Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

218 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD.
that thus brought "the Scorpion" and "the Crafty"
together under one roof, and that so imposing a roof
as that of Abbotsford, where all quarrels were bound
to be forgotten : but it is still more curious that
Lockhart should be now working for that rival
publisher in the intervals of the ' Noctes ' and other
Blackwood productions, and had even, as has been
seen, essayed to give the Crafty a large meed of praise
in the very pages in which he had been insulted.
Here is a touch of experience and wisdom which
showed how happiness and the society of Scott had
mellowed the mind and softened the tongue of the
Scorpion :
—
I have to acknowledge your kindness in sending the ' Quar-
terly Eeview ' and Magazine,^ both of which are in their kinds
most excellent. Maginn is easily detected, and is as brilliant
as ever. . . . Mrs Ogle is exquisite, but I am sorry to say I
think altogether unfair. You may have a right to quiz Jeffrey
(but his own name were better than a vulgar edition of it), but
nobody has a right to meddle with the private amusements of a
private lady. How would Mr Gait like to have an account in
a Magazine of a little frolic played off in her family by a female
of his acquaintance ? I have had time and opportunity to reflect
on such things, and out of friendship for you and regard for him
I would suggest a hint on this subject. After all, the story is
inferior to that with W. C. Being introduced to him at a tea-
party, she took him all to herself, discussed all her family
affairs, and concluded by prevailing on the cynical bitter fellow
to avow that he would not think the change of name an insuperable
difficulty to his marrying her sole daughter and
heiress, the lass with the bit land.
You have also some capital political articles, one of them
as good as possible. Coleridge is evidently mad and unintelligible,
but I venture to say you will never repent giving him
sixteen pages a -month. There will always be thoughts and
^ February 182L