r fear to lay on, if it were come to that; but our auld
leddy wad hae ca'd that a resisting o' the king's authority."

"I will resist any authority on earth," said Morton, "that invades
tyrannically my chartered rights as a freeman; and I am determined I will
not be unjustly dragged to a jail, or perhaps a gibbet, if I can possibly
make my escape from these men either by address or force."

"Weel, that's just my mind too, aye supposing we hae a feasible
opportunity o' breaking loose. But then ye speak o' a charter; now these
are things that only belang to the like o' you that are a gentleman, and
it mightna bear me through that am but a husbandman."

"The charter that I speak of," said Morton, "is common to the meanest
Scotchman. It is that freedom from stripes and bondage which was claimed,
as you may read in Scripture, by the Apostle Paul himself, and which
every man who is free-born is called upon to defend, for his own sake and
that of his countrymen."

"Hegh, sirs!" replied Cuddie, "it wad hae been lang or my Leddy Margaret,
or my mither either, wad hae fund out sic a wiselike doctrine in the
Bible! The tane was aye graning about giving tribute to Caesar, and the
tither is as daft wi' her whiggery. I hae been clean spoilt, just wi'
listening to twa blethering auld wives; but if I could get a gentleman
that wad let me tak on to be his servant, I am confident I wad be a clean
contrary creature; and I hope your honour will think on what I am saying,
if ye were ance fairly delivered out o' this house of bondage, and just
take me to be your ain wally-de-shamble."

"My valet, Cuddie?" answered Morton; "alas! that would be sorry
preferment, even if we were at liberty."

"I ken what ye're thinking--that because I am landward-bred, I wad be
bringing ye to disgrace afore folk; but ye maun ken I'm gay gleg at the
uptak; there was never ony thing dune wi' hand but I learned gay readily,
'septing reading, writing, and ciphering; but there's no the like o' me
at the fit-ba', and I can play wi' the broadsword as weel as Corporal
Inglis there. I hae broken his head or now, for as massy as he's riding
ahint us.--And then ye'll no be gaun to stay in this country?"--said he,
stopping and interrupting himself.

"Probably not," replied Morton.

"Weel, I carena a boddle. Ye see I wad get my mither bestowed wi' her
auld graning tittie, auntie Meg, in the Gallowgate o' Glasgow, and then I
trust they wad neither burn her for a witc