originated in a
request of the Countess of Dalkeith that he would write a ballad on the
legend of Gilpin Horner. The picture of the last minstrel, "infirm and
old," fired by remembrance as he begins to tell an old-time story of
Scottish valor, is vividly drawn. The bard is supposed to be the last of
his fraternity, and to have lived down to 1690. The tale, mixed of truth
and fable, is exceedingly interesting. The octo-syllabic measure, with an
occasional line of three feet, to break the monotony, is purely
minstrelic, and reproduces the effect of the _troubadours and trouveres_.
The wizard agency of Gilpin Horner's brood, and the miracle at the tomb of
Michael Scott, are by no means out of keeping with the minstrel and the
age of which he sings. The dramatic effects are good, and the descriptions
very vivid. The poem was received with great enthusiasm, and rapidly
passed through several editions. One element of its success is modestly
and justly stated by the author in his introduction to a later edition:
"The attempt to return to a more simple and natural style of poetry was
likely to be welcomed at a time when the public had become tired of heroic
hexameters, with all the buckram and binding that belong to them in modern
days."

With an annual income of L1000, and an honorable ambition, Scott worked
his new literary mine with great vigor. He saw not only fame but wealth
within his reach. He entered into a silent partnership with the publisher,
James Ballantyne, which was for a long time lucrative, by reason of the
unprecedented sums he received for his works. In 1806 he was appointed to
the reversion--on the death of the incumbent--of the clerkship of the
Court of Sessions, a place worth L1300 per annum.

OTHER POEMS.--In 1808, before _The Lay_ had lost its freshness, _Marmion_
appeared: it was kindred in subject and form, and was received with equal
favor. _The Lady of the Lake_, the most popular of these poems, was
published in 1810; and with it his poetical talent culminated. The later
poems were not equal to any of those mentioned, although they were not
without many beauties and individual excellences.

_The Vision of Don Roderick_, which appeared in 1811, is founded upon the
legend of a visit made by one of the Gothic kings of Spain to an enchanted
cavern near Toledo. _Rokeby_ was published in 1812; _The Bridal of
Triermain_ in 1813; _The Lord of the Isles_, founded upon incidents in the
life of Bruce, in 1