both hungry, and could get nothing to buy ⟨for⟩ the belly, we came unto a wife who had been kirning, but ſhe would give us nothing, nor ſell ⟨ſo⟩ much as one halfpenny's worth of her ſour-milk; na, na, ſaid ſhe, I'll neither ſell butter, bread nor milk, 'tis a little enough to fair my ain family: ye that's chapmen may drink water, ye dinna work fair. Ay, but goodwife, ſaid I, I hae been at Temple bar, where I was ſworn ne'er to ⟨drink⟩ water, if I could get better: what do ye ſay, ⟨ſaid⟩ ſhe about Temple-bar? a town juſt about ⟨twa-⟩three miles and a bittock fra this: a thief a ⟨an⟩ was to ſwear ye there, an it waſna auld ⟨Willie⟩ Miller the cobler, the ill thief a neither miniſter nor magiſtrate ever was in it a'.
O but ſays the other lad, the Temple-bar ⟨he⟩ means by is at London. Yea, yea, lad, an ye ⟨be⟩ com'd fra London, ye're little worth. London, ſaid he, is but at home to the place he ⟨comes⟩ from: a dear man, quoth ſhe, and whar in a' ⟨the⟩ warld comes he fra? all the way fra Italy ⟨where⟩ the Pope o' Rome dwells, ſays he; a ſweet be wi' us, quoth ſhe, for the fouks there awa' is a witches and warlocks, deels, brownies and faries. ⟨Well⟩ a wat that is true, ſaid I, and that you ſhall know, thou hard harted wretch, who would have ⟨people⟩ to ſtarve or provoke them to ſteal. With that ⟨I⟩ roſe and lifts twa or three long ſtraws, and caſting knots on them, into the byre I went, ſaying, thy days ſhall not be long: the wife followed, wringing her hands, earneſtly prayed for ⟨herſelf⟩ and all that was hers. I then came out at ⟨the⟩ door, and lifted a ſtone running three times round about, and threw it over the houſe, muttering ſome words, which I knew not myſelf, and
