SCOTT. 



1(5 



kept state, like a wealthy country gentleman, at 

 tins delightful seat, where he was visited by many 

 distinguished persons from England, and from the 

 continent. As he scarcely ever spent any other 

 hours than those between seven and eleven, A.M., 

 in composition, he was able to devote the greater 

 part of the morning to country exercise, and the 

 superintendence of his planting and agricultural 

 operations ; while the evenings were, in a great 

 measure, devoted to his guests. Almost every day, 

 he used to ride a considerable distance sometimes 

 not less than twenty miles on horseback. He 

 also Avalked a great deal; and, lame as he was, 

 would sometimes tire the stoutest of his companions. 



Among the eminent persons to whom he had ] 

 been recommended by his genius, and its produc- 1 

 tions, king George the IVth was one, and not 

 the least warm in his admiration. The poet of 

 Marmion had been honoured with many interviews 

 by his sovereign, when prince of Wales and prince 

 regent; and his majesty was pleased, in March, 

 1820, to create him a baronet of the United King- 

 dom, being the first to whom he had extended that 

 honour after his accession to the crown. In 1822, j 

 when his majesty visited Scotland, Sir Walter 

 found the duty imposed upon him, as in some mea- 

 sure the most prominent man in the country, of act- 

 ing as a kind of master of ceremonies, as well as a 

 sort of dragoman, or mediator, between the sove- 

 reign and the people. It was an occasion for the 

 revival of all kinds of historical and family remini- 

 scences ; and Sir Walter's acquaintance with na- 

 tional antiquities, not less than his universally 

 honoured character, caused him to be resorted to 

 by innumerable individuals, and many respectable 

 public bodies, for information and advice. 



The author of Waverley was still continuing to 

 issue the apparently inexhaustible "coinage of his 

 brain," at the rate of from three to eight volumes 

 a year, exclusive of as much additional poetry and 

 prose " by Sir Walter Scott" as would have built 

 up a goodly reputation for any ordinary author, 

 when, in January 1826, the house of Constable and 

 Company became bankrupt. It then became known, 

 to the extreme surprise and universal regret of the 

 public, that their great literary benefactor and 

 favourite was involved by the failure to an extent 

 which appeared utterly ruinous. By bill transac- 

 tions with. Messrs Constable and Company, and by 

 other means, he had become responsible for debts 

 to the enormous amount of ,120,000, of which not 

 above one half were actually incurred on his own 

 account. How a man of Sir Walter's characteristic 

 prudence and knowledge of business should have 

 been so incautious as to entangle himself in such 

 transactions, is scarcely well accounted for. Pro- 

 bably the very large sums expended in the purchase 

 and embellishment of Abbotsford, amounting, it is 

 said, to from fifty to a hundred thousand pounds, 

 was one chief originating cause of these involve- 

 ments. But whatever may have been the causes of 

 this crushing misfortune, his conduct under it was 

 admirable; and the honour which rests upon his j 

 memory for his gigantic exertions to pay off this 

 immense debt without deduction, is a far nobler 

 heritage to his posterity than the most princely for- 

 tune. He encountered adversity with dignified and 

 manly intrepidity. On meeting the creditors he 

 refused to accept of any compromise, and declared 

 his determination, if life was spared him, to pay off 

 every shilling. He insured his life in their favour , 

 for 22,000; surrendered all his available property 



in trust ; sold his town house and furniture, and re- 

 moved to an humbler dwelling; and then set himself 

 calmly down to the stupendous task of reducing 

 this load of debt. The only indulgence he asked 

 for was time ; and time was liberally and kindly 

 given him. A month or two after the crash of 

 Constable's house Lady Scott died domestic afflic- 

 tion thus following fast on worldly calamity. The 

 divulgement of the Waverley secret became, by 

 the exposure of Constable's concerns, indispensable, 

 and took place at an anniversary dinner of the 

 Edinburgh Theatrical Fund Association in Febru- 

 ary, 1827. The original manuscripts of these works 

 falling into the possession of the creditors, were 

 afterwards sold in London by public auction. 



Sir Walter was engaged, at the time of his 

 bankruptcy, in the composition of a Life of Napo- 

 leon Bonaparte, which was originally designed to 

 fill only four volumes, but eventually extended to 

 nine. In the autumn of 1826, he paid a visit to 

 Paris, in company with his youngest and only un- 

 married daughter, in order to acquaint himself with 

 several historical and local details, requisite for the 

 work upon which he was engaged. On this occa- 

 sion, he was received with distinguished kindness 

 by the reigning monarch, Charles X. The " Life 

 of Napoleon" appeared in summer, 1827; and, 

 though too bulky to be very popular, and perhaps 

 too hastily written to bear the test of rigid criticism, 

 it was understood to produce to its author a sum 

 little short of 12,000. This, with other earnings 

 and accessory resources, enabled him to pay a divi- 

 dend of six shillings and eightpence to liis credi- 

 tors. 



About the same time, the copyright of all his 

 past novels was brought to the hammer, as part of 

 the bankrupt stock of Messrs Constable and Com- 

 pany. It was bought by Mr Robert Cadell, at 

 8,400, for the purpose of republishing the whole of 

 these delightful works in a cheap and uniform series 

 of volumes ; illustrated by notes and prefaces, and 

 amended in many parts by the finishing touches of 

 the author. Sir Walter, or his creditors, were to 

 have half the profits, in consideration of his literary 

 aid. This was a most fortunate design. The new 

 edition began to appear in June, 1829; and such 

 was its adaptation to the public convenience, and 

 the eagerness of all ranks of people to contribute 

 in a way convenient to themselves towards the re- 

 construction of the author's fortunes, that the sale 

 soon reached an average of twenty-three thousand 

 copies. The author was now chiefly employed in 

 preparing these narratives for the new impression ; 

 but he nevertheless found time occasionally to pro- 

 duce original works. In November, 1828, he pub- 

 lished the first part of a juvenile History of Scot- 

 land, under the title of "Tales of a Grandfather," 

 being addressed to his grandchild, John Hugh Lock- 

 hart, whom he typified under the appellation of 

 Hugh Littlejohn, Esq. In 1829, appeared the se- 

 cond, and in 1830, the third and concluding series 

 of this charming book. In 1830, he also contributed 

 a graver History of Scotland, in two volumes, to 

 the periodical work called " Lardner's Cabinet 

 Cyclopedia." In the same year, appeared his Let- 

 ters on Demonology and Witchcraft, as a volume 

 of Mr Murray's "Family Library;" and, in 1831, 

 he added to his Tales of a Grandfather, a uniform 

 series on French history. In the same year, two 

 sermons which he had written a considerable time 

 before, for a young clerical friend, were published 

 by that individual in London, and, as specimens of 



