The poetical works of sir Walter Scott [antikvár]

SKETCH of the LIFE OF SIR WALTER SCOTT. Sm Walter Scott was born on the isth of August, 1771, in a lionse belonging to his father, at the head oi the College Wynd, in the old town of Edinburgh. His father, Walter Scott, was, by profession, a Writer to the Signet—that is, a solicitor or attorney, authorized to practice before the highest courts of Scottish judicature. His mother was Anne Kntherford, eldest daughter of Dr. Joim Kutherford, Professor of Medicine in the University of Edinburgh. Both on the father and mother's side, Sir Walter belonged to some of the oldest and most distinguished families in the south of Scotland. He was particularly proud of his descent from tiie old Border freebooters, whose exploits made them better known than liked along the northern frontiers of England. In his autobiographical fragment, he writes: "My father's grandfather ¦was Walter Scott, well known in Tiviotdale by the Furname of Beardie. He was the second son of Walter Scott, first Laird of Eaebnrn, who was third son of Sir'William Scott, and the grandson of Walter Scott, commonly called in tradition 'Auld Wait of Harden.' I am therefore lineally descended from that ancient chieftain, whose name I have made to ring in manj a ditty, and from his f.iir dame, the "Flower oi Yarrow,' — no bad genealogy for a Border minstrel." The poet's father was nearly thirty years of age when he married: and six children bom to him, between 1759 and 1766, all perished in in-fancv. The last of these children, who died in chiidiiood, was also called Walter, which was the prevalent family name. A suspicion that the close situation of tlie College Wynd had t>een in some measure connected with the striking mortality in his family, induced Sir Walter's father to remove to (he house which he ever afterwards occupied in George's Square. This removal took place shortly after the poet's birth, and the children born subsequently were generally healthy. Of a family of twelve, of whom six lived to maturity, not one of them left descendants, except Sir Walter himself, and his next, and, to him, dearest, brother, Thomas Scott. The snb ect of our memoir was an uncommonly healthy child; but he had nearly died, in consequence of his first wet-nnrse, being afflicted with consumption—a circumstance which she chose to conceal; though, to do so, was murder both to nei-self and her infant charge. She, however, went privately to consult Dr. Black, the cele-professor of chemistry; and ho put the cmid s father upon his guard. The woman was dismissed, and young Walter consigned to the care of a healthy peasant, who survived, to see him famous, and to boast of her "laddie" being what she called a "grand gentleman." Owing to a fever in his eighteenth month, he lost the use of his right leg, which never afterwards recovered its natural strength or symmetry; and thus Scott, like his illustrious contemporary, Byi-on, was troubled with-life long lameness." Like Byron, also, thongli in an inferior dega-ee, he endured no small amount of torture from the abortive attempts made tu rectify his unfortunate deformity by artifickii contrivances. Sir Walter had a second providential escapc from premature death, through the wickedness, or,rather, madness, of another nnrse. Thefollovv-in§ is his own account of this incident in his childish histoi-y:—His grandfather, Dr Rutherford, had prescribed country air for the health of the child, and he was, accordingly, sent to the farm-house of Sandy-Knowe. "An odd incident," he writes, "is worth recording. It seem.s my mother had sent a maid to take charge of me, that I mi,ght be no inconvenience to the family. But the damsel sent on that important mission had left her heart behind her, in the keeping of some wUd fellow, it is likely, who had done and said more to her than he was like to make good She became extremely desirous to return to Edinburgh; and as my mother made it point of her remaining where she was, she contracted a sort of hatred to poor me. as the cause, of her bping detained at Sandy-Knowe. This grew, I suppose, to a sort of delirious affectiori : for she confessed to old Alison Wilson, tlie housekeeper, that she had cai-ried me to the Craig.s, meaning, under a strong temptation of the devil, to cut my throat with the scissors, and bury mi; in the moss. Alison instantly took possession of my person, and took care that her confidant should not be subject.to any further temptatiois, so far as I was concerncd. She was dismissed., of course: and, I have heard, became afterwards a lunatic." We thus see how very near the world was being deprived of the "Lay of the Last Minstrel," "Marmion," the "Lady of iiic Lake," and the "Wav.erley Novels."' It was at Sandy-Knowe, the residence of his paternal grandfather, that the first consciousness of existence dawned upon him. "I rc-collcct distinctly," he says, "that my situation and appearance were a little whiin.sicai. Among the odd remedies resorted to, to aid my