Chapter XXX: Social State of the People in the Seventeenth Century

⭘ Circumstances unfavourable to social progress――Administration
of Justice――Lord Stair――The Question of Appeals――Sir John
Dalrymple――Corruption of the fountain of Justice――Some attempts
of reform――Lord Stair re-appointed President of the Court of
Session

⭘ State of crime――Feuds――Crimes of violence――The Earls of
Caithness and Orkney; their proceedings

⭘ Social state of the Highlanders; modes of treating them
――Efforts of the Government――“The Statutes of Icolmkill”――Old
feuds were difficult to extinguish――Contempt of the law was
often manifested throughout the Kingdom

⭘ Crime in the towns; assaults and breaches of the peace
――Offences against property

⭘ The poor and vagrant class numerous――The manner of treating the
poor and helpless――Acts of Parliament for suppressing vagrancy
and idle vagabonds; attempts to compel them to work――Proposal
to erect Correction-houses――Great privation among the lower
classes in the closing years of the century――Causes of the
enormous number of vagrant people in Scotland

⭘ Religious feeling; vivid sense of the supernatural――Severe laws
against Roman Catholics――Persecution of the Quakers

⭘ Witchcraft――Trials and executions of witches; curious notions
and incidents――The witch pricker――The belief in witchcraft
faded with the diffusion of education and civilisation

⭘ Social morality of the people; proceedings of the Church Courts
――The people not always submissive

⭘ Exertions to secure the observance of Sunday; efforts of the
local authorities and Church Courts

⭘ Religious exercises on week days――The national and local Fast
days

⭘ Drunkenness――Cursing and swearing; manner of punishing these
offences

⭘ Relation of the different sexes; irregular marriages; Acts of
Parliament and efforts of the Church to suppress them――Survival
of old customs associated with marriages and funerals

⭘ Sumptuary enactments; regulation of the dress of the different
ranks of society: a constant fashion of dress proposed――Dress
of the people

⭘ Defective sanitary condition of the towns; deficient supply
of pure water; efforts to remedy this――The arrangements for
cleansing the towns extremely defective

⭘ Trade in the burghs under restrictions; fixing the price of the
common necessaries of life――Price of boots and shoes――Disputes
arising from Corporation privileges

⭘ Wages――State of Agricultural labourers――Justices of Peace
empowered to fix the rate of wages――Compulsory labour;
semi-slavery of the workmen in collieries and salt-works

⭘ Mining operations comparatively limited

⭘ Means of Communication――Acts of Parliament touching repairing
of the Roads, Bridges, and Ferries――Condition of the Roads

⭘ Origin and progress of Postal communication in Scotland――Rates
charged for carrying letters and parcels――The Post Office at
the end of the century

⭘ Introduction of Coaches and Carriages

⭘ Shipping of the Kingdom

⭘ State of agriculture; system of farming; implements――State of
the tenants and labourers

⭘ Attempts to introduce improvements in tanning leather

⭘ Efforts to improve the manufacture of Cloth――Foreigners
employed――Home-made cloth――Acts of Parliament for encouraging
manufactories and companies――Foreign workmen encouraged
to settle in Scotland――The home-made goods protected by
prohibiting the importation of foreign goods――Woollen
manufactories in operation――Cloth for the dress of the army

⭘ Linen Manufacture――Commercial relations of England and Scotland
unsatisfactory; Leading aim of the Commercial Policy of the
Period――Ways of promoting the Linen Manufacture; A Company
formed for the Manufacture of Linen in Scotland

⭘ Introduction of the Manufacture of Soap――Act of Parliament
encouraging the erection of Soap Works

⭘ Introduction of Glass-making, Progress of Glass-making in the
Kingdom――A Proposal to erect a Work for making Earthenware

⭘ Introduction of Paper-making; Trade of Collecting Rags――A Paper
Work in Operation; A Joint-Stock Company established for making
Writing and Printing Paper

⭘ Introduction of Tobacco, and Tobacco Spinning――Price of Tobacco
Pipes fixed by Parliament

⭘ Coinage, the use of a Mill in Minting the Coins Introduced
――Complaints about the Scarcity of Money――System of Collecting
Bullion for the Mint――Toward the end of the reign of Charles
II. the Mint had fallen into a deplorable state; New Regulations
enacted by Parliament――At the Union it was settled that there
should be only one Standard of Money for the United Kingdom

⭘ Introduction of a Paper Currency, establishment of the Bank of
Scotland; The early operations of the Bank

⭘ A marked and rapidly spreading interest in Trading and
Commercial Enterprise, as shown by the many Commercial
Projects, Trade Adventures, and Notices of Inventions, which
were originated in the closing years of the Seventeenth Century
and the opening years of the Eighteenth――Conclusion of the
Chapter

CHAPTER XXXI.

_Ballad, and Jacobite Literature of Scotland._

⭘ Influence of Ballad Literature on the National Character
――Ballads relating to the Civil War

⭘ Satirical Rhymes and Lampoons referring to the Opposing Parties
in the Covenanting Struggle

⭘ Ballads relating to the Risings during the Period of the
Persecution

⭘ Satirical Rhymes, and Pasquils, referring to the Government
from the Restoration to the Revolution

⭘ Origin and Characteristics of the Jacobite Ballads――Rhymes
and Ballads relating to the Events flowing from the Revolution
――Rhymes touching the Union

⭘ Popular Jacobite Ballads and Songs, a higher strain attained
after the battle of Culloden

⭘ Characteristics of Lowland Scottish Ballad Literature
――Conclusion of the Chapter

CHAPTER XXXII.

_Literature of the Nation in the Seventeenth Century._

⭘ Religious and Theological Literature of the Century
――Calderwood, Character of his Writings; his History of the
Church of Scotland――Archbishop Spottiswood’s History of the
Church and State of Scotland――Baillie’s Writings

⭘ Boyd, his Sermon on Cromwell――Style of his Writings――Durham,
Dickson, Rutherford, Gillespie

⭘ Dr. Forbes; Bishop Forbes; Leighton; Burnet, his Historical
Works

⭘ Sir William Alexander; Drummond, Characteristics of his Poetry

⭘ Legal Literature――Sir Thomas Hope――Lord Stair――Sir George
Mackenzie

⭘ Medical Science, the Royal College of Physicians――Dr. Balfour
――Sir Robert Sibbald――Dr. Morison――Dr. Pitcairn

⭘ Progress of Science――Dr. James Gregory――David Gregory――John
Keill