SIU WALTER SCOTT. 



145 



what I read, and open the difficult j 

 passages." 



Milton lent Ellwood the manu- 

 script of Paradise Lost to read. 

 1 ie returned it, Milton asked 

 him how he liked it. " I like it 

 much," said the judicious Quaker : 

 " tliou Inust written well, and said 

 much of Paradise Lost; but what 

 hast thou to say of Paradise Found?" 

 Milton made no answer, but sat 

 linking for some time. 



When business afterwards drew 

 Ellwood to London, he called on 

 Milton, who showed him the poem 

 of Paradise Regained; and in a 

 .it tone said to his friend, 

 ' This is owing to you ; for you put 

 it into my head by the question 

 you asked me at Charlfont, which 

 before I had not thought of.'' 



JONATHAN SWIFT. 



In one of his letters, Pope gives 

 the following illustration of L>e;m 

 iS will's eccentricity: 



"J)<':m Swift has an odd, blunt 

 way, that is mistaken by strangers 

 for ill nature : it is so odd that 

 there is no describing it but by 

 facts. I'll tell you one that first 

 comes into my head. 



" < >ne evening, Gay and I went 

 to see him: you know how inti- 

 iM.it' ly we were all acquainted. On 

 mircoining in, 'Heyday, gentlemen,' 

 says the doctor, ' what's the mean- 

 ;his visit? How came you 

 t.o 1 1 nve all the great lords that you 

 are so fond of, to come hither to see 

 A poor dean V ' Because we would 

 rather see you than any of them.' 

 *Ay, anyone that did not know you 

 BO well as I do might believe you. 

 But since you have come I must 

 get some supper for you I suppose.' 

 4 No, doctor, we have Hiippod al- 

 rc.-uly.' 'Siiii|'il :i!rc;uly'{ That's 

 impossible : why, it is not eight 

 o'clock yet. That's very strange : 

 but if you had not supped, I must 

 have got something for you. Let 

 me see ; what should I have had ? 



A couple of lobsters 1 Ay that 

 would have done very well two 

 shillings ; tarts, a shilling.' 



" ' But you will drink a glass of 

 wine with me, though you supped 

 so much before your usual time only 

 to spare my pocket.' ' No, we had 

 rather talk with you than drink 

 with you.' ' But if you had supped 

 with me, as in all reason you ought 

 to have done, you must then have 

 drank with me. A bottle of wine, 

 two shillings. Two and two are 

 four, and one is five ; just two and 

 sixpence a piece. There, Pope, 

 there's half a crown for you ; and 

 there's another for you, sir ; for I 

 won't save anything by you, I am 

 determined.' 



" This was all said and done with 

 his usual seriousness on such occa- 

 sions ; and in spite of everything we 

 could say to the contrary, he actu- 

 ally obliged us to take the money." 



DRTDEN. 



This poet, when a boy at "West- 

 minster school, was put with others 

 to write a copy of verses on the 

 miracle of the conversion of water 

 into wine. Being a great truant, 

 he had not time to compose his 

 verses ; and, when brought up, he 

 had only made one line of Latin, 

 and two of English : 



" Vidct ft crubit lympha pudlca, Deum!" 

 " The modest water, awed by power 



divine, 

 Beheld its God, and blushed itself to 



wine ;" 



which so pleased the master, that, 

 instead of being angry, he said it 

 was a presage of future greatness, 

 and gave the youth a crown on this 

 occasion. 



SIR, WALTER SCOTT. 



When Sir Walter Scott was a 

 schoolboy, between ten and eleven 

 years of age, his mother one morn- 

 ing saw him standing still in the 

 street, and looking at the sky, in 

 the midst of a tremendous thunder- 

 K 



