another
name at any future period, it shall be with your approbation."

"Gil!" said I. "Have you no name but Gil? Or which of your names is it?
Your Christian or surname?"

"Oh, you must have a surname too, must you!" replied he. "Very well,
you may call me Gil-Martin. It is not my Christian name; but it is a
name which may serve your turn."

"This is very strange!" said I. "Are you ashamed of your parents that
you refuse to give your real name?"

"I have no parents save one, whom I do not acknowledge," said he
proudly. "Therefore, pray drop that subject, for it is a disagreeable
one. I am a being of a very peculiar temper, for, though I have
servants and subjects more than I can number, yet, to gratify a certain
whim, I have left them, and retired to this city, and, for all the
society it contains, you see I have attached myself only to you. This
is a secret, and I tell you only in friendship, therefore pray let it
remain one, and say not another word about the matter."

I assented, and said no more concerning it; for it instantly struck me
that this was no other than the Czar Peter of Russia, having heard that
he had been travelling through Europe in disguise, and I cannot say
that I had not thenceforward great and mighty hopes of high preferment,
as a defender and avenger of the oppressed Christian Church, under the
influence of this great potentate. He had hinted as much already, as
that it was more honourable, and of more avail to put down the wicked
with the sword than try to reform them, and I thought myself quite
justified in supposing that he intended me for some great employment,
that he had thus selected me for his companion out of all the rest in
Scotland, and even pretended to learn the great truths of religion from
my mouth. From that time I felt disposed to yield to such a great
prince's suggestions without hesitation.

Nothing ever astonished me so much as the uncommon powers with which he
seemed invested. In our walk one day, we met with a Mr. Blanchard, who
was reckoned a worthy, pious divine, but quite of the moral cast, who
joined us; and we three walked on, and rested together in the fields.
My companion did not seem to like him, but, nevertheless, regarded him
frequently with deep attention, and there were several times, while he
seemed contemplating him, and trying to find out his thoughts, that his
face became so like Mr. Blanchard's that it was impossible to have
distinguished the one fr