( 5 ) three sons dadet against the Bass or I saw ony ane of them married on a milk a byre's daughter, a wheen useless taupies than can do naething but rive at a tow rock and cut corn, they can neither bait a hood, nor redd a line, hook sandles, nor gather periwinkles.
Now Wife Willy and witty Eppie the ale-wife lived
there about an hundred years ago. Eppie's chamber was their college and court house, where they decid- ed their controversies, and explained their wonders, for the house was wide like a little kirk, had four windows and a gavel door, the wives got leave to flyte their fill, but fighting was forbidden (as Eppie said, up hands was fair play) their fines were a’ in pints o‘ ale and Eppie sold it at a plack the pint, they had neither minister nor magistrate, nor yet a burly bailie to brag them with his tolbooth, my Lord was their landlord, Wife Willy and Witty Eppie the ale- wife were the rulers of the town.
Now Eppie had a daughter, called Lingle tail'd
Nancy because of her feckless growth, her waist
was like a twitter, had nae curpen for a creel being
Embruch bred, and brought up wi her lowdin aunty,
was learned to read and sew, made corse claiths and
callico mutches, there wasna a scholar in the town
but hersel, she read the Bible, and the book of Kirk-
sangs, which was newly come in fashion, Willy and
Eppie tell’d ay what it meant, and said, a’ the letters
