Gazetteer of Scotland

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of the people cannot be stationary,
nor their style of living long the same.
The higher ranks spend, now and
then, a portion of their time in Lon-
don, and fall into the fashions of that
metropolis. As the inferior ranks al-
ways copy the manners of their supe-
riors, these are gradually communica-
ted from one circle to another, till a
change is produced in the whole com-
munity ; wealth affording the means,
luxury creeps in apace. We shall
contrast our account of the present
manners, with that given by an Eng-
lishman who visited Edinburgh in
1598 } as quoted by Mr. Arnot. " My-
self," says he, " was at a knight's
house, who had many- servants to at-
tend him, that brought in his meat,
with their heads covered with blue
caps, the table being more than half
furnished with great platters of por-
Tidge, each having a little piece of sod-
den meat ; and, when the table was
served, the servants sat down with us ;
but the upper mess, instead of por-
ridge, had a pullet, with some prunes
in the broth : and I observed no art
of cookery, or furniture of household-
stuff, but rather rude neglect of both,
though myself and my companions,
>sent from the governor of Berwick,
about bordering affairs, were enter-
tained after their best manner. The
Scots, living then in factions, used to
keep many followers, and so consu-
med their revenue of victuals, living in
some want of money. They vulgar-
ly eat hearth cakes of oata, but in
cities have also wheaten bread, which,
for the most part, was bought by
courtiers, gentlemen, and the best
sort of citizens. They drink pure
wines, not with sugar as the English ;
yet, at feasts, they put comfits in the
wines, after the French manner ; but
they had not our vintners' fraud to
mix their wines. I did never see nor
hear that they have any pubiic inns
with signs hanging out ; but the bet-
ter sorts of citizens brew ale, their
usual drink, (which will distemper a
stranger's body) ; and the same citi-
zens will entertain passengers upon
acquaintance or entreaty. Their bed-
steads were then like cupboards in the
wall, with doors to be opened and
shut at pleasure, so as we cliined up
to our beds. They usee 1 but one sheet,
open at the sides and top, but close
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at the feet, and so doubled *->-'W"he'fl
passengers go to bed*, their custom
was to present them with a sleeping
cup of wine at parting. The country
people and merchants used to drink
largely ; the gentlemen somewhat
more sparingly ; yet, the courtiers,
by night meetings, and entertaining
any stranger, used to drink healths
not without excess ; and, to speak
truth without offence, the excess of
drinking was then far greater in gene-
ral among the Scots than the English.
Myself being at the court, invited by
some gentlemen to supper, and being
forewarned to fear this excess, would
not promise to sup with them, but
upon condition that my inviter would
be my protection from large drinking,
which I was many times forced to in-
voke, being courteously entertained.,
and much provoked to carousing ;
and so for that time avoided any great
intemperance. Remembering this,
and having since observed, in my con-
versation at the English court, with
the Scots of the better sort, that they
spend great part of the night in drink-'
ing not only wine, but even beer ; as
myself cannot accuse them of any
great intemperance, so I cannot alto-
gether free them from the imputation
of excess, wherewith the popular voice
chargeth them. The husbandmen in;
Scotland, the servants, and almost all
the country, did wear coarse cloth
made at home of gray or sky-colour,
and flat blue caps, very broad. ... The
merchants in cities were attired in
English or French cloth, of pale co-
lour, or mingled black and blue. The
gentlemen did wear English cloth or
silk, or light stuffs, little or nothing
adorned with silk lace, much less with
lace of silver or gold ; and all followed
at this time the French fashion, espe-
cially in court. Gentlewomen, mar-
ried, did wear close upper bodies af-
ter the German manner, with large
whale-bone sleeves after the French
manner, short cloaks like the Ger-
mans, French hoods, and large falling
bands about their necks. The un-
married of all sorts did go bare-head-
ed, and wear short cloaks, with most
close linen sleeves on their arms, like
the virgins of Germany. The inferior
sort of citizens wives, and the women
of the country, did wear cloaks made
of a coarse staff, of two or three co