hand upon his little ones, and will save his poor ones in this family from thy malice.” The minister returning back a little, and standing upon the floor, the devil said, “I knew not these scriptures till my father taught me them.” Then the minister conjured him to tell whence he was. The foul fiend replied, “That he was an evil spirit come from the bottomless pit of hell to vex this house, and that Satan was his father.” And presently there appeared a naked hand, and an arm from the elbow down, beating upon the floor till the house did shake again, and also he uttered a most fearful and loud cry, saying, “Come up, my father, come up; I will send my father among you; see there he is behind your backs.” Then the minister said, “I saw indeed a hand, and an arm, when the stroke was given and heard.” The devil said to him, “Saw you that? it was not my hand, it was my father’s; my hand is more black in the loof.” “O (said Gilbert Campbell) that I may see thee as well as I hear thee!” “Would you see me (says the foul thief) put out the candle, and I shall come butt the house among you like fireballs. I shall let you see me indeed.” Alexander Bailie of Dunragged says to the minister, Let us go then, and see if there be any hand to be seen. The devil answered, “No, let him come then alone; he is a good honest man, his single word may be believed.” About this time the devil abused Mr. Robert Hay, a very honest gentleman, very ill with his tongue, calling him witch and warlock. A little after, the devil cries (it seems out of purpose and in of purpose) “A witch, a witch, there is a witch sitting upon the ruist, take her away;” he meant a hen sitting upon the balk of the house.—These things being past, all went to prayer, during which time he was silent; prayer being ended, the devil answered and said, “If the goodman’s son’s prayers at the College of Glasgow did not prevail with God, my father and I had wrought a mischief here ere now.” To which Alexander Bailie of Dunragged replied, “Well, well, I see you confess there is a God, and that prayer prevails with him; and therefore we must pray to God, and commit the event to him.” To whom the devil replied, “Yea, Sir, you speak of prayer with your broad lipped hat, (for the gentleman had lately gotten a hat in the fashion with broad lips) I’ll bring a pair of sheers from my father which will clip the lips of it a little.” Whereupon he presently imagined that he heard and felt a pair of sheers going round about his hat, which caused him lift it to see if the foul thief had meddled with it.