{"product_id":"2940014553469","title":"The Private Memoirs \u0026 Confessions Of A Justified Sinner","description":"THE EDITOR'S NARRATIVE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt appears from tradition, as well as some parish registers still\u003cbr\u003eextant, that the lands of Dalcastle (or Dalchastel, as it is often\u003cbr\u003espelled) were possessed by a family of the name of Colwan, about one\u003cbr\u003ehundred and fifty years ago, and for at least a century previous to\u003cbr\u003ethat period. That family was supposed to have been a branch of the\u003cbr\u003eancient family of Colquhoun, and it is certain that from it spring the\u003cbr\u003eCowans that spread towards the Border. I find that, in the year 1687,\u003cbr\u003eGeorge Colwan succeeded his uncle of the same name, in the lands of\u003cbr\u003eDalchastel and Balgrennan; and, this being all I can gather of the\u003cbr\u003efamily from history, to tradition I must appeal for the remainder of\u003cbr\u003ethe motley adventures of that house. But, of the matter furnished by\u003cbr\u003ethe latter of these powerful monitors, I have no reason to complain: It\u003cbr\u003ehas been handed down to the world in unlimited abundance; and I am\u003cbr\u003ecertain that, in recording the hideous events which follow, I am only\u003cbr\u003erelating to the greater part of the inhabitants of at least four\u003cbr\u003ecounties of Scotland matters of which they were before perfectly well\u003cbr\u003einformed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis George was a rich man, or supposed to be so, and was married, when\u003cbr\u003econsiderably advanced in life, to the sole heiress and reputed daughter\u003cbr\u003eof a Baillie Orde, of Glasgow. This proved a conjunction anything but\u003cbr\u003eagreeable to the parties contracting. It is well known that the\u003cbr\u003eReformation principles had long before that time taken a powerful hold\u003cbr\u003eof the hearts and affections of the people of Scotland, although the\u003cbr\u003efeeling was by no means general, or in equal degrees; and it so\u003cbr\u003ehappened that this married couple felt completely at variance on the\u003cbr\u003esubject. Granting it to have been so, one would have thought that the\u003cbr\u003elaird, owing to his retiring situation, would have been the one that\u003cbr\u003einclined to the stern doctrines of the reformers; and that the young\u003cbr\u003eand gay dame from the city would have adhered to the free principles\u003cbr\u003echerished by the court party, and indulged in rather to extremity, in\u003cbr\u003eopposition to their severe and carping contemporaries.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe contrary, however, happened to be the case. The laird was what his\u003cbr\u003ecountry neighbours called \"a droll, careless chap\", with a very limited\u003cbr\u003eproportion of the fear of God in his heart, and very nearly as little\u003cbr\u003eof the fear of man. The laird had not intentionally wronged or offended\u003cbr\u003eeither of the parties, and perceived not the necessity of deprecating\u003cbr\u003etheir vengeance. He had hitherto believed that he was living in most\u003cbr\u003ecordial terms with the greater part of the inhabitants of the earth,\u003cbr\u003eand with the powers above in particular: but woe be unto him if he was\u003cbr\u003enot soon convinced of the fallacy of such damning security! for his\u003cbr\u003elady was the most severe and gloomy of all bigots to the principles of\u003cbr\u003ethe Reformation. Hers were not the tenets of the great reformers, but\u003cbr\u003etheirs mightily overstrained and deformed. Theirs was an unguent hard\u003cbr\u003eto be swallowed; but hers was that unguent embittered and overheated\u003cbr\u003euntil nature could not longer bear it. She had imbibed her ideas from\u003cbr\u003ethe doctrines of one flaming predestinarian divine alone; and these\u003cbr\u003ewere so rigid that they became a stumbling block to many of his\u003cbr\u003ebrethren, and a mighty handle for the enemies of his party to turn the\u003cbr\u003emachine of the state against them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe wedding festivities at Dalcastle partook of all the gaiety, not of\u003cbr\u003ethat stern age, but of one previous to it. There was feasting, dancing,\u003cbr\u003epiping, and singing: the liquors were handed, around in great fulness,\u003cbr\u003ethe ale in large wooden bickers, and the brandy in capacious horns of\u003cbr\u003eoxen. The laird gave full scope to his homely glee. He danced--he\u003cbr\u003esnapped his fingers to the music--clapped his hands and shouted at the\u003cbr\u003eturn of the tune. He saluted every girl in the hall whose appearance\u003cbr\u003ewas anything tolerable, and requested of their sweethearts to take the\u003cbr\u003esame freedom with his bride, by way of retaliation. But there she sat\u003cbr\u003eat the head of the hall in still and blooming beauty, absolutely\u003cbr\u003erefusing to tread a single measure with any gentleman there. The only\u003cbr\u003eenjoyment in which she appeared to partake was in now and then stealing\u003cbr\u003ea word of sweet conversation with her favourite pastor about divine\u003cbr\u003ethings; for he had accompanied her home after marrying her to her\u003cbr\u003ehusband, to see her fairly settled in her new dwelling. He addressed\u003cbr\u003eher several times by her new name, Mrs. Colwan; but she turned away her\u003cbr\u003ehead disgusted, and looked with pity and contempt towards the old\u003cbr\u003einadvertent sinner, capering away in the height of his unregenerated\u003cbr\u003emirth.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47146130899184,"sku":"2940014553469","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940014553469_p0.jpg?v=1763610963","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940014553469","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}