left incomplete or untouched by your former publications. Taking them in order of time, I would first advert to Midsummer-day, or the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

So much of what is most curious respecting this festival has been related in vol. i., p. 846, &c., of your Every-Day Book, that little remains to be added. It was a high day with the Catholics of the middle ages, and on it their guilds appeared with unusual splendor. The nature of these institutions is well illustrated by Clarkson in his valuable History of Richmond (in Yorkshire), p. 225. They were composed, he says, of persons of both sexes, who were not bound by their statutes to celibacy. They formed chantries, &c., used to make solemn processions through the town on St. John's day, with the portable shrine of St. John and torches lighted, bearing the host in a tabernacle, with banners and colors flying; and masses, dirges, &c., were said for the prosperity of the brethren and sisters living, and for their souls after their departure hence. They had also, at the same time, charitable views, as giving relief to poor brethren and sisters, and finding beds and accommodations for distressed strangers, and occasionally lepers.

I shall not trouble you with an account of the "Watch setting" on this night, so frequently mentioned by old John Stowe under the Tudor reigns, because you have largely adverted to the subject before. Suffice it to observe, that the custom originated not in superstition (as might be imagined), but from necessity; for there appears to have been one or more nights in early times (of which St. John's was one), when people assembled together to commit depredations, or do wanton mischief," and we have still an anniversary of this kind in Yorkshire on the night of April 30th. To prevent these injuries and depredations, "watch and ward" was kept in London, on St. John's eve, with great power and splendor till the year 1539, when it was discontinued from the jealousy of the reigning despot, though the practice was afterwards revived.

66

But my chief reason for noticing St. John's eve is on account of the fires, formerly, and still, said to be lighted up on

Annals, p. 817, 1113, 115, 1119.

that night; and which, doubtless, may be deduced from the same origin as our Christmas fires, and the burning of the "yuleclog." To me, at least, the following passage in Mr. Fosbroke's valuable Encyclopædia is quite satisfactory :

"The heathens," says he, "were much delighted with the festivals of their gods, and unwilling to part with those delights; and therefore Gregory (Thaumaturgus), who died in 265, and was bishop of Neocasarea, to facilitate their conversion, instituted annual festivals. Hence the fes

tivities of Christmas were substituted for the Bacchanalia and Saturnalia-the May games for the Floralia-and the keeping of festivals to the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, and divers apostles, in the room of the solemnities at the entrance of the sun into the signs of the zodiac, according to the old Julian Calendar."

It is rather remarkable that these fires and illuminations before referred to should have been made on the anniversary of the nativity of John the Baptist, if they had no reference to the character of him as given by Jesus Christ. "Ile was a burning and a shining light (says the Saviour), and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light."* Unquestionably there is a singular coincidence here, if the customs and ceremonies observed upon it had no relation to the festival.

I now turn to St. Bartholomew's Day, for the purpose of noticing a custom annually observed thereon, in the "olden times,” though little noticed in antiquarian works, and not at all in yours.† I mean the meeting of scholars, from different schools, for the purpose of disputation, and to try their proficiency in learning. Stowe makes mention of this practice in his "Survey," and also Lilly, the astrologer, in his life. In the note also prefixed to the life of Sir Thomas More it is said, that "on the eve of St. Bartholomew the scholars used to repair to the church yard of the priory, in Smithfield, for trial of proficiency in learning and disputation."

This custom was not quite extinct in Yorkshire, even in that early part of the last century; but what surprises me the most is the place where these disputations or examinations were carried on. authority which I cannot doubt, that place was Lee Fair,where,early in September, an

• John's Gospel, v. 35.

Upon

* [Mr. Scatcherd has overlooked the no *ce in the Every-Day Book, i. 119.]

annual wake and mart is held for cattle and goods of various kinds. The place is an insignificant village about two miles hence, but near Woodkirk, where, anciently, was a cell of black canons under Nostel Priory. To this fair the scholars of Leeds, Wakefield, and perhaps other places, were brought according to tradition; and curious indeed must have been their disputations, when Aristotle's Metaphysics, Tullie's Rhetoric, the Syntax of the Grammar Schools, and Logic o. the Priests, were the chief if not the sole studies of youth, apart from martial or rural exercises. As much real knowledge, methinks, might be gathered from the clack of a number of Hindoos, Lascars, or Guinea fowls.

Connected with this subject is the state of learning and course of education in the middle and later ages. Having for some time made minutes whenever I have lighted upon very curious particulars relating thereto, and being desirous to see them embodied, I shall be glad if you think, with me, that they will be acceptable to your best informed readers. It shall now be my endeavour to arrange them in something like chronological order, I will begin with a specimen of the poetry of the 15th century (said to be from an unpublished version of Hardyng's Chronicle), as it displays the course of education then pursued in a most amusing manner:

"And as Lords Sons bene sett at foure year age
To scole at learn the doctrine of Lettrure;
And, after six, to have them in language,
And sit at meat semely in all nurure;
At ten and twelve to revel is their cure,
To dance and sing and speak of gentleness;
At fourteen year they shall to field, I sure,
At hunt the deer and catch an hardiness.

"For Deer to hunt, and slay, and see them bleed,

An hardiment giveth to his courage,
And also in his wit he taketh heed,
Imagining to take them at avantage;
At sixteen year to werray and to wage,
To just and ride, and castles to assail,
To skirmish als, and make siker Scurage,
And set his Watch, for peril nocturnale.
"And, every day, his Armour to assay
In feat of arms with some of his many,

This, if my memory serves me, was Mr. Wyndham's argument for the perpetuation, if not encouragement, of brutal sports. How different from the views and feelings of that great man, Lord Erskine !

His might to prove, and what that he do may
If that he were in such a jeopardy
Of Warre by falle, that by necessitie
He might algates with weapons him defend ;
Thus should he learn in his priority
His weapons all in armes to dispend."

The inventory of Sir John Fastolf's effects in vol. 20, of the Archeologia, p. 237: the Paston Letters, vol. 1, p. 173, and vol. 4, p. 79, disclose very curious particulars in perfect accordance with the foregoing description :—

"One thing (says a commentator) very remarkable, though this inventory (i. e. Fastolf's) was before the invention of printing, is the absence of Books. Some MSS. might at least have been expected in a mansion like Fastolf's, in addition to two missals, a psalter, and a martyrology. His learned secretary, William of Worcester, does not seem to have directed his patron's taste to the acquirement of a library; though, in his own person, he engaged in the pursuit with all the ardor of a modern bibliomaniac." In accordance with the last extract is this passage in Camden's remains, p. 273:

"A nobleman of this time (i. e. Henry the VIIIth's reign), in contempt of learning, said, that it was for Noble men's sonnes enough to winde their Horne and carry their Hawke faire, and to leave study and learning to the children of meane

men.

Item. Fabulæ Æsopi. Item. For quarteridge in pens and Ynke Brom and byrche.-vid.

Item, Paid for Tullius Atticum, iiid. From the life of Sir Thos. More, it appears that his daughters, on their journeys, exercised themselves in the making of declamations, or composition of verses, or in logic exercises; for which he praises the eloquence of his beloved "wenches." To correct the reading of a passage in such an author as St. Cyprian, he deemed a proof of great learning and talent, p. 154. His daughter, Mary, he recommends to spend the remainder of her life in studying physic, and the holy scrip

tures.

I will now, Mr. HONE, present your readers with a passage in the life of Sir Thomas More, from which they may judge how much of science, or in other words of real, sterling, precious knowledge, was stored in the mind of one of the greatest, wisest, and best men of the 16th century. In one of the letters of Sir Thos. More to his children, he writes respecting their tutor thus-" for I think Mr. Nicolas is with you, and that you have learned of him much astronomy, so that I hear you have proceeded so far in the science that you now know, not only the pole star or dog, and such like of the common constellations; but also (which argueth an absolute and cunning astronomer) in the chief planets themselves, you are able to discern the sun from the moon." See p. 146.

When Queen Elizabeth honored Sandwich with her presence in 1573, "She entered into the Scole house, wheare she was very merry, and did eate of dyverse dishes, without any assaye, and caused certen to be reserved for her and carried to her lodginge. Against the Scole house, uppon the new turfed wall, and uppon a scafold made uppon the wall of the Scolehouse yarde where dyverse children, Englishe and Dutche, to the number of Cth, or vi. score, all spynning of fine bag yarne, a thing well liked both of her Majestie and of the Nobilitie and Ladies." See Antiquarian Repertory, vol. iv. p. 65. "Old Jackquer, now living, has often seen from his house the nuns of St.

Mary's (Kingston in Wilts) coming forth into the Nymph Ilay, with rocks and wheels to spin. Sometimes to the num

*To do justice, however, to our Catholic ancestors, I must add that even this was better than encouraging them in idleness and pride.

ber of seventy, all of whom were not nuns, but young girls sent there for education." MS. of Aubrey, Ibid p. 44. vol. iv..

I next offer to your readers a copy of a letter to the tutor of Prince Henry, son of James the 1st, showing how an English tutor at Paris educated his pupils in 1610: extracted from Mr. Ellis's letters, second series, vol. iii. p. 226.

"Our dayes are thus divided-In the forenoon Mr. Puckering spends two hours on horseback. Two other hours he spends in French-one in reading-the other in rendering to his teacher some part of a Latin author by word of mouth-a fifth hour he is employed in learning to handleh is weapon, which entertains him till twelve of the clock, when the bell warns him to dinner, where the company continues together till two o'clock, either passing the

time in discourse or in some recreation

pertaining to armes. Then they are warned by the bell to dauncing, which holds him till three, when he retires to his chamber, and there employs with me two other hours in reading over some Latin author; which done, he translates some little part of it into French, leaving his faults to be corrected the morrow following by his teacher. After supper we take a brief survey of all."

"Such was the state of learning," says Aubrey, "from the time of Erasmus down to 1660, learning was downwright pedantry. The conversation and habits of those times were as starch't as their bands and and square beards, and gravity was taken for wisdom. The doctors were old boys. Quibbles passed for wit even in sermons. The gentry and citizens had little learning of any kind, and their way of breeding up their children was suitable to the rest. They were as severe to their children as schoolmasters. The child loathed the sight of his parents. Gentlemen of thirty or forty years of age were to stand like mutes and fools bareheaded before their parents, and their daughters (grown women) were to stand at the cupboard side during the whole time of their proud mother's visit, unless (as the fashion was) leave was desired that a cushion should be given them to kneel on. The boys (I mean the young fellows) had their foreheads turned up and stiffened with spittle. They were to stand mannerly forsooth, one hand at their band string, the other behind the breech. The gentlewomen had prodigious fans; with these the daughters were