314 IKinss of tbe 1Rofc, IRifle, anfc 6un 



breathing than the great "Wizard of the North." 

 Lockhart, in his Life of Scott, gives us a delightful 

 glimpse of Sir Humphry Davy as the guest of Sir 

 Walter. Scott had planned a great coursing match at 

 Newark Hill, and had marshalled a motley cavalcade 

 of ladies and gentlemen to partake in the day's sport. 

 After describing those who were present, Lockhart 

 proceeds : 



"But the most picturesque figure was the illustrious 

 inventor of the safety lamp. He had come for his 

 favourite sport of angling, and had been practising it 

 successfully with Rose, his travelling companion, for two 

 or three days preceding this, but he had not prepared 

 for coursing fields, or had left Charlie Purdie's troop for 

 Sir Walter's on a sudden thought ; and his fisherman's 

 costume a brown hat with flexible brims, surrounded 

 with line upon line, and innumerable fly-hooks jack 

 boots worthy of a Dutch smuggler, and a fustian surtout 

 dabbled with the blood of salmon, made a fine contrast 

 with the smart jackets, white cord breeches, and well 

 polished jockey boots of the less distinguished cavaliers 

 about him." 



Sir Humphry entered as zealously as any one of them 

 into the sport ; but his zeal outran his discretion, and he 

 was the victim of a ludicrous accident which Lockhart 

 thus describes : 



" Coursing on such a mountain is not like the same 

 sport over a set of fine English pastures. There were 

 gulfs to be avoided and bogs to be threaded many a 

 stiff nag stuck fast many a bold rider measured his 

 length among the peat-hags, and another stranger to 



