The West of Scotland in History: Being Brief Notes Concerning Events, Family Traditions, Topography, and Institutions

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R. Forrester, 1885 - Scotland - 359 pages

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Page 332 - Renowned in Border story. Fair scenes for childhood's opening bloom, For sportive youth to stray in, For manhood to enjoy his strength ; And age to wear away in...
Page 262 - Poet's tomb is there. But what to them the sculptor's art, His funeral columns, wreaths, and urns...
Page 251 - My Highland lassie was a warm-hearted, charming < young creature as ever blessed a man with generous love. After a pretty long tract of the most ardent reciprocal attachment, we met by appointment on the second Sunday of May, in a sequestered spot by the banks of Ayr, where we spent the day in taking a farewell before she should embark for the West Highlands, to arrange matters among her friends for our projected change of life.
Page 117 - Here, early to bed, lies kind WILLIAM MAGINN, Who, with genius, wit, learning, life's trophies to win, Had neither great lord nor rich cit of his kin, Nor discretion to set himself up as to tin ; So, his portion soon spent — like the poor heir of Lynn — He turned author...
Page 26 - ... enable him to distinguish himself — but in vain. He moved, however, for the writ, making the best use he could of the observations in the brief. The judge was perfectly astonished, and the audience amazed. The judge said, " I never heard of such a writ — what can it be that adheres pavimento ? Are any of you gentlemen at the bar able to explain this ?
Page 88 - As for Mac Ian of Glencoe and that tribe, if they can be well distinguished from the other Highlanders, it will be proper, for the vindication of public justice, to extirpate that set of thieves.
Page 227 - Cathedral, and build, with the material thereof, some little churches in other parts for the ease of the citizens. Divers reasons were given for it, such as the resort of superstitious people to do their devotion in that place ; the huge vastness of the church, and that the voice of a preacher could not be heard by the multitudes that convened to sermon ; the more commodious service of the people ; and the removing of that idolatrous monument (so they called it) which was, of all the cathedrals in...
Page 250 - For my own affairs, I am in a fair way of becoming as eminent as Thomas a Kempis or John Bunyan ; and you may expect henceforth to see my birth-day inserted among the wonderful events, in the Poor Robin's and Aberdeen Almanacks, along with the Black Monday, and the battle of Bothwell bridge.
Page 117 - Irish brains he would spin ; Who received prose and rhyme with a promising grin — " Go a-head, you queer fish, and more power to your fin," But to save from starvation stirred never a pin. Light for long was his heart, though his breeches were thin, Else his acting for certain was equal to Quin ; But at last he was beat, and sought help of the bin (All the same to the doctor, from claret to gin), Which led swiftly to jail, and consumption therein.
Page 68 - The brook took them into the Avon, the Avon into the Severn, the Severn into the narrow seas, they into the main ocean, — and thus the ashes of Wycliffe are the emblems of his doctrine, which is now dispersed all . the world over.

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