quire the cause of his comming thither; and being informed by him, offer their helpe vnto him in his cause: thereupon they returne before the Iudge, and these two vnknowne persons justifie that the budget was deliuered vnto the host, and that he had hidden it in such a place: whereat the host being astonished, by his countenance and gesture discouered his guiltinesse: the Iudge thereupon resolued to send him to prison, but the two vnknowne witnesses (vvho were indeed two fiends of hell) bagan to say, you shall not need, for we are sent to punish his wickednesse; and so saying, they hoisted him vp into the ayre, vvhere he vanished with them, and was neuer after found." We will club together a few more. "There was a Coniurer at Saltzbourg that vaunted, that he could gather together all the serpents within halfe a myle round about into a ditch, and feed them and bring them vp there: and being about the experiment, behold the old and grand serpent came in the while, which whilst he thought by the force of his charmes to make to enter into the ditch among the rest, he set vpon, and inclosed him round about like a girdle so strongly, that he drew him perforce into the ditch with him, where he miserably died. Marke here the wages of such wicked miscreants, that as they make it their occupation to abuse simple folke, they are themselues abused and cousened of the diuell, who is a finer iugler than them all.' "It was a very lamentable spectacle that chaunced to the gouernour of Mascon, a Magitian, whom the diuell snatched vp in dinnerwhile, and hoisted aloft, carrying him three times about the towne of Mascon in the presence of many beholders, to whom he cryed on this manner, Helpe, helpe, my friends; so that the whole towne stood amazed thereat, yea and the remembrance of this strange accident sticketh at this day fast in the minds of all the inhabitants of this countrey: and they say, that this wretch hauing giuen himselfe to the diuell, prouided store of holy bread (as they call it) which he alwaies carried about with him, thinking thereby to keepe himselfe from his clawes; but it serued him to small stead, as his end declared." "There was a certaine blasphemous wretch that on a time being with his companions in a common Inne carousing and making merrie, asked them, if they thought a man was possessed with a soule or no? Whereunto when some replyed, that the soules of men were immortall, and that some of them after release from the bodie liued in heauen, others in hell; for so the vvritings of the Prophets and Apostles instructed them: he answered and swore, that he thought it nothing so, but rather that there was no soule in man to suruiue the bodie, but that heauen and hell were meere fables, and inuentions of priests to get gaine by ; and for himselfe he was readie to sell his soule to any that would buy it: then one of his companions tooke vp a cup of wine and said, Sell me thy soule for this cup of wine: which he. receiuing, bad him take his soule, and dranke vp the wine. Now Sathan himselfe was there in a man's shape (as commonly he is neuer farre from such meetings) and bought it againe of the other at the same price, and by and by bad him giue him his soule; the whole companie affirming, it was meet he should haue it, since he had bought it, not perceiuing the deuill: but presently he laying hold on this soule seller, carried him into the ayre before them all, toward his owne habitation, to the great astonishment and amazement of the beholders; and from that day to this he was neuer heard of, but tryed to his paine that men had soules, and that hell was no fable, according to his godlesse and prophane opinion." These were indeed visitations of no pleasant nature, and we heartily hope none of our readers may ever be whipped off in so summary a manner. The next extract we shall give, seems to call upon prudent fathers to bridle the desires of the flesh, for such an incoming tenant as the devil is desirable in no domicile : "A certaine rich man at Holberstadium, abounding with all manner of earthlie commodities, gaue himselfe so much to his pleasure, that he became besotted therewith: in such sort, that he made no reckoning of religion, nor any good thing, but dared to say, that if he might lead such a life continually vpon earth, he would not enuie heauen, nor desire any exchange. Notwithstanding ere long (contrarie to his expectation) the Lord cut him off by death, and so his desired plea sure came to an end: but after his death there appeared such diabolicall apparitions in his house, that no man daring to inhabite in it, it became desolat; for euery day there appeared the image of this Epicure sitting at a boord with a number of his ghests, drinking, carousing, and making good cheare; and his table furnished with delicates, and attended on by many that ministred necessaries vnto them, beside with minstrels, trumpetters and such like. In sum, whatsoeuer he delighted in in his life time, was there to be seene euery day, the Lord permitting Sathan to bleare mens eyes with such strange shewes, to the end that others might be terrified from such epicurisme and impietie." The following finishes our quota tions: "A certaine man not farre from Gorlitz prouided a sumptuous supper, and inuited many guests vnto it, who at the time appointed refusing to come, he in an anger cried, then let all the diuels in hell come: neither was his wish friuolous; for a number of those hellish fiends came forthwith, whom he not discerning from men, came to welcome and entertaine: but as he tooke them by the hands, and perceiued in stead of fingers clawes, all dismaied he ran out of the doors with his wife, and left none in the house but a young infant with a foole sitting by the fire, whom the diuels had no power to hurt, neither any man else, saue the goodlie supper, which they made away withall, and so departed." This last is certainly a most deplorable case, and we may truly say, Finis coronat opus. For the loss of the goodlie supper we heartily sympathise with the sufferer; and if such a judgment would not teach him to use better language for the future, we fear his case was hopeless. Let our readers beware how they make use of such incautious expressions whenever the non-appearance of their guests (and certainly it is a most trying circumstance) may discompose their temper. We were ourselves placed in the same situation the other day; but having the fear of God, and the remembrance of this occurrence before our eyes, we had the grace to check the incipient oath, which was just forming in our mouth. We would not have our readers to imagine that all the examples in this book are equally extravagant with those we have quoted. It is in fact a repository of stories, true, false, and apocryphal, admitted without discrimination, and told with the utmost apparent faithfulness, in which the false appear to outnumber the true, and the apocryphal the false; or, indeed, a very lumber room or armory of examples, most of which are rusty, and some useless, but which, together, present a delightful appearance of antiquity. We have a particular partiality for books of this description, and love to dip into them when tired with our hodiernal vocations. No continuity of reading being required, we are left to run over, with desultory ease, their long treasuries of stories. The dismal and tragical cast of the narrations is even pleasing, inasmuch as it gives us in these safer times a delightful consciousness of security. We hope to make our readers conformable to our tastes, and intend this article as the forerunner of many others of these by no means the least valuable parts of our old English literature. THE AYRSHIRE LEGATEES: Responsive Notices to Correspondents. ALTHOUGH often a good deal entertained with some of the letters which we have received relative to "The Ayrshire Legatees," yet others have excited very unpleasant feelings; not, however, on account of the matter they contain, but the unfortunate misconceptions by which the authors seem to be affected. Of this kind is a remonstrance from Sir James R-n, complaining of the liberties taken with his character. We in consequence very carefully inspected all the preceding numbers, in order to pen a proper apology, but could not find the slightest trace even of his name in them ;-and, upon a second perusal of his letter, it turned out, that Sir James evidently did not appear to have VOL. VIII. 3 R read our Magazine himself, but had taken his impression from some "d-d good-natured friend,” who had told him that he had been exceedingly caricatured in "the Ayrshire Legatees." Now, we put it to the candour of our readers, not only of our readers, but of the public, nay of the whole community of men exercising their judgment in literary matters,-whether it be possible to prevent giving umbrage to such persons as Sir James R―n, who presume to suppose themselves objects of public consideration, when in fact they are really left in the full enjoyment of their moral non-entity. The Rutherglen Counsellor might have saved himself the trouble of writing his letter, and the expence of the postage in sending it, (we wish, however, that some others were as liberal in this respect.) We are quite aware that his borough is an open borough, and as free and independent as is consistent with the political ascendancy of "the House of Hamilton;" but we cannot divine by what strange combination the concerns of that worthy patriotic place came to be connected with any of the proceedings of the Legatees, unless there has been some catering for Mr Andrew Pringle against the next election. This, however, we do not think probable, as Mr Andrew has no interest in any of the other three quarters of the member. Our friend in the townhead of Irvine, who taxed us so much in his two last letters, has become truly jocose; indeed so much so, that if he continues to improve as he has done, we shall do a favour to our readers by inserting his letters. But alas, the inveteracy of error! he still denies the existence of Dr Pringle; and absolutely asserts it as a fact, that there is no such personage aš Miss Mally Glencairn resident in the Kirkgate of that highly creditable town. Themistocles of Paisley has shewn his good sense in resuming his own proper signature of Robert Orr, Gauze Street. What he remarks is just enough, we confess, in the particular case to which he alludes; at the same time, we request Mr Orr to assure the subscribers to the public-room, that we should be much better satisfied with "their universal approbation," if, instead of taking but one copy for the room, each for himself took a copy for the use of his own particular private circle. How it should have entered into the head of Mr Ebenezer Caw of Perth, to think that we can controul the movements of the Pringle family, or induce them to visit "the pleasant links" of that ancient city, we know not; but we have some authority for believing, that Adolescense, of the academy there, might prove a very agreeable correspondent upon any question connected with "the antiquities of the place;" and he will do well to consider this, by remembering "the saints and the porridge-pot."-How time turns past anxieties into pleasantries !—He will think of this and sigh. Mr Archibald Dawson of Ayr is altogether in a mistake, we had not the most remote idea of “ripping up" Baillie's case; and if he will only take the trouble of calling at the old turreted house, formerly the residence of the Countess-Dowager of Dumfries and Stair, he will get a satisfactory explanation of the whole recondite joke to which we alluded. "Michie Dingwall, Esq. of Knockit, Aberdeenshire," must apply to Habakkuk Robertson, near the college; he is the only one of our correspondents in that enlightened, but magistrate-enslaved city, who can inform him whether roads may be improved, free of expence, as well as streets. We do not think, however, that Mrs Pringle will be induced to lend any part of the legacy for the purpose; we are rather disposed to be of opinion, that the security is too far north either for her or the Doctor. As to what CS says, regarding the knowledge of London, in the Ayrshire Legatees," contending therefore that the whole is a quiz,—we would only request him, (we speak now from a careful inspection during our late visit,) to look at the steeple of the New Church in the Strand; and if he is of opinion that it is really perpendicular, we would then ask him, as a man of sense, Whether if we, at the time we spoke of the gracious stoop of the PortGlasgow steeple, would have neglected to reckon the steeple of the New Church in the Strand, among the nnmber of the hanging towers, had we been then aware that it was also inclined from the perpendicular?-Ah! steeples now-adays are not the only members of the church that are not supposed to be altogether upright.. THE AYRSHIRE LEGATEES; Or, The Correspondence of the Pringle Family. No. VIII. THE CONCLUSION. On Friday, Miss Mally Glencairn re ceived a brief note from Mrs Pringle, informing her, that she and the Doc tor would reach the manse, "God willing," in time for tea on Saturday; and begging her therefore to go over from Irvine, and see that the house was in order for their reception. This note was written from Glasgow, where they had arrived, in their own carriage, from Carlisle on the preceding day, after encountering, as Mrs Pringle said, more hardships and extorshoning than all the dangers of the sea which they met with in the smack of Leith that took them to London." 66 As soon as Miss Mally received this intelligence, she went to Miss Isabella Todd, and requested her company for the next day to Garnock, where they arrived betimes to dine with Mr Snodgrass. Mrs Glibbans and her daughter Becky were then on a consolatory visit to Mr Craig. It will be recollected, that we mentioned in a former number, upon the authority of Mr M'Gruel, that the crying of Mrs Craig had come on; and that Mrs Glibbans, according to promise, and with the most anxious solicitude, had gone to await the upshot. The upshot was most melancholy, Mrs Craig was soon no more ;she was taken, as Mrs Glibbans observed on the occasion, from the earthly arms of her husband, to the spiritual bosom of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which was far better. But the baby survived; so that, what with getting a nurse, and the burial, and all the work and handling that a birth and death in one house at the same time causes, Mr Craig declared, that he could not do without Mrs Glibbans; and she, with all that christianity by which she was so zealously distinguished, sent for Miss Becky, and took up her abode with him, till it would please Him, without whom there is no comfort, to wipe the eyes of the pious elder. In a word, she staid so long, that a rumour began to spread that Mr Craig would need a wife to look after his bairn; and that Mrs Glibbans was destined to supply the desideratum. Mr Snodgrass after enjoying his dinner society with Miss Mally and Miss Isabella, thought it necessary to dispatch a courier, in the shape of a barefooted servant lass, to Mr Micklewham, to inform the elders that the Doctor was expected home in time for tea, leaving it to their discretion either to greet his safe return at the manse, or in any other form or manner that would be most agreeable to themselves. These important news were soon diffused through the clachan. Mr Micklewham dismissed his school an hour before the wonted time, and there was a universal interest and curiosity excited, to see the Doctor coming home in his own coach. All the boys of Garnock assembled at the braehead which commands an extensive view of the Kilmarnock road, the only one from Glasgow that runs through the parish; the wives with their sucklings were seated on the large stones at their respective door cheeks; while their cats were calmly reclining on the window soles. The lassie weans, like clustering bees, were mounted on the carts that stood before Thomas Birlpenny the vintner's door, churming with anticipated delight; the old men took their stations on the dike that incloses the side of the vintner's kail-yard, and a batch, "of wabster lads," with green aprons and thin yellow faces, planted themselves at the gable of the malt kiln, where they were wont, when trade was better, to play at the handball; "but poor fellows,' says Mr M'Gruel, "since the trade fell off, they have had no heart for the game, and the vintner's half-mutchkin stoups glitter in empty splendour unrequired on the shelf below the brazen skonce above the bracepiece, amidst the idle pewter pepper-boxes, the bright copper tea-kettle, the coffee-pot that has never been in use, and lids of sauce pans, that have survived their principals, the wonted ornaments of every trig change-house kitchen." The season was far advanced; but the sun shone at his setting with a glorious composure, and the birds in the hedges and on the boughs were again gladdened into song. The leaves had fallen thickly, and the stubble fields were bare, but autumn in her many-coloured mantle, her tartan plaid, as Mr M'Gruel with a tasteful nationality calls it was seen still walking with matronly composure in the woodlands, along the brow of the neighbouring hills. About half past four o'clock, a movement was seen among the callans at the braehead, and a shout announced that a carriage was in sight. It was answered by a murmuring response of satisfaction from the whole village. In the course of a few minutes the carriage reached the turnpike-it was of the darkest green and the gravest fashion, -a large trunk, covered with Russian matting and fastened on with cords, prevented from chafing it by knots of straw rope, occupied the front,-behind, other two were fixed in the same manner, the lesser of course uppermost; and deep beyond a pile of light bundles and bandboxes, that occupied a large portion of the interior, the blithe faces of the Doctor and Mrs Pringle were discovered. The boys huzzaed, the Doctor flung them pennypieces, and the Mistress baubees. As the carriage drove along, the old men on the dike stood up and reverently took off their hats and bonnets. The weaver lads gazed with a melancholy smile; the lassies on the carts clapped their hands with joy; the women on both sides of the street acknowledged the recognizing nods; while all the village dogs, surprised by the sound of chariot wheels, came baying and barking forth, and sent off the cats that were so doucely sitting on the window soles, clambering and scampering over the roofs in terror of their lives. When the carriage reached the manse door, Mr Snodgrass, the two ladies, with Mr Micklewham, and all the elders except Mr Craig, were there ready to receive the travellers. But over this joy of welcoming we must draw a veil ; for the first thing that the Doctor did, on entering the parlour and before sitting down, was to return thanks for his safe restoration to his home and people. but you The carriage was then unloaded, and as package, bale, box, and bundle were successively brought in, Miss Mally Glencairn expressed her admiration at the great capacity of the chaise. 66 Ay," said Mrs Pringle, know not what we have suffert for't in coming through among the English tavrens on the road; some of them would not take us forward when there was a hill to pass, unless we would take four horses, and every one after another reviled us for having no mercy in loading the carriage like a waggon, and then the drivers were so gleg and impudent, that it was worse than martyrdom to come with them. Had the Doctor taken my advice he would have brought our own civil London coachman, whom we hired with his own horses by the job; but he said it behoved us to gie our ain fish guts to our ain seamaws, and that he designed to fee Thomas Birlpenny's hostler for our coachman, being a lad of the parish. This obliged us to post it from London, but, oh! Miss Mally, what an outlay it has been !" The Doctor in the meantime had entered into conversation with the gentlemen, and was inquiring in the most particular manner respecting all his parishioners, and expressing his surprise that Mr Craig had not been at the manse with the rest of the elders, "It does not look well," said the Doctor. Mr Daff, however, offered the best apology for his absence that could |