The Highlanders regale themselves with whisky. They find it an excellent preservation against the winter cold. It is given with great success to the infants in the confluent smallpox.

To the valiant actions speak alone.

There is not room to swing a cat.

Ridiculous modes, invented by ignorance, and adopted by folly.

A mere index hunter, who held the eel of science by the tail.

False as the fowler's artful snare.

A mere index hunter, who held the eel of science by the tail. Index-hunter is a term used mockingly, meaning one who acquires superficial knowledge merely by consulting indexes. The '[holding] the eel of science by the tail' allusion was used in 1728 by Alexander Pope (q.v.).