, for one of those new tenements [entire within themselves] -which modern taste has so lately introduced.' - - - - - *CHAPTER II* - -The Scotts in George Square--Walter's -Lameness--Sandyknowe--Bath--Edinburgh--Changes in the City, -1763-1783--Migrations to the New Town--The Mound--New Manufactures and -Trades--The first Umbrella. - - -To the good people of Edinburgh who had for many years the privilege of -seeing Walter Scott daily in their streets, his robust and manly form -must have emphasised his unfortunate lameness. It is a defect very -painful to a man of bold and active spirit. But Scott had to bear with -it all his life through. It began when he was an infant of eighteen -months. - -The touching little family tradition was often repeated to him -afterwards, how one night he was racing about the room in an access of -childish high spirits, refusing to go to bed. With difficulty he was -caught at last and conveyed to his crib. Next morning he was found to -be suffering from fever, and on the fourth day it was discovered that he -had lost the use of the right leg. There appeared to be no dislocation -or sprain; but the remedies devised by Dr. Rutherford and the other -specialists from the University were of no avail. Walter was, in fact, -doomed to be lame for life. He tells with a touch of melancholy humour -how his parents in their anxiety eagerly made trial of every remedy -offered by the sympathy of old friends or by the self-interest of -empirics, and some of them were eccentric enough. On Dr. Rutherford's -advice, however, the very sensible plan was adopted of sending the child -to the country, where, with perfect freedom for open air life, he might -have the chance of all the benefit that might gradually be obtained from -the natural exertion of his limbs. - -He was sent immediately to his grandfather Scott's residence at -Sandyknowe, and here, to use his own words, 'I, who in a city had -probably been condemned to hopeless and helpless decrepitude, was now a -healthy, high-spirited, and, my lameness apart, a sturdy child--_non -sine diis animosus infans_.' This gratifying improvement was quite -confirmed by the time he was four years of age, but his parents were -only the more anxious in their efforts after a complete cure. At this -time it was suggested to his father that the waters at Bath might have -some effect on the child's lameness. He was sent to Bath, going first -by sea to London. Here he was taken to see the Tower, Westminster -Abbey, etc., of which he took with him an impression so strong, -complete, and accurate, that, on visiting the same scenes twenty-five -years afterwards, he found nothing to correct in the mental pictures -which his powerful memory had so long retained. The residence at Bath -had no effect on his lameness, but it was here he learned to read, -partly at a dame school, and partly at his aunt's knee. 'But I never' -(he says) 'acquired a just pronunciation, nor could I read with much -propriety.' After a year of Bath, he returned to Edinburgh. A short -interval at home was followed by another season at beloved Sandyknowe. -Sea-bathing was next recommended for his lameness, and after a few weeks -of this at Prestonpans, he was finally taken home to George Square, -which continued to be his dwelling-place till his marriage in 1797. He -was, of course, too young to appreciate the changes which were going on -in the city, but in later years no one realised more keenly than he the -revolutionary effects, both concrete and social, of those same years of -his childhood. His unfortunate lameness no doubt debarred Walter from -seeing as much of the great extensions then proceeding as his brothers -may have examined, but they must have been the one unfailing and -constant topic of conversation everywhere, and were no doubt of special -interest to one who could not even then have been unduly impressed by -the vast cost and supposed magnificence of all that was new. The -description just given of the city as contained within the old 'Flodden -Wall' will help the reader at once to understand how the Edinburgh of -Scott's single life differed from the Modern City, and how very -considerable were the additions already to the ancient town. Some -curious facts have been preserved in an old annual publication called -the _Picture of Edinburgh_. In it we find a quaint 'comparative view' of -Edinburgh as it was in 1763 and Edinburgh in the year 1783. In this -period there were added on the south side Nicolson Street and Square, -most of Bristo Street, George Square, and other streets: all of which -took the place of gardens and open fields. The New Town had risen as if -by magic. Progressive shopkeepers and bailies were already boasting of -George Street as the most splendid street in Europe,[1] and Princes -Street as the most elegant terrace. It was computed that over two -millions sterling had been spent in these extensions. Wholesale -migrations followed from the Old Town to the New, and many grand old -mansions passed into unexpected hands. Oliver Cromwell's former -lodgings were occupied by a mere sheriff-clerk. The house that at the -time of the Union was inhabited by the Duke of Douglas fell to a -wheelwright, and Lord President Craigie's mansion was transferred to a -seller of old furniture. So great, in fact, was the change of habits -and ideas, that we are told a common chairman, or porter, who had got -into the apartments once used by Lord Drummore, complained of defective -accommodation! The year 1783 also saw a new passage opened between the -Old Town and the New. This was effected by means of the huge heap of -earth collected from the excavations made in digging so many -foundations. By agreement with the contractors, all this earth was -conveyed, free of charge, to the space between the foot of Hanover -Street and the Old Town ridge. It is also stated that in this period -the number of four-wheeled carriages in Edinburgh increased from 396 to -1268. Coach-building became one of the most important industries, if it -be true that about 1783 an Edinburgh coachmaker received an order from -Paris for one thousand coaches. It seems that before this time the -operation of trade was exactly the reverse, Paris being reputed to make -carriages superior to any in Europe. Other trades, which had been -wholly unknown to the old city, now sprang into existence, indicating -great change of manners as well as increase of wealth. Amongst those, -drapers' shops became the most numerous in the city, and hairdressers -vastly increased in number. Oyster-cellars also became numerous, and -are noted as being frequented by people of fashion, who sometimes held -their private dancing-parties in these places. It was now that -umbrellas came into general use. Before 1763, it would appear that an -umbrella was regarded in Edinburgh as a rare phenomenon. - - -[1] But to Scott, of course, the old High Street always was 'the -principal street of Edinburgh.' It is to it he refers with pride in -_The Abbot_ as being 'then, as now, the most spacious street in Europe.' - - - - - *CHAPTER III* - -School-days--The High School--Old Methods of Teaching--Luke Fraser--Tone -of the School--Brutal Masters--Schoolboy's Dress--Boyish Ideas--Scott's -Pride of Birth--The 'Harden' Family--'Beardie'--The Dryburgh Lands. - - -It was in 1778 that Walter Scott began to attend the Grammar School, or -High School of Edinburgh. The High School building stood at the foot of -Infirmary Street, in what was called the High School Wynd. The name -'High School Yards' is still attached to a neighbouring lane. The -'Yards' would be the boys' playground. Like other Grammar Schools in -Scotland the High School was managed by the Town Council,[1] by whose -authority, at a date so early as 1519, the citizens were charged to send -their boys to it and to no other school. In 1777 the Town Council -erected a new schoolhouse, as the rapidly increasing numbers required -more extensive accommodation. It seems that in the eighteenth century -the reputation of the school stood very high, and, of course, it had -then no rivals in the city. The number of pupils about this time is -stated to have been six hundred. The teaching staff consisted of the -Rector and four masters. - - -[1] The school was transferred in 1873 to the School Board of Edinburgh. - - -The classes were, of course, very large, and the method of teaching was -necessarily very simple. Short tasks in Latin, set purely for -repetition, were rhymed over by each boy in the same words and the same -way. One Henry Cockburn, who joined the school in 1787, says it drove -him stupid. 'Oh! the bodily and mental wearisomeness of sitting six -hours a day, staring idly at a page, without motion and without -thought.' He says the school was notorious for its severity and -riotousness, and recalls his feelings of trembling and dizziness when he -sat down amidst above a hundred new faces. His master he characterises -as being as bad a schoolmaster as it is possible to fancy. Walter Scott -was more fortunate. His class was taught by Mr. Luke Fraser, a good -Latin scholar and a very worthy man. Walter seems to have enjoyed his -school life. In Mr. Fraser's class he was not distinguished as one of -the brilliant pupils. To the latter, especially the dux, James Buchan, -he pays a warm tribute, and of himself he says: 'I glanced like a meteor -from one end of the class to the other, and commonly disgusted my kind -master as much by negligence and frivolity as I occasionally pleased him -by flashes of intellect and talent. Among my companions, my good-nature -and a flow of ready imagination rendered me very popular.... In the -winter play-hours, when hard exercise was impossible, my tales used to -assemble an admiring audience round Lucky Brown's fireside, and happy -was he that could sit next to the inexhaustible narrator. I was also, -though often negligent of my own task, always ready to assist my -friends; and hence I had a little party of staunch adherents and -partisans, stout of hand and heart, though somewhat dull of head--the -very tools for raising a hero to eminence. So, on the whole, I made a -brighter figure in the yards than in the class.' In speaking of his -education, it must be remembered that he always underrates his -attainments. There is no doubt that he had a gift for acquiring -languages and was a remarkable pupil in every class. But because he was -a little behind the others at the start, he seems to have fancied -himself somewhat in that position all through. As to the manners and -morals of the boys, Scott has left no criticism. Of their outside fun -and adventures he has given a lively sketch in the episode of -Green-Breeks in the third Appendix to the General Preface of his novels. -We learn from Lord Cockburn that in his time and in his opinion, the -tone of the school was vulgar and harsh. Among the boys (he states) -coarseness of language and manners was the only fashion. An English boy -was so rare, that his language was openly laughed at. No lady could be -seen within the walls. Nothing evidently civilised was safe. Two of the -masters, in particular, were so savage, that any master doing now what -they did every hour, would certainly be transported. - -The same writer mentions that the boys had to be at school during summer -at seven in the morning. Here is his interesting description of his -dress as a schoolboy: 'I often think I see myself in my usual High -School apparel, which was the common dress of other boys. It consisted -of a round black hat; a shirt fastened at the neck by a black ribbon, -and except on dress days, unruffled; a cloth waistcoat, rather large, -with two rows of buttons and of button-holes, so that it could be -buttoned on either side, which, when one side got dirty, was convenient; -a single-breasted jacket, which in due time got a tail and became a -coat; brown corduroy breeks, tied at the knees by a showy knot of brown -cotton tape; worsted stockings in winter, blue cotton stockings in -summer, and white cotton for dress; clumsy shoes made to be used on -either foot, and each requiring to be used on alternate feet daily; -brass or copper buckles. The coat and waistcoat were always of glaring -colours, such as bright blue, grass green, and scarlet. I remember well -the pride with which I was once rigged out in a scarlet waistcoat and a -bright green coat. No such machinery as what are now termed braces or -suspenders had then been imagined.' - -There was plenty of pride among the High School boys. The roughness of -manners and coarseness of speech which they shared with the lower orders -never impaired the strong feeling of caste which they imbibed at home. -Among the baser spirits it was, of course, selfish and conceited, but it -had a better and healthier effect on the finer natures of the few. Even -as a boy, Walter Scott, as we have seen, lived much in an ideal world of -his own creation. It was largely peopled with the romantic figures of -the adventurous past, and the boy must have delighted greatly in the -knowledge that many of his heroes of the past were ancestors of his own. -Pride of birth was certainly one of his earliest ideals, and it -continued to influence him, in a manly and noble spirit, all through -life. It colours, as we know, every page of his romantic writings, both -verse and prose. It is united always with the ideas of truth, honour, -and courage, and strongly allied with a beautiful sentiment of chivalry -and grace. - -Though he never boasted of his own lineage--vulgarity being alien to his -nature--he was always conscious of it, and always lived up to the ideal -standard it created in his mind. His pedigree was one in which a -romantic antiquary could not but rejoice. On the mother's side he was a -lineal descendant of the Swintons of that ilk, a family which (as he -records) produced many distinguished warriors in the Middle Ages, and -which, for antiquity and honourable alliances, may rank with any in -Britain. His father's family, the Scotts of Harden, were still more -after his poetical heart. 'Wat of Harden, who came with speed,' was a -typical Border chief, the sturdy hero of many a minstrel's lay. For -among these rude Borderers not only had every dale its battle, but every -river its song. And this attachment to music and song, together with -the 'rude species of chivalry in constant use' among the Border clans, -raises them to a level amply sufficient for romance. The grandson of -Wat of Harden was another Walter Scott, who, not being his father's -eldest son, was employed as Factor on the estate of Makerston. It is -strange to think of Wat of Harden's grandson in a quasi-legal post and -noted as a gentleman of literary leanings. Such he was, however, and a -favourite friend of that great physician and elegant Latinist, Archibald -Pitcairn. The two used to meet together in Edinburgh, and talked -treasonable sentences in majestic Latin. This Walter, indeed, had -proved his Jacobite loyalty in a manner worthy of his name. He had -fought, 'with conquering Graham,' at Killiecrankie, and now testified -his sorrow for the exile of the Stuarts by letting his beard grow, -untouched by razor or scissors, as a symbol of mourning, and a visible -protest. - -This eccentricity gained for him the nickname of 'Beardie,' and it would -have been well (says Sir Walter) that his zeal had stopped there. But -he took arms, and intrigued in their cause, until he lost all he had in -the world. His second son, Robert, was intended for the sea, but a -shipwreck, which unfortunately occurred in his first voyage, gave him -such a dislike for the salt water, that he refused to go back for a -second trial. His father, displeased with his son's perversity, now -left him to his own resources. It was the best thing that could have -happened, for the youth had grit and character, as his grandson's -amusing account of his proceedings sufficiently shows. 'He turned Whig -upon the spot, and fairly abjured his father's politics and his learned -poverty. His chief and relative, Mr. Scott of Harden, gave him a lease -of the farm of Sandyknowe, comprehending the rocks in the centre of -which Smailholm or Sandyknowe Tower is situated. He took for his -shepherd an old man called Hogg, who willingly lent him, out of respect -to his family, his whole savings, about thirty pounds, to stock the new -farm. With this sum, which it seems was at that time sufficient for the -purpose, the master and the servant set off to purchase a stock of sheep -at Whitsun-Tryste, a fair held on a hill near Wooler in Northumberland. -The old shepherd went carefully from drove to drove, till he found a -_hirsel_ likely to answer their purpose, and then returned to tell his -master to come and conclude the bargain. But what was his surprise to -see him galloping a mettled hunter about the racecourse, and to find he -had expended the whole stock in this extraordinary purchase!--Moses' -bargain of green spectacles did not strike more dismay into the Vicar of -Wakefield's family, than my grandfather's rashness into the poor old -shepherd. The thing, however, was irretrievable, and they returned -without the sheep. In the course of a few days, however, my -grandfather, who was one of the best horsemen of his time, attended John -Scott of Harden's hounds on this same horse, and displayed him to such -advantage that he sold him for double the original price. The farm was -now stocked in earnest, and the rest of my grandfather's career was that -of successful industry.' - -The wife of this Robert Scott was Barbara Haliburton, daughter of a -Berwickshire laird, whose brother was proprietor of part of the lands of -Dryburgh, including the ruins of Dryburgh Abbey. Thus this rare -old-world relic, unequalled in its beauty and its hallowed associations, -was likely to fall into the hands of the father of Sir Walter Scott. It -happened, however, that the old laird, Robert Haliburton, had a weakness -for dabbling in trade, and so came to ruin himself. His Dryburgh -possessions were sold, and passed for ever out of the hands of the -novelist's relations. Scott seems to have felt considerable regret over -this incident in his family history. There is a touching note of pathos -in the remarks with which he sums it up in his Autobiography: 'And thus -we have nothing left of Dryburgh, although my father's maternal -inheritance, but the right of stretching our bones where mine may -perhaps be laid ere any eye but my own glances over these pages.' - - - - - *CHAPTER IV* - -Dr. Adam, Rector of High School--Walter Scott's first Lines--Influence -of Adam--Persecution by Nicol--Death-scene of the Rector--Home Life in -George Square--Walter Scott the 'Writer'--Anecdotes of his Character. - - -Very special honour, on the part of all lovers of Scott, is due to -Alexander Adam, the Rector of the High School. Adam, whose text-book of -_Roman Antiquities_ continued for over a century to be used in the -Scottish Grammar Schools and Universities, was not only a scholar, but a -man of literary tastes and sympathies. He was ever ready to detect and -encourage any sign of talent or character among the boys. It was his -custom to encourage them to attempt poetical versions of Horace and -Vergil. These were purely voluntary efforts, never set as tasks. Of -course, such attempts had a strong attraction for Scott. Though he -might not understand the Latin so well as some of his comrades, the -Rector himself declared that _Gualterus Scott_ was behind few in -following and enjoying the author's meaning. His versions therefore -often gained discriminating praise, and Adam ever after took much notice -of the boy. It is a pleasure to find in the pages of Lockhart one of -these juvenile efforts. No wonder that Adam had faith in the boy of -twelve who could turn Vergil in language like this: - - 'In awful ruins AEtna thunders nigh, - And sends in pitchy whirlwinds to the sky - Black clouds of smoke, which, still as they aspire, - From their dark sides there bursts the glowing fire; - At other times huge balls of fire are toss'd, - That lick the stars, and in the smoke are lost; - Sometimes the mount, with vast convulsions torn, - Emits huge rocks, which instantly are borne - With loud explosions to the starry skies, - The stones made liquid as the huge mass flies, - Then back again with greater weight recoils, - While AEtna thundering from the bottom boils.' - -This little piece, it seems, written in a weak, boyish scrawl, within -pencilled marks still visible, had been carefully preserved by his -mother; it was folded up in a cover inscribed by the old lady--'_My -Walter's first lines_, 1782.' - -Scott does full justice to the excellent influence of Dr. Adam on his -character. 'I saw I was expected to do well, and I was piqued in honour -to vindicate my master's favourable opinion. I climbed, therefore, to -the first form; and, though I never made a first-rate Latinist, my -school-fellows, and, what was of more consequence, I myself, considered -that I had a character for learning to maintain. Dr. Adam, to whom I -owed so much, never failed to remind me of my obligations when I had -made some figure in the literary world.... He remembered the fate of -every boy at his school during the fifty years he had superintended it, -and always traced their success or misfortunes entirely to their -attention or negligence when under his care. His "noisy mansion," which -to others would have been a melancholy bedlam, was the pride of his -heart; and the only fatigues he felt, amidst din and tumult, and the -necessity of reading themes, hearing lessons, and maintaining some -degree of order at the same time, were relieved by comparing himself to -Caesar, who could dictate to three secretaries at once:--so ready is -vanity to lighten the labours of duty.' Another great man who testified -the same kindly feeling towards Adam was Francis Jeffrey, who passed -through his hands a few years later than Scott. - -An incident in Adam's career must now be mentioned which throws a strong -light on a rather seamy side of Edinburgh character at the time. Very -naturally, though he had no sympathy or even acquaintance with the party -politics then current, the Rector would occasionally make comparisons -between the French Revolution and the events of ancient history. This -led to some hostility on the part of the pupils. Then the parents took -offence, and the Town Council, as patrons of the school, persecuted the -good man by encouraging Nicol, one of the masters, to insult and defy -him. This is the 'Willie' who was a friend of Burns, and who sorely -tried the poet's patience during their tour in the Highlands. He seems -to have been a good classical scholar, an 'admirable convivial -humorist,' but in other respects a downright blackguard. The savage -brute, taking advantage of his influence with the Council, went so far -as actually to attempt the life of his chief, waylaying and attacking -the poor man after dark. Nicol is one of the two masters whom Lord -Cockburn mentions as the curse of the school, 'whose atrocities young -men cannot be made to believe, but old men cannot forget.' - -We pass from the High School and its memories with the beautiful and -touching picture drawn by Scott of the death of his old master and -friend: 'This (unpleasant incident) passed away with other heats of the -period, and the Doctor continued his labours till about a year since, -when he was struck with palsy while teaching his class. He survived a -few days, but becoming delirious before his dissolution, conceived he -was still in school, and after some expressions of applause or censure, -he said, "But it grows dark--the boys may dismiss,"--and instantly -expired.' - -The home life during these school-days was very strict, but tempered by -the natural outbreaks of youthful vitality. In later years it is clear -that Walter regretted two things--the unnecessary gloom of Sunday at -home, and the want of sympathy on the part of his father--more correctly -the failure of giving expression to the feelings which were certainly -there, and very deep and strong. But all the same he loved his father, -and recognised to the full his splendid character. Walter Scott, the -eldest son of Robert of Sandyknowe, was born in 1729. He was bred to -the law, and in due time became a Writer to the Signet. Though not -perhaps well fitted by nature for such a profession, he was a hard, -conscientious worker, and took a special interest 'in analysing the -abstruse feudal doctrines connected with conveyancing.' In fact, his -high principles and earnest attachment to religion made it impossible -for him to devote his whole mind to mere bargain-driving, whether for -himself or others. Anything like sharpness in employing the necessities, -wants, and follies of men for his own pecuniary advantage was entirely -foreign to his nature. Of fighting the knaves and dastards with the -petty weapons of an ignoble warfare he was as little capable as ever was -his magnanimous son. In all such affairs, in that son's opinion, 'Uncle -Toby himself could not have conducted himself with more simplicity than -my father.' No quainter proof of this admirable simplicity could be -imagined than the fact that he made a personal matter of the honour of -his clients, and often embarrassed by his zeal for their credit persons -whose sense of honour and duty was anything but keen. However, in those -days character and honesty were still appreciated by men who did not -imitate them. Mr. Scott rose to eminence in his profession, and enjoyed -at one time an extensive practice. Somewhat formal in manner and a -rigid Calvinist in religion, he had many little peculiarities of the -rural rather than the city Scot. Thus, though very abstemious in his -habits, he was fond of sociability and grew very merry over his sober -glass of wine. Moderate in politics, he had a natural leaning to -constitutional principles, and was jealous of modern encroachments on -the royal prerogative. His weakness for established forms made him a -stickler for points of etiquette at marriages, christenings, and -funerals. The sweetness of his temper, the dignity and purity of his -life, and the charm of his distinguished personality inspired those who -knew him with singular affection for this Scottish Thomas Newcome. The -best of all this might stand for the picture of the younger Walter -Scott, but it is interesting to know that in features there was no -resemblance between the father and the son. By a striking but not -unusual freak of heredity, the latter's face was an almost perfect -replica of that of his ancestor 'Beardie.' - - - - - *CHAPTER V* - -At Edinburgh University--Holidays at Kelso--Home--First University -Class--Professor Hill--Professor Dalzell--The 'Greek -Blockhead'--Anecdotes of Dalzell--His History of Edinburgh University. - - -Walter Scott was a boy of thirteen when he entered the University. -After leaving the High School he had been sent to spend half a year with -his aunt, Miss Janet Scott, at Kelso. Here, while keeping up his Latin -with a tutor, he was free to indulge in miscellaneous reading. Amongst -other treasures he came upon Percy's _Reliques_, about which he declared -he had never read a book half so frequently or with half the enthusiasm. -It confirmed him in the love for legendary lore, which had begun in -infancy. To this period also he traces the awaking of his feeling for -the beauties of nature, 'more especially when combined with ancient -ruins.' It became, as he says, an insatiable passion, and indeed goes -far to account for his eager pursuit of territory at Abbotsford. -Returning to Edinburgh in October, he joined the class of Humanity, -under Mr. Hill, and the first Greek class, under Mr. Dalzell. -Unfortunately for his Latin, Hill's class seems for the time to have -been the rowdiest in the University. No work was done in it. Lord -Cockburn, speaking of 1793, bitterly complains that the class was a -scene of unchecked idleness and disrespectful mirth. Scott says that -Hill was beloved by his students, but that he held the reins of -discipline very loosely. In fact, the boy, as might have been expected -of his lively nature, took his part in the fun and forgot much of the -Latin he had learned under Adam and Whale (the Selkirk tutor). But his -loss in the Greek class was greater still. The first class, in those -days, was engaged on the mere elements, but Walter had not even the -smattering which was necessary to keep up with this humble attempt. He -therefore resolved not to learn Greek at all, and professed a contempt -for the language, as a method of braving things out. He was known in -the class as the _Greek Blockhead_, and at the end of the session he -wrote an essay to prove the inferiority of Homer to Ariosto. This -whimsical idea he defended with such force as to rouse Professor -Dalzell's indignation, but while reproving the foolish presumption of -the young critic, he honestly expressed his surprise at the quantity of -out-of-the-way knowledge which the boy had displayed. It was like -Samuel Johnson quoting Macrobius to the Oxford dons. But Dalzell, -instead of complimenting and flattering the genius, denounced him, -saying that dunce he was and dunce he would remain. The good judge, -however, handsomely reversed and recalled this verdict in after-years -'over a bottle of Burgundy, at our literary club at Fortune's, of which -he was a distinguished member.' Cockburn, like Scott, entered Dalzell's -class without any knowledge of Greek. He has left a charming picture of -the Professor, with whose ways and ideas he seems to have been in full -sympathy. 'At the mere teaching of a language to boys, he was -ineffective. How is it possible for the elements, including the very -letters, of a language to be taught to one hundred boys at once, by a -single lecturing professor? To the lads who, like me, to whom the very -alphabet was new, required positive _teaching_, the class was utterly -useless. Nevertheless, though not a good schoolmaster, it is a duty, and -delightful to record Dalzell's value as a general exciter of boys' -minds. Dugald Stewart alone excepted, he did me more good than all the -other instructors I had. Mild, affectionate, simple, an absolute -enthusiast about learning--particularly classical, and especially -Greek--with an innocence of soul and of manner which imparted an air of -honest kindliness to whatever he said or did, and a slow, soft, formal -voice, he was a great favourite with all boys, and with all good men. -Never was a voyager, out in quest of new islands, more delighted in -finding one, than he was in discovering any good quality in any humble -youth.... He could never make us actively laborious. But when we sat -passive and listened to him, he inspired us with a vague but sincere -ambition of literature, and with delicious dreams of virtue and poetry. -He must have been a hard boy whom these discourses, spoken by Dalzell's -low, soft, artless voice, did not melt.' - -Dalzell was clerk to the General Assembly, and was long one of the -curiosities of that strange place, for which Cockburn quaintly says he -was too innocent. The last time he saw Dalzell was just before his -death, of the near approach of which the old man was quite aware. He -was busy amusing his children by trying to discharge a twopenny cannon; -but his alarm and awkwardness only terrified the little ones. At last -he got behind a washing-tub, and then, fastening the match to the end of -a long stick, set the piece of ordnance off gloriously. He seems to -have held the opinion strongly that the seventeenth century was -responsible for the defects of classical learning in Scotland. Sydney -Smith declared that one dark night he had overheard the Professor -muttering to himself on the street, 'If it had not been for that -confounded Solemn League and Covenant, we would have made as good longs -and shorts as they' (the English Episcopalians). - -Professor Dalzell compiled a History of the University of Edinburgh from -its foundation to his own time. His own election to the Greek chair took -place in 1772, and he was at the time acting as tutor to the sons of the -Earl of Lauderdale. From 1785 he appears to have acted as joint -Secretary and Librarian, thus obtaining access to all the materials -necessary for his elaborate History. - - - - - *CHAPTER VI* - -Scott's University Studies--The old Latin Chronicles--Dugald Stewart, -His Success described--His elegant Essays--Popular Subjects--Picture of -Stewart by Lord Cockburn--His Lectures--Anecdote of Macvey Napier--Meets -Robert Burns--The Poet's 'Pocket Milton.' - - -Certainly Edinburgh University cannot claim to have contributed much, if -anything at all, to the training of the future poet, novelist, and man -of letters. In his second session he fell ill, and was sent again to -Kelso to recruit. He had now lost all taste for the Latin classics, and -his reading at this time was almost entirely without aim or system, -except that his taste led him to make a special point of history. He -read George Buchanan's Latin History of Scotland, Matthew Paris, and -various monkish chronicles in Latin, but Greek he now gave up for ever. -He had forgotten the very letters of the Greek alphabet; a loss, as he -says, never to be repaired, considering what that language is, and who -they were who employed it in their compositions. His knowledge of -mathematics was, by his own account, never more than a superficial -smattering. He seems, however, to have won some distinction in the -study of ethics, having been one of the students selected in this class -for the distinction of reading an essay before the Principal. The great -ornament of the Arts Faculty was at this time Dugald Stewart, of whom -some account must now be given as representing in its best and typical -aspects the characteristic Edinburgh culture of the period. Stewart had -succeeded his father as Professor of Mathematics in 1775, and had -obtained the chair of Moral Philosophy in 1785 by exchanging with a -colleague. He occupied this chair for twenty-five years, during which -time, by his lectures and writings, he gained the very highest -distinction, not only for the importance of his philosophical -speculations, but on account of the high literary merits of his style. -There is no doubt that his reputation was greatly exaggerated, for his -technical work was really of no value; but in his own time he maintained -a foremost place, and his celebrity shed honour alike on his University -and his native country. In fact, Dugald Stewart is the most remarkable -example we know of the great possibilities that lie open to men of -ordinary or even meagre capacities, who know how to make effective use -of the commonplace. His merits were such as may belong to any man: he -mastered the details of his subject with thorough care, he read much and -drew upon literature for illustrative quotations, he supported moral -theories by an elaborate sentimental rhetoric, he was most careful in -his personal conduct, and, above all, he studiously maintained great -formal dignity of both speech and manners. In short, he cultivated all -the prudential and external methods of success, and he obtained it full -and overflowing. He might have reversed the lines of Cato, and said: - - ''Tis not in mortals to deserve success: - But I'll do more, my subjects, I'll command it.' - -In his college lectures his method was to expatiate on the popular -aspects of moral themes, studiously avoiding repulsive technicalities -and brain-taxing discussions. Thus, by judiciously limiting his topics -to those in which it was possible to exercise the embellishments of -rhetoric, he succeeded in his aim of always preserving the appearance of -dignity and greatness. He never deviated from the great style in -language or manner, and it is not surprising that his matter temporarily -passed for great. The man who is never seen other than faultlessly -attired in the height of fashion is bound to be considered a well-to-do -gentleman. Walter Scott, however, does not seem to have been carried -away by the prevailing current of enthusiasm. He merely mentions that -he was further instructed in Moral Philosophy by Mr. Dugald Stewart, -whose striking and impressive eloquence riveted the attention even of -the most volatile students. - -To Lord Cockburn's essentially different nature Stewart was the ideal of -academic greatness, the correctness of Stewart's taste striking him with -a certain awe. Stewart's elegant essays, 'embellished by the happiest -introduction of exquisite quotations,' on such subjects as the -obligations of patriotism and affection, the cultivation and the value -of taste, the charms of literature and science, etc., appeared to him -not only fascinating, which they were, but always great, which certainly -they were not. - -Lord Cockburn describes Dugald Stewart as 'about the middle size, weakly -limbed, and with an appearance of feebleness which gave an air of -delicacy to his gait and structure. His forehead was large and bald, -his eyebrows bushy, his eyes grey, and intelligent, and capable of -conveying any emotion, from indignation to pity, from serene sense to -hearty humour: in which they were powerfully aided by his lips, which, -though rather large perhaps, were flexible and expressive. The voice -was singularly pleasing; and, as he managed it, a slight burr only made -its tones softer. His ear, both for music and for speech, was -exquisite; and he was the finest reader I have ever heard. His gesture -was simple and elegant, though not free from a tinge of professional -formality; and his whole manner that of an academical gentleman.... - -'He lectured, standing, from notes which, with their successive -additions, must, I suppose, at last have been nearly as full as his -spoken words. His lecturing manner was professorial, but gentlemanlike; -calm and expository, but rising into greatness, or softening into -tenderness, whenever his subject required it. A slight asthmatic -tendency made him often clear his throat; and such was my admiration of -the whole exhibition, that Macvey Napier told him, not long ago, that I -had said there was eloquence in his very spitting. "Then," said he, "I -am glad there was at least one thing in which I had no competitor...." -To me his lectures were like the opening of the heavens. I felt that I -had a soul. His noble views, unfolded in glorious sentences, elevated -me into a higher world. I was as much excited and charmed as any man of -cultivated senses would be, who, after being ignorant of their -existence, was admitted to all the glories of Milton, Cicero, and -Shakespeare. They changed my whole nature. In short, Dugald Stewart -was one of the greatest of didactic orators. Had he lived in ancient -time, his memory would have descended to us as that of one of the finest -of the old eloquent sages. But his lot was better cast. Flourishing in -an age which requires all the dignity of morals to counteract the -tendencies of physical pursuits and political convulsion, he has exalted -the character of his country and his generation. No intelligent pupil of -his ever ceased to respect philosophy or was ever false to his -principles, without feeling the crime aggravated by the recollection of -the morality that Stewart had taught him.' - -This last tribute to Stewart is a very fine idea. It recalls Persius' -noble line: - - 'Virtutem videant, intabescantque relicta.' - -Stewart had the great honour and felicity of meeting Burns on his first -visit to Edinburgh in 1786. A more singularly contrasted pair could -hardly have been brought together from any corners of the earth. Burns -looked up to the celebrated professor with genuine admiration, for -rhetoric was the great poet's besetting weakness. He speaks of Stewart -personally always with respect and esteem, but the stateliness of the -patricians in Edinburgh almost disgusted him with life. He was obliged -to buy a pocket Milton, so that he might be able, whenever he recalled -it, to study the sentiments of courage, independence, and noble -defiance, 'in that great personage, SATAN,' as an antidote to the -poisoned feeling of disgust. - - - - - *CHAPTER VII* - -Old Edinburgh Society--Manners of the older Generation--St. Cecilia's -Hall--Buccleuch Place Rooms--Rules of the Assemblies--Drinking -Customs--Recollections of Lord Cockburn. - - -The great transformation process of Edinburgh life and society was a -striking feature of the years during which Walter Scott grew from -boyhood to manhood. The rise of the New Town, with the consequent rapid -migration of the much greater part of the well-to-do population, was -naturally the most active factor in the change. There was a general -alteration of habits. Families changed their style of living. Old -arrangements, necessitated by the lofty old houses, disappeared. Old -peculiarities, which gave character and Scottish individuality to the -city, were obliterated as if by magic. As might be expected, such -sweeping changes were disliked and denounced by many who looked upon the -whole movement as a vulgarising of the old gentilities. The social -habits of the older generation were a strange mixture of coarseness and -extreme decorum, based upon artificial rules. The latter side is seen -in the delightful sketches which Lord Cockburn has left us of the old -concert-rooms and assembly-rooms which were maintained by the -fashionable class for their own exclusive use. - -'Saint Cecilia's Hall was the only public resort of the musical, and -besides being our most selectly fashionable place of amusement, was the -best and the most beautiful concert-room I have ever yet seen. And -there have I myself seen most of our literary and fashionable gentlemen, -predominating with their side curls and frills, and ruffles, and silver -buckles; and our stately matrons stiffened in hoops and gorgeous satin; -and our beauties with high-heeled shoes, powdered and pomatumed hair, -and lofty and composite head-dresses. All this was in the Cowgate! the -last retreat nowadays of destitution and disease. The building still -stands, though raised and changed, and is looked down upon from South -Bridge, over the eastern side of the Cowgate Arch. When I last saw it, -it seemed to be partly an old clothesman's shop, and partly a -brazier's.[1] The abolition of this Cecilian temple, and the necessity -of finding accommodation where they could, and of depending for -patronage on the common boisterous public, of course, extinguished the -delicacies of the old artificial parterre. - - -[1] It is now part of the bookbinding premises of George Cooper and Co., -Niddry Street. The Hall itself is now used as a store for paper. - - -'Our balls, and their manners, fared no better. The ancient dancing -establishments in the Bow and the Assembly Close I know nothing about. -Everything of the kind was meant to be annihilated by the erection -(about 1784) of the handsome apartments in George Street. Yet even -against these, the new part of the old town made a gallant struggle, and -in my youth the whole fashionable dancing, as indeed the fashionable -everything, clung to George Square; where (in Buccleuch Place, close by -the south-eastern corner of the square) most beautiful rooms were -erected, which, for several years, threw the New Town piece of -presumption entirely into the shade. And here were the last remains of -the ballroom discipline of the preceding age. Martinet dowagers and -venerable beaux acted as masters and mistresses of ceremonies, and made -all the preliminary arrangements. No couple could dance unless each -party was provided with a ticket prescribing the precise place in the -precise dance. If there was no ticket, the gentleman, or the lady, was -dealt with as an intruder, and turned out of the dance. If the ticket -had marked upon it--say, for a country dance, the figures 3, 5, this -meant that the holder was to place himself in the third dance, and fifth -from the top; and if he was anywhere else, he was set right or excluded. -And the partner's tickets must correspond. Woe to the poor girl who, -with ticket 2, 7, was found opposite a youth marked 5, 9! It was -flirting without a licence, and looked very ill, and would probably be -reported by the ticket director of that dance to the mother. Of course, -parties, or parents, who wished to secure dancing for themselves or -those they had charge of, provided themselves with correct and -corresponding vouchers before the ball day arrived. This could only be -accomplished through a director: and the election of a pope sometimes -requires less jobbing. When parties chose to take their chance, they -might do so; but still, though only obtained in the room, the written -permission was necessary; and such a thing as a compact to dance, by a -couple, without official authority, would have been an outrage that -could scarcely be contemplated. Tea was sipped in side-rooms, and he -was a careless beau who did not present his partner with an orange at -the end of each dance; and the orange and the tea, like everything else, -were under exact and positive regulations. All this disappeared, and -the very rooms were obliterated, as soon as the lately raised community -secured its inevitable supremacy to the New Town. The aristocracy of a -few predominating individuals and families came to an end; and the -unreasonable old had nothing for it but to sigh over the recollection of -the select and elegant parties of their youth, where indiscriminate -public right was rejected, and its coarseness awed. - -'Yet in some respects there was far more coarseness in the formal age -than in the free one. Two vices especially, which have been long -banished from all respectable society, were very prevalent, if not -universal, among the whole upper ranks--swearing and drunkenness. -Nothing was more common than for gentlemen who had dined with ladies, -and meant to rejoin them, to get drunk. To get drunk in a tavern seemed -to be considered as a natural, if not an intended consequence of going -to one. Swearing was thought the right, and the mark, of a gentleman. -And, tried by this test, nobody, who had not seen them, could now be -made to believe how many gentlemen there were. Not that people were -worse tempered then than now. They were only coarser in their manners, -and had got into a bad style of admonition and dissent. And the evil -provoked its own continuance, because nobody who was blamed cared for -the censure, or understood that it was serious, unless it was clothed in -execration; and any intensity even of kindness or of logic, that was not -embodied in solid commination, evaporated, and was supposed to have been -meant to evaporate, in the very uttering. The naval chaplain justified -his cursing the sailors, because it made them listen to him; and -Braxfield apologised to a lady whom he damned at whist for bad play, by -declaring that he had mistaken her for his wife. This odious practice -was applied with particular offensiveness by those in authority towards -their inferiors. In the army it was universal by officers towards -soldiers; and far more frequent than is now credible by masters towards -servants.' - - - - - *CHAPTER VIII* - -Description of St. Cecilia's Hall--Concerts--Old-fashioned Contempt for -'Stars'--Former Assembly Rooms--The George Street Rooms--Scott and the -old Social Ways--Simplicity and Friendliness--His Picture of the -Beginnings of Fashion in the New Town. - - -A few additional details can still be given of the places thus described -by Lord Cockburn. St. Cecilia's Hall was seated, in the manner of an -amphitheatre, for five hundred persons, with a large open space in the -centre. The orchestra was at the upper end of the room, where there was -also 'an elegant organ.' It was managed by a great society of musical -gentlemen, a society which, it seems, originated from a weekly -club-meeting, as was then usual, in a tavern. The landlord, Steil, was -extremely fond of music, and was regarded as an excellent singer of -Scottish songs. The concerts given in St. Cecilia's Hall, besides their -fashionable aspect, seem to have been of high musical merit. One -writing about the beginning of last century laments most feelingly its -neglect and decay. He describes the great doings of its palmy days, -when the best compositions of the old school took the lead in the plans -of the concerts; when the sublime compositions of Handel, and the -enchanting strains of Corelli, were ably conducted under the direction -of a Pinto, a Puppo, a Penducci, and a Kelly. He declares that genuine -taste for music has decayed in Edinburgh; that the rage of the present -day is only to be captivated by those intricate capriccios in execution -which excite no passion but surprise; and that the sweet sounds which -enchanted the ears of our forefathers are now laid aside for those which -amaze rather than delight. It is true (he continues) we may be -_occasionally_ honoured with a visit by a Braham or a Catalani; but, -like birds of passage, scarcely have they _feathered their nests_, when -they wing their way to milder climes. How different and how -disagreeable, in fact, must modern arrangements have appeared to -old-fashioned worthies. The 'stars' of the old time were paid only by -results, that is, by benefit nights whose success was, of course, in -proportion to the singer's merits. - -The first Assembly Rooms were at the West Bow, opened in 1760. The -Assemblies were removed to new rooms in the High Street (Assembly Close) -some ten years later. They were weekly meetings for dancing and -card-playing, kept up by a charge of five shillings for admission. At -first the Assemblies were managed entirely by private individuals, but a -change was made in 1746, when they were transferred to the charge of -seven persons connected with the Royal Infirmary and the Charity -Workhouse. A lady of fashion was always associated with this committee, -to look after points of etiquette and decorum. The surplus funds were -always given to the two institutions named. The George Street Rooms were -erected to supply defects of accommodation and to shift the centre of -fashion into the New Town. Sir Walter pictures the veterans of his -generation as recollecting with a sigh the Old Assembly Rooms, or Dun's -Rooms, or the George Street Rooms, when first opened, as a place of -public amusement, where all persons, of rank and fashion entitling them -to frequent such places, met upon easy and upon equal terms, and without -any attempt at intrusion on the part of others; where the pretensions of -every one were known and judged of by their birth and manners, and not -by assumed airs of extravagance, or a lavish display of wealth. His -conclusion was that, upon the whole, the society of the higher classes -in Edinburgh was formerly select, the members better known to each -other, and therefore more easy in intercourse than at a later day (say -after the beginning of the nineteenth century). Evidently what charmed -Scott was the family charm of the old system, and the mild assertion of -the aristocratic caste which was doomed to give way before the claims of -mere wealth. The Scottish aristocracy were not rich. The old Edinburgh -therefore suited at once their purses and their prejudices. The ladies -were content to entertain their friends at tea. Then after some -wine-drinking by the gentlemen, the carpets would be lifted, and a -homely and happy evening spent in dancing. Thus there was abundance of -sociability at little expense; and friendships were warmer because of -this admission to the intimacies of the ordinary daily life. Families -met more frequently, when the only preparation necessary was 'a social -and domestic meal of plain cookery, with a glass of good port-wine or -claret.' Scott is never severe on the drinking customs, of which the -purely social aspect appealed so strongly to his warm heart and kindly -nature. He admits that the claret was sometimes allowed to circulate -too often and too long, but the tea-table and the card-party claimed -their rights sooner or later, and perhaps the young ladies might thank -the claret for the frequent proposal of rolling aside the carpet and -dancing to the music of the pianoforte. - -Contrast with these happy and home-like revels the beginnings of the -modern system as pictured by Scott. 'Certainly he who has witnessed and -partaken of pleasures attainable on such easy terms, may be allowed to -murmur at modern parties, where, with much more formality and more -expense, the same cheerful results are not equally secured. When, after -a month's invitation, he meets a large party of twenty or thirty people, -probably little known to him and to each other, who are entertained with -French cookery and a variety of expensive wines offered in succession, -while circumstances often betray that the landlord is making an effort -beyond his usual habits; when the company protract a dull effort at -conversation under the reserve imposed by their being strangers to each -other, and reunite with the ladies, sober enough, it is true, but dull -enough also, to drink cold coffee, he expects at least to finish the -evening with dance and song, or the lively talk around the fire, or the -comfortable, old-fashioned rubber. But these are no part of modern -manners. No sooner is the dinner-party ended, than each guest sets -forth on a nocturnal cruise from one crowded party to another; and ends -by elbowing, it may be, in King Street, about three o'clock in the -morning, the very same folks whom he elbowed at ten o'clock at night in -Charlotte Square, and who, like him, have spent the whole night in the -streets, and in going in or out of lighted apartments.' - - - - - *CHAPTER IX* - -Manners and Social Customs--Cockburn's Sketches--The Dinner-hour--The -Procession--The Viands--Drinking--Claret--Healths and Toasts--Anecdote -of Duke of Buccleuch--'Rounds' of Toasts--'Sentiments'--The Dominie of -Arndilly--Scott's Views of the old Customs--Decline of 'friendly' -Feeling. - - -We shall now give Lord Cockburn's very interesting picture of the -evenings which Scott dwelt upon with such sympathetic regret:-- - -'The prevailing dinner-hour was about three o'clock. Two o'clock was -quite common, if there was no company. Hence it was no great deviation -from their usual custom for a family to dine on Sundays "between -sermons"--that is, between one and two. The hour, in time, but not -without groans and predictions, became four, at which it stuck for -several years. Then it got to five, which, however, was thought -positively revolutionary; and four was long and gallantly adhered to by -the haters of change as "the good old hour." At last even they were -obliged to give in. But they only yielded inch by inch, and made a -desperate stand at half-past four. Even five, however, triumphed, and -continued the average polite hour from (I think) about 1806, or 1807, -till about 1820. Six has at last prevailed, and half an hour later is -not unusual. As yet this is the furthest stretch of London -imitation.... Thus, within my memory, the hour has ranged from two to -half-past six o'clock; and a stand has been regularly made at the end of -every half-hour against each encroachment; and always on the same -grounds--dislike of change and jealousy of finery.' - -Mr. Oldbuck of Monkbarns, it will be remembered, who flourished _circa_ -1804, invited his guests to the famous 'coenobitical symposion' _at four -o'clock precisely_. It may be presumed that the Antiquary in this -matter, however, lingered a little in the rear of the fashion. The -dishes at the symposion comprehended 'many savoury specimens of Scottish -viands now disused at the tables of those who affect -elegance'--hotch-potch, 'the relishing Solan goose,' fish and sauce, -crappit-heads, and chicken-pie. The Antiquary's beverage was port, a -wine highly approved of by the clerical friend who so ably disposed of -the relics of the feast intended for the worthy host's supper. - -'The procession from the drawing-room to the dining-room was formerly -arranged on a different principle from what it is now. There was no -such alarming proceeding as that of each gentleman approaching a lady, -and the two hooking together. This would have excited as much horror as -the waltz at first did, which never showed itself without denunciations -of continental manners by correct gentlemen and worthy mothers and -aunts. All the ladies first went off by themselves, in a regular row, -according to the ordinary rules of precedence. Then the gentlemen moved -off in a single file; so that when they reached the dining-room, the -ladies were all there, lingering about the backs of the chairs, till -they could see what their fate was to be. Then began the selection of -partners, the leaders of the male line having the advantage of priority; -and of course the magnates had an affinity for each other. - -'The dinners themselves were much the same as at present. Any -difference is in a more liberal adoption of the cookery of France. Ice, -either for cooling or eating, was utterly unknown, except in a few -houses of the highest class. There was far less drinking during dinner -than now, and far more after it. The staple wines, even at ceremonious -parties, were in general only port and sherry. Champagne was never -seen. It only began to appear after France was opened by the peace of -1815. The exemption of Scotch claret from duty, which continued (I -believe) till about 1780, made it till then the ordinary beverage. I -have heard Henry Mackenzie and other old people say that, when a cargo -of claret came to Leith, the common way of proclaiming its arrival was -by sending a hogshead of it through the town on a cart, with a horn; and -that anybody who wanted a sample, or a drink under pretence of a sample, -had only to go to the cart with a jug, which, without much nicety about -its size, was filled for a sixpence. The tax ended this mode of -advertising; and, aided by the horror of everything French, drove claret -from all tables below the richest. - -'Healths and toasts were special torments; oppressions which cannot now -be conceived. Every glass during dinner required to be dedicated to the -health of some one. It was thought sottish and rude to take wine -without this--as if forsooth there was nobody present worth drinking -with. I was present about 1803, when the late Duke of Buccleuch took a -glass of sherry by himself at the table of Charles Hope, then Lord -Advocate; and this was noticed afterwards as a piece of ducal contempt. -And the person asked to take wine was not invited by anything so -slovenly as a look combined with a putting of the hand upon the bottle, -as is practised by near neighbours now. It was a much more serious -affair. For one thing, the wine was very rarely on the table. It had -to be called for; and in order to let the servant know to whom he was to -carry it, the caller was obliged to specify his partner aloud. All this -required some premeditation and courage. Hence timid men never ventured -on so bold a step at all, but were glad to escape by only drinking when -they were invited. As this ceremony was a mark of respect, the -landlord, or any other person who thought himself the great man, was -generally graciously pleased to perform it to every one present. But he -and others were always at liberty to abridge the severity of the duty by -performing it by platoons. They took a brace, or two brace, of ladies -or of gentlemen, or of both, and got them all engaged at once, and -proclaiming to the sideboard--"A glass of sherry for Miss Dundas, Mrs. -Murray, and Miss Hope, and a glass of port for Mr. Hume, and one for -me," he slew them by coveys. And all the parties to the contract were -bound to acknowledge each other distinctly. No nods or grins or -indifference, but a direct look at the object, the audible uttering of -the very words--"Your good health," accompanied by a respectful -inclination of the head, a gentle attraction of the right hand towards -the heart, and a gratified smile. And after all these detached pieces -of attention during the feast were over, no sooner was the table -cleared, and the after-dinner glasses set down, than it became necessary -for each person, following the landlord, to drink the health of every -other person present, individually. Thus, where there were ten people, -there were ninety healths drunk. This ceremony was often slurred over by -the bashful, who were allowed merely to look the benediction; but usage -compelled them to look it distinctly, and to each individual. To do -this well required some grace, and consequently it was best done by the -polite ruffled and frilled gentlemen of the olden time. - -'This prandial nuisance was horrible. But it was nothing to what -followed. For after dinner, and before the ladies retired, there -generally began what were called "_Rounds_" of toasts; when each -gentleman named an absent lady, and another person was required to match -a gentleman with that lady, and the pair named were toasted, generally -with allusions and jokes about the fitness of the union. And, worst of -all, there were "sentiments." These were short epigrammatic sentences, -expressive of moral feelings and virtues, and were thought refined and -elegant productions. A faint conception of their nauseousness may be -formed from the following examples, every one of which I have heard -given a thousand times, and which indeed I only recollect from their -being favourites. The glasses being filled, a person was asked for his, -or her, sentiment, when this, or something similar, was committed--"May -the pleasures of the evening bear the reflections of the morning," Or, -"May the friends of our youth be the companions of our old age." Or, -"Delicate pleasures to susceptible minds." "May the honest heart never -feel distress." "May the hand of charity wipe the tear from the eye of -sorrow." "May never worse be among us." There were stores of similar -reflections; and for all kinds of parties, from the elegant and romantic -to the political, the municipal, the ecclesiastic, and the drunken. -Many of the thoughts and sayings survive still, and may occasionally be -heard at a club or a tavern. But even there they are out of vogue as -established parts of the entertainment; and in some scenes nothing can -be very offensive. But the proper _sentiment_ was a high and pure -production; a moral motto; and was meant to dignify and grace private -society. Hence, even after an easier age began to sneer at the display, -the correct thing was to receive the sentiment, if not with real -admiration, at least with decorous respect. Mercifully, there was a -large known public stock of the odious commodity, so that nobody who -could screw up his nerves to pronounce the words, had any occasion to -strain his invention. The conceited, the ready, or the reckless, -hackneyed in the art, had a knack of making new sentiments applicable to -the passing accidents, with great ease. But it was a dreadful -oppression on the timid or the awkward. They used to shudder, ladies -particularly--for nobody was spared when their turn in the _round_ -approached. Many a struggle and blush did it cost; but this seemed only -to excite the tyranny of the masters of the craft; and compliance could -never be avoided except by more torture than yielding. There can -scarcely be a better example of the emetical nature of the stuff that -was swallowed than the sentiment elaborated by the poor dominie of -Arndilly. He was called upon, in his turn, before a large party, and -having nothing to guide him in an exercise to which he was new, except -what he saw was liked, after much writhing and groaning, he came out -with--"The reflection of the moon in the cawm bosom of the lake." It is -difficult for those who have been born under a more natural system, to -comprehend how a sensible man, a respectable matron, a worthy old maid, -and especially a girl, could be expected to go into company only on such -conditions.' - -Different men, different minds. Even from this picture, which is taken -from the point of view of one who was by nature critical and prone to -dissent, one can see how jolly and amusing such parties must often have -been made. Scott liked them; enjoyed them thoroughly. What would one -not give to have seen him presiding at one of those 'grave annual -dinners of the Bannatyne Club,' where he always insisted on rounds of -ladies and gentlemen, and of authors and printers, poets and kings, in -regular pairs. The custom, in spite of its drawbacks, fulfilled the -great end and aim of sociability: it brought every individual guest into -active participation in the evening's proceedings. Nowadays, 'annual' -banquets almost always fail in this; being only, as a rule, occasions -for more or less falsetto speechifying by a temporary clique of -self-regarded notables and their complacent secretary. The toast-system -was also favourable to loyalty and patriotism, the health of the King -never being neglected at the family dinner-table, even when no guests -were present. That custom, we fear, has now fallen away, along with -that other and nobler one immortalised in 'The Cotter's Saturday Night.' - - - - - *CHAPTER X* - -Religious Observances--Sunday Attendance at Church--Sunday -Books--Breakdown of the System--Alleged Infidelity among Professors--Low -State of Morality--Increase of mixed Population--Provincialism. - - -The externals of religion in Edinburgh underwent a radical change during -the boyhood of Walter Scott. The generation that was then retiring from -the scene was a generation devoted, in all externals at least, to the -cultivation of the religious duties. Rich and poor, old and young, they -attended church with unfailing regularity. They held to the strict -Puritanic idea of the Sabbath Day. That is, they thought devotion the -only proper employment of that day, and considered even a casual -appearance on the street during the hours of worship as a disgrace. -With them family worship was a general and honoured practice. The -reading of any but definitely religious books on Sunday was forbidden in -every respectable family. In fact, the Sunday at home in such a family -as Scott's was a day of discipline, of which even his good-nature was -inclined to complain. What vexed his young soul was 'the gloom of one -dull sermon succeeding to another.' The Sunday books were to him a -relief and a delight. He retained all his life a favour for Bunyan's -Pilgrim, Gesner's Death of Abel, Rowe's Letters, and a few others. -Still, in his opinion, the tedium of the day did the young people no -good. The scene soon changed. Even in the early eighties we find it -noted as 'ungenteel' to go to church in a family capacity. Amusements -and idle recreation began to be common. The streets were now crowded -during the hours of service. On Sunday evenings they became scenes of -noise and disorder. Family worship was abandoned, even, as was -whispered, by the clergy themselves. And, as a striking evidence of -this rapid declension, it is recorded that church collections had fallen -from L1500 to L1000 a year. Critical seniors loudly wailed, but their -outcry was as useless as it was earnest. Old times were changed, old -manners gone, never to return. The decent, staid, and dignified -generation was being hustled from the scene by a flippant, noisy crowd -of loose and licentious innovators. Conduct which the elders would have -regarded and punished as criminal was no longer atoned for even by the -blush of shame. - -Such a view of Edinburgh's religious state at the end of the eighteenth -century was at all events maintained by certain praisers of the past. -It has also been stoutly asserted that infidelity was rampant, under the -aegis of the redoubtable David Hume. The University especially was -accused of being tainted with infidelity, but the charge is denounced by -Lord Cockburn as utterly false. 'I am not aware (he says) of a single -professor to whom it was ever applied, or could be applied, justly. -Freedom of discussion was not in the least combined with scepticism -among the students, or in their societies. I never knew nor heard of a -single student, tutor, or professor, by whom infidelity was disclosed, -or in whose thoughts I believed it to be harboured, with perhaps only -two obscure and doubtful exceptions. I consider the imputation as -chiefly an invention to justify modern intolerance.' - -As to the comparative religiousness of the present and the preceding -generation, any such comparison is very difficult to be made. Religion -is certainly more the fashion than it used to be. There is more said -about it; there has been a great rise, and consequently a great -competition, of sects; and the general mass of the religious public has -been enlarged. On the other hand, if we are to believe one-half of what -some religious persons themselves assure us, religion is now almost -extinct. My opinion is that the balance is in favour of the present -time. And I am certain that it would be much more so, if the modern -dictators would only accept of that as religion, which was considered to -be so by their devout fathers.' - -On the whole, with due heed paid to possible qualifications, it is clear -that the standard of life and conduct must have been low between, say, -1780 and 1820. We have Scott's express statement that domestic purity -was in general maintained in Edinburgh society, but scandalous -exceptions were by no means unknown. Among the lower classes the -freedom from wholesome, if irksome, restraints was, of course, marked by -greater lapses. Among them a generation grew up, practically ignorant -of the elementary ideas of religion. As a contemporary quaintly puts -it, they were as ignorant as Hottentots, and as little acquainted with -the decalogue as with repealed Acts of Parliament. The streets, which -formerly a lady might have traversed in perfect safety at any hour, now -became notoriously unsafe. Doubtless all this was increased, and to -some extent occasioned, by the constant influx of a new and shifting -population, attracted by the rapid extension of the city. The vices and -easy manners of a modern city soon concealed what remained of the old -Scottish habits and character. In short, Edinburgh in those years -passed from the state of a national capital to that of a big provincial -centre, such as Colonel Mannering beheld it, 'with its noise and -clamour, its sounds of trade, of revelry and licence, and the eternally -changing bustle of its hundred groups.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XI* - -Scott apprenticed to the Law--Copying Money and _menus -plaisirs_--Novels--Romances--Early Attempts--John Irving--Sibbald's -Library--Sees Robert Burns--The Parliament House--The 'Krames.' - - -About 1785-86, Walter Scott, acceding to his father's wish, was -indentured in his father's office, and 'entered upon the dry and barren -wilderness of forms and conveyances.' Boy as he was, he felt even then -that he was not cut out for this career, but family circumstances and -the necessary intimacy with so many representatives of the profession no -doubt prevented him from making any very serious objection, though he -felt in a general way that his 'parts ill-suited law's dry, musty arts.' -His warm affection and respect for his father was also a determining -motive. For this reason, and indeed with the honest desire to excel, he -made up his mind to work hard. But he was never enthusiastic over deeds -and quills. He mentions as no trifling incentive to labour, the copying -money, an allowance which supplied him with funds for going to the -theatre and subscribing to a library.[1] One of his feats was to copy -one hundred and twenty folio pages with no interval either for food or -rest. But when there was no call for toil, he would spend his time in -reading. His desk was filled with books of every kind, except manuals -of law. His supreme delight was in works of fiction, of which he must -have read an enormous number. He was not, however, entirely uncritical -in his choice. Only the 'art of Burney, or the feeling of Mackenzie,' -could make him read a domestic tale. He therefore realised early enough -that the field of novel-writing was unoccupied. His fondness for -adventure led him to devour every romance he came across without much -discrimination. 'I really believe (he says) I have read as much -nonsense of this class as any man now living.' Of the exploits of -knight-errantry he never tired, and he soon began to make attempts at -imitating the stories he loved. These early efforts were not in verse. - - -[1] See General Preface to Waverley Novels. - - -A quaintly interesting glimpse into the life of this most notable of law -apprentices is given in the General Preface of 1829, where he describes -himself and a chosen friend as delighting, on a holiday, to escape from -the town and in some solitary spot to recite alternately such adventures -as each had been able to invent. 'These legends, in which the material -and the miraculous always predominated, we rehearsed to each other -during our walks, which were usually directed to the most solitary spots -about Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags.... Whole holidays were spent -in this singular pastime, which continued for two or three years, and -had, I believe, no small effect in directing the turn of my imagination -to the chivalrous and romantic in poetry and prose.' This companion of -Scott's was Mr. John Irving, W.S., whose mother seems also to have been -very sympathetic with the boy. She would recite ballads to him, which -he easily learned by heart, and which helped him in making the -collection in six volumes which he had thus early begun. - -Such being his tastes, he was naturally more interested in literary -characters than in the notable men of the legal profession. In the -course of frequenting Sibbald's circulating library in Parliament -Square, where he must have spent a good deal of time in rummaging the -dusty shelves for rare old songs and romances, he had occasionally 'a -distant view' of some of the literary celebrities of the time. Among -them was the unfortunate Andrew Macdonald, author of _Vimonda_, and also -from this library vantage-ground he saw, at a distance, 'the boast of -Scotland, Robert Burns.'[2] The Parliament House itself was less -interesting to Scott than his beloved library, but he must by this time -have been very familiar with it, and often have seen the 'Lords' of the -old generation, whose pictures have been so quaintly sketched by Lord -Cockburn. Edinburgh, like any other collection of three hundred -thousand people, has amongst its numbers persons possessed of some -aesthetic conscience, persons who lament the past orgies of Vandalism, -and who do not admire the present triumphs of commercial architecture. -But such men are naturally not as a rule to be found in Town or Parish -Councils, and seldom indeed in public posts of any kind. Thus the -population has always seemed wholly given over to the worship of the -aesthetic Baal, and as a consequence the name of Lord Cockburn shines in -almost solitary splendour as that of a dignitary who protested against -the incredible doings of ignorance and avarice dressed in the authority -of municipal rank. Cockburn bitterly regretted the destruction of the -old Parliament House, which, he says, was, both outside and in, a -curious and interesting place. 'The old building exhibited some -respectable turrets, some ornamented windows and doors, and a handsome -balustrade. But the charm that ought to have saved it was its colour -and its age, which, however, were the very things that caused its -destruction. About one hundred and seventy years had breathed over it a -grave grey hue. The whole aspect was venerable and appropriate; -becoming the air and character of a sanctuary of Justice. But a mason -pronounced it to be all _Dead Wall_.[3] The officials to whom, at a -period when there was no public taste in Edinburgh,[4] this was -addressed, believed him; and the two fronts were removed in order to -make way for the bright free-stone and contemptible decorations that now -disgrace us.... I cannot doubt that King Charles tried to spur his -horse against the Vandals when he saw the profanation begin. But there -was such an utter absence of public spirit in Edinburgh then, that the -building might have been painted scarlet without anybody objecting.' - - -[2] 'I saw him one day at the late venerable Professor Ferguson's, where -there were several gentlemen of literary reputation, among whom I -remember the celebrated Mr. Dugald Stewart. Of course, we youngsters sat -silent, looked and listened. The only thing I remember which was -remarkable in Burns's manner was the effect produced upon him by a print -of Bunbury's, representing a soldier lying dead on the snow, his dog -sitting in misery on the one side, on the other his widow, with a child -in her arms. These lines were written beneath: - -"Cold on Canadian hills, or Minden's plain, -Perhaps that parent wept her soldier slain; -Bent o'er her babe, her eye dissolved in dew, -The big drops mingling with the milk he drew, -Gave the sad presage of his future years, -The child of misery baptized in tears." - -Burns seemed much affected by the print, or rather by the ideas which it -suggested to his mind. He actually shed tears. He asked whose the lines -were, and it chanced that nobody but myself remembered that they occur -in a half-forgotten poem of Langhorne's, called by the unpromising title -of "The Justice of the Peace." I whispered my information to a friend -present, who mentioned it to Burns, who rewarded me with a look and a -word, which, though of mere civility, I then received and still -recollect with very great pleasure.'--_Letter to_ J. G. LOCKHART. - -[3] This means, when translated, that it was plain wall, without any -architectural or aesthetic value. - -[4] Observe the delightful ambiguity. - - -Among the most vivid childish memories of Scott and his contemporaries -was that of the Krames. It is described in the _Heart of Midlothian_ as -a narrow, crooked lane, winding between the Old Tolbooth and the -Luckenbooths on the one side, and the buttresses and projections of St. -Giles's Cathedral on the other. At one time, as Scott mentions, the -narrow court, with its booths plastered against the sides of the -Cathedral, was occupied by the hosiers, hatters, glovers, mercers, -milliners, and drapers, who removed, however, to the South Bridge as -soon as it was opened. The Krames then fell into the hands of the -toy-merchants, and became the paradise of childhood. Its glories were -maintained all the year round, but at New Year time especially it was -the enchanted ground of the city youngsters. To the youthful Cockburn -it was like one of the Arabian Nights' bazaars in Bagdad, and there is a -touch of personal recollection, too, in Scott's picture (_Heart of -Midlothian_, chap. vi.) of the little loiterers in the Krames, -'enchanted by the rich display of hobby-horses, babies, and Dutch toys, -yet half-scared by the cross looks of the withered pantaloon, or -spectacled old lady, by whom those tempting wares were watched and -superintended.' The Krames disappeared, on the demolition of the -adjacent Tolbooth, in 1817. - - - - - *CHAPTER XII* - -Topics of Talk--Religion--Scott's Freedom from Fanaticism--Dilettantism -of the 'liberal young Men'--Politics--Basis of Scott's -Toryism--Cockburn's Anecdote of Table-talk--Men of the Old -School--Robertson the Historian--His _History of Charles V._--His noble -Generosity--Closing Years--Anecdotes. - - -In all probability Walter Scott was not very greatly interested or -influenced by the general conversation. Neither by nature nor by -circumstances was he ever in danger of being seduced into fanaticism of -any kind. As regards religion, his was the simple faith of one who -reverenced God as the Omnipotent whose power meant justice, goodness, -truth and love, and who loved his fellow-men, content to be happy -himself and to try to pour out happiness on all around him. His mind -did not hanker after theories on the mystery of existence. In fact, he -was a 'moderate' of the best kind, whose only anxiety was that his life -should be in the right. They seek in vain who search his volumes for -philosophical wisdom or prophetic gleams. He never posed as preacher or -as sage. He accepted the religion of his time, and felt himself at home -in the Episcopal Church of Scotland rather than in the Calvinistic -temples, whose services always repelled him by their gloom and dryness. -Still less was he attracted by anything intellectually fanatical. His -mind naturally rejected humbug. He was not one of the dilettante young -gentlemen whose talk was of chemistry because Lavoisier had made it -fashionable. Nor was he one of Cockburn's 'liberal young men of -Edinburgh,' who lived upon Adam Smith, a sound enough, but for them apt -to be windy, diet. I have no doubt he appreciated the greatness and -good sense of the author of the _Wealth of Nations_, and the value of -the brilliant work of Lavoisier, but the direction of his intellectual -interests was determined by his heart. And his heart was in the story of -the Past, glowing over the old ballads, songs, and romances of the age -of chivalry and glory. He was not a party politician any more than he -was a chemist or an economist. He was a Tory only because his sympathies -were with the kind of people who composed that party. He identified the -party with the gallantry and loyalty of the Cavalier, with the free, -wholesome life of the country as opposed to the grasping selfishness and -coarse materialism of the town, and with the generous sense of honour -which made himself the truest and sweetest of gentlemen. His Toryism -was a sentiment as far above the actual existing politics of his party -as Milton's ideal republicanism was above the practice of his Puritan -contemporaries, whom he styles 'owls and cuckoos, asses, apes, and -dogs.' Scott's saving gift of humour saved him from sharing the painful -impression of which Lord Cockburn speaks. He was not so easily pained. -When worthy people talk nonsense in the bosom of the family, they should -not be taken too seriously even by boys. 'My father's house (Lord -Cockburn says) was one of the places where the leaders and the ardent -followers of the party in power were in the constant habit of -assembling. I can sit yet, in imagination, at the small side-table, and -overhear the conversation, a few feet off, at the established Wednesday -dinner. How they raved! What sentiments! What principles! Not that I -differed from them. I thought them quite right, and hated liberty and -the people as much as they did. But this drove me into an opposite -horror; for I was terrified out of such wits as they left me at the idea -of bloodshed, and it never occurred to me that it could be avoided. My -reason no sooner began to open, and to get some fair-play, than the -distressing wisdom of my ancestors began to fade, and the more -attractive sense that I met with among the young men into whose company -our debating societies threw me, gradually hardened me into what I -became--whatever this was.' Fortunately Cockburn, though he became a -Whig and a political lawyer, did not let his mind become narrowed -against the larger human interests. His sketches of some of the -representative men of the older generation are as warm and appreciative -as could be wished. He speaks of the pleasure he felt in having seen -them, though it was at a time when he could only judge of their -qualities from the respect which they commanded even among the young. -One of these was Dr. William Robertson, described in _Guy Mannering_ by -Mr. Pleydell, with some pride, as 'our historian of Scotland, of the -Continent, and of America.' Robertson's long and illustrious career was -almost wholly connected with Edinburgh. He was educated at the -University there, and about 1760 became minister of Old Greyfriars, -which had been his father's charge before, and where Pleydell conducts -Colonel Mannering to hear him preach. He was greater as a church leader -and a man of letters than as a preacher. Lord Brougham, who was his -grand-nephew, says that he preferred moral to gospel subjects, in order -to discountenance the fanaticism of the evangelicals. As a church -leader, he may be called the Lord North of the Church of Scotland. The -'moderatism' of Robertson led, after other secessions, eventually to the -Disruption of 1843. But in spite of his professional activities, -Robertson was essentially a literary artist. Conscientious and prolonged -research gave a value to his historical works, which largely atoned for -the monotony of his somewhat too ornate and dignified style. He has the -glory--and that too, when Samuel Johnson was at his zenith--of having -established a record in literary remuneration. For his history of -Charles V. he received L4500, the largest sum which had till then been -paid for a single work. No one will grudge the reward to the man who, -at the age of twenty-two, with a country clergyman's income of less than -L100 a year, took into his charge his orphaned brother and six sisters, -and postponed his marriage for several years that he might give them -education. In the last two years of his life, 1791-93, he was taken to -reside at Grange House, a rare old mansion, the seat of the family of -Dick Lauder, of Grange and Fountainhall. Here the enfeebled old man, -quite broken down by disease of the liver, spent his time as much as -possible in the garden. The Cockburn family, who lived close by at Hope -Park, were intimate friends, and thus young Henry came to see a great -deal of the Principal in the last summer of his life. He describes the -historian as 'a pleasant-looking old man, with an eye of great vivacity -and intelligence, a large projecting chin, small hearing-trumpet -fastened by a black ribbon to a button-hole of his coat, and a rather -large wig, powdered and curled.' For all his feebleness, with deafness -superadded, he seems up to the last to have been able to take an -animated part in conversation, whenever a favourite subject happened to -be started at his table. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIII* - -More Men of the Old School--Dr. Erskine--Scott on Church Disputes--His -Admiration of Erskine's Character--Anecdote of Erskine's Walk to -Fife--Professor Ferguson--His History of Rome--Abstainer and -Vegetarian--Picture of Ferguson's Appearance--Odd Habits--Travels to -Italy. - - -When Colonel Mannering and Mr. Pleydell went to Greyfriars Church to -hear Dr. Robertson, they found, somewhat to their disappointment, that -the great historian was not to be the preacher that morning. 'Never -mind,'said the counsellor, 'have a moment's patience, and we shall do -very well.' The preacher they actually did hear was that distinguished -and excellent man, Dr. John Erskine, who was Robertson's colleague in -the pastoral charge of Greyfriars. Scott describes his external -appearance as not prepossessing: 'A remarkably fair complexion, -strangely contrasted with a black wig without a grain of powder; a -narrow chest and a stooping posture; hands which, placed like props on -either side of the pulpit, seemed necessary rather to support the person -than to assist the gesticulation of the preacher--no gown, not even that -of Geneva, and a gesture which seemed scarce voluntary. "The preacher -seems a very ungainly person," said Mannering. "Never fear, he's the -son of an excellent Scottish lawyer--he'll show blood, I'll warrant -him." The learned counsellor predicted truly.' They listen, in fact, -to a typical specimen of Scottish pulpit eloquence, and Mannering is -fain to admit that he had seldom heard so much learning, metaphysical -acuteness, and energy of argument, brought into the service of -Christianity. There is no doubt that in this most delightful chapter -(xxxvii.) of _Guy Mannering_ we have Scott himself in the person of Mr. -Paulus Pleydell. And in the remarks of the witty counsellor we get some -light here and there on how Scott regarded some of those questions which -by our Whigs and philosophical Radicals and suchlike are regarded as so -much more important and dignified than old ballads and mere human -questions of noble courage, love, kindness, fun, and truth. Speaking of -Robertson and Erskine's notorious difference in regard to church -government, Mannering asks the advocate what he thinks of these points -of difference: 'Why, I hope, Colonel, a plain man may go to heaven -without thinking about them at all.' That was Walter Scott, God bless -his memory! He was too much a living soul to waste his time or his -brain power on the pitiful, dry, deadening rubbish of polemics in -religion or in affairs of state. He had warm blood in his veins and a -warm heart in his breast, and therefore could not waste his manhood on -the marvellous speculations of the 'liberal young men of Edinburgh.' -Therefore, to pervert a sentence of Carlyle, he became Walter Scott of -the Universe, instead of drying up into a fossil Chancellor or Judge. -What interested Scott in Erskine and Robertson, as it did in all such -human beings whom he ever knew, was the beautiful, simple goodness of -heart, which was so much finer a thing than the fleeting glory of -eloquence or power. He tells with gusto how, in spite of differences of -opinion the greatest possible in their sphere, the two good men never -for a moment lost personal regard or esteem for each other, or suffered -malignity to interfere with their opposition. Erskine was indeed very -generally esteemed even by his opponents for his candour and kindliness, -and his personal qualities went more to make his high reputation than -the marked ability displayed in his works on Divinity. Cockburn, who, -like Scott, used to attend his church, says he was all soul and no body; -and compares the stooping figure of the old man, as he walked along, -with his hands in his sides, and his elbows turned outwards, to a piece -of old china with two handles. He also mentions the interesting fact -that Erskine, as well as Robertson, habitually spoke 'good honest -natural Scotch.' To illustrate his assertion that there was nothing -this good man would not do for truth or a friend, Cockburn relates a -characteristic anecdote: 'His friend Henry Erskine had once some -interest in a Fife election, but whether as a candidate or not I can't -say, in which the Doctor had a vote. Being too old and feeble to bear -the motion of a carriage or of a boat, he was neither asked nor expected -to attend; but loving Henry Erskine, and knowing that victories depended -on single votes, he determined to walk the whole way round by Stirling -Bridge, which would have taken him at least a fortnight; and he was only -prevented from doing so, after having arranged all his stages, by the -contest having been unexpectedly given up. Similar sacrifices were -familiar to the heroic and affectionate old gentleman.' Dr. Erskine -died at Edinburgh in 1803. His father was the famous lawyer, John -Erskine, whose great work the _Institutes of the Law of Scotland_ is -understood to be still the leading authority on its subject. - -In the list of the young friends with whom Walter Scott chiefly -associated about 1788-89 occurs the name of Adam Ferguson, who continued -to be a cherished intimate, and became, in 1818, Scott's tenant and -neighbour at Huntley Burn on the lands of Abbotsford. His father was the -venerable and famous Professor Adam Ferguson, who, taken all round, was -probably the ablest of the many remarkable men who signalised Edinburgh -in this period. From about 1745 to 1757 he had been chaplain to the -42nd Highlanders, or Black Watch, and it is mentioned that no orders -could keep him in the rear during an action. He was next appointed -Keeper of the Advocates' Library in succession to David Hume. He -remained in this post for less than a year, and soon after began his -connection with Edinburgh University, first as Professor of Natural -Philosophy, and then, in 1764, as Professor of Moral Philosophy. The -latter subject was his favourite study, and he filled the chair for -twenty years. During this time he wrote his great work, the _History of -the Roman Republic_. He was a man of original mind, and had a rare -faculty of extempore lecturing, for which his practical experience in -the world and his extensive travels in Europe and America must have -supplied him with a rich and varied fund of striking illustrations. In -his personal habits he was an exception to his generation, being a -strict abstainer from both wine and animal food. In consequence of this -peculiarity he seems to have refrained from dining out, except with his -relative Dr. Joseph Black, a kindred spirit; and his son used to say it -was delightful to see the two philosophers rioting over a boiled turnip! -'When I first knew him (says Lord Cockburn), he was a spectacle well -worth beholding. His hair was silky and white; his eyes animated and -light blue; his cheeks sprinkled with broken red, like autumnal apples, -but fresh and healthy; his lips thin, and the under one curled. A -severe paralytic attack had reduced his animal vitality, though it left -no external appearance, and he required considerable artificial heat. -His raiment, therefore, consisted of half-boots lined with fur, cloth -breeches, a long cloth waistcoat with capacious pockets, a -single-breasted coat, a cloth greatcoat also lined with fur, and a felt -hat commonly tied by a ribbon below the chin. His boots were black; but -with this exception the whole coverings, including the hat, were of a -Quaker grey colour, or of a whitish brown; and he generally wore the fur -greatcoat within doors. When he walked forth, he used a tall staff, -which he commonly held at arm's-length out towards the right side; and -his two coats, each buttoned by only the upper button, flowed open -below, and exposed the whole of his curious and venerable figure. His -gait and air were noble; his gesture slow; his look full of dignity and -composed fire. He looked like a philosopher from Lapland. Domestically -he was kind, but anxious and peppery. His temperature was regulated by -Fahrenheit; and often, when sitting quite comfortably, he would start up -and put his wife and daughters into commotion, because his eye had -fallen on the instrument, and discovered that he was a degree too hot or -too cold. He always locked the door of his study when he left it, and -took the key in his pocket; and no housemaid got in till the -accumulation of dust and rubbish made it impossible to put the evil day -off any longer; and then woe on the family. He shook hands with us boys -one day in summer 1793, on setting off, in a strange sort of carriage, -and with no companion except his servant, James, to visit Italy for a -new edition of his history. He was then about seventy-two, and had to -pass through a good deal of war; but returned in about a year, younger -than ever.' - -From this time, however, his remarkable figure ceased to be seen in -Edinburgh. His last years were spent mostly in rural retirement, and he -died at St. Andrews in 1816. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIV* - -'Jupiter' Carlyle--Noble Looks--Friend of Robertson and John Home--The -Play of Douglas--Anecdote of Dr. Carlyle--Dr. Joseph Black--Latent -Heat--His personal Appearance--Anecdote of last Illness--His _History of -Great Britain_--Forerunner of the Modern School. - - -Of the other eighteenth-century Edinburgh worthies in Cockburn's little -gallery, the best-known name is that of 'Jupiter' Carlyle, the minister -of Inveresk. Carlyle's fame, or notoriety, what you will, came from his -intimate relations with the eminent characters of his time, such as -Hume, Blair, Home, and Adam Smith. If he was not great himself, his wise -counsels aided his friends to achieve greatness. The charm of his -manners was extraordinary, and his countenance and bearing so nobly -imposing as to suggest the classical eke-name of Jupiter. While he -lived, Carlyle and culture were synonymous. Cockburn, who scarcely -appreciated his value, admits the grace and kindness of his manner, and -says that he was one of the noblest-looking old gentlemen he almost ever -beheld. Carlyle was a conspicuous figure in the General Assembly. He -was a firm ally of Principal Robertson, whose moderate policy was -exactly to the mind of the extremely 'Broad' minister of Inveresk. -Great excitement was aroused by his open support of his friend Home in -producing the play of Douglas. It is said that he took part in the -private rehearsal of the play, and made a distinct hit as Old Norval. -At the third public representation he was present in the theatre, and -witnessed the extraordinary success of Home's piece. The play was -received by crowded audiences for many successive nights with universal -and vociferous applause. 'Where's your Shakespeare _noo_?' was the -triumphant shout of a patriotic but uncritical admirer. The play of -_Douglas_, though rejected by the keen judgment of Garrick as 'totally -unfit for the stage,' has passages of fine rhetoric, and shows at least -an easy mastery of elegant language. The author Home was suspended by -the General Assembly for his audacity in writing a play while he was a -minister of the Church of Scotland. A few years after, he received a -pension of L300 a year, which enabled him to spend the remainder of his -life in happiness and peace. Carlyle, his neighbour and constant -friend, has done full justice to the amiable qualities of Home, who was -the liberal friend of struggling merit in the hour of need. Carlyle -died in 1805 at the age of eighty-four, and Home in 1808, aged -eighty-six. - -Dr. Carlyle was a famous _bon vivant_. His physical powers were -fortunately adequate to carry him through in any company. It is strange -and amusing in these days to think of a man like him sitting through the -prolonged convivialities of his clubs and parties. For Carlyle, both as -a divine and an aristocrat, was the very pink of propriety. He would -have deplored excess in himself as he did in others. He was, in fact, a -very temperate gentleman, and his conduct was admirable and exemplary. -The respect that was paid to his merits was only increased by the fact -that he could drink his four or five bottles of wine with impunity--nay, -with advantage. He was often the better, never the worse, of his wine. -One evening he was leaving Pinkieburn House, where he had dined, and -wending his way home with all his usual Olympian dignity. An old -woman-servant stood at the side-door, beholding the minister with -reverent admiration. 'Ay,' she was heard to say, 'there goes Dr. -Carlyle, the good man--as steady as a wall, and he's had his ain share -o' four bottles o' port.' - -Dr. Joseph Black, the eminent chemist, lived in Edinburgh from 1766 to -his death in 1799. He was Professor of Chemistry in the University, but -his delicate health seems to have disabled him from continuing the -researches so fruitfully pursued in Glasgow (1756-66). His fame rests -on the discovery of Latent Heat, and he seems to have been the first to -apply hydrogen gas in raising balloons. Looking at his portrait, one -realises the remarkable truth and felicity of Cockburn's word-picture: -'A striking and beautiful person; tall, very thin, and cadaverously -pale; his hair carefully powdered, though there was little of it except -what was collected into a long thin queue; his eyes dark, clear, and -large, like deep pools of pure water. He wore black speckless clothes, -silk stockings, silver buckles, and either a slim green silk umbrella, -or a genteel brown cane. The general frame and air were feeble and -slender. The wildest boy respected Black. No lad could be irreverent -towards a man so pale, so gentle, so elegant, and so illustrious. So he -glided like a spirit through our rather mischievous sportiveness -unharmed. He died seated with a bowl of milk on his knee, of which his -ceasing to live did not spill a drop; a departure which it seemed, after -the event happened, might have been foretold of this attenuated -philosophical gentleman.' We shall not omit the companion picture to -this touching scene, the even more tranquil death of Dr. Robert Henry, -the historian. Four days before his death, he wrote to Sir Harry -Moncrieff the strange message: 'Come out here directly. I have got -something to do this week, I have got to die.' Moncrieff obeyed the -summons, and sat with him alone for what turned out to be the last three -days of his life. During this time, as he sat in his easy-chair, now -dozing, now conversing, a neighbouring minister, who was a notorious and -much-dreaded bore, came to call. 'Keep him out,' cried the doctor, -'don't let the cratur in here.' It was too late, the cratur entered, -but when he came in, behold the doctor to all appearance fast asleep. -Moncrieff at once taking in the situation, signed to the intruder to be -silent. The visitor sat down, apparently to wait till Dr. Henry might -awake. Every time he offered to speak, he was checked by solemn -gestures from Moncrieff or Mrs. Henry. 'So he sat on, all in perfect -silence, for above a quarter of an hour; during which Sir Harry -occasionally detected the dying man peeping cautiously through the -fringes of his eyelids to see how his visitor was coming on. At last -Sir Harry tired, and he and Mrs. Henry pointing to the poor doctor, -fairly waved the visitor out of the room; on which the doctor opened his -eyes wide, and had a tolerably hearty laugh; which was renewed when the -sound of the horse's feet made them certain that their friend was -actually off the premises. Dr. Henry died that night.' His one work, a -remarkable pioneer production, was the _History of Great Britain_. -Though severely criticised at the time of its publication, the work -certainly deserves Cockburn's praise of 'considerable merit in the -execution.' Its author, however, has the credit, apart from the -intrinsic value of his own attempt, of having discovered the new and -fruitful idea of making history display the internal growth of the -nation as well as its political development. In short, Henry was the -forerunner of Macaulay and Green. - - - - - *CHAPTER XV* - -The 'Meadows' one Hundred Years ago--A Resort of great Men--Vixerunt -fortes--Their Intimacy and Quarrels--Hume and Ferguson--Home, the -happy--His boundless Generosity--Sympathy with Misfortune--Home and -Edinburgh Society--Sketch by Scott--'The Close of an Era.' - - -Time's changes have altered the state of the 'Meadows.' This park is -now surrounded by houses, a tramway line passes half-way down its south -side, and a constant stream of passengers between north and south makes -its Middle Walk a busy thoroughfare. The privacy is gone for ever that -made it in the eighteenth century 'so distinctly the resort of our -philosophy and our fashion.' It is now a noisy playground for the -flannelled fools at the wicket and the muddied oafs at the goal. In the -corners are swings, parallel bars, etc., for the use of little children. -But in the days of Scott's boyhood, it was possible to enjoy a quiet, -meditative stroll in these still suburban fields. And the great learned -and legal luminaries made the Meadows their resort for talk or for quiet -meditation. The lofty yet simple character of the men of this great -generation, but still more their strong nationality, combined with their -graceful manners and extraordinary benevolence, made a strong impression -on the imagination of Scott. The brilliance of the succeeding era, -which he himself created, never quite made up to his mind for what was -lost. The change was inevitable, but to him the men whom as a boy he -had seen in the Meadows or on the streets of Edinburgh, the geniuses -whose works and reputation had then only been known to him by name, -remained always the ideal figures of Scotland's literary and scientific -greatness. He was struck also by the breadth of mind which they had, -almost without exception, and which he, almost alone, carried over into -the next century: for those great men were like a family of amiable -brothers, free from jealousy and eagerly ready to make common cause of -each individual's fame. In reviewing Mackenzie's Life of Home for the -_Quarterly_ in 1827, he speaks of them in this touching strain: 'There -were men of literature in Edinburgh before she was renowned for -romances, reviews, and magazines: - - "Vixerunt fortes ante Agamemnona"; - -and a single glance at the authors and men of science who dignified the -last generation will serve to show that, in those days, there were -giants in the North. The names of Hume, Robertson, and Ferguson stand -high in the list of British historians. Adam Smith was the father of -the economical system in Britain, and his standard work will long -continue the text-book of that science. Dr. Black as a chemist opened -the path of discovery which has since been prosecuted with such splendid -success. Of metaphysicians Scotland boasted perhaps but too many; to -Hume and Ferguson we must add Reid, and, though younger, still of the -same school, Dugald Stewart. In natural philosophy Scotland could -present Professor Robison, James Watt, and Clerk of Eldin, who taught -the British seamen the road to assured conquest. Others we could -mention, but these form a phalanx whose reputation was neither confined -to their narrow, poor, and rugged native country, nor to England and the -British dominions, but known and respected wherever learning, -philosophy, and science were honoured.' In regard to the personal -friendship of these great men, be it remembered, to the honour of the -excellent 'Jupiter' Carlyle, that he was a great peacemaker among them. -So was John Home, the happy. Ferguson, it would seem, had the defects -of his virtues. Sir Walter, indeed, who never minimised the merits of -any man except himself, says he kept his passions and feelings in strong -subjection to his reason, but there were occasions when the 'passions -and feelings' refused to be controlled. In fact, he was a constant -thorn in the patient side of Carlyle; being jealous of his rivals and -indignant against any assumption of superiority. However, Home and -Carlyle kept Adam Smith, Ferguson, and Hume on very good terms; while -Robertson's good-nature was so great, that it disarmed Ferguson's -weakness without the aid of the peacemakers. Thus they all dwelt in -unity, and 'held their being on the terms--each aid the ithers.' And so -Carlyle remarks, as if the assumption were the only possible one, 'David -Hume did not live to see Ferguson's History, otherwise his candid praise -would have prevented all the subtle remarks of the jealous or -resentful.' Very probably, after all, for Hume always regarded Ferguson -as the master spirit of the group. He was certainly the most masterful, -for, as Cockburn records, though a most kind and excellent man, he was -as fiery as gunpowder. The darling of the fraternity was of course John -Home. Famed in his youth for sprightliness and wit, he simply charmed -every company in which he mingled. He was joyous himself, and the cause -of joy in others. 'Such was the charm of his fine spirits in those days -(says Carlyle, who knew and loved him like a very brother), that when he -left the room prematurely, which was but seldom the case, the company -grew dull, and soon dissolved.' To praise his works was a sure passport -to his favour, and after once conferring his esteem there was nothing he -would not do or say to attest it. For the sake of the poor he made -himself a beggar, and was thus able to dispense constantly, not in -charity but in friendly kindness to the struggling and unfortunate, many -times the amount of his modest pension. For this his name should stand -above all Greek, above all Roman fame, save that of Cimon or of -Donatello. After all, the cultured and refined poor are the greatest -sufferers in our modern civilisation. They suffer, without betraying -it, the same privations of want and cold as the more favoured -inhabitants of the slums, and they suffer in addition unspeakable -agonies of mind, beholding themselves daily sinking in the struggle to -climb up the slippery side of the pit of poverty. Their very work is -spoiled and depreciated by the ceaseless haunting of the spectre of -ruin, and the absolute certainty that the struggle is hopeless. Such -persons were happy to be near John Home. He was their Providence. He -sought them out, made their acquaintance, gained their confidence, -guessed the needs they would not tell, and never failed to put the poor -wretches in the way of hope. When shall we see his like again? Probably -when another Donatello ruins himself for his friends, and when another -youthful de Medici bestows a second fortune on the ruined old artist, to -maintain the credit of his father's name. No wonder that Scott saw Home -as the object of general respect and veneration. The kindly old man -mingled in society to the very last. He died in 1808. 'There was a -general feeling (Scott adds) that his death closed an era in the -literary history of Scotland, and dissolved a link, which, though worn -and frail, seemed to connect the present generation with that of their -fathers.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XVI* - -Ladies of the Old School--Anecdotes told by Scott, Dr. Carlyle, and Lord -Cockburn--Their Speech--'Suphy' Johnston--Anecdote of Suphy and Dr. -Gregory--Miss Menie Trotter--Her Dream--Views of Religion. - - -Speaking of the society manners of the old generation, Scott more than -hints that the upper classes in Scotland had only just emerged from a -very rough and socially ignorant condition. He tells an anecdote of 'a -dame of no small quality, the worshipful Lady Pumphraston, who buttered -a pound of green tea, sent her as an exquisite delicacy, dressed it as a -condiment to a rump of salt beef, and complained that no degree of -boiling would render those foreign greens tender.' One of the most -extraordinary passages in Carlyle's book is a description of a tour he -made in his boyhood--it was in the summer of 1733--with his father and -another clergyman, Jardine, minister of Lochmaben. They visited -Bridekirk, the family seat of the Carlyles. The laird was from home, -but the lady came to the door, and with boisterous hospitality ordered -the party to alight and come in. She is described as a very large and -powerful virago, about forty years of age. Her appearance naturally -startled the boy. A gentlewoman like this he had never seen, and the -picture fixed itself in his memory for life. 'Lady Bridekirk (he says) -was like a sergeant of foot in women's clothes; or rather like an -over-grown coachman of a Quaker persuasion. On our peremptory refusal -to alight, she darted into the house, like a hogshead down a slope, and -returned instantly with a pint bottle of brandy--a Scots pint, I -mean--and a stray beer-glass, into which she filled almost a bumper. -After a long grace said by Mr. Jardine--for it was his turn now, being -the third brandy-bottle we had seen since we left Lochmaben--she emptied -it to our healths, and made the gentlemen follow her example: she said -she would spare me as I was so young, but ordered a maid to bring a -ginger-bread cake from the cupboard, a luncheon of which she put in my -pocket. This lady was famous, even in the Annandale border, both at the -bowl and in battle: she could drink a Scots pint of brandy with ease; -and when the men grew obstreperous in their cups, she could either put -them out of doors, or to bed, as she found most convenient.' In the -latter half of the century, however, the typical lady of rank was a very -great improvement on Lady Bridekirk. Like that hospitable virago, she -was distinctly Scottish in speech and in dress. 'They all dressed (says -Cockburn), and spoke, and did, exactly as they chose; but without any -other vulgarity than what perfect naturalness is sometimes mistaken for. -They were a delightful set; strong-headed, warm-hearted, and -high-spirited; the fire of their tempers not always latent; merry even -in solitude; very resolute; indifferent about the modes and habits of -the modern world; and adhering to their own ways, so as to stand out, -like primitive rocks, above ordinary society.' - -There is no doubt they had an individuality and distinction, which the -universal adoption of Southern customs and speech has since made -impossible. They were, like Scott's Mrs. Bethune Baliol, of 'real -old-fashioned Scottish growth,' and their dialect was the same. 'It was -Scottish, decidedly Scottish, often containing phrases and words little -used in the present day. But the tone and mode of pronunciation were as -different from the usual accent of the ordinary Scotch _patois_, as the -accent of St. James's is from that of Billingsgate. The vowels were not -pronounced much broader than in the Italian language, and there was none -of the disagreeable drawl which is so offensive to modern ears. In -short, it seemed to be the Scottish as spoken by the ancient court of -Scotland, to which no idea of vulgarity could be attached.' The -Countess of Eglinton, to whom Allan Ramsay dedicated his _Gentle -Shepherd_, was the ideal type of this generation in Scott's estimation -(see Note G to _Highland Widow_). - -Miss Sophia, or 'Suphy,' Johnston, of the family of Hilton, was perhaps -even more deserving of the choice. Her picture has been drawn by Lady -Anne Barnard and by Lord Cockburn, who as a boy knew 'Suphy' in her old -age. Her character was just as independent as is possible. She had -'her own proper den' in Windmill Street. One female servant was all the -attendance she required. This privileged person generally left her -alone all the Sunday, when by Miss Suphy's orders she locked the door -upon her mistress and carried away the key. Thus the old lady was saved -the trouble of rising to admit visitors, but she had a hole through -which she could easily see who was at the door and even have a little -talk when she felt inclined; with this very considerable advantage that, -whenever she had had enough, she could tell the caller to go away. This -remarkable woman, owing to her father's eccentricity, had been brought -up without education and passed her youth 'in utter rusticity.' She -made herself a good carpenter and smith, and even when past middle age -she would still occasionally shoe a horse. Lady Anne calls her a droll, -ingenious fellow, and says she was by many people suspected of being a -man. She was a great reader, having taught herself to read and write -after she came to woman's age. Cockburn, who saw her first at Niddrie, -the house of the Wauchopes, near Edinburgh, when she was about sixty, -did not think her 'Amazonian,' but his description of her appearance -seems to suit the epithet. 'Her dress was always the same--a man's hat -when out of doors and generally when within them, a cloth covering -exactly like a man's greatcoat, buttoned closely from the chin to the -ground, worsted stockings, strong shoes with large brass clasps.' Such -peculiarities, in those simpler and more natural times, did not affect -her welcome in society. She was prized by the most fashionable and -aristocratic persons for her excellent disposition and her rare -intellectual powers, for her racy talk, spiced with anecdote and shrewd, -often sarcastic observation; and for the originality of her views, which -she never hesitated to express with refreshing pith and freedom of -speech. Her natural cheerfulness was never impaired either by the -loneliness of her life or by the narrowness of her fortune. When shall -we find again in a noble lady's drawing-room so picturesque a figure -'sitting, with her back to the light, in the usual arm-chair by the side -of the fire, in the Niddrie drawing-room, with her greatcoat and her -hat, her dark wrinkled face, and firmly pursed mouth, the two feet set -flat on the floor and close together, so that the public had a full view -of the substantial shoes, the book held by the two hands very near the -eyes?' - -Suphy and her contemporaries were all as stout of heart as some of them -were strong of arm. They had no fear of death, and, though they enjoyed -life and took a deep interest in affairs around them, they had no -hankering concern to ward off the inevitable. When Suphy's strength was -giving way, the famous Dr. Gregory cautioned her to leave off animal -food, saying she must be content with 'spoon meat' unless she wished to -die. 'Dee, Doctor; odd! I'm thinking they've forgotten an auld wife -like me up yonder.' Next day the doctor called, and found her at the -spoon meat--supping a haggis! - -Of a little later date was Miss Menie Trotter, of the Mortonhall family, -with whom Lord Cockburn's sketches end:-- - -'She was of the agrestic order. Her pleasures lay in the fields and -long country walks. Ten miles at a stretch, within a few years of her -death, was nothing to her.... One of her friends asking her, not long -before her death, how she was, she said, "Very weel--quite weel. But, -eh, I had a dismal dream last nicht; a fearful dream!" "Ay, I'm sorry -for that; what was it?" "Ou, what d'ye think? Of a' places i' the -world, I dreamed I was in heaven! And what d'ye think I saw there? -Deil hae 't but thoosands upon thoosands, and ten thoosands upon ten -thoosands, o' stark naked weans! That wad be a dreadfu' thing, for ye -ken I ne'er could bide bairns a' my days."' - -The great memoirist concludes his sketches of the old Scottish ladies -with a criticism on their religion which has an interest now as -revealing the religiosity that characterised his own time. He declares -that from the freedom of their remarks and their free use of religious -terms, they would all have been deemed irreligious in his day. We are -happily far removed now from the time when cheerfulness and freedom of -expression on sacred subjects would excite the horror of the pious. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVII* - -Scott's Contemporaries in Edinburgh--Local 'Societies'--The -Speculative--Scott's Explosion--Visit of Francis Jeffrey to the -'Den'--Anecdote of Murray of Broughton--General View of the youthful -Societies. - - -How deeply Scott's imagination was affected, how richly his memory -filled, how strongly his inestimable natural qualities confirmed and -developed by his long and intimate association with such pricelessly -rare and noble specimens of the old Scottish national character as have -flitted through the last few chapters, it requires no help of ours to -convince any reader of the Scotch Novels. There is more danger perhaps -of exaggerating any influence that may have been exercised upon him by -his equals in age and juniors with whom he came in contact in general -society, and particularly in the 'literary societies' of the city. -There have been at all periods, we believe, many societies of this kind -for the young aspirants at Edinburgh University. Naturally the young -bloods of the law are the most anxious to shine in such arenas. -Naturally also the prize of reputation usually falls to the glib and -fluent speaker, especially if he has some real ability and learning to -second his tongue. The better the society is attended, the more genuine -is the mettle required in its leaders. It is, however, perhaps safe to -assert the general principle that success in these meetings implies -talent rather than genius, forensic skill rather than learning or -intellect. Thus we can quite believe, as stated in his _Life_, that for -Francis Jeffrey his entrance into the Speculative Society did more than -any other event in the whole course of his education, though such a -statement about Scott would be ludicrous. We can quite agree with -Cockburn that the same society has trained more young men to public -speaking, talent, and liberal thought than all the other private -institutions in Scotland. At the same time we do not in the least -regret that it did not effect all this for Walter Scott. He says with -his usual unconscious self-depreciation that he never made any great -figure in these societies. He was a member, however, of several in -succession, and took some part in their proceedings. He would have -preferred to be silent, but the rules of the societies compelled him at -times to contribute an essay. In his own opinion his essays were but -very poor work. This they may have been from a critic's point of view. -But they had the quality of genius. They were at least utterly -different and distinct from all others. They astonished and delighted -the fortunate hearers. We can gather some idea of this even from his -own statement: 'I was like the Lord of Castle Rack-rent, who was obliged -to cut down a tree to get a few faggots to boil the kettle; for the -quantity of ponderous and miscellaneous knowledge which I really -possessed on many subjects, was not easily condensed, or brought to bear -upon the object I wished particularly to become master of. Yet there -occurred opportunities when this odd lumber of my brain, especially that -which was connected with the recondite parts of history, did me, as -Hamlet says, "yeoman's service." My memory of events was like one of -the large, old-fashioned stone cannons of the Turks---very difficult to -load well and discharge, but making a powerful effect when by good -chance any object did come within range of its shot. Such fortunate -opportunities of exploding with effect maintained my literary character -among my companions, with whom I soon met with great indulgence and -regard.' It was in January, 1791, that Scott became a member of the -Speculative, the most ambitious of the literary societies. On the 11th -of December, 1792, Francis Jeffrey was admitted. On that evening one of -Scott's happy explosions occurred. He delivered an essay on Ballads, -which so interested the future critic that he sought and obtained -Scott's acquaintance, a circumstance which pleasantly revives the memory -of Jeffrey now that his works, once so formidable, have fallen into the -wallet where Time stores alms for Oblivion. Jeffrey called on Scott the -very next evening, and found him 'in a small den, on the sunk floor of -his father's house in George's Square surrounded with dingy books,' from -which, Lockhart records, they went to a tavern and supped together. In -this snug den of Walter's his character and interests were visibly and -quaintly to be traced. It was full to overflowing of books, and a small -painted cabinet contained old Scottish and Roman coins. A little print -of Bonnie Prince Charlie was guarded by a claymore and a Lochaber axe, -which had been given him by old Stewart of Invernahyle, a Jacobite -client of his father's, who had been 'out' in both the 'Fifteen' and the -'Forty-five.' Below the picture a china saucer was hooked up against -the wall. This was 'Broughton's saucer,' the memorial of a very -striking incident in the domestic life of the Scotts. One autumn Mr. -Scott senior had a client who came regularly every evening at a certain -hour to the house, and remained in the Writer's private room usually -till long after the family had gone to bed. The little mystery of the -unknown visitor excited Mrs. Scott's curiosity, and her husband's vague -statements increased it. One night, therefore, though she knew it was -against her husband's desire, she entered the room with a salver in her -hand, and offered the gentlemen a dish of tea. Mr. Scott very coldly -refused it, but the stranger bowed and accepted a cup. Presently he took -his leave, and Mr. Scott, lifting the empty cup he had used, threw it -out on the pavement. His wife was astonished at first, but not when she -heard the explanation: 'I may admit into my house, on business, persons -wholly unworthy to be treated as guests by my wife. Neither lip of me -nor of mine comes after Mr. Murray of Broughton's.' It was actually the -traitor Secretary Murray, who bought off his life and fortune by giving -evidence against his gallant associates. The saucer belonging to the -traitor's cup was appropriated by Walter for his collection. Lockhart -gives an additional anecdote which equally brings out the disgust felt -by the loyal-hearted Scots towards the traitor. 'When Murray was -confronted with Sir John Douglas of Kelhead (ancestor of the Marquis of -Queensberry), before the Privy Council in St. James's, the prisoner was -asked, "Do you know this witness?" "Not I," answered Douglas; "I once -knew a person who bore the designation of Murray of Broughton--but that -was a gentleman and a man of honour, and one that could hold up his -head!"' A great deal of pardonable nonsense has been spoken and written -by distinguished persons regarding the literary societies of their -youth. We shall conclude with Scott's own general remarks, which are -much more sensible and only exaggerated in depreciating himself. -'Looking back on those times, I cannot applaud in all respects the way -in which our days were spent. There was too much idleness, and -sometimes too much conviviality; but our hearts were warm, our minds -honourably bent on knowledge and literary distinction; and if I, -certainly the least informed of the party, may be permitted to bear -witness, we were not without the fair and creditable means of obtaining -the distinction to which we aspired.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XVIII* - -The Scottish Bar--Two Careers open--Walter's Choice--Studies with -William Clerk--The Law Professors--Hume's Lectures--Hard -Study--Beginnings of social Distinction--Influence of Clerk--Early -Love-story--Description of Walter Scott at Twenty. - - -Of the two branches of the legal profession, the bar offered the -greatest attractions to young men ambitious of distinction. For mere -financial success Walter Scott might have been tempted to take to the -Writer's career. His father offered to take him at once into -partnership, which would have meant 'an immediate prospect of a handsome -independence.' But Walter was never very fond of money, and had then no -expensive plans in view to make the acquisition of it a necessity. In -all other respects he preferred the Advocate's life. It was the line of -ambition and liberty. When he saw that his father also would prefer it, -he hesitated no longer. Four arduous years of preparation (1789 to 1792) -were devoted to the necessary legal studies. This period was utterly -different from his Arts course. He studied with the greatest zeal and -perseverance, giving his whole heart to the one aim. The companion of -his studies was his cherished friend, William Clerk, whom he describes -as 'a man of the most acute intellects and powerful apprehension, and -who, should he ever shake loose the fetters of indolence by which he has -been trammelled, cannot fail to be distinguished in the highest degree.' -At this time the Civil Law chair might be considered 'as in _abeyance_,' -the Professor being almost in a state of dotage. It was different with -the class of Scots Law. Under Professor David Hume, an enormous amount -of legal learning had to be got up. Jeffrey, who attended the class in -1792, 'groaned over Hume's elaborate dulness,' but on Scott the subject -seemed to exercise a charm. He considered Hume's prelections an honour -to himself and an advantage to his country. He copied them over twice, -which would mean the writing of four or five hundred closely packed -pages. He speaks of Hume as having imported plan and order to the -ancient and constantly altered structure of Scots Law by 'combining the -past state of our legal enactments with the present, and tracing clearly -and judiciously the changes which took place, and the causes which led -to them.' - -Upon these years of legal study Scott could always look back with -satisfaction. 'A little parlour (he tells in his fragment of -Autobiography, referring to the 'den' where Jeffrey found him) was -assigned me in my father's house, which was spacious and convenient (for -a modest student), and I took possession of my new realms with all the -feelings of novelty and liberty. Let me do justice to the only years of -my life in which I applied to learning with stern, steady, and -undeviating industry. The rule of my friend Clerk and myself was, that -we should mutually qualify ourselves for undergoing an examination upon -certain points of law every morning in the week, Sundays excepted.... -His house being at the extremity of Princes Street, New Town, was a walk -of two miles. With great punctuality, however, I beat him up to his -task every morning before seven o'clock, and in the course of two -summers, we went, by way of question and answer, through the whole of -Heineccius's _Analysis of the Institutes and Pandects_, as well as -through the smaller copy of Erskine's _Institutes of the Law of -Scotland_.' - -At this time, as a natural consequence of advancing years, his parents -had given over entertaining company, unless in the case of near -relations. Walter, however, though he was thus left in a great measure -to form connections for himself, found no difficulty in making his way -into good society. He scarcely ever refers to his social triumphs, but -from other sources we can gather that he soon became a notable and a -favourite figure. Before he had achieved any literary reputation, he -had conquered local fame by the charm of his personality and the -freshness of his conversation. Cockburn, speaking of the year 1811, has -recorded that 'people used to be divided at this time as to the -superiority of Scott's poetry or his talk. His novels had not yet begun -to suggest another alternative. Scarcely, however, even in his novels -was he more striking or delightful than in society, where the halting -limb, the bur in the throat, the heavy cheeks, the high -Goldsmith-forehead, the unkempt locks, and general plainness of -appearance, with the Scotch accent and stories and sayings, all graced -by gaiety, simplicity, and kindness, made a combination most worthy of -being enjoyed.' - -His early cultivation of society, which was of course a wholesome thing -for a youth of twenty, was greatly favoured by his friendship with -William Clerk. We have Lockhart's authority for the opinion that 'of -all the connections he formed in life there was no one to whom he owed -more.' Clerk's influence helped to decide him to take to the bar, the -line of ambition and liberty. He then, as we have seen, by his very -physical inertia, supplied Scott with a stimulating object during their -legal studies. His influence on Scott's personal habits even was good -and great. Walter's modesty and kind good-nature had perhaps made him a -trifle more free and easy with his father's apprentices than was quite -desirable for either him or them. They were, of course, his -professional equals and the sharers in his daily pursuits, but their -ideas and manners were not calculated to promote ambition so much as -liberty. Walter, during his apprenticeship, was intentionally careless -of appearances, and apt to be slovenly in his dress. He condescended to -the clubs and festive resorts of the apprentices, a most dangerous thing -for a genius, as Ferguson's blasted career had just proved. It was a -fortunate enough and useful episode for the future author of _Guy -Mannering_, but it was not a good school of manners or academy of habits -for Walter Scott. Fortunately William Clerk, with his West-end -prejudices, came just at the right time, to chaff his friend out of his -slovenliness and to show him the way to a more wholesome and not less -interesting society. Finally, of course, it was his own sound sense -that made this amiable change in his habits so easy. To this period, -that is, about 1790, belongs the most romantic episode of Walter Scott's -life, his unrequited love for Margaret Stuart.[1] He had made her -acquaintance in the Greyfriars churchyard on a wet Sunday afternoon, -when she accepted his offered umbrella and his escort home, for 'young -Walter Scott,' a Duchess of Sutherland at this time said, 'was a comely -creature.' And here we may give Lockhart's description of Scott as seen -by Clerk and Margaret and the rest of his Edinburgh friends:-- - -'His personal appearance at this time was not unengaging.... He had -outgrown the sallowness of early ill-health, and had a fresh, brilliant -complexion. His eyes were clear, open, and well-set, with a changeful -radiance, to which teeth of the most perfect regularity and whiteness -lent their assistance, while the noble expanse and elevation of the brow -gave to the whole aspect a dignity far above the charm of mere features. -His smile was always delightful; and I can easily fancy the peculiar -intermixture of tenderness and gravity with playful, innocent hilarity -and humour in the expression, as being well calculated to fix a fair -lady's eye. His figure, excepting the blemish in one limb, must in -those days have been eminently handsome; tall, much above the usual -standard, it was cast in the very mould of a young Hercules; the head -set on with singular grace, the throat and chest after the truest model -of the antique, the hands delicately finished; the whole outline that of -extraordinary vigour, without as yet a touch of clumsiness.... I have -heard him, in talking of this part of his life, say, with an arch -simplicity of look and tone, which those who were familiar with him can -fill in for themselves--"It was a proud night with me when I first found -that a pretty young woman could think it worth her while to sit and talk -with me, hour after hour, in a corner of the ballroom, while all the -world were capering in our view."' - - -[1] Scott's youthful love-dream lasted through several years. The lady -eventually married Sir William Forbes of Pitsligo, who was a banker in -Edinburgh. Sir William acted a very friendly part during Scott's -financial disaster of 1826-27. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIX* - -The Advocate's 'Trials'--Scott and Clerk admitted to the Bar--Walter's -first Fee--Connection of the Scotts with Lord Braxfield--Scottish -Judges--Stories of Braxfield. - - -The trials set to candidates for admission into the Faculty of Advocates -were duly passed by Scott and his friend Clerk on the same days. They -were formally admitted to the fraternity on the 11th of July, 1792. - -There is always some story of the young Advocate's first fee. When the -ceremony of 'putting on the gown' was completed, Scott said to Clerk, -putting on the air and tone of some Highland lassie waiting at the Cross -to be 'fee'd' for the harvest, 'We've stood here an hour by the Tron, -hinny, an' deil a ane has speir'd our price.' The friends were about to -leave the Outer Court, when a friend, a solicitor, came up and gave -Scott his first guinea fee. As he and Clerk went down the High Street, -they passed a hosier's shop, and Scott remarked, 'This is a sort of -wedding-day, Willie; I think I must go in and buy me a new nightcap.' -Thus he 'wared' his guinea, but it is pleasing to know that his first -big fee was spent on a silver taper-stand for his mother, which -(Lockhart tells) the old lady used to point to with great satisfaction, -as it stood on her chimney-piece five-and-twenty years afterwards. - -Scott's 'thesis'--no doubt, like Alan Fairford's, a very pretty piece of -Latinity--was dedicated to the terrible Lord Braxfield, 'the giant of -the bench,' as Cockburn calls him, 'whose very name makes people start -yet.' Braxfield was a friend and near neighbour of the Scotts, his -house being No. 28 George Square. It is said that he was rather kind to -nervous young advocates at their first appearance in a case, so long as -they were not 'Bar flunkies'--his term for brainless fops. Braxfield -lives in popular tradition as a monster of rough and savage cruelty, and -the sketch of the man by Cockburn bears out the character only too well. -The sketch may be quoted in full, for its intrinsic interest, and for -the vivid light it throws on the character and manners of Scottish -judges in the century following the Union. - -'Strong-built and dark, with rough eyebrows, powerful eyes, threatening -lips, and a low growling voice, he was like a formidable blacksmith. -His accent and his dialect were exaggerated Scotch; his language, like -his thoughts, short, strong, and conclusive.... Within the range of the -Feudal and the Civil branches, and in every matter depending on natural -ability and practical sense, he was very great; and his power arose more -from the force of his reasoning and his vigorous application of -principle, than from either the extent or the accuracy of his -learning.... He had a colloquial way of arguing, in the form of -question and answer, which, done in his clear, abrupt style, imparted a -dramatic directness and vivacity to the scene. - -'With this intellectual force, as applied to law, his merits, I fear, -cease. Illiterate, and without any taste for refined enjoyment, -strength of understanding, which gave him power without cultivation, -only encouraged him to a more contemptuous disdain of all natures less -coarse than his own. Despising the growing improvement of manners, he -shocked the feelings even of an age which, with more of the formality, -had far less of the substance of decorum than our own. Thousands of his -sayings have been preserved, and the substance of them is indecency; -which he succeeded in making many people enjoy, or at least endure, by -hearty laughter, energy of manner, and rough humour. Almost the only -story I ever heard of him that had some fun in it without immodesty, was -when a butler gave up his place because his lordship's wife was always -scolding him. "Lord!" he exclaimed, "ye 've little to complain o'; ye -may be thankfu' ye 're no married to her." - -'It is impossible to blame his conduct as a criminal judge too gravely, -or too severely. It was a disgrace to the age. A dexterous and -practical trier of ordinary cases, he was harsh to prisoners even in his -jocularity, and to every counsel whom he chose to dislike.... It may be -doubted if he was ever so much in his element as when tauntingly -repelling the last despairing claim of a wretched culprit, and sending -him to Botany Bay or the gallows with an insulting jest; over which he -would chuckle the more from observing that correct people were -shocked.[1] Yet this was not from cruelty, for which he was too strong -and too jovial, but from cherished coarseness.... - - -[1] His remark to Margaret, one of the 'Friends of the People,' who made -a speech in his own defence, was, 'Ye're a very clever chiel, man, but -ye wad be nane the war o' a hanging.' - - -'In the political trials of 1793 and 1794 he was the Jeffreys of -Scotland. He, as the head of the court, and the only very powerful man -it contained, was the real director of its proceedings. The reports -make his abuse of the judgment seat bad enough: but his misconduct was -not so fully disclosed in formal decisions and charges, as it transpired -in casual remarks and general manner. "Let them bring me prisoners and -I'll find them law" used to be openly stated as his suggestion, when an -intended political prosecution was marred by anticipated difficulties. -Mr. Horner (father of Francis), who was one of the juniors in Muir's -case, told me that when he was passing, as was often done then, behind -the bench to get into the box, Braxfield, who knew him, whispered--"Come -awa', Mr. Horner, come awa', and help to hang[2] ane o' thae damned -scoondrels." The reporter of Gerald's case could not venture to make -the prisoner say more than that "Christianity was an innovation." But -the full truth is, that in stating this view he added that all great men -had been reformers, "even our Saviour himself." "Muckle he made o' -that," chuckled Braxfield in an under voice; "he was hanget." Before -Hume's _Commentaries_ had made our criminal record intelligible, the -form and precedents were a mystery understood by the initiated alone, -and by nobody so much as by Mr. Joseph Norris, the ancient clerk. -Braxfield used to quash anticipated doubts by saying--"Hoot! just gie me -Josie Norrie and a gude jury, an' I'll doo for the fallow." He died in -1799, in his seventy-eighth year.' - - -[2] _Hang_ was his phrase for all kinds of punishment. - - - - - *CHAPTER XX* - -Stories of the Judges--Lord Eskgrove--His Appearance--The Trials for -Sedition--Anecdotes of Circuit Dinners--'Esky' and _the Harangue_--The -Soldier's Breeches--Esky and the Veiled Witness--Henderson and the -Fine--The Luss Robbers--Death of Eskgrove. - - -Stories about one or other of the judges were apparently the leading -feature of conversation in Edinburgh society at the end of the -eighteenth century. Lord Eskgrove, who, almost in his dotage at the age -of seventy-six, was appointed to succeed Braxfield as head of the -Criminal Court, was about the most ludicrous and childishly eccentric of -the race. For a time it seemed the whole occupation of the wits to -relate anecdotes about old Eskgrove. To give these anecdotes with a -recognisable mimicry of his voice and manner was, in Cockburn's phrase, -'a sort of fortune in society.' And Scott, he adds, in those days was -famous for this particularly. It was not the wit or the humour of -Eskgrove which amused. He seems to have had neither. It was simply his -personal oddity, and the utter incongruity of such an incredible -creature elevated to a position such as his. His face is described as -varying from a scurfy red to a scurfy blue. His nose was prodigious: -the under lip enormous, and supported on a huge clumsy chin, which moved -like the jaw of a Dutch toy. He walked with a slow, stealthy -step--something between a walk and a hirple, and helped himself on by -short movements of his elbows, backwards and forwards, like fins. His -voice was low and mumbling. His pronunciation seems to have been -fantastic in the extreme, especially in the way of cutting even short -words into two. The following anecdotes from Cockburn, who knew him, -'when he was in the zenith of his absurdity,' bring 'Esky' very vividly -before us. - -At the trial of Fysche Palmer for sedition, he made one of the very few -remarks he ever made which had some little merit of their own. It was a -retort to Mr. John Haggart, one of the prisoner's counsel, who, in -defending his client against the charge of disrespect to the king, -quoted Burke's statement that kings are naturally lovers of low company. -"Then, sir, that says very little for you or your client! for if kinggs -be lovers of low company, low company ought to be lovers of kinggs!" - -'Nothing disturbed him so much as the expense of the public dinner for -which the judge on the circuit has a fixed allowance, and out of which -the less he spends the more he gains. His devices for economy were -often very diverting. His servant had strict orders to check the -bottles of wine by laying aside the corks. Once at Stirling his -lordship went behind a screen, while the company was still at table, and -seeing an alarming row of corks, got into a warm altercation, which -everybody heard, with John; maintaining it to be "impossibill" that they -could have drunk so much. On being assured that they had, and were still -going on--"Well, then, John, I must just protect myself!" On which he -put a handful of the corks into his pocket, and resumed his seat. - -'Like the poor man in the story, Lord Eskgrove was "sair hauden doon by -yon turkey cock." The plague of his life for more than a year was Henry -Brougham. In revenge the judge used to sneer at Brougham's eloquence by -styling it or him _the Harangue_. "Well, gentle-men, what did the -Harangue say next? Why, it said this" (mis-stating it); "but here, -gentle-men, the Harangue was most plainly wrong, and not intelligibill." - -'Everything was connected by his terror with republican horrors. I -heard him, in condemning a tailor to death for murdering a soldier by -stabbing him, aggravate the offence thus: "And not only did you murder -him, whereby he was bereaved of his life, but you did thrust, or push, -or pierce, or project, or propell, the le-thall weapon through the -belly-band of his regimen-tal breeches, which were his Majes-ty's!" - -'In the trial of Glengarry for murder in a duel, a lady of great beauty -was called as a witness. She came into court veiled. But before -administering the oath Eskgrove gave her this exposition of her -duty--"Young woman! you will now consider yourself as in the presence of -Almighty God and of this High Court. Lift up your veil; throw off all -modesty, and look me in the face." - -'Sir John Henderson of Fordell, a zealous Whig, once came before the -court, their lordships having to fix the amount of some discretionary -penalty which he had incurred. Eskgrove began to give his opinion in a -very low voice, but loud enough to be heard by those next him, to the -effect that the fine ought to be L50; when Sir John, with his usual -imprudence, interrupted him and begged him to raise his voice, adding -that if judges did not speak so as to be heard, they might as well not -speak at all. Eskgrove, who never could endure any imputation of bodily -infirmity, asked his neighbour, "What does the fellow say?" "He says -that, if you don't speak out, you may as well hold your tongue." "Oh, -is that what he says? My lords, what I was sayingg was very simpell. I -was only sayingg that in my humbell opinyon, this fine could not be less -than two hundred and fifty pounds sterlingg"--this sum being roared out -as loudly as his old angry voice could launch it. - -'His tediousness in charging juries was most dreadful, and he was the -only judge who insisted on the old custom of making juries stand during -the judge's address. Often have I gone back to the court at midnight, -and found him, whom I had left mumbling hours before, still going on, -with the smoky unsnuffed tallow candles in greasy tin candlesticks, and -the poor despairing jurymen, most of the audience having retired or -being asleep; the wagging of his lordship's nose and chin being the -chief signs that he was still _char-ging_. - -'A very common arrangement of his logic to juries was this:--"And so, -gentle-men, having shown you that the pannell's argument is utterly -impossibill, I shall now proceed for to show you that it is extremely -improbabill." - -'He rarely failed to signalise himself in pronouncing sentences of -death. It was almost a matter of style with him to console the prisoner -by assuring him that, "whatever your religi-ous persua-shon may be, or -even if, as I suppose, you be of no persua-shon at all, there are plenty -of rever-end gentle-men who will be most happy for to show you the way -to yeternal life." - -'He had to condemn two or three persons to die who had broken into a -house at Luss, and assaulted Sir James Colquhoun and others, and robbed -them of a large sum of money. He first, as was his almost constant -practice, explained the nature of the various crimes, assault, robbery, -and hamesucken--of which last he gave them the etymology; and he then -reminded them that they attacked the house and the persons within it, -and robbed them, and then came to this climax--"All this you did; and -God preserve us! joost when they were sitten doon to their denner!'" - -In concluding his reminiscences of Eskgrove Lord Cockburn says: 'He was -the staple of the public conversation; and so long as his old age -lasted, he nearly drove Napoleon out of the Edinburgh world.... A story -of Eskgrove is still preferred to all other stories. Only, the things -that he did and said every day are beginning to be incredible to this -correct and fiat age.' Lord Eskgrove died in 1804, at the age of -eighty. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXI* - -Scott's Anecdote of Lord Kames--Judicial Cruelty--Lord Meadowbank's -Marriage--'Declaim, Sir'--Judges and Drinking--Hermand and the -Pope--Bacchus on the Bench--Hermand and the Middy. - - -When Scott dined at Carlton House in 1815, the Prince Regent is said to -have been particularly delighted with his guest's anecdotes of the old -Scottish judges and lawyers. The following story was considered among -the best, and it is one which Scott was fond of telling: 'Lord Kames' -(described by Cockburn as 'an indefatigable and speculative but coarse -man'), 'whenever he went on the Ayr circuit, was in the habit of -visiting Matthew Hay, a gentleman of good fortune in the neighbourhood, -and staying at least one night, which, being both of them ardent chess -players, they usually concluded with their favourite game. One spring -circuit the battle was not concluded at daybreak, so the judge -said--"Well, Matthew, I must e'en come back this gate in the harvest, -and let the game lie ower for the present"; and back he came in -September, but not to his old friend's hospitable house; for that -gentleman had in the meantime been apprehended on a capital charge, and -his name stood on the _Porteous Roll_, or list of those who were about -to be tried under his former guest's auspices. The laird was indicted -and tried accordingly, and the jury returned a verdict of _Guilty_. The -judge forthwith put on his cocked hat (which answers to the black cap in -England), and pronounced the sentence of the law in the usual terms--"To -be hanged by the neck until you are dead; and may the Lord have mercy -upon your unhappy soul!" Having concluded this awful formula in his -most sonorous cadence, Kames, dismounting his formidable beaver, gave a -familiar nod to his unfortunate acquaintance, and said to him in a sort -of chuckling whisper--"And now, Matthew, my man, that's checkmate to -you." The Regent laughed heartily at this specimen of judicial humour; -and, "I'faith, Walter," said he, "this old big-wig seems to have taken -things as coolly as my tyrannical self. Don't you remember Tom Moore's -description of me at breakfast-- - - "The table spread with tea and toast, - Death warrants and the _Morning Post_"?' - -This gruesome story, incredible as it appears and repulsive in its bare -and uncalled-for cruelty, is an attested fact. Lord Cockburn, in -referring to the above incident, says: 'Besides general and -uncontradicted notoriety, I had the fact from Lord Hermand, who was one -of the counsel at the trial, and never forgot a piece of judicial -cruelty which excited his horror and anger.' - -To pass to a more agreeable subject, there was Lord Meadowbank, who -disappeared from the festive party an hour or two after his marriage. -Search was made, and the oblivious Benedick was found busily engaged in -writing a profound thesis on the subject of 'Pains and Penalties.' - -He was a most versatile man, and his fondness for discussion made him -often highly diverting. Referring to his power of discovering -principles and tracking out their consequences, Jeffrey said that while -the other judges gave the tree a tug, Meadowbank not only tore it up by -the roots, but gave it a shake which dispersed the earth and exposed all -the fibres. - -One day Mr. Thomas Walker Baird was, in a dull technical way, stating a -dry case to Lord Meadowbank, who was sitting single. This did not -please the judge, who thought that his dignity required a grander tone. -So he dismayed poor Baird, than whom no man could have less turn for -burning in the Forum, by throwing himself back in his chair and saying, -'Declaim, sir, why don't you declaim? Speak to me as if I were a -popular assembly.' - -In the lively story of Mr. Pleydell and his clerk Driver, Scott has -immortalised the convivial habits of the Scottish Bar. The actual -incident, as stated in the note, occurred to Dundas of Arniston at the -time he was Lord Advocate. How ably the judges comported themselves at -the table is well proved in Cockburn's description of Lord Hermand, who, -he says, 'had acted in more of the severest scenes of old Scotch -drinking than any man at least living. Commonplace topers think -drinking a pleasure; with Hermand it was a virtue. It inspired the -excitement by which he was elevated, and the discursive jollity which he -loved to promote. But beyond these ordinary attractions, he had a -sincere respect for drinking, indeed a high moral approbation, and a -serious compassion for the poor wretches who could not indulge in it; -with due contempt for those who could, but did not. He groaned over the -gradual disappearance of the _Feriat_ days of periodical festivity, and -prolonged the observance, like a hero fighting amidst his fallen -friends, as long as he could. The worship of Bacchus, which softened -his own heart, and seemed to him to soften the hearts of his companions, -was a secondary duty. But in its performance there was no violence, no -coarseness, no impropriety, and no more noise than what belongs to -well-bred jollity unrestrained. It was merely a sublimation of his -peculiarities and excellences; the realisation of what poetry ascribes -to the grape. No carouse ever injured his health, for he was never ill, -or impaired his taste for home and quiet, or muddled his head: he slept -the sounder for it, and rose the earlier and the cooler. The cordiality -inspired by claret and punch was felt by him as so congenial to all -right thinking, that he was confident that he could convert the Pope if -he could only get him to sup with him. And certainly his Holiness would -have been hard to persuade if he could have withstood Hermand about the -middle of his second tumbler.' - -The Bacchic religion of Lord Hermand sometimes found expression even on -the Bench. On one occasion a young man was convicted of culpable -homicide. In a wrangle with a friend, with whom he had been drinking -all night, he had stabbed him and caused his death. The case being -little more than a sad accident, the youth was sentenced to only a short -imprisonment. At this Lord Hermand, who regarded the case as a -discredit to the cause of drinking, was highly indignant at his -colleagues' softness. He would have transported the homicide: 'We are -told that there was no malice, and that the prisoner must have been in -liquor. In liquor! Why, he was drunk! And yet he murdered the very man -who had been drinking with him! They had been carousing the whole -night; and yet he stabbed him! after drinking a whole bottle of rum with -him! Good God, my Laards, if he will do this when he's drunk, what will -he not do when he's sober?' - -A somewhat similar case shows Lord Hermand in a different light. His -love for children was a great feature in his character. A little -English midshipman, being attacked by a much bigger lad in Greenock, -defended himself with his dirk, and somehow killed his assailant. 'He -was tried for this in Glasgow, and had the good luck to have Hermand for -his judge; for no judge ever fought a more gallant battle for a -prisoner. The boy appeared at the bar in his uniform. Hermand first -refused "to try a child." After this was driven out of him, the -indictment, which described the occurrence, and said that the prisoner -had slain the deceased "wickedly and feloniously," was read; and Hermand -then said, "Well, my young friend, this is not true, is it? Are you -guilty or not guilty?" "Not guilty, my Lord." "I'll be sworn you're -not!" In spite of all his exertions, his young friend was convicted of -culpable homicide; for which he was sentenced to a few days' -imprisonment.' - -With his mind filled with the sayings and doings of the Braxfields and -the Eskgroves, Walter Scott could scarcely nourish many illusions -regarding his chosen profession. Fortunately he went 'where his own -nature would be leading.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XXII* - -Political Lawyers--Politics an 'accident' in Scott's History--Early Days -at the Bar--Peter Peebles--_The Mountain_--Anecdote of Scott and -Clerk--The German Class--Friendship with William Erskine--German -Romance--Seniors of the Bar--Robert Blair--Greatest of Scottish -Judges--Anecdote of Hermand and Henry Erskine. - - -In speaking of Scottish politics in 1792--it was in 1792, November, that -Scott and Clerk began their regular attendance at the Parliament -House--it is desirable to repeat that Scott is not to be regarded as -ever having been in any circumstances a politician. It is absurd even -to mention his name among the crowd of Tory juniors seeking to push -their way to preferment by party services and loud-mouthed partisan -zeal. This crowd, of which Lord Cockburn speaks, 'produced several most -excellent men and very respectable lawyers, but not one person, except -Walter Scott, who rose to distinction in literature.' Scott was in no -sense a 'product' of so ignoble a school. There is perhaps nothing in -creation so utterly mean and odious as the person who deliberately -engineers his course to legal office by excessive partisanship. -Meanness and narrowness of mind must be born in the creature who does -it. Who would expect literary distinction from such? If there be any -instances on record--and there is most unfortunately that of Francis -Bacon--of genius united with such a career, they are distinguished by -their singularity, and operate as exceptions. Walter Scott was one of -the junior bar, but he was never one of these political aspirants. His -conscience, not the main chance, was the ruling principle with him. -Party was a small thing to Scott: not the be-all and the end-all of -existence as it was to many others of his contemporaries. It was -natural for Cockburn and the Whigs, who were struggling for existence -against very real oppression and injustice, to exaggerate to themselves -the importance of the whole wretched business. - - 'They took the rustic murmur of their bourg - For the great wave that circles round the world.' - -Scott's good sense and utter lack of conceit preserved him from falling -into their mistake. Like most other men of culture and honour, both -then and now, he frankly took a side in politics rather than be always -posing as an independent and as if he were the only conscientious man in -a neighbourhood. Historical sentiment, the glamour of romance and the -tradition of great names, made him prefer the Tory side. That was all. -But he retained his independence complete and unsullied. Whenever at -any time he took an active part in militant politics, it was not to -curry favour and gain the spoils, but because his whole heart and soul -were with the cause. - -Scott certainly started life with the idea of making his career in the -law. Work gradually came to him. Friendly solicitors were pleased to -put certain kinds of business in the young man's hands, chiefly at -first, as was natural, for his father's sake. 'By and by,' says Clerk, -'he crept into a tolerable share of such business as may be expected -from a Writer's connexion.' That is, of course, from his father's -connection, and the business would consist of long written -_informations_ and other papers for the Court, on which young -counsellors of the Scottish Bar were expected to bestow a great deal of -trouble for very scanty pecuniary remuneration, and with scarcely any -chance of displaying their ability or making a name. Another part of -every young advocate's work, even less important in fees or in fame, was -that of acting for pauper litigants, as Alan Fairford did in the famous -case of Poor Peter Peebles. In the note Scott says that he himself had -at one time the honour to be counsel for the actual Peter. - -On the whole, Scott in these early days had probably plenty of leisure -time on his hands. He spent some of it at all events among the -'unemployed' of the Bar. They were in the habit of congregating at a -particular spot at the north end of the Outer House, which, according to -Lockhart, was called by a name which easily recalls the date--_the -Mountain_. From Cockburn's account it would appear that the loungers of -the Mountain were all Whigs, separated into a sect of their own and all -branded with the same mark. As he mentions among them Thomas Thomson, -who we know was at this time one of Scott's most intimate daily -associates, we must infer that the separation was not quite absolute. -The following story of Clerk's shows that he also was one of the group. -One morning finding them all convulsed with laughter, he complained that -_Duns Scotus_ had been forestalling him in a good story which he had -told him privately the day before--adding, moreover, that his friend had -not only stolen it, but disguised it. 'Why,' answered Scott, skilfully -waiving the main charge, 'this is always the way with the _Baronet_. He -is continually saying that I change his stories, whereas in fact I only -put a cocked hat on their heads, and stick a cane into their hands--to -make them fit for going into company.' About Christmas of this eventful -year, Scott, Clerk, Thomson, and William Erskine (afterwards Lord -Kinedder) joined a German class; and all the four soon qualified -themselves to read Schiller and Goethe. Erskine was a Tory: Scott's -other young advocate friends were by descent and connection Whigs. From -the time of the German class Erskine and Scott drew closer together, and -Erskine became by and by, as we learn from Lockhart, 'the nearest and -most confidential' of all Scott's Edinburgh associates. We also know -that, though politics never shook the mutual regard of the others, 'the -events and controversies of the immediately ensuing years could not but -disturb, more or less, the social habits of young barristers who adopted -opposite views on the French Revolution and the policy of Pitt. His -friendship exercised an influence which Lockhart rates very high, on -Scott's literary tastes. Along with a sincere love of the classics, -Erskine had cherished from boyhood a strong passion for Old English -literature, especially the Elizabethan dramatists. He sympathised with, -and understood the real value of, Scott's taste for antiquity and -national lore. He delighted in the bold and picturesque style, the -strength and originality, of the native English school, but he warned -Scott of the necessity of paying some deference to modern taste. In -short, he knew how to "sift and sunder," and understood that the -absurdities and extravagances of great works form no part of their -greatness, though they are exactly the parts most likely to be selected -for imitation.' Lockhart, in pointing out that Scott was mainly -influenced in his first literary attempts by the founders of German -drama and romance, states the opinion that he ran at first no trivial -risk of adopting some of their extravagances both of idea and -expression. Erskine's vigorous condemnation of the mingled absurdities -and vulgarities of German detail, coming from one who so -enthusiastically admired their great qualities, and who approved of -their new departure in choosing romantic subjects, had no doubt full -weight in guiding the judgment of so sane and sound a genius as Scott. - -The seniors of the Bar about this time were, on the Government or Tory -side, Robert Blair, Charles Hope, and Robert Dundas. Of Blair it has -been said by Cockburn that he was a species of man not very common in -Scotland: he might have said in any country, if his own description is -correct. 'He had a fine manly countenance, a gentleman-like, portly -figure, a slow dignified gait, and a general air of thought and power. -Too solid for ingenuity, and too plain for fancy, soundness of -understanding was his peculiar intellectual quality. Within his range -nobody doubted, or could doubt, Blair's wisdom. Nor did it ever occur -to any one to doubt his probity. He was all honesty. The sudden opening -of the whole secrets of his heart would not have disclosed a single -speck of dishonour. And all his affections, personal and domestic, were -excellent and steady.' - -If not indolent, Blair seems to have been strongly averse to letting -himself be bothered with mean details or drudgery. He maintained, as -few can do, a noble independence of small and mean interests. But with -his great love of rest, repose, and ease he combined a fiery and -excitable disposition. The combination is said to be rare. It is -always noble. - -Blair is a splendid example of this truth. He was absolutely -indifferent to preferment. Lord Melville says that George III. used to -speak of him as 'the man who would not go up.' Literally as well as -morally he kept his own way. There was a line, it is said, in the Outer -House, which was kept clear for him whenever he was present. Even his -official superiors, and the judges themselves, stood in awe of him. He -was, by preference and practice, a silent man. He was one who could -play a long game with a dozen people, and yet not speak. In politics he -was a loyal party man, but as void of malignity as he was free from -self-seeking. He was one of the few who 'have greatness thrust upon -them,' having been made Lord President of the Court of Session a few -years before his death. His memory is still revered as that of the -greatest of Scottish judges. His character and the marvellous clearness -of his judicial 'opinions' made him the pride of Edinburgh during his -all too short reign, which closed in 1811. His death was very sudden, -and affected the whole population like the unexpected loss of a dear -personal friend. Lord Cockburn has described the scene: 'It overwhelmed -us all. Party made no division about Blair. All pleasure and all -business were suspended. I saw Hermand that night. He despised Blair's -abstinence from the pollution of small politics. He did not know that -he could love a man who neither cared for claret nor for whist; but, at -near seventy years of age, he was crying like a child. Next day the -Court was silent, and adjourned. The Faculty of Advocates, hastily -called together, resolved to attend him to his grave. Henry Erskine -tried to say something, and because he could only try it, it was as good -a speech as he ever made.' From his grave in Greyfriars Churchyard to -the edge of the Castlehill, the vast concourse of spectators stood -silent and uncovered when the sod was laid. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIII* - -Seniors (_continued_)--Charles Hope--His Voice--Tribute by -Cockburn--Robert Dundas, Nephew of Henry, Lord Melville--His Manner and -Moderation--Anecdote of Lords Blair and Melville--Lord Melville's -Son--Scott's Project of Emigration. - - -Charles Hope may be considered one of the very best representatives of -his profession. He had an extensive practice as an advocate, and -afterwards filled successively, with great distinction, the offices of -Lord Advocate, Lord Justice-Clerk, and Lord President. But his great -forte was public speaking. For this his qualifications were great: a -tall figure, commanding presence, natural manner, great command of -language, and a magnificent voice, which Cockburn describes as -'surpassed by that of the great Mrs. Siddons alone, which, drawn direct -from heaven and worthy to be heard there, was the noblest that ever -struck the human ear.' - -Few men, surely, have ever received or deserved such an encomium from a -political opponent as Cockburn has left us of Lord President Hope:--'It -is a pleasure to me to think of him. He was my first--I might almost -say my only, professional patron, and used to take me with him on his -circuits; and in spite of my obstinate and active Whiggery has been kind -to me through life. When his son, who was Solicitor-General in 1830, -lost that office by the elevation of the Reform Ministry, and I -succeeded him, his father shook me warmly by the hand, and said, "Well, -Harry, I wish you joy. Since my son was to lose it, I am glad that your -father's son has got it." It was always so with him. Less enlightened -than confident in his public opinions, his feelings towards his -adversaries, even when ardently denouncing their principles, were -liberalised by the native humanity and fairness of his dispositions.' - -Perhaps the most interesting public character in Scotland at the -beginning of the nineteenth century was Robert Dundas of Arniston. He -was the son of a Lord President Dundas, whose father had also occupied -that high position. His uncle was Henry Dundas, Lord Melville, the -famous friend of Pitt. The uncle, it is supposed, greatly influenced -the policy of the nephew, whose power in Scotland was for a time almost -unlimited. At all events, in a position almost certain to provoke -jealousy and enmity on all hands, he was able to maintain a character -for moderation and fairness even in the cases of political prosecution -which his office of Lord Advocate required him to conduct. In those -troublous times the powers given to the Lord Advocate were extravagant -and arbitrary. Dundas seems to have been a man of moderate abilities -and ordinary acquirements, but Cockburn's lively picture sufficiently -explains his remarkable success in his trying and difficult duties. 'He -had two qualifications which suited his position, and made him not only -the best Lord Advocate that his party could have supplied, but really a -most excellent one. These consisted in his manner, and in his -moderation. He was a little, alert, handsome, gentleman-like man, with -a countenance and air beaming with sprightliness and gaiety, and -dignified by considerable fire; altogether inexpressibly pleasing. It -was impossible not to like the owner of that look. No one could -contemplate his animated and elegant briskness, or his lively benignity, -without feeling that these were the reflections of an ardent and amiable -heart. His want of intellectual depth and force seemed to make people -like him the better. And his manner was worthy of his appearance. It -was kind, polite, and gay; and if the fire did happen to break out, it -was but a passing flash, and left nothing painful after it was gone.' - -Dundas had his town residence at No. 57 George Square. His uncle, Lord -Melville, had come here on the 26th of May 1811, with the intention of -attending the funeral of Lord Blair next day. He retired to rest -apparently in his usual health, but was found next morning dead in bed. -Thus, strange to say, the two friends, who had both been alive and -active a week before, were lying dead with but a wall between them, for -Blair's house was No. 56, next door to that of Dundas. A strange -incident is related by Lord Cockburn, which he says he was inclined to -regard as true: viz., that a letter written by Lord Melville was found -on his table, or in a writing-case after his death, in which he drew a -moving picture of his feelings at the funeral of Lord Blair. Little had -he imagined that he himself would be dead before that funeral took -place. The letter was addressed to a member of the government, with a -view to obtain some public provision for Blair's family. 'Such things,' -adds Lord Cockburn, 'are always awkward when detected; especially when -done by a skilful politician. Nevertheless an honest and a true man -might do this. It is easy to anticipate one's feelings at a friend's -burial; and putting the description into the form of having returned -from it is mere rhetoric.' - -Scott enjoyed the personal friendship of Viscount Melville, and still -more of the younger members of the Dundas family. Robert Dundas was -Lord Advocate at the time of Scott's appointment to the sheriffship of -Selkirk. Another Robert Dundas, Lord Melville's son, had been one of -Scott's admirers in the story-telling days of the High School, and their -intimacy continued later on. In fact Arniston and Melville supplied -Walter Scott with quite a troop of warm friends. An anecdote which -connects Lord Melville and Scott may be given here, though it belongs to -the end of the next decade (1810). Great changes had at that time been -proposed in the Scottish law and judicature. They did not commend -themselves to Scott's judgment. In fact, he wrote a remarkable essay in -the _Edinburgh Annual Register_ against the rash attempt at a general -innovation. He was at the same time uneasy in regard to the affairs of -his Ballantyne publishing business, and fretting a little at the -drudgery of his clerkship, which as yet yielded him no income. It was a -crisis very like that in the life of Burns when he proposed to emigrate -to Jamaica. Scott indeed seriously entertained the idea of going to -India, as is clear from his letter to his brother Thomas in November -1810. 'I have no objection to tell you in confidence, that, were Dundas -to go out Governor-General to India, and were he willing to take me with -him in a good situation, I would not hesitate to pitch the Court of -Session and the booksellers to the Devil, and try my fortune in another -climate. But this is strictly _entre nous_.' Dundas, it seems, had on -several occasions been spoken of as likely to be appointed -Governor-General of India, and he had hinted at taking Scott with him. -Fortunately the opportunity never occurred, the genius was not driven -into exile, and the Court of Session and the booksellers obtained a -temporary reprieve. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIV* - -Henry Erskine--His Ability and Wit--Tributes to his Character--Dismissal -as Dean of Faculty--John Clerk--Reputation at the Bar--His Private -Tastes--Art and Literature--Odd Habits--Anecdotes of Clerk and his -Father. - - -The Hon. Henry Erskine, the acknowledged leader of the Scottish Bar, and -one of the ablest and wittiest of men, was a son of the fifth Earl of -Buchan, who died in 1767, and was succeeded in the title by his eldest -son David. A younger brother of Henry's was equally illustrious at the -English Bar as the undaunted defender first of Captain Baillie, who was -indicted for libel at the instigation of Lord Sandwich in 1778: next in -1792 of Tom Paine, 'victorious needleman,' indicted for publishing the -_Rights of Man_: and then in 1794 of Hardy, Horne Tooke, and Thelwall, -accused of high treason. This was Thomas Erskine, who became Lord -Chancellor of England and was raised to the peerage as Baron Erskine of -Restormel in 1806. All the brothers were strongly attached to the Whig -party. Under the coalition government of North and Fox in 1783 Henry -Erskine was for a short time Lord Advocate, an office which he held -again in 1806. His fame was spread throughout Scotland as the constant -and disinterested defender of the helpless in distress. - - 'And all the oppress'd who wanted strength - Had his at their command.' - -Like his brother, he was absolutely fearless in the exposure of wrong, -and his name became the terror of every high-handed 'petty tyrant' in -the land. It is said that a poor man in a remote part of the country, -who was threatened with the law by his landlord for the purpose of -compelling him to submit to some injustice, at once turned upon him with -bold indignation and said, 'Ye dinna ken what ye're sayin', maister; -there's no a man in a' Scotland need want a friend or fear an enemy sae -lang as Harry Erskine is to the fore.' In his _Life of Jeffrey_ Lord -Cockburn says of Erskine: 'His name can no sooner be mentioned than it -suggests ideas of wit, with which, in many memories, the recollection of -him is chiefly associated. A tall and rather slender figure, a face -sparkling with vivacity, a clear sweet voice, and a general suffusion of -elegance, gave him a striking and pleasing appearance.... He was the -only one of the marked Edinburgh Whigs who was not received coldly in -the private society of their opponents. Nothing was so sour as not to -be sweetened by the glance, the voice, the gaiety, the beauty, of Henry -Erskine.' Scott speaks of him in the same affectionate strain--'Henry -Erskine was the best-natured man I ever knew: thoroughly a gentleman, -and with but one fault--he could not say No. His wit was of the very -kindest, best-humoured, and gayest sort that ever cheered society.' It -is a matter for deep regret that the public career of so rare and -eminent a man should have been dependent upon the ups and downs of -politics. Even the post of Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, to which -he had been elected for eight years in succession, was taken from him in -1796. He had presided at a public meeting to protest against the war -with France. Such a defiance could not at such a time be overlooked, -and the more powerful party employed their large majority to displace -him. But even this was done without malevolence: the motion for -dismissal--moved by Charles Hope--in no way disturbed the personal -friendship between the two men. - -John Clerk, raised to the Bench as Lord Eldin in his old age, was a -worthy compeer of Erskine in his steadfast adherence to Whiggery at the -cost of professional advancement. He was Solicitor-General in 1806, -when Erskine was Lord Advocate. His fame was, therefore, won while he -was at the Bar, of which, after his friend's retirement, he became the -acknowledged leader. But his powerful sarcasm and his great gift of -humour, combined with his remarkable appearance and popular principles, -laid hold of the imagination of men and gained him quite a national -reputation. It is of him that Cockburn says that the conditions of his -private and his professional life almost amounted to the possession of -two natures. - -'A contracted limb, which made him pitch when he walked, and only -admitted of his standing erect when he poised it in the air, added to -the peculiarity of a figure with which so many other ideas of oddity -were connected. Blue eyes, very bushy eyebrows, coarse grizzly hair, -always in disorder, and firm, projecting features, made his face and -head not unlike that of a thorough-bred shaggy terrier. It was a -countenance of great thought and great decision.' - -He was fond of literature, and his love of the fine arts grew to be a -passion. He had great knowledge of painting, drew and etched cleverly, -and occasionally modelled. His consulting-room was an extraordinary -scene: 'Walls covered with books and pictures, of both of which he had a -large collection; the floor encumbered by little ill-placed tables, each -with a piece of old china on it; strange boxes, bits of sculpture, -curious screens and chairs, cats and dogs (his special favourites), and -all manner of trash, dead and living, and all in confusion;--John -himself sitting in the midst of this museum,--in a red worsted nightcap, -his crippled limb resting horizontally on a tripod stool,--and many -pairs of spectacles and antique snuffboxes on a small table at his right -hand; and there he sits,--perhaps dreaming awake,--probably descanting -on some of his crotchets, and certainly abusing his friends the -judges,--when recalled to the business in hand; but generally giving -acute and vigorous advice.' - -The peculiarities which made him a 'character' in the court are analysed -at some length by Lord Cockburn. One was a habit of discussing, -enforcing, and lauding his own virtues, quite without vanity or -ostentation, but with quiet assurance, as if it were something he had no -concern in. In the end he became fiercely resentful of opposition and -suspicious of all who contradicted him. But what most of all made Clerk -unique was his extraordinary zeal for his client. The public hugely -enjoyed his passionate displays, when he defied and insulted not only -his opponent in the case, but even the judges themselves when he found -them adverse. Of course in this respect he was a privileged person: his -fiery onslaughts being regarded as part of the show, and invariably -relieved by some quaint bit of humour. - -When he heard a lady on the street behind him point him out as the lame -lawyer, he wheeled round and said, 'Nay, nay, madam, lame man if ye -like, but not a lame lawyer, as the Fifteen (_i.e._ the Judges) know to -their cost.' This ready retort happily illustrates all his -peculiarities. - -His father, John Clerk of Eldin, was the author of a celebrated work on -Naval Tactics. In his old age he is reported to have said of himself -and his son: 'I remember the time when people, seeing John limping on -the street, used to ask, "what lame lad that was?" and the answer would -be, "that's the son of Clerk of Eldin." But now, when I myself am -passing, I hear them saying, "what auld, grey-headed man is that?" And -the answer is, "that's the father o' John Clerk."' - - - - - *CHAPTER XXV* - -Scott's Border 'Raids'--Shortreed--Scott's Circuit Work--Jedburgh -Anecdotes--Edinburgh Days--Fortune's--The Theatre Royal--Oyster -Parties--Social Functions--General Reading. - - -For many years after his first donning of the gown, Scott made use of -every holiday for those 'raids' into Liddesdale and rambles through -various parts of Scotland which long caused his father anxiety and -vexation. It was not given to the old man, eager to see his son -immersed in what he considered far more important pursuits, to foresee -the marvellous results of these erratic tours. There were some, -however, who could, and one of these was Robert Shortreed, -Sheriff-Substitute of Roxburghshire, who was his guide and companion in -all his Border raids. His remark will serve very well to sum up our -reference to these expeditions, which are 'outwith' the limits of his -Edinburgh life. 'He was _makin' himsell_ a' the time,' was Shortreed's -emphatic comment; 'but he didna ken maybe what he was aboot till years -had passed. At first he thought o' little, I daresay, but the queerness -and the fun.' - -Of his circuit work one or two anecdotes will suffice. He made his first -appearance as counsel in a criminal case at the Jedburgh assizes, where -he successfully defended a veteran poacher. When the verdict was -pronounced, Scott whispered to his client, 'You're a lucky scoundrel.' -'I'm just o' your mind,' quoth the desperado, 'and I'll send ye a maukin -(a hare) the morn, man.' Shortly after he defended a certain notorious -housebreaker, who, however, in spite of counsel's strenuous efforts, was -found guilty. The man, knowing that he could not escape, the evidence -of his guilt being clear, yet felt grateful, in his way, to the young -lawyer who had stood by him manfully and seen fair play. He requested -the advocate to visit him in his cell, and Scott complied. When they -were alone together in the _condemned cell_, the poor outcast said, 'I -am very sorry, sir, that I have no fee to offer you--so let me beg your -acceptance of two bits of advice which may be useful, perhaps, when you -come to have a house of your own. I am done with practice, you see, and -here is my legacy. Never keep a large watch-dog out of doors--we can -always silence them cheaply--indeed if it be a _dog_, 'tis easier than -whistling--but tie a little tight yelping terrier within; and secondly, -put no trust in nice, clever, gimcrack locks--the only thing that -bothers us is a huge old heavy one, no matter how simple the -construction,--and the ruder and rustier the key, so much the better for -the housekeeper.' Lockhart heard Scott tell the story some thirty years -after at a Judge's dinner at Jedburgh, and he summed it up with a -rhyme--'Ay, ay, my Lord,' (addressing Lord Meadowbank)-- - - 'Yelping terrier, rusty key, - Was Walter Scott's best Jeddart fee.' - - -If his life in Edinburgh was not quite as enjoyable as the summer -wanderings or the spring and autumn circuits, it certainly had its -compensations. There was a good deal, no doubt, of what he describes in -_Redgauntlet_ as 'sweeping the boards of the Parliament House with the -skirts of his gown.' But then there was the consolation of the merry -men of the Mountain, with mirth and youthful jollity, to which he could -always contribute more than his share. There was plenty of -claret-drinking at Bayle's, Fortune's, Walker's, the favourite resorts -of the Bar. Claret was still the only drink, in spite of the growing -enmity to France. It is a curious fact, however, that this feeling -caused the Edinburgh Town Council in 1798 to pass a resolution that -claret should not be drunk either at the King's Birthday orgy or any -other civic feast. This 'self-denying ordinance' was not observed. In -spite of conviviality and amusements a young man's expenses in Edinburgh -in those days did not require to be great, when a good dinner at -Fortune's would cost half-a-crown, and a bottle of claret a shilling. -Fifty years before, in the days when a man brought his own fork and -knife, and glass if he wanted one for his own separate use, one dined at -an 'ordinary' in Edinburgh for fourpence, which even included all the -small beer that was called for till the cloth was removed. Scott was a -frequent visitor at the old Theatre Royal--'his dressing-table with old -play-bills, etc.' This building stood in Shakespeare Square, a site now -occupied by the General Post Office. It was eventually purchased by Mr. -Henry Siddons, and there, under his management, the admirers of the -drama 'had the satisfaction to witness the exertion of the unparalleled -talents of Mrs. Siddons, Mrs. Jordan, Mr. Braham, Mr. John Kemble, and -others.' Oyster-parties were now very fashionable. They were quite -decorous affairs, though not over-formal, and were attended and enjoyed -by ladies as well as gentlemen. - -One of these oyster-parties is described from a stranger's point of view -by Topham in his _Letters from Edinburgh_: 'The shrine of festivity is -nothing more than an oyster-cellar, and its votaries the first people in -Edinburgh.... I was ushered into a large and brilliant company of both -sexes, most of whom I had the honour of being acquainted with. The -table was covered with dishes full of oysters, and pots of porter. By -and by the table was cleared, and glass introduced. The ladies were now -asked whether they would choose brandy or rum punch. I thought this -question an odd one, but I was soon informed that no wine was sold here. -The ladies, who always love what is best, fixed upon brandy punch, and a -large bowl was immediately introduced. The conversation now became -general and lively. A thousand things were hazarded and met with -applause, to which the oddity of the scene gave propriety and which -could have been produced in no other place.... In this little assembly -there was more real happiness and mirth than in all the ceremonies and -splendid meetings at Soho. When the company were tired of conversation, -they began to dance reels, their favourite dance, which they perform -with great agility and perseverance. One of the gentlemen, however, fell -down in the most active part of it, and lamed himself. The dance was at -an end. The ladies retired, and with them went all the mirth.' - -Such scenes as these, along with attendance at 'assemblies,' concerts, -and the general round of social engagements, filled up, without great -fear of dulness, the leisure part of Scott's existence when in town. -His duties were but light, and so was his income.[1] There is ample -proof too that he found time to continue his literary studies, and kept -himself, as the phrase is, 'abreast of current literature.' 'On his -desk the new novel most in repute lay snugly intrenched beneath Stair's -_Institutes_, or an open volume of _Decisions_.' - - -[1] The particulars given by Lockhart are: first year's practice, L24, -3s.; second year's, L57, 15s.; third, L84, 4s.; fourth, L90; and in his -fifth year, that is from November 1796 to July 1797, he made L144, 10s.; -of which L50 were fees from his father's chamber. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXVI* - -The Edinburgh Environment--Talk of French Revolution--The -'Jacobins'--The Volunteers--Irish Row in the Theatre--Mrs. Barbauld's -Visit--Taylor's _Lenore_--Scott's Version--Anecdote of the Skull--End of -Love Affair--Reference in _Peveril of the Peak_. - - -To understand the environment of Scott about 1794, it is necessary to -remember that people's minds and conversation were almost wholly -occupied with the French Revolution. It affected every one, and met one -everywhere. Of real sympathy with the French Republic there never was -much anywhere in Britain. In Edinburgh, as in several other towns, there -were a few persons who affected an admiration for the Republic and for -everything French. These were called _Jacobins_, but they soon -disappeared from public view. The name, however, continued to be used -as a political nickname, and was applied freely to all who showed -sympathy with the idea of reform. There was a belief, more or less -vague, among the Tories and the wealthier class generally, that the -working men were hostile to the Constitution. Altogether the feelings -of loyal men, young and old, were strongly excited. In spring of 1794 -Scott wrote to friends in Roxburghshire exulting in the 'good spirit' -shown by the upper classes in Edinburgh. He was much excited over the -enrolment of a regiment of volunteers, in which his brother Thomas was a -grenadier, and from which he himself was excluded by his lameness. We -can imagine him chafing in soul to be 'a mere spectator of the drills.' -It was more than his hot, impulsive nature could endure. At last the -happy inspiration came to him to propose the formation of a corps of -volunteer light horse. The idea was popular, but some time was required -to get it carried out. - -Meantime an incident happened which vividly illustrates the -highly-charged atmosphere of the time and Scott's romantic excess of -loyalty. Some Irish medical students had set themselves to annoy the -loyal people in the theatre by calling for seditious tunes and howling -down the National Anthem. This foolish conduct was, of course, strongly -resented by the audience, and especially by the young Tory lawyers. It -was determined to give the Irishmen a lesson, and put a stop to the -scandal. 'Scott' (says Lockhart) 'was conspicuous among the juvenile -advocates and solicitors who on this grand night assembled in front of -the pit, armed with stout cudgels, and determined to have _God save the -King_ not only played without interruption but sung in full chorus by -both company and audience. The Irishmen were ready at the first note of -the anthem. They rose, clapped on their hats, and brandished their -shillelaghs; a stern battle ensued, and after many heads had been -cracked, the lawyers at length found themselves in possession of the -field.' From a letter of Scott's written a few days after, it appears -that five of the loyal youths had been bound over to keep the peace, and -that he personally had knocked down three of the Democrats. His friends -said he had 'signalised himself splendidly in this desperate fray.' On -the occasion of the riots which took place in the course of this -troubled year he was active among the special constables sworn in to -guard the town. - -In the autumn of 1795 Mrs. Barbauld was on a visit to Edinburgh. One -evening this distinguished writer read to a party in the house of Dugald -Stewart an unpublished poem by William Taylor, a translation of Burger's -ballad of _Lenore_. Scott was not one of the company. He seems to have -been away on one of his usual tours, but on his return in the course of -a few weeks, a friend gave him, as best he could, an account of the -performance. Scott was deeply interested, and never rested till he had -procured a copy of the original German. After reading the poem, he told -his friend, Miss Cranstoun, that he was going to write a translation of -it himself. He was greatly excited over the matter, and finished his -task at one sitting the same night. In the morning, before breakfast, -he took his production to Miss Cranstoun, who was not only delighted but -astonished. Lockhart quotes from one of her letters, 'Upon my word, -Walter Scott is going to turn out a poet--something of a cross, I think, -between Burns and Gray.' Sir Alexander Wood, to whom also he showed the -poem the same day, retained a vivid recollection of the high-strung -enthusiasm to which he had worked himself up by dwelling on the wild, -unearthly imagery of the ballad. He tells how Scott must needs provide -himself with symbols, a skull and cross-bones, which they procured from -Dr. John Bell, and which Scott set up as trophies on the top of his -little book-case. When Wood visited him, after many years of absence -from this country, he saw them again similarly placed in his -dressing-room at Abbotsford. - -Miss Cranstoun, afterwards Countess of Purgstall, told Captain Basil -Hall on her deathbed that she and William Erskine got a few copies of -the _Lenore_ printed. She was doing her best for Scott in his courtship -of Miss Stuart, and thought the verses might work in his favour. She -sent a copy, 'richly bound and blazoned,' to Scott, who was in the -country at a house where Miss Stuart was also a visitor. This was -really Scott's first publication. The verses were much admired by his -friends, but this was all. His pursuit of Miss Stuart presently came to -an end, on the announcement of her engagement to Forbes. A most -interesting glimpse into the real inwardness of this affair is afforded -in _Peveril of the Peak_, written twenty-six years after. The poet thus -soberly moralises, _non sine desiderio_:--'The period at which love is -formed for the first time, and felt most strongly, is seldom that at -which there is much prospect of its being brought to a happy issue. The -state of artificial society opposes many complicated obstructions to -early marriages; and the chance is very great that such obstacles prove -insurmountable. In fine, there are few men who do not look back in -secret to some period of their youth, at which a sincere and early -affection was repulsed, or betrayed, or became abortive from opposing -circumstances. It is these little passages of secret history which -leave a tinge of romance in every bosom, scarce permitting us, even in -the most busy or the most advanced period of life, to listen with total -indifference to a tale of true love.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XXVII* - -Friendship with Skene of Rubislaw--Skene's Account of the Edinburgh -Light Horse--'Earl Walter'--Marriage of Walter Scott and Charlotte -Carpenter--The Edinburgh Home--Edinburgh Friends--The Cottage at -Lasswade. - - -Scott's German studies brought him at this time one of the most valued -friendships of his life. Mr. Skene of Rubislaw, having resided several -years in Saxony, and having a similar fondness for the fresh and natural -literature of Germany, entered into Scott's ideas with zest, and -assisted him in his struggles with the language. The two soon drew -together, and became intimate friends. Skene wrote afterwards with -pride of this friendship, which during nearly forty years 'never -sustained even a casual chill,' and he testified, like all others who -knew him, that 'never in the whole progress of his varied life, could I -perceive the slightest shade of variance from that simplicity of -character with which he impressed me on the first hour of our meeting.' -Skene was one of those who joined heartily in promoting the volunteer -cavalry movement, and of this affair he has given some interesting -particulars. 'The London Light Horse had set the example, but in truth -it was to Scott's ardour that this force in the North owed its origin. -Unable, by reason of his lameness, to serve amongst his friends on foot, -he had nothing for it but to rouse the spirit of the moss-trooper with -which he readily inspired all who possessed the means of substituting -the sabre for the musket.' In February 1797 a meeting was held, and an -offer was sent to the Government which was at once accepted. The -organisation of the corps was then begun. The Major-Commandant was -Maitland of Rankeillor. Skene was a cornet: Scott was quartermaster. -'The part of quartermaster was purposely selected for him, that he might -be spared the rough usage of the ranks; but, notwithstanding his -infirmity, he had a remarkably firm seat on horseback, and in all -situations a fearless one: no fatigue ever seemed too much for him, and -his zeal and animation served to sustain the enthusiasm of the whole -corps, while his ready _mot a rire_ kept up, in all, a degree of -good-humour and relish for the service, without which the toil and -privations of long _daily_ drills would not easily have been submitted -to by such a body of gentlemen. At every interval of exercise, the order -_sit at ease_ was the signal for the quartermaster to lead the squadron -to merriment; every eye was intuitively turned on "Earl Walter," as he -was familiarly called by his associates of that date, and his ready joke -seldom failed to raise the ready laugh.... His habitual humour was the -great charm, and at the daily mess that reigned supreme.' The gallant -squadron continued its daily drills all the spring and summer of 1797, -and even spent some weeks under canvas at Musselburgh. Most of the -troopers being professional men, they had their drill at five in the -morning,--an act of heroic self-denial which speaks volumes for the -spirit evoked by 'haughty Gaul's' threats of invasion. By the end of -the year England had established her supremacy on sea, all fear of an -invasion was dissipated, and the volunteers' occupation for the time was -gone.[1] - - -[1] See, in connection with the volunteer episode, Scott's 'War Song of -the Royal Edinburgh Light Dragoons,' written in 1802: also Introduction -to Canto v. of _Marmion_. - - -On the 24th of December of this year Scott was married in St. Mary's -Church, Carlisle, to Charlotte Margaret Carpenter, whom he had met for -the first time when on a tour during that autumn among the English -Lakes. She was the daughter of Jean Charpentier, a French royalist, who -had died about the beginning of the Revolution. The widow and her -daughter took refuge in England, where Charpentier had, in his first -alarm at the outbreak of the revolution, invested a sum of L4000. In a -letter to his mother Scott speaks of his wife's fortune as then L500 a -year, but precarious as to the amount, being partly dependent on her -brother, who held a high office in Madras. With this added to his own -earnings, he says, 'I have little doubt we will be enabled to hold the -rank in society which my family and situation entitle me to fill.' -Their married life in Edinburgh began in a lodging in George Street, -from which they removed, as soon as it was ready for their reception, to -a house in South Castle Street. Mrs. Scott, who was lively and fond of -society, soon found herself the centre of a most interesting social -life. Indeed 'those humble days' were perhaps the happiest of all. -'Mrs. Scott's arrival' (says Lockhart) 'was welcomed with unmingled -delight by the brothers of _the Mountain_. The officers of the Light -Horse, too, established a club among themselves, supping once a week at -each other's houses in rotation. The lady thus found two somewhat -different, but both highly agreeable circles ready to receive her with -cordial kindness; and the evening hours passed in a round of innocent -gaiety, all the arrangements being conducted in a simple and inexpensive -fashion, suitable to young people whose days were mostly laborious, and -very few of their purses heavy. Scott and Erskine had always been fond -of the theatre; the pretty bride was passionately so--and I doubt if -they ever spent a week in Edinburgh without indulging themselves in this -amusement. But regular dinners and crowded assemblies were in those -years quite unthought of.' - -In the summer of 1798 began the series of summer sojourns at Lasswade, -on the Esk, which brought to Scott important additions to his list of -friends. Among his neighbours in this romantic district, which had been -his favourite haunt in boyish rambles, were Henry Mackenzie, the 'Man of -Feeling,' the Clerks of Pennycuick, and Lord Woodhouselee, with all of -whom he was already familiar. But it was at Lasswade that he first -'formed intimacies, even more important in their results, with the noble -families of Melville and Buccleuch, both of whom have castles in the -same valley.' - - 'Who knows not Melville's beechy grove, - And Roslin's rocky glen; - Dalkeith, which all the virtues love, - And classic Hawthornden?' - -It is of the Esk that he says in the same poem, _The Grey Brother_, - - 'Thro' woods more fair no stream more sweet - Rolls to the eastern main.' - - -An interesting notice appeared recently in a local paper regarding Scott -and his family's connection with St. George's Episcopal Church in York -Place, Edinburgh. He seems to have become a member of what he (in the -person of Paulus Pleydell) calls 'the suffering and Episcopal Church of -Scotland--the shadow of a shade now' after his marriage had set him free -from the customs of George Square. The Scott family pew in St. George's -was No. 81, afterwards No. 85, and the article states that this fact is -attested on a brass plate fixed on the pew, as well as by a written -statement contained in a closed glass case hung inside the church porch. -It was the incumbent of St. George's that officiated at the marriage of -Sophia Scott to John Gibson Lockhart. The worshippers in the quaint old -church to this day, it is said, take great pride in the memory of the -most illustrious member of their historic flock. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXVIII* - -The Mercantile Class in Edinburgh--The Town Council--Political -Corruption--Petty Tyranny--The Town Clerk--James Laing, Head of the -Police--His Methods with Disturbers of the Peace--Anecdotes of Laing and -Dugald Stewart. - - -At the end of the eighteenth century there was no social intercourse -between the aristocratic, which was, generally speaking, the educated, -class and the mercantile portion of the community. Wealth had not yet -become a passport into 'society.' Birth and ancestry, on the contrary, -were so, however poor the possessor of an old name might be. The -professions, especially that of law, were still mainly recruited from -noble or gentle families. As yet also, no traders in Edinburgh had made -great fortunes or could afford social display. As individuals, -therefore, business people were of no account. Politically, having no -votes they had no direct power, and in all public matters their general -attitude was one of complete subserviency to their betters. This, of -course, was looked upon by both classes as the natural state of things, -and explains the humble place occupied by the shopkeeping characters in -the Waverley Novels. Lord Cockburn, speaking of the city government, -records that everything of that kind was managed by the town council: -light, water, education, trade, the Port of Leith, the streets, the -poor, the police. He describes the Council Chamber as a low, dark, -blackguard-looking room, entering from a covered passage, on the site of -the present Signet Library. The chamber was a low-roofed room, very -dark and very dirty, with some small dens off it for clerks. 'Within -this Pandemonium sat the town council, omnipotent, corrupt, -impenetrable. Nothing was beyond its grasp; no variety of opinion -disturbed its unanimity, for the pleasure of Dundas was the sole rule -for every one of them. Silent, powerful, submissive, mysterious, and -irresponsible, they might have been sitting in Venice.' Speaking of -Scottish town councils in general, our authority uses even stronger -language. 'Many of the small ones were in the lowest possible condition -of public and private morality. In general, they were sinks of -political and municipal iniquity, steeped in the baseness which they -propagated, and types and causes of the corruption that surrounded -them.' This is just the picture that one would draw, if inclined to be -censorious and not yielding to any sense of humour, from the very -interesting series of facts recorded in John Galt's book, _The Provost_. -Depend upon it, there was a good deal of human nature even in an -'unreformed' town council. Of their corrupt subservience to the powers -in place there can be no doubt, but they had at least as much of the -great quality of efficiency as their reformed successors. Such as they -were, they were generally the best men of the best class in each -community, and few men of the same type could now be got to enter the -popularly elected body. And what would we not give now for the old -peace and quietness? The silence would indeed be cheaply bought at the -price of the mystery and irresponsibility. Conscience is the only -guarantee against corruption, which may flourish like a green bay-tree -under popular election. In 1799, it seems, Mr. Smith, a councillor of -Edinburgh, electrified the city by a pamphlet in which he showed that -the burgh was bankrupt. What subjects would Mr. Smith not have found -for his financial genius if he had lived in 1899? What pamphlets might -Mr. Smith have printed on 'the Edinburgh Cable Tramways and their cost,' -or on 'the Usher Hall Sinking Fund.' Verily, life in a city might be -tolerable but for our town councils. - -The old town council had a very simple method of getting their work -done. They just left everything to the town clerk and the manager of -police. This seems to be the modern method, _minus_ the vulgar talk and -reports in the newspapers. The town-clerk was Mr. John Gray. Would he -were here to-day: a man who could hold his tongue and do jobs quietly! -Peace to the ashes of the good Gray: a judicious man, with a belly, -white hair, and decorous black clothes; famous for drinking punch; a -respectable and useful officer, devoted to his superiors, and chock-full -of municipal wisdom. The manager of police was James Laing, about whom -we have anecdotes which endear him to the heart of every lover of quiet. -James was a hater of noise at untimely hours. He may have been -prevented from writing his reminiscences by the rowdy din and uproar -which seems to have been then, as it is now, at all hours of the night -(constant up to midnight, in the small hours sporadic) as remarkable a -feature of residential Edinburgh as its deadly east wind. Fortunately, -James had the power, now defunct and obsolete, of making the police -operate. One evening the usual demoniac orgy of noise was proceeding, -driving peaceful citizens to profanity and despair. The whole devil's -tattoo was caused by a mere handful of tipsy hooligans--six or eight -baker lads, it seems, of respectable though humble parentage. James set -the police in motion, the lads were promptly arrested, and next morning, -when the master baker growled 'Ubi est ille apprentice?' echo answered -promptly, 'Non est inventus.' A lawyer, however, who took an interest -in the family of one of them, went that morning, greatly daring, to -James Laing to inquire, when he was told he need give himself no -trouble; 'they are all beyond Inchkeith by this time.' With a -promptness of device only equalled by his firmness of purpose, this -benefactor of suffering humanity had sent the disciples of Din to exert -their demoniac disturbances on the high seas! They had, in fact, been -shipped on board a tender in Leith Roads, which James knew was to sail -that very morning. After this, one is not astonished to learn that the -great Laing was a philosopher and entertained an immense reverence for -Dugald Stewart. Stewart used to tell an anecdote which proves that -Laing, besides discovering the best means of preserving quiet in the -streets, had also solved the problem of finding healthy employment for -the police in their 'hours of idleness.' The Professor was walking very -early one morning in the Meadows, when he saw a band of men within the -enclosure busily engaged apparently in turning up the turf. Upon going -up to them, he found his friend Laing commanding the operations, who -explained that in these short light nights there was nothing going on -with the blackguards, 'and so, ye see, Mr. Professor, I've just brought -oot the constables to try our hands at the moudieworts.' They were -catching moles. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIX* - -Public Condition of Edinburgh in 1800--Ostracism of Dugald Stewart--The -Whigs--Their Struggle for Power--The Infirmary Incident--Dr. -Gregory--His Pamphlets--Characteristics--Family Connection with Rob Roy. - - -Youthful friendship and their simple, kindly way of life counteracted -the effects of political feeling as concerned Scott and his Whig -friends. Under his humble roof the happiness of the little household -was never apparently marred by the intrusion of the soul-poisoning virus -of party spite. Had the conditions been reversed, had his political -friends been out of power, the difference would not have been great--to -him or his. His saving gift of humour would always have prevented him -from exaggerating the miseries of the losing side into horrors and -persecution. Occupied intellectually with the fascinating vistas of -romantic literature and blessed with the sympathy of a charming, -brave-hearted wife, and too diffident of his merits to resent the slow -advent of professional success, he could never have been chilled and -narrowed into a political prig wailing over the injustice of the times. -For all that, it was a bad time for many of his professional compeers. -From their (that is, the Whig) point of view, the public condition in -1800, and for the preceding ten years, was at once painful and -humiliating. Their very political creed subjected them to the suspicion -of disloyalty. Their cry of Reform was ill-timed, for who will trouble -with repairs to his house when his next-door neighbour's house is being -plundered and set on fire? Distrust begot dislike, and dislike grew to -detestation. 'The frightful thing,' says one who lived through it, 'was -the personal bitterness. The decent appearance of mutual toleration, -which often produces the virtue itself, was despised, and extermination -seemed a duty. This was bad enough in the capital; but far more -dreadful in small places, which were more helplessly exposed to -persecution. If Dugald Stewart was for several years not cordially -received in the city he adorned, what must have been the position of an -ordinary man who held Liberal opinions in the country or in a small -town, open to all the contumely and obstruction that local insolence -could practise, and unsupported probably by any associate cherishing -kindred thoughts? Such persons existed everywhere; but they were always -below the salt.' One may admire the pertinacity of such men, the -forerunners of Reform, while regretting the bitterness of feeling -engendered on both sides. The great mistake of the Tory party lay in -blindly confounding these theoretical politicians with the great mass of -the people. In snubbing their opponents they insulted the people, and -created a store of hatred against themselves which a century has not -exhausted. To this day the 'practical' Liberal politician knows that a -hundred clever speeches will have less effect in a Scottish constituency -than simply getting his opponent well saddled with the epithet of -'Tory.' The 'regeneration' for which the Whigs of 1800 waited, and -which their successors of 1832 thought they had accomplished, turned out -to be the institution of a plutocracy. The twentieth century will -perhaps experiment in pure democracy, now that the manual workers have -begun to _feel_ the power which they owe to the tireless efforts of the -Whigs. - -That public opinion was not altogether powerless even in 1800, is proved -by the 'Infirmary' incident. At that time a wellnigh incredible -arrangement prevailed in the hospital. Dr. Sangrado held sway for one -month, and then Dr. Cuchillo got his turn. The members of the Colleges -of Physicians and of Surgeons were the medical officers, and they -attended the hospital by a monthly rotation, so that the treatment of -the patients was liable to be totally altered every thirty days. A -proposal was now made to put an end to the absurdity. The change was -advocated by Dr. James Gregory, the celebrated professor, who was then -the acknowledged head of his profession in Scotland. He wrote a -pamphlet, strongly worded and personal, as was his nature, but -convincing. In spite of the opposition of the colleges and the majority -of the doctors, Gregory prevailed. The public was unanimous, the -managers were convinced, and a resolution was passed that there should -henceforth be permanent medical officers. - -Dr. Gregory was a great fighter. He came of a remarkable family, the -Gregories of Aberdeen, originally an offshoot of the MacGregor clan, and -proprietors of Kinardie in Banffshire. His great-grandfather was James -Gregory, inventor of the 'Gregorian' reflecting telescope. His -grandfather and his father were both distinguished medical professors. -It was his father Dr. John Gregory, who counted kin with Rob Roy and -entertained the bold outlaw more than once at Aberdeen. On one occasion -MacGregor proposed to carry James, then a boy of eight or nine, to the -Highlands and 'make a man of him.' The story is told in the -Introduction to _Rob Roy_ of 1829. Scott there describes James Gregory -as 'rather of an irritable and pertinacious disposition'; and says that -his friends were wont to remark, when he showed symptoms of temper, 'Ah! -this comes of not having been educated by Rob Roy.' Lord Cockburn calls -Gregory 'a curious and excellent man, a great physician, a great -lecturer, a great Latin scholar, and a great talker; vigorous and -generous; large of stature, and with a strikingly powerful countenance. -The popularity due to these qualities was increased by his professional -controversies, and the diverting publications by which he used to -maintain and enliven them. The controversies were rather too numerous; -but they were never for any selfish end, and he was never entirely -wrong. Still, a disposition towards personal attack was his besetting -sin.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XXX* - -Strongest 'Impressions' from the Waverley Novels--Special Charm of Death -of the old Lawyer in Chrystal Croftangry's Recollections--Death of -Walter Scott the Elder--The 'very scene' described--Scott appointed -Sheriff--Independence from Court Work. - - -A boy of ten in a quiet country parish forty years ago took a pride in -being able to say--'I have read _all_ Shakespeare, _all_ Byron, _all_ -the Waverley Novels,' and so on. The pursuit of this hobby was not -entirely fortunate. It tended to omnivorous rather than critical -reading--to the pursuit of enjoyment in reading rather than anything -else. It had, however, its obvious advantages, and gained him at the -University some first prizes, and a certain kindly consideration among -his fellows as one whose literary opinions were founded on first-hand -knowledge. His experience confirms a well-known opinion of Sir Walter -Scott's that children prefer, and on the whole understand quite -sufficiently, if they are encouraged to read it, the same literature -which fascinates their fathers. 'I am persuaded both children and the -lower class of readers hate books which are written _down_ to their -capacity, and love those that are composed more for their elders and -betters. The grand and interesting consists in ideas not in words.'[1] -At all events our 'impressionist' testifies that, having read _all_ the -Waverley Novels in the summer of his tenth year, he now recalls forty -years after, from that first reading, chiefly one general impression and -three special souvenirs which lived with him and have haunted his -imagination ever since. The general impression is an intense interest -in History (chiefly, of course, Scottish History) and Antiquities, -imbibed from the charming Introductions and Notes to the Novels. These -were read again and again, and always laid aside with a vivid sense of -regret that the Notes were so short. The special recollections are of -Henry Bertram returning to Ellangowan and recalling the old ballad of -'the bonnie woods o' Warroch Head': of Count Robert of Paris in the -dungeon: and, above all, of the death of Chrystal Croftangry's friend in -the 'Chronicles of the Canongate.' He still considers Bertram's return -the finest touch of romance since Homer pictured the old hound -recognising his long-lost master, Ulysses, in the beggar man. Count -Robert scarcely affects the man so strongly as he did the boy. But -Chrystal Croftangry has still the old charm--a charm trebled by the -associations which a knowledge of Scott's life attaches to these -inimitable chapters. Lockhart has revealed that 'in the portraiture of -Mrs. Murray Keith, under the name of Mrs. Bethune Baliol, he has mixed -up various features of his own beloved mother, and in the latter a good -deal was taken from nobody but himself.' The pathetic picture of the -death of Chrystal's old friend and legal counsellor, drawn with such -vigour and intense realism, is without doubt the death-scene of the old -'writer,' Walter Scott, the original of that 'one true friend, who knew -the laws of his country well, and, tracing them up to the spirit of -equity and justice in which they originate, had repeatedly prevented, by -his benevolent and manly exertions, the triumphs of selfish cunning over -simplicity and folly.' - - -[1] _Diary_, June 5, 1827. - - -The worthy and good old man died in 1799. He had suffered a succession -of paralytic attacks, under which mind as well as body had been laid -quite prostrate. From the lips of a near relation of the family -Lockhart gives the following touching statement made to himself on the -publication of the first 'Chronicles of the Canongate'--'I had been out -of Scotland for some time, and did not know of my good friend's illness, -until I reached Edinburgh, a few months before his death. I saw the -very scene that is here painted[2] of the elder Croftangry's -sickroom--not a feature different--poor Anne Scott, the gentlest of -creatures, was treated by the fretful patient exactly like this niece.' -And the biographer adds--'I have lived to see the curtain rise and fall -once more on a like scene.' - - -[2] 'Chronicles of the Canongate,' chap. I. Note that the house is in -Brown's Square, where old Fairford dwelt. - - -The old man's business was continued by his son Thomas, and the property -he left, though less than had been expected, was sufficient to make -ample provision for his widow, and a not inconsiderable addition to the -resources of those among whom the remainder was divided. - -On the 16th December 1799, Walter Scott was made Sheriff-Depute of -Selkirkshire, with a salary of L300. Probably, had Scott been an avowed -Whig, he would never have been offered the post, but beyond the mere -fact that he was _not_ a Whig, politics had no part in the appointment. -Personal friendship no doubt aided his other claims. The strongest -efforts were made on his behalf by both Robert and William Dundas, -nephews of Henry Dundas (Lord Melville), in whose hands was the general -control of all Crown patronage. The same was done by his (Henry -Dundas's) son Robert, and Lord Dalkeith and Lord Montague, sons of the -Duke of Buccleuch--all ardent volunteers. The result was that the Duke -and Dundas, both of whom knew and liked Scott, though neither was at all -'addicted to literature,' had no choice. Neither imagined that in -appointing the young advocate to be a sheriff-depute, he was making his -best bid for immortality. This very innocent 'job' was most happily -timed. It crowned the modest fortune of the young poet's little -household. The duties were light, and though the income was small, it -was sufficient to make him independent of the precarious prospects of a -profession for which he had never acquired any real liking. He spoke of -it himself in the words of Slender about Anne Page--'There was no great -love between us at the beginning; and it pleased Heaven to decrease it -on further acquaintance.' The end of the century, therefore, saw Scott -placed by fortune in the position which was his own ideal--free to -devote his best energies to literature, without depending on its results -for his own and his family's daily bread. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXI* - -Scott settled in Edinburgh--Defacement of City--Wrytte's -House--Gillespie the Snuff-seller--Erskine's Joke--The Woods of -Bellevue--Scott's ideal _rus in urbe_. - - -Scott's public career in literature practically began with the new -century. His new duties did not require a change of dwelling-place. -Edinburgh continued to be his home, and the centre of his deepest -personal interests. The defacement of the city was proceeding merrily, -and we cannot doubt that Scott was one of the few who disapproved. An -anonymous writer in the _Scots Magazine_ for July 1800 refers to the -neglect of the Chapel Royal at Holyrood and the destruction of the -Nunnery at Sciennes, and protests against the demolition of the old -building Wrytte's House, which had just been begun. It consisted of a -keep presiding over a group of inferior buildings, most of it as old as -the middle of the fourteenth century, and all delightfully picturesque. -The writer gives some details which are worth quoting: 'This magnificent -building is adorned with a profusion of sculptured figures, especially -above the windows. Above the main door, in beautiful workmanship, are -blazoned the arms of Great Britain, with the inscription, J. 6. M. B. F. -E. H. R. etc., ... there is a rough but curious piece of sculpture, -reminding Nobility of her origin;--Adam digging the ground and Eve -twirling the distaff, with the old rhyme beneath: - - When Adam delv'd and Eva span, - Quhar war a' the gentiles than?' - -Other figures represented the Virtues and the Five Senses. There was a -head in bas relief of Julius Caesar. This, says the writer, is going to -be preserved because it has been thought to bear some resemblance to the -visage of the celebrated tobacconist whose pious bequest has eventually -produced so woful a revolution! - -The execrable Vandals who did it were the Trustees of Gillespie's -Hospital. - - 'Duke Luke did this: - God's ban be his!' - -But lest we should be tempted to imprecate upon these long-departed -Dogberries the curses thundered by Dr. Slop upon the head of poor -Obadiah, listen now to Lord Cockburn: 'If I recollect right, this was -the first of the public charities of this century by which Edinburgh has -been blessed, or cursed. The founder was a snuff-seller, who brought up -an excellent young man as his heir, and then left death to disclose -that, for the vanity of being remembered by a thing called after -himself, he had all the while had a deed executed by which this, his -nearest, relation was disinherited.' - -One of Henry Erskine's jokes was at the expense of this double-minded -old snuff-seller. He suggested for Gillespie's carriage panels the -motto, 'Quid rides,' and beneath it: - - 'Wha wad hae thocht it, - That noses wad hae bocht it?' - -After briefly describing the old castle, Cockburn goes on: 'Nothing -could be more striking when seen against the evening sky. Many a feudal -gathering did that tower see on the Borough Moor; and many a time did -the inventor of logarithms, whose castle of Merchiston was near, enter -it. Yet it was brutishly obliterated, without one public murmur.... -The idiot public looked on in silence. How severely has Edinburgh -suffered by similar proceedings, adventured upon by barbarians, knowing -the apathetic nature, in these matters, of the people they have had to -deal with. All our beauty might have been preserved, without the -extinction of innumerable antiquities, conferring interest and dignity. -But reverence for mere antiquity, and even for modern beauty _on their -own account_, is scarcely a Scotch passion.' - -Another case. In the _Scots Magazine_ for May appeared, among the odd -scraps of news, this paragraph--'The elegant villa of Bellevue, the -property of the late Mrs. General Scott, in the neighbourhood of this -city, has been purchased by the Town Council; the terms, we understand, -are a feu-duty of L1050 per annum, with the privilege of buying it up, -within seven years, for L20,200. The pleasure ground is to be laid out -for building conformable to a plan.' - -The grounds of Bellevue were practically the whole space between the -east end of Queen Street and Canonmills, now fully covered with streets -and houses. The site of the villa was about the centre of the Drummond -Place enclosure, and on it was erected a custom-house which the old -guide-book calls 'another splendid appendage to this flourishing city, -which is now so rapidly enlarging its dimensions.' Such was the idea of -the unspeakable Philistines who destroyed this unmatched scene of -beauty, and transformed it into a commonplace urban corner. The -desecration does seem, however, to have been lamented, if not more -actively resented. Lord Cockburn speaks of people 'shuddering when they -heard the axes busy in the woods of Bellevue, and furious when they saw -the bare ground. But the axes, as usual, triumphed.' The old woodcut, -stiff and hard in its lines, showing the three-storied barracks of Queen -Street, commanding a free view west, north, and east, upon an open -sylvan scene, is enough to make one weep; and pathetic, too, in the same -way is Cockburn's story: 'No part of the home scenery of Edinburgh was -more beautiful than Bellevue.... The whole place waved with wood, and -was diversified by undulations of surface, and adorned by seats and -bowers and summer-houses. Queen Street, from which there was then an -open prospect over the Firth to the north-western mountains, was the -favourite Mall. Nothing certainly, within a town, could be more -delightful than the sea of the Bellevue foliage, gilded by the evening -sun, or the tumult of blackbirds and thrushes sending their notes into -all the adjoining houses in the blue of a summer morning. We clung long -to the hope that, though the city might in time surround them, Bellevue -at the east, and Drumsheugh (Lord Moray's place) at the west, end of -Queen Street, might be spared.... But the mere beauty of the town was -no more thought of at that time by anybody than electric telegraphs and -railways; and perpendicular trees, with leaves and branches, never find -favour in the sight of any Scotch mason. Indeed in Scotland almost -every one seems to be a "foe to the Dryads of the borough groves." It -is partly owing to our climate, which rarely needs shade; but more to -hereditary bad taste. So that at last the whole spot was made as dull -and bare as if the designer of the New Town himself had presided over -the operation.' - -There are many allusions in the works of Scott to 'the rage of -indiscriminate destruction which has removed or ruined so many monuments -of antiquity.' With special reference to Edinburgh, showing how little -the barbarous 'improvements' of the new commercial generation were to -his mind, Chrystal Croftangry, coming back to his native city after long -absence, decides to choose his dwelling-place not in George Square--nor -in Charlotte Square--nor in the old New Town--nor in the new New -Town--but in the Canongate--'Perhaps expecting to find some little -old-fashioned house, having somewhat of the _rus in urbe_, which he was -ambitious of enjoying.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXII* - -Richard Heber in Edinburgh--Friendship with Scott--'Discovers' John -Leyden--Leyden's Education--His Appearance, Oddities--Love of -Country--His Help in _Border Minstrelsy_--Anecdote told by Scott--Leyden -a Man of Genius. - - - Scenes sung by him who sings no more! - His bright and brief career is o'er, - And mute his tuneful strains; - Quench'd is his lamp of varied lore, - That loved the light of song to pour; - A distant and a deadly shore - Has LEYDEN'S cold remains!' - -Richard Heber, king of bibliomaniacs, being in Edinburgh in the winter -of 1799-1800, was warmly welcomed by the cultured society of the city, -and finding in Scott a kindred spirit, was soon drawn 'into habits of -close alliance' with the young antiquary whom he found at that time so -absorbed in a congenial task. Scott was busy in research for his -edition of the Border ballads, and Heber was delighted to enter into his -plans, assisting him with advice and with free access to the vast stores -of rare books which he had already collected. Their pleasant friendship -is celebrated in that delicious Christmas piece which introduces the -sixth canto of _Marmion_:-- - - 'How just that, at this time of glee, - My thoughts should, Heber, turn to thee! - For many a merry hour we 've known, - And heard the chimes of midnight's tone. - - Cease, then, my friend! a moment cease, - And leave these classic tomes in peace! - Of Roman and of Grecian lore, - Sure mortal brain can hold no more. - -Heber used to prowl about among the old book-shops, wherever he might -come upon MSS. or books that might be of use for the _Minstrelsy_. One -day he was searching in the small shop kept by a young bookseller named -Archibald Constable, when his attention was attracted 'by the -countenance and gestures of another daily visitant, who came not to -purchase, evidently, but to pore over the more recondite articles--often -balanced for hours on a ladder with a folio in his hand like Dominie -Sampson.' Some casual talk led Heber to the discovery that his -odd-looking acquaintance was 'a master of legend and traditions--an -enthusiastic collector and skilful expounder of these very Border -ballads.' He introduced the young man to Scott, who soon learned that -this was the 'J.L.' whose verses in the _Edinburgh Magazine_ had often -much excited his curiosity, as showing that their author was a native of -the Scottish Borders. Thus commenced the friendship between Scott and -Leyden, two poets who were at least equal in that intense love of -Scotland which is expressed with natural charm in the verses of both. - -John Leyden, then twenty-five years of age, was a man who rivalled, in -his extraordinary powers of acquiring knowledge, the almost fabulous -records of the Admirable Crichton and Pico di Mirandola. The son of a -shepherd, he was born at Denholm, a village of Roxburghshire, in 1775. -After learning what he could at a small country school and getting some -help in Latin from a neighbouring minister, the boy set to work to -educate himself, making even then a special study of old Scottish works, -such as the rhyming chronicles of Wallace and Bruce, Sir David Lyndsay's -poems, and the ballads of Teviotdale. When he came to Edinburgh -University in 1790, it is said he astonished all by his odd manners and -speech, and confounded his teachers 'by the portentous mass of his -acquisitions in almost every department of learning.' 'He was'--this is -Cockburn's description--'a wild-looking, thin, Roxburghshire man, with -sandy hair, a screech voice, and staring eyes--exactly as he came from -his native village of Denholm; and not one of these not very attractive -personal qualities would he have exchanged for all the graces of Apollo. -By the time I knew him he had made himself one of our social shows, and -could and did say whatever he chose. His delight lay in arguments ... -always conducted on his part in a high shrill voice, with great -intensity, and an utter unconsciousness of the amazement, or even the -aversion, of strangers. His daily extravagances, especially mixed up, as -they always were, with exhibitions of his own ambition and confidence, -made him be much laughed at even by his friends. Notwithstanding these -ridiculous or offensive habits, he had considerable talent and great -excellences. There is no walk in life, depending on ability, where -Leyden could not have shone. Unwearying industry was sustained and -inspired by burning enthusiasm. Whatever he did, his whole soul was in -it. His heart was warm and true. No distance, or interest, or novelty -could make him forget an absent friend or his poor relations. His -physical energy was as vigorous as his mental; so that it would not be -easy to say whether he would have engaged with a new-found eastern -manuscript, or in battle, with the more cordial alacrity. His love of -Scotland was delightful. It breathes through all his writings and all -his proceedings, and imparts to his poetry its most attractive charm. -The affection borne him by many distinguished friends, and their deep -sorrow for his early extinction, is the best evidence of his talent and -worth. Indeed, his premature death was deplored by all who delight to -observe the elevation of merit, by its own force and through personal -defects, from obscurity to fame. He died in Batavia at the age of -thirty-six. Had he been spared, he would have been a star in the East of -the first magnitude.' - -Leyden's work on the _Border Minstrelsy_ deserves more than casual -notice, and was most warmly and amply acknowledged by Scott. The -Dissertation on Fairies, which introduces the second volume, 'although -arranged and digested by the editor, abounds with instances of such -curious reading as Leyden only had read, and was originally compiled by -him.' Leyden was equally enthusiastic in collecting the ballads, and -was determined from the first to make the collection a big thing--to -turn out three or four volumes at least. 'In this labour,' says Scott, -'he was equally interested by friendship for the editor, and by his own -patriotic zeal for the honour of the Scottish borders; and both may be -judged of from the following circumstance. An interesting fragment had -been obtained of an ancient historical ballad; but the remainder, to the -great disturbance of the editor and his coadjutor, was not to be -recovered. Two days afterwards, while the editor was sitting with some -company after dinner, a sound was heard at a distance like that of the -whistling of a tempest through the torn rigging of the vessel which -scuds before it. The sounds increased as they approached more near; and -Leyden (to the great astonishment of such of the guests as did not know -him) burst into the room, chanting the desiderated ballad with the most -enthusiastic gesture, and all the energy of what he used to call the -saw-tones of his voice. It turned out that he had walked between forty -and fifty miles and back again, for the sole purpose of visiting an old -person who possessed this precious remnant of antiquity.' - -Only men of the warm-blooded species could thoroughly appreciate John -Leyden. His absurdities had nothing akin to foolishness. They were the -inevitable accompaniments of genius operating, Alexander-like, towards -what appeared impossible. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXIII* - -The 'Young Men of Edinburgh'--Their Whiggery--Anecdote of Jeffrey and -Bell--James Grahame, Author of _The Sabbath_--Sydney Smith--His Liking -for Scotland--Whig Dread of Wit--Lord Webb Seymour--Horner's Analysis of -him--Friendship with Playfair--His Anecdote of Horner. - - -The name of Leyden suggests the remarkable 'concentration of conspicuous -young men' of which Lord Cockburn speaks so often with pride. They were -mostly Whigs, drawn together by political sympathy and speculative -tastes. Most of them attained the high distinction to which their -talents well entitled them to aspire, and several of them achieved high -literary fame. Jeffrey, Cockburn, and Brougham were at the centre of -this group, which also for a time included Leyden, Sydney Smith, Thomas -Campbell, Francis Horner, and John Allen. Scott, as we know, was on -terms of warm intimacy with some of these, but he was not one of their -society, though he used to say he seemed never to enjoy an evening so -much as when spent among his Whig friends. To the same set belonged -George Joseph Bell, author of the _Commentaries on the Law of -Bankruptcy_, and afterwards Professor of Law in Edinburgh University. -From the _Life of Jeffrey_ it is evident that Bell's influence on the -future Reviewer was great and invaluable. The sight of Bell's tireless -assiduity at his great work made Jeffrey exclaim--'Since I have seen you -engaged in that great work of yours, and witnessed the confinement and -perspiration it has occasioned you, I have oftener considered you as an -object of envy and reproachful comparison than ever before.... I have -wished myself hanged for a puppy.' He was constantly exhorting Jeffrey -to exertion, and really inspired him with the hope and confidence that -led to success. - -Another estimable Whig ('but with him Whig principles meant only the -general principles of liberty') was James Grahame, best known from his -poem _The Sabbath_. Professor Wilson greatly esteemed Grahame, and -wrote an elegy to his memory, which Cockburn says owes its charm to its -expressing the gentle kindness and simple piety of his departed friend. -'His delight was in religion and poetry, and he was perfectly contented -with his humble curacy. With the softest of human hearts, his -indignation knew no bounds when it was roused by what he held to be -oppression, especially of animals or the poor, both of whom he took -under his special protection. He and a beggar seemed always to be old -friends.' - -A happy accident brought the Rev. Sydney Smith to Edinburgh. He had -abandoned the dreary solitude of Nether Avon, where he was 'the first -and purest pauper of the hamlet,' in order to accompany, as bear-leader, -the son of Squire Beach to the University of Weimar in 1797, but the -disturbed state of affairs at that time in Germany made their plans -impracticable. So, as Smith put it, they were driven 'by stress of -politics' into Edinburgh. Here he found a very congenial society, and -soon became a leader among the younger Whigs. It was part of his humour -to gird at Scotland as the garret of the world, or the knuckle-end of -England, and at Scotsmen for requiring a surgical operation to -appreciate a joke, but there was no part of Britain where his wit and -jokes were more appreciated, and his daughter, Lady Holland, testifies -to his strong liking for both the country and the people. It is said -that he and his companions gained for Edinburgh the title of the Modern -Athens. - -Unfortunately Cockburn's reference to Sydney Smith is very brief. He -only says--'Smith's reputation here then was the same as it has been -throughout his life, that of a wise wit. Was there ever more sense -combined with more hilarious jocularity? But he has been lost by being -placed within the pale of holy orders. He has done his duty there -decently well, and is an admirable preacher. But he ought to have been -in some freer sphere; especially since wit and independence do not make -bishops.' One feels tempted to add 'under a Whig Government.' It is -only justice to the memory of the wittiest of men to say that 'decently -well' as applied to his parochial work is faint praise.' It was from -beginning to end of his career brilliantly conducted, and it was only -'the timidity of the Whigs' that prevented his being made a bishop. The -Tory minister, Lord Lyndhurst, in 1829 promoted him to a prebendal stall -at Bristol. It was only stupid people who doubted Smith's orthodoxy, and -the doubt originated solely in the popularity of his jokes. - -Another Englishman, who was one of the distinguished company and who -lived in Edinburgh from 1797 to his death in 1819, was Lord Webb -Seymour, brother of the Duke of Somerset. His purpose in retiring to -Edinburgh was to devote himself wholly to the study of science and -philosophy, a purpose which he carried out without swerving for a -moment. Such a man could not fail to be universally respected and -beloved. It can be seen from Horner's _Memoirs_ how excellent was the -effect which the truly philosophic views and practice of this rare man -had upon the minds and characters of his friends. Horner in his -_Journal_ analyses his friend's character very acutely: 'He possesses -several of the most essential constituents to the character of a true -philosopher--an ardent passion for knowledge and improvement, with -apparently as few preconceived prejudices as most people can have. A -habit of study intense almost to plodding--a mild, timid, reserved -disposition.... He can subject himself to general rules, which perhaps -he carries too far in matters of diet, etc. His knowledge of character -quite astonishes me at times--his proficiency in the science of -physiognomy.' Horner must have been charmed to meet so much of himself -in the personality of another. Seymour, being such a man, disapproved -of Horner's entry into political life. His friendship with Playfair, -the great mathematician and geologist, was famous. Geology was the -favourite pursuit of both, and they were continually together in -scientific walks and excursions. Cockburn says: 'They used to be called -man and wife. Before I got acquainted with them, I used to envy their -walks in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, and their scientific excursions -to the recesses of the Highland glens, and to the summits of the -Highland mountains. Two men more amiable, more philosophical and more -agreeable there could not be.' - -Francis Horner, the youngest of the band, became prominent at an early -age for his strong and very independent views on politics. Sydney Smith -was 'cautioned against him' by some excellent and feeble people to whom -he had brought letters of introduction. This led to their friendship. -It was of Horner that Smith said: 'The commandments were written on his -face. I have often told him there was not a crime he might not commit -with impunity, as no judge or jury who saw him could give the smallest -degree of credit to anything that was said against him.' The following -anecdote related by Smith is a happy illustration of the character of -Horner and of his friend who tells it: 'He loved truth so much, that he -never could bear any jesting upon important subjects. I remember one -evening the late Lord Dudley and myself pretended to justify the conduct -of the government in stealing the Danish fleet; we carried on the -argument with some wickedness against our graver friend; he could not -stand it, but bolted indignantly out of the room; we flung up the sash, -and, with loud peals of laughter, professed ourselves decided -Scandinavians; we offered him not only the ships, but all the shot, -powder, cordage, and even the biscuit, if he would come back; but -nothing could turn him; he went home, and it took us a fortnight of -serious behaviour before we were forgiven.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXIV* - -M. G. Lewis--Seeks out Scott--_The Monk_--Translation by Scott of -Goetz--Anecdote of Lewis--James Ballantyne--Prints _Apology for Tales of -Terror_--William Laidlaw--James Hogg--Character and Talents. - - -Scott's connection with M. G. Lewis, author of _The Monk_, was brought -about through William Erskine's having shown him Scott's translations -from the German. Lewis was eager to get Scott enlisted as a contributor -to his projected _Tales of Wonder_. He came to Edinburgh in the autumn -of 1798, and Scott long afterwards told Allan Cunningham that he had -never felt such elation as when the 'Monk' invited him to dine with him -for the first time at his hotel. Lewis indeed was _the_ literary lion -of the time. Charles Fox had crossed the floor of the House of Commons -to congratulate him on his book. The London literary world was for the -time classified into the adherents and the detractors of _The Monk_. -Scott and he now met frequently, and it should not be forgotten, in -justice to the small man, that the great one, roused by the ringing -lines of 'Alonzo the Brave' and such resounding ware, was by him first -set upon trying his hand at original verse, 'for' (Scott adds) 'I had -passed the early part of my life with a set of clever, rattling, -drinking fellows, whose thoughts and talents lay wholly out of the -region of poetry.' Lewis was very small in person, and looked always -like a schoolboy. Moreover, for all his cleverness, he was a decided -bore in society; but all the same he was, as Scott always maintained, a -good and generous man, who did good by stealth. Soon after this, he -took the trouble to arrange for Scott the publication of his translation -of Goethe's _Goetz von Berlichingen_, bargaining with Bell the publisher -for twenty-five guineas for the copyright, and another twenty-five -guineas in case of a second edition, which, however, was not called for -till long after the copyright had expired. The _Goetz_ came out in -February 1799. Lewis also did his best to get another half-translated, -half-original dramatic piece of Scott's, _The House of Aspen_, produced -on the stage, but without success. Scott has an anecdote of Lewis in his -_Journal_ which is rather amusing:--'I remember a picture of him being -handed about at Dalkeith House. It was a miniature, I think by -Saunders, who had contrived to muffle Lewis's person in a cloak, and -placed some poignard or dark lanthorn appurtenance (I think) in his -hand, so as to give the picture the cast of a bravo. It passed from hand -to hand into that of Henry, Duke of Buccleuch, who, hearing the general -voice affirm that it was very like, said aloud, "That like Matt Lewis? -Why, that picture's like a _Man_!" Imagine the effect! Lewis was at -his elbow.' - -Towards the end of the year 1799 occurred an incident, trifling enough -in itself, which was destined by the sport of Fate to bring disaster and -sorrow upon the life of Scott. He had paid a short visit to Rosebank, -his uncle's house at Kelso, and was preparing to return to Edinburgh for -the winter, when an old acquaintance, James Ballantyne, the eldest son -of a Kelso shopkeeper, called to see him. James, having failed to -establish himself as a solicitor, was now the printer and editor of a -weekly newspaper in Kelso. The writing of a short legal article by Scott -for the _Kelso Mail_ led to Ballantyne's printing twelve copies of a few -of Scott's ballads under the title of _Apology for Tales of -Terror_--1799. Very soon after this Scott appears to have been planning -that fatal scheme of partnership which brought Ballantyne to town and -all his woe. - -In Edinburgh Scott still continued his attendance at the Bar. But all -the time he could spare beyond this and his sheriff's duties, was -devoted during the years 1800 and 1801 to his labours on the -_Minstrelsy_. In fact, he combined to some extent his double aims, and -the sheriff's visits to Ettrick Forest often resulted in large additions -to the ballad-editor's stores. In one of these excursions he was -hospitably entertained at the farm of Blackhouse, on the Douglas burn. -There he found another zealous assistant in ballad-hunting, William -Laidlaw, the son of his kindly host. Of this ever-memorable and most -faithful friend of Scott, Lockhart says: 'He was then a very young man, -but the extent of his acquirements was already as noticeable as the -vigour and originality of his mind: and their correspondence, where -"Sir" passes at a few bounds, through "Dear Sir" and "Dear Mr. Laidlaw," -to "Dear Willie," shows how speedily this new acquaintance had warmed -into a very tender affection. Laidlaw's zeal about the ballads was -repaid by Scott's anxious endeavours to get him removed from a sphere -for which, he writes, "it is no flattery to say that you are much too -good." It was then, and always continued to be, his opinion, that his -friend was particularly qualified for entering with advantage on the -study of the medical profession; but such designs, if Laidlaw himself -ever took them up seriously, were not ultimately persevered in; and I -question whether any worldly success could, after all, have overbalanced -the retrospect of an honourable life spent happily in the open air of -nature, amidst scenes the most captivating to the eye of genius, and in -the intimate confidence of, perhaps, the greatest of contemporary -minds.' - -James Hogg, the 'Ettrick Shepherd,' was at this time working in a -neighbouring valley. Laidlaw told Scott of the humble shepherd who was -so fond of the local songs and ballads, and whose aged mother was -celebrated in the Ettrick dales for having by heart several notable -ballads in a perfect form. 'The personal history of James Hogg' (says -Lockhart) 'must have interested Scott even more than any acquisition of -that sort which he owed to this acquaintance with, perhaps, the most -remarkable man that ever wore the _maud_ of a shepherd. Under the garb, -aspect, and bearing of a rude peasant--and rude enough he was in most of -these things, even after no inconsiderable experience of society--Scott -found a brother poet, a true son of nature and genius, hardly conscious -of his powers. He had taught himself to write by copying the letters of -a printed book as he lay watching his flock on the hillside, and had -probably reached the utmost pitch of his ambition, when he first found -that his artless rhymes could touch the heart of the ewe-milker who -partook the shelter of his mantle during the passing storm. As yet his -naturally kind and simple character had not been exposed to any of the -dangerous flatteries of the world; his heart was pure, his enthusiasm -buoyant as that of a happy child; and well as Scott knew that -reflection, sagacity, wit and wisdom, were scattered abundantly among -the humblest rangers of these pastoral solitudes, there was here a depth -and a brightness that filled him with wonder, combined with a quaintness -of humour, and a thousand little touches of absurdity, which afforded -him more entertainment, as I have often heard him say, than the best -comedy that ever set the pit in a roar.' - -Hogg, it should be mentioned, had been in the service of Mr. Laidlaw at -Blackhouse from 1790 to 1799, and during that time had been treated with -great sympathy and kindness. He enjoyed the run of all the books in the -house, and was prompted and encouraged with his rhymes. Hogg was born -in 1772, being thus a year younger than Scott. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXV* - -Failure of Lewis's _Tales_--Scott's _Border Minstrelsy_--Ballantyne's -Printing--His Conceit--Removal of Chief Baron from Queensberry -House--His odd Benevolence--Anecdote of Charles Hope--The Schoolmasters -Act. - - -The long-deferred _Tales of Wonder_ at length appeared in 1801. For -various reasons the book was a failure. A vigorous parody held up the -author's style and person to ridicule. On the whole, however, Scott's -share in the unlucky venture did him no harm. His contributions, he -says, were dismissed without much censure, and in some cases received -praise from the critics. 'Like Lord Home at the battle of Flodden, I -did so far well, that I was able to stand and save myself.' - -The episode seems to have made him all the more eager to come forward on -his own account with the _Minstrelsy_. Volumes I. and II. were -published in January 1802 by Cadell and Davies, of the Strand. The -edition was specially remarkable as being the first work printed by -James Ballantyne from his press at Kelso. 'When the book came out, the -imprint, Kelso, was read with wonder by amateurs of typography, who had -never heard of such a place, and were astonished at the example of -handsome printing which so obscure a town had produced.' (See 'Essay on -Imitations of the Ancient Ballad.') We know from Lockhart that the -editor's most sanguine expectations were exceeded by its success. The -edition was exhausted in the course of the year, and Scott received L78, -10s., being half the net profits of the venture. Longman, it seems, came -in person to Edinburgh, to make 'a very liberal offer' for the -copyright, including the third volume, which was accepted. There is a -letter to Scott from James Ballantyne, who had been in London, -'cultivating acquaintance with publishers,' in which he says, 'I shall -ever think the printing the _Scottish Minstrelsy_ one of the most -fortunate circumstances of my life. I have gained, not lost by it, in a -pecuniary light; and the prospects it has been the means of opening to -me, may advantageously influence my future destiny. I can never be -sufficiently grateful for the interest you unceasingly take in my -welfare. One thing is clear--that Kelso cannot be my abiding place for -aye.' - -Soaring ambition of the 'stickit solicitor,' and melancholy blindness of -the great man who took the conceited 'cratur' on his own valuation! But -the ill-omened 'Bulmer of Kelso' had not yet descended on the Canongate, -when an event happened which may be regarded as summing up and crowning -the transformation of old Edinburgh. It was a sort of postscript to the -change which the last generation had seen effected with such startling -and tragic rapidity. This was the removal (in 1801) of the family of -Lord Chief Baron Sir James Montgomery from their famous residence, -Queensberry House in the Canongate. Queensberry House was acquired by -the first Duke of Queensberry from Lord Halton, afterwards Earl of -Lauderdale. The Duke is said to have practically rebuilt it and made it, -both inside and out, one of the finest mansions in the country. To-day -there is nothing suggestive of former grandeur about the building, -except its size and the massive wall which fronts it. The name -'Queensberry House' is painted on the gate and is also on a brass plate -at the bell-handle. The building looks like a modern barrack, the -windows having been pointed and freshened up for the visit of King -Edward: very proper treatment for a 'House of Refuge,' if not for -Queensberry House. In this mansion, 'Kitty, beautiful and young,' the -wife of Charles, third Duke, used to lead the aristocratic society of -Edinburgh in the days of the first and second Georges. She was the -friend of Prior, who celebrated her as 'the Female Phaeton,' and half a -century later Horace Walpole added two lines to the poem:-- - - 'To many a Kitty Love his car will for a day engage, - But Prior's Kitty, ever fair, obtained it for an age.' - -Under 'Old Q.' the mansion in the Canongate was dismantled. Sir James -Montgomery resided in it till 1801, when he resigned his seat as Chief -Baron, and retired to the country. 'I believe' (says Cockburn) 'he was -the last gentleman who resided in that historical mansion, which, though -now one of the asylums of destitution, was once the brilliant abode of -rank and fashion and political intrigue. I wish the Canongate could be -refreshed again by the habitual sight of the Lord Chief Baron's family -and company, and the gorgeous carriage, and the tall and well-dressed -figure, in the old style, of his Lordship himself. He was much in our -house, my father being one of his Puisnes. Though a remarkably kind -landlord, he thought it his duty to proceed sometimes with apparent -severity against poachers, smugglers, and other rural corrupters; but as -it generally ended in his paying the fine himself, in order to save the -family, his benevolence was supposed to do more harm than his justice -did good. He died in 1803.' - -On the occasion of Montgomery's retirement Robert Dundas was appointed -Lord Chief Baron, and Charles Hope became Lord Advocate. His short -career was signalised by a somewhat rash and high-handed proceeding -against Morison, a Banffshire farmer, who had dismissed a ploughman for -absenting himself without leave in order to attend a volunteer drill. -The matter led to a motion of censure in the House of Commons, which was -not carried, but considerable odium was stirred. Hope in his defence -had spoken of the Lord Advocate as vested with the whole powers of the -state, both military and civil. An English newspaper reported Hope's -return to Scotland in this satirical paragraph:--'Arrived at Edinburgh, -the Lord High Chancellor of Scotland, the Lord Justice-General, the Lord -Privy Seal, the Privy Council, and the Lord Advocate, all in one -post-chaise, containing only a single person.' - -Lord Cockburn has very properly defended the memory of Hope from all -imputation of injustice. This act, he says, was entirely owing to a hot -temperament not cooled by a sound head. 'In spite of all his talent and -all his worth, had he continued in the very delicate position of Lord -Advocate, his infirmity might have again brought him into some similar -trouble. It was fortunate therefore that the gods, envying mortals the -longer possession of Eskgrove, took him to themselves; and Hope reigned -in his stead. He was made Lord Justice-Clerk in December 1804.' - -It was Hope that carried through the Schoolmasters Act of 1803, by which -the heritors were compelled to build houses for the schoolmasters. The -Act prescribed that the houses (!) need not contain more than two rooms -_including the kitchen_. The provision was considered shabby even in -those days, but it was all that could be got out of Parliament then. -Hope told Lord Cockburn that he had considerable difficulty in getting -even the two rooms, and that a great majority of the lairds and Scottish -members were indignant at being obliged to 'erect palaces for dominies.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXVI* - -Anecdotes of R. P. Gillies--His Picture of Scott--'Border Press' at -Abbeyhill--Britain armed for Defence--Scenes in Edinburgh--'Captain' -Cockburn. - - -The eccentric R. P. Gillies seems to have made Scott's acquaintance -about this time. This gentleman, of whom Scott, with his usual -tenderness to the unfortunate, says 'a more friendly, generous creature -never lived,' seems to have been in sore distress about 1825-26. He is -frequently mentioned in Scott's _Journal_, sending numerous 'precatory -letters' while Scott's own troubles were at the worst. Both Lockhart -and Scott made efforts to assist him. Gillies about the year 1851 -brought out his _Memoirs of a Literary Veteran_, in which he says that -Scott was 'not only among the earliest but most persevering of my -friends--persevering in spite of my waywardness.' One of R. P. G.'s -whims, being a rather clever calligraphist, was to imitate some other -person's handwriting, and he used to continue for months writing in -imitation of some one or other of his friends. A fresh idea, however, -had struck him at the time he was engaged on certain translations from -the German which Lockhart had got Constable to undertake to publish for -him. He wrote the whole with a brush upon large cartridge paper, and -when it was finished, two stout porters were required to carry the huge -bales to the publisher's office. The result was, as might have been -expected, that Constable drew back from so tremendous an undertaking. -It is amusing to find that the monstrous MS. was welcomed by another -Edinburgh publisher, who paid L100 for it and issued the book under the -title of _The Magic Ring_. - -We are indebted to the same R. P. G. for some interesting remarks on -Scott's appearance in 1802: 'At this early period, Scott was more like -the portrait by Saxon, engraved for the _Lady of the Lake_, than any -subsequent picture. He retained in features and form an impress of that -elasticity and youthful vivacity, which he used to complain wore off -after he was forty, and by his own account was exchanged for the -plodding heaviness of an operose student. He had now, indeed, somewhat -of a boyish gaiety of look, and in person was tall, slim, and extremely -active.' - -About the end of this year James Ballantyne came to Edinburgh and -established his 'Border Press' at Abbeyhill, in the neighbourhood of -Holyrood House. He at this time received 'a liberal loan' from Scott, -who thus became implicated in this unfortunate concern. - -The condition of public affairs was now beginning to relieve somewhat -the tension of bitter feeling. Cockburn remarks that, 'upon the whole -events were bringing people into better humour. Somewhat less was said -about Jacobinism, though still too much; and sedition had gone out. -Napoleon's obvious progress towards military despotism opened the eyes -of those who used to see nothing but liberty in the French revolution; -and the threat of invasion, while it combined all parties in defence of -the country, raised the confidence of the people in those who trusted -them with arms, and gave them the pleasure of playing at soldiers. -Instead of Jacobinism, Invasion became the word.' - -Francis Horner writes from London: 'I understand the spirit of the -people in London is, in general, almost as good as can be wished, and -better than could have been expected. The police magistrates can form a -tolerably good guess from their spies in the alehouses. In the country, -particularly along the coast, the spirit of the people is said to be -very high. Indeed no other country of such extent ever exhibited so -grand a spectacle as the unanimity in which all political differences -are at present lost.' In this letter to John Archibald Murray, -referring to the _Beacon_, a weekly paper of 'incitements to -patriotism,' he says, 'Pray have you engaged Walter Scott in these -patriotic labours? His Border spirit of chivalry must be inflamed at -present and might produce something. I wish he would try a song. I -joined Mackintosh in exhorting Campbell to court the Tyrtaean muse: as -yet he has produced nothing; not that I looked upon the success of his -efforts with certainty, being not quite in his line; but a miracle -produced "Hohenlinden," and this is now the age of miracles of every -kind.' Later on this idea also occurred to Warren Hastings. - -The war which broke out in 1803 and continued till Napoleon's fearful -power was shattered for ever on the field of Waterloo, was a struggle -altogether different in aims and spirit from that which began in 1792. -Conquest, warlike fame, and personal aggrandisement were now Napoleon's -aims, and the inspiring watchword of Liberty was now transferred from -his banners to those of his enemies. In checking the great Frenchman's -ambition the Allies were guarding the freedom of Europe. In Britain -every man was roused to defence, and felt, like Horner, that 'the people -of England were about to gain for civilisation and democracy a very -splendid triumph over military despotism.' The threatened invasion was -in every man's mind at every moment and in every place. The scene -Cockburn now witnessed in Edinburgh had its counterpart in every city of -the kingdom:-- - -'Edinburgh became a camp. We were all soldiers, one way or other. -Professors wheeled in the college area; the side arms and the uniform -peeped from behind the gown at the bar, and even on the bench; and the -parade and the review formed the staple of men's talk and thoughts. -Hope, who had kept his Lieutenant-Colonelcy when he was Lord Advocate, -adhered to it, and did all its duties after he became Lord -Justice-Clerk. This was thought unconstitutional by some; but the spirit -of the day applauded it. Brougham served the same gun in a company of -artillery with Playfair. James Moncrieff, John Richardson, James Grahame -(_The Sabbath_), Thomas Thomson, and Charles Bell were all in one -company of riflemen. Francis Horner walked about the streets with a -musket, being a private in the Gentlemen Regiment. Dr. Gregory was a -soldier, and Thomas Brown the moralist, Jeffrey, and many another since -famous in more intellectual warfare. I, a gallant captain, commanded -ninety-two of my fellow-creatures from 1804 to 1814--the whole course of -that war.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXVII* - -Enthusiasm of Volunteers--Drill and Sham Fights--Scott's -Letters--Quartermaster--Anecdote by Cockburn--Recruiting for the -Army--Indifference to Fear of Invasion--Greatness of the Danger--War -Song of 1802. - - -Captain Coburn's company was the left flank company of the 'Western -Battalion of Midlothian Volunteers.' The right flank company was -commanded by John Archibald Murray (afterwards Lord Murray), so that -both these companies had embryo judges at their head. So ardent was -their zeal that, besides the general day performance in Heriot's Green -and Bruntsfield Links, the two companies used to drill almost every -night of the four winter months of 1804 and 1805, by torch-light, in the -ground flat of the George Street Assembly Rooms, which was then all one -earthen-floored apartment. Then there was drilling with the whole -regiment, besides parades, reviews, and four to six inspections in the -course of the year. Sometimes they were ordered on 'permanent duty' to -Leith or Haddington, and billeted on the long-suffering citizens. Then -there were the sham fights, the marches, and the continual serio-comedy -of the officers' mess. Such was the state of affairs for years in every -corner of Great Britain. All who enrolled as volunteers were exempt -from the militia ballot and from the risk of having to serve in the -field as long as the war lasted. Thus the volunteer ranks were easily -filled; and the sense of duty, or the contagious excitement of the time, -supplied plenty of officers. The whole population, in fact, became -military. Any able-bodied man, of whatever rank, who was _not_ a -volunteer, or a local militiaman, had to explain or apologise for his -singularity. - -Scott's letters of this time are full of the camp scenes at Musselburgh. -Writing in July, he says to Miss Seward, 'We are assuming a very -military appearance. Three regiments of militia, with a formidable park -of artillery, are encamped just by us. The Edinburgh Troop, to which I -have the honour to be quarter-master, consists entirely of young -gentlemen of family, and is, of course, admirably well mounted and -armed. For myself, I must own that to one who has, like me, _la tete un -peu exaltee_, "the pomp and circumstance of war" gives, for a time, a -very poignant and pleasing sensation. The imposing appearance of -cavalry, in particular, and the rush which marks their onset, appear to -me to partake highly of the sublime.' - -But the sublime was occasionally varied by a touch of the ludicrous. -This is brought very vividly before us in the anecdote related by -Cockburn, who, like the rest, records Scott's extraordinary zeal in the -patriotic cause. 'It was,' he says, 'with him an absolute passion, -indulgence in which gratified his feudal taste for war, and his jovial -sociableness. He drilled, and drank, and made songs, with a hearty -conscientious earnestness which inspired or shamed everybody within the -attraction. I do not know if it is usual, but his troop used to -practise, individually, with the sabre at a turnip,[1] which was stuck -on the top of a staff, to represent a Frenchman, in front of the line. -Every other trooper, when he set forward in his turn, was far less -concerned about the success of his aim at the turnip, than about how he -was to tumble. But Walter pricked forward gallantly, saying to himself, -"cut them down, the villains, cut them down!" and made his blow, which -from his lameness was often an awkward one, cordially muttering curses -all the while at the detested enemy.' - - -[1] One thinks of Oliver Proudfute and his sternpost of a dromond, fixed -up in his yard for practice. 'That must make you familiar with the use -of your weapon,' said the Smith. 'Ay, marry does it.'--_Fair Maid of -Perth_, chap. viii. - - -Looking at the patriotic movement in the cold light of reason, one can -see that its real use was a much humbler one than those enthusiastic and -gallant fellows intended. Young artisans and ploughmen who had once -joined the volunteers, falling in love with the liveliness and display -of the military career, and becoming unsettled in mind for the dull -routine of their daily work, drifted readily into the paid militia. -Thus the volunteer system was indirectly a splendid means of recruiting -for the army. But there can be no doubt that for immediate service in -the field--and it was for this that they were preparing--the volunteers -would not have been found qualified. Their existence, however, gave the -nation confidence, and prevented all danger of panic. It is marvellous -to find, on the best evidence of those who lived and acted important -parts in those critical years, that the general feeling about invasion -was one of complete indifference. Most people went about their own -business, and trusted to the country's luck. Although justified by -events, it was an ill-founded security. Men of speculative minds, the -Cockburns and the Horners, were in a great and genuine fright. Romantic -and active spirits, like Scott, anticipated the turning of their sport -into earnest at any moment. And how easily it might have happened so. -'Questions are mooted' (said Horner), 'and possibilities supposed, that -make one shudder for the fate of the world.' Certainly there were -reasons enough for constant fear and dread: the brilliant and unbroken -success of Napoleon's arms: Ireland, a ready and willing basis for his -first attack: and then the fearful loss and suffering to a country so -thickly peopled and utterly unprepared for internal defence, should the -war actually be brought within our bounds. - - 'If ever breath of British gale - Shall fan the tri-color, - Or footstep of invader rude, - With rapine foul, and red with blood, - Pollute our happy shore-- - Then, farewell home, and farewell friends! - Adieu each tender tie! - Resolved we mingle in the tide, - Where charging squadrons furious ride, - To conquer or to die.'-- - - From 'War-Song of Royal Edinburgh - Light Dragoons,' 1802. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXVIII* - -Ashestiel--39 Castle Street--'Honest Tom Purdie'--Associations of -Scott's Work with Edinburgh Home--First Lines of the Lay--Abandons the -Bar for Literature--Story of Gilpin Horner--Progress of the Poem. - - -In the summer of 1803, when Scott was engaged in the military functions -in which his heart delighted, he received a gentle hint from the -Lord-Lieutenant of Selkirkshire with regard to the less exciting claims -of his sheriffship. He had not yet complied strictly with the law which -required that every sheriff should reside at least four months in the -year within his own jurisdiction. In order to comply with the law, the -Lasswade cottage was now given up, and in the summer of 1804 the family -took up their residence for that season at Ashestiel, a farmhouse very -romantically situated on the banks of the Tweed, a few miles from -Selkirk. Their town residence, since 1802, was 39 Castle Street, and -continued so to be till the black days of 1826. By the death of his -uncle Robert in June 1804, Scott inherited Rosebank, 'a beautiful little -villa on the banks of the Tweed, and about thirty acres of the finest -land in Scotland.' The estate was sold in the course of the year for -L5000. Scott's fixed income, from all sources, at this time seems to -have been about L1000 a year. During the first week at Ashestiel the -Sheriff acquired his famous retainer 'honest Tom Purdie'; the ideal -companion that the Sheriff got so much good of, 'Tom Purdie, kneaded up -between the friend and servant, as well as Uncle Toby's bowling-green -between sand and clay.' This is Lockhart's account of their meeting: -'Tom was first brought before him, in his capacity of Sheriff, on a -charge of poaching, when the poor fellow gave such a touching account of -his circumstances--a wife, and I know not how many children, depending -on his exertions--work scarce and grouse abundant--and all this with a -mixture of odd sly humour,--that the Sheriff's heart was moved. Tom -escaped the penalty of the law--was taken into employment as shepherd, -and showed such zeal, activity, and shrewdness in that capacity, that -Scott never had any occasion to repent of the step he soon afterwards -took, in promoting him to the position' (of farm grieve) 'which had been -originally offered to James Hogg.' - -To return to Edinburgh, and 39 Castle Street. 'Poor No. 39' was from -1802 Scott's home and headquarters, his workshop, where he had all his -books and manuscripts stored, the tools he delighted to employ in -planning and perfecting the wondrous works of his tireless pen and -teeming fancy. The house had its connection therefore with the far -greater part of Scott's literary work, a connection starting from the -_Lay of the Last Minstrel_, which Scott himself regarded as 'the first -work in which he laid his claim to be considered as an original author,' -and continuing as far as _Woodstock_, on which he was engaged in the -fatal January of 1826. Even more than Abbotsford, No. 39 Castle Street -deserves to be called the shrine of Scott's memory, having been the -scene of his labours, the home of his children's infancy, the place -where his friends and professional colleagues were feasted at his genial -board, and the scene where the dauntless old hero took up his lance for -his last romantic encounter, the fight with the fiery dragon of debt -which Ballantyne had raised to torture his latest years. The _Lay_ was -not actually commenced here, but at the Lasswade cottage. Here, in the -autumn of 1802, he read the opening stanzas to his friends William -Erskine and George Cranstoun.[1] They were naturally so much impressed -as hardly to venture a remark, and the ardent poet concluded that 'their -disgust had been greater than their good-nature chose to express.' He -threw the MS. in the fire, but on finding that he had so strangely -mistaken their feelings, he decided to begin again. The first canto was -completed during a few days' confinement to his room in Musselburgh -during the 'autumn manoeuvres,' and he thereafter proceeded with it at -the rate of a canto a week. In his letter to George Ellis introducing -Leyden, he mentions his intention of including in the third volume of -the _Minstrelsy_ 'a long poem, a kind of romance of Border chivalry, in -a light-horseman sort of stanza.' - - -[1] Cranstoun, a great favourite of Scott's, was one of his legal -advisers in his troubles. He became a lord of session in 1826, as Lord -Corehouse. - - -As we know from the Introduction to the _Lay_, it was now, while the -first draft of the poem was finished on his desk, that Scott finally -resolved to abandon the Bar for literature. His last year's earnings, -1802-3, were L228, 18s. It is probable that his professional friends -expected this, which would be sure to decrease their patronage. -'Certain it is,' he says, 'that the Scottish Themis was at this time -peculiarly jealous of any flirtation with the Muses.' It showed, all -the same, great confidence in his literary resources, for he was well -aware that anything like a firm reputation with the public was a thing -he had still to acquire. - -Every one now knows that the story of the goblin page, Gilpin Horner, -was really the occasion which started the poem. The beautiful young -Countess of Dalkeith, having heard the old legend, suggested half in -jest that Scott should make a ballad of it. 'A single scene of feudal -festivity in the hall of Branksome, disturbed by some pranks of a -nondescript goblin, was probably all that he contemplated; but suddenly, -as he meditates his theme to the sound of the bugle, there flashes on -him the idea of extending his simple outline so as to embrace a vivid -panorama of that old Border life of war and tumult. Erskine, or -Cranstoun, suggests that he would do well to divide the poem into -cantos, and prefix to each of them a motto explanatory of the action, -after the fashion of Spenser in the _Faery Queen_. He pauses for a -moment--and the happiest conception of the framework of a picturesque -narrative that ever occurred to any poet--one that Homer might have -envied--the creation of the ancient harper, starts to life. By such -steps did the _Lay of the Last Minstrel_ grow out of the _Minstrelsy of -the Scottish Border_.' - -Lockhart has also drawn attention to the fact that Scott seems to have -been quite willing to communicate this poem, in its progress, to all and -sundry of his acquaintances. 'We shall find him' (he adds) 'following -the same course with his _Marmion_--but not, I think, with any of his -subsequent works. His determination to consult the movements of his own -mind alone in the conduct of his pieces, was probably taken before he -began the _Lay_; and he soon resolved to trust for the detection of -minor inaccuracies to two persons only--James Ballantyne and William -Erskine.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXIX* - -Edinburgh Literary Society--The Men of 1800-1820--Revelation of Scott's -Poetical Genius--Effect in Edinburgh--Local Pride in his -Greatness--Anecdote of Pitt--Success of _Lay of the Last -Minstrel_--Connection with Ballantyne--Secrecy of the Partnership. - - -Enough has been said of individuals, of both the old and the new -generation, to show the kind of society which looked on when Walter -Scott made his first great attempt upon the public favour. The days of -Hume and Home and Robertson were past, but a few of their -contemporaries, such as Fergusson and Henry Mackenzie, still adorned the -scene. Then there were Jeffrey, Cockburn, Brougham, and the rest of the -young Mountaineers whom Cockburn has so fondly sketched. Well may -Cockburn sing the praises of the unforgotten time--the first two decades -of the nineteenth century. He explains its brilliancy by 'a variety of -peculiar circumstances which operated only during this period.' There -was, of course, the excitement of the war, with the stir and enthusiasm -of the military preparations, all promoting cordiality in social -intercourse. The closing of the Continent to the English, and the -celebrity of Edinburgh's scientists and philosophers, brought many -southerners there for pleasure or for education. But above all, the -Edinburgh of those days realised what can seldom be attained more than -partially in great centres--the ideal of 'literature and society -embellishing each other, without rivalry, and without pedantry.' After -the Peace there began a process of decay. Southern visitors turned to -Italy and France, as in former years. And our philosophic Memorialist -quaintly admits that 'a new race of peaceformed native youths came on -the stage, but with little literature, and a comfortless intensity of -political zeal.' - -To all the best of this interesting society Scott was already known, to -many among both the old and the young he was an intimate friend, but -they could hardly have foreseen, any more than he himself could have -anticipated, the marvellous possibilities of the career of which they -now beheld the auspicious start. Fortunately we have, in Cockburn's -_Memorials_, a brief and sober, but genuine and interesting picture of -contemporary feeling in Edinburgh: 'Walter Scott's vivacity and force -had been felt since his boyhood by his comrades, and he had disclosed -his literary inclinations by some translations of German ballads, and a -few slight pieces in the _Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border_; but his -power of great original conception and execution was unknown both to his -friends and himself. In 1805 he revealed his true self by the -publication of the _Lay of the Last Minstrel_. The subject, from the -principle of which he rarely afterwards deviated, was, for the period -singularly happy. It recalled scenes and times and characters so near -as almost to linger in the memories of the old, and yet so remote that -their revival, under poetical embellishments, imparted the double -pleasure of invention and of history. The instant completeness of his -success showed him his region. The _Lay_ was followed by a more -impressive pause of wonder and then by a louder shout of admiration, -than even our previous Edinburgh poem--_The Pleasures of Hope_. But -nobody, not even Scott, anticipated what was to follow. Nobody imagined -the career that was before him; that the fertility of his genius was to -be its most wonderful distinction; that there was to be an unceasing -recurrence of fresh delight, enhanced by surprise at his rapidity and -richness. His advances were like the conquests of Napoleon; each new -achievement overshadowing the last; till people half wearied of his very -profusion. The quick succession of his original works, interspersed as -they were with (for him rather unworthy) productions of a lower kind, -threw a literary splendour over his native city, which had now the glory -of being at once the seat of the most popular poetry, and the most -powerful criticism of the age.' - -An interesting anecdote is recorded by an early friend, William Dundas, -which pleasantly connects with Scott the name of the great premier Pitt, -then drawing, in solitary grandeur, near to the end of his extraordinary -career. Dundas writes: 'I remember at Mr. Pitt's table in 1805, the -Chancellor asked me about you and your then situation, and after I had -answered him, Mr. Pitt observed--"He can't remain as he is," and desired -me to "look to it." He then repeated some lines from the _Lay_ -describing the old harper's embarrassment when asked to play, and -said--"This is a sort of thing which I might have expected in painting, -but could never have fancied capable of being given in poetry." - -As regards the sale of the poem, the figures established a record in the -history of popular poetry in Britain. 'The first edition of the _Lay_ -was a magnificent quarto, seven hundred and fifty copies; but this was -soon exhausted, and there followed one octavo impression after another -in close succession to the number of fourteen. In fact, some forty-four -thousand copies had been disposed of in this country, and by the -legitimate trade alone, before he superintended the edition of 1830, to -which his biographical introductions were prefixed. The author's whole -share in the profits of the _Lay_ came to L769, 6s.' - -Very shortly after this Scott's unworldly faith and simple confidence in -his friend led him to hoist on his shoulders the odious Succubus -Ballantyne. This personage, pleading increasing expenses and need of -'more capital,' applied for a second 'liberal loan.' We have the man's -own story, which to those who know what business is, needs no comment. -We see the confident, smirking tradesman gaily holding up the bottomless -sack, and Scott, with the sublime folly of a generous and sanguine -nature, pouring his hard-won treasures into it. 'Now,' says James, -'being compelled, maugre all delicacy' (how well he understood Scott!) -'to renew my application, he candidly answered that he was not quite -sure that it would be prudent for him to comply, but in order to evince -his entire confidence in me, he was willing to make a suitable advance -to be admitted as a third-sharer in my business.' Lockhart observes on -this, that no trace has been discovered of any examination into the -state of the business on the part of Scott, at this time. This is the -sort of remark one would expect from Lockhart, a gentleman: but the -implied acceptance of a portion of the blame for Scott is quite -unnecessary. The question is, 'What did the Succubus say, and what did -he show, to Scott at this time? Enough, I have no doubt, to convince -Scott, and on quite good and sufficient grounds, that he was being -favoured in being permitted to have a share in the concern. The -fallacy, and the weakness, were in the man, not in the business. -Scott's one mistake was this transcendental confidence in Ballantyne, -who was a man formed by nature to _fail_! The partnership was very -wisely kept a strict secret, and seems for years not even to have been -suspected by any of his daily companions, except Erskine. Lockhart has -remarked that 'its influence on his literary exertions and his worldly -fortunes was productive of much good and not a little evil. I at this -moment doubt whether it ought, on the whole, to be considered with more -of satisfaction or of regret.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XL* - -Scott and Jeffrey--Founding of _Edinburgh Review_--Impression in -Edinburgh--Its Political and Literary Pretences--Review of _Lay_ by -Jeffrey--Strange Mistake--Beautiful Appreciation by Mr. Gladstone -quoted--The _Dies Irae_. - - -In his Introduction to the _Lay_ Scott mentions, _inter alia_, that the -poem had 'received the imprimatur of Mr. Francis Jeffrey, who had been -already for some time distinguished by his critical talent.' The -_Edinburgh Review *had been founded on the 10th of October 1802. Sydney -Smith, Jeffrey, Brougham, and Horner were the most conspicuous among the -founders. Sydney Smith was the first editor. He mentions the fact in -the Preface to his Works: 'I proposed that we should set up a review; -this was acceded to with acclamation. I was appointed editor, and -remained long enough in Edinburgh to edit the first number of the -*Edinburgh Review_.' Cockburn confirms the statement, but points out -that the projectors, though he was not at first their formal editor, -leant mainly on Jeffrey's experience and wisdom. Though Smith actually -edited the first number, it appears from Jeffrey's well-known statement -that there was no official editor at first. After three numbers had -appeared, it was seen that a responsible editor was indispensable. -Jeffrey then became editor, under a fixed arrangement with the -publisher, Archibald Constable. - -Like every other successful literary enterprise, the _Edinburgh Review_ -was well fitted to the circumstances and to the time. Historically its -importance was far greater than we can now well realise. But we can, -from Cockburn's glowing account of it, to some extent conceive how to -the literary youth of the time it appeared a phenomenon as remarkable as -the original works of Scott. In his _Life_ of Jeffrey he gives a long -and complete account of the founding and the founders of the _Review_, -and says of its first appearance: 'The effect was electrical. And, -instead of expiring, as many wished, in their first effort, the force of -the shock was increased on each subsequent discharge. It is impossible -for those who did not live at the time, and in the heart of the scene, -to feel, or almost to understand the impression made by the new -luminary, or the anxieties with which its motions were observed. It was -an entire and instant change of everything that the public had been -accustomed to in that sort of composition. The old periodical opiates -were extinguished at once. The learning of the new Journal, its talent, -its spirit, its writing, its independence, were all new; and the -surprise was increased by a work so full of public life springing up, -suddenly, in a remote part of the kingdom.' - -The _Review_ was, of course, obnoxious to the opponents of reform. It -was assailed with the usual amount of ridicule and personal abuse, and -with prophecies of the speedy demise of so scandalous a publication. -Few, indeed, anticipated that it had come to stay. None foresaw the -services it was destined to perform. But all watched its progress with -intense curiosity and interest. In Edinburgh, naturally, the interest -was of the greatest. Men soon perceived that it was creating a new -literary reputation for the city. It was something gained when the voice -of Edinburgh counted for a power in political affairs. And, of course, -with continued success, the voice became stronger, and the importance of -Scottish opinion in both politics and literature was more and more -widely acknowledged. 'All were the better for a journal to which every -one with an object of due importance had access, which it was vain -either to bully or to despise, and of the fame of which even its -reasonable haters were inwardly proud.' - -Jeffrey's review of the _Lay_ is, on the whole, creditable to his -critical sagacity and taste, though its praise fell far short of the -impression made by the poem on the public mind. He made one strange -enough blunder. He found fault with the goblin story, which he regarded -as an excrescence, not knowing that it was actually the origin and -occasion of the whole. He was wrong also in doubting the power of the -poet's genius to inspire an interest in the exploits of the stark -moss-troopers, and in the rugged names of the Border heroes and the -Border scenes. All these uncouth names are now familiar in our mouths -as household words. - -To sum up with the _Lay_, Mr. Gladstone, in that delightful _causerie_ -on Scott given to his friends at Hawarden in 1868, said two excellent -things about Scott's poetry. The first is, that Scott's reputation -rests not less on his verse than on his prose. The second is, that his -most extraordinary power, his highest genius, is shown at times in his -poetry. 'I know nothing more sublime in the writings of Sir Walter -Scott--certainly I know nothing so sublime in any portion of the sacred -poetry of modern times--I mean of the present century--as the "Hymn for -the Dead," extending only to twelve lines, which he embodied in the _Lay -of the Last Minstrel_. It is in these words, and they perhaps may be -familiar:-- - - "That day of wrath, that dreadful day, - When heaven and earth shall pass away! - What power shall be the sinner's stay? - How shall he meet that dreadful day? - When shrivelling like a parched scroll, - The flaming heavens together roll; - When louder yet, and yet more dread, - Swells the high trump that wakes the dead! - Oh! on that day, that wrathful day, - When man to judgment wakes from clay, - Be THOU the trembling sinner's stay, - Though heaven and earth shall pass away!" - -Simple as these words, and few as these lines are, they are enough to -stamp with greatness the name of the man who wrote them.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XLI* - -Town and Country--Scott's Ideal--Reversion of Clerkship--Impeachment of -Lord Melville--Acquittal--The Edinburgh Dinner--Scott's Song of -Triumph--Nature of his Professional Duties--Social Claims and Literary -Industry. - - -When Scott decided to abandon the Bar, he had no intention of quitting -Edinburgh. Notwithstanding his delight in natural scenery and his real -fondness for rural pursuits and his passion for sport, he had an equally -strong attachment to the city and its old routine. 'Here is the -advantage of Edinburgh' (he says in his _Journal_). 'In the country, if -a sense of inability once seizes me, it haunts me from morning to night; -but in Edinburgh the time is so occupied and frittered away by official -duties and chance occupation, that you have not time to play Master -Stephen and be gentlemanlike and melancholy. On the other hand, you -never feel in town those spirit-stirring influences--those glances of -sunshine that make amends for clouds and mist. The country is said to -be quieter life; not to me, I am sure. In the town the business I have -to do hardly costs me more thought than just occupies my mind, and I -have as much of gossip and ladylike chat as consumes the time pleasantly -enough. In the country I am thrown entirely on my own resources, and -there is no medium betwixt happiness and the reverse.' To carry out his -ideal, therefore, of a life alternating between town and country, and -enjoying the best of both, and to keep his mind easy about the -provision--generous, of course--which he should make for his increasing -family, Scott was not satisfied with an income of L1000 a year. He -accordingly set about obtaining another post--such a post (he frankly -puts it) as an author might hope to retreat upon, without any -perceptible alteration of circumstances, whenever the time came that the -public grew weary of him, or he himself tired of his pen. He hoped, in -fact, to obtain a clerkship in the Court of Session, and his friends -began to work for it just after the _Lay_ was published. These friends -were the Duke of Buccleuch and Lord Melville, and, as we have seen, Pitt -himself had given orders that something should be done. Near the end of -1805 it was arranged that Scott should have the succession to the -clerkship held by Mr. Home of Wedderburn. The old gentleman was to -retain the whole salary during his life, while Scott was to do the work -and fall into the salary at Home's death. The matter was arranged just -before Lord Melville's retirement, but a mistake having been made in the -patent, Scott's commission had to be made out by the Home Secretary of -the Whig Government of 1806. Thus it appeared as if he had owed his -appointment to the Whigs, and some of the meaner sort among the local -people grumbled loudly and complained of the preference. Scott resented -this doubly, since he really owed nothing to the Whig Ministry and would -never have accepted a favour at their hands. Lockhart says that this -incident was the occasion of his making himself prominent for a time as -a decided Tory partisan. - -The Coalition Government signalised its accession to power by impeaching -Lord Melville. The charges, it is now well known, were groundless and -absurd. At the same time 'the investigation brought out many -circumstances by no means creditable to his discretion.' But on the one -side there was a savage whoop of triumph when the autocrat was himself -brought to trial; on the other, loud and scornful jubilation when the -great pro-consul was acquitted. Less noise might well have served. In -Edinburgh a public dinner was held to celebrate the event, on the 27th -of June 1806, and for this occasion Scott wrote a jolly piece of -rattling doggerel, 'Health to Lord Melville,' which was sung by James -Ballantyne, and received with shouts of applause. A line in this song -'Tally-ho to the Fox,' was fastened upon by political spite as a shout -of triumph over Fox, because he was then on his death-bed. Never was -any effort of malignity more idiotic. If it had been so intended, even -a fool might have seen that it would have been irrelevant. It was, of -course, merely one note of the triumphal cock-crowing at the defeat of -the impeachment. Any one who could seriously think that Scott would for -a moment rejoice at the illness or death of Fox is outside the pale of -argument. - -Surprise has often been expressed at the enormous output of Scott's -literary labours during the twenty most active years of his life. But, -vast as it is, the literary output represents only half of his industry -and exertion. Neither his sheriffship nor his clerkship was a sinecure. -The latter required actual attendance in the court, on the average, for -from four to six hours daily during rather less than six months out of -the twelve. The work, though partly mechanical, constantly entailed -extra toil in the way of consulting law papers and authorities at home. -It is well known, too, that Scott performed these duties with the most -conscientious regularity and care. He never employed inferior -assistants to relieve himself of drudgery. He took a just pride, as did -also the best of his colleagues, in maintaining a high reputation for -legal science. There can, indeed, be no question of the justness of his -biographer's view, that it forms one of the most remarkable features in -his history, that during his great period of literary production, he -must have devoted a large proportion of his hours, during half at least -of every year, to the conscientious discharge of professional duties. - -Thus Scott, while in Edinburgh, led a life of very exacting labour, and -strictly governed by official routine. His habit of early rising -enabled him to get through the larger portion of his literary task -before breakfast. He was always ready to play his part cheerfully in -the duties of the family circle, as well as to implement the round of -social engagements. The latter were always great, owing to his own and -his wife's popularity in society. Of course, as time went on and his -fame became world-wide, these social calls upon his leisure became -greater and greater. Still, he would often contrive to rescue some of -the evening hours as well, in order to complete the minimum of his daily -literary task. But for occasional drives with his family or friends, -his time in town was mainly spent indoors, and later on he confessed -that this want of activity and open-air life proved highly injurious to -his bodily health. - - - - - *CHAPTER XLII* - -Colleagues at the Clerks' Table-Morritt on Scott's Conversation--His -Home Life--Treatment of his Children--Ideas on Education--Knowledge of -the Bible--Horsemanship, Courage, Veracity--Success of the Training. - - -The kindly affections of friendship were always to Scott 'the dearest -part of human intercourse.' Even in 'that sand-cart of a place, the -Parliament House' he found them in abundance. Among his colleagues were -Colin Mackenzie of Portmore, the friend of his boyhood, 'one of the -wisest, kindest, and best men of his time': Hector Macdonald Buchanan of -Drummakiln: Sir Robert Dundas of Beechwood: and David Hume, nephew of -the great David and Professor of Scots Law, afterwards a Baron of the -Exchequer. Mentioning a dinner at Dundas's house, Scott says, 'My little -_nieces_ (_ex officio_) gave us some pretty music.' The explanation of -this is that all these families were so intimate and friendly that the -children all called their fathers' colleagues _uncles_, and the mothers -of their little friends _aunts_. 'In truth' (says Lockhart) 'the -establishment was a brotherhood.' - -We may here quote his friend Morritt's description, which, referring to -the year 1808, gives so lifelike a notion of what Scott was to the -friends of his prime: 'At this period his conversation was more equal -and animated than any man's that I ever knew. It was most characterised -by the extreme felicity and fun of his illustrations, drawn from the -whole encyclopedia of life and nature, in a style sometimes too -exuberant for written narrative, but which to him was natural and -spontaneous. A hundred stories, always apposite, and often interesting -the mind by strong pathos, or eminently ludicrous, were daily told, -which, with many more, have since been transplanted, almost in the same -language, into the Waverley Novels and his other writings. These, and -his recitations of poetry, which can never be forgotten by those who -knew him, made up the charm that his boundless memory enabled him to -exert to the wonder of the gaping lovers of wonders. But equally -impressive and powerful was the language of his warm heart, and equally -wonderful were the conclusions of his vigorous understanding, to those -who could return or appreciate either. Among a number of such -recollections, I have seen many of the thoughts which then passed -through his mind embodied in the delightful prefaces annexed late in -life to his poetry and novels. Keenly enjoying literature as he did, -and indulging his own love of it in perpetual composition, he always -maintained the same estimate of it as subordinate and auxiliary to the -purposes of life, and rather talked of men and events than of books and -criticism.' - -The happiness he made at home for his children in their early years has -been revealed by his son-in-law in a charming passage. Though familiar -to many, it can hardly be out of place here: 'He had now two boys and -two girls:--and he never had more. (They were Charlotte Sophia, born -1799; Walter, 1801; Anne, 1803; and Charles, 1805). He was not one of -those who take much delight in a mere infant; but no father ever devoted -more time and tender care to his offspring than he did to each of his, -as they reached the age when they could listen to him, and understand -his talk. Like their playmates, Camp and the greyhounds, they had at -all times free access to his study; he never considered their prattle as -any disturbance; they went and came as pleased their fancy; he was -always ready to answer their questions; and when they, unconscious how -he was engaged, entreated him to lay down his pen and tell them a story, -he would take them on his knee, repeat a ballad or legend, kiss them, -and set them down again to their marbles or ninepins, and resume his -labour, as if refreshed by the interruption. From a very early age he -made them dine at table, and "to sit up to supper" was the great reward -when they had been "very good bairns." In short, he considered it as -the highest duty as well as the sweetest pleasure of a parent to be the -companion of his children; he partook all their little joys and sorrows, -and made his kind unformal instructions to blend so easily and playfully -with the current of their own sayings and doings, that so far from -regarding him with any distant awe, it was never thought that any sport -or diversion could get on in the right way, unless _papa_ were of the -party, or that the rainiest day could be dull, so he were at home.' - -Scott was no elaborate theorist in regard to education. His sound -practical sense laid hold instinctively of a few invaluable principles, -and these he carried out with his children with the most beneficial -results. He would have nothing to do with the great specific of the -period, those fearful 'children's books' filled with endless facts of -science precisely worded for the purpose of committing to memory. He -was quite pleased, however, with the older-fashioned books, in which -stories appealing to the imagination were employed as a means of -exciting curiosity in graver matters. He took pains to select for their -tasks in recitation such passages of poetry as might be expected to -please their fancy. His own stories and legends with which he amused -them were the beginnings of an intelligent interest in Scottish History, -and on Sundays the Bible stories were in the same way made at once -delightful and familiar. 'He had his Bible' (says Lockhart), 'the Old -Testament especially, by heart; and on these days inwove the simple -pathos or sublime enthusiasm of Scripture, in whatever story he was -telling, with the same picturesque richness as in his week-day tales the -quaint Scotch of Pitscottie, or some rude romantic old rhyme from -Barbour's _Bruce_ or Blind Harry's _Wallace_: - -It was characteristic of the man to combine, like Xenophon's ancient -Persians, the love of truth and the love of horsemanship as the two -greatest aims in education. Each of his children, both girls and boys, -became, as soon as old and strong enough for the exercise, the companion -of his own rides over moor and stream and hill. He taught them to laugh -at tumbles and slight misadventures, and they soon caught his own -spirit, and came to delight in adventurous feats like his own. 'Without -courage,' he used to say, 'there cannot be truth; and without truth -there can be no other virtue.' With such a teacher, we may be sure the -two fundamental virtues were imbibed in full perfection. - - - - - *CHAPTER XLIII* - -_Marmion_--Published by Constable--Misfortunes of Thomas Scott--George -Ellis on _Marmion_--Hostile Review by Jeffrey--Charge of Want of -Patriotism--Mrs. Scott and Jeffrey--Extraordinary Success of the Poem. - - -_Marmion_ was begun in November 1806, and continued at intervals during -the following year. He had made up his mind--so he tells us in the -Introduction--not to be in a hurry with his new poem, but to bestow upon -it more than his usual care. Particular passages accordingly were -'laboured with a good deal of care' and the progress of the work seems -to have given him much pleasure. 'The period of its composition was a -very happy one in my life.' _Marmion_ was the first of Scott's original -works published by Archibald Constable. This enterprising gentleman -offered a thousand guineas for the poem shortly after it was begun, a -fact which speaks volumes at once for the sagacity of the publisher and -the impression already made by the poet. The offer was accepted, and -the price paid long before the book was published. Scott seems to have -had occasion for the use of the money in connection with the final -withdrawal of his brother Thomas at this time from practice as a Writer -to the Signet. Thomas had been unfortunate in certain speculations -outside his proper business. He afterwards became paymaster of the 70th -Regiment and died in Canada. - -The appearance of _Marmion_ was expected with intense interest in -literary circles. It was published in the February of 1808. The -general feeling was that expressed after an interval of two months by -Scott's friend George Ellis, that 'dear old friend, who had more wit, -learning, and knowledge of the world than would fit out twenty -_literati_.' Ellis writes, 'All the world are agreed that you are like -the elephant mentioned in the _Spectator_, who was the greatest elephant -in the world except himself, and consequently, that the only question at -issue is, whether the _Lay_ or _Marmion_ shall be reputed the most -pleasing poem in our language.' He goes on to say that most people -consider the Introductory Epistles--that to Canto V. is addressed to -himself--as merely interruptions to the narrative. He expresses his own -opinion that _Marmion_ is preferable to the _Lay_, because its species -of excellence is of much more difficult attainment. He thinks that -_Marmion_, from the nature of the plot, and from the quality and variety -of the characters, might with advantage have been largely extended, and -elevated to the rank and dignity of an Epic in twelve books. Such seems -to have been, in brief, the spontaneous verdict on _Marmion_ of London -literary circles when the poem was fresh from the press. The _Edinburgh -Review_, all-powerful as the critical oracle of the time, had not yet -recorded its verdict. - -Jeffrey's _Review_ had now been in existence for six years. Its pages -were constantly illuminated by the brilliant productions of its army of -able and talented young contributors. So far, also, it was without any -rival worth considering at all. Its circulation was unprecedented, and -its power to make or mar the fortunes of literary aspirants was esteemed -absolute. Scott himself says, 'Of this work nine thousand copies are -printed quarterly, and no genteel family can pretend to be without it, -because, independent of its politics, it gives the only valuable -literary criticism which can be met with.' On reading over Jeffrey's -review of _Marmion_, one feels even yet aggrieved: but as it did not -hurt the actual victim, we need only say, with Lockhart, 'it is highly -creditable to Jeffrey's courageous sense of duty.' Certainly, it -requires a good deal of that quality, and of coolness as well, to -accumulate such a wealth of depreciation and petty fault-finding on the -head of a private friend and honoured colleague. Jeffrey fully -anticipated that Scott would take offence, for he wrote him a -half-apologetic letter, which was sent along with Scott's copy of the -magazine. The article begins with Jeffrey's favourite sweep of the -arm--the writer of a successful poem must expect sterner criticism when -he ventures to issue a second of the same kind. This paves the way to -enumerating previous objections--broken narrative, redundancy of minute -description, inequality of merit in the composition, and the general -spirit and animation 'unchastised by any great delicacy of taste, or -elegance of fancy.' All these faults are common to both the poems, but -_Marmion_ is crowded with additional defects. Compared with the _Lay_, -he thinks it more clear that _Marmion_ has greater faults than that it -has greater beauties, though he is _inclined_ to believe in both -propositions. While he admits greater richness and variety both of -character and incident, he finds in it more tedious and flat passages. -He refers with supercilious contempt to the 'epistolary dissertations,' -in which, poor man, he finds little to his taste. He seems to be -savagely angry that the poem is a romantic narrative--presumably it -ought to have been something else. He regrets that the author should -consume his talent in 'imitations of obsolete extravagance,' in which he -is sure no human being can take any interest. He sums up his indictment -in numbered paragraphs: the plan bad, the incidents improbable, the -characters morally worthless, and the book too long. Though he does -give warm and unstinted praise to 'Flodden Field,' he finds, strange to -say, that the interspersed ballads have less finish and poetical beauty. -Stranger still, the author has wilfully neglected Scottish feelings and -Scottish characters. Think of this charge against Walter -Scott--'scarcely one trait of Scottish nationality or patriotism has -been introduced into the book'! A good deal is said about 'bad taste' -and culpable haste. Then the merciful critic adds that he passes over -many other blemishes of taste and diction. It happened that Jeffrey was -invited to dine at 39 Castle Street on the very day this article -appeared. In reply to Jeffrey's note Scott assured him that the article -had not disturbed his digestion, though he hoped neither his booksellers -nor the public would agree with the opinions it expressed: and begged he -would come to dinner at the hour appointed. Lockhart tells how he was -received by his host with the frankest cordiality, but Mrs. Scott, -though perfectly polite, was not quite so easy with him as usual. She -said as he took his leave, 'Well, good night, Mr. Jeffrey--they tell me -that you have abused Scott in the _Review_, and I hope Mr. Constable has -paid you very well for writing it.' Scott could indeed afford to be -complacent. There was, if anything, some danger of the popularity of -_Marmion_ giving even him 'a heeze.' - -The success of _Marmion_ as a publication was as remarkable as that of -the _Lay_. The first edition, as usual a splendid quarto, of two -thousand copies was sold out in less than a month. More than thirty -thousand copies had been sold before the collected edition of the poems -appeared in 1830. - - - - - *CHAPTER XLIV* - -John Murray--Share in _Marmion_--Reverence for Scott--_The Quarterly -Review_--The 'Cevallos' Article--Jeffrey's Pessimism--Contemplated -Flight to America--Anecdotes of Earl of Buchan. - - -When Constable had concluded his arrangement with Scott, he followed a -usual and prudent practice in offering fourth shares of the adventure to -two other booksellers. They agreed, and their reply added, 'We both -view it as honourable, profitable, and glorious to be concerned in the -publication of a new poem by Walter Scott.' The writer of these words -was John Murray, of Fleet Street, a young bookseller already of some -note. Murray, as a keen business man, had evidently an eye to see and a -mind that could grasp the future. He was aware that the _Edinburgh -Review_ was the great source and support of Constable's fortunes. -Knowing also that Scott, though a Tory, was an important contributor to -the _Review_, ne seems to have been on the watch for the time when, as -he acutely anticipated, some occasion of rupture would emerge. He told -Lockhart long after that when he read the review of _Marmion_ and the -political article in the same number, he said to himself--'Walter Scott -has feelings both as a gentleman and a Tory, which these people must now -have wounded; the alliance between him and the whole clique of the -_Review_, its proprietor included, is now shaken.' With the same -sagacity, he pushed his advances towards Scott by the medium of James -Ballantyne. Murray came north in person, visited Scott at Ashestiel, and -learned that, as he had expected, the disruption had begun. Scott had, -in fact, been so disgusted with an article in the twenty-sixth number -entitled 'Don Cevallos on the Usurpation of Spain,' that he had written -to Constable withdrawing his subscription and saying, 'The _Edinburgh -Review_ had become such as to render it impossible for me to continue a -contributor to it.--_Now_, it is such as I can no longer continue to -receive or read it.' Mr. Cadell, one of Constable's partners, mentions -that the list of the then subscribers exhibits, in an indignant dash of -Constable's pen opposite Scott's name, the word 'STOPT!!!' The -opportunity was a good one for advancing Murray's views. Before the end -of the year some unguarded words of Mr. Hunter, Constable's junior -partner, made the breach complete. We find Scott writing about 'folks -who learn to undervalue the means by which they have risen,' and -Constable stamping his foot and saying, 'Ay, there is such a thing as -rearing the oak until it can support itself.' The result of all this, -as concerns Scott, was that he eagerly entered into Murray's plans for -establishing a rival _Review_, and that he carried out a scheme, 'begun' -(Lockhart admits) 'in the short-sighted heat of pique,' of starting a -new bookselling house in Edinburgh, another rival to Constable. - -Murray's new _Review_ was the _Quarterly_. The first number came out in -February 1809, and was quite sufficient to prove that the _Edinburgh_ -was now to have a powerful competitor, and Jeffrey to find in Gifford a -'foeman worthy of his steel.' The idea of the _Quarterly_ was precisely -that which had guided the projectors of its rival, 'to be conducted -totally independent of bookselling influence, on a plan as liberal as -that of the _Edinburgh_, its literature as well supported, and its -principles English and constitutional.' A great deal was, naturally -enough, said at the time about the political excesses of the _Edinburgh -Review_ as having caused the introduction of the _Quarterly_. But there -was no need to justify it on such grounds. Lord Cockburn in his _Life_ -of Jeffrey sums up the argument with equal fairness and good sense when -he says, 'It was not this solitary article' (the 'Cevallos') 'that -produced the rival journal. Unless the public tone and doctrines (of -the _Edinburgh Review_) had been positively reversed, or party politics -altogether excluded, a periodical work in defence of Church, Tory, and -War principles, must have arisen; simply because the defence of these -principles required it. The defence was a consequence of the attack. -And it is fortunate that it was so. For besides getting these opinions -fairly discussed, the party excesses natural to any unchecked -publication were diminished; and a work arose which, in many respects, -is an honour to British literature, and has called out, and indirectly -reared, a great variety of the highest order of talent.' - -Jeffrey himself, in writing to Horner for opinions of the new -_Quarterly_, disavows with creditable spirit any unworthy jealousy or -fear. He recognises the merit of the work, 'inspired, compared with the -poor prattle of Cumberland,' and admits that his 'natural indolence -would have been better pleased not to be always in sight of an alert and -keen antagonist.' But at the same time he rejoices in the idea of -seeing magazine literature improved, and congratulates himself on having -set the example. - -Lord Cockburn expressly states that Jeffrey was himself the writer of -the unfortunate Cevallos article. It is curious and interesting, but not -so very surprising, to find an earnest and far-seeing man like Jeffrey -taking so despondent a view of British prospects in the Peninsula. It -must be remembered that the great burst of enthusiasm in this country -over the national rising of Spain against Napoleon was really, as every -one now knows, founded upon ignorance and exaggeration. It was -Jeffrey's chief crime that he ventured to doubt the patriotism and -efficiency of the Spaniards. He could not, of course, foresee what the -genius of Wellington was to effect, and he undoubtedly expected that -Napoleon would enter Ireland soon; 'and then' (he asks) 'how is England -to be kept?' Looking upon the conquest of the whole continent by France -as a practical certainty, he was for peace at any price, and -non-interference whatever happened elsewhere. It was his intention when -the catastrophe came, to try to go to America. 'I hate despotism and -insolence so much, that I could bear a great deal rather than live here -under Frenchmen and such wretches as will at first be employed by them.' - -Such cold fears and calculations were apt to make his writings -distasteful in those excited times. The Cevallos article, in which he -flatly expressed despair of the vaunted 'regeneration' of Spain, capped -the whole. About twenty-five 'persons of consideration' in Edinburgh -forbade the _Review_ to enter their doors. The Earl of Buchan, a rather -vain and foolish character at the best, did more. He ordered the door -of his house in George Street to be set wide open, and the offending -number to be laid down on the lobby floor. Then, when all was ready, -his lordship solemnly kicked the volume out into the street. - -In Scott's _Journal_, April 20, 1829, the death of this eccentric person -is noticed: 'Lord Buchan is dead, a person whose immense vanity, -bordering upon insanity, obscured, or rather eclipsed, very considerable -talents.... I felt something at parting with this old man, though but a -trumpery body. He gave me the first approbation I ever obtained from a -stranger. His caprice had led him to examine Dr. Adam's class when I, a -boy twelve years old, and then in disgrace for some aggravated case of -negligence, was called up from a low bench, and recited my lesson with -some spirit and appearance of feeling the poetry (it was the apparition -of Hector's ghost in the _Aeneid_) amid the noble Earl's applause. I -was very proud of this at the time.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XLV* - -The Calton Jail--Opening of Waterloo Place--Removal of Old -Tolbooth--Scott purchases Land at Abbotsford--Professional -Income--Correspondence with Byron--Anecdote of the 'Flitting' from -Ashestiel. - - -In 1808-10 the new prison on the Calton Hill was built. It stands on a -magnificent site, the old 'Doo Craig.' All will agree with Lord -Cockburn's remark on the 'undoubted bad taste' of devoting that glorious -eminence, which ought to have had one of our noblest buildings, to a -jail. The east end of Princes Street was at that time closed in by a -line of mean houses running north and south. Beyond this all to the -east was occupied by the burying-ground, of which the south portion is -still maintained. The only access to the hill on this side was to go -down to the foot of Leith Street, and then climb 'the steep, narrow, -stinking, spiral street still to be seen there.' The necessity for an -easy access to the jail led to the construction of Waterloo Bridge. The -blocking houses were, of course, removed, and a level road carried along -to the Calton Hill. 'The effect,' says the author of the _Memorials_, -'was like the drawing up of the curtain in a theatre. But the bridge -would never have been where it is except for the jail. The lieges were -taxed for the prison; and luckily few of them were aware that they were -also taxed for the bridge as the prison's access. In all this -magnificent improvement, which in truth gave us the hill and all its -decoration, there was scarcely one particle of prospective taste. The -houses alongside the bridge were made handsome by the speculators for -their own interest; but the general effect of the new level opening into -Princes Street, and its consequences, were planned or foreseen by -nobody.' - -In a few years after the erection of the Calton Jail, the Old Tolbooth, -the 'Heart of Midlothian,' was removed. Had it been preserved, it would -have been the prize relic of historical antiquity in Scotland. 'Was it -not for many years the place in which the Scottish parliament met? Was -it not James's place of refuge, when the mob, inflamed by a seditious -preacher, broke forth on him with the cries of "The sword of the Lord -and of Gideon--bring forth the wicked Haman"?' It stood, 'as is well -known to all men,' near the Cathedral, in the very middle of the High -Street, and the purpose of widening the street and opening up the -Cathedral was the excuse for its demolition. Scott describes it as -'antique in form, gloomy and haggard in aspect, its black stanchioned -windows opening through its dingy walls like the apertures of a hearse.' -Cockburn speaks of it as a most atrocious jail, the very breath of which -almost struck down any stranger who entered its dismal door; and as -ill-placed as possible, without one inch of ground beyond its black and -horrid walls. And these walls were very small; the entire hole being -filled with little dark cells; heavy manacles the only security; -airless, waterless, drainless; a living grave. But yet I wish the -building had been spared.' The only memorial of it now is a heart in -the street formed of particoloured stones, showing where the door of the -prison stood. At Abbotsford may be seen, decorating the entrance of the -kitchen court, the stones of the old gateway, and also the door itself -with its ponderous fastenings. - -In the summer of 1811 Scott made his first purchase of land at -Abbotsford. The name was taken from a ford in the Tweed just above the -influx of Gala Water. The whole of the lands round there had at one time -belonged to the Abbey of Melrose. The property had sunk into a state of -great neglect under an absentee owner. The land was neither drained, -properly enclosed, nor even fully reclaimed. The house was small, with -a kailyard at one end and a barn at the other. But Scott in his mind's -eye already saw it all as he intended it to be. With boyish delight in -the prospect of realising his one innocent ambition, he writes to his -brother-in-law: 'I have bought a property extending along the banks of -the River Tweed for about half a mile. This is the greatest incident -which has lately taken place in our domestic concerns, and I assure you -we are not a little proud of being greeted as _laird_ and _lady of -Abbotsford_. We will give a grand gala when we take possession of it, -and as we are very clannish in this corner, all the Scotts in the -country, from the Duke to the peasant, shall dance on the green to the -bagpipes, and drink whisky punch.' - -At the beginning of the next year, January 1812, Scott came into his -salary as Clerk of Session. He had now a professional income of L1600 a -year. Why, then, was he not to buy land and become a laird? - -In this year began that correspondence with Byron which connects so -pleasantly the names of the two most popular poets of the day. In one -letter he mentions that he was staying in the gardener's hut at -Abbotsford. Alterations were going on apace, and besides raising the -roof and projecting some of the lower windows, a rustic porch, a -supplemental cottage at one end, and a fountain to the south, soon made -their appearance. Here is the 'laird's' amusing account of his -'flitting' from Ashestiel: 'The neighbours have been much delighted with -the procession of my furniture, in which old swords, bows, targets, and -lances made a very conspicuous show. A family of turkeys was -accommodated within the helmet of some _preux_ chevalier of ancient -border fame; and the very cows, for aught I know, were bearing banners -and muskets. I assure your ladyship that this caravan, attended by a -dozen of ragged rosy peasant children, carrying fishing-rods and spears, -and leading ponies, greyhounds, and spaniels, would, as it crossed the -Tweed, have furnished no bad subject for the pencil, and really reminded -me of the gypsey groups of Callot upon their march.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XLVI* - -Scott and the Actors--Kemble, Siddons, Terry--Terry's Imitation of 'the -Shirra'--Anecdote of Terry and C. Mathews--Mathews in Edinburgh--'The -Reign of Scott'--Anecdotes of his Children--Excursion to the Western -Isles. - - -A very remarkable feature of Edinburgh society at this period was the -free admittance to the best houses of the chief actors of the time. -Scott was particularly fond of their company. Charles Young, in 1803, -seems to have been the first of these theatrical friends. Later came -John Philip Kemble and his incomparable sister, Mrs. Siddons. Scott -used to say that Kemble was the only man who ever seduced him into very -deep potations in his middle life. Through his intimacy with Kemble, -Scott was led to take an interest in getting Henry Siddons, Kemble's -nephew, to take on the lease and management of the Edinburgh Theatre. -He purchased a share, became a trustee, and continued to take much -interest in the affairs of the company. Daniel Terry also was a friend -of Scott's. Both Terry and Kemble were highly educated men, and were -well read in the old literature of the drama. Terry was also, like -Scott, an enthusiast in the antiquities of _vertu_. Terry was remarkable -for his apparently involuntary imitation of Scott, whom he almost -worshipped. In particular, he acquired the power of imitating his -handwriting so closely that Lockhart says their letters, lying before -him, appeared as if they had all been written by one person. Scott -himself used to say that, if he were called on to swear to any document, -the utmost he could venture to attest would be, that it was either in -his own hand or in Terry's. Their common friends were much amused at -the approximation of Terry to a replica of Scott in facial tricks and -gravity of expression, and even in tone and accent. It is this that -gives point to an anecdote of Terry and Charles Mathews. They happened -to be thrown out of a gig together, and Mathews received an injury which -made him lame for life, while Terry escaped unhurt. 'Dooms, _Dauniel_,' -said Mathews when they next met, 'what a pity that it wasna your luck to -get the game leg, mon! Your Shirra would hae been the very thing, ye -ken, an' ye wad hae been croose till ye war coffined.' - -Mathews was in Edinburgh in the spring of 1812, when he seems to have -been greatly delighted with his success. On April 13th he wrote to his -wife: 'Edinburgh turned out as delightful as Glasgow was horrible. -Beautiful weather--good society--had the luck to see the superfine -patterns of the Scotch; and the warmest reception I ever yet met with, -because I have considered an Edinburgh audience so difficult to please. -Hundreds turned away at my benefit. I reckon Edinburgh an annuity to me -for the future.' - -Scott's popularity as a poet was about this time at its highest. This -period (1811) was, as Byron said, 'the reign of Scott.' He had reached -his poetical apogee with the publication of the _Lady of the Lake_, the -most successful of all his poems. In Edinburgh, by James Ballantyne's -habit of reading portions to select friends while the work was printing, -the highest expectations had been excited. Cadell, the publisher, -testifies that, when it appeared, the country rang with the praises of -the poet. 'Crowds' (he says) 'set off to view the scenery of Loch -Katrine, till then comparatively unknown: and as the book came out just -before the season for excursions, every house and inn in that -neighbourhood was crammed with a constant succession of visitors. It is -a well-ascertained fact, that from the date of the publication of the -_Lady of the Lake_, the post-horse duty in Scotland rose in an -extraordinary degree, and indeed it continued to do so regularly for a -number of years, the author's succeeding works keeping up the enthusiasm -for our scenery which he had thus originally created.' Within a year no -fewer than 20,000 copies of the poem were sold. - -Scott, as is well known, was always too modest and sensible to be, even -at the height of success, 'a partisan of his own poetry.' John -Ballantyne is the authority for a very surprising instance of this. 'I -remember,' he says, 'going into his library shortly after the -publication of the _Lady of the Lake_, and finding Miss Scott (who was -then a very young girl) there by herself. I asked her--"Well, Miss -Sophia, how do you like the _Lady of the Lake_?" Her answer was given -with perfect simplicity--"Oh, I have not read it: papa says there's -nothing so bad for young people as reading bad poetry."' - -Lockhart adds that the children in those days of childhood really did -not know that their father was in any way distinguished above the other -gentlemen of his profession who were their visitors and friends. He caps -Ballantyne's story with another: 'The eldest boy, Walter, came home one -afternoon from the High School, with tears and blood hardened together -upon his cheeks.--"Well, Wat," said his father, "what have you been -fighting about to-day?" The boy blushed and hung his head, and at last -stammered out--that he had been called a _lassie_. "Indeed!" said Mrs. -Scott, "this was a terrible mischief, to be sure." "You may say what -you please, mamma," Wat answered roughly, 'but I dinna think there's a -waufer (shabbier) thing in the world than to be a lassie, to sit boring -at a clout.' Upon further inquiry it turned out that one or two of his -companions had dubbed him the _Lady of the Lake_, and the phrase was to -him incomprehensible, save as conveying some imputation on his prowess, -which he accordingly vindicated in the usual style of the Yards. Of the -poem he had never before heard. Shortly after, this story having got -wind, one of Scott's colleagues of the Clerks' Table said to the -boy--who was in the home circle called _Gilnockie_, from his admiration -of Johnny Armstrong--"Gilnockie, my man, you cannot surely help seeing -that great people make more work about your papa than they do about me -or any other of your _uncles_--what is it do you suppose that occasions -this?" The little fellow pondered for a minute or two, and then -answered very gravely--"It's commonly _him_ that sees the hare sitting." -And yet this was the man who had his children all along so very much -with him.' - -It was at this time, while his heart was in a glow with happiness, that -he made his famous excursion to the Western Isles. The Laird of Staffa, -whose hospitality he celebrates, was the elder brother of his colleague -Macdonald Buchanan. The Laird was an ideal specimen of the old Highland -chief, 'living among a people distractedly fond of him.' - - - - - *CHAPTER XLVII* - -_Waverley_ laid aside--_Rokeby_--Excitement at Oxford--Ballantyne's -Dinner--Scott's Idea of Byron as a Poet--Ballantyne's Mismanagement--Aid -from Constable--Loan from the Duke--Scott decides to finish _Waverley_. - - -On his return from the Hebrides, while rummaging one morning for flies -in an old desk, Scott came upon a manuscript, long since laid aside, -containing the first two or three chapters of _Waverley_. It was now -taken out, and shown to James Ballantyne. But he was only faintly -confident of success, and the packet containing Caesar's fortunes was -again laid by. - -The poem of _Rokeby_ occupied Scott in 1812. In Edinburgh we see James -Ballantyne again reading from the sheets to his select circle of -critics. The effect is not quite satisfactory. The _Lady of the Lake_ -has spoiled Edinburgh. Enthusiasm is gone. But not so in England. -Look at this picture of Lockhart's: 'I well remember, being in those -days a young student at Oxford, how the booksellers' shops there were -beleaguered for the earliest copies, and how he that had been so -fortunate as to secure one was followed to his chambers by a tribe of -friends, all as eager to hear it read as ever horse-jockeys were to see -the conclusion of a race at Newmarket; and indeed not a few of those -enthusiastic academics had bets depending on the issue of the struggle, -which they considered the elder favourite as making to keep his own -ground against the fiery rivalry of _Childe Harold_.' - -All anxiety as to the sale of _Rokeby_ was soon allayed. The three -thousand quartos of the first edition were exhausted on the day of -publication, the 13th of January 1813. Scott's letter to his friend -Morritt, the proprietor of Rokeby, shows relief. He mentions -Ballantyne's 'christening dinner,' and gaily wishes 'we could whistle -you here to-day.' These dinners were great events, 'at which the Duke -of Buccleuch and a great many of my friends are formally feasted. He -has always the best singing that can be heard in Edinburgh, and we have -usually a very pleasant party, at which your health as patron and -proprietor of Rokeby will be faithfully and honourably remembered.' By -Morritt at least _Rokeby_ was considered a masterpiece. - -The comparison of Scott and Byron, and the popular pitting of the one -against the other, was inevitable. The first two cantos of _Childe -Harold_, published in March 1812, had obtained a marvellous success. It -was of this that Byron said, 'I awoke one morning, and found myself -famous.' In such popularity Scott alone was his rival. But the two -poets equally disapproved the talk of competition. Speaking of a debate -of this kind between Murray and Ellis, Byron said, 'If they want to -depose Scott, I only wish they would not set me up as a competitor. I -like the man, and all such stuff can only vex him, and do me no good.' -In this manly spirit he might have spoken for both. - -No one appreciated more fully than did Scott the genius of the author of -_Childe Harold_. He seems from the first sight of that poem to have -been satisfied in his own mind of Byron's pre-eminent powers in poetry. -He had no desire, as he says, 'to measure his force with so formidable -an antagonist,' but he determined to go on with the work he had planned, -and already it is evident that his thoughts were turning vaguely towards -some other literary form, in which the youthful ardour which he thought -was cooling might be less essential to success. - -In this year of commercial panic, 1813, Scott began to experience the -worries and discomforts which flow from a speculative commercial -adventure shamelessly neglected by a reckless and incompetent 'manager.' -The crisis was already bringing the less substantial publishing houses -into danger, and the firm of John Ballantyne and Co. was soon reduced to -extremity. Two features are mentioned by Lockhart which sufficiently -show how well fitted John Ballantyne was to organise disaster: his blind -recklessness in regard to bills--he never looked beyond the passing -day--and his absolute neglect to keep the moneyed partner informed of -his obligations and of the state of the firm's resources. In Lockhart's -opinion the concern must have gone to pieces at this time but for the -reconciliation with Constable. He relieved Ballantyne of part of his -stock, on the understanding that the firm should, as soon as possible, -be finally wound up. In these distressing affairs it is too sadly easy -to understand the whole drama. From his beautiful and now unspeakably -touching letters we can picture the good soft-hearted gentleman -crediting the adventurer with all his own unselfishness and fine -sensitiveness, pointing out with an apology errors of conduct which -deserved immediate dismissal with disgrace, and lamenting possible -consequences to _him_, to the needy ruined adventurer who had found a -haven of refuge in a business to which he had actually brought no -capital at all. To make a phrase out of Spencerian jargon, Scott was -the dupe of automorphism. His sense of duty to the imaginary -Ballantynes made him the victim of the actual ones. He ought at this -time to have kicked both of them out, put the affairs of both concerns -into the hands of professional accountants, and considered the -situation. But there was the secrecy as well as the automorphic -delusion. Then he went on, of course, buying land. He was making -money, and he _ought_ to have been able to spend. But if a genius can -make one fortune, a reckless trifler can waste ten. It is dreadful even -yet to think of Walter Scott, of all our great ones the _best_, slaving -and dreaming innocent Alnaschar dreams, while a Ballantyne, without any -toil at all, is piling up mountains of debt to overwhelm him. By the -end of the year, John's calls upon Scott necessitated more help from -Constable and a loan to Scott from the Duke of Buccleuch of L4000. The -publishing business was to be given up at once, and the amateur -publisher was to start as an auctioneer of books and curios. During this -time of vexation and worry, Scott was constantly engaged in toilsome and -taxing labour on an edition and life of Swift, and also made a beginning -with the _Lord of the Isles_. Just then, too, the fragment of -_Waverley_ turned up once more. He read it, judged it this time for -himself without advice, and decided to finish it. - - - - - *CHAPTER XLVIII* - -Success of the Allies--Address to the King--Freedom of -Edinburgh--Edition of Swift--Printing of _Waverley_--Mystery of -Authorship--Edinburgh Guesses--Excellent Review by Jeffrey--Scott's -'gallant composure'--Success of the Novel. - - - 'O, dread was the time, and more dreadful the omen, - When the brave on Marengo lay slaughtered in vain, - And beholding broad Europe bow'd down by her foemen, - Pitt closed in his anguish the map of her reign.' - -The song which begins thus was written by Scott about the close of 1813, -inspired by the great successes of the Allies. On the magistrates of -Edinburgh presenting an address to the King, Scott indited one for them -which was privately acknowledged to himself as 'the most elegant -congratulation a sovereign ever received or a subject offered.' It is -gratifying to know that the magistrates were duly grateful for the -service, which secured for them an extremely cordial reception at -Carlton House. At Christmas 1813 Scott was presented with the freedom -of the city and a very handsome piece of plate. - -He had now been working for five or six years on the great edition of -Swift in nineteen volumes, which came out in the summer of 1814. It was -reviewed in the _Edinburgh_ by Jeffrey at Constable's special request. -The review contained an attack on the character of Swift so able and -incisive as, in Constable's opinion, to have greatly retarded the sale -of the work. But Jeffrey's appreciation of the editor and his work was -admirable: giving him the frankest praise for 'minute knowledge and -patient research, vigour of judgment and vivacity of style.' Of the -_Life_ he said most justly: 'It is not much like the production of a -mere man of letters, but exhibits the good sense and large toleration of -a man of the world, with much of that generous allowance for the - - "Fears of the brave and follies of the wise," - -which genius too often requires, and should therefore be always most -forward to show.' Meantime the latter 'genius' was preparing the great -new stroke for fame which was now to extinguish all lesser lights in a -blaze of unexpected glory. Early in the year Ballantyne had printed the -first volume of _Waverley_. With the precaution regularly exercised all -through, the MS. was copied by John Ballantyne before being sent to -press. The printed volume was taken by John to Constable, who made the -very liberal offer of L700 for the copyright. Scott's remark was that -L700 was too much if the novel should not be successful, and too little -if it should. But he added, 'If our fat friend had said L1000, I should -have been staggered.' Fortunately Constable doubted, and lost the -opportunity, an agreement being ultimately made for an equal division of -profits between him and the author. The authorship was, of course, not -hidden from 'our fat friend.' He published, therefore, on the 7th of -July, what Scott, writing two days after to Morritt, called 'a small -anonymous sort of a novel.' Even then, it seems, 'it had made a very -strong impression here, and the good people of Edinburgh are busy in -tracing the author.... Jeffrey has offered to make oath that it is -mine.' Later on, replying to Morritt's protests, he says, 'I shall not -own _Waverley_; my chief reason is, that it would prevent me the -pleasure of writing again. David Hume, the nephew of the historian, -says the author must be of a Jacobite family and predilections, a -yeoman-cavalry man, and a Scottish lawyer, and desires me to guess in -whom these happy attributes are united. I shall not plead guilty, -however.... The Edinburgh faith is, that _Waverley_ was written by -Jeffrey.... The second edition is, I believe, nearly through the press. -It will hardly be printed faster than it was written; for though the -first volume was begun long ago, and actually lost for a time, yet the -other two were begun and finished between the 4th June and the 1st July, -during all which I attended my duty in court, and proceeded without loss -of time or hinderance of business.' - -We have an admirable picture from Lord Cockburn of the impression made -in Edinburgh by this memorable event, and the sensations, as he puts it, -produced by the first year of these Edinburgh works. 'It is curious,' -he says, 'to remember the instant and universal impression in Edinburgh. -The unexpected newness of the thing, the profusion of original -characters, the Scotch language, Scotch scenery, Scotch men and women, -the simplicity of the writing, and the graphic force of the -descriptions, all struck us with an electric shock of delight. If the -concealment of the authorship of the novels was intended to make mystery -heighten their effect, it completely succeeded. The speculations and -conjectures, and nods and winks and predictions and assertions were -endless, and occupied every company, and almost every two men who met -and spoke in the street. It was proved by a thousand indications, each -refuting the other, and all equally true in fact, that they were written -by old Henry Mackenzie, and by George Cranstoun, and William Erskine, -and Jeffrey, and above all by Thomas Scott, Walter's brother, a -regimental paymaster, then in Canada. But "the great unknown," as the -true author was then called, always took good care, with all his -concealment, to supply evidence amply sufficient for the protection of -his property and his fame; in so much that the suppression of the name -was laughed at as a good joke not merely by his select friends in his -presence, but by himself. The change of line, at his age, was a -striking proof of intellectual power and richness. But the truth is, -that these novels were rather the outpourings of old thoughts than new -inventions.' - -From the very first the secret of the authorship was known to quite a -number of persons, indeed to all Scott's intimates, and, in Lockhart's -own opinion, the mystification never answered much purpose among other -literary men of eminence. He thinks that all Scott wished was 'to set -the mob of readers at gaze, and, above all, to escape the annoyance of -having productions, actually known to be his, made the daily and hourly -topics of discussion in his presence. All the critics, with the -exception of the savage _Quarterly_, were able to see that _Waverley_ -was a great, an uncommon work. The author was at once acknowledged to -be a genius. Foremost and frankest was Jeffrey, who began, 'It is a -wonder what genius and adherence to nature will do.' The reviewer has, -of course, many small and petty things to say, he has not yet -surrendered himself fully to the great enchanter, but he clearly sees -and heartily enjoys the points of real greatness--the creation of living -characters and the marvellous resurrection of the period and its social -state. He says what is a thing most true of Scott, that the work by the -mere force of truth and vivacity of its colouring takes its place rather -with the most popular of our modern poems than with the rubbish of -provincial romances. This point, that the book was founded upon actual -experience and observation, he strongly emphasises. This was what Scott -of all possible authors possessed in the highest degree, and Jeffrey was -quite certain that _Waverley_ was Scott's. He concludes by saying that -it is hard to see why the book should have been anonymous: if the author -really was an 'unknown' personage, then Mr. Scott would have to look to -his laurels against a sturdier competitor than any he had as yet -encountered. - -Such was the reception of _Waverley_: a reception not unworthy of a -masterpiece. And it is worth while to remark once again the 'gallant -composure' of the writer who had staked his fame and fortune on an -experiment so new, uncertain, and dangerous. Before he had heard of its -fate in England, he set out on a voyage to the Hebrides, Orkney and -Shetland, so that he was practically cut off from letters and news for -nearly two months. When he returned, he found that two editions of -_Waverley_ had been sold. - - - - - *CHAPTER XLIX* - -The _Lord of the Isles_--_Guy Mannering_--Universal Delight--Effects of -Peace in Scotland--Awakening of Public Opinion in Edinburgh--'Civic -War'--Professor Duncan--Sketch by Lord Cockburn. - - -The month of January 1815 saw the publication of Scott's _Lord of the -Isles_. On the 24th of February a second novel--_Guy Mannering_--was -issued, by the Author of _Waverley_. Detailed dates given by Lockhart -show that the novel was literally written, as Scott himself said, 'in -six weeks at a Christmas.' Writing to Morritt on January 15, he says, -'I want to shake myself free of _Waverley_, and accordingly have made a -considerable exertion to finish an odd little tale within such time as -will mystify the public, I trust--unless they suppose me to be -Briareus.' The biographer adds that this excess of labour was the -result of difficulties about the discount of John Ballantyne's bills. -The _Lord of the Isles_, though amply successful from the point of view -of sale, was in point of reputation disappointing. On James -acknowledging this, Scott, we are told by James Ballantyne, 'did look -rather blank for a few seconds: in truth, he had been wholly unprepared -for the event; for it is a singular fact, that before the public, or -rather the booksellers, had given their decision, he no more knew -whether he had written well or ill, than whether a die thrown out of a -box was to turn up a size or an ace. However, he instantly resumed his -spirit, and expressed his wonder rather that his poetical popularity -should have lasted so long, than that it should have now at last given -way. At length he said, with perfect cheerfulness, "Well, well, James, -so be it--but you know we must not droop, for we can't afford to give -over. Since one line has failed, we must just stick to something else"; -and so he dismissed me, and resumed this novel.' The reviews of the -_Lord of the Isles_, though rather severe on the structure of the poem -and the imperfections of the hero, did ample justice to the majestic -power and unfailing vigour of the story as well as to its rare -descriptive beauties. But most will now agree with Lockhart that the -best achievements in the book are the magnificent character of the -heroic King, and the Homeric battle-piece of Bannockburn. - -The reception of _Guy Mannering_ in the following month amply made up -for this partial disappointment. In two days the first edition of 2000 -copies was sold out. Within two or three months 5000 copies more were -called for. Curiosity doubtless stimulated the first demand. The -mystery was further deepened by the prefixing to the novel of a motto -from the _Lay_: - - ''Tis said that words and signs have power - O'er sprites in planetary hour; - But scarce I praise their venturous part, - Who tamper with such dangerous art'-- - -a device, as Scott said in 1829, for evading the guesses of certain -persons who had observed that the Author of _Waverley_ never quoted from -the poetry of Walter Scott. The verdict of readers went by acclamation. -There was no dissent as to the splendid qualities of the new novel. It -was simply a chorus of delight. Happy generation to have the _first_ -enjoyment of the Shakespearian gallery of characters containing Dominie -Sampson, the Laird of Ellangowan, Pleydell, Dandie Dinmont, and Meg -Merrilies! - -In this frame of mind, then, and in this blaze of glory, Walter Scott -passed on, with the rest, into the new generation and the changing -Edinburgh scene that followed and were products of the great European -peace of 1815. The effects of the peace were the same in Edinburgh as -elsewhere in the country. Cockburn has summarised them in these words: -'We got new things to speak about; and the entire disappearance of -drums, uniforms, and parades, changed our habits and appearance. We -were charmed at the moment by a striking sermon by Alison, and a -beautiful review by Jeffrey, on the cessation of the long struggle; the -chief charm of each being in the expression of the cordial and universal -burst of joy that hailed the supposed restoration of liberty to Europe, -and the downfall of the great soldier who was believed to be its only -tyrant. Old men, but especially those in whose memories the American war -ran into the French one, had only a dim recollection of what peace was; -and middle-aged men knew it now for the first time. The change in all -things, in all ideas, and conversation, and objects, was as complete as -it is in a town that has at last been liberated from a strict and -tedious siege.' - -With the peace there began in Edinburgh some stirring of popular -interest in public questions. One of the first signs of it was the -great public meeting, held in July 1814, to protest against West Indian -Slavery. The meeting was non-political, being attended by sympathetic -persons of both parties. Yet it seems to have excited alarm, as an -indication of dangerous and unsettled feelings. A monster petition -resulted from this meeting, signed by ten or twelve thousand persons. -Some of the promoters of the petition had an amusing experience. They -found that many of the old Calvinistic Whigs would not sign any petition -to the _Lords Spiritual_. This was the real spirit of true-blue -Covenanters! - -Over the New Town Dispensary, which was established in 1815, there raged -what Cockburn remembered as 'a civic war.' The vested interests and old -prejudices were up in arms against treating patients at their homes and -the election of office-bearers by subscribers. 'However, common sense -prevailed. The hated institution rose and flourished, and has had all -its defects imitated by its opponents.' Prominent in this incident was -Professor Andrew Duncan, an odd specimen of the curious old Edinburgh -characters. He is described as a kind-hearted and excellent man, but -'one of a class which seems to live and be happy, and get liked, by its -mere absurdities.' He figured as promoter and president of all sorts of -innocent crack-brained clubs and societies, and wrote pamphlets, poems, -epitaphs and jokes without end. His writings were all amiable, all -dull, and most of them very foolish, but they made the author happy. -The general respect and toleration for an eccentric like this throws a -strong light on the simplicity and broad-minded philosophy of the -'unreformed' city population of a hundred years ago. The following are -Lord Cockburn's recollections of Duncan:-- - -'He was even the president of a bathing club; and once at least every -year did this grave medical professor conduct as many of the members as -he could collect to Leith, where the rule was that their respect for -their chief was to be shown by always letting him plunge first from the -machine into the water. He continued, till he was past eighty, a -practice of mounting to the summit of Arthur's Seat on the 1st of May, -and celebrating the feat by what he called a poem. He was very fond of -gardening, and rather a good botanist. This made him president of the -Horticultural Society, which he oppressed annually by a dull discourse. -But in the last, or nearly the last, of them he relieved the members by -his best epitaph, being one upon himself. After mentioning his great -age, he intimated that the time must soon arrive when, in the words of -our inimitable Shakespeare, they would all be saying "Duncan is in his -grave."' - - - - - *CHAPTER L* - -The New Town of Edinburgh in 1815--Effects of the 'Plan'--The Earthen -Mound--Criticisms by Citizens after the War--The New -Approaches--Destruction of City Trees--Lord Cockburn's Lament. - - -The New Town of Edinburgh, as seen by Scott and his contemporaries, was -simply a product of the mason. The houses were plain three-story -buildings, without ornament and without variety. They stood end-on in -long barrack-like blocks. 'Our jealousy of variety,' says Cockburn, -'and our association of magnificence with sameness, was really curious. -If a builder ever attempted (which, however, to do them justice, they -very seldom did) to deviate so far from the established paltriness as to -carry up the front wall so as to hide the projecting slates, or to break -the roof by a Flemish storm window, or to turn his gable to the street, -there was an immediate outcry; and if the law allowed our burgh Edile, -the Dean of Guild, to interfere, he was sure to do so.' Mere -convenience was the only guiding principle, and it was the same with the -famous 'Plan' for laying out the streets. Instead of taking a hint from -the strikingly picturesque irregularity of the romantic 'Old Town,' the -projectors studiously endeavoured to make everything as unlike it as -possible. The 'Plan' laid down the streets in long straight lines, -divided to an inch, and all to the same number of inches, by -intersecting straight lines at right angles. - -Well might a few men of taste hold up protesting hands and exclaim, What -a site did nature give us for our New Town! Yet what insignificance in -its Plan! What poverty in all its details! But the most of the -citizens were quite contented with the Plan and the buildings. They -thought the idea of three main streets intersected by six cross streets -at right angles and at regular distances, a perfect inspiration of -genius. They talked of its beauty and elegance, and fondly believed -that the New Town had few equals in Europe. Certainly in one point the -contrast with the Old Town was in favour of the New. The streets were -made spacious and broad, giving the inestimable boon of free air. Along -with the New Town there gradually grew another monument, gigantic in -every sense, of the taste of Edinburgh citizens--'the Mound,' as it is -still called, a monument which justifies the city's love and pride in -being at least unique. It took fifty years to collect, it is eight -hundred feet long, its height at the north end is sixty feet, and at the -south end one hundred. Like every other great work, the Mound has had -its detractors. Lord Cockburn said of it, 'The creation of that -abominable incumbrance, the "Earthen Mound," by which the valley it -abridges and deforms was sacrificed for a deposit of rubbish, was not -only permitted without a murmur to be slowly raised, but throughout all -its progress was applauded as a noble accumulation.' It was originally -suggested by a Lawnmarket shopkeeper. Even at the present day there are -some who have their doubts about its beauty and elegance, but they are -easily silenced by recalling its vastness and its original cheapness. -The Mound, in fact, is here to stay. - -After the peace, when Europe was immediately covered with travellers, it -became known to some Edinburgh natives that there were better things in -city architecture than the 'regular, elegant, and commodious' houses of -New Edinburgh. 'Not one of them, whether from taste, or conceit, or -mere chattering--but it all did good--failed to contrast the littleness -of almost all that the people of Edinburgh had yet done, with the -general picturesque grandeur and the unrivalled sites of their city. It -was about this time that the foolish phrase, "The Modern Athens," began -to be applied to the capital of Scotland; a sarcasm, or a piece of -affected flattery, when used in a moral sense; but just enough if meant -only as a comparison of the physical features of the two places.' - -The existence of a New Town soon forced on the opening up of the city by -adequate routes of access. The narrow, steep, and crooked 'wynds' of the -Old Town had been constructed in the days when to keep enemies out was -the first, indeed the only consideration. Now it became a primary -necessity to provide broad, open, and convenient approaches from all -sides. The citizens soon enjoyed the privilege of issuing by wide and -pleasant highways, conducting to the open fields. And fortunately the -buildings now erected beside these spacious approaches were not -dominated by the 'Plan.' Cockburn himself considered the buildings -'very respectable; the owners being always tempted to allure the -spreading population by laying out their land attractively. Hence -Newington, Leith Walk, the grounds of Inverleith, the road to -Corstorphine, and to Queensferry, and indeed all the modern approaches, -which lead in every direction through most comfortable suburbs.' - -It is clear from Lord Cockburn's invaluable testimony that the idea of -the more free and daring attempts in architecture, which have now given -the New Town a character so different from its 'planned' uniformity and -elegance, originated immediately after the peace. 'The influence of -these circumstances can only be appreciated by those who knew Edinburgh -during the war. It is they alone who can see the beauty of the bravery -which the Queen of the North has since been putting on. There were more -schemes, and pamphlets, and discussions, and anxiety about the -improvement of our edifices and prospects within ten years after the war -ceased, than throughout the whole of the preceding one hundred and fifty -years.' - -Suburban Edinburgh of to-day rejoices in a profusion of trees. Had the -same taste been predominant at this period, how different even the -centre of the city might have been. It is tantalising to imagine the -pictures left us of what existed in those bygone days. 'There was no -Scotch city more strikingly graced by individual trees and by groups of -them than Edinburgh, since I knew it, used to be. How well the ridge of -the Old Town was set off by a bank of elms that ran along the front of -James' Court, and stretched eastward over the ground now partly occupied -by the Bank of Scotland. Some very respectable trees might have been -spared to grace the Episcopal Chapel of St. Paul in York Place. There -was one large tree near its east end which was so well placed that some -people conjectured it was on its account that the Chapel was set down -there. I was at a consultation in John Clerk's house, hard by, when -that tree was cut. On hearing that it was actually down we ran out, and -well did John curse the Huns. The old aristocratic gardens of the -Canongate were crowded with trees, and with good ones. There were -several on the Calton Hill; seven, not ill-grown, on its very summit. -And all Leith Walk and Lauriston, including the ground round Heriot's -Hospital, was fully set with wood. A group was felled about the year -1826 which stood to the west of St. John's Chapel, on the opposite side -of the Lothian Road, and formed a beautiful termination of all the -streets which join near that point. Moray Place, in the same way, might -have been richly decorated with old and respectable trees. But they -were all murdered.... I tried to save a very picturesque group, some of -which waved over the wall at the west end of the jail on the Calton -Hill. I succeeded with two trees; but in about four years they also -disappeared. The sad truth is that the extinction of foliage, and the -unbroken display of their bright freestone, is of itself a first object -with both our masons and their employers. The wooded gardens that we -have recently acquired are not inconsistent with this statement. There -was no competition between them and building. It is our horror of the -direct combination of trees with masonry, and our incapacity to effect -it, that I complain of. No apology is thought necessary for murdering a -tree; many for preserving it.' - - - - - *CHAPTER LI* - -The 'Jury Court'--Chief-Commissioner Adam--His Work and -Success--Friendship with Scott--Character of Adam by Scott--The -Blairadam Club--Anecdotes--Death of Lord Adam. - - -Trial by jury in civil cases was introduced into Scotland by an -enactment of the year 1815. The first case was tried on 22nd January -1816. The change thus inaugurated was considered by reformers 'one of -the most important events in the progress of our law.' Though meeting -with strong opposition, headed by the old judges, the introduction of -the new system was managed successfully. It implied the arrangement of -a separate court, and the appointment of a special presiding judge -trained to English practice. The Lord Chief-Commissioner was the Right -Hon. William Adam, of Blairadam, and he was assisted by two other -judges, Lords Pitmilly and Meadowbank. Adam was then sixty-five years of -age. Cockburn says that he was handicapped by extravagant expectations -of what he was to do. He describes him as 'the person who had first -fought Fox, and then been his friend; who had spoken in debate with -Pitt; managed the affairs of Royal Dukes; been the standing counsel of -such clients as the East India Company and the Bank of England, and in -great practice in Parliamentary Committees.' His appearance was that of -a farming gentleman. He had a clear distinct voice, and an admirable -manner, but his great defect is said to have been 'obscurity of judicial -speech.' Lord Glenlee, listening for a long time, without getting any -definite idea, to his well-sounding sentences full of confusion, made -the epigram, 'He speaks as if he were an Act of Parliament.' - -We have the testimony of Lord Cockburn to the success of his work. 'No -other man could have done his work. He had to guide a vessel over -shoals and among rocks. This was his special duty, and he did it -admirably. He protected his court from prejudices which, if not subdued -by his patience and dexterity, would have crushed it any week. So far -as we are to retain civil trial by jury in this country, we shall owe it -to him personally. When in 1830 the Jury Court ceased to exist as a -separate court his vocation was at an end; and he retired with the -respect and the affection of the whole legal profession and of the -public.' - -Such was the task of the man with whom Scott was now to be connected -during the rest of his life in a constant interchange of hospitality, -and whom he so frequently mentions in his _Journal_ with epithets of -esteem and respect. Their acquaintance practically dated from Adam's -appointment, but soon grew into the closest friendship. The account of -their connection in the _Journal_ (January 1826) must be quoted for the -vivid, almost startling light it throws on Scott's own peculiarities. - -'I have taken kindly to him as one of the most pleasant, kind-hearted, -benevolent, and pleasing men I have ever known. It is high treason -among the Tories to express regard for him, or respect for the Jury -Court in which he presides. I was against that experiment as much as -any one. But it is an experiment, and the establishment (which the -fools will not perceive) is the only thing which I see likely to give -some prospects of ambition to our Bar. As for the Chief-Commissioner, I -dare say he jobs, as all other people of consequence do, in elections, -and so forth. But he is the personal friend of the King, and the -decided enemy of whatever strikes at the constitutional rights of the -monarch. Besides, I love him for the various changes which he has -endured through life, and which have been so great as to make him -entitled to be regarded in one point of view as the most fortunate--in -the other, the most unfortunate--man in the world. He has gained and -lost two fortunes by the same good luck, and the same rash confidence, -which raised, and now threatens, my _peculium_. And his quiet, -honourable, and generous submission under circumstances more painful -than mine,--for the loss of world's wealth was to him aggravated by the -death of his youngest and darling son in the West Indies--furnished me -at the time and now with a noble example. So the Tories and Whigs may -go be d--d together, as names that have disturbed old Scotland, and torn -asunder the most kindly feelings since the first day they were -invented.... I cannot permit that strife to "mix its waters with my -daily meal," those waters of bitterness which poison all mutual love and -confidence betwixt the well-disposed on either side.' - -Adam was fond of society, in which 'nothing could exceed his -delightfulness.' The Blairadam Club was for many years (from 1818 -onwards) an institution. It was an annual gathering at midsummer of a -few bosom friends, among them Scott, William Clerk, and Sir Adam -Ferguson. The friends spent a day or two together, and generally made -it a gay and happy occasion. 'We hire a light coach-and-four, and scour -the country in every direction in quest of objects of curiosity.' The -last meeting attended by Scott was in 1830, when he says: 'Our meeting -was cordial, but our numbers diminished. Will Clerk has a bad cold, -Thomas Thomson is detained, but the Chief-Commissioner, Admiral Adam -(son of the host), Sir Adam, John Thomson and I, make an excellent -concert. The day was execrable (wet). But Sir Adam was in high -fooling, and we had an amazing deal of laughing.' It is pathetic, in -the midst of this, to see how he fretted to be at home, in order to be -at work again. In the _Journal_ we come across some remarks or -anecdotes of Adam's, of which one or two may be given. 'I came home -with Lord Chief-Commissioner Adam. He told me a dictum of old Sir -Gilbert Elliot, speaking of his uncles. "No chance of opulence," he -said, "is worth the risk of a competence." It was not the thought of a -great man, but perhaps that of a wise one.' - -Again, 'Dined with Chief-Commissioner,--Admiral Adam, W. Clerk, Thomson -and I. The excellent old man was cheerful at intervals--at times sad, -as was natural. A good blunder he told us, occurred in the Annandale -case, which was a question partly of domicile. It was proved that -leaving Lochwood, the Earl had given up his _kain_ and _carriages_; this -an English counsel contended was the best of all possible proofs that -the noble Earl designed an absolute change of residence, since he laid -aside his _walking-stick_ and his _coach_.'[1] - - -[1] _Kain_ in Scots Law means 'payment in kind': carriages, 'services in -driving with horse and cart.' - - -Lockhart has recorded that 'this most amiable and venerable gentleman, -my dear and kind friend, died at Edinburgh, on the 17th February 1839, -in the eighty-ninth year of his age. He retained his strong mental -faculties in their perfect vigour to the last days of his long life, and -with them all the warmth of social feelings which had endeared him to -all who were so happy as to have any opportunity of knowing him.' - - - - - *CHAPTER LII* - -1816--The _Antiquary_--Death of Major John Scott--The Aged -Mother--Buying Land--The Ballantynes--The _Black Dwarf_ and -Blackwood--Scott and a Judgeship--Anecdote of Authorship of _Waverley_. - - -The year 1816, says Lockhart, 'has almost its only traces in the -successive appearance of nine volumes, which attest the prodigal genius -and hardly less astonishing industry' of Walter Scott. Among these were -the _Antiquary_ and _Old Mortality_. The former appeared in the -beginning of May, and about the same time occurred the death of the -author's brother, Major John Scott, who had long been in weak health. -Writing to Morritt on this occasion Scott says, 'It is a heavy -consideration to have lost the last but one who was interested in our -early domestic life, our habits of boyhood, and our first friends and -connexions. It makes one look about and see how the scene has changed -around him, and how he himself has been changed with it. My mother, now -upwards of eighty, has now only one child left to her out of thirteen -whom she had borne. She is a most excellent woman, possessed, even at -her advanced age, of all the force of mind and sense of duty which have -carried her through so many domestic griefs, as the successive deaths of -eleven children, some of them come to men and women's estate, naturally -infers. She is the principal subject of my attention at present, and -is, I am glad to say, perfectly well in body and composed in mind.' - -In the same letter he speaks of the _Antiquary_ as being 'not so -interesting' as its predecessors, but more fortunate than any of them in -the sale, six thousand copies having gone off in a week. Meantime he -was fast purchasing land to add to his estate. By this time it had -grown from 150 acres to nearly a thousand. There were signs that might -have warned him to be careful. At the time of James Ballantyne's fall he -appears to have been owing over L3000 to Scott of personal debt. But -Scott was sanguine by nature, and it was the interest of the Ballantynes -to keep their businesses going. 'Therefore, in a word' (this is -Lockhart's deliberate charge), 'John appears to have systematically -disguised from Scott the extent to which the whole Ballantyne concern -had been sustained by Constable--especially during his Hebridean tour of -1814, and his Continental one of 1815--and prompted and enforced the -idea of trying other booksellers from time to time, instead of adhering -to Constable, merely for the selfish purposes--first of facilitating the -immediate discount of bills;--secondly, of further perplexing Scott's -affairs, the entire disentanglement of which would have been, as he -fancied, prejudicial to his own personal importance.' - -It was in this way that the Tales of my Landlord (that is, the _Black -Dwarf_ and _Old Mortality_) came to be published by Murray and -Blackwood. The latter, alarmed by Gifford's disapprobation of the -_Black Dwarf_, proposed that if the author would recast the later -chapters, he would gladly take upon himself the expense of cancelling -the sheets. Scott's reply, in a letter to Ballantyne, was emphatic: -'Tell him and his coadjutor that I belong to the Black Hussars of -Literature, who neither give nor receive quarter. I'll be cursed, but -this is the most impudent proposal that ever was made.' - -An interesting fact in Scott's personal history which had previously -been unknown even to Lockhart, was discovered by the latter when Scott's -letters to the Duke of Buccleuch came into his hands after the death of -the Duke. During the winter of 1816-1817, it appears, Scott made an -attempt to exchange his Clerkship for a seat on the Bench of the Court -of Exchequer. The Duke was naturally most anxious to second the -proposal, but private reasons prevented him from exercising his -influence at that juncture. This seems to have set the matter at rest. -In later years, when such a step was suggested, Scott seems to have -become convinced that the less conspicuous position was more fit and -desirable for a literary man, and more especially a poet and novelist. -At all events the Tory party lost the opportunity of making Walter Scott -'Lord Abbotsford.' - -After the publication of Tales of my Landlord by Murray, Scott, in -conjunction with his friend Erskine, contributed to the _Quarterly_ a -general review of the Waverley Novels and a reply to Dr. M'Crie's -strictures on the treatment of the Covenanters in _Old Mortality_. The -criticisms were the work of Erskine, though Scott was severely censured -after, as if he had been puffing his own works unfairly. The paper -closed with an allusion to the report of Thomas Scott's being the author -of _Waverley_. 'A better joke,' says Lockhart, 'was never penned, and I -think it includes a confession over which a misanthrope might have -chuckled.' This is the conclusion: 'We intended here to conclude this -long article, when a strong report reached us of certain Transatlantic -confessions, which, if genuine (though of this we know nothing), assign -a different author to these volumes than the party suspected by our -Scottish correspondents. Yet a critic may be excused seizing upon the -nearest suspicious person, on the principle happily expressed by -Claverhouse in a letter to the Earl of Linlithgow. He had been, it -seems, in search of a gifted weaver, who used to hold forth at -conventicles: "I sent for the webster (weaver), they brought in his -_brother_ for him; though he, may be, cannot preach like his brother, I -doubt not but he is as well-principled as he, wherefore I thought it -would be no great fault to give him the trouble to go to jail with the -rest."' - -At this point we shall cease to attempt any detailed account of the -various novels and their publication. Our plan calls now only for a few -striking scenes in the closing years of the life whose outward -surroundings and personal environment in Edinburgh it is our main aim to -illustrate. We may, however, conclude this chapter with the admirable -summary by Lockhart of the qualities of _Old Mortality_, a work which -was the product of Scott's greatest intellectual effort, and which is -usually, and justly, ranked with _Guy Mannering_ as one of the best of -the Scotch Novels. 'The story,' he says, 'is framed with a deeper skill -than any of the preceding novels; the canvas is a broader one; the -characters are contrasted and projected with a power and felicity which -neither he nor any other master ever surpassed; and notwithstanding all -that has been urged against him as a disparager of the Covenanters, it -is to me very doubtful whether the inspiration of romantic chivalry ever -prompted him to nobler emotions than he has lavished on the reanimation -of their stern and solemn enthusiasm. The work has always appeared to -me the _Marmion_ of his novels.' - - - - - *CHAPTER LIII* - -1817--Overwork and Illness--Kemble's 'Farewell Address'--The Kemble -Dinner--_Blackwood's Magazine_ and the Reign of Terror in Edinburgh. - - -During the times of trouble with the Ballantyne affairs, Scott, as has -been seen, taxed his strength to an extraordinary and dangerous extent. -The effects were presently felt in that which was the permanently weak -point of his physical constitution--the family tendency to paralysis. -His first serious illness was in March 1817. From his letters to -Morritt it appears that he had suffered all through the winter--while -working as usual in Edinburgh--with cramps in the stomach. He had got -temporary relief by means of drinking scalding water, but as the pains -continued to recur more frequently he had been obliged reluctantly to -have recourse to Dr. Baillie. 'But' (he says) 'before his answer -arrived, on the 5th, I had a most violent attack, which broke up a small -party at my house, and sent me to bed roaring like a bull-calf. All -sorts of remedies were applied, as in the case of Gil Blas' pretended -colic, but such was the pain of the real disorder, that it out-deviled -the Doctor hollow. Even heated salt, which was applied in such a state -that it burned my shirt to rags, I hardly felt when clapped to my -stomach. At length the symptoms became inflammatory, and dangerously -so, the seat being the diaphragm. They only gave way to very profuse -bleeding and blistering, which, under higher assistance, saved my life. -My recovery was slow and tedious from the state of exhaustion. I could -neither stir for weakness and giddiness, nor read for dazzling in my -eyes, nor listen for a whizzing sound in my ears, nor even think for -lack of the power of arranging my ideas. So I had a comfortless time of -it for about a week.' Lockhart adds that his friends in Edinburgh were -in great anxiety about him all the spring, the attacks being more than -once repeated. But he resumed work almost immediately, planning out, in -intervals of pain, the drama called _The Doom of Devorgoil_. Now also -he wrote the magnificent 'Farewell Address,' instinct with heart-felt -pathos, with which his friend John Philip Kemble took his leave of the -Edinburgh stage, on the evening of Saturday the 29th March 1817. The -character in which Kemble had appeared was Macbeth, and he wore the -dress of the character while he spoke the lines. 'Mr. Kemble' (says -James Ballantyne) 'delivered these lines with exquisite beauty, and with -an effect that was evidenced by the tears and sobs of many of the -audience. His own emotions were very conspicuous. When his farewell was -closed, he lingered long on the stage, as if unable to retire. The -house again stood up, and cheered him with the waving of hats and long -shouts of applause. At length he finally retired, and, in so far as -regards Scotland, the curtain dropped upon his professional life for -ever.' - - 'My last part is played, my knell is rung, - When e'en your praise falls faltering from my tongue; - And all that you can hear, or I can tell, - Is Friends and patrons, hail, and _Fare you well_!' - - -A few days after, the great tragedian was entertained to dinner by his -Edinburgh admirers. There was a company of about seventy notable -persons--among them Lockhart, who says, 'I was never present at any -public dinner in all its circumstances more impressive.' Jeffrey was -chairman, and the croupiers were Walter Scott and John Wilson. From the -_Life_ of Jeffrey we extract a curious anecdote of this interesting -scene. That evening Jeffrey 'did what he never did before or since. He -stuck a speech. He had to make the address and present a snuff-box to -Kemble. He began very promisingly, but got confused, and amazed both -himself and everybody else, by actually sitting down and leaving the -speech unfinished; and, until reminded of that part of his duty, not -even thrusting the box into the hand of the intended receiver. He -afterwards told me the reason of this. He had not premeditated the -scene, and thought he had nothing to do, except in the name of the -company to give the box. But as soon as he rose to do this, Kemble, who -was beside him, rose also, and with most formidable dignity. This -forced Jeffrey to look up to his man; when he found himself annihilated -by the tall tragic god; who sank him to the earth at every compliment, -by obeisances of overwhelming grace and stateliness.' The incident must -have been awkward for Kemble, but it was a genuine and involuntary -tribute to the majestic bearing of the great actor. - -Shortly after this, in April 1817, there occurred an event which greatly -stirred the peaceful waters of Edinburgh social and literary life, and -with which Scott's future son-in-law and biographer, John Gibson -Lockhart, was to be very prominently associated. This was the founding -of the _Edinburgh Monthly Magazine_. The publisher was John Blackwood. -Wishing to develop the magazine on lines of his own, this far-seeing and -able gentleman, first shaking himself clear from the two editorial -personages who were hampering his energies, started the periodical -afresh at the seventh number under the title of _Blackwood's Edinburgh -Magazine_. The famous No. VII. came like a thunderbolt. All the world -wondered. From what sources had Blackwood evoked the wit, the -tremendous energy, the boundless audacity of personal attack which at -once shocked and delighted the public mind? The Whigs were both -tortured and alarmed. The days of their sole literary domination were -seen straightway to be over. For them especially a Reign of Terror had -begun. They were now to be subjected to the lash of an incomparable, -though often excessive, power of ridicule: a form of punishment which -always hurts most sorely those to whom the saving grace of humour has -been denied. Necessarily _Blackwood's Magazine_ was a political engine, -the organ of high Toryism. As such, it was liable to the sneer of -Cockburn (a sneer which tells with equal justness against all -theoretical defenders of current politics): 'In this department it has -adhered with respectable constancy to all the follies it was meant to -defend. It is a great depository of exploded principles; and indeed it -will soon be valuable as a museum of old errors.' But every device of -mystification, an example set by Scott, was employed to keep the secret -of who were really 'Blackwood's young Tory wags,' and this was further -secured by the entirely unsuspected fact, that the editor was actually -Blackwood himself. The marvellous thing, now that the facts are known, -is the enormous share performed by the two chiefs, Lockhart and Wilson. -In their buoyant eagerness to break up the monopoly of Whig literary and -political influence, they doubtless went too far, and sometimes knew it. -Later on, these early defects were acknowledged and analysed, in -_Peter's Letters_, by the authors themselves. Even they, it may be, -hardly realised how much pain they had given, but the almost solemn -words of Lord Cockburn indicate very clearly how intense it must have -been. 'Posterity,' he says, 'can never be made to feel the surprise and -just offence with which, till we were hardened to it, this work was -received. The minute circumstances which impart freshness to slander -soon evaporate; and the arrows that fester in living reputations and in -beating hearts are pointless, or invisible to the eyes of those who -search for them afterwards as curiosities.' It was, in fact, the work -of young and inexperienced men brimful of genius and spirit, but -untaught to discern the dangers in the use of the weapons with which -they played. - - - - - *CHAPTER LIV* - -Personal Anecdotes of Scott--Washington Irving--The Minister's -Daughter--J. G. Lockhart--His Introduction to Scott--_Annual -Register_--39 Castle Street--Scott's 'Den'--Animal Favourites. - - -In the autumn of 1817 Washington Irving, with whose _History of New -York_ by Knickerbocker Scott had been greatly charmed, paid a visit to -Abbotsford, and received a hearty welcome. One of the anecdotes told by -Irving of this visit may be given here, as illustrating the beautiful -courtesy and fine sympathetic feeling with which it was Scott's nature -to treat sterling worth and generosity of mind in whatever rank he -discovered it. Irving tells how William Laidlaw and his wife came to -dinner one day, accompanied by a lady friend. He observed with some -curiosity that this by no means extraordinary person, who was -middle-aged and only remarkable for her intellectual qualities, was -treated by their host with particular attention and courtesy. The -occasion was in fact a specially pleasant one, and the company were made -to feel that they were cherished guests. On their leaving, Scott, to -Irving's great delight, launched into hearty praise of the lady visitor. -The daughter of a Scottish minister, who died in debt, she had been left -an orphan and destitute. She had at once faced the situation with a -brave heart, and though her education was not great, she set up a school -for young children, which soon proved in its way a success. But she -made her own concerns a secondary object. By submitting to all sorts of -privation, she managed to pay off all her father's debts, determined -that no slighting word or evil feeling might humble his memory. And -this was not all. To the martyr's self-sacrifice she added a divine -benevolence. To some who once had been kind to her father and were now -fallen on evil days, she did all the service she could by teaching their -little ones without reward or fee. Happily her memory is green in the -eulogy of the great neighbour to whom she was a kindred spirit: 'She's a -fine old Scotch girl, and I delight in her more than in many a fine lady -I have known, and I have known many of the finest.' - -It was in the following year, in May 1818, that John Gibson Lockhart, -then a young barrister with pronounced literary leanings, was first -introduced to Scott. It was the moment when, as the great biographer -himself has eloquently put it, 'Scott's position was, take it for all in -all, what no other man had ever won for himself by the pen alone. His -works were the daily food, not only of his countrymen, but of all -educated Europe. His society was courted by whatever England could show -of eminence. Station, power, wealth, beauty, and genius, strove with -each other in every demonstration of respect and worship, and--a few -political fanatics and envious poetasters apart--wherever he appeared in -town or country, whoever had Scotch blood in him, "gentle or simple," -felt it move more rapidly through his veins when he was in the presence -of Scott.' But in the midst of this blaze of glory, and while he was -dreaming dreams of fortune and family pride, what was it that struck the -most keen-eyed of critics when he first saw his hero? Only the plain -easy modesty, the kindness of heart which _pervaded_ every word, tone, -and gesture, the simple qualities which made him 'loved more and more' -by his earliest friends. It was at the house of Mr. Home Drummond, a -grandson of Lord Kames, that the meeting took place. Like every other -literary aspirant, Lockhart was astonished and gratified by the -cordiality and kindly appreciation of the elder writer. 'When the -ladies' (he says) 'retired from the dinner-table, I happened to sit next -him; and he, having heard that I had lately returned from a tour in -Germany, made that country and its recent literature the subject of some -conversation. In the course of it, I told him that when, on reaching -the inn at Weimar, I asked the waiter whether Goethe was then in the -town, the man stared as if he had not heard the name before; and that, -on my repeating the question, adding _Goethe der grosse Dichter_, he -shook his head as doubtfully as before--until the landlord solved our -difficulties, by suggesting that perhaps the traveller might mean "_Herr -Geheimer-Rath_ (Privy Councillor) _von Goethe_."--Scott seemed amused -with this and said, "I hope you will come one of these days and see me -at Abbotsford; and when you reach Selkirk or Melrose, be sure you ask -even the landlady for nobody but _the Sheriff_." I mentioned how much -any one must be struck with the majestic beauty of Goethe's -countenance--the noblest certainly by far that I have ever yet -seen--"Well," said he, "the grandest demi-god I ever saw was Dr. -Carlyle, minister of Musselburgh, commonly called _Jupiter Carlyle_, -from having sat more than once for the king of gods and men to Gavin -Hamilton--and a shrewd, clever old carle was he, no doubt, but no more a -poet than his precentor. As for poets, I have seen, I believe, all the -best of our own time and country--and though Burns had the most glorious -eyes imaginable, I never thought any of them would come up to an -artist's notion of the character, except Byron."' - -Soon after this Lockhart was, on Scott's recommendation, invited by the -Ballantynes to take Scott's place in working up the historical part of -their _Annual Register_. Thus they met pretty frequently during the -ensuing summer session, a circumstance to which we owe Lockhart's very -complete and first-hand description of Scott's working 'den' at 39 -Castle Street and of his social life at this period. The den was a -small square back-room behind the dining parlour. It looked out upon a -dull back-yard with a small square of turf. The walls of the room were -lined with books, mostly stately folios and quartos beautifully kept, as -befitted a lover of books. There was one massive table, on which was -his own desk, and one opposite for an occasional amanuensis. On the top -lay his law papers, while his MSS., letters, and proof-sheets were under -his hand on the desk below. Before the desk stood his large -elbow-chair, and there were only two other chairs in the room. Beside -the window was a pile of green tin boxes, on the top of which was a -fox's tail mounted on a handle of old silver and used for dusting the -top of a book as occasion required. He had a ladder for scaling the -high shelves, which is described as 'low, broad, well carpeted, and -strongly guarded with oaken rails.' His living companions in his den -were usually a venerable tom-cat called Hinse, which had a liking for -the top of the ladder, and the noble stag-hound Maida, whose lair was on -the hearth-rug. 'I venture to say' (Lockhart remarks) 'that Scott was -never five minutes in any room before the little pets of the family, -whether dumb or lisping, had found out his kindness for all their -generation.' - -In conversation among his friends, Scott was always natural, sensible, -and good-humoured. His ideal society, as we have seen, was the simple -but high-toned friendliness, with courtly attention to old manners and -customs of the social board--the ways of the old-fashioned generation -before 1800, when Edinburgh society still took its tone from the -Scottish aristocracy and gentry. After this period Edinburgh table-talk -and manners were led by the lawyers. Men shone in society by contests -of dialectics, brilliant disquisitions, 'such as might be transferred -without alteration to the pages of a critical review.' Scott was of -another world from this. He admired the dexterity and skill displayed, -but he was not tempted to take part. It lacked the touch of nature -which would have made him acknowledge kin. So everybody else was -satisfied, and Scott was not displeased. The great poet, the writer of -conversations which had heightened the gaiety of millions, was perfectly -content to be considered inferior as a table-companion to 'this or that -master of luminous dissertation or quick rejoinder, who now sleeps as -forgotten as his grandmother.' To appreciate, it is necessary to know -something and to sympathise. The persons who called Scott's conversation -'common-place' were practically comparing the Waverley Novels to Dugald -Stewart's lectures, and would have denounced Shakespeare for making up -his _Hamlet_ out of popular quotations. It was 'ignorance, madam, pure -ignorance,' without the wit to acknowledge, and in many cases political -prejudice was also present. To one of the latter Lockhart heard Lord -Cockburn nobly reply: 'I have the misfortune to think differently from -you; in my humble opinion, Walter Scott's _sense_ is a still more -wonderful thing than his _genius_.' Nothing could be better: a noble -and excellent saying. And to similar effect in his _Memorials_ he -testifies that scarcely even in his novels was Scott more striking or -delightful than in society; where his halting limb, the bur in the -throat, the heavy cheeks, the high Goldsmith-forehead, the unkempt -locks, and general plainness of appearance, with the Scotch accent and -stories and sayings, all graced by gaiety, simplicity, and kindness, -made a combination most worthy of being enjoyed. - - - - - *CHAPTER LV* - -Scotland Edinburgh Society--Lockhart's Opinion--Scott's Drives in -Edinburgh--Love of Antiquities--The Sunday Dinners at 39 Castle -Street--The Maclean Clephanes--Erskine, Clerk, C. K. Sharpe, Sir A. -Boswell, W. Allan,--Favourite Dishes. - - -Ignorant prejudice gradually disappeared. The charm of Scott's -conversation was found to be as great, in fact the same, as that of his -writings. Mingling with and wishing to emulate London society, Edinburgh -great folks came to understand that social intercourse ought to aim at -enjoyment and relaxation, not at the display of alleged wit and amateur -disquisitions on speculative themes. Then they discovered that Scott's -easy, natural humour, his ever-ready and picturesque descriptions, his -quaint old-world sayings and diverting sketches and anecdotes, nay, his -very prejudices, always honest and so very lovable when understood to -their foundation, were unique treasures even from the narrowest point of -view. This was what all, long before 1818, recognised whose opinion was -worth considering. But Lockhart, who had the best means of knowing, as -being himself 'one of them,' says that even then the old theory, that -Scott's conversation was 'commonplace,' lingered on in the general -opinion of the city, especially among the smart praters of the _Outer -House_. Of course it was the cue of these praters to differ from their -elders, and few of them, after all, had perhaps enjoyed what they made a -boast of affecting to depreciate. Lockhart, who was certainly in the -Whig sense the strongest _intellect_ that ever adorned Edinburgh, both -enjoyed and appreciated. And fortunately for us _minores_, he has told -what he saw and rejoiced in. He says: 'It was impossible to listen to -Scott's oral narrations, whether gay or serious, or to the felicitous -fun with which he parried absurdities of all sorts, without discovering -better qualities in his talk than _wit_--and of a higher order; I mean -especially a power of _vivid painting_--the true and primary sense of -what is called _Imagination_. He was like Jacques--though not a -"Melancholy Jacques"; and "moralised" a common topic into a "thousand -similitudes." Shakespeare and the banished Duke would have found him -"full of matter." He disliked mere disquisitions in Edinburgh, and -prepared _impromptus_ in London; and puzzled the promoters of such -things sometimes by placid silence, sometimes by broad merriment. To -such men he seemed _common-place_--not so to the most dexterous masters -in what was to some of them almost a science; not so to Rose, Hallam, -Moore, or Rogers,--to Ellis, Mackintosh, Croker, or Canning.' - -When in Edinburgh, Scott's only formal outing was an afternoon drive in -an open carriage, sometimes to Blackford Hill, or Ravelston, and so home -by Corstorphine, sometimes to Portobello, keeping as close as possible -to the sea. An old man who died last year (1905) used to tell how, when -he was a boy, he remembered Scott alighting and coming some distance -across a field to speak a few kind words to him and ask after his -parents, in whom he took an interest. When he went home, his mother -told him about the great man and bade her son remember that day, for if -he lived to be an old man, he would be proud to talk of it to his -children's children. As he drove through the city, it was Scott's -greatest enjoyment to gaze and muse upon its natural beauties, and -especially its remaining antiquities. He would often make a long -circuit in order, as Lockhart observed, 'to spend a few minutes on the -vacant esplanade of Holyrood, or under the darkest shadows of the Castle -rock, where it overhangs the Grassmarket, and the huge slab that still -marks where the gibbet of Porteous and the Covenanters had its station. -His coachman knew him too well to move at a Jehu's pace amidst such -scenes as these. No funeral hearse crept more leisurely than did his -landau up the Canongate or the Cowgate; and not a queer tottering gable -but recalled to him some long-buried memory of splendour or bloodshed, -which, by a few words, he set before the hearer in the reality of life. -His image is so associated in my mind with the antiquities of his native -place, that I cannot now revisit them without feeling as if I were -treading on his gravestone.' - -But of all pleasant memories of the Master well-beloved, the most -delightful to conjure up is that of the good Clerk as host at the Sunday -'dinner without the silver dishes,' as he was wont to call it. It was -always a gathering of dear and long-cherished friends. All were -delighted to meet, and all were prepared to be happy. Gladdest of all -was their host, who came into the room 'rubbing his hands, his face -bright and gleesome, like a boy arriving at home for the holidays, his -Peppers and Mustards gambolling about his heels, and even the stately -Maida grinning and wagging his tail in sympathy.' Most of the intimates -who came to these parties have already been mentioned. There was Mrs. -Maclean Clephane, with whom Scott would playfully dispute on the subject -of Ossian. Her daughters would accompany her, to delight all, -especially Scott, with the poetry and music of their native isles. They -had made him their guardian by their own choice, and were loved for -their own sakes. The eldest was that Lady Crompton with whom, as he -tells in the _Journal_, he travelled to Glasgow in September 1827, and -had 'as pleasant a journey as the kindness, wit, and accomplishments of -my companion could make it.' When they reached Glasgow, they met, at -the Buck's Head, Mrs. Maclean Clephane and her two daughters. He -mentions that after dinner the ladies sang, 'particularly Aunt Jane, who -has more taste and talent than half the people going with great -reputations on their backs.' Then there were the Skenes, the Macdonald -Buchanans, and all the _nieces_ and _nephews_ of the Clerks' table -alliance. 'The well-beloved Erskine,' says Lockhart, 'was seldom -absent; and very often Terry or James Ballantyne came with -him--sometimes, though less frequently, Constable. To say nothing of -such old cronies as Clerk, Thomson, and Kirkpatrick Sharpe.' It was of -his boyhood's friend and mentor, Clerk, that Scott said he feared he -would leave the world little more than the report of his fame. It was -his opinion, as well as that of other competent judges, that he had -never met a man of greater powers than Clerk. Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe -was also regarded by Scott very highly, and is sketched in a lively page -in the _Journal_, 1825. His effeminacy of voice, his clever and -fanciful drawings--which he was too aristocratic to use for increasing -his small income--his odd curiosity for scandal centuries old, made -Sharpe a very remarkable figure. 'My idea is' (says Scott) 'that C. K. -S. with his oddities, tastes, satire, and high aristocratic feelings, -resembles Horace Walpole--perhaps in his person also, in a general way.' - -Lockhart mentions also Sir Alexander Boswell, author of the humorous -song, _Jeannie dang the Weaver_, and a great bibliomaniac, Sir Alexander -Don of Newton, 'the model of a cavalier,' and William Allan, R.A., whom -Scott calls a very agreeable, simple-mannered, and pleasant man. Allan -became Sir William, President of the Royal Scottish Academy from 1838 to -1850. In July 1826 Scott mentions his having been to see Allan's -picture of 'the Landing of Queen Mary.' Three or four of these friends, -with Scott and his family, took their places every Sunday at the 'plain -dinner' in No. 39 Castle Street. - -Scott kept a bounteously loaded table. He was himself a hearty eater, -preferring plain substantial fare. He was not a gourmand, still less a -glutton. His one good meal was breakfast. At dinner his appetite was -neither keen nor nice. 'The only dishes he was at all fond of were the -old-fashioned ones to which he had been accustomed in the days of -Saunders Fairford.' Readers of the Novels have heard of them all, and -few will forget the conclusion of the _Fortunes of Nigel_: 'My lords and -lieges, let us all to our dinner, for the _cock-a-leekie_ is cooling.' - - - - - *CHAPTER LVI* - -The National Monument--Still incomplete--The Salisbury Crags--Danger of -their Destruction--The Path impassable--Construction of the Radical -Road--National Distress--Trials for Sedition--Anecdote of John -Clerk--The City Guard. - - -As a landmark of modern Edinburgh, the National Monument must now be -noticed. Its twelve massy columns of white Craigleith stone are -familiar to all who have spent an hour in the city. The idea of it -dates from 1816, for it was intended to commemorate Scotland's share in -the triumphs of the great war. During the following years it was often -discussed. The original proposal was to erect a lofty pillar. Then, as -we learn from Lord Cockburn, 'there were some who thought that the -prevailing effervescence of military patriotism created a good -opportunity for improving the public taste by the erection of a great -architectural model. The Temple of Minerva, placed on the Calton Hill, -struck their imaginations, and though they had no expectation of being -able to realise the magnificent conception, they resolved, by beginning, -to bring it within the vision of a distant practicability. What, if -any, age would finish it, they could not tell; but having got a site, a -statute, and about L20,000, they had the honour of commencing it.' The -hour of its completion has not arrived yet. Nearly a century has elapsed -since George IV. laid the foundation stone in 1822. Perhaps on the -occurrence of the centenary the project may once more lay hold of the -public imagination. At least the 'distant practicability' remains. -Imposing and sublime possibility! Perhaps, in an era of colossal -fortunes, some INDIVIDUAL may anticipate the city--engrossed with its -Usher Hall and water-fleas--and capture the national glory to crown with -immortality his own proud name. - -One noble feature of our scenery was completed about this time by the -walk round the Salisbury Crags. When Henry Cockburn as a boy of nine -scrambled, as he tells us, for the first time to the top of that -romantic cliff, the path at its base was not six feet wide, while at -places there was no path at all. Between that time and the year 1816 -certain persons quarried the rock to such an extent that what was -formerly a narrow footpath became, in many places, one hundred feet -wide. This impudent theft of public property would shortly have -destroyed the whole face of the rock. Fortunately the depredators were -stopped in time, and Edinburgh preserved at once a remarkable piece of -geological 'testimony,' and one of its finest natural features. -Cockburn records that Henry Brougham, 'who as a boy had often clambered -among these glorious rocks,' then, in the capacity of Lord Chancellor, -pronounced the judgment which finally saved a remnant of the Crags. The -old path is mentioned by Scott in the _Heart of Midlothian_ (Chap. -VIII.) as having been his favourite evening and morning resort, when -engaged with a favourite author or new subject of study. And he added -to his enthusiastic description of the view from the Salisbury Crags a -brief and mildly expressed reproach. 'It is, I am informed, now (1818) -become totally impassable; a circumstance which, if true, reflects -little credit on the taste of the Good Town or its leaders.' In a note, -added in a later addition, he says, 'A beautiful and solid pathway has, -within a few years, been formed around these romantic rocks; and the -author has the pleasure to think that the passage in the text gave rise -to the undertaking.' This was indeed the case; but, strange to say, the -path thus due to Sir Walter Scott got the name of the _Radical Road_. -In 1820, it appears, the 'unemployed' question was flagrant. The men, -stimulated by Radicals, were becoming dangerous, when Scott's happy -suggestion solved the problem by providing them with a substantial piece -of work. The discontent was allayed, and the road was constructed by -these vigorous Radicals. The name of the _Salisbury Crags_ commemorates -the English invasion of 1336. King Edward III.'s forces were commanded -by the famous Earl of Salisbury, who encamped on the Crags, and thus -gave the spot its foreign name.[1] - - -[1] James Grant, however, gives a Gaelic derivation of the name. - - -The distress which followed as a natural consequence of the prolonged -strain of the war, was in those years very severe. Outbreaks of -seditious talk were common in England, and led to many serious -disturbances. In Scotland they were fewer, because the law still made -transportation the penalty for this offence. There were, however, some -prosecutions for sedition, and in connection with the first of these, in -1817, Cockburn, who was, with Jeffrey, counsel for one of the -defendants, tells a characteristic anecdote of John Clerk, who was -counsel for another of the accused, along with James Campbell of -Craigie. 'Campbell called on Clerk on the morning of the trial. He -found him dressing, and in a frenzy at the anticipated iniquities of the -judges; against whom, collectively and individually, there was much slow -dogged vituperation throughout the process of shaving. He had on a -rather dingy-looking nightshirt: but a nice pure shirt was airing before -the fire. When the toilet reached the point at which it was necessary -to decide upon the shirt, instead of at once taking up the clean one, he -stopped and grumphed, and looked at the one and then at the other, -always turning with aversion from the dirty one; and then he approached -the other resolutely, as if his mind was made up; but at last he turned -away from it, saying fiercely, "No, I'll be d--d if I put on a clean -sark _for them_." Accordingly he insulted their Lordships by going to -Court with the foul one. Not like Falkland.' - -About the end of the year 1817 Edinburgh streets finally lost the most -picturesque of their official figures. The City Guard, a body first -enrolled in 1696, now retired from view, their functions being better -fulfilled by the new police, and Robert Fergusson's well-known lines -became superfluous: - - 'Gude folk, as ye come frae the fair, - Bide yont frae this black squad; - There's nae sic savages elsewhere - Allowed to wear cockad.' - -Scott gives a capital description of them in the _Heart of Midlothian_ -(Chap. III.), where he says, 'The venerable corps may now be considered -as totally extinct.' From Cockburn we learn that one of these -stern-looking but half-dotard warriors used to sit as guard with the -prisoners at the bar of the Court of Justiciary. 'They sat so immovably, -and looked so severe, with their rugged weather-beaten visages, and hard -muscular trunks, that they were no unfit emblems of the janitors of the -region to which those they guarded were so often consigned. The -disappearance of these picturesque old fellows was a great loss.' He -wished they had been perpetuated, if only as curiosities. They were -probably the last of our soldiers who carried as their special weapon -the old genuine Lochaber axe, which Lord Cockburn styles 'a delightful -implement.' Fergusson, who saw its virtues in a more practical way, -speaks of the 'deadly paiks,' or blows, freely dealt by the hot-tempered -veterans. - - 'Gie not her bairns sic deadly paiks, - Nor be sae rude, - Wi' firelock or Lochaber axe, - As spill their bluid.' - -Their last march (as mentioned in Scott's note) to do duty at -Hallow-fair, had something affecting in it. Their drums and fifes had -been wont on better days to play, on this joyous occasion, the lively -tune of _Jockey to the Fair_; but on this final occasion the afflicted -veterans moved slowly to the dirge of _The last time I came ower the -muir_. They were always greatly disliked by the commons of Edinburgh, -who never spoke of them by any better name than the loathsome -appellation 'the Toon Rottens' (Rats). - - - - - *CHAPTER LVII* - -Scott and the Ballantynes--James in the Canongate--Ceremonies at the -'Waverley' Dinners--Reading of Scenes from the New Volume--John at -Trinity--His 'Bower of Bliss'--Anecdote by C. Mathews. - - -At this distance of time it is difficult either to understand or to -condone the wilful delusion in which Scott persisted to regard the two -reckless adventurers, James and John Ballantyne. They were lowborn and -vulgar: his deep-seated aristocratic feelings should have kept them at a -distance. They were utterly devoid of business capacity: his natural -shrewdness ought to have seen through them. They were neglectful of -duty: his own tireless devotion to work ought to have made him despise -them. But they were friends of his boyhood, and he loved them. James -was a shrewd critic and an excellent amanuensis, and Scott trusted his -judgment and enjoyed his services. John was a humorist, his social -clowning was inimitable, and in these capacities he was emphatically a -man after Scott's own heart. Both of them knew Scott down to the -minutest foible of his simple honest nature. They knew exactly what it -was in themselves which pleased him. All they had to do was to be -themselves--just as he conceived them. And this was what they did, each -in his own way, regardless of expense and consequences. Thus they -maintained a hold over their illustrious dupe, which no studied system -of flattery could have equalled in the case of the weakest and most -foolish of patrons. These two penniless and ruined adventurers lived -lives of splendour and luxury, and neither they nor Scott seemed to -realise or remember that every penny which supported them had come or -would have to come from Scott's estate. The house of James, the elder -brother, was not far from his printing works, No. 10 St. John Street, -Canongate, which had not long ceased to be the most fashionable street -in Edinburgh. Here, in the first house on the west side, was the -meeting-place of the ever-memorable Freemason Lodge, the Canongate -Kilwinning, whose 'poet-laureate' was no less a genius than Scotland's -second glory, Robert Burns. Here, in the town house of the Telfers of -Scotstoun, overlooking the Canongate, resided the greatest of Scottish -novelists after Scott himself, Tobias Smollett, on his last visit to the -capital. No. 13 was the house of Lord Monboddo, and at No. 15 lived the -famous Professor Gregory, already mentioned. The Kelso adventurer lived -here in grand style, a mighty city magnate, highly decorous and -respectable. It was his role, and his playing of it was admirable, -because it was simply his nature and bent: that he was at any moment -entirely ignorant of his real insolvency, or entirely unconscious of the -horror that he was accumulating for the most unselfish of friends, one -may be excused for doubting. Every one has heard of James Ballantyne's -famous dinners--a not uninteresting part of the story of the Waverley -Novels. He assembled all his own particular literary friends, and Scott -was among the company. It was James's delight to mention the author of -_Waverley_ always in mystic tones as 'the Great Unknown,' and the whole -affair must have been intensely amusing to the real author, who sat and -took part in the proceedings with smiles of good humour. After what the -host himself justly called a _gorgeous_ dinner, and after toasting the -company, the King, and Mr. Walter Scott, the ladies who might be present -retired, and the great 'business' of the little comedy began. Lockhart, -as an eyewitness, quaintly describes the scene: 'Then James rose once -more, every vein on his brow distended, his eyes solemnly fixed upon -vacancy, to propose, not as before in his stentorian key, but "with -bated breath," in the sort of whisper by which a stage conspirator -thrills the gallery--"_Gentlemen, a bumper to the immortal Author of_ -Waverley!"--The uproar of cheering, in which Scott made a fashion of -joining, was succeeded by deep silence, and then Ballantyne proceeded-- - - "In his Lord Burleigh look, serene and serious, - A something of imposing and mysterious"-- - -to lament the obscurity in which his illustrious but too modest -correspondent still chose to conceal himself from the plaudits of the -world--to thank the company for the manner in which the _nominis umbra_ -had been received, and to assure them that the Author of _Waverley_ -would, when informed of the circumstance, feel highly delighted--"the -proudest hour of his life," etc. etc. The cool demure fun of Scott's -features during all this mummery was perfect; and Erskine's attempt at a -gay _nonchalance_ was still more ludicrously meritorious.' Upon this -Ballantyne would announce the name of the coming novel, a bumper would -be drained to its success, and that was all. The night 'drove on wi' -sangs and clatter,' till the senior and graver members, including Scott, -had withdrawn. 'Then,' says Lockhart, 'the scene was changed. The -claret and olives made way for broiled bones and a mighty bowl of punch; -and when a few glasses of the hot beverage had restored his powers, -James opened _ore rotunda_ on the merits of the forthcoming romance. -"One chapter--one chapter only,"--was the cry. After "_Nay, by 'r Lady, -nay_," and a few more coy shifts, the proof-sheets were at length -produced, and James, with many a prefatory hem, read aloud what he -considered as the most striking dialogue they contained.' Lockhart was -one of the fortunate company who listened to James, in these -circumstances, reading, from the _Heart of Midlothian_, the interview of -Jeanie Deans with the Queen in Richmond Park. James's declamation, -though marked, of course, by some of his 'pompous tricks,' seems to have -been really effective. The sitting ended with the 'Death of Marmion,' -delivered in imitation of the great Braham. Later on, James removed his -household gods to the New Town, No. 3 Heriot Row. The younger brother, -John, was much more original in his ways and doings, and equally -reckless of consequences and expense. He had a little villa in the -French style at Trinity, on the shore of the Firth. The gardens alone -of the ex-needleman must have cost a pretty penny, being laid out with -great art so as to seem of considerable extent, 'with many a shady tuft, -trellised alley, and mysterious alcove, interspersed among their bright -parterres.' His house, as became an auctioneer of curiosities, was -crowded with objects of _vertu_, numberless costly mirrors, and pictures -of a certain class, mostly, in fact, theatrical portraits, especially of -actresses, which were afterwards bought by Charles Mathews for his -gallery at Highgate. The house was furnished like a suburban 'Bower of -Bliss' in London or Paris, and had a private wing which his wife was -most effectively debarred from entering. If Bluebeard, the clumsy -villain, had only enjoyed the services of this clever, resourceful -voluptuary, he would have been able to shun the society of his -successive 'cleaving michiefs' without having recourse to tragic -methods. Johnnie, in fact, could have taught Milton a trick of -'defensive armour,' within which not even a wife could penetrate. This -was his ingenious plan: he made every door of entrance into the sacred -wing just so narrow as to render it absolutely impossible for Mrs. -Ballantyne to squeeze her body through. One can fancy the arrangement -giving rise to awkward difficulties, but its efficiency for the main -purpose was admirable. It was worthy of a Duc de Richelieu rather than -an ex-tailor. Johnnie's festive parties at Trinity were the great -social attraction of Edinburgh to the theatrical people of his day. -Mathews, Braham, Kean, and Kemble were all frequent guests when acting -in Edinburgh. In Mathews' _Memoirs_ there is an anecdote of John -Ballantyne which is of interest in itself, while happily illustrative of -the character of _Wee Johnny_. Ballantyne, Constable, and Terry were -dining with the Mathews family, when John, who had a certain indiscreet -vivacity when the wine began to affect him, was talking to Mathews about -some books, and concluded by saying, 'I shall soon send you _Scott's new -novel_.' The effect may be imagined, especially on Constable. 'He,' -says Mrs. Mathews, 'looked daggers--and Terry used some--for with a -stern brow and a correcting tone, he cried out _John!_ adding with a -growl, like one reproving a mischievous dog,--"Ah, what are you about?" -which made us droop our eyes for the indiscreet tatler; while wee Johnny -looked like an impersonation of _fear_--startled at the "sound himself -had made." Not another word was said: but our little good-natured -friend's lapse was sacred with us, and the secret was never divulged -while it was important to preserve it.' - - - - - *CHAPTER LVIII* - -Anecdotes of Constable--'The Czar'--Plans the _Magnum Opus_--Anecdote of -Longmans and Co.--Constable's House and Equipage--John Ballantyne's -Habits--Horses and Dogs--Anecdote by Scott of his Liberality--Scott's -Sorrow at his Death. - - -At John Ballantyne's house in Trinity, his great co-adjutor Constable -was often to be seen. There Lockhart first met him. Struck by the -majestic appearance of the publisher, he made a remark to Scott on -Constable's 'gentlemanlike' (publishers were only 'booksellers' in those -days) 'and distinguished appearance.' 'Ay,' replied Scott, 'Constable -is indeed a grand-looking chield. He puts me in mind of Fielding's -apology for Lady Booby--to wit, that Joseph Andrews had an air which, to -those who had not seen many noblemen, would give an idea of nobility.' -He is said to have been a large feeder and deep drinker: of a violent -temper, but 'easily overawed by people of consequence.' He was, on the -whole, not one of Scott's favourites--a circumstance, however, which was -more owing to the great man's blind partiality for the Ballantynes, with -whom Constable necessarily came into frequent contact. Scott, however, -praises Constable as 'generous and far from bad-hearted.' Among his -brothers of 'the trade' Constable was nicknamed 'the Czar,'and also 'the -Crafty.' Scott declared that Constable was 'the prince of -book-sellers.' He considered that the Crafty knew more of the business -of a bookseller in planning and executing popular works than any man of -his time. His imperious style was natural to the man, and his unaided -rise to eminence in his important calling largely justified his pride. -His share in the blame for the disaster of 1826 was at the time -exaggerated, unfortunately also in the mind of Scott himself. It was -the Ballantyne co-partnery that led to the unfortunate bill -transactions, and the great pity was that both Constable and Scott took -these tragic jokers on their own fictitious valuation. Constable I -believe to have been truly a great man and in all respects a gentleman: -as different in mental qualities as he was in physical dignity from the -bounding brothers of Kelso. Who can fail to admit the genius of the man -who _foresaw_ the value of the Waverley Novels, and who provided Scott -with the greatest consolation of his last sad years--the _magnum opus_ -of the collected edition, and thus enabled him to carry out his romantic -resolve to pay the so-called _debts_ to the full? John Ballantyne told -Lockhart a good story of Constable's fondness for bestowing nicknames. -'One day a partner of the house of Longman was dining with him in the -country, to settle an important piece of business, about which there -occurred a good deal of difficulty. "What fine swans you have in your -pond there!" said the Londoner, by way of parenthesis.--"Swans!" cried -Constable; "they are only geese, man. There are just five of them, if -you please to observe, and their names are Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, -and Brown." This skit cost the Crafty a good bargain.' Lockhart soon -became a frequent visitor at Constable's country seat of Craigcrook -Castle (afterwards tenanted by Francis Jeffrey), and says that he did -the honours of the ancient home of noble Grahams with all the ease that -might have been looked for had he been the long-descended owner of the -place. He greatly admired Constable's 'manly and vigorous' -conversation, full of old Scotch anecdotes, which he told with a spirit -and humour only second to his great author's. 'His very equipage,' -Lockhart adds, 'kept up the series of contrasts between him and the two -Ballantynes. Constable went back and forward between the town and -Polton in a deep-hung and capacious green barouche, without any pretence -at heraldic blazonry, drawn by a pair of sleek, black, long-tailed -horses, and conducted by a grave old coachman in plain blue livery. The -Printer of the Canongate drove himself and his wife about the streets -and suburbs in a snug machine, which did not overburthen one powerful -and steady cob:--while the gay Auctioneer, whenever he left the saddle -for the box, mounted a bright blue dogcart, and rattled down the -Newhaven Road with two high-mettled steeds prancing tandem before him.' -Johnnie, indeed, kept up a good stable, hunted the fox at times, and had -the pleasant whim of naming his numerous steeds after various characters -in Scott's works. His daily mount was a milk-white hunter, y-clept Old -Mortality, and he was always attended by a leash or two of greyhounds, -which he named Die Vernon, Jenny Dennison, and so on. At business he -appeared in sporting half-dress,--'a light-grey frock, with emblems of -the chase on its silver buttons, white cord breeches, and jockey-boots -in Meltonian order.' Scott was a constant frequenter of his auction -rooms in Hanover Street, at the door of which his favourite Maida was to -be seen waiting his arrival from the Court, couched among Johnnie's -greyhounds. Such was the frivolous, but astute, underminer, who -succeeded to the end in maintaining a fatal hold on the great genius, -and finally left him to toil as a slave, often at a loss for money for -mere current expenses, during the last years of what might have been one -of the happiest of lives. It is a melancholy fact, and perhaps, after -all, his own favourite saying fits it best--that often the wisest of men -keep, as it were, the average stock of folly only in reserve, to be -_all_ expended on some one flagrant absurdity. One can at least -understand Scott's affection for John Ballantyne, when one thinks of -such an incident as this, related by Scott himself: 'A poor divinity -student was attending his sale one day, and Johnnie remarked to him that -he looked as if he were in bad health. The young man assented with a -sigh. "Come," said Ballantyne, "I think I ken the secret of a sort of -draft that would relieve you--particularly," he added, handing him a -cheque for L$ or L10--"particularly, my dear, if taken upon an empty -stomach." - -John Ballantyne died at Edinburgh in the summer of 1821. Scott and -Lockhart attended his funeral in the Canongate churchyard. 'As we stood -together' (the latter relates), 'while they were smoothing the turf over -John's remains, the heavens, which had been dark and slaty, cleared -suddenly, and the midsummer sun shone forth in his strength. Scott, -ever awake to the "skiey influences," cast his eye along the overhanging -line of the Calton Hill, with its gleaming walls and towers, and then -turning to the grave again, "I feel," he whispered in my ear, "as if -there would be less sunshine for me from this day forth."' - -John Ballantyne was thus taken away from the evil to come, but James -lived till 1833. Archibald Constable died on the 21st of July 1827. -His proud spirit could not survive the tremendous downfall of his -splendid fortunes. All his great undertakings, except the _Miscellany_, -had passed from his control. He was reduced to 'an obscure closet of a -shop,' and found himself without either capital or credit to start a new -career. Of all with whom Scott had to do in the business of life, he is -the only man in whose case Scott's natural generosity did not at once -overcome every shadow of well or ill founded resentment or grudge. - - - - - *CHAPTER LIX* - -The Baronetcy--Reasons for accepting--Marriage of Sophia Scott to John -Gibson Lockhart--Charles Scott and Archdeacon Williams--Improvements in -Edinburgh--The 'Water Caddies'--Drama of _Rob Roy_--The Burns -Dinner--Henry Mackenzie. - - -It was in the end of the year 1818 that Scott received, through Lord -Sidmouth, intimation of the Prince Regent's desire to confer on him a -baronetcy. When informed of it privately, a few months before this, by -Chief-Commissioner Adam, he had hesitated about accepting such an -honour, feeling that it might dangerously affect the style of living and -the ideas and aspirations of a contented family. However, the sudden -death of Charles Charpentier altered all this. He left, as was -believed, a large fortune, and had settled the reversion on his sister's -family. The inheritance in the end came to nothing, but the expectation -removed Scott's doubts as to accepting the title. His eldest son having -by this time settled to enter the Army, it was obvious that the title -would be of real advantage to him in his profession. We have -fortunately Scott's views expressed in the frankest manner in a letter -to Morritt, and they certainly require no comment. 'It would be easy,' -he says, 'saying a parcel of fine things about my contempt of rank, and -so forth; but although I would not have gone a step out of my way to -have asked, or bought, or begged, or borrowed a distinction, which to me -personally will rather be inconvenient than otherwise, yet coming as it -does directly from the source of feudal honours, and as an honour, I am -really gratified with it;--especially as it is intimated that it is His -Royal Highness's pleasure to heat the oven for me expressly, without -waiting till he has some new _batch_ of Baronets ready in dough.... -After all, if one must speak for themselves, I have my quarters and -emblazonments, free of all stain but Border theft and High Treason, -which I hope are gentlemanlike crimes; and I hope Sir Walter Scott will -not sound worse than Sir Humphry Davy, though my merits are as much -under his, in point of utility, as can well be imagined. But a name is -something, and mine is the better of the two.' It was not till March -1820 that he was able to go to London, having been prevented by illness -at one time, and on a second proposed occasion by family afflictions. -When he did go to London, his admirer was King George the Fourth. To -him, at all events, the event was an honour and a credit, for it -proceeded entirely from himself. His greeting to the new Baronet was, -'I shall always reflect with pleasure on Sir Walter Scott's having been -the first creation of my reign.' Shortly after this the two English -Universities offered him the honorary degree of D.C.L. He was never -able to avail himself of either offer. - -On the 29th of April in this year, his daughter Sophia was married to -John Gibson Lockhart. The son-in-law mentions that Sir Walter hastened -his return from London--he had been sitting to Lawrence at the King's -request--in order to get the marriage over before the unlucky month of -May. Lockhart says too little of his own affairs, but he mentions that -the wedding took place, _more Scotico_, in the evening, and that Sir -Walter, adhering on all such occasions to ancient modes of observance -with the same punctiliousness which he mentions as distinguishing his -worthy father, gave a jolly supper afterwards to all the friends and -connections of the young couple. - -Towards the end of the year the second son, Charles, also left the -family circle. He went to Lampeter to be under the celebrated scholar -John Williams, afterwards Archdeacon of Cardigan. Mr. Williams, who -became Rector of the Edinburgh Academy in 1824, was much appreciated by -Scott, not only for his erudition, but as being 'always pleasant -company.' At another time he calls him 'a heaven-born teacher.' - -We may mention here another item in the constant process of modernising -the city. About this time a strong feeling was growing, and even -obtaining vent in public, against the sway of the Town Council. The -position of Edinburgh, 'always thirsty and unwashed,' was then, by Lord -Cockburn's account, in reference to water positively frightful. The -wretched shallow tank on the north side of the Pentlands, the only -source of supply, was often and for long periods empty. But the Town -Council would do nothing. A private company was therefore formed, and -the supply began to be regular. Then water-pipes were put into private -houses, and the ancient fraternity of water-carriers found their -occupation gone. 'In a very few years,' says Cockburn, 'there was not -one extant. They were a very curious tribe, consisting of both men and -women, but the former were perhaps the more numerous. Their days were -passed in climbing up lofty stairs to the "flats." The little casks of -water, when filled from the street wells, were slung upon their backs, -suspended by a leather strap, which was held in front by the hand. They -acquired a stopping attitude, by which they were easily recognised even -when off duty. They were all rather old, and seemed little; but this -last might be owing to their stooping. The men very generally had old -red jackets, probably the remnants of the Highland Watch, or of the City -Guard; and the women were always covered with thick duffle greatcoats, -and wore black hats like the men. Every house had its favourite "Water -Caddie." The fee (I believe) was a penny per barrel. In spite of their -splashy lives and public-well discussions, they were rather civil, and -very cracky creatures. What fretted them most was being obstructed in -going up a stair; and their occasionally tottering legs testified that -they had no bigotry against qualifying the water with a little whisky. -They never plied between Saturday night and Monday morning; that is, -their employers had bad hot water all Sunday. These bodies were such -favourites, that the extinction of their trade was urged seriously as a -reason against water being allowed to get into our houses in its own -way.' - -In February 1819 a dramatised version of _Rob Roy_ was played in the -Edinburgh Theatre. The Bailie was played by the famous actor Charles -Mackay, who, being a native of Glasgow, was able to do full justice to -the dialect and all the little amusing peculiarities of the character. -Scott is said to have been greatly interested in this representation of -his story, and Lockhart says 'it was extremely diverting to watch the -play of his features during Mackay's admirable realisation of his -conception.' On his benefit night 'the Bailie' received an epistle of -kind congratulation from no less a personage than Jedediah Cleishbotham. -It is worth mentioning that, though his fellow-citizens greeted him on -entering his box with 'some mark of general respect and admiration,' -there was never anything said or done to embarrass him as hinting at his -authorship of the play. - -While _Rob Roy_ was enjoying its successful run, a party of two or three -hundred Edinburgh gentlemen met, on February 22nd, at what has since -become the national cult--a Burns dinner. This function was -distinguished by a short speech from the veteran 'Man of Feeling,' who -had welcomed Burns and praised his genius more than thirty years before. -Scott's feeling towards Burns was one of constantly increasing -admiration. 'Long life to thy fame' (he says in his _Journal_) 'and -peace to thy soul, Rob Burns! When I want to express a sentiment which -I feel strongly, I find the phrase in Shakespeare--or thee.' For Henry -Mackenzie he had a strong regard. The old man surprised him by -unfolding literary schemes in his old age. He loved to unbosom himself -to Scott, and called him his 'literary confessor,' and 'I am sure' (said -the patient victim) 'I am glad to return the kindnesses which he showed -me long since in George Square.' Scott's description of the veteran in -1825 is as follows: 'No man is less known from his writings. We would -suppose a retired, modest, somewhat affected man, with a white -handkerchief and a sigh ready for every sentiment. No such thing: H. M. -is alert as a contracting tailor's needle in every sort of business--a -politician and a sportsman--shoots and fishes in a sort even to this -day--and is the life of the company with anecdote and fun. Sometimes, -his daughter tells me, he is in low spirits at home, but really I never -see anything of it in society. - -In January 1831 Scott got the news of Henry Mackenzie's death. By this -time Scott was contemplating the near approach of his own end, but he -can still spare a regret for the old man, 'gayest of the gay, though -most sensitive of the sentimental,' who had so long filled a niche in -Scottish literature. - - - - - *CHAPTER LX* - -The Commercial Disaster--Ruin of Ballantyne (Scott) and -Constable--Scott's Feeling--Universal Sympathy--Offer of Help--Brave -Reply--Cheerful Spirit--Constable--The Agreement--Removal from Castle -Street--Death of Lady Scott--The Visit to Paris. - - -James Ballantyne on his deathbed declared that all the appearances of -his prosperity were merely shadows. But Scott up to the end of 1825 had -no idea of the magnitude of the crisis that had been so long preparing. -On the 18th of December in that year he penned in his _Journal_ that -melancholy summary of his career: 'What a life mine has been! -Half-educated, almost wholly neglected or left to myself; stuffing my -head with most nonsensical trash, and undervalued by most of my -companions for a time; getting forward, and held a bold and clever -fellow, contrary to the opinion of all who thought me a mere dreamer; -broken-hearted for two years; my heart handsomely pieced again--but the -crack will remain till my dying day. Rich and poor four or five times; -once on the verge of ruin, yet opened a new source of wealth almost -overflowing. Now to be broken in my pitch of pride.... Nobody in the -end can lose a penny by me--that is one comfort.' Following entries -prove that Ballantyne professed confidence. Even on 14th January, when -Scott had received 'an odd mysterious letter' from Constable, hinting -calamity, James had no doubts! On Tuesday the 17th the blow fell. -Ballantyne came in the morning to say that he had arranged to stop. His -own account of the interview is: 'It was between eight and nine in the -morning that I made the final communication. No doubt he was greatly -stunned--but, upon the whole, he bore it with wonderful fortitude. He -asked--"Well, what is the actual step we must first take? I suppose we -must do something?" I reminded him that two or three thousand pounds -were due that day, so that we had only to do what we must do--refuse -payment--to bring the disclosure sufficiently before the world. He took -leave of me with these striking words--"Well, James, depend upon that, I -will never forsake you."' - -In the _Journal_ of that day--'I felt rather sneaking as I came home -from the Parliament House--felt as if I were liable _monstrari digito_ -in no very pleasant way. But this must be borne _cum caeteris_.' On -which Lord Cockburn remarks: 'very natural for him to feel so; but it -was the feeling of nobody else.' - -From Cockburn's pages we can realise the astounding effect of the news -of Scott's implication in the disaster upon his friends and -fellow-citizens. The 'black Tuesday' became a recollection of sadness -and pain to all who personally knew him. The destruction of half the -city could not have caused greater astonishment and sorrow. His -professional brethren now for the first time learned that Scott had -'dabbled in trade.' 'How humbled,' says Cockburn, 'we felt when we saw -him--the pride of us all--dashed from his lofty and honourable station, -and all the fruits of his well-worked talents gone. He had not then -even a political enemy. There was not one of those whom his -thoughtlessness had so sorely provoked, who would not have given every -spare farthing he possessed to retrieve Sir Walter. Well do I remember -his first appearance after this calamity was divulged, when he walked -into Court one day in January 1826. There was no affectation, and no -reality, of _facing it_; no look of indifference or defiance; but the -manly and modest air of a gentleman conscious of some folly, but of -perfect rectitude, and of most heroic and honourable resolutions. It -was on that very day, I believe, that he said a very fine thing. Some -of his friends offered him, or rather proposed to offer him, enough of -money, as was supposed, to enable him to arrange with his creditors. He -paused for a moment; and then, recollecting his powers, said -proudly--"No! this right hand shall work it all off." His friend -William Clerk supped with him one night after his ruin was declared. -They discussed the whole affair openly and playfully; till at last they -laughed over their noggins at the change, and Sir Walter observed that -he felt something like Lambert and the other Regicides, who, Pepys says, -when he saw them going to be hanged and quartered, were as cheerful and -comfortable as any gentlemen could be in that situation.' - -This probably refers to the evening, mentioned in Scott's _Journal_, -when his daughter was very greatly surprised by the loud hilarity of -Clerk and his host. 'But do people suppose,' adds Scott, 'that he was -less sorry for his poor sister,[1] or I for my lost fortune?' He -declares that pride was his strongest passion--a passion which never -hinged upon world's gear, which was always with him--light come, light -go! - - -[1] Miss Elizabeth Clerk's sudden death had also occurred on the 17th of -January. - - -Constable had stood like a hero in the breach to the last moment. His -last device, a good one if he could have by magic imparted his own -knowledge, foresight, and sublime faith to a board of directors, was to -take Lockhart (in the capacity of a confidential friend of the author of -_Waverley_) with him to the Bank of England, and to apply for a loan of -from L100,000 to L200,000 on the security of the copyrights. These, it -must be remembered, were the _Encyclopedia Britannica_, half of the -_Edinburgh Review_, nearly all Scott's poetry, the Waverley Novels, and -the _Life of Napoleon_, on which Scott was at the time working. -Lockhart refused to interfere without direct instructions from Sir -Walter. Poor Constable, he says, became livid with rage. - -The claims against Scott were found in the end to amount to L130,000. -All the world knows the course Scott elected to take; how he at once put -his affairs in the hands of trustees, and became, by his own offer, the -vassal of his creditors for life, toiling henceforward to pay their -claims, not to enrich himself. From his side it was a noble sacrifice, -as noble as any ever offered on the altar of honour. If the debts had -been real, if he had actually had in possession the sum and used it, no -other course would have been possible _salvo honore_. But commercial -debts, the largely fictitious product of stamps and paper, should have -been paid commercially. Such a course, he himself said, he might have -advised a client to take, and it would have saved him much sorrow, pain, -and trouble, without harming any man. However, he preferred it -otherwise, and received the news of the acceptance of his offer as if it -had been a mighty favour. He wrote in his _Journal_: 'This is handsome -and confidential, and must warm my best efforts to get them out of the -scrape.' - -The agreement was finally, not of course without harassment and -difficulty, passed. He was left in possession of Abbotsford, his -official salary was left him to support his family, everything else was -sold for behoof of the creditors, and all his future literary gains were -assigned to them in advance. On March 15th he left his house in Castle -Street, and on that night he wrote in his _Journal_: 'I never reckoned -upon a change in this particular so long as I held an office in the -Court of Session. In all my former changes of residence it was from -good to better--this is retrograding. I leave this house for sale, and -I cease to be an Edinburgh citizen, in the sense of being a proprietor, -which my father and I have been for sixty years at least. So farewell, -poor 39, and may you never harbour worse people than those who now leave -you.' - -Very soon after the departure from Castle Street a second calamity, -probably hastened by the former, overtook the family. Lady Scott died -at Abbotsford on the 14th of May. Scott, who was engaged in his Court -duties at Edinburgh, and staying now in Mrs. Brown's lodgings, North St. -David Street, reached Abbotsford late in the evening of the 15th. His -weakly daughter Anne, worn out with attendance, was hysterical when he -arrived. The entries in his _Journal_ are sadly touching: 'When I -contrast what this place now is with what it has been not long since, I -think my heart will break. Lonely, aged, deprived of my family--all but -poor Anne; an impoverished, an embarrassed man, deprived of the sharer -of my thoughts, who could always talk down my sense of the calamitous -apprehensions which break the heart that must bear them alone.' - -The funeral took place on the 22nd at Dryburgh. Scott mentions very -kindly the Rev. E. B. Ramsay, who performed the funeral service. This -gentleman afterwards became famous, when Dean of Edinburgh, by his -well-known book _Lights and Shadows of Scottish Life_. - -And now Scott found the task he had imposed upon himself bracing him -against despondency. He returned to Edinburgh and his old 'task,' -thankful that it was of a graver nature (the _Life of Napoleon_), and -determined to fight on 'for the sake of the children and of my own -character.' - -A visit to London and Paris was necessitated in October by his work on -Napoleon. The change did him good, and Lockhart mentions that his -behaviour under misfortunes so terrible had gained for him 'a deep and -respectful sympathy, which was brought home to him in a way not to be -mistaken.' This expedition for information had cost him L200--a matter -for serious consideration in his changed circumstances. - - - - - *CHAPTER LXI* - -House in Walker Street--Ill-health--Extraordinary Labours--Article on -Hoffman--Kindness to Literary People--Murray's Party--Theatrical Fund -Dinner--_Life of Napoleon_--Payment of L28,000 to Creditors--The -Lockharts at Portobello--Grandfather's Tales--Domestic Happiness--Visit -of Adolphus. - - -On resuming his duties in Edinburgh at the end of November (1826), Scott -went to reside in a furnished house in Walker Street, which he had taken -for the winter. In his _Journal_, 27th November, he says: 'Walter came -and supped with us, which diverted some heavy thoughts. It is -impossible not to compare this return to Edinburgh with others in more -happy times. But we should rather recollect under what distress of mind -I took up my lodgings in Mrs. Brown's last summer, and then the balance -weighs deeply on the favourable side. This house is comfortable and -convenient.' It was for the sake of his daughter's company that he had -taken this house. The winter, however, proved a weary time. His -incessant toil at his _Napoleon_ was hampered by continual -ill-health--successive attacks of rheumatism, which might well have -excused him from work of any kind. But his watchword was, 'I am now at -my oar, and I must row hard.' To crown all his troubles, the weather -was exceptionally cold and trying. He could not but think often of the -days when rain and cold and long night journeys did him no harm, and he -was painfully conscious of a speedy break-up of the hard-wrought -machine. Bad nights were the rule, and he was sometimes sick with mere -pain. Sometimes he notes his work, proof-sheets and the like, as -'finished mechanically.' 'All well,' he ends up on 21st December, 'if -the machine would but keep in order, but "The spinning-wheel is auld and -stiff." I shall never see the threescore and ten, and shall be summed -up at a discount. No help for it, and no matter either.' Yet, even in -these circumstances, he wrote more than his task. One of these minor -pieces was an article on Hoffman for the _Foreign Quarterly_, a review -edited by R. P. Gillies. It was done purely as a kindness to Gillies, -giving, as Lockhart says, a poor brother author L100 at the expense of -considerable time and drudgery to himself. He had done the same in -numberless instances, often for persons whose only claim on him was that -of the common vocation. At this time he naturally went but little into -society, but his enjoyment of good company could still be keen. On -spending an evening with John A. Murray, he says: 'When I am out with a -party of my Opposition friends, the day is often merrier than when with -our own set. Is it because they are cleverer? Jeffrey and Harry -Cockburn are, to be sure, very extraordinary men; yet it is not owing to -that entirely. I believe both parties meet with the feeling of -something like novelty--we have not worn out our jests in daily -contact.' - -On the 23rd of February 1827 he presided at the famous Theatrical Fund -Dinner, at which he publicly admitted his authorship of the Waverley -Novels. All he says of the incident is, 'Meadowbank taxed me with the -novels, and to end that farce at once I pleaded guilty, so that splore -is ended.' Of course, as a matter of fact, the secret had been an open -one from the day of the first meeting of Ballantyne's creditors. When -Scott was thinking of himself as liable _monstrari digito_ as the -partner of an insolvent firm, every one else was thinking of him as the -now-revealed 'author of _Waverley_.' 'Scott ruined,' Earl Dudley -exclaimed on hearing the news, 'the author of _Waverley_ ruined! Good -God! let every man to whom he has given months of delight give him a -sixpence, and he will rise to-morrow morning richer than Rothschild!' -That was probably what was in the mind of every man who gazed on Scott's -calm, honest face in the first days of trouble. - -On the 7th of June he finished _Napoleon_, which had grown on his hands, -much beyond the original estimate, to nine closely-printed volumes. The -work produced L18,000 for his creditors, so that in eighteen months he -had actually diminished his obligations by L28,000. - -One of the most touching episodes of Scott's life was his loving anxiety -for his invalid grandson, the child of Lockhart and Sophia. Knowing the -fearful strain that Sir Walter was now keeping up in working double -tides for his bondholding masters, Lockhart and his wife did what they -could to induce him to moderate his zeal. 'But nothing,' says Lockhart, -'was so useful as the presence of his invalid grandson. The poor child -was at this time so far restored as to be able to sit on his pony again; -and Sir Walter, who had conceived, the very day he finished _Napoleon_, -the notion of putting together a series of _Tales on the History of -Scotland_, somewhat in the manner of Mr. Croker's on that of England, -rode daily among the woods with his "Hugh Littlejohn," and told the -story, and ascertained that it suited the comprehension of boyhood, -before he reduced it to writing.' During the rest of this year he wrote -new matter which filled five to six volumes in the uniform edition of -his works, but this Lockhart thinks was light and easy compared with -'the perilous drudgery' of the preceding eighteen months. - -Ill-health and the perpetual consciousness of his bondage had -marvellously little effect as yet on the quality of his work. To -friends who visited him casually he seems to have rarely alluded to any -of his troubles. Adolphus, however, mentions that once, when speaking -of his _Life of Napoleon_, he said in a quiet but touching tone, 'I -could have done it better, if I had written at more leisure, and with a -mind more at ease.' Adolphus was deeply impressed by the sight of his -quiet cheerfulness among his family and their young friends. He has -preserved one of Scott's remarks on the subject of happiness which is -both characteristic and, considering the time, strikingly suggestive. -Scott having said something about an accident which had spoiled the -promised pleasure of a visit to his daughter in London, then observed, -'I have had as much happiness in my time as most men, and I must not -complain now.' Adolphus replied that, whatever had been his share of -happiness, no one could have laboured better for it. Scott's answer -was, 'I consider the capacity to labour as part of the happiness I have -enjoyed.' In mentioning Adolphus (who had written a book on the -authorship of the Waverley Novels) and his visit, Scott wrote in his -_Journal_, 'He is a modest as well as an able man, and I am obliged to -him for the delicacy with which he treated a matter in which I was -personally so much concerned.' - - - - - *CHAPTER LXII* - -Incident of Gourgaud--Expected Duel--Scott's Preparations--Tired of -Edinburgh--Changing Aspect of New Town--The 'Markets' superseded by -Shops--The Female Poisoner--Scott's opinion of 'Not Proven'--Points in -its Favour. - - -In the _Life of Napoleon_ Scott had made use of certain documents which -had been put at his disposal in the British Colonial Office. Founding -on these unimpeachable authorities, he had told how General Gourgaud, -one of Napoleon's aides-de-camp at St. Helena, though he had given the -British Government private information that Bonaparte's complaints of -ill-usage were utterly unfounded, had afterwards supported and -encouraged in France the idea that Sir Hudson Lowe's conduct towards his -illustrious prisoner had been cruel and tyrannical. About the end of -August Cadell sent extracts from French newspapers to Scott, stating -that Gourgaud was going to London to _verify_ the statements in the -history. This Cadell took to mean that the fire-eater intended to -fasten a quarrel on Scott and challenge him to a duel. The good -bookseller was alarmed, but Scott took it all very coolly. He had -really dealt very moderately and delicately with Gourgaud's shaky -reputation, and when the latter at last wrote his attack in the French -newspapers, Scott retorted by simply publishing in full the extracts he -had made from the records of the Colonial Office. The General, though -he continued to load Scott with abuse, did not dare to pen a direct -negative, and so the affair 'fizzled out.' Scott had expected a -challenge, and had quite made up his mind to fight, Clerk promising to -act as his second. 'He shall not dishonour the country through my -sides, I can assure him.' In the end he writes, 'I wonder he did not -come over and try his manhood otherwise. I would not have shunned him -nor any Frenchman who ever kissed Bonaparte's breech.' - -At this period Scott's heart became more and more fixed upon Abbotsford, -his interest in Edinburgh proportionately less. Edinburgh was now only -the workshop, in which he must toil with fettered limbs, and without the -buoyancy of health and strength which used to make his labours a portion -of his happiness. 'Fagged by the Court'--'no time for _work_'--fagged by -the good company of Edinburgh, he is tempted to run off to -Abbotsford--'but it will not do; and, sooth to speak, it ought not to -do; though it would do me much pleasure if it would do.' Such was his -state of mind, and his interest in local affairs and changes of the city -was naturally diminished. About the time of the Ballantyne disaster, -the opening of the New Town markets at Stockbridge might perhaps have -drawn his attention to the great change going on in the city, which has -made it internally so modern, and so commonplace. The New Town was now -fast becoming a town of shops. The old 'market' system, so -characteristic of Edinburgh, was dying out. Formerly the dealers in any -one commodity were all grouped together in a certain fixed and limited -locality. This was what was meant by a 'market': a congregation of -shops or rather booths. For example, the Flesh Market was at the Tron: -the Cattle Market at King's Stables end of the Grassmarket, and so on. -Cockburn remembered when, about 1810, the only supply of fish for the -citizens was in the Fish Market Close, which he justly calls a steep, -narrow, stinking ravine. 'The fish' (he says) 'were generally thrown -out on the street at the head of the close, whence they were dragged -down by dirty boys or dirtier women; and then sold unwashed--for there -was not a drop of water in the place--from old, rickety, scaly wooden -tables, exposed to all the rain, dust and filth.... I doubt if there -was a single fish-shop in Edinburgh so early as the year 1822.' The -fruit and vegetable market was quite as bad, managed by 'a college of -old gin-drinking women, who congregated with stools and tables round the -Tron Church.' The fruit was put on the tables, but the vegetables were -thrown on the ground. 'I doubt, Cockburn adds, 'if there was a -fruit-shop in Edinburgh in 1815. All shops indeed meant for the sale of -any article on which there was a local tax or market-custom, were -discouraged by the magistrates or their tacksman as interfering with the -collection of the dues. The growth of shops of all kinds in the New -Town is remarkable. I believe there were not half a dozen of them in -the whole New Town, west of St. Andrew Street, in 1810. The dislike to -them was so great, that any proprietor who allowed one was abused as an -unneighbourly fellow.' - -In February 1827 a poisoning case came up for trial which excited great -interest in the city. Scott has given a life-like sketch of the scene -in his _Journal_. 'In Court, and waited to see the poisoning woman. -She is clearly guilty, but as one or two witnesses said the poor wench -hinted an intention to poison herself, the jury gave that bastard -verdict, _Not Proven_. I hate that Caledonian _medium quid_. One who -is not _proven guilty_ is innocent in the eye of the law. It was a face -to do or die, or perhaps to do to die. Thin features, which have been -handsome, a flashing eye, an acute and aquiline nose, lips much marked, -as arguing decision, and, I think, bad temper--they were thin, and -habitually compressed, rather turned down at the corners, as one of a -rather melancholy disposition. There was an awful crowd; but, sitting -within the bar, I had the pleasure of seeing much at my ease; the -constables knocking the other folks about, which was of course very -entertaining.' - -Referring to the same incident, Lord Cockburn says that Scott's -description of the woman is very correct; 'she was like a vindictive -masculine witch. I remember him sitting within the bar looking at her. -As we were moving out, Sir Walter Scott's remark upon the acquittal was, -"Well, sirs, all I can say is that if that woman was my wife I should -take good care to be my own cook."' - -It is somewhat startling to find Scott so strongly denouncing our -Caledonian verdict of _Not Proven_. _Pace tanti viri_, his opinion is -not ours. A jury may be convinced of the guilt of a person, and yet -quite satisfied that the prosecution has failed to prove it. _Experto -crede_; in a criminal case in the Sheriff Court I have been on a jury -that was absolutely unanimous on both points, the police evidence having -been got up in a most perfunctory style. It was very satisfactory to us -to be able to say 'Not Proven,' which was absolutely accurate, and yet -not to be obliged to give the prisoner a certificate of innocence. -Probably this verdict, while at times favouring the guilty, has saved -the life of many an innocent victim of circumstantial fatality. It is -entirely in favour of the innocent 'suspect,' to whom every day of -respite is an additional chance of clearing his name: to the guilty it -is an effective punishment, since any day may bring to light the -defective links in the proof of his guilt. - - - - - *CHAPTER LXIII* - -Visit of Richardson and Cockburn to Abbotsford--Sir Walter at -Home--Anecdote of Cranstoun--Patterson's Anecdotes--The Burke and Hare -Murders--Anecdote of Cockburn--Dr. Knox--Catholic Emancipation -Bill--Meeting in Edinburgh--Death of Terry and Shortreed--Severe Illness -of Scott--Death of Tom Purdie. - - -John Richardson, 'the learned Peerage lawyer,' was the intimate of Henry -Cockburn, and the favoured and highly prized friend of Sir Walter Scott. -He tells a good fishing story of earlier days when he visited Sir Walter -at Ashestiel. Richardson was fishing in the Tweed, Scott walking by his -side, when, after the capture of numerous fine trout, he hooked -something greater and unseen. Scott became greatly excited: to their -common alarm the rod broke; but climbing the bank and holding the rod -down, the angler at last managed to bring his mysterious prize round a -small peninsula towards the bank. Then 'Sir Walter jumped into the -water, seized him, and threw him out on the grass. Tom Purdie came up a -little time after, and was certainly rather discomposed at my success. -"It will be some sea brute," he observed; but he became satisfied that -it was a fine river-trout, and such as, he afterwards admitted, had not -been killed in Tweed for twenty years; and when I moved down the water, -he went, as Sir Walter afterwards observed, and gave it a kick on the -head, observing, "To be ta'en by the like o' him frae Lunnon!"' - -The two friends met again in very different form in 1828, when Cockburn -accompanied Richardson to visit Scott at Abbotsford. Apropos of this -visit we have happily a very fine description by Cockburn of Scott and -his talk at this time. He describes his appearance thus: 'When fitted -up for dinner, he was like any other comfortably ill-dressed gentleman. -But in the morning, with the large coarse jacket, great stick, and -leathern cap, he was Dandy Dinmont or Dirk Hatteraick--a poacher or a -smuggler.' Scott gave them an anecdote of an early anticipation -regarding the professional prospects of their friend George Cranstoun, -who had been recently raised to the bench. Just after being called to -the Bar, Cranstoun, William Erskine, and Scott went to dine with an old -Selkirk writer, a devoted drinker of the old school. Cranstoun, who was -never anything at a debauch, was driven off the field, with a squeamish -stomach and a woful countenance, shamefully early. Erskine, always -ambitious, adhered to the bowl somewhat longer; but Scott who, as he -told us, 'was at home with the hills and the whisky punch,' not only -triumphed over these two, but very nearly over the landlord. As they -were mounting their horses to ride home, the entertainer let the other -two go without speaking to them; but he embraced Scott, assuring him -that he would rise high. 'And I'll tell ye what, Maister Walter, that -lad Cranstoun may get to the tap o' the bar if he can; but tak my word -for't--it's no be by drinking.' - -In his _Journal_, 4th April 1829, it is mentioned that one David -Patterson wrote to Sir Walter to suggest that he should write on the -subject of the Burke and Hare murders, and to offer him for materials -his 'invaluable collection of anecdotes.' 'Did ever one hear of the -like?' adds Scott. 'The scoundrel has been the companion and patron of -such atrocious murderers and kidnappers, and he has the impudence to -write to any decent man!' - -Burke and Hare were two desperadoes who, for about two years, had -carried on a regular trade of murder in Edinburgh, the scene being a -gloomy back house, recently demolished, in a close near the north corner -of the West Port and Lady Lawson Street. Here they had disposed of -sixteen victims, selling all the bodies to the doctors for dissection. -The popular excitement when the discovery was made, and when Burke, -Hare, and Helen Macdougal were brought to trial, was something -unexampled in the city. 'No case,' says Lord Cockburn, 'ever struck the -public heart or imagination with greater horror. And no wonder. The -regular demand for anatomical subjects, and the high prices given, held -out a constant premium to murder; and when it was shown to what danger -this exposed the unprotected, every one felt himself living among -persons to whom murder was a trade.' At this time Dr. Robert Knox, a -very clever surgeon, was the most popular lecturer in the medical -school, and into his hands most of the bodies had come. The populace -fully believed that he had known that the bodies were those of murdered -persons. Few could believe him entirely innocent--a supposition, of -course, inconsistent with his anatomical skill. He was, however, -acquitted of all blame by the report of an independent and influential -committee, and remained in Edinburgh till 1841. Lord Cockburn states -that all the Edinburgh anatomists incurred great odium, which he -considered most unjust. Tried in view of the invariable, and at that -time necessary practice of the profession, the anatomists were, in his -opinion, 'spotlessly correct, and Knox the most correct of them all.' -It was Cockburn who, as counsel for the defence, secured the acquittal -of Helen Macdougal. A story went round that, on finishing his address -to the jury and observing its effect, he whispered, 'Infernal hag! the -gudgeons swallow it!' This was utterly untrue. The evidence was really -insufficient to warrant a conviction, and the defence was, of course, -entirely honest. Of the two assassins, Hare escaped by turning King's -Evidence, and Burke, the less revolting of the two, was hanged. On the -evening of the execution Scott wrote, 'The mob, which was immense, -demanded Knox and Hare, but though greedy for more victims, received -with shouts the solitary wretch who found his way to the gallows out of -five or six who seem not less guilty than he.' Knox's brilliant career -was ruined by the incident. He passed the last twenty years of his life -in London, in a precarious struggle for a poor existence, and died in -1862. - -In March 1829 Edinburgh had a great meeting in favour of Wellington and -Peel's measure of Catholic Emancipation. Scott and a number of Tories -supported it. His opinion was that the measure ought to satisfy all -lovers of peace. But he had his doubts about _Pat_, 'who with all his -virtues, is certainly not the most sensible person in the world.' The -petition got up by the meeting was signed by eight thousand persons, but -the two opposing petitions were much more numerously signed. When the -first petition was read in the House of Commons, the name of Sir Walter -Scott was received with a great shout of applause, which led Sir Robert -Peel to send him a special and very cordial letter of thanks. Of this -petition Cockburn, who was prominent in the whole affair, declares that -the eight thousand who signed were of a higher and more varied class -than ever concurred in any political measure in Edinburgh. - -About the middle of May appeared _Anne of Geierstein_, which, as -Lockhart has put it, may almost be called the last work of Scott's -imaginative genius. To the reader who peruses this story, keeping in -mind the time and the circumstances in which it was written, it is full -of passages which touchingly depict the past and present emotions of the -writer's own career. - -The next two months deprived him of two old friends--Terry and -Shortreed--with whom, he writes, 'many recollections die.' Meanwhile -there was great comfort in the success of his _Magnum Opus_--the -collected works. - -At the end of this year, 1829, eight volumes had appeared, and the -monthly sale was thirty-five thousand. The effect on his spirits was -gratifying to his friends, for he had been almost prostrated by fears -and anxiety about the health of his eldest son. Then came the first -warning of the end. 'Good news of Walter' was succeeded by a serious -and alarming attack of illness--in fact a threatening of apoplexy. He -obtained relief by cupping, but he had apparently no delusions as to the -meaning of the stroke. Writing to tell Walter of his recovery, he talks -of coming death, and in view of 'the pro-di-gi-ous sale' of the Novels, -he says, 'I should be happy to die a free man; and I am sure you will -all be kind to poor Anne, who will miss me most. I don't intend to die a -minute sooner than I can help for all this; but when a man takes to -making blood instead of water, he is tempted to think on the possibility -of his soon making earth.' - -Another warning was the loss of his 'old and faithful servant,' the -never-failing Tom Purdie. He died suddenly, and on his grave, close to -the Abbey at Melrose, may be seen the monument placed there by Sir -Walter 'in sorrow for the loss of a humble but sincere friend.' This -bereavement was felt so keenly that, for once in his life, Scott was -impatient to leave Abbotsford and resume the engrossing cares of the -city. 'I am so much shocked, that I really wish to be quit of the -country and safe in the town.' - - - - - *CHAPTER LXIV* - -Last Winter in Edinburgh--The _Ayrshire Tragedy_--Apoplectic -Stroke--Retirement from the Clerkship--Visit to Edinburgh--Refusal to -stop Literary Work--John Nicolson--Scott at Cadell's House--His Will. - - -On reaching 'the safety of the town' he began work without delay. The -_Ayrshire Tragedy_, his most ambitious attempt in drama, was finished -before the close of the year. It is founded on the horrible story of -Mure of Auchindrane. The 'tragedy' is, however, really less interesting -and dramatic than the simple prose version of the story which forms the -preface. - -So was Scott's life going on--the regular daily routine of his Court -duties and then the daily portion of 'work,' of which, in spite of all -that happened, he seems to have done as much in 1830 as in the previous -year. There was no immediate warning of the terrible collapse. On the -15th of February he returned from the Court as usual about two o'clock. -An old lady was waiting to show him some papers. He sat with her for -half an hour, seeming to be occupied with the MS. When he rose from his -chair to usher out his visitor, he sank back again. His features were -slightly convulsed. After a few minutes he rose and staggered to the -drawing-room. His daughter Anne and Miss Lockhart ran to him, but they -were not in time--he fell at full length on the floor. A surgeon was -fetched without delay, and bleeding proved effective. So fully did he -recover his faculties, that he was able shortly to go out as usual, and -few noticed any serious change. For a time he and his friends tried to -believe that 'the attack had proceeded merely from the stomach.' The -symptoms, however, too clearly indicated the more serious danger. 'When -we recollect,' says the biographer, 'that both his father and his elder -brother died of paralysis, and consider the violences of agitation and -exertion to which Sir Walter had been subjected during the four -preceding years, the only wonder is that this blow (which had, I -suspect, several indistinct harbingers) was deferred so long; there can -be none that it was soon followed by others of the same description.' - -His health continued to improve till the autumn of this year. He was -now preparing to bid farewell to Edinburgh. In July he retired from the -Clerkship of Session, receiving an allowance of L800 a year, and -refusing (with consent of his masters) a pension of L500, which would -have made up the loss of income. The idea of leaving Edinburgh was, all -the same, very painful. 'I can hardly' (he wrote at this time) 'form a -notion of the possibility that I am not to return to Edinburgh.' The -breaking up of a routine which had lasted for twenty-six years, was in -itself a serious change. It meant also the loss, during the winter, of -the society which helped so much to cheer him. And then, as Lockhart -says, 'he had a love for the very stones of Edinburgh, and the thought -that he was never again to sleep under a roof of his own in his native -city, cost him many a pang.' - -His return to Edinburgh in November was for the purpose of consulting -his physicians there after another slight attack of apoplexy. One of -these was the famous Abercrombie. They prescribed a severe regimen of -spare diet, and strongly urged him to cease from brain-work. Lockhart -and his relatives did the same. His reply was: 'I am not sure that I am -quite myself in all things; but I am sure that in one point there is no -change. I mean, that I foresee distinctly that if I were to be idle, I -should go mad. In comparison to this, death is no risk to shrink from.' -It can be seen from his diary what this 'work' meant; he speaks of being -'fogged with frozen vigils'--of working 'without intermission'--and -grudges an afternoon's chat with visitors, 'though well employed and -pleasantly.' And all this time the symptoms of physical collapse were -growing daily more plain and more painful. 'I speak with an -impediment--the constant increase of my lameness--the thigh-joint, -knee-joint, and ancle-joint. I should not care for all this, if I were -sure of dying handsomely.... But the fear is, lest the blow be not -sufficient to destroy life, and that I should linger on, "a driveller -and a show."' - -In January 1831 he became convinced that it was now a pressing duty to -make his will. A heavy fall of snow began on the 30th, but next morning -he set out on horseback, attended only by his 'confidential attendant,' -John Nicolson, whose services in these last years were of extraordinary -value to the disabled man. Lockhart's praise of him was doubtless -well-deserved: 'He had been in the household from his boyhood, and was -about this time advanced to the chief place in it. Early and continued -kindness had made a very deep impression on this fine handsome young -man's warm heart; he possessed intelligence, good sense, and a calm -temper; and the courage and dexterity which Sir Walter had delighted to -see him display in sports and pastimes, proved henceforth of inestimable -service to the master whom he regarded, I verily believe, with the love -and reverence of a son.' On reaching Edinburgh, Sir Walter took up his -quarters for the night in a hotel. It was the first time he had done so -in his native city. He could not sleep, lay listening to the endless -noises of the street, and next day he yielded to Cadell's kindly -pressure and accepted the publisher's hospitality at his house in Atholl -Crescent. 'Here,' he mentions in a letter to Mrs. Lockhart, 'I saw -various things that belonged to poor No. 39. I had many sad thoughts on -seeing and handling them--but they are in kind keeping, and I was glad -they had not gone to strangers.' These were some articles which had -been bought in at the sale by a friend and returned to Scott, who -himself had presented them to Mrs. Cadell. With the Cadells the -snowstorm prolonged his stay for a week. He was cheered by the sight of -one or two old intimates, such as Clerk and Skene, but they could not -look on him without feeling pain at the great change. Even now he kept -on writing, working for some hours daily on _Count Robert of Paris_. -The will was duly completed, signed, and left in the safe keeping of -Cadell. The account of the visit in the _Journal_ concludes: 'I -executed my last will, leaving Walter burdened, by his own choice, with -L1000 to Sophia, and another received at her marriage, and L2000 to -Anne, and the same to Charles. I have made provisions for clearing my -estate by my publications, should it be possible.... My bequests must, -many of them, seem hypothetical. - -'Besides during the unexpected stay in town, I employed Mr. Fortune, an -ingenious artist, to make a machine to assist my lame leg.... - -'The appearance of the streets was most desolate; the hackney coaches, -with four horses, strolling about like ghosts, and foot-passengers few -but the lowest of the people. - -'I wrote a good deal of _Count Robert_, yet I cannot tell why my pen -stammers egregiously and I write horridly incorrect. I long to have -friend Laidlaw's assistance.' - - - - - *CHAPTER LXV* - -The Paralytic Stroke--The Last Novels--Election Meetings--Disgraceful -Conduct of Radical Gangs--Scott's Journey for Health--The -Return--Collapse and Stupor--The Last Stay in Edinburgh--Death of Sir -Walter Scott. - - -Very soon after this came what Sir Walter himself could not fail to -recognise as 'a distinct stroke of paralysis affecting both nerves and -speech.' Lockhart describes the occasion on which it occurred as -follows: 'Sir Walter's friend Lord Meadowbank had come to Abbotsford, as -usual when on the Jedburgh circuit; and he would make an effort to -receive the Judge in something of the old style of the place; he -collected several of the neighbouring gentry to dinner, and tried to -bear his wonted part in the conversation. Feeling his strength and -spirits flagging, he was tempted to violate his physician's directions, -and took two or three glasses of champagne, not having tasted wine for -several months before. On retiring to his dressing-room he had this -severe shock of apoplectic paralysis, and kept his bed under the -surgeon's hands for several days.' - -A fortnight after, when Lockhart came to see him, Sir Walter, having -been lifted on his pony, came about half a mile on the Selkirk road to -meet him, with one of his grand-children before him on a pillion. -Lockhart was sadly moved by the terrible change in his appearance, which -he describes thus: 'All his garments hung loose about him; his -countenance was thin and haggard, and there was an obvious distortion in -the muscles of one cheek. His look, however, was placid--his eye as -bright as ever--perhaps brighter than it ever was in health; he smiled -with the same affectionate gentleness, and though at first it was not -easy to understand everything he said, he spoke cheerfully and -manfully.' - -Under such conditions, Sir Walter still continued to work, seldom -speaking even in the family circle about his illness at all, and only -then in a hopeful way. His one desire was to use his faculties, while -they remained responsive, for the benefit of those to whom he considered -himself a debtor. _Count Robert_ and _Castle Dangerous_ were both -finished at this time, the latter being perhaps the only permanent -evidence of the final decay of his powers. - -Scott's strong sense of duty, combined with the calls of his official -position as Sheriff, obliged him to take part during the month of May in -several election meetings. He was from deep conviction opposed to the -great movement for reforming our political machinery by which the -country was then convulsed. At Jedburgh the mob, largely recruited from -Hawick, showed their political fanaticism by mobbing Sir Walter Scott -and putting his life in danger. At Selkirk, however, though it also was -invaded by a Radical contingent, no disrespect was shown to the great -man who was there personally known to all and 'all but universally -beloved as well as feared.' 'I am well pleased,' Lockhart remarks, -'that (Selkirk) the ancient capital of the _Forest_ did not stain its -fair name upon this miserable occasion; and I am sorry for Jedburgh and -Hawick. This last town stands almost within sight of Branksome Hall, -overhanging also _sweet Teviot's silver tide_. The civilised American -or Australian will curse these places, of which he would never have -heard but for Scott, as he passes through them in some distant century, -when perhaps all that remains of our national glories may be the high -literature adopted and extended in new lands planted from our blood.' -It is a bitter reflection that Sir Walter Scott's last hours were -haunted by the mob's brutal cry of 'Burke Sir Walter.' - -But we must not dwell on the events of 1831. The European journey, the -last slender hope for the great novelist's recovery, was begun in -October, the Government putting at Sir Walter's disposal the _Barham_, -'a beautiful ship, a 74 cut down to a 50, and well deserving all the -commendations bestowed on her.' - -There remains now only one more Edinburgh scene to notice--a sadder -scene than that of the death-bed. He had reached London on the 13th of -June 1832, being then in a state of extreme feebleness and exhaustion. -There he lay 'in the second-floor back-room' of a Jermyn Street hotel, -for some three weeks, in a state of almost unbroken stupor. When -conscious, he was for ever wishing to return to Abbotsford. At last it -was decided to gratify his desire, and on the 7th of July he was lifted -into his carriage and conveyed to the steamboat. On this journey he had -with him his two daughters, Cadell, Lockhart, and Dr. Thomas Watson, his -medical adviser. On board the steamer he seemed, after being laid in -bed, unconscious of the removal that had taken place. At Newhaven, -which the vessel reached late on the 9th, he was taken on shore, lying -prostrate in his carriage. Then he was conveyed, still apparently -unconscious, to Douglas's hotel in St. Andrew Square. This was his last -visit to Edinburgh. - -Lockhart mentions that Mr. and Mrs. Douglas had made all preparations -that could have been desired for his accommodation, but he does not seem -even to have known that he was once more in 'his own romantic town.' -The old charm of Edinburgh had long resigned its power in favour of that -of Abbotsford. The tie of home was no longer connected with the city, -and the rousing of his memory only came when the carriage had made two -stages towards the Tweed. - -And so he went on his way to Abbotsford, where he died, and to Dryburgh, -where he was laid in his grave. And the great city which he had loved, -died too, to him--on that summer morning when the sad little party drove -away from its gates. Some of the last lines he penned--the motto of -Chapter XIV. of _Castle Dangerous_--are fraught with the spirit of his -noble life--courage, truth, and steadfastness to endure-- - - 'The way is long, my children, long and rough-- - The moors are dreary, and the woods are dark; - But he that creeps from cradle on to grave - Unskilled save in the velvet course of fortune, - Hath miss'd the discipline of noble hearts.' - - - - - Printed by T. and A. CONSTABLE, Printers to His Majesty - at the Edinburgh University Press - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EDINBURGH UNDER SIR WALTER SCOTT -*** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/47617 - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so -the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. -Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this -license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works to protect the Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and -trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be -used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific -permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, -complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly -any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances -and research. They may be modified and printed and given away - you may -do practically _anything_ in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - - - -The Full Project Gutenberg License - - -_Please read this before you distribute or use this work._ - -To protect the Project Gutenberg(tm) mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or -any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg(tm) License available with this file or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use & Redistributing Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works - - -*1.A.* By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the -terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all -copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works in your possession. If -you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -*1.B.* "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things -that you can do with most Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works even -without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph -1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -*1.C.* The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of -Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works. Nearly all the individual works -in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and -you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent -you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating -derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project -Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the -Project Gutenberg(tm) mission of promoting free access to electronic -works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg(tm) works in compliance with -the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg(tm) name -associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this -agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full -Project Gutenberg(tm) License when you share it without charge with -others. - - -*1.D.* The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg(tm) work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -*1.E.* Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -*1.E.1.* The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg(tm) License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg(tm) work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United - States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with - almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away - or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License - included with this eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org . - If you are not located in the United States, you'll have to - check the laws of the country where you are located before using - this ebook. - -*1.E.2.* If an individual Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain -a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright -holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United -States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or -providing access to a work with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" -associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with -the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission -for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg(tm) trademark as set -forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -*1.E.3.* If an individual Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic work is -posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and -distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and -any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg(tm) License for all works posted -with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of -this work. - -*1.E.4.* Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project -Gutenberg(tm) License terms from this work, or any files containing a -part of this work or any other work associated with Project -Gutenberg(tm). - -*1.E.5.* Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg(tm) License. - -*1.E.6.* You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg(tm) work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg(tm) web site -(http://www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or -expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a -means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include -the full Project Gutenberg(tm) License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -*1.E.7.* Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg(tm) works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -*1.E.8.* You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works -provided that - - - You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg(tm) works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg(tm) trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - - - You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg(tm) - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) - works. - - - You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - - - You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg(tm) works. - - -*1.E.9.* If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg(tm) -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3. below. - -*1.F.* - -*1.F.1.* Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg(tm) collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your -equipment. - -*1.F.2.* LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg(tm) trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. -YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, -BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN -PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND -ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR -ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES -EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. - -*1.F.3.* LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -*1.F.4.* Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS,' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -*1.F.5.* Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -*1.F.6.* INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg(tm) -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg(tm) work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg(tm) - - -Project Gutenberg(tm) is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg(tm)'s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg(tm) collection will remain -freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and -permanent future for Project Gutenberg(tm) and future generations. To -learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and -how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the -Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org . - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state -of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue -Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification number is -64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf . Contributions to the -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the -full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its volunteers -and employees are scattered throughout numerous locations. Its business -office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, -(801) 596-1887, email business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at http://www.pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - - -Project Gutenberg(tm) depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where -we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state -visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any -statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside -the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways -including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, -please visit: http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic -works. - - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg(tm) -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg(tm) eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg(tm) eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's eBook -number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII, -compressed (zipped), HTML and others. - -Corrected _editions_ of our eBooks replace the old file and take over -the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is renamed. -_Versions_ based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving -new filenames and etext numbers. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg(tm), -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |