Life of Robert BurnsDelisser & Procter, 1859 - 203 pages |
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Page 7
... perhaps than most . " At Edinburgh , the professor of " controver- sial metaphysic " in Carlyle's day , was Dr. Thomas Brown , Dugald Stewart having then just retired ; physical science and mathemat- ics , were represented by Playfair ...
... perhaps than most . " At Edinburgh , the professor of " controver- sial metaphysic " in Carlyle's day , was Dr. Thomas Brown , Dugald Stewart having then just retired ; physical science and mathemat- ics , were represented by Playfair ...
Page 54
... perhaps too dark . The Rev. Mr. Gray , who , as the teacher of his son , was intimately ac- quainted with Burns , and had frequent opportunities of judging of his general character and deportment , gives a more amiable portrait of the ...
... perhaps too dark . The Rev. Mr. Gray , who , as the teacher of his son , was intimately ac- quainted with Burns , and had frequent opportunities of judging of his general character and deportment , gives a more amiable portrait of the ...
Page 66
... perhaps , painfully feel , toiling at their side through the poor jostlings of existence , can be made of finer clay than themselves . Suppose that some dining acqaintance of Sir Thomas Lucy's , and neighbour of John a Combe's , had ...
... perhaps , painfully feel , toiling at their side through the poor jostlings of existence , can be made of finer clay than themselves . Suppose that some dining acqaintance of Sir Thomas Lucy's , and neighbour of John a Combe's , had ...
Page 68
... perhaps than he avow- ed to his readers , or even to himself ; yet he everywhere introduces him with a certain patronizing , apologetic air ; as if the polite public might think it strange and half unwarrantable that he , a man of ...
... perhaps than he avow- ed to his readers , or even to himself ; yet he everywhere introduces him with a certain patronizing , apologetic air ; as if the polite public might think it strange and half unwarrantable that he , a man of ...
Page 71
... end of Biography . Our notions upon this subject may perhaps appear extrava- gant ; but if an individual is really of consequence enough to have his life and character recorded for public remem- brance , we have always Life of Burns . 71.
... end of Biography . Our notions upon this subject may perhaps appear extrava- gant ; but if an individual is really of consequence enough to have his life and character recorded for public remem- brance , we have always Life of Burns . 71.
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Common terms and phrases
affection Allan Ramsay already ance appeared beauty believe better British British literature brother Burns's Byron Carlyle Carlyle's character clear critic curlew dark death discern Dugald Stewart Dumfries Edinburgh English Eolian existence external farm Fate father favor feeling flattered friends genius gift glory Göthe happy heart heroic highest honor humor jects John Sterling kind learned less light literary literature live look man's Mauchline means ment mind moral Mossgiel muse nature ness never noble passions perhaps period person pieces pity poems poetic poetry poor rank Religion rhymed Robert Burns rustic Sartor Sartor Resartus scene Scot Scotland Scottish Scottish literature seems Shakspeare sing Sir Walter Scott Songs of Burns soul speak spirit strength strong Tam O'Shanter Tarbolton thing Thomas Thomas Carlyle thought tion true poet truth verses virtue whole wonder words worldly write
Popular passages
Page 113 - Or thro' the drift, deep-lairing, sprattle, Beneath a scaur. Ilk happing bird, wee helpless thing, That in the merry months o' spring Delighted me to hear thee sing, What comes o...
Page 109 - We know nothing, or next to nothing, of the substance or structure of our souls, so cannot account for those seeming caprices in them, that one should be particularly pleased with this thing, or struck with that, which, on minds of a different cast, makes no extraordinary impression. I have some...
Page 34 - The collection of songs was my vade mecum. I pored over them, driving my cart, or walking to labor, song by song, verse by verse; carefully noting the true tender, or sublime, from affectation and fustian. I am convinced I owe to this practice much of my criticcraft, such as it is.
Page 30 - Though it cost the schoolmaster some thrashings, I made an excellent English scholar ; and by the time I was ten or eleven years of age, I was a critic in substantives, verbs, and particles.
Page 184 - ... it has offered for Wisdom, the welcome with which it has greeted those who have come to enlighten and purify it. Homer and Socrates, and the Christian Apostles, belong to old days ; but the world's Martyrology was not completed with these. Roger Bacon and Galileo languish in priestly dungeons; Tasso pines in the cell of a madhouse; Camoens dies begging on the streets of Lisbon. So neglected, so 'persecuted they the Prophets,' not in Judea only, but in all places where men have been.
Page 72 - With what endeavours and what efficacy rule over them ; with what resistance and what suffering sink under them? In one word, what and how produced was the effect of society on him; what and how produced was his effect on society ? He who should answer these questions, in regard to any individual, would, as we believe, furnish a model of perfection in biography.
Page 32 - Hannibal gave my young ideas such a turn that I used to strut in raptures up and down after the recruiting drum and bagpipe, 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 floodgates of life shut in eternal rest.
Page 171 - ... was gay with successive groups of gentlemen and ladies, all drawn together for the festivities of the night, not one of whom appeared willing to recognise him. The horseman dismounted, and joined Burns, who on his proposing to cross the street said: " Nay, nay, my young friend, that's all over now;" and quoted, after a pause, some verses of Lady Grizzel Baillie's pathetic ballad:
Page 173 - If he entered an inn at midnight, after all the inmates were in bed, the news of his arrival circulated from the cellar to the garret; and ere ten minutes had elapsed, the landlord and all his guests were assembled!
Page 170 - I have already more than once had occasion to refer to, has often told me that he was seldom more grieved, than when riding into Dumfries one fine summer evening about this time to attend a county ball, he saw Burns walking alone, on the shady side of the principal street of the town, while the opposite side was gay with successive groups of gentlemen and ladies, all drawn together for the festivities of the night, not one of whom appeared willing to recognise him.