claimed to rule his ancient kingdom, and whose portraits still frown grimly upon the walls of the gallery of Holyrood.

Now Oldbuck, a shrewd and suspicious man, and no respecter of divine hereditary right, was apt to cavil at this sacred list, and to affirm, that the procession of the posterity of Fergus through the pages of Scottish history, was as vain and unsubstantial as the gleamy pageant of the descendants of Banquo through the cavern of Hecate.
Another tender topic was the good fame of Queen Mary, of which the knight was a most chivalrous assertor, while the esquire impugned it, in spite both of her beauty and misfortunes.

When, unhappily, their conversation turned on yet later times, motives of discord occurred in almost every page of history.

Oldbuck was, upon principle, a staunch Presbyterian, a ruling elder of the kirk, and a friend to revolution principles and Protestant succession, while Sir Arthur was the very reverse of all this.

They agreed, it is true, in dutiful love and allegiance to the sovereign who now fills* the throne; but this was their only point of union.
* The reader will understand that this refers to the reign of our late gracious Sovereign, George the Third.
It therefore often happened, that bickerings hot broke out between them, in which Oldbuck was not always able to suppress his caustic humour, while it would sometimes occur to the Baronet that the descendant of a German printer, whose sires had "sought the base fellowship of paltry burghers," forgot himself, and took an unlicensed freedom of debate, considering the rank and ancient descent of his antagonist.