2 46 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
he had been enabled nearly to double the space which the article occupied in
the first volume.
In the collection and arrangement of his ancient ‘‘ Scottish Ballads,” David
Herd received material assistance from Mr. Paton ; and there are even strong
reasons for believing that he “partly, if not wholly, edited the first edition.”
Mr. Paton remained all his life a bachelor ; but, although naturally of a
retiring disposition-solitary in his domestic habits-and by no means voluble
in general conversation, he was neither selfish in his disposition, nor unsocial
in the circle of those friends with whom kindred pursuits and sentiments brought
him into association. The best proof of this is the fact of his having regularly
frequented “ Johnie Dowie’s tavern ”-the well-known rendezvous of the Scottish
literati during the latter part of the last century. In a humorous description
of this “ howff,” ascribed to the muse of Mr. Hunter of Blackness, the subject
of this sketch is alluded to in one of the verses :-
“ 0, Geordie Robertson, dreigh loun,
And antiquarian Paton son’,
Wi’ mony ithers i’ the tom,
What will come o’er ye,
Gif Johnie Dowie should stap down
To the grave before ye 1”
A farther illustration of the social habits, as well as a glimpse of the peculiar
domestic eoonomy of “ antiquarian Paton,” is given in a pleasant editorial note
affixed to one of David Herd’s Letters to Mr. Paton, which letter is dated
“ Johnie Dowie’s, Tuesday evening,” 23d December 1788.--“ For many years of
his life our friend (the antiquary) invariably adjourned to take his bottle of ale
and gude ‘ buff’d herring,’ or ‘ roasted skate and ingans,’ to this far-famed tavern,
which was divided into cells, each sufficient, with good packing, to hold six
persons ; and there, with Herd, Cumming of the Lyon Office, and other friends
of the same kidney, the evenings pleasantly passed away. These meetings
were not unfrequently enlivened by the presence, at one period, of Fergusson
the poet, and more recently of Burns. Let it not be supposed that honest
George indulged in habits of intemperance. Such was not his custom ; one bottle
of ale would suffice for him, certainly not more ; and when his usual privation
is considered, it is surprising how moderate his desires were. He rose early in
the morning, and went to the Custom-House without tasting anything. Between
four and five (afternoon) he uniformly called at the shop of a well-known bibliopolist
of those times (Bailie Creech), from whom he was in the habit of picking
up rarities, and refreshed himself with a drink of cold water. He would then
say, ‘ Well, I’ll go home and take breakfast.’ This breakfast consisted of one
cup of coffee and a slice of bread. Between seven and eight he adjourned to the
place of meeting ; and some of the dainties enumerated in the poem (already
alluded to), and a bottle of “strong ale,” formed the remaining refreshmeht of
the day. The moment eleven “ chapped ” on St. Giles, he rose and retreated
to his domicile in Lady Stair’s Close. His signal for admittance was the sound
of his cane upon the pavement as he descended. In this way this primitive and
