"April 8, M. Breakfast at Huntingdon, smuggling old woman: dine at Newark: tea Doncaster, ex-captain of Militia: sleep, Tavern, York. 9. T. Call on Wolstenholme, Todd and Nicol: walk w. Nicol on the walls (Clifford's Tower and Jail), Minster and St Mary's Abbey: Paterson dines. Write to M. J., Fanny, Davison, and Fairley. “10, W. Dine at Darlington: pass Durham : sleep at Newcastle, intelligent bailiff, pleasing gentleman, Cumberland farmer. 11, Th. Miss Farkison fr. Mrs Waters: Morpeth: breakfast at Alnwick: dine at Berwick: Pease Bridge: Dunglas: Dunbar : Edinburgh : Fairley sups. “12, F. Call on Constable; adv. Leslie, Napier, Evanses, 13. Sr. Explanation; write to M. J. Shop adv. Forster “14, S. Write to M. J. Jeffrey and Boswell call: meet Ballantine: Matthews, Wrench, Foster, Willi 15, M. Call on Buchan, Fletchers and Murray (w. Fairley), Ferguson, Macdonald, Nairn and Cadel: Holyrood House and Hume W. Mathews shop, Dalzel, Duncan and Yaniewiczes: dine at Napier's w. Bruntons, Playfair, Leslie, Pellings. "16, Tu. Write to M. J. Shop, Morrit, and Boswell: chaise to Kinneal w. Constable and Dr Miller : visit Linlithgow: adv. Miss Cruickshank; sleep. "April 17, W. Ferrier, on Apparitions, pp. 139. Parisina: Knox v. Crosraguel ça la. Sleep. "18, Th. Return; see Hopetoun House, Roseberry and Barnton Parks: dine at Ballantine's "19, F. W. Belcours, Douglases, Leslie, Fraser, and Constable: adv. Ainslie. Deep snow. Write to M. J. Shop, Hepburn and Crawford: call on Raeburn w. R. Miller and Yaniewicz (W. C.): dine at Boswell's w. Mackenzie and fille, Jeffrey, Brewster, Coventry, L. and C.: invité Cranston. "20, Sa. Breakfast at Murray's w. Dewar, Ritchie, Fairley, &c., sit: Heriot's Hospital: dine at Fletcher's w. Brown, Craigs, Mr Miller, Miss Miller, and Miss Wilks. "21, Su. Call on Jeffrey: Playfair calls ". “22, Nicholsons and Jas. Ballantine's w. Ballantine: Hugh Murray, Jamieson, Willison, and G. H. Walker dine. Breakfast at Ainslie's w. Dr Ainslie and wife, Mr and Mrs Gray, Clarinda, Constable, &c. : meet Mrs Fletcher: call on Playfair and Dewar : sit : Yaniewiczes, Duncans, Ainslies and Leslie dine. "23, Tu. Dine at Hepburn's, Barfoot, w. Macallum, Walker, Hope, Inglis and family: sleep at Oman's. "24. W. Breakfast, Yaniewicz's: shop, Dr Jamieson: Advocates' Library: meet W. Erskine and R. Miller call with Mrs Y. on Sir W. D. Gray, Campbell, Dewar, Ritchie, Fairley, &c., dine: Theatre w. Y's, Duncan, Gordon, &c., sup sleep at Oman's, call on Gregory ". "25. Th. Breakfast at Brodies, w. Moore and Hepburn : call on Forster: meet Fleming chaise w. Constable and Ballantine: dine at Abbotsford: sleep. "26. F. Constable and Ballantine depart: Melrose w. Scott; adv. Buchan n. Chas. Erskine and wife dine take coach at Selkirk. ப “April 27. Sa. Breakfast at Carlisle : coach to Penrith: chaise along Ulswater: dine at Wordsworth's: call w. him on Jackson; adv. Wakefield: circuit of Grasmere: Derwent Coleridge dines: write to M. J. and Thos. Moore. .. May "28. Su. Derwent dines: horse to Kendal: sleep. "30. Tu. Call on Reddish, Dean and Jackson; adv. Ker- 66 at Walker's, Longford, w. do., Mrs Walker, I. IV. Call on Jackson and Dean, and (w. Kershaw) at 2. Th. Call on Moore n. seek Boothby. 3. F Derby: sleep at Leicester. tea at Leek: Coach: dine at Write to M. J. grocer from Perth, settled in Leicestershire. Coburg Marriage. Coach: dine at Woburn, w. squirrel-hunt: sleep in Skinner St. H. Robinson calls." The following extracts from letters refer to the same tour, though they are unfortunately in scarcely greater detail than the Diary: William Godwin to Mrs Godwin. “EDINBURGH, April 12, 1816. "I write these lines on Mr Constable's own desk. I did not meet with him till twelve at noon, and it is now half after one. He insists on my making his house at Craigleith my home, and we are going there to-day; to dine with Mr Matthews, the player, and a small party. Not a word with him of business yet. A prologue of unbounded good humour will, I hope, happily intro ENGAGEMENTS IN EDINBURGH. 235 duce the five-act play of the Man of Business. . . . If he will help me to meet my bills, I shall stay the longer : if he is not kind, I shall set on my return in two or three days.” The Same to the Same. "April 13, 1816. I have had an explanation with Constable this morning, in our walk from Craigleith to town. All is well. All will be done. I must be content with bills, however, and with such as I can get. But this is better than nothing. . . . Do tell me what is going on about Shelley? Has Hume been to David? Must I hasten back immediately, to prevent that affair from going wrong?" The Same to the Same. "CRAIGLEITH, April 14, 1816. "I am glad now, as things have turned out, that you did not send me £10. I knew you could only do it by having recourse to Lamb. But if I had failed in my main negociation I should probably have left Edinburgh this very day, the moment I received your dispatch, at farthest. "My reception at Edinburgh has been, as I knew it would be, kind and flattering in the extreme. I have already been introduced to one-half of the literati of their city. Yesterday I was introduced to Jeffrey, the formidable editor and proprietor of the Edinburgh Review. I am going on Tuesday with Constable, to spend two days with Dugald Stewart, the crack metaphysician of Great Britain, nine miles from this town. To-day I received an invitation to dine with the Earl of Buchan, the elder brother to Lord Erskine, which Constable made me refuse, because he, who was also invited, could not go with me. I did not like to refuse, and I do not like the persons who are to dine here to-day, but what could I do? I could not disoblige Constable. He therefore made me write that, next Sunday were equally convenient, I would stay one day longer in Edinburgh than I had proposed, to have the honour of dining with his lordship.... Under the circumstances, I cannot well disap point all the good people that have a desire to see the monster. And I firmly believe the connection will do me a world of good." The Same to the Same. "EDINBURGH, April 19, 1816. I think I told you in my last, that I was going on Tuesday to pay a visit of twice twenty-four hours to the celebrated Dugald Stewart. My reception was truly kind and unaffected. He lives in a palace, formerly inhabited by the Dukes of Hamilton, of which he occupies not more than a third part, the rest of the house being left to fall into ruin, a fit scene for the imagination of Mrs Radclyffe to people with wonders. It stands on the banks of the Frith of Forth, and opposite, on the other side of the water, is a vast ridge of mountains with their tops covered with snow. On our road we visited the ruins of Linlithgow, one of the most splendid of the habitations of the ancient kings of Scotland, in which Mary Queen of Scots was born." The Same to the Same. "ABBOTSFORD, April 26, 1816. "The place from which I now date is the residence of the author of 'The Lady of the Lake,' etc. Constable and another friend brought me hither yesterday. We arrived to a six o'clock dinner, and all slept here. In the morning, Constable and his friend set off on their return for Edinburgh, and Mr Scott and myself for the ruins of Melrose Abbey, which makes so distinguished a figure in the Lay of the Last Minstrel, and from which we are this moment returned. After dinner I shall proceed to Selkirk, and in the evening take the mail for Carlisle." The Same to the Same. "MANCHESTER, April 30, 1816. "I received your letter, directed to me at Rydal Mount, the moment I was going to set off for Kendal. . . . I am all on fire |