Poems and Essays. The fourth edition. Published for the Benefit of the General Hospital at Bath. Two volumes.

BOWDLER, Henrietta Maria.

Edité par Bath: printed by R. Cruttwell, and sold by C. Dilly [and three others]. 1787, 1787

A propos de cet article

Vii, [3], 233, [1]p; [6], 216pp, half titles. 8vo. Contemporary calf, guilt banded spines, red morocco labels; joints cracked but firm, spines rubbed, boards marked by old waterstaining. Contemporary name of J. Leslie and Jane Belsches, to each titlepage. Pencil bracketing of passages through both vols indicating her close reading of the work. Provenance: Jane Leslie, 1753-1829, daughter of David 6th Earl of Leven, 5th Earl of Melville, married Sir John Wishart Belsches Stuart, Baronet, of Fettercairn, M.P. in 1775. The family were close friends with the philosopher James Mill. Lady Jane was charitable, and is said to have started a fund for educating poor young men for the ministry. James Mill was recommended for the purpose by Peters, the minister of Logie Pert. He also acted as tutor to Wilhelmina (or Williamina born October 1776), the Stuarts' only child, afterwards the object of Scott's early passion, and subsequently wife of Sir William Forbes and mother of James David Forbes. Scott first noticed her while attending Greyfriars' Church in Edinburgh in 1790, and began courting her even though she was barely fourteen years old and of markedly higher social standing. By 1795 Scott had enough money to marry but scarcely enough to support a lady of Williamina's rank. He confided in his close friend William Clerk, a former classmate at Edinburgh University, whose advice was to write to Williamina and boldly declare his love. Scott is known to have been overjoyed by Williamina's reply but both Scott's letter and Williamina's response have been lost. It seems likely, though, that she merely did not forbid him to hope and insisted that they remain circumspect. In all events, their relationship remained unchanged. In spring 1796 Scott went on a trip north which included a visit to Williamina's parents, John and Jane Stuart, who, much to his delight, invited him to prolong his stay. However, unbeknown to Scott, Williamina had made the acquaintance of William Forbes of Pitsligo, heir of a banking family, during the previous winter. Their intimacy grew when Forbes stayed as a guest at Fettercairn in summer 1796, and on 12 October their engagement was announced. Scott felt humiliated and betrayed, and for many years believed that he had been led on and cruelly jilted. Slowly, Scott's anger receded and he half-realised that Williamina had not intended to hurt him. His pain nonetheless remained profound, and his subsequent correspondence avoids all mention of her name. Scott later wrote of marriage: 'Scarce one person out of twenty marries his first love, and scarce one out of twenty of the remainder has cause to rejoice at having done so. What we love in these early days is generally rather a fanciful creation of our own than a reality. We build statues of snow and weep when they melt.' (Letter to G.H. Gordon, 12 June 1820).' Ref: Edinburgh University Library.

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Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Poems and Essays. The fourth edition. Published for the Benefit of the General Hospital at Bath. Two volumes.
• Éditeur: Bath: printed by R. Cruttwell, and sold by C. Dilly [and three others]. 1787
• Date de parution: 1787
• Reliure: Couverture rigide
• Catalogues du vendeur:
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