；　and　though　no　longer　deep　gamblers；　rather　played　small　game　than　sat　out。　This　I　particularly　despised。　　The　strong　impulse　of　gaming；　alas！　　I　had　felt　in　my　time。　　It　is　as　intense　as　it　is　criminal；　but　it　produces　excitation　and　interest；　and　I　can　conceive　how　it　should　become　a　passion　with　strong　and　powerful　minds。　　But　to　dribble　away　life　in　exchanging　bits　of　painted　pasteboard　round　a　green　table　for　the　piddling　concern　of　a　few　shillings；　can　only　be　excused　in　folly　or　superannuation。　　It　is　like　riding　on　a　rocking…horse；　where　your　utmost　exertion　never　carries　you　a　foot　forward；　it　is　a　kind　of　mental　treadmill；　where　you　are　perpetually　climbing；　but　can　never　rise　an　inch。　From　these　hints；　my　readers　will　perceive　I　am　incapacitated　for　one　of　the　pleasures　of　old　age；　which；　though　not　mentioned　by　Cicero；　is　not　the　least　frequent　resource　in　the　present　day　the　club…room；　and　the　snug　hand　at　whist。
  To　return　to　my　old　companions。　　Some　frequented　public　assemblies；　like　the　ghost　of　Beau　Nash；　or　any　other　beau　of　half　a　century　back；　thrust　aside　by　tittering　youth；　and　pitied　by　those　of　their　own　age。　　In　fine；　some　went　into　devotion；　as　the　French　term　it；　and　others；　I　fear；　went　to　the　devil；　a　few　found　resources　in　science　and　letters；　one　or　two　turned　philosophers　in　a　small　way；　peeped　into　microscopes；　and　became　familiar　with　the　fashionable　experiments　of　the　day；　some　took　to　reading；　and　I　was　one　of　them。
  Some　grains　of　repulsion　towards　the　society　around　mesome　painful　recollections　of　early　faults　and　folliessome　touch　of　displeasure　with　living　mankindinclined　me　rather　to　a　study　of　antiquities；　and　particularly　those　of　my　own　country。　　The　reader；　if　I　can　prevail　on　myself　to　continue　the　present　work；　will　probably　be　able　to　judge　in　the　course　of　it　whether　I　have　made　any　useful　progress　in　the　study　of　the　olden　times。
  I　owed　this　turn　of　study；　in　part；　to　the　conversation　of　my　kind　man　of　business；　Mr。　Fairscribe；　whom　I　mentioned　as　having　seconded　the　efforts　of　my　invaluable　friend　in　bringing　the　cause　on　which　my　liberty　and　the　remnant　of　my　property　depended　to　a　favourable　decision。　　He　had　given　me　a　most　kind　reception　on　my　return。　　He　was　too　much　engaged　in　his　profession　for　me　to　intrude　on　him　often；　and　perhaps　his　mind　was　too　much　trammelled　with　its　details　to　permit　his　being　willingly　withdrawn　from　them。　　In　short；　he　was　not　a　person　of　my　poor　friend　Sommerville's　expanded　spirit；　and　rather　a　lawyer　of　the　ordinary　class　of　formalists；　but　a　most　able　and　excellent　man。　When　my　estate　was　sold！　　he　retained　some　of　the　older　title…　deeds；　arguing；　from　his　own　feelings；　that　they　would　be　of　more　consequence　to　the　heir　of　the　old　family　than　to　the　new　purchaser。　　And　when　I　returned　to　Edinburgh；　and　found　him　still　in　the　exercise　of　the　profession　to　which　he　was　an　honour；　he　sent　to　my　lodgings　the　old　family　Bible；　which　lay　always　on　my　father's　table；　two　or　three　other　mouldy　volumes；　and　a　couple　of　sheepskin　bags　full　of　parchments　and　papers；　whose　appearance　was　by　no　means　inviting。
  The　next　time　I　shared　Mr。　Fairscribe's　hospitable　dinner；　I　failed　not　to　return　him　due　thanks　for　his　kindness；　which　acknowledgment；　indeed；　I　proportioned　rather　to　the　idea　which　I　knew　he　entertained　of　the　value　of　such　things；　than　to　the　interest　with　which　I　myself　regarded　them。　　But　the　conversation　turning　on　my　family；　who　were　old　proprietors　in　the　Upper　Ward　of　Clydesdale；　gradually　excited　some　interest　in　my　mind　and　when　I　retired　to　my　solitary　parlour；　the　first　thing　I　did　was　to　look　for　a　pedigree　or　sort　of　history　of　the　family　or　House　of　Croftangry；　once　of　that　Ilk；　latterly　of　Glentanner。　　The　discoveries　which　I　made　shall　enrich　the　next　chapter。
  CHAPTER　II。
  IN　WHICH　MR。　CROFTANGRY　CONTINUES　HIS　STORY。
  〃What's　property；　dear　Swift？　　I　see　it　alter　　　　From　you　to　me；　from　me　to　Peter　Walter。〃
  〃CroftangryCroftandrewCroftanridgeCroftandgrey　for　sa　mony　wise　hath　the　name　been　spellitis　weel　known　to　be　ane　house　of　grit　antiquity；　and　it　is　said　that　King　Milcolumb；　or　Malcolm；　being　the　first　of　our　Scottish　princes　quha　removit　across　the　Firth　of　Forth；　did　reside　and　occupy　ane　palace　at　Edinburgh；　and　had　there　ane　valziant　man；　who　did　him　man…service　by　keeping　the　croft；　or　corn…land；　which　was　tilled　for　the　convenience　of　the　King's　household；　and　was　thence　callit　Croft…　an…ri；　that　is　to　say；　the　King　his　croft；　quhilk　place；　though　now　coverit　with　biggings；　is　to　this　day　called　Croftangry；　and　lyeth　near　to　the　royal　palace。　　And　whereas　that　some　of　those　who　bear　this　auld　and　honourable　name　may　take　scorn　that　it　ariseth　from　the　tilling　of　the　ground；　quhilk　men　account　a　slavish　occupation；　yet　we　ought　to　honour　the　pleugh　and　spade；　seeing　we　all　derive　our　being　from　our　father　Adam；　whose　lot　it　became　to　cultivate　the　earth；　in　respect　of　his　fall　and　transgression。
  〃Also　we　have　witness；　as　weel　in　holy　writt　as　in　profane　history；　of　the　honour　in　quhilk　husbandrie　was　held　of　old；　and　how　prophets　have　been　taken　from　the　pleugh；　and　great　captains　raised　up　to　defend　their　ain　countries；　sic　as　Cincinnatus；　and　the　like；　who　fought　not　the　common　enemy　with　the　less　valiancy　that　their　alms　had　been　exercised　in　halding　the　stilts　of　the　pleugh；　and　their　bellicose　skill　in　driving　of　yauds　and　owsen。
  〃Likewise　there　are　sindry　honorable　families；　quhilk　are　now　of　our　native　Scottish　nobility；　and　have　clombe　higher　up　the　brae　of　preferment　than　what　this　house　of　Croftangry　hath　done；　quhilk　shame　not　to　carry　in　their　warlike　shield　and　insignia　of　dignity　the　tools　and　implements　the　quhilk　their　first　forefathers　exercised　in　labouring　the　croft…rig；　or；　as　the　poet　Virgilius　calleth　it　eloquently；　in　subduing　the　soil；　and　no　doubt　this　ancient　house　of　Croftangry；　while　it　continued　to　be　called　of　that　Ilk；　produced　many　worshipful　and　famous　patriots；　of　quhom　I　now　praetermit　the　names；　it　being　my　purpose；　if　God　shall　spare　me　life　for　sic　ane　pious　officium；　or　duty；　to　resume　the　first　part　of　my　narrative　touching　the　house　of　Croftangry；　when　I　can　set　down　at　length　the　evidents　and　historical　witness　anent　the　facts　which　I　shall　allege；　seeing　that　words；　when　they　are　unsupported　by　proofs；　are　like　seed　sown　on　the　naked　rocks；　or　like　an　house　biggit　on　the　flitting　and　faithless　sands。〃
  Here　I　stopped　to　draw　breath；　for　the　style　of　my　grandsire；　the　inditer　of　this　goodly　matter；　was　rather　lengthy；　as　our　American　friends　say。　　Indeed；　I　reserve　the　rest　of　the　piece　until　I　can　obtain　admission　to　the　Bannatine　Club；　＇This　Club；　of　which　the　Author　of　Waverley　has　the　honour　to　be　President；　was　instituted　in　February　1823；　for　the　purpose　of　printing　and　publishing　works　illustrative　of　the　history；　literature；　and　antiquities　of　Scotland。　　It　continues　to　prosper；　and　has　already　rescued　from　oblivion　many　curious　materials　of　Scottish　history。＇　　when　I　propose　to　throw　off　an　edition；　limited　according　to　the　rules　of　that　erudite　Society；　with　a　facsimile　of　the　manuscript；　emblazonry　of　the　family　arms　surrounded　by　their　quartering；　and　a　handsome　disclamation　of　family　pride；　with　HAEC　NOS　NOVIMUS　ESSE　NIHIL；　or　VIX　EA　NOSTRA　VOCO。
  In　the　meantime；　to　speak　truth；　I　cannot　but　suspect　that；　though　my　worthy　ancestor　puffed　vigorously　to　swell　up　the　dignity　of　his　family；　we　had　never；　in　fact；　risen　above　the　rank　of　middling　proprietors。　　The　estate　of　Glentanner　came　to　us　by　the　intermarriage　of　my　ancestor　with　Tib　Sommeril；　termed　by　the　southrons　Sommerville；　a　daughter　of　that　noble　house；　but；　I　fear；　on　what　my　great…grandsire　calls　〃the　wrong　side　of　the　blanket。〃　　　＇The　ancient　Norman　family　of　the　Sommervilles　came　into　this　island　with　William　the　Conqueror；　and　established　one　branch　in　Gloucestershire；　another　in　Scotland。　　After　the　lapse　of　seven　hundred　years；　the　remaining　possessions　of　these　two　branches　were　united　in　the　person　of　the　late　Lord　Sommerville；　on　the　death　of　his　English　kinsman；　the　well…known　author　of　〃The　Chase。〃＇　　Her　husband；　Gilbert；　was　killed　fighting；　as　the　INQUISITIO　POST　MORTEM　has　it；　〃SUB　VEXILLO　REGIS；　APUD　PRAELIUM　JUXTA　BRANXTON；　LIE　FLODDDEN…FIELD。〃
  We　had　our　share　in　other　national　misfortuneswere　forfeited；　like　Sir　John　Colville　of　the　Dale；　for　following　our　betters　to　the　field　of　Langside；　and　in　the　contentious　times　of　the　last　Stewarts　we　were　severely　fined　for　harbouring　and　resetting　intercommuned　ministers；　and　narrowly　escaped　giving　a　martyr　to　the　Calendar　of　the　Covenant；　in　the　person　of　the　father　of　our　family　historian。　　He　〃took　the　sheaf　from　the　mare；〃　however；　as　the　MS。　expresses　it；　and　agreed　to　accept　of　the　terms　of　pardon　offered　by　Government；　and　sign　the　bond　in　evidence　he　would　give　no　further　ground　of　offence。　　My　grandsire　glosses　over　his　father's　backsliding　as　smoothly　as　he　can；　and　comforts　himself　with　ascribing　his　want　of　resolution　to　his　unwillingness　to　wreck　the　ancient　name　and　family；　and　to　permit　his　lands　and　lineage　to　fall　under　a　doom　of　forfeiture。
  〃And　indeed；〃　said　the　venerable　compiler；　〃as；　prais