CHAP. XIV. HIS PROFESSIONAL HABITS. 485 



introduce one to all kinds of novelty, and all descrip- 

 tions of interesting society." l Shortly after, Campbell 

 named his first son after Telford, who stood godfather 

 for the boy. Indeed, for many years, Telford played 

 the part of Mentor to the young and impulsive poet, 

 advising him about his course in life, trying to keep 

 him steady, and holding him aloof as much as pos- 

 sible from the seductive allurements of the capital. But 

 it was a difficult task, and Telford' s numerous engage- 

 ments necessarily left the poet at many seasons very 

 much to himself. It appears that they were living 

 together at the Salopian when Campbell composed 

 the first draft of his poem of Hohenlinden ; and 

 several important emendations made in it by Telford 

 were adopted by Campbell. Although the two friends 

 pursued different roads in life, and for many years saw 

 little of each other, they often met again, especially 

 after Telford took up his abode at his house in Abingdon 

 Street, where Campbell was a frequent and always a 

 welcome guest. 



When engaged upon his surveys, our engineer was 

 the same simple, cheerful, laborious man. While at 

 work, he gave his whole mind to the subject in hand, 

 thinking of nothing else for the time ; dismissing it 

 at the close of each day's work, but ready to take it up 

 afresh with the next day's duties. This was a great 

 advantage to him as respected the prolongation of his 

 working faculty. He did not take his anxieties to bed 

 with him, as many do, and rise up with them in the 

 morning ; but he laid down the load at the end of each 

 day, and resumed it all the more cheerfully when re- 

 freshed and invigorated by natural rest. It was only 

 while the engrossing anxieties connected with the sus- 

 pension of the Menai Bridge were weighing heavily 

 upon his mind, that he could not sleep ; and then, age 



Beattie's 'Life and Letters of Thomas Campbell/ vol i., p. 451. 



