very affable." The Lady of M. Mac-has repeated this phrase to him so often, that the husband has promised to let her go to the king's levee, and to go himself. Thence I proceeded to the house of Dr. Rob-n, who had engaged to take me this very day to the Medical Society; the party was put off till the next day; the doctor, who is a great loyalist, was obliged to go and join the Archers' Company, to which he belongs, and which enjoys the privilege of acting as his majesty's body guard when he is in Edinburgh. He shewed me his bow, put on his waistcoat and trowsers of green tartan, enveloped himself in his plaid, handled his bow with grace, and asked me whether the costume were not charming. I replied that it became him marvellously well; and, indeed, my compliment was deserved, as the doctor is a fine figure.

it;

All this bustle, these festive preparations, these metamorphoses of costumes, and new physiognomies amused me at first; but my philosopher, who enjoyed it for three days, is already tired of and has testified an anxious desire of setting out on our projected excursion to the Highlands, in order not to return to Edinburgh till after the king's journey. He had almost induced me to be of his opinion. I do not like to see the provincial population too much endimanchés, that is to say, out of its ordinary customs. We shall read, thought I, the relation of the fêtes in the gazettes; the police does not dictate here, as in France, their proces verbal. I then proceeded

to the house of Sir Walter Scott, with the intention of taking my leave of him. My visit was tolerably long, for I was obliged to accept his invitation to sit down to dinner with him. I shall relate a portion of our conversation before and after dinner, without any other infidelity than that of bringing passages together, which I cannot transmit to paper in their isolated state, except by preceding them with long explanations, or useless and insignificant transitions.

Sir W. Scott." Well, doctor, how did you like the banks of the Tweed and Melrose Abbey?"

They are worthy of the bard who has sung them. I, besides, paid a visit to Abbotsford, and surveyed with interest your gothic sculptures, your armoury and pictures, some of which are speaking representations. I shall now re-peruse with double pleasure, The Lay of the Last Minstrel, and your other works."

Sir W. Scott."Are you acquainted with the Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border?"

"A great part of it; but more especially with your own imitations of the old border ballads. It was, I believe, your first publication.

Sir W. Scott." Not exactly. I made my debut in 1799,* with an imitation of some ballads of Burger, and a translation of the chevalresque drama of Goethe, Gotz Von Berlichengen. These essays procured me the acquaintance of the famous Lewis, author of the Monk, and sur

* Sir W. Scott was then twenty-eight, being born in 1771.

named Monk Lewis. He was a very agreeable man, whose imagination was perfectly amorous of the supernatural, and of popular superstitions. I read to him my Eve of St. John and Glenfinglas; and he requested my permission to insert these two poems in his Tales of Wonder."

"I should apprehend that the Monk of Lewis is a little out of fashion."

Sir W. Scott.-"It is a work written with power. It produced an effect, although it came after the romances of Mrs. Radcliffe. Like the latter, Lewis has chosen the south as the seat of his action in a southern atmosphere, passions as well as vegetation have more energy; passion is wanted in these kind of works. The marvellous alone will not suffice for so sceptical an age as this. I should have liked Mrs. Radcliffe more, if she had been less anxious about the explanation of her mysteries. Lewis wrote as if he believed."

"Might not Mrs. Radcliffe, as a woman, be in dread of passing for superstitious?"

Sir W. Scott." It may be so. Her works, compared with the common novel, are what melodrames are compared with tragedies and comedies. Terror is their chief spring of action. But there are some good melo-drames. Walpole created the melo-dramatic romance; but Mrs. Radcliffe surpassed Walpole. Lewis and Maturin have alone come near Mrs. Radcliffe. The Montorio Family is a very astonishing work."*

* Sir W. Scott has been a useful patron of the Rev. Mr. Maturin.

"Was your Gotz von Berlichengen published at Edinburgh ?"

Sir W. Scott." No, I published it at London, where I then was. It is from the same epoch that my acquaintance with M. M. Canning and Frere commenced."*

"You have contributed to transfer a portion of the English bookselling business to Edinburgh." Sir W. Scott.-"Authors doubtless make publishers; but Mr. Arch. Constable has done much for Scotch authorship."

"Scotland has always supplied great men to the literary republic.”

Sir W. Scott.-"The patriarch of our authors is Mr. Henry Mackenzie, who knew Hume and Robertson intimately. In his Life of John Home, lately published, he has charmingly described the Literary Society of Edinburgh during the second half of the last century. He is a poet and romance writer; a poet in versification; but a poet also in his prose fictions; indeed, it is difficult for a good romance writer not to be so in some degree. Mr. Mackenzie is an ingenious critic in his periodical Essays, (the Mirror and Trifler,) and a pathetic author in his novels. There is a little of Sterne's manner in his Man of Feeling; the pathos of Julia de Roubigné is more natural and pure."

"Scotland continues to enrich English literature with its best works. Thomas Campbell is a Scotchman ?"

* Sir W. Scott was a fellow-contributor with Canning and Frere in the Anti-Jacobin.

Sir W. Scott." A Scotchman and a great poet. Lord Byron is also a little Scotch."

May I ask you on what terms you are ?”

Sir W. Scott." I received a letter from him yesterday. We are in correspondence, and that of an amicable and intimate description."

"He has scoffed a little at Scotland."

Sir W. Scott." The review went much too far. Lord Byron is very irritable."

"I saw the portrait of Mr. Jeffrey at Abbotsford. I presume you are friendly.”

"Yes; he is one of our literary notables, and a distinguished barrister."

"Have you also appeared at the bar ?"

Sir W. Scott." Like all young barristers, I have pleaded on criminal trials ?”

I shall here add from the authority of Mr. Lockhart, that Sir W. Scott, when called to the bar at the age of twenty-one, gave but few testimonies of his talent. He once, however, had an opportunity of speaking before the General Assembly, and the question he treated of having suddenly kindled his powers, he expressed himself with a flood of eloquence. The famous Dr. Blair was present, and said aloud, "This young barrister will be a great man."

I resume our dialogue. "You quitted pleading for a judicial situation."

Sir W. Scott-" I was not appointed Clerk of the Court of Session till after I had published Marmion. I was already Sheriff of Selkirkshire."

This post brings Sir Walter in about 300l. per