SIR WALTER SCOTT

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 108, 3 November 1923, Page 17

SIR WALTER SCOTT

AS HE WAS A HUNDRED YEARS ,' ■ AGO.

At the. first glance the year 1823 was one of the most brilliant timers in Scott's triumphal . progress, says the "Glasgow Herald." No fewer than three novels were., published by. him within that twelve-month, although' before the end of 1822 "Pewul of the Peak" had .been completed arid tne.first volume of •'Quentin' i)u'rward" had made, good progress;.' and his fertile brain had sought fresh r fields of success in England, France, and Scotland: None of the romances achieved an immediate repute equal to that of their 'predecessors^ although by degrees' they won upon public favour, and in .'particular, the enthusiasm! excited on .the Continent, espeiialiy in France,: by "Quentin Durward". stirred British readers to appreciation of its undoubted excellences.

At Abbotsford all. was gaiety and brightness—this last in a physical sense, for the house had been provided with an installation of gas, and Scott was almost childishly pleased with the effect The completion of the new residence was being pushed onj and its conveniences were taxed by the generous hospitality Scott., delighted to offer. Among the most welcome visitors were the sisters Edgeworth .and Mr. J. L. Adolphus, whose shrewd speculations as to the authorship of the "Waverley Novels" had cotne very close-to the Great Unknown. As a matter of fact, a perusal of Scott's correspondence at this period shows that the mask was wearing thin; his authorship was more than suspected in a widening circle. His popularity had.been greatly increased by his management of affaire during and immediately after the .King's visit to Scotland, and he was in great demand for public meetings.

Lockhart saw with regret the conditions under which that fine novel, "Quentin Durward," was •composed. Gone were the days when Scott sat erect at bis desk, with a smile on his face, _as the swift-coming fancies of his rich imagination flowed easily from his pen. He was now to be. seen stooping over maps and gazetteers and searching sources;. and, indeed, almost'all the leading incidents were found in or suggested by French chronicles and Highland tales. The result'is a marvellous example-of Scott's unifying faculty, but, nevertheless, one sees a check to that welling fountain which had refreshed so many readers. • When he gave "St. Roman's Well" a Scottish setting, by "Tweed's fair river broad and deep," his touch was less certain.. The story seems to have orig T mated while Scott was riding along the brow of the Eildons with Laidlaw and Lockhart, to whom he related a tale of dark, domestic guilt, the scene of which was full in view, as an illustration of the romance and the tragedy that may be found on every side. Scott could not fail to provide his narrative with striking ■ incidents and characters,, but "St. Roman's Well," although tremendously popular in its own locality, was not, and is not, a general favourite. An -unpleasant feature of the year in Scott's personal history was his continuance of the imprudent practice of obtaining from his ' publishers advances of large sums for books not yet written —in this case £10,000 for an unnamed novel!—"Woodstock." The hereditary spirit of taking a chance' in- Scott was largely responsible for the financial ■ruin that overtook him. Of the three novels issued in 1823, "Quentin Durward" is the favourite, and the experience, of booksellers and librarians is that the Wizard of the North retains his hold on readers.