460 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



silent upon literary subjects, except 

 among literary men." " Learn 

 English," he exclaimed, " no, 

 never ; it was trying to learn that 

 language that spoilt my Scotch ; 

 and as to being silent, I will pro- 

 mise to hold my tongue, if you will 

 make fools hold theirs." 



His memory was most tenacious, 

 and he sometimes loaded it with 

 lumber. When he was at Mysore, 

 an argument occurred upon a point 

 of English history : it was agreed 

 to refer it to Leyden, and, to the 

 astonishment of all parties, he re- 

 peated verbatim the whole of an 

 Act of parliament in the reign of 

 James I. relative to Ireland, which 

 <lecided the point in dispute. On 

 being asked how he came to charge 

 his memory with such extraordina- 

 ry matter, he said that several years 

 before, when he was writing on 

 the changes that had taken place 

 in the English language, this Act 

 was one of the documents to which 

 he had referred as a specimen of 

 the style of that age, and that he 

 had retained every word in his 

 memory. 



His love of the place of his na- 

 tivity was a passion in which he 

 had always a pride, and which in 

 India he cherished with the fondest 

 enthusiasm. I once went to see him 

 when he was very ill, and had been 

 confined to his bed for many days; 

 there were several gentlemen in 

 the room ; he inquired if I had 

 any news ; I told him I had a let- 

 ter from Eskdale ; and what are 

 they about in the borders ? he ask- 

 ed. A curious circumstance, I re- 

 plied, is stated in my letter ; and I 

 read him a passage which described 

 the conduct of our volunteers on a 

 fire being kindled by mistake at 

 one of the beacons. This letter 



mentioned that the moment the 

 blaze, which was the signal of in- 

 vasion, was seen, {the Mountaineers 

 hastened to their rendezvous, and 

 those of Leddesdale swam the 

 Ewes river to reach it. They were 

 assembled (though several of their 

 houses were at a distance of six 

 and seven miles) in two hours ; and 

 at break of day the party marched 

 into the town of Hawick (a dis- 

 tance of twenty miles from the 

 place of assembly) to the border 

 tune of " Wha dare meddle wi' 

 me?" Leyden's countenance be- 

 came animated as I proceeded with 

 this detail ; and at its close he 

 sprung from his sick bed, and with 

 strange melody and slill stranger 

 gesticulations, sung aloud, " Wha 

 dare meddle wi' me ? wha dare 

 meddle wi' me?" Several of those 

 who witnessed this scene looked at 

 him as one that was raving in the 

 delirium of a fever. 



These anecdotes will display 

 more fully than any description I 

 can give, the lesser shades of the 

 character of this extraordinary 

 man. An external manner cer- 

 tainly not agreeable, and a disposi- 

 tion to egotism, were his only de- 

 fects. How trivial do these appear, 

 at a moment when we are lament- 

 ing the loss of such a rare com- 

 bination of virtues, learning, and 

 genius, as were concentrated in 

 the late Doctor Leyden ! 



I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 

 John Malcolm. 



Where sleep the brave on Java's strand, 

 Thy ardent spirit, Leyden ! fled. 

 And fame with cypress shades the land, 

 Where genius fell, and valour bled. 



When triumph's tale is westward borne, 

 On border hills no joy shall gleam : 

 And thy lov'd Tiviot long shall mourn 

 The youthful Poet of her stream. 



Near 



