THE OLD ENGLAND OF COACHING DAYS 345 



world outside the rural parish. Mankind liad 

 travelled far from those prehistoric times of 

 annual terror, "when the ignorant savage saw the 

 sun's lio-lit ii:oini!^ out with the comiuo; of Avinter, 

 and so, with abject fear, passed the darkling 

 months until the vernal solstice brought him 

 hope again. No one in the Old England of two 

 hundred and fifty years ago trembled lest the sun 

 should not return at his appointed time; but when 

 the sap rose and the birds began to sing again, 

 and Avarmth and light had begun to replace the 

 fogs and mists of winter, the hearts of all rejoiced. 

 May Day was then the great merrymaking 

 festival, but the first coach that ventured along 

 the roads, now beginning to set after the winter's 

 rains, had a welcome of its own. At Sutton-on- 

 Trent, on the Great North Road, the springtide 

 custom of welcoming the earl}^ coaches was 

 royally observed, and kept up for many years. 

 No coach, during a whole week of jollity, was 

 suffered to proceed through that jovial village 

 without it halted and ate and drank as only 

 Englishmen could then drink and eat. Guards, 

 coachmen and passengers were freely feasted, 

 willy-nilly. Young and old plied them with the 

 good things, spread out upon a tray covered with 

 a beautiful damask najikin, and heaped with 

 plum-cakes, tartlets, gingerbread, and exquisite 

 home-made bread and biscuits ; while ale, currant 

 and gooseberry wines, cherry brandy, and occa- 

 sionally s})irits, Avere eagerly jiressed upon the 

 strangers. Half a dozen damsels, all enchanting 



