midnight
His father was a strange , I had almost said a stubborn man in some respects , and he might in some measure be blamed for this gradual sliding from sobriety of his son . To the affectionate letter of William , which beseeched him , now that his little hoard had been carried away , and now that his years were above fourscore , to come to Edinburgh , and dwell with his son , the old man answered , that God had yet left him vigour to mount the hills , and thread the valleys ; and that , so long as this was the case , he would consider it unjust to become a burden to others . There was a stern independence and lofty resolve in the determination of the aged shepherd which harmonised well with his character ; but it fell like lead upon the bright dreams of William -- it strangled many of his best resolutions of future virtue and industry . He did not know that his father had already heard of his relaxed habits , and had even had reported to him , in exaggerated phrase , the detail of some of his midnight carousals . William went on , gaining fame , but losing virtue . In the popular use of the word , it was _ impossible _ for him to resist the importunities of those who pressed him to partake of their bottle or their bowl . They grasped his hand cordially ; they sang the songs which he loved , or perhaps had written ; they drank his health with cheers of enthusiasm .