230 NAVESTOCK IN OLDEN DAYS ; 



Judgment was given by the Free Echevins, according to 

 plurality of votes. The jurisdiction of the Court extended to all 

 crimes committed in the open air — thefts of cattle or agricultural 

 implements, trespasses, and even murder. 



Corrupted by the errors of the transcriber, "The Tale of the 

 Wardstaffe " was also, without doubt, modernised in the mouths 

 of the Churls who repeated it ; and yet we can still recognise the 

 tone and the phraseology of the Courts of the Eresburgh. The 

 Irminsule itself has been described as the trunk of a tree. Thor 

 was worshipped under the same rude symbol, and it may be sus- 

 pected that the singular respect and reverence shown to the Ward 

 Staffe of the East Saxons is not without its relation to the rites and 

 ceremonies of the heathen time, though innocently and unconsciously 

 retained. ^^ 



We may now consider the time of year when this ceremony was 

 performed, viz. : at Hocktide. This season is well worthy of notice. 

 In times later than that of the Saxons, as we have already seen, it 

 was connected more or less with the payment of dues. But we also 

 find it celebrated as a period of festivity, and in particular with the 

 performance of the " Historical and Ancient Coventry Play of Hock 

 Tuesday," the subject of which was the Massacre of the Danes on 

 St. Brice's night, November 13th, 1002, and which play was originally 

 expressed in actions or rhymes, but when performed before Queen 

 Elizabeth was without any recitation, in mere dumb show, and con- 

 sisted of hot skirmishes and furious encounters between the English 

 and Danish forces, first by the launce knights on horseback armed 

 with spears and shields, who, being many of them dismounted, fought 

 with swords and targets. Then followed two hosts of footmen, one 

 after the other, first marching in ranks, then turning about in war- 

 like manner they changed their form from ranks into squadrons, then 

 into triangles, then into rings, and then winding out again they joined 

 in battle — twice the Danes had the better, but at the last conflict they 

 were beaten down, overcome, and many of them led captive for 

 triumph by our Efiglish ivomen}^ 



I must confess to having been much struck by the resemblance 

 of this description, coupled with what has gone before, to the per- 

 formance of the historical play of Husain and Hosain, popularly 

 called the " Tazia," as I have witnessed it enacted by East Indian 



15 Palgrave " Rise of the English Commonwealth, ' vol. ii., pp. 144-162. 



16 Strutt's " Sports and Pastimes," article, Hoke-Day. 



