[2]
Henry Blyd's Contract, &c
WELL Mistriss I'm new come out o' Dundee, I ⟨could⟩ get naething to gi' the horse draff in but the sku(illegible text) your women ay takes his trough to keep sand in, for ⟨scouring⟩ their fushicades, i' bink well I wat he's a good ⟨beast.⟩ God bless him that I dinna forspeak him; An as well for ⟨he's⟩ quainted wi' me, as if I had been seven years in's company In troth Mistris, fouk has ay need to deffect (illegible text) they are doing, for the day as I'm coming along ⟨to⟩ casoway o' Dundee, the laid's brether that came here cry'd me up, an ga' me a biker, an coming out I fell down the stair, an 'maist brake my neck, but a providence ⟨saves⟩ the barm. An you ken Mistris fan I'm ridden down the pow upon Mistris fushicad, she an I crackin t'gether an' I no mindin' fat she's saying', tine's my pisle, an' rid fordert, till I'm about a mile an' a bittockie frae'd, ⟨and⟩ mind's says I, Good faith Mistris, I've tint my pisle, ale ⟨and⟩ maun gang back for'd againOut ye're a fool cushe, (illegible text) it gang there, it was no meikle worth. Wa's no ⟨meikle⟩ worth cothie, Saul, Mistris, it was as good a ane as ⟨ever⟩ was in a poor beast; an' I wou'd na ge'ed for my h(illegible text) year's fee yet; fae ged my wa's back, and gat it just (illegible text) I fan'd it.
Now, mistris, as you was sayin', I man gi' you a prescriptification o' my life. First fan I came to the wa(illegible text) as soon as I grew a body my father was dissolved to (illegible text) me to school, to learn to dispel, an' a chapman come by he bought me a 'Chief end 'o Man,' an a' 'Prognostication:' but I being contraveenable ran awa' and ged the west mill and helped the miller; For he greed wi' ⟨the⟩ auld lady, to uphad a' the gaun gear, an' she furnisht ⟨him⟩ wi' a woman, an gat the o'ercom to himsel fae this ⟨was⟩ I misglecked a my learnament, well when I was past a h(illegible text) lang lad, I began to think how I sud' come thros the wa(illegible text) an' ye ken the best way was to disjoin mysel' to a (illegible text) marrow after the orderly custom o' the ban' fan lads ⟨and⟩ lasses being observed to marry ither, Lord grant prosperity, generation mortification and devulsion to a' them gangs that geat cothie. Now always mistris I'll tell ⟨you⟩ the thing I'm gaun to tell you. The lass's sister that m(illegible text)
