means to be justified. In point of constancy, they certainly have nothing to reproach the male part of the creation. My poor aunt, without any regard to her years and imperfections, has gone to market with her charms in every place where she thought she had the least chance to dispose of her person, which, however, hangs still heavy on her hands. I am afraid she has used even religion as a decoy, though it has not answered her expectation. She has been praying, preaching and catechising among the methodists, with whom this country abounds; and pretends to have such manifestations and revelations, as even Clinker himself can hardly believe, though the poor fellow is half crazy with enthusiasm. As for Jenkins, she affects to take all her mistress’s reveries for gospel. She has also her heart-heavings and motions of the spirit; and God forgive me if I think uncharitably, but all this seems to me to be downright hypocrisy and deceit. Perhaps, indeed, the poor girl imposes on herself. She is generally in a flutter, and is much subject to vapours. Since we came to Scotland, she had seen apparitions, and pretends to prophesy. If I could put faith in all these supernatural visitations, I should think myself abandoned of grace; for I have neither seen, heard, nor felt any thing of this nature, although I endeavour to discharge the duties of religion with all the sincerity, zeal, and devotion, that is in the power of,

Dear Letty,

Your ever affectionate,
LYDIA MELFORD.

We are so far on our return to Brambleton-hall; and I would fain hope we shall take Gloucester in our way, in which case I shall have the inexpressible pleasure of embracing my dear Willis. Pray remember me to my worthy governess.

To Mrs. Mary Jones, at Brambleton-hall.

Grasco, Sept. 7.

DEAR MARY,

SUNDERS MACULLY, the Scotchman, who pushes directly for Vails, has promised to give it you into your own hand, and therefore I would not miss the opportunity to let you now as I am still in the land of the living; and yet I have been on the brink of the other world since I sent you my last letter. We went by sea to another kingdom called Fife, and coming back, had like to have gone to pot in a storm. What between the frite and sickness, I thought I should have brought my heart up; even Mr. Clinker was not his own man for eight and forty hours after we got ashore. It was well for some folks that we scaped drownding; for mistress was very frexious, and seemed but indifferently prepared for a change; but, thank God, she was soon put in a better frame by the private exaltations of the reverend Mr. Macrocodile. We afterwards churned to Starling and Grascow, which are a kiple of handsome towns; and then we went to a gentleman’s house at Loff-Loming, which is a wonderful sea of fresh water, with a power of hylands in the midst on’t. They say as how it has got n’er a bottom, and was made by a musician; and, truly, I believe it; for it is not in the coarse of nature. It has got waves without wind, fish without fins, and a floating hyland; and one of them is a crutch-yard, where the dead are buried; and always before the person dies, a bell rings of itself to give warning.

O Mary! this is the land of congyration. The bell knolled when we were there. I saw lights, and heard lamentations. The gentleman, our landlord, has got another house, which he was fain to quit, on account of a mischievious ghost, that would not suffer people to lie in their beds. The fairies dwell in a hole of Kairmann, a mounting hard by; and they steal away the good women that are in the straw, if so be as how there a’n’t a horshoe nailed to the door: and I was shewn an ould vitch, called Elspath Ringavey, with a red petticoat, bleared eyes, and a mould of grey bristles on her sin. That she mought do me no harm, I crossed her hand with a taster, and bid her tell my fortune; and she told me such things—descriving Mr. Clinker to a hair: but it shall ne’er be said that I minchioned a word of the matter. As I was troubled with fits, she advised me to bathe in the loff, which was holy water; and so I went in the morning to a private place along with the house-maid, and we bathed in our birth-day soot, after the fashion of the country; and behold, whilst we dabbled in the loff, sir George Coon started up with a gun; but