Liberty Preserved: or, Love Destroyed

Liberty Preserved: or, Love Destroyed (Alexander Robertson, 13th Donnachaidh Chief 1668-1749)

At length the Bondage I have broke
Which gave me so much Pain;
I’ve slipt my Heart out of the Yoke,
Never to drudge again;
And, conscious of my long Disgrace,
Have thrown my Chain at Cupid’s Face.

If ever he attempt again
My freedom to enslave,
I’ll court the Godhead of Champain
Which makes the Coward brave,
And, when the Deity has heal’d my Soul,
I’ll drown the little Bastard in my Bowl.

“Insolence” to his Chief

When the Poet Chief’s sister died in 1727, Struan’s creditors had part of his estate sequestered so that the debts should be paid. One of those creditors, James Robertson of Blairfetty who fought in the Atholl Brigade in the 1715 and 1745 Risings, was appointed factor on this part of the estate. Not all the local lairds approved. This unpublished poem was written by Allan Stewart of Innerhadden. His estate was just east of Kinloch Rannoch.

Upon the Occasion of two G-n their going to Law, St---n and Bl-------ty, the last being the Aggressor and a Cadet of the other’s Familly

Division ruins State and private Men
Their Fate is hard who are Divided, Then
What must he do whose cause is really good
When overpowered by Offspring of his Blood -
‘Tis Thought he should oppose such Insollence
And make their purses feel their want of Sense
By this in tyme he will their Strength bring down
Retaining as before his Rightfull Own