]une, 1919
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cnmpuc:!'ion to tho land
o( my nativity, but put
p~"n to p ttpN, ancl ells-
cover the sinfnl rt~c.
and vilo pro phancnc ~s
that attr·nd ~ne h mu;.
rul<". "
'T'ho \1orris Oo n rNl
gPn<·rally form('(l part
also of tlw Whtt ~u n
revels. antl it i~ evi ·
drnt that both old a nd
young t•njov<·cl th••m.
An mnrkablc ln'ifanc<'
is $ZIY('n hy Sir Wtllin.m
Te mp!<', who tt·IIH how
1n King .Janws's r< ign
thcre w•·nt about t hf'
countr,r a 1 their sho ps and houses, over
which also they u~ed ridiculously and fooli shly to
!f'ap<', by a. <'e.rtain antient eustom, w<> com mand
th<>m from hcnc<'forth to ceac;t'.'' These fire~ were
called bonefire::~, and runny people think it was
because thE"y wcro made of bones-" olcne bones' '
one old manuscript says-im;tead of woorl. The
morc probn.blo explanation, howcvcr, is that th<'
origina.l word was !>Mn fire. tt fire mad€' of materials
contr1 buted by everybody.
Various locnl customs were nssoci at<>d with thcs ~·
su mmer Solstice rovcls. In Northumberlnnd they
used to dt'(I~S out Rtools with a cushion of flo wArs.
A layer of <.'lay was ulac<'d on the stool, and therein
wa::~ stuek. with grt>at rcu:ulnr•ty, an arrangement
of all kind~ of tlow<.>rs. so elo-.~ as to form a b~autiful
c·u-;hion. Thf'l'le woro exhibited at tho doors of
hou.s<''l i n the villagefl, whN't' the attendantR begged
mon<' Y from pa.c;~e ng<·t-s, to enable them to have
u.n t"Venin~ ft' ll fl t nod daneing.
Th<'re WC'n' also many tliffNt'nt waye connoct('d
with ~hd~; ummer Eve of dt sco~c ring your "true
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A ~tMetl.
love.'' There was the dumb cake, which " two
must makc it, two bak<' it, two break it, and the
third put it under each of vour p1llO\\CS (but you
must not spc:•ak a word all the time , and th£>n you
will dream of the man you are to have .' '
A .. rare cole •· which was to be found und<'t
the roo.t of plant o.ne, only on ~1id~umtn('l E~e at
12 o clock, was supposed to save its po"'"<'"sor from
" plague earbuncle, lightning, the quartan a~ue,
and from burning .. , Aubrey, writing m 169i. ~ ay~.
" The last s ummcr on thc> day of St •. fohn Bnph;t
I accidentally was walking in the pasture bt>hind
:\Iontague House. it was twelve o•clock, 1 saw th<'r<>
about two or thrc: a nd twt>nty youn g wonwn, most
of them well hab•ted, on tht>ir kne('l', Hry hm-J(•,
as if they had bc<'n weedmg. A younp: mnn told
m<' that tht>y WLl'<' looking for a. toal undt>r th<' root
of a 1)lantain to put under thc1r h<"adq that night.
and they should drcam who would be their hu-..
bands."
l\Iidsumm<'r Eve rt>vcls W<.'rt' not ronfin{"d to tlw
Bntich I sles, hut wl'rc c quttlly obst•rvcd in Fronct'.
and till quite a late period in Spnin .
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