Guidance and rest, and food and fire, 65 Then rest thee here till dawn of day; O'er stock and stone, through watch and ward, 70 From thence thy warrant is thy sword." 66 I take thy courtesy, by Heaven, As freely as 't is nobly given !" "Well, rest thee; for the bittern's cry 75 With that he shook the gathered heath, SIR WALTER SCOTT. 23. Fitz-James, the assumed name, in the poem, of the Scottish king, who has lost his way while hunting. Roderick, his enemy, into whose presence he has unknowingly come. When they reach Coilantogle's ford, the mountaineer explains, "Saxon, I am Roderick Dhu." No context warns us of the change in speaker from line 17 to line 42. Line 16. Saxon. - Roderick does not recognize the king, but the "hunting suit of Lincoln green" bespeaks the Lowlander. An ancient feud existed between the Highlanders (Gaels) and the Lowlanders (Saxons) and they were continually at war. Line 24. Murderous hand. - Roderick Dhu's raids on the Lowlanders suggest the horrible butcheries of Indian attacks. Lines 25-30. "We gave laws to hares and deer, because they are beasts of chase; but it was never accounted cruelty or foul play to knock foxes or wolves on the head as they can be found, because they are beasts of prey." - ST. JOHN. Line 31. 31. Express in full, thus treacherous scouts. whom are they treacherous? To Line 32. A scout had brought word to Roderick of the presence of a Lowland "spy." Line 38. A spur was formerly a badge of knighthood. Line 40. Fitz-James had a particular cause against Roderick Dhu in that he, Fitz-James, had promised to avenge the death of a Lowland maiden killed on the preceding day by his treacherous guide, one of Roderick's men, and also of her bridegroom, killed by Roderick in one of his raids. Lines 41-47. A characteristic feature of Highlanders was their high notions of hospitality. "Such then the reverence to a guest, Canto I. Stanza XXIX. Line 44. The hardened flesh of mountain deer. An uncooked meat that was reckoned a great delicacy among the Scottish Highlanders in early times. It was prepared only by compressing raw meat between two pieces of wood so as to force out the blood and render it extremely hard. Lines 53, 54. Upon thy fate. - The fate of the first foeman (Canto IV. Stanza VI). "Which spills the foremost foeman's life, That party conquers in the strife." A mighty augury.- The "Taghairm " (Canto IV. Stanza IV). An old Highland mode of "reading the future." "A person was wrapped up in the skin of a newly slain bullock, and deposited beside a waterfall, or at the bottom of a precipice, or in some other strange, wild, and unusual situation. In this situation he revolved in his mind the question proposed, and whatever was impressed upon him by his exalted imagination passed for the inspiration of the disembodied spirits who haunt the desolate recesses." - SCOTT. Brian, the hermit monk, had made the test for Roderick Dhu regarding the outcome of the impending combat. Reread: Chap. I. No. 22. Chap. VI. Nos. 26, 28, 38. Chap. VII. Nos. 21, 34, 35, 43. Chap. XI. (Part I) Nos. 3, 4, 13; (PART II) Nos. 17, 18; (PART III) Nos. 1, 10. SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN REVIEW 1. In what way is line 1, No. 2, a step harder than line 1, No. I? 2. The reader must take the part of how many speakers in No. 3? Who are they? How many hearers are indicated? Who are they? 3. (No. 4.) What is the difference between the little boy and the story-teller? To whom does the little boy speak? The story-teller? 4. Complete the broken sentences in Nos. 5, 9, 10. 5. (No. 20.) What is the feeling in line 1? In line 3 4 5? Who is speaking in line 7? 6. (No. 20.) Define to marshal us, gallant crest, fray, oriflamme, din, culverin, pricking fast, hireling, chivalry. 7. (No. 22.) Who was Tell? Why does Tell break sentence 6, line 25? What did he probably start to say? 8. (No. 23.) Express in your own words the meaning of lines 25-30. 9. Quote the lines that you like best in No. 23, and tell why you prefer them. CHAPTER XIII STUDIES IN GRADATION OF IDEAS AND EMOTIONS Our study of series (Chapter V) showed us the regularity with which one idea may follow another. The parts of the series in those illustrations were, as a rule, of equal thought value and equal emotional strength, and we dwelt particularly upon the recognition and relation of the parts. In this chapter we deal with series made up of parts in which there is a gradation of thought and emotion. The gradation may find expression in the repetition of a single word or words (see Nos. 1, 2), or in a series of different words (3, 4). In length, the parts may vary from a single word to entire sentences or paragraphs (3, 21); the gradation of thought may be either ascending or descending, toward the stronger or the weaker (5, 15). The difficulty of interpretation lies in the measure of the increase or decrease. The cause of imperfect work is usually that the reader attempts to give the thought before he has really grasped its range. In seeing or feeling the bigness of part two, he loses consciousness of part four, and finds himself at the limit of growth before the last stage is reached. Our work in Chapter XIII is, therefore, particularly along two lines: that of increasing our mental “reach"; and that of expressing degrees of strength. SELECTIONS AND SUGGESTIVE STUDIES I. On! ON! you noble English. 2. "To arms! to ARMS! to ARMS!" they cry! 3. They shouted, VICTORY! "France! SPAIN! ALBION ! 4. It is not of six strokes that I complain, nor of sixty, but of millions. 5. A sail! ten sail! a hundred sail! nay, nigh two hundred strong! The Invincible Armada· SIR LEWIS MORRIS. 6. He sank he rose And for the ship struck out. A Leap for Life — GEORGE POPE MORRIS. 7. I am thinking if Aunt knew so little of sin, What a wonder Aunt Tabitha's aunt must have been! And her grand-aunt — it scares me ! Aunt Tabitha · OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES. I, 2. What moves the speaker to repeat the words? 3. Gradation in enthusiasm with the presentation of new ideas. 4, 5. Gradation in thought. 6. Which of the thoughts show gradation? 8. What is the difference in the meanings of the words connected by or? How many of the five divisions show gradation? |