THE GIANT AND THE MAYPOLE OF CERNE. IOJ 



village a little south of Luc, a maypole, stripped and peeled, with 

 its green crown, its circular wreath, and the Tricolour of the 

 Republic flying below. (See figure A.) 



Ecclesiastical sanction may be seen in many particulars. Of 

 the " church ales," the most important was the Whitsun drink- 

 ing. The vernal erection of the pole and the summer fire were, 

 as festivals, assigned to those of the calendar to Ascension Day, 

 to Whitsuntide, St. John's Day, June 24th, St. Peter's Day (10), 

 St. Theobald's Day (11), and to the Day of the Visitation of 

 the Blessed Virgin (12). Following, in Christian manner, the 

 suggestion of the cross and the cock, the instruments of the 

 Passion were (13) fastened to the maypole the pillar, scourge, 

 rod, ladder, cock, sword, lantern, hammer, tongs, nails, dice, 

 spear, sponge, and pitcher. 



Further evidence of ecclesiastical sanction may be gleaned 

 from churchwardens' accounts. Thus, in the parish of Wing, 

 Bucks, there is recorded, under the year 1593, "pd. for iron for 

 the maypole xijd.," and, in 1595, "pd. for takyng downe of 

 maypoles and lainge ym up xd." Also, in the parish of Eltham, 

 Kent, in 1562, "pd. to the boys for the maypole vjd." With 

 this may be compared a statement in an old Roman calendar 

 that on April 3oth " Maii arbores a pueris exquirentur." 



The pole itself was, in some cases, left standing for five years, 

 and elsewhere, as in the Hartz, for seven years ; but the annual 

 decoration and festival were strictly observed. Sometimes 

 greater permanence was obtained by building a huge structure of 

 many tree trunks joined together. Such, perhaps, was the 

 great maypole in Cornhill set up before the parish church, which 

 was, in consequence, called St. Andrew Undershaft; and that 

 other, in the Strand, a remnant of which had stood all through 

 the Protectorate, and to which, as Pepys records, the butchers 

 ran on the nth of February, 1660, "to sacrifice their rump," 

 for Monk had proclaimed the Restoration ; cakes and ale were 



(10) Iii Angouleme, June 29th. (11) In Alsace, June 30th. 



(12) Among the Wends, July 2nd, (13) In Bavaria. 



