Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 51.djvu/92

 a volunteer regiment in Edinburgh, from which he was excluded by his lameness. He joined, however, in a scheme for raising a body of volunteer cavalry. It was not organised till February 1797, when Scott was made quartermaster, ‘that he might be spared the rough usage of the ranks.’ He attended drills at five in the morning before visiting the parliament house, dined with the mess, and became a most popular member of the corps. His military enthusiasm, which excited some amusement among his legal friends, was lasting. When, in 1805, there was a false alarm of an invasion, he rode a hundred miles in one day, from Cumberland to Dalkeith, an incident turned to account in the ‘Antiquary’ (, ch. xiv.).

Scott's income at the bar had risen from 24l. in his first year to 144l. in 1797. Lockhart gives some specimens of his arguments, which apparently did not rise above the average. In the autumn of 1797 he was persuaded by a friend to visit the English lakes, and thence they went to the little watering-place of Gilsland, near the ‘waste of Cumberland’ described in ‘Guy Mannering.’ Here he saw a beautiful girl riding, and, finding that she was also at Gilsland, obtained an introduction, and immediately fell in love with her. She was Charlotte Mary Carpenter, daughter of a French refugee, Jean Charpentier. Upon his death, early in the revolution, his wife, with her children, had gone to England. They found a friend in the Marquis of Downshire, on whose property Charpentier held a mortgage. The son obtained a place in the East India Company's service, and changed his name to Carpenter. The daughter is said by Lockhart to have been very attractive in appearance, though not of regular beauty, with dark-brown eyes, masses of black hair, and a fairy-like figure. She spoke with a slight French accent. Scott, at any rate, was soon ‘raving’ about her. She was just of age. Lord Downshire approved. Her brother had settled an annuity of 500l. upon her; and, though this was partly dependent upon his circumstances, Scott thought that the income, with his own professional earnings, would be sufficient. They were therefore married at St. Mary's Church, Carlisle, on 24 Dec. 1797.

The Scotts settled at a lodging in George Street, Edinburgh; then at 10 Castle Street; and in 1802 at 39 Castle Street, a house which Scott bought, and where he lived till 1826. The bride's lively tastes were apparently not quite suited to the habits of Scott's parents; but she was warmly welcomed by his friends at the bar and among the volunteers. They were both fond of the theatre, and heartily enjoyed the simple social amusements of the time. Scott's father was failing before the marriage, and died in April 1799.

Although still courting professional success, Scott now began to incline to literature. He had apparently written and burnt a boyish poem on the ‘Conquest of Granada’ about 1786 (, p. 37), but afterwards confined himself to an occasional ‘sonnet to his mistress's eyebrow.’ In 1796 he heard of the version of Bürger's ‘Lenore’ by William Taylor of Norwich [q. v.], one of the first students of German literature. He was stimulated to attempt a rival translation, which he began after supper and finished that night in a state of excitement which spoilt his sleep. He published this in October with a companion ballad, ‘The Wild Huntsman;’ the publisher being one of his German class. The ballads were praised by Dugald Stewart, George Chalmers, and others; and his rival, Taylor, sent him a friendly letter. He had, however, many other rivals; and most of the edition went to the trunkmaker. In 1797 William Erskine showed the ballads to Matthew Gregory Lewis [q. v.] of the ‘Monk,’ who was then collecting the miscellany called ‘Tales of Wonder’ (1801). He begged for contributions from Scott, whom he met on a visit to Scotland. Scott, though amused by Lewis's foibles, was flattered by the attentions of a well-known author and edified by his criticisms. Lewis was also interested by Scott's version of Goethe's ‘Goetz von Berlichingen.’ He induced a publisher to give 25l. for it, with a promise of an equal sum for a second edition. It appeared in February 1799, but failed to obtain republication. Another dramatic performance of the time was the ‘House of Aspen,’ an adaptation from ‘Der heilige Vehme’ of G. Wächter; it was offered to Kemble by Lewis, and, it is said, put in rehearsal. It was not performed, however, and remained unpublished. Meanwhile Scott had been writing ballads for Lewis, some of which he showed to his friend, James Ballantyne [q. v.], who was then publishing a newspaper at Kelso. Ballantyne agreed to print twelve copies of these ballads, which, with a few poems by other authors, appeared as ‘Apology for Tales of Terror’ in 1799. Scott had suggested that they would serve as advertisements of Ballantyne's press to his friends at Edinburgh. He was pleased with the result, and now began to think of publishing his collection of ‘Border Ballads,’ to be printed by Ballantyne.