LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. XXX111 



the Marchioness of Douglas, at Merchiston-house, 

 near Edinburgh. Both the Marchioness and 

 Lady Jane behaved to me in the most friendly 

 manner, on Dr. Keith's account, and sat for their 

 pictures ; telling me at the same time, that I was 

 in the very room in which Lord Napier invented 

 and computed the Logarithms ; and that, if I 

 thought it would inspire me, I should always have 

 the same room whenever I came to Merchiston. 

 I staid there several days, and drew several 

 pictures of Lady Jane ; of whom it was hard to 

 say, whether the greatness of her beauty, or the 

 goodness of her temper and dispositions, was the 

 most predominant. She sent these pictures to la- 

 dies of her acquaintance, in order to recommend me 

 to them ; by which means I soon had as much busi- 

 ness as Icould possibly manage, so as not only to 

 put a good deal of money into my own pocket, but 

 also to spare what was sufficient to help to supply 

 my father and mother in their old age. Thus a 

 business was providentially put into my hands, 

 which I followed for six and twenty years. 



Lady Dipple., being a woman of the strictest 

 piety, kept a watchful eye over me at first, and 

 made me give her an exact account at night of what 

 families I had been in throughout the day, and of 

 the money I had received. She took the money 

 each night, desiring I would keep an account of 

 what I had put into her hands; telling me that I 

 should duly have out of it what I wanted for 

 clothes, and to sent to my father. But, in less 



