134 NORTHERN MEMOIRS. 



sages so slippery, that the retentive faculties be- 

 come debilitated ; so suffers the body to be hur- 

 ried into a flux, and sometimes into a fever, as 

 pernicious as death. Which is much better pre- 

 vented by abstinency, than to stand the test of 

 uncorrected physick. 



This famous Firth is the most portable river 

 in Scotland, whose streams, because meandring, 

 make it deep and torpid ; so fit it for naviga- 

 tion ; for below Bridg there are neither streams 

 nor sharps ; but above Bridg there's enough, 

 more especially towards the flourishing fields of 

 Montieth, which I rather prefer, than Alan dfad 

 Althrwery, for the angler's diversion, except 

 Frith and Koak ; the one for pearl, but the other 

 for trout. 



Theoph. What town is this ? 



Am. Dirty Dumblain ; let us pass by it, and 

 not cumber our discourse with so inconsiderable 

 a corporation ; our itch after Mockeny puts a 

 spur to quicken our expectation ; for who knows 

 but the various alteration of weather may in some 

 measure frustrate those expectations we may 

 have of those admirable streams to answer our 

 designs ? 



Theoph. Do what you please. 



Am. Truly I think it but time lost, to sur- 

 vey the reliques of a ruinous heap of stones, that 



