Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

266 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD.
clever in many respects—that is certain. And therefore it may
not, on the whole, injure the Magazine, indeed it may benefit
it, although few read it. I feel myself, therefore, as you will
see, obliged, by the strongest motives, to request that it may
be published in the Magazine. I have no doubt that otherwise
Mr L. would be affected mentally and miserably.
Of course it cannot go into this number ; but part of it next,
and so on till it is finished. It will take four numbers of about
eight pages each, as I conceive. I wish, therefore, that you
would send Mr L. an order for twenty guineas, being one-half,
and permission to draw upon you for the rest at six months
or perhaps the twenty guineas will do at present without the
other. I shall write to him by this day's post, and if you agree
with me on the necessity of this, I can enclose the order for
£21 in my letter. I see no way of avoiding this. I cannot
lend him money without inserting the Tragedy. That would
make him worse than anything.
This would seem a curious argument nowadays for
inserting so solemn a matter as a tragedy in a periodical
; but men's hearts were softer, and their ways
less rigid, perhaps less conventional, in the beginning
of the century. The Lloyd referred to was, no doubt,
Charles Lloyd, one of the brotherhood of the Lakes,
an unlucky mortal astray among the band of the
Inmiortals, and paying dearly for that privilege. Mr
Blackwood's reply to this, addressed to the unfortunate
author, is decisive enough. " The gentleman who at
present conducts this department" is a very trans-
parent mystery, seeing that what influence Wilson
had was chiefly in the region of poetry.
TV. Blackwood to C. Lloyd, London.
Edin., 10 Oct. 1820.
He [Mr Wilson] has requested me as a favour done to him-
self to send you twenty guineas for your Tragedy, which it
seems to me, if inserted in the Magazine, will occupy about two
: