A novel which begins with the hero's ancestry and education at High School in Edinburgh and St. Andrew's, but soon sees him depart on the high road to England. Each chapter on the hero's subsequent experiences in the capital is full of incident, and "reformers" who won't practise the benevolence they preach are only part of a much broader social satire reminiscent of Smollet. The final chapter in volume III is of special interest for containing a critical discussion of "the general and distinctive characters of our three chief female novel-writers, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Ratcliffe and Miss Burney."