at that date we have Wayland Smith "singing a stave from a comedy which was then new, and was supposed, among the more favorable judges, to augur some genius on the part of the author." The quotation, a couplet put into the mouth of Caliban, occurs in "The Tempest," which was not acted until 1611. Queen Elizabeth quotes from "Troilus and Cressida," written only two years earlier. Walter Raleigh quotes the beautiful compliment to the maiden queen, the "Fair vestal throned by the west," uttered by Oberon in a "Midsummer Night's Dream," not written until 1598,- thirty years later! There seldom has been a greater anachronism than this, especially as, when Elizabeth was at Kenilworth, William Shakspeare, born in 1564, was only eleven years old, and probably presenting in his own person the reality described in the "Seven Ages," of "The whining school-boy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail However, Scott avoided the mistake committed by Schiller, the German poet, in his tragedy of "Mary Stuart," of bringing Elizabeth and Mary together at Fotheringay; the fact being, that they never met. Early in 1821, Sir Walter, in London on official business, was detained there nearly three months, and again was greatly courted. During his absence, Mrs. Lockhart had a son, John Hugh Lockhart, the "Hugh Littlejohn" for whom the "Tales of a Grandfather" were written, but who died young. Sir Walter was consulted as to the establishment of a Royal Society of Literature, with ten pensionaries of the crown his opinion was, "Let men of letters ÆT. 50.] GENEROUS ACTIONS. 311 fight their own way with the public; and let the Sovereign honor with his patronage those who are able to distinguish themselves, and alleviate by his bounty the distresses of such as, with acknowledged merit, may yet have been unfortunate in procuring independence." The Society was established, and still exists; but the ten members who were pensionaries of the king, paid out of his civil list, were struck off, without notice or compensation, by his successor, 1830. The death of John Ballantyne in June, 1821, was a severe blow to Scott, a man of warm affections, who, with a full knowledge of the foibles of his friend's character, kindly cherished the recollection of its more amiable parts, and told Lockhart, as they walked home from the funeral, how "Jocund Johnny," having observed a poor divinity-student at his book-sale, said that he looked in ill health, which the young man acknowledged 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 check for five or ten pounds, "particularly, my dear, if taken upon an empty stomach." Scott's own liberality was great. When his friend John Leyden went to India, Scott lent him a hundred and fifty pounds (never repaid) to defray expenses. When Thomas Campbell the poet, in his early struggles in London, knew not where to turn for money, Scott lent him fifty pounds. On both these occasions, he was not very prosperous himself. In Maturin's distress, Scott sent him fifty pounds unasked; and the fact became known only through Maturin's own grateful disclosure. In fact, he was in the habit of doing these generous deeds, and would have "blushed to find it fame." Not long before his death, after he had somewhat recovered from the shock of Constable's failure and his own ruin, he offered to place the sum of three hundred pounds, which he had by him, at the disposal of a literary friend, much his junior, who, he thought, might want it. At the same time he knew the value of money, and had no idea of idly wasting it in indiscriminate charity. Worth and want were always the "Open sesame" of his purse. So largely did he give, that he might have been designated "Relieving Officer of the Parish of Parnassus.' The coronation of George IV., deferred for a twelvemonth on account of what was called "The Trial of Queen Caroline," took place on the 19th of July, 1821. This, the most gorgeous and costly pageant of the present century, drew Sir Walter Scott, the poet of princes, once more to London. In a letter written on the day after this ceremonial, which threw into the shade all scenes of similar magnificence, from the Field of the Cloth of Gold down to modern times, Scott gave a general sketch of what had taken place, and of his own impressions. This was published in Ballantyne's newspaper, and, though not included in Scott's prose miscellanies, has been properly inserted in his biography by Lockhart, who also has added the following anecdote: "Missing his carriage, he had to return home on foot from Westminster after the banquet, that is to say, between two and three o'clock in the morning,-when he and a young gentleman, his companion, found themselves. locked in the crowd, somewhere near Whitehall; and the bustle and tumult were such, that his friend was afraid some accident might happen to the lame limb. A space for the dignitaries was kept clear at that point by the Scots Greys. Sir Walter addressed a sergeant of this celebrated regiment, begging to be allowed to pass by him into the open ground in the middle of the street. The man answered, shortly, that his orders were strict; that the thing was impossible. ÆT. 50.] EUST BY CHANTREY. 313 While he was endeavoring to persuade the sergeant to relent, some new wave of turbulence approached from behind; and his young companion exclaimed in a loud voice, Take care, Sir Walter Scott! take care!' The stalwart dragoon, on hearing the name, said, What! Sir Walter Scott? he shall get through anyhow!' He then addressed the soldiers near him, Make room, men, for Sir Walter Scott, our illustrious countryman!' The men answered, Sir Walter Scott! God bless him!' and he was in a moment within the guarded line of safety." He had tried to induce the Ettrick Shepherd to accompany him to London on this occasion; thinking, that if he wrote something about it, as he could write when "i' the vein," perhaps a little pension might be granted him. But Hogg, unable to forego the pleasure of attending at the Fair of St. Boswell, remained in Ettrick, and let his chance pass by forever. During this flying visit to London, Chantrey's bust of Scott was finished. The original, in marble, was presented to Scott in 1828, and is in Abbotsford. Casts taken from this bust were disposed of among the poet's most ardent friends. From one of these was made the mould which has supplied the world with the printed copies so generally known. At this time, Chantrey made a profile-sketch of Scott, which, drawn on stone by R. J. Lane, the author-artist, is very rare. It is before me now, this side-face; and I doubt whether the general expression, shrewd and thoughtful, with the eye fixed (I use his own words) "in listening mood," has ever been so correctly given. It was a pencil-sketch, evidently drawn in a few minutes, like that by Newton already mentioned. CHAPTER XX. Who wrote the Waverley Novels ?-Scott, Thomas Scott, Lord Kinedder, Lord Cranstoun, Dugald Stewart, Henry Mackenzie, Sir Adam Fergus son, Mrs. Hamilton. Mrs. Brunton, Dr. Greenfield, Lord Byron? - Adol phus's Letters to Richard Heber.-Solution of the Mystery. 1821. To continuous speculation for many years, was HE authorship of the Waverley novels, a matter assigned, by repute or conjecture, to various authors, male and female. 1. To Sir Walter Scott, chiefly by his friends in Edinburgh, who recognized his conversational style, peculiar turns of expression, particular incidents expanded from anecdotes which they had heard him relate, and other internal evidence. The doubt was settled on the 23d of February, 1827, when Scott publicly declared that he was "the author, - the total and undivided author." 2. It was whispered for many years, and probably believed by many, that Mr. Thomas Scott, elder none. Whoever had any doubt upon the question, the Ettrick Shepherd had He received presentation-copies of the novels as they appeared, with "From the Author" on the fly-leaf of each. One day, when Scott had called upon him at his farm-house in Ettrick Forest (as it continues to be called, though nearly all the trees have disappeared), he turned to the bookshelf, on which stood the books nicely bound, and labelled "Scorr's NOVELS."-"James," said the Shirrá as he caught Hogg's eye upon him, with a comic expression on his face, " you have o'er many letters here. Scots' Novels should not be spelled with a double t."—"I dinna ken," answered the Shepherd. "Scott's Novels they are marked there, and Scott's Novels I'd take my oath they are! Man, I'd own them if they were mine." |