Prestonpans and Vicinity

the crowd, with a merry twinkle in his eye, said, " I have accompanied you to-night to your favourite resort, and have given you to drink of your favourite beverage. Now, you being my friends and fellow-parishioners, I know your habits well: and this I know to your credit, if one serves the other at any time, the other is always ready to serve him in return. I have served you in a small way to-night, and I wish you to return that service to-morrow, by accompanying me to church, when I will again give you a drink, but then from the ' Fountain of Life. '" It is said the congregation was so large that Sunday morning the church was unable to contain it. Davidson gets the credit for this, but we have a very different opinion. Among the divines that have flourished here was William Carlyle, father of Dr Alexander Carlyle of Inveresk. This William, it is said, " was a highly gifted preacher, and though an orthodox and pious minister he had a great turn for fun and buffoonery. " Carlyle, we think, was a more likely man than the great strong-minded reformer Davidson " to play the pipes to the Whale. "
The old Whale Tavern is still extant, but its tippling days are gone for ever.
A CURIOUS TRICK BY A MUSSELBURGH BUILDER.
Scott, a Musselburgh mason, was a famous constructor of flues for chimneys. He was engaged at Prestongrange Colliery, and came accompanied every morning by a neighbour mason who was working at Bankfoot. One morning, going to his work, his neighbour told him that he had £2 10s. and some coppers in his pocket. That same day an English tramp approached Scott, saying he was a builder, and asking relief, being " hard up. " The tramp finished up his story by telling that he had applied to a builder at Bankfoot, who told him he would have helped him, but he had no cash at hand. " Now, " replied Scott, "you go straight back to that builder; he is a determined fellow, but very credulous; tell him that you are a seventh son, that you have the second sight, and that you are very much surprised to find him telling a lie to a hard up brother in trade, for that owing to your second sight you can see right into his pockets and that he has there £2 10s. and some coppers. The tramp did as requested, and the builder, beginning to tremble, threw down his trowel, took him into the Whale Inn, gave him bread, cheese, ale, and 2s. in cash, and set him on his way. The tramp returned and told Scott all about it. At night, going back to Musselburgh, the neighbour mason came up to him and with fear and trembling told him all about the tramp's second sight. Scott laughed to hear the story, but never durst tell him how it came about.