LITERARY AND DOMESTIC LIFE. 427 



to a certain extent, to make use of such passages as I know are not 

 only the expression of his sentiments, but likewise a reflex of his 

 conduct in life. Then he had a simple habit of seeking pleasure in 

 communion with his own people above all others, finding their soci- 

 ety sufficient for the interest and enjoyment of life. Thus it is that 

 I have no record to give of his mixing in circles composed of those 

 above him in station ; no bons mots from noble wits ; no flashes of 

 repartee from dames of high degree ; at home and abroad he walked 

 a simple, unaffected, unfashionable man. With gracious respect to 

 rank, he held aloof from the society of the great ; admiring, from the 

 distance at which he stood, the great and illustrious names that 

 adorned his land ; doing homage in the silence of his heart to all that 

 makes aristocracy admirable and worthy of good report, yet pre- 

 ferring to remain true to his own order. 



It was this loyalty that gave him power over the hearts of men, 

 and, I believe, this influence it was which, beyond the respect that 

 knowledge wins, enabled him to render such valuable assistance to 

 art in Scotland. Though he was not (beyond opportunities found 

 in youth) cultivated as many are in the deeper parts of art, such as 

 can only be fathomed by long study and unwearied research, he 

 nevertheless possessed an intuitive feeling for it ; he loved it, and 

 brought an intimate knowledge of nature in all her humors, to bear 

 upon what was set before him. The poet's eye unravelled the paint- 

 er's meaning, and if minute detail escaped the expression of his ad- 

 miration, as not being significant of the moving spirit of the painter's 

 soul, it was because this careful transcription merged its beauty into 

 greater and more touching effect; even as in contemplating nature, 

 our first feeling is not to sit down to trace the delicate pencilliugs 

 of flowers, or count the leaves of the dark-belted woods, or yet pick 

 out the violet from its mossy bed. In the perfect landscape we 

 know how much lies " hidden from the eye," and so wdth the perfect 

 tableau. Our first impression is taken from the general effect, and 

 if one of delight, fails to be recognized until our transport has sub- 

 sided ; then from delight to wonder are the senses changed, and the 

 handiwork of nature in art is acknowledged by one acclamation of 

 praise. It was this love of nature, this devotion to the beautiful, 

 the tricth, as I have before observed, that made my father welcome 

 to that body of men who form so interesting a portion of the com- 

 munity — our painters. Their social gatherings, their public meet- 



