ENGLISH MEN OF LETTERS1902 |
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50 cents Abbotsford admiration afterwards amusing Ashestiel ballad better Border Minstrelsy brother called canto cents certainly character Clerk of Session Cloth Conservatism Constable course Covenanter criticism death delight diary died doubt Duke duty Edinburgh edition English Erskine eyes father favourite feeling Fleming gave genius Geordie George give Goethe harper heart honour horse humour Illustrated imagination impression interest James Ballantyne Jedburgh Joanna Baillie John Ballantyne judge kind king labour Lady Laidlaw Lasswade Last Minstrel least less literary lived Lockhart's London look Lord Lord Holland Marmion mind nature never novels Old Mortality painting picture poem poet poetic poetry political pride publishing Queen Redgauntlet romantic scene Scotch seems Shakespeare Sir Walter Scott sort story strong thought tion Tom Purdie Tom Scott took touched Tweed Waverley whilk wild William Clerk Wordsworth writing wrote young youth
Popular passages
Page 175 - We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven ; that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Page 105 - That young lady had a talent for describing the involvements and feelings and characters of ordinary life, which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with. The Big Bow-wow strain I can do myself like any now going ; but the exquisite touch, which renders ordinary commonplace things and characters interesting, from the truth of the description and the sentiment, is denied to me.
Page 43 - Minstrelsy than even in The Lay of the Last Minstrel, Marmion, and The Lady of the Lake taken together.
Page 59 - Are maddening in the rear. Onward they drive in dreadful race Pursuers and pursued ; Before that tide of flight and chase How shall it keep its rooted place, The spearmen's twilight wood ?
Page 52 - The pitying Duchess praised its chime, And gave him heart, and gave him time, Till every string's according glee Was blended into harmony. And then he said, he would full fain He could recall an ancient strain, He never thought to sing again. It was not framed for village churls, But for high dames and mighty earls...
Page 16 - Of witches' spells, of warriors' arms, Of patriot battles, won of old By Wallace wight and Bruce the bold ; Of later fields of feud and fight, When, pouring from their Highland height, The Scottish clans, in headlong sway, Had swept the scarlet ranks away. While...
Page 58 - There breathed no wind their crests to shake, Or wave their flags abroad; Scarce the frail aspen seem'd to quake, That shadow'd o'er their road. Their vaward...
Page 59 - At once there rose so wild a yell Within that dark and narrow dell, As all the fiends, from heaven that fell, Had pealed the banner-cry of hell...
Page 19 - Often in after-life has the sight of him smote me as I passed by him; and often have I resolved to make him some reparation ; but it ended in good resolutions. Though I never renewed my acquaintance with him, I often saw him, for he filled some inferior office in one of the courts of law at Edinburgh. Poor fellow ! I believe he is dead : he took early to drinking.
Page 153 - WS, and yet the feeling is unmanly. I have Anne, my wife, and Charles to look after. I felt rather sneaking as I came home from the Parliament- House — felt as if I were liable monstrari digito in no very pleasant way.