78 IN CARLYLE'S COUNTRY. 



falling off of the pilgrims and visitors, of late. During 

 the first few months after his burial, they nearly 

 denuded the grave of its turf ; but after the publica- 

 tion of the Reminiscences, the number of silly geese 

 that came there to crop the grass was much fewer. 

 No real lover of Carlyle was eyer disturbed by those 

 Reminiscences ; but to the throng that run after a 

 man because he is famous, and that chip his head- 

 stone or carry away the turf above him when he is 

 dead, they were happily a great bugaboo. 



A most agreeable walk I took one day down to 

 Annan. Irving's name still exists there, but I believe 

 all his near kindred have disappeared. Across the 

 street from the little house where he was born, this 

 sign may be seen : " Edward Irving, Flesher." While 

 in Glasgow, I visited Irving's grave, in the crypt of 

 the cathedral, a most dismal place, and was touched 

 to see the bronze tablet that marked its site in the 

 pavement bright and shining, while those about it, 

 of Sir this or Lady that, were dull and tarnished. 

 Did some devoted hand keep it scoured, or was the 

 polishing done by the many feet that paused thought- 

 fully above this name ? Irving would long since 

 have been forgotten by the world had it not been for 

 bis connection with Carlyle, and it was probably the 

 lustre of the latter's memory that I saw reflected in 

 the metal that bore Irving's name. The two men 

 must have been of kindred genius in many ways, to 

 have been so drawn to each other, but Irving had 

 far less hold upon reality ; his written word has no 



