nthesis,--'for the man was mortal, and had been a
schoolmaster.'"

{p.270} This letter was addressed from a great country house in the
south[114]; and may, I presume, be accepted as a fair index of the
instantaneous English popularity of Jeanie Deans. From the choice of
localities, and the splendid blazoning of tragical circumstances that
had left the strongest impression on the memory and imagination of
every inhabitant, the reception of this tale in Edinburgh was a scene
of all-engrossing enthusiasm, such as I never witnessed there on the
appearance of any other literary novelty. But the admiration and
delight were the same all over Scotland. Never before had he seized
such really noble features of the national character as were canonized
in the person of his homely heroine: no art had ever devised a happier
running contrast than that of her and her sister, or interwoven a
portraiture of lowly manners and simple virtues, with more graceful
delineations of polished life, or with bolder shadows of terror,
guilt, crime, remorse, madness, and all the agony of the passions.

[Footnote 114: [Sheffield Place, the seat of Lord
Sheffield, the friend and editor of Gibbon.]]

In the introduction and notes to The Heart of Mid-Lothian, drawn up in
1830, we are presented with details concerning the suggestion of the
main plot, and the chief historical incidents made use of, to which I
can add nothing of any moment.

The 12th of July restored the author as usual to the supervision of
his trees and carpenters; but he had already told the Ballantynes that
the story which he had found it impossible to include in the recent
series of Jedediah should be forthwith taken up as the opening one of
a third; and instructed John to embrace the first favorable
opportunity of offering Constable the publication of this, on the
footing of 10,000 copies again forming the first edition; but now at
length without any more stipulations connected with the unfortunate
"old stock" of the Hanover Street Company.

{p.271} Before he settled himself to his work, however, he made a
little tour of the favorite description with his wife and
children--halting for a few days at Drumlanrig, thence crossing the
Border to Carlisle and Rokeby, and returning by way of Alnwick. On the
17th August he writes thus to John Ballantyne from Drumlanrig: "This
is heavenly weather, and I am making the most of it, as I shall have a
laborious