tt turned to the composition of his great romances. In 1814
he published _Waverly_, a story of the attempt of the Jacobite
Pretender to recover the English throne in 1745. Seventeen of Scott's
works of fiction are historical.

When we wish a vivid picture of the time of Richard Coeur de Lion, of
the knight and the castle, of the Saxon swineherd Gurth and of the
Norman master who ate the pork, we may read _Ivanhoe_. If we desire
some reading that will make the Crusaders live again, we find it in
the pages of _The Talisman_. When we wish an entertaining story of the
brilliant days of Elizabeth, we turn to _Kenilworth_. If we are moved
by admiration for the Scotch Covenanters to seek a story of their
times, we have Scott's truest historical tale, _Old Mortality_.
Shortly after this story appeared, Lord Holland was asked his opinion
of it. "Opinion!" he exclaimed; "we did not one of us go to bed last
night--nothing slept but my gout." The man who could thus charm his
readers was called "the Wizard of the North."

[Illustration: WALTER SCOTT. _From a life sketch by Maclise_.]

Scott is the creator of the historical novel, which has advanced on
the general lines marked out by him. Carlyle tersely says: "These
historical novels have taught all men this truth, which looks like a
truism, and yet was as good as unknown to writers of history and
others till so taught: that the by-gone ages of the world were
actually filled by living men, not by protocols, state papers,
controversies, and abstractions of men."

The history in Scott's novels is not always absolutely accurate. To
meet the exigencies of his plot, he sometimes takes liberties with the
events of history, and there are occasional anachronisms in his work.
Readers may rest assured, however, that the most prominent strokes of
his brush will convey a sufficiently accurate idea of certain phases
of history. Although the hair lines in his pictures may be neglected,
most persons can learn more truth from studying his gallery of
historic scenes than from poring over volumes of documents and state
papers. Scott does not look at life from every point of view. The
reader of _Ivanhoe_, for instance, should be cautioned against
thinking that it presents a complete picture of the Middle Ages. It
shows the bright, the noble side of chivalry, but not all the
brutality, ignorance, and misery of the times.

Novels that are not Historical.--Twelve of Scott's novels contain
but few a