resistible bent, which ultimately led to such brilliant results, in
a course of insatiable reading of ballads and romances, to enlarge which
he had by the time he was 15 acquired a working knowledge of French and
Italian, and had made the acquaintance of Dante and Ariosto in the
original. Percy's _Reliques of Ancient Poetry_, _pub._ in 1765, came into
his hands in 1784, and proved one of the most formative influences of
this period. At 15 he was apprenticed to his _f._, but preferring the
higher branch of the profession, he studied for the Bar, to which he was
called in 1792. He did not, however, forego his favourite studies, but
ransacked the Advocates' Library for old manuscripts, in the deciphering
of which he became so expert that his assistance soon came to be invoked
by antiquarians of much longer standing. Although he worked hard at law
his ideal was not the attainment of an extensive practice, but rather of
a fairly paid post which should leave him leisure for his favourite
pursuits, and this he succeeded in reaching, being appointed first in
1799 Sheriff of Selkirk, and next in 1812 one of the Principal Clerks to
the Court of Session, which together brought him an income of L1600.
Meanwhile in 1795 he had translated Buerger's ballad of _Lenore_, and in
the following year he made his first appearance in print by publishing it
along with a translation of _The Wild Huntsman_ by the same author. About
the same time he made the acquaintance of "Monk" Lewis, to whose
collection of _Tales of Wonder_ he contributed the ballads of
_Glenfinlas_, _The Eve of St. John_, and _The Grey Brother_; and he _pub._
in 1799 a translation of Goethe's _Goetz von Berlichingen_. In 1797 he
was _m._ to Miss Charlotte Margaret Charpentier, the _dau._ of a French
gentleman of good position. The year 1802 saw the publication of Scott's
first work of real importance, _The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border_,
of which 2 vols. appeared, the third following in the next year. In 1804
he went to reside at Ashestiel on the Tweed, where he ed. the old
romance, _Sir Tristrem_, and in 1805 he produced his first great original
work, _The Lay of the Last Minstrel_, which was received with great
favour, and decided that literature was thenceforth to be the main work
of his life. In the same year the first few chapters of _Waverley_ were
written; but the unfavourable opinion of a friend led to the MS. being
laid aside for nearly 10 years. In 1806 S. began,