How Times Change

In his novel, 'Guy Mannering', Sir Walter Scott recounts an episode where a lawyer attends to some legal business after he'd had a refreshment or three. Sir Walter added a note to the end of the book, headed "CONVIVIAL HABITS OF THE SCOTTISH BAR", in which he said, "The account (in the novel) was taken from a story told me by an aged gentleman....(it had been thought very desirable to obtain the then Lord Advocate's assistance in the drawing of a (civil) appeal).......the solicitor employed for the appellant, attended by my informant acting as his clerk, went to the Lord Advocate's chambers in the Fishmarket Close. It was Saturday at noon, the Court was just dismissed, the Lord Advocate had changed his dress ....and his servant and horses were at the foot of the close to carry him to Arniston. It was scarcely possible to get him to listen to a word concerning business. The wily agent, however, on pretence of asking one or two questions...drew his Lordship, who was no less an eminent bon vivant than a lawyer of unequalled talent, to take a whet at a celebrated tavern.....dinner was ordered, the law was laid aside for a time, and the bottle circulated very freely..... At nine o'clock, after he had been honouring Bacchus for so many hours,....paper, pen and ink were brought,.... the Lord Advocate began to dictate the appeal case - and continued at his task until 4 o'clock in the morning. By next day's post, the solicitor sent the case to London, a chef-d'oeuvre of its kind - it was not neccesary on its revisal to correct five words......" Of course, nothing like that could possibly happen today. I notice also that Walter Scott's next note concerns the famous Lord Monboddo, who was a 19th century Senator of the College of Justice, whose manifest abilities as a judge were somewhat overshadowed by his unshakeable belief that human beings had tails. Walter Scott doesn't mention that specifically, but does refer to Monboddo's 'fanciful paradoxes' (ie he's bonkers).