Many things had lately brought Rob into his mind.

In 1812 Scott had acquired Rob Roy's gun--"a long Spanish-barrelled piece, with his initials R.M.C.," C standing for Campbell, a name assumed in compliment to the Argyll family.
Rob's spleuchan had also been presented by Mr.Train to Sir Walter, in 1816, and may have directed his thoughts to this popular freebooter.
Though Rob flourished in the '15, he was really a character very near Scott, whose friend Invernahyle had fought Rob with broadsword and target--a courteous combat like that between Ajax and Hector.
At Tullibody Scott had met, in 1793, a gentleman who once visited Rob, and arranged to pay him blackmail.
Mr.William Adam had mentioned to Scott in 1816 the use of the word "curlie-wurlies" for highly decorated architecture, and recognised the phrase, next year, in the mouth of Andrew Fairservice.
In the meeting at Abbotsford (May 2, 1817) Scott was very communicative, sketched Bailie Nicol Jarvie, and improvised a dialogue between Rob and the magistrate.

A week later he quoted to Southey, Swift's lines-- Too bad for a blessing, too good for a curse,--which probably suggested Andrew Fairservice's final estimate of Scott's hero,--"over bad for blessing, and ower gude for banning." These are the trifles which show the bent of Scott's mind at this period.
The summer of 1817 he spent in working at the "Annual Register" and at the "Border Antiquities." When the courts rose, he visited Rob's cave at the head of Loch Lomond; and this visit seems to have been gossiped about, as literary people, hearing of the new novel, expected the cave to be a very prominent feature.

He also went to Glasgow, and refreshed his memory of the cathedral; nor did he neglect old books, such as "A Tour through Great Britain, by a Gentleman" (4th Edition, 1748).

This yielded him the Bailie's account of Glasgow commerce "in Musselburgh stuffs and Edinburgh shalloons," and the phrase "sortable cargoes." Hence, too, Scott took the description of the rise of Glasgow.