[61] This clause is added in some modern undated editions:—‘and so Tom gained his end.’
[62] In the Stirling (1801), and other editions the reading is:—‘So the butcher got but fun for his trouble.’
[63] ‘Madam,’ in some later editions.
[64] A fair indication of the opinion Englishmen had of their Scottish neighbours. Could any good come out of Scotland? It is only fair to admit, however, that the contempt was not all on the one side.
[65] The old woman, by her remark about witchcraft and her belief in Tom’s proposal, discovers the presence of superstitions in her mind. The belief in witchcraft was then in a transition stage. Many people firmly believed in it; others were doubtful; while not a few, like Tom, played the rogue on the strength of the superstition in others. It is more than probable that the tricks of such as Lothian Tom did more to enlighten the people than anything else. As for the clergy, they were a hindrance, and rather fostered the belief in witchcraft.
[66] This concludes the second number. The third number, like the others, had a title-page, and the narrative was continued on the back of it.
[67] The modern undated Glasgow editions end here with the words:—‘for it is fashious to lead and heavy to carry.’ All that goes before of this part is added to part five, so that in them there are only five parts. In the Stirling (1801) edition, however, the story is carried on to the end of the scene with the lawyer.
[68] It was quite a common conclusion of a law-suit for the lawyer and his client to ‘drink a bottle’ or even get ‘fou’ together, especially if they were on the winning side. Consultations were generally held in some tavern in the vicinity of the court, and the whole aspect of a case was discussed under the stimulating influence of a ‘tappit hen.’ Sir Walter Scott in the text and notes to Guy Mannering gives a most interesting account of the convivial habits of the Scottish bar during last century.
[69] Nearly four pages are here inserted in the edition from which this text is taken, but they do not belong to Lothian Tom, but to Pady from Cork. They consist of ‘[Pady’s New Catechism],’ ‘[Pady’s Humble Petition],’ and ‘[Pady’s Creed for Irish Believers],’ and they will be found in their proper place in a subsequent part of this volume.
[70] Vide Introduction, vol. i. p. 45.