THE GREAT MAGICIAN

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Blackwood, when Constable accepted the Beasts, said, "I will of myself yield up the book," that is, abandon his magazine. However, he took and snuffed up dust from a gem of curious workmanship, and called in “an aged man,” Henry Mackenzie, the Man of Feeling. Mr. Mackenzie later "forbade the magazine his house." However, in "The Chaldee," an evasive answer to Blackwood, "and all the young men that were there lifted up their voices and said" all manner of kind and respectful things to the venerated sage.

Mr. Mackenzie gives

"The great Magician, who dwelleth in the old fortress hard by the river Jordan" was next appealed to. Sir Walter was très Normand, and gave identical answers to the man in plain apparel, and to the man crafty in council. "He afterwards confessed," says Lockhart, "that the Chaldæan author had given a sufficiently accurate version of what passed on the occasion." Then came Professor Jamieson, Sir David Brewster, Tytler the historian, and, alas, Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe! Now Sharpe, at or about this time, was editing Kirkton's contemporary MS. "History of the Covenant," with notes on all the scandals about the Covenanters, for example, about the prowess of the hero of Cherrytrees. Wilson had a leaning to Covenanters, Lockhart's ancestors had been "Whigs frae Bothwell Brig," and their fellow-contributor,

1 Letter to Constable, October 8, 1818, in "Archibald Constable," ii. 339.

Dr. M'Crie, was extremely Presbyterian. Sharpe's love of scandal, and his amusing notes to Kirkton, may have suggested what "The Chaldee" says of his voice, "even like the voice of the unclean bird which buildeth its nest in the corner of the temple" (Kirkton). Sharpe was very angry; he complained to Scott, who said that his connection with the magazine was through Will Laidlaw. Laidlaw wrote the historical chronicle of events from month to month. Scott, it seems, had secured for him this appointment, and Laidlaw was his chief link with the magazine. Sharpe sneers at Laidlaw"a person of whom I never heard." Scott added that Blackwood had sent him an apologetic letter, "stating that the offensive article had been inserted against his will," and said that his remonstrances made Blackwood omit the article in later editions.

In "The Chaldee" a Veiled Man now aids Blackwood with a list of names of contributors, "the beautiful Leopard from the valley of the palm trees" (Wilson), and "from a far country, the Scorpion, who delighteth to sting the faces of men" (Lockhart), "and the great wild Boar from the Forest of Lebanon" (which men call Ettrick Forest); "and the Griffin came with a roll of the names of those whose blood had been shed between his teeth; and I saw him stand over the body of one that had been buried long in the grave, defending it from all men." The Griffin is the Rev. Dr. Thomas M'Crie, the Biographer of

Knox, and from his part in Blackwood arose contendings, and the shedding of much ink. Sir William Hamilton (who abode not long with them) is "the black Eagle of the desert, whose cry is as the sound of an unknown tongue, which flieth over the ancient cities, and hath his dwelling among the tombs of the wise men." Constable now appeals to Jeffrey, "a familiar spirit unto whom he had sold himself. But the spirit was a wicked spirit and a cruel," who helped him not. Leslie (Professor of Mathematics) is appealed to, and next the Rev. Professor Playfair. "He also is of the seed of the prophets, and ministered in the temple while he was yet young; but he went out, and became one of the scoffers" (Edinburgh Reviewers). These, too, would not aid Constable. Scott answered as he did to Blackwood. Macvey Napier, and a crowd of forgotten folk, rallied to the man crafty in council, including "John, the Brother of James, a man of low stature, who giveth out merry things, and is a lover of fables from his youth up," that is, "Leeing Johnny," John Ballantyne. "And there followed many women which knew not their right hand from their left, also some cattle."

"The Chaldee" ends

"And I fled into an inner chamber to hide myself, and I heard a great tumult, but I wist not what it was. A great tumult arose in little Edinburgh, "no end of public emotion." Legal proceedings were threatened; private wergild was paid

VOL. I.

L

to the Third Beast, Graham Dalyell. Scott made Blackwood withdraw the article; there were excursions and alarms. Being local and personal, "The Chaldee" caused more trouble in Edinburgh than articles much more blameworthy.

CHAPTER VI

EDINBURGH, 1817-1819

Blackwood's next scrape.—Its origin.-Cavalier and Covenanter.— Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe.-His edition of Kirkton.-Dr. M'Crie assailed for contributing to Blackwood. — Lockhart carries the war into Africa.-Attacks clerical contributors to the Edinburgh Review.-Writes as Baron von Lauerwinkel.Criticises critics. Shakespeare. The real Lockhart. — On Napoleon. On Jeffrey. — Jeffrey's real insignificance. His ignorance. His treatment of Goethe. Lockhart's defence of Christianity against the Edinburgh Review.-How far justified. - Examples of religious criticism from the Edinburgh. - The sceptical priest.- Sydney Smith's flippancies in the Edinburgh. "Merriment of Parsons." - Evangelicals "nasty vermin.". Lockhart on Scottish religion.-His reprisals.-Personal attack on Playfair. Scott's disapproval. — Wilson and Lockhart are attacked anonymously.—“Hypocrisy Unveiled.”—They challenge their opponent.-Jeffrey's reply.-Mr. Macvey Napier suspected. -Denies the charge. - Extracts from his unpublished Correspondence. Sir John Barrow's letter.—Playfair and the Quarterly Review.

THE next formidable difficulty into which Blackwood picked its way was Lockhart's own. The new feud was really a sequel of the old religious Cavalier and Covenanting struggles, at least it arose in the camp of the suffering yet lovely Remnant. Blackwood, though Tory, was not Cavalier in politics. We have seen how Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe was handled in "The Chaldee." In the December number