Waverley; or, 'Tis sixty years since — CompleteScott, Walter
History
Waverley; or, 'Tis sixty years since — Complete
Scott, Walter
Historical fiction; Jacobite Rebellion, 1745-1746 -- Fiction; Scotland -- History -- 18th century -- Fiction
Little wot ye wha's coming,
Little wot ye wha's coming,
A' the wild Macraws are coming.'
The Vulcan of Cairnvreckan, who acknowledged his Venus in this exulting
Bacchante, regarded her with a grim and ire-foreboding countenance,
while some of the senators of the village hastened to interpose.
'Whisht, gudewife; is this a time or is this a day to be singing your
ranting fule sangs in?--a time when the wine of wrath is poured out
without mixture in the cup of indignation, and a day when the land
should give testimony against popery, and prelacy, and quakerism, and
independency, and supremacy, and erastianism, and antinomianism, and a'
the errors of the church?'
'And that's a' your Whiggery,' reechoed the Jacobite heroine; 'that's
a' your Whiggery, and your presbytery, ye cut-lugged, graning carles!
What! d' ye think the lads wi' the kilts will care for yer synods and
yer presbyteries, and yer buttock-mail, and yer stool o' repentance?
Vengeance on the black face o't! mony an honester woman's been set upon
it than streeks doon beside ony Whig in the country. I mysell--'
Here John Mucklewrath, who dreaded her entering upon a detail of
personal experience, interposed his matrimonial authority. 'Gae hame,
and be d--(that I should say sae), and put on the sowens for supper.'
'And you, ye doil'd dotard,' replied his gentle helpmate, her wrath,
which had hitherto wandered abroad over the whole assembly, being at
once and violently impelled into its natural channel, 'YE stand there
hammering dog-heads for fules that will never snap them at a
Highlandman, instead of earning bread for your family and shoeing this
winsome young gentleman's horse that's just come frae the north! I'se
warrant him nane of your whingeing King George folk, but a gallant
Gordon, at the least o' him.'
The eyes of the assembly were now turned upon Waverley, who took the
opportunity to beg the smith to shoe his guide's horse with all speed,
as he wished to proceed on his journey; for he had heard enough to make
him sensible that there would be danger in delaying long in this place.
The smith's eyes rested on him with a look of displeasure and
suspicion, not lessened by the eagerness with which his wife enforced
Waverley's mandate. 'D'ye hear what the weel-favoured young gentleman
says, ye drunken ne'er-do-good?'
'And what may your name be, sir?' quoth Mucklewrath.
'It is of no consequence to you, my friend, provided I pay your labour.'
'But it may be of consequence to the state, sir,' replied an old
farmer, smelling strongly of whisky and peat-smoke; 'and I doubt we
maun delay your journey till you have seen the Laird.'
'You certainly,' said Waverley, haughtily, 'will find it both difficult
and dangerous to detain me, unless you can produce some proper
authority.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account