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LIFE AND SONGS
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LIFE AND SONGS OF THE
BARONESS NAIRNE
WITH A MEMOIR AND POEMS OF CAROLINE OLIPHANT THE YOUNGER
EDITED BY
CHARLES ROGERS, LL.D.
WITH A PORTRAIT AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS
EDINBURGH JOHN GRANT
MCMV
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
The rapid sale of the First Edition of this Work has entirely justified the 'publication of Lady Nairne's Songs in connection with a Memoir of her life. In preparing the present Edition, the Editor has bestowed additional care on every department of the volume. Several songs included in the First Edition have been omitted, on evidence which seemed to be conclusive that they were not composed by the Baroness, though published in the posthumous collection of her songs, with
63194?
vi Preface.
music, entitled " Lays from Strathearn." Few of the excluded compositions bear those touches of genius which attach to the genuine produc- tions of the Strathearn Poetess. The Editor believes that the public may confidently accept all the songs contained in the present volume as being certainly composed by the gifted Baroness.
The Memoir has been thoroughly revised and materially extended. The narrative of a two years' residence on the Continent with Lady Nairne, at the most eventful period of her history, from the pen of her grandniece, Mrs. G. F. Barbour, of Bonskeid, casts much additional light on her ladyship's qualities, both of mind and heart. In Mrs. Barbour's " Recollections " the reader will re- cognize better, than in any other portion of the Memoir, the Christian fortitude and deep sub-
Preface. vii
missiveness of one, who had long walked with her Saviour, and had found repose of spirit by the hallowed contemplation of the " Land o' the Leal.-'
From LadyNairne's niece, Mrs. Stewart Sande- man, the Editor has received many particulars which have tended to the general completeness of the Memoir. The history of her ladyship's residence in Ireland has been chiefly founded on the valuable communications of Miss Alicia Mason, of Dublin. To the Baroness's grand- nephew, Mr. Kington Oliphant of Gask, the Editor owes his special acknowledgments. From this gentleman he has procured many original letters and family papers, and the greater part of the information which has been embodied in the early portion of the Memoir. To Mr Oliphant he has also been indebted for the MSS. of Caro- line Oliphant the younger, and the particulars
viii Preface.
of her personal history. Other friends of the Baroness, to whom he is not privileged to refer more particularly, have assisted in the prepara- tion of the present and former edition.
Snowdoun Villa. Lewisham. Kent.
CONTENTS
Memoir of Baroness Nairne .
Memoir of Caroline Oliphant the Younger
The Land o' the Leal
Caller Herrin' .
The Lass o' Cowrie
The County Meeting .
The Laird o' Cockpen .
The Fife Laird .
Jamie the Laird .
Archie's an Archer
Huntingtower .
The Pleughman .
O, WHA IS THIS COMIN'? .
The Auld House
The Banks of the Earn
Cairney Burn
Bonny Gascon Ha'
Hey the Rantin' Murray's Ha'
Kitty Reid's House
Castell Gloom .
O Stately stood the Baron's Ha'
Saw ye nae my Peggy ?
Bonnie ran the Burnie doon
fAGB
ib3 164 166 167 170 171
174 176 177 179 180 182 184
185 186
]88 189 190 192 193 195
Contents.
Joy of my Earliest Days
Adieu to Strathearn .
Charlie's Landing
Wha'll be King but Charlie'
My Bonnie Hieland Laddie
Gathering Song .
Charlie is my Darling
The Hundred Pipers
He's owre the Hills that I Lo'e Weel
Ye'll mount, Gudeman
Will ye no Come back again
The Lass of Livingstane
The White Rose o' Junk
The Attainted Scottish Nobles
The Women are a' gane Wud
What do ye think o' Geordie noo?
The Heiress
The Mitherless Lammie
Songs of my Native Land
The Bonniest Lass in a' the Warld
Kind Robin Lo'es me
My ain Kind Dearie, O
O, weel's me on my ain Man
Cauld Kail in Aberdeen
Cradle Song
The Robins' Nesi
Tammy
Lay bye yere Bawbee
The Twa Doos .
PAGB . 196
. 197 . 198
• 199
. 201
. 202
. 203
. 204
. 306
. 207
. 209
. 211
. 211
. 213
. 214
■ 215 . 3l8 . 219 . 220 . 221 . 222 . 223 . »24 . 225 . 226 . 227 . 229 . 230 . 231
Contents.
XI
Saw ye ne'er a Lanely Lassie?
The Maiden's Vow
Down the Burn, Davie
Bess is Young, and Bess is Fair
John Tod ....
Jeanie Deans
Fareweel, Edinburgh .
There grows a Bonnie Brier Bush
Wake, Irishmen, Wake,
A Heavenly Muse
DUNNOTTAR CaSTLE
The Pentland Hills
Lament of the Covenanter's Widow
The Regalia
The Lady Grange
Fell he on the Field of Fame
The Convict's Farewell
Ah, Little did mv Mother think
He's Lifeless amang the Rude Billows
True Love is watered aye wi' Tears
The Rowan Tree ^
The Voice of Spring
Her Home she is leaving
O Mountain Wild
Fareweel, O Fareweel . .
GuDE Nicht, and Joy be wi' yb a' ,
Rest is not herk
Would you be Young again ;
Here's to them that ark gan«
PAGE . 232
■ 232
. 233
. 234
. 234
. 236
. 238
. 240
. 241
• 243
• 243 . 24s . 247 . 248
• 250 . 251 . 253
• 254
• 255 . 256 . 258
• 259 . 260 . 261 . 262 . 263 . 264 . 265 . 266
Xll
Contents.
POEMS AND SONGS OF CAROLINE OLIPHANT THE YOUNGER.
|
page |
|
|
Lines on Dreams . . . . |
. 368 |
|
On Reading Lord Byron's Childe Harold |
. 271 |
|
The Nightingale . . . . |
. 273 |
|
The Garden at Gask . . . . |
. 274 |
|
Home in Heaven . . . . |
. 275 |
|
On Recovering from Sickness |
. 276 |
|
Oh, Never ! no, Never ! . . . |
• 277 |
|
Notes ..... |
• 279 |
|
Glossary ..... |
. 301 |
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Frontispiece — The Baroness Nairne . The Mansion of Nairne The Auld House o' Gask . Ruin of Gascon Hall .
152 182 186
MEMOIR
OP
BARONESS NAIRNE.
About the same period that Robert Burns was born in a peasant's cottage on the banks of the Doon, were ushered into existence, on Scottish soil, three other persons, destined to impress their names on the minstrelsy of their country. These three were women, each sprung of gentle blood, and reared amidst scenes conducive to poetic inspiration. Lady Anne Lindsay, eldest child of James, Earl of Balcarres, was bom in 1750; she was descended from a distinguished an- cestry, and, amidst the sylvan recesses of her paternal domains, cherished the pastoral Muse. In 1762, Joanna Baillie was given to her parents on the or- chard-clad banks of the Clyde ; she was the scion of a house remarkable for their patriotic virtues. She celebrated, in glowing verse, the passions which, under every variety of condition, have governed the human heart. The last of our group, Carolina Oli- phant, forms the subject of the present memoir.
B
14 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
She was born in " the auld house " of Gask, Perth- shire, on the 1 6th of August, 1766. Her father, Laurence OUphant, the laird of Gask, was head ot a family which had long made its mark in Scottish annals. The first Olifard (so the name was formerly written) recorded in history was David, who saved his namesake the King of Scotland at the siege of Win- chester in 1 142. The grants of the Olifards to the monasteries near the Tweed are set forth by George Chalmers in the Caledonia;* and Rymer, in his col- lection, has recorded their exploits. Walter Olifard, the Justiciary of Lothian, married a daughter of the Earl of Strathearn about 1200, and settled his de- scendants in Perthshire. William Olifard, the greatest man who ever bore the name, held out the Castle of Stirling against Edward I. in 1304, at a time when most other Scots were despairing of their country. His son Walter married a daughter of King Robert Bruce, as appears by a royal charter of 1364, whereby the lands of Gask were erected into a barony. The Oliphants dwelt at Aberdalgie until the middle of the fifteenth century, when they built the Castle of Dup- plin, and received a Peerage from James H. in 1458. Fifteen of the neighbouring gentlemen served the first Lord Oliphant in manrent. At Floddcn Field died Colin, the Master of Oliphant, and his brother Lau- rence, the Abbot of Inchaffray. Colin left two sons ; from the eldest sprang the Lords Oliphant, who * Chalmers' Caledonia, Vol. I., p. 515.
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 5
figured at the Rout of Solway and the Raid of Ruth- ven. The fifth Lord Oliphant, called in the Gask papers " ane base and unworthy man," succeeded in 1593 ; he squandered the greater part of the family inheritance in Perthshire, Caithness, Fife, Forfar, Had- dington, and Kincardine. His descendants lingered on in the sad plight of landless lords; the last of them died in 1751, acknowledging his kinsman Oli- phant of Gask as rightful heir to the Peerage.
We turn to this younger branch of the Oliphants, who spring from the second son of Colin, slain at Flodden. The third of this line bought from his spendthrift cousin many of the Perthshire acres, and got a charter under the Great Seal of the lands and barony of Gask in 1625. Next came Sir Laurence Oliphant, who was knighted by Charles II. at Perth ; he disinherited his firstborn, Patrick; but Patrick's son James got possession of Gask in 1705. This Laird had the wisdom to remain at home in 17 15, while his son Laurence bore arms under Lord Mar. A series of most interesting family papers, beginning from this date, are preserved at Gask. They com- prise letters from the Jacobite leaders ; an account of the rising in 1 7 1 9 in Mar's own handwriting ; narra- tives of battles and escapes ; poems, satirical and pathetic ; and the dying speeches of the chiefs who suffered death.* Laurence Oliphant lived to bear arms once more in 1745; he acted as Governor of
* These papers will shortly be published in a separate work.
1 6 Memoir of Ba7'oness Nairne.
Perth, the base of the Jacobite operations ; while his son Laurence was one of the aide-de-camps of Charles Edward on the march to Derby. The money accounts of the father are brought down to the day before CuUoden. The pair lurked in Buchan for six months, and then landed in Sweden, whence they made their way to France. They were both attainted, and they lived in exile for seventeen years, keeping journals of their travels. They were joined by Oliphant's wife, a daughter of Lord Nairne ; she was known in Perth- shire by the title of Lady Gask. Their estate, sadly shorn of its proportions, was bought back from Govern- ment in 1753 by their kinsmen at home for ;^i 6,000. In 1763 the Oliphants were allowed to return to Gask ; and four years later the father died, leaving a mass of interesting papers behind him. "Good worthy Gask," as the neighbours called him, is thus referred to by his gifted granddaughter : —
" The auld laird, the auld laird, Sae canty, kind and crouse, How mony did he welcome to His ain wee dear auld house ! "
Laurence Oliphant the younger succeeded his father. He had been married at Versailles in 1755 to his first cousin, the beautiful Margaret, the eldest daughter of Duncan Robertson of Strowan, chief of the Clan Donnochy. The Robertsons had undergone much in 1746; and Mrs. Ohphant, with her mother and little
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 7
brothers, had been driven from a hut in Athole by the threat of military execution. Her mother, known as Lady Strowan, was sister of Lady Gask ; both being daughters of that Lord Nairne who so narrowly escaped the block for his achievements in 17 15.
Carolina Oliphant, the subject of this memoir, was christened after the King over the water. A brother who died when a year old, and two sisters, had preceded her; and she used to say that her parents never forgave her for being a girl. But they had to wait two years longer for the future Laird of Gask. Her grand- father, the old hero of 17 15, died a few months after her birth. Her father suffered grievously from asthma, the result of the hardships he had undergone while lurking in Buchan in 1746, the year of venge- ance. In vain did he try to alleviate his complaint by the mineral waters of Pitcaithly, and goat's whey in the Highlands. He had returned from France to comparative poverty ; the family plate was all gone, and nothing but pewter was used in the house. He brought up his children well, correcting the little girls with his own hand. Full accounts of them were sent to their grandmother Robertson, then in exile at Givet. "Car" is described as having become fat, and " a sturdy tod."* Her mother thus writes of her when two years old : — " You would have been pleased had you seen my little woman sitting on a chair, as prim as any there, at the reading this evening, being * The diminutive of toddler, a child.
1 8 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
Sunday. Understand she cannot, but keeps her eye generally fixed on her papa, whom they are all very fond of, as they get sense." In the copies of the English Prayer-book which Mr. Oliphant placed in the hands of his children, the names of the exiled family were pasted over those of the reigning one.
In 1769, Mr. and Mrs. Oliphant were at Naples for health. The Laird writes to his mother, Lady Gask : " I hope you keep the bairnies in mind of their little song after dinner when they get their glass. Few here know anything about Scotch reels." In 1770, another daughter, Margaret Charlotte, was born to him ; and two years later, another son, named Charles, after the King. The " dear tods," as their grandmother calls them, survived her physicking, and are thus described in 1773 : — " The three girls come on bravely. I saw them perform at their dancing yesterday really very well,— Carolina like a fine lady in miniature ; Laurence only one reel with his sister." In this year Mr. and Mrs. Oliphant with little Marjory sailed to Lisbon, and proceeded from thence overland to Seville. The mother sends home eighty lines of poetry on the discomforts of the journey ; her verses are scarcely worthy of a near kinswoman of the old poet laird of Strowan.
She returned with her husband to "the bonny bairns," but died in 1774. The widower writes: — " She talked to me of death and our future meeting
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 9
as if only going a journey. She called for all the children, took leave of them without the least emotion, and said, as they were going away, ' See which will be the best bairn, and stay longest with papa ! ' She said, ' You see how easily I can part with the bairns, for I know they are in good hands,' meaning their Maker." In the next year, the young Oliphants lost their grandmother, Lady Gask: her place was suppUed by her sister, Henrietta Nairne. The old lady soon had to look out for a governess, and wrote thus : —
"April 13, 1778.
" Mr, O. joyns me in thinking there is no better signe than diffidence in what one knows nothing about, thert'or has no doubt Mrs. Cramond (for you know I cannot call her Miss when a governess) will make herself usefull to y" childern with a little practice in many things besides y° needle, par- ticularly as to behaviour, principals of religion, and loyalty, a good carriage, and talking tolerable good English, which last you say Mrs. Cramcnd does properly enough, and which in y* country is necessari, that young folks may not appear clownish when presented to company. Mr. O. approves of all you have done, and has had his ebs of fortune too ; but since Mrs. Cra- mond would fain have the pounds turned into guineas, he agrees, and makes her present twelve guineas the first year and ten guineas ever after, so sends six guineas by y° bearer, for which you will take her receipt. He will send horses to Perth, if Mrs. Cramond can ride ; if not, allows her to have a chaise out here, which he will not grudge to pay. Will you get Mr. Marconchi to come out, that the little ones may not forget all their dancing ? "
20 Memoir of Baroness Nalrne.
In 1779, Uncle Robertson writes to Mrs. Cra- mond's luipils from Givet, strongly recommending the harpsichord or the guitar, "as a very pretty accomplishment for young ladies, and a better amuse- ment than conversation on the modes of caps ! " To Marjory, his eldest niece, he writes a long letter, describing, with well-executed diagrams, a drawing- room loom of her grandmother's invention. The description is so minute, that any ordinary artisan might readily prepare an instrument by its guidance. Two years later, Mr. Oliphant thus writes to his aunt, " Lady Lude," addressing her as " Dear loyal lady : " — " I shall be left alone with my six young ones, a poor valetudinary person. Will my dear aunt come and be a companion to me and a guardian to them, and keep them loyal % in which I shall assist you, and we shall drink to the King and his happy Restoration every day till it be over. I only want you to guard your nephews and nieces from the wicked world."
For the religious instruction of the young folks, Mr. Oliphant afterwards retained the services of Mr. Maitland, a Nonjuring clergyman, who was most assiduous in his duties. He remarked that his pupil Carolina acquired her lessons easily, and became an adept in all she tried.
Mrs. Cramond seems to have excelled as a writing mistress ; for young Carolina writes a beautiful copperplate hand, which, however, changed for the worse as she grew up. In 1782 she joins her
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 2 1
father and sisters in sending a letter to Givet, and writes thus : —
'* My dear Uncle,
"As May is at present very busy playing some favourite tunes of mine, I hope you won't expect a very correct epistle; for to hear agreeable music, and at the same time em- ploy my mind about anything else, is vi^hat I can hardly do,
for—
* Music has charms to soothe a savage breast, To soften rocks, and bend the knotted oak.'
I do think fine music engrosses all the senses, and leaves not one faculty of the mind unemployed ; so says, with all her heart,
"Carolina Oliphant."
One of her sisters writes about this time : '* There generally comes a fiddler once a week to keep us in mind of our dancing." In 1781, Httle Charles writes : — " Carolina is just now playing —
' My wife is lying sick,
I wish she ne'er may rise again ; I will put on my tartan dress. And court another wife again.'
It is a very good tune."
One of his sprightly young sisters writes in the same year : — " Niel Gow, a famous Highland fiddler, having been appointed to be at Orchill last month, I was asked there in hopes of having a fine dance, and Niel ran in my head for several days. Well, away I went, but no Niel that day ; virell, to-morrow
2 2 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
will bring him ; but to-morrow came and went in the same manner; at last comes music at supper the second day ; but, alas ! it was a scraper, the only one of three or four that were sent for that were not engaged ; but, however, the spirit moved us, and away with tables, chairs, and carpets in a moment ; we had but three beaus; one of them, not liking the music, took a sprained ankle ; the other bassed to the fiddler in hopes of improving him ; Meggy Grahame could not dance, so that our ball was prin- cipally carried on by three, for the storm froze up the company as well as Niel Gow. I can dwell no longer on the subject, though it produced great mirth."
Great was the joy at Gask, in August, 1784, when it became known that the Robertsons had regained their inheritance, and were coming home from Givet. Gask himself writes to old Lady Strowan : — " I hope that your son's restoration will be the forerunner of another, the man getting his mear again, and make young and auld dance on the green." Carolina, whose penmanship is far better than that of her sisters, winds up : "I wish this may be the last time that I assure my dear grandmother at Givet how much I am her dutiful granddaughter." Her brother Laurence writes : — " Were I a poet, I should present you with a most magnificent poem on the subject." Lady Strowan soon arrived at Gask ; and in 1787 we find her, her sister Harriet Nairne, and
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 23
the four Misses OHphant, signing a petition to the Laird in behalf of a tenant who was in arrears with his rent.
Such was the upbringing of Carolina OHphant, now a graceful maiden of one-and-twenty. From her earliest childhood she was fed with the " auld warld tales " of her Jacobite kinsfolk — Robertsons, Murrays, Drummonds, and Graemes. Often must she have heard her father tell how he, a strip- ling of nineteen, supped with Prince Charlie at Blair in the very outset of the Forty-Five ; how he galloped to Edinburgh with the news of Prestonpans, and fought single-handed with Cope's runaway dragoons ; how he and the Master of Strathallan discovered the enemy's movements after the battle of Falkirk ; how the Prince exchanged a few words with him at CuUoden after all was lost ; how he and his father escaped from Scotland in the same ship with their kinsman Lord Nairne, and landed in Sweden, beggars in all but honour ; how he suffered from asthma during his seventeen years of banish- ment ; how kind messages used to come from the Royal family at Rome ; how he was picked up by King Louis after a fall out hunting.* The Laird was now a feeble old man, dealing in old proverbs ;
* All this appears from papers in the Gask charter chest. In 1762 he wrote a remarkable letter to Rome with the sorrowful intimation of the Prince's drunken habits. In return he re- ceived a severe snubbing.
24 Memoir oj Baroness Nairne.
prone to researches as to the OHphant pedigree, wherein he showed more zeal than knowledge. His only warfare was a dispute with Haldane of Glen- eagles as to fishing in the Earn, carried on with stately courtesy on both sides. His great delight was to accumulate relics of his beloved King, a number of which are still preserved at Gask : such as Prince Charlie's bonnet, spurs, cockade, crucifix, and a lock of his hair. There must have been hearty rejoicings at Gask when such a letter as the following was received : —
"June 6, 1787. " Sir,
"No length of time can make me forget Mr. Oliphant. I understand you have collected several memo- randums of our master, and have the pleasure to send you a child's head drawn by him when a boy, and a shot bag which he used before he left Rome. I got them from my uncle when I was in Italy twenty-one years ago, and think they can be nowhere so well bestowed as in your collection. ' ' Your most humble servant,
"John Edgar. "Keithock, near Brechin."*
Right proud must Carolina and her sisters have been when the lollowing letter reached " the auld house : " —
* The head is remarkably well done. James Edgar, the uncle referred to in the letter, was private secretaiy to the exiled King in 1 743 ; he was a warm friend to Lord George Murray.
Me^noir of Baroness Nairne. 25
" Florence, y' 21 Feby., 1783. "Mr. Cowley,
" It gives me a sensible pleasure, y" remem- brance of Oliphant of Gask. He is as worthy a subject as I have, and his family never deroged from their principals. Not douting in y" leaste of y° son being y" same, make them both know these my sentiments, with y" particular esteem that follows a rediness to prove it, iff occasion offered.
" Yr. sincere friend,
" Charles R. " For Mr. Cowley, Prior of y' Enghsh Benedictines at Paris."
When King Charles died, and was succeeded by the Cardinal of York, most of the Scottish Jacobites transferred their allegiance to King George. Not so the Laird of Gask. Mr. Cruikshank, who used to perform the Episcopal service at the houses of the Jacobite gentry in turn, wrote to Mr. Oliphant to say that he had conformed to the new system. An answer was speedily despatched in these words : —
"Julys, 1788. " Mr. Oliphant presents his compliments to Mr. Cruikshank, and as he has incapacitated himself from officiating at Gask, his gown is sent by the carrier, and the books he gave the reading of. As Ml Cruikshank has received his stipend to this Whit- suntide, there is no money transactions to settle between him and Mr. Oliphant."*
When failing eyesight compelled him to seek the assistance of his family in reading the newspapers,
* This letter is quoted, because the circumstances are erro- neously related in Perthshire tradition.
26 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
Mr. Oliphant would reprove the reader, if the " Ger- man lairdie and his leddy" were designated otherwise than by the initial letters K and Q. His unswerving Jacobitism having been reported to George III., the member for Perthshire received this message from the Monarch to the sturdy upholder of the dethroned House : — " Give my compliments — not the compli- ments of the King of England, but those of the Elector of Hanover — to Mr. Oliphant, and tell him how much I respect him for the steadiness of his principles."
The Misses Oliphant seem to have in turn visited their grandmother, Lady Strowan. In 1790 a great event in the family took place : their brother " Laurie " went to London. He received much excellent advice from his father ; an earnest reminder of all the good offices that the Oliphant family owed to the Drum- monds, bankers in London ; and a rebuke for an in- decent desire on the youth's part to be presented to the Elector of Hanover, Gask still hopes that Henry IX. may take a wife. He bids his son call on Miss Cramond, and beware of wine and lawyers. He wishes for a copy of Fenelon on piety, a good book for evening reading. Carolina writes to her brother in a more cheerful strain: — ■"! drank tea at X. ; it would make you too vain to tell you how obligingly Miss Z. asked after you. She says she is to be here soon J I hope not till you return. Three 01 us danced while the heiress played, and we were very merry.
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 27
A friend was going to see Jane Shore acted by puppets at Crieff. We had tickets but no chaperone, so were obliged to go home without a laugh at the tragedy. I galloped Hercules, and like him better than Glen ; but you will call me quite vulgar for bringing Crieff and its environs into your mind whilst you are showing away in St. James' Square, London." A cousin, who visited Cask not long afterwards, writes to the Laird : — " Assure Miss Amelia and Miss Carolina that I never can forget the exquisite plea- sure their musical powers excited in organs so fitted for that delicate enjoyment as mine are." The young ladies sometimes entertained their aged grandmother with a concert in her bedroom.
At this period, as may be gathered from her letters, Carolina Oliphant was extremely gay. Of dancing she was passionately fond. " Finding, at a ball at a watering-place," wrote one of her friends, "that the ladies were too few for the dance, she drove home, awoke me at midnight, and stood in waiting till I was equipped to follow her to the ball-room."
Towards the end of 1 791 the Laird of Cask was failing rapidly ; he had a total want of appetite, and experienced a perpetual chill. At length, on New Year's day, 1792, the stanchest Jacobite in Scotland exchanged this world for that other, which his daughter describes as " The Land o' the Leal." He was a choice model of the old Scottish Cavalier, true alike
28 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
to his brethren in arms,* to his King, and to his God. Two portraits of him are kept at Gask ; one represents him in his cuirass, as he must have looked when setting out for his ride to Derby ; the other shows him worn with asthma, with age, and with hope de- ferred. But he has painted his own Hkeness in the scores of letters he has left behind him, a rich heir- loom for the many descendants that have sprung from his loins.
Carolina Oliphant was a native of Stratheam, " meet nurse for a poetic child." It was long held by the Celts, as shown by the names Clathy More and Clathy Beg, close to Gask, and by the bridge of Dalreoch, where the high road between Perth and Stirling crosses the Earn. Within half a mile of Gask stands the Bore Stone, an old sculptured Celtic cross \ the neighbouring wives put their arms into its holes to obtain children. A Roman road runs past the lodge of Gask, the highway which united the camp of Ardoch to the military station on the Tay. Traces of the Norman are found in the noble tower of the Kirk at Dunning, three miles off, built a few years before the Olifards came from Lothian into Stratheam. Many historic battle-fields are near, such as Methven,
* In a letter of 1 787, Gask forbids his sons ever to claim tlie Strowan inheritance, their uncles, the Robertsons, having no children. He thought that Strowan ought to remain in the hands of the Robertson clan, his old comrades of 1745- Few fathers are so averse to worldly pelf and family aggrandizement.
Memoir of Bay ones s Nairne. 29
Dupplin, and Tippermuir. Four miles off is the Abbey of Inchaffray; of this foundation the Lords OHphant were hereditary BaiHes. On the Earn stands Gascon Hall, where Wallace sought shelter. In the churchyard of Aberdalgie is an incised slab representing William Ohfard, who defended Stirling Castle in 1304; a stone canopy was placed over it by Carolina's father in 1780, to protect the monument from the rain. Nearer stood the old Castle of Dupplin, which figures in the Raid of Ruthven, and whence her forefathers were wont to sway far and wide to the south and west of Perth.* In full view of Cask lies Aberuthven, where the Grahames bury their dead ; further still is Kincardine Castle, the strong- hold of their great chief, Montrose. More to the west is Tullibardine, the cradle of the Murrays ; and beyond is Drummond Castle, the abode of a family in close alliance with the Oliphants for five hundred years. To the north is Balgowan, the property of the late hero of Barossa, a warm friend to Carolina's family. To the south is Duncrub, the residence of Lord RoUo, in whose regiment Oliphant served in 17 1 5. Dunning and Auchterarder are in full view, both of which were burnt by the Jacobites on their retreat after that baleful year. Behind rise the Ochil hills, with the towering summit of Craig Rossie. Further to the east grow the Birks of Invermay, re-
* It was burnt down in 1827, after the Earls of Kinnoull had held it for two hundred years.
C
30 Memoir of J-iai'07iess Nairne.
nowned in song. Not far distant is Condie, where Oliphants have been settled for nearly three hundred years.* The view to the north of Gask includes the grand range of the Grampians ; to the west rises Ben Voirlich, whence comes the river Earn, which gives name to the district.
The " auld house of Gask," perched high above the Earn, commanded much of the fair scenery of the Strath, renowned in song and patriotic story. The pleasure-grounds around the mansion resemble a grove more than a garden ; many of the fine old trees were planted by Carolina's father, who used to name his new plantations after his daughters. A small stream flows down the hill, close by the house; a little lower stood the old parish church, now re- moved; and the burial-ground where many of the Oliphants repose. To the north is Clathy village, where dwelt a peasantry devoted to the Gask family. Their dialect hves in Carolina's songs. Their faith-
* The Laird of Condie was of great service to the Laird of Gask in 1753, when the latter's estate was bought back from government. After 1S47, when the last heir male of the Gask branch died, a lawsuit was carried on for twenty years between the Oliphants of Condie, claiming to be the next heirs male, and Mr. Kington Oliphant, son of the last Laird's sister, and great-grandson of the old Jacobite hero. In the course of this euit the Oliphants of Condie were traced up to Alexander Oli- phant, who was Albany Herald in 1565 ; but nothing could be ascertained as to his birth or parentage. The other claimant was therefore served heir to Gask.
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 3 1
fulness was proved in 1745. Old cottagers may be found there still, who boast how their forefathers, at the risk of the halter, earned letters concealed in their shoes, between Lady Gask and her husband.
The Oliphants of Gask were noted for their bene- volence. The exiled grandfather of Carolina, though himself a pensioner on the bounty of the French king, notes in his memorandum-book that the first thing to be done, on reaching home, is to bestow £,^0 on the poor of his estate. It was while speaking words of kindness to the cottagers at Gask that Carolina was enabled to cultivate that familiar acquaintance with the manners and customs of rural life, which she has exhibited in her songs. She gathered snatches of minstrelsy in the peasant's hut, while in uie patrician society of the manor-house she listened to the stirring tales of loyalty and heroism. Surrounding scenes awoke elevating sentiments, and excited to poetical inspiration.
Carolina was a delicate child — " a paper Miss," she was termed by her nurse. Afterwards she became strong, but her delicate sensibility never forsook her ; it enabled her to gather in and utilize stores of know- ledge, while, on the other hand, it produced that excessive diffidence which, but for the care of others, had bereft her of posthumous fame. As she grew up, the " pretty Miss Car " of the schoolroom became in the drawing-room " the Flower of Stratheam." Her striking beauty and pleasing manners rendered her a
3 2 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
reigning belle among the county families and fashion- able assemblages of Perthshire. Her musical accom- plishments were not beneath the notice of Neil Gow.
Robert Burns had just appeared above the horizon. Carolina Oliphant was charmed with his verses ; she was among the first to recognise his genius. When the poet proceeded to Edinburgh in 1786, and an- nounced a subscription edition of his poems, she induced her brother Laurence to enter his name on the Hst of subscribers. During the following year Bums became a contributor to The Scots Musical Museum, a work designed by James Johnson, en- graver in Edinburgh. In the pages of this publication Carolina remarked the successful efforts of the Ayr- shire poet in adapting new words to tunes which had heretofore been linked to verses degrading and impure. With renewed interest she watched his labours, when, in 1792, he appeared more systematically engaged as a purifier of the elder minstrelsy, in the elegant collec- tion of Mr. George Thomson.
Driving, during the annual fair, tlirough a small hamlet in the neighbourhood, she remarked many persons holding in their hands a small book, with a yellow cover. Desirous of ascertaining what a pub- lication so popular might contain, she despatched her footman to purchase a copy. It proved to be a col- lection of songs and ballads, many of which were ill- suited for the hands of youih. ' The Flower of
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 33
Strathearn " began to consider whether she could aid in purifying the national songs. She resolved to make the attempt. An occasion offered. Her brother Laurence entertained the Gask tenantry at dinner, as was the custom, about a year after he had succeeded to his inheritance. When he was called on for a song he gave with much spirit a new version of " The Ploughman,"* which he said he had received from the author. Who the author was, was to be revealed only after the lapse of half a century. Meanwhile the young Laird of Gask presented copies, which were multiplied and sung everywhere throughout Central Scotland. Carolina had made a decided hit; she resolved, but with strictest secresy, to persevere.
Miss Nancy Steuart, a niece of Mr. Steuart of Dalguise, the husband of Carolina's elder sister, Amelia, was on a visit to Gask. She was consider- ably younger than Carolina, but possessed, as she was fully satisfied, her entire confidence. Carolina be- came uncommonly studious; she was very frequently at her desk, and was silent respecting what she was writing. Miss Steuart concluded — as she informed the writer of this memoir — that her friend was com- posing long letters to her cousin, Captain Nairne, to whom, it was understood, she was engaged in marriage. On a subject so sacred her companion did not ven- ture to question her. " I lived to discover," said our informant, "that Carolina was not letter-writing, but * See Note to this Song.
34 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
was engaged in composing tliose beautiful songs which were to delight the world."
The earlier efifusions of Carolina's Muse described scenes in that gay world which she was soon to leave far behind her. To this early period belong " The County Meeting," " John Tod," " Jamie the Laird," " The Laird o' Cockpen," and most of her Jacobite lays.
A new order of things was about to extinguish those sentiments of Jacobitism which lingered in certain families. Portentous national perils were looming on every side. The frantic reformers of France, flushed with success in overturning a throne and uprooting a dynasty, had invited the people of Great Britain to revolt and to destroy. Among the artisans of Scotland the toast in many taverns was, " Damna- tion to the King, and success to the friends of the People ! " Demagogues eveiywhere sought to inflame the minds of the peasantry. The upholders of Govern- ment were called on to unite in the preservation of order. The militia was embodied. The young Laird of Gask joined the Perthshire Light Dragoons, and served for three years, much to the detriment of his estate. He married, in 1795, Christian Robertson, the heiress of Ardblair, respecting whose supposed attaclmient to him he had long been rallied by his sister Carolina. When the Perthshire Dragoons were ordered to quarters in the north of England in 17979 Carolina accompanied her brother's family to Durham, where a wide circle of friends rapidly sprang up. At
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 35
an assembly held at Sunderland on the occasion of the opening of a bridge across the Weare, Carolina danced with a Royal Duke, who sought afterwards to elevate his fair partner to his own high rank. The restrictions of the Royal Marriage Act were not the only barrier to his intentions, for " the Flower of Strathearn " had bestowed her affections on another, and determined to dwell among her own people.
Several events occurred to bring the eternal future before the mind of our poetess. Charles, her younger brother, died on the 27th of July, 1797.* About a year after this sad event, Mrs. Campbell Col- quhoun, of Killermont, the early and dear friend of Carolina, had to mourn the death of her first-born child, which died when scarcely a year old. When tidings of her friend's bereavement reached her, Carolina despatched to her a letter of condolence, accompanied by the verses of " The Land o' the Leal." Mrs. Colquhoun would readily recognise the touching allusion in the following stanza : —
*' Our bonnie bairn's there, John ; She was baith gude and fair, John ; And oh ! we grudged her sair To the Lando' the I.eal."t
Carolina returned to Scotland. She was on a visit to
* Charles OHphant proved a steadfast adherent to the exiled Royal House. In 1796 he felt scruples about taking the Abju- ration oath, and thereby lost a lucrative appointment.
t For a particular account of the circumstances connected
o
6 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
the old castle of Murliily, the seat of Sir John Stewart, Bart., near Dunkeld. Mr. Buckle, an English clergy- man, the husl)an(l of Sir John's eldest daughter, was also a visitor tliere. In conducting worship with the household one morning he spoke emphatically of the blessedness of the promise, " Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." The words were a message to one who joined in that morning's service. Carolina had been prayerfully seeking the way towards the better land. During the day she could not be found. When she appeared in the evening her face bore marks of weeping, but her eye was lit with holy joy. She had closed with the Saviour's offer. From that hour she never had one doubt of God's love to her in Christ.
She returned to Cask. There an important change had been effected. The old family mansion which had accommodated successive generations of the Oliphants was now a ruin, a new spacious dwelling having been erected in its place. The venerated chief of Strowan, Duncan Robertson, had insisted on the family Bible being left in " the auld house " to the last, that he might have the privilege of bearing it to the new structure. Just as he had passed the threshold with his precious burden, the house door burst its hinges and fell heavily. The chief had a narrow
with the origin of " The Land o' the Leal," see Note at the end of the volume.
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 3 7
escape.* Writing to a friend from Gask House, Mrs. Oliphant, Carolina's sister-in-law, remarks, " I need not tell you what an acquisition Carolina is to our society here ; you know her well."
In 1802, Carolina lost her great-aunt, Henrietta Nairne, aged eighty-nine ; to the last she liked her nieces to read to her. Born in the reign of Queen Anne, she survived to see at her knees children of the Gask family who lived to take an interest in the politic:; of Count Bismarck and the victories of General Lee. The old lady had one remaining kinsman of her own name — the grandson of that brother of hers who bore arms both in 17 15 and 1745. Captain Nairne had been a frequent visitor at Gask ; he was nine years older than Carolina Oliphant, his second cousin, who had early consented to become his wife.
William Murray Nairne was born in 1757, at Drogheda, in Ireland, where his father, Lieutenant- Colonel Nairne, was stationed with his regiment. On the death of John, his elder brother, he became heir to the Nairne peerage, and, but for the attainder, would at the period we have introduced him to the reader have been fifth Lord Nairne. But the whole of the family estates had long oeen alienated, and Captain Nairne's entire fortune consisted in his pay.
Both Captain Nairne and \i\^fia7icee had long waited
for his promotion, with a view to the completion of
* See Lady Nairne's song of " The Auld House," and Note connected with it at the end of the volume.
38 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
their engagement. At length he secured the appoint- ment of Assistant Inspector-(jeneral of Barracks in Scotland, with the brevet rank of major. His pro- motion took place in the spring of 1806. On the 2nd of June in the same year, Major Nairne and Carolina OHphant were united in marriage in an upper room of the new Gask house — still shown to visitors as the scene of the event. The Episcopal clergy- man of the Gask family officiated on the occasion.
After the nuptial ceremony the newly married pair set out for Stirling. There, among the ruined palaces of the House of Stuart, and amidst scenes con- secrated to the patriotic virtues, Major and Mrs. Nairne commenced their honeymoon. The duties of Major Nairne implied a residence at Edin- burgh. A house was rented at the marine suburb of Portobello, but the aged chief of Strowan soon after purchased for his relatives a handsome villa at Wester Duddingston, under the shadow of Arthur's Seat. It was named Caroline Cottage. There in 1808 Mrs. Nairne gave birth to her only child, a son, who received his father's Christian names of William Murray.
In the lettered society of the capital, the authoress of " The Land o' the Leal " might have attained an acme of enjoyment. She had the best opportunities of entering society, and her graceful manners and elegant accomplishments well fitted her to adorn it. It is remarkable that she succeeded in maintaining her
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 39
retirement. Her early friend, Mrs. Campbell Col- quhoun, was lady of the Lord Advocate, and like her brother, William Erskine, was an attached friend of Sir Walter Scott. Mrs. Naime was personally intimate at Ravelstone, the seat of Mr. Alexander Keith, Sir Walter's kinsman ; her younger sister sub- sequently became lady of the manor. Scott delighted to celebrate the Jacobite heroes, and knew well about the Oliphants and the Robertsons and the House of Nairne. Some of these have furnished anecdotes in illustration of his writings ; the Poet chief of Strowan was the prototype of the Baron of Bradwardine. Yet the author of Waveriey and the authoress of " The Land o' the Leal " seldom met, and were not on any terms of intimacy. In Mrs. Barbour's " Recollec- tions " of her grand-aunt, included in a subsequent part of this memoir, the subject is referred to.
Ravelstone House rested amidst its fine sloping park on the north side of Corstorphine Hill. The occupants of the mansion, when Major and Mrs. Nairne came to reside in Edinburgh, were the Laird, already named, then about seventy, and his spinster sister, who, being several years his senior, persisted in calling him in all companies " the laddie Sandy." They were both busied in exercising a style of hospitality after the model of persons of their rank in less formal times. Guests were received every Saturday. They were expected to arrive early, to amuse themselves at games on the lawn till two o'clock, when the tower
40 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
bell summoned the party to assemble and prepare for a repast. Ladies were always present, for the pro- ceedings were expected on every occasion to terminate with a vocal concert, in which the fair sex were to be the principal performers.
Luncheon, or dinner, was served at half-past two. There were the usual Scottish dishes — hotch-potch, cocky-leeky, and the unfailing haggis. In favourable weather dessert was provided out of doors, under the canopy of " old forest trees." The members of the party now rose to a conversazio?ie in the garden — a quaint scene, the prototype of the garden of Tully- veolan in Waver/cy. At the sound of the gong, the visitors reassembled to partake of tea or coffee. Then followed the most recherclLc part of the entertainment Every visitor who knew music was expected to exercise his powers. The use of instruments was not per- mitted ; Mr. Keith and his sister both held that artificial music was intolerable.
Major and Mrs. Nairne greatly enjoyed the un- ceremonious character of the receptions at Ravelstone. They were often present at the weekly assemblages. A young lady, daughter of a neighbouring proprietor, was one evening asked to sing in turn. She did so, and hit off one of the popular ballads to great ad- miration. When she stopped, some one exclaimed that there were more verses. The singer protested she had sung all she knew. " Then," said the speaker, " do you see that fair lady seated at the end of the
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 41
room ? Go up to her, and she will give you the verses you want ; for never, I believe, was anything in poetry or song said or sung she does not know." We shall allow the gentlewoman addressed to relate the re- mainder of the narrative in her own words : — " I acted on the counsel given. I approached the stranger, and preferred my request. She took me kindly by the hand, and requested me to be seated on a chair near her. We had some conversation about song and ballad, and before the evening closed she gave me her cajrd, and cordially invited me to visit her. This lady was Mrs. Carolina Nairne."
Our correspondent proceeds : — " I embraced Mrs. Nairne's courteous invitation, and my visits were, at her particular request, renewed frequently. We became intimate, and as she perceived my tastes were similar to her own, she often introduced the subject of Scottish music and song. Some years after, she informed me, as a great secret, that she had written ' The Land o' the Leal,' She exhorted me not to divulge it, adding with a smile, ' I have not even told Nairne, lest he blab.'"
"The Laddie Sandy" of Ravelstone became charmed with Miss Margaret Oliphant, Mrs. Nairne's younger sister, and was not an unsuccessful wooer. In April, 181 1, the public prints chronicled a matri- monial alliance between the laird of Ravelstone and Dunnottar and a daughter of the House of Oliphant. The ancient Miss Keith was elated by her brother's
42 Memoir of Baroness Natrne.
choice, but did not hesitate to claim the administra- tion of proper counsel in the affair. That his wife might still enjoy the frequent society of her sister, Mr. Keith allowed Major and Mrs. Nairne the free use of his city residence, No. 43, Queen Street, which was much nearer Ravelstone than was the cottage at Dud- dingston.* At Queen Street or at Ravelstone the two families met almost daily, till the death of Mr. Keith, which took place seven years after his marriage. On his death Mrs. Keith obtained the Queen Street man- sion as her jointure-house, and Major and Mrs. Nairne about the same time received a grant from the Crown of the Royal apartments in the Palace of Holyrood. After the discovery of the Scottish regalia in the Castle of Edinburgh in 18 18, Mr. Keith was offered the office of keeper of those ancient insignia, with the honour of knighthood. On the ground of age and failing health, he declined both honours. His nephew, who succeeded him in his estates, claimed the office of Knight Marischal, and was knighted by George IV. With another family in the capital the inmates of Caroline Cottage enjoyed a congenial intimacy. The Misses Elizabeth and Agnes Hume, daughters of the Honourable David Hume, Earon of Ex- chequer, were remarkable for their musical tastes and accomplishments. They were frequent visitors
* The site of the house, 43, Queen Street, is now occupied by the church and manse of Free St. Luke's, built lor the Rev. Alexander Moody-Stuart.
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 43
at the Cottage, and in return were not seldom privi- leged to enjoy the society of Major and Mrs. Nairne at their father's residence in the city. The Baron often expressed his admiration of the intelligence of the Major's lady, and wondered at her knowledge of Scottish song. He survived till 1838; but, it is believed, was never informed that the gentlewoman whose talents he had so long respected possessed personal claims as a poetess.
The Misses Hume regulated the musical fashions at Edinburgh. In 1821, Mr. Robert Purdie, music publisher in the city, resolved to form a collection of the national airs, with words suited for refined circles. He consulted the Misses Hume, who sub- mitted his proposals to Mrs. Nairne. The latter cordially approved of the undertaking : she had long waited for such an opportunity of purifying the national minstrelsy. A committee of ladies was formed ; it included the gentlewoman who had sung efifectivelyatRavelstone,andwon the affection and con- fidence of the authoress of " The Land o' the Leal."
The committee-room was a place of inviolable secresy. The ruling spirit of the group concealed her personality with more than Oriental scrupulosity. Her name was never to be divulged. She assumed another, to be found in no Directory, that she might render her concealment more certain. Even the as- sumed designation of " Mrs. Bogan, of Bogan," was to be revealed only to a few. The committee spoke ot
44 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
Mrs, Bogan to Mr. Purdie most secretively ; and in engaging Mr. Robert Archibald Smith, the celebrated composer, as his editor, Mr. Purdie, in his turn, begged his friend not to mention to any one that they enjoyed the assistance of so accomplished a lady.
As the parts of the Scottish Minstrel began to appear, Mrs. Nairne became alarmed, lest, in spite of existing precautions, her secret should be unveiled. She had subscribed her contributions " B. B.," and these initials had been attached to them in the printed pages of the Aiitistrel. She felt anxious lest the pub- lisher should stumble into some statement which might embarrass her position. " If, by any chance," she wrote to her Ravelstone acquaintance, " Purdie were to be asked, ' Who is B. B. ? ' I think he would do well for himself, as well as others, to make no mention of a lady. As you observed, the more mystery the better : and still the balance is in favour of the ' Lords of the Creation.' I cannot help, in some degree, undervaluing beforehand what is said to be a feminine production."
It was determined not to trust matters entirely to the discretion of the publisher. One of the ladies waited on him to express Mrs. Bogan's " motive for this queer trade of song-writing." She ceased to claim the authorship of all the compositions which she communicated to the publishing office. Some were inscribed, " Sent by B. B. ; " others were de- spatched anonymously. These latter appear in the
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 45
Minstrel as of " unknown " authorship. The commit- tee of ladies received and despatched others, which were simply inscribed " S. M.," the initial letters of Scottish Minstrel. A variety of handwriting was em- ployed ; but the assumed Mrs. Bogan could most effectively disguise her own. In a note, now in the editor's possession, Mrs. Nairne, writing to her Ra- velstone friend respecting some matter about which information was wanted, says, " If you were to write a line to Purdie, in my name, asking the question, it would save time. Any queer, backward hand does ! "
Mrs. Bogayi ventured occasionally to hold personal interviews with the publisher of the Mi7istrel. She was apparelled as a gentlewoman 01 the olden time. To the unsuspecting music-dealer it never occurred that his ingenious contributor was resident in a suburb of the city : and, certainly, he still less ima- gined that her husband held ofhce in connection with Edinburgh Castle, not many hundred yards from his shop.
The Scottish Minstrel was completed in 1824, in six octavo volumes. In the preface to the sixth volume Messrs. Purdie and Smith thus express them- selves : — " The editors would have felt happy in being permitted to enumerate the many original and beautiful verses that adorn their pages, for which they are indebted to the author of the much-admired song, ' The Land o' the Leal,' but they fear to wound a delicacy which shrinks from all observation."
D
46 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
Twenty years after this period our authoress was known to Mr. Purdie only by her nom de plume. Certain rivals in trade had reproduced some of " B. B.'s " contributions to the Mitistrd^ and the publisher was led on two occasions to apply to Mrs. Bogan (through one of the committee) for her per- mission to vindicate his rights. In reply to the first of these applications, the assumed Mrs. Bogan wrote as follows : —
" loth November, 1840.
"Mrs. Bogan is sorry to find it is necessary for her to repeat what she stated when the Scottish Minstrel was first published, viz., that the songs marked " B. B. " in that work are her pro- perty, and were given by her to Mr. Purdie, expressly for the benefit of the Minstrel, and that no one else has, at present, a right to publish them, excepting Mr. Purdie.
"B. B. "
A reply to another letter of Mr. Purdie, on the same subject, is in these terms : —
" February 6th, 1844.
"Mrs. Bogan, of Bogan, understands Mr. Purdie wishes to have a fine fi-om her, with regard to the property of the songs written by her for the Scottish Minstrel, viz., 'Jeanie Deans,' 'The Lammie,' and 'The Robin Redbreast,' which .she de- clares to belong to Mr. Purdie."
These were odd times at Edinburgh. The spirit of the Giidcman d Ballitigeich * seemed to have
* The nom de guerre oi James V., duiing his fi-equent wan- derings in disguise, in different parts ol the country.
/
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 47
stalked forth to influence, as by a spell, the votaries of Caledonian genius. The Waverley novels were issuing from the press with a rapidity which caused surprise, only exceeded by their own marvellous creations, while the author sat behind a curtain, re- fusing to reveal himself " The Chaldee MS. " had set the literary world on edge, while its source was known only to Ebony* and a select coterie. The associates of Christopher North, in his inimitable " Nights at Ambrose's," were unknown, with the single exception of the Shepherd. Miss Stirling Graham was practising her wonderful mystifications, " taking in " all she met, including the acute Jeffrey, who had persisted that he was proof against her arts. Lady Anne Barnard was still cherishing her secret as to the authorship of "Auld Robin Gray," which the Society of Antiquaries had failed to discover from herself or others. The best songs written since the era of Burns had appeared anony- mously, and the announcement that some of them were composed by " B. B. " did not convey any insight as to their source. That these were written by the wife of a staff-officer at Edinburgh was the latest oi those literary mysteries which was to be laid open to the world.
The Scottish Minstre/ obtained universal acceptance. Who is B. B, ? was an inquiry which passed from
* The designation of Mr. William Blackwood, the great Edinburgh publisher, in the Nodes AinbrosiaiicB.
48 Memoir 0/ Baroness Nairne.
mouth to mouth, and from one musical circle to another. Some persons claimed to have penetrated the disguise, and those who knew least were loudest in their protestations of an accurate knowledge. There were some newspaper controversies respecting the authorship, in which hard words were used on each side. The authoress was pained by these pitiable occurrences, but dared not reveal herself. She had been accustomed to such discussions, even in her own presence, " I was present," she writes to a friend, " when it was asserted that Burns composed the ' Land o' the Leal ' on his death-bed, and that he had it Jean instead of 'John;' but the parties could not decide why it never appeared in his works, as his last lay should have done. I never answered."
We have referred to the admiration entertained by Carolina Oliphant for the Ayrshire bard on his first appearance as an author. She afterwards deeply lamented that one endowed with so much genius should have composed verses which tended to inflame the passions. Burns' well-known song, " WiUie brew'd a peck o' maut," had been inserted by Mr. R. A. Smith in the Miftstrel on his own responsibility. Mrs. Bogaii afterwards remonstrated. In a note which she addressed to the publisher, acknowledging the receipt of a copy of the work, she writes, " If Mr. Purdie will in some way obliterate that drinking song of Burns', the work will do credit to all parties."
Several years after the appearance of the Scottish
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 49
Minstrel, a proposal was entertained by some of the ladies who had assisted in its preparation, to publish a purified edition of Burns' songs. The proposal met with favour at Caroline Cottage, when first broached. Our authoress subsequently wrote to her Ravelstone friend, " You can try what is to be made of Burns. Some of his greatest efforts of genius won't do. Yet there is enough passable for a considerable volume." After an interval she wrote to the same correspondent, " Burns comes on at a snail's pace. What a mixty-maxty it is ! and sometimes very puzzling. A whole poem would pass but for one or two sheer abominations, yet such as may not be omitted. I have found three volumes of Currie's Life of him in a corner where condemned criminals were imprisoned." The proposal was ultimately abandoned.
Mrs. Nairne composed Jacobite songs to amuse and gratify her venerated and loving kinsman, the aged Chief of Strowan. She likewise copied for him old Jacobite tunes, which were acknowledged with expressions of affection. The Chief bestowed on his niece many benefactions. Caroline Cottage was pro- vided by his funds, and the comforts of the inmates had been increased by his bounty. The good old man died in 1822 ; he was probably one of the last of the sufferers of 1746.
The year of his death was otherwise memorable in the history of the iamily fortunes. George IV. resolved
50 Mei?tozr of Baroness Nairne.
to pay a state visit to his northern capital, and to hold a court at the Palace of Holyrood. As it was essential that his Majesty should have the use of those apartments in the Palace which had been bestowed on Major Nairne, the authorities agreed to grant him, on his making a surrender of his claim, an annuity of ^^300, which should likewise extend to the life of Mrs. Nairne.
At his Majesty's first leve'e the Major was pre- sented to the King by his relative, the Duke of Athole. Other representatives of attainted Scottish peers waited upon the monarch. The occasion of the royal vi^it was deemed suitable to plead for a res- toration of the honours forfeited in the cause of earnest though mistaken loyalty. Sir Walter Scott prepared the substance of a memorial,* which, on due extension, was subscribed by the claimants of the long-lost honours, and was humbly submitted to the King on his return to England. His Majesty graciously acceded to the prayer, giving his royal permission for the introduction of a parliamentary measure to reverse the attainders. The bill, having passed both Houses of the Legislature, finally re- ceived the royal sanction on the 17th June, 1824. One of the memorialists was Major Nairne ; he was restored to his rank in the peerage. Our authoress now became the Baroness Nairne.
* Lockhart's Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Edin- burgh, 1850, 8yo., pp. 489-90.
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 5 1
Like her progenitors, Lady Nairne was attached to the forms of the Church of England. But she loved earnest and impressive preaching irrespective of sect. During her Continental tour, we shall find her selecting as winter quarters those places where she under- stood she might enjoy the ministrations of a pious pastorate. When she resided in Holyrood Palace she attended the parish church of the Canongate, where for some time she enjoyed the edifying pulpit services of the Rev. Alexander Stewart, one of the ministers of that parish. She likewise attended Mr. Stewart's week-day services. A chair in which she was carried to Canongate church was long exhibited at Holyrood as "Lady Nairne's Chair." Mr. Stewart was formerly minister of Dingwall; he was admitted to the first charge of the Canongate in July, 1820, and died in the following May. To his impressive teaching of divine truth Lady Nairne often referred with ex- pressions of strong appreciation and gratitude.
To the proper upbringing of her son, the Master of Nairne, the subject of this memoir sedulously de- voted herself. He had never been at a public school, and his education had, until his fifteenth year, chiefly devolved upon his mother. She now sought to pro- cure for him a tutor or companion, whose example not less than his teaching might prove serviceable. She communicated on the subject with a gentlewoman, who has forwarded the letter, to be used in these memoirs : —
5 2 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
"After much cogitation," proceeds the writer, "as to who was most Hkely, of all my friends, to make inquiry about an assistant for my boy in his studies, I have finally resolved to offer the task to you. The first step, if you are kind enough to undertake it, will be easy, as I have heard of a young man of whom I wish to hear more before any other is thought of, and I think you may be able to get at the necessary informa- tion. The lad is called Patterson ; he has distinguished himself as a scholar, having been at one time Dux of the High School. His mother, a widow, who lives at 15, Buccleuch Place, is daughter to Mr. Brown, who published the Family Bible. She is so decided an enemy to Episcopacy, that she has refused an exhibition for her son at Oxford, of large annual value, because of certain articles necessary to be signed regarding Church government, which did not accord with her views. This shows steady principle, however applied. Her son inherits several hundreds a year from his father, who was engaged in mercantile business, so that I was told salary would not be a first considera- tion. I have heard so good an account of the lad that we would take him whether as tutor or companion, and give him whatever he thought reasonable. William is fifteen, and Patterson is about nineteen, but is said to be very steady, well principled, and amiable, besides his talents, which are known to the public."
The young gentleman referred to in this letter was John Brown Patterson, author of a University Prize Essay on the " National Character of the Athenians," and afterwards minister of Falkirk. He had just accepted an appointment offered him by the Comte de Flahault, formerly aide-de-camp to the Emperor Napoleon, and who, having married the Baroness Keith, and established a home in Britain, desired to become familiar with the English tongue. The
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 53
duties of tutor to the Master of Nairne were entrusted to his younger brother, Alexander Simpson Patterson, now D.D., minister of Hutchesontown Free Church, Glasgow, and author of several esteemed theological publications.
Mr. Patterson, having instructed his charge in the classics, was succeeded in the post of tutor by Mr. Fraser, a young gentleman who had returned from the West Indies. At the request of her ladyship, Mr. Fraser sought to famiHarize his young friend with a love of theological learning ; but, as his mother laments in a letter to a relative, the Master of Nairne was more addicted to the study of history. He re- ceived lessons in mathematics every morning at eight from a university student, recommended by Dr. Chalmers.
For many years our authoress had found occupation in the use of her needle, pencil, and brush. The drawing-room furniture at Caroline Cottage was adorned with her embroidery. She was an accom- plished painter. A series of fruit-trees, represented at various stages of their growth, and as they appeared at different seasons, which she painted in her youth, are preserved at Gask. When her nephews and nieces visited her in 1822 at Caroline Cottage, to which she had returned from Holyrood, they were amazed to find their aunt so industrious an artist, and proposed that the little parlour where she worked should be called her studio delle belle arti. In reference to her
54 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
artistic tastes, and another important subject, she thus writes to her brother's eldest daughter, in August, 1829 : —
" Apropos as to views, if I should ever attempt one for you, is it that from Gask, of the country opposite, you wfould like ? and what size? . . . The season is getting past for that work now, as cold short days do not suit well. What I have been doing for three frames I happened to have, are nearly finished ; that means done with, for finished they are not. One is Drogheda, Lord Nairne's birthplace, the next my dear ditto, and the other the view from what was called the Middleton, including the bridge of Invermay. I pay myself for my work, which fills my purse best, when I consider the time occupied rather than the merit of the performances. This reminds me of your query as to the best mode of appropriating charity cash ; my own opinion has always been that devoting a proportion is the best way. This, in case of anything urgent, may be enlarged; in the other way, the power may be wanting in the time of need. . . . We cannot expect to do all that could be wished for the good of others. ' She hath done what she could,' was accepted ; but few, I fear, do this without the sad alloy of latent vanity."
In the autumn of 1828 Lady Nairne received intelligence of the death of her nephew, Charles Steuart of Dalguise. In reference to this sad event she wrote to her niece, Mrs. Stewart Sandeman, in these terms : —
" Caroline Cottage, 3rd January, 1829. " Few events have been so much felt by every one of this little circle as our late loss. How greatly beloved darling Charles was we hardly knew. His kind, sweet, lively temper,
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 5 5
added to a fine mind and excellent talents, furnished incessant recollections— I dare not add regrets, but nature will in some degree prevail. . . . All is love, if we do but take events as from a Father's hand, and the blessing is sure. The firm trust that, amidst many temptations, our beloved Charles held by his Christian principles, and was enabled by divine grace to commit his soul to his Saviour, not only in words, but in deed and in truth, this is heartfelt consolation to all who loved him, and they were not few."
Our authoress was about to descend more deeply into the valley of affliction. During the autumn of 1829 Lord Nairne experienced a severe attack of jaundice. He recovered, but remained emaciated and feeble. He became a victim to biliary derange- ment ; and though he occasionally seemed to rally, his state of health was a source of anxiety to his attached wife. Respecting his Lordship's condition Lady Nairne thus communicates with Christian Oliphant, one of her nieces : —
"June 1 2th, 1830.
" I know it would make your kind heart feel to see Lord N. as he is now, feeble and emaciated beyond what you can well imagine ; yet we are thankful there is no alarming symptom in the disease itself ; and if it should be permitted to give way, he might in some degree pick up again, though he himself does not expect it. * * *
"I often think of somebody's observation, that it is difficult to say whether we should call this state of existence a dying life or a living death. Dearest Christian, what a blessed privilege to have such hope set before us as is freely given to the humble and contrite follower of the all-powerful Redeemer!"
56 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
The hopes of a devoted wife were not to be realized. Lord Naime passed away peacefully on the 9th July. The widow contemplated her deep loss with Christian composure.
In May of the same year her niece Margaret Oliphant, second daughter of Laurence Oliphant, of Gask, was married to Mr. Thomas Kington, of Charlton House, Wraxall, Somersetshire. Mr. and Mrs. Kington resided after their marriage at Clifton, near Bristol, where the sisters of the latter then lived, on account of the climate being suited to their health. Towards the close of the year the Clifton party was increased by the presence of Lady Nairne, who now finally relin- quished Caroline Cottage, being resolved to seek a less severe climate for her son, whose health had lately awakened her anxiety.
At Chfton Lady Naime seemed likely to experience such a degree of comfort as was needful in her new- made widowhood. She was surrounded by many dear relatives, who regarded her with an affection not unmixed with veneration. But she was yet to tread in the vale of sorrow. Her beloved niece, Caroline Oliphant, who bore her name and was en- dowed with a genius akin to her own, was seized with a mortal ailment, and on the 9th of February, 1831, sank into her rest.
Lady Nairne remained at Clifton about six months. She resolved to carry out her long-cherished intention of visiting Ireland, where her husband was born, and
Memoir of Baroness Nairne, 57
the mild climate of which, she hoped, might prove suitable to the health of her son. In July, 1831, she had established her household at Kingstown, near Dublin. From this place she wrote to her Ravelstone friend, whom henceforth we shall designate her Edin- burgh correspondent : —
" William, like all boys, is fond of riding, so I got a pony for him, and he often went to the post, and came back with letters, all safe and sound. When he could not go we sent our footman, but the pony's knees were broken, and letters were lost, with other mishaps. At this time poteen was sold at every toll-bar ; but when Father Matthew, with much eloquence and zeal, gave the pledge, a wonderful change took place. He told the kneel- ing crowd that he could work no miracle, and that they must pray to God to enable them to keep the pledge. These senti- ments gave great offence to the bigoted priests, who said he was ' no true son of the Church.'"
After a short period Lady Nairne left Kingstown and established her residence at Enniskerry, county Wicklow, a locality not only well adapted for Lord Naime's health, but calculated to evoke her own poetical inspiration.
Lady Nairne was favourably impressed with the warm-hearted character of the Irish peasantry; but she deeply lamented to find a generous people crushed under the iron heel of a selfish priesthood^ The song, " Wake, Irishmen, wake," composed at this period, is sufficiently expressive of these sentiments, and of her earnest wishes tor the dawn ot spiritual life among the sons of Erin. She admired the songs
58 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
and music of Ireland. She read the poetry of Moore, but lamented that he, like Burns, had not always been careful to consecrate his verse to the cause of virtue. In one of her sweetest compositions she has thus apostrophized the Irish bard : —
'* Sweet poet ! be true to thy lofty inspiring ;
While, bound by thy magic, the skies half unfurled, Youth, beauty, and taste are with rapture admiring, Oh, spread not around them the fumes of this world ! "
Among others of the upper rank with whom she associated during her residence in Ireland, were the Earl and Countess of Rathdowne, and their eldest daughter, the Honourable Lady Anne Monck. She was much attached to the Viscountess Powerscourt, whose " Letters," since published, have proved a precious boon to the Christian world. She met at Powerscourt House many gifted clergymen from England, Scotland, and the Continent, who rejoiced to assemble there for friendly discussion and social fellowship. From the pastoral gatherings at Powers- court one was seldom absent whose deep spirituality and simple earnestness attracted and charmed even those who most deplored his errors ; this was Edward Irving, then on the verge of the great future. " He was," writes one who often met him at Powerscourt, " always putting forward his peculiar opinions, which were combated by the great majority, and believed in by few." How the authoress of the "Land o' the
Memoir of Baroness N air ne. 59
Leal" relished the society of her largely-gifted but erring countryman does not appear; she doubtless lamented his painful delusions.
The Rev. Robert Daly, now Bishop of Cashel, was rector of Powerscourt. His ministerial visits were deeply prized by Lady Nairne; she often referred to the power of his pastoral services. The parochial curate, the Rev. Thomas Mackee, now incumbent of Brampton, Huntingdonshire, has not forgotten, after nearly forty years, the excellent qualities of the Scottish gentlewoman who sojourned in Enniskerry. " He remembers the delight he always experienced when he was in her company ; her lively mind, her sweet amiability, and her unaffected piety." At Enniskerry, Lady Nairne received a visit from her early friend, Mrs. Campbell Colquhoun, of Killermont, now a widow, and who, chastened by successive bereavements, was, like her comforter of former days, being made ripe for the kingdom of heaven.
One friendship formed in Ireland was permanently cherished by correspondence. Miss Alicia Mason, of Dublin, had long been actively engaged in works of beneficence. She became a frequent visitor at Ennis- kerry, and not seldom accompanied the Baroness in her pony carriage when she visited the dwellings of the poor. Her ladyship had not yet abandoned the use of the pencil. "The room in which Lady Nairne sat," writes Miss Mason, " was damp, and the whole of the back wall, about eighteen feet in breadth,
6o Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
had become stained. With common black lead, or such like material, she drew on this wall one of the most beautiful pictures I ever saw ; it represented a landscape in the neighbourhood, including the Sugar-loaf Mountain."
In the spring of 1834, young Lord Nairne began to experience "a want of occupation and of the means of improvement." He proposed to leave Ireland. On the 7th of April our authoress inti- mated her proposed departure to Miss Mason. Having expressed her regret and pain in the prospect of parting with congenial and attached friends, she proceeds : —
"Nairne and I have been amusing ourselves revising geo- graphy and astronomy, and I really find that has a good effect in such a case as this. Yet, philosophize as I may, I must think of your frequent kind visits virith regret, and, I will add, with gratitude. . . . The best way for me is to go by water as much as may be, yet I am sorry to make Nairne suffer as he does at sea. I do humbly but confidently trust we are led by unerring wisdom in our little plans. I do not think I shall ever regiet having made so long a visit to Wicklow."
A long letter, addressed to the same correspondent a few weeks later, contains these words : —
"Perhaps few sons would have sacrificed to an old mother as Nairne has done, and I trust he has himself, in many respects, benefited. Besides even better things, the domestic life he has led is good, and I think now he will prefer that still to much excitement. Should he marry, which would be a happy event *o me, and that I thought it eligible to leave him, who knows but that I might come to end my days here ? These dreams are
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 6 1
all for yourself, remember ! It is not of yesterday that Ireland has had hold of my heart. Naime's dear papa was bom in it, and though only three years old when his parents returned to England, yet here he drew his first breath on the banks of the Boyne, and while breath remains with me, his native country must be beloved.
" Time makes no difference with regard to some feelings. I once imagined a change of place and other circumstances might, but it is not so with me. I am never left alone without realizing Moore's beautiful lines, ' Fond memory brings the light of other days around me ;' yet it is in peace, hope, unspeakable gra- titude, and joyful anticipation. I feel as if I ought to be contin- ually employed in thanksgivings. What you say of being led by privations from the streams to the fountain is most salutary. This is a blessed result, whatever means are employed to pro- duce it. ... I feel sure you will do the best thing for us that any mortal can do in commending us to our gracious Lord's protecting care and guiding. I wish time and place to be nothing to me but as He leads the way and appoints the time for every circumstance. If we do but belong to His family, all is weU."
The summer of 1834 was spent in Scotland. Lord Nairne visited his relations in Perthshire ; he inspected sorrowfully the ruins of his ancestral seat. Our authoress resided chiefly at Edinburgh. There she visited those friends with whom she had enjoyed a pleasant intercourse during the publication of the " Minstrel." A lady had remarked that she found in the " Minstrel " lines which surprised her, from the professed propriety of the work. The speaker was ignorant of our authoress's share in the production, and the remark caused a deep wound. Respecting
E
62 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
the passages objected to, she wrote to her Edinburgh correspondent : —
" I never was for concessions of the kind, nor indeed for retaining silly nonsense, though ever so old."
A correspondent had invited her attention to " The Sabbath," a poem, by the Rev. James Grahame. She repHed as follows : —
"It is long since I read Grahame on the Sabbath. When I did, I delighted in his sentiments, and as cordially disliked his politics.* Since then I have become indifferent about politics, further than as I consider them to accord with or differ from the spirit of the Holy Scriptures ; some slight allowance being made for early impressions, which are very powerful in some minds, but have in my own been so greatly modified, that I trust they do not mislead me. The sensible change gives a good hope of this."
In another letter to the same correspondent she writes : —
" How sorry I am for this illness of your relative, as he seems to suffer under it ! Do point out to him explicitly the only hope. I hardly now meet with a pedlar's tract that does not plainly point to the Saviour. Mr. D. seems to feel himself as he ought — a sinner ; and how often has a word in season been allowed to bring present peace and hope for the future by showing the all-sufhcicncy of the ransom that has been paid ! This, you
* The amiable author of "The Sabbath" cherished ultra- liberal political opinions ; he had approved of the French Revolution of 1 789, and was generally in favour of democratical institutions.
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 63
may have observed, often comes home to tli£ mind as a new and powerful truth, though read and heard of from youth with a bare assent by those who ignorantly lean to something in them- selves. He appears to be in the very case that gives hope. You have obtained an influence over his mind that may be blessed to him. He should read that chapter in the ' Pilgrim's Progress ' where the burden falls from the shoulders at sight of the cross. That struck me greatly - many is the day since, — and though I had before read it with little application on various occasions.''
Young Lord Nairne had long been delicate, and it became evident to his anxious mother that the climate of Scotland was unfavourable to his complaint. In the hope of his deriving benefit from the change, she proposed to accompany him to the Continent. This was in the autumn of 1834. Not long before her departure she wrote to her Dublin correspondent in these words : —
" I delight in seeing all merely human anticipations contra- dicted by the high and gracious power that overrules all. What is to come we know not, but surely much praise is due for the present. "
The writer was to have her faith severely tested ; she was to pass through "the valley of Baca."
The Continental party included Mrs. Keith, and her attached niece, Miss Margaret Harriet Steuart, of Dalguise. They visited in succession Paris, Florence, Rome, Naples, Geneva, Interlachen, and Baden. During the winter of 1835-6 the party estabhshed
64 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
their quarters at Mannheim. From that place Lady Nairne writes to one of her nieces : —
"27th February, 1836.
" Our winter's residence here has not been altogether as satis- factory as I had hoped. My great attraction centred in an excellent clergyman, who was able to officiate only twice after we came. The sermons were so satisfactory, that it was im- possible not to lament the dearth that ensued.
" . . . Here there are many English families, and what is called very genteel society. There is also the court of the Grand Duchess Dowager of Baden, a niece-in-law of poor Josephine, and adopted daughter of Napoleon. You will Scarcely believe what a fuss the English make about this French lady ; she goes to their balls and musical parties, and being now a Royal Highness is treated something like a queen by them. She was very handsome, and is said to be very talented and accomplished. Her only unmarried daughter is, I believe, really a fine girl of nineteen. * I have not seen either, as I do nothing, as usual, beyond morning calls on a few acquaintances. Had I, like the rest, gone through the trouble of being presented at court, there would have been no plea for enjoying this retire- ment that I love and require I say with thankfulness
that I have been better on the Continent than for a long time in our humid islands ; yet age must tell, however gently. "
Early in spring Lady Nairne removed her house- hold to Baden-Baden. From this place she writes to a relative on the 6th June : —
"I have been much interested with Mrs. Hannah Mora's Life, which was lent me at Mannheim. It far surpassed my expectation, and her real character was all that I had imagined.
* Now Duchess of Hamilton.
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 65
There is so much high talent, truth, and simplicity, that when I put it all together, it left the impression of sublimity on my mind. I had fancied the faults in her style were the effects of effort ; not, as I found, of the overflowing richness of her mental qualities. This is a delightful spot ; Nairne's taste for wild nature at least equals mine."
The hand of death was approaching. During the spring of 1837 Lord Nairne was seized with influenza, then epidemic. He did not regain strength. Symp- toms of a pulmonary ailment supervened. His mother sought the best medical help ; she thought of returning to Britain, or proceeding to a warmer climate. The following letter to a relative in England supphes information concerning this anxious period : —
"Brussels, Oct. ii. " We could not safely get any further than this place. Hu- manly speaking, this of Nairne's has been a cruel case, as he has suffered more injury from improper treatment than I could be able to contemplate without distraction, did I not feel that in imploring direction with, I hope, a sincere desire to act with submission to the holy will of Him who is our All, we have in reality been led, and that the present dispensation, dark and trying as it now seems, will even to ourselves soon appear to be a proof of love. Will you kindly do as you suggest about public prayers, of course, without naming any one, as I would not feel justified in doing that. I hear of a very good clergyman with whom I hope to get acquaintcl soon, and we have the benefit of a most satisfactory medical gentleman, one of the professors here, who was long in England, and knows all the modes of treatment. He is, I think, without doubt, a pious man, as he always speaks of his prescriptions as
66 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
being under the direction of One who alone can give efficacy to
the means We have also the blessing of attached
and very efficient servants, accustomed to nurse invalids, so that in these respects we have reason to be thankful. And that I should now, when I expected to be about departing this life, have bodily strength enough to give my attendance, is really wonder- ful. As for the rest, not to suffer is i7fipossiblc, but it is not in wrath, but in mercy, that all our trials are sent. The Dr. says it would be wrong to despair, as cures in Nairne's case have been effi^cted, but no man can answer for the result."
The life of an only child — a dearly beloved son — was trembling in the balance, but the widowed mother was entirely resigned to the divine will. Her faith was needed.
The case exceeded human skill. Mrs. Keith, and her niece, Miss Margaret Harriet Steuart, now become the correspondents, who are to inform relatives and friends in Britain of this last sad bereavement. In a letter commenced by Mrs. Keith, in the form of a journal, we have the following: —
"November nth.
" A change to the worse, and I feel now as if there were no hope almost. His mother is a pattern of composure and perfect resignation.
" i8th. — To-day he is called much better.
" 19th. — A most anxious day on Nairne's account . . . The delightful certainty of a gracious change having been wrouglit in his mind ought to fill our hearts with praise, and to quell all murmurs. "
" The change " referred to in Mrs. Keith's journal had proved to the watchful mother a source of the
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 67
deepest consolation about eighteen months previous. Young Lord Nairne, amiable, affectionate, and prudent as he was, had long been a stranger to the truth as it is in Jesus. " During the first portion of his residence in Ireland," writes one who knew him well, " he seemed inclined to be a scoffer." " He experienced some benefit," writes the same correspondent, " in the society of certain clergymen at Wicklow, whom he at first chiefly appreciated from their gentlemanly bearing." But the prayers of a devoted parent were afterwards to be fully answered, and all reserve dis- appeared.
The diary is continued, but simply contains the record of constant changes, for the better or for the worse. The niece sums up : —
" nth December. "All our hopes and fears, my dear cousin, are now at an end. On the 7th it pleased God to remove our beloved invalid from this scene of suffering. However much this event may have been dreaded by us, the blow has not been the less heavy now it has fallen, and it is one from which, humanly speaking, his mother can never recover. Her fortitude and resignation have been very great, but that does not render her suffering less acute now. For some weeks he had given us the extreme satis- faction of knowing from his own lips his utter renunciation of self, and his trust in our blessed Redeemer. This he most humbly, sweetly, expressed ; and both before and after gave manifold proofs of a renewed mind. . . . He received the sacrament, at his own request, the day before he died. . . He was perfectly sensible to the last. He literally fell asleep
68 Metnoir of Baro7iess Nainie.
when dear aiuit Nairne had just repeated in the words of Stephen, ' Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, ' which he applied to himself."
William, sixth Lord Nairne, was interred at Brussels on the 1 2th December. His remains were accompa- nied to the grave by many respectable inhabitants of the city, who sympathized with an aged gentlewoman, bereft of her husband, and now childless. In reply to a letter of condolence, addressed to her by her Edinburgh correspondent, Miss Harriet Steuart wrote as follows : —
"My dear aunt has indeed suffered much, yet she has seen mercy in every step, softening the anguish of this heavy trial."
Some weeks after her sad bereavement Lady Nairne communicated with her niece, Mrs. Stewart Sandeman, in these terms : —
"Though writing, even to friends, is no longer, as for- merly, one of my occupations, I cannot resist the temptation now offered of thanking you for your kind letter, and sympathy with me under the heavy affliction which it pleased our heavenly Father to send me. No one but myself can know what I have lost in my darling companion of almost thirty years, as none besides could witness his never-ceasing tenderness and confidence. Whilst I had him, the thought that it was a thing possible that I might lose him, though high in health and spirits, — the very thought would at times embitter to me our delightful intercourse. This, I know now, arose from excess of attachment, and surely I have much — much reason to give thanks for the grace that enabled me to resign him at last with the full conviction that all
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 69
was well for him and for me. You are the first to whom I have written of my inmost feelings, as I really have not strength of mind or body for much."
Henriette Vouaillat, Lady Naime's faithful maid, who attended her during these eventful years, lately remarked to one who saw her at Geneva, that after a burst of grief at the first, her mistress bore her heavy loss with perfect resignation. No murmur escaped her lips.
A narrative of the leading events in the life of our authoress, subsequent to her son's death, has been supplied by her grand-niece, Mrs. G. F. Barbour, of Bonskeid, authoress of "The Way Home," "The Child of the Kingdom," and other works. Mr. Sandeman, husband of Lady Nairne's niece, accom- panied by his daughter, the writer of the following "Recollections," left Springland, near Perth, and hastened their intended journey to Brussels.
The reader is now placed under the guidance of the younger traveller : —
" Having received no letter from Brussels since leaving Scotland, we reached the door of Mrs. Keith's residence in the Rue Ducale, with the hope of hearing that Lord Nairne had rallied from the last attack of serious illness. The servant in mourning silenced inquiry. The funeral carriages had just left the court- yard of Lady Nairne's house in the Rue de Louvain, a few doors off. Mrs. Keith had gone to spend the afternoon with her sister, accompanied by Miss Mar-
(^ 70 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
garet Harriet Steuart, of Dalguise, their niece and the mainstay of both for years after. ' The funeral was delayed for your arrival,' said the servant to Mr. Sandeman, 'until the last hour permitted by the authorities ; but you come too late ! '
*' It was not for some days that the writer, then in her fifteenth year, went to spend the evening with the bereaved Lady Nairne. Two and thirty years have elapsed, but that first interview remains fresh and vivid in memory. The last caution received on leaving home was, to be careful that in no unguarded moment I should allude to the authorship of the ' Land o' the Leal.' ' I never mentioned it but once,' said my mother, ' and it caused both distress and dis- pleasure : ' That 7ms treachery,' was the only answer I received.' And now the beloved authoress was per- sonifying her own song. Her only child, who had combined a daughter's tenderness with his manly care of her, had gone to that dwelling, the gates of which his mother's sweet song had made clear to the eyes of so many.
" The first hours spent at her side, to be constantly renewed during two happy years, proved that the comfort wherewith she had comforted others bore, as to its reality, the severest test. It was a cold December night. The north wind, more dry and sifting than in Britain, was felt in the large apartment in spite of the open stove and the screen that surrounded her sofa. She sat at a writing table. The green shade
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 7 1
of the lamp concealed in a great measure the wrinkled brow and bloodshot eyes, and she looked still lovely, and much younger in her 72nd year than one would have expected. Her cap, of the Queen Mary shape, had a large white crape handkerchief thrown over it. She made the kindest and most minute inquiries about everything at home, and when the effort became too great she gave me a book to read.
" Not long after, the Belgian physician who had attended her son called to inquire for her. In answer to a remark of his about the welfare of the good and amiable in a future state, her eye kindled, and she spoke with deep solemnity of what is taught in God's word of the utterly fallen state of the purest of man- kind, and of the ransom and redemption through Christ Jesus, beguiling the listener on to put his lips almost down to the water of life to drink. Before I left she asked if I liked poetry, and bade me bring a blank book the next evening I came, that she might dictate lines from different authors. All the evenings that winter were spent much in the same way. Her interest in the welfare of the souls of others was unwearied. It was a great lesson to see that one who had been bereft of all had yet the great life-work remaining to her.
"She listened with interest to Lockhart's Life of Sir Walter Scott, which recalled to her the scenes and many of the personages with whom, during her resi- dence in Edinburgh, she had been familiar. One
72 Memoir of Baro7iess Nairne.
evening, while reading aloud to her, we came upon a note discussing the authorship of the ' Land o' the Leal.' To the young reader it was somewhat like going to the cannon's mouth to read it to her, and if blushes could betray the knowledge of a secret. Lady Nairne's observant eye must have seen them. ' Poor Sir Walter ! ' she said more than once ; ' we did not put ourselves in his way, or we might have seen much of him. One so attractive as he was, and who had yet been bold enough to single out God's servants for derision, as he did the Covenanters, placing them in a light so false, would have been a dangerous friend.' She searched the catalogue of the English library for books bearing on the last days of Byron, Napoleon, and others, in whose great minds her own had been specially in- terested. She used to send us for the books, and would say with sadness, ' I cannot endure the thought of men with such capacities for sufifering and enjoy- ment having taken their places, for the immeasurable eternity, among the lost. I always search hoping to come on some trace, in the records of their last days, of their having apprehended our Saviour's work and touched the hem of His garment.'
" How often, after speaking of individuals, — to inter- course with whom the path had lain open, but whose society she had relinquished to protect her only child from everything which she had deemed of questionable tendency, — she ended with one or other of the verses of a favourite hymn —
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 73
' Poor and afflicted, Lord, are Thine, Among the great unfit to shine ; Yet, though the world may think it strange, They would not with the world exchange. '
I have not a single regret about William's upbringing. He was trained for the kingdom whither he has gone. I was laughed at for not having him taught dancing; but I knew its snares too well. What else does the Bible lead us to expect when it says — Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it kneiv Him not .? Yet there never was a merrier home than ours. Your uncle was full of fun, and kept his best spirits for his own home. I remember one day he came in saying a number of new knights had been gazetted, adding, ' In fact, we are going to be be-nighted, and the only light we shall have will be star-W^t !'"*
" Winter was gone, and bright days returned. The bust of her son, which had occasioned so many visits to the studio of a sculptor on the Boulevard, was finished. She had been several times to church, had received a few visitors, and taken some drives ; all being planned for her by the watchful and affectionate solicitude of Mrs. Keith and Miss Steuart, without whose sheltering forethought a return to life would scarcely have seemed possible for her.
" A change of air was needed. On Tuesday, the
* Lady Naime's husband was a man of fascinating manners and sparkling wit ; he was quite unable to resist the tendency to play upon words, which he did in the most brilliant way.
74 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
fifth of June, 1838, at 8 a.m., Lady Nairne took her place in the travelling carriage. Mrs. Keith's did not start till some hours later, that we might get over the douane work before they overtook us. As we passed alone together through the Porte d'Anderlecht, from Brussels, all bright in the sunshine of a summer morning, she lay back, with her eyes shut, and her desolation seemed complete. She could not have remained in that climate ; yet she had to leave precious dust behind her, under the stone which we had seen lettered, —
• WILLIAM, LORD NAIRNE, Aged 29. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.'
" Sunshine had always been the most trying thing for her in her grief; but now she would have all the blinds up that I might not lose the views.
" Journeys were slow in those days ; the heavy-laden carriage, the horse's bells, mingled with the cracking whips and cries of the postillions, are now but little known. We stopped at Valenciennes for the night, in an hotel which had been a convent, as we dis- covered, when trying to find the kitchen to hasten a cup of coffee for Aunt N., we had to pass through great unfurnished halls with stone floors.
" Next forenoon we spent at Cambrai. She listened with interest to all we could find out there about Fene'lon, at the cathedral, and other spots sacred to his memory. She knew his words as, broken-hearted,
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 75
he stood by the bier of his royal pupil, the Dauphin of France : — ' If the turning of a straw could now put me again in possession of what I loved, I would not be the turner of that straw, unless God bade me.'
"Another afternoon's journey, commenced at the close of a thunderstorm, brought us to rest the second night at Peronne, previously to reaching which she made me read to her the description of it by Sir Walter Scott.
"We stopped a night at Senlis, and reached Paris the following day. The preaching and society of Mr. Lovett, then officiating in Lady Olivia Sparrow's Chapelle Marboeuf, were most soothing, and six weeks were spent happily there ere the party again set out."
From a letter written at Paris we print an extract : —
" Paris, Avenue de Neuilly,
"June 28th, 1838.
"Aunt N. has found herself sadly at home in the duty of comforting her bereaved friends, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton, with whom she is now sitting. Five of their children died in con- sumption. We found them in this house when we came. Their dear Fanny is now added to the company gathered on high. Every one who saw her said she seemed already in heaven, but her parents and sisters feel all the blank now. She suffered much.
"The heat is intense : we had to dine in the outer lobby; everything comes from a restaurant. Kfemme de peine, with the two maids and the two men of my aunt's, does everything.
" A somnambula is attracting crowds, who consult her as to
76 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
their health, and on other subjects, and she must be making a fortune. We only know it all by hearsay, and have to sit silent when some valued friends come and relate the wonderful stories of cures effected by her. It is Aunt N.'s way to listen to, and try to sift, such things : it amuses her unawares, so we tell her everything we hear.
"They have all been grieved by a case of imposition. We were asked to visit a young Englishwoman in poverty, about to have an operation for a tumour, expected to be fatal, by a noted French surgeon. She was an object to look at, but a model of patience and resignation. One day a friend took in an English doctor to see her. Under his hands, for he insisted on using them, she soon became thin enough without an operation ! He took out a soft little pillow, and other deceitfiil wrappings. Of course the visits of the French surgeon were all of her own in- venting. It made one's heart sick, so many had been deceived by her. She made her escape at once with her earnings.
" Aunt N. listens with delight to notes we took of two sermons of her favourite among Scotchmen, Dr. Chalmers. He is now the lion here among English and French, though I doubt if the latter understand him. I never saw him before. * God is love,' was his text ; a grand peroration. 'Death will come, the coffin will come,' &c. One feels proud of him as the French gaze in wonder at him. His wee notes fly in succession from his Bible to the pulpit floor, as each is done with. At the end he picks them all up again. It is doubly good to hear him in this bewitching place. If one had not a soul, and were not to live for ever, one would never wish to leave it.
"A poor Spaniard was recommended to Aunt N., so we begged hard for leave to learn 'Spanish in a fortnight,' and obtained it. Cousin makes all kinds of study delightful ; we have been learning lessons under the trees of the Tuilleries, and driving in the Bois de Boulogne. Aunt N, has made room on the carriage for a guitar-case. "
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. y"]
" The journey from Paris to Wildbad, in the Black Forest, occupied from Monday morning till Saturday night. At starting she playfully said, ' As we are to have a whole week of it, we must try to spend the days to some purpose. I shall repeat Bishop Ken's morning hymn as soon as we get beyond the rattle of the streets, and you must repeat it to me to-morrow ; you may read aloud at the hills and as often as they stop to change horses.'
" There were two volumes which, during the years we spent together, were never missing from her writing- table, and they were always to be found in what her servant Dominique called a danc a volonte ; he had got it made with great pains, to fill up the front part of the carriage, to contain her books, work, and slight provision for the way, and also to serve as a foot-rest. We read a letter of Lady Powerscourt's * daily, and generally a hymn of Miss Fry's. She liked these books because of the full expression they contain of God's boundless love to His people, His choice of them from all eternity, and the certainty of forgiveness of sin, which any sinner may obtain at any instant, by receiving Jesus as God's free gift. She liked them because they insisted on the pilgrim character of the forgiven, and the joyful surrender of everything to the Master's use.
* Letters and Papers by the late Theodosia, Viscountess Powerscourt, edited by the Rev. Robert Daly. Dublin, 1838. i2mo.
F
J?) Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
" The following lines of Miss Fry were the first she dictated to me ; they were indeed touchingly descrip- tive of herself: —
THE BARREN ROCK.
A LONELY vock on the sea-shore stood, Its head to heaven, its base in the flood ; The dews of morning bathed its brow, And the moonbeam played on its breast of snow, The summer breezes kissed it lightly. And the sun shined on it brightly, brightly, But there came not forth of its cold, cold breast So much as to shelter the sea-mew's nest.
There came not a leaf, there came not a spray. Nor the heather brown, nor the besom gay ; The simpler came not to pick with care The healing buds of the balsam there. What ails thee, thou Rock, that still in vain The spring returns with his jocund train. So richly decked, so gaily sped. And finds no wreath on thy sullen liead ?
1 looked again, — and the waters grew. They reached its base, they reached its brow, Again and again, with fearful shock. The billows broke o'er the lonely rock ; But it trembled not as it passed them through. And it rose in smiles as the waves withdrew. And its brow was decked with gems so bright. They seemed like drops of the rainliow's ligliu
'Tis well ; and so o'er some beside Adversity flows with as rough a tide ;
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 79
It rifles the heart of the joys it bore,
And it comes so oft they will grow no more ;
But it leaves it firm, it leaves it bright,
It leaves it decked with unearthly light ;
In hallowed tears serene to stand
As the lonely rock on the cold sea strand.
" We say nothing of the external part of the journey to Wildbad. We always started early and travelled late, so that Mrs. Keith, as well as her sister, might rest during the heat of the day, and allow the others to explore and take sketches of the places where they stopped. It was not till after the second move that the dear subject of this memoir could trust herself to look around. All the nearer to her heart was the celestial scenery which imagination strives, after each bereavement, to outline anew. Lady Nairne did not speak of her sorrow, nor do we recollect ever seeing tears. Sometimes when she thought she was un- observed she would raise her hand deprecatingly, as if the strokes of sorrow were falling too heavy and thick for human endurance, and her eye was turned upward to the Man of sorrows on the throne who was overruling all. She seemed like one in severe bodily pain, and often whispered the words, ' He spared not His Son.' At first the servants would come with anxious look when the carriage stopped, to ask if anything was required, as if in doubt whether the thread of life could bear the forces which assailed it ; but before we set out on our third journey all was
8o Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
more hopeful. I never saw her allow herself to laugh heartily but once, and it was not long after our first meeting. She had been repeating some lines of which she said she had often tried to discover the author. On my insisting that his name was in a collection of poetry, she said, 'You must~bring it me next night' She did not forget, and I told her the name of the author was ' Anonymous.' When a very little child I had got it into my mind that this was a clever man who wrote most of the pretty things we learned : not pronouncing the word properly to myself, the error had not been discovered, and the existence of "Anon " was as firmly believed in. To have made such a blunder before most people would have been a lasting humiha- tion, but not with her. How true it is that one feels most at ease in the presence of a great mind, and never hurt or awkward ! he who has most mastered his subject will often most patiently explain its rudi- ments to the ignorant.
" She was kinder than ever, and said, ' Now tell me, dear Maggy, whose collection of hymns do you use?'
"'Sacred Poetry,' and Montgomery's 'Christian Psalmist.'
" ' And where do you learn your hymns when at Springland?'
"' In a crooked little beech tree, just like an arm- chair, after breakfast till church-time on Sundays ; and other days, when there is time to go further, up at the
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 8 1
long stone seat on the bank of Annaty Burn, where it runs into the current of the Tay, between us and the Scone grounds.'
" ' The view is very fine there, is it not ? ' " ' We never miss going on the fine sunset evenings to see it over the Grampians; with the clouds and the broad river, and just in front a long little island ; the sky looks like a way up to heaven.'
" ' What hymn did you last learn there?' she asked.
' " A cloud lay cradled near the setting sun,
A gleam of crimson tinged its braided snow : Long had I watched the glory moving on,
O'er the still radiance of the lake below ; Tranquil its spirit seemed, and floated slow.
Even in its very motion there was rest, While every breath of eve that chanced to blow,
Wafted the traveller to the beauteous west ; Emblem, methought, of the departed soul,
To whose white robe the gleam of bliss is given, And by the breath of mercy made to roll
Right onward to the golden gates of heaven ; Where, to the eye of faith, it peaceful lies.
And tells to man his glorious destinies." '
t>*
" ' Just a place to learn hymns about heaven at; they should never be learned as a task. And at Bonskeid, which is the favourite seat?'
" ' Up in the west wood where you painted the house from. But last summer our governess found it dull, and we sat often on a little hill where she could see the post-runner pass, and the tourists' carriages, and the
82 Memoir of Baroness Nairjte.
carriers' carts. She got a fright with a roe-deer and an adder, and did not like the wood after.'
" ' I hope they do not oblige you to write verses of your own, as some are made to do.'
" ' No.'
" ' And you never tried ?'
" ' Never.'
" ' True poetry is involuntary ; it will force its own way. You and I must have many talks about these wonderful men, "Anonymous" and "Anon," who have between them caused me more delight than any authors. I must tell you a story of our youth at Gask, where the mistake of a word not only caused merriment for us at the time, but ever since.
"'Aunt Harriet had got a special summons by a messenger on horseback to Athole, to go to see " Lady" Lude, who was said to be so ill that if she wished to see her in Hfe she must come instantly. Aunt Harriet gave a letter, ordering a large chaise, to the horseman to deliver in Perth on his arrival there, nine miles distant, as you know. We all set to making pre- parations for her journey. May (your grandmother) was the director, as in everything else, and we were all seated round aunt Harriet in her grief, won- dering how the chaise she had ordered (she had written to Perth that the biggest to be had should be sent immediately) was so long in coming, as the journey to Blair- Athole was tedious, and it was get- ting late. Suddenly the door of the room opened,
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 83
and two men entered carrying an enormous cheese. Aunt Harriet was always a great laugher, but this time (owing to the tension on the nerves caused by sorrowful preparations, parting with us, and the illness of her sister) she was seized with an immoderate fit. Tears even ran down, the more her ludicrous mistake in spelling became plain to her. She, without power to explain, the two men with the cheese on the floor between them, we gazing in utter wonder, formed a scene we could never forget. The journey was given up till next morning.'
"Lady Nairne's young Hstener would not have grudged to make as great a mistake again, to be so amended; the sorrows of 'Anonymous' were all for- gotten. The beloved speaker, who had dwelt since her youth in a hiding-place draped by that word Anonymous, perhaps enjoyed it all herself.
"On leaving Brussels, Lady Nairne had resolved not to keep house any longer ; but to have rooms in Mrs. Keith's house wherever she might settle. But, on reaching Wildbad, we found it unexpectedly so crowded that we had to seek rooms in three different houses, not far apart. The Black Forest affords drives and walks in every direction.*
" We were awoke by the band of music. The dewy
* Wildbad lies in a deep valley, with the river baths and hot springs at the bottom. The hills are well wooded, and the tracts of heather and bleaberries reminded us of Bonskeid and Steuartfield.
84 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
morning walk from six to eight; breakfast — of which wild strawberries always formed part ; — study carried on in the heat of the day (after the table d'hote at 12), either indoors or in one of the arbours, which then were numerous on the steep wooded banks; and the drives in the evening, amid the aroma of the scented fir, made our sojourn here delightful. Evening worship, at the side of those aged friends who put all these enjoyments within our reach, closed the happiness of these days. Family worship was never omitted even on the most fatiguing journeys : when there was no time to read, the servants came in, and a brief prayer was offered.
" After spending six weeks at Wildbad, and stopping at Stuttgart, Ulm, and Augsburg, where we saw a review of 50,000 Bavarian troops, we reached Munich, and were soon comfortably settled in the large Maison Rechberg, of which the Count and Countess Rechberg let one flat, built round a large court, and opening on a garden bounded on one side by the dwellings of the poor. From one of their open windows the sound of singing in parts, and of a musical instrument, would come in the evenings and on holidays. We were much amused by a musical baker who had a piano in his back shop, with a bell over it which rang as soon as any one entered ; after answering the demands of his shop, he went back to his piano.
" The following notes are from letters sent home at that time : —
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"Munich, October 17th, 1838, "Spent last night alone with Aunt N. Her conversation is more and more unrestrained and delightful. There is some- thing elevating in being with one who has no longer any tie to earth, but that affectionate interest in the eternal prospects of every perishing fellow-sinner which love to her Saviour inspires. They all take so much interest about Alexander's having gone to school. Aunt Nairne said, ' Well, Maggy, I believe many, many a prayer has been offered up for him before he was launched out into the world.' On Thursday evening we are to work for the poor. The Friday forenoons are to be spent in the galleries of sculpture ; another day, when we can, in the gallery of painting, where the works of each master are arranged sepa- rately, and dated, which is so useful for a beginner."
"At Munich Lady Nairne did not refuse to see visitors, whose custom it was to call in the evening in dress, uninvited — the most easy and agreeable way of visiting. Lord and Lady Erskine were then at the English Embassy. The Rev. Charles de Coetlogon was the English chaplain of Madame de Montgelas, and had public service on Sabbath. Many other English and German friendships were formed there.
"Munich, December 31st, 1838. "It is a delight to be with aunt N. in her illness. She is better, though still very weak ; however, she can now take some turns in her room, vnth either cousin or me, and we trust she is likely entirely to regain her strength. She is now indeed, as she says, detached from the world. She said the other day that she never saw the concerns and pleasures of time in so un- important a light as now, except in so far as they have regard to eternity.
86 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
"The English here are gay, and all go to court, except my cousin, whose steadiness and consistency are never shaken in what she sees right. One cannot be presented without going to the whole of the balls given by any of the Royal Family, so she has not been presented. This implies much self-denial as to other things which she would really have enjoyed, and we have had indirect notice from the Palace, through ladies-in-waiting with whom we are intimate, that it is regretted that not one of the party was presented. There are some nice parties, to which she goes. She met the Duke and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, with the Prince Royal of Bavaria, at Lord Erskine's, lately. In the papers it is said that the young Prince Albert's marriage to our Queen is still talked of. He is handsome, but reserved, being very young, about his cousin's age. More than once aunt N. has taken out of the drawer of her writing-table the invitation to the coronation with the Queen's signature, as a model of clear and bold handwriting. We are interested in Wilberforce's life, it is our book for reading aloud since we came. "
" The piano was not kept in the salon^ where Lady Nairne sat at Mrs. Keith's side on a sofa in the evenings, not far from a large marble stove heated from the lobby. Yet we played every evening in the adjoining room, leaving the doors open, and she did not forbid it. She often asked for ' Lo, He comes with clouds descending,' to a fine Spanish air, Duran- darte, to which she had set it, and bade us sing Campbell's 'Triumphal arch that fill'st the sky,' to the air of ' Jock o' Hazeldean.' She liked, to the tune of ' Drink to me only,' the hymn of which this is part, —
' The oak strikes deeper as its boughs By furious blasts are riven ;
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So life's vicissitudes the more
Have fixed my lieart in heaven. O Lord my God, whate'er my lot
In other times may be, I'll welcome still the heaviest stroke
That brings me near to Thee ! '
" Mrs. Keith's eyes had for some time been affected by cataract, without the prospect of much rehef from an operation. As she could still see very large characters, she had copied out and been assisted by others in filling books with her favourite hymns, collects, and passages of Scripture, gathering out from the Old Testament those verses immediately spoken by God himself. She committed all to memory as far as possible, to repeat in the night when she had little sleep, and during the day, should blindness overtake her. Her stock of hymns was great, and she had a book in which the first word of every line she knew was written, to refer to when memory failed. At times her sister was led on by her to go into old stories of the past, even to sor- rowful confessions of the trouble they had given to Mrs. Cramond in the Gask schoolroom. The flitting from the old house to the new was well re- membered. The telling of the wrong version of a story by any one was the sure way to get a true and animated account from Lady Nairne.
" The following is an instance of how the youthful chivalrous attachment of her father to the outlawed
88 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
Prince found its counterpart in that of the young men at Gask towards himself One of them, named David Buchan, devoted himself entirely to young Oliphant, following him in his wanderings, and pro- tecting him in danger. He was withal an earnest Christian, and a staunch Presbyterian, though his bro- ther * Robert was taking orders in the Episcopal Church. " Once when they were hiding in Buchan, he heard the voice of a marksman in ambush say, 'There's Oliphant!' Another answered, 'Which?' But before aim was taken, young Buchan had slipped a gold piece into the hand of the informer, and the musket was lowered. The Oliphants could not have aflforded to keep a servant in their travels. Buchan watched them night and day. On their journeys young Oliphant took the name of 'Dr. Brown', for illness had made him sallow. His father, old Gask, bore the name of 'Mr. White;'' he was of fair complexion. ' We came,' said Buchan, ' late one night to an inn. Young Mr. Oliphant always ordered a bottle of wine for the good of the house, but never had more than two glasses of it, and I took none. I left table to see if his bed was free of damp, as he was ill. Our landlord was crusty, and said they had no warming-pan. I found another inn, and took our landlord's compliments to the hotel- keeper to ask the loan of a warming-pan. One was
* Some of Buchan's descendants, to several generations, par- taking of his devotion to the family, used to say, "Oliphant is king to us."
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 89
obtained by him at the Manse, and I filled it with cinders ; and if ever my invalid had a comfortable bed, it was that night.'
"The change from ice-bound winter to summer could not be more sudden than at Munich. Sledges were laid aside, winter clothing put away, the inner as well as the outer sashes of the windows were thrown open, song-birds were building nests again, from the win- dow of the poor man the sound of music began once more to float, the dark waters of the rapid Iser leaped along its narrow channel between the wooded banks of the English gardens during these brief transition days of spring. With spring came thoughts of further journeying, and of a winter resting-place, as the heavy luggage was despatched by the slow roulage to a new destination. Nice was decided on. ' You get very honest at packing-time,' the old ladies would say, as the Hmited accommodation for the use of each of us made it always more difficult to stow away new purchases. A number of cushions, which were carried about to make hard sofas and chairs easy, were emptied of the hay or wool which had filled them. The sisters did not know what idleness meant. Mrs. Keith had always some large knitting work on hand ; and when residing at Steuartfield, on the hill above Dalguise, where she and her beloved niece, Margaret Harriet, had added to a cottage and formed a garden and grounds, she knitted a soft pile hearth- rug entirely in those minutes which elapsed between
go Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
the time she had finished dressing for dinner, and the sounding of the gong. For this rug all the waste ends of wool from every one's work were put into a beautiful bag of silk patchwork, which she called her balloon, and this lay in a chiffonier at the end of the drawing-room ; the border of the rug had a pattern, but the centre had none, so that every shade of wool came in.
" Lady Nairne's work was generally light. She sent us to the fair at Augsburg after the grand review, to buy a quantity of gay-coloured balls and reels of sewing cotton, costing almost nothing, for her winter's work. She wished to aid some bazaars, or still better, sell her work herself for Christian missions, if a friend fancied it. By tatting and knitting well- assorted colours, such as a pale blue and pink reel used at once, and others combined variously, the vulgar- looking mass from the Augsburg stall stood on her table in gracefully formed bags and mats of many dyes. She said it was best to use our labour on things which cost little, as it would then be all profit. ' Uncle Colyear used to tell us,' she would say, ' that at the French court the ladies thought it graceful to be always at work, and that conversation flagged without it ; but, that none might suppose that they wished to be of any use in the world, he had seen some of them, as soon as a lovely little leaf was produced by the tatting-shuttle, throw it into the fire.' She took the utmost pains with these little pieces of work, some
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 91
of which were done in floss silk, and was quite pleased when her nieces returned from a bazaar for the poor, bringing back among the purchases all the articles she had contributed. ' It reminds me,' she said to me, ' of the time when your dear grandmother sent her garnets from Perth to Ravelstone, that aunt Keith might dispose of them, and purchase a handsome folio edition of Scott's Commentary for her to present to your grand- papa. Mr. Keith noted the jeweller's name, recovered the garnets, and kept them for your mamma.' The bazaars to which Lady Nairne contributed were quietly conducted. She liked to see the wild flowers as we dried them, and formed the names of favourite places in fancy letters with flowers from their own soil.
"She never read a book without taking extracts, longer or shorter, of striking passages. She seemed to have intended them for her son's use, but it had become a habit, and she still went on, interspersing poetry with prose. The albums made at Munich were very tasteful, opening like a flat box, which was filled with loose gilt sheets, and being rapidly filled with the handwriting of friends from whom we were parting, she promised to fill a leaf. We fondly hoped that as some others were contributing original lines, she who had given so many free tokens of affection would have added one more, in writing some- thing of her own ; but the stern law of secrecy still held sway, and she copied from Montgomery, —
92 Memoir of Bar 07iess Nairne.
' Knowing as I am known !
How shall I love that word, And oft repeat before the throne. For ever with the Lord ! '
" Mrs. Keith's generosity was never long of being tracked out by the poor, in whatever place she made a winter sojourn, and many a queer little note in cramped German characters found its way to the table of the Maison Rechberg. Each of these led to a brisk walk along the sledge roads of street or suburb, and we used to watch Miss Steuart's wise and wary way of examining the case, before either florins or thalers were awarded. Once an impostor was almost too clever for her. Having promised a visit to a house one afternoon, we found it rather destitute of furniture, and a sad tale of misery was told. When a door in the room was opened, a roll of butter and a good cut of cheese v/ere visible in the adjoining room, through the space between the hinges of the door. To the dismay of the story-tellers Miss S. walked into the other room before they could stop her, and the sight of the articles, which had been carried in there from the destitute-looking apartment, made our stay very short. The ladies never rested till a copy of the Scriptures had been placed in the hands of each person with whom they had any transaction. The common people believed it to be a book of good advice by Martin Luther, but were generally glad to
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 93
receive it, and willing to be told who was its author, its object, and its end.
" A few days before the party left Munich, an article appeared in the principal newspaper, expressing grati- tude for the attempts at work among the sick, poor, and ignorant, which the foreign inmates of the Maison Rechberg had been allowed to make during a stay of more than eight months. Whatever it may be now, Munich in those days was a most attractive residence. The kindness of the king and queen to strangers, the respectful gratitude of the poor, chiefly Roman Catholics, the plain-spoken warm-heartedness of the Bavarian noblesse, among whom Lord and Lady Erskine made the English feel at home, laid un- usual advantages open to them.
" Old King Louis was rapidly rebuilding, facing, and decorating portions of streets and public buildings in a brilliant style. The frescoed Colonnade afforded shelter for walking exercise in all weathers. Bands of music played in the open air to the enjoyment of all. The Pinacothek and Glyptothek, with their treasuries of painting and sculpture, were always open to the student and visitor. Yet all these were out of the reach of her of whom we write, and we do not linger on them : those whose hearts are smitten by one great sorrow, pass gently through the little ills, the slighter changes and partings of life.
" Lady Nairne was the most cheerful of us all, the day we left Munich and turned our faces towards the
G
94 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
mountain range which had been before our eyes all the winter, at the distance of sixty miles.
" Rosenheim was the first resting-place, and as we reached it late, the fire-flies had been visible for several hours, brightening the woods on either side. Many of the cottages had one or two wooden galleries outside, with projecting roof, pendants from which showed texts of Scripture engraved, one word on each pendant.
"The morning sun disclosed the beauty around Rosenheim, and before we halted again for the night at Traunstein, we had beheld and listened to a thunderstorm among the grand mountains. Several days were spent at Salzburg. The town and fortress equalled the description we had read ; huge masses of rock rise all around, and we took several sketches. On Sabbath there was the/e/i? of John the Baptist : we read together in the hotel, notes we had brought from Munich of a sermon of Mr. de Coetlogon, on ' Why seek ye the living among the dead % He is not here, but is risen.' He described the verse as being also true of Christians. When the world comes to seek for them in those scenes which they used to frequent, the answer may be given, ' Why seek ye the living among the dead? They are not here, hut are risen.'
" Leaving Salzburg for Ischl,the ascent was long and steep, but the summit commanded a most beautiful view of Salzburg. After passing through wild moun-
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 95
tain scenery, the blue lake suddenly opened upon us. The rocks seemed to rise perpendicularly from it on all sides ; nor was this the only lake. Further on we saw others, the most beautiful of which was the Wolfgangersee. Images and roadside oratories abounded. After a drive of eight hours, through the most romantic scenery on which the eye could rest, and after dear aunt Nairne had been thoroughly fa- tigued by the many ups and downs, we arrived at
Ischl."
"IschI, June 25, 1839. "The environs are truly magnificent, the town neat and clean, with some handsome private houses round it. After dinner at 7, we went out, and were charmed at the prospect of the walks, rides, and points of view for sketching, which must abound in such a country. During the night a terrific thunderstorm lasted for hours. We had been sitting late in the evening with the vrindows open, when suddenly a gust ol wind blew all the light things from the table to the floor. Most of the night we sat ex- pecting the windows to be blown in, and the rain fell in torrents. We are settled in a commodious cottage at some distance from the town, near the road to Salzburg."
" Many hours were spent at Ischl in copying The Tracts for the Times as they reached us from England ; these caused dismay to Mrs. Keith and Lady Nairne, who were attached members of the Church of England, and who heard, with almost incredulous ear, that the virus of Popery was now to spread through the Church from its heart at Oxford. ' Much of it is what we were too well used to in our youth in the Scottish
96 Memoir of Baroness Nairne,
Episcopal Church,' Lady Nairae would say; 'but how different was our position, as it were halfway back from Rome, from theirs who are at the same spot, but leaving the light behind them, and going blindfold into the snare ! When I told dear Fanny
D of the enjoyment and blessing experienced as
I went and returned in my chair through the Canon- gate to Holyrood, from the services of Dr. Alexander Stewart, she replied, " For my share Fd rather be a Roman Catholic than a Presbyterian •''' but I do not think she would say so now. It seems to me that the obscuring of Christ's finished work by penance, fasts, and ceremonies, is like lighting a smoky rush- light at noon to insult the meridian sun.' Little did she and Mrs. Keith think that an earnest young English lady who then sat at the table, and who with her sisters had, during the winter, been our chief companions, would in five or six years, with all those sisters, join the Church of Rome."
"ISCHL, July SiA. — After having at 6 a.m. milk and brown bread, we set out to see the Hollenzoll waterfall, guided by a little boy. After a beautiful walk over a mountain, we descended into the valley beyond, having crossed which, and being de- lighted with the scenery all around us, we came to the fall. It IS very high and fine from thence, but we were disappointed that after such rain there was not more water. The water fell with a slight interruption in a body to the bottom. The wood round it was very pretty. We next went to have a view of the Dach- stein, the King of the Northern Alps, as he is called. There were so many clouds that we could not see it well, though we
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 97
discerned the form perfectly. It is very distant, but the snowy peaks nearer were sparkling in the rays of the morning sun. Last night one snowy mountain looked like a fire as the last rays of the evening sun fell on it. Our little guide led us to several views on the hills at the Dachstein seat. We sung the morning hymn. We saw the Wilhelmina, the Caroline Amelia, the Him- mel, and several other mountains.
"Yesterday we saw the Schwarzen See. The heat was intense and the flies troublesome, but the road as usual quite beautiful ; the almost perpendicular rocks, under which the road wound, were very fine. We found on arriving at a small village that there was a great deal oi walking. We set off, accompanied by a portly dame with a bunch of huge keys in her hand, for the use of which I was at a loss to account. On arriving at the Wirer's waterfall, she told us we must make a sign to her when we wished to see it ; by which we found out the use of the keys. We had to wait till another party came, the large fall of water not lasting long enough to be begun till then. At length the woman unlocked it, and down it rushed, splashing, dashing, and foaming, and would have been everything that is grand to any one whose mind was not haunted with the idea of the unlocking, and the very temporary beauty it could boast. After a delightful walk we came to the edge of the Schwarzen See.
" The water of the Schwarzen See is black like ink, the echo surprising, and the yells of the peasants which called forth its different voices were rather in harmony with the wildness of the scene. The walk back was much like the Pass of Killiecrankie, but afterwards it changed, and with all that lovely scenery in front, some very high rocks at the further end, to some of which the evening sun gave shining whiteness, and to others a rosy hue, opened on the view and greatly increased its beauty. One dis- tant hill here is a mass of solid rock generally of a whitish colour, but in the evening sun becomes a deep red, and forms a
9 8 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
beautiful contrast to the others. We have read aloud here all
Sir Walter Scott's larger poems.
"I read at night, sitting between the dear aunts, Mr. Daly's (now Bishop of Cashel) Sermon on the Sacrament, and Horsley's 'Remarks on the Watchers and the Holy Ones,' which he makes to be the Trinity, and Michael the archangel to be the Son of God.
*' August ^th. — Miss Steuart travelled a long distance with Augusta to visit a Protestant valley, and to encourage the pastor by presents for the poor, &c. For the first time dear aunt Nairne asked me to play over my pieces to lier wliile aunt Keith rested. She liked most of the music, but the very sound of the oratorio pieces seems to distress her, reminding her of the struggle it was to regard oratorios as things which believers should not counte- nance. She read to me from John Newton's sermons on them. ' Let the world,' she said, ' play and sing its own music ; but for Christians to go and hear the work of their redemption and the utterances of their Judge from the lips of the profane and the immoral, is to give a helping hand to these poor creatures who are murdering their own souls.' Mrs. Keith was surprised to find the Lutheran Bibles and Testaments for sale here. All were willing to take them, and sometimes they ask for them.
*' Salzburg, August gth. — Returned here yesterday. The castle is really a noble object ; the rock from which it raises its proud- looking turrets is grand and almost perpendicular. Henrittte, aunt Nairne's maid, mentioned to-day a Swiss Pastor, a M. C^l^rier, originally a herdboy, who was educated by a gentle- man for the Church of which it had been his highest ambition to become a minister. He had during a long life written and preached a great deal in a very moral and good, though not an entirely evangelical style. Plis son is now one of the first evangelical pastors of Geneva. Having now discovered that his knowledge of the doctrines of Christianity had not been real, he has entered a school for little children, where accompanied by
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 99
his son (he is so old he cannot walk alone) he receives instruction from one of the really good ministers there. He says, ' II laut que je redevienne enfant pour rapprendre de nouveau, dans toute leur simplicite, les doctrines vraiment e vangeliques de la religion de Jesus Christ.'
"August lotk. — Berchtesgaden is surpassingly beautiful. On arriving near it the country opens, and while there still are high hills, on each side beyond the village it is open. The town, if it can be called a town, consists of the Palace of the King of Bavaria, two neat churches, one of which is the Franciscan Chapel. The village besides these buildings is very small, and old for the most part. It lies on a decUvity, on the bosom of a very fine hill, while beyond, the mountain rises covered with eternal glaciers and snows, in the greatest glory. It is almost vain to try to de- scribe the view of Berchtesgaden. I must attempt it after seeing it again, which I hope we shall do. The conduit of salt water begins there, and after going along thirty-eight leagues reaches Rosenheim. It is suspended in some parts from a perpendicular rock, and the walk upon it is altogether extremely beautiful ; but more of Berchtesgaden when we go there. The Custom House Officers rushed out upon us, as Cousin said, like a set of furies, and seized three pincushions, on the top of which were some small pieces of pink velvet, saying it was quite impossible they should pass. The evening was lovely ; some of the hills and rocks of a purple hue.
"Salzburg, iith. — This morning Augusta and I went to the Cathedral to see the Archbishop. Mass was being performed at the high altar and also at a side one, at a little distance from which latter the Archbishop of Salzburg, Frederick, Prince of Schwarzenberg, knelt on a crimson velvet prie-dieu, arrayed in scarlet cloth and very fine lace. A priest held a book before him, at which, however, he did not look, his eyes were fixed on the ground. His appearance is more prepossessing than that of any other of his order I have yet seen. He is tall, dark,
I oo Menioij' of Baroiiess Nairne.
and rather pale ; his whole deportment was reverent, and he seemed indifferent to the multitude around him, all endeavouring to catch a glimpse of him.
" Salzbuj-g, Atig-ust 12th. — Spent the day in examining the fortress and chapel. The statues, crimson velvet coverings, oak carvings, and pictures did not much differ from those in other places. At last we came to a small tower where the secret council was formerly held by the Archbishops. The implements of torture remain there. On an accused person's refusing to confess any crime laid to his charge, his feet were tied down to a great stone with a ring in the middle, and the arms by chains to two great poles of black wood, on which were screws which raised them upwards : the confessor stood near one of these with a stopper in his hand, which, as soon as the prisoner began to con- fess, he put into a little hole in the screw, which stopped the machineiy. The reward offered to those who did confess was, immediately after their performance of that duty to be thrown down into a dungeon at the bottom of which stood a machine full of spikes, which, with tlie assistance of men who stood with knives ready to cut him to pieces, soon made an end of the miserable culprit. In the cases of those who refused to confess the punishment was to have all the members of their bodies torn from each other. This we heard and understood in Ger- man. But it was immediately mistranslated thus : — ' You see, ma'am, it appears when a man has made something and does not confess he has made it, he is immediately killed, but if this man allows he has tnade it he is put in this great hole, where a machine full of knives cuts him into cutlets.' We next saw the organ, which contains 200 pipes, and plays of itself. The guide played two airs to us. After this we saw the machine for assisting them to discover where a fire is in the night. It is a small thing like a telescope ; it is first directed to the spot where the light is seen, and moving on a large brass plate where a great many degrees are marked, it indicates exactly on a great card the house to which the engines should be directed. The trumpeter then
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. i o i
declares this to the town from a trumpet about ten feet long, a messenger is despatched to the artillery officer, who, with a troop, goes directly to the spot to direct the engines, &c. The castle cannons are fired, and six red flags hoisted. This was all explained to us. We had not left the fortress gate five minutes when a cannon fired. Looking up, the flags appeared, the trumpeter roared, a messenger was despatched, and on arriving at the bottom of the hill we met the soldiers going out. A fire had broken out while we were there. When we came home Cousin and I set out for the castle, the top of which we reached; the flames of the said fire were soon extinguished, but we did not come home till we had seen the little fire machine."
" The arrival of the Royal Family of Bavaria at Berchtesgaden was the signal for ringing of bells, salutes, and bonfires. By ten next morning some of our dear friends among the suite were round at the hotel, making the rest of our stay more varied for our dear aunts than it had been before the arrival of the royal party. Some interesting sights had been kept back. One of these was the descent into a lake of all the wood cut within the year from the high forest. In boats we reached the spot, when, at a signal from the king, a mountain stream, which had been dammed up at a great altitude, passed through the floodgates, carrying with it all the trees, which fell down the per- pendicular face of rock into the water with great noise. A band was playing, strangers from all parts were present in boats, and it was quite a gala day. This was called a Wasser-stolz. A Trocken-stolz on another day only differed from it by the want of water. The trees were piled up against a barrier overhanging
X02 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
a precipice. At a signal the stakes were cut through, and it might have been a whole forest that we saw, partly falling direct into a lake below, and much of it striking the precipice and starting from rock to rock with violence and noise. Another day we visited the salt mines, from whicli some of the shops at Berchtes- gaden were filled with articles cut out in salt. Canova's doves looked much like alabaster, nor were they too brittle to carry. Before entering the mines all were attired in black velvet caps and white tunics, having laid aside superfluous clothing. On low benches run- ning on wheels, and containing six apiece, each visitor lamp in hand, each bench dragged by one man and pushed on by another, we ran a long way into the heart of the mountain. The lamplight made the salt upon the rocks to sparkle. At length we reached an immense cavern, in a manner regularly cut out from the rocks. The cavern was circular, but being illumi- nated, the salt shone everywhere on the rough rocks.
" Looking over the parapet we saw another cavern of the same shape in the depths. Into this we descended, on the shoulders of bearers, and were allowed time to examine the place. Some of the mines are worked by letting water into a channel of salt; it becomes impregnated, and carries the salt into the works out- side.
"As there were no Protestants at Berchtesgaden, and we had heard a most faithful address irom a friar, on the text, ' The Son of man is come to seek and to
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 103
save that which was lost,' we asked him to come to the hotel for some money which the ladies were to leave for the poor. He seemed in earnest about the souls of the people, and glad to be a good distance from Rome's interference; he would not Hft the money, but said a lay brother must be sent for it.
*' One day, before we left, the king accosted me very kindly, and asked to see my portfolio of sketches which I was carrying up the hill, saying he hoped we had enjoyed Berchtesgaden."
" Bormio, Foot of the Stelvio,
" September, 1839.
"After revisiting Salzburg and stopping at Unken, St. Jo- hann, Rattenburg, Innspriick, Nazareth, Imst, Pfunds, and Mais, we were ready to cross the Stelvio.
"The pass of the Finstermunz was grand beyond expression. The tremendous precipices in many places perpendicularly rise from the road ; in some places they overhang it. Ten thousand Bavarian and French troops were almost all destroyed there by the Tyrolese in 1809, the latter having thrown stones and trees down upon the invaders. We have crossed the Stelvio to-day, and seem quite in a hollow, although the ground is more than three thousand feet high. Aunt Nairne admits that such a journey is exhilarating. We dined near a hut which is the highest habi- tation in Europe ; the summits rising from it in their eternal white were very fine. We were then eight hundred feet above the line where snow does not melt. The snow has begun to fall for the season, which made it the grander and purer. The height of the Stelvio is nine thousand two himdred and seventy-two feet. There are fifty zigzags in the road ; at the top they are covered with wooden arches, sloped downwards, to guard from the avalanches."
1 04 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
"Nice, November lOtli, 1839. "Preparing to leave our beloved friends, and to return home after a tour in Italy with papa. The sorrow of parting over- casts the bright recollections of Como and its lake, Milan and its cathedral, the palaces of Genoa, and the journey over the wonderful Corniche road which brought us here."
Such are Mrs. Barbour's recollections of two years spent in the society of our authoress, during the greater part of a Continental tour. Our information con- cerning Lady Nairne's future progress on the Conti- nent is chiefly derived from her letters addressed to different relatives in Britain : she had written from
Munich, —
30th April, 1839. "I have not now the smallest pleasure in scenery, or anything external, but I know that all things are working together for good. I have been enabled to receive the cup as from the hand of love. What to me is heart-rending loss, is to my darling unspeakable gain. I am in the midst of kind friends."
She wrote from Salzburg, in August, expressing her intention to spend the winter at Nice, adding, " There we know of a good clergyman." Having referred to the beauty of the environs of Salzburg, she adds, —
"What I have seen I zo\\\.A once have enjoyed thoroughly; but once is enough for this world, and it is time that enthusiasm about its enjoyments should be over. To me they exist no longer, and I can give thanks that so it is."
From Nice, Lady Nairne communicated with her niece, Mrs. Stewart Sandeman, in these words : —
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 105
"Nice, 9th November, 1839. "I do indeed now very rarely write to any one ; but I must, with my own hand and heart, thank you, my long-loved Margaret, for your kind and satisfactory letter. ... I am much weakened in mind and body since I saw you last, and how can it be otherwise ? Age and sorrow will tell, yet I am here a monument of mercy and tender dealing. Surely lovingkindness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life, and I know will follow me to the end. Though I am sensible that both the outward frame and faculties are subject to decay, I humbly trust that through grace the inward man is renewed day by day. . . . The Holy Spirit is promised to all who believe our Lord's pro- mises, and believingly pray for their fulfilment. ... I have often in other days felt a chill of apprehension when I read the words, ' He that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.' You are aware of the danger. May you be kept from idolizing any created good ! My mother, when she had six thriving infants, resigned them every night into our Saviour's hands ; she learned much by the death of her first lovely boy at a year old, and was six years without a child. Then your mother came to be her comfort. . . . Do you know a small pamphlet, * The Sinner's Friend ' ? When people are convinced of sin, it is quite a cordial. To the unawakened, nothing is good. Praying for them is the only hope— though appropriate tracts have been blessed, perhaps in answer to prayer. Adieu, dearest M. May you and I, with all we love, meet in due time to part no more, and in the meantime may you be enabled to fulfil your mission. "
Early in 1840, our authoress addressed a long affectionate letter to that grand-niece, now returned to Scotland, who had, for two years, accompanied her in her travels. We make a few extracts : —
io6 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
' ' Our affection and sincere desires for your well-being must now turn in great degree to prayer. We are all very apt to forget, whether young or old, that we are soldiers carrying on, inch by inch, a real fight with the three great enemies of souls. Satan's policy is to elude our detection of his presence. But we know that our Captain fights for us, or, alas ! we should make a poor resistance. I believe they told you of my short but serious illness here. I hoped that the hour of my departure was at last come. When it really does, I trust I may meet it with as great peace and hope as was allowed me then. It would seem to me that a deep conviction oi sin, of which you write, does not always precede assurance of salvation through Christ ; but that the soul is often won from its rebellion at once by discovering the glory of THE Substitute for the guilty ; the merit and work of the Son himself appears in a new and strong light.
"I hope that the Rev. W. C. Burns* has really been of use in awakening many careless souls, and bringing life to a number of professors of religion. We may expect some to fall away, while we trust that many have been converted, and they will be known by their fruits. I have been able to do very little since my late illness, not even to continue my book of extracts, for I scarcely ever write. . . . The rumours of war begin to subside, so that if still pilgrims, we mean to go forward to Pau for the winter, where we shall have Mr. Ridgeway, a good English clergyman."
* The Rev. William C. Burns was at this time officiating in St. Peter's Ciiurch, Dundee, as assistant to the Rev. Robert M. M'Cheyne, who was then on his mission from the Church of Scotland to Palestine. Mr. Burns subsequently proceeded as a missionary to China, where he died in 1868. He was a zealous preacher, and his early labours in Scotland were much blessed.
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 107
In the autumn of 1840 the Continental party estab- lished their head-quarters at Pau. On New Year's day, 1841, Lady Nairne thus communicates with her brother's eldest daughter: —
"Pau, 1st January, 1841. " I have all but given up letter-writing, as I think you know, my dear Rachel ; but I cannot let the first day of this new year pass away without conveying to you the earnest good wishes of our little party for every blessing to attend you — temporal and spiritual, — and may a double portion of the last be granted.
"I had a very satisfactory letter from James since his mar- riage. His having a companion so much to his taste is a great relief to my mind. He kindly invited me to reside with him, but I think I proved to him that, had I been equal to the jour- ney, I should have been found a load instead of an acquisition. However, the affectionate manner in which he made the pro- posal was not lost on me."
In this letter Lady Nairne alludes to the marriage of her correspondent's only surviving brother, James Blair Oliphant, of Gask and Ardblair, to Henrietta Graham, the heiress of James Gillespie Graham, of Orchill. At the time of Lord Nairne's death, and subsequently, the Laird of Gask had invited his aunt Carolina to return to her early home. But, appre- hending that her presence might interfere with his forming a matrimonial connection — a step which she had strongly urged upon him, — she had declined to accede to his kind offer ; holding out hopes, however — partly in jest, — that she might think of his proposal
io8 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
after he had got a wife. Mr. Oliphant, who was thoroughly in earnest in desiring the society of a rela- tive whom he deeply venerated, had no sooner become a married man, than he renewed his proposals that his beloved kinswoman should cease her Continental wanderings, and take shelter in her advanced years under his roof This offer, we find, was not accepted at first. The authoress of the " Land o' the Leal," laden with many sorrows, shrank from making herself a burden to a newly married pair in their heyday of youth and hope. When her nephew's wife joined the entreaties of her husband, and gave her assurance that the presence at Cask of one so revered would be no burden, but rather a blessing, Lady Nairne yielded at length, and prepared to return home.
Meanwhile we return to her Continental progresses. From Pau she writes to one of her nieces on the ist November, 1841 : —
" I am thankful that I often get to church — mdeed, generally once at least on Sundays ; and though fatigue, and sometimes a little increase of rheumatism be the result, they go off again by degrees, and the comfort, and I hope edification, remain. We have a Mr. Hodges for pastor : he is a sound, good preacher, and in reading the prayers and Scriptures makes one feel that he himself really feels what he is saying. This I think a great excellence."
After expressing her earnest hopes concerning the spiritual condition of some members of the Cask family, she proceeds, —
Memoir of Barojtess JVairne. 109
" For my own part, my weaning has been such that I rejoice in the rapid lapse of days, months, and years, even more than when, a too happy wife and mother, I eagerly wished the con- tinuance of domestic happiness — a plain proof of the necessity of heavenly discipline, which has not been withheld."
The party reached Paris in the spring of 1842. There our authoress was still employed in those good works which, as incidental allusions in her letters testify, found her occupation at Nice,* Salzburg, Pau, and other places. For bazaars in support of charitable purposes, her needle remained no lawful day unem- ployed, unless when she was incapacitated by illness. On Sundays she read or listened to the reading of her favourite portions of Scripture, or of passages from the evangelical divines. To her Edinburgh correspondent she writes from Pau in the summer of 1842 : —
" I was glad to see your handwriting again ; my dislike to the sight of my own has, I fear, made me longer of answering than I ought ; but having nothing material to communicate, I shall be the more easily forgiven.
" We have been much occupied about afflicted Spain and its refugees. We worked hard to have a bazaar for them, which was do?ie the other day — but not on Sunday, as the Paris papers were pleased to announce. Many of the French, and some lew Spaniards, listen to the gospel here. We have the Duchess of Gordon, who is very zealous, and helps many needy persons — which it is difficult to do with good effect. I fear the lines
* The morning on which the party left Nice, an edict of the bishop was sent to their residence, by which Lady Nairne, Mrs. Keith, and Miss Steuart, were severally banished for life from the city, for the offence of having circulated copies of even an authorized version of the Italian Bible.
H
I lo Memoir of Baroness N air Tie.
you ask for will not do unless for private use. A Scotch lady here, whom I never met, is so good as, among perfect strangers, to denounce me as the origin of the ' Land o' the Leal. ' I can- not trace it, but very much dislike — as ever — any kind of pub- licity. I wish much success to the Rechabite Society, and speedy growth to the trees on Wliisky's tomb.
' ' My sister and niece join me in kindest remembrances. I trust they have at present no thoughts of going north. What it would be for me to return to Scotland no one can conjecture. I am thankful every day that it is not my duty to do so, and they kindly spare my feelings.
" I would be uneasy about the Kirk, if I did not know who rules and oveniiles all for good. Even the purifying process would be desired, instead of deprecated, if all things in all their bearings were plain to us as they are to our great Head."
In a quarter of a century after these words were written, a royal Spanish refugee sought a home at Paris; and on her happy absence from her own country and its throne, the other refugees of Spain proceeded to return home. The Hfe of the Duchess of Gordon has been pubHshed ; a model of Christian biography. Our authoress is again to enter on the subject of the Scottish Kirk, and on that controversy which culminated in the Disruption, and the formation of the Free Church.
A few verses had been solicited from Lady Nairne by her Edinburgh correspondent, and this request was complied with. The letter just quoted contained the enclosure of those verses, commencing "Would you be young again ?" The writer was in her seventy- sixth year.
Memoir of Baroness Natrne. 1 1 1
From Paris, Mrs. Keith writes to one of her nieces in the following terms : —
" Paris, January loth, 1843. " Your aunt Nairne and I are reminded of our antiquity by a few ailments. Could you let us know whereabouts in Pere la Chaise my dear brother lies, and in what street he died ? I was told lately that you resembled Lady Nairne. In days of yore it would have been thought no loss to be called like "Miss Car, the pretty ;" and even now her features are very distingue, especially the nose and forehead."
Mrs. Keith refers to her brother Laurence, who died at Paris in 1819. He it was who pulled down the " Auld House " of Gask, and built the new mansion. His picture proves him to have been the handsomest of all the Lairds of Gask.
In April, James Blair Oliphant and his amiable wife arrived in Paris to conduct Lady Nairne to that home at Gask which she had at length consented to accept. The journey homeward was made by slow stages, but with abundant safety. From Gask, Lady Nairne thus writes to her Edinburgh correspondent : —
"Gask, 17th August, 1843. " Resolved as I was but lately never again to visit Scotland, here I am, by the kind persuasion of my nephew Oliphant and his amiable Lady. We arrived the 7th of last month, after a prosperous journey and voyage, for which I fancied myself quite unfit in my feeble state. But strength was given when needed. We left Mrs. Keith and M. H. in Paris. They were to stay a little time in London, and were to sail to Dundee. I hope you
1 1 2 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
do not know the kind of feeling that 1 liave in my head. It is as if all the bees in the country had assembled in my ears. I cannot blame the climate, as I felt it first in Italy, though it is now more overcoming. Of course I hear ill, but time may have a hand in that as well as the bees. Do you still collect for the Jews ? What do you think of the state of the Church here and in England?"
So the humour of the authoress of " John Tod " and "The Hundred Pipers," which remained latent as she contemplated the afflictions of others, found a valve of escape in describing her own. She felt " as if all the bees in the country had assembled in her ears," and was satisfied that time had its share in pro- ducing her deafness, " as well as the bees." But her humour is the flash of a moment. In the next breath she expresses an interest in the conversion of the ancient people, and her concern in the welfare of the Churches. The following letter of Lady Nairne is addressed to a niece in England. She reports as to the state of her health, and refers to the proposed erection of a chapel at Cask, for the services of the Church of England : —
"Gask, 2 J St September, 1843. "You must have sympathized with me on my return to this sweet place, after so long an interval. My own wish, I confess, was never to see Scotland again ; but dear James's kind persua- sion turned the balance, and I hope I am in the path of duty. I do not see what use I am of in this world. There is not a little discipline in the endless recollections and associations that crowd upon me at every step ; and various articles have arrived from
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 1
o
my once too beloved home in Edinburgh. For some weeks after my arrival I limped up-stairs, now I can walk a little, and have had an airing in the pony carriage. I have been once to church in the afternoon. James sometimes tantalizes me by speaking of a chapel where the old kirk was ; how I should enjoy using the nice Prayer Book you gave me ! I have read much on both sides of the evils threatening the Scottish Church."
The excellent gentlewoman at Edinburgh, who was in possession of all her literary secrets, who had been one of her associates on the committee of the Scottish Minstrel, and with whom she had maintained a friendly correspondence for many years, expressed a desire that her venerable friend would send her a few more lays similar in strain to that which had been received from Paris, to be used in a new edition of the Minstrel, or in some other work. The following is her ladyship's answer : —
"Gask, 24th October, 1843. " I have been too long of thanking you for your very accept- able packet, which I now cordially do, and especially for 'Death' and 'All for the Best,' but I have been painfully occupied of late. I had to arrange a multitude of papers and letters that ticnu tear a poor frail heart to pieces— once received and read with delight. The warning is wholesome, though severe, and the cords that bound too firmly to earth being cut, the tendency is heavenwards. I own my great pleasure is in the rapid flight cf time, if it could but be spent to some good purpose in honour of the great cause. I do hope and trust with you that the commo- tions in the Church of Scotland may tend to the advancement of the gospel in its purity. I am anxious for the prosperity of the Free Church, aud amongst their number pity only those who
1 1 4 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
may have joined from halfway motives. The tnie disciples will 1)6 kept in peace and safety, I have no doubt.
"1 have not had leisure to examine the Minstrel, but T re- member you and I agreed that Scottish ouglit to have a double t ; this reads Sco-tish.* I despair of doing anything now to help your plans ; if I did, the ideas must come from you."
Miss Rachel Oliphant, at Weston, received the following letter from her aunt Nairne, dated 25th November. It is much to be feared that the writer rarried out her intention of destroying her corre- spondence, since no letters addressed to her during the entire period of her married life have been found among the Gask papers : —
"Gask, 25tli November, 1843. "I profess to have given up letter-writing, yet I receive a good many letters from friends, old and young. It is very cold, and I almost live in my rooms, and only go down to the drawing- room about eight in the evening, when James reads aloud. I sometimes see the clergyman of this parish. Say something kind from me to the dear A's. ... I loved their mother very mucli, when quite a girl, and she used to make quite a companion of me. I have lately been fully employed in arranging old papers sent me from our dear cottage, where the letters of grandfather and great-grandfather had been deposited. There are letters more than a hundred years old, which express hopes and anxieties like our own. This makes life indeed a dream. I
* The title of the Minstrel is indicated thus, "The Scotish Minstrel." This mode of dispensing with the two t's, was, we remember, stoutly uplicld by our late venerated friend, Dr. David Irving, author of the " Lives of the Scotish Poets."
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 1 5
have more modem letters, which once brought gladness, now heaviness of heart ; they must be destroyed, there being no one after me to whom they can have the same interest. My great comfort is, that —
' Unsent by Him no good can come ; No evil can befall.' I find few of the poor people here who remember me except by name ; but I like to hear of them, as I remember many of their grandfathers. Everything leads me back to early youth, and what has passed between my first and last abode at Gask seems as a mixed and wonderful dream. Yet mercy and truth have followed me all the days of my life."
In the following letter, addressed to Miss Alicia Mason, she refers to the death of the Countess of Rathdowne, with whom and her ladyship's daughter, Lady Anne Monck, she had enjoyed much congenial intercourse during her residence at Enniskerry. She repeats her intention of destroying her family corre- spondence. Lady Keith's claim to the barony of Nairne was successful.
"Gask House, Dunning,
" 1st December, 1843.
" I have long been very desirous of knowing how you were, my dear Miss Alicia, but am now roused by a sad intimation in the newspaper, and shall be very impatient till I know how dearest Lady Anne and the other afflicted members of the be- reaved family are. Surely you are still with them. I wish greatly for particulars.
"What a blessed change for the tried, suffering mother of such a family ! May the Lord be with every one of them to give blessing and consolation ! He only can, effectually, and I feel
1 1 6 Me^noir of Baroness Nairne.
sure He will. Do tell me if the event was long expected. What a dream is this world and all its concerns ! Well for those who have fought the good fight of faith, and are at rest in the Saviour's bosom. I often think if we truly loved our friends who die in the Lord, we could not but rejoice in their happiness. O Lord, pity and support the survivors ! How thankful I shall be if you tell me that dear Lady Anne feels like a real Christian, and sees her blessed Saviour's hand immediately overruling
every circumstance I have been greatly occupied
in selecting and arranging papers which were sent for my inspec- tion from my too happy home — letters more than a hundred years old, full of hopes, fears, and anxieties of other times. There are many dear memorials of those I myself have loved and lost, and 1 wish to destroy them, precious as they are, that no one after me may read them with indifference.
" The correspondence of many generations being thus in my hands, I have been fully occupied, as it was necessary to search for papers important to Madame Flahault, who wishes to claim the title of Nairne, as hers of Keith is modern and dies with her. This painful task, which I have not yet finished, has interfered with the attention I owe to my friends, and made me only think of writing, when otherwise I should have done it.
" This dream of a dream, and shadow of a shadow, must be soon over with me. May I be enabled to do and get good whilst the pilgrimage continues ! I mourn the little fruit that my old age produces, but must be contented to be an insig- nificant labourer in the vineyard, yet one who rejoices in the exertions and success of others. "
The severity of a Scottish winter threatened seri- ously to impair the health of the aged invalid. During the month of December, Lady Nairne experienced a severe shock of paralysis. We shall describe the at- tack in her own words. Seldom has the biographer
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 1 7
to present evidence of greater calmness in the prospect of death. The letter is addressed to her Edinburgh correspondent : —
"This is now December 23rd. On the 7th I was suddenly struck with palsy on the left side, and quite lost the use of my leg and arm, with little power to support my head. I am more thankful for the right hand now than when I had the free use of both. The limb gets slowly better, but the arm is useless, though also better. I thought myself, when first seized, delightfully near the unseen world, but am now told I may still linger here, nobody knows how long ; but that is known to One who does all things well, and on this with full confidence I rely, praying to know no will but His
"I can read a little — that means I can read your writing. Sunday. — My peace and joy in the prospect of death, which were great, all arose from a clear view of being utterly lost in myself, but pardoned and accepted through the blood which cleanseth from all sin. ' Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.' O that all would come !"
During a subsequent attack of illness the aged invalid fell into a faint. Miss Rachel Oliphant, who sat by her, and did not feel sure whether she might rally from it, said, " Is it peace, dear aunt?" Lady Nairne took no notice, but some time after she said to her maid, " Do you recollect the day when I was in a faint, and did not reply to Miss Oliphant's question? My experience at that time may be ex- pressed in these lines : —
" Burdened and groaning, then, no more, My rescued soul shall sing,
1 1 8 Memoir of Baroness JVairne.
As up the shining path I soar, — Death ! thou hast lost thy sting. "
After New Year, her ladysliip's health considerably rallied, and she proceeded to renew her aid to good works. She had been informed of a movement in the Scottish capital to support the claims of Mr. Joseph Mainzer, as an instructor ir sacred music, and she cordially joined in awarding countenance to this deserving person. To her Edinburgh correspondent she communicated as follows: —
"Gask, 26th January, 1844.
"I wonder if another attack is likely? How blessed not to fear it! Sweet to lie passive in His hands, and know no will but His. * * # *
" It is not at all probable that I shall be in Edinburgh, or e'en though there, that in my state of health I should l>e able to attend any meetings ; but I have always felt a deep interest in music, as a divine art, too often made a vehicle of evil, but which, when properly learned, might produce most important results, both in a religious and moral point of view. Therefore subscribe for me, and give those who are able to avail themselves of this mighty boon the power to do so. I have never seen Mainzer, but from what I hear and read of his works, notwith- standing my national predilections, I am convinced that he would, though a foreigner, have been a most efficient professor. If, unfortunately, this should not be, let us do what we can to promote his views through the medium of schools. I also much approve of the coffee-houses ; make me a subscriber to these also. We liave long punished crime ; let us now act on wise principles, and try prevention."
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 119
On the 26th March, Mr. Ohphant, of Gask, com- municates to his relatives at Weston : —
"Aunt Nairne has recommenced her visits to the drawing- room, which her attack of paralysis suspended for three months. She seems more drowsy, but is wonderfully cheerful, and is all alive to the events of the day. It is quite the 'Palace of Truth' system that we go upon here, and I have seen the justice of much that her great experience and penetration have suggested in our interesting confabs. She has the peculiar faculty of eliciting the faculties of others."
In May, Lady Nairne writes to her correspondent at DubHn in these words: —
•'Gask, 1st May, 1844. "I continue very weak, and if I might choose, would regret that nothing fatigues me so much as writing, for which I cannot
account, as I do it with little effort There is a
pleasure in being convinced that this is not the place of my rest. I have been carefully weaned from this world, and do delight to think of the happy land that cannot be far off now ; but I wish to wait with patient submission and full confidence in our only Hope. ... I trust your exertions are prospering among the poor Irish. There seems to be a great stir at home and abroad for the conversion of souls. O that the kingdom were come ! that will be at the right time."
Many of Lady Nairne's subsequent letters relate to benefactions to the public charities. Her gifts were coupled with one condition ; that the donor's name should be undivulged. In remitting forty pounds to a niece at Weston in February, 1844, of which a moiety was to be devoted to the Bristol Channel Society, and
1 20 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
the other to the benefit of a needy Christian house- hold, she writes : — " The ^i^o will be in your navie at your bankers in London." In May of the same year she remitted to her Edinburgh correspondent the sum of ^50, to be handed to Dr. Chalmers for the support of Gaelic schools in the Highlands. " Only say," she writes, " that a. friend begged of you to apply it for the schools." A few months afterwards she addressed to the same correspondent these words : —
" I wish to know if you have any object in view that is con- nected with the advancement of religion, and that a few spare pounds would assist. I often think of the Jews, and would not lose sight of them. I will desire Mr. Lindsay to give you;^25, and I am sure it will be judiciously employed in the great cause. I will not make apologies for giving you this trouble."
" N.B. — The above is one of our secrets."
Some time after this, a daughter of her old friend Mrs. Colquhoun, who had married and settled in London, presented to Lady Nairne a statement con- cerning the erection of schools in the district of Trinity, Mile End, Stepney. That letter received the following reply : —
"You know, my dear, that I am not acquainted with Mr. B., and therefore am ignorant of his sentiments as to Church matters. You mention intending to build a school. Tell me if it is to be thoroughly Protestant, in other words, free of Puseyism. My conscience is concerned in this question, and therefore I ask you freely, knowing you will be open with me. I have at present the disposing of a little money, which, by an arrangement of my
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 121
darling Nairne's, is in my hands. And though this is no great sum, I could gladly give ^40 or ;,^5o towards promoting the truth. From what I have always heard of you I should think you likely to see the sin and vanity of teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. "
Her ladyship, having become satisfied that the schools were to be established in the interest of a sound Christianity, sent a benefaction of forty pounds.
When remote from the scene of debate, Lady Nairne had been concerned respecting the controversy which agitated the Scottish Church. On her return to Scotland that interest increased, and though she did not ally herself with either party, she extended her sympathy to the Free Church. She regarded with especial honour those of its ministers who, in the maintenance of principles they deemed vital, had surrendered their livings, and cast themselves upon the world. To her Edinburgh correspondent she related, with sentiments of commendation, some particulars of self-denial which had been exercised by certain of her relations, that they might be enabled, with greater liberahty, to contribute to the fund for supporting the clergy of the new communion. In that self-denial she personally shared. She converted into money her family plate, and, in her usual unobtrusive manner, conveyed the amount to Dr. Chalmers in behoof of the " Sustentation Fund." On this subject she com- municated with her grand-niece, Mrs. Barbour, in the following terms : —
"\
122 Me^noir of Baroness Nairne.
"Gask, Tuesday. " Dearest Maggy, — I expect Henriette will be the hearer of the plate, but in any case you will receive with this the old forks, spoons, &c. , which 1 shall now no more require. Take them to any silversmith who will give the value for old silver. It will be just as well if they are melted, as they have the crest. Of course you will not say where they come from, nor should I wish any one but Dr. Chalmers himself to know they came from me. He need not write, except to yourself, to acknowledge the amount. Ask him to add it, as from ' A Friend,' to the Susten- tation Fund of the Free Church. Say that my sympathy is deeply with these devoted, noble men ; I wish I had more in my power. "
While she much sympathized with the Free Church, Lady Nairne read the leading publications on both sides of the controversy. In the beginning of 1845 she w^rites to her correspondent at Edinburgh : —
" Have you seen a pamphlet by a Mr. Miles, signed 'X. Y. Z. ?' It is the strongest thing I have seen for the Established Church, and tries to prove the Free Church scheme founded in error. I have always hoped they were right ; such sacrifices made to error would be sad ; but I would like to see this paper well answered, and to feel that the many good men, who have left all for con- science' sake, really have their consciences well informed, and are acting from deep religious feeling, and not a plausible theoiy. "
The reader may not be unwilling to learn some- what concerning a publication which, though the circumstances which gave rise to it have passed into history, excited an uncommon interest at the time of its appearance, and attracted the attention ol the
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 123
authoress of the "Land o' the Leal." The Rev, Thomas Myles, author of " The Kernel of the Con- troversy," is minister at Aberlemno, Forfarshire, and is favourably known as the author of several brochures on ecclesiastical subjects. The argument insisted on in " The Kernel " will be better understood by re- ferring to the circumstances which gave rise to the conflict in the Scottish Church.
The controversy originated in a desire to provide a remedy for the evils of unrestricted patronage. By the Act of the British Parliament, 17 12, c. 12, " Presbyteries are bound and astricted to receive and admit whatsomever qualified minister presented by her majesty, or laick patrons." In carrying out this law, it occasionally happened that a minister was settled over a people who had a strong aversion to him. With a view of remedying this evil, the Church, in 1834, passed the Veto Act, by which it was enacted that no presentee should be settled in a parish, if the majority of the male heads of families, members of the Church, objected to him.
A case soon arose which put this new Act to the proof. A probationer was presented to a parish, and was objected to ; he was in consequence rejected by the Presbytery, and the rejection was confirmed by the General Assembly. The patron and presentee proceeded to the Civil Courts. The Supreme Civil Court decided that the Assembly, in passing the Veto Act, had acted ultra vires, and that the Presbytery
124 Memoir of Baroness Nah'ne.
was bound to take the presentee on trial, and to admit him to the vacant charge if they should find him qualified.
The principle was finally established by the de- cisions of the Civil Courts, that in reference to the appointment of ministers to vacant parishes, there is a certain specified course laid down by Parliament for the guidance of the Church, and that she is under a civil obligation, which can be enforced by the ordi- nary compulsitors of law, to follow out that course. The Churchmen of those days met this principle by laying down another : that it is unlawful for a Church to come under a civil obligation to follow out a specified course laid down for her guidance by the State, either in regard to the appointment of ministers, or other spiritual concerns. This principle formed the kernel, or central point of the famous Convocation resolutions, on the ground of which the secession of 1843 took place.
It was to meet this view that " The Kernel of the Controversy " was written. In this publication it is maintained that it is not wrong to come under a civil obligation as to a spiritual matter, provided the thing which the Church comes under an obligation to do, is in itself right. And the upholders of the Free Church were challenged to make out a contrary pro- position from scriptural statement, or by logical deduction from scriptural principles.
In her letters to her Edinburgh correspondent
Memoir of Baroness Nair^ie. 125
Lady Nairne mentions other works, which had afforded pleasure to herself and the Gask family- circle. Of these the most valued was D'Aubigne's " History of the Reformation." She writes : —
"We are busy every evening with I.uther, and find it very interesting, especially since his almost inspired character has been developed. If viQ had him now, our Church wrould not wear the aspect that it does."
The " Memoir and Remains of the Rev. Robert Murray M'Cheyne," edited by the Rev. Andrew Bonar, was a work deeply prized by the aged dis- ciple at Gask. Passages of this most edifying volume were frequently read to her, and always to her comfort. It found a permanent place in her boudoir. She " much liked " the writings of the Rev. Samuel GilfiUan.* His "Short Discourses" and works on the "Holy Spirit" and "The Sabbath" were placed in her hands by Peter M'Laren, the gar- dener at Gask, formerly an elder of Mr. GilfiUan's church, who still lives, rejoicing in the testimony borne to the scriptural teaching of his early pastor by the authoress of " The Land o' the Leal."
From rapidly increasing weakness, and repeated attacks of acute illness. Lady Nairne felt that her life
• This excellent man, who was pastor of the United Secession Church, Comrie, has been celebrated by his son, the Rev. George GilfiUan, in his "Second Gallery of Literary Portraits." His writings are approvingly noticed by Hugh Miller, in his " Schools and Schoolmasters."
I
126 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
could not be prolonged : she bestowed on her Edin- burgh correspondent a little keepsake. The greatest treasure in the Gask repositories was a lock of Prince Charles Edward's hair, which had been the property of Lady Strowan. It is thus referred to in the song of " The Auld House : "—
"The leddy, too, sae genty,
There shelter'd Scotland's heir ; And dipt a lock wi' her ain hand, Frae his lang yellow hair."
In this description the Poetess afterwards acknow- ledged she had indulged a poetic licence. The lock was acquired under circumstances less romantic. The writer of the verses shall relate the story herself : — " I enclose," she writes to her Edinburgh friend, " a few of Charlie's hairs ^ which were given to my grand- mother, Strowan, the day they were cut, by the man who cut them, one John Stewart,* an attendant of the Prince. This is marked on the paper in her own handwriting. I have often heard her mention this John Stewart, who dressed the Prince's hair. The writing had been done in James's lifetime, for an outer paper is marked, ' The King's hair,' to correct the inner, which is inscribed, ' The Prince's hair,' "
Every letter of our authoress now bears some refer- ence to the spiritual life — the better land. On the
« Stewart is thus referred to in 1762 by Lady Nairne's father, then in exile .•—"Very lucky it is that the P. has so worthy a lad about him."
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 127
1 2th of May, 1844, she thus wrote to her Edinburgli correspondent : —
" Life is a perpetual repetition of resignation and submission. I hope it will soon be over. It is a mercy to be spared great bodily pain, which many suffer. We should try to count our mercies. I have a Swiss maid, who feels for me, and watches like a near relation. ... I hardly v^rite to anybody now ; you see why ? few could read. I hope, however, you will not give up writing, since one of my few pleasures is to hear any good account of the great work going on in the world, especially among the Jews."
On the last day of 1844, she communicated with Miss Mason in these words : —
"Gask, December 31, 1844,
"I enclose ;^5, in the hope of its being useful to those very interesting young converts. Do tell me how they get on, and if the poor mother is at all comforted. I hope she may be con- verted one day. Do you make Bishop Daly acquainted with the case of those young men ? How fit he is to assist both the out- ward and inner man !
" I wish Miss C • more joy and peace in believing ; but
the inward struggle against sin must continue to the last. How strongly is this exemplified in St. Paul ! and where there is a wholesome sense of sin, and a real war against it, there will be a straggle, but without despondency ; at least, in my experience the Grand Atonement keeps the conscience peaceful, though never indifferent to sin in the heart and life. There is a kind Oi fruit that seems to arise from an Antinomian root, which I dread. I know some persons infected with it, and yet they seem pious, but rest indolently on our beloved Saviour and all He has done, without much exertion for advancement in holiness : —
1 28 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
' Help, O God of love and truth,
My real state to know ; If I am wrong, oh, set me right ; If right, preserve me so. '
" Fear/ul got safely into the Celestial City; but he had a weary pilgrimage. I would rather go with Faithful.
" I have just heard about the Orphanage, and add a one pound note for it. I am as weak as a babe almost, but I do not suffer pain. I pity you for having to read this proof of my weakness. . . . God bless and lead you. ... In any little thing that I subscribe for the sake of the Gospel I would avoid names, only 'A Friend,' or 'A Lady.'"
The following letter, bearing date the 2nd of Jan- uary, 1845, was addressed to her friend at Edin- burgh : —
" I am uneasy at my own long silence to you, and now being, contrary to my own expectation, spared to see the beginning of one year more, my first letter of 1845 is addressed to you. May it bring you and yours all that is truly good for you in soul and body ; and, your strength being equal to your day, may you be long spared to give an active, helping hand to the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom. I am weak as a child, and can do nothing, but I rejoice in whatever is done, whoever may be appointed to the work."
Having received tidings of the approaching mar- riage of Mr. Barbour to Miss Margaret Sandeman, her much-loved grand-niece, our authoress hastened to convey her fervent benediction : —
" Gask, 27th February. " How blessings brighten as they take their flight ! Your mamma knows where to go for comfort, and I have no doubt
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 129
will be comforted. . . . God bless your going out and coming in, now and for ever. I am, Your most affectionate, feeble C. N."
To the daughter of her early friend, Mrs. Colqu- houn, she wrote a kind letter, which commenced with these words ; —
" Gask, 4th March, 1845. "I am truly thankful, and often wonder at the tenderness with which I am gradually brought low. . . . How wise it is to give ourselves up to the Lord at once, and in so doing, to possess every blessing for time and eternity, for ourselves and every member of our family ! "
To Miss Alicia Mason she wrote on the 22nd of April : —
" My money is not yet exhausted, and I want you to tell me if you have any object to promote before it is all gone. I write with great difficulty, and feel as if life were giving way, but Ihey say I am better. God has been very good to me, and I know will be to the last. May He bless you and your cause in Ire- land."
In a letter to the same correspondent, dated 25th June, Lady Nairne renews the offer of a benefac- tion : —
" Being weaker than I can express, I don't know when this will be finished. . . . My appropriated money is getting low, and I would wish to spend the remainder to the best advan tage, and to bestow on dear Ireland ^50 more. I must trust to you for advice. As I said, I am low in funds, but still wish to do good to Ireland with what I have left. Tell me what will be of most use. "
In reply to this communication, Miss Mason repre.
1 30 Me^noir of Baroness Nair?ie.
sented the claims of the Mission to the Roman Cathohcs at Ventry. "She sent me," writes Miss Mason, "a contribution of ;;!^ioo for the Mission, which was about to be stopped, owing to the priests not allowing anything to be sold or given to the con- verts. Lady Nairne's grant enabled us to have a shop opened, which, by God's blessing, saved the work from destruction."
Towards the close of the summer, our authoress learned from her Edinburgh correspondent that she had a brother, who was a great invalid, and was not expected to recover. She replied immediately, in words of tender sympathy. Her letter closed with these words : — " I pray we may all meet where hope is changed to glad fruition, faith to sight, and prayer to praise ! " When the shadow of death had passed, the authoress of " The Land o' the Leal " hastened to despatch words of condolence. She wrote : —
" I rejoice in your comfortable assurance of your friend's safety. With that conviction, I do not pity sui-vivors. I have learned to exchange the bitter sense of privation, which was but selfish, for grateful praises on account of their present happiness, which is dearer to me than my own. . . . This life is indeed a dream. It will be over soon. I don't know who says, but I often repeat, —
' Soon shall close my earthly mission, Soon shall pass my pilL;rim days ; Hope shall change to glad fruition. Faith to sight, and prayer to praise. ' "
In the beginning of September, our authoress re-
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 3 t
ceived a visit from her Edinburgh correspondent. It was not prolonged, lest the aged invaUd might suffer from the excitement of conversation. The visitor returned to Edinburgh, and, to her deHghted surprise, received a few weeks after the following letter from her aged friend. It is believed to have been the last she wrote. We present it entire : —
" My dear friend, — It was quite refreshing to have had a peep of you. Would you send me a copy of the ' Infants' Music Book,' and tell me the price? It seems well adapted for the purpose. I have had my maid more than ten years. She is quite a jewel to me, and a true Christian. It begins to be too cold for my airings. I am still weaker than when you were here ; but all is well. I believe it is the 25th September."
During her latter years Lady Nairne was much interested in the religious training of the young. She was concerned about infant and Sunday schools. Her grand-niece, who spent much of her time in teaching the children of the poor, had spoken to her of " The Happy Land," as a hymn which the children delighted to sing. " Repeat it," said her ladyship. She listened attentively to the close, and then said : — " It is pretty, very sweet, but might be clearer. Remember, unless the work of Christ for them as sinners comes in — the ransom — the substitution — what you teach is worthless for their souls." *
* "The Happy Land" was composed by Mr. Andrew Young, of Elm Row, Edinburgh, formerly English Master in Madras College, St. Andrews.
1 3 2 Memoir of Baroness IVairne.
The curtain closes. On Saturday, the 25th October, the Baroness took exercise in her garden chair. "She was wheeled," writes Mrs. Stewart Sandeman, " to the door of the little chapel, which, on the site of the old parish church, had lately been founded by her nephew, aided by a handsome contribution of her own, as a place of worship in connection with the English Epis- copal Church. The building was nearly completed. My aunt asked Mr. Oliphant whether he had written to the Bishop of Cashel respecting the consecration. Mr. Ohphant replied that he had not; he was disposed, he said, to have no opening ceremony on account of so much superstitious nonsense being of late attached to outward forms. He quoted the lines, —
'Jesus, where'er Thy people meet, There they behold Thy mercy-sc:i( ; Where'er they seek Thee Thou art found, And every place is hallowed ground. '
" My aunt heartily said ' Amen,' and we were all deeply solemnized. As we proceeded to leave. Lady Nairne said, in an earnest tone, ' The place will soor be ready for me.' We returned to the house."
Death was near. After her little drive, Lady Nairne complained of breathlessness. The family physician reported that her condition justified serious apprehensions. All remedies were without efficacy; the malady could not be arrested. On the following morning a distressing cough subsided, but was followed
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 133
by a greater difficulty of breathing. The patient lost the power of utterance, but remained conscious. Mrs. Oliphant read to her portions of Scripture, and verses from her favourite hymns; she extended her hand in token of appreciation and gratitude. She gradually became weaker; in the morning her spirit passed peacefully away.
Lady Nairne died on Sunday, the 26th October, 1845, aged seventy-nine. " I had, as a child," writes Mrs. Sandeman, " expressed to my dear aunt a strong desire that her title might be restored. She said sweetly, ' Ah, Maggy, we should have no keen wishes concerning earthly things.' What she had then said deeply impressed me as I looked upon her after the spirit had fled. What true dignity was imprinted in that lovely countenance, which still bore a decided intellectual impress ! I felt that the departed belonged to the aristocracy of heaven."
At the close of the week her mortal remains were consigned to the dust. Her coffin was borne by the four sons of James Stevenson, a faithful retainer of the family. Among the company were her contem- poraries Lords Strathallan and RoUo, attached friends of the House of Oliphant. She was buried within the hallowed enclosure of that chapel which a week before she had said would " soon be ready for her." The place was consecrated by the burial service, which, by the Rev. Sir William Dunbar, Bart., was read at her grave. There, too, the founder was soon to rest
[34 Memoir of Baroness Nairiie.
from his labours : James Blair Oliphant, of Gask, was interred within the little chapel in 1847.
No more appropriate tomb could have been con- structed for the authoress of " The Land o' the Leal." At that spot her ancestors and their dependants had worshipped together for generations. Many of her forefathers are interred in the surrounding church- yard. The policies of Gask House environ the place of sepulture. The Earn flows near. The chapel is a small, but elegant structure, of Noniian architecture, designed by Gillespie Graham. A simple plate, in- scribed with her name, denotes the grave of the Strathearn Poetess.
Lady Nairn e lived to do good, avoided publicity, and sought the shade. From the scene of life she desired to pass away silently, there to be remembered only by her friends and relatives. When she died, her powers as an authoress were known only to a few; her works of beneficence to a very few.
Dr. Chalmers was the first to proclaim her Christian liberality. At a meeting held at Edinburgh, on the 29th December, 1845, on behalf of the West Port Mission, that eloquent divine spoke as follows: —
" Let mc speak now as to the countenance we have received. I am now at liberty to mention a very noble benefaction, which I received about a year ago. Inquiry was made of me by a lady, mentioning that she had a sum at her disposal, and that she wished to apply it to charitable purposes; and she wanted me IQ enumerate a list of charitable objects, in proportion to the
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 3 5
estimate I had of their value. Accordingly, I furnished her with a scale of about five or six charitable objects. The highest in the scale were those institutions which had for their design the Christianizing of the people at home; and I also mentioned to her, in connection with the Christianizing of the people at home, what we were doing at the West Port, and there came to me from her, in the course of a day or two, no less a sum than ;iC300. She is now dead ; she is now in her grave, and her works do follow her. When she gave me this noble benefaction, she laid me under strict injunctions of secrecy, and, accordingly, I did not mention her name to any person ; but after she was dead, I begged of her nearest heir that I might be allowed to proclaim it, because I thought that her example, so worthy to be followed, might influence others in imitating her; and I am happy to say that I am now at liberty to state that it was Lady Nairne, of Perthshire. It enables us, at the expense of ;C330, to purchase sites for schools and a church ; and we have got a site in the very heart of the locality, with a very considerable extent of ground for a washing-green, a washing-house, and a play-ground for the children, so that we are a good step in advance towards the completion of our parochial economy."
On her final establishment at Gask, Lady Nairne was solicited to allow her songs to be published in a separate form. On the condition that her name should not be mentioned, she consented, and trans- mitted to her Edinburgh correspondent some of her unpublished compositions to be included in the volume. She died while the work was preparing. A few months after her departure, application was made to Mrs. Keith, her surviving sister and nearest repre- sentative, for permission to publish the songs, with
136 Mernoir of Baroness Nairne.
the name of the writer. To that application Mrs. Keith returned the following answer: —
"January 16, 1846. " My niece and I are both of opinion that my beloved sister Nairne liad not the least thought or wish to have her name ever published as authoress of those beautiful words to different tunes ; yet we think there can be nothing wrong in letting it be known that she wrote them. "
Consequent on this permission, appeared an elegant folio with the following title : " Lays from Strathearn, by Carolina, Baroness Nairne. Arranged with sym- phonies and accompaniments for the pianoforte, by Finlay Dun." This publication contained seventy of Lady Nairne's songs. In a subsequent edition other lays were added. The present work contains several more, and a proportion of the whole have been com- pared with the originals.
The merits of Lady Nairne as a song-writer have been universally acknowledged. " Who," writes Sarah Tytler, " that has heard 'The Land o' the Leal' sung in a Scotch gloaming to a hushed group of listeners, will not confirm my words, that there is no song, not even of Burns, nor of Moore, nor of the French Beranger, nor the German Heine, which approaches it on its own ground." The tenderness of the composition is ex- quisite. The ''bonnie bairn" has departed, and the aged parents are mourners. The mother first surmounts the bereaving stroke; but it is because she expects soon
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 3 7
to follow her darling to the better land. She is moved by the energy of a strong faith; she sees the angels beckoning her to the home of rest. Exhorting her husband to be loyal to his God, she bids him farewell, and speaks of a speedy and deathless re-union. They are to meet in a purchased inheritance — in a land where care, and privation, and sorrow are unknown; where bereavements are unfelt ; where the lost shall be restored, and where joys shall be perpetual. The future abode of the blessed was never depicted under a figure more striking than that of " The Land o' the Leal." The Scottish word requires no translation. Even the child grasps its meaning.
"Gude nicht, an' Joy" is, though in a different measure, conceived in the same strain of simple pathos. In this respect it ranks with Laidlaw's " Lucy's Flittin'," and Burns' " Lament for Highland Mary;" but while these poets leave their heroines in the dust, the author of " Gude nicht an' Joy " antici- pates new joys beyond the tomb.
" But oh ! whare sorrow canna win, Nor parting tears are shed ava, May we meet neighbours, kith and kin, And joy for aye be wi' us a' ! "
To the song-writer of Strathearn hope was a bright meteor-star; it pervaded her inner being, and has imparted a decided character to her minstrelsy. When feeble and aged, her delight was in listening to such
138 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
compositions as Thomas Campbell's " Lines to the Rainbow," and those lays which pointed to the realms of the immortal. How replete with the best aspira- tions of the earnest heart are such compositions as " Fareweel, O Fareweel !" "Songs of my Native Land," " What's this Vain World to Me," " Would you be Young Again," and " Here's to Them that are Gane ! " How gently does our authoress deal with the erring ! Who, but a stranger to the power of sympathy, could read, " The Mitherless Lammie " without emotion ?
In celebrating scenes consecrated by the virtues of the patriot. Lady Nairne puts forth her whole strength. " Bonny Gascon Ha' " has the ring of the older bal- lads, combined with a charm of earnestness peculiar to the writer.
" Castell Gloom " is a descriptive history, touchingly told. " The Auld- House " is a picture of the ways of the old Scottish manor, with its hospitable lord and lady. It combines the graphic touches of Burns' " Auld Lang Syne " with the plaintiveness of Mother- well, in "Jeanie Morrison."
Though descended from a family which had never conformed to Presbyterianism, Lady Nairne entirely appreciated the devotion and self-sacrifice of the adherents of the Covenant. Her " Pentland Hills " is not inferior to Hislop's " Cameronian's Dream." Hogg, in his Covenanting lays, has produced none more impressive ; Mrs. Stuart Menteith has not reached
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 139
it in power of language ; and sweetly and forcibly as they have sung of the strong faith of the persecuted, neither Henry Inglis, nor James Dodds, nor James Murray have presented illustrations of Covenanting heroism more true to nature. " The Widow's La- ment," of Lady Nairne, reminds us of tlie plaintive ballads of " Gil Morice," and " Helen of Kirkconnell," while the Strathearn Poetess holds up, amidst the gloom of death, the torch of hope.
As a Jacobite song-writer. Lady Nairne is unsur- passed. The anonymous minstrel literature of the two last Scottish rebellions is not lacking in melodramatic force. Yet numerous phrases in these compositions testify that the bards were vindictive and coarse. Some modern poets have produced effective Jacobite songs. Glen's song commencing " A wee bird cam to our ha' door," is exquisitely touching ; " Flora Macdonald's Lament," by Hogg, is a masterpiece of pathos ; and the Shepherd's " Cam' ye by Athole," is a noble gathering song, well written in every line. The Jacobite songs of Lady Nairne breathe the loyal fervour of a warm-hearted people, awake a compassion- ate sympathy for the ill-starred adventurer, and excite to valour and patriotism.
Her humorous songs are eminently mirthful. As a picture of old Scottish wooing, what can equal " The Laird o' Cockpen"? The Laird's look of wonder when the lady gave her refusal, so decided, so unex- pected, might form a study for the pencil of Cruik-
1 40 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
shank. " Jamie the Laird " represents another aspect of rejected addresses, in which the suitor meets with intense ridicule and hatred from her whom he conde- scends to love. His defects might have been less apparent, but that his conceit was intolerable. " John Tod" we laugh at for his odd, rough ways ; but he remains a favourite for his virtues.
" The Lass o' Gowrie " wins all hearts. So does Jeanie in " Huntingtower." In the song "Caller Herrin','' the screech of the Newhaven fishwoman is mellowed into the softest music. These lays are sung by Scotsmen of all ranks and conditions. " Balloo loo Lammy " lulls the infant to rest. The hind capti- vates his fair one by the " Lea-Rig " and " Saw ye nae my Peggy;" and as the milkmaid sings "The Lanely Lassie " the heart of the passing swain is sub- dued and lost. Matrimonial joys are enhanced as " the gudewife " sings " Kind Robin lo'es me." The songs of the Strathearn Poetess cheer the boatman at the oar, animate the soldier on the field of battle, enliven the chamber of the sick, revive old age, and pointing to the " Land o' the Leal," comfort and sustain the dying. Her strains are sung on the hill- side, at the plough, and on the harvest field ; they are popular in the concert room, and are favourites in every musical assembly. By the sons of Caledonia these lays have been sung on the plains of India, in the deserts of Africa, on the heights of Labrador, and amidst the pampas of South America. In Canada
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and throughout the United States they are as famiUar as in the land of their birth.
Seldom has any minstrelsy less redounded to a per- sonal celebrity, yet been more efficient in amending the manners of a people. Lady Nairne might have been a hymn-writer. To the harp she preferred the lyre, having correctly estimated its power. She has bequeathed to her country a legacy, which succeeding generations will acknowledge and enjoy. Already the coarse ribaldry of the chapman's ballads has de- parted. The peasantry retain their favourite tunes, with new and unoffending words.
The personal aspects of our Poetess are represented in the portrait with which this volume is adorned. The original was painted by the late Sir John Watson Gordon, in 18 16, and is preserved at Gask. In her fiftieth year the " Flower of Stratheam " retains her charms. The countenance is of the aristocratic type ] the nose aquiline, a small mouth, dark expressive eyes, and a high and gracefully rounded forehead. She was of middle size ; her hands and arms were elegantly shaped ; and her every movement betokened the polished gentlewoman. Her manners were such as to evoke respect and reverence. She possessed an abundant vivacity, and much enjoyed the tale of humour. By her kindly ways she attracted the young.
After her great sorrow, Lady Nairne became some- what pensive, but she was ever ready to administer
K
142 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
words of comfort to others. She sought to help for- ward every good cause which might be proceeding in her neighbourhood. She was a diligent reader — had studied theological literature, and was conversant with the history of nations. She was acquainted with the best Continental writers. With the song and ballad literature of Scotland she was familiar from her child- hood. She played on several instruments so effec- tively, that she charmed every assembly.
In her advanced years she was deeply interested in the news of the Churches. She made notes on the books she read, so long as she was able. When failing eyesight compelled her to renounce reading, Henri- ette, her maid, read to her from her favourite authors. These readings were often protracted till after mid- night.
As a Christian gentlewoman. Lady Nairne was an honour to her country and age. No dispenser of charity ever fulfilled the injunction more literally as to the bestowal of alms in secret. When any of her good deeds became known, she was sensibly pained. " Religion is a walking and not a talking concern " was her favourite maxim : she acted upon it. She was faithful in reproof. When her nieces were at school she wrote them long letters, pointing out the faults of their characters, and exhorting them to piety. She abhorred deception, but even when deceived she was ready to forgive. A courier robbed her and she discharged him, but hearing that he was in circum-
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 143
stances of indigence, she transmitted a donation of twenty pounds to the reHef of his family. She lived frugally, and bestowed no inconsiderable portion of her income for the benefit of others. Till her strength failed, she daily occupied herself in preparing articles of ladies' work for the bazaars.
Of a generous and loving nature. Lady Nairne was deeply attached to her husband and son. She was conscious of the warmth of her affection, and said sometimes that she feared she had set up idols and had suffered accordingly. To enable her to present a book, when the perusal was likely to do good, she would not hesitate to remove a leaf hallowed by the name of the departed. Henriette Vouaillat, her attendant for the eleven years preceding her death, may be allowed to give testimony. To a member of the family who lately saw her at Geneva, she concluded a strain of eulogy on her mistress in these words, " My Lady Nairne approached as near to an angel as human weakness might permit." The pardonable hyperbole of a reverent affection is not needed to sum up the character of our accomplished authoress. In the happy combination of genius with the moral virtues, and in the entire abnegation of self, she presents a character rarely exhibited in literary biography.
Some particulars respecting the modern history of the Oliphants of Gask, and of the noble House of Nairne, may not be unacceptable.
1 44 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
Lady Nairne's father, Laurence Oliphant, of Gask, married Margaret Robertson his first cousin. The lady's father was Duncan Robertson, of Strowan, second cousin of Alexander Robertson, of Strowan, the Jacobite chief and poet, and supposed prototype of the Baron of Bradwardine in Waverley. From this family descended the rarely gifted Rev. Frederick Robertson, of Brighton.
" It has been handed down," communicates Captain Robertson, father of the deceased clergyman, " that a cadet of the family of Strowan, about two hundred years ago, came to Glasgow from Perthshire, there to seek his fortune. A small portion of land at Glasgow, in the possession of a Scotch cousin, has been inherited from the cadet in question. My father," adds Captain Robertson, " was a Lieutenant in the Grenadiers of the 8 1 St or Glasgow Regiment, when the French landed in Jersey in 1781. He there distinguished himself so as to obtain promotion. Out of forty Grenadiers, fourteen were killed or wounded in the engagement, and in Grenville churchyard a tablet commemorates those who fell under Lieutenant Robertson."
From the marriage of Laurence Oliphant and Margaret Robertson sprang two sons and four daughters. Charles, the second son, died unmarried in 1797; Marjory Anne Mary, the eldest daughter, became the second wife of Dr. Alexander Stewart of Bonskeid, Perthshire, in 1799. Though not possess-
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 145
ing the personal attractions of her sisters, she early evinced uncommon sagacity and prudence. Her de- votion to her father during his increasing infirmities, and the care she took of her younger sisters, rendered her parental home a place of great comfort. After her marriage she resided in Perth, where her husband practised as a physician. Her home in the Water- gate was an open house of welcome to the many friends and patients who resorted thither for her husband's medical counsel. To the best interests of Margaret, her only child, her time was chiefly devoted. " Never have I seen," relates the governess, " such an example of faith and prayer. During months or even years when Mrs. Stewart was only able to move from one room to another, she spent hours daily in asking blessings for that child and others. It was a large petition she asked, that not only should her child be brought to know the Lord, but that each descendant she might ever have, and each individual for whose salvation she should interest herself, might be blessed with the knowledge of Christ."
Mrs. Stewart was latterly in feeble health : she died at Perth on the 19th June, 18 19. Her death-bed was, like her mother's, calm and bright. She had always insisted that death to the believer was only the shadow of a conquered enemy. On the morning of her death an oil painting of Bonskeid was sent from the painter ; she had it placed opposite her bed and
146 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
kept there. Her child, summoned from school in England, was about to arrive. " Take the store- room key and have it brightened," she said to her maid ; " Miss Stevi^art must find it in good order." Lady Nairne was alone watching by the bed ; she said afterwards, " Ask me no questions about the visible glory that seemed to encircle my beloved sister in that solemn hour." The presence of Jesus sensibly filled the room.
The early misfortunes of Dr. Stewart were not less striking than those of the family with whom he had connected himself by his second marriage. These misfortunes did not proceed from an adherence to the cause of the exiled House. His father, John Stewart, of Bonskeid, was a youth of fifteen during the outbreak of the insurrection of 17 15; but true to the traditions of his family, he was proceeding, along with his cousin Stewart of Fincastle, also aged fifteen, to join the Jacobite forces at Perth, when both were intercepted by their tenantry, and by them persuaded to return home. Later in life he resided in his old family mansion of Bonskeid, beautifully situated on the brow of a hill near the Pass of Killiecrankie. One morning he left his motherless son and daughter for the market in Pitlochry, where high words arising between him and his kinsman, Stewart of Shierglass, the latter stabbed him to the heart.
According to a Highland superstition, the murderer who could contrive to see daylight under the body of
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 147
his victim, was sure of escape. Before the retainers of the murdered man could convey his body four miles, and bear it slowly up the hill, the adversary was hidden securely among the copse by the way-side. With his ear to the ground, his eye caught daylight under the plaid that enfolded the body of his victim. The murderer now betook himself to flight ; he re- sided some time abroad, but ultimately returned home, and was permitted unmolested to settle on his estate. Soon after their father's death, the two young orphans of Bonskeid were accompanied one Sunday morning to Blair-Athole parish church. " I was one of those who went with them," said the dairymaid to a relative of our informant. " Fifteen bonny kebbucks * I left in the dairy. When on our return home we got to the hill-top, the house was in flames, and all my kebbucks were black as coal." The circumstances of the family were not such as to warrant the rebuild- ing of the mansion. The children were received into the house of their relatives at Fincastle. The boy, Alexander Stewart, was educated for the medical profession, studied at Edinburgh University under Cullen and Munro, and finally joined the Scottish Brigade in Holland. He returned to Scotland, took the degree of M.D., and practised in Dunkeld. By his first marriage with Miss Bisset he was father of three children. Ardently devoted to his professional duties he took an active part in the effort to assist small-
* Cheeses.
148 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
pox by inoculation. Out of two hundred children brought to him for inoculation all prospered save his own son, who caught a fever and died. His wife did not long survive the deaths of her other children. Dr. Stewart left the scene of his bereavements, and settled at Perth, where he commanded an extensive practice for thirty years.
The house of Bonskeid was replaced, about ten years after his marriage to Miss Oliphant, in a re- markable way. A carriage with English strangers from Blair Castle drove up the lovely glen and stopped in the birchwood. It was that of the Countess of Bath, who was travelling in Scotland for health. She remarked to her husband, Sir James Pulteney, that she had never seen any place so beautiful. Sir James and she met Dr. Stewart at Blair Castle, ob- tained a lease, and began to construct a residence at Bonskeid. The Countess had a tent erected, that she might superintend the building operations, and enjoy the beauty of the prospect. She died just after the building had been begun. Sir James abandoned the idea of a large mansion, but caused a shooting lodge to be reared in the birchwood at the spot where the Countess had originally stopped her carriage to admire the prospect. On the completion of the house he sent furniture from London specially adapted for each apartment, with a request that it should not be unpacked till he came in person. His last purchase was a new description of firelock; in
Memoir of Baroness Nairne, 149
trying it he injured himself fatally. Thus a mansion, ready furnished, was found by Dr. Stewart in the birch- wood of Bonskeid in place of that which, thirty years before, had perished in the flames. The heiress of Bonskeid, Margaret Stewart, married Glas Sandeman, Esq., of Springland, near Perth, and became the mother of Mrs. Barbour, now of Bonskeid, who has furnished the recollections of Lady Nairne's travels.
Amelia Anne Sophia, second sister of Lady Nairne, was married to Charles Steuart, Esq., of Dalguise. She was a lady of agreeable presence and elegant manners, and was an earnest Christian. She resided at her husband's beautiful residence a few miles north of Dunkeld, which enabled her to hold frequent in- tercourse with all the members of her own family, by whom she was deeply cherished. She died on the 9th of April, i8o8. Her husband long survived her. Of their three children, John, the eldest son, and present proprietor of Dalguise, is Master of the Supreme Court at the Cape. He married, on the 6th April, 1829, Janet Murray, eldest daughter of the eighth Lord Elibank, and has issue. Charles, the younger son, died at Gibraltar while stationed there with his regiment, the 42nd Royal Highlanders. The daughter, Margaret Harriet Maria, was for many years the travelling companion and beloved associate of her aunt, Lady Nairne. She is now re- sident at the Cape.
Carolina, the third daughter of the laird of Cask,
150 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
forms the subject of the preceding meitioir. Margaret, the fourth daughter, married in April 181 1, Alexander Keith of Ravelstone and Dunnottar, She died without issue on the loth September, 1847.
Laurence Oliphant, the eldest son, succeeded to Gask on the death of his father on the ist January, 1792. He married, on the i6th November, 1795, Christian, only child of Dr. Joseph Robertson, by his wife, Rachel Blair, the heiress of Ardblair, Perth- shire. Of the former marriage were born two sons and six daughters. Laurence, the eldest son, born 5th May, 1798, succeeded to Gask on the death of his father, which took place on the 5th May, 1819 ; young Laurence died unmarried on the 31st December, 1824. He was succeeded by his only brother, James, who was bom on the 3rd March, 1804. This gentleman also succeeded to the estate of Ardblair on the death of his mother, in 1827, when he assumed the name of Blair Oliphant. In 1839, he served himself heir-male of Francis, tenth Lord Oliphant, and of William Oliphant of Newton, the younger brother of Laurence, third Lord Oliphant. He married, in 1840, Henrietta, only child and heiress of James Gillespie Graham, Esq., of Orchill : he died without issue on the 9th December, 1847.
The family of the Oliphants of Gask were intimately associated with the noble House of Nairne. Both families suffered in the Jacobite cause — the latter more severely. They were closely connected as kins-
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 5 1
folk. Laurence Oliphant, of Gask, married Amelia, second daughter of the second Lord Nairne, in 1720, and their son Laurence espoused a daughter of his mother's younger sister, Marjory, wife of Duncan Robertson of Strowan. A further union between the Houses took place in the marriage of Carolina Oliphant to her cousin, afterwards fifth Lord Nairne, in 1806.
The founder of the House of Nairne was Robert Nairne, representative of an old landed family in Perthshire. This gentleman took up arms in the cause of Charles I., and was on this account ten years imprisoned in the Tower. On the Restoration he was knighted, appointed a Lord of Session, and, in 1681, raised to the peerage as Lord Nairne. By his patent his honours were reserved for his only child Margaret, conjointly with her husband Lord William Murray, fourth son of John, Marquis of Athole, and brother of the first Duke. This peer took part in the insurrection of 17 15, and was captured at Preston — tried and condemned.
Lord Nairne escaped decapitation by the timely passing of the Act of Indemnity. As the Perth- shire estates were vested in his wife, they were not forfeited. His son John, third Lord Nairne, brother to Lady Gask and Lady Strowan, engaged in the RebeUion of 1745. Six months after the battle of Culloden he escaped to Sweden, in the same ship with the Oliphants; he died in France in 1770.
152 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
Having been included in the Act of Attainder, his estates were confiscated. When the lands were ex- posed for sale, his first cousin, the Duke of Athole, appeared in the auction room, and, having made an offer, none bid against him, believing that he was negotiating on behalf of his exiled relative. It proved otherwise. The Duke added the estates of Nairne to his own, and caused the mansion of Nairne to be thrown down.
The Nairne estates were extensive and valuable. The family mansion was designed by Sir William Bruce, the celebrated architect. It stood at Leak in Strathord, Perthshire, and was styled "the glory of the Strath." The drawing from which our artist has prepared his sketch was executed by James Nairne, eldest son of the attainted Baron ; it is now in the possession of the Rev. David Foggo, minister at St. Monance, Fifeshire, great-grandson of that chamber- lain of the estates who shared the family misfortunes. To the drawing of his ancestral seat, James Nairne has appended the following note : —
" The south-east prospect of Nairne, built of cut stone, in the year of God 1709, and destroyed by James, Duke cf Athol, tlie nearest relation and pretended friend of the family, which proves the following scripter — that a man's foes shall be those of his own household. Matt. x. and 36. The house was designed from a plan of Sir William Bruce, architect, who built the Palace of Holy Rood Abby, Edinburgh, and the house of Kinross. This elevation is drawn from my memory, the ornaments, entable- tires, archetrives, friezes, and cornice, and other members being
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 1 53
omitted. There were thirteen large rooms on a floor, besides closets with vents ; it stood in the middle of a very improvable estate, six miles in extent, larger than the Island of Guernsey. The plantation of trees, natural wood, &c. , sold at a moderate price, would have been double the purchase money. The largest stream of fresh water in Great Britain is within two miles of it, called the Tague or Tay. St. Johnstown or Perth is the port for shipping within six miles of the same, where there are coals of every kind brought. N.B. The ground floor of the house was all vaulted, where were the cellars, kitchens, pantreys, bakehouse, brewhouse, dairy, and other conveniences, with a large brook or stream of water near it sufficient to turn a mill, which was conveyed to the house in many shapes."
" The only relic," writes Mr. Foggo, " known to exist of Nairne House is the belfry, which was given at the demolition of the mansion to the town of Perth, and may be yet seen there as the crowning ornament of King James VI. 's hospital ; but the bell- tree remains near the site of the house, marking the spot near which the followers of Lord Nairne were marshalled on the morning when they set out to join the Prince's army. The Prince dined and passed a night in the house on his way from Blair-Athole to the South. The locality is thus connected with the romantic expedition of 1745, and the writer has a lively recollection of some aged men whom he met there in his youth, who spoke of these times with much emotion, while describing the oppression of the domi- nant party, and the transfer of the estate for a moiety of its value to a neighbouring family. It was the re-
154 Memoir of Baroness Nah'ne.
mark of one of these old men, ' We were a' rebels here about ; ' * of another, ' Nairne house was a bonnie house, it had 365 windows, ane for ilka day o' the year ; ' of a third, ' that his grandfather had from his boyhood served as page to Lord Nairne, and had followed him throughout all his wanderings.' The love of my informant himself for the locality had fixed him there for life, though his early companions had left for other scenes."
" Nairne House," proceeds Mr. Foggo, " was de- stroyed in 1764. The district was, for some time after the battle of Culloden, placed under the surveil- lance of the ?Iessian troops, who arrived in Scotland too late for the campaign, and were billeted in Perth and in the adjacent country. The farmhouse of Bal- macoUie, near the old burying-ground of Logicbride, was a station occupied by these soldiers. My ances-
* Though no portion of the Queen's subjects are more loyal to the throne, or more attached to Her Majesty's person, than the inhabitants of the Highlands of Perthshire, the memory of " Prince Charlie " is still cherished with patriotic ardour. During the recent contest for tlie Parliamentary representation of the county, one of the candidates, being an Englishman, was objected to as having no personal claims on the constituency. This might have proved a powerful argument against him, but for the timely discovciy by his supporters that his Christian names were Charles Stuart. The due proclamation of this dis- covery is said to have largely contributed to place the stranger at the top of the poll. Many of his adherents, in tendering their votes, were clad in the Stuart tartan.
Memoir of Baroness Nairne. 155
tor was occupant of the farm ; he held in wadset other two farms as security for money advanced for the Jacobite enterprises ; when the estates were to be exposed for sale at Edinburgh, after the attainder, he repaired to that city, and protested. The proceedings were then stopped, but a party of soldiers were forthwith despatched to Balma- colhe to search the premises for documents which might involve its occupant in the consequences of the Rebellion. No papers were found, but the family were ejected and ruined. In 1834, William, sixth Lord Nairne, visited the ruins of the old family mansion. He spoke mournfully of the reverses of his House."
To these particulars it may be added that many of the old trees which environed the mansion still remain. Part of the orchard also continues. Refer- ring to the death of the sixth Lord Nairne, the editor of a Perthshire journal thus wrote in 1838 : — "There are those still alive who, amidst the levellings of the plough and harrow, can point out the various locali- ties ; — the favourite walk of the * last Lady Mary ;' her sylvan bower ; the clear pebble well, of which the brook still flows ; the old thorn tree ; and the bowling- green, in which Lord Nairne marshalled his clan the morning before they marched to join the Prince in Perth."
On the death of the sixth peer, his title devolved on Margaret, Baroness Keith, as the lineal descendant
156 Memoir of Baroness Nairne.
of Robert, second son of the second baron. By the death of this lady without male issue, the peer- age of Nairne has, through the marriage of her eldest daughter, merged in the Marquisate of Lans- downe.
MEMOIR
OF
CAROLINE OLIPHANT
THE YOUNGER.
Caroline Oliphant, bom at Gask, on the i6th January, 1807, was youngest of the eight children of Laurence OHphant, brother of Lady Nairne. When not a year old she was removed with the rest of the family to Durham, in which neighbourhood they remained upwards of eight years. At Dur- ham a frequent visitor was Dr. Robertson, her mother's father, who had been in the Dutch ser^ace, and who could well remember welcoming to Holland his kinsmen the fugitives of Culloden; he lived to hear of Waterloo. In 1816, Caroline, with the rest of the family, went to Marseilles, and afterwards to Hyeres. At the latter place she made acquaintance with Lord St. Vincent, then nearly ninety, who gave her his autograph. In 1819 the family went to Italy, and spent a gay winter at Florence and Rome. Next year they sailed to London in a yacht, under
L
1 58 Memoir of Caroline Oliphant.
the care of Sir James Clark, one of her sisters being in very feeble health. Indeed, within eleven years from 181 9 Caroline lost her father, mother, eldest brother, and three of her sisters. In 1821 the family returned to Gask, after an absence of fourteen years. This, like Dr. Johnson's College, seems to have been a nest of singing birds. Caroline began a poem at the age of thirteen ; her education is described as having been desultory. Prayers, according to the Episcopal rite, used to be read on Sunday by that Mr. Cruikshank who had incurred the wrath of her grandfather for his acknowledgment of the House of Hanover. In 1822 the family once more set out for Hyeres, taking so far on his way to Rome Mr. Laurence Macdonald, the well-known sculptor, who was born on the Gask estate, and whose rising talents had not escaped the eye of Caroline's mother. Long afterwards he sent one of his best works as a present to the Laird of Gask.
This winter was spent by the family at Carquer- anne, near Hyeres ; they took the keenest interest in the works of Byron and Scott, which were rapidly pouring from the press. An inmate of the house at this time gave his opinion of Caroline's character : — " It will be hard for her to make a friend ; she would be loved if she were well known ; but she will repel affection before she can secure it." In 1823 the family returned to Gask, and Caroline began to study Greek. In 1824 Dr. Chalmers was their guest; on
Memoir of Caroline Oliphant. 1 59
being asked what proportion of income should be given in charity, he said, " As to this point of casuistry, the best way to solve it is to have a glow of love for God, which will make us cheerful givers. We must not give to God as it were with a measure. If we set apart one portion for Him, we are very apt to surround the remainder with a mound of selfishness."
In 1826 the Oliphants proceeded to Clifton, Glou- cestershire. Caroline's friends about this time pro- nounce her only faults to be a love of novels and a want of perseverance. One of them writes to her : — " Visit the poor, and you will come to realities instead of revelling in imagination ; you must chain this pas- sion if you cannot kill it." She accordingly studied Dugald Stewart.
In 1827 she composed her verses on "Reco- vering from Sickness," having been very ill throughout the winter. In 1828 the family kindly quitted their residence at Clifton to make way for Mrs. Hannah More, who had been "driven from her own para- dise, but not by angels." Caroline, who at this time was in Ireland, writes of the probable swarm of pil- grims making their way to the literary shrine now set up in the old house. She thus describes a meeting
at Gorey : — " It was whispered that X was to
speak. What possessed any one so cruelly to delude the public I know not. I could descry nobody but the rector in the chair, and the curate supporting the rector. I was seized with a fit of laughter at a meet-
i6o Me7noir of Caroline Oliphant.
ing composed of such slender materials ; it brought to my mind the rather inelegant comparison of Falstaff to his page, ' I seem to myself like a sow that hath overwhelmed all her litter save one,' But unluckily the litter was increased by the production of a Dr.
Z ; every sentence in his oration was delivered
three times over for the sake of perspicuity and clear- ness. Of one gentleman he said, ' He was a talented man, a man of parts ; I might almost be justified in saying he was a clever man ' ! Ainsi de suite. Two hours of precious time were wasted in hearing this man's discourse ; and at the end every one was more in the dark than when he began ; though some one had the assurance to mention it as a luminous statement ; the principal characteristic syllable was omitted." The ladies are not such unreasoning admirers of the clergy as is believed.
In 1828, Caroline paid her last visit to Gask, and thence returned to Clifton. She was a great admirer of Robert Hall, and it was proposed to publish some of his sermons from her shorthand notes. One of her most favourite books was Keble's " Christian Year." Her miniature was painted about this time by Chalon, disclosing a face beaming with mirth and intellect. In 1830 she betook herself to the study of Hebrew, and wrote many verses. A friend remarks, " I envy Caroline her talent, which shines in all she says or does ; and still more the heavenly direction given to it. Never was the character of holiness and purity
Memoir of Caroline Oliphant. 1 6 1
more legibly inscribed on any mortal." On the 26th of May, 1830, she witnessed the marriage of her sister Margaret to Mr. Kington. A month later she had to mourn the death of her sister Christian. Carohne was taken to Leamington for the advice of Dr. Jeph- son. She returned in September to Clifton, where she was visited by Lady Naime, who had just lost her husband. Caroline's weakness continued. She suf- fered from feverishness and restless nights, but bore all with patience. Her eldest sister, aided by a friend whose sorrows had been soothed by her verses, and a faithful maid from Gask, ministered to her comforts. " It was," writes the last, " my happy privilege to nurse this precious one for nine months; and though myself a giddy girl of seventeen, I de- lighted to be a comfort to her in her days of weak- ness, I generally entered her apartment at six, to inquire how she had slept. Often her answer was, ' Oh, Peggy, I have not been to sleep yet ; ' the words were always spoken with a smile. She never com- plained. As she took very little nourishment. Miss Oliphant expressed a hope that she might be able to eat less sparingly. She sweetly answered, ' Dear sister, the Lamb in the midst of the throne feeds me.' She said on one occasion, ' My mind is so wandering, that I cannot put two ideas together \ but I can look up to God as a reconciled Father.' 'You seem better,' said an attendant to her one morning. ' Oh, Jenny,' was the reply, ' I never wish to get better; to
1 62 Memoir of Caroline Oliphant.
depart and be with Christ is far better, and there are many gone before.' She referred to the members of the family who had been called to an early rest. The day before her death I was supporting her while her bed was being smoothed ; she said, ' This night of affliction is but for a moment.' She was always ready with a leaf from the Tree of Life. Often have I gone into her room and found her so deep in meditation, leaning on the open Bible, that she was unconscious of my presence. Miss Caroline was one of the ex- cellent of the earth. With her, religion was no gloomy uncertainty ; her life was a living epistle."
Caroline Oliphant died on the 9th of February, 1 83 1, at the age of twenty-four. She was buried beside her mother in Clifton churchyard. Eleven years after her death, a friend who knew her intimately wrote concerning her in these terms : —
" Some characters never can have any real likenesses. Nature sometimes breaks her cast, that the model may never be repeated. It was CaroHne's character that was such a singular combination, so many contradictory qualities all so beautifully balanced, and under the guidance of such highly wrought principles and tastes. Even the desultory education, that we might have thought a dis- advantage, helped to make her the charming friend and com- panion that she was. There was a proud independence in her, counteracted by religion. "
A carefully written MS. volume contains the poetry of Caroline Oliphant. The Editor has selected from it those compositions which best illustrate the peculiar genius and amiable qualities of the writer.
SONGS OF LADY NAIRNE,
THE LAND O' THE LEAL.i
Air— " Hey tutti taiti."
I'm wearin' awa', John,
Like snaw-wreaths in thaw, John,
I'm wearin' awa'
To the land o' the leal. There's nae sorrow there, John, There's neither cauld nor care, John, The day is aye fair
In the land o' the leal.
Our bonnie bairn's there, John, She was baith gude and fair, John, And oh ! we grudged her sair
To the land o' the leal. But sorrow's sel' wears past, John, And joy's a-comin' fast, John, The joy that's aye to last
In the land o' the leal.
164 Lady Nairnes Songs.
Sae dear's that joy was bought, John, Sae free the battle fought, John, That sinfu' man e'er brought
To the land o' the leal. Oh ! dry your glist'ning e'e, John, My saul langs to be free, John, And angels beckon me
To the land o' the leal.
Oh ! haud ye leal and true, John, Your day it's wearin' through, John, And I'll welcome you
To the land o' the leal. Now fare-ye-weel, my ain John, This warld's cares are vain, John, We'll meet, and we'll be fain.
In the land o' the leal.
CALLER HERRIN'.^
Air by Neil Gow.
Wha'll buy my caller herrin' ? They're bonnie fish and halesome farin' ; Wha'll buy my caller herrin', New drawn frae the Forth ?
When ye were sleepin' on your pillows, Dream'd ye aught o' our puir fellows.
Caller H err in . 165
Darkling as they faced the billows, A' to fill the woven willows ?
Buy my caller herrin', New drawn frae the Forth.
Wha'U buy my caller herrin' ?
They're no brought here without brave daring ;
Buy my caller herrin',
Haul'd through wind and rain.
Wha'U buy my caller herrin' ? &c.
Wha'U buy my caller herrin' ? Oh, ye may ca' them vulgar farin', Wives and mithers maist despairing, Ca' them lives o' men.
Wha'U buy my caller herrin' ? &c.
When the creel o' herrin' passes, Ladies, clad in silks and laces, Gather in their braw pelisses, Cast their heads and screw their faces.
Wha'U buy my caller herrin' ? &c.
CaUer herrin's no got lightlie. Ye can trip the spring fu' tightlie. Spite o' tauntin', flauntin,' flingin', Gow has set you a' a-singing.'
Wha'U buy my caUer herrin' ? &a
i66 Lady Nairnes Songs.
Neebour wives, now tent my tellin' : When the bonny fish ye're sellin', At ae word be in yere dealin' — Truth will stand when a' thing's failin'.
Wha'll buy my caller herriiV ? They're bonnie fish and halesome farin* Wha'll buy my caller herrin', New drawn frae the Forth ?
THE LASS O' GOWRIE.^*
Air—" Loch Erroch Side."
'TwAS on a simmer's afternoon, A wee afore the sun gaed doun, A lassie wi' a braw new goun
Cam' owre the hills to Gowrie. The rose-bud wash'd in simmer's shower, Bloom'd fresh within the sunny bower ; But Kitty was the fairest flower
That e'er was seen in Gowrie.
To see her cousin she cam' there, An' oh ! the scene was passing fair ; For what in Scotland can compare
Wi' the Carse o' Gowrie ? The sun was setting on the Tay, The blue hills melting into grey,
The County Meeting. 167
The mavis and the blackbird's lay Were sweetly heard in Gowrie.
0 lang the lassie I had woo'd,
An' truth and constancy had vow'd, But could na speed wi' her I lo'ed, Until she saw fair Gowrie.
1 pointed to my faither's ha', Yon bonnie bield ayont the shaw,
Sae loun' that there nae blast could blaw, Wad she no bide in Gowrie ?
Her faither was baith glad and wae ; Her mither she wad naething say ; The bairnies thocht they wad get play,
If Kitty gaed to Gowrie. She whiles did smile, she whiles did greet, The blush and tear were on her cheek — She naething said, an' hung her head ;
But now she's Leddy Gowrie.
THE COUNTY MEETING.
Air— "The County Meeting."
Ye're welcome, leddies, ane and a', Ye're welcome to our County Ha' ; Sae weel ye look when buskit braw, To grace our County Meeting !
t68 Lady Nairnes Songs.
An', gentlemen, ye're welcome, too, In waistcoats white and tartan too, Gae seek a partner, mak' yere bow, Syne dance our County Meeting.
Ah, weel dune now, there's auld Sir John, Wha aye maun lead the dancin' on. An' Leddy Bet, wi' her turban prim, An' wee bit velvet 'neath her chin. See how they nimbly, nimbly go ! While youngsters follow in a row, Wi' mony a Belle, an' mony a Beau, To dance our County Meeting.
There's the Major, and his sister too, He in the bottle-green, she in the blue ; (Some years sin' syne that gown was new,
At our County Meeting). They are a worthy, canty pair, An' unco proud o' their nephew Blair ; O' sense, or siller, he's nae great share, Though he's the King o' the Meeting,
An' there's our Member, and Provost Whig, Our Doctor in his yellow wig, Wi' his fat wife, wha takes a jig Aye at our County Meeting. Miss Betty, too, I see her there, Wi' her sonsy face, and bricht red hair,
The County Meeting. 169
Dancin' till she can dance nae mair At our County Meeting.
There's beauty Bell, wha a' surpasses, An' heaps o' bonnie country lasses ; Wi' the heiress o' the Gowden Lee,
Fo'k say she's unco dorty — Lord Bawbee, aye, he's lookin' there, An' sae is the Major, and Major's heir Wi' the Laird, the Shirra, and mony mair,
I could reckon them to forty.
See Major O'Neill has got her hand.
An' in the dance they've ta'en their stand ;
(Impudence comes frae Paddy's land,
Say the lads o' our County Meeting). But ne'er ye fash ! gang through the reel,— The Country dance, ye dance sae weel, — An' ne'er let Waltz or dull Quadrille
Spoil our County Meeting.
Afore we end, strike up the spring O' Thulichan and Hieland-fling, The Haymakers, and Bumpkin fine !
At our County Meeting. Gow draws his bow, folk haste away. While some are glad and some are wae, A' blithe to meet some ither day.
At our Connty Meeting.
1 70 Lady Nairnes Songs.
THE LAIRD O' COCKPEN.*
Air — "When she cam' ben, she bobbit."
The laird o' Cockpen, he's proud an' he's great, His mind is ta'en up wi' things o' the State ; He wanted a wife, his braw house to keep, But favour wi' wooin' was fashious to seek.
Down by the dyke-side a lady did dwell, At his table head he thought she'd look well, McClish's ae daughter o' Clavers-ha' Lee, A penniless lass wi' a lang pedigree.
His wig was weel pouther'd and as gude as new, His waistcoat was white, his coat it was blue ; He put on a ring, a sword, and cock'd hat. And wha could refuse the laird wi' a' that ?
He took the grey mare, and rade cannily, An' rapp'd at the yett o' Clavers-ha' Lee ; " Gae tell Mistress Jean to come speedily ben, — She's wanted to speak to the Laird o' Cockpen."
Mistress Jean was makin' the elder-flower wine; " An' what brings the laird at sic a like time ? " She put aff her apron, and on her silk gown. Her mutch wi' red ribbons, and gaed awa' down.
The Fife Laird. 1 7 1
An' when she cam' ben he bowed fu' low, An' what was his errand he soon let her know ; Amazed was the laird when the lady said " Na," And wi' a laigh curtsie she turned awa'.
Dumfounder'd was he, nae sigh did he gie,
He mounted his mare — he rade cannily ;
An' aften he thought, as he gaed through the glen,
She's daft to refuse the laird o' Cockpen.
And now that the laird his exit had made, Mistress Jean she reflected on what she had said ; " Oh, for ane I'll get better, its waur I'll get ten, I was daft to refuse the Laird o' Cockpen."
Next time that the laird and the lady were seen. They were gaun arm-in-arm to the kirk on the green; Now she sits in the ha' like a weel-tappit hen. But as yet there's nae chickens appear'd at Cockpen.
THE FIFE LAIRD.
Air~"The Fife Hunt."
Ye shouldna ca' the Laird daft, though daft like he
may be ; Ye shouldna ca' the Laird daft, he's just as wise as
me;
172 Lady Nairnes Sojigs.
Ye shouldna ca' the Laird daft, his bannet has a bee, — He's just a wee bit Fifish, like some Fife Lairds
that be. Last Lammas when the Laird set out, to see Auld
Reekie's toun. The Firth it had nae waves at a', the waves were
sleepin' soun ; But wicked witches bide about gude auld St. Andrews
toun, And they steered up an unco' blast, our ain dear
Laird to droun.
Afore he got to Inchkeith Isle, the waves were white
an' hie — " O weel I ken thae witches wud hae aye a spite at
me ! " They drove him up, they drove liim doon, — the Fife
touns a' they pass. And up and round Queensferry toun, then doun
unto the Bass. The sailors row, but row in vain, Leith port they
canna gain — Nae meat or beds they hae on board, but there they
maun remain ; O mirk and cauld the midnight hour, how thankfu'
did they see The first blush o' the dawnin' day, far spreadin'
owre the sea.
Ye shouldna ca' the Laird daft, &c.
The Fife Laird. 1 73
"Gae hame, gae hame," the Laird cried out, "as fast
as ye can gang, Oh ! rather than wi' witches meet, I'd meet an
ournatang; — A' nicht and day I've been away, an' naething could
I see But auld wives' cantrips on broomsticks, wild cap'ring
owre the sea. I hae na' had a mouth o' meat, nor yet had aff my
claes — Afore I gang to sea again, 's.omt folk maun mend
their ways \ " The Laird is hame wi' a' his ain, below the Lomond
hill, Richt glad to see his sheep again, his dookit, and
his mill !
Ye shouldna' ca' the Laird daft, tho' daft like he
may be ; Ye shouldna' ca' the Laird daft, he's just as wise
as me; Ye shouldna' ca' the Laird daft, his bannet has a
bee, — He's just a wee bit Fifish, like some Fife Lairds
that be.
174 Lady Nairnes Songs,
JAMIE THE LAIRD.
Air—" The Rock and the wee pickle Tow."
Send a horse to the water, ye'll no mak' him drink ;
Send a fule to the College, ye'll no mak' him think ;
Send a craw to the singin', an' still he will craw ;
An' the wee laird had nae rummelgumpshion ava.
Yet he is the pride o' his fond mother's e'e,
In body or mind nae faut can she see ;
" He's a fell clever lad, an' a bonnie wee man,"
Is aye the beginnin' an' end o' her sang. An' oh ! she's a haverin' Lucky, I trow. An' oh ! she's a haverin' Lucky, I trow ; " He's a fell clever lad, an' a bonnie wee man," Is aye the beginnin' an' end o' her sang.
His legs they are bow'd, his e'en they do glee. His wig, whiles it's aff, an' when on, it's ajee ; He's braid as he's lang,— an' ill-faur'd is he, A dafter like body I never did see. An' yet for this cratur, she says I am deein', When that I deny, she's fear'd at my leein' ;— Obliged to pit up wi' this sair defamation, I'm liken to dee wi' grief and vexation. An' oh ! she's a haverin' Lucky, &c.
Jamie the Laird. 175
An' her clish-ma-clavers gang a' thro' the toun, An' the wee lairdie trows I'll hang or I'll droun ; Wi' his gawkie-like face, yestreen he did say, " I'll maybe tak' you, for Bess I'll no hae. Nor Mattie, nor Effie, nor lang-legged Jeanie, Nor Nelly, nor Katie, nor skirlin' wee Beenie." I stappit my ears, ran aif in a fury — I'm thinkin' to bring them afore Judge an' Jury. For oh ! what a randy auld Lucky is she, &:c.
Frien's ! gie yere advice ! — I'll follow yere counsel — Maun I speak to the Provost, or honest Toun
Council ? Or the writers, or lawyers, or doctors ? now say ; For the law o' the Lucky I shall an' will hae. The hale toun at me are jibin' an' jeerin' ; For a leddy like me, it's really past bearin' ; The Lucky maun now hae done wi' her claverin', For I'll no pit up wi' her, nor her haverin' !
For oh ! she's a randy, I trow, I trow ;
For oh ! she's a randy, I troAv, I trow ;
" He's a fell clever lad, an' a bonnie wee man,"
Is aye the beginnin' an' end o' her sang.
1 76 Lady Nairnes Songs.
ARCHIE'S AN ARCHER.
Air— "AirchieM'Vie."
Archie's an archer, and a gude shot is he, But tho' he's hit mony, he never hit me ; How handsome he looks, how stately his mien, Wi' his bannet, and feather, and braw coat o' green ! Wi' his white gauntlet glove, an' his stiff stannin' ruff. His clear shining buckles, his neat turned cuff; Wi' his bow, and his quiver, a' filled wi' his darts, — O ! leddies, beware, beware o' your hearts !
Beware, beware o' Sir Archie M'Vie.
Oh high is his head, as that you may see, But short is the purse o' Sir Archie M'Vie ; But though he has neither braw houses nor land, His prospects he offers alang wi' his hand ; — An uncle o' eighty, wi' plenty to gi'e, And an auntie wha doats on Sir Archie M'Vie ; For an heiress he's busy preparing his darts, O ! leddies, beware, beware o' your hearts '
Beware, beware o' Sir Archie M'Vie.
He's weel descended and imco genteel, That he's seekin' an heiress he does nae conceal ; He's a baronet now, and a lordlin' he'll be, An' a trustworthy knicht is Sir Archie M'Vie.
Huntmgtower. 177
He's lang had a sheep's-eye at mither an' me, For something I hae, and mair she can gi'e ; He's offered his hand and his prospects to me, But wi' a' his darts he never hit me !
Beware, beware o' Sir Archie M'Vie.
HUNTINGTOWER.*
When ye gang awa', Jamie, When ye gang awa', laddie, What will ye gi'e my heart to cheer, When ye are far awa', Jamie ?
I'll gi'e ye a braw new goun, Jeanie, I'll gi'e ye a braw new goun, lassie, An' it will be a silken ane,
Wi' Valenciennes trimm'd round, Jeanie.
O that's nae luve at a', laddie, That's nae luve at a', Jamie ; How could I bear braw gouns to wear. When ye are far awa', laddie !
But mind me when awa', Jamie, Mind me when awa', laddie, For out o' sicht is out o' mind
Wi' mony folk, we ken, Jamie
lyS Lady Nairnes Songs.
Oh ! that can never be, Jeanie, Forgot ye ne'er can be, lassie ; Oh gang wi' me to the north countrie, My bonny bride to be, Jeanie.
The hills are grand and hie, Jeanie, The biimies rinnin' clear, lassie, 'Mang birks and braes, where the wild deer strays, Oh cum wi' me and see, lassie.
I winna gang wi' thee, laddie, I tell't ye sae afore, Jamie ; Till free consent my parents gi'e,
1 canna gang wi' thee, Jamie.
But when ye're wed to me, Jeanie, Then they will forgi'e, lassie ; How can ye be sae cauld to me,
Wha's lo'ed ye weel and lang, lassie %
No sae lang as them, laddie, No sae lang as them, Jamie ; A grief to them I wadna be.
No for the Duke himsel', Jamie.
We'll save our penny fee, laddie, To keep frae poortith free, Jamie ; An' then their blessing they will gi'e, Baith to you an' me, Jamie.
The Pleughman. 1 79
Huntingtower is mine, lassie, Huntingtower is mine, Jeanie ; Huntingtower, an' Blairnagower,
An' a' that's mine is thine, Jeanie !
THE PLEUGHMAN.«
There's high and low, there's rich and poor, There's trades and crafts eneuch, man ;
But east and west his trade's the best, That kens to guide the pleugh, man.
Then come, weel speed my pleughman lad, And hey my merry pleughman ;
Of a' the trades that I do ken, Commend me to the pleughman.
His dreams are sweet upon his bed, His cares are light and few, man ;
His mother's blessin's on his head. That tents her weel, the pleughman. Then come, weel speed, &c.
The lark sae sweet, that starts to meet The morning fresh and new, man ;
Blithe tho' she be, as blithe is he That sings as sweet, the pleughman. Then come, weel speed, &c.
i8o Lady Nairnes Songs.
All fresh and gay, at dawn of day, Their labours they renew, man ;
Heaven bless the seed and bless the soil, And Heaven bless the pleughman. Then come, weel speed, &c.
O, WHA IS THIS COMIN'?^
O WHA is this comin', tlie folk are a' rinnin',
I wonder wha it can be? Rin, Jeanie, rin fast, or the show will be past, Rin, rin, an' bring word to me. For there's somebody comin'. There's fifin' and drummin'.
The folk are a' rinnin' to see; If ye dinna rin fast, the show will be past, Oh! I wonder wha it can be ?
Sandy, Oh ! is it the Provost, and Toun Council a', Or is it the Shirra', wi' limbs o' the law; Or the braw paper Lords, in their wigs and their robes,
An' trumpets that loudly do blaw? The bells are a' ringin', the folk are a' singin', Sic a steer the toun never saw; A' guess you will see 'tis our ain M.P. That's chair'd in spite o' them a'. For there's somebody comin', There's fifin' and drummin',
O, wha is this comin ? i8i
The folk are a' rinnin' to see ; If ye dinna rin fast, the show will be past, Oh ! I wonder wha it can be ?
Jeanie.
It's nana o' them a', but it's better than a', 'Tis our ain dear Laird, that's come hame;
Wi' a heart that is to Scotland true blue. We'll welcome him back to his ain.
Oh ! the banner o' blue, the banner o' blue, Aye he held by the banner o' blue;
A' Scotland's strife and perils he shared,
An' Heaven be praised his life has been spared.
An' that's wha is comin', Nae wonder we're rinnin',
Baith laddies and lassies an' a', Wi' fifin' an' drummin', the folk are a' comin'
To welcome the Laird to his ha'.
Sandy,
The Laird I oh, it's owre gude news to be true; Oh, Jeanie, I'll now rin faster than you, Wi' our band, and our flags, and banner o' blue, We'll bring back the Laird to his ha'.
Sae loudly we'll cheer, — The hills far and near
Will echo our hearty hurra; He's been lang awa', but he's back 'mang us a',
Wave your bannets, and join our hurra!
1 82 Lady Nairnes Songs.
THE AULD HOUSE.'
Oh, the auld house, the auld house,
What tho' the rooms were wee ! Oh ! kind hearts were dwelhng there,
And baimies fu' o' glee; The wild rose and the jessamine
Still hang upon the wa', How mony cherish'd memories
Do they, sweet flowers, reca' !
Oh, the auld laird, the auld laird,
Sae canty, kind, and crouse, How mony did he welcome to
His ain wee dear auld house! And the leddy too, sae genty,
There shelter'd Scotland's heir, And dipt a lock wi' her ain hand
Frae his lang yellow hair.
The mavis still doth sweetly sing,
The bluebells sweetly blaw, The bonny Earn's clear winding still.
But the auld house is awa'. The auld house, the auld house,
Deserted tho' ye be. There ne'er can be a new house
Will seem sae fair to me.
7 /le A u Id House. 18
Still flourishing the auld pear tree
The bairnies hked to see, And oh, how often did they speir
When ripe they a' wad be ! The voices sweet, the wee bit feet
Aye rinnin' here and there, The merry shout — oh ! whiles we greet
To think we'll hear nae mair !
For they are a' wide scatter'd now,
Some to the Indies gane, And ane, alas ! to her lang hame j
Not here we'll meet again. The kirkyaird, the kirkyaird !
Wi' flowers o' every hue, Shelter'd by the holly's shade
An' the dark sombre yew.
The setting sun, the setting sun,
How glorious it gaed doon! The cloudy splendour raised our hearts
To cloudless skies aboonl The auld dial, the auld dial,
It tauld how time did pass; The wintry winds hae dung it doon,
Now hid 'mang weeds and grass.
3
184 Lady Nairnes Sojigs.
THE BANKS OF THE EARN."
Fair shone the rising sky,
The dewdrops clad wi' mony a dye,
Larks lilting pibrochs high.
To welcome day's returning. The spreading hills, the shading trees, High waving in the morning breeze; The wee Scots rose that softly blows,
Sweet Earn's vale adorning.
Flow on, sweet Earn, row on, sweet Earn,
Joy to a' thy bonny braes !
Spring's sweet buds aye first do blow
Where thy winding waters flow.
Thro' thy banks which wild flowers border,
Freely wind, and proudly flow, Where Wallace wight fought for the right.
And gallant Grahams are lying low.
O Scotland ! nurse o' mony a name
Revered for worth, renown'd in fame; Let never foes tell to thy shame, Gane is thine ancient loyalty. But still the true-born warlike band That guards thy high unconquer'd land, As did their sires, join hand in hand. To fight for law and royalty.
Cairney Burn, 185
Oh, ne'er for greed o' warldly gear,
Let thy brave sons, like fugies, hide Where lawless stills pollute the rills
That o'er thy hills and valleys glide. While in the field they scorn to yield,
And while their native soil is dear, Oh, may their truth be as its rocks,
And conscience as its waters clear!
CAIRNEY BURN. Air—" The Bog o' Gight." Oh, Cairney burn, sweet Cairney burn, Thou makest many a winding turn ; How sweet thy murmurings to hear, Like plaintive music to mine ear! Tho' things sair changed we mourn to see, Yet, burnie, there's nae change in thee, Still, still thy waters clear rin on, 'Mang woody braes and mossy stone.
Oh, Cairney burn, sweet Cairney bum, Half blithe, half wae, to thee I turn; But where are they wha sat wi' me, Sae pleased aneath thy shady tree? Oh ! where are tney wnase wee bit feet Wad wade delighted thro' the weet? Scrambling up 'mang thorns and beech, The nits and brambles a' to reach.
1 86 Lady Nair7tes Songs.
Oh, Cairney bum, sweet Cairney bum, May Mammon's hand ne'er come to turn Thy waters clear to dingy dye, Nor smoky clouds obscure thy sky ! Let no rude reveUing intrude To break this holy solitude; Here may no still — no barley-bree — Augment poor Scotia's misery.
Oh, Cairney burn, sweet Cairney bum, Still, still to thee my heart doth turn; Wider, deeper streams I see. But nane sae sweet, sae dear to me. Here first we heard the cuckoo sing, With all the melody of spring; Here her footsteps first were seen, Strewing flowers upon the green.
BONNY GASCON HA'.'"
Gaelic Air.
Lane, on the winding Earn, there stands An unco tow'r, sae stern an' auld,
Biggit by lang forgotten hands, — Ance refuge o' the Wallace bauld.
Time's restless finger sair hath waur'd. And rived thy grey disjaskit wa' ;
But rougher hands than Time's ha'e daur'd To wrang thee, bonny Gascon Ha'.
Bomty Gascon Ha. 187
O! may a muse unkent to fame
For this dim gruesome relic sue: 'Tis linkit wi' a patriot's name,
The truest Scotland ever knew.
Just leave in peace ilk mossy stane,
TeUin' o' nations' rivalry; And for succeeding ages hain
Remains o' Scottish chivalry.
What tho.' no monument to thee Is biggit by thy country's hand, —
Engraved are thine immortal deeds On ev'ry heart in this braid land.
Rude Time may monuments ding doun, An' tow'rs an' wa's maun a' decay;
Enduring — deathless— noble Chief, Thy name can never pass away!
Gi'e pillar'd fame to common men,— Nae need o' cairns ior ane like thee;
In ev'ry cave, wood, hill, and glen, Wallace remembered aye shall be.
1 88 Lady Nairnes Songs.
HEY THE RANTIN' MURRAY'S HA'."
Air — "Hey the Rantin' Murray's Ha'."
Hey the rantin' Murray's ha' !
Mirth and glee amang them a'! The courtly laird, the leddy braw,
They'll welcome ye to Murray's ha'. Come ye hungry, come ye dry,
Nane had ever need to wait; Come ye brisk, or come ye shy,
They'll meet ye or ye're at the yett
Some were feasting in the ha',
Some at sports upon the green; Peggy, flower amang them a',
Dancin' like a Fairy Queen. Blithest o' my blithesome days
I ha'e spent at Murray's ha'. But oh, my heart was like to break
When I saw Peggy gang awa.
Whaur she gaed or why gaed she.
Few were there that weel could tell; I thought it was to lightlie me —
She maybe scarcely kenn'd hersel'. They said a ghaist was in the wa',
Sometimes aneath, sometimes aboon; A' body heard — nae body saw,
But a' were sure they'd see it soon.
Kitty ReicTs House. 189
Some say the General, honest man,
That fear'd na bullets, great or sma', Wad rather face the Mons Meg gun
Than meet the ghaist o' Murray's ha'. 'Tis no the gate I think ava,
To lay a ghaist wi' mirth and glee; Scholar'd lads and lasses braw
Need nae ghaist nor goblin dree.
KITTY REID'S HOUSE. «
Air — " Country Bumpkin."
Hech ! hey ! the mirth that was there, The mirth that was there, The mirth that was there; Hech ! how ! the mirth that was there.
In Kitty Reid's house on the green, Jo. There was laughin' and singin', and dancin' and glee In Kitty Reid's house, in Kitty Reid's house. There was laughin' and singin', an' dancin' and glee, In Kitty Reid's house on the green, Jo.
Hech! hey! the fright that was there,
The fright that was there,
The fright that was there, Hech ! how ! the fright that was there, In Kitty Reid's house on the green, Jo.
N
190 Lady Nairnes Songs.
The light gUmmer'd in thro' a crack i' the wa'^ An' a' body thocht the lift it would fa', An' lads and lasses they soon ran awa' Frae Kitty Reid's house on the green, Jo.
Hech ! hey ! the dule that was there, The dule that was there, The dule that was there, The birds an' beasts it wauken'd them a', In Kitty Reid's house on the green, Jo. The wa' gaed a hurly and scatter'd them a', The piper, the fiddler, auld Kitty, an' a', The kye fell a routin', the cocks they did craw, In Kitty Reid's house on the green, Jo.
CASTELL GLOOM.'^
Air— "Castell Gloom."
Oh, Castell Gloom ! thy strength is gone.
The green grass o'er thee growin', On hill of Care thou art alone.
The Sorrow round thee flowin'. Oh ! Castell Gloom ! on thy fair wa's
Nae banners now are streamin'; The houlit flits amang thy ha's.
And wild birds there are screamin*.
Castell Glooin. 191
Oh ! mourn the woe, oh mourn the crime,
Frae civil war that flows; Oh ! mourn, Argyle, thy fallen hne,
And mourn the great Montrose.
Here ladies bright were aften seen,
Here valiant warriors trod; And here great Knox has aften been,
Wha feared nought but his God. But a' are gane ! the gude, the great,
And naething now remains, But ruin sitting on thy wa's,
And crumblin' down the stanes!
Oh ! mourn the woe, &c.
The lofty Ochils bright did glow,
Tho' sleepin' was the sun: But mornin's light did sadly show
What ragin' flames had done ! Oh ! mirk, mirk was the misty cloud,
That hung o'er thy wild wood ! Thou wert like beauty in a shroud,
And all was solitude.
Oh ! mourn the woe, oh mourn the crime
Frae civil war that flows; Oh! mourn, Argyle, thy fallen line,
And mourn the great Montrose.
192 Lady Nairnes Songs.
O STATELY STOOD THE BARON'S HA'."
Air— "Widow, are ye waukin',"
O STATELY Stood the Baron's ha',
His lady fair as ony; Her gracefu' mien was like a queen,
Her smile it dimpled bonnie. The heir of a' the Baron's wealth,
A manly bairn was he, O, and aye he'd rin, and play his lane,
Aneath the greenwood tree, O.
But wae, wae was that heavy maen,
Gaed thro' that castle ha', O, When gloamin' cam', ae simmer's e'en,
Young Ronald was awa', O, They sought him east, they sought him west,
Baith north and south they sought him, — And noble was the offered boon
To them that wad ha'e brought him.
The lady pined, her cheek grew wan,
The wound was past a' curin', The bowers whaur first she fostered him
Were past her heart's endurin'. Her lovin' lord, wi' tender care.
Took her to wander far, O, And the only thought e'er dried her e'e,
Flew aboon the mornin' star, O.
Saw ye nae my Peggy ? 193
Her feckless frame could little bide,
Slow turned the tardy wheels, O, — They saw a nut-brown bonny boy,
Fast rinnin' at their heels, O. " Stay, faither, raither, stay for me !
I'll never, never leave ye! It wasna me that gaed awa, —
'Twas the gipsies took me frae ye."
Now, tell wha may, their joy that day,
Wha ne'er thought joy to meet, O, Fresh roses budded on her cheek,
And her smile it dimpled sweet, O. Frae greenwood bowers and stately towers,
Nae mair they wandered far, O, And their gratefu' lays, o' love and praise.
Flew aboon the mornin' star, O !
SAW YE NAE MY PEGGY?'*
Air — " Saw ye nae my PcgiiTy "> "
Saw ye nae my Peggy ?
Saw ye nae my Peggy ?
Saw ye Peggy comin'
Thro' Tillibelton's broom ? I'm frae Aberdagie, Owre the crafts o' Craigie, For aught I ken o' Peggy,
She's ayont the moon.
194 Lady Nairnes Songs.
'Twas but at the dawin', Clear the cock was crawin', I saw Peggy ca' in
Hawky by the brier. Early bells were ringing, Blylhest birds were singing, Sweetest flowers were springing,
A' her heart to cheer.
Now the tempest's blowin', Almond water's flowin', Deep and ford unknowin',
She maun cross the day. Almond water spare her, Safe to Lynedoch bear her ; Its braes ne'er saw a fairer,
Bess Bell nor Mary Gray.
Oh, now to be wi' her ! Or but ance to see her Skaithless, far or near,
I'd gie Scotland's croun. Byeword blind's a lover — Wha's yon I discover? Just yere ain fair rover _, Stately stappin' doun.
Bonnie Ran the Burnie Doon. 195
BONNIE RAN THE BURNIE DOON. Air— "Cawdor Fair."
Bonnie ran the burnie doon, Wand'rin' and windin' ; Sweetly sang the birds abcon, Care never mindin'.
The gentle simmer wind Was their nursie saft and kind, And it rockit them, and rockit them, All in their bowers sae hie.
Bonnie ran, &c.
The mossy rock was there. And the water-lily fair, And the little trout would sport aboot All in the sunny beam.
Bonnie ran, &c.
Tho' simmer days be lang. And sweet the birdies' sang, The wintry night and chilling blight Keep aye their eerie roun'.
Bonnie ran, &c.
196 Lady Nairne s Songs.
And then the burnie's Hke a sea, Roarin' and rearain' ; Nae wee bit sangster's on the tree, But wild birdies screamin'.
Oh that the past I miglit forget Wand'rin' and weepin', Oh that aneath the hillock green Sound I were sleepin'.
Bonnie ran the bumie doon, Wand'rin' and windin' ; Sweetly sang the birds aboon, Care never mindin'.
JOY OF MY EARLIEST DAY&
Air — "One day I heard Mary sing."
Joy of my earliest days,
Why must I grieve thee ? Theme of my fondest lays,
Mary, I maun leave thee ! Leave thee, love, leave thee, love,
How shall I leave thee? Now absence thy truth will prove,
For oh ! I maun leave thee !
Adieu to Straihearn. 197
Think aft on the time that's gane,
When twa happy bairnies, We played at penny stane
Amang the green faimies. Cauld an' hot, ear' an' late,
There we forgather'd ; Where yows wander'd on the knovves,
And Hawkie was tether'd.
When on yon mossy stane,
Wild weeds o'er growin', Ye sit at e'en your waefu' lane.
And hear the bumie rowin' ; Oh ! think on this partin' hour,
Down by the Garry, And to Him that has the pow'r
Commend me, my Mary 1
ADIEU TO STRATHEARN.
Air — " Miss Carmichael. "
Strathearn, oh ! how shall I quit thy sweet groves ?
How bid thee a long, oh ! an endless adieu ? Sad memory over such happiness roves,
As not hope's own magic can ever renew.
igS Lady Nairnes Songs.
Sweet scene of my childhood, deHght of my youth !
Thy far-winding waters no more I must see ; Thy high-waving bowers, thy gay woodland flowers.
They wave now, they bloom now, no longer for me.
CHARLIE'S LANDING.'"
Air—" When Wild Wars."
There cam' a wee boatie owre the sea,
Wi' the winds an' waves it strove sairlie But oh! it brought great joy to me.
For wha was there but Prince Charlie. The wind was hie, and unco chill,
An' a' things hiiket barely ; But oh ! we cam' with right good-will.
To welcome bonnie Charlie.
Wae's me, puir lad, yere thinly clad.
The waves yere fair hair weeting ; We'll row ye in a tartan plaid,
An' gie ye Scotland's greeting. Tho' wild an' bleak the prospect round,
We'll cheer yere heart, dear Charlie ; Ye're landed now on Scottish grund,
Wi' them wha lo'e ye dearly.
O lang we've prayed to see this day ;
True hearts they maist were breaking ; Now clouds an' storms will flee away.
Young hope again is waking.
WhalL be King but Charlie f 199
We'll sound the Gathering, lang an' loud,
Yere friends will greet ye fairlie ; Tho' now they're few, their hearts are true;
They'll live or die for CharUe.
WHA'LL BE KING BUT CHARLIE?"
The news frae Moidart cam' yestreen,
Will soon gar mony ferlie ; For ships o' war hae just come in,
And landit Royal Charlie.
Come thro' the heather, around him gather,
Ye're a' the welcomer early ; Around him cling wi' a' your kin ;
For wha'll be king but Charlie ? Come thro' the heather, around him gather, Come Ronald, come Donald, come a' thegither, And crown your rightfu', lawfu' king !
For wha'll be king but Charlie ?
The Hieland clans, wi' sword in hand,
Frae John o' Groat's to Airlie, Hae to a man declared to stand
Or fa' wi' Royal Charlie.
Come thro' the heather, &c.
200 Lady Nairnes Songs.
The Lowlands a', baith great an' sma',
Wi' mony a lord and laird, hae Declar'd for Scotia's king an' law,
An' speir ye wha but Charlie.
Come thro' the heather, &c.
There's ne'er a lass in a' the Ian',
But vows baith late an' early, She'll ne'er to man gie heart nor han',
Wha wadna fecht for Charlie.
Come thro' the heather, &c.
Then here's a health to Charlie's cause,
And be't complete an' early ; His very name our heart's blood warms;
To arms for Royal Charlie !
Come thro' the heather, around him gather,
Ye're a' the welcomer early ; Around him cling wi' a' your kin ;
For wha'U be king but Charlie ? Come thro' the heather, around him gather. Come Ronald, come Donald, come a' thegither. And crown your rightfu', lawfu' king !
For wha'U be king but Charlie ?
Aly Bonnie Hie land Laddie. 201
MY BONNIE HIELAND LADDIE.'*
Prince Charlie he's cum owre frae France, In Scotland to proclaim his daddie ;
May Heaven still his cause advance, And shield him in his Hieland plaidie !
O my bonnie Hieland laddie, My handsome, charming Hieland laddie ! May Heaven still his cause advance, And shield him in his Hieland plaidie !
First when he cam' to view our land. The gracefu' looks o' the princely laddie
Made a' our true Scots hearts to warm, And blythe to wear the tartan plaidie.
O my bonnie, &c.
But when Geordie heard the news, How he was cum afore his daddie,
He thirty thousand pounds wad gi'e, To catch him in his Hieland plaidie.
O my bonnie, &c.
But tho' the Hieland folks are puir, Yet their hearts are leal and steady ;
202 Lady Nairne s Songs.
And there's no ane amang them a', That wad betray their Hieland laddie.
O my bonnie Hieland laddie ! My handsome, charming Hieland laddie ; May Heaven still his cause advance, And shield him in his Hieland plaidie !
GATHERING SONG.''
Oh come, come along, and join in our song, And march wi' our lads, along an' along ; He's waiting us there where heather grows fair, And the clans they are gath'ring strong and strong.
He should be king, ye ken wha I mean, Tho' Whigs that winna allow, allow \ We dauma speak out, but ye needna doubt, That a' that we tell is true is true.
On the steep mountains' breast, where shadows oft
rest, An' burnies are tumblin' down, and down ; In that deep recess, there's a?ic we can guess. That is heir to our ain Scottish crown.
Charlie is my Darling. 203
Like a sunbeam to cheer, he soon will appear, Gracefu' and fleet, like a mountain deer ; Come gather, a' gather, along and along, The clans and the echoes will join in our song.
Oh come, come along, and join in our song, And march wi' our lads, along an' along ; He's waiting us there where heather grows fair. And the clans they are gath'ring strong and strong.
CHARLIE IS MY DARLING.*"
*TwAS on a Monday morning,
Right early in the year, When Charlie came to our toun, The young Chevalier.
Oh, Charlie is my darling, My darling, my darling ; Oh, Charlie is my darling, The young Chevalier.
As he came marching up the street, The pipes play'd loud and clear.
And a' the folk came running out To meet the Chevalier.
Oh, Charlie is my darling, &c.
204 Lady Nairnes Songs.
Wi' Hieland bonnets on their heads, And claymores bright and clear,
They came to fight for Scotland's right. And the young Chevalier.
Oh, Charlie is my darling, &c.
They've left their bonnie Hieland hills, I'heir wives and bairnies dear.
To draw the sword for Scotland's lord, The young Chevalier.
Oh, Charlie is my darling, «S:c.
Oh, there were mony beating hearts. And mony a hope and fear.
And mony were the prayers put up For the young Chevalier.
Oh, Charlie is my darling, My darling, my darling,
Oh, Charlie is my darling, The young Chevalier.
THE HUNDRED PIPERS.^^
Wi' a hundred pipers an' a', an' a', Wi' a hundred pipers an' a', an' a' ; We'll uj) an' gie them a blaw, a blaw, Wi' a hundred pipers an' a', an' a'.
The Hundred Pipers. 205
Oh ! it's owre the Border awa', awa', It's owre the Border awa', awa', We'll on and we'll march to Carlisle ha', Wi' its yetts, its castell, an' a', an' a'.
Oh ! our sodger lads looked braw, looked braw,
Wi' their tartans, kilts, an' a', an' a',
Wi' their bonnets, an' feathers, an' glittering gear,
An' pibrochs sounding sweet and clear.
Will they a' return to their ain dear glen ?
Will they a' return, our Hieland men ?
Second-sighted Sandy looked fu' wae,
And mothers grat when they marched away.
Wi' a hundred pipers, &c.
Oh wha is foremost o' a', o' a' ? Oh wha does follow the blaw, the blaw ? Bonnie Charlie, the king o' us a', hurra ! Wi' his hundred pipers an' a', an' a'. His bonnet an' feather, he's wavin' high, His prancin' steed maist seems to fly, The nor' wind plays wi' his curly hair. While the pipers blaw in an unco flare.
Wi' a hundred pipers, &c.
The Esk was swollen, sae red and sae deep, But shouther to shouther the brave lads keep ; Twa thousand swam owre to fell English ground, An' danced themselves dry to the pibroch's sound.
0
2o6 Lady Nairnes Songs.
Dumfounder'd, the English saw — they saw — Dumfounder'd, they heard the blaw, the blaw ; Dumfounder'd, they a' ran avva', awa', From the hundred pipers an' a', an' a'.
Wi' a hundred pipers an' a', an' a', Wi' a hundred pipers an' a', an' a', We'll up and gie them a blaw, a blaw, Wi' a hundred pipers an' a', an' a'.
HE'S OWRE THE HILLS THAT I LO'E WEEL.*"
He's owre the hills that I lo'e weel, He's owre the hills we daurna name ; He's owre the hills ayont Dunblane, Wha soon will get his welcome hame.
My faither's gane to fecht for him, My brithers winna bide at hame \ My mither greets and prays for them, And deed she thinks they're no to blame. He's owre the hills, &€.
The Whigs may scoff, the Whigs may jeer, But ah ! that love maun be sincere. Which still keeps true whate'er betide, An' for his sake leaves a' beside.
He's owre the hills, &c.
Ye II Moimt, Gudeman. 207
His right these hills, his right these plains; O'er Hieland hearts secure he reigns ; What lads e'er did our lads will do ; Were I a laddie, I'd follow him too.
He's owre the hills, &c.
Sae noble a look, sae princely an air, Sae gallant and bold, sae young and sae fair ; Oh ! did ye but see him, ye'd do as we've done ; Hear him but ance, to his standard you'll run.
He's owre the hills that I lo'e weel, He's owre the hills we daurna name ; He's owre the hills ayont Dunblane, Wha soon will get his welcome hame.
YE'LL MOUNT, GUDEMAN.='
Leddy.
" Ye'll mount, gudeman; ye'll mount and ride';
Ye'll cross the burn syne doun the loch side.
Then up 'mang the hills, thro' the muir an' the
heather, An' join great Argyle where loyal men gather."
Laird.
" Indeed, honest luckie, I think ye're no blate, To bid loyal men gang ony sic gate ;
2o8 Lady Nairne s Songs.
For I'm gaun to fecht for true loyaltie,
Had the Prince ne'er anither, he still will hae me."
Leddy,
" About Charlie Stuart we ne'er could agree ; But dearie, for ance, be counselled by me ; Tak' nae pairt at a' ; bide quietly at hame, An' ne'er heed a Campbell, McDonal', or Graham."
Laird.
" Na, na, gudewife, for that winna do, My Prince is in need, his friends they are few : I aye lo'ed the Stuarts; I'll join them the day ; Sae gi'e me my boots, for my boots I will ha'e."
Leddy.
" Oh ! saftly, gudeman, I think ye're gane mad ; I ha'e na the heart to preen on your cockaud ; The Prince, as ye ca' him, will never succeed ; Ye'U lose your estate, and may be your head ! "
Laird.
" Come, cheer ye, my dear, an' dry up your tears !
I ha'e my hopes, an' I ha'e my fears ;
But I'll raise my men, an' a' that is given,
To aid the gude cause — then leave it to Heaven ! "
Will ye no Come Back Again f 209
" But, haste ye now, haste ye, for I maun be gaun, The mare's at the yett, the bugle is blawn ; Gi'e me my bannet, it's far in the day, I'm no for a dish, there's nae time to stay."
Leddv.
*' Oh dear ! tak' but ane, it may do ye gude ! " But what ails the woman ? she surely is wud ! She's hfted the kettle, but somehow it coup'd On the legs o' the laird, wha roar'd and wha loup'd.
Laird.
" I'm brint, I'm brint, how cam' it this way ? I fear I'll no ride for mony a day, — Send aff the men, and to Prince Charlie say, My heart is wi' him, but I'm tied by the tae."
The wily wife fleech'd, and the laird didna see The smile on her cheek thro' the tear in her e'e — " Had I kent the gudeman wad ha'e had siccan
pain, The kettle, for me, sud hae couped its lane ! "
WILL YE NO COME BACK AGAIN?
Bonnie Charlie's now awa', Safely owre the friendly main;
Mony a heart will break in twa, Should he ne'er come back again.
2ro Lady Nairnes Songs.
Will ye no come back again ? Will ye no come back again ? Better lo'ed ye canna be, Will ye no come back again ?
Ye trusted in your Hieland men, They trusted you, dear Charlie ;
They kent you hiding in the glen. Your cleadin' was but barely.
Will ye no, &c.
English bribes were a' in vain, An' e'en tho' puirer we may be ;
Siller canna buy the heart
That beats aye for thine and thee.
Will ye no, &c.
We watched thee in the gloamin' hour, We watched thee in the mornin' grey ;
Tho' thirty thousand pounds they'd gi'e. Oh there was nane that wad betray.
Will ye no, &c.
Sweet's the laverock's note and lang,
Lilting wildly up the glen ; But aye to me he sings ae sang, — Will ye no come back again ?
Will ye no come back again ? Will ye no come back again ? Better lo'ed ye canna be, Will ye no come back again ?
The White Rose d June. 2 1 1
THE LASS OF LIVINGSTANE.
Oh ! wha will dry the dreeping tear,
She sheds her lane, she sheds her lane ? Or wha the bonnie lass will cheer.
Of Livingstane, of Livingstane ? The crown was half on Charlie's head,
Ae gladsome day, ae gladsome day ; The lads that shouted joy to him
Are in the clay, are in the clay.
Her waddin' goun was wyl'd and won,
It ne'er was on, it ne'er was on ; Culloden field, his lowly bed,
She thought upon, she thought upon. The bloom has faded frae her cheek
In youthfu' prime, in youthfu' prime ; And sorrow's with'ring hand has done
The deed o' time, the deed o' time.
THE WHITE ROSE O' JUNE.'^ Air — " Voice of Spring."
Now the bricht sun, and the soft simmer showers, Deck a' the woods and the gardens wi' flowers ; But bonny and sweet though the hale o' them be,
2 1 2 Lady Nairnes Songs.
There's ane aboon a' that is dearest to me ; An' oh, that's the white rose, the white rose o' June, An' may he that sliould wear it come back again sune !
It's no on my breast, nor yet in my hair,
That the emblem dear I venture to wear ;
But it blooms in my heart, and its white leaves I
weet. When alane in the gloamin' I wander to greet, O'er the white rose, the white rose, the white rose
o' June, An' may he that should wear it come back again
sune !
Mair fragrant and rich the red rose may be,
But there is nae spell to bind it to me;
But dear to my heart and to fond memorie,
Tho' scathed and tho' blighted the white rose maybe.
O the white rose, the white rose, the white rose o'
June, O may ht that should wear it come back again
sune !
An' oh ! may the true hearts thy perils who share, Remember'd wi' tears, and remember'd in prayer. Whom misfortune's rude blast has sent far awa'. Fair breezes bring back sune to cottage and ha' ; — Then, O sing the white rose, the white rose o' June, An' may he that should wear it wear Scotland's auld croun 1
The Attainted Scottish Nobles. 213
THE ATTAINTED SCOTTISH NOBLES.
Air— "The Attainted Scottish Nobles."
Oh, some will tune their moumfu' strains,
To tell of hame-made sorrow, And if they cheat you o' your tears,
They'll dry afore the morrow. Oh, some will sing their airy dreams.
In verity they're sportin', My sang's o' nae sic thewless themes,
But wakin', true misfortune.
Ye Scottish nobles, ane and a',
For loyalty attainted, A nameless bardie's wae to see
Your sorrows unlamented ; For if your fathers ne'er had fought
For heirs of ancient royalty, — Ye're down the day that might hae been
At the top o' honour's tree a'.
For old hereditary right,
For conscience's sake they stoutly stood ; And for the crown their valiant sons
Themselves have shed their injured blood ; And if their fathers ne'er had fought
For heirs of ancient royalty, They're down the day that might ha' been
At the top o' honour's tree a'.
2 14 Lady Nairnes Songs.
THE WOMEN ARE A' GANE WUD.^^
Air — "The Women are a' gane wud."
The women are a' gane wud !
Oh, that he had bidden awa' ! He's turn'd their heads, the lad ;
And ruin will bring on us a'. I aye was a peaceable man,
My wife she did doucely behave ; But noo, do a' that I can,
She's just as wild as the lave.
My wife noo wears the cockade,
Tho' she kens 'tis the thing that I hate ; There's ane, too, preen! d on her maid,
An' baith will tak' their ain gate. The wild Hieland lads as they pass,
The yetts wide open do flee ; They eat the very house bare,
And nae leave's speer'd o' me.
I've lived a' my days in the Strath,
Now Tories infest me at hanie, And though I take nae side at a',
Baith sides will gi'e me the blame. The senseless creatures ne'er think
What ill the lad wad bring back ; The Pope we'll hae, and his hounds,
And a' the rest o' his pack.
What do ye think d Geordie Noo f 215
WHAT DC YE THINK O' GEORDIE NOO?
DUET SUNG BY THE LAIRD AND HIS DAUGHTER MYSIE.
Laird.
" O WHAT do you think o' Geordie noo ? O what do you think o' Geordie noo ? Come daughter mine, come tell me true, O what do you think o' Geordie noo ? "
Mysie.
" O Geordie we think nought ava, O what has brought him here at a' ? We hae ae king, nae need o' twa, Sae Geordie ye maun march awa'."
Laird.
" Oh daughter mine, I'm wae to see, Ye speak sae light o' majestie ; Now Geordie's king o' kingdoms three, Ye maun obey baith him and me."
Mysie. \
" O faither dear, I need na say, Your will's a law I'll aye obey. But sure they're wud that can compare King Geordie wi' auld Scotland's heir ! "
2tj
2i6 Lady Nairnes Songs,
Laird.
" Fair faced, I grant, the Stuarts a' be. But, oh, they're fu' o' treacherie; O, Mysie, lass, ye little ken The drift o' Cavaliering men ! "
Mysie.
" We're wae to see a foreign loon. Come over here to tak' our croun r Outlandish gibberish on his tongue No understood by auld or young."
" O Geordie's stout, and unco braid ; He's no like Charlie in his plaid ; To see him dance, to hear him sing^ O sure he is our rightfu' king ! "
Laird.
*' It's no to sing, nor yet to dance, That we will tak' a king frae France ; A bird that's ta'en frae an ill nest It aye will do like a' the rest."
Mysie.
" For nae offence that we can see, Up in a rage will Geordie flee ; The flames get then his periwig, That's no denied by ony Whig."
What do you think d Geordie Noo .^217
Laird.
" Aweel, aweel, and what's a' that, To them wha promise and draw back ? Nae wiser by adversitie, O ! tyrants a' the Stuarts wad be."
Mysie.
" O, adverse winds round them did blaw, And he has seen and felt it a' ; O, dinna believe ill tales are true, For that we all are apt to do."
Laird.
" It's true the sun will melt the snaw, It's true that time will wear awa', It's true that nicht will follow day, O, Mysie, there's truth in a' I say.
" O, Mysie, lass, dry up thy tears, And think nae mair o' cavaliers : To fecht 'gainst heaven is a' in vain, The Stuarts will never reign again."
Together.
*' Auld Scotland is unconquered land, And aye for freedom made a stand ; So let us a' in that agree, Hurra, hurra, for liberty !
2 1 8 Lady Nairnes So7igs»
THE HEIRESS.
Gaelic Air — "Mo Leaiman Faluich."
I'll no be had for naething, I'll no be had for naething,
I tell ye, lads, that's ae thing, So ye needna follow me.
Oh ! the change is most surprising ;
Last year I was plain Betty Brown ; Now to my hand they're a' aspiring,
The fair Eliza I am grown !
But I'll no, &c.
Oh ! the change is most surprising, — Nane o' them e'er look'd at me ;
Now my charms they're a' admiring. For my sake they're like to dee !
But I'll no, &c.
The laird, the shirra, and the doctor. And twa-three lords o' high degree ;
Wi' heaps o' writers I could mention. Surely, sirs, it is no me !
But I'll no, &c.
The Mitherless Lmnmie. 219
Bui there is ane, when I had naething,
A' his heart he gied to me ; And sair he toiled, to mak' a wee thing,
To gi'e me when he cam frae sea.
Sae I'll no, &c.
And if e'er I marry ony,
He will be the lad for me ; For, oh, he was baith gude and bonny,
And he thocht the same o' me.
Sae I'll no be had for naething,
I'll no be had for naething, I tell ye, lads, that's ae thing,
So ye needna follow me.
THE MITHERLESS LAMMIE.
The mitherless lammie ne'er miss'd its ain mammie, —
We tentit it kindly by nicht and by day ; The bairnies made game o't, it had a blythe hame o't,
Its food was the gowan, wi' dew drops o' May. Without tie or fetter, it cou'dna been better,
But it wad gae witless the warld to see, The foe that it fear'd not; it saw not, it heard not,
Was watching its wand'ring frae Bonnington Lea.
220 Lady Nairnes So7igs.
Oh what then befell it, 'twere waefu' to tell it,
Tod Lowrie kens best, wi' his lang head sae sly ; He met the pet lammie, that wanted its mammie,
And left its kind hame, the wide warld to try. We miss'd at day dawin', we miss'd at night fa'in' ;
Its wee shed is tenantless under the tree ; A.e nicht i' the gloaniin', it wad gae a roamin' ;
'Twill frolic nae mair upon Bonnington Lea.
SONGS OF MY NATIVE LAND.
Air— "Happy Land."
Songs of my native land.
To me how dear ! Songs of my infancy
Sweet to mine ear ! Entwined with my youthful days, Wi' the bonny banks and braes, Where the winding burnie strays
Murmuring near.
Strains of my native land
That thrill the soul, Pouring the magic of
Your soft control ! Often has your minstrelsy Soothed the pang of miser)', Winging rapid thought away
To realms on high.
The Bo7iniest Lass in a the War Id. 221
Weary pilgrims there have rest,
Their wand'rings o'er ; There the slave, no more oppressed,
Hails Freedom's shore. Sin shall there no more deface, Sickness, pain, and sorrow cease, Ending in eternal peace,
And songs of joy !
There, where the seraphs sing
In cloudless day, — There, where the higher praise
The ransom'd pay. Soft strains of the happy land. Chanted by the heavenly band. Who can fully understand
How sweet ye be !
THE BONNIEST LASS IN A' THE WARLD, The bonniest lass in a' the warld.
-*»
I've often heard them telling. She's up the hill, she's down the glen,
She's in yon lonely dwelling. But nane could bring her to my mind,
Wha lives but in the fancy Is't Kate or Shusie, Jean or May ?
Is't Effie, Bess, or Nancy ? p
2 22 Lady Nairnes Songs,
Now, lasses a', keep a gude heart,
Nor envy e'er a comrade, For be yere een black, blue, or grey,
Ye're bonniest aye to some lad. The tender heart, the cheering smile,
The truth that ne'er will falter. Are charms that never can beguile,
And time can never alter.
KIND ROBIN LO'ES ME."
Air— "Kind Robin lo'es me."
Robin is my ain gudeman,
Now match him, carlins, gin ye can,
For ilk ane whitest thinks her swan.
But kind Robin lo'es me. To mak' my boast I'll e'en be bauld. For Robin lo'ed me young and auld, In simmer's heat, and winter's cauld.
My kind Robin lo'es me.
Robin he comes hame at e'en, Wi' pleasure glancin' in his een ; He tells me a' he's heard and seen. And s)me how he lo'es me.
My am Kind Dearie, O. 223
There's some ha'e land, and some ha'e gowd, Mair wad ha'e them gin they cou'd, But a' I wish o' warld's gude Is Robin aye to lo'e me.
MY AIN KIND DEARIE, O.^^
Air — " The lea rig."
Will ye gang owre the lea-rig,
My ain kind dearie, O ? Will ye gang owre the lea-rig,
My ain kind dearie, O ? Gin ye'll tak' heart, and gang wi' me,
Mishap will never steer ye, O ; Gude luck lies owre the lea rig.
My ain kind dearie, O.
There's walth owre yon green lea-rig,
My ain kind dearie, O ; There's walth owre yon green lea-rig,
My ain kind dearie, O ; It's neither land, nor gowd, nor braws.
Let them gang tapsie teerie, O ; It's walth o' peace, o' love, and truth,
My ain kind dearie, O.
2 24 Lady Nairnes Songs,
O, WEEL'S ME ON MY ATN MAN,
Air — " Landlady, count the lawin."
O weel's me on my ain man ! My ain man, my ain man ; O, weel's me on my ain gudeman ! He'll aye be welcome hame.
I'm wae I blamed him yesternight, For now my heart is feather light ; For gowd I wadna gi'e the sight, I see him linkin' owre the height.
O, weel's me on my ain man ! My ain man, my ain man ; O, weel's me on my ain gudeman ! He'll aye be welcome hame.
Rin, Jeanie, bring the kebbuck ben, An' fin' aneath the speckl'd hen ; Meg, rise and sweep aboot the fire. Syne cry on Johnnie firae the byre.
For weel's me on my ain man 1 My ain man, my ain man ; For weel's me on my ain gudeman ! I see him linkin' hame.
Cauld Kail in Aberdeen 225
CAULD KAIL IN ABERDEEN.'^
Air— «' Cauld Kail in Aberdeen."
There's cauld kail in Aberdeen,
There's castocks in Stra'bogie, And, mom and e'en, they're blythe and bein.
That haud them frae the cogie. Now haud ye frae the cogie, lads,
O bide ye frae the cogie, I'll tell ye true, ye'll never rue
O passin' by the cogie.
Young Will was braw and weel put on,
Sae blythe was he and vogie, And he got bonnie Mary Don,
The flower o' a' Stra'bogie. Wha wad hae thought, at wooin' time,
He'd e'er forsaken Mary ! And ta'en him to the tipplin' trade,
Wi' boozin' Rob and Harry.
Sair Mary wrought, sair Mary grat,
She scarce could lift the ladle, Wi' pithless feet, 'tween ilka greet,
She'd rock the borrow'd cradle. Her weddin' plenishin' was gane.
She never thought to borrow ;
2 26 Lady Nairnes Songs.
Her bonnie face was waxin' wan, And Will wrought a' the sorrow.
He's reelin' hame ae winter's night,
Some later than the gloamin' ; He's ta'en the rig, he's miss'd the brig,
And Bogie's owre him foamin'. Wi' broken banes, out owre the stanes
He creepit up Stra' bogie, And a' the nicht he prayed wi' micht,
To keep him frae the cogie.
Now Mary's heart is light again.
She's neither sick nor silly ; For, auld or young, nae sinfu' tongue
Could e'er entice her Willie. And aye the sang thro' Bogie rang,
O haud ye frae the cogie ; The weary gill's the sairest ill
On braes o' fair Stra'bogie.
CRADLE SONG.
Baloo loo, lammie, now baloo my dear ;
Now, baloo loo, lammy, ain mmnie is here :
What ails my sweet bairnie ? What ails it this nicht ?
What ails my wee lammie ? is bairnie no richt ?
The Robins Nest. 227
Baloo loo, lammie, now baloo, my dear, Does wee lammie ken that its daddie's no here ? Ye're rockin' fu' sweetly on mammie's warm knee, But daddie's a-rockin' upon the saut sea.
Now hush-a-ba, lammie, now hush-a my dear ; Now hush-a-ba, lammie ; ain minnie is here : The wild wind is ravin', and mammie's heart's sair, The wild wind is ravin', and ye dinna care.
Sing, baloo loo, lammie, sing baloo, my dear ; Sing, baloo loo, lammie, ain minnie is here : My wee bairnie's dozin', it's dozin' now fine, And oh ! may it's wauk'nin' be blyther than mine.
THE ROBINS' NEST.
Air— "Lochiel's awa' to France."
Their nest was in the leafy bush,
Sae soft and warm, sae soft and warm, And Robins thought their little brood
All safe from harm, all safe from harm. The morning's feast wi' joy they brought,
To feed their young with tender care ; The plunder'd leafy bush they found —
But nest and nestlings saw nae mair !
2 28 Lady Nairnes Songs.
The mother cou'dna leave the spot,
But wheeling round, and wheeling round, The cruel spoiler aini'd a shot,
Cur'd her heart's wound, cur'd her heart's wound. She will not hear their helpless cry,
Nor see them pine in slavery ! The burning breast she will not bide,
For wrongs of wanton knavery —
O ! bonny Robin Redbreast,
Ye trust in men, ye trust in men, But what their hearts are made o',
Ye little ken, ye little ken ! They'll ne'er wi' your wee skin be warmed.
Nor wi' your tiny flesh be fed, But just 'cause you're a living thing.
It's sport wi' them to lay you dead !
Ye Hieland and ye Lowland lads,
As birdies gay, as birdies gay, O spare them whistling like yoursel's,
And hopping blythe from spray to spray — Their wings were made to soar aloft,
And skim the air at liberty ; And as you freedom gi'e to them,
May you and yours be ever tree :
Tammy. 229
TAMMY.
I WISH I ken'd my Maggie's mind,
If she's for me or Tammy ; To me she is but passing kind,
She's caulder still to Tammy. And yet she lo'es me no that ill,
If I believe her granny ; O sure she must be wond'rous nice,
If she'll no hae me or Tammy.
I've spier'd her ance, I've spier'd her twice,
And still she says she canna ; I'll try her again, and that maks thrice,
And thrice, they say, is canny. Wi' him she'll hae a chaise and pair,
Wi' me she'll hae shanks-naggie ; He's auld and black, I'm young and fair,
She'll surely ne'er tak Tammy.
But if she's a fule, and slightlies me,
I'se e'en draw up wi' Nancy; There's as gude fish into the sea
As e'er cam' out, I fancy. And though I say't that shou'dna say't,
I'm owre gude a match for Maggie ; Sae mak' up your mind without delay,
Are ye for me, or Tammy ?
230 Lady Nairnes Songs.
LAY BYE YERE BAWBEE*
Lay bye yere bawbee, my Jenny, Lay bye yere bawbee, my dear,
Do as your mither aye did, She tuik gude care o' her gear.
The way young kuTimers are drest, Wise folk are sorry to see ;
Their winnin's are a' on their back, And that's no the thing that sud l)e.
Work when ye're weel and ye're able, Be honest and savin' ye're tauld ;
'Twill help when trouble comes on, And mak' ye respectit when auld.
Lasses and lads, tak' advice, An' dinna ye gang for to woo.
Until ye hae gather'd the siller, An' the weel plenish'd kist it is fu'.
Luik to Archie and Peggy,
They married on naething ava :
And noo she's beggin' and greetin'; An' Archie, he's hsted awa'.
The Twa Doos. 23 1
THE TWA DOOS.
There were twa doos sat m a dookit ; Twa wise-like birds, and round they luiket ; An' says the ane unto the ither, What do ye see, my good brither ?
I see some pickles o' gude strae, An' wheat, some fule has thrown away \ For a rainy day they should be boukit. Sae down they flew frae aff their dookit.
The snaw will come an' cour the grund, Nae grains o' wheat will then be fund ; They pickt a' up, an' a' were boukit, Then round an' round, again they luiket.
0 lang he thocht, and lang he luiket, An' aye his wise-like head, he shook it ;
1 see, I see, what ne'er should be, I see what's seen by mair than me.
Wae's me, there's thochtless, lang Tam Grey, Aye spending what he's no to pay ; In wedlock, to a taupie hookit. He's taen a doo, but has nae dookit.
When we were young it was na sae ; Nae rummelgumshion folk now hae ; What gude for them can e'er be luiket, When folk tak' doos that hae nae dookit ?
232 Lady Maimers Songs.
SAW YE NE'ER A LANELY LASSIE?
Air — " Will ye go and marry Katie ? "
Saw ye ne'er a lanely lassie,
Thinkin' gin she were a wife, The sun o' joy wad ne'er gae down,
But warm and cheer her a' her life? Saw ye ne'er a wearie wifie,
Thinkin' gin she were a lass, She wad aye be blythe and cheerie,
Lightly as the day wad pass ?
Wives and lasses, young and aged,
Think na on each ither's state ; Ilka ane it has its crosses,
Mortal joy was ne'er complete. Ilka ane has its blessings.
Peevish dinna pass them bye, But like choicest berries seek them,
Tho' amang the thorns they lie.
THE MAIDEN'S VOW.»' Air— «'Comin' thro' the Rye."
I've made a vow, I'll keep it true,
I'll never married be ; For the only ane that I think on
Will never think o' me.
Down the Burn, Davie, 233
Now gane to a far distant shore,
Their face nae mair I'll see \ But often will I think o' them,
That winna think o' me.
Gae owre, gae owre noo, gude Sir John,
Oh, dinna follow me ; For the only ane I ere thocht on.
Lies buried in the sea.
DOWN THE BURN, DAVIE.'"
A Fragment.
When bonny daisies spread the sward, An' broom bloom'd fair to see;
Elythe Davie, wi' a heart sae light, An' she, a maiden free.
Cries, " Down the bonny burn side, And I will follow thee."
Where gracefu' birks hang drooping o'er The deep pool's waveless side;
And shaded frae the simmer sun, The wand'rin' salmon hide.
An' where the little trouties piay,
An' shine sae bonnilie, "Gang down the burn," cries Davie, blythe,
" And I will follow thee."
234 Lady Nairnes Songs.
BESS IS YOUNG, AND BESS IS FAIR.
Air— "Bess the Gawkie."
Bess is young, and Bess is fair, Wi' light blue e'en, and yellow hair; And few there be that can compare
Wi' Bess, tho' she's a Gawkie. When first o' Bess I got a keek, Wi' smiles and dimples on her cheek, I lang'd to hear the lassie speak,
But, wae's me ! what a Gawkie !
Bess should like a picture be. Nailed to a wa' whar a' might see, And mickle thought o' she wad be.
And no kent for a Gawkie. Oh, steek your mouth, then, cousin dear. And nae mair havers let us hear ; Oh, steek your mouth, and never fear,
Ye'se no be ca'd a Gawkie.
JOHN TO D.^'
Air— "John Tod."
He's a terrible man, John Tod, John Tod, He's a terrible man, John Tod.
He scolds in the house.
He scolds at the door.
Johi Tod. 235
He scolds on the vera hie road, John Tod, He scolds on the vera hie road.
The weans a' fear John Tod, John Tod, The weans a' fear John Tod ;
When he's passing by,
The mithers will cry, ' He's an ill wean,' John Tod, John Tod, ' He's an ill wean,' John Tod.
The callants a' fear John Tod, John Tod, The callants a' fear John Tod,
If they steal but a neep,
The laddie he'll whip. And its unco weel done o' John Tod, John Tod, Its unco weel done o' John Tod.
An' saw ye nae wee John Tod, John Tod, O saw ye nae wee John Tod;
His bannet was blue.
His shoon maistly new. And weel does he keep the kirk road, John Tod, O weel does he keep the kirk road.
How is he iendin', John Tod, John Tod? How is he wendin', John Tod?
He's scourin' the land,
Wi' his rung in his hand. An' the French wadna frighten John Tod, John Tod, An' the French wadna frighten John Tod.
\
236 Lady Nairnes Songs.
Ye're sun-brint and batter'd, John Tod, yohn Tod, Ye're tautit and tatter'd John Tod,
Wi' your auld strippit coul,
Ye luik maist Hkc a fule, But there's nouse i' the Hning, John Tod, John Tod, But there's nouse i' the lining, John Tod.
He's weel respeckit, John Tod, John Tod, He's weel respeckit, John Tod;
He's a terrible man,
But we'd a' gae wrang, If e'er he sud leave us, John Tod, John Tod, If e'er he sud leave us, John Tod.
JEANIE DEANS.^
St. Leonards' hill was lightsome land. Where gowan'd grass was growin',
For man and beast were food and rest, And milk and honey flowin'.
A father's blessing followed close. Where'er her foot was treading,
And Jeanie's humble, harmless joys. On every side were spreading wide, On every side were spreading.
The mossy turf on Arthur Seat, St. Anthon's well aye springing,
The lammies playing at her leet. The birdies round her singing.
yeanie Deans. 237
The solemn haunts o' Holyrood,
Wi' bats and houlits eerie, The tow'ring craigs o' Sahsbury,
The lowly wells o' Weary,
O, the lowly wells o' Weary.
But evil days and evil men
Came owre their sunny dwelling, Like thunder storms on sunny skies.
Or wastefu' waters swelling. What ance was sweet is bitter now;
The sun of joy is setting; In eyes that wont to glance wi' glee, —
The briny tear is wetting fast,
The briny tear is wetting.
Her inmost thought to heaven is sent,
In faithful supplication; Her earthly stay's Macallummore,
The guardian o' the nation. A hero's heart — a sister's love —
A martyr's truth unbending; They're a' in Jeanie's tartan plaid,—
And she is gane, her liefu' lane,
To Lunnon toun she's wending.
238 Lady Nairnes Songs.
FAREWEEL, EDINBURGH.^"
Air — " Fareweel, Edinburgh."
Farf.weel, Edinburgh, where happy we hae been, Fareweel, Edinburgh, Caledonia's Queen! Auld Reekie, fare-ye-weel, and Reekie New beside, Ye're like a chieftain grim and gray, wi' a young
bonny bride. Fareweel, Edinburgh, and your trusty Volunteers, Your Council a' sae circumspect, your Provost with- out peers. Your stately College stuff d wi' lear, your rantin' High-
Schule yard; The jib, the lick, the roguish trick, the ghaists o' th' auld toun-guard.
Fareweel, Edinburgh, your philosophic men ;
Your scribes that set you a' to richts, and wield the
golden pen ; The Session-court, your thrang resort, bigwigs and lang
gowns a' ; And if ye dinna keep the peace, it's no for want o'
law. Fareweel, Edinburgh, and a' your glittering wealth; Your Bernard's Well, your Calton Hill, where every
breeze is health; An' spite o' a' your fresh sea-gales, should ony chance
to dee. It's no for want o' recipe, the doctor, or the fee.
Fareweel, Edinburgh. 239
Fareweel, Edinburgh, your hospitals and ha's,
The rich man's friend, the Cross lang ken'd, auld Ports, and city wa's ;
The Kirks that grace their honoured place, now peacefu' as they stand,
Where'er they're found, on Scottish ground, the bul- warks of the land.
Fareweel, Edinburgh, your sons o' genius fine,
That send your name on wings o' fame beyond the burnin' line;
A name that's stood maist since the flood, and just when it's iurgot,
Your bard will be forgotten too, your ain Sir Walter Scott.
Fareweel, Edinburgh, and a' your daughters fair ; Your Palace in the sheltered glen, your Castle in the
air; Your rocky brows, your grassy knowes, and eke your
mountain bauld ; Were I to tell your beauties a', my tale would ne'er
be tauld ; Now, fareweel, Edinburgh, where happy we hae been ; Fareweel, Edinburgh, Caledonia's Queen! Prosperity to Edinburgh wi' every risin' sun, And blessin's be on Edinburgh till time his race has
run!
\ \
240 Lady Nairiies Songs.
THERE GROWS A BONNIE BRIER BUSH .«
Air— "The Brier Bush."
There grows a bonnie brier bush in our kail-yard, And white are the blossoms o't in our kail-yard, Like wee bit cockauds to deck our Hieland lads, And the lasses lo'e the bonnie bush in our kail-yard.
An it's hame, an' it's hame to the north countrie, An' it's hame, an' it's hame to the north countrie, Where my bonnie Jean is waiting for me, Wi' a heart kind and true, in my ain countrie.
But were they a' true that were far awa' ? Oh ! were they a' true that were far awa' ? They drew up wi' glaikit Englishers at Carlisle ha', And forgot auld frien's that were far awa'.
" Ye'U come nae mair, Jamie, where aft ye have been, Ye'll come nae mair, Jamie, to AthoU's green ; Owre weel ye lo'ed the dancin' at Carlisle ha', And forgot the Hieland hills that were far awa'."
" I ne'er lo'ed a dance but on AthoU's green, I ne'er lo'ed a lassie but my dorty Jean, Sair, sair against my will did I bide sae lang awa'. And my heart was aye in AthoU's green at Carlisle ha'."
Wake, Irishmen, Wake. 241
The brier bush was bonny ance in our kail-yard ; The brier bush was bonny ance in our kail-yard ; A blast blew owre the hill, that ga'e AthoU's flowers a
chill, And the bloom's blawn aff the bonnie bush in our
kail-yard.
WAKE, IRISHMEN, WAKE. Air — " St. Patrick's Day in the Morning."
Wake, Irishmen, wake, let your slumbers be over, Our children will look to our day when we're gone,
The clouds and thick darkness now o'er us may hover, The sun will yet shine on fair Erin !
Strong is the arm that is stretched out to save us, High is the rock where our confidence rests.
It is not in man, with his worst threats, to brave us,
Then Irishmen, wake ! let your slumbers be over. Our children will look to our day when we're gone,
Tho' clouds and thick darkness now o'er us may hover, The sun will yet shine on fair Erin !
242 Lady Nairnes Songs.
What will numbers avail, when their strength is de- parted 1 The bread sent from Heaven, they trample it down ; Our birthright — our portion — yet dark and cold- hearted They starve the poor sons of fair Erin.
Shall Irishmen, bold as the king of the forest,
And free as the eagle that soars in the sky, — Black slavery abhorring, — bow down to the sorest 7 No — sons of old Ireland, too long kept in blindness, High Heaven itself sends glad tidings to you \ Claim your Bibles, you'll find them all love and all kindness. The joy and the peace of fair Erin !
We love you as men, — and as brothers we love you. Our hearts long to free you from Popery's hard chain ; For the sake of your undying souls, we would move you. To know the true friends of fair Erin.
Come better, come worse, we will never surrender, For the cause that our forefathers stood we will
stand ; To the last drop of blood our own Isle we'll defend
her. Then Irishmen, rise ! let your slumbers be over;
Dunottar Castle. 243
Our children will look to our day when we're gone ; The' clouds and thick darkness now o'er us may hover, The sun will yet shine on fair Erin !
A HEAVENLY MUSE.^^ Air — " Miss Carmichael."
A HEAVENLY muse in green Erin is singing,
His strains, all seraphic, ascend to the skies ; Fair blossoms of Eden, around him all springing,
The soft balmy ether perfume as they rise. Sveet poet ! be true to thy lofty aspiring,
While, bound by thy magic, the sky's half unfurl'd ; Youth, beauty, and taste are with rapture admiring ;
O ! spread not around them the fumes of this world !
DUNOTTAR CASTLE.^*
Air — Earl Marischal."
When Royal pow'r was hunted down, And Cromwell bore the bell, sir.
How safe and sound lay Scotland's crown, Behad, I'm gaun to tell, sir.
244 Lady Nairne s Songs.
On fair Kincardine's rocky coast. There's few that dinna ken yet,
Dunottar's Castle, bauld and strong, Stands tow'ring o'er the main, yet.
There Keith, Earl Marischal, warlike wight,
Sae noble and sae loyal, He gat the guardin' o' them a',
Auld Scotia's ensigns royal.
When arms like his could ill be spared, And he fought for the Stewart,
He gave them owre to Ogilvie, A trusty and a true heart.
Strong to the stronger aye maun yield,
The rebels ruled the nation. Brave Ogilvie and a' his men,
They could na keep their station.
His Leddy wi' a manly heart,
She tuik it a' upon her, To save from skaith her captain dear,
And eke her country's honour.
The crown, the sceptre, sword an' a', The lint she happit round them.
And a' unkend to Ogilvie,
Safe in the sack she bound them.
The Pent land Hills. 245
A simple lass upon her back,
Withouten fear or danger, Soon brought them to the minister
Of Kinneff, gude James Grainger.
Aneath the pulpit's sel they're laid,
To mak' the secret faster. As low as lay the royal head,
Short syne their rightfu' maister.
The darkest night will wear awa', Monk ga'e the bowls a row, man,
And Monarchy was up again,
And Roundheads down, I trow, man.
The Marischal he cam frae the wars,
Sae blythe was he that day, sir. When Ogilvie gave back his trust.
In spite o' a' the fray, sir.
THE PENTLAND HILLS.*
Airs— " Martyrdom "— ' ' Dundee. "
The pilgrim's feet here oft will tread O'er this sequestered scene,
To mark whare Scotland's Martyrs lie In lonely Rullion Green, —
246 Lady Nairnes Songs.
To muse o'er those who fought and fell —
All Presbyterians true — Who held the League and Covenant —
Who waved the banner blue !
Like partridge to the mountain driven —
Oh ! lang and sairly tried ! Their cause they deemed the cause o' Heaven-
For that they liv'd and died ! Together here they met and prayed —
Ah ! ne'er to meet again ! Their windin' sheet the bluidy plaid —
Their grave lone RuUion Green.
Ah ! here they sang the holy strain —
Sweet Martyrs' melodic ; When every heart and every voice
Arose in harmonic. The list'ning echoes all around
Gave back their soft reply, While angels heard the hallow'd sound,
And bore it to the sky.
Oh ! faithless King ! hast thou forgot
Who gave to thee thy croun ? Hast thou forgot thy solemn oath,
At Holyrood and Scone ? Oh ! fierce Dalziel ! thy ruthless rage
Wrought langsome misery ; What Scottish heart could ever gi'e
A benison to thee !
Lament of the Covenanter s Widoiv. 247
0 Claverhouse ! fell Claverhou.se ! Thou brave, but cruel Graham !
Dark deeds like thine will last for aye,
Linked wi' thy blighted name. Oh, Pentland hills, sae fair and green,
When in the sunrise gleaming — Or in the pensive gloamin' hour,
Aneath the moonbeams streaming !
1 love to wander there my lane,
Wi' sad and sacred feeling ; While hallowed mem'ries wake the tear,
In waefu' eye soft stealing. I love thy wild sequester'd glen,
Thy bonny wimplin' burn ; For Scotland's brave and martyr'd men,
Still does it seem to mourn.
LAMENT OF THE COVENANTER'S WIDOW.
O WEET and weary is the night, Wi' soughing wind and rain, O ;
And he that was sae true to me. Is on the hill-side slain, O !
O that the hand that did the deed,
Had lain me where he's lying, The green turf o'er my peacefu' head.
The night winds round me sighing !
248 Lady Nairnes Songs.
But I maun hear and I maun grieve, And I maun thole the morrow ;
This heart's no made o' flesh and blood, It winna break wi' sorrow.
What's a' this gaudy warld to me ?
I canna bide the glare o't ; O gin it were the High Decree,
That I micht see nae mair o't !
For he had ta'en the Covenant For Scotland's sake to dee, O,
Death to him was gain we ken, But oh ! the loss to me, O !
THE REGALIA/"
We hae the crown without a head,
The sceptre's but a hand, O ; The ancient warlike royal blade,
Might be a willow wand, O ! Gin they had tongues to tell the wrangs
That laid them useless by, a', Fu' weel I wot, there's ne'er a Scot
Could boast his cheek was dry, a'.
Then flourish, thistle, flourish fair, Tho' ye've the crown na langer,
They'll hae the skaith that cross ye yet, Your jags grow aye the stranger.
The Regalia. 249
O for a touch o' warlock's wand,
The byegane back to bring a', And gi'e us ae lang simmer's day
O' a true-born Scottish king a' ! We'd put the crown upon his head,
The sceptre in his hand a', We'd rend the welkin wi' the shout,
Bruce and his native land, a'.
Then flourish, thistle, &c.
The thistle ance it flourish'd fair,
An' grew maist like a tree a', They've stunted down its stately tap.
That roses might luik hie a'. But though its head lies in the dust.
The root is stout and steady ; The thistle is the warrior yet,
The rose its tocher'd leddy.
Then flourish, thistle, &c
The rose it blooms in safter soil.
And strangers up could root it; Aboon the grund he ne'er was fand
That pu'd the thistle oot yet.
Then flourish, thistle, flourish fair, Tho' ye've the crown nae langer,
They'll hae the skaith that cross ye yel Your jags grow aye the stranger.
250 Lady Nairnes Songs
THE LADY GRANGE."
Air— "In Lonely Wilds."
Oh ! lang the Ladye Grange did live
Upon St. Kilda's rock ; But surely sorrow winna kill,
Or else her heart had broke. Far, far removed from kith and kin,
And a' that life endears, She aft looked o'er the wat'ry waste
Whare ne'er a ship appears.
O ! is it for my faither's crime
That I'm thus banish't far ? Or was it ony faut o' mine
That kindled civil war? M'Leod and Lovat, weel I trow,
Hae wrought this treacherie ; But wherefore has their cruel spite
Fa'en a' on helpless me.
And thus she mourn'd, fair Ladye Grange,
Thus sped her life away ; The morning sun it brought nae joy,
And night did close the day ; And nought was heard but sea-bird's cry,
To cheer her solitude, Or the wild raging billow's roar
That broke o'er rocks sae rude.
Fell He on the Field of Fame. 2 5 1
At length a fav'ring wind did bring
An auld and worthy pair, Wha wi' the kindest charitie,
Her sorrows a' did share. They taught her pridefu' heart to bend
Aneath the chastening rod ; And then she ken'd her prison walls
Had been a blest abode.
FELL HE ON THE FIELD OF FAME.«
Air — Mcintosh's Lament."
Fell he on the field of fame, Glory resting on his name ? O'er his young and dauntless breast Does the sculptur'd marble rest? Sad and silent passing by, Ask not where his ashes lie ; Blooming gay, in manly prime, Lowly laid before his time.
Smiling on the parent knee, Beaming hope was linked with thee ; Grown at last her pride and boast, Hope itseli in joy was lost.
252 Lady Nairnes Songs.
Where his youthful footsteps roved, Thro' the woodland bovvers he loved ; Once her dear delight and care — Mother, say what now they are.
Honour's laws have dealt the blow ; Fear of man has laid him low ; Bound by human maxims vile, Braving highest Heaven the while. Fear of man has brought the snare j Deathless souls entangled there, Scorning mandates from on high, Rush into eternity
Christian hope, tho' high she spring. Here must stoop the soaring wing ; Murderous laws, which men approve^ Pass not Heaven's courts of love ! O ! might dark oblivion's power. Shadow o'er this anguished hour, And aid the wretched hope forlorn, To forget he e'er was born !
The Convict's Farewell. 253
THE CONVICT'S FAREWELL.
Air—" The Convict's Farewell."
Oh, this is my departing night,
Fareweel, fareweel, to ane an' a' , Alas ! 'before the mornin's light,
Far maun I be frae ye a'. Far frae hame a banish'd man,
To lands my kindred never saw ; My fireside dear, may peace be here,
When I am gane and far awa' !
The nights and days that come to me,
O wae they'll be and heartless a' ; I've seen what I nae mair maun see,
O' peace and joy amang ye a'. But I ken weel, had I been leal.
An' held my country's honour'd law, I need nae now been leaving you,
For foreign lands and far awa'.
The weary tipplin' trade, I trow,
Has brought me to this lost estate ; What in the morn wad been my scorn,
Wi' the bree o'ercome, I did at late. Now gudewife true, fareweel to you.
An' tareweel, bonnie bairnies a' ; My broken heart frae ye maun part.
For lonely lands and far awa, .
254 Lady Nairjies Songs.
It's a delusion, night and day,
That tempts us to transgress the law ; And own we must the sentence just,
That sends the oftender far awa'. But oh ! the heavy hour is come ;
My last look I ha'e o' ye ta'en ; When I'm away, oh for me pray.
An' mind this nicht, when I am gane.
AH, LITTLE DID MY MOTHER THINK.
Ah, httle did my mother think,
When to me she sung, What a heartbreak I would be,
Her young and dautit son.
And oh ! how proud she was o' me
In plaid and bonnet braw. When I bade farewell to the north countrie,
And marching gaed awa' !
Ah ! little did my mother think,
A banished man I'd be. Sent frae a' my kith and kin,
Them never mair to see.
Oh ! father, 'twas the sugar' d drop
Aft ye did gi'e to me, That has brought a' this misery
Baith to you and me.
Hes Lifeless A mang the Rude Billows. 255
HE'S LIFELESS AMANG THE RUDE BILLOWS.
Air— "The Muckin' o' Geordie's Byre."
He's lifeless amang the rude billows,
My tears and my sighs are in vain ; The heart that beat warm for his Jeanie,
Will ne'er beat for mortal again ! My lane now I am i' the warld,
And the daylight is grievous to me ; The laddie that lo'ed me sae dearly,
Lies cauld in the deeps o' the sea !
Ye tempests sae boist'rously raging,
Rage on as ye list — or be still — This heart ye sae aften hae sicken'd,
Is nae mair the sport o' yere will. Now heartless, I hope not — I fear not —
High Heaven, hae pity on me ! My soul, tho' dismay'd and distracted,
Yet bends to thy awful decree 1
'%
256 Lady Nairnes Songs.
TRUE LOVE IS WATERED AYE WI' TEARS. "Air — True Love is Watered aye wi' Tears."
True love is water'd aye wi' tears,
It grows 'neath stormy skies, It's fenced around wi' hopes and fears',
An' fann'd wi' heartfelt sighs, Wi' chains o' gowd 'twill no be bound.
Oh ! wha the heart can buy ? The titled glare, the warldling's care —
Even absence 'twill defy.
Even absence 'twill defy.
And time, that kills a' ither things,
His withering touch 'twill brave, 'Twill live in joy, 'twill live in grief,
'Twill live beyond the grave ! 'Twill live, 'twill hve though buried deep,
In true hearts' memorie — Oh ! we forgot that ane sae fair,
Sae bricht, sae young, could dee,
Sae young could dee.
Unfeeling hands may touch the chord
Where buried griefs do lie — How many silent agonies
May that rude touch untie !
True Love is Watered Aye wi Tears. 257
But oh ! I love that plaintive lay —
The dear auld melodic ! For, oh, 'tis sweet ! — yet I maun greet,
For it was sung by thee.
Sung by thee !
They may forget wha lichtly love,
Or feel but beauty's chain ; But they wha loved a heavenly mind
Can never love again ! Oh ! a' my dreams o' warld's gude
Aye were intwined wi' thee. But I leant on a broken reed
Which soon was ta'en frae me,
Ta'en frae me.
'Tis weel, 'tis weel, we dinna ken
What we may live to see, 'Twas Mercy's hand that hung the veil
O'er dark futurity ! Oh ! ye whase hearts are scathed and riven,
Wha feel the warld is vain. Oh, fix your broken earthly ties
Where they ne'er will break again, Break again !
258 Lady Nairnes Songs.
THE ROWAN TREE.
Oh ! Rowan Tree, Oh ! Rowan Tree, thou'lt aye be
dear to me, Intwin'd thou art wi' mony ties o' hame and infancy. Thy leaves were aye the first o' spring, thy flow'rs the
simmer's pride ; There was nae sic a bonny tree, in a' the countrie
side.
Oh ! Rowan Tree.
How fair wert thou in simmer time, wi' a' thy clusters
white, How rich and gay thy autumn dress, wi' berries red
and bright ! On thy fair stem were mony names, which now nae
mair I see,
But they're engraven on my heart — forgot they ne'er
can be !
Oh ! Rowan Tree.
We sat aneath thy spreading shade, the bairnies round
thee ran. They pu'd thy bonny berries red, and necklaces they
Strang ; My mother ! oh ! I see her still, she smiled our sports
to see, Wi' little Jeanie on her lap, an' Jamie at her knee !
Oh ! Rowan Tree.
The Voice of Spring. 259
Oh ! there arose my father's prayer, in holy evening's
calm, How sweet was then my mother's voice, in the Martyr's
psalm ! Now a' are gane ! we meet nae mair aneath the
Rowan Tree ; But hallowed thoughts around thee twine o' hame and
infancy.
Oh ! Rowan Tree.
THE VOICE OF SPRING.
O SAY, is there ane wha does nae rejoice, To hear the first note o' the wee birdie's voice ; When in the grey mornin' o' cauld early spring, The snaw-draps appear, an' the wee birdies sing ; The voice o' the spring, O how does it cheer ! The winter's awa', the simmer is near.
In your mantle o' green, we see thee, fair spring, O'er our banks an' our braes, the wild flowers ye
fling; The crocus sae gay, in her rich gowden hue ; The sweet violets hid 'mang the moss an' the dew ; The bonnie white gowan, an' oh ! the sweet brier A' tell it is spring, an' simmer is near.
2 6o Lady Nairne s Songs.
An' they, wha in sorrow or sickness do pine, Feel blythe wi' tlie flowers an' sunshine o' spring ; Tho' aft, in dear Scotia, the cauld wind will blaw, An' cow'r a' the blossoms wi' frost and wi' snaw, Yet the cloud it will pass, the sky it will clear, And the birdies will sing — the simmer is near.
HER HOME SHE IS LEAVING.*^'
Air— " Monlelia."
To the hills of her youth, cloth'd in all their rich
wildness, Farewell she is bidding, in all her sweet mildness, And still, as the moment of parting is nearer, Each long-cherish'd object is fairer and dearer. Not a grove or fresh streamlet but wakens reflection Of hearts still and cold, that glow'd with affection ; Not a breeze that blows over the flow'rs of the wild- wood. But tells, as it passes, how blest was her childhood.
And how long must I leave thee, each fond look
expresses, Ye high rocky summits, ye ivy'd recesses ! How long must I leave thee, thou wood-shaded river ! The echoes all sigh — as they whisper-- for ever!
O Mountain Wild. 261
Tho' the autumn winds rave, and the seared leaves
fall, And winter hangs out her cold icy pall, — Yet the footsteps of spring again ye will see, And the singing of birds, — but they sing not for me.
The joys of the past, more faintly recalling.
Sweet visions of peace on her spirit are falling.
And the soft wing of time, as it speeds for the
morrow, Wafts a gale, that is drying the dew drops of sorrow. Hope dawns — and the toils of life's journey beguiling. The path of the mourner is cheered with its smiling. And there her heart rests, and her wishes all centre, Where parting is never — nor sorrow can enter !
O MOUNTAIN WILD.*^
O MOUNTAIN wild, on thee I gaze,
Tho' clouds and storms upon thee lie ; For gleams o' sunshine break on thee,
Like the smile and tear in beauty's eye O mountain wild, when setting beams
Shoot frae yonder canopy. How glowing is thy lofty brow,
Clad in the evening's golden sky.
262 Lady Nairnes Songs.
Thro' heath'ry braes thy shepherds stray,
And tales of love and sorrow tell, Of lady's bower and baron's ha',
The grey stane where the martyr fell. Who has not felt this witching charm,
Entwin'd around each Scottish scene. When wand'ring thro' her bonnie braes,
Or musing by her past'ral stream ?
O land of song and minstrel lay,
Cauld and dead the heart maun be, That leaves thy wild, romantic shore.
And ne'er a tear-drap in his e'e. O land beloved, yon whitening sail
Owre soon will shroud me from thy view \ My sighs will mingle wi' the gale
That wafts me frae thy mountains blue.
FAREWEEL, O FAREWEEL. Gaelic Air.
Fareweel, O fareweel !
My heart it is sair ; Fareweel, O fareweel !
I'll meet him nae mair.
Gude Nicht, and Joy be wi ye A\ 263
Lang, lang was he mine, Lang, lang, but nae mair ;
I maunna repine,
But my heart it is sair.
His staff's at the wa', Toom, toom is his chair !
His bannet an' a' ! An' I maun be here !
But O ! he's at rest,
Why sud I complain ? Gin my saul be blest,
I'll meet him again.
O ! to meet him again Whare hearts ne'er are sair ;
O ! to meet him again To part never mair !
GUDE NIGHT, AND JOY BE WI' YE A'>
The best o' joys maun hae an end,
The best o' friends maun part, I trow ; The langest day will wear away,
And I maun bid fareweel to you. The tear will tell when hearts are fu' ;
For words, gin they hae sense ava, They're broken, faltering, and few ;
Gude nicht, and joy be wi' you a'.
264 Lady Nairnes Songs.
O we hae wandered far and wide,
O'er Scotia's lands o' firth and fell, And mony a simple flower we've pu'd,
And twined it wi' the heather bell. We've ranged the dingle and the dell,
The cot-house and the baron's ha' ; Now we maun tak' a last farewell,
Gude nicht, and joy be wi' you a'.
My harp, fareweel, thy strains are past,
Of gleefu' mirth, and heartfelt wae ; The voice of song maun cease at last,
And minstrelsy itsel' decay. But, oh ! whare sorrow canna win.
Nor parting tears are shed ava. May we meet neighbour, kith and kin,
And joy for aye be wi' us a' !
REST IS NOT HERE.
What's this vain world to me % —
Rest is not here ; False are the smiles I see,
The mirth I hear. Where is youth's joyful glee ? Where all once dear to me ? Gone as the shadows flee —
Rest is not here.
Would you be Votmg Again ? 265
Why did the morning shine
Blythely and fair ? Why did those tints so fine
Vanish in air ? Does not the vision say, Faint hngering heart, away, Why in this desert stay ?
Dark land of care !
Where souls angeHc soar,
Thither repair ; Let this vain world no more
Lull and ensnare. That Heaven I love so well Still in my heart shall dwell ; All things around me tell,
Rest is found there.
WOULD YOU BE YOUNG AGAIN?" Air — "Aileen Aroon."
Would you be young again?
So would not I — One tear to memory giv'n,
Onward I'd hie. Life's dark flood forded o'er, All but at rest on shore, Say, would you plunge once more.
With home so nigh ?
266 Lady Nairnes Songs.
If you might, would you now
Retrace your way ? Wander through thorny wilds,
Faint and astray? Night's gloomy watches fled, Morning all beaming red, Hope's smiles around us shed, Heavenward — away.
Where are they gone, of yore
My best delight ? Dear and more dear, tho' now
Hidden from sight. Where they rejoice to be, There is the land for me ; Fly time, fly speedily ;
Come life and light.
HERE'S TO THEM THAT ARE GANE.*^
Air — " Here's a Health to Ane I Lo'e Dear."
Here's to them, to them that are gane ; Here's to them, to them that are gane ; Here's to them that were here, the faithful and dear, That will never be here again — no, never. But where are they now, that are gane ? Oh ! where are the faithful and true ? They're gone to the light that fears not the night. And their day o' rejoicing shall end — no, never.
Heres to Thejn that are Gane. 267
Here's to them, to them that were here, Here's to them, to them that were here ; Here's a tear and a sigh, to the bHss that's gone by, But 'twas ne'er hke what's coming, to last — for ever. Oh ! bright was their morning sun ; Oh ! bright was their morning sun ; Yet, lang ere the gloaming, in clouds it gaed down, But the storm, and the cloud, are now past — for ever.
Fareweel, fareweel ! parting silence is sad ; Oh ! how sad the last parting tear ! But that silence shall break, where no tear on the cheek Can bedim the bright vision again — no, never. Then speed to the wings of old Time, That waft us, where pilgrims would be. To the regions of rest, to the shores of the blest, Where the full tide of glory shall flow — for ever!
POEMS AND SONGS
OF
CAROLINE OLIPHANT,
THE YOUNGER.
LINES ON DREAMS.
Oh ! Dreamr, are mysteries ! The free born mind
Owns not the fetters which the body wears,
By sleep imposed. But starting from the haunts
Of men, revels in scenes no foot hath trod,
Or visits those the foot may tread no more :
Dreams bring the shadow back on Time's hard dial
Shake the full hour-glass, and the golden sands
Run once again their sparkling course. It seems
As Reason's handmaids — while their mistress slept-
Had each assumed a character, and dressed
In masquer's habit — by the flickering glare
Of midnight torches held strange revelry.
Fancy, attir'd in Memory's weeds, laments
And hangs in sorrow o'er the funeral urn
Lines on Dreams. 269
Of one who ne'er deceased ; or, with a word, Enchantress-like, calls from the lonely grave Some that in silence long have dwelt ; takes off The vestments of the tomb, and gives them back Their mortal garb, so dear to those who mourn ! Around them throws, the very spell that once Had power to fix and captivate ! Then fades This bright illusion of the mind — a flash Of lightning, fleet as vivid ! — leaving us Scathed witli the brightness that around us played. Hope, by the glare of glimmering torches roused, Starts from her airy couch to join the dance Of festive nymphs — a mazy 'wildering dance — Her steps still fleetest, still her voice most dear. Then bounding o'er the turf, she hastens down To were her skiff" lies moor'd within the bay, Loosens the anchor, spreads before the wind The fluttering sail, and o'er a moonlight sea Steers her light bark, where, on the boundary line, The girdle of the ocean, vapours sleep, Outstretched like harbours, luring her to rest. Fear, too, steals forth, like one to trial led Of fiery ordeal, shunning burning shores, — Now by her shadow frightened, or the roar Of distant bull, that near and nearer comes. With flaming eye, and horns that pointed seem To lift the victim high in air ; and then — At once the vision changes, like the skies Seen in far Northern climes ; while the fix'd eye
s
270 Poems and Songs.
Gazes on rolling waves of light ; in vain It strives to give stability ! Away The meteor darts ; its spiral columns shift, And on the far horizon bear aloft A momentary canopy of flame. Now Pleasure's bird, on wings of varied hue, Catches the sun's last rays, and radiant glows, With liquid amethyst and molten gold ! Sudden, the sun has set, the pall is thrown O'er his departed lustre, and the owl. Of mournful presage, chants his requiem. Coherence incoherent ! — Arabesque Of mental imagery, the serpent's folds To human body joining on fantastic. Here swift Apollo follows in the chase, And grasps a laurel branch, his only meed ; Or from a grove of shady myrtles, peeps A dancing satyr, spreading terror round ; Yet would our slec])ing hours alone receive Monstrous impossibilities ! If from their slumbers waken'd, none pursued Dreams more absurd and fatal to the soul. Shall Reason then encourage, by her voice, The follies of her vassals ? lay aside Her sceptre on a mole-hill, sit enthroned And wear the garlands of a Queen of May? Oh ! there are projects of the waking mind — Fears and anticipations — that would shame The visions of the night, so wild, so vain !
On reading Childe Harold. 271
Who shall awake these sleepers ? When the surge
Beats on the tossing vessel, and the winds
Make it their sport, say, Will there then be time
To rise and call upon their God % Or, luU'd
By Mercy's soft entreaty, must they sleep
And take their rest, till the last earthquake's shock,
And rolling thunder echoing round, announce
The door of hope for ever closed ?
Without, remain in darkness and despair.
The dreamer, waken'd from his trance, convinced
The Atheist ; but too late ! — the last long blast
His unannihilated soul demands ;
And, as its mighty voice still louder grows,
Hurls into fragments a dismember'd world.
ON READING LORD BYRON'S CHILDE HAROLD.
Naturalist of mind ! thy bark sailed far
A voyage of discovery o'er the waste
Of Life's wide sea ; and not to be deceived
By its bright surface and its dancing waves
Smiling in sunshine, thou didst dive beneath
Searching its hidden caves, and see
Innumerable creeping things, that dwelt
From others' sight concealed, and, with the line
Which Reason gave thee, didst attempt to sound
Immeasurable depths, examine all
272 Poems and Songs.
The rocky grottoes where the Genii sleep,
And gathering thence a tuneful shell, didst pour
A melancholy blast, that strangely jarr'd
With the light music of the Gondolier.
In fancied safety, sailing o'er the flood,
Many have chanted ocean's loveliness,
Drawn fairy castles on her waves, whose swell
Prolonged the colonnade of wreathed shafts,
And tinged them with a deeper hue. Fair spell !
How many a wand'rer hath been lured by it,
Watching the changes wrought, and hath forgot
Morgana's sumptuous hall was not his home.
Not such thy flatt'ring picture ; — thou didst fling
The slime upon the surface, troubling all
The sea-nymph's palace ; but thou didst not show
Where the lone voyager might rest in peace
The stormy hours of night. Thou brought'st some
spoils From ocean's tesselated pavement — wrecks Of human happiness. Affection's freight, Her gold and ivory from the barren rocks. With spicy treasures which no price could pay ; And with them specimens of coral broke From the hard reefs, on which thy bark had struck. Some child of waters, some fair lotus-wreath Thy hand hath gather'd as it floated by ; And passing melody of mermaid's song Thine ear hath caught; but from the foam arising Thy tale was of the whirlpool and the brine.
The Nightingale. 273
The bitterness of waters that had whelm'd thy soul.
Poor mariner; thou didst o'erlook the chief
Of all the wonders of the deep. Hadst thou,
In that vast search, ransacking all her caverns, —
Hadst thou but seen the Pearl of price that shone
Pure, midst those turbid waters, thou hadst sung
A joyous strain, and with a worthier freight
Than seaweed torn from sunken rocks, hadst steer'd
In safety for " The Islands of the Blest."
Not as thy records tell : they only prove
Ocean for thee had gulfs, but held no Geni.
THE NIGHTINGALE.
No ! it is not when day is flinging Brightness o'er the radiant plain,
'Tis not when Nature's choir is singing. The night-bird pours her sweetest strain.
It is when shades of eve are spreading A slumbering mist upon the ground :
'Tis when the moon is softly shedding Light, and a breathing stillness round.
Then o'er the hush'd air gently stealing, Its sweetest cadence floats along.
Oh ! who has heard those strains of feeling, And wish'd for gayer warbler's song ?
2 74 Poems and Songs.
Thus, it is not when Fortune smiHng, Casts her beaming glances round,
'Tis not 'mid Pleasure's strains beguiling, The Spirit's holy notes are found.
But when Prosperity's gay splendour Has faded into Sorrow's night.
And pure Religion's beam, more tender, Round us sheds her silvery light.
Oh ! then the Spirit's voice from heaven, Swells on the bosom calm and lone ;
Who that has heard those songs of even. Would ask the day-bird's livelier tone ?
THE GARDEN AT CASK.
Fain would I linger here, as I have seen The sun reposing on this mossy green. That well might tempt his chariot-wheels to stay, And check his coursers in their fiery way. Speed on, thou Sun, thy home is in the west ; 1 too must speed, for this is not my rest.
Like thee, bright orb ! my further path is traced.
And to my going down I too must haste;
For on my pilgrim path no Gibeon's hill
Invites my weary spirit to stand still.
Thou hast returned and brought the shadow back ;
I may not, would not, turn me from my track.
Home in Heaven. 275
Still o'er these mossy walks thy circuit make, Still in these bowers thy bright siesta take ; On me the gate hath closed, and I must go Forth from this Eden thro' a vale of woe ; Diverse our path, yet both our God hath blest ; Heav'n spreads a couch for each— a glorious golden rest.
HOME IN HEAVEN.
Air— ' ' Vicar of Bray. "
A WIND-BOUND exile far from home, While standing near th' unfathomed main. My eyes the far horizon roam, To see the land I long to gain. Though dim with mists and faintly blue. The hills of bliss e'en now I view ; Oh ! when will Heaven's soft breezes come And waft the weary exile home ?
Let those who know no lovelier shore Their shells and sea-weed idly heap, Then mourn to see their paltry store Dispersed and sinking in the deep. My storehouse lies beyond the wave, My treasure fears no wat'ry grave. And oh ! I wish fair winds would come And waft me o'er to that blest home.
276 Poems and Songs.
Already some I held most dear,
Have safe arrived on yonder strand ;
Their backs afar like specks appear,
The exiles now have gained the land.
Their parting signals wave no more.
No signs of woe float from that shore !
And soon the skiff for me will come^
And Heaven's own breath will waft me home.
ON RECOVERING FROM SICKNESS.
I THOUGHT to join the heavenly choir.
To strike a harp of light; While this forgotten, tuneless lyre
Rested 'mid shades of night.
I thought to dwell in heav'nly bowers, Where angels have their seat,
And wreathe immortal amaranth flowers, To cast at Jesus' feet.
Alas ! this jarring, broken lute
Alone remains to me ! In vain I sweeo its chords so mute ;
They wake no melody.
No fragrant crown from Eden's bow'rs
Is giv'n into my hand ; Only a wreath of with'ring flowers,
Cull'd in this desert land.
Oh, Never! No, Never! 277
With pity, Lord, my off' ring view,
Although for thee unmeet ; 'Tis all enthroned saints can do,
To lay it at Thy feet.
From silence my mute lyre release,
And tune its chords to love ; Breathe o'er its numbers, breathe Thy peace, —
Echo oij'oy above.
OH, NEVER! NO, NEVER!"
Oh, never ! no, never !
Thou'lt meet me again! Thy spirit for ever
Has burst from its chain ; The links thou hast broken
Are all that remain, For never, oh ! never,
Thou'lt meet me again.
Like the sound of the viol,
That dies on the blast ; Like the shade on the dial,
Thy spirit has pass'd. The breezes blow round me,
But give back no strain ; The shade on the dial
Returns not again.
278 Poems and Songs.
Where roses enshrined thee,
In light trellis'd shade, Still hoping to find thee,
How oft have I strayed ! Thy desolate dwelling
I traverse in vain ; — The stillness has whisper'd,
Thou'lt ne'er come again.
I still haste to meet thee,
When footsteps I hear; And start, when to greet me
Thou dost not appear ; Then afresh o'er my spirit
Steals mem'ry of pain,— For never, oh ! never,
Thou'lt meet me again.
NOTES,
Note i, Page 163.
The Land o' the Leal. Through an extensive correspondence we have ascertained the period when this exquisite lay was written, and the circumstances under which it was produced. The subject has been briefly referred to in Lady Naime's Memoir. We now propose to relate the circumstances fully. The Rev. William Erskine, minister of the Episcopal congi-ega- tion at Muthill, Perthshire, was, through his wife, a daughter of the House of Drummond, related to the family of the Oliphants. He held a social position superior to his lowly fortunes, for his ecclesiastical revenues only amounted to fifty pounds a year. His family consisted of a son and daughter, both of whom suc- ceeded in life, so as to reflect credit on the parental upbringing. The son, William Erskine, latterly a Senator of the College of Justice, under the title of Lord Kinnedder, was the early and attached friend of Sir Walter Scott, who dedicated to him the third Canto of Marmion, and familiarly termed him his " coun- sellor."
When he had passed advocate, Erskine set up house in Edinburgh along with his sister, Mary Anne, whose lively and intelligent society proved to him a source of comfort during his early professional struggles. By his friend, young Walter Scott, Mary Anne was regarded with tender interest. He saw her often, and indicated a special desire to share in her regard. But Miss Erskine had already bestowed her affections on another whom she had in early life met in Perthshire society. The successful wooer was Archibald Campbell Colquhoun, of Killer- mont, advocate and sheriff of Perthshire. To this gentleman Mary Anne Erskine was married in 1796. The day after the event, her brother handed to his friend, Walter Scott, a letter, in which Mrs. Colquhoun communicated as follows : —
28o Notes.
"If it were not that etiquette and I were constantly at war, 1
should think myself very blameable in thus trespassing; against one of its laws ; but as it is long since I forswore its dominion, I have acquired a prescriptive right to act as I will, and I shall accord- ingly anticipate the station of a matron, in addressing a young man.
" I can express but a very, very little of what I feel, and shall ever feel, for your unremitting friendship and attention. I have ever considered you as a brother, and shall noiu think myself entitled to make even larger claims on your confidence. Well do I remember the dark conference we lately held together ! The intention of unfolding my oT.un future fate was often at my lips.
" I cannot tell you my distress at leaving this house, wherein I have enjoyed so much real happiness, and giving up the service of so gentle a master, whose yoke was indeed easy. I will, however, only commend him to your care as the last bequest of Maiy Anne Erskine, and conjure you to continue to each other through all your pilgrimage as you have commenced it. May every happiness attend you. Adieu. — Your most sincere friend and sister, M. A. E."
About a year after their marriage the connubial happiness of Mr. and Mrs. Colquhoun was crowned by the birth of a daugh- ter. The child was very beautiful, and was regarded with that deep affection which parents entertain for their first-born. But this object of parental solicitude became sickly, and, in less than a year from her birth, ]iassed away. Mrs. Colquhoun was inconsolable. She caused a wax cast of the child to be prepared. "This," writes Mr. J. C. Colquhoun, "remains at Killermont, to attest the depth of that first sorrow on a most tender and sanguine heart."
Among those who sought to administer consolation to the sorrowing mother was her early friend, Carolina Oliphant. PVom the feelings drawn forth on the occasion she was led to compose the "Land o' the Leal." In its original form it consisted of seven verses. At a subsequent period, when the writer became more enlightened respecting the Gospel scheme, she incorporated these lines —
" Sae dear's that joy was bought, John, Sae free the battle fought, John, That sinfu' man e'er brought To tht land o' the leal."
Notes. 281
Mrs. Colquhoun was entreated not to divulge the authorship, and she strictly fulfilled her friend's request, for she did not in- trust any one with the secret. Many years after, when Lady Nairne was verging on old age, she wrote concerning the origin of " The Land o' the Leal " in these words —
' ' ' The Land of the Leal ' is a happy rest for the mind in this
dark pilgrimage O yes ! I was young then. I
wrote it merely because I liked the air so much, and I put these words to it, never fearing questions as to the authorship. How- ever, a lady would know and took it down, and I had not Sir Walter's art of denying. I was present when it was asserted that Burns composed it on his death-bed, and that he had it Jean instead of 'John ;' but the parties could not decide why it never appeared in his works, as his last song should have done. I never answered."
These words are quoted from a letter addressed to a corres- pondent who had urged our authoress to relate some particulars respectmg the history of her most celebrated composition. In a subsequent part of the letter, the writer adds, " I have only ac- knowledged the authorship to a single other person, except at your bidding." That "other person" was Mrs. Colquhoun.
Though she had made no absolute acknowledgment, it was known to several members of Lady Nairne's family that she had composed this exquisite lay. One of her Ladyship's nieces, writing to a friend in 1862, proceeds, " I have known that my dear aunt was author of 'The Land o' the Leal' ever since I can remember. So, I believe, have Mrs. Stewart Sandeman, Miss Rachel Oliphant, and Miss A. D. Steuart, though of the last I am not certain There were a few others who were in the secret, but they were of a former generation, and have passed away." From the outer world the authorship was perfectly con- cealed. Several of the most ingenious and indefatigable editors of Scottish songs had for nearly forty years endeavoured to penetrate the secret without success. In his " Select Collection of Scottish Airs"(Edinb. 1804, vol. iii., p. 133), Mr. George Thomson inserts "The Land o' the Leal" with these remarks, — "These simple and affecting verses came under the editor's notice but very lately ; he wished to give the name of the inge- nious autlior, but his endeavours to find it out have not been successful." In his "Songs of Scotland" (Edinb. 1848, vol. i. p. 78), Mr. G. F. Graham publishes "The Land o' the Leal ;" with the opening line, " I'm wearin' awa', Jean ;" he appends
282 Notes.
the following note — "The excellent verses here given were published about the year 1800 ; the author is still unknown. The words were originally ' I'm wearin' awa', John ;' they seem to have been altered with the intention of making the song appear to be the parting address of Bums. . . . The fifth and seventh stanzas have generally been omitted, and it is doubtful whether the latter be not an interpolation by a different hand." In Mr. Graham's version the following stanzas have been interpolated : —
•' Ye've been leal and true, Jean,
Your task is ended now, Jean, And I'll welcome you To the land o' the leal.
A' our friends are gane, Jean, We've long been left alane, Jean, We'll a' meet again In the land o' the leal."
During Lady Nairne's visit to Edinburgh in 1834, when she was in the house of a friend, resting on a sofa, one of the young ladies of the family, knowing her love of music, began to play and sing "The Land o' the Leal,'' remarking, "I am very fond of this air, and I am sure you will like it." Our authoress was silent.
Mrs. Campbell Colquhoun, on account of whose bereavement in the death of her first-born "The Land o' the Leal" was written, was originally of a fanciful and romantic turn of mmd ; she was latterly chastened into the deepest piety. Her husband, Mr. Campbell Colquhoun, was in 1807 appointed Lord Advocate of Scotland, and in 1816 Lord Clerk Register. He died on the 8th September, 1820. He was many years survived by his widow ; she died on the 15th May, 1833.
It remains to be added that "The Land o' the Leal" was translated into Greek verse by the Rev. J. Riddell, Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford, the most accomplished Greek verse- maker of recent times.
Note 2. Page 164.
Caller Her>'in\ — This song was written for the benefit of Nathaniel Gow, musical composer, son of the more celebrated Neil Gow. The MS., written in a borrowed hand, was con-
Notes. 283
veyed to Gow by the gentlewoman to whom Lady Nairne con- fided her "great secret," and who is commonly designated in this work as her Edinburgh correspondent. In the letter, which enclosed the song to that friend, the authoress writes: — "If it is to be of any use to Nathaniel, perhaps it should be dedicated to the Duchess of Athole." The advice was followed. The words and music have been often reprinted. We present the titles of two of the publications: — "Caller Herrin'. Ar- ranged with variations for the pianoforte by Philip Knapton. London : Leoni Levi & Co.xhead." — " Caller Herrin', a favourite Scotch air, with an introduction and brilliant variations for the pianoforte. Composed and dedicated to Mrs. Henry Shelton, by Charles Czerny. D'Almaine & Co."
No IE 3. Page 166.
The Lass (f Gowrie. — There are three other versions of this song. The first was composed by William Reid, of Glasgow, about the end of the last centuiy; it is entitled "Kate o' Gowrie," and commences, "When Katie was scarce out nine- teen." The second, by an unknown author, is, in the first two verses, nearly the same with the opening stanzas of Lady Nairne's version.
In his "Ancient Ballads and Songs" (Lond. 1827, lamo. p. 138), Dr. Thomas Lyle presents a third version, which he states had been revised by him from an old stall copy, ascribed to Colonel James Ramsay, of Stirling Castle. It begins : —
" A wee bit north frae yon green wood, Whare draps the sunny showerie. The lofty elm-trees spread their boughs To shade the braes o' Gowrie."
Note 4. Page 170.
The Laird o" Cockpeti. — This song was written with a view to supersede the older words which were connected with the air, " When she cam' ben, she bobbit." The older version, entitled "Cockpen," is exceptional on the score of refinement, but was much sung on account of the excellence of the air. It is believed to belong to the reign of Charles II., and the hero of the song, " The Laird of Cockpen," is said to have been the attached friend of his Sovereign. An anecdote respecting him has been preserved. Having been engaged with his countrymen at the battle of Worcester in the cause of Charles, he accompanied the
284
Notes.
Monarch to Holland, and, forming one of the little Court at the Hague, amused bis Royal Master by his humour, and especially by his skill in Scollish music. In playing the tune, " Urose and Butter," he particularly excelled. He became a favourite of the King, and Cockpen had pleasure in gratifying his wish that he might be lulled to sleep at night and awakened in the morning by this enchanting air. At the Restoration, Cockpen found that his estate had tjeen confiscated for his attachment to the royal cause, and had the deep mortification to discover that he had suffered on behalf of an ungrateful prince, who gave no response to his many petitions for the restoration of his inheritance. Visiting London, he was denied an audience ; but he still enter- tained a hope that, by securing a personal conference with the King, he might attain his object. To accomplish this design, he had recourse to the following artifice : — He formed an intimacy with the organist of the Chapel Royal, and obtained permission to officiate as his substitute when the King came to service. He did so, and playe^l the usual tunes, till, at the dismissal, he struck up the King's old favourite, " Brose and Butter." His artifice succeeded. The King proceeded to the organ-gallery, where he found Cockpen, whom he saluted familiarly, declaring that he had "almost made him dance." "I could dance too," said Cockpen, "if I had my lands again." The request, to which every entreaty could not gain a response, was yielded to the power of music. Cockpen was restored to his possessions.
"The Laird o' Cockpen" is inserted in the sixth volume of Mr. George Thomson's "Select Melodies," with the preface, *' From a manuscript communicated to the Editor by Sir Adam Ferguson."
The verses composed by Lady Naime terminate with the seventh stanza; the two additional verses were composed by Miss Ferrier. In the "]5ook of Scottish Song" (Glasgow, 1844), the I'xlitor, Mr. Alexander Whitelaw, ascribes the original song to Miss Ferrier adding, "The two concluding verses are by another hand." Other writers on Scottish Song have, with simi- lar confidence, assigned the composition to Sir Alexander BoswcU. Lady Nairne composed "The Laird o' Cockpen " in the auld house of Gask, while she was still young. The name M 'Clish, contained in the song, may have been suggested to her by that of the parish minister at Gask, who, in 1746, refused to pray for the family, and rode to Perth to bring on them the vengeance of the Duke of Cumberland. Old Mr. Oliphant of Gask writes, " May God forgive the minister as I do." She must ofteii have heard her father deprecate the conduct of the heartless ecclesiastic.
Motes. 285
Note 5, Page 177.
Huntin^ower. — The original set of " Huntingtower," com- mencing—
' ' When ye gang awa', Jamie, Far across tlie sea, laddie ; When ye gang to Germanie,
What will ye send to me, laddie ? "
has long been a favourite. With no sacrifice of the original simplicity, Lady Nairne has improved the morale of the compo- sition. In her version, Jeanie is less demonstrative in affection. Instead of pleading withi her lover for his hand, she resolves to consult her parents before accepting his proposals. Jamie too avoids practising that deception, which, though short-lived, is a prominent defect in the elder ballad.
Note 6, Page 179.
The Pleughman. — A song entitled " The Pleughman " appears in Herd^s Collection, Edinb. 1776, vol. ii., p. 144. It was thrown into a new form by Burns, whose version appears in yohnsoit's Museum, vol. i., p. 173. A third version is inserted in Cun- ningham's Son^s of Scotland. The origin of Lady Nairne's ver- sion has been stated in the Memoir.
Note 7, Page 180.
O, wha iy this comirC ? — We may hazard the conjecture that this song wis written to celebrate the restoration to his inherit- ance of the Laird of Strowan, in 1784. See the Memoir,
Note 8. Page 182,
The Auld House. — Of this quaint-looking structure we have presented an engraving. It stood on a hill, overlooking the Earn, about fifty yards below the present mansion, which was commenced in 1801. The Auld House, being much infested by rats, which, on one occasion, assailed the baby heir of the es- tate in his cradle, was pulled down, with tlie exception of a small portion left to mark the site. " The laird and the leddy " of the song, and the clipping of Prince Charles Edward's hair, have
T
286 Notes.
been referred to in the Memoir. From a reference in the fifth verse, it would appear that the song was written subse- quent to the year 1820, when tlie first death took place among Lady Nairne's nieces. "The auld pear tree" in the garden of the auld house was a great favourite with the young folks, its produce being often tasted surreptitiously. "I have heard," writes Mr. Kington Oliphant, "one of the bairnies of the song, then an old woman, reproach herself for having cribbed pears from the auld pear-tree. "
Note 9, Pagf. 184.
The Banks of the ^«r«.— Stratheam, as our wi-iter repre- sents, was the scene of some considerable operations on the part of the great Scottish Chief. According to Henry the Minstrel, Wallace, in November, 1296, eluded the pursuit of the English at St. Johnston— the modern Perth— and made his escape into the country. A party of soldiers were charged with the manage- ment of a sleuth-hound, to discover his place of conccahnent. There was an engagement in the vicinity of Elcho Park, when Wallace, with great odds against iiim, achieved a victory and continued his retreat. The sleuth -lu^und tiacked him to Gask Wood. As he was hastening his llight, one of his followers, the Irish Fawdown, professed himself so exhausted as to be unable to proceed, on which Wallace, fearing treachery, struck off his head. The sleuth-hound stopped on reaching Fawdown's body, and would not i^roceed further. Wallace found shelter at Gask Castle, or Gascon Ila'. (See Note 10.) He had not rested long when Sir John Butler, the English commander, came upon his retreat. Wallace, with a stroke of his sword, unhorsed his pursuer and slew him. Another mounted antagonist also fell before his ponderous weapon. Mounting Butler's horse, he rode through a body of his armed adversaries, twenty of whom were slain m attempting to grapple with him. With much difficulty he contrived to effect a temporary concealment among the heath, and to make his escape to the Torwood.
" And gallant Grahams are lying low."
The ancient parish church of Aberuthven, near Auchtcrarder, has long been used as the family burial-place of the Grahams of the Ducal House of Montrose. James, second Marquis of Mon- trose, son of the Great Marquis, and slylcd " the Good," was interred here on the 23rd April, 1669. A handsome modern
Notes. 287
Mausoleum contains, on a platform, supported by pedestals, five oak coffins belonging to deceased memlDers of the Ducal House. One of these contains the remains of James, third Duke of Mon- trose, who died in 1836.
Note 10, Page 186.
Bonny Gascon Ha\ — Gascon was the original form of Gask, the word signifying a swift running stream. Gascon Ha' of the song is the ruin of an old castle, situated in the parish of Trinity- Gask, on the north side of the Earn. An older erection, pro- bably of the period to which the song refers, is believed to have stood about one and a-half miles to the north-east, in the present plantation of Gask. Henry the Minstrel (Book v.) represents Sir William Wallace and his comrades to have taken refuge in Gask Hall, after the assassination of Fawdown.
" In the Gask Hall thair lugyng haif thai tayne ; Fyre gat thai sone, hot meyt than had thai nane."
Wallace encountered in the hall an unwelcome visit from Fawdown's ghost.
"His awne hed in his hand ; A croyss he maid, quhen he saw him so stand."
It may not be irrelevant to add, that the remark of the Poetess, as to no monument having been erected to the memory of the Scottish Chief, no longer applies, since the late Mr. William Patrick of Roughwood, reared some years ago on Barnweill-hill, Ayrshire, an elegant Memorial Tower in honour of the patriot ; and, through the efforts of the Editor of this work, an elegant National Monument to Wallace on the Abbey Craig, near Stir- ling, is now in the course of construction. The mischievous and persistent attempt of one caiiricious individual, to associate the latter with certain alleged national grievances, has been happily defeated. Every true-hearted Englishman heartily joins the Scottish people in respecting the memory of Wallace, in like manner as eveiy right-minded Briton reveres the memory of George Washington.
Note 11, Page 188.
Hey the Rantin' Murray's Ha\ — Mr. John Graeme Murray, of Murray's Hall, Perthshire, was an intimate friend and neighbour
288 Notes.
of the Gask family. At his hospitable residence our authoress and her sisters spent many happy days during the period of youth. "The General," whose valour is commended in the song, is the celebrated Thomas Graham of Balgowan, the hero of Barossa, afterwards Lord Lynedoch. He was a near relation of the Laird ol Murray's Hall. The present proprietor, Mr. John Murray Ciraham, succeeded to his lordship's estate of Balgowan, which has since been sold to Mr. Thompson. Lord Lynedoch has been celebrated in verse by Sir Walter Scott ; also in a stirring song by William Glen, the author of " Wae's me for Prince Charlie." — {Modern Scottish Minstrel, vol. iii.,
P- 131)
Note 12, Page 189.
Kitty Reicfs House. — Near the foot of High Street, Perth, stood a large and imposing edifice, styled " The House on the Green." This structure belonged to the Mercers of Aldie and Meikleour, and it is believed to have been the town residence of Sir Michael Mercer, early in the fifteenth century. On its demolition, in the seventeenth century, an hostelry was erected on the spot, which became a celebrated place of rendezvous. Country lairds were wont to assemble at "The House on the Green ;" or, as it was latterly called, from the name of the hostess, " Kitty Reid's House." In the districts ol Perth, Crieff, and Stirling, rhymes to the air of the " Country Bumpkin " have been preserved, celebrating the more noted landowners who fre- quented "The House on the Green." Some of these, being familiar to Lady Nairne, led to the composition of her own ver- sion of the song. A few of the older verses may serve to indicate the character of the rest : —
Kirkpottie, Kintullo, Pitcur, an' Laird Rollo, Cam' a' to this house, to Kitty Reid's house; Invermay, Monivaird, Balbeggie, Kinnaird, Cam a' to the house on the green, Jo.
Hech, hey, the mirth, &c.
Gan' tell Tullylumb, that he's wanted to come To Kitty Reid's house, to Kitty Reid's house ; Tell Bousie, an' Kerr, an' Ruthven the peer, To come to the house on the green , Jo.
Hech, hey, the mirth, &c.
Notes. 289
Note 13, Page 190.
Castell Gloom. — Castle Gloom, better known as Castle Camp- bell, was a residence of the noble family of Argyle, from the middle of the fifteenth to the middle of the seventeenth century, when it was burned by the Marquis of Montrose. The castle is situated on the southern slope of the Ochil hills, near the village of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, and has long been in the ruinous condition described in the song. Two hill rivulets, designated Sorrow and Care, flow down on each side of the castle promon- tory. John Knox, the Reformer, resided for a period at Castle Campbell, witli Archibald, fourth Earl of Argyle, and here preached the Reformed doctrines.
Note 14, Page 192.
O Stately stood the Baron! s Ha\—^t do not remember any incident to which this song may have an especial reference. The celebrated philosopher, Adam Smith, was, when a child of three years, carried off by a party of gipsies from the policies of his uncle's house at Stratliendry, Fifeshire, but was speedily re- covered. It is possible that the Poetess had this incident in view.
Note 15, Page 193.
Saw ye nae my Peggy. — This song was written with the view of superseding several sets of words which had been linked to the tune, all of which, either on the score of decency or rhythm, were unworthy of it. The oldest version commences, "Saw ye my Maggie." Allan Ramsay has, in his Tea-table Miscellany, inserted two other versions, one of which is his own. The melody appears in the first edition of the Orpheus Caledonim, 1725. (See Johnsoii's Museum, vol. i., page 12, and vol. iv., page 8.) The allusion in the third stanza to " Bessie Bell " and "Mary Gray," is familiar to all lovers ot the older ballad. Two ladies in Perthshire were attached friends. One of them. Miss Elizabeth Bell, was daughter of Mr. Bell, of Kinnaird ; the other. Miss Mary Gray, was the daugliter of Mr. Gray, pro- prietor of Lynedoch. They were both very beautiful and oi engaging manners, and had each attracted the attention of a young gentleman in the neighbourhood. The plague of 1645 was raging with terrible severity, and the maidens left their pa- ternal homes, and took shelter in a bower at the Burn Braes, on
290 Notes.
tlie banks of the Lednoch, or I.yncdoch. They determined to receive no visitors, save the youlh whom they held in mutual esteem. He paid daily visits to the bower ; and, having caught the infection, unconsciously carried it to the Burn Braes. The maidens died, and were interred at a spot which is denoted by an enclosure. Their sad fate is celebrated in ballad. The late Lord Lynedoch owned the estate, which included the Burn Braes, and derived his title from it.
Note 16, Page 198.
Charlie's Landing. — The circumstances of the landing of Prince Charles Edward, in 1745, are detailed in the next note.
Note 17, Page 199.
Who'll be King but Chai'lie? — This popular Jacobite song, hitherto published anonymously, is now claimed as the compo- sition of Lady Naime. It was published by Neil Gow, who composed to it a stirring and appropriate air. Nathaniel, son of Neil Gow, played the tune at the Caledonian Hunt Ball, which, in honour of George IV., was held at Edinburgh on the 26th August, 1822. The King, who was present, asked the musician to name the tune, when Nathaniel replied, "Wha'll be King but Charlie?" Some of the courtiers were embarrassed, but his Majesty, with a smile, requested that the tune might be repeated, and often asked for it afterwards. The air forms No. 136 of Captain Simon Eraser's " Airs and Melodies peculiar to the Highlands," Edinb. 18 16. The song appears in the Scottish J\li9istrel (vol. vi., pp. 86, 7)- In the index the authorship is marked "unknown," a circumstance which does not in any degree invalidate the probability that Lady Naime was the writer.
With reference to the allusion in the first line of the song, it may be stated that Prince Charles Edward landed on the 25th July, 1745, at Lochnanuagh, an arm of the sea, dividing the districts of Moidart and Arisaig. He was accompanied l)y the Marquis of Tullibardine, Sir Thomas Sheridan, Sir John Mac- donald, Francis Strickland, Kelly, a clergyman, Eneas Mac- donald, banker at Paris, and Buchanan, a messenger — a retinue of seven persons. Adherents soon assembled, and the Prince unfurled his standard at Glenfinnan, on the 19th of August.
Notes. 291
Note 18, Page 201.
My Bonnie Hieland Laddie.— In the Scottish Minstrel this song is marked "unknown" (vol. i., p. 17). It is here assigned to Lady Nairne, on the ground of internal evidence alone.
Note 19, Page 202.
Gathering Song.—H\\\'& composition has been printed from Lady Nairne's MS. It is one of the least known of her Jacobite compositions.
Note 20, Page 203.
Charlie is my Darling. — A version of this song, written to an older air, was communicated by Burns to Johnson's Museum (vol. iii., p. 440). The words partake of the levity of the older ballads. The Ettrick Shepherd composed another set of verses, which is included in his Jacobite Relics (Edinb. 1821, vol. ii., p. 92). His song closes with the following stanza : —
" Our Highland hearts are true and leal, And glow \vithout a stain ; Our Highland swords are metal keen, And Charlie he's our ain."
A third version was composed by Captain Charles Gray, R.M. (Lays and Lyrics, Edin. 1841, i2mo., p. 42). This is quoted with commendation in G. F. Graham's Sotigs of Scotland {vq\. i., p. 91). Lady Nairne's version was communicated anonymously to ih^ Scottish Minstrel ; it appears in vol. L, pp. 86, 7 of that work.
Note 21, Page 204.
The Hundred Pipers. — On receiving the submission of the civic authorities and the surrender of the castle. Prince Charles Edward entered Carlisle, on Monday, the i8th November, 1745, preceded by one hundred pipers. So far our Poetess has sung truly. But she is historically at fault witli reference to the "two thousand." So many Highlanders of the Chevalier's army did indeed wade across the Esk ; but it was in flight, not in triumph. They waded the Esk on their return to Scotland from an expe- dition which boded disaster. That they "danced themselves dry to the pibroch's sound" is hterally correct. Mr. George
292 Notes,
G. Mounsey, author of "Authentic Account of the Occupation of Carlisle," remarks, of the Highlanders, tliat "the moment they reached the opposite side, the pipers struck up, and they danced reels until they were dry again." Probably Lady Nairne's father witnessed the scene.
Note 22, Page 206.
H^sowrethe Hills. — This composition appeared in the Scottish Minstrel {\o\. iii., p. 94) with the signature " S. M.," intimating that it had reached the editor through the Ladies' Committee. The original has been found in Lady Nairne's handwriting.
The furthest of the Ochils, that rise above Dunblane, are just visible from Cask, nearly twenty miles off ; hence the allusion in the third line of the song.
Note 23, Page 207.
Y^ll AToufit, Giideman. — This humorous Jacobite song is written in Lady Nairne's best style. In a note appended to the song in " Lays from Strathearn," the heroine is described as one of the Homes of Wedderburn. This seems to be an error. The anecdote of the kettle is related by Mr. Philip Ainslie in his "Reminiscences." During the last rebellion, John, twelfth Lord Gray, had, as Lord-Lieutenant of Perthshire, waited on the Duke of Cumberland at Duudee, when on his march to the north, for the suppression of the insurrection. He was coldly received by the haughty Hanoverian, and his lordship felt so insulted that he rode home hastily to Kinfauns Castle, resolved on immediately joining the stanilard of the Prince. His wife, knowing his obstinate adherence to any purpose he had formed, did not venture to oppose his resolution, but, as he complained of fatigue, she recommended him to have his feet bathed before he retired to rest. The lady undertook to perform the ablution with her own hands, and when his lordship's unclothed limbs were placed in the bath, she proceeded to pour upon tliem a kettle of hot water. The P>aron was so scalded that he was unable to leave his apartment for several weeks. During the interval the public career of the Prince had closed at CuUoden.
Note 24, Page 211.
73^1? White Rose 0' June. — The White Rose was the Jacobite emblem. Many white roses grew in the garden at Gask. With
Notes. 293
all Jacobite gardeners it was a point of honour to provide white roses to be used in celebrating the Royal birth-days.
Note 25, Page 214.
The Women are a' gane wud. — The enthusiasm of Scottish females, both old and young, on behalf of Prince Charles Edward, was a prominent feature in the rising of 1745. "They will not listen to reason," wrote Lord President Forbes. When the Prince rode through Perth, women of all ranks congregated around him to kiss his hand. His knowledge of Gaelic was confined to a few words complimentary of female charms.
Note 26, Page 215. What do ye think d Geordie noo ?
" For nae offence that we can see. Up in a rage will Geordie flee ; The flames get then his periwig ; That's no denied by ony Whig."
George the Second was prone to ebullitions of temper, and on these occasions would tear off his wig and cast it into the fire. The absurd habit of the Hanoverian monarch is thus alluded to in an anonymous Jacobite song : —
" The fire shall get both hat and wig, As oftimes they've got a' that."
Note 27, Page 222.
Kind Robin Ldes 7)/^.— These stanzas were composed by Lady Nairne in commendation of her husband, to whom she was devotedly attached. They form a continuation to the woo- ing song of the same name, beginning " Robin is my only Jo," which first appeared in Herd's Collection, 1776. The tune is ancient.
Note 28, Page 223.
My Ain Kind Dearie, 0, — The two opening hues of this song are borrowed from "The Lea-Rig," a lively and popular lyric, of which the two first verses were composed by Robert Fer-
294 Notes.
frisson, three others being added l)y Wilh'am Reid of Glasgow. The original of "The Lea-Rig" is an old ditty, beginning "I'll rowe thee o'er the lea-rig."— See Johnson's Musical Museum, vol. iv., p. 53.
Note 29, Pace 225.
Caiild Kailin Aberdeen. — This is the latest, and, we may add, the most unexceptionable version of a celebrated drinking song, which has often been parodied. The original set of words is contained in a MS., bearing date 1728, which belonged to James Anderson, editor of Diploviata Scolia, and is now deposited in the Advocates' Lil^rary. The song has reference to George Gordon, first Earl of Aberdeen, who died in 1 720, at the age of eighty-three. It is printed, as originally written, in Scottish Ballads and Songs, Edinb. 1859. T. G.Stevenson. A second version of the song was composed by Alexander, fourth Duke of Gordon. This was first published in the second volume of Johnson''s Museum, and was much commended by Burns. William Reid, of Glasgow, composed a third version, which is little known ; a fourth appears anonymously in Dale's *' Scottish Songs."
Note 30, Page 23a
Lay b eyere Bazubee. — This song is published for the first time. It is printed from the original MS.
Note 31, Page 231. The Maiden'' s Vow. — Now for the first time printed.
Note 32, Page 233,
Do-din the Burn, Davie. — The original version of this song, composed by Robert Crawford, appears in the Orpheus Cale- donius. Several of the verses are of a licentious character. These were expunged by Burns, who, by substituting two verses of his own, has adapted the song to modern use. By altering the chorus, Lady Nairne has caused the swain to invite the maiden to a walk by the burn-side, instead of allowing the invitation to proceed from the maiden to her lover.
Notes. 295
Note 33, Page 234-
John Tod. — So far as we can discover, the hero of this song was the Rev. John Tod, minister of Ladykirk, Berwickshire, who married a daughter of Sir Patrick Home, Bart., whose grandson succeeded to the estate of Wedderburn. There was an intimacy subsisting between our authoress and the family of Wedderburn, and some tradition respecting the uncouth manners but substantial worth of the pastor of Ladykirk may have been preserved.
Note 34, Page 236.
Jeanie Deans. — This song must have been composed subse- quent to l8i8, when The Heart 0/ Mid-Lolhian — in which the character of Jeanie Deans is introduced — was published. The narrative on which the novel is founded, and which is referred to by our Poetess, is so abundantly familiar, that it seems un- necessary to allude to it. The scenery depicted in the song is in the vicinity of the Queen's Drive, Edinburgh. "The Wells o' Weary" are situated near the Windyknowe, beneath Arthur's Seat,
Note 35, Page 238.
Fareweel, Edinburgh. — This song was probably written in 1830, when Lady Nairne abandoned Caroline Cottaga, and proceeded to join her relatives at Clifton. The city, old and new, with its "stately college," elegant churches, "palace in the sheltered glen," elevated castle, and environing mountains and " rocky brows," is admirably depicted. So are the professions of the citizens — "scribes," "big-wigs," "doctors," and men of "lear." A special compliment is reserved for the author of Waverley, which implies the writer's high admiration of that illustrious person.
In the last couplet of the first stanza, the original MS. presents the following alternative reading : —
" The auld town-guard, sae neat and trim, sae honest and sae sour. Aye stannin' near the auld St. Giles, that plays and tells the hour."
296 Notes.
The '* Auld Town-guard " of Edinburgh, which existed before the Police Acts came into operation, was composed of High- landers, some of them being old pensioners. Their rendezvous was St. Giles's church, where some of them were always to be foimd smoking, snuffing, and speaking together in the Highland vernacular.
Note 36, Page 240.
There grows a bonnie Brier Bush. — Founding on a few lines of an old ballad. Burns composed a song with this title for Johnsoii^s Museum (vol. iii. p. 508). Lady Nairne has in her version adhered to the structure of Burns' song, but has eliminated from the composition some doubtful sentiments.
Note 37, Page 243.
A Heavenly Muse. — In this short lyric. Lady Nairne cele- brates the poet Moore. — See Memoir.
Note 38, Page 243.
Dunnottar Castle. — The history of the preservation of the Scottish Regalia, during tlie period of Cromwell's invasion, is familiar to every reader of Scottish history. The circumstances are correctly related by Lady Nairne in the song. Anticipating that the insignia of the Scottish monarcliy would be seized by Cromwell's victorious troops, the Estates of Parliament entrusted them, after the battle of Dunbar, to the Earl Marischal, who deposited them in his ancient seat, the castle of Dunnottar, on the east coast, near Stonehaven. The fortress was provided with a considerable garrison, under the command of George Ogilvy of Barras. It was closely besieged by the English troops, and the governor, unable much longer to endure the blockade, was about to surrender. At this critical period his wife received a visit from their clergyman's wife, Mrs. Grainger of Kinneff, who was attended by her maid. Permission to enter the castle was readily granted them by the courtesy of the commander of the besieging army, who, when they returned, gallantly helped Mrs. Grainger to mount her horse. She and her attendant were both laden, but the true nature of their burdens was unsuspected. Mrs. Grainger had on her arm a bundle, while her maid carried in a bag some hards of lint, which she represented to be a present from the governor's wife. The bundles actually contained the
Notes, 297
crown, sceptre, and sword of state ! Mrs. Grainger reached in perfect safety the Manse of Kinneff, a few miles distant. That night, the precious insignia were deposited in a hole under the pulpit of the parish church. There they lay till after the Resto- ration, when they were presented to Charles II. To Mrs. Grainger 2,000 marks were voted by Parliament ; George Ogilvy was created a baronet ; and the third son of the Earl Marischal was appointed Knight Marischal of Scotland, and was aftenvards created Earl of Kintore.
George Keith, tenth Earl Marischal, took part in the rebellion of 1 7 15, and joined the Spanish troops in 1719, during the abortive attempt of that year on behalf of the exiled House. Having gone to Prussia, he became the chosen friend of Frederick the Great. He was Frederick's ambassador extraordinary at the Court of France, and when resident in Paris had frequent interviews with the grandfather of our Poetess. The earl's title and estates were restored by George II.
Mr. Alexander Keith of Ravelstone, brother-in-law of Lady Naime, possessed the cushion on which the regalia rested in Kinneff Church, an heirloom inherited by his nephew, who received the honour of knighthood from George IV., on asserting his claim as Knight Marischal of Scotland.
Note 39, Page 245.
The Pentland Hills. — Rullion Green is a lonely and beautiful valley skirting the base of the Pentlands. Here the Covenanters were, on the 28th November, 1666, defeated by the King's troops under General Dalziel. About fifty of the Covenanters were slain. The Jacobite upbringing of Lady Naime did not prevent her correct discernment of the faithless character of a crowned member of the house of Stuart. She refers to the perjury of Charles II., who had, when courting the favour of the Scottish people in the days of his adversity, solemnly sworn to uphold the Covenant. Her portraiture of Dalziel, antl of John Graham of Claverhouse, is discriminating and correct. Dalziel was a ferocious desperado ; Graham possessed true soldierly qualities, but he lacked the best — mercy.
Note 40, Page 248.
The Regalia. — This song represents the wounded feelings of many Scotsmen at the period of the Union of the Crowns.
298
Notes.
Before the adoption of the articles of Union by the Estates, it was provided that the Scottish Regaha should be for ever kept in Scotland. They were deposited in a strong chest, secured by several locks ; and this was placed in a strong room of Edin- burgh Castle, which was carefully bolted. After remaining so locked up for upwards of a century, they were discovered on the 4th February, 1818, by certain commissioners appointed under a royal warrant. (See Lockhart's Life of Scott, 8vo. edit., 1850, pp. 359-61.)
Notp: 41, Page 250.
The Lady Grange. — The unwarrantable detention of Mrs. Erskine of Grange, in the western isles, forms one of the most remarkable episodes in Scottish history. Mrs. Erskine was daughter of Chiesly of Dairy, who mortally wounded Sir George Lockhart, Lord President of the Court of Session, on returning from his place of worship. The disposition of Mrs. Erskine was too similar to that of her sire — she was a woman of un- governable temper, and was revengeful and unscrupulous in the accomplishment of her ends. Her husband, James Erskine, brother of the Earl of Mar, was a Lord of Session, by the title of Lord Grange. During the rebellion of 1715, he professed loyalty to the reigning House, in order to retain his office, but secretly abetted the efforts of his brother in suj^planting the Hanoverian dynasty. By concealing herself under a sofa in his business room, his wife heard his conversations with the ad- herents of the exiled House. During her ebullitions of temper, which were frequent and terrible, she threatened to expose him to Government, and he began to fear she might actually effect her menace. After consulting with his children, who were grown up, and obtaining their approval, Lord Grange had his wife seized on the 22nd April, 1732, and conducted from place to place by night journeys till she reached the Hebrides. She was detained in the Isle of Ilisker two years ; at St. Kilda, seven ; and in the Isle of Skye four, till her death in 1745. The narrative of our Poetess as to the temper of the exileil gentle- woman being subdued after her afflictions, we trust, is well- founded.
Note 42, Page 251.
Fell He on the Field of Fame. — These verses were composed on a young officer, quartered at Piershill barracks, near Edin-
Notes. 299
burgh, who fell in a duel, occasioned by a quarrel at mess. Piershill being situated in the immediate vicinity of our authoress's residence, Carolina Cottage, her attention was particularly ar- rested by this event.
Note 43. Page 260.
Her Home She is Leaving. — When the Scottish Miitstrel was in the course of publication, Lady Nairne, under her noin de plume of Mrs. Bogan, wrote to the editor, Mr. R. A. Smith, in these terms : —
"If Mr. Smith wishes to have the very sweet air Mordelia, and has not got words, perhaps the few lines enclosed may do. They were thought of long ago, when I hoped that air was con- sidered Scottish. I have struck off what I am sure would be objected to as not songish enough for the taste of the day. The air will now require to be sung each four lines, which I think answers as well as repeating each part. If not wanted, please send me them again, as possibly they may do for some other purpose, being a bit of graphickism that I would not like quite to lose."
In a subsequent letter the assumed Mrs. Bogan reverts to the subject. "The air of Mordelia is surely old. The second part especially seems to me to have the genuine pathos of the ancients." The writer proceeds to express disapproval of an alteration which had lieen made on the two opening lines of her version. They had been replaced by the two following : —
*' In all its rich wildness her home she is leaving. With sad and tearful silent grieving."
We have restored the correct reading from the original MS. There are other instances in which Lady Nairne's words have been displaced, and where unfortunately they cannot be restored.
Note 44, Page 261.
O Mountains Wild. — This composition appears in the 6'r(?/'/z>/i Minstrel, vol. iii., page loi. The authorship is in the index marked "unknown." From internal evidence, we have no hesitation in assigning it to I^ady Nairne.
300 Notes.
Note 45, Page 263.
Gude Nicht, an^ Joy be wPyea. — Sir Alexander Boswell com- posed a version of this song [Modern Scottish Minstrel, vol. ii., page 214). There are other sets, all being founded on an old fragment, called -'Armstrong's Goodnight," supposed to have owed its origin to one of the Border Armstrongs, who was exe- cuted for assassinating Sir John Carmichael, Warden of the Middle Marches, in June, 1600. — See Scoii\ Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.
Note 46, Page 265.
Would you be Young again ? — This beautiful lay is printed from the original MS. It was composed in 1842, when the Baroness had reached her seventy-sixth year.
Note 47, Page 266.
Here's to them that are Gane. —In communicating this com- position to her Edinburgh correspondent, Lady Nairne writes : —
" Here's a Health to anel lo'e Dear. —If you think the enclosed will do for that beautiiitl air, better than anything you have got, I will attend to any hints in the way of alteration. It seemed a more hopeful concern than ' One day I heard Mary say,' which, if I had never heard words for, I think might have been sup- plied. This has superseded her in the meantime, unless you have found better words. If you have, do tell me."
GLOSSARY.
Aiild Reekie, Edinburgh Ava', at all Ayont, beyond
Bairn, child
Baith, both
Battered, bent, overcome
Bawbee, money, earnings
Bear, barley
Bein, comfortable
Belyve, immediately
Ben, inner apartment
Bield, shelter
Biggit, built
Birks, birch trees
Blate, modest, bashful
Bleeze, blaze, make a show
Boukit, collected
Bree, eyebrow
Barley bree, ale or beer
Brmt, burned
Bum, stream
Buskit, attired
Byre, cowhouse
Gallant, a stripling Caller, fresh Cannily, cautiously Cantrip, a spell, or charm Canty, cheerful Carline, old woman Castocks, the core or pith
of cabbage Claes, clothes Clavers, frivolous talk Cleadin', clothing Clish-ma-clavers, absurd talk
Cogie, a timber vessel Collie, a shepherd's dog Corbie, a raven Coul, cap, hood Couped, overturned Cour, cover Crouse, brisk
Daft, deranged Daurna, dare not Dautit, fondled Ding, overcome Disjaskit, decayed Dookit, dove-cot Dorty, pettish Doos, pigeons Dree, endure Dule, sorrow
Eerie, dreary, afraid Eident, diligent Eldrich, haimted
Fain, joyfal
Fairnies, ferns
Farin', food, entertainment
Fashous, troublesome
Fause, false
Fecht, fight
Feckless, feeble
Fend, fare, shift
Fell, acute, mettlesome
Ferlie, wonder
Fifish, somewhat deranged
Fleeched, soothed
Fugy, a coward
302
Glossary.
Gate, road
Gaun, going
Gawkie, a foolish person
Genty, elegantly formed
Gini, weep
Glaikit, giddy
Gloamin', twilight
Gowd, gold
Greet, weep
Gruesome, unsightly
Gude, good
Hale, whole Halesome, wholesome Hantle, a considerable
number Happit, wrapped Haud, hold Havers, foolish talk Hawkie, a cow Hirdin', herding Houlit, an owl Hurley, a wheelbarrow
Ilka, each
Kail, broth
Kebbuck, a cheese
Keek, look
Kimmer, crony, gossip
Kist, chest
Kith, acquaintance
Knowes, hillocks
Lane, alone, solitary
Lave, remainder
Leal, loyal, true
Lea-rig, ridge of unploughed
land Liefu', lonely Lightlie, to depreciate Liltin', singing cheerfully Linkin', walking smartly
Loun, warm
Lucky, an elderly woman
Maen, moan
Mavis, a thrush
Mickle, much
Minnie, mother
Mirk, dark
Mutch, a female head-dress
Neep, turnip
Ournatang, an orang-outang Owre, over
Pickle, a small quantity Plenishing, farm stocking,
or house furniture Poortith, poverty Prin, pin
Randy, a scold Reamin', skimmirvg Rig, a field or division of it Ro'uh, plenty Routing, bellowing Rummulgumshion, commor sense
Sair, sore Saul, soul # Shanks-neggie, to travel on foot Shaw, plantation Skaith, hurt Skirlin', crying shrilly Spae, foretell Speir, enquire Steek, shut Steer, stir, excite Sough, a rushing sound Sonsie, plump Sud, should Swither, hesitate
Glossary.
303
Tapsie-teerie, topsy-turvy Taupie, a slovenly woman Tautit, shaggy, rough Tent, take heed Thewless, unprofitable Thole, endure Tocher, dowry Toom, empty
Unco, very
Vogie, cheerful
Wae, woeful Wean, child Wee, small
Weel's me, happy am I Weel-tappit, well-topped Wendin', waning Wud, wild, mad Wyled, selected
Yett, gate Yont, beyond Yows, ewes
\
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