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but by-and-by he heard something rattle in the parcel, which gave him considerable annoyance. On reaching the blacksmith, he delivered the parcel, and expressed some curiosity to know the contents. The smith examined it, and then said, "It is one of your aunt's pattens, and tippence to mend it!"

In 1792, Scott was admitted to the bar, and entered upon practice. He still indulged his taste, however, for literature; and in 1776, published his first book, a thin quarto, consisting of translations from the German poet, Burger. In 1797, he married Miss Carpenter, by whom he received a small fortune, and in 1799, he was appointed sheriff of Selkirkshire. He had now a competence, but having a desire for the luxuries which wealth affords, he sought to increase his income, and paid considerable attention to business. His heart, however, was with the muses, and he, by no means, satisfied the ambitious wishes of his friends, by the rank he held as a lawyer. He passed for a man of talents and of great literary acquisitions, but was not rated as among the leaders at the bar. He cultivated literary society, and again tried his hand at authorship.

About the year 1800, he published the Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, which was his first successful book. This gave him, at once, a high standing among the literary men of the day. Then followed the Lay of the Last Minstrel, in 1806, which established his reputation as a poet; Marmion, in 1808; the Lady of the Lake, in 1809; Don Roderick, in 1811; Rokeby, in 1813; the Lord of the Isles, in 1814. During the period in which these several works were

issued, Scott was, by far, the most popular poet of the day. Though he received the office of chief clerk of the court of sessions, in 1806, and contrived to attend carefully to all his duties, his thoughts were chiefly devoted to literature.

Besides the works we have mentioned above, Scott produced other poems. Although, at the present day, his poetical compositions are not esteemed as of the highest order, and have been overshadowed by his admirable romances, still they are very captivating; and, at the time they appeared, one after another, cast successive flashes of delight over the whole of Europe. The publication of a new poem, by "the Author of the Lay of the Last Minstrel," was hailed as a joyous event; and it is probable that no work, produced in the compass of the last hundred years, has actually caused more innocent, unalloyed pleasure, than the Lady of the Lake. Every person who has read that charming work, with a just appreciation of it, owes a lasting debt of gratitude to the genius of Walter Scott.

It is seldom that two such triumphs as were achieved by Scott, are allotted to one man. He had now acquired the reputation of the first among living poets; his name was in the breath of fame; all the world spoke his praises. Yet, while he was the ruling star, and admiring millions were gazing upon its brilliancy, a dazzling meteor shot across the heavens. Byron's Childe Harold was published in 1812, and every eye was arrested by the new luminary. Scott doubtless, felt this event as an eclipse, for, he now

turned his attention to another species of writing, and, in 1814, published Waverly.

This work was anonymously produced, without any of the ingenious heraldry by which new works are usually forced upon the attention of the public. The author was, no doubt, utterly unaware of its extraordinary merit, and, probably, was inclined to think lightly of it. It produced no sudden sensation, and attracted no particular attention. But it was like a spark kindling into a conflagration. Every person of real taste, who read Waverly, was astonished and delighted. The voice of praise came first as a murmur, and then it rose like a shout of nations, over the land, far and near. Thus encouraged, the author went on. Guy Mannering, the Antiquary, the Black Dwarf, Old Mortality, the Heart of Mid Lothian, followed in rapid succession,-all these being produced in the compass of four years.

The authorship of these works, though they were now, by far, the most popular productions of the age, was kept as a kind of half-way secret. The author was called the "Great Unknown," and there was not a little speculation, as to who this wonderful person might really be. Still, Scott was generally regarded as the author. The veil of mystery, however, continued to be worn, and contributed, no doubt, to heighten the interest of the splendid fictions, which continued to be lavished upon the world, by the author of Waverly.

During this period, Scott had been engaged with the Ballantines and with Constable, eminent booksellers in Edinburgh, as a private partner in the pub

lishing of books on a large scale. His own original productions, and others which he edited, were the chief subjects of their speculation. The sale of these was enormous, and the sums of money received directly by Scott as author, and indirectly as a partner, from the mercantile share of the business, were enormous. Seduced by the prospects before him, he began to buy large tracts of land on the Tweed, and finally commenced the building of a vast baronial Hall, which he entitled Abbotsford. Upon this, and the costly furniture with which he embellished it, he lavished the money he acquired.

His reputation His health was

Still, things went swimmingly on. increased rather than diminished. good, his genius unflagging,-the stores of legendary lore, upon which he drew, seemed to be exhaustless. Novel after novel was produced; and such was the confidence of himself and his partners in their business, that he received bills and obtained cash upon them, for works not yet even written or named!

During a long period, Scott's life was now one of energetic and continuous labor, mixed with the most exciting and gratifying pleasures. He lived at Abbotsford, with all the lavish hospitality of a baron of the olden time. His fame called around him the first society in Europe. He rose early in the morning, and, for five or six hours, devoted himself, with all his energy of body and mind, to writing. He would not permit himself to be intruded upon during this part of the day. His thoughts came with gushing rapidity, and the words were ready as fast as the pen

could put them down. Thus, he was able to produce a great number of pages every day. The amount he produced in the year was amazing.

After his writing was done for the day, he gave himself up to exercise for a time, usually taking long walks or rides. He also received his visitors, who were numerous, often taking them with him in his rambles. At evening, he sat down to dinner, where several strangers, beside a large number of inmates were usually entertained. On all these occasions, Scott was the life of the company. About this period, our countryman, Washington Irving, paid him a visit; and we take the liberty to copy a part of his account of what he saw,-making slight changes, for the purpose of connecting the narrative.

"Late in the evening of the 29th August, 1816, I arrived at the ancient border town of Selkirk, where I put up for the night. I had come down from Edinburgh, partly to visit Melrose Abbey and its vicinity, but chiefly to get a sight of the mighty Minstrel of the North.' I had a letter of introduction to him, from Thomas Campbell, the poet, and had reason to think, from the interest he had taken in some of my earlier scribblings, that a visit from me would not be deemed an intrusion.

"On the following morning, after an early breakfast, I set off, in a post-chaise, for Abbotsford. As we approached, the noise of the chaise disturbed the quiet of the establishment. Out sallied the warder of the castle, a black greyhound, and, leaping on one of the blocks of stone, began a furious barking. His alarum brought out a whole garrison of dogs,

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