Mains, and by her he had, besides four daughters, as many sons—all referred to in Scott's correspondence— viz. Walter, Thomas, Robert, and John. Of these, the eldest, Walter Scott, writer to the Signet, married Anne, daughter of John Rutherford, M.D., and had, with other issue, a third son-SIR WALTER SCOTT, of Abbotsford, the illustrious author of " Waverley."

A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT OF THE OLDEN TIME.

RICHARD LYSTER, Esq., of Rowton Castle (great-greatgranduncle of the present Henry Lyster, Esq., of Rowton Castle), represented the county of Salop for the unusual period of thirty years. The great hospitality and universal popularity of this gentleman are still very freshly remembered; he was a firm supporter of the exiled royal house, and constantly opposed the Whig administration of his day. It is related of him, that his first return to parliament was for the borough of Shrewsbury, for which place, after a strenuous contest, he was elected by a considerable majority. His opponent, however, disputed the return, and endeavoured to destroy the majority by disfranchising an extensive suburb, which till that period had always enjoyed the elective franchise, and as he was a supporter of the government, the whole Whig party joined in the attempt, and succeeded in throwing out the successful candidate. Upon the decision being announced in the Commons, Mr. Lyster,

442 A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT OF THE OLDEN TIME.

feeling very keenly the injustice of the proceeding, put on his hat, and, with his back to the Speaker, walked down the house, when his manner being remarked, he was called to order, and pointed out to the chair. Turning abruptly round, he instantly said, “When you learn justice, I will learn manners." This drew down upon him the increased wrath of the house, and probably he would have been compelled to ask pardon on his knees, or to visit the Tower, had not Sir Robert Walpole, who on all occasions knew how to throw the grace of good temper over disputes and arguments, exclaimed, with a smile, "Let him go, we have served him bad enough already." The indignation which this ill-treatm.et: occasioned mainly contributed to securing the represen tation of his native county for the remainder of his life. In illustration of the manners of his day, we may add that on his departure from Rowton to take his seat, his tenants annually escorted him the first two stages on his journey, while his London tradespeople, duly apprised of his approach, with the same punctilio advanced two stages from town to bring him into London. He died in 1776, aged 75.

LORD LYTTLETON'S GHOST STORY.

IF the first Lord Lyttleton obtained celebrity by his literary talents, his son, the immediate heir of his name and title, has been quite as frequently in the mouths of men from his connexion with one of the most popular ghost-stories upon record. Doctor Johnson, who, with all the depth and acuteness of his understanding, was a profound believer in such matters, pronounced it one of the most extraordinary occurrences of his day; and in proof of its authenticity, used to declare he had received it from the lips of Lord Westcote himself, the uncle of Lord Lyttleton; adding, at the same time, "I am so glad to have evidence of the spiritual world, that I am willing to believe it." But, indeed, the main facts of the story have nothing in them exceeding the bounds of probability, nor have they ever been denied by any one competent to form an opinion upon the subject; the only point for dispute is, whether we are to adopt the creed of our forefathers in respect to such topics, and applying it to the present matter, believe that Lord Lyttleton's dream was a vision sent by Heaven itself to warn a profligate of his approaching end, or whether we are to consider it was, like any other dream, the natural result of foregone fancies and events when the dreamer was awake. The philosophy of the present day would,

no doubt, incline to the latter belief, and perhaps wise..! yet still there is a charm even in superstition.

It may be desirable to preface our story with a f words relative to the general character and previous L of Lord Lyttleton, for a tale is never half so interesong as when we know something about the hero of it.

Thomas, Lord Lyttleton, was born in the year 1744 and was the son of George, first Lord Lyttleton, the distinguished poet and historian, who built the mansion Hagley, in Worcestershire, as it now stands. It rant be said of him, that he was either a very good or a very great man, and his character was, no doubt, full of startling contradictions, that may well puzzle the commen mass of observers, who are apt to jump too hastily t their conclusions, and are much more likely to be stru:à by open faults, than to trouble themselves with inquir.: after hidden merits. By them he has been written dow“, for a mere libertine, and the judgment thus pronounced by the thoughtless or the pharisaical of his own unes. has been continued almost without a question up to the present day. No doubt, much of the calumny heap--1 upon this singular character has arisen from the unfortunate state of dissension existing between himself and his father; for no man, whatever may have bet his rank or genius, ever yet set himself in avowed oppo sition to the established opinions, or even the prejudi..e of society, but that he has come halting off from the encounter; in the particular case of child and parent, there is always a strong feeling that the latter, like an English monarch, can do no wrong; and if so obvious a truth need example to confirm it, we have the proof close at hand, in the story of Beatrice Cenci, who slew in her own father, the grey-headed and atrocious violator of her maiden honour. Could the infraction of filial duty have found at any time forgiveness with the world, it surely

must have been under so horrible a provocation; but the voice of all Italy, whether right or wrong, condemned her, and the Pope himself, though from his holy office more disposed, we may believe, to mercy than any secular prince, adjudged the unhappy creature to the scaffold.

Bitter as may be the odium theologicum, it is yet mere milk and water compared to the intensity of family hatred where it once unfortunately takes root; and the first Lord Lyttleton, notwithstanding his talents and professions of Christian principles, had yet his full share of this unchristian spirit. As a trifling, but not less characteristic token of his enmity, he bequeathed the office of editing his works to his nephew, Captain Ayscough -plainly proving by this act that he was much more. influenced by hatred of his son, than by any regard for public morals; even if the worst be true that has been said of Lord Lyttleton, he was yet, in every respect, to be preferred to his cousin-captain, who, though a military man, had suffered himself to be repeatedly and grossly insulted by the same individual, without daring to resent the affront, and had absolutely resigned his commission rather than go out to America to fight the battles of his King and country. Of his morals we may judge by the fact of his having died the victim of the coarsest debauchery, and leaving behind him a diary more disgustingly licentious than the pages of Aratine himself. There can be little doubt, indeed, that Lord Lyttleton speaks with no more than common fairness of the motives which led to this preference, when he thus alludes to the affair in his published letters :-" The dedication to myself is a wretched business. You wonder why I did not write a better for him myself; and I would most surely have done it, but among many other excellent qualities which this dedicator possesses, he is a blab of the first delivery,