or on the works of others. "He con"fulted his friends, and liftened with great willingness to criticifm, and "what was of more importance, he "confulted himself, and let nothing pass against his own judgment.”* 66 His manner of reading verfe was very peculiar, yet fuch as feemed to give him a ftrong perception of harmony at the fame time he frequently confeffed to me that he read ill, and was well pleased to have his lines repeated by another. "We are told of Thomfon," fays Dr. Johnson, "that among his peculiarities, was a very unskilful and inarticulate manner of pronouncing any lofty or folemn compofition. He was once reading to Dodington, who being himself a reader eminently elegant, was fo much provoked by his odd utterance, that he fnatched the paper from his hand, and told him, that he did not understand Dr. Johnfon of Pope. "his "his own verfes." This is a defect very common in authors; Goldsmith, one of the most harmonious and easy poets, was a very unfkilful reader. Scott was a great lover of mufic, but had no practical knowledge of it. He preferred the time for poetical compofition, when the reft of the family were in bed; and it was frequently his custom to fit in a dark room, and when he had compofed a number of lines, he would go into another room where a candle was burning, in order to commit them to paper. Though in general very regular in his hour of retiring to reft, he would fometimes be up great part of the night, when he was engaged in any literary work. In his perfon he was tall and flender, but his limbs were remarkably ftrong and mufcular: he was very active, and delighted much in the exercife of walk ing: his countenance was cheerful and animated. HAVING, agreeable to fuch materials as could be procured, given an account of my late valuable friend Mr. Scott, I will not here expatiate further on his moral or intellectual character, fince this may be better known from the preceding pages, and from a perufal of his works, that truly reflect their author's mind, than from any laboured ftrain of friendly panegyric. |