"In humour highly crossed About some steeds his band had lost, High words to words succeeding still, Smote with his gauntlet stout Hunthill; A hot and hardy Rutherford, Whom men call Dickon Draw-the-Sword. Stern Rutherford right little said, But bit his glove, and shook his head.-- A fortnight thence, in Inglewood, Stout Conrad, cold and drenched in blood, His bosom gored with many a wound, Was by a woodman's lyme-dog [78] found; Unknown the manner of his death, Gone was his brand, both sword and sheath; But ever from that time, 'twas said That Dickon wore a Cologne blade."
Such the race,--such the school education,--of Scott's mother. Of her home education, you may judge by what she herself said of her father to her son's tutor (whose exquisitely grotesque letter, for the rest, vol. i., p. 108,) is alone enough to explain Scott's inevitable future perception of the weakness of religious egotism.
"Mrs. Scott told me that, when prescribing for his patients, it was Dr. Rutherford's custom to offer up, at the same time, a prayer for the accompanying blessing of heaven,--a laudable practice, in which, I fear, he has not been generally imitated by those of his profession."
A very laudable practice indeed, good Mr. Mitchell; perhaps even a useful and practically efficacious one, on occasion; at all events one of the last remains of noble Puritanism, in its sincerity, among men of sound learning.
For Dr. Rutherford was also an excellent linguist, and, according to the custom of the times, delivered his prelections to the students in Latin, (like the conversation in Beardie's Jacobite Club). Nowadays, you mean to have no more Latin talked, as I understand; nor prayers said. Pills--Morison's and others--can be made up on cheaper terms, you think,--and be equally salutary?
Be it so. In these ancient manners, however, Scott's mother is brought up, and consistently abides; doubtless, having some reverence for the Latin tongue, and much faith in the medicine of prayer;--having had troubles about her soul's safety also; perhaps too solicitous, at one time, on that point; but being sure she has a soul to be solicitous about, which is much; obedient herself to the severest laws of morality and life; mildly and steadily enforcing them on her children; but naturally of light and happy temper, and with a strong turn to study poetry and works of imagination.