NIMROUS NORTHERN TOUR. 23 



deportment," and its association with deeds of days long since 

 gone by, renders it an object of no common interest. The walls 

 I, of course, explored and a delightful walk they afford; as 

 likewise the bridge over the Tweed, which is one of the finest I 

 have ever seen, consisting of upwards of a dozen arches, and 

 those of great span. I then returned to my inn with a good 

 appetite for my breakfast ; and, although I as yet only con- 

 sidered myself on the Border, when I saw it on the table I 

 thought of a question I had seen put in some book or other 

 <; What gluttony can compete with a breakfast in Scotland ?" 



" Any coach to Dunse, to-day ?" said I to the waiter, as he 

 was in the act of making my tea. " Nay, nay," he replied, with 

 a significant shake of the head ; " there's nae coach out of Barrick 

 to-day ; 'tis the Sabbath /" . " All the better for the cattle and 

 the coachman," said I to myself ; " but all the worse for my 

 pocket. Order me a chaise at two ;" and at two I was on my 

 road to Dunse. 



I believe I once made the remark, in allusion to my contribu- 

 tions to periodicals, that of those which had been most approved 

 by the public, the matter generally presented itself to me in the 

 rough when either in the saddle or on a coach-box. But I can- 

 not say as much of that to me most disagreeable vehicle, the 

 " yellow post-chaise," about every part of which there is a jumb- 

 ling and a jingling enough to disturb brains steadier and staider 

 than mine are. Nevertheless, there is no putting the drag on the 

 animus, even Morpheus himself can scarcely do this ; and 

 during the hour and half that I spent in this state of purgatory, 

 a sort of conversation was going on between the outer and the 

 inner man. 



" Here I am," said the one to the other, " irioav TOV Trorajuou' 7 

 on t'other side of the river and, for the first time in my life, 

 in the land of what ? Of cakes ! Yes, of cakes ; and what is 

 heartier food than good oaten cake, for horse, hound, hog, goose, 

 or man ? In the land of bonnets ? Yes Highland, and Low- 

 land, but I don't fancy them ; fitter for women than for men ; 

 too much of the ' redimicula mitras ' about them. Of plaids ; 

 Yes quite classical; 'gentemque togatam !' In the land of 

 hospitality ? From all I have heard, equal to that of the ancient 

 Germans, who, Tacitus says, looked out of their doors before 

 they shut up their houses at night, to see if any stranger was 

 coming." "A pleasing reflection this five hundred miles from 

 home," whispered the inner man. " In the land of hunting ? Yes ; 

 for one of their kings, Alexander the Third we are told, hunted 

 Forfarshire ; and who could wind a horn with Robert Bruce ? 

 I am little read in Gaelic antiquities, but this Alexander must 



