Note 385 — Chapter XXII · Declining Years of Boulton and Watt—Bereavements—Gregory Watt—Death of Boulton.

Lockhart’s ‘Life of Scott.’ 8vo. ed. p. 457. One of Scott’s visits to Soho was made in company with his wife in the spring of 1803. Boulton was so pleased with the visit, that he urged Scott, or at least his wife, to repeat it, which produced the following letter, dated London, 13th May, 1803:—

“My dear Sir,—He was a wise man who said ‘Trust not thy wife with a man of fair tongue.’ Now as I have very little wisdom of my own, I am content to gather all I can get at second hand, and therefore, upon the faith of the sage whom I have quoted, I should be guilty of great imprudence were I to permit Charlotte to wait upon you on her return, or even to answer your kind letter to Mr. Dumergue. That task I therefore take upon myself, and you must receive my thanks along with hers, for your very kind and flattering invitation to Soho. But independent of my just suspicion of a beau who writes such flattering love-letters to my wife, our time here (owing to the sitting of our Courts of Justice, which I must necessarily attend), lays us under an indispensable necessity of returning to Scotland as speedily as possible, and by the nearest road. We can therefore only express our joint and most sincere regret that we cannot upon this occasion have the honour and satisfaction of visiting Soho and its hospitable inhabitants. Mrs. Nicolson, Mr. and Miss Dumergue join Charlotte and me in the most sincere good wishes to Miss Boulton, to you, and to all your friends; and I suspect so foolish a letter will make you believe you have escaped a very idle visitor in,

“Dear Sir,

“Your very faithful servant,

“Walter Scott.”