Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), Scottish writer and poet, is considered to be one of the greatest historical novelists. Famous titles include Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, The Lady of The Lake , Waverley and The Heart of Midlothian.

As a poet Scott rose to fame with the publication of The Lay Of The Last Minstrel, the long epic poem from which My Native Land is excerpted. It became a major success and made him the most popular author of the day. It was followed by Marmion, a historical romance in tetrameter, which includes some of his most quoted (and most often mis-attributed) lines. Canto VI. Stanza 17 reads:

Yet Clare’s sharp questions must I shun,
Must separate Constance from the nun
Oh! what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive!
A Palmer too! No wonder why
I felt rebuked beneath his eye;