Lives of Scottish Poets, Volume 1T. Boys and sold, 1822 - 378 pages |
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Aberdeen admirable afterwards Alexander Alexander Barclay Allan ALLAN RAMSAY ancient Andrew Wyntoun appears auld Barbour bard Beattie Burns called Castle celebrated character Chaucer church death Douglas Drummond Duke of Albany Dunbar Earl Edinburgh edition elegance eminent England English fair fame father friends Gavin Douglas genius Gentle Shepherd grene heart Henry Henry the Minstrel Home honour James JAMES BEATTIE John King Hart lady language Lindsay literary lived London Lord LUDGATE HILL Marischal Marischal College merit Meston mind Minstrel muse native never parish period piece Pinkerton poem poet poetical poetry possessed prince printed probably productions published Ramsay reputation ROBERT BURNS romance says scarcely Scot Scotland Scottish shew Sir James Inglis Sir Tristrem song stanza style supposed taste tayl thair thee thing Thomas Rymour Thomas the Rhymer Thomson thou tion verses write written wrote Wyntoun young
Popular passages
Page 121 - Falsely luxurious ! will not man awake ; And, springing from the bed of sloth, enjoy The cool, the fragrant, and the silent hour, To meditation due, and sacred song...
Page 126 - Thou ling'ring star, with less'ning ray, That lov'st to greet the early morn, Again thou usher'st in the day My Mary from my soul was torn. O Mary! dear departed shade! Where is thy place of blissful rest? Seest thou thy lover lowly laid? Hear'st thou the groans that rend his breast?
Page 81 - He is a great lover and praiser of himself, a contemner and scorner of others, given rather to lose a friend than a jest, jealous of every word and action of those about him, (especially after drink, which is one of the elements in which he liveth...
Page 123 - As a writer he is entitled to one praise of the highest kind : his mode of thinking-, and of expressing his thoughts, is original. His blank verse is no more the blank verse of Milton, or of any other poet, than the rhymes of Prior are the rhymes of Cowley. His numbers, his pauses, his diction, are of his own growth, without transcription, without imitation.
Page 119 - Swimmer, and rigorously abstinent; but, said Savage, he knows not any love but that of the sex; he was perhaps never in cold water in his life; and he indulges himself in all the luxury that comes within his reach.
Page 118 - Sir William Wallace. 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...
Page 126 - Muse employ'd her heaven-taught lyre None but the noblest passions to inspire, Not one immoral, one corrupted thought, One line, which dying he could wish to blot.
Page 122 - I did nothing but craze the faculties of my soul about her, or steal out to meet her ; and the two last nights of my stay in the country, had sleep been a mortal sin, the image of this modest and innocent girl had kept me guiltless.
Page 128 - I had been for some days skulking from covert to covert, under all the terrors of a jail ; as some ill-advised people had uncoupled the merciless pack of the law at my heels. I had taken the last farewell of my few friends ; my chest was on the road to Greenock, I had composed the last song I should ever measure in Caledonia, The gloomy night is gat heriag fast,* when a letter from Dr. Blacklock to a friend of mine, overthrew all my schemes, by opening new prospects to my poetic ambition.
Page 125 - I am quite transported at the thought, that ere long, perhaps very soon, I shall bid an eternal adieu to all the pains, and...