I

THE AUTHOR OF THE POEM

Sir Walter Scott, like most writers of great literature, was a man to whom life was a marvelous adventure. For many generations his ancestors had been men fond of daring deeds. His father, an Edinburgh lawyer, was the first of his family to live in a city. Auld Wat, of the Lay of the Last Minstrel, belonged to the sixth generation before Sir Walter. Auld Wat's son William was asked to choose between being hanged, after he had been captured in a Border raid, and marrying the ugliest of his captor's daughters. The lady had the reputation of being the ugliest in four counties, and William was a handsome man. After three days' consideration of the matter he married the girl.

Sir Walter, who was born August 15, 1771, in Edinburgh, Scotland, was the ninth of twelve children. He was lame from childhood, and at sixteen was struck by an illness so severe that for å long time he was compelled to remain in bed without speaking to anyone. He arranged the mirrors about his bed in such a way that he could watch the troops marching in the meadows. From childhood he loved animals and out-of-door sports. He had a pet pony that came into the house to be fed. He learned ballads by heart and shouted them at the top of his voice. At fifteen, he took up the study of law, in which he was distinguished for his prodigious memory; but his schooling was more or less irregular, and his real delight, apart from his pets and his sports, was in reading history, romance, and ballads. He learned Italian and Spanish in order to read some tales of chivalry and burlesque romance. Often he would tramp long distances in search of ballads or of some legend that had captured his fancy.

Some time after his marriage to the daughter of a French royalist who had died during the Revolution, he published a collection of ballads under the title The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. The first two volumes of this collection appeared in 1802, and 850 copies were sold within a year. The third volume was published in 1803. Two years later his first important original work appeared, The Lay of the Last Minstrel. This poem grew out of his collection of native ballads, and 44,000 copies of it were sold in twenty-five years. In 1808 Marmion appeared, composed in great part while he was out on riding expeditions. He spoke of himself, at about this time, as a rattle-skulled, half-lawyer, half-sportsman, through whose head a regiment of horse had been exercising since he was five years old. Parts of Marmion were read to Scottish troops when they were under French fire.

Perhaps the best way to realize the abounding vitality of Scott, and the zest which he found in life, is to fix one's attention for a moment on his life at Ashestiel, overlooking the Tweed, where he lived from 1804 to 1812. He rose at five and by six, was at his desk, with books on every side of him. Breakfast came at nine and after a little more work he was "his own man." On rainy days he worked all day, but was in the habit of allowing excess work on such days to count in favor of a longer time out-of-doors when the weather was fine. His rule was to be out by one o'clock; long trips would begin by ten. It has been said that his life might be divided, as history is divided into reigns, by the succession of his favorite horses and dogs. His horses, in succession, were Captain, Lieutenant, Brown Adam, Daisy, Sybil Grey, and Covenanter. His favorite dogs were Camp, Maida, and Nimrod. When Camp died, Scott refused

I

THE AUTHOR OF THE POEM

Sir Walter Scott, like most writers of great literature, was a man to whom life was a marvelous adventure. For many generations his ancestors had been men fond of daring deeds. His father, an Edinburgh lawyer, was the first of his family to live in a city. Auld Wat, of the Lay of the Last Minstrel, belonged to the sixth generation before Sir Walter. Auld Wat's son William was asked to choose between being hanged, after he had been captured in a Border raid, and marrying the ugliest of his captor's daughters. The lady had the reputation of being the ugliest in four counties, and William was a handsome man. After three days' consideration of the matter he married the

girl.

Sir Walter, who was born August 15, 1771, in Edinburgh, Scotland, was the ninth of twelve children. He was lame from childhood, and at sixteen was struck by an illness so severe that for å long time he was compelled to remain in bed without speaking to anyone. He arranged the mirrors about his bed in such a way that he could watch the troops marching in the meadows. From childhood he loved animals and out-of-door sports. He had a pet pony that came into the house to be fed. He learned ballads by heart and shouted them at the top of his voice. At fifteen, he took up the study of law, in which he was distinguished for his prodigious memory; but his schooling was more or less irregular, and his real delight, apart from his pets and his sports, was in reading history, romance, and ballads. He learned Italian and Spanish in order to read some tales of chivalry and burlesque romance. Often he would tramp long distances in search of ballads or of some legend that had captured his fancy.

Some time after his marriage to the daughter of a French royalist who had died during the Revolution, he published a collection of ballads under the title The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. The first two volumes of this collection appeared in 1802, and 850 copies were sold within a year. The third volume was published in 1803. Two years later his first important original work appeared, The Lay of the Last Minstrel. This poem grew out of his collection of native ballads, and 44,000 copies of it were sold in twenty-five years. In 1808 Marmion appeared, composed in great part while he was out on riding expeditions. He spoke of himself, at about this time, as a rattle-skulled, half-lawyer, half-sportsman, through whose head a regiment of horse had been exercising since he was five years old. Parts of Marmion were read to Scottish troops when they were under French fire.

Perhaps the best way to realize the abounding vitality of Scott, and the zest which he found in life, is to fix one's attention for a moment on his life at Ashestiel, overlooking the Tweed, where he lived from 1804 to 1812. He rose at five and by six, was at his desk, with books on every side of him. Breakfast came at nine and after a little more work he was "his own man." On rainy days he worked all day, but was in the habit of allowing excess work on such days to count in favor of a longer time out-of-doors when the weather was fine. His rule was to be out by one o'clock; long trips would begin by ten. It has been said that his life might be divided, as history is divided into reigns, by the succession of his favorite horses and dogs. His horses, in succession, were Captain, Lieutenant, Brown Adam, Daisy, Sybil Grey, and Covenanter. His favorite dogs were Camp, Maida, and Nimrod. When Camp died, Scott refused

I

THE AUTHOR OF THE POEM

Sir Walter Scott, like most writers of great literature, was a man to whom life was a marvelous adventure. For many generations his ancestors had been men fond of daring deeds. His father, an Edinburgh lawyer, was the first of his family to live in a city. Auld Wat, of the Lay of the Last Minstrel, belonged to the sixth generation before Sir Walter. Auld Wat's son William was asked to choose between being hanged, after he had been captured in a Border raid, and marrying the ugliest of his captor's daughters. The lady had the reputation of being the ugliest in four counties, and William was a handsome man. After three days' consideration of the matter he married the

girl.

Sir Walter, who was born August 15, 1771, in Edinburgh, Scotland, was the ninth of twelve children. He was lame from childhood, and at sixteen was struck by an illness so severe that for å long time he was compelled to remain in bed without speaking to anyone. He arranged the mirrors about his bed in such a way that he could watch the troops marching in the meadows. From childhood he loved animals and out-of-door sports. He had a pet pony that came into the house to be fed. He learned ballads by heart and shouted them at the top of his voice. At fifteen, he took up the study of law, in which he was distinguished for his prodigious memory; but his schooling was more or less irregular, and his real delight, apart from his pets and his sports, was in reading history, romance, and ballads. He learned Italian and Spanish in order to read some tales of chivalry and burlesque romance. Often he would tramp long distances in search of ballads or of some legend that had captured his fancy.

Some time after his marriage to the daughter of a French royalist who had died during the Revolution, he published a collection of ballads under the title The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. The first two volumes of this collection appeared in 1802, and 850 copies were sold within a year. The third volume was published in 1803. Two years later his first important original work appeared, The Lay of the Last Minstrel. This poem grew out of his collection of native ballads, and 44,000 copies of it were sold in twenty-five years. In 1808 Marmion appeared, composed in great part while he was out on riding expeditions. He spoke of himself, at about this time, as a rattle-skulled, half-lawyer, half-sportsman, through whose head a regiment of horse had been exercising since he was five years old. Parts of Marmion were read to Scottish troops when they were under French fire.

Perhaps the best way to realize the abounding vitality of Scott, and the zest which he found in life, is to fix one's attention for a moment on his life at Ashestiel, overlooking the Tweed, where he lived from 1804 to 1812. He rose at five and by six, was at his desk, with books on every side of him. Breakfast came at nine and after a little more work he was "his own man." On rainy days he worked all day, but was in the habit of allowing excess work on such days to count in favor of a longer time out-of-doors when the weather was fine. His rule was to be out by one o'clock; long trips would begin by ten. It has been said that his life might be divided, as history is divided into reigns, by the succession of his favorite horses and dogs. His horses, in succession, were Captain, Lieutenant, Brown Adam, Daisy, Sybil Grey, and Covenanter. His favorite dogs were Camp, Maida, and Nimrod. When Camp died, Scott refused