96 



ceremonies in which it played so important a part. We know 

 that in more serious matters — superstitions of deeper import, and 

 more injurious tendency, — our stubborn ancestors resisted for 

 many centuries all attempts to set them aside: "so deeply rooted" 

 says Dr. Henry, "were these pernicious principles and super- 

 stitious practices in the minds of the people, both of Gaul and 

 Britain that they not only bafSed all the powers of the Komans, 

 but even resisted the superior power and divine light of the Gos- 

 pel for a long time after they had embraced the Christian Religion. 

 This is the reason we meet with so many edicts of Emperors, and 

 canons of Councils in the sixth, seventh, and eighth centuries 

 against them, and even so late as in the eleventh century, in the 

 reign of Canute it was found necessary to make the following law 

 against these heathenish superstitions. "We strictly discharge and 

 forbid all our subjects to worship the Gods of the Gentiles ; that 

 is to say, the Sun, the Moon, fires, rivers, fountains, hills, or 

 trees, or woods of any kind." ( Leges PoliticoB Canuti Eegis, 

 c. 5. apud Lendenbrog in glossar. p. 1473.) 



It is not likely that the Mistletoe could possibly escape the 

 effect of so much authoritative denunciation. As the object of 

 the New year's-day festival, it had become a sign of the religion 

 itself ; and the very mention of its name and certainly, of the 

 virtues attributed to it with so much pomp and |ceremony, would 

 be strongly condemned. The Mistletoe however was not thus 

 to be lightly set aside. Laws might denounce it, as an emblem 

 of Paganism, but no power could prevent its private use. It 

 had become a household, or"rather, perhaps, a personal mark of 

 the religious faith of the people. The belief in the chief virtue 

 given to it so solemnly, was a part of their religion itself, and 

 the more it was denounced, the more strongly would it maintain 

 a place in their faith. 



When at length the Old Style of computing time had passed 

 away, with the Druidical priesthood, and their ceremonies, and 

 the New Style had 'become established, the sixth day of the moon's 



