that, as I was now rather inclined to a corpulency of parts, and
being likewise chief civil magistrate, it would not do to set myself
at the head of a body of soldiers, but that the consequence might be
made up to me in the clothing of the men; so I consented to put the
business into his hands upon this understanding. Accordingly, he
went the same night with me to Mr Dinton, that was in the general
merchandising line, a part-owner in vessels, a trafficker in corn,
and now and then a canny discounter of bills, at a moderate rate, to
folk in straits and difficulties. And we told him--the same being
agreed between us, as the best way of fructifying the job to a
profitable issue--that, as provost, I had got an intimation to raise
a corps of volunteers, and that I thought no better hand could be
got for a co-operation than him and Mr Pipe, who was pointed out to
me as a gentleman weel qualified for the command.

Mr Dinton, who was a proud man, and an offset from one of the county
families, I could see was not overly pleased at the preferment over
him given to Mr Pipe, so that I was in a manner constrained to loot
a sort a-jee, and to wile him into good-humour with all the ability
in my power, by saying that it was natural enough of the king and
government to think of Mr Pipe as one of the most proper men in the
town, he paying, as he did, the largest sum of the king's dues at
the excise, and being, as we all knew, in a great correspondence
with foreign ports--and I winkit to Mr Pipe as I said this, and he
could with a difficulty keep his countenance at hearing how I so
beguiled Mr Dinton into a spirit of loyalty for the raising of the
volunteers.

The ice being thus broken, next day we had a meeting, before the
council met, to take the business into public consideration, and we