To my mind,
the four great novels of Scott are _Ivanhoe_, _Quentin Durward_, _The
Talisman_ and _The Heart of Midlothian_. The first gives you feudal
England as no one else has painted it, with a picture of Richard the
Lion-Hearted which no historian has ever approached. It contains some
of the most thrilling scenes in all fiction.
James Payn, who was a very clever novelist, relates the story that he
and two literary friends agreed to name the scene in all fiction that
they regarded as the most dramatic. When they came to compare notes
they found that all three had chosen the same--the entry of the
unknown knight at Ashby de la Zouch, who passes by the tents of the
other contestants and strikes with a resounding clash the shield of
the haughty Templar. This romance also contains one of Scott's finest
women, the Jewess Rebecca, who atones for the novelist's many insipid
female characters. Scott was much like Stevenson--he preferred to draw
men, and he was happiest when in the clash of arms or about to
undertake a desperate adventure.
_Quentin Durward_ is memorable for its splendid picture of Louis XI,
one of the ablest as well as one of the meanest men who ever sat on a
throne. The early chapters of this novel, which describe the
adventures of the young Scotch soldier at the court of France, have
never been surpassed in romantic interest. _The Talisman_ gives the
glory and the romance of the Crusades as no other imaginative work has
done.
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