The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-05

give so clear, so comprehensive and sc graphic picture of the social conditions of the court and city of London in the reign of James l. as is contained in this novel. As for James himself, Scott makes him live again with allhis glaring inconsis- tencies. In The Fortunes of Nigel" too Sir Walter achieved one of his greatest success in character drawing, the creation of Richard Monoplies. Though one can mot rise from the perusal of one of his novels without feeling the influence of a nobler and loftier spirit, Sir Walter was rot much given to downright preaching Yet in his introduction to "rhe Fortunes of Nigel" he confesses that he drew the character of the hero in the belief that "a word spoken in time to young person must be of advantage to him when it calls upon him to listen to the voice of principle and self-denial instead of that of precipitate passion
 UT HEN "the wisest fool in Chris
 A/ tendom' left his ancient king
 W dom of Scotland and crossed the Tweed to become James I. of England many needy Scot besides himself was of the company. And according to the Eng fish view of the case the rest of the needy Scots came struggling after him. Among VI debts long due from the crown was Nigel Olifaunt, Lord Glenvarloch, needy even for Scotchman in the reign of James, and proud as any Scotchman in the reign of any king Summoned home upon the death of his father from the University Of Leyden to find his ancestral estates heav- lily mortgaged, the holders of the mort gage pressing for a payment and not a pound left of his parental fortune to pay 1t with, the young Lord Glenvarloch had managed somehow to get to London with his serving man, Richard Monoplies, and now stood pacing anxiously the little chamber over the ship chandler's shop at Pauls wharf, wher he had taken his obscure lodgings.
 He waited for the return of Richard from the court, where he had gone to present his lords petition to the king, Richie having a friend in the royal kitchen who had promised to place him where he could have chance to see the king as he mounted for his daily ride and so hand him the important paper. Other petitions sent through formal channels had, Nigel rightly suspected, never got as far as the royal hands. To this was come the lordly house of the great barons of Glenvarloch --the application of the head of a house whose chiefs had walked almost as equal with the race of the Stuarts, compelled to address the king whose life his father saved from the daggers of the Ruthvens, and whose needs he had ruined himself to supply, through the medium of a cook. Il, Ntc nf al l. faunt as he paced his solitary chamber. Dame Nellie Christie, his landlords s pretty wife, '.2O years younger, your honor. than my John," hustled in and out of the room on the one pretext or another trying to reassure her lodger that nothing had gone wrong with his serving man, all though he had been gone an unconsion- ably long time. Dame Nellie was young. and Nigel was very personable young man. But, rigid and austere in such mat ters at all times, he needed not, especi- ally now, the coquetry of his buxom land lady.
 Finally Richie returned looking much the worse for wear: he had had ad- ventures. He had handed the petition
 
 horse, but the doffing of his bonnet had frightened the Kings mare and James had thrown the document on the ground and ordered Richie to be thrust out of the limits of the court with copy of a recent proclamation in his hands whereby all Scotchmen who had come up to Lon don to petition the King. especially for ancient claims against the crown, which were all applications most objectionable to his majesty" to immediately return to Scotland upon pain of imprisonment. Then he had got into a row with some apprentices and would have been killed maybe had he not been rescued by and taken into the shop of old David Ram say, ''horologer to the King" near Tenn pie Bar, by his two apprentices, Vincent Jenkins, commonly called Jin Win, and Frank Tunstall.
 Here he had met George Heriot Jung ling Geordie, the great Scots goldsmith and banker who supplied the court with gold and silver in various forms, and was friend of Ramsay's as well as godfather to his beautiful daughter Mar xaret. "He was a fair spoken gentle man." said Richie, and gave me this Spanish piece to drnk-but I ken better we'll eat 1t. And that is all my lord" You rascal. you did not tell him whom you served?" asked Olifaunt 'sCertes and why not. my lord?" You knave," cried Nigel, "I shall have every clownish burger from Edinburgh come to gaze upon my distress and pay d shilling for the having seen the mo- tion of a poor noble. At least you did not tell him where we lodged" How could I when did not know myself, be- ing lost in the streets,' replied Richie, avoiding a direct answer. But it was no need, for just as he completed his tale Heriot was ushered into the apartment.
 My servant. I see,- has talked too much" said Nigel, giving an angry glance at Richie But pray tell me Master George Heriot. in what way I can be of service to you" Heriot could scarcely repress smile at the naughty manner of Olifaunt, so utterly at vari- ance with his surroundings and necessi- ties. Rather am I come" said Heriot, ''to place at the disposal of the son of my former patron and benefactor my poor services to offer him such aid in his affairs in London as my credit and experience may be able to afford. Pardon me this freedom. my lord. but your father was a patron of mine in times of