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those fields, once stained with the blood, and strewed with the carcasses of our contesting countrymen, we reached Tranent, where, after an hour's fruitless search for lodgings, we were at last directed to the house of an honest Northumbrian, who kept a little genteel public house, and were treated with a generous and cheerful hospitality. The table was spread with excellent provision, the beer went freely round, and an old travelling fiddler who sat by the fire, in recompense for the few draughts he had drunk, tuned his instrument, and entertained us with a mixture of murdered sounds, and squeaking discords.

There is no species of pleasure more generally pleasing, or made more welcome to the human heart, than flattery. Flattery is the food of vanity, and vanity is the daughter of ignorance. To know ourselves, is the only method to exclude vanity, and the certain way to despise flattery. Yet, such is the frailty of our nature, that the minds of the wisest, as well as those of the most foolish, are apt, at certain times, to be swelled by a secret pride, and conscious belief of a worth and importance, beyond what they really possess. These ideas, privately indulged, are not without their doubts; but when persons are once applauded to the skies for those rare qualities, and celebrated for the express excellencies which they long supposed themselves possessed of, their doubts instantly disappear-their pride rises confirmed of its master's mighty importance, and the flatterer is hugged as their noblest friend-one who has at length ventured to tell the truth; whose candour and penetration can justly discern, and honestly display the brilliancy of their merits. With a full dose of this inspiring potion, we treated our inimitable musician, and by extolling the loudness of his fiddle, the agility with which he

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played, the almost innumerable multitudes of his tunes, and, in short, every other quality that belonged to a good performer, we kept him scratching among the strings, till a profusion of sweat streamed from every quarter of his countenance, and the tolling of the town bell summoned us to bed. Next morning we rose to take a view of the town, and seeing it to be but trifling, composed for the most part of mean houses, occupied by labourers and some weavers (who in this part of the country are wretchedly poor), we resumed our budgets, and proceeded eastward to Haddington, keeping the highway, sometimes on this hand, sometimes on that, according as the situation of the farm-houses lay. As we were thus tacking from place to place, a white house, that crowned the top of a neighbouring hill, about half a mile from the road, caught my eye, and as its outward appearance seemed to indicate better within, I steered directly for the glittering mansion. On my arrival, without stopping to knock (a ceremony never practised by pedlars, except when absolute necessity requires), I entered a spacious kitchen where a large fire flamed in the chimney, over which an enormous pot raged with the heat, while a couple of cats basked on the hearth. All around wore the appearance of sumptuous plenty, but human creature I neither saw nor heard. Tired with clambering up the steep, I threw down my budget on the top of an old trunk, and sat down, expecting that some of the family would soon appear. I had not been long seated, when an overgrown mastiff entered from another door, and, eyeing me with a look of fury, passed and repassed several times, then stretching himself on the floor, fixed his red eye-balls with a grim, sulky, jealousy, broad in my face. I had rested for upwards of a quarter of an hour without any person making their

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appearance. Having little time to lose, I determined
to stay no longer, and rose, with an intention of
lifting my load; at this moment, the furious animal
sprung forwards, and, with a most infernal growl,
seized me by the breast, and drove me against the
partition! Stunned as I was at this unexpected
salute, I endeavoured by soft and soothing phrases,
to get from his ungracious embrace, but I soothed
in vain; he was proof against all the arts of flattery,
which seemed rather to inflame his rage, than soften
him to peace.
Meantime I burned with fury to be
disengaged, and, had a large knife, which lay on the
board, been within reach, I had most certainly
plunged it into his entrails, and freed myself from
this ferocious animal; but I was pinned to the wall,
and to move was death. In this situation, I stood
for some time, when an old lady entered, and seeing
two such figures, in such a position, started back,
and stood for a few moments, fixed in astonishment.
I briefly explained the circumstances to her, and
desired her to call down the dog; this she instantly
did, and delivered me from one of the most disagree-
able companions I ever had in my life. Meantime,
the servants entering, she severely reprimanded
them for leaving the kitchen, and relating the affair,
a general laugh commenced, in which, being now
out of danger, I heartily joined, resolved for the
future to take care, when, and where, I parted with
my budget. Whether this humorous accident had
opened their hearts, or that they really stood in need
of these articles, I know not, but an uncommon
spirit for purchasing seemed to prevail; my wares
were tossed out on a large table, a group soon as-
sembled, and for upwards of two hours, I was closely
engaged cutting, measuring, and pocketing the cash;
while the old matron, herself, hearing I was an au-
thor, liberally purchased a copy of my poems. After

which the servants began, with no less spirit; so that, what betwixt the success of my sale, and the enjoyment of a plentiful dinner, I had almost forgot the horror of the mastiff's growls, when I gratefully left the house, gained the highway, and in a short time joined my companion.

THE SOLITARY PHILOSOPHER.

ADDRESSED TO THE EDITOR OF THE "BEE."

SIR,-Among all the variety of interesting pieces with which you weekly entertain your readers, none please me more than those anecdotes that relate to originality of character in particular individuals; and I am somewhat surprised that your philosophical correspondents have not favoured us with more frequent accounts of these uncommon personages than they have done. You have yourself acknowledged that one great design of your work is to bring to light men of genius, or, in other words, persons who might otherwise have languished in obscurity, whose superior talents and studious exertions enable them to be important members of society, and highly beneficial to their fellow creatures. But in what manner shall those proceed, who, though possessing much real genius and valuable knowledge, are either unwilling, or, being destitute of literary abilities, are unable to present themselves or their discoveries to the world through your paper. They must still remain in obscurity if no assisting hand interferes ; and except for the remembrance of a few friends, the world may never know that such persons ever existed. Give me leave, therefore, for once, to act the part of introducer, and present you with a short account of an original still in life.

On the side of a large mountain, about ten miles

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west from this place, in a little hut of his own rear-
ing, which has known no other possessor these fifty
years, lives this strange and very singular person.
Though his general usefulness and communicative
disposition requires him often to associate with the
surrounding rustics, yet, having never had an incli
nation to travel farther than to the neighbouring
village, and being totally unacquainted with the
world, his manners, conversation, and dress, are
strikingly noticeable. A little plot of ground that
extends round his cottage is the narrow sphere to
which he confines himself; and in this wild retreat
he appears to a stranger as one of the early inhabi-
tants of earth, ere polished by frequent intercourse,
or united in society. In his youth being deprived
of the means of education, and till this hour a stran-
ger
to reading, the most valuable treasures of time are
utterly unknown to him, so that what knowledge he
has acquired seems to be from the joint exertions of
vigorous powers and an unwearied course of experi-
ments.

It is impossible, in the limited bounds of this paper, to give the particulars of all the variety of professions in which he engages, and in which he is allowed by the whole inhabitants around him to excel. His genius seems universal; and he is at once by nature, botanist, philosopher, naturalist, and physician.

The place where he resides seems indeed peculiarly calculated for assisting him in these favourite pursuits. Within a stone's throw of his hut, a deep enormous chasm extends itself up the mountain for more than four miles, through the bottom of which a large body of water rages in loud and successive falls through the fractured channel, while its stupendous sides, studded with rocks, are overhung with bushes and trees, that meeting from opposite sides, and mixing their branches, entirely conceal,