The reader may be somewhat familiar with the personal appearance of
Sir Walter Scott, through the several portraits which have from time
to time been painted and engraved of the illustrious Baronet. His
height is stated at upwards of six feet; and his frame was strongly
knit, and compactly built. His right leg was shrunk from his boyhood,
and required support by a staff. Mr. Cunningham describes the personal
habits of Sir Walter with his usual characteristic force: "his arms
were strong and sinewy; his looks stately and commanding; and his
face, as he related a heroic story, flushed up as a crystal cup when
one fills it with wine. His eyes were deep seated under his somewhat
shaggy brow;[15] their colour was a bluish grey--they laughed more
than his lips did at a humorous story. His tower-like head and thin,
white hair marked him out among a thousand, while any one might swear
to his voice again who heard it once, for it had a touch of the lisp
and the burr; yet, as the minstrel said, of Douglas, 'it became him
wonder well,' and gave great softness to a sorrowful story: indeed, I
imagined that he kept the burr part of the tone for matters of a
facetious or humorous kind, and brought out the lisp part in those of
tenderness or woe. When I add, that in a meeting of a hundred men, his
hat was sure to be the least, and would fit no one's head but his own,
I have said all that I have to say about his appearance."[16]
[15] Mr. Chambers describes Sir Walter's eyebrows as so shaggy
and prominent, that, when he was reading or writing at a
table, they _completely_ shrouded the eyes beneath; and
the Ettrick Shepherd speaks of Sir Walter's shaggy
eyebrows dipping deep over his eyes.
[16] One of the amusements of Sir Walter's retirement was to
walk out frequently among his plantations at Abbotsford,
with a small hatchet and hand-saw, with which he lopped
off superfluous boughs, or removed an entire tree when it
was marring the growth of others. The author of
_Anastasius_ delighted in a similar pursuit; he would
stroll for hours through the winding walks of the
Deepdene plantation, and with a small hatchet or shears
lop off the luxuriant twigs or branches that might spoil
the trim neatness of the path.
Among the accredited portraits of Sir Walter Scott is that painted by
the late Sir Henry Raeburn, which has been engraved in a handsome
style; another portrait, by Mr. Leslie, was engraved in the
_Souvenir_, a year or two since, and was styled in the Noctes of
_Blackwood's Magazine_, "the vera man himsel;" but the latest, and
perhaps the best, was painted not many month's since, by Mr. Watson
Gordon, and admirably engraved by Horsburgh, of Edinburgh, for the
revised edition of the Novels. A whole-length portrait of the Poet in
his Study, at Abbotsford, was painted a few years since, in masterly
style, by Allan, and engraved by Goodall for the _Anniversary_, edited
by Mr. Cunningham, who informs us that "a painting is in progress from
the same hand, showing Sir Walter as he lately appeared--lying on a
couch in his principal room: all the windows are closed save one,
admitting a strong central light, and showing all that the room
contains--in deep shadow, or in strong sunshine." A splendid portrait
of the Poet was painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence for the late King, and
exhibited at the Royal Academy a few years since; an engraving of
which has been announced by Messrs. Moon, Boys, and Graves, his
present Majesty having graciously granted the loan of the picture for
this purpose.[17]
[17] A portrait of Sir Walter was painted by Knight for the
late Mr. Terry, in the year 1825: it is described in the
_Literary Gazette_ as, "particularly excellent," and was
unfortunately destroyed a short time since by a fire at
the house of Mr. Harding, Finchley, in whose possession
it was. This portrait, it is feared, has not been
engraved.--See _Literary Gazette_, No. 819.
[Illustration: (_Sir Walter Scott.--Sketched by Mr. W.H. Brooke, from
the engraving by Horsburgh._)]