Days, and in particular of playing at HandBall for a * Tanay-Cake, which at this Season, is generally practised; and I would hope practised with Harmlessness and Innocence. For when the common Devotions of the Day are over, there is nothing sinful in lawful Recreation. But for the Governors of Churches to descend to such Childish Exercises, and that even on the Great Sunday of the Year, was not only unbecoming their Gravity and Reservedness, but was also a down-right breach of the fourth Commandment, But these were Ages of Ignorance and Darkness, when the World was taught for the Doctrines of GOD, the Commandments of Men.

* Vid. Seld. Table Talk of Christmas,

OBSERVATIONS ON CHAP. XXIV.

Festa dies quoties rediit, concessaque ritè
Otia, purpureoque rubentes lumine soles,

Invitant.

Mons Catherinæ; p. 1.

By the Law concerning Holidays, mentioned before in the Observations on Chapter 17th, and made in the Time of King Alfred the Great, it was appointed that the Week after Easter should

be

be kept holy. Collier's Ecclesiastical Hist. Vol. I. p. 163.

Fitzstephen tells us of an Easter Holiday Amusement used in his Time at London, "they fight Battels, says he, on the Water, a Shield is hanged upon a Pole, fixed in the Midst of the Stream;

66

66

a Boat is prepared without Oars, to be carried by "violence of the Water, and in the Forepart there"of standeth a young Man, ready to give Charge "upon the Shield with his Lance.-If so be he "break his Lance against the Shield, and do not "fall, he is thought to have performed a worthy

Deed,-if so be without breaking his Launce, he "runneth strongly again the Shield, down he falleth "into the Water, for the Boat is violently forced "with the Tide: but on each Side of the Shield "ride two Boats, furnished with young Men, "which recover him that falleth as soon as they may. Upon the Bridge, Wharfs and Houses by "the River's Side, stand great numbers to see and "laugh thereat." Stow, p. 76.

66

Mr. Bourne confesses himself to be entirely igno. rant of the Reasons why they play at Hand Ball*

*

at

Erasmus speaking of the Proverb "Mea est Pila," that is, "I've got the Ball;" tells us that it signifies, "I have obtained "the Victory. I am Master of my Wishes."-The Romanists certainly erected a Standard on Easter Day, in Token of our Lord's Victory, but it would perhaps he indulging Fancy too far, to suppose that the Bishops and Governors of Churches, who used to condescend to play at Hand-Ball at this Time, did it in a mystical Way, and with reference to the triumphal Joy of the Season.

T 4

Certain

at this Time, rather than any other Game.-I find in J. Boëmus Aubanus' * Description of antient Rites in his Country, that there were at this Season Foot Courses in the Meadows, in which the Victors carried off a Cake given to be run for, as we say, by some better Sort of Person in the Neighbourhood. Sometimes two Cakes were proposed, one for the young Men, another for the Girls, and there was a great Concourse of People on the Occasion. This is a Custom by no means unlike our Forth Meetings on these Holidays.-The winning a Tanzy Cake at the Game of Hand-Ball †, depends chiefly upon Swiftness of Foot: It too is a Trial of Fleetness and Speed, as well as the Foot Race.

Tansy, says Selden, in the subsequent curious Passage in his Table Talk, was taken from the

bitter

Certain it is however, that many of their Customs and Superstitions are founded on still more trivial Circumstances, than even this imaginary Analogy.

It was an antient Custom for the Mayor, Aldermen, and Sheriff of Newcastle, accompanied with great Numbers of the Burgesses, to go every Year at the Feasts of Easter and Whitsuntide to the Forth, (the little Mall of our Town) with the Maces, Sword, and Cap of Maintenance carried before them. The young People of the Town still assemble there, (at this Season particularly, play at Hand-Ball, dance, &c. but are no longer countenanced in their innocent Festivity by the Presence of their Governors, who, no doubt, in antient Times, used to unbend the Brow of Authority, and par take, with their happy and contented People, the puerile Pleasures of the festal Season.

In Paschate vulgò placenta pinsuntur, quarum una, interdum duæ, adolescentibus una, puellis altera, a ditiori aliquo proponuntur: pro quibus in pruto, ubi aute noctem ingens hominum Concunsus tit, quique agiles pedestres currant. P. 268.

+ I find the following beautiful Description in the Mous Cathe rine; We may apply it to this Game,

His

bitter Herbs in use among the Jews at this Season. "Our Meats and our Sports, have much of them "Relation to Church-Works.-The Coffin of our "Christmas Pies, in Shape long, is in Imitation "of the Cratch*: Our chusing Kings and Queens "on Twelfth Night, hath Reference to the three "Kings. So likewise our eating of Fritters, whipping of Tops, roasting of Herrings, Jack of Lents, "&c. they are all in Imitation of Church-Works, "Emblems of Martyrdom. Our Tansies at Easter "have Reference to the bitter Herbs; though at "the same Time 'twas always the Fashion for a

His datur, Orbiculum

Præcipiti

levem per Gramina mittere lapsu: Ast aliis, quorum pedibus fiducia major,

Sectari, et jam jam salienti insistere prædæ;

P. 6.

Aut volitantem alté longeque per aera pulsum Suspiciunt, pronosque inhiant, captantque volatus, Sortiti fortunam oculis; manibusque paratis Expectant propiorem, intercipiuntque caducum. The two last Lines compose a very fine Periphrasis for the northera Word kepping, which is derived from the Anglo-Saxon cepan, captare, advertere, curare.

* Rack or Manger :-Among the MSS. of Bennet College, Cambridge, is a Translation of Part of the New Testament in the English spoken after the Conquest.-The 7. V. of the ii. Chap. of Luke is thus rendered," And layde hym in a Cratche, for to hym was no "Place in the Dyversory." I will venture to subjoin another Specimen, which strongly marks the Mutability of Language: "Mark "vi. 22. When the Daughtyr of Herodyas was incomyn and had tombylde and pleside to Harowde, &c."

If the original Greek had not been preserved, one might have supposed from this English, that, instead of excelling in the graceful Accomplishment of dancing, the young Lady had performed in Some Exhibition, like the present Entertainments at Sadlers Wells!

"Man to have a Gammon of Bacon, to shew him"self to be no Jew." V. Christmass.

*

Durand tells us, that on Easter Tuesday, Wives used to beat their Husbands, on the Day following the Husbands their Wives. There is a Custom still retained at the City of Durham on these Holidays: On one Day the Men take off the Women's Shoes, which are only to be redeemed by a Present; on another Day the Women take off the Men's in like Manner.

+ In plerisque etiam Regionibus mulieres secunda die post pascha verberant maritos suos: die verò tertia Mariti uxores suas. Durand. lib. 6. c. 86. 9.

CHAP.