_By_ GRACE E. SELLON
Of the old and honorable families of Scotland there are perhaps none
more worthy than those from which were descended the parents of Sir
Walter Scott. In the long line of ancestors on either side were fearless
knights and bold chiefs of the Scottish Border whose adventures became a
delightful heritage to the little boy born into the Edinburgh family of
Scott in 1771. Perhaps his natural liking for strange and exciting
events would have made him even more eager than other children to be
told fairy stories and tales of real heroes of his own land. But even
had this not been so, the way in which he was forced to spend his early
childhood was such that entertainment of this kind was about all that he
could enjoy. He was not two years old when, after a brief illness, he
lost the use of one of his legs and thus became unable to run about as
before, or even to stand. Soon afterward he was sent to his
grandfather's farm at Sandy-Knowe, where it was thought that the country
life would help him. There he spent his days in listening to lively
stories of Scotsmen who had lived in the brave and rollicking fashion of
Robin Hood, in being read to by his aunt or in lying out among the
rocks, cared for by his grandfather's old shepherd. When thus out of
doors he found so much of interest about him that he could not lie
still and would try so hard to move himself about that at length he
became able to rise to his feet and even to walk and run.
[Illustration: SIR WALTER SCOTT 1771-1832]
Except for his lameness, he grew so well and strong that when he was
about eight years old he was placed with his brothers in the upper class
of the Edinburgh grammar school, known as the High School. Though he had
had some lessons in Latin with a private tutor, he was behind his class
in this subject, and being a high-spirited and sensitive boy, he felt
rather keenly this disadvantage. Perhaps the fact that he could not be
one of the leaders of his class made him careless; at any rate, he could
never be depended upon to prepare his lesson, and at no time did he make
a consistently good record. However, he found not a little comfort for
his failure as a student in his popularity as a storyteller and
kind-hearted comrade. Among the boys of his own rank in the school he
won great admiration for his never-ending supply of exciting narratives
and his willingness to give help upon lessons that he would otherwise
have left undone.
At the end of three years his class was promoted, and he found the new
teacher much more to his liking. Indeed, his ability to appreciate the
meaning and beauty of the Latin works studied became recognized: he
began to make translations in verse that won praise, and, with a new
feeling of distinction, he was thus urged on to earnest efforts. After
leaving this school, he continued his excellent progress in the study of
Latin for a short time under a teacher in the village of Kelso, where he
had gone to visit an aunt.
Meanwhile his hours out of school were spent in ways most pleasing to
his lively imagination. His lameness did not debar him from the most
active sports, nor even from the vigorous encounters in which, either
with a single opponent or with company set against company, the Scotch
schoolboys defended their reputation as hard fighters. One of these
skirmishes that made a lasting impression upon Walter Scott he himself
tells us of, and his biographer, Lockhart, has quoted it in describing
the hardy boyhood days of the great writer. It frequently happened that
bands of children from different parts of Edinburgh would wage war with
each other, fighting with stones and clubs and other like weapons.
Perhaps the city authorities thought that these miniature battles
afforded good training: at least the police seem not to have interfered.
The boys in the neighborhood where Walter lived had formed a company
that had been given a beautiful standard by a young noblewoman. This
company fought every week with a band composed of boys of the poorer
classes. The leader of the latter was a fine-looking young fellow who
bore himself as bravely as any chieftain. In the midst of a hotly fought
contest, this boy had all but captured the enemy's proudly erected
standard when he was struck severely to the ground with a cruelly heavy
weapon. The dismayed companies fled in all directions, and the lad was
taken to the hospital. In a few days, however, he recovered; and then it
was that through a friendly baker Walter Scott and his brothers were
able to get word to their mistreated opponent and to offer a sum of
money in token of their regret. But Green-breeks, as the young leader
had been dubbed, refused to accept this, and said besides that they
might be sure of his not telling what he knew of the affair in which he
had been hurt, for he felt it a disgrace to be a talebearer. This
generous conduct so impressed young Scott and his companions that always
afterward the fighting was fair.
It must have been with not a little difficulty that this warlike spirit
was subdued and made obedient to the strict rules observed in the
Presbyterian home on Sunday. To a boy whose mind was filled with
stirring deeds of adventure and all sorts of vivid legends and romances,
the long, gloomy services seemed a tiresome burden. Monday, however,
brought new opportunities for reading favorite poets and works of
history and travel, and many were the spare moments through the week
that were spent thus. The marvelous characters and incidents in
Spenser's _Faerie Queene_ were a never-ending source of enjoyment, and
later Percy's _Reliques of Ancient English Poetry_ was discovered by the
young reader with a gladness that made him forget everything else in the
world. "I remember well," he has written, "the spot where I read these
volumes for the first time. It was beneath a huge platanus tree, in the
ruins of what had been intended for an old-fashioned arbor in the garden
I have mentioned. The summer day sped onward so fast that,
notwithstanding the sharp appetite of thirteen, I forgot the hour of
dinner, was sought for with anxiety, and was found still entranced in my
intellectual banquet. To read and to remember was in this instance the
same thing, and henceforth I overwhelmed my schoolfellows, and all who
would hearken to me, with tragical recitations from the ballads of
Bishop Percy. The first time, too, I could scrape a few shillings
together, which were not common occurrences with me, I bought unto
myself a copy of these beloved volumes; nor do I believe I ever read a
book half so frequently, or with half the enthusiasm."
After his return from Kelso, Walter was sent to college, but with no
better results than in the early years at the High School. The Latin
teacher was so mild in his requirements that it was easy to neglect the
lessons, and in beginning the study of Greek the boy was again at a
disadvantage, for nearly all his classmates, unlike himself, knew a
little of the language. He was scarcely more successful in a private
course in mathematics, but did well in his classes in moral philosophy.
History and civil and municipal law completed his list of studies. So
meager did this education seem that in later years Scott wrote in a
brief autobiography, "If, however, it should ever fall to the lot of
youth to peruse these pages--let such a reader remember that it is with
the deepest regret that I recollect in my manhood the opportunities of
learning which I neglected in my youth: that through every part of my
literary career I have felt pinched and hampered by my own ignorance:
and that I would at this moment give half the reputation I have had the
good fortune to acquire, if by doing so I could rest the remaining part
upon a sound foundation of learning and science."
[Illustration: ABBOTSFORD]
It had been decided that Walter should follow his father's profession,
that of the law, and accordingly he entered his father's office, to
serve a five years' apprenticeship. Though it may seem surprising, in
view of his former indolence, it is true that he gave himself to his
work with great industry. At the same time, however, he continued to
read stories of adventure and history and other similar works with as
much zest as ever, and entered into an agreement with a friend whereby
each was to entertain the other with original romances. The monotony of
office duties was also relieved by many trips about the country, in
which the keenest delight was felt in natural beauties and in the
historical associations of old ruins and battlefields and other places
of like interest. Then, too, there were literary societies that advanced
the young law-apprentice both intellectually and socially. Thus the
years with his father passed. Then, as he was to prepare himself for
admission to the bar, he entered law classes in the University of
Edinburgh, with the result that in 1792 he was admitted into the Faculty
of Advocates.
The first years of his practice, though not without profit, might have
seemed dull and irksome to the young lawyer, had not his summers been
spent in journeys about Scotland in which he came into possession of a
wealth of popular legends and ballads. It was during one of these
excursions, made in 1797, that he met the attractive young French woman,
Charlotte Carpenter, who a few months later became his wife. A previous
and unfortunate love affair had considerably sobered Scott's ardent
nature, but his friendship and marriage with Miss Carpenter brought him
much of the happiness of which he had believed himself to have been
deprived.
The young couple spent their winters in Edinburgh and their summers at
the suburb Lasswade. During the resting time passed in the country
cottage, Scott found enjoyment in composing poems based upon some of the
legends and superstitions with which he had become familiar in his
jaunts among ruined castles and scenes in the Highlands. Some of these
verses, shown in an offhand manner to James Ballantyne, who was the head
of a printing establishment in Kelso, met with such favorable
recognition that Scott was encouraged to lay bare to his friend a plan
that had been forming in his mind for publishing a great collection of
Scotch ballads. As a result Scott entered upon the work of editing them
and by 1803 had published the three volumes of his _Minstrelsy of the
Scottish Border_. So successful was this venture that shortly afterward
he began the _Lay of the Last Minstrel_, a lengthy poem in which his
keen interest in the thrilling history of the Scottish Border found full
expression. This poem, published in 1805, was heartily welcomed, and
opened to its author the career for which he was best fitted.
The popularity of the _Lay_, together with the fact that the young poet
had won no honors as an advocate, doubtless accounts for his retiring
from the bar in 1806. He had been made sheriff of Selkirkshire in 1799,
and to the income thus received was added that of a clerk of the Court
of Sessions, an office to which he was appointed in 1806. More than
this, he had in the preceding year become a partner in the Ballantyne
printing establishment, which had moved to Edinburgh, and his growing
fame as a writer seemed to promise that his association with this firm
would bring considerable profit.
With a good income thus assured, Scott was able within the following
four years to produce besides minor works, two other great poems,
_Marmion, a Tale of Flodden Field_, and _The Lady of the Lake_. These
rank with the most stirring and richly colored narrative poems in our
language. So vivid, indeed, are the pictures of Scottish scenery found
in _The Lady of the Lake_, that, according to a writer who was living
when it was published, "The whole country rang with the praises of the
poet--crowds set off to view the scenery of Loch Katrine, till then
comparatively unknown; and as the book came out just before the season
for excursions, every house and inn in that neighborhood was crammed
with a constant succession of visitors."
This lively and pleasing story, with its graceful verse form, has become
such a favorite for children's reading, that it seems very amusing to be
told of the answer given by one of Scott's little daughters to a family
friend who had asked her how she liked the poem: "Oh, I have not read
it; papa says there's nothing so bad for young people as reading bad
poetry." The biographer Lockhart recounts also a little incident in
which young Walter Scott, returning from school with the marks of battle
showing plainly on his face, was asked why he had been fighting, and
replied, looking down in shame, that he had been called a _lassie_.
Never having heard of even the title of his father's poem, the boy had
fiercely resented being named, by some of his playmates, _The Lady of
the Lake_.
In order to fulfil his duties as sheriff, Scott had in 1804 leased the
estate of Ashestiel, and in this wild and beautiful stretch of country
on the Tweed River had spent his summers. When his lease expired in
1811, he bought a farm of one hundred acres extending along the same
river, and in the following year removed with his family to the cottage
on this new property. This was the simple beginning of the magnificent
Abbotsford home. Year after year changes were made, and land was added
to the estate until by the close of 1824 a great castle had been
erected. The building and furnishing of this mansion were of the keenest
interest to its owner, an interest that was expressed probably with most
delight in the two wonderful armories containing weapons borne by many
heroes of history, and in the library with its carved oak ceiling, its
bookcases filled with from fifteen to twenty thousand volumes, among
which are some of unusual value, and its handsome portrait of the eldest
of Scott's sons.
The building of this splendid dwelling place shows Scott to have been
exceptionally prosperous as a writer. Yet his way was by no means always
smooth. In 1808 he had formed with the Ballantynes a publishing house
that, as a result of poor management, failed completely in 1813. Scott
bore the trouble with admirable coolness, and by means of good
management averted further disaster and made arrangements for the
continued publication of his works.
By this time he had found through the marked success of his novel
_Waverley_, published in 1814, that a new and promising field lay before
him. He decided then to give up poetry and devote himself especially to
writing romances, in which his love of the picturesque and thrilling in
history and of the noble and chivalrous in human character could find
the widest range of expression. With marvelous industry he added one
after another to the long series of his famous Waverley Novels. Perhaps
the height of his power was reached in 1819 in the production of
_Ivanhoe_, though _Waverley_, _Guy Mannering_ and _The Heart of
Midlothian_, previously written, as well as _Kenilworth_ and _Quentin
Durward_, published later, must also be given first rank. In the
intervals of his work on these novels, Scott also wrote reviews and
essays and miscellaneous articles. He became recognized as the most
gifted prose writer of his age, and his works, it is said, became "the
daily food, not only of his countrymen, but of all educated Europe." He
was sought after with eager homage by the wealthy and notable, and was
given the title of baronet, yet remained as simple and sincere at heart
as in the early days of his career.
With the sales of his books amounting to $50,000 or more a year, it is
not strange that he should have felt his fortune assured. But again, and
this time with the most serious results, he was deceived by the
mismanagement of others. The printing firm of James Ballantyne and
Company, in which he had remained a partner, became bankrupt in 1826.
Had it not been for a high sense of honor, he would have withdrawn with
the others of the firm; but the sense of his great debt pressed upon him
so sorely that he agreed to pay all that he owed, at whatever cost to
himself. For the remaining six years of his life he worked as hard as
failing health would allow, and the strain of his labor told on him
severely.
At length he consented to a trip to southern Europe, but the change did
not bring back his health. Not long after his return to Abbotsford, in
1832, he called his son-in-law to his bedside early one morning, and
speaking in calm tones, said: "Lockhart, I may have but a minute to
speak to you. My dear, be a good man--be virtuous--be religious--be a
good man. Nothing else will give you any comfort when you come to lie
here." After a few words more he asked God's blessing on all in the
household and then fell into a quiet sleep from which he did not awake
on earth.
Had Scott lived but a few years longer he would undoubtedly have paid
off all his voluntarily assumed obligations. As it was, all his debts
were liquidated in 1847 by the sale of copyrights.
Many years have passed since the death of Sir Walter Scott, and to the
young readers of to-day the time in which he lived may seem far away and
indistinct. But every boy and girl can share with him the pleasure that
he felt, all his life, in stories of battle on sea and land, in love
tales of knights and ladies, in mysterious superstitions and in
everything else that spurs one on at the liveliest speed through the
pages of a book. These interests and delights of his boyhood he never
outgrew. They kept him always young at heart and gave to his works a
freshness and brightness that few writers have been able to retain
throughout their lives.
When he became _laird_ of Abbotsford, the same sunny nature and kindly
feeling for others that had drawn about him many comrades in his
schoolboy days, attracted to him crowds of visitors who, though they
intruded on his time, were received with generous courtesy. His tall,
strongly built figure was often the center of admiring groups of guests
who explored with him the wonders and beauties of Abbotsford, listening
meanwhile to his humorous stories. At such times, with his clear,
wide-open blue eyes, and his pleasant smile lighting his somewhat heavy
features, he would have been called a handsome man. Of all who came to
the home at Abbotsford, none were more gladly received than the children
of the tenants who lived in the little homes on the estate. Each year,
on the last morning in December, it was customary for them to pay a
visit of respect to the _laird_, and though they may not have known it,
he found more pleasure in this simple ceremony than in all the others of
the Christmas season.
To these gentler qualities of his nature was joined not a little of the
hardihood of the Scotch heroes whose lives he has celebrated. The same
"high spirit with which, in younger days," he has written, "I used to
enjoy a Tam-o'-Shanter ride through darkness, wind and rain, the boughs
groaning and cracking over my head, the good horse free to the road and
impatient for home, and feeling the weather as little as I did," was
that which bore him bravely through misfortune and gave him the splendid
courage with which in his last years he faced the ruin of his fortune.
With an influence as strong and wholesome as that of his works as a
writer, remains the example of his loyal, industrious life.