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⟨ar⟩e fifty draw-bridges in it; another town where, tho' a man ⟨co⟩mmits murder, treaſon, or owes never ſo much money, if ⟨h⟩e rune to that town, and gets in below a ſtair, no laws nor ⟨ju⟩ſtice can harm him. The nobleman offered immediately ⟨to⟩ ſtake a hundred pounds, that there was no ſuch towns in ⟨E⟩urope, beſides in Scotland. They deſired George to tell ⟨b⟩ut the names of theſe towns, for they would find him out, ⟨an⟩d know whether he was a liar or not. So he told their ⟨nam⟩es, and two men were ſent to Scotland to ſee them: the ⟨fir⟩ſt was Duddingſtone, near Edinburgh, waere they came ⟨an⟩d aſked for the bone bridges there; the people ſhewed ⟨th⟩em ſteps almoſt between every door, of the ſculls of ſheep-⟨he⟩ads, which they uſed as ſtepping ſtones. The ſecend was ⟨a⟩ little country village between Stirling and Perth, called ⟨A⟩uchterardoch, where there is a large ſtrand which runs ⟨th⟩rough the middle of the town, and almoſt at every door ⟨th⟩ere is a long ſtick or ſtone laid over the ſtrand, whereupon ⟨th⟩ey paſs to their oppoſite neighbours, and when a flood ⟨co⟩me, they would lift their woolen bridges, in caſe they ⟨ſh⟩ould be taken away, and theſe they called their draw-brid⟨ge⟩s. The third was a village near Cambuſbarron, which they ⟨pa⟩ſs through from one end to the other, but there was not ⟨a⟩ ſtair in it all; ſo they returned to England, and told what ⟨m⟩anner of bone and draw-bridges they were; and how there ⟨wa⟩s not a ſtair is all that place, therefore no man could run below it.
Now George being old, and highly advanced in years: ⟨fin⟩ding his natural ſrength and ſtate of health daily decaying ⟨he⟩ petitioned king James to let him return to Scotland, for ⟨to⟩ viſit his friends, and land of his nativity; which he moſt ⟨wi⟩llingly granted, (not thinking his deſign was never to re⟨tur⟩n,) for George had a great deſire to reſign his ſoul and ⟨breath⟩ in that place of the world, where he received them; ⟨an⟩d that his body and bones might be laid among his anceſ⟨tors⟩, which was counted a great honour in former ages.
So accordingly George came to the pariſh of Buchanan, ⟨in⟩ the weſt of Scotland, where he viſited all his friends and ⟨rel⟩ations before his death, during which time the king ſent ⟨sev⟩eral meſſages to him to return in all the haſte he could: ⟨but⟩ he abſolutely refuſed, telling him, that he would never ⟨ſee⟩ him again: which grieved the king very much to hear ⟨him⟩ expreſs himſelf in that manner. After this, the king ⟨sen⟩t him a letter, threatening him very ſharply, if he did not ⟨app⟩ear in London in the ſpace of twenty days, he would
