chronicles of the canongate-第11章

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econded　the　efforts　of　my　invaluable　friend　in　bringing　the　cause　on　which　my　liberty　and　the　remnant　of　my　property　depended　to　a　favourable　decision。　　He　had　given　me　a　most　kind　reception　on　my　return。　　He　was　too　much　engaged　in　his　profession　for　me　to　intrude　on　him　often；　and　perhaps　his　mind　was　too　much　trammelled　with　its　details　to　permit　his　being　willingly　withdrawn　from　them。　　In　short；　he　was　not　a　person　of　my　poor　friend　Sommerville's　expanded　spirit；　and　rather　a　lawyer　of　the　ordinary　class　of　formalists；　but　a　most　able　and　excellent　man。　When　my　estate　was　sold！　　he　retained　some　of　the　older　title…　deeds；　arguing；　from　his　own　feelings；　that　they　would　be　of　more　consequence　to　the　heir　of　the　old　family　than　to　the　new　purchaser。　　And　when　I　returned　to　Edinburgh；　and　found　him　still　in　the　exercise　of　the　profession　to　which　he　was　an　honour；　he　sent　to　my　lodgings　the　old　family　Bible；　which　lay　always　on　my　father's　table；　two　or　three　other　mouldy　volumes；　and　a　couple　of　sheepskin　bags　full　of　parchments　and　papers；　whose　appearance　was　by　no　means　inviting。

The　next　time　I　shared　Mr。　Fairscribe's　hospitable　dinner；　I　failed　not　to　return　him　due　thanks　for　his　kindness；　which　acknowledgment；　indeed；　I　proportioned　rather　to　the　idea　which　I　knew　he　entertained　of　the　value　of　such　things；　than　to　the　interest　with　which　I　myself　regarded　them。　　But　the　conversation　turning　on　my　family；　who　were　old　proprietors　in　the　Upper　Ward　of　Clydesdale；　gradually　excited　some　interest　in　my　mind　and　when　I　retired　to　my　solitary　parlour；　the　first　thing　I　did　was　to　look　for　a　pedigree　or　sort　of　history　of　the　family　or　House　of　Croftangry；　once　of　that　Ilk；　latterly　of　Glentanner。　　The　discoveries　which　I　made　shall　enrich　the　next　chapter。



CHAPTER　II。

IN　WHICH　MR。　CROFTANGRY　CONTINUES　HIS　STORY。

　　〃What's　property；　dear　Swift？　　I　see　it　alter　　　　From　you　to　me；　from　me　to　Peter　Walter。〃

〃CroftangryCroftandrewCroftanridgeCroftandgrey　for　sa　mony　wise　hath　the　name　been　spellitis　weel　known　to　be　ane　house　of　grit　antiquity；　and　it　is　said　that　King　Milcolumb；　or　Malcolm；　being　the　first　of　our　Scottish　princes　quha　removit　across　the　Firth　of　Forth；　did　reside　and　occupy　ane　palace　at　Edinburgh；　and　had　there　ane　valziant　man；　who　did　him　man…service　by　keeping　the　croft；　or　corn…land；　which　was　tilled　for　the　convenience　of　the　King's　household；　and　was　thence　callit　Croft…　an…ri；　that　is　to　say；　the　King　his　croft；　quhilk　place；　though　now　coverit　with　biggings；　is　to　this　day　called　Croftangry；　and　lyeth　near　to　the　royal　palace。　　And　whereas　that　some　of　those　who　bear　this　auld　and　honourable　name　may　take　scorn　that　it　ariseth　from　the　tilling　of　the　ground；　quhilk　men　account　a　slavish　occupation；　yet　we　ought　to　honour　the　pleugh　and　spade；　seeing　we　all　derive　our　being　from　our　father　Adam；　whose　lot　it　became　to　cultivate　the　earth；　in　respect　of　his　fall　and　transgression。

〃Also　we　have　witness；　as　weel　in　holy　writt　as　in　profane　history；　of　the　honour　in　quhilk　husbandrie　was　held　of　old；　and　how　prophets　have　been　taken　from　the　pleugh；　and　great　captains　raised　up　to　defend　their　ain　countries；　sic　as　Cincinnatus；　and　the　like；　who　fought　not　the　common　enemy　with　the　less　valiancy　that　their　alms　had　been　exercised　in　halding　the　stilts　of　the　pleugh；　and　their　bellicose　skill　in　driving　of　yauds　and　owsen。

〃Likewise　there　are　sindry　honorable　families；　quhilk　are　now　of　our　native　Scottish　nobility；　and　have　clombe　higher　up　the　brae　of　preferment　than　what　this　house　of　Croftangry　hath　done；　quhilk　shame　not　to　carry　in　their　warlike　shield　and　insignia　of　dignity　the　tools　and　implements　the　quhilk　their　first　forefathers　exercised　in　labouring　the　croft…rig；　or；　as　the　poet　Virgilius　calleth　it　eloquently；　in　subduing　the　soil；　and　no　doubt　this　ancient　house　of　Croftangry；　while　it　continued　to　be　called　of　that　Ilk；　produced　many　worshipful　and　famous　patriots；　of　quhom　I　now　praetermit　the　names；　it　being　my　purpose；　if　God　shall　spare　me　life　for　sic　ane　pious　officium；　or　duty；　to　resume　the　first　part　of　my　narrative　touching　the　house　of　Croftangry；　when　I　can　set　down　at　length　the　evidents　and　historical　witness　anent　the　facts　which　I　shall　allege；　seeing　that　words；　when　they　are　unsupported　by　proofs；　are　like　seed　sown　on　the　naked　rocks；　or　like　an　house　biggit　on　the　flitting　and　faithless　sands。〃

Here　I　stopped　to　draw　breath；　for　the　style　of　my　grandsire；　the　inditer　of　this　goodly　matter；　was　rather　lengthy；　as　our　American　friends　say。　　Indeed；　I　reserve　the　rest　of　the　piece　until　I　can　obtain　admission　to　the　Bannatine　Club；　＇This　Club；　of　which　the　Author　of　Waverley　has　the　honour　to　be　President；　was　instituted　in　February　1823；　for　the　purpose　of　printing　and　publishing　works　illustrative　of　the　history；　literature；　and　antiquities　of　Scotland。　　It　continues　to　prosper；　and　has　already　rescued　from　oblivion　many　curious　materials　of　Scottish　history。＇　　when　I　propose　to　throw　off　an　edition；　limited　according　to　the　rules　of　that　erudite　Society；　with　a　facsimile　of　the　manuscript；　emblazonry　of　the　family　arms　surrounded　by　their　quartering；　and　a　handsome　disclamation　of　family　pride；　with　HAEC　NOS　NOVIMUS　ESSE　NIHIL；　or　VIX　EA　NOSTRA　VOCO。

In　the　meantime；　to　speak　truth；　I　cannot　but　suspect　that；　though　my　worthy　ancestor　puffed　vigorously　to　swell　up　the　dignity　of　his　family；　we　had　never；　in　fact；　risen　above　the　rank　of　middling　proprietors。　　The　estate　of　Glentanner　came　to　us　by　the　intermarriage　of　my　ancestor　with　Tib　Sommeril；　termed　by　the　southrons　Sommerville；　a　daughter　of　that　noble　house；　but；　I　fear；　on　what　my　great…grandsire　calls　〃the　wrong　side　of　the　blanket。〃　　　＇The　ancient　Norman　family　of　the　Sommervilles　came　into　this　island　with　William　the　Conqueror；　and　established　one　branch　in　Gloucestershire；　another　in　Scotland。　　After　the　lapse　of　seven　hundred　years；　the　remaining　possessions　of　these　two　branches　were　united　in　the　person　of　the　late　Lord　Sommerville；　on　the　death　of　his　English　kinsman；　the　well…known　author　of　〃The　Chase。〃＇　　Her　husband；　Gilbert；　was　killed　fighting；　as　the　INQUISITIO　POST　MORTEM　has　it；　〃SUB　VEXILLO　REGIS；　APUD　PRAELIUM　JUXTA　BRANXTON；　LIE　FLODDDEN…FIELD。〃

We　had　our　share　in　other　national　misfortuneswere　forfeited；　like　Sir　John　Colville　of　the　Dale；　for　following　our　betters　to　the　field　of　Langside；　and　in　the　contentious　times　of　the　last　Stewarts　we　were　severely　fined　for　harbouring　and　resetting　intercommuned　ministers；　and　narrowly　escaped　giving　a　martyr　to　the　Calendar　of　the　Covenant；　in　the　person　of　the　father　of　our　family　historian。　　He　〃took　the　sheaf　from　the　mare；〃　however；　as　the　MS。　expresses　it；　and　agreed　to　accept　of　the　terms　of　pardon　offered　by　Government；　and　sign　the　bond　in　evidence　he　would　give　no　further　ground　of　offence。　　My　grandsire　glosses　over　his　father's　backsliding　as　smoothly　as　he　can；　and　comforts　himself　with　ascribing　his　want　of　resolution　to　his　unwillingness　to　wreck　the　ancient　name　and　family；　and　to　permit　his　lands　and　lineage　to　fall　under　a　doom　of　forfeiture。

〃And　indeed；〃　said　the　venerable　compiler；　〃as；　praised　be　God；　we　seldom　meet　in　Scotland　with　these　belly…gods　and　voluptuaries；　whilk　are　unnatural　enough　to　devour　their　patrimony　bequeathed　to　them　by　their　forbears　in　chambering　and　wantonness；　so　that　they　come；　with　the　prodigal　son；　to　the　husks　and　the　swine…trough；　and　as　I　have　the　less　to　dreid　the　existence　of　such　unnatural　Neroes　in　mine　own　family　to　devour　the　substance　of　their　own　house　like　brute　beasts　out　of　mere　gluttonie　and　Epicurishnesse；　so　I　need　only　warn　mine　descendants　against　over…hastily　meddling　with　the　mutations　in　state　and　in　religion；　which　have　been　near…hand　to　the　bringing　this　poor　house　of　Croftangry　to　perdition；　as　we　have　shown　more　than　once。　　And　albeit　I　would　not　that　my　successors　sat　still　altogether　when　called　on　by　their　duty　to　Kirk　and　King；　yet　I　would　have　them　wait　till　stronger　and　walthier　men　than　themselves　were　up；　so　that　either　they　may　have　the　better　chance　of　getting　through　the　day；　or；　failing　of　that；　the　conquering　party　having　some　fatter　quarry　to　live　upon；　may；　like　gorged　hawks；　spare　the　smaller　game。〃

There　was　something　in　this　conclusion　which　at　first　reading　piqued　me　extremely；　and　I　was　so　unnatural　as　to　curse　the　whole　concern；　as　poor；　bald；　pitiful　trash；　in　which　a　silly　old　man　was　saying　a　great　deal　about　nothing　at　all。　　Nay；　my　first　impression　was　to　thrust　it　into　the　fire；　the　rather　that　it　reminded　me；　in　no　very　flattering　manner；　of　the　loss　of　the　family　property；　to　which　the　compiler　of　the　history　was　so　much　attached；　in　the　very　manner　which　he　most　severely　reprobated。　It　even　seemed　to　my　aggrieved　feelings　that　his　unprescient　gaze　on　futurity；　in　which　he　could　not　anticipate　the　folly　of　one　of　his　descendants；　who　should　throw　away　the　whole　inheritance　in　a　few　years　of　idle　expense　and　folly；　was　meant　as　a　personal　incivility　to　myself；　though　written　fifty　or　sixty　years　before　I　was　born。

A　little　reflection　made　me　ashamed　or　this　feeling　of　impatience；　and　as　I　looked　at　the　even；　concise；　yet　tremulous　hand　in　which　the　manuscript　was　written；　I　could　not　help　thinking；　according　to　an　opinion　I　have　heard　seriously　maintained；　that　something　of　a　man's　character　may　be　conjectured　from　his　handwriting。　　That　neat　but　crowded　and　constrained　small…hand　argued　a　man　of　a　good　conscience；　well…　regulated　passions；　and；　to　use　his　own　phrase；　an　upright　walk　in　life；　but　it　also　indicated　narrowness　of　spirit；　inveterate　prejudice；　and　hinted　at　some　degree　of　intolerance；　which；　though　not　natural　to　the　disposition；　had　arisen　out　of　a　limited　education。　　The　passages　from　Scripture　and　the　classics；　rather　profusely　than　happily　introduced；　and　written　in　a　half…　text　character　to　mark　their　importance；　illustrated　that　peculiar　sort　of　pedantry　which　always　considers　the　argument　as　gained　if　secured　by　a　quotation。　　Then　the　flourished　capital　letters；　which　ornamented　the　commencement　of　each　paragraph；　and　the　names　of　his　family　and　of　his　ancestors　whenever　these　occurred　in　the　page；　do　they　not　express　forcibly　the　pride　and　sense　of　importance　with　which　the　author　undertook　and　accomplished　his　task？　　I　persuaded　myself　the　whole　was　so　complete　a　portrait　of　the　man；　that　it　would　not　have　been　a　more　undutiful　act　to　have　defaced　his　picture；　or　even　to　have　disturbed　his　bones　in　his　coffin；　than　to　destroy　his　manuscript。　　I　thought；　for　a　moment；　of　presenting　it　to　Mr。　Fairscribe；　but　that　confounded　passage　about　the　prodigal　and　swine…troughI　settled　at　last　it　was　as　well　to　lock　it　up　in　my　own　bureau；　with　the　intention　to　look　at　it　no　more。

But　I　do　not　know　how　it　was；　that　the　subject　began　to　sit　nearer　my　heart　than　I　was　aware　of；　and　I　found　myself　repeatedly　engaged　in　reading　descriptions　of　farms　which　were　no　longer　mine；　and　boundaries　which　marked　the　property　of　others。　A　love　of　the　NATALE　SOLUM；　if　Swift　be　right　in　translating　these　words；　〃family　estate；〃　began　to　awaken　in　my　bosomthe　recollections　of　my　own　youth　adding　little　to　it；　save　what　was