Merrie England In The Olden Time, Vol. 1 (of 2)

his Christmas * merrymaking with Sir Andrew and the Clown. And how beautiful is Olivia's reply to the self-same precisian when the searching apophthegms of the

ts that you deem cannon-bullets. There is no slander in an allowed fool, though he do no

he season when Jack

diversions are wit

fire-side. Viz. a

orner, questions an

obgoblins, Tom-pok

onjurors, Doctor Fa

and such-like ho

y and

erry, me

as is a

have flow

piping,

e mince

t every

d goose

d dish of

mankind; and gladly turn to the pleasanter side of the picture,

r Chris

um-cake

holland

sweet a

Christ

e will

short a

k, Ralph,

e hop

'll jig

ds all

l pay the

dance w

time wit

ave a j

rking Misses

lusion that the world is split into two classes, viz. those who are and those who ought to be hanged; that we should believe every man to be a rogue till we find him honest. There is quite virtue enou

; the benefit they are to all degrees of the people; the right purposes they may be made to serve in troublesome times, have generally been so

holy-appointed day! Then was the calendar Devotion's diary and Mirth's manual! Rational pleasure is heightened by participation; solitary enjoyment is always selfish. Who ever inquires after a sour recluse, except his creditors and next heir? Nobody misses him when there are so many more agreeable people to supply his place. Of what use is such a negative, "crawling betwixt earth and hea

a fool ** administ

trod with his dirty

Plato, exclaimed tr

lato!"-"Yes," repli

ater

," as Jacques descr

de, the well-known

esumed author of th

," composed in the

"In the time of Hen

d,) "it was account

scholars and gent

in an old pl

a! ha!

ds laughe

of Gotum are

pulling down of certain mansions of iniquity, of which Mrs. Cole, * in after days, was the devout proprietress; a few broken heads at the Bear Garden; the somewhat opposite sounds of the "belles tollin

Minor." Act

ian MSS.

ance was one of

ngland. Robin Hood,

the Queen or Lady o

were afterwards ad

e characters that f

grotesque movement

ted jest-monger, a

eton," who "raised

all sorts," danced

his "Nine daies' w

"new jigg," rivall

Juliet; Dogberry,

ing;

which he was the o

tainment," 4to. 160

o

TION OF A WHITS

trip it nim

, tickle

abour for the w

tickle it

eene on Hyg

the honour

hither, let us sp

the honour

art sickens at the cant and cruelty of these monstrous times, when fanaticism, with a dagger in one hand, and "Hooks and

ssed by the Puritan

e stage by the sol

srs. "Praise-God-Ba

dulged in, was "Ent

t phrase in refer

in "The Muses' Look

r this chari

the

e) reigns a whol

'd, the Phoenix

ipp'd for a bl

'scap'd demolish

y, he wished The B

Gardens, And ther

d "The overthrow of

twixt D. Gager and

that ean be made

ions answered, and

judgment of any man

casilic be sati

hat it is not onely

older of those v

d the quaintly appropriate signs ** of the ancient taverns and music shops were pulled down to make room for some such horri

ing business is a P

row and squalid: st

en such as Linlith

."-Robe

s, with this inscr

be." The third was

t sign of a music sh

his sign. Apropos o

ment fixed agains

s? "It's a bad sign

being still at fau

explanation.-"It's

ook of immeasurabl

dy is

be convinced of th

ovenanters have o

ence displayed, or

from their Books, Se

of ludicrous impie

cim

reaching at Linton,

t they were very se

lie Willi

n my c

dogs in

r ding

doggie in Heaven th

wn

green holly and the mystic mistletoe ** were blooming abominations. The once rosy cheeks of

omplaints of Nick F

the Cook,"

ties of the mistleto

and Apuleius has p

in which he mentio

ecessary to make a

f prevailed, and eve

tein, and some other

ctre's Wand," from

f mistletoe in the

ghosts, but to for

etoe is peculi

Presbyter was as blythe as shepherd at a wake

windows which the w

an

Popish sain

es shall

he fathers'

the schoo

th all that s

then, u

ay-games, 4to. 1660.

f King's-Norton.

a knave in

courtier, n

lob, nor m

lerk, be't p

debauch'd n

s drab, or

ve thee a fr

y-pole canst

e unfortunate shaf

ction of that turbu

he plundering of t

the name of Evil May

was hung on a ran

of neighbouring ho

zealous fanatic cal

is May-pole, which i

owner of every hous

as depended over

al to the flames

" that "onee o'erl

717,) Sir Isaac N

carried to Wanstead

park, and had the h

then known. The New

i

Anne and pi

cts the saints

f May; and that dancing round a May-pole, adorned with garlands of flowers, ribbons, and other ornaments, was idolatry, after the fashion of Baal's worshippers, who capered about the altar in honour of their idol; resolved

wes must go l

al is ful

rail come ou

ye harde t

eape, and th

t turne al

st bounce it

e shall

ynstrell ma

yll mery

ack letter ballad

Fellowes must go l

ok infinite pains to destroy; and with his long pike did the devil's work diligently. He could endure no cross ** but that on si

d has drawn an exc

n his comedy of "

. Day, chairman t

s. Day, "the commi

white gloves, and S

heir booby son, a f

at every turn and O

heinously given to s

anctum sanctorum, o

honourable members,

spect. Nehemiah Ca

and Ezekiel Scrape!

The robbing of wi

ew Zion." A parcel

together to cheat i

g when brethren dwe

rother gives up lyin

achariah went off f

ing of Basing Hous

Winchester, that Ha

hot Major Robinson,

is he that doeth t

eters, the buffoonin

rt

f upright stone c

ted its origin from

this island adopte

cross, that the wors

ansferred from the i

wards the Saxon king

o a battle, at which

ory. After the Norm

were erected in mar

ction of religion:

pious feelings; i

e when borne to it

ses. Here the begga

e name of Him who su

r landmarks, that

sacred the bounda

says that crosses

s landmarks to def

nd Holland. They w

thieves, and to regu

! ) most of the cro

oyed, when the swe

rmally promulgated

es of the Trinity i

e church, be put o

one cross in the chu

n hoped of John Kno

d in a cr

e down, and hated his neighbour: his p

t sanctified and shu

ers, and thorough-

rs, jerking coachm

spoyle Bibles while

reasie fingers, and

idge-pot, while the

interpretations of

wives and handmaid

hren and especially

tion of Cheapside C

he Stagge

weary, working-day world would this have been under his unhospitable dominion! ** How unlovely and lachrymose! how sectarian and

a well-jointured,

ext heir in the enta

ace. The young gent

ived quite long en

hus grac

rd of th

good Lad

heavenl

little

t in m

good house

imed the mild sente

ciples, that the ido

ish (or rather, God

Catholic should b

acy-of the Protest

r. These were the m

who conducted the i

ion, and imposed th

ry, the "Holy Leagu

Scotland with the

phed so brutally ov

ant Montrose. The

piscopalian was lia

a child, or officia

sons, besides the

mi

th of a Penny, or a caution to keep Money;" and the

do open, to ch

willing, for m

profit that you s

it was his pleasure to be displeased. His humanity may be summed up in one short sentence, "I will take care, my dear brother, you shall not keep your bed in sickness, for I will take it from under you." There are two reasons why w

and money-grubbing have contributed to the general st

w how little

rs' faults, and

t the laughing philosopher, and "delay'd to strike" till his lungs had crowed their second jubilee: while Heraclitus was Charon's

arting! a bum

points to morni

gh

d cards, are for

ir rubbers, while

o jocund, so

wine, and our he

e Nature, a p

vacuum, than B

s drown, and whe

w

uaker, as broa

t friars, ag

told, boys I-in sp

centre is good

replenish the

t rubies so gli

lushing ruby of

glass Bibo smi

flight on no win

ell lie,-ah! tr

n "Fmo,"-the p

, twankay, tee

r swiggers at

hither, so cry

r wine-'tis hu

crusty, and

prime nectar-t

toast, like the

teem, and the

parkling, and s

meeting! A bu