Sonnet II (Written in the Highlands of Scotland, 1767)

Tho here almost eternal Winter reigns,
And piercing deep the womb of Nature chills;
Tho born far off under a milder sky,
The northern blast e'en thro my marrow thrills,
And freezes up the life-blood in my veins;
The hardy natives o'er the mountains high,
Trace out the step of Health, where mid the snow,
Or stubborn heath her feet unsandall'd stray:
Hence active nerves, and scorn of danger flow;
Hence when of late, call'd forth to mortal fray,
At their approach, Revenge more furious grew,
War smiled, while triple Rage new steel'd his heart,
Pale bloodless Fear assumed a ghastlier hue,
And Death more dreadful shook his pointed dart.