holiday nature, and I had not noticed much sin or depravity. Then why should all be ruin and desolation now? Did man get so very bad after my day as to deserve this annihilation of his works?
We came to a stand on a hill that I recognised to be Arthur's Seat, and we were about to proceed towards a large, low building on the top, when I begged the Recorder to give me a few explanations of how Edinburgh was ruined, but his answer was simply:—
"I will tell you all about this terrible calamity in good time, but not now, the one story will do for all the cities, they were all ruined at the same time."
"But," I said, "you seem to condemn all the men of my time, and in doing so you appear to me unjust. I have known many good and kind hearted merchants, engineers, lawyers, clergymen, sailors, and soldiers, that would not do a wrong thing if they were aware of it, to save their lives."
He replied:—"My Specimen, you misunder-
