Social Life and Domestic Habits. 133 



a funeral company at starting being unable to determine 

 which was the proper route to the grave-yard ; or even 

 that they would "tak road" in utter forgetfulness of 

 the melancholy burden they should have carried with 

 them, but did not. A story is told in connection with 

 the death of Sir Alexander Ogilvy, Lord Forglen, one 

 of the Judges of the Court of Session in 1727, which 

 shows how cordial was the belief in deep draughts as 

 an antidote to grief. Dr. Clerk, his medical man, had 

 called on the day he died. The doctor was let in by 

 David Reid, Lord Forglen's clerk. On his asking how 

 his patient was, David solemnly replied, " I houp he's 

 weel," which meant, of course, that all was over. The 

 doctor was conducted into a room, where he was shown 

 two dozen of wine under the table, and other doctors 

 coming in, David made them all sit down while he told 

 them his deceased master's last words, at same time 

 pushing the bottle about briskly. After the company 

 had taken a glass or two, they rose to depart, but David 

 detained them. " No, no, gentlemen ; not so. It was 

 the express will o' the dead that I should fill ye a' fou, 

 and I maun fulfil the will o' the dead." All the time 

 the tears were streaming down his cheeks. "And 

 indeed," said the doctor afterwards in telling the story, 

 " he did fulfil the will o' the dead, for before the end o' 

 't there was nae ane o' us a' able to bite his ain 

 thoomb." 



