[320] Lear, Act I. Sc. 4.

[321] 2_d Henry IV_., Act V. Sc. 3.

[322] No. 25.

[323] The manuscript referred to is now at Abbotsford.  It is a small quarto of 8-3/4 x 6-1/2 inches, bound in old mottled leather, and consisting of 251 leaves of paper, written on both sides in the Irish character, apparently in the reign of James VI.  It bears the following inscription in Sir Walter’s hand:—­“The kind donor of this book is the Right Rev. Bishop of Cloyne, famed for his skill in science, and especially as an astronomer.”  For contents of vol. see Appendix.  Dr. John Brinkley, Bishop of Cloyne, was Astronomer Royal for Ireland.

[324] See letter to Principal Baird, ante, vol, i, p. 412 n.

[325] The first line of the Scottish metrical version of the hundredth Psalm.  Mr. Lockhart tells us, in his affecting account of Sir Walter’s illness, that his love for the old metrical version of the Psalms continued unabated to the end.  A story has been told, on the authority of the nurse in attendance, that on the morning of the day on which he died, viz., on the 21st Sept. 1832, he opened his eyes once more, quite conscious, and calmly asked her to read to him a psalm.  She proceeded to do so, when he gently interposed, saying, “No! no! the Scotch Psalms.”  After reading to him a little while, he expressed a wish to be moved nearer the window, through which he looked long and earnestly up and down the valley and towards the sky, and then on the woman’s face, saying:  “I’ll know it all before night.”  This story will find some confirmation from the entry in the Journal under September 24, 1830:  “I think I will be in the secret next week; unless I recruit greatly.”

[326] In a letter to his son at this time he says the “sale of the Novels is pro-di-gi-ous.  If it last but a few years it will clear my feet of old encumbrances.”—­Life, vol. ix. p. 32.

[327] Jeffrey, who had just retired from the editorship of the Edinburgh Review, was succeeded by Macvey Napier, whose first No. was published in October 1829.

JUNE.

June 1.—­Being Sunday I remained to work the whole day, and finished half of the proposed volume of History.  I was not disturbed the whole day, a thing rather unusual.

June 2.—­Received Mr. Rees of London and Col.  Ferguson to breakfast.  Mr. Rees is clearly of opinion our scheme (the Magnum) must answer.[328] I got to letter-writing after breakfast, and cleared off old scores in some degree.  Dr. Ross called and would hardly hear of my going out.  I was obliged, however, to attend the meeting of the trustees for the Theatre.[329] The question to be decided was, whether we should embrace an option left to us of taking the old Theatre at a valuation, or whether we should leave it to Mrs. Siddons and Mr. Murray to make the best of it.  There were present