SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 29 



shoemaker of St Boswells had few or no rivals in the 

 south in his death leaving behind him no enemies, 

 and the memory of a guileless, unblameable, honest 

 life." 



The Caledonian Mercury had a similar kindly 

 notice. Younger' s friend for many years, eminent as a 

 scholar and linguist, "William Brockie of the Sunder- 

 land Times, gave a sketch of his character, summing 

 the leading features of his career, thus " Of poor, 

 but honest and respectable parentage, he continued 

 poor, but honest and respectable ; his whole life a 

 hard struggle against poverty, owing in a great 

 measure to unfortunate family and business connec- 

 tions. Happy in wedded life, he was for many 

 years a widower his children grown up and settled. 

 Nature made him a poet, a philosopher, and a 

 nobleman ; society made him a cobbler of shoes (a 

 good one), a postmaster (indifferent), and a mort- 

 gaged feuar of Lessudden." 



In the village in which he had spent the greater 

 portion of his more than three score years and ten, 

 the death of its most notable man was felt with the 

 pang which friendship feels when its circle is sud- 

 denly narrowed. John Younger dead ! he who gave 

 a character to the little town, and who brought many 

 a visitor to it ; who always evoked the play of 



