Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

Hogg's prose works. 323
books, and was kind to the Shepherd, sending him
books (' Emma,' for instance, which Murray considered
Hkely to be a pleasing and profitable present to the
Shepherd), and showing him much of the indulgent
and good-humoured patronage which Hogg met with
everywhere. Hogg himself was familiar and easy
in his communication with all ; and even the great
Murray did not daunt the outspoken poet. But
Blackwood was his chief dependence and closest
friend. Here is a proposal, however, of a kind which
we may be sure the publisher, who took so con-
scientious a view of his own responsibility, did not
accept :
—
' My Cottage Winter Nights ' is ready for the press : if you
are for them, tell me. The conditions, of course, shall be of
your own making for the first edition ; but, as I want money
particularly, I will give you the copyright for £63, 7s, per
volume of 300 pages. The work consists of the Rural and
Traditional Tales of Scotland. They are simple, carelessly and
badly written, but said to be very interesting.
" The Bridal of
Balwood," which you read, is the longest tale ; not the best, but
a fair specimen. I tell you the honest truth, which you may
depend on ; but, to prevent you from plaguing me with altera-
tions, you shall not see them till printed. Write me minutely
about all these things. It is a great pity but that my poetry
should have been published in three small neat volumes before
this review had appeared. What the devil can be the risk in
publishing 100 copies of the first vol., and 500 of each of the
other two ?
It would seem from the following letters, which
were written in the summer of 1817, that at the
period already described, when Blackwood was in the
utmost trouble about the early series of the Magazine,
and the two unsuccessful editors, Pringle and Cleg-