Literary Cadet And Rhode Island Statesman

A CLERICAL LEGEND.

The Following amusing extract is taken from a forthcoming work, by the author of the "Traditions of Edinburgh," to be entitled the "Picture of Scotland."

"Markinch, a little inland parish village in Fife, near the road between Kirkaldy and Cupar, derives a sort of interest from a sort of legend connecting it with the name of one of our most distinguished sovereigns. James the fifth, in the course of a pedestrian tour through Fife, is said to have come in disguise to Markinch; and to have called at the only place of entertainment then in the village, for the purpose of refreshing himself. The landlady had only one room, and that was engaged by the clergyman and schoolmaster of the parish; but the King having no objection to the society of two such respectable personages, did not scruple to enter and seat himself at the same table. When some time and a good deal of liquor had been spent, the reckoning was called; and, as James had not been present during above a third of the whole sederunt, the schoolmaster proposed that he should pay a smaller share accordingly But this way of reasoning did not satisfy the clergyman, who vociferated that it had been the custom of Markinch, from time immemorial, to pay HIGGLETY PIGGLETY, without regard to the quantity of liquor which each individual might have drunk. The schoolmaster attempted to convince his boon companion of the selfishness and absurdity of this system, and particularly aspersed the impropriety of carrying it into practice in the present case, inasmuch as the person in question was a stranger, and should be treated with hospitality instead of injustice. No, no sir,' bawled the clergyman, higglety-pigglety's the word in Markinch, and will be as long as I hae ony thing to do wi't.' 'Weel, weel,' said the king, who had not yet spoken, higglety-pigglety be't,' laying down his whole share of the reckoning His Majesty took measures immediately after to put the schoolmaster and minister of Markinch, upon an equal footing as to salary, at once to reward the generosity of the former, and to punish the sordidness of the latter. It is further said that the salaries of these two parochial dignitaries continued nearly equal till times not long gone by, and that the schoolmaster of Markinch is still rather better off than most of his brethren in that respect." This story is only traditionary; but it is somewhat better authenticated than most stories which have been handed down solely by the popular voice. It has the credit of being very generally told, and almost always without the least variation. The author of this work, in the course of his travels through Scotland, has, for one thing, been told it thirteen different times, by different clergymen of the Church of Scotland, at whose manses he was entertained, in different corners of the kingdom.