eyebrow, which is the language of passion rather than poetry, I had not for ten years indulged the wish to couple so much as love and dove, when finding Lewis in possession of so much reputation, and, conceiving that, if I fell behind him in poetical powers, I considerably exceeded him in general information, I suddenly took it into my head to attempt the style by which he had raised himself to fame.”  Sir Walter next hearing a striking passage from Mr. W. Taylor’s translation of Buerger’s Leonore, was induced to procure a copy of the original poem from Germany, and “the book had only been a few hours in my possession, when I found myself giving an animated account of the poem to a friend, and rashly added a promise to furnish a copy in English ballad verse.  I well recollect that I began my task after supper, and finished it about daybreak the next morning, (it consists of 66 stanzas,) by which time the ideas which the task had a tendency to summon up, were rather of an uncomfortable character.”  This success encouraged Sir Walter to publish his translation of Leonore with that of Der Wilde Jager (the Wild Huntsman,) in a thin quarto; but, other translations appearing at the same time, Sir Walter’s adventure proved a dead loss:  “and a great part of the edition was condemned to the service of the trunk-maker.”  This failure did not discourage Sir Walter; for, early in 1799 he published Goetz of Berlinchingen, a tragedy, from the German of Goethe.  We thus see that Sir Walter did not conceal his obligation to Lewis, for his aid in his translations; but Lord Byron’s assertion that Monk Lewis corrected Scott’s verse, and that he understood little then of the mechanical part of it—­is far from true, as a comparison of their productions warrants us to conclude.

Sir Walter’s first attempt at originality was in ballad poetry.  He says:—­“The ballad called Glenfinlas was, I think, the first original poem which I ventured to compose.  After Glenfinlas, I undertook another ballad, called The Eve of St. John.  The incidents, except the hints alluded to in the notes, are entirely imaginary; but the scene was that of my early childhood.  Some idle persons had of late years during the proprietor’s absence, torn down the iron-grated door of Smailholm Tower from its hinges, and thrown it down the rock.”  Sir Walter prevailed on the proprietor to repair the mischief, on condition that the young poet should write a ballad, of which the scene should lie at Smailholm Tower, and among the crags where it is situated.  The ballad, as well as Glenfinlas, was approved of, and procured Sir Walter many marks of attention and kindness from Duke John of Roxburgh, who gave him the unlimited use of the Roxburgh club library.

MINSTRELSY OF THE SCOTTISH BORDER.