24 AI,E^XANDER WII^ON: POET-NATURAUST 



ceeded the above figures. Illicit stills, too, existed in 

 every glen, and "the illicit distillery of whiskey was 

 never considered a crime, so long as smugglers kept 

 clear of the officers of the law. It was rather re- 

 garded as one of the legitimate industries of the 

 country."* This increase in the production of 

 whiskey was also created directly by the law- 

 makers. 



In 1725 an impost of 6d. began to be enforced on 

 every bushel of malt, and though it was later re- 

 duced one half, the popularity of the old drink, 

 "two-penny" ale, steadily decreased and that of 

 whiskey became greater. How the conditions be- 

 came yet worse as the century grew older will be 

 presently shown. We turn now to other conditions 

 which indicate the state of Scotland at the middle of 

 the century. 



Profanity kept progress with the spread of 

 drunkenness. It became common even among 

 ladies. When some one spoke of the "pretender," 

 the old Lady Strange could not restrain herself; 

 "Pretender, forsooth !" she cried, her eyes blazing 

 scorn at the defamer of her idol, "Pretender, for- 

 sooth! and be dawm'd to ye!"t Numbers of such 

 stories might be quoted. There is another of an 

 old lady of distinguished family who when the cus- 

 toms changed in her latter years was unable to ac- 

 commodate herself to them. The way she compro- 

 mised is illustrated by her speech to her coachman 

 when he gave as his excuse for stopping the horses, 

 that he had seen a falling star. "And what hae ye 



* "The History of Sterlingshire," by Wm. Nimino. 



t Dennistown's "Life of Sir Robert Strange," II, p. 213. 



