Anniversary Address. 7 



members of the Common Council ; who, in all with some 

 other private friends numbering 24, went to his " Father's 

 house to accept a treat in wine and beer " which he bestowed 

 upon them. In fact, it appears to have been the custom 

 then, that when a burgess was enrolled, he had to stand 

 drinks all round. Mr Wilson, however, seems to have been 

 in one respect a very observing young gentleman, and to 

 have made notes on all points which he thought would be 

 to the advantage of his fellow burgesses, but, I must say 

 that he did not seem to have cared much for anything that 

 did not happen within the limits of the borough, for, with 

 regard to the Guild work of the year 1643, he makes this 

 remark " that there was nothing very remarkable for me to 

 observe further in this Guild book about the division that 

 there was betwixt the King and the Parliament, &c., and 

 about the town's raising men within themselves and appoint- 

 ing officers over them for their own defence, and on behalf 

 of the king's interest, and such like orders of that nature, 

 therefore I have omitted them, and shall now proceed to the 

 19th Guild-book." 



Mr Wilson's book is divided into two parts, giving in one 

 the ancient customs in the Courts of Berwick, in very full 

 detail, which would probably be interesting to lawyers only, 

 and the oaths to be taken by the various officers, together 

 with a record of what he considered important cases of law 

 that had occurred in the town, during his service in the 

 Town Clerk's office ; and giving in the other part, extracts 

 from the various guild books, commencing from the first, 

 dated 1506, when Mr Barrow was Mayor, and ending in 

 1683, when Geo. Watson, Esq. was Mayor. The first part 

 commences with a dedicatory epistle addressed " Lectissimo 

 et Laudatissimo viro Domino Roberto Watson." It com- 

 mences " Childhood and youth being vanity you can expect 

 nothing from me but such," and continues much in the same 

 strain, with most laudatory remarks on the gentleman to 

 whom he dedicates his book, and winds-up by saying " that 

 he did not intend the most intelligent of this Corporation 

 should have got intelligence of this done by him, but only 



