J. F. Campbell Collection > Popular rhymes of Scotland

294 POPULAR RHYMES OF SCOTLAND.
another Yule. . . . From the cottar to the laird, every one
had fat hrose [oatmeal in a menstruum of skimming's] on
Yule-Day morning, after which all were at liberty to go
where they pleased. The day was a kind of saturnalia, on
which the most rigorous master relinquished his claim to
the service of his domestics. The females visited their
friends, and the young men generally met at some rendez-
vous, to try their skill as marksmen at a wadd-shooting —
that is, tiring with hall at a mark for small prizes of black-
smith or joiner work. These were paid for by the contri-
butions of the candidates (each laying down his twopence
or threepence), and carried off by him who hit nearest the
mark. . . . When darkness prevented the continuance of
shooting, a raffle in the alehouse generally followed, while
cards and hard drinking closed the scene.' — Correspondent
of Literary and Statistical Magazine, 1819.
While thus endeared to the people, the clergy were inde-
fatigable in their efforts to put down all Christmas observ-
ances whatever. The writer just quoted tells us a pertinent
anecdote relative to a certain Mr Goodsir, minister of
Monikie, in Forfarshire, who made it a rule to go over as
much of his parish as possible on that day, ' that he
might detect his parishioners in any superstitious observ-
ances. Upon a visitation of this kind, he entered the vil-
lage of Guildy, and inspected every house, to see whether
the people were at their ordinary employments, or if they
were cooking a better dinner than usual. One old wife,
whose pot was playing brown over the lire, saw him coming
through her kail-yard. She had just time to lift off the
pot, but in her agitation could find no better place to hide it
than below her bed-cover. This accomplished, she had got
seated at her spinning-wheel by the time that his reverence
entered, who paid her some compliments upon her conduct,
contrasting it with that of some of her neighbours, who
showed less disposition to comply with the austerity of his
injunctions. Maggy, in her solicitude to escape detection,
overshot her own mark, for she echoed her minister's re-
marks so zealously, that he felt a pleasure in prolonging his
stay; but unfortunately for both, during the bitter censure of
those who offered unrighteous sacrifice, or still " longed for
the flesh pots of Egypt," Maggy's pot set fire to the bed-
clothes, and the smoke came curling over the minister's