201 The Statural Hijlory 



Vanes maffacre, which Henry Arch-Deacon of Huntingdon^ ex- 

 prefly fays was on the Feaft of St. Brice, i. e. the 1 3 of Novem- 

 ber. That it was formerly obferved on Tuefday, not only Mr. 

 Lambard, utfupra, but Matthew Paris alfo gives us teftimony, Et 

 po$J Diem Martis quae vulgar iter Hoke -day appellator, faflum tji 

 Parliamentum Londini, isrc u . And yet the fame Matthew Park in 

 another place makes it to fall on the Quinfieme of Eafter, in Quin- 

 dena Pafch* quoe vulgariter Hoke-day appellator convenerunt Lon- 

 dini, (src w . which muft needs be Munday ; and the very fame day 

 it is obferved here at Oxford 'in our times. 



27. In fo much that I once thought they might anciently, as 

 well as now, obferve two Hock-days, one for the women, and an- 

 other for the men, but that I find the fame Matthew Paris to men- 

 tion the Monday before Hoke-Tuefday, and not calling it a Hockrday 

 at all ; viz. Anno 1252. where mentioning King Henry the thirds 

 taking on him the Crufado, he fays, he did it die Lunje, qu ipfum 

 diem proxime pr^cedit quern Hoke-day appellamm x . However it 

 were then, h is moft certain that now we obferve two of them here, 

 on Monday for the women, which is much the more folemn, and 

 Tuejday for the men which is very inconfiderable ; and yet nei- 

 ther of thefe perhaps was the dies Martis ligatoria, whatever Sir 

 Henry Spelman may think y , whereon men and women ufe to bind 

 one another, that being now celebrated in fome parts of England 

 on Shrove Tuefday : Much lefs the fame with the Feaft of St. Blafe, 

 as Minfieu z thinks, when Country women went about and made 

 good cheer, and if they found any of their Neighbor-women a 

 Spinning, fet their dijlaff 'on fire ; that Feaft being celebrated on 

 the third of February, and in all probability upon fome other 

 grounds. 



28. Amongft things of this nature., I think we may alfo reckon 

 an ancient Cuflom of the Royalty of Enfiam, where it was former- 

 ly allowed to the Towns-people on Whit-monday, to cut down 

 and bring away, where-cver the Church -war dens pleafed to mark 

 it out, by giving the firft chop, as much Timber as could be drawn 

 by mens hands into the Abbey-yard, whence if they could draw it 

 out again, notwithftanding all the impediments could be given the 

 Cart by the fervants of the Abbey (and fmce that by the family 



t HtftorHtrwn Litre 6 . fu/> ixitiwn. u Matth. Park in A i. \ 2 5 8. edit.' Wat f.P 96 } . w Idem i* An. 1 j^ ^. 

 eJ}t.W.i:f.p.<)o\. * M:tth.?amedit.Wtf^.%i^. y VuL Spelman Glojfhium im vcr'w. jfttifi. rp- 

 pur ',- tk; yAurms, in verbo- 



of 



