cost Sir A. Boswell his life, and for a moment endangered that of
Scott.--See _Life_, vol. vi. pp. 426-429, and Cockburn's _Memorials_, p.
312.

[430] _2 Henry IV_. Act III. Sc. 2.

[431] Douglas Cheape, whose Introductory Lecture was published in 1827.
Mr. Cheape died in 1861.

[432] James Moncreiff, son of the Rev. Sir Henry Wellwood. The new Dean
succeeded Lord Alloway on the Scotch Bench in 1829, and died in 1851.
Cockburn writes of him thus:--"During the twenty-one years he was on the
civil and criminal benches, he performed all his duties admirably.
Law-learning and law-reasoning, industry, honesty, and high-minded
purity could do no more for any judge. After forty years of unbroken
friendship, it is a pleasure to record my love of the man, and my
admiration of his character."--_Journals_, vol. ii, p. 264.

[433] _Troilus and Cressida_, Act v. Sc. 2.

[434] Dr. Stokoe, who had settled at Durham, died suddenly at York in
1852. He had been surgeon in the fleet at Trafalgar, and was afterwards
appointed to St. Helena.

[435] The University Commission.--See _ante_, pp. 256, 257.

[436] The long life of Walter, fifth Duke of Buccleuch, more than
fulfilled the hopes and prognostics of his friend. A "true Scots lord,"
he carried with him to the grave in 1884 the love and respect of his
countrymen.

[437] _Hamlet_, Act III. Sc. 2.--J.G.L.

1827

JANUARY.

_January_ 1.--God make this a happy year to the King and country, and to
all honest men!

I went with all our family to-day to dine as usual at the kind house of
Huntly Burn; but the same cloud which hung over us on Saturday still had
its influence. The effect of grief upon [those] who, like myself and Sir
A.F., are highly susceptible of humour, has, I think, been finely
touched by Wordsworth in the character of the merry village teacher
Matthew, whom Jeffrey profanely calls the hysterical schoolmaster.[438]
But, with my friend Jeffrey's pardon, I think he loves to see
imagination best when it is bitted and managed and ridden upon, the
_grand pas_. He does not make allowance for starts and sallies and
bounds when Pegasus is beautiful to behold, though sometimes perilous to
his rider. Not that I think the amiable bard of Rydal shows judgment in
choosing such subjects as the popular mind cannot sympathise in. It is
unwise and unjust to himself. I do not compare myself, in point of
imagination, with Wordsworth--far from it; for [his] is naturall