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as they, and was come to Edinburgh on no other account than purely to see the city, and make his observations upon its public buildings, and other curiosities, and that his ambition had been always to procure honest and genteel acquaintance. Sawney had a most artful method to conceal the real sentiments of his mind, and hide his actions, which, in a little time, so gained upon the belief of these strangers, that they could not help believing him to be one of the sincerest men breathing: for it was his custom sometimes to take them along with him two or three miles out of the city, to partake of some handsome dinner or supper, when he was sure never to let them beat a farthing expence, but generously discharged the reckoning himself: the design of all this was to make his advantage of them, and force them to pay an extravagant interest for the money he had been out of pocket in treating them; for constantly were persons planted in one place or other of the road, by his immediate direction, who fell upon them as they returned to the city, and robbed them of what they had: but, to avoid suspicion, they always made Sawney their first prize, and rifled him, who was sure, in the morning, to obtain his own loss back again, and a considerable share of the other booty into the bargain.

Some time after this, our adventurer, with two of his companions, meeting on the road with three citizens of Edinburgh, affronted them in a very audacious manner, and used such language towards them as plainly discovered that either death or, bloodshed was near at hand. He told the person who seemed the genteelest and best drest of the three, that the horse he rode on was his, and had been lately stolen from him, and that he must return it him, or else the sword he wore should do him right. Sawney's companions began with the others after the same manner, and would needs force them to believe that the horses they rode upon were theirs: the citizens, astonished at this gross piece of impudence, endeavoured to convince them the horses were their own, and that they had paid for them, and wondered how they dare pretend to dispute such an affair; but these words were far from having any effect on Cunningham; and the citizens, in the conclusion,