P. S. The hand-fifting of the louthern part of Scotland has put
mein mind of an omiffion in the above. It was an antient prafiieej
among the men of rank efpecially, to take an year’s tryal of a wife]
and if they were mutually fatisfied with one another in' that time, the!
■ marriage was declared good and lawful at the expiration of it. But]
when either of the parties infilled upon a reparation, and that a]
child was begotten in the year of probation, it was to be taken c a r e l
of by the father only, and to be ranked among his lawful children,!
next after his heirs. He was not considered as a baftard, becaufe the
cohabitation was juftified by cuftom, and introduced with a view ofj
making way for a happy and peaceable marriage. One of the great]
Lords of the Ides took fuch a tryal of a nobleman’s daughter upon!
the continent, got a fon by her, and after-feparation fettled an exteiJ
five fortune upon him in lands tenendus de me? et heredibus tneis, the]
greater part of which his honorable pofterity pofifefs to this day.]
Such was alfo the power of cuftom, that this apprenticelhip for ma-j
trimony brought no reproach on the feparated lady ; and if her ch a -j
rafter was good, ike was entitled to an equal match as if nothing]
had ever happened.
Adultery was punilhed here by dipping the guilty in a pond, or]
by making him or her ftand in a barrel of cold water at the church]
door: and when the rigour of judicial difcipline was a little foftened,]
the delinquent clad in a wet canvas fhirt was made to ftand before]
the congregation ; and at the clofeof fervice, the minifter explained
to him the nature of his offence, and exhorted him to repentance. !
All civil profeffions were antiently hereditary in the ifles. The]
bards, theJheancbies or genealogifts, the phyficians, the pipers, and
even
even the cooks, all of whom had appointments in lands fettled
on them, according to the munificent temper of the feudal government.
It was only in the time of our fathers, that Macdonald
of Clan-ronald''s Sheanchy and Bard, Mac-Mburach, began to pay rent
for his heretable-farm. The other hereditary profeffions have long
been come to a clofe, except the Mac-Karters and Mac-Krumens, the
pipers of the family of Mac-Donald and Mac-Leod, who ftill preferve
their appointments. I ihall alfo except Dofitor John Maclean, whofe
anceftors have been phyficians to the family of Macdonald for time
immemorial, educated at the expence, and preferred to the farm of
Shulijla, near the gates of Duntulm. The late Sir James Macdonald,
for the farther encouragement of the above gentleman, fettled upon
Him a confiderable penfion during life, to raife alfo the emulation of
any of his fons who might be bred to his bufinefs, when they obferve
a diffinftion made according to the merit of thefe hereditary profef-
fors of medicine.
Though the profeffions were confined to one family, which might
naturally be fuppofed to quench emulation, yet the frequent occa-
fion thefe artifts had of intermixing with the neighbouring chieftains,
determined them to fupport the pride of their fuperiors,
by exerting their whole powers to excel every other profeflor of
their own art -, becaufe their love and attachment to their chief was
the firft principle o f their education.
Neither have I heard that any of thefe families ever failed,
though, according to the courfe of things, that fometimes might
have happened ; but they had the choice of the women among their
own rank, the fuperior often giving direftions in this momentous
affair: and among a number of children, fome one or other would
K k k be