The grand old ballad of Sir Patrick Spence.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834): Dejection. An Ode. Stanza 1.

From yon blue heaven above us bent,

The grand old gardener and his wife

Smile at the claims of long descent.

Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892): Lady Clara Vere de Vere. Stanza 7.

In winter, when the dismal rain

Comes down in slanting lines,

And Wind, that grand old harper, smote

His thunder-harp of pines.

Alexander Smith (1830-1867): A Life Drama. Sc. ii.

And thus he bore without abuse

The grand old name of gentleman,

Defamed by every charlatan,

And soil'd with all ignoble use.

Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892): In Memoriam. cxi. Stanza 6.