Lay of the Last Minstrel, The

The, a narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott published in 1805. It is a sixteenth century tale, and the scene is laid on the Scottish border. This poem was Scott's first great literary success and made him immediately famous. In Abbotsford Irving tells how Johnny Bower, sexton of the parish and custodian of the ruin at Melrose, appreciated this poem. The old man hated desperately to hear any other of Scott's writings ranked above it. He said, "Faith, it's just e'en as gude a thing as Mr. Scott has written--an' if he were stannin' here I'd tell him so--an' then he'd lauff." See Scott; Walter