I believe that, like so many things, with practice, it gets easier. I like to read a folio (facsimile) that I have of Burns poems that is printed in the old style and fonts. In it "s" looks like "ƒ" which confuses things even more.
Try reading his poems out loud; you'll 'here' nuances in the words that your mind will understand (that aren't revealed by silent reading).
Nile
Simon Fraser fought as MacShimidh, a Highland chief… wrapped and belted in a plaid over the top of his linen shirt, like his ordinary kinsmen. He put a bonnet on his head, and stuck the Fraser emblem, a sprig of yew, in it. With the battle cry, A'Chaisteal Dhunaidh and the scream of the pipes, they charged to battle. "The Last Highlander" Sara Fraser
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