Legal and Literary
Activities, 1795-1797
Now in his twenty-third
year (1793) Scott was studying and translating from German, notably the
historical works of Burger and Goethe and he was a great admirer of the
latter. Later this admiration was mutual and, in a letter to Scott in 1827,
Goethe spoke favourably of the life of Napoleon just then published by
Scott.
At this time
the French revolution stimulated Scott's patriotism which features so often
in his works. Yet it is a patriotism which is not narrow-minded but elevating.
His military enthusiasm in defending his native country from a threatened
danger of invasion found scope when he joined a body of volunteer cavalry.
In 1805 when there was a false alarm of an invasion he rode one hundred
miles in a day, a feat not unworthy of his moss-trooping hard-riding ancestors.
They would have approved of him.
He was also
working at the Bar and making good progress. The regular business habits
he now acquired stood him later in good stead when he found that so much
was expected and demanded of him in his literary writings.
His legal duties
did not take up all his time. During the vacations he visited the Border
country and also the Perthshire Highlands. He met many interesting people
who told him much about bygone days and ways. All this was later put to
good use in his narrative poems and novels, as well as in his Minstrelsy
of the Scottish Border. With his great interest in the past, Scott kept
a watchful eye open for anything he came across of historical interest.
Thus he acquired the large old Border war horn hanging still in the armoury
at Abbotsford. With his wealth of historical knowledge and through meeting
original characters on his excursions Scott became famous for his powers
of story-telling and was soon known among his friends as Duns Scotus, after
the famous Franciscan scholar of the thirteenth century.
Now in his
early twenties, Scott had grown to be tall and strong; his figure was both
powerful and graceful with broad chest and strong arms. He had a noble
peaked head with light brown hair, grey-blue eyes, a deep voice and a pleasant
Border burr. When he smiled his whole face lit up with a kindly expression.
He was much attracted to. Williamina, the charming daughter of Sir J. Stuart-Belsches
of Fettercairn in Kincardineshire, and they became very friendly with each
other. Scott proposed marriage to her, but eventually in 1797 she married
Sir William Forbes of Pitsligo, Aberdeenshire. It was a hard blow for Scott.
His natural fortitude came to the rescue and he recovered. It seems too
he made his love the subject of some verses, such as the lyric 'The violet
in her greenwood bower'.
|