The labours, and they are often intense ones, are concluded by a merry and plentiful feast. "The furmenty-pot welcomes home the harvestcart, and the garland of flowers crowns the captain of the reapers. The pipe and the tabor are now busily set awork, and the lad and the lass will have no lead on their heels. O, 'tis the merry time," when

"The harvest-men ring summer out

With thankful songs and joyous shout."

The time appointed for rejoicing ended, they repair to their respective occupations, not less willing to work for, nor less ready to obey, the mandates of a master, who has cherished the kindliest feelings of their nature, by descending for a time from his higher station to unite in hearty good feeling and fellowship with them.

It is hardly possible to allude to a rural festival of this season of the year without reverting to that which, in many of the northern counties, holds so distinguished a place both in the annals of the village and in the hearts of the villagers. We mean those wakes, revellings, rushbearings, hoppings, or feasts of dedication, which have afforded such ample scope for the reveries of modern antiquarians. They are beguiling memorials of older times," misty annals of a world long lost," pegs on which to hang vast mantles of conjecture, bright points round which to involve a beautiful mystic maze of brilliant imaginings. But the curious and apparently absurd custom of wakes may be traced to a simple and satisfactory origin.

Some deduce the wakes from the Ayanai, or love-feasts, of the ancient Christians,* or from the anniversary feast of dedication of the Jews; others from earlier rites of Paganism. It seems, however, to have been ever customary in this island to keep a feast yearly on a certain day in remembrance of the building of the parish church (the previous night being spent in watching and prayer in the church-thence the name wake); and this perhaps was more especially the case, or perhaps, indeed, originated, in those temples of Pagan institution which were converted and consecrated to the use of the Christian church. Pope Gregory the Great ordained that the solemn anniversary of the dedication of such churches should be celebrated with religious feasts, kept in sheds or arbories made up with branches and boughs of trees round the said church. "The institution," says a learned antiquarian,† "of these church enconia, or wakes, was, no question, on good and laudable designs; as, first, thankfully to commemorate their bounty and munificence who had founded and endowed the church; next, to incite others to the like generous acts of piety; and chiefly to maintain a Christian spirit of unity and charity by such sociable and friendly meetings, and therefore care was taken to keep up the laudable custom."

The assemblage of so many people could hardly take place without the store of necessary refreshment gradually increasing somewhat beyond the bounds prescribed by nature's wants. The traffic increased and varied. The pedlar, a primitive Autolycus, appeared with "ribands of all the colours i' th' rainbow, inkles, caddisses, cambricks, lawns, and he sang them over as they were gods or goddesses." The charlatan came also with love-powders, philtres of every sort, charms of all kinds, and especially a powder that would force a man to speak the truth.

*Strutt's Sports and Pastimes.

+ Kennett on Parochial Antiquities.

"Give me of it," says a clownish swaggerer, notorious for throwing the hatchet; and, much to the delight of his neighbours, he took and swallowed it. Hardly, however, had it touched the throat ere, with horrible grimaces and dreadful spluttering, he endeavoured to void it. "It is infamous!" gasped he. "I know it," replied the vender; " said I not that it would make thee speak the truth ?"* From this primitive traffic may be deduced the origin of those great fairs since so noted and so important in various parts of the country. The pack of the wayfaring pedlar was soon superseded by the store of the travelling merchant. Rival" houses" set forth stalls and booths in considerable style, and the churchyard became a scene of barter and merchandise.† Every variety of character was assembled-

66

Both jeasters, rogues, and minstrels with their instruments are here." Nor were there wanting those who

Some lofty spirit, some prototype of that magnanimous hero who, a few ages later, "could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in," such 99 a sweet-faced man would be well supported by fitting compeers; nor was the contrast of the "motley jacket and cock's-comb wanting to complete the Thespian array. For these plays appear to have consisted of "comic tales and stories, intermixed with coarse jests, and accompanied, in the acting, with instrumental music, singing, dancing, gesticulations, mimicry, and other arts of raising laughter without much regard to decency. They were acted by companies of strollers, composed of minstrels, mimicks, singers, dancers, wrestlers, jugglers, and tumblers."

But from their licentiousness these attempts at theatrical representation called down the reprobation of the wise and good; and, with the praiseworthy aim of beguiling the minds of the people from demoralising entertainments, without depriving them of innocent relaxation and amusement, the church forbade these performances, and introduced in their place those dramatised representations of Scriptural passages which were the original of the famous mysteries and miracle plays.§ But it answered not. "In the beginning of holi chirche it was so that the pepull cam to the chirche with candellys brennyng, and would wake and coome with light toward night to the chirche in their devocions; and after they fell to lecherie, and songs, and daunses, harping, piping, and also to glottony and sinne, and so tourned the holinesse to cursydnes." These disorders caused very properly the removal of the feasting and gaiety from the churches and churchyards to the public and private houses around, the church, however, being always first repaired to for devotion, and prayers, and offerings.

"This laudable custom of wakes prevailed for many ages, till the nice puritans began to exclaim against it as a remnant of Popery." Consequently orders were issued for their suppression, which caused Bishop Laud's interference in their behalf, and the certificates of near a hundred of the clergy in their favour, coupled with a petition, on behalf of the people and of themselves, that wakes might be continued "for preserving the memorial of the dedication of their several churches, Brand's Popular Antiquities. & Warton's Hist. Eng. Poetry. || Kennett.

*MSS. Harl. 6395. Henry's Hist. Eng.

for civilising the people, for composing differences by the mediation and meeting of friends, for increase of love and unity by these feasts of charity, for relief and comfort of the poor," &c. Therefore the King ordered that these feasts should be continued and observed.

But from this time they gradually in some counties fell into desuetude; and there is every probability that we are indebted to this interference of the puritans for the first blow which was struck at the religious observance of wakes.

The modern wakes, as now held in the northern counties, are merely a series of rustic merriment; and, though we would gladly see a portion of the ancient religious observance infused into these memorials, yet if that be, as it probably now is, impossible, we should still earnestly deprecate the entire removal of this landmark of ancient customs, this almost sole remaining jubilee of England's hearty and, always at this time, happy peasantry. That disorders sometimes prevail it is true, but to by no means so great an extent as we are led to suppose; or at least not in that county in which alone we have been accustomed to see them. The bull-baiting-a most barbarous custom-has received its death-blow; and what are the worst features of the remaining wakes'sports compared with those of the "cock-pit," which gentlemen and even hoary senators patronise? what are the greatest disorders which can be cited of a "wake's-time" compared with those which are exhibited on every race-course in the kingdom, where are assembled all the fashion, and beauty, and aristocracy of the neighbourhood? and which is most worthy of reprobation? (but let us not be misinterpreted: we loathe and abhor drunkenness ;) the habitually sober peasant who once in the year, excited by the hearty hilarity of those sporting gaily around him, should unintentionally exceed the bounds of moderation-elevated probably as much by merriment as by liquor-or him of higher rank who, while gravely reprobating the loose morals of the lower classes, does yet daily swallow as much of the "sweet poison of misused wine " as would turn the heads of any two of the unhappy wights he has been decrying, though his own is by habit proof against its influence?

The rural games and pastimes now in vogue at wakes are of the rudest and homeliest sort possible; but perfectly harmless, and, in their enactment, intensely ludicrous. Everything is shaped for fun, broad uncontrolled fun; for

"Rigour now is gone to bed,

And advice, with scrupulous head,
Strict age, and sour severity,

With their grave saws, in slumber lie."

There is "hunting the pig," i.e. trying to catch a pig by the tail, that tail being profusely soaped; "climbing a pole" for a new hat, which is displayed at the top, the pole not only being perfectly smooth, but also greased; "sack-racing," where each aspirant is enveloped up to the neck in a sack, and in such guise makes the best speed he can for the goal; "eating scalding hasty pudding," or, better still, "toast and treacle," for a prize; here the gastronomic combatants are seated round a waggon with their hands tied behind them, and on the knees of each person is placed a slice of bread of enormous thickness and toasted hard; whoever first discusses it has half-a-crown, and the second-best pair of masticators obtain a shilling. To these may be added the "wheelbarrow-race," for which the parties are blind-folded,

and on a level piece of ground have to conduct the wheelbarrows to a certain goal (which, however, they seldom reach), and the "grinning through a horse-collar." It would be doing infinite injustice to this graceful accomplishment to allude to it in other words than Mr. Addison's:-"The first of these diversions that is to be exhibited by the 10. race-horses (the winner was to be sold for 101.) may probably have its use; but the two last, in which the asses and men are concerned, seem to me altogether extraordinary and unaccountable. Why they should keep running asses at Coleshill, or how making mouths turn to account in Warwickshire, more than in other parts of England, I cannot comprehend. I have looked over all the Olympic games, and do not find anything in them like an ass-race, or a match at grinning. However it be, I am informed that several asses are now kept in body-clothes, and sweated every morning upon the heath; and that all the country fellows within ten miles of the Swan grin an hour or two in their glasses every morning, in order to qualify them for the 9th of October. The prize which is proposed to be grinned for (a gold ring) has raised such an ambition among the common people of out-grinning one another, that many very discerning persons are afraid it should spoil most of the faces in the country, and that a Warwickshire man will be known by his grin."" The prize at length fell upon a cobler, who produced several new grins of his own invention. The whole assembly wondered at his accomplishments, and bestowed the ring on him unanimously; but, what he esteemed more than all the rest, a country wench, whom he had wooed in vain for above five years before, was so charmed with his grins and the applauses which he received on all sides, that she married him the week following."

The most attractive accompaniment of the modern wake is the Rushcart. We need not inform our readers that even so late as Henry the Eighth's time the great and noble of the land were fain to repose their aristocratic limbs on rushes, which, from times long preceding those, had formed an appropriate covering to the floor of God's holy temple. On the day on which the anniversary of the Dedication was celebrated, it was usual to bear or carry a fresh supply of rushes for the strewing of the church, whence this festival obtained its name of "rush-bearing.' But the soft cushion and the luxurious carpet have, in the natural course of things, superseded the primitive luxury of the rushes, which, thus driven from their accustomed destination, have been appropriated by the ingenuity of succeeding times to a gorgeous and by no means unsightly pageant. An enormous house (so to speak) is formed entirely of rushes on the substantial foundation of a farmer's cart. It is a solid mass of rushes, of great height and bulk, but finished off in form like the roof of a house, the rushes outside being woven in a variety of ingenious patterns, and everywhere ornamented and garlanded with flowers. These flowers are cheerfully given by the gentry in the different neighbourhoods, who often interest themselves in watching the construction of the rush-cart. The front is profusely decorated with silver spoons, cups, tankards, &c., which are freely lent, and carefully returned. Triumphant on the top ride those leaders of the revel who

* Within the last five years (and the practice may be still continued) the chapel at Unsworth, in Lancashire, was strewn with rushes, which were renewed yearly on the annual festival-day. 2 I

Dec.-VOL. LIV. NO. CCXVI.

have physical firmness enough to sustain the dizzy elevation. Four, or sometimes six, majestic horses, in all the pomp of flowery decoration, and magnificent caparison, draw the cart with befitting dignity; while its inseparable attendants, a band of morris-dancers, in grotesque livery, exhibit the last fading remnant of the remarkable dance, derived perhaps from the Morisco of Spain, which was formerly so important a passage of the May festivities. Ever and anon, during its mighty progress through the village, the rush-cart stops before a gentleman's house; the windows are thrown open, the family appear to welcome it, the children run out to receive it, and the servants are not kept quite aloof the horses shake their plumed heads, and jingle a merry peal on the bells with which they are plentifully garnished; the motley group "exercise their dancing feet" with infinite alacrity and some skill; the rustic musicians pour forth their liveliest strains; the elevated heroes of the pageant, i.e. those on the top of the rush-cart, wave ribands and handkerchiefs in token of joyful participation; and young and old, rich and poor, rejoice in the exuberant gaiety of the hour.

"Then let us goe, while we are in our prime,
And join the harmlesse follie of the time."

September, 1838.

ZEMIA.

A DAY AT THE FALLS.

THE Falls, as all the world knows, or, at least, ought to know, is that mighty cataract which the untravelled used to name the Falls of Niagara. But let it not be imagined that this wonder of the world has obtained the abbreviated appellative from any scarcity of waterfalls on the American continent, since in the neighbourhood to which I am referring (neighbourhoods being somewhat extensive in America), that is, within some five or six hundred miles of us, we had several other very respectable waterfalls indeed; such, for instance, as the Genessee Falls, the Passaic Falls, the Chandiere Falls, and the Falls of Montmorency, the last of which is produced by a very respectable-sized river rushing headlong over the edge of a precipice into a gulf below, from an elevation nearly equal to that of the cross on the top of our far-famed St. Paul's. Were I to take the trouble I could introduce the Falls of the Mississippi, Missouri, Colerado, and I know not how many others, that would put to shame all that our own little island of Great Britain can boast; and yet it must be observed that not one of all these lays claim to being the Falls. Norway, too, has some obscure runnels trickling down rocky mountains, one or two thousand feet in height; while both Switzerland and Italy possess some as pretty cascades as need to be; and then old Father Nilus has rejoiced in his waterfalls time out of memory; yet even these latter are not the Falls, but simply the "Falls of the Nile." It seems quite unnecessary to pursue the matter further, in order to establish for my favourite cataract a legal title to the name placed at the head of this paper; for it must be conceded, by all persons not absolutely blinded by their own prejudices, that taking into consideration the height, and the breadth, and the vast volume of water, all other waterfalls sink into comparative insignificance.