The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 5 (of 8) — John Shaqi
The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 5 (of 8)Wordsworth, William
General
The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 5 (of 8)
Wordsworth, William
English poetry -- 18th century; English poetry -- 19th century
The next character, to whom the priest is led by contrast with the
resoluteness displayed by the foregoing, is taken from a person born and
bred in Grasmere, by name Dawson; and whose talents, dispositions, and
way of life, were such as are here delineated. I did not know him, but
all was fresh in memory when we settled at Grasmere in the beginning of
the century. From this point the conversation leads to the mention of two
individuals, who, by their several fortunes, were, at different times,
driven to take refuge at the small and obscure town of Hawkshead on the
skirt of these mountains. Their stories I had from the dear old dame with
whom, as a schoolboy, and afterwards, I lodged for nearly the space of
ten years. The elder, the Jacobite, was named Drummond, and was of a high
family in Scotland; the Hanoverian Whig bore the name of Vandeput, and
might, perhaps, be a descendant of some Dutchman who had come over in the
train of King William. At all events, his zeal was such, that he ruined
himself by a contest for the representation of London or Westminster,
undertaken to support his Party, and retired to this corner of the
world, selected (as it had been by Drummond) for that obscurity which,
since visiting the Lakes became fashionable, it has no longer retained.
So much was this region considered out of the way till a late period,
that persons who had fled from justice used often to resort hither for
concealment, and some were so bold as to not unfrequently make excursions
from the place of their retreat for the purpose of committing fresh
offences. Such was particularly the case with two brothers of the name of
Weston, who took up their abode at Old Brathay, I think about seventy
years ago. They were highwaymen, and lived there some time without being
discovered, though it was known that they often disappeared, in a way,
and upon errands, which could not be accounted for. Their horses were
noticed as being of a choice breed, and I have heard from the Relph
family, one of whom was a saddler in the town of Kendal, that they were
curious in their saddles, and housings, and accoutrements of their
horses. They, as I have heard, and as was universally believed, were, in
the end, both taken and hanged.
Tall was her stature; her complexion dark
And saturnine.
This person lived at Town-end, and was almost our next neighbour. I have
little to notice concerning her beyond what is said in the poem. She
was a most striking instance how far a woman may surpass in talent, in
knowledge, and culture of mind, those with and among whom she lives,
and yet fall below them in Christian virtues of the heart and spirit.
It seemed almost, and I say it with grief, that in proportion as she
excelled in the one, she failed in the other. How frequently has one
to observe in both sexes the same thing, and how mortifying is the
reflection!
As, on a sunny bank, a tender lamb
Lurks in safe shelter from the winds of March.
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