The tale, mixed of truth
and fable, is exceedingly interesting. The octo-syllabic measure, with an
occasional line of three feet, to break the monotony, is purely
minstrelic, and reproduces the effect of the _troubadours and trouveres_.
The wizard agency of Gilpin Horner's brood, and the miracle at the tomb of
Michael Scott, are by no means out of keeping with the minstrel and the
age of which he sings. The dramatic effects are good, and the descriptions
very vivid. The poem was received with great enthusiasm, and rapidly
passed through several editions. One element of its success is modestly
and justly stated by the author in his introduction to a later edition:
"The attempt to return to a more simple and natural style of poetry was
likely to be welcomed at a time when the public had become tired of heroic
hexameters, with all the buckram and binding that belong to them in modern
days."
With an annual income of L1000, and an honorable ambition, Scott worked
his new literary mine with great vigor. He saw not only fame but wealth
within his reach.
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