The Actis and Deidis of the Illustere and Vailšeand Campioun Schir William Wallace, Knicht of Ellerslie: By Henry the Minstrel, Commonly Known as Blind Harry

Front Cover
Society, 1889 - 567 pages
 

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

Popular passages

Page xx - The History of Sir William Wallace." Hannibal gave my young ideas such a turn, that 1 used to strut in raptures up and down after the recruiting drum and bag-pipe, and wish myself tall enough to be a soldier ; while the story of Wallace poured a Scottish prejudice into my veins, which will boil along there till the flood-gates of life shut in eternal rest.
Page xxix - A! fredome is a noble thing, Fredome mays man to haiff liking, Fredome all solace to man giffis, He levys at es that frely levys.
Page xx - I met with these pieces in Mason's English Collection, one of my school-books. The two first books I ever read in private, and which gave me more pleasure than any two books I ever read since, were, The Life of Hannibal, and The History of Sir William Wallace...
Page 66 - In till his hart he was gretlye agast. Rycht weill he trowit that was no spreit of man ; It was sum dewill, at sic malice began.
Page vii - Henry, who was blind from his birth, in the time of my infancy composed the whole Book of William Wallace; and committed to writing in vulgar poetry, in which he was well skilled, the things that were commonly related of him. For my own part, I give only partial credit to writings of this description. By the recitation of these, however, in the presence of men of the highest rank, he procured, as...
Page 10 - Schyrreff he was, and wsyt thaim amang; Full sar he dred or Wallas suld tak wrang: For he and thai couth neuir weyle accord. He gat a blaw, thocht he war lad or lord, That proferryt him ony lychtlynes; 350 Bot thai raparyt our mekill to that place.
Page xxi - Let him follow me! By Oppression's woes and pains! By your sons in servile chains! We will drain our dearest veins, But they shall be free! •Lay the proud usurpers low ! Tyrants fall in every foe ! Liberty's in every blow! Let us do or die...
Page 300 - Amang the ded men sekand the worthiast, The corss off Graym, for quham he murned mast. Quhen thai him fand, and gud Wallace him saw, He lychtyt doun, and hynt him fra thaim aw 565 In armyss vp; behaldand his paill face, He kyssyt him, and cryt full oft;
Page 66 - His suerd he drew of nobill mettall keyne, Syn furth he went quhar at he hard the home. With out the dur Fawdoun was him beforn, As till his sycht, his awne hed in his hand...
Page 25 - He wsyt offt to that religiouss place. The peple demyt of witt mekill he can; And so he told, thocht at thai bliss or ban, Quhilk hapnyt suth in...

Bibliographic information