But he took for granted that while only "silly"
persons believed in Rome, and only "infidels" rejected an
authoritative creed altogether, it was quite easy by the exercise of
common sense, to find the true compromise between reason and religious
humility. Had Scott lived through the religious controversies of our
own days, it seems not unlikely that with his vivid imagination, his
warm Conservatism, and his rather inadequate critical powers, he might
himself have become a Roman Catholic.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 47: Lockhart's _Life of Scott_, ii. 328.]
[Footnote 48: Lockhart's _Life of Scott_, x. 47.]
[Footnote 49: Lockhart's _Life of Scott_, iii. 34.]
[Footnote 50: Ibid., ix. 305.]
CHAPTER XV.
SCOTT IN ADVERSITY.
With the year 1825 came a financial crisis, and Constable began to
tremble for his solvency. From the date of his baronetcy Sir Walter
had launched out into a considerable increase of expenditure. He got
plans on a rather large scale in 1821 for the increase of Abbotsford,
which were all carried out.
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