The New International Encyclopædia/Scott, Walter

SCOTT, Sir Walter (1771-1832). A famous British novelist and poet. He was born in Edinburgh, August 15, 1771, of an old border family; the Scotts of Harden, an offshoot from the House of Buccleuch. Although he grew to be healthy, as a child Scott was sickly; but he grew to be very tall, with bright eyes, a sturdy chest, and powerful arms, and he was thought good-looking. His childhood was passed for the most part at Sandy Knowe, the farm of his grandfather, in Roxburghshire. His early familiarity with the ballads and legends then floating over all that part of the country probably did more than any other influence to determine the sphere of his future literary activity. Between 1778 and 1783 he attended the high school of Edinburgh, where, despite occasional flashes of talent, he shone considerably more as a bold, high-spirited boy, with an odd turn for story-telling, than as a student. In 1783 he began attending the University of Edinburgh, where he continued about two years, it would seem, not greatly to his advantage. Afterwards, at the height of his fame, he was wont to speak with deep regret of his neglect of early opportunities. But, though leaving college scantily furnished with the knowledge formally taught there, he had been hiving up, in his own way, stores of valuable though unassorted information. From his earliest childhood onward he was an insatiable reader; and of what he either read or observed he seems to have forgotten almost nothing. He was a fairly good Latinist; of Greek he knew nothing, but he acquired a serviceable knowledge of French, Italian, Spanish, and German.

In music he showed no talent. In 1786 he was articled apprentice to his father; in 1788 he began to study for the bar, to which he was called in 1792. In his profession he had fair success, and in 1797 he married Charlotte Margaret Carpenter, the daughter of a French refugee, named Jean Charpentier. Toward the end of 1799, through the interest of his friends Lord Melville and the Duke of Buccleuch, he was made sheriff depute of Selkirkshire, an appointment which brought him £300 a year, with not very much to do for it. Meantime, in a tentative and intermittent way, his leisure had been occupied with literature, which more and more distinctly announced itself as the main business of his life. Excepting a disputation on being called to the bar, his first publication, a translation of Bürger's ballads Lenore and The Wild Huntsman, was issued in 1796. In 1799 appeared his translation of Goethe's drama of Götz von Berlichingen; and at this time he was writing for Monk Lewis the fine ballads, Glenfinlas, the Eve of Saint John, and the Grey Brother. In 1802 Scott published the first two volumes of his Border Minstrelsy, which were followed in 1803 by a third and final one. This work, the fruit of those 'raids'—as he called them—over the border counties, in which he had been wont to spend his vacations, won for him at once prominence among the literary men of the time. In 1804 he issued an edition of the old poem Sir Tristram, admirably edited and elucidated by valuable dissertations. Meantime, The Lay of the Last Minstrel had been in progress, and on its publication in 1805 Scott found himself the most popular poet of the day. During the next ten years, besides a mass of miscellaneous work, the most important items of which were elaborate editions of Dryden (1808) and of Swift (1814). including in each case a memoir, he gave to the world the poems Marmion (1808); The Lady of the Lake (1810); The Vision of Don Roderick (1811); Rokeby (1813); The Bridal of Triermain (1813); and The Lord of the Isles (1815). The enthusiasm with which the earlier of these works were received somewhat abated as the series proceeded. The charm of novelty was no longer felt, and the poetry had deteriorated. Moreover, in the bold outburst of Byron, with his deeper vein of sentiment and concentrated energy of passion, a formidable rival had appeared. All this Scott distinctly noted, and after what he felt as the comparative failure of The Lord of the Isles in 1815. he published, with the trivial exception of the anonymous Harold the Dauntless (1817), no more poetry. But already in Waverley. or 'Tis Sixty Years Since, which appeared without his name in 1814, he had achieved the first of a new series of triumphs. Guy Mannering (1815), The Antiquary (1816), Old Mortality, The Black Dwarf (1817, really 1816), Rob Roy (1818), and The Heart of Midlothian (1818) rapidly followed. The remainder of the famous group known as the Waverley novels form the most splendid series of historical portraits in any langiuifie. The liridc of Lannnennoor (181!>): The Legend of Montrose (1819); Iranhoc (1820); The Monaster;/ (18-20); Kenilicorth (1821); Qiientin Duruard (1823); The Tulisman (1825)—these are aiiiung the most enduriiif,' of those great stories which enchanted Europe and had an immense influence on the development of fiction.

Scott was now at the height of his fame and prosperity. He was living at Abhotsford, the "rnnianee in stone' he had built for himself in the border country which he loved. There he entertained with princely hospitality admirers of many types. lu 1820 he was created a baronet. But his fortunes, secure as they seoined, were built upon insecure foundations. In 180.5 Scott's income, as calculated by his biographer, was about £1000 a year, irrespective of what literature might bring him, a competency shortly increased, on his appointment to a clerkship of the Court of Session, by £1300. But what was ample for all prosaic needs seemed poor to Scott's imagination. In ISOu, lured by the hope of immense profits, he secretly joineil .James Ballantyne, an old schoolfellow, in a large printing business in Edinburgh. To this, a few years afterwards, a publishing business was added, under the nominal conduct of .John Ballantyne, a brother of .James; Scott, in the new adventure, becoming, as before, a partner. Gradually the affairs of the two firms became complicated with those of the great house of Constable & Co.. in the sudden collapse of which in 182G the Ballantynes were involved to the extent of £120.000. Compromise with their creditors would have been easy. But Scott regarded the debt as personal. "If I live and retain my health," said Scott, "no man shall lose a penny by me." And, somewhat declined as he now was from the first vigor and elasticity of his strength, he set himself to liquidate by his pen this large sum. The stream of novels now flowed swiftly. A History of Xapoleon, in eight volumes, was undertaken and completed, with much other luiscellaneous work: and within a space of two years Scott had realized for his creditors nearly £40.000. A new and annotated edition of the novels (begun in 1829) was issued with immense success; and there seemed every prospect that, within a reasonable period, Scott might again face the world, as he had pledged himself to do, owing no man a penny. In this severe labor he broke down. In 1830 he was smitten with paralysis, from which he never thoroughly rallied. It was hoped that the climate of Italy might benefit him. The Admiralty placed at his disposal a man-of-war on which he took a ilediterranean voyage, touching at JIalta and Xaples. But in Italy he pined for the home to which he returned only to die. At Abbotsford. on September 21, 1832, he passed away, with his children round him. On the 26th he was buried beside his wife (d. 182(5) in the beautiful ruins of Dryburgh Abbey. By the sale of copyrights, all Scott's debts were liquidated in 1847.

In regard to Scott's poetrv' there is now little difi'erence of opinion. Its genuine merits continue to secure for it some part of the popular favor with which it was at first received. Deficient though it be in certain of the higher and deeper qualities, and in finish, it is admirable in its frank rihundon, in its boldness and breadth of effect, its succession of clear pictures, and its rapid and (lery movement. Scattered here and there are little snatches nf ballad and song scarcely surpassed in our language. As a noveli.st Scott had some shortcomings. With the artistic instinct granted him in largest measure, he had little of the artistic conscience. Writing olThand, he would not watch his work as it proceeded. Ilencc he is an exceedingly irregular writer; many of his works are in structure most la. and careless, and some of the very greatest of them are marred by occasional infusions of obviously inferior matter. Yet it may be doubted whether in mass and stature Scott is quite reached by any other English novelist. Of .Scott's novels, those dealing most intimately with Scotch life are the best. As a force, Scott's influence has been innnense. He discovered the historical novel and from him proceed the countless tales of national life since written in Oreat Britain, throughout Europe, and in the I'nited States. Scott, too, gave to fiction that encyclopiedic character since exemplified in Balzac, Dickens, and Thackeray. He did more than all other men of his time to enlarge oir vision, by extending it over wide stretches of history. Me also revolutionized the current conceptions of history as a body of dry facts. His logical successor was Macaulay.

Scott's miscellaneous prose works, comprising essays on the novelists, etc., were collected in 1827, in 1834-30, and in 1841. His poems and novels exist in many editions. The following list includes such works as have not already been mentioned: Apoloriii for Tales of Terror (12 copies privatelv printed, 1799); "Ballads," in Lewis's Tales of Monder (ISOl): Ballads and Li/rical Pieces, from Harder Minstrelsy and Tales of Wonder (1800); Abstract of Hyrbiffqia Haiia, in .Jameson's yorthern Antiquities ( 1814); Chiralry and Drama, in Supplement to Eneyclopecdia Britannica (1814); Introduction to Border Antiquities (1814-17); The Field of Waterloo (1815); Paul's Letters to His Kinsfolk (1815): The Search After Uappiyiess, or the Quest of Kultan l^olimavn, and Eemble's Address on the Sale Room (1817): Description of the Reijiilia of Scotland (1819); The Visionary hy HomnaDibnliis, a political satire, republished from the Edinburr/h Weekly Journal (1819); The Abbot (1820); biographies in Ballantyne's Xorelists (1821): Account of (Icorye lll.'s Coronation (1,821); The Pirate {ISi-Z): Halidon Hill (1822): Macduff's Cross, in .Joanna Baillie's Poetical M iscellariics (1822); The Fortunes of Xiqcl (1822): Prreril of the Peak (1822-23); Saint Ttonan's Well (1824); Kedgauntlet (1824); Tales of the Crusaders; The Betrothed (1825); Thoughts on the Proposed Change of Currcnc;/ (1826); Woodstock, or the Cavalier: a Tale of IGol (1837); Chronicles of the Canongate; The Two Drovers; The Bighhind Widoic; The Hurqeon's Daughter (1827): Tales of a Grandfather (4 series, 1828, 1820, 1830. 1830): Chronicles of the Canongate, second series; Saint Valentine's Day, or the Fair Maid of Perth (1828): "My Aunt Jlargarefs Mirror," "The Tapestried Chamlx-r," and "The Laird's Jock," in the Keepsake for 1828; Religious Discourses, hy a Layman (1828); .4nMc of Geierstein (1829); History of Scotland, in Lardner's Cabinet Eneyclopo'dia (1830); "Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft," in Murray's Family Library (1830); House of Aspen, in the Keepsake (1830); Doom of Devorgoil; Auchindrane, or the Ayrshire Tragedy (1830); Essays on Ballad Poetry (1830); Tales of My Landlord (4th series); Count Robert of Paris; Castle Dangerous (1832).

For the facts of his life, consult: Lockhart's Life (London, 1838; often reprinted; best edition by Pollard, 1900); Scott's Journal (Edinburgh, 1890) and Familiar Lessons (ib., 1893); and R. H. Hutton, in "English Men of Letters" (New York, 1879). For Scott's influence on the Continent, consult Louis Maigron, Le roman historique (Paris, 1898): and Gotschall,. Die deutsche Nationallitteratur des 19ten Jahrhunderts, vol. iv. (Breslau, 1881). For estimates, consult: Carlyle's "Essay," in Critical and Miscellaneous Essays (London, 1840): Bagehot, in Literary Studies (London, 1895); and Stevenson's "Gossip on Romance," in Memories and Portraits (London, 1891); also Crockett, The Scott Country (New York, 1902). See also Novel; Romanticism; English Literature.