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Indiana University Studies 



whose effigy now adorns the monument at the head of St. 

 Mary's Loch. 



The cHmax of his sojourn at Mitchel-Slack was the publica- 

 tion in 1807 of The Mountain Bard, This volume had been 

 under way for some time. As early as 1803 Hogg dined with 

 Scott, a dinner that gave rise to a story told by Lockhart to 

 Hogg's discredit which, however, probably did not happen just 

 as the great biographer tells it. Something unseemly, how- 

 ever, did happen as is proved by Hogg's letter of apology writ- 

 ten to Scott the next day, but it was insufficient to offend Sir 

 Walter and needs no further attention here. This dinner had 

 been brought about for the purpose of discussing the publica- 

 tion of The Mountain Bard, and it was doubtless due to Scott's 

 advice that the book was held back for several years. At 

 last Constable was persuaded to publish it, and it appeared 

 dedicated to Sir Walter Scott. The Autohiography gives a 

 humorous and characteristic account of the dealings with the 

 publisher. He was at first averse to the transaction and in- 

 formed the Shepherd that poetry would not sell. The writer 

 sturdily defended his own verse on the score that it was as 

 good as anybody's and, when told that no verse would sell, 

 fancied everybody's hand against him. He also narrates the 

 slipshod way in which he delivered the subscription copies, 

 getting nothing for some and ten times their value for others. 

 Simultaneously, Constable published Hogg on Sheep, a prac- 

 tical handbook for shepherds, that received a prize from the 

 Highland Society. From these two books Hogg realized about 

 three hundred pounds. 



This is as fitting a place as any to consider the Autobi- 

 ography which first appeared as a preface to The Mountain 

 Bard. In the issue of August 4, 1804, of the Scots' Magazine 

 is a letter signed by J. Welch, which speaks of the contribu- 

 tions of Hogg in the highest terms, and desires some personal 

 information concerning the new poet who bids fair to "rival 

 if not excel all that have yet written in the Scottish dialect". 

 The editor answers that he knows nothing beyond the fact 

 that he believes the author "is actually a shepherd". A few 

 further facts are contained in a letter signed A.H.B. that ap- 

 peared in the issue for October of the same year. To satisfy 

 the desire of a growing public attention, Hogg wrote the three 

 Autobiographical Letters already alluded to. They are all 

 dated "Banks of Ettrick" ; and the first, that of December 7, 



