Waverley; Or 'Tis Sixty Years Since — Complete Read online

  PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

  To this slight attempt at a sketch of ancient Scottish manners thepublic have been more favourable than the Author durst have hoped orexpected. He has heard, with a mixture of satisfaction and humility,his work ascribed to more than one respectable name. Considerations,which seem weighty in his particular situation, prevent his releasingthose gentlemen from suspicion by placing his own name in thetitle-page; so that, for the present at least, it must remain uncertainwhether Waverley be the work of a poet or a critic, a lawyer or aclergyman, or whether the writer, to use Mrs. Malaprop's phrase, be,'like Cerberus, three gentlemen at once.' The Author, as he isunconscious of anything in the work itself (except perhaps itsfrivolity) which prevents its finding an acknowledged father, leaves itto the candour of the public to choose among the many circumstancespeculiar to different situations in life such as may induce him tosuppress his name on the present occasion. He may be a writer new topublication, and unwilling to avow a character to which he isunaccustomed; or he may be a hackneyed author, who is ashamed of toofrequent appearance, and employs this mystery, as the heroine of theold comedy used her mask, to attract the attention of those to whom herface had become too familiar. He may be a man of a grave profession, towhom the reputation of being a novel-writer might be prejudicial; or hemay be a man of fashion, to whom writing of any kind might appearpedantic. He may be too young to assume the character of an author, orso old as to make it advisable to lay it aside.

  The Author of Waverley has heard it objected to this novel, that, inthe character of Callum Beg and in the account given by the Baron ofBradwardine of the petty trespasses of the Highlanders upon triflingarticles of property, he has borne hard, and unjustly so, upon theirnational character. Nothing could be farther from his wish orintention. The character of Callum Beg is that of a spirit naturallyturned to daring evil, and determined, by the circumstances of hissituation, to a particular species of mischief. Those who have perusedthe curious Letters from the Highlands, published about 1726, will findinstances of such atrocious characters which fell under the writer'sown observation, though it would be most unjust to consider suchvillains as representatives of the Highlanders of that period, any morethan the murderers of Marr and Williamson can be supposed to representthe English of the present day. As for the plunder supposed to havebeen picked up by some of the insurgents in 1745, it must be rememberedthat, although the way of that unfortunate little army was neithermarked by devastation nor bloodshed, but, on the contrary, was orderlyand quiet in a most wonderful degree, yet no army marches through acountry in a hostile manner without committing some depredations; andseveral, to the extent and of the nature jocularly imputed to them bythe Baron, were really laid to the charge of the Highland insurgents;for which many traditions, and particularly one respecting the Knightof the Mirror, may be quoted as good evidence. [Footnote: A homelymetrical narrative of the events of the period, which contains somestriking particulars, and is still a great favourite with the lowerclasses, gives a very correct statement of the behaviour of themountaineers respecting this same military license; and, as the versesare little known, and contain some good sense, we venture to insertthem.]