The manners and customs of the people who inhabited this pretty spot at
that time were exceedingly primitive.

Upon the death of any of the townspeople, a man went about ringing a
bell at the doors of the friends and acquaintances of the person just
dead, and, after calling out "Oyez!" three times, he announced the death
which had occurred. This was still called by the name of the
Passing-bell, which in Catholic times invited the prayers of the living
for the spirit just passed away.

There was much sympathy and kindness shown on these occasions; friends
always paid a visit of condolence to the afflicted, dressed in black.
The gude wives in Burntisland thought it respectable to provide
dead-clothes for themselves and the "gude man," that they might have a
decent funeral. I once saw a set of grave-clothes nicely folded up,
which consisted of a long shirt and cap of white flannel, and a shroud
of fine linen made of yarn, spun by the gude wife herself. I did not
like that gude wife; she was purse-proud, and took every opportunity of
treating with scorn a poor neighbour who had had a _misfortune_, that
is, a child by her husband before marriage, but who made a very good
wife. Her husband worked in our garden, and took our cow to the Links to
graze. The wife kept a little shop, where we bought things, and she told
us her neighbour had given her "mony a sair greet"--that is, a bitter
fit of weeping.

The howdie, or midwife, was a person of much consequence. She had often
to go far into the country, by day and by night, riding a cart-horse.
The neighbours used to go and congratulate the mother, and, of course,
to admire the baby. Cake and caudle were handed round, caudle being
oatmeal gruel, with sugar, nutmeg, and white wine. In the poorest class,
hot ale and "scons" were offered.

Penny-weddings were by no means uncommon in my young days. When a very
poor couple were going to be married, the best man, and even the
bridegroom himself, went from house to house, asking for small sums to
enable them to have a wedding supper, and pay the town fiddler for a
dance; any one was admitted who paid a penny. I recollect the prisoners
in the Tolbooth letting down bags from the prison windows, begging for
charity. I do not remember any execution taking place.

Men and old women of the lower classes smoked tobacco in short pipes,
and many took snuff--even young ladies must have done so; for I have a
very pretty and quaint gold snu