216 NORTHERN MEMOIRS. 



termirigled with a rapid motion ; and the lower 

 region swells and looks big, but the nights di- 

 rect to an equal proportion with the days : so 

 that observing the summer in a declining pos- 

 ture, what think you of fixing our inclinations 

 southward ? And in our countermarch, take a 

 breviate of all the rivers, rivulets, cities, citadels, 

 castles and corporations, that lie in our way, till 

 we face their magnificent metropolis of Edin- 

 burgh. 



Theoph. I approve of the motion well enough, 

 it comports with my inclination. 



Am. Let us then proceed methodically, and 

 commence with the Castle of Cromerty, where 

 the Laird Urquart lived in his life-time; who 

 had twice twenty children standing at once be- 

 fore him ; but thirty were sons, and ten of them 

 daughters ; and all at the state of men and wo- 

 men, yet not one natural child amongst them 

 (as 1 was told.) Now this venerable Laird of 

 Urquart lived to the utmost limit and period 

 of life ; whose declining age invites him to con- 

 template mortality, and cruciate himself, by fan- 

 cying his cradle his sepulchre, wherein he was 

 lodg'd night after night, and hal'd up by pullies 

 to the roof of his house ; approaching as near as 

 the roof would let him, to the beautiful battle- 

 ments and suburbs of heaven. 



Theoph. Was not this that Urquart, whot>e 



