Chapter XXXVI
Anecdotes of R. P. Gillies—His Picture of Scott—‘Border Press’ at Abbeyhill—Britain armed for Defence—Scenes in Edinburgh—‘Captain’ Cockburn.
The eccentric R. P. Gillies seems to have made Scott’s acquaintance about this time. This gentleman, of whom Scott, with his usual tenderness to the unfortunate, says ‘a more friendly, generous creature never lived,’ seems to have been in sore distress about 1825-26. He is frequently mentioned in Scott’s Journal, sending numerous ‘precatory letters’ while Scott’s own troubles were at the worst. Both Lockhart and Scott made efforts to assist him. Gillies about the year 1851 brought out his Memoirs of a Literary Veteran, in which he says that Scott was ‘not only among the earliest but most persevering of my friends—persevering in spite of my waywardness.’ One of R. P. G.’s whims, being a rather clever calligraphist, was to imitate some other person’s handwriting, and he used to continue for months writing in imitation of some one or other of his friends. A fresh idea, however, had struck him at the time he was engaged on certain translations from the German which Lockhart had got Constable to undertake to publish for him. He wrote the whole with a brush upon large cartridge paper, and when it was finished, two stout porters were required to carry the huge bales to the publisher’s office. The result was, as might have been expected, that Constable drew back from so tremendous an undertaking. It is amusing to find that the monstrous MS. was welcomed by another Edinburgh publisher, who paid £100 for it and issued the book under the title of The Magic Ring.
We are indebted to the same R. P. G. for some interesting remarks on Scott’s appearance in 1802: ‘At this early period, Scott was more like the portrait by Saxon, engraved for the Lady of the Lake, than any subsequent picture. He retained in features and form an impress of that elasticity and youthful vivacity, which he used to complain wore off after he was forty, and by his own account was exchanged for the plodding heaviness of an operose student. He had now, indeed, somewhat of a boyish gaiety of look, and in person was tall, slim, and extremely active.’
About the end of this year James Ballantyne came to Edinburgh and established his ‘Border Press’ at Abbeyhill, in the neighbourhood of Holyrood House. He at this time received ‘a liberal loan’ from Scott, who thus became implicated in this unfortunate concern.
The condition of public affairs was now beginning to relieve somewhat the tension of bitter feeling. Cockburn remarks that, ‘upon the whole events were bringing people into better humour. Somewhat less was said about Jacobinism, though still too much; and sedition had gone out. Napoleon’s obvious progress towards military despotism opened the eyes of those who used to see nothing but liberty in the French revolution; and the threat of invasion, while it combined all parties in defence of the country, raised the confidence of the people in those who trusted them with arms, and gave them the pleasure of playing at soldiers. Instead of Jacobinism, Invasion became the word.’
Francis Horner writes from London: ‘I understand the spirit of the people in London is, in general, almost as good as can be wished, and better than could have been expected. The police magistrates can form a tolerably good guess from their spies in the alehouses. In the country, particularly along the coast, the spirit of the people is said to be very high. Indeed no other country of such extent ever exhibited so grand a spectacle as the unanimity in which all political differences are at present lost.’ In this letter to John Archibald Murray, referring to the Beacon, a weekly paper of ‘incitements to patriotism,’ he says, ‘Pray have you engaged Walter Scott in these patriotic labours? His Border spirit of chivalry must be inflamed at present and might produce something. I wish he would try a song. I joined Mackintosh in exhorting Campbell to court the Tyrtaean muse: as yet he has produced nothing; not that I looked upon the success of his efforts with certainty, being not quite in his line; but a miracle produced “Hohenlinden,” and this is now the age of miracles of every kind.’ Later on this idea also occurred to Warren Hastings.
The war which broke out in 1803 and continued till Napoleon’s fearful power was shattered for ever on the field of Waterloo, was a struggle altogether different in aims and spirit from that which began in 1792. Conquest, warlike fame, and personal aggrandisement were now Napoleon’s aims, and the inspiring watchword of Liberty was now transferred from his banners to those of his enemies. In checking the great Frenchman’s ambition the Allies were guarding the freedom of Europe. In Britain every man was roused to defence, and felt, like Horner, that ‘the people of England were about to gain for civilisation and democracy a very splendid triumph over military despotism.’ The threatened invasion was in every man’s mind at every moment and in every place. The scene Cockburn now witnessed in Edinburgh had its counterpart in every city of the kingdom:—
‘Edinburgh became a camp. We were all soldiers, one way or other. Professors wheeled in the college area; the side arms and the uniform peeped from behind the gown at the bar, and even on the bench; and the parade and the review formed the staple of men’s talk and thoughts. Hope, who had kept his Lieutenant-Colonelcy when he was Lord Advocate, adhered to it, and did all its duties after he became Lord Justice-Clerk. This was thought unconstitutional by some; but the spirit of the day applauded it. Brougham served the same gun in a company of artillery with Playfair. James Moncrieff, John Richardson, James Grahame (The Sabbath), Thomas Thomson, and Charles Bell were all in one company of riflemen. Francis Horner walked about the streets with a musket, being a private in the Gentlemen Regiment. Dr. Gregory was a soldier, and Thomas Brown the moralist, Jeffrey, and many another since famous in more intellectual warfare. I, a gallant captain, commanded ninety-two of my fellow-creatures from 1804 to 1814—the whole course of that war.’