ETON MONTEM, SALT-BEARERS 



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feathers ; they went in pairs, carrying very beauti- 

 ful and richly embroidered bags for collecting ' salt,' 

 holding them up to the travellers and wayfarers 

 passing along the roads. There were about twelve 

 salt-bearers, and, holding up their gorgeous bags, 

 cried ' Salt, salt ! ' The amount when collected was 

 brought to the headmaster's house, counted, and 

 was then invested to endow the first boy in this 

 school, and thus pay his expenses to King's College, 

 Cambridge. 



The year when I attended, nearly i,ooo/. was 

 collected. This was a grand contribution, the boy 

 being a very popular scholar. The boys, number- 

 ing over 800, were regaled at the ' Windmill ' ; after 

 dinner those in military attire with scarlet coats, 

 white trousers, cocked hats and feathers, drew their 

 swords, entered the gardens of the inn, and ruth- 

 lessly slashed and cut down all the shrubs and 

 flowers. Mr. Botham was most indignant at this 

 wanton destruction of his gardens, but it was pleaded 

 by the depredators, that the motto ' Mos pro lege ' 

 was sufficient to excuse them. In the end the 

 authorities had to pay nearly 100/. for this serious 

 damage, and the outrage was one of the reasons 

 given for abolishing the ' Montem.' It was finally 

 abandoned about 1844. In the evening of this 

 celebration the playing fields near the college were 

 filled with the beauty and fashion of the families 

 whose sons were at Eton and of the neighbourhood, 

 promenading to the strains of military bands, and a 

 grand display of fireworks brought the ' Montem ' to 



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