Ossian Collection > Selections from the Gaelic bards

DUGALD BUCHANAN. 93
Whose lightning, with the glorious skies,
Like sparks with the dry heather deals.
But more — to swell the tumult yet —
From all their arts the strong winds stray.
Like angels for destruction met,
And haste this wasting work each way !
"The Day of Judgment," consisting of one hundred and
twenty-seven verses, in the measure given above, is the longest
of Buchanan's poems. From what an early period that theme
occupied his mind will appear from the following extract from his
"Memoirs:" — "Then the Lord began to visit me with terrible
visions — dreams in the night — which greatly frightened me. I
always dreamed that the day of judgment was come, that Christ
appeared in the clouds to judge the world; that all the people
were gathered together before his throne ; that he separated them
into two companies, the one on his right hand, the other on his
left ; and that I saw myself, along with others, sentenced to ever-
lasting burnings. I always saw myself entering into the flames,
and so would instantly awake in gTeat fear and trembling."
" These dreams continued for about two years, so frequent that
scarcely a month passed by in which I had not some such dream,
and subsequently became so very frequent that I did not regard
them. At last, however, they ceased, and I was no more troubled
with them. This was about the ninth year of my age."
It is told of Buchanan that when in Edinburgh, superintending
the printing of the Gaelic translation of the New Testament, he
became acquainted with several of the distinguished men of that
city, — amongst others with David Hume, who asked the poet to
his house. When Buchanan called he found the philosopher for
a moment engaged, so he sat down, and while waiting for his host
took up a book and began to read. The book was a volume of
Shakesi)eare, and the place where Buchanan read was in "The
Tempest." When Hume entered he asked his visitor what he had
been reading ? no doubt feeling curious to know what choice of