Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Bart.
Walter Scott to George Ellis, 23 February 1808
“Edinburgh, February 23, 1808.
“Be it known that this letter is little better than a
fehde brief,—as to the
meaning of which, is it not written in Wachter’s
Thesaurus and the Lexicon of Adelung? To
expound more vernacularly, I wrote you, I know not how long ago, a swinging
epistle of and concerning German Romances, with some discoveries not of my own
discovering, and other matter not furiously to the present purpose. And this I
caused to be conveyed to you by ane gentil knizt,
Sir William Forbes, knizt, who assures me he left it as directed, at
Sir Peter Parker’s.
‘Since,’ to vary my style to that of the ledger, ‘none of
yours.’ To avenge myself of this unusual silence, which is a manifest
usurpation of my privileges (being the worst correspondent in the world,
Heber excepted), I have indited to
you an epistle in verse, and that I may be sure of its reaching your hands, I
have caused to be thrown off 2000 copies thereof, that you may not plead
ignorance.
“This is oracular, but will be explained by perusing
the Introduction to the 5th canto of a certain dumpy quarto, entitled Marmion, a Tale of Flodden-field,
of which I have to beg your acceptance of a copy. ‘So ![]()
| MARMION PUBLISHED—FEBRUARY, 1808. | 139 |
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wonder on till
time makes all things plain.’ One thing I am sure you will admit,
and that is, that ‘the hobbyhorse is not forgot;’ nay, you
will see I have paraded in my introductions a plurality of hobby-horses a whole
stud, on each of which I have, in my day, been accustomed to take an airing.
This circumstance will also gratify our friend Douce, whose lucubrations have been my study for some days.* They will, I fear,
be caviare to the multitude, and even to the
soi-disant connoisseurs, who
have never found by experience what length of time, of reading, and of
reflection is necessary to collect the archæological knowledge of which he
has displayed such profusion. The style would also, in our Scotch phrase, thole a mends, i. e. admit of improvement. But his
extensive and curious researches place him at the head of the class of
black-letter antiquaries; and his knowledge is communicated—without the
manifest irritation which his contemporaries have too often displayed in
matters of controversy, without ostentation, and without self-sufficiency. I
hope the success of his work will encourage this modest and learned antiquary
to give us more collectanea. There are few things I read with more pleasure.
Charlotte joins in kindest respects to
Mrs Ellis. I have some hopes of
being in town this spring, but I fear you will be at Bath. When you have run
over Marmion, I hope you will remember how impatient
I shall be to hear your opinion sans
phrase. I am sensible I run some risk of being thought to
fall below my former level, but those that will play for the gammon must take
their chance of this. I am also anxious to have particular news of your health.
Ever yours faithfully,
W. S.”
Francis Douce (1757-1834)
Keeper of manuscripts at the British Museum and friend of Isaac D'Israeli and Samuel
Weller Singer; he published
Illustrations of Shakespeare, and of Ancient
Manners, 2 vols (1807).
Anne Ellis [née Parker] (1773 c.-1862)
The daughter of Admiral Sir Peter Parker; in 1800 she married the antiquary George Ellis
of Sunninghill.
George Ellis (1753-1815)
English antiquary and critic, editor of
Specimens of Early English
Poets (1790), friend of Walter Scott.
Richard Heber (1774-1833)
English book collector, he was the elder half-brother of the poet Reginald Heber and the
friend of Walter Scott: member of the Roxburghe Club and MP for Oxford 1821-1826.
Sir Peter Parker, first baronet (1721-1811)
Admiral of the Fleet and patron of Lord Nelson; he was MP for Seaford (1784-86) and
Maldon (1787-90); Byron's Peter Parker was his grandson
