CONSTABLE, Archibald, a very eminent bookseller and publisher, whose name, in the latter capacity, is connected with some of the most important and memorable productions of the Scottish Press, and is, besides, particularly deserving of notice in the present work, was born on the 24th February 1774, at Kellie, in the parish of Carnbee, in Fifeshire. He was the son of Thomas Constable, a person of considerable sagacity in rural affairs, who officiated as overseer or land-steward on the estate of the Earl of Kellie. The first thirteen or fourteen years of his life were passed under his father’s Voof; and his education was such as the school of Carnbee then afforded, consisting of a course of reading in the vernacular tongue, writing, arithmetic, and some lessons in trigonometry. Beyond this humble curriculum we rather think that his subsequent acquisitions of the elements of knowledge did not much extend. After taking up his residence in Edinburgh, he may, however, have procured, though we do not know that he did so, some private instruction in other branches; but he never attained to any proficiency in academical learning—a defect which his native talents and address enabled him both to surmount and to conceal; for he was never very fond of avowing the want of that scholarship which, it must be allowed, was but seldom discernible either in his conversation or his correspondence.

In 1788, Mr Constable became an apprentice to Mr Peter Hill, bookseller in Edinburgh, and he seems to have devoted himself, during the period of his apprenticeship, to the acquisition of that knowledge of the early and rare productions of the Scottish press, and generally of all publications relating to the history, antiquities, and literature of Scotland, for which he continued to retain a strong relish throughout his subsequent career. About the period of the expiration of his apprenticeship, he married the daughter of Mr Willison, a respectable printer; and having established himself as a bookseller in a small shop in the High Street, afterwards rendered conspicuous by his celebrity as a publisher, he issued, in November 1795, the first of those Sale Catalogues of curious and rare books, which he continued for a few years to publish at intervals, and which drew to his shop all the bibliographers and lovers of learning in this city. - His congenial curiosity, his quick intelligence, and the blandness of his manners, made it the' favourite haunt, as well of those who had already earned a name· in letters, as of those younger aspirants after distinction who were then only commencing their literary career. We have known more than one instance where his obliging and prompt endeavours to aid them in procuring books not easily found, laid the foundation of literary connections which ended only with his life.

From his first outset in business, Mr Constable had engaged in some small publications; afterwards succeeded by others which he thought, at the time, by no means inconsiderable—such as Campbell’s “History of Scottish Poetry,” Dalzell’s “Fragments of Scottish History,” and Leyden’s edition of the “Complaint of Scotland.” In the year 1801 be became the proprietor of two periodical works, one of which, the “Farmer’s Magazine,” then of recent origin, acquired under his management, and for some time maintained, a considerable circulation; the other, the “Scots Magazine,” a miscellany which commenced in 1739, and was still esteemed as a curious repository of information regarding the history, antiquities, and traditions of Scotland. This congenial publication engaged at first a considerable share of his attention and solicitude; and the genius and erudition of Dr John Leyden, and the Reverend Dr Alexander Murray, whom he employed successively as its editors, contributed not a little to enhance its reputation, and to raise it into some importance as a critical journal, in that comparatively easy period of periodical literature.

But a brighter day was soon to dawn; and its genial influences were not lost on a mind that ever had been disposed to exercise its powers in the formation and encouragement of literary projects. The first number of the Edinburgh Review was published by Mr Constable in October 1802; and from that moment his fame as a publisher commenced, and continued to increase, till it surpassed that of even the most distinguished publishers of the metropolis. He was not, however, as has sometimes been supposed, the projector of this celebrated journal. It owed its origin to those whose genius and talents raised it to that pitch of glory, hitherto unprecedented, which it almost at once attained; and we believe he was at first rather startled by the mention of the design, and not in the least prepared, any more than its projectors themselves were, to anticipate the splendid success which awaited it. Without a publisher, in this place, of his cast of mind, the work, however, might have encountered some difficulties; and he was not slow to perceive, nor backward to follow, that line of conduct towards its conductors, without the observance of which, the new relations between them could not long have been harmoniously maintained. The present highly respectable proprietors of the work became, some years after its commencement, sharers of the property; but the publishing department remained, we believe, under his direction. In 1805, he added to the list of his periodical publications the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal; a work projected in concert with the late Dr Andrew Duncan, and which still maintains its pristine respectability.

Sir Walter Scott, whilst yet “unknown to fame,” had been a frequenter of Mr Constable’s shop; and from it was published, in the year just mentioned, the “Lay of the Last Minstrel,”—the first of that series of romantic poems in which the plastic genius of their author imparted so new, so rich, and so glowing an interest to the legendary lore, and to the very hills and dales, of his native land. Mr Constable’s reputation and business as a publisher were greatly enhanced and extended by means of these brilliant and popular productions. He “pursued the triumph, and partook the gale ;” but stih more after he had the good [7:7:268]fortune, by publishing “Waverley,” to make the .world acquainted with those powers for the composition of historical and romantic novels and tales with which its author continued for so many years to astonish and delight the whole of Europe. Mr Constable had the merit of suggesting subjects, and of. finding titles, for more than one of those memorable works. Such, for example, was the case, as the author himself has told us, with regard to “Rob Roy.” In the same year that “Waverley” appeared,namely, 1814, he also published Sir Walter Scott’s edition of “Swift’s Works.”

We do not think it necessary to specify all the numerous works which Mr Constable undertook, or in which he was professionally concerned; but it would be unpardonable not to mention particularly, that in 1812 he was enabled to gratify a wish he had long entertained, by the purchase of the copyright and stock of this Encyclopaedia. The acquisition proved equally beneficial to his business and to the cause of knowledge. It is, indeed, but common justice to say, that his ambition to possess what he considered as a national work, was fully justified by the measures he took, and the means he liberally provided, to elevate its character and to extend its usefulness. Of the Supplement to its later editions, which he projected, we shall only observe, that its success equalled his own expectations, and far exceeded those of many others not so capable of forming extensive views as to the best means of insuring success in such undertakings.

Having brought this little narrative to a period which, if we add the writings of Mr Dugald Stewart, has enabled us to allude to Mr Constable’s principal publications, we shall now hasten to close it. We must not, however, omit to mention his own contributions, though not very important, to the stock of Scottish historical literature. In 1810 he published, from an original manuscript, a quarto volume, edited by himself, entitled the “Chronicle of Fife, being the Diary of John Lamont of Newton, from 1649 to 1672;” and in 1822 he drew up and published a “Memoir of George Heriot, Jeweller to King James, containing an Account of the Hospital founded by him at Edinburgh.” This small volume was suggested by the honourable mention of Heriot, and his noble endowment, in the “Fortunes of Nigel,” published during the spring of that year.

In the autumn of the preceding year, Mr Constable had gone to reside in the neighbourhood of London, having been advised, owing to a severe attack of illness, to pass the winter in a milder climate. This absence, and its cause, are alluded to by Sir Walter Scott, in terms of regret, in the Introductory Epistle to the “Fortunes of Nigel.” Here, speaking in the person of Captain Clutterbuck, he says, “I entered the shop at the Cross to inquire after the health of my worthy friend, and learned with satisfaction that his residence in the south had abated the rigour of the symptoms of his disorder.” Here also there is an encomium on Mr Constable, which it would be unfair alike to the generous spirit of its illustrious author, and the merits of its object, not to recall in this sketch. He is commended as one “whose vigorous intellect and liberal ideas had not only rendered his native country the mart of her own literature, but established there a court of letters, which commanded respect even from those most inclined to dissent from many of its canons. The effect of these changes,” it is added, “operated in a great measure by the strong sense and sagacious calculations of an individual, who knew how to avail himself, to an unhoped for extent, of the various kinds of talent which his country produced, will probably appear more clearly to the generation .which shall follow the present.”

In the summer of 1822, Mr Constable returned from

England; and in the following year he removed his establishment from the premises at the Cross, so graphically and correctly described in the above Epistle, and where all his fame had been acquired, to more spacious and splendid accommodations in the modern part of the city. In no long time after this change, namely, about the commencement of 1826, the· world was surprised by the unwelcome and lamentable announcement of the bankruptcy of his house. Such a close to a career as a publisher so splendid, and apparently so prosperous, was not a little calculated to Create doubts both as to his hitherto unquestioned skill in his profession, and the success of even his most noted undertakings. Many were inclined to think, in the words of the proverb, that there had been “more cry than wool.” But though it would be too much to say that all his schemes were wise, or all his actions prudent, there can be no doubt either of his eminent skill or of his success. His failure, we believe, was mainly owing to his original want of capital, and to his having early settled with a retiring partner, upon a principle of adjustment dictated by a too overweening view of his own prosperity. The progressively augment ing contractions, and the wasteful sacrifices, resulting from these causes, absorbed the profits of his best enterprises, and led too certainly to an issue which yet to many appeared unaccountable. His misfortunes overtook him busied as usual with literary projects, particularly with that of the “Miscellany,” afterwards published under his name; —the precursor of that multitude of devices for cheapening knowledge which form so remarkable a feature of the current literature of these times. This was his last project. The disease that formerly afflicted him returned, with increased severity, in 1827, and at length proved fatal on Saturday the 21st of July in that year.

We shall here insert, though at the cost of some repetition, the greater part of a tribute to his memory, which appeared in the newspapers of this city two days after his death, and which was written, by one who had been intimately acquainted with him in his publishing capacity.

“We are concerned to learn that Mr Constable, our late eminent publisher, who had for some time suffered severely under a dropsical complaint, expired suddenly, at his house in Park Place, on the afternoon of Saturday. This event has, we confess, excited in our minds a train of melancholy recollections and regrets; and we cannot refrain from thus publicly expressing our respect for the memory of a man, who, notwithstanding the disastrous termination of his professional career, must long be remembered as a liberal friend of literary merit, and active promoter of those literary enterprises which, during the last twenty-five years, have redounded so much to the advantage and fame of this city. We do not scruple to say, that we have nationality enough to have derived a lively satisfaction from seeing it become an object of desire among the literati of the south to contribute to its literary undertakings, and to resort to it as an advantageous mart of publication; and, convinced as we are, that this was in no small degree owing to the liberal views, the professional talents, activity, and address of Mr Constable—convinced, moreover, that the opinion of the public of this place is, in this respect, in unison with our own—we feel assured that, in offering to his memory this mournful tribute of our private regard and respect, we at the same time give utterance to feelings strongly felt by the community at large. It is now somewhat more than thirty years since Mr Constable began to attract the notice of the learned of this city by his knowledge of rare books, particularly of those connected with the early literature of Scotland; and several years before his name became [7:7:269]known to the world as a considerable publisher, he had succeeded, as well by the amenity of his manners as by his professional intelligence and activity, in rendering his shop the favourite resort of all the more curious and aspiring spirits of the place. His views, however, were never limited to the collection of literary rarities, or to a merchandise confined to the existing materials of literature. He had always longed to become instrumental in adding something of importance to the stock of knowledge, and to enrol his name in the list of the more liberal and enterprising publishers of the day. Edinburgh fortunately possessed the means of gratifying this laudable ambition; and he as fortunately appeared at a period when, without such a man, her native genius might have been hampered in its flights, or damped and circumscribed in the ardour and range of its aspiring exertions. His fame as a publisher commenced with the appearance of the Edinburgh Review, which he had the honour of ushering into the world; and he long ministered to its success and its glory by a deportment towards its conductors and authors as discreet and respectful as it was manly and liberal. Some years after the first appearance of this celebrated journal, he became the proprietor of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, for which he paid a price that excited the surprise of some of the more timid of his brethren, but which was amply warranted by the measures and results his superior intelligence and sagacity had enabled him to plan and foresee. When that work became the property of his house, the printing of its fifth edition was too far advanced to admit of any material improvements; but Mr Constable saw very clearly that these were largely required in order to place it on a level with the knowledge, the wants, and the spirit of the age; and he accordingly devised the project of that Supplement which has added so much to the value and celebrity of the work to which it was appended, and to the public stock of useful knowledge and varied learning. Many doubts as to the expediency of a supplemental publication upon so extensive a scale, were, we believe, expressed by those who pretended to experience and skill in such undertakings; but Mr Constable’s anticipations were fully realised by the signal success of this favourite design; and we have always understood that those highly liberal arrangements by which he endeavoured to provide for its usefulness and reputation, and without which the success attending it never could have been achieved, were entirely the result of his own suggestions, and the dictation of his own understanding. During the progress of those works, his house was still farther aggrandised by the publication of the writings of Mr Dugald Stewart and Sir Walter Scott; the one bearing the most illustrious name in the serious, the other in the lighter, branches of our national literature. His intercourse with the latter was much more intimate, varied, and extensive, and in many respects more remarkable, than was ever before exemplified between author and publisher. The publication, first of the highly popular poems, and latterly of the still more popular novels, of that extraordinary genius, raised his house to the acme of its fame; and contributed still more largely, perhaps, than any other of the connections that have been mentioned, to that celebrity as a publishing establishment which it so long enjoyed.”

“We have here only detailed a few particulars, calculated to justify the sentiments of grateful respect which we entertain for the memory of Mr Constable, as by far the most eminent publisher that Scotland ever produced. In that line we certainly do not expect soon again to see a man joining such professional abilities to such liberal and extensive views; so capable of appreciating literary merit, and so anxious to find for it employment and reward; so largely endowed with the discernment, tact, and manners necessary to maintain a useful, honourable, and harmonious intercourse with literary men."

We have but little to add to the foregoing details. Mr Constable was twice married, and left several children by both his marriages. His frame was bulky and corpulent; but his countenance was rernatkably pleasing and intelligent. The late Sir Henry Raeburn’s portrait of him is one of the most successful likenesses and best pictures of that excellent artist. His manner and conversation were by no means those of an ordinary man; and his general conduct was affable, good humoured, and friendly. It must, however, be allowed, that he was liable to passionate impulses, which sometimes mastered his better powers, and vented themselves in expressions neither decorous nor justifiable. But his strong sense and kindly feelings seldom failed to restore him quickly to propriety. It may, in a word, be truly said of him as Dr Johnson said of Cave, the publisher of the Gentleman’s Magazine^ “that such he was as they who best knew him have most lamented.”