rsion 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 Sir Patrick Murray, Baron Hume, Lord
Provost, Sir John Hay, Mr. Gilbert Innes, and myself. We were all of
opinion that personally we ought to have nothing to do with it. But I
thought as trustees for the public, we were bound to let the public know
how the matter stood, and that they might, if they pleased, have the
theatrical property for L16,000, which is dog cheap. They were all clear
to give it up (the right of reversion) to Mrs. Siddons. I am glad she
should have it, for she is an excellent person, and so is her brother.