lyo SPURS, ANCIENT AND MODERN 



it had a meaning, long before the bicycle craze, 

 for now a few country churches have houses for 

 bikes. From the cheque-book of the Chapel 

 Royal, Dr. E. F. Rimbault made the following 

 extract of an order made by the Dean in 1622 : — 

 " That if anie knight, or other person entituled to 

 wear spurs, enter the Chapell in that guise, he 

 shall pay to the quiristers the accustomed fine ; 

 but if he command the youngest quirister to 

 repeate his gamut, and he faile in the so doing, 

 the said knight, or other, shall not pay the fine." 

 1 his was enforced until the year 1830. Quoting 

 a note in Clifford's edition of the work of Ben 

 Jonson, Mr. Markland says: "In the time of 

 Ben Jonson, in consequence of the interruptions 

 to Divine Service, occasioned by the ringing of 

 the spurs worn by people walking and transacting 

 business in cathedrals, especially in St. Paul's, a 

 small fine was imposed on them called ' spur- 

 money,' the exaction of which was committed to 

 the beadles and singing-boys." Again, to show 

 how the author of an old 'tract, entitled " The 

 Children of the Chapel Stript and Wipt," quaintly 

 expresses himself, we give the following pas- 

 sage : — " We think it very necessarye that every 

 Quorister shoulde bringe with him to Church a 

 Testument in Englishe, and turn to everye 

 Chapter as it is daily read, or some other good 

 and godly Prayerbook, rather than spend their 

 tyme in talk, and hunting after spur-money, 

 wherein they set about their whole mindes, and 

 doe often abuse dyvers if they doe not bestowe 

 somewhat on them." In those mirthful days 



