224 MEMOIR OF GEORGE WILSON. CHAR V. 



The essay on " The Desire of Fame " remains in an imperfect 

 state amongst George Wilson's papers. His penmanship was 

 very different in those days from the round clear writing of 

 later years, when repeated attacks of inflammation in the eyes 

 made larger characters more pleasing to himself ; and when the 

 impetuosity of youth being calmed down, thoughts did not so 

 vehemently outstrip the pen. Of the copyist mentioned, Daniel 

 gives some account : 



" John M'Lure, referred to in this letter, was a pensioner of 

 George's and mine years before I left Edinburgh. He was a 

 worthy, pious old man with a cork leg, and his eyesight fast 

 failing him ; a most patient, contented creature. He had been 

 a lawyer's clerk, and wrote a neat, formal hand, which was the 

 very opposite of the scrawly penmanship our own everlasting 

 scribblements had begot of our hands. Our first introduction 

 to the old man was in the capacity here referred to, as con- 

 verter into readable MS. of some of our competing essays. It 

 occurred to us one Saturday night over our late cup of tea 

 (time probably near twelve, midnight), that a remark of old 

 John's had looked forward to the small modicum of money that 

 would be due him for a bit of work then in hand. Acting on 

 the thought, we hunted out the old man on the Sunday morning 

 in his garret, at General's Entry, 1 Bristo Street, carrying with 

 us certain supplies begged from mother for improvising a break- 

 fast ; and to our sorrow and pleasure we found John reading 

 his Bible, without a morsel in the house, or the prospect of 

 breaking his fast that day. 



" Old John M'Lure rises before rny mind. He was a source 

 of great amusement to us. His under lip projected con- 

 siderably, and he had acquired a habit, from his mode of 

 walking with his cork -leg, of compressing his lips, with a 

 smack, between every few words. His ideas were as few as his 



1 General's Entry received its name from a very old and interesting house, which 

 was the town residence of General Monk, while his head-quarters were at Dalkeith 

 Palace. For a long time it was the residence of the Stair family, and afterwards 

 was notorious for containing the lir.st billiard table in Edinburgh. Here, too, was 

 born Dr. Woodrow, the African traveller, before its rooms and attics came into use 

 by such inhabitants as poor John M'Lure. It has now been removed to make way 

 for tradesmen's houses. 



