UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 79 



" Beneath it we'll dance, and we'll throw up the ball, 

 And all shall be gladness, good humour, and play, 

 We'll sing, and in chorus we'll join one and all, 

 And glad as the season, we'll lift up our voice, 

 And all, within measure and reason, rejoice 

 Beneath the gay garland, the garland of May." 



My uncle observed, that in Cornwall, where 

 customs have been less changed than in most 

 parts of England, the May-day ceremonies are 

 kept up with great care. He learned from a 

 friend^ who lived in a remote town in that county, 

 that all the houses were thrown open ; lively 

 music was everywhere heard, and the young 

 maidens, decked with wreaths and festoons of 

 flowers, danced along the streets, or formed 

 dancing parties in every house they chose to 

 select. 



" The annual celebration of this day," he 

 continued, " may be traced up to a very high 

 antiquity. The Romans had their Floralia, or 

 games in honour of Flora, during the calends 

 of May ; and in Asia, when the sun entered 

 the constellation of Taurus, which corresponded 

 to that period, the same kind of festivities 

 took place, accompanied by a similar display 

 of flowers. Some antiquaries have shown 

 that May-day was celebrated in this coun- 

 try long before the Roman invasion, and they 

 ascribe the introduction of the custom to an 

 Asiatic colony that settled here, and who of 

 course brought with them their national habits. 



