energy of passion, a formidable rival had appeared. All this Scott distinctly noted, and after what he felt as the comparative failure of The Lord of the Isles in 1815, with the trivial exception of the anonymous piece Harold the Dauntless (1817), he published no more poetry. But already in Waverley, which appeared without his name in 1814, he had achieved the first of a new and more splendid series of triumphs. Guy Mannering, The Antiquary, The Black Dwarf, Old Mortality, Rob Roy, and The Heart of Midlothian rapidly followed, and the "Great Unknown," as he was called (whom yet every one could very well guess to be no other than Walter Scott), became the idol of the hour. The rest of the famous series, known as the Waverley Novels, it would be idle to mention in detail. From this time onward, for some years, he stood on such a pinnacle of fame and brilliant social prosperity as no other British man of letters has ever gone near to reach.

He resided chiefly at Abbotsford, the "romance in stone "he had built himself in the Border country which he loved, and thither, as "Pilgrims of his Genius," summer after summer repaired crowds of the noble and the distinguished, to partake the princely hospitalities of a man whom they found as delightful in the easy intercourse of his home, as before they had found him in his writings. In 1820, to set a seal upon all this distinction, a baronetcy was bestowed upon him as a special mark of the royal favour. But the stately fabric of his fortunes, secure as it seemed, was in secret built upon the shifting sands of commercial speculation, and in the disastrous crisis of the year 1826 a huge ruin smote it. In 1805, his income, as calculated by his biographer, was something nigh £1000 a year, irrespective of what literature might bring him; a handsome competency, shortly by his appointment to a clerkship of the Court of Session to have an increment at first of £800, subsequently of £1300. But what was ample for all prosaic needs, seemed poor to his imagination with its fond and glittering dreams. Already some such vision, as at Abbotsford was afterwards realized, flitted before his mind's eye, and it was the darling ambition of his heart to re-create and leave behind him, in the founding of a family, some image of the olden glories which were the life of his literary inspirations.

In the year above mentioned, lured by the prospect of profit, and without the knowledge of his friends, he joined James Ballantyne, an old schoolfellow, in the establishment of a large printing business in Edinburgh. To this, a few years afterwards, a publishing business was added, under the nominal conduct of John Ballantyne, a brother of James; Scott, in the new adventure, becoming, as before, a partner. Gradually the affairs of the two firms became complicated with those of the great house of Constable & Co., in the sudden collapse of which Scott found himself

one forenoon a bankrupt, with personal liabilities to the extent of some. thing like £150,000;

'In the reproof of chance

Lies the true proof of men'

And now, in this challenge of adverse fate, his manhood and proud integrity were most nobly approved. With his creditors, composition would have been easy; but this usual course he disdained. "God granting him time and health," he said, “he would owe no man a penny.' And somewhat declined as he now was from the first vigour and elasticity of his strength, he set himself by the labour of his pen to liquidate this enormous debt.

Breaking up his establishment at Abbotsford, where the wife whom he loved lay dying, he hired a lodging in Edinburgh, and there for some years, with stern and unfaltering resolution, he toiled at his prodigious task. The stream of novels flowed as formerly: a History of Napoleon, in eight volumes, was undertaken and completed, with much other miscellaneous work; and within the space of two years, he had realized for his creditors the amazing sum of nearly £40,000. A new and annotated edition of the novels was issued with immense success, and there seemed every prospect that, within a reasonable period, he might again front the world, as he had pledged himself to do, not owing to any man a penny. In this hope he toiled on; but the limits of endurance had been reached, and the springs of the outworn brain broke in that stress of cruel and long-continued effort. In 1839 he was smitten down with paralysis, from which he never thoroughly rallied. It was hoped that the climate of Italy might benefit him; and by the government of the day a frigate was placed at his disposal in which to proceed thither. But in Italy he pined for the home to which he returned only to die.

At Abbotsford, on the 21st September, 1832, he died, with his children round him and the murmur of the Tweed in his ears. On the 26th, he was buried beside his wife in the old Abbey of Dryburgh.

THE LAY OF THE LAST MINSTREL.

1

To the Right Honourable CHARLES EARL OF DALKEITH, this Poem is inscribed by the author.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

The The Poem, now offered to the Public, is intended to illustrate the customs and manners which anciently prevailed on the Borders of England and Scotland. inhabitants living in a state partly pastoral and partly warlike, and combining habits f constant depredation with the influence of a rude spirit of chivalry, were often engaged in scenes highly susceptible of poetical ornament. As the description of scenery and manners was more the object of the Author than a combined and regular narrative, the plan of the Ancient Metrical Romance was adopted, which allows greater latitude, in this respect, than would be consistent with the dignity of a regu lar Poem. The same model offered other facilities, as it permits an occasional alteration of measure, which, in some degree, authorizes the change of rhythm in the text. The machinery, also, adopted from popular belief, would have seemed puerile in a Poem which did not partake of the rudeness of the old Ballad, or Metrical Romance.

For these reasons, the Poem was put into the mouth of an ancient Minstrel, the last of the race, who, as he is supposed to have survived the Revolution, might have caught somewhat of the refinement of modern poetry, without losing the simplicity The date of the Tale itself is about the middle of the sixteenth of his original model. century, when most of the personages actually flourished. The time occupied by the action is Three Nights and Three Days.

INTRODUCTION.

THE way was long, the wind was cold,
The Minstrel was infirm and old;
His wither'd cheek, and tresses gray,
Seem'd to have known a better day;
The harp, his sole remaining joy,
Was carried by an orphan boy.
The last of all the Bards was he,
Who sung of Border chivalry;
For, welladay! their date was fled,
His tuneful brethren all were dead;
And he, neglected and oppress'd,
Wish'd to be with them, and at rest.
No more on prancing palfrey borne,
He caroll'd, light as lark at morn;
No longer courted and caress'd,

The unpremeditated lay:

Old times were changed, old manners
gone;

A stranger filled the Stuarts' throne;
The bigots of the iron time

Had call'd his harmless art a crime.
A wandering Harper, scorn'd and
poor,

He begg'd his bread from door to
door,

And tuned, to please a peasant's ear,
The harp, a king had loved to hear.

He pass'd where Newark's stately

tower

*Newark's stately tower.

A ruined tower

High placed in hall, a welcome guest, now; situated three miles from Selkirk, on

He pour'd, to lord and lady gay,

the banks of the Yarrow.

Looks out from Yarrow's birchen Perchance he wished his boon de

The humble boon was soon ob- Each blank in faithless memory void,