1826 LETTERS P.1 (April 1826 continued) TO CAPTAIN WALTER SCOTT, ATHLONE [17th April 1826] (10-1)MY DEAR WALTER,—I received your letter containing (10-1)an account of your marchings and countermarchings (10-1)towards Athlone and back again to Dublin and am glad (10-1)horse and man came off well from such hard service. (10-1)I have but unpleasant news to communicate of poor (10-1)Mamma. Her complaints now indicate too decidedly (10-1)that her disorder is water on the chest. She is taking (10-1)fox-glove a very severe medicine under which she suffers (10-1)a great deal but with great good temper. She is seldom (10-1)able to rise till about four when she dines and passes the (10-1)evening with us and is cheerful. I cannot disguize from (10-1)myself that unless some radical amendment should take (10-1)place I must in the course of no long period part from (10-1)the companion of so many years of pain and pleasure. (10-1)Our accounts from Sophia are of a more cheering (10-1)description. Little Johnie really is getting stronger in (10-1)his general health and for the infirmity in his back there (10-1)is no help but patience and lying on his back and the (10-1)poor childs lively fancy and good humour make it more (10-1)easy to entertain him. Sophia herself is in perfect good (10-1)health and suffers nothing from cramps or any of the (10-1)complaints which used to distress her when in the family (10-1)way. Please God she were safely deliverd and if a healthy (10-1)child it would be [a] great load off my mind.1 She is 2 LETTERS OF 1826 (10-2)you know at Brighton but Violet is with her and John (10-2)gets down once a week. I at one time offerd her Annes (10-2)company to be with her during her confinement but (10-2)it is better it was not accepted as Mamma could not have (10-2)wanted her constant attendance. (10-2)Things in another way begin to look cheery on us— (10-2)the new work has been purchased by the booksellers at the (10-2)enormous price of 8000 and upwards money down. If (10-2)the other sell in the same proportion this together with (10-2)some other funds which I expect to recover will enable (10-2)me to turn the corner pretty handsomely and a year or (10-2)two will enable me to play the bon papa as usual and let (10-2)little Jane have her hundred when wanted. I have made (10-2)great exertions to be sure but I have lived like our Nuns (10-2)at Kilkenny in strict retreat as indeed Mammas (10-2)[in]disposition as well as my own avocations do not admit of (10-2)any company. I get up at seven breakfast half an hour (10-2)betwixt nine and ten and write on till one then walk (10-2)with Tom Purdie to four dine and chat &c for two hours (10-2)and a half then work till supper time at ten and to bed (10-2)before eleven. This mode of life agrees but too well with (10-2)[me] for I am getting as fat as a Norway seal. (10-2)I remember your knight of the tap's name—it. was (10-2)Cuffe—the Duke offerd him 500 to buy off the frolick— (10-2)the man stood swinging the door and said that for his part (10-2)he would be happy to oblige his grace and thought the (10-2)title a ridiculous thing but—Lady Cuffe—" Nay " said (10-2)the Duke " if Lady Cuffe has heard of it all is over there (10-2)is no chance of smothering the title." And so it befell (10-2)for I believe Sir Something and Lady Cuffe kept the inn (10-2)till the day of their death. (10-2)-We have been disturbd here by the death of poor Sir (10-2)Alexander Don so suddenly as to be almost instantaneous. (10-2)He had complaind of his stomach and had taken an (10-2)emetic as recommended by a Kelso physician seemd (10-2)better but suddenly fell back said I am dying and was (10-2)dead immediatly. His body was opend and the disease l826 SIR WALTER SCOTT 3 (10-3)proved to be an aneurism as it is calld of the heart or (10-3)adherence of that organ to the ribs. Lady Don is much (10-3)to be pitied. (10-3)Henry Scott starts for the county backed by Lord (10-3)Melville Lord Montagu and Lord Minto so the devil (10-3)must be in him if he does not carry it. Sir John Scott (10-3)Douglas 1 and Sir William Elliot have also started but (10-3)with little success. They began their canvass the very (10-3)instant of Dons death which was considerd as bad taste. (10-3)Henry waits to make his visits till after the funeral which (10-3)takes place tomorrow. I am from hom[e] this morning (10-3)to be here 2 on the circuit. Shall go to see poor Sir (10-3)Alexander laid in dust tomorrow and return to Abbotsford (10-3)to dinner. (10-3)You are near Edgeworthstown so you should take a (10-3)drive over and visit them as they are kind people clever (10-3)and great friends of mine besides wishing to be civil to (10-3)Jane and you. Give my kindest love to Jane. I heartily (10-3)hope the time will soon come that we may meet here and (10-3)if I could promise myself that it would bring some (10-3)moderate degree of health to Mamma it would make me (10-3)very happy. (10-3)I am going to write Jane a pretty letter one of these (10-3)days. I have been too dull and stupid of late to have been (10-3)a fit correspondent for Hussar Ladies. (10-3)Henry Scott wishes much you had been here to ride (10-3)through the county with him upon his canvass. It is (10-3)odd enough that at Mr Scotts request I wrote to ask (10-3)Lord Montagues interest for Henry while at the same time (10-3)Lord Melville was writing to me in his own name and (10-3)Lord Montagu's asking me to get him to stand. 4 LETTERS OF l826 (10-4)Pray take care of travelling late as the country is I fear (10-4)a little disturbd with you. I give you joy of your Lochore (10-4)parks selling well.1 I have had an advance of 15 per (10-4)cent and better on those of Abbotsford. (10-4)My kindest love once more to Jane and believe me (10-4)always most truly yours WALTER SCOTT [Law] TO CHARLES SCOTT, B.N. COLLEGE, OXFORD [18th April 1826] (10-4)MY DEAR CHARLES,—I waited for some time before (10-4)answering your letter till I should consult Lockhart 2 and (10-4)look at all sides of what is to you the most important (10-4)question in the world and therefore must be so to me also. (10-4)You remember I gave my consent to your receiving (10-4)a learnd and expensive education under the express idea (10-4)that you were to make use of it by following one of the (10-4)learnd professions or some one in which your education (10-4)was to be useful. If this had not been the case I had (10-4)a writer-ship for India and you would have been long 1826 SIR WALTER SCOTT 5 (10-5)since independent. That is out of the question now and (10-5)I have only to hope you have availd yourself of the (10-5)opportunities which I have been no niggard in affording (10-5)you. I own I am disappointed that you did not try to (10-5)do some thing distinguishd at Oxford. It shews perhaps (10-5)bashfullness but it also seems to intimate some want of (10-5)ambition or reluctance to make great effort. Either of (10-5)these latter qualities will be an effectual sentence to (10-5)mediocrity as long as you live. Whatever line you take (10-5)must for some years be one of severe study and some self (10-5)denial unless you should take Lockharts advice and (10-5)repose yourself on a pulpit cushion. If therefore you (10-5)really feel disposed for the chimney corner of life and like (10-5)to have quails drop on you ready-roasted be a parson in (10-5)the name of God. I have nothing to say against but it is (10-5)against my principles and feelings to recommend it. (10-5)I can still offer to try to get you into the diplomatic (10-5)line if you take the trouble to acquire the necessary (10-5)languages and put yourself into the necessary course of (10-5)reading. You might go on the continent when you have (10-5)taken your degree and of course your allowance would (10-5)continue till you were suitabl[y] provided for.