Stephenson: The Ettuick Shepherd 



27 



This unimportant volume has been given more space, per- 

 haps, than it deserves, but none of the poems has been included 

 in subsequent editions and the volume itself is not now to be 

 had. 



In the autumn of 1802 occurred the most important single 

 event in Hogg's life — his meeting with Sir Walter Scott. 

 Hogg had already seen a portion of the Minstrelsy which dealt 

 with a subject as familiar to him as to Scott. He at once set 

 to work to write some ''old ballads" which he forwarded to 

 Scott. Sir Walter, then Mr. Scott, became interested, and in 

 his next ''raid" he hunted up the poet-shepherd. In the Life 

 of ScotP Hogg refers to this as his first meeting with Sir 

 Walter, and many have copied the assertion as a fact. It is, 

 however, but another example of Hogg's forgetfulness. The 

 following letter to Scott is dated June 30, 1802 : 



Dear Sir, — I have been perusing your Minstrelsy very diligently for 

 a while past, and it being the first book I ever perused which was writ- 

 ten by a person I had seen and conversed with, the consequence hath 

 been to me a most sensible pleasure; for in fact it is the remarks and 

 modern pieces that I have most delighted in, being as it were person- 

 ally acquainted with many of the antient pieces formerly. 



My mother is actually a living miscellany of old songs. I never 

 believed that she had half so many till I came to a trial. There are 

 none in your collection of which she hath not a part, and I should by 

 this time have had a great number written for your amusement, think- 

 ing them all of great antiquity and lost to posterity — had I not luckily 

 lighted upon a collection of songs in two volumes, published by I know 

 not whom in which I recognized about half a score of my mother's best 

 songs almost word for word. No doubt I was piqued but it saved me 

 much trouble, paper, and ink; for I am carefully avoiding everything 

 which I have seen or heard of being in print, although I have no doubt 

 that I shall err, being acquainted with almost no collections of that sort; 

 but I am not afraid that you too will mistake. I am still at a loss with 

 respect to some. . . . 



Suspend your curiosity, Mr. Scott. You will see them when I see 

 you. . . . But as I suppose you have no personal acquaintance in 

 this parish, it would be presumption in me to expect that you will visit 

 my cottage, but I will attend you in any part of the Forest if you will 

 send me the word. I am far from suspecting that a person of your 

 discernment — d — n it, I'll blot out that word, 'tis so like flattery — I say 

 I don't think you will despise a shepherd's "humble cot and hamely fare" 

 as Burns hath it; yet though I would be extremely proud of the \isit, 

 hang me if I know what I should do w'ye. I am surprised to find that 

 the songs in your collection differ so widely from my mother's. . . . 



Many indeed are not aware of the manners of this place; it is but 



See page 95. 



