Date: w. c. 1762, 1850

"For love, I fear, corrupts the judge within."

— Hamilton, William, of Bangour (1704-1754)

Date: 1739, 1766

Sins may "erect their throne" in one's heart

— Nicol, Alexander (bap. 1703)

Date: May 7, 1772

"Conscience, that candid judge of right and wrong, / Will o'er the secrets of each heart preside, / Nor aw'd by pomp, nor tam'd by soothing song."

— Fergusson, Robert (1750-1774)

Date: June 4, 1772, 1773

In the fields "peerless Fancy hads her court / And tunes her lays."

— Fergusson, Robert (1750-1774)

Date: 1776

The ruling passion of an author may be "strongly marked in his writings"

— Mickle, William Julius [formerly William Meikle] (1734-1788)

Date: 1782

Those who wear "The Zone of Venus" "never know / To what enchanting charm they owe / The empire of the heart"

— Logan, John (1748-1788)

Date: w. January 24, 1789

"Reason drops headlong from his sacred throne."

— Burns, Robert (1759-1796)

Date: w. January 24, 1789

"Your dear idea reigns, and reigns alone; / Each thought intoxicated homage yields, / And riots wanton in forbidden fields."

— Burns, Robert (1759-1796)

Date: 1789, 1800

"On his one ruling passion Sir Pope hugely labors, / That, like th'old Hebrew walking-switch, eats up its neighbours."

— Burns, Robert (1759-1796)

Date: 1789, 1800

"Human Nature's his show-box--your friend, would you know him? / Pull the string, Ruling Passion--the picture will show him."

— Burns, Robert (1759-1796)