mon up, were rather of an uncomfortable character." This success
encouraged Sir Walter to publish his translation of _Leonore_ with
that of _Der Wilde Jager_ (the Wild Huntsman,) in a thin quarto; but,
other translations appearing at the same time, Sir Walter's adventure
proved a dead loss: "and a great part of the edition was condemned to
the service of the trunk-maker." This failure did not discourage Sir
Walter; for, early in 1799 he published _Goetz of Berlinchingen_, a
tragedy, from the German of Goethe. We thus see that Sir Walter did
not conceal his obligation to Lewis, for his aid in his translations;
but Lord Byron's assertion that Monk Lewis corrected Scott's verse,
and that he understood little then of the mechanical part of it--is
far from true, as a comparison of their productions warrants us to
conclude.

Sir Walter's first attempt at originality was in ballad poetry. He
says:--"The ballad called _Glenfinlas_ was, I think, the first
original poem which I ventured to compose. After _Glenfinlas_, I
undertook another ballad, called _The Eve of St. John_. The incidents,
except the hints alluded to in the notes, are entirely imaginary; but
the scene was that of my early childhood. Some idle persons had of
late years during the proprietor's absence, torn down the iron-grated
door of Smailholm Tower from its hinges, and thrown it down the rock."
Sir Walter prevailed on the proprietor to repair the mischief, on
condition that the young poet should write a ballad, of which the
scene should lie at Smailholm Tower, and among the crags where it is
situated. The ballad, as well as _Glenfinlas_, was approved of, and
procured Sir Walter many marks of attention and kindness from Duke
John of Roxburgh, who gave him the unlimited use of the Roxburgh club
library.

MINSTRELSY OF THE SCOTTISH BORDER.

This work, although not original, may be said to be the superstructure
of Sir Walter Scott's fame. It consists, as we have already hinted, of
the ballad poetry of the Border district; but to obtain this
vernacular literature was not the work of mere compilation. The
editor's task was not performed in the closet, but in a sort of
literary pilgrimage through a land of song, story, and romance. The
farmers and peasantry from whose recitation the ballads were to be set
down, were a primitive race; and the country among which oral
traditions, anecdotes, and legends were to be collected for notes
illustrative of the ballads, w