edge of
the remainder of her secrets.

Endowed with the knowledge of "good and evil," and all the "second
sights" that can be acquired, Michael left his lodgings in the morning,
with the philosopher's stone in his pocket. By daily perfecting his
supernatural attainments, by new series of discoveries, he became more
than a match for Satan himself. Having seduced some thousands of Satan's
best workmen into his employment, he trained them up so successfully to
the architective business, and inspired them with such industrious
habits, that he was more than sufficient for all the architectural work
of the empire. To establish this assertion, we need only refer to some
remains of his workmanship still existing north of the Grampians, some of
them, stupendous bridges built by him in one short night, with no other
visible agents than two or three workmen.

On one occasion work was getting scarce, as might have been naturally
expected, and his workmen, as they were wont, flocked to his doors,
perpetually exclaiming, "Work! work! work!" Continually annoyed by their
incessant entreaties, he called out to them in derision to go and make a
dry road from Fortrose to Arderseir, over the Moray Firth. Immediately
their cry ceased, and as Scott supposed it wholly impossible for them to
execute his order, he retired to rest, laughing most heartily at the
chimerical sort of employment he had given to his industrious workmen.
Early in the morning, however, he got up and took a walk at the break of
day down to the shore to divert himself at the fruitless labours of his
zealous workmen. But on reaching the spot, what was his astonishment to
find the formidable piece of work allotted to them only a few hours
before already nearly finished. Seeing the great damage the commercial
class of the community would sustain from the operation, he ordered the
workmen to demolish the most part of their work; leaving, however, the
point of Fortrose to show the traveller to this day the wonderful exploit
of Michael Scott's fairies.

On being thus again thrown out of employment, their former clamour was
resumed, nor could Michael Scott, with all his sagacity, devise a plan to
keep them in innocent employment. He at length discovered one. "Go,"
says he, "and manufacture me ropes that will carry me to the back of the
moon, of these materials--_miller's-sudds_ and sea-sand." Michael Scott
here obtained rest from his active operators; for, when other