Read Waverley; Or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since — Volume 1 Page 5

  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 hopedor expected. He has heard, with a mixture of satisfaction andhumility, his work ascribed to more than one respectable name.Considerations, which seem weighty in his particular situation,prevent his releasing those gentlemen from suspicion by placinghis own name in the title-page; so that, for the present at least,it must remain uncertain whether Waverley be the work of a poet ora critic, a lawyer or a clergyman, or whether the writer, to useMrs. Malaprop's phrase, be, 'like Cerberus, three gentlemen atonce.' The Author, as he is unconscious of anything in the workitself (except perhaps its frivolity) which prevents its findingan acknowledged father, leaves it to the candour of the public tochoose among the many circumstances peculiar to differentsituations in life such as may induce him to suppress his name onthe present occasion. He may be a writer new to publication, andunwilling to avow a character to which he is unaccustomed; or hemay be a hackneyed author, who is ashamed of too frequentappearance, and employs this mystery, as the heroine of the oldcomedy used her mask, to attract the attention of those to whomher face had become too familiar. He may be a man of a graveprofession, to whom the reputation of being a novel-writer mightbe prejudicial; or he may be a man of fashion, to whom writing ofany kind might appear pedantic. He may be too young to assume thecharacter of an author, or so old as to make it advisable to layit aside.

  The Author of Waverley has heard it objected to this novel, that,in the character of Callum Beg and in the account given by theBaron of Bradwardine of the petty trespasses of the Highlandersupon trifling articles of property, he has borne hard, andunjustly so, upon their national character. Nothing could befarther from his wish or intention. The character of Callum Beg isthat of a spirit naturally turned to daring evil, and determined,by the circumstances of his situation, to a particular species ofmischief. Those who have perused the curious Letters from theHighlands, published about 1726, will find instances of suchatrocious characters which fell under the writer's ownobservation, though it would be most unjust to consider suchvillains as representatives of the Highlanders of that period, anymore than the murderers of Marr and Williamson can be supposed torepresent the English of the present day. As for the plundersupposed to have been picked up by some of the insurgents in 1745,it must be remembered that, although the way of that unfortunatelittle army was neither marked by devastation nor bloodshed, but,on the contrary, was orderly and quiet in a most wonderful degree,yet no army marches through a country in a hostile manner withoutcommitting some depredations; and several, to the extent and ofthe nature jocularly imputed to them by the Baron, were reallylaid to the charge of the Highland insurgents; for which manytraditions, and particularly one respecting the Knight of theMirror, may be quoted as good evidence. [Footnote: A homelymetrical narrative of the events of the period, which containssome striking particulars, and is still a great favourite with thelower classes, gives a very correct statement of the behaviour ofthe mountaineers respecting this same military license; and, asthe verses are little known, and contain some good sense, weventure to insert them.]