or years, he cultivated
literature as a relaxation from business.

At the age of twenty-six he married, and about this time accepted the
office of deputy sheriff of Selkirkshire, largely moved to do so by his
unwillingness to rely upon his pen for support. Nine years later, 1806,
through family influence he was appointed, at a good salary, to one of
the chief clerkships in the Scottish court of sessions. The fulfillment
of his long-cherished desire of abandoning his labors as an advocate, in
order to devote himself to literature, was now at hand. He had already
delighted the public by various early literary efforts, the most
important being the "Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border," parts of which
had occupied him since childhood. This was followed by "Sir Tristrem"
and the "Lay of the Last Minstrel." Scott was now enrolled among the
poets of the day, and while never neglecting the duties of office, he
entered upon his literary career with unflagging industry. "Marmion,"
"The Lady of the Lake," "Don Roderick," and "Rokeby" reflected his
romantic fervor.

Lord Byron now had entered the field of letters, and Scott, conscious of
the power of his rival, determined to seek fame in other than poetic
paths. This determination produced "Waverly," whose success gave birth
to Scott's desire to be numbered among the landed gentry of the country.
Under the influence of this passion, the novels now associated with his
name followed with startling rapidity, and their growth developed in the
author an unwillingness to be known as a penman writing for fortune.
Literary fame was less dear to him than the upbuilding of a family name.
The novels went for a time fatherless, but the baronial mansion, still
one of the most famous shrines of the curious, grew into the stately
proportions of Abbotsford.

In 1820. George IV. conferred upon Scott the baronetcy, dearer than all
the plaudits of the public. But

"Giddy chance never bears,
That mortal bliss shall last for years,"

and the failure of banker and of publisher disclosed that the landed
baronet had been a silent partner in the house of his printer for a
quarter of a century, for whose debts Scott was liable to the extent of
one hundred thousand pounds and to his bankers for enough more to make
the entire debt one hundred fifty thousand pounds. Unappalled by the
loss, Scott refused all offers of release from his creditors, and began
to pay the debt by means of his pen, determ