Ringan Gilhaize

John Galt

Description

John Galt's ambitious novel Ringan Gilhaize presents a detailed historical account of the rise of opposing religious factions in Scotland in the early modern period. Told by the eponymous character, the story begins with the life of Ringan's grandfather and proceeds to the period of Ringan himself, detailing virtually every significant event in the country's history along the way.

Sujets

• Historical fiction

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776580859
• Langue: English

Extrait

RINGAN GILHAIZE
OR, THE COVENANTERS
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JOHN GALT
 
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Ringan Gilhaize Or, The Covenanters From an 1899 edition Epub ISBN 978-1-77658-085-9 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77658-086-6 © 2014 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Introduction - A Neglected Masterpiece Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI Chapter VII Chapter VIII Chapter IX Chapter X Chapter XI Chapter XII Chapter XIII Chapter XIV Chapter XV Chapter XVI Chapter XVII Chapter XVIII Chapter XIX Chapter XX Chapter XXI Chapter XXII Chapter XXIII Chapter XXIV Chapter XXV Chapter XXVI Chapter XXVII Chapter XXVIII Chapter XXIX Chapter XXX Chapter XXXI Chapter XXXII Chapter XXXIII Chapter XXXIV Chapter XXXV Chapter XXXVI Chapter XXXVII Chapter XXXVIII Chapter XXXIX Chapter XL Chapter XLI Chapter XLII Chapter XLIII Chapter XLIV Chapter XLV Chapter XLVI Chapter XLVII Chapter XLVIII Chapter XLIX Chapter L Chapter LI Chapter LII Chapter LIII Chapter LIV Chapter LV Chapter LVI Chapter LVII Chapter LVIII Chapter LIX Chapter LX Chapter LXI Chapter LXII Chapter LXIII Chapter LXIV Chapter LXV Chapter LXVI Chapter LXVII Chapter LXVIII Chapter LXIX Chapter LXX Chapter LXXI Chapter LXXII Chapter LXXIII Chapter LXXIV Chapter LXXV Chapter LXXVI Chapter LXXVII Chapter LXXVIII Chapter LXXIX Chapter LXXX Chapter LXXXI Chapter LXXXII Chapter LXXXIII Chapter LXXXIV Chapter LXXXV Chapter LXXXVI Chapter LXXXVII Chapter LXXXVIII Chapter LXXXIX Chapter XC Chapter XCI Chapter XCII Chapter XCIII Glossary Endnotes
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Their constancy in torture and in death— These on Tradition's tongue still live, these shall On History's honest page be pictured bright To latest times.
GRAHAME'S SABBATH.
Introduction - A Neglected Masterpiece
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There have, of course, been many men of genius who have united withgreat laxity and waywardness in their lives a high and perfect respectfor their art; but instances of the directly contrary practice are muchrarer, and among these there is probably none more prominent than thatof the author of Ringan Gilhaize . Gifted by nature with a facultywhich was at once brilliant, powerful and genial, he led an industriouslife, the upright and generally exemplary character of which has neverfor a moment been called in question. But, in the sphere of his art, itis as undeniable as unaccountable that he cared little or nothing to dohis best. The haps or whims of the moment seem, indeed, to have governedhis production with an influence as of stars malign or fortunate.Furthermore, we know that the profession of authorship—that mostdistinguished of all professions, as, speaking in sober sadness withoutarrogance, we cannot but be bold to call it—that profession from whichhe was himself so well equipt to derive honour—was held by him in lowesteem. So that, speaking of the time of his residence in Upper Canada,he thinks no shame to observe that he did then consider himselfqualified to do something more useful than "stringing blethers [1] intorhyme," or "writing 'clishmaclavers' in a closet." And again says he,"to tell the truth, I have sometimes felt a little shamefaced inthinking myself so much an author, in consequence of the estimation inwhich I view the profession of book-making in general. A mere literaryman—an author by profession—stands low in my opinion." Such remarks asthese from a man of commanding literary talent are the reverse ofpleasant reading. But let us deal with the speaker, as we wouldourselves be dealt by—mercifully, and regard these petulant utterancesas a mere expression of bitterness or perversity in one much tried andsorely disappointed. Even so, the fact remains that the sum of Galt'simmense and varied production exhibits inequalities of execution forwhich only carelessness or contempt in the worker for his task canadequately account. We shall presently have occasion to speak of him inhis relation to the great contemporary writer to whose life and work hisown work and life present so many interesting points of similarity anddiversity; but we may here note that, in the glaringly disparatecharacter of his output, the author of The Provost is in absolutecontrast to the author of The Antiquary . For, if Scott's work viewedas a whole be rarely of the very finest literary quality, its evennesswithin its own limits is on the other hand very striking indeed. For, ofhis twenty-seven novels, there are perhaps but three which fallperceptibly below the general level of excellence; whilst probably anyone of at least as many as six or eight might by a quorum of competentjudges be selected as the best of all. And hence, where in the case ofother authors we are called on to read this masterpiece or thosespecimens, and, having done so, are held to have acquitted ourselves,in the case of Scott we cannot feel that we have done our duty till wehave read through the Waverley Novels. How entirely different is it withGalt—where we find The Omen occupying one shelf with The Radical , The Annals of the Parish catalogued with Lawrie Todd , and TheSpaewife side by side with The Covenanters ! And obviously it is inthis inequality in its author's work—in the magnitude, that is, of therubbish-heap in which he chose to secrete his jewels—that theexplanation of the neglect, if not rather oblivion, into which the worklast-named has fallen can alone be sought and found. For, once in thethreescore years of his busy life, Galt did his best, consistently andon a large scale, with the pen; and that once was in the novel of Ringan Gilhaize, or the Covenanters . What is more—however lamentablyhe may appear in general to lack the faculty of self-criticism—he knewwhen he had done his best, and among all his books this one remained hisfavourite. But a man has to pay for artistic as he has for moraldelinquencies, and it would seem that the penalty of many a carelesstome has been exacted in the obscuration of one of the finest and truestof historical romances in our language. [2] A word or two as to thegenesis and character of the book which we have ventured thus todescribe may not be out of place as preface to our endeavour to obtainfor it a second hearing.
It was in the year 1822 or 1823 that Galt, aged then about forty-three,and having already seen much of life in various countries andcapacities, settled at Esk Grove, Musselburgh, to apply himself towriting historical fiction. He was for the moment elated—carried away,perhaps, for his temper was enthusiastic even to a fault—by the recentand deserved success of his novels of Scottish manners, Sir AndrewWylie and The Entail ; and the soaring idea appears to have enteredhis head of deliberately attempting to rival Scott in the very fieldwhich "the Wizard" had made peculiarly his own. From the point of viewof prudence, though not from that of art or of sport, this enterprisewas a mistake. For an author, serving as he does the public, shows nomore than common sense if he endeavour to study, in the proper degree,the idiosyncrasies of that employer on whose favour his reputation, nay,perhaps the payment of his butcher's bill, depends. And it has long beenobserved that when the public has once made up its mind that one man issupreme in his own line, it has generally little attention to spare forthose who seek to have it reconsider its decision. (This, by the way,was amply illustrated in the sequel of the very case now underdiscussion.) But the names of Galt and Prudence do not naturally gotogether: indeed, the two were never well or for any length of timeacquainted. At Esk Grove, either in earnest, or, as seems more likely,in banter of the architectural incongruities of Abbotsford, Galtannounced his intention of building a "veritable fortress," exactly inthe fashion of the oldest times of rude warfare. En attendant , heworked hard with his pen, the first fruits of his industry appearing inthe novel which is here reprinted after some six-and-seventy years.
What of the merits of this first attempt in a line that was new to him?In the first place, he had at least been guided in his choice of subjectby an unerring historical instinct. For, surpassingly rich as isScottish history in the elements both of picturesque and romanticincident and of wild and fascinating character, it is none the less afact that there is but one period during which that history rises to thedignity of a really wide and permanent interest. And that period is ofcourse the century, or century and a half, of the national struggle forreligious liberty. It is not necessary to remind the reader that uponthat struggle, and on those who maintained it, much has been written aswell in the terms of undiscriminating eulogy as in those ofuncomprehending condemnation. Nor is it more to the purpose to add thatthe truth lies neither entirely on one side nor the other. For—as inthe earlier struggle for political independence, and, indeed, more orless in all other great national movements—the motives of most of thosewho took part were mixed, and varied with the individual. Thus it isundeniable that in the breast of many a reforming Scottish laird of thesixteenth century, mistrust of Rome was a subordinate feeling to thecovetousness excited by the sight of extensive and well-cultivatedChurch lands; whilst, again, there are, on the other hand, probably fewpersons now in existence who would be prepared to justify theintolerance embodied even by the martyr Guthrie in his celebratedRemonstrance—to say nothi