thestateofmannersandlawscastsanecessarycolouring；butthebearings，tousethelanguageofheraldry，remainthesame，thoughthetincturemaybenotonlydifferent，butopposedinstrongcontradistinction。Thewrathofourancestors，forexample，wascoloured_gules；_itbrokeforthinactsofopenandsanguinaryviolenceagainsttheobjectsofitsfury。Ourmalignantfeelings，whichmustseekgratificationthroughmoreindirectchannels，andunderminetheobstacleswhichtheycannotopenlybeardown，mayberathersaidtobetincturedsable。
Butthedeep-rulingimpulseisthesameinbothcases；andtheproudpeerwhocannowonlyruinhisneighbouraccordingtolaw，byprotractedsuits，isthegenuinedescendantofthebaronwhowrappedthecastleofhiscompetitorinflames，andknockedhimontheheadasheendeavouredtoescapefromtheconflagration。
ItisfromthegreatbookofNature，thesamethroughathousandeditions，whetherofblack-letter，orwire-woveandhot-pressed，thatIhaveventurouslyessayedtoreadachaptertothepublic。Somefavourableopportunitiesofcontrasthavebeenaffordedme，bythestateofsocietyinthenorthernpartoftheislandattheperiodofmyhistory，andmayserveatoncetovaryandtoillustratethemorallessons，whichIwouldwillinglyconsiderasthemostimportantpartofmyplan；
althoughIamsensiblehowshortthesewillfalloftheiraim，ifIshallbefoundunabletomixthemwithamusement，-atasknotquitesoeasyinthiscriticalgenerationasitwasSixtyYearssince。’’
Itis，then，sixtyyearssinceEdwardWaverley，theheroofTheprecisedate1745waswithheldfromtheoriginaledition，lestitshouldanticipatethenatureofthetalebyannouncingsoremarkableanera。