Vol 17 - Dumfriesshire & Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian ...

UNputsLrsurn LBTTERS oF' rHo ErrRrcx SHTpHBRD. l5
Dren GeNnnRr.,
Edin., Septr. rrd, r8r3.
I received your kind note the other day, which reminded
me of a so,re neglect I had been guiiiy of. in not
answering your last packet. But about that time I likewise
had a severe loss in the death of mv mother. She
was indeed an o,ld woman, yet she had ahvays been
healthy, and my attachment to her was no, common one.B
You u'ill reasonably conclude that this was a deprivation
that must have long been expected. It is true-we kneu'
rve had to part-we talked of it. It came familiar, and
we were resigned and loved each other better ; yet a last
adieu is painfull-it rvas very painfull to me, and remem,
brance has a thousand kind and tender little offices
treasured up in my heart which long will continue to melt
it. The truth is that I feel a want o,f someone to be kind
to-a vacuity in my mind which is not soon likely to be
macle up. But a truce to these solutions. I think your
criticism with regard to the deficienc_v of the notes of the
I'Vahe just. I intended such an enquiry once, but I found
that such an History, instead of giving any reallity to the
Poem, which I love, would almost entirelv have divested it
of the small share it possesses. I am particularly pleased
with Mr Roscoe's good opinion and good wishes, for the
English look upon him as a kind of oracle in literature,
and he will soon be tro,ubled bv some of his friends with
a secret of mine, which I know will somewhat astonish
hinr. The gentlemen of the Higher Kingdom have shon'n
much more liberality toward$ me than those of my own.
Jefery you know I irritated terribly by two papers in the
" Spy."9 I judged him too independent to have remembered
that; at all events one spark of national pride he
certainly does not possess. It is still reported that the
trI/ahe is to be in the Review,lo and that Rokeby never
8 Mrs Hogg died at the age of 82. The poet inherited from
her his love of traditionary verse. Meeting Scott in her own
cottage soon after the publication of the Border Minstrelsg, she
told him that he had spoilt the old ballads by printing them.
" They war made for singing, &[' no' for reading,,, she said.
(See Hogg's Rem,iniscenoes of Some of His Contemporari,es.)
e A weekly paper " of literary amusement and instruction,"
printed in Edinburgh in 1810-1811. ft was edited by Hogg.
70 The Que,en's Wake was reviewed by Jeffrey in The Ed,inburgh
Reuiew for November, 1814. rn a letter to scott, printed
in the recently published Priaate Letter-Books of Sir Walbar
scott, the shepherd refers to the famous Edinburgh quarterly
as " that mighty arbitrator of the present day.,,