"The which he will not every hour survey,
For blunting the fine point of seldom pleasure;
T. G. of V. i. 2. 136: "Yet here they shall not lie for catching cold;"
Beaumont and Fletcher, Captain, iii. 5: "We'll have a bib for spoiling
of thy doublet," etc.
887. Earl William. The Douglas who was stabbed by James II. See on 551
above.
Canto Sixth.
"Lord Jeffrey has objected to the guard-room scene and its accompanying
song as the greatest blemish in the whole poem. The scene contrasts
forcibly with the grace which characterizes the rest; but in a
poem which rests its interest upon incident, such a criticism seems
overstrained. It gives us a vigorous picture of a class of men who
played a very important part in the history of the time, especially
across the Border; men who, many of them outlaws, and fighting, not for
country or for king, but for him who paid them best, were humored
with every license when they were not on strict military duty. The
requirements of the narrative might have been satisfied without these
details, it is true; but the use which Sir Walter has made of them--to
show the power of beauty and innocence, and the chords of tenderness and
goodness which lie ready to vibrate in the wildest natures--may surely
reconcile us to such a piece of realism.
"The scene of Roderick's death harmonizes well with his character. The
minstrel's account of the battle the poet himself felt to be somewhat
long, and yet it is difficult to see how it could be curtailed without
spoiling it. It is full of life and vigor, and our only cause of
surprise is that the lay should only come to a sudden stand when it is
really completed" (Taylor).
6. Scaring, etc. The 1st ed. reads: "And scaring prowling robbers to
their den."