Page:Biographical and critical studies by James Thomson ("B.V.").djvu/444

428 CRITICAL STUDIES get writing any we may be sure he could not get farm- ing much, through these same admirable "friends," the devouring locusts borne on the winds of vanity. But I anticipate. While waiting to take over Altrive, he devised how to get capital for working it, and his devise was to obtain pieces from the most popular poets of the day, and publish them in a volume. He doubtless would have cheerfully given a piece to help any brother bard in similar case. Some gave, others promised but did not give ; and in the end he wrote all the "Poetic Mirror" himself, under the names of the various poets. Scott, who had an aversion to joint-stock authorship, and one of whose favourite proverbs was " Every herring should hang by its own head," firmly refused to take part in the first scheme ; Hogg, in a furious fit of childish rage, wrote to him, beginning " Damned Sir," and ending "Believe me, Sir, yours with disgust," &c. The great-hearted took no notice; but Hogg, with that candour which redeems all his faults, tells us how when he lay dangerously ill with an inflammatory fever (the result of five or six weeks of the Baccha- nalian " Right and Wrong Club "), Scott called every day on returning from the Parliament House to inquire after him, and enjoined Mr. Grieve to let no pecuniary consideration whatever prevent his having the best medical advice, "for I shall see it paid;" and further enjoined that Hogg should not be told of this. " I would fain have called, but I knew not how I would be received ; " " and this, too," says Hogg, "after I had renounced his friendship, and told him that I held both it and his literary talents in contempt ! " Hogg learnt all this some time after