to direct us; we must oftentimes trace a tedious retrospective Course, perhaps to return at laft weary and unfatisfied, from the making of Refearches, fruitlefs as thofe of fome antient enthufiaftic Traveller, who ranging the barren African Sands, had in vain attempted to investigate the hidden Sources of the Nile.

Rugged and narrow as this Walk of Study may seem to many, yet Fancy (who fhares with Hope the pleafing Office of brightening a Paffage through every Route of human Endeavour) opens from hence to Profpects, enriched with the choiceft Beauties of her magic Creation.

The prime Origin of the fuperftitious Notions and Ceremonies of the People is abfolutely unattainable; we defpair. of ever being able to reach the Fountain Head of Streams which have been running and increasing from the Beginning of Time. All that we afpire to do, is only to trace backwards, as far as poffible, the Courses of them on those Charts, that remain, of the distant Countries from whence they were first perceived to flow.

Few, who are defirous of investigating the popular Notions and vulgar Ceremonies in our Nation, can fail of deducing them in their first Direction from the Times when Popery was our established Religion.

We shall not wonder that these were able to furvive the Reformation, when we confider, that though our fenfible and fpirited Forefathers were, upon Conviction, eafily induced to forego religious Tenets, which had been weighed in the Balance, and found wanting; yet were the People by no means inclined to annihilate the feemingly innocent Ceremonies of their former fuperftitious Faith.

Thefe, confecrated to the Fancies of Men, by a Ufage from Time immemorial, though erazed by public Authority from the written Word, were committed as a venerable Depofit to the keeping of oral Tradition: like the Penates of another Troy, recently deftroyed, they were religiously brought off, after having been fnatched out of the fmoking Ruins of Popery.

It is not improbable that, in the Infancy of Protestantism, the continuance of many of thefe was connived at by the State. For Men, "who are but Children of a larger "Growth,"

"Growth," are not weaned all at once, and the Refor mation of Manners, and of Religion, is always moft furely established, when effected by flow Degrees, and as it were imperceptible Gradations.

Thus alfo at the first Promulgation of Christianity to the Gentile Nations, through the Force of Conviction they yielded indeed to Truth; yet they could not be perfuaded to relinquifh many of their Superftitions, which, rather than forego them altogether, they chofe to blend and incorporate with their new Faith.

Chriftian, or rather Papal Rome, borrowed her Rites, Notions, and Ceremonies, in the most luxurious Abundance from ancient and Heathen Rome; and much the greater Number of these flaunting Externals, which Infallibility has adopted, and used as Feathers to adorn her Triple-Cap, have been ftolen out of the Wings of the dying Eagle.

With regard to the Rites, Sports, &c. of the Common People, I am aware that the morofe and bigotted Part of Mankind without diftinguishing between the right Ufe and the Abuse of fuch Entertainments, cavil at and malign them. Yet muft fuch be told that Shows and Sports have been countenanced by the beft and wifeft of States; and though it cannot be denied that they have been sometimes prostituted to the Purposes of Riot and Debauchery, yet were we to reprobate every Thing that has been thus abused, Religion itself could not be retained; perhaps we should be able to keep nothing.

The common People, confined by daily Labour, seem to require their proper Invervals of Relaxation; perhaps it is of

* I shall quote here the fubfequent curious Thoughts on this Subject: the Puritans are ridiculed in them.

Thefe teach that Dancing is a Jezebell,

And Barley-break the ready Way to Hell;
The Morrice Idols, Whitfun-ales can be
But prophane Reliques of a Jubilee:

Thefe in a Zeal t'expreffe how much they do
The Organs hate, have filenc'd Bagpipes too;
And harmlefs Maypoles all are rail'd upon,
As if they were the Tow'rs of Babylon.

Randolph's Poems. 1646.

the

the highest political Utility to encourage innocent Sports and Games among them. The Revival of many of these, would, I think, be highly pertinent at this particular Season, when the general Spread of Luxury and Diffipation threa tens more than at any preceding Period to extinguish the Character of our boasted national Bravery. For the Obfervation of an honeft old Writer, Stow, (who tells us, fpeaking of the May-games, Midfummer-Eve * Rejoicings, &c. antiently used in the Streets of London," which open Pastimes "in my Youth being now fuppreft, worse Practices within "Doors are to be feared," may be with fingular Propriety adopted on the moft tranfient Survey of our present popular Manners.

Mr Bourne, my Predeceffor in this Work, has not, from whatever Cause, done Juftice to the Subject he undertook to treat of. Far from having the Vanity to think that I have exhausted it, the utmost of my Pretenfions is to the Merit of baving endeavoured, by making Additions, to improve it. I think him, however, deferving of no fmall Share of Praise for his imperfect Attempt, for "much is due to thofe, who first broke the Way to Knowledge, and left only to their "Succeflors the Talk of fmothering it."

New Lights have arifen fince his Time. The English Antique has become a general and fashionable Study; and, the Discoveries of the very refpectable Society of Antiquaries have rendered the Receffes of Papal and Heathen Antiquities eafier of access.

I flatter myself I have turned all these Circumstances in fome Measure to Advantage. I have gleaned Paffages that feemed to throw Light upon the Subject, from a great Variety of Volumes, and thofe written too in feveral Languages; in the doing of which, if I fhall not be found to having deserved the Praise of Judgment, I must at least make Pretenfions to the Merit of Industry.

I call to mind here the pleafing Account Mr Sterne has left us in his Sentimental Journey, of the Grace-dance after Supper.-I agree with that amiable Writer in thinking that Religion may mix herself in the Dance, and that innocent Cheerfulness is no inconfiderable Part of Devotion; fuch indeed as cannot fail of being grateful to the Good Being,-it is a filent but eloquent Mode of praising him!

Elegance

Elegance of Compofition will hardly be expected in a Work of this Kind, which ftands much lefs in need of Attic Wit, than of Roman Perfeverance and Dutch Affiduity.

I fall offer fome Difcoveries, which are peculiarly my own; for there are Cuftoms yet retained here in the North, of which I am perfuaded the learned of the Southern Part of the Island have not heard, which is, perhaps, the fole Caufe why they have never before been inveftigated.

In perufing the fubfequent Obfervations, the candid Reader, who has never before confidered this neglected Subject, is requested not to be rafh in paffing Sentence, but to fufpend his Judgment, at least, till he has carefully examined all the Evidence; by which Caution I do not wish to have it understood, that our Determinations are thought to be infallible, or that every Decifion here is not amenable to an higher Authority. In the mean Time Prejudice may be forwarned, and it will apologize for many feemingly trivial Reafons, affigned for the beginning and tranfmitting of this or that Notion or Ceremony, to reflect, that what may appear foolish to the enlightened Understandings of Men in the eighteenth Century, wore a very different Aspect when viewed through the Gloom that prevailed in the feventh or eighth.

:

I should trefpafs upon the Patience of my Reader, were I to enumerate all the Books I have confulted on this Occafion; to which, however, I fhall take care in their proper Places to refer but I own myself under particular Obligations to Durand's Ritual of Divine Offices; a Work inimical to every Idea of rational Worship, but to the Enquirer into the Origin of our popular Ceremonies, an invaluable Magazine of the most interefting Intelligence. I would stile this Performance the great Ceremonial Law of the Romanifts, in Comparison with which the Mofaic Code is bar ren of Rites and Ceremonies. We stand amazed on perusing it at the enormous Weight of a new Yoke which holy Church fabricating with her own Hands has impofed on her fervile Devotees.

Yet the Forgers of thefe Shackles had artfully contrived to make them fit eafy, by twisting Flowers around them. Dark as this Picture, drawn by the Pencil of gloomy Super

ftition,

ftition, appeared upon the whole, yet was its deep Shade contrafted with pleafing Lights.

The Calendar was crowded with Red-Letter Days, nominally indeed confecrated to Saints; but which, by the encouragement of Idlenefs and Diffipation of Manners, gave every Kind of Countenance to SINNERS.

A Profufion of childish Rites, Pageants, and Ceremonies, diverted the Attention of the People from the Confideration of their real State, and kept them in Humour, if it did not fometimes make them in Love with their flavish Modes of Worship.

To the Credit of our fenfible and manly Forefathers, they were among the first who felt the Weight of this new and unneceffary Yoke, and had Spirit enough to throw it off.

I have fortunately in my Poffeffion one of thofe antient Romish Calendars of fingular Curiosity, which contains under the immoveable Feafts and Fafts, (I regret much its Silence on the moveable ones) a Variety of brief Observations contributing not a little to the Elucidation of many of our popular Customs, and proving them to have been fent over from Rome, with Bulls, Indulgencies, and other Baubles, bartered, as it should feem, for our Peter-pence, by thofe who trafficked in fpiritual Merchandize from the Continent.

Thefe I fhall carefully tranflate (though in fome Places it is extremely difficult to render the very barbarous Latin, of which I fear the Critic will think I have transfufed the Barbarity, Brevity, and Obfcurity into my own English) and lay before my Reader, who will at once fee and acknowledge their Utility.

1

A learned Performance, by a Doctor Morefin in the Time of James I. and dedicated to that Monarch, is alfo luckily in my Poffeffion. It is written in Latin, and entitled, “The Origin and Increase of Depravity in Religion;" containing a very masterly Parallel between the Rites, Notions, &c. of Heathen and those of Papal Rome.

The copious Extracts from this Work, with which I fhall adorn the fubfequent Pages will be their own Eulogy, and fuperfede my poor Encomiums,

When