petoun, and
others met the Caradori, who sung to us very kindly. She sung Jock of
Hazeldean very well, and with a peculiar expression of humour. Sandie
Ballantyne kindly came and helped us with fiddle and flageolet. Willie
Clerk was also here. We had a lunch, and were very gay, not the less so
for the want of Mr. Bury, who is a thorough-paced coxcomb, with some
accomplishments, however. I drank two glasses of champagne, which have
muddled my brains for the day. Will Clerk promised to come back and dine
on the wreck of the turkey and tongue, pigeon-pie, etc. He came,
accordingly, and stayed till nine; so no time for work. It was not a
lost day, however.[335]

_June_ 10.--_Nota bene_, my complaint quite gone. I attended the Court,
and sat there till late. Evening had its lot of labour, which is, I
think, a second nature to me. It is astonishing how little I look into a
book of entertainment. I have been reading over the _Five Nights of St.
Albans_,--very much _extra moenia nostri mundi_, and possessed of
considerable merit, though the author[336] loves to play at cherry-pit
with Satan.[337]

_June_ 11.--I was kept at Court by a hearing till near three. Then sat
to Mr. Graham for an hour and a half. When I came home, behold a letter
from Mr. Murray, very handsomely yielding up the fourth share of
_Marmion_, which he possessed.[338] Afterwards we went to the theatre,
where St. Ronan's Well was capitally acted by Murray and the
Bailie,--the part of Clara Mowbray being heavy for want of Mrs. Siddons.
Poor old Mrs. Renaud, once the celebrated Mrs. Powell, took leave of the
stage. As I was going to bed at twelve at night, in came R.P.Gillies
like a tobacco cask. I shook him off with some difficulty, pleading my
having been lately ill, but he is to call to-morrow morning.

_June_ 12.--Gillies made his appearance. I told him frankly I thought he
conducted his affairs too irregularly for any one to assist him, and I
could not in charity advise any one to encourage subscriptions, but that
I should subscribe myself, so I made over to him about L50, which the
_Foreign Review_ owes me, and I will grow hard-hearted and do no more. I
was not long in the Court, but I had to look at the controversy about
the descent of the Douglas family, then I went to Cadell and found him
still cock-a-hoop. He has raised the edition to 17,000, a monstrous
number, yet he thinks it will clear the 20,000, but we must be quiet in
case people jalouse th