PUKFACK. XI
me a song of salutation to one who, honoured by me as master, is not less dear to me as a man : —
Profoundly dreamt a youth on Northland waste; But no — it is not waste where fairy rings Reflect the past as well as future things, Where love and woe in boding tones are drest.
They greeted him, they kissed him, and retreated ; They left for him an instrument of sound, Whose forceful strings with highest deeds could bound. And yet with childish frolics be entreated.
He wakes — the gift he seizes, comprehending Its sweet mystf-rious pleasure how to prove, And pours it forth in pure harmonious blending.
O mayst thou, ever victor, joyful move,
Thou Northland sailor, on life's voyage wending.
Conscious of God within thee and above. '
It may not be uninteresting to append in this place an extract from the introduction to " Guy Mannering," as it appeared in the collected edition of the works of the author of " Waverley," in
" The novel or romance of Waverley made its way to the pub- lic slowly, of course, at first, but afterwards with such accumulat- ina; pojiularity as so encourage the author to a second attempt. He looked about for a name and a subject ; and the manner in which the novels were comjiosed cannot be better illustrated than by reciting the simple narrative on which ' Guy Mannering' was originally founded; but to which, in the progress of the work, the production ceased to bear any, even the most distant resemblance. .... A grave and elderly person, according to old .lohn MacKin- lay's account, while travelling in the wilder parts of Galloway, was benighted. With difficulty he found his way to a country-seat, where, with the hospitality of the time and country, he was readily admitted. The owner of the house, a gentleman of good fortune, was much struck by the reverend appearance of his guest, and apologised to him for a certain degree of confusion which must unavoidably attend his reception, and could not escape his eye. The lady of the house was, he said, confined to her apartment, and on the point of making her husband a father for the first time, though they had been ten years married. At such an emer- gency, the laird said he feared his guest might meet with some apjiarent neglect.
"' Not so, sir,' said the stranger; ' my wants are few, and
