THE LA WNMARKET. 167
. An ancient land in Johnston’s Close, on the south side of the Lawnmarket, immediately
behind the West Bow, exhibits an unusually picturesque character in its gloomy
interior, abounding with plain arched recesses and corbelled projections, scattered throughout
in the most irregular and lawless fashion, and with narrow windows thrust into the
oddest corners, or up even above the very cornice of the ceiling, in order to catch every
wandering ray of borrowed light, amid the jostling of its pent-up neighbourhood. A view
of the largest apartment is given in the Abbotsford edition of the Waverley Novels, under
the name of ‘‘ Hall of the Knights of St John, St John’s Close, Canongate.” We have
failed in every attempt to obtain any clue to the early history of the building, which
tradition has associated with this ancient order of soldier-priests.
In the first and smaller court of Riddle’s Close, immediately to the east of this, there
is a lofty land with a projecting turret stair, bearing the date 1726, although a portion
of the building to the south belongs to a much earlier period. This lofty tenement
derives an interest from the fact of its having been the first residence of David Hume, as
an independent householder in Edinburgh,-adding another link to the associations with
which the Lawnmarket abounds in connection with the great philosopher. He removed
thither from Ninewells in 1751, from whence he writes, shortly after, to Adam Smith,
‘‘ Direct to me in Riddal’s Land, Lawnmarket.” He thus facetiously describes to the great
political economist, his own first attempts at domestic economy +‘ I have now at lastbeing
turned of- forty, to my own honour, to that of learning, and to that of the present age,
-arrived at the dignity of being a householder. About seven months ago I got a house
of my own, and completed a regular family, consisting of a head-viz., myself, and two
iuferior members-” maid and a cat. BIy sister has since joined me, and keeps me company.
With frugality, I can reach, I find, cleanliness, warmth, light, plenty, and contentment.
What would you have more ? Independence ? I have it in a supreme degree.
Honour? That is not altogether wanting. Grace? That will come in time. A wife?
That is none of the indispensable requisites of life. Books ? That is one of them, and I
have more thau I can use,” &c.’ The titles of this property include “ an express servitude
upon the tenement of land called Major Weir’s Land, sometime belonging to James
Riddle of Caister, in the county of Norfolk, in England ; that the same shall not be built
higher than it is at present, lest it may anywise hurt or prejudice the said subject.”
From a comparison of dates, no doubt can exist that Hume commenced his History of
England in Riddle’s Land, though the bulk of it was written after his removal to Jack’s
Land, Canongate.
An interesting mansion, of a much earlier date, but of equally lofty character, occupies
the opposite side of this narrow court. Entering the doorway under a corbelled angle,
whGh adapts the projecting staircase to its narrow site, the visitor ascends a substantial
stone stair to a broad landing on the second floor, Here the stair seems to terminate,
but, on proceeding along the dark passage a little way, he will be surprised to stumble
on another equally substantial, though somewhat narrower, rather puzzling him to conjecture
by what species of substructure it reaches a foundation on terra-firm& Without
ascending this second stair, however, he will reach a large apartment, now occupied as
a bookbinder’s workshop, although retaining the proscenium and other requisites for
Burton’a Life of Hume, vol. i. p. 377.
