The Domestic Manners and Private Life of Sir Walter Scott |
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Abbotsford Adam Ferguson admiration afterwards Allan Cunningham Altrive amusement anecdotes appeared auld ballad Bard began believe better Blackwood booksellers Buccleuch Burns called Calton Hill character Crosslee dinner Duke Edinburgh edition Ettrick Forest Ettrick Shepherd eyes farm favourite feeling genius gentleman Guy Mannering hand head heard heart hills Hogg Hogg's honour humour illustrious imagination James Ballantyne James Hogg Johnie Ballantyne kind knew lady Laidlaw laugh literary Lockhart Lord Lord Byron mair manuscript merit mind Minstrelsy misfortunes never night obliged Old Mortality once opinion paper poem poet poetical poetry prose publication published Queen's Wake review of Marmion Scotland Scottish sheep Sir Walter Scott song St Mary's Loch story success sure tale talent thing thought Three Perils tion told took volume walk whole William Laidlaw word write ye hae ye ken
Popular passages
Page 12 - I know not, but it was not without singularity. Having very little spare time from my flock, which was unruly enough, I folded and stitched a few sheets of paper, which I carried in my pocket. I had no inkhorn ; but, in place of it...
Page 68 - ... and recited it every word from beginning to end. It being a very long ballad, consisting of eighty-eight stanzas, I testified my astonishment.
Page 67 - Elibank; but when we came to kindle our light, behold our peat was gone out. This was a terrible disappointment, but to think of giving up our sport was out of the question, so we had no other shift save to send Rob Fletcher all the way through the darkness, the distance of two miles, for another fiery peat.
Page 105 - So powerful was the magic strain. Blest be his generous heart for aye ! He told me where the relic lay ; Pointed my way with ready will, Afar on Ettrick's wildest hill ; Watched my first notes with curious eye, And wondered at my minstrelsy : He little weened a parent's tongue Such strains had o!er my cradle sung. O could the bard 1 loved so long Reprove my fond aspiring song ? Or could his tongue of candour say, That I should throw my harp away...
Page 61 - Maitlan' to him, with which he was highly delighted, and asked her if she thought it ever had been in print ? And her answer was, " O na, na, sir, it never was printed i' the world, for my broihers an
Page 12 - But then the writing of them ! — that was a job ! I had no method of learning to write, save by following the Italian alphabet; and though I always stripped myself of coat and vest when I began to pen a song, yet my wrist took a cramp, so that I could rarely make above four or six lines at a sitting.
Page 61 - They were made for singing an' no for reading; but ye hae broken the charm now, an' they'll never be sung mair. An' the worst thing of a', they're nouther right spell'd nor right setten down.
Page 50 - ... a more worthy, modest, sober, and loyal man does not exist in his Majesty's dominions than this distinguished poet, whom some of his waggish friends have taken up the absurd fancy of exhibiting in print as a sort of boozing buffoon ; and who is now, instead of revelling in the...
Page 114 - Ballantyne had not left a written character of him, for he could and would have done him justice. But the interesting part of their correspondence will soon all come to light in Lockhart's life of his illustrious father-in-law. He was the only one I ever knew whom no man, either poor or rich, held at ill-will. I was the only exception myself, that ever came to my knowledge, but that was only for a short season, and all the while it never lessened his interest in my welfare.
Page 101 - In we went, and were received with all the affection of old friends, but his whole discourse was addressed to my wife, while I was left to shift for myself among books and newspapers. He talked to her of our family, and of our prospects of being able to give them a good education, which he recommended at every risk, and at every sacrifice.