Sir Walter Scott (August 15, 1771-September 21, 1832) was a Scottish novelist and poet. His works include: The Lay of the Last Minstrel, 1805; Lady of the Lake, 1810; Ivanhoe, 1819; and The Talisman, 1825.
In chapter XII of The Monastery, 1830, Sir Walter Scott wrote:
<Oh, on that day, that wrathful day,
When man to judgment wakes from clay,
Be Thou, O Christ, the sinner's stay
Though heaven and earth shall pass away.
Within this awful Volume lies
The mystery of mysteries.
Happiest they, of human race,
To whom our God has granted grace
To read, to fear, to hope, to pray,
To lift the latch, and force the way;
And better had they ne'er been born
Who read to doubt, or read to scorn.> 1771WS001
Sir Walter Scott wrote the poem Marmion (1808) to commemorate the Battle of Flodden Field, where King James IV of Scotland was killed and his army defeated by King Henry VIII's troops led by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey. It was the largest battle between the two nations. In Marmion, Canto vi, Stanza 17, Sir Walter Scott wrote:
<Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!> 1771WS201
Sir Walter Scott, wrote in Marmion (1808):
<And come he slow, or come he fast,
It is but death who comes at last.> 1771WS301
In commenting on the Scriptures, Sir Walter Scott expounded:
<The most learned, acute, and diligent student cannot, in the longest life, obtain an entire knowledge of this one Volume. The most deeply he works the mine, the richer and more abundant he finds the ore; new light continually beams from this source of heavenly knowledge to direct the conduct, and illustrate the work of God and the ways of men; and he will at last leave the world confessing that the more he studied the Scriptures the fuller conviction he had of his own ignorance, and of their inestimable value.> 1771WS002
During his final illness he expressed a desire that someone should read to him. When asked what book, he replied:
<Need you ask? There is but one!-St. John's Gospel.> 1771WS003
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
Endnotes:
1771WS001. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Sir Walter Scott. In chapter XII of The Monastery, 1830. THE WAVERLY NOVELS by SIR WALTER SCOTT, Complete in Twelve Volumes Printed from the latest English Editions Embracing The Author's Last Corrections, Prefaces, and Notes. 1771WS002. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Sir Walter Scott. Allibone's Prose Quotations, p. 74. Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, OR: American Heritage Ministries, 1987; Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, Texas), pp. 399-400.
1771WS201. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Sir Walter Scott, Marmion (1808), Canto vi, Stanza 17. http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/29929.html
1771WS301. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Sir Walter Scott, Marmion (1808), http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/29929.html 1771WS003. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Sir Walter Scott. J.G. Lockhart, Memoirs of the Life of Scott, p. 729. Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, OR: American Heritage Ministries, 1987; Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, Texas), p. 399.