Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

170 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD.
The young men forgot how eagerly Messrs Hunt
and Hazlitt had endeavoured to deterrer themselves,
which was foolish : but they were young, and not
examples of wisdom. There is a long letter from
Mr Murray, published in his memoir, on this subject,
part of which I may quote. He evidently writes in
much impatience and annoyance ; but his advice is
scarcely so virtuous in its character as usual :
John Murray to W. Blackwood.
I really can recollect no parallel to the palpable absurdity
of your two friends. They have actually given up themselves
as the authors of the offences charged upon them, by impli-
cation only, in the pamphlet. How they could possibly con-
ceive that the writer of the pamphlet would be such an idiot
as to quit his stronghold of concealment and allow his head
to be chopped off by exposure, I am at a loss to conceive.
Their only course was to have affected, and indeed to have
felt, the most perfect indifference, and to have laughed at the
rage which dictated so much scurrility ; slyly watching to
discover the author, whom, without appearing to know as such,
they could have annoyed in every possible way.
We think, on the whole, we prefer the way of
Lockhart and Wilson, even though it was silly, to
Mr Murray's method ; but he was much irritated, as
was natural, and, after an indignant protest, expressed
in the strongest terms, of injury on his own account,
he adds, " I declare to God, that had I known what
I had so incautiously engaged in, I would not have
undertaken what I have done, or have suffered what
I have in my feelings and character, which no man
had hitherto the slightest cause for assailing : I
would not have done so for any sum." But he
ends off amicably enough with excellent advice as
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