Marmion

Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field is a historical romance in verse of 16th-century Scotland and England by Sir Walter Scott, published in 1808. Consisting of six cantos, each with an introductory epistle, and copious antiquarian notes, it concludes with the Battle of Flodden in 1513. The introductory epistle to the first canto of Marmion is internally dated November, and there is no reason to doubt that it was written in that month of 1806. At this time Scott was entering...
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Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field is a historical romance in verse of 16th-century Scotland and England by Sir Walter Scott, published in 1808. Consisting of six cantos, each with an introductory epistle, and copious antiquarian notes, it concludes with the Battle of Flodden in 1513.

The introductory epistle to the first canto of Marmion is internally dated November, and there is no reason to doubt that it was written in that month of 1806. At this time Scott was entering into correspondence with the Durham antiquary Robert Surtees, and in December they discussed the account given by Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie of the supernatural summons of James IV and several of his nobles to appear before Pluto, which Scott uses in the fifth canto: Scott refers to his developing poem, so it is clear that the overall shape of the work was clear from the outset. Moreover, Surtees sent Scott two forgeries of his own, an account in Latin of ghostly combat and a ballad, both of which also appear in the poem.

On 30 January 1807, Archibald Constable concluded an agreement to pay 1,000 guineas (£1,050) for the copyright: the sum may have originated with Scott in previous negotiations with Longman. William Miller and John Murray each agreed to take a 25% share in the project. Murray observed: "We both view it as honorable, profitable, and glorious to be concerned in the publication of a new poem by Walter Scott." Scott said that he thoroughly enjoyed writing the work. He told his son-in-law, Lockhart: "Oh, man, I had many a grand gallop among these braes when I was thinking of Marmion." The poem took much longer to compose than Scott had hoped: he was held up by personal and family difficulties and other occupations, and it was probably January 1808 before it was finished.