After the publication of _the Lady of the Lake_, Sir Walter's poetical
reputation began to wane. In 1811, appeared _Don Roderick_; and in
1813, _Rokeby_; both of which were unsuccessful; and the _Lord of the
Isles_ followed with no better fortune. In short, Sir Walter perceived
that the tide of popularity was turning, and he wisely changed with
the public taste. The subjects of these poems were neither so
striking, nor the versification so attractive, as in his earlier
poems. The poet himself attributes their failure to the manner or
style losing its charms of novelty, and the harmony becoming tiresome
and ordinary; his measure and manner were imitated by other writers,
and, above all Byron had just appeared as a serious candidate in the
first canto of _Childe Harold_; so that Sir Walter with exemplary
candour confesses that "the original inventor and his invention must
have fallen into contempt, if he had not found out another road to
public favour." We shall therefore now part with his poetic fame, and
proceed in the more gratifying task of glancing at his splendid
successes in prose fiction.