LITEEAKY AND DOMESTIC LIEE. 257 



romantic realities of Deacon Paterson and his green bag. The 

 sober certainty of a course of Moral Philosophy -lectures took the 

 place of poetic visions, and the " folk of peace" seem thenceforth to 

 have vanished from his view, so far at least as singing about them 

 was concerned. The explanation is cleverly given in the lines of 

 Ensign O'Doherty, in the Magazine for 1821, when the Professor 

 was doubtless still hard at work on the Passions and the Moral 

 Faculty. After " touching off" various other poets, he says : — 



" Let Wilson roam to Faiiy-land, but that's 

 An oldish story : I'll lay half-a-crown 

 The tiny elves are smothered in his gown." 



But though the heavy duties of his first session put an end for 

 the time to all other occupations, his literary activity was rather 

 stimulated than otherwise by his elevation to the chair. With 

 trifling exceptions his literary labors were confined exclusively to 

 Blackwood 's Magazine, and their extent may be guessed from the 

 fact, that for many years his contributions were never fewer on an 

 average than two to each number. I believe that, on more than 

 one occasion, the great bulk of the entire contents of a number was 

 produced by him during the currency of a month. No periodical 

 probably was ever more indebted to the efforts of one individual 

 than " Maga" was to Wilson. His devotion to it was unswerving, 

 and whether his health were good or bad, his spirits cheerful or de- 

 pressed, his pen never slackened in its service. He became identi- 

 fied with its character, its aims, and its interests ; and wearing, as 

 it did, such strong marks of a controlling individuality, it was natu- 

 rally believed to be under the editorial sway of the hand that first 

 subscribed the formidable initials of " Christopher North." The 

 first conception of that remarkable personage was, however, aa 

 purely mythical as the "Shepherd" of the JYoctes, and "C. N." 

 notes and criticisms were freely supplied by other hands, under the 

 direction of the really responsible editor, Mr. Blackwood. As my 

 father gradually invested his imaginary ancient with more and more 

 of his personal attributes and experiences, the identification became 

 more complete, till at length John Wilson and Christopher North 

 were recognized as names synonymous. Any repudiation of the 

 editorial character essentially associated with the latter was thence- 

 forth regarded as but a part of the system of mystification which 

 had distinguished the Magazine from the beginning. But it was 

 11 



