[ 19 ] |
In the September of 1820, Longman, in conjunction with Constable, published The
Abbot—the continuation, to a certain extent, of The Monastery, of which I barely mentioned the
appearance under the preceding March. I had nothing of any consequence to add to the
information which the subsequent Introduction affords us respecting the composition and
fate of the former of these novels. It was considered as a failure—the first of the series
on which any such sentence was pronounced; nor have I much to allege in favour of the White Lady of Avenel, generally criticised as the primary blot, or
of Sir Percy Shafton, who was loudly, though not quite
so generally, condemned. In either case, considered separately, he seems to have erred from
dwelling (in the German taste) on materials that might have done very well for a rapid
sketch. The phantom with whom we have leisure to become familiar is sure to fail—even the
witch of Endor is contented with a momentary appearance and five
syllables of the shade she evokes. And we may say the
20 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
‘Something between heaven and hell, Something that neither stood nor fell’— |
The beautiful natural scenery, and the sterling Scotch characters and manners introduced in the Monastery are, however, sufficient to redeem even these mistakes; and, indeed, I am inclined to believe that it will ultimately occupy a securer place than some romances enjoying hitherto a far higher reputation, in which he makes no use of Scottish materials.
Sir Walter himself thought well of The Abbot when he had finished it. When he sent me a complete copy, I found on a slip of paper at the beginning of volume
* Adolphus’s Letters to Heber, p. 13. |
BLAIR-ADAM CLUB. | 21 |
“Up he rose in a funk, lapped a toothful of brandy, And to it again!—any odds upon
Sandy!”— |
I have introduced this quotation from a little book privately printed for the amiable Judge’s own family and familiar friends, because Sir Walter owned to myself at the time, that the idea of The Abbot had arisen in his mind during a visit to Blair-Adam. In the pages of the tale itself, indeed, the beautiful localities of that estate are distinctly mentioned, with an allusion to the virtues and manners that adorn its mansion, such as must have been intended to satisfy the possessor (if he could have had any doubts on the subject) as to the authorship of those novels.
The Right Honourable William Adam
(who must pardon my mentioning him here as the only man I ever knew that rivalled Sir Walter Scott in uniform graciousness of bonhammie and gentleness of humour)—was ap-
22 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
BLAIR-ADAM CLUB. | 23 |
I expect an easy forgiveness for introducing from the liber rarissimus of Blair-Adam the page that belongs
to that particular meeting which, though less numerous than usual, is recorded as having
been “most pleasing and delightful.”
“There were,” writes the President, “only
five of us; the Chief Baron, Sir Walter, Mr
Clerk, Charles Adam, and myself.
The weather was sultry, almost beyond bearing. We did not stir beyond the bounds of the
pleasure-ground, indeed not far from the vicinity of the house; wandering from one
shady place to another; lolling upon the grass, or sitting upon prostrate trees, not
yet carried away by the purchaser. Our conversation was constant, though tranquil; and
what might be expected from Mr Clerk, who is a superior converser,
and whose mind is stored with knowledge; and from Sir Walter
Scott, who has let the public know what his powers are. Our talk was of all
sorts (except of beeves). Besides a display of their historic knowledge, at once
extensive and correct, they touched frequently on the pleasing reminiscences of their
early days. Shepherd and I could not go back to those periods; but
we could trace our own intimacy and constant friendship for more than forty years back,
when in 1783 we began our professional pursuits on the Circuit. So that if
Scott could describe, with inconceivable humour, their doings
at Mr Murray’s of Simprim, when emerging
from boyhood;
24 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
BLAIR-ADAM CLUB. | 25 |
The Chief-Commissioner adds the following particulars in his appendix:—“Our return from Blair-Adam (after the first meeting of the Club) was very early on a Tuesday morning, that we might reach the Courts by nine o’clock. An occurrence took place near the Hawe’s Inn, which left little doubt upon my mind that Sir Walter Scott was the author of Waverley, of Guy Mannering, and of the Antiquary, his only novels then published. The morning was prodigiously fine, and the sea as smooth as glass. Sir Walter and I were standing on the beach, enjoying the prospect; the other gentlemen, were not come from the boat. The porpoises were rising in great numbers, when Sir Walter said to me, ‘Look at them, how they are showing themselves; what fine fellows they are! I have the greatest respect for them: I would as soon kill a man as a phoca.’ I could not conceive that the same idea could occur to two men respecting this animal, and set down that it could only be Sir Walter Scott who made the phoca have the better of the battle with the Antiquary’s nephew, Captain M’Intyre.
“Soon after, another occurrence quite confirmed me as to the
authorship of the novels. On that visit to Blair-Adam, in course of conversation, I
mentioned an anecdote about Wilkie, the author of
the Epigoniad, who was but a formal
poet, but whose conversation was most amusing, and full of fancy. Having heard much of him
in my family, where he had been very intimate, I went, when quite a lad, to St Andrews,
where he was a Professor, for the purpose of visiting him. I had scarcely let him know who
I was, when he said, ‘Mr William, were you ever in this place
before?’ I said no. ‘Then, sir, you must go and look at
Regulus’ Tower,—no doubt you will have something of an eye of an architect about
you;—walk up to it at an angle, ad-
26 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
“But what confirmed, and was certainly meant to disclose to me the author (and that in a very elegant manner), was the mention of the Kiery Craigs— picturesque piece of scenery in the grounds of Blair-Adam—as being in the vicinity of Kelty Bridge, the howf of Auchtermuchty, the Kinross carrier.
“It was only an intimate friend of the family, in the habit of coming to Blair-Adam, who could know any thing of the Kiery Craigs, or its name; and both the scenery and the name had attractions for Sir Walter.
“At our first meeting after the publication of the ‘Abbot,’ when the party was assembled on the top of the rock, the Chief-Baron Shepherd, looking Sir Walter full in the face, and stamping his staff on the ground, said, ‘Now, Sir Walter, I think we be upon the top of the Kiery Craggs.’ Sir Walter preserved profound silence; but there was a conscious looking down, and a considerable elongation of his upper lip.”
Since I have obtained permission to quote from this private volume, I may
as well mention that I was partly moved to ask that favour, by the author’s own
confession, that his “Blair-Adam, from
1733 to 1834,” originated in a suggestion of Scott’s. “It was,” says the Judge, “on a
fine Sunday, lying on the grassy summit of Bennarty, above its craggy brow, that
Sir Walter
KENILWORTH. | 27 |
For reasons, as we have seen, connected with the affairs of the
Ballantynes, Messrs Longman
published the first edition of The
Monastery; and similar circumstances induced Sir
Walter to associate this house with that of Constable in the succeeding novel. Constable disliked
its title, and would fain have had the Nunnery
28 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
Scott’s kindness secured for John Ballantyne the usual interest in the profits of Kenilworth, the last of his great works in which this
friend was to have any concern. I have already mentioned the obvious drooping of his health
and strength; and a document to be introduced presently, will show that
John himself had occasional glimpses, at least, of his danger,
before the close
WALTON HALL. | 29 |
One fine day of this autumn, I accompanied Sir
Walter to inspect the progress of this edifice, which was to have the title
of Walton Hall. John had purchased two or three
old houses of two stories in height, with knotched gables, and thatched roofs, near the end
of the long, original street of Kelso, and not far from the gateway of the Duke of Roxburghe’s magnificent park, with their small
gardens and paddocks running down to the margin of the Tweed. He had already fitted up
convenient bachelor’s lodgings in one of the primitive tenements, and converted the
others into a goodly range of stabling, and was now watching the completion of his new
corps de logis behind, which included a
handsome entrance-hall, or saloon, destined to have old Piscator’s bust, on a stand,
in the centre, and to be embellished all round with emblems of his sport. Behind this were
spacious rooms overlooking the little pleasance which was to be laid out somewhat in the
Italian style, with ornamental steps, a fountain, and
30 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
BALLANTYNE’S NOVELIST’S LIBRARY. | 31 |
Shortly before Scott wrote the
following letters, he had placed his second son (at this time in his fifteenth year) under
the care of the Reverend John Williams, who had been
my intimate friend and companion at Oxford, with a view of preparing him for that
University. Mr Williams was then Vicar of Lampeter, in Cardiganshire,
and the high satisfaction with which his care of Charles
Scott inspired Sir Walter, induced several other Scotch
gentlemen of distinction by and by to send their sons also to his Welsh parsonage; the
result of which northern connexions was important to the fortunes of one of
32 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
“I send you a cheque on Coutts for your quarter’s allowance. I hope you manage your cash like a person of discretion—above all, avoid the card tables of ancient dowagers. Always remember that my fortune, however much my efforts may increase it, and although I am improving it for your benefit, not for any that can accrue in my own time,—yet never can be more than a decent independence, and therefore will make a poor figure unless managed with good sense, moderation, and prudence—which are habits easily acquired in youth, while habitual extravagance is a fault very difficult to be afterwards corrected.
“We came to town yesterday, and bade adieu to Abbotsford for the season. Fife,* to mamma’s great surprise and scandal, chose to stay at Abbotsford with Mai, and plainly denied to follow the carriage—so our canine establishment in Castle Street is reduced to little Ury.† We spent two days at Arniston, on the road, and on coming here, found Sophia as nicely and orderly settled in her house as if she had been a married woman these five years. I believe she is very happy—perhaps unusually so, for her wishes are moderate, and all seem anxious to please her. She is preparing in due time for the arrival of a little stranger, who will make you an uncle and me (God help me!) a grandpapa.
“The Round Towers you mention are very curious, and seem to have been built, as the Irish hackney-
* Finette—a spaniel of Lady Scott’s. † Urisk—a small terrier of the long silky-haired Kintail breed. |
NOVEMBER, 1820. | 33 |
“We had our hunt and our jollification after it on last Wednesday. It went off in great style, although I felt a little sorry at having neither Charles nor you in the field. By the way, Charles seems most admirably settled. I had a most sensible letter on the subject from Mr Williams, who appears to have taken great pains, and to have formed a very just conception both of his merits and foibles. When I have an opportunity, I will hand you his letter; for it will entertain you, it is so correct a picture of Monsieur Charles.
“Dominie Thomson has gone to a Mrs Dennistoun, of Colgrain, to drill her youngsters. I am afraid he will find a change; but I hope to have a nook open to him by and by—as a sort of retreat or harbour on his lee. Adieu, my dear always believe me your affectionate father,
“Your letters made us all very happy, and I trust you
are now comfortably settled and plying your task hard. Mr Williams will probably ground you more
34 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
LETTER TO CHARLES SCOTT. | 35 |
“You must not be too much disconcerted with the apparent dryness of your immediate studies. Language is the great mark by which man is distinguished from the beasts, and a strict acquaintance with the manner in which it is composed, becomes, as you follow it a little way, one of the most curious and interesting exercises of the intellect.
“We had our grand hunt on Wednesday last, a fine day, and plenty of sport. We hunted all over Huntly wood, and so on to Halidon and Prieston—saw twelve hares, and killed six, having very hard runs, and turning three packs of grouse completely. In absence of Walter and you, Stenhouse the horse-couper led the field, and rode as if he had been a piece of his horse, sweltering like a wild-drake all through Marriage-Moss at a motion betwixt swimming and riding. One unlucky accident befell. Queen Mab, who was bestrode by Captain Adam, lifted up her heels against Mr Craig of Galashiels,* whose leg she greeted with a thump like a pistol-shot, while by the same movement she very nearly sent the noble Captain over her ears. Mr Craig was helped from horse, but would not permit his boot to be drawn off, protesting he would faint if he saw the bone of his leg sticking through the stocking. Some thought he was reluctant to exhibit his legs in their primitive and unclothed simplicity, in respect they have an unhappy resemblance to a pair of tongs. As for the Captain, he declared that if the accident had happened in action, the surgeon and drum-boys would have had off, not his boot
* Mr George Craig, factor to the laird of Gala, and manager of a little branch bank at Galashiels. This worthy man was one of the regular members of the Abbotsford hunt. |
36 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
“On Saturday we left Abbotsford, and dined and spent Sunday at Arniston, where we had many enquiries after you from Robert Dundas, who was so kind to you last year.
“I must conclude for the present, requesting your earnest pursuit of such branches of study as Mr Williams recommends. In a short time, as you begin to comprehend the subjects you are learning, you will find the path turn smoother, and that which at present seems wrapped up in an inextricable labyrinth of thorns and briers, will at once become easy and attractive.—Always, dear Charlie, your affectionate father,
On the same day Scott wrote as follows to the manly and amiable author of “Sir Marmaduke Maxwell,” who had shortly before sent the MS. of that romantic drama to Abbotsford for his inspection:
“I have been meditating a long letter to you for many
weeks past; but company, and rural business, and rural sports, are very
unfavourable to writing letters. I have now a double reason for writing, for I
have to thank you for sending me in safety a beautiful specimen of our English
Michael’s talents in the cast
of my venerable friend Mr Watt: it is a
most striking resemblance, with all that living character which we are apt to
think life itself alone can exhibit. I hope Mr
Chantrey does
LETTER TO ALLAN CUNNINGHAM. | 37 |
“I have perused twice your curious and interesting
manuscript. Many
parts of the poetry are eminently beautiful, though I fear the great length of
the piece, and some obscurity of the plot, would render it unfit for dramatic
representation. There is also a fine tone of supernatural impulse spread over
the whole action, which I think a common audience would not be likely to adopt
or comprehend—though I own that to me it has a very powerful effect. Speaking
of dramatic composition in general, I think it is almost essential (though the
rule be most difficult in practice) that the plot, or business of the piece,
should advance with every line that is spoken. The fact is, the drama is
addressed chiefly to the eyes, and as much as can be, by any possibility,
represented on the stage, should neither be told or described. Of the
miscellaneous part of a large audience, many do not understand, nay, many
cannot hear, either narrative or description, but are solely intent upon the
action exhibited. It is, I conceive, for this reason that very bad plays,
written by performers themselves, often contrive to get through, and not
without applause; while others, immeasurably superior in point of poetical
merit, fail, merely because the author is not sufficiently possessed of the
trick of the scene, or enough aware of the importance of a maxim pronounced by
no less a performer than Punch himself (at
least he was the last authority from whom I heard it)—Push
on, keep moving!—Now, in your very ingenious dramatic effort, the
interest not only stands still, but sometimes retrogrades. It con-
38 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
“If, however, you should at any time wish to become a
candidate for dramatic laurels, I would advise you, in the first place, to
consult some professional person of judgment and taste. I should regard friend
Terry as an excellent Mentor, and I
believe he would concur with me in recommending that at least one-third of the
drama be retrenched, that the plot should be rendered simpler, and the motives
more obvious; and I think the powerful language and many of the situations
might then have their full effect upon the audience. I am uncertain if I have
made myself sufficiently understood; but I would say, for example, that it is
ill explained by what means Comyn and his gang, who
land as shipwrecked men, become at once possessed of the old lord’s
domains, merely by killing and taking possession. I am aware of what you mean,
namely, that being attached to the then rulers, he is supported in his
ill-acquired power by their authority. But this is imperfectly brought out, and
escaped me at the first reading. The superstitious motives, also, which induced
the shepherds to delay their vengeance, are not likely to be intelligible to
the generality of the hearers. It would seem more probable that the young Baron
should have led his faithful vassals to avenge the death of his parents; and it
has escaped me what prevents him from taking this direct and natural course.
Besides it is, I believe, a rule (and it seems a good one) that one single
interest, to which every other is subordinate, should occupy the whole
play,—each separate object having just the effect of
NOVEMBER, 1820. | 39 |
“I will return the manuscript under Mr Freeling’s Post-Office cover, and I hope it will reach you safe.—Adieu, my leal and esteemed friend—yours truly,
Shortly afterwards Mr Cunningham, thanking his critic, said he had not yet received back his MS.; but that he hoped the delay had been occasioned by Sir Walter’s communication of it to some friend of theatrical experience. He also mentioned his having undertaken a collection of “The Songs of Scotland,” with notes. The answer was in these terms:—
“It was as you supposed.—I detained your manuscript to
read it over with Terry. The plot
appears to Terry as to me ill-combined, which is a great
defect in a drama, though less perceptible in the closet than on the stage.
Still if the mind can be kept upon one unbroken course of interest, the effect
even in perusal is more gra-
40 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
“I am glad you are about Scottish song. No man—not Robert Burns himself—has contributed more beautiful effusions to enrich it. Here and there I would pluck a flower from your Posy to give what remains an effect of greater simplicity, but luxuriance can only be the fault of genius, and many of your songs are, I think, unmatched. I would instance—“It’s hame and it’s hame,” which my daughter Mrs Lockhart sings with such uncommon effect. You cannot do any thing either in the way of original composition, or collection, or criticism, that will not be highly acceptable to all who are worth pleasing in the Scottish public—and I pray you to proceed with it.
“Remember me kindly to Chantrey. I am happy my effigy is to go with that of Wordsworth*, for (differing from him in very many points of taste) I do not know a man more to be venerated for uprightness of heart and loftiness of genius. Why he will sometimes choose to crawl upon all fours, when God has given him so noble a countenance to lift to heaven, I am as little able to ac-
* Mr Cunningham had told Scott that Chantrey’s bust of Wordsworth (another of his noblest works) was also to be produced at the Royal Academy’s Exhibition for 1821. |
NOVEMBER, 1820. | 41 |
“I am obliged to conclude hastily, having long letters to write—God wot upon very different subjects. I pray my kind respects to Mrs Chantrey.—Believe me, dear Allan, very truly yours, &c.,
The following letter touches on the dropping of the Bill which had been introduced by Government for the purpose of degrading the consort of George the Fourth; the riotous rejoicings of the Edinburgh mob on that occasion; and Scott’s acquiescence in the request of the guardians of the young Duke of Buccleuch, that he should act as chancellor of the jury about to serve his grace heir (as the law phrase goes) to the Scottish estates of his family.
“I had your letter some time since, and have now to congratulate you on your two months’ spell of labour-in-vain duty being at length at an end. The old sign of the Labour-in-vain Tavern was a fellow attempting to scrub a black-a-moor white; but the present difficulty seems to lie in showing that one is black. Truly, I congratulate the country on the issue; for, since the days of Queen Dollalolla* and the Rumti-iddity chorus in Tom
42 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
Her Majesty’s trial has set us at ease, And every wife round me may kiss if she please. |
* This gentleman, Scott’s friend and confidential solicitor, had obtained, (I believe) on his recommendation, the legal management of the Buccleuch affairs in Scotland. |
DECEMBER, 1820. | 43 |
Pity it were So much good wine to spill, As these bold freeholders would drink, Before they had their fill. |
“We begin to be afraid that, in improving your head, you have lost the use of your fingers, or got so deep into the Greek and Latin grammar, that you have forgotten how to express yourself in your own language. To ease our anxious minds in these important doubts, we beg you will write as soon as possible, and give us a full account of your proceedings, as I do not approve of long intervals of silence, or think that you need to stand very rigorously upon the exchange of letters, especially as mine are so much the longest.
“I rely upon it that you are now working hard in the
classical mine, getting out the rubbish as fast as you can, and preparing
yourself to collect the ore. I cannot too much impress upon your mind that
labour is the condition which God has imposed on us in every station
44 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
“It is now Christmas-tide, and it comes sadly round to me as reminding me of your excellent grandmother, who was taken from us last year at this time. Do you, my dear Charles, pay attention to the wishes of your parents while they are with you, that you may have no self-reproach when you think of them at a future period.
“You hear the Welsh spoken much about you, and if you
can pick it up without interfering with more important labours, it will be
worth while. I suppose you can easily get a grammar and dictionary. It is, you
know, the language spoken by the Britons before the invasion of the
Anglo-Saxons, who brought in the principal ingredients of our present language,
called from thence English. It was afterwards, however,
LETTER TO CHARLES SCOTT. | 45 |
“We are all well here, and I hope to get to Abbotsford for a few days—they cannot be many—in the ensuing vacation, when I trust to see the planting has got well forward. All are well here, and Mr Cadell* is come back, and gives a pleasant account of your journey. Let me hear from you very soon, and tell me if you expect any skating, and whether there is any ice in Wales. I presume there will be a merry Christmas, and beg my best wishes on the subject to Mr Williams, his sister and family. The Lockharts dine with us, and the Scotts of Harden, James Scott† with his pipes, and I hope Captain Adam. We will remember your health in a glass of claret just about six o’clock at night; so that you will know exactly (allowing for variation of time) what we are doing at the same moment.
“But I think I have written quite enough to a young Welshman, who has forgot all his Scots kith, kin, and allies. Mamma and Anne send many loves. Walter came like a shadow, and so departed—after about ten days’ stay. The effect was quite dramatic, for the door
* Mr Robert Cadell, of the house of Constable, had this year conveyed Charles Scott from Abbotsford to Lampeter. † Sir Walter’s cousin, a son of his uncle Thomas. See ante, vol. i., p. 74. |
46 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
The next letter contains a brief allusion to an affair, which in the life
of any other man of letters would have deserved to be considered as of some consequence.
The late Sir James Hall of Dunglass resigned, in
November, 1820, the Presidency of the Royal Society of Edinburgh; and the Fellows, though
they had on all former occasions selected a man of science to fill that post, paid
Sir Walter the compliment of unanimously requesting
him to be Sir James’s successor in it. He felt and expressed a
natural hesitation about accepting this honour—which at first sight seemed like invading
the proper department of another order of scholars. But when it was urged upon him that the
Society is really a double one—embracing a section for literature as well as one of
science,—and that it was only due to the former to let it occasionally supply the chief of
the whole body, Scott acquiesced in the flattering proposal; and his
gentle skill was found effective, so long as he held the Chair, in maintaining and
strengthening the tone of good feeling and good manners which can alone render the meetings
of such a Society either agreeable or useful. The new President himself soon began to take
a lively interest in many of their discussions—those at least which pointed to any
discovery of practical use;—and he, by and by, added some eminent men of science, with whom
his acquaintance had hitherto been slight, to the list of his
ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH, &c. | 47 |
Sir Walter also alludes to an institution of a far different description,—that called “The Celtic Society of Edinburgh;” a club established mainly for the patronage of ancient Highland manners and customs, especially the use of “the Garb of Old Gaul”—though part of their funds have always been applied to the really important object of extending education in the wilder districts of the north. At their annual meetings Scott was, as may be supposed, a regular attendant. He appeared, as in duty bound, in the costume of the Fraternity, and was usually followed by “John of Skye,” in a still more complete, or rather incomplete, style of equipment.
“We had a tight day of it on Monday last, both dry and
wet. The dry part was as dry as may be, consisting in rehearsing the whole
lands of the Buccleuch estate for five mortal hours, although Donaldson had kindly selected a clerk whose
tongue went over baronies, lordships, and regalities at as high a rate of top
speed as ever Eclipse displayed in clearing the
course at Newmarket. The evening went off very well considering that while
looking forward with the natural feelings of hope and expectation on behalf of
our young friend, most of us who were present could not help casting looks of
sad remembrance on the days we had seen. However, we did very well, and I kept
the chair till eleven, when we had coffee, and departed, “no very fou,
but gaily yet.” Besides the law gentlemen and immediate agents of
the family, I picked up on my own
48 | LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. |
“Our late Pitt meeting amounted to about 800, a most tremendous multitude. I had charge of a separate room, containing a detachment of about 250, and gained a headach of two days, by roaring to them for five or six hours almost incessantly. The Foxites had also a very numerous meeting, 500 at least, but sad scamps. We had a most formidable band of young men, almost all born gentlemen and zealous proselytes. We shall now begin to look anxiously to London for news. I suppose they will go by the ears in the House of Commons; but I trust Ministers will have a great majority. If not they should go out, and let the others make the best of it with their acquitted Queen, who will be a ticklish card in their hand, for she is by nature intrigante more ways than one. The loss of Canning is a serious disadvantage. Many of our friends have good talents and good taste; but I think he alone has that higher order of parts which we call genius. I wish he had had more prudence to guide it. He has been a most unlucky poli-
* The late Thomas Elliott Ogilvie, Esq. of Chesters, in Roxburghshire—one of Sir Walter’s chief friends among his country neighbours. |
JANUARY, 1821. | 49 |
In the course of the riotous week commemorated in the preceding letter, appeared Kenilworth, in 3 vols. post 8vo, like Ivanhoe, which form was adhered to with all the subsequent novels of the series. Kenilworth was one of the most successful of them all at the time of publication; and it continues, and, I doubt not, will ever continue, to be placed in the very highest rank of prose fiction. The rich variety of character, and scenery, and incident in this novel, has never indeed been surpassed; nor, with the one exception of the Bride of Lammermoor, has Scott bequeathed us a deeper and more affecting tragedy than that of Amy Robsart.
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