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162

IN

ST BARNABAS' DAY.

11th of June.

N the Churchwardens' Accounts of St Mary-at-Hill, London, 17 and 19 Edward IV., the following entry occurs

"For Rose-garlondis and Woodrove*-garlondis on St. Barnebes' Daye, xjd." And, under the year 1486

86 'Item, for two doss' di Bocse GARLANDS for prestes and clerks on Saynt Barnabe daye, js. xd."

In 1512

"Reca of the gadryng of the Maydens on St. Barnabas' Day, vjs. viijd.” And, among the disbursements of the same year, we have

Rose-garlands and Lavender, St. Barnabas, is. vjd.”

In the same Accounts, for 1509, we read—

"For bred, wine, and ale, for the Singers of the King's Chapel, and for the Clarks of this town, on St. Barnabas, Is. iijd."

Collinson, in his History of Somersetshire, speaking of Glastonbury, tells us that, "besides the holy Thorn, there grew in the Abbey Church-yard, on the North side of St. Joseph's Chapel, a miraculous Walnut Tree, which never budded forth before the feast of St. Barnabas, viz. the eleventh of June, and on that very day shot forth leaves, and flourished like its usual species. This tree is gone, and in the place thereof stands a very fine Walnut-tree of the common sort. It is strange to say how much this tree was sought after by the credulous; and, though not an uncommon Walnut, Queen Anne, King James, and many of the nobility of the realm, even when the times of monkish superstition had ceased, gave large sums of money for small cuttings from the original."

Among Ray's Proverbs the following is preserved relating to Saint Barnabas

* "Woodroofe, Asperula, hath many square stalkes full of joynts, and at every knot or joynt seven or eight long narrow leaves, set round about like a star, or the rowell of a spurre. The flowres grow at the top of the stems, of a white colour and of a very sweet smell, as is the rest of the herbe, which being made up into garlands or bundles, and hanging up in houses in the heat of summer, doth very well attemper the aire, coole and make fresh the place, to the delight and comfort of such as are therein."- "Woodrooffe is named of divers in Latine Asperula odorata, and of most men Aspergula odorata: of others Cordialis, and Stellaria: in English, Woodrooffe, Woodrowe, and Woodrowell. It is reported to be put into wine, to make a man merry, and to be good for the heart and liver."-Gerard's Herball.

"Barnaby Bright,

The longest day and the shortest night."

The author of the Festa Anglo-Romana writes: "This Barnaby-day, or thereabout, is the Summer Solstice or Sun-sted, when the Sun seems to stand, and begins to go back, being the longest day in the year, about the 11th or 12th of June; it is taken for the whole time, when the days appear not for fourteen days together either to lengthen or shorten."

CORE

CORPUS CHRISTI DAY, AND PLA YS.

14th of June.

'ORPUS CHRISTI Day in all Roman Catholic countries is celebrated with music, lights, flowers strewed all along the streets, rich tapestries hung out upon the walls, and other signs of rejoicing. The following is Googe's translation of what Naogeorgus has said upon the ceremonies of this day in his Popish Kingdome

"Then doth ensue the solemne feast of Corpus Christi Day,
Who then can shewe their wicked use, and fond and foolish play?

The hallowed bread, with worship great, in silver pix they beare

About the church, or in the citie passing here and theare.

His armes that beares the same two of the welthiest men do holde,
And over him a canopey of silke and cloth of golde.

Foure others use to beare aloufe, least that some filthie thing

Should fall from hie, or some mad birde hir doung thereon should fling.
Christe's passion here derided is, with sundrie maskes and playes,
Faire Ursley, with hir maydens all, doth passe amid the wayes:
And, valiant George, with speare thou killest the dreadfull dragon here,
The Devil's house is drawne about, wherein there doth appere
A wondrous sort of damned sprites, with foule and fearefull looke,
Great Christopher doth wade and passe with Christ amid the brooke :
Sebastian full of feathred shaftes, the dint of dart doth feele,
There walketh Kathren, with hir sworde in hande, and cruel wheele :
The Challis and the singing Cake with Barbara is led,

And sundrie other pageants playde, in worship of this bred,
That please the foolish people well: what should I stand upon
Their Banners, Crosses, Candlestickes, and reliques many on,

Their Cuppes, and carved Images, that priestes, with count'nance hie
Or rude and common people, beare about full solemlie ?
Saint John before the bread doth go, and poynting towards him,
Doth shew the same to be the Lambe that takes away our sinne :
On whome two clad in angels shape do sundrie flowres fling,
A number great of Sacring Belles with pleasant sound doe ring.
The common wayes with bowes are strawde, and every streete beside,
And to the walles and windowes all, are boughes and braunches tide.
The monkes in every place do roame, the nonnes abrode are sent,
The priestes and schoolmen lowd do rore, some use the instrument.
The straunger passing through the streete, upon his knees doe fall:
And earnestly upon this bread, as on his God, doth call.

For why, they counte it for their Lorde, and that he doth not take
The form of flesh, but nature now of breade that we do bake.

A number great of armed men here all this while do stande,
To looke that no disorder be, nor any filching hande :

For all the church-goodes out are brought, which certainly would bee
A bootie good, if every man might have his libertie.

This Bread eight dayes togither they in presence out do bring,
The organs all do then resound, and priestes alowde do sing:
The people flat on faces fall, their handes held up on hie,
Beleeving that they see their God, and soveraigne Majestie.
The like at Masse they doe, while as the Bread is lifted well,
And Challys shewed aloft, when as the sexten rings the bell."

"In villages the Husbandmen about their corne doe ride,

With many Crosses, Banners, and Sir John their priest beside:
Who in a bag about his necke doth beare the blessed Breade,
And oftentyme he downe alightes, and Gospel lowde doth reade.
This surely keepes the corne from winde, and raine, and from the blast,
Such fayth the Pope hath taught, and yet the Papistes hold it fast."

In the Churchwardens' and Chamberlains' Accounts at Kingston. upon-Thames, relating to this day, we find

"21 Hen. VII. Mem. That we, Adam Backhous and Harry Nycol, amountyd of a Play.

£. s.

d.

4

27 Hen. VII. Paid for pack-thred on Corpus Christi Day o I."

This," Lysons adds, was probably used for hanging the pageants, containing the History of our Saviour, which were exhibited on this day, and explained by the Mendicant Friars."

In the Accounts of St Mary-at-Hill, London, 17 and 19 Edw. IV., the following entry occurs

"Garlands on Corpus Christi Day, xa.”

We find also, among the ancient annual Church disbursements, "For four (six, or eight) men bearing torches about the parish" on this day, payments of id. each.

Among the same Accounts, for the 19th and 21st years of Edw. IV. we have: "For flaggs and garlondis, and pak-thredde for the torches, upon Corpus Christi Day, and for six men to bere the said torches, iiijs. vijd."

And, in 1485, "For the hire of the garments for pageants, is. viijd.” Rose-garlands on Corpus Christi Day are also mentioned under the years 1524 and 1525, in the Parish Accounts of St Martin Outwich.

The Cotton MS. (Vesp. D. viii.) contains a collection of dramas in old English verse (of the fifteenth century) relating principally to the History of the New Testament. Dugdale, in his Antiquities of Warwickshire, mentions this manuscript under the name of Ludus Corporis Christi, or Ludus Coventriæ; and adds: "I have been told by some people, who in their younger years were eye-witnesses of these pageants so acted, that the yearly confluence of people to see that shew was extraordinary great, and yielded no small advantage to this city."

The rank of the audiences attests the celebrity of these performances. In 1483 Richard III. visited Coventry to see the Corpus plays, and in 1492 they were attended by Henry VII. and his Queen, who highly commended them. At Chester the mysteries were acted by the trading companies of the city.

In Cornwall they had interludes from Scripture history in the native language. They were called Gnary Miracle Plays. The Bodleian has two MSS. containing three of them-the Deluge, the Passion, and the Resurrection.

On this day, about a quarter to one P.M., the Worshipful Company of Skinners used to walk in procession from their hall on Dowgate Hill to St Antholin's in Watling Street, for Divine service. They were attended by girls strewing herbs before them, and by the boys whom their patronage had placed on the foundation of Christ's Hospital. According to Pennant, it was customary at Llanasaph in North Wales to strew green herbs and flowers before the houses on Corpus Christi Eve.

I'

ST VITUS'S DAY.

15th of June.

N the Sententiæ Rythmicæ of J. Buchlerus is a passage which seems to prove that St Vitus's Day was equally famous for rain with St Swithin's.

Googe, in his Translation of Naogeorgus, says

"The nexte is VITUS Sodde in oyle, before whose ymage faire
Both men and women bringing hennes for offring do repaire ;
The cause whereof I doe not know, I thinke, for some disease
Which he is thought to drive away, from such as him do please."

The saint was a Sicilian martyr under Diocletian; but why the disease called St Vitus' dance is so denominated, is not known.

THE

SUMMER SOLSTICE.

MIDSUMMER EVE.

The Vigil of St John Baptist's Day.

HE pagan rites of this festival at the summer solstice may be considered as a counterpart of those used at the winter solstice at Yule-tide. One thing indeed seems to prove this beyond the possibility of a doubt. In the old Runic Fasti, as will be shown elsewhere, a wheel was used to denote the festival of Christmas. Gebelin derives Yule from a primitive word, carrying with it the general idea of revolution and a wheel; and it was so called, says Bede, because of the return of the sun's annual course, after the winter solstice. This wheel is common to both festivities. Thus Durandus, speaking of the rites of the Feast of St John Baptist, informs us of