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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Scol(l, Skoll, n. Also: scole, skole, scoall, scoill, skoill. [Only Sc. till the 19th c. Norw., Dan. skall, ON skál, whence also Scale n.¹Perhaps, OED conjectures, ‘introduced through the visit of James VI to Denmark in 1589’.]

A drink taken as evidence of the drinker's good wishes for the welfare of another person or other persons; (a person's) ‘health’; a toast; also, the cup or glass from which the health is drunk.Also, scoll of drink.(1) c1590 Fowler I 262/2.
This is the night … Of his birthday for whose we drink such scoles [pr. soles; rh. coales] 1603 Moysie 63.
The king maid the bancket to all his nobilletie … in Halyroudhouse, quhair … efter drinking of many scolis ane to ane vther, … [he] made thame … tak twa and twa be handis 1604 Old Dundee I 357.
[They] past … to Walter Rollok's house and drank ane skoill at his windok, and keist their drink in thereat 1629 Boyd Last B. 125.
Shee that … sippes before the sober, can skippe at the scols with her commers till shee bee sicke with healths 1633 Boyd Balm of Gilead in Boyd Last B. xlvii.
Men of strength to mingle strong drinke, and to scoll as wee say: how call yee such scolls scols of health? What folie is this that a man should losse his health by drinking the scolls of health Ib.
If a scoll come to the table, drinke it not, because it is a sacrifice offered vnto … the belly 1649 Acts VI ii 174/1.
The estatis … extend this act … aganst all those who … drink healthes & scoallis and motioun the same 1673 Fugitive Poetry II xxxiii 3/46.
When we paroll And drink a scoll(2) 1600 Acts IV 204/1.
The Erle of Gowrie … said that he wes directit frome his maiestie to drink his scoll to my lord duik and rest of the companie quhilk he did, and immediatlie eftir the scoill had passit about, this deponar rais frome tabill [etc.] 1604 Old Dundee I 356.
[A number of the commons] past … to the croce and thereat they drank Robert Flesher's skoill a1651 Calderwood VI 672.
The king's skoll was drunkin by the duke [etc.] Ib. VII 257.
They danced about the crosse … and endit with the king's scoll Ib. 513.(3) 1603 Shetland Sheriff Ct. (ed.) 78.
Thair wes twa serviotis ane pewder pleit with ane drinking skole with uther small thingis stollin … and the skole fund in Olaw Cristophersonis hous(4) 1620 Ellon Presb. 107.
Gif thai [sc. ministers] … mak ony offer or receave ony scoll of drink fra ony persoun … [they] sall be censurit