308 Notes and Illustrations. 
one of the party, called the Bessey, was dressed for the occasion 
like an old woman; and another, who was the fool of the pageant, 
was almost covered with skins, and wore the tail of some animal 
dangling down his back. While the rest danced, one of these odd 
personages went among the spectators, rattling a box, and collect- 
ing small donations ; and it is said that whosoever refused to pay 
had the plough dragged to his door and the soil of his threshold 
ploughed up.”—Pict. Hist. of England, ii. 894. 
90. 3. ‘Shroftide.” The Hen is hung at a Fellow’s back who has 
also some Horse Bells about him, the rest of the Fellows are blinded, 
and have Boughs in their Hands, with which they chase this Fellow 
and his Hen about some large Court or small Enclosure. The 
Fellow with his Hen and Bells shifting as well as he can, they follow 
the sound, and sometimes hit him and his Hen, other times, if he 
can get behind one of them, they thresh one another well favour dly ; 
but the Jest is, the Maids are to blind the Fellows, which they do 
with their Aprons, and the cunning Baggages will endear their Sweet 
Hearts with a peeping hole, while the others look out as sharp to 
_hinder it. After this the Hen is boil’d with Bacon, and store of 
Pancakes and Fritters are made. She that is noted for lying a Bed 
long or any other Miscarriage, hath the first Pancake presented to 
her, which most commonly falls to the Dog’s share at last, for no 
one will own it their due.—T.R. 
“‘ Let glad Shrove Tuesday bring the pancake thin 
Or fritters rich with apples stored within.” 
Oxford Sausage. 
90. 5. “ Wake Day.” The Wake-day is the day on which the Parish 
Church was dedicated, called So, because the Night before it, they 
were used to watch till Morning in the Church and feasted all the 
next day. Waking in the Church was left off because of some 
abuses, and we see here it was converted to wakeing at the 
Oven.—T.R. ‘Similar to the church-ales, though of a still more 
ancient origin, were the Wakes. It had been the custom, on 
the dedication of a church, or the birth-day of a saint, for the 
people to assemble on the night previous, to hold a religious vigil 
in the open air; and, as they remained all night occupied in de- 
votional exercises, this practice was called a wake. Such a method 
of spending the night, however, soon gave place to very different 
employments; and feasting, riot, and licentiousness became the 
prevailing characteristics of these vigils. ‘These concourses, also, 
from every neighbouring town and parish, naturally suggested the 
expediency of improving such opportunities for the purposes of 
traffic ; and hence the wakes gradually became fairs, which in some 
places they still continue to be.”—Pict. Hist. of England, ii. 897. 
‘“‘Flawnes ;” a kind of pancake was also so called. Nettle- 
ham feast at Easter is called,the /owm, possibly from flauns having 
been formerly eaten at that period of the year: but see Babees 
